Police court life
James Butcher (56), a labourer, was charged with having stolen a horse brush, the property of Abraham Potter, Shepherd’s Arms, Staintondale.
The brush, valued at 2s 6d was taken between July 4th and 5th.
He pleaded not guilty. Prisoner said he bought the brush off a man for sixpence. He was trying to go straight, but hadn’t a chance.
The magistrates decided to convict. There were 22 convictions against prisoner. He had only come out of prison on Monday.
He was sent to gaol with hard labour for a month. Children’s summer holidays are underway, but signs of autumn are most obvious. By mid-July we’d picked plump, juicy blackberries to accompany apple pies. Hawthorn berries are turning red; dog roses have been transformed into rose-hips, and clusters of scarlet rowan berries hang from the rowan, or mountain ash. The roadside cherry tree we loved, has been felled. We can no more compete with blackbirds for the cherries!
The walnut tree, in Seamer village near the churchyard wall, has this year been laden with green walnuts. Hazel bushes have an abundance of nuts, with up to seven in a cluster.
We’ve enjoyed several country trips. Travelling to Pocklington to admire the spectacular lakes, water lilies and gardens at Burnby Hall, we glimpsed a song thrush on the roadside, using the hard surface as an anvil on which to smash a snail’s shell and obtain a tastey morsel inside.
The water lilies are a renowned collection of species ranging from miniatures to those eight inches across, in a variety of colours. Do see them before the end of August, along with huge carp. Admire the Victorian Gardens, Secret Garden, Aviaries and sculputres in wood, and wire mesh, and don’t miss the Stewart Museum.
Bird life has been very quiet. The swifts have flown, and we miss the blackbirds’ flutelike calls. Even at Burton Riggs Nature Reserve near Morrison’s, only two greylag geese and a coot were observed on the lake. We pick up odd feathers on our lawn, reminding us it’s the time of year when adult birds are gradually moulting, shedding one or two old feathers and replacing them with new ones as the plumage changes.
Ragwort is becoming a serious pest of roadsides, pastureland and waste ground. Its a striking plant with dark green leaves and yellow, daisy-like flowers. Its leaves contain an alkaloid poison which can remain in plants that have been dried with hay. It can be eaten unnoticed by farm animals, and its active ingredient destroys their livers over a matter of months!
After many futile searches amongst ragwort for the cinnabar moth caterpillars, we found vast numbers near the edge of the lake, shredding the leaves. The caterpillars are most conspicuous, being yellow and black striped. Both the caterpillar and attractive moth are distasteful to predators. The cinnabar moth has black forewings with red markings. The hind wings are red.
This summer we’ve observed more commong blue butterflies that usual, and more large white species that other varieties.
Knapweed; yarrow; silverwood; scarlet pimpernel, and square-stemmed St John’s Wort now bloom in local habitats. The latter has been used in the past in witchraft, to raise ghosts and exorcise spirits!
Sadly, despite notices requesting dogs are leashed and excrement and litter removed, problems persist. Of the eight dogsweencountered–allwere running free. Only Tigga was leashed, alas! When will folk respect our countryside?