Carvings

I had to leave my car at the garage at Market Rasen yesterday and while it was being attended to the trundle truck and I went exploring.

Market Rasen is a small market town a few miles from Caistor, perhaps best known for its racecourse but yesterday I wasn't interested in the geegees.  I was interested in the town.  Especially interested in the wood carvings.

I've shown you the Fat Controller before.  He lives at the railway station, of course. 

Not far away is a children's play-park with its very own owl.

And hiding in the tree beneath the owl is an owlet.

Close by is a wheatsheaf

and a pod of peas

And to complete the scene is a butterfly, a millipede and friends.

Three cheers for North Yorkshire Moors Railway

I've had a few days away in Yorkshire, supporting my nephew who has been doing the Coast to Coast Walk and while I was there I enjoyed the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.

Hagrid at Hogsmeade Station

I love travelling by train!   For me it's the best way to see the scenery of this lovely country in which I live.  Trains have one big disadvantage though - I'm not allowed to take the trundle truck (mobility scooter) which means I can't do much "at the other end".  So I booked my ticket for NYMR railway and resigned myself to the fact that the railway station would be the only part of Pickering which I would see.

Goathland Station

But NYMR is one up on Network Rail.  As soon as I appeared on Grosmont station a wonderful volunteer asked me if I would be travelling and said I could put the trundle truck in the guard's van!  How wonderful is that!!!  They brought a ramp and up I trundled with the help of a shove from the guard.  That meant that I could explore Pickering and anywhere else I wanted to see along that line.  

It really is a lovely line with the added interest that it was used for The Hogwarts Express in the Harry Potter films.  Goathland Station featured as Hogsmeade Station.  

Steam train at Grosmont

There are both steam and diesel hauled trains on this heritage line and they have the most wonderful bunch of volunteers.  Thank you NYMR,

Connecting with my Family History

Out into the Lincolnshire countryside today, this time to lead worship at St Mary's Church, Thoresway. 

The 2011 census reckoned that 198 people live at Thoresway but that figure also includes Kirmond-le-Mire which has St Martin's Church, and Stanton-le-Vale which is served by St Andrew's Church so that's three Anglican churches serving less than two hundred people!  

So I went to Thoresway and joined ten people for the morning service.  Everyone sat in the choir and it was lovely.

Uncle Palmer.  The dates refer to his incumbency at Walesby

Actually I had a smile at even the thought of going to Thoresway because I remember my Mother talking about going with my Father on their bicycles to visit his Uncle Palmer (who was Rector of Thoresway) for marriage preparation.  My Mother's family lived about five miles from Thoresway and Uncle Palmer came to their village to conduct their wedding.

So I feel that Thoresway is part of my story too.

I hope Uncle Palmer would have approved of the service this morning.