Huttons Ambo on Flickr!

We've got more pictures taken around the village than we can possibly show you here, so we've set up an account on the photo-sharing site flickr

Click here to see the pictures organised into albums

Or click here to see the whole photo stream

Philip

St Margaret's Church - Black & White

It's been a quiet few weeks on the village website  so I thought I'd share a few photographs I made of St Margaret's Church and the surrounding churchyard. I made these for a black & white photo project about four years ago and showed them in the village photography exhibition, so apologies if some of them seem familiar.

Click here to see these and more on our village Flickr page

At the gate

Pulpit

Luminous Lectern

Vicar's View

Hymns Ancient & Modern

Leaf and Petal

Monkish Outlines

Organ Pipes

Autumn Berries

Looking Back

All material © Philip Stone 2013

Crop Spraying on the Rake

A Kellands Agribuggy spraying potatoes on the Rake, Low Hutton, Huttons Ambo

The barley may be cut but the potato crop still needs tending - an Agribuggy crop sprayer in action spraying potatoes on the Rake near Grange Farm, Low Hutton.

All material © Philip Stone 2013

Hay-raking at St Margaret's Church - Thanks to All

Many thanks to everyone who turned out to help with hay-raking at St Margaret's Church, here are a couple of pictures from the day.

Simon Jackson & daughter Alice clearing grass from the churchyard

Rosa Naylor takes away a barrowful of hay while Dudley Taylor of Musley Bank rakes up another pile

Murray Naylor

Harvesting Barley - a ride in the combine

It's that time of year again, the sky is a little bit bluer, mornings are a bit colder and the air is a bit fresher and er, noisier. It's harvest time and the combines are rolling again. It hardly seems ten minutes since we saw the Claas Lexion 550 chewing its way through corn on The Rake at Low Hutton but a year has gone by and here it is harvesting barley near High Hutton.

Ian Harding of Crop Tech Ltd herds the Claas combine downhill while Richard Wainwright follows in the John Deere
(click to enlarge)

I'd scrounged a lift over to the field from Richard Wainwright, the Estate Farm Manager. By the time we arrived the combine had disappeared over the brow of the hill in a cloud of dust and while I waited for it to return we chatted about the fine weather and the state of the harvest. The dust is good, it means the crop is dry and easier to cut, but Richard pointed out that the storms that came through a fortnight ago had tangled large patches of the barley and this can cause the crop to foul the combine.

Fouled! (click to enlarge)

As the combine reappeared, Richard drove off around the field to follow it and I started taking pictures. Sure enough a few minutes later the combine ground to a halt and Richard & Ian started to remove a huge clump of barley straw wrapped around the combines red spool.

The Claas catches the last rays of the setting sun  (click to enlarge)

A classic Class combine view (click to enlarge)

I joined Richard in the tractor and we raced up the field to serve the combine which had a full grain tank. The harvester has to be kept rolling because every minute of fine weather is precious, so the grain is taken on the move. The unloading auger swings out and there's few seconds of jockeying to get the right position - we have to get the grain to fill the trailer evenly - and then the barley starts to flow.

The Class unloading grain on the move (click to enlarge)

Pacing the combine - but running out of field...
 (click to enlarge)

But suddenly we're running out of field and so Richard has to back off to let the combine turn. I took my leave at this point.

Ian inspects the barley, some of it is wind damaged but at least it is dry
 (click to enlarge)

The next morning I caught up with Ian Harding as he finished off the field. While we waited for the trailers to arrive Ian told me something of the difficulties of navigating a 12 foot wide harvester on public roads. Even though the header is transported on its own trailer, the combine still needs an escort and is tricky to get through village streets.

Ian tells me that he enjoys harvesting, as it provides a pleasant change from more routine work such as crop spraying. Potatoes are a steady earner as they need regular spraying against blight and pelleting to protect them from slugs.

We talked about last years harvest,  Ian described the weather last year as 'disastrous': corn prices had risen to £240/tonne, this year, so far, they are a more normal £120-£150.

I asked Ian for a ride in the cab and as the trailers arrived he fired up the combine and we set off. I was immediately surprised at how smooth and quiet it was - I was expecting it to be rough, bouncy and loud.

At the back of the cab there's a clear window into the grain tank and you can see barley pouring out of the auger into the tank.

Barley flows into the grain tank (click to enlarge)

Ian explained a little of the workings of the combine - the header is composed of a red spool, which leads the crop onto the bed of the header. Hanging from the spool are little tines which act a bit like a comb and tease out some of the tangles caused in the crop by wind and rain. The height of the spool can be adjusted but it was having little effect today because the crop was in good condition.

In the photograph below you can see the red spool and also the cutting knives, little shiny triangles which oscillate backwards and forwards and cut the stems of the crop, just like a giant electric razor. Also just visible are the crop-lifters: flexible metal prongs which stick out from the bed of the header and help lift the crop up to the bed if it has been beaten down by wind or rain.

Once it is cut, large screws move the crop to the centre of the header where it is taken inside the harvester to be threshed.

Header in raised position, showing the red spool, cutting knives and crop-lifters (click to enlarge)



Header lowered into working position (click to enlarge)

In next to no time the grain tank was full - it holds around 5 tonnes - and a trailer was moving into formation with us to take off the barley.

Combine drivers view (click to enlarge)

A full trailer rolls away (click to enlarge)

Once all the barley is harvested the combine will go to bed for a bit until it's called out late in the year for the bean harvest.

Many thanks to Richard Wainwright, of Huttons Ambo Farm Manager and Ian Harding, Director of Crop Tech Ltd, for patiently answering my questions and letting me clutter up their cabs with camera gear.


All material © Michelle Stone 2013

Produce Show 2013

The quality of our village show always amazes me. Every year is different - last year I felt the 'produce' section - baking, jams, wines, etc really excelled with lots of entries. This year there were some remarkably large vegetables, marrows always grow to an implausible sizeof course but there were some huge cabbages too.

 This year, I was quite taken by children's sections, especially the mustard and cress egg-heads and the miniature gardens.

Mustard & cress egg-heads

Nature in an egg-box

As usual I insinuated myself behind the scenes of the show, not in any constructive capacity of course but in my self-appointed role of photographic nosey-parker. A lot of hard work goes on during the day, booking exhibits in, accompanying judges, totting up the scores, making sure that tickets go on the prizewinning exhibits and working out who the cup winners are. All this takes place before the show opens for viewing at 4pm - so no pressure then.

Calendulas come under scrutiny in the flower section

Recording results, notice the prize tickets laid out ready

The judges take their work very seriously, while making due allowance for the fact that they are judging a village show rather than the Royal Horticultural Society, but it is surprising how much consideration can go into selecting a winner.

The monster cabbages come under discussion

One of the produce judges samples a wholemeal loaf

Once again the prizes were awarded by Rector Taff Morgan, however your thumb-fingered editor failed to make it to the village hall in time for prize-giving, so if any of you have photos of the winners you are willing to share, please let me know!

See the show results here

All material © Philip Stone 2013

Huttons Ambo Flower & Produce Show 2013 Results

Huttons Ambo Flower & Produce Show 2013 Results

CUPS & TROPHIES
W&M Smith Cup –  S. Milson
Holtby Cup – Wainwright
Youngest Exhibitor – E Lealman
Hodgson Cup –  F. Jones
F. England Cup – A.Milson
J. Witty Cup – D.Doggett
Roberts Cup – J.Charles
Topham Trophy –  D. Voigt
Photography – A.Paton
Allatt Trophy – J.Charles
Most Classes – A. Milson
Classes 1-51 (most points) –  A. Milson
Classes 52-79  (most points) –  C. Milson

FRUIT & VEGETABLES
Cabbage, green 1. 1st H.Wallis 2nd A. Milson  3rd  F. Jones
Carrots 3.    1st D. Taylor  2nd  D. Haigh 3rd A. Milson    
Onions, 3 dressed 1st J. Charles 2nd H. Wallis 3rd   A. Milson
Spring Onions  4. 1st F. Jones 2nd J. Charles 3rd H. Wallis   
Any Other Vegetable 3. 1st H. Wallis 2nd C. Milson
Tomatoes 4. 1st   J. Bray 2nd F. Jones
Cherry Tomatoes 6. 1st J. Charles 2nd H. Wallis 3rd J. Bray
Beetroot, 3 bunched, with short tops. 1st  F. Jones 2nd a. Dorman 3rd A. Milson
Sweet Peppers 2. 1st  D. Haigh
Chilli Peppers 3. 1st   J. Charles 2nd J. Charles  3rd H. Wallis
Potatoes 4. 1st  A. Lealman 2nd S. Clark 3rd A. Lealman
Broad Beans  6. 1st D. Haigh 2nd F. Jones 3rd A. Milson
Runner Beans  6. 1st D. Taylor 2nd A. Milson 3rd H. Wallis 
French Beans  6. 1st A. Milson 2nd F. Jones 3rd S. Mahon
Peas  6. Shallots, 6 any colour. 1st A. Dorman 2nd A. Milson 3rd D. Haigh 
Lettuce  1. 1st F. Jones 
Courgettes 2. 1st  1st J. Charles 2nd F. Jones 3rd J. Bray
Cucumber  1. 1st J. Bray 2nd A. Milson 3rd F. Jones 
Heaviest Marrow 1. 1st F. Jones 2nd H. Mahon 3rd A. Milson 
Any Fruits, 2 same or different. 1st  1st J. Bray
Soft Fruits, 6 same or different. 1st J. Charles 2nd H. Wallis 
Shallots 1st A. Milson 2nd H.Wallis 3rd  H. Wallis
Culinary Herbs, named, 5 different. 1st M. Holtby 2nd P. Barraclough 
Pot of Home-made Compost. 1st J. Charles 2nd A. Dorman 3rd J. Bray

FLOWERS
French Marigolds, 3 blooms. 1st A. Milson 2nd A. Topp 
English Marigolds, 3 blooms. 1st  S. Mahon
Pansies, 3 blooms. 1st  A. Milson 2nd A. Topp 3rd J. Charles
Sweet Peas, 9 stems any colour. 1stA. Milson 2nd E. Brooksbank 3rd J. Allott 
Sweet Peas, 3 stems one colour .  1st A. Milson 2nd P. Barraclough 3rd E. Brooksbank 
Garden flowers, 6 different. 1st   R. Naylor 2nd A. Milson 3rd A. Hewitt
Hydrangeas,  3 blooms. 1st   R. Naylor 2nd D. Voigt
Flowering shrubs, 3 stems different. 1st J. Charles 2nd R. Naylor 3rd J. Bray
Gladiolus,  1 stem. 1st A. Milson 
Potted houseplant. 1st  R. Naylor
Carnations or Pinks, 3 stems. 1st R. Naylor  2nd A. Milson
Herbaceous Perennial, 1 stem. 1st A. Milson 2nd R. Naylor 3rd J. Nesbitt
Herbaceous Perennials, 3 different. 1st  A. Hewitt 2nd J. Bray 3rd J. Charles
Roses, 3 stems any variety. 1st J. Bray 2nd A. Milson 3rd A. Topp 
Hybrid Tea Rose, 1 bloom. 1st J. Charles 
Annual,  1 stem. 1st J. Charles 2nd C. Haigh 3rd J. Bray 
Fuchsias, 3 stems. 1st C. Haigh 2nd D. Voigt 3rd C. Haigh

FLOWER ARRANGEMENTS
Man’s Buttonhole1st  D. Doggert 2nd J. Allott 3rd  D.Savage
Lady’s Spray, 1st   J. Allott  2nd A. Milson 3rd  D.Savage
Coastal Arrangement 1st  A. Milson 2nd D. Savage
Foliage Arrangement. 1st  D. Doggert 2nd D. Savage
Arrangement  in an Unusual Container. 1st D. Doggert 2nd A. Milson 3rd A. Topp
Table Centre. 1st D. Doggert 2nd D. Savage

PRODUCE
Wholemeal Loaf. 1st A. Paton 2nd D. Voigt 3rd A. Hall 
Lemon Meringue Pie 1st G. Wainwright   2nd S. Mahon 3rd P. Taylor
Chocolate Cake. 1st A. Hewitt 2nd S. Swindells 3rd C. Milson 
Fruit Scones, 3. 1st  J. Allott 2nd G. Wainwright 3rd A. Hewitt
Vegetable Quiche 1st  D. Savage 2nd S. Mahon 3rd G. Wainwright
Chocolate Truffles, 4  1st G. Wainwright    2nd C. Milson 3rd P. Milson
Raspberry Jam. 1st C. Milson 2nd J. Allott 
Strawberry Jam. 1st J. Charles 2nd S. Clark 3rd C. Milson 
Jam, any other. 1st S. Clark 2nd C. Milson 3rd S. Mahon 
Jelly 1st C. Milson
Marmalade. 1st J. Charles
Chutney. 1st J. Charles 2nd T. Ruthven
 
DRINKS
Bottle of Rosé Wine. 1st J. Charles 
Bottle of Red Wine. 1st J. Charles 
Bottle of Sloe Gin 1st A. Dorman 
Bottle of Other Alcoholic Drink. 1st H. Wallis 
Bottle of Non-alcoholic Drink. 1st J. Charles 2nd S. Clark 3rd J. Charles

HANDICRAFTS
Item of Clothing. 1st J. Nesbitt 2nd M, Naylor 
Picture, Painted or Hand-drawn. 1st C. Milson 2nd E. Green 
Hard Handmade Article. 1st A. Milson 2nd R. Naylor 3rd R. Naylor 
Soft Handmade Article. 1st D. Voigt 2nd D. Doggertt

PHOTOGRAPHS
Weather. 1st J. Charles 2nd A. Paton 3rd D.Banks 
Green. 1st S. Clark 2nd J. Charles 3rd A. Paton 
Local Character. 1st A. paton 2nd A. Dorman 3rd A. Paton 
Howardian Hills 1st A. Paton 
Humorous with Caption. 1st A. Paton 2nd A. Paton 3rd A. Paton

CHILDREN’S CLASSES

11-14 YEARS
Photograph of my friend  1st A. Wainwright 
Poster for Next Year’s Show. 1st G. Wainwright 2nd A. Wainwright 3rd E. Ruthven 
Cup Cakes 4. 1st M. Naylor 2nd A. Wainwright 3rd  R. Burns 
Miniature Garden. 1st A. wainwright 2nd M.Naylor
Haiku or Limerick about Huttons Ambo  1st Amy Wainwright 

7-10  YEARS
Cup cakes 4.      1st          2nd       3rd 
Mustard & Cress Head  1st H. Mahon 2nd S. Milson 3rd J. Banks 
Miniature Garden      1st D. Naylor 2nd S. Milson 3rd J. Banks 
Pressed Flower Picture.  1st J. Swindells 2nd H. Mahon 

6 & Under
Junk Modelled Item  1st A. Wallis 2nd A. Wallis 3rd C. Swindells 
Coronation Jubilee Crown 1st L. Lealman 2nd P. Milson 3rd A. Wallis
Mustard  & Cress Head 1st H. Mahon 2nd L. Lealman 3rd W. Banks 
Nature in an egg Box. 1st A. Wallis 2nd S. Falshaw 3rd P. Milson 
367 entries in total.

Many thanks to all entrants, judges, helpers and supporters.

If you prefer, you can download a copy of these results as a file (e.g. to email them to a friend) by clicking one of the links below:

Download a copy of these results as a Word Document

Download a copy of these results as an Adobe PDF file

Editors note: This must be a record: the produce show results collated and published less than 24 hours after the show!  Well done everyone.

Shooting Stars - See The Perseid Meteor Shower on Monday 12th August/Tuesday 13th August

Meteor (probably not a Perseid) & comet Hale Bopp
Credit: Your Humble Editor

All around the globe keen star-gazers are gearing themselves up for a special annual event. No, it's not the Huttons Ambo Produce Show, splendid as it is: it's the Perseid Meteor Shower.

What in tarnation is that, I hear you cry? Well, every year the earth passes through a thin trail of dust and rocks left  in the wake of a comet (which goes by the unlikely name of Comet Swift-Tuttle).  Like all comets, Swift-Tuttle is a poor driver: it cuts across the orbits of the planets and as a result we cross its dust trail every August. This shower of gritty dust is moving pretty fast: when it hits the atmosphere its doing 60 kilometres per second. That’s 37 miles per second in old money. Call it 130,000 mph.

The result is near instantaneous vaporisation of the dust. Each particle hitting the atmosphere produces a brilliant streak of light that we call a shooting star.

Perseid Meteor over the European Southern Observatory Very Large Telescope. 

Credit: ESO/S. Guisard (www.eso.org/~sguisard)

There are many annual showers of shooting stars but the Perseid shower is without a doubt the best and most spectacular of them all. The shooting stars are fast, brilliant white and they often leave a faint smoky trail behind them that fades in a second or two. Occasionally one will burst into red fragments and very rarely you might have the good luck to see a fireball – a brilliant shooting star as bright as a firework rocket.

As I write (8th of August), we’re already in the edge of the dust stream, if you go out tonight, after dark, you might see one or two bright shooting stars coming out of the North East. But Monday and Tuesday nights are Jackpot nights: we hit the centre, near enough, of the dust stream. If you go out on the nights of the 12th or 13th you might see shooting stars arriving at the rate of one a minute. But if you want to do that you need the advice of an old hand, fortunately I am here to help you:

• First of all the sky has to be dark and free from clouds. Get away from street lights – not a problem in Huttons Ambo – but you may want to switch off any security lights temporarily or go to a part of your garden where you won’t trigger them.

• You need to find a spot with a view of the North East - but Straight Up will do in a pinch.

• Wait until at least 1045pm, the sky needs to be properly dark.

• Wrap up warm. I can’t tell you how important this is, even a balmy August evening can turn pretty cold by 11pm.

• Ideally, to avoid getting a stiff neck, lie on a sun-lounger, facing North-East/East.

• Now your eyes need at least fifteen minutes to get properly dark-adapted. I really mean that, fifteen honest minutes, not three minutes of muttering “I can’t see anything” and then going back inside to catch up on the East Enders. This is better than East Enders. So switch off your torches, relax and see how many stars you can count over the next fifteen minutes.

• Once you've become dark-adapted, give me another fifteen minutes of honest sky-watching and I promise you that you’ll see at least half a dozen brilliant and fast shooting stars.

• Bonus points for the dedicated: if you really persist, say for an hour or so, you might also see some faint shooting stars coming from the South. There are at least two other weaker shooting star showers active at the moment, one of which has a reputation of producing the occasional spectacular fireball.

What if it’s cloudy on the night? Well the shower splutters on over the next couple of weeks, so don’t think these nights are the only time to see them, you can look out on other nights but you’ll have to be patient – the rate of shooting stars falls off quite quickly after the 13th.

Good hunting!

All material © Philip Stone 2013

Rennison/Renneson/Rennoldson Family History - Can you Help?

Can you help Allan Taylor trace his family history?

Allan, who lives in New Zealand, sent me an email asking for any information on the Rennison family.

If you can help, drop me a line on philip@huttonsambo.com and I'll pass any information on to Allan.

Philip Stone

---

Hello,

My distant ancestor, Henry Rennison lived in Hutton's Ambo where he was a blacksmith - as was his son Thomas. I have set out what little I know of Henry in the attached notes.

I do not know whether there are any Rennison descendants still in the parish or whether there is any evidence of the blacksmith premises - or even any evidence of Henry and his family for that matter.

However, your subscribers may be interested that there are descendants of a former parish family now living 12,000 miles away here In New Zealand and should anyone wish to contact me I would be very pleased to hear from them.

Many thanks for the delightful web site and pictures of the villages.

Regards,

Allan Taylor

---

NOTES:

RENNISON/RAWLINSON – (BYWATER) ROPER

Henry RENNISON (various spellings) was the father of seven children christened: 

Elizabeth 22/1/1757 (Catton near York), Wilm. 14/9/1758 (Askham Richard), John (REYNOLDS) 21/9/1761, Henry 20/2/1763, Mary 2/12/1764 (all Birdsall), Thomas (RENNOLDSON) 31/8/1766, Sarah (RENESON) 20/8/1776 (both Huttons Ambo).

William’s christening from ARPR was:

1758 Baptiz'd Wil Son of Henv Rennison Sep - 14 

    

Henry had a brother Thomas christened 4/10/1747 who may be he of the following Parish of Catton near York events:

RENNISON, Thos M Eliz. MOOR 21/10/1767

RENNISON, Mary C Thos. RENNISON 21/5/1768

Henry may have left Askham Richard ten or more years before his father’s death which may indicate the limited availability of work and no immediate prospect of inheriting family land or other assets. He was a blacksmith and maintained a connection with his Askham Richard family as a 1787 document from a paper of the PALMES family of Naburn shows. His father, John, died in 1781 and his mother, Ann, lived until 1790. The land was in Naburn and may have been John’s entitlement to vote in 1741:

19 - 20 September 1787: Lease and Release: for £84: Henry Rennison of Hutton Ambo blacksmith (heir of John Rennison) and Ann Rennison of Askham Richard widow of J.R. to John Hay of York merchant

The Henry RENNISON family remained in Huttons Ambo as the following events imply:

RENESON, Elizabeth M Benjamin HOCKS 27/2/1777 Huttons Ambo

RENNISN, Mary M Robert CHAMBERLAIN 2/5/1784 Ravenstonedale

RENISON, Henry M Judith CARLETON 20/2/1797 Huttons Ambo

RENNISON, Thomas M Christiania WINKUP 6/12/1802 Leeds

The 1777 Elizabeth was probably the Elizabeth christened in Catton near York Parish. The 1784 Mary married in Ravenstonedale, Westmoreland – see below. The 1797 Henry was probably the Henry christened in Birdsall Parish. Although Thomas married in the Parish of Leeds, Saint Peter, it is evident that he lived in Huttons Ambo Parish from early in his marriage – see RENNISON – PULFERD and RENNISON – THACKERAY.

In 1801 the population of Huttons Ambo was 390 and in 1823 445. White’s Directory of Professions and Trades of 1840 lists Thos Rennison as a smith i.e. a blacksmith - also the occupation of his father Henry RENNISON and of Joseph RENNISON in Great Driffield.

No Henry RENNISON marriage has been found prior to a first child christened 22/1/1757.  Henry RAWLINSON and Tamar BYWATER married in 1756 in the Parish of St. Peter, Leeds and may have been of the parents of the 1757 to 1766 or 1776 children. Leeds is about 15 miles south-west of Askham Richard. RAWLINSON is phonetically close to RENNISON and no children of Henry RAWLINSON (and Tamar) have been found. 

St Peter, Leeds, Marriage 1756 Oct.10. Henry Rawlinson & Tamar Bywater. Witns. Jas Heartley, John Hall. 

St. Peter's Church (the Parish Church), Leeds and the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Hunslet

      

A researcher states that Tamar was of Birstall, about 6 miles south-west of the centre of Leeds. As Tamar ROPER she married Joshua BYWATER 19 September, 1748 in St. Peter, Leeds Parish where Joshua had earlier married Eliz. CALVERLEY 19/6/1743. Joshua was buried at Hunslet Chapelry, Leeds 16/2/1755 - a researcher recorded his wife as Tamar ROPER. His father was a Yeoman.

Joshua christened 5/6/1745 in Hunslet Chapelry, Leeds, was the son of Jos. BYWATER. Joshua junior probably married in 1765 in the Parish of Kirkby Wharf (about 30 miles south of Huttons Ambo). Children christened in Kirkby Wharf Parish were Mary 11/5/1766, Sarah 14/9/1768, Tamar 27/2/1771, Joshua 29/4/1775; the latter two clearly named after their step-grandmother and grandfather.

Mary Renison was born 2 December 1764 at Birdsall, Yorkshire, daughter of Henry Renison. Mary married Robert Chamberlain and a daughter Elizabeth Chamberlain was born 21 Oct 1792 at Ravenstonedale, Westmorland.

Elizabeth married John Robinson and a daughter Elizabeth Robinson was born 1823, died 28 Feb 1896. Elizabeth Robinson married James Boyle, son of James Boyle and Olive Platt. She was a servant in her future husband's household.

HIMALAYAN BALSAM

Himalayan balsam is on the move again! 

This beautiful but domineering plant is re-appearing in many of the spots in and around Huttons Ambo where it flowered last year. If you were one of the many volunteers who pulled balsam last year, I hope that you notice that there’s not as much showing now!

However, please don’t rest on your laurels – it takes a few years of pulling in the same place before no more seedlings come back. Now is an ideal time to start pulling again (or for the first time!), because it’s starting to come into flower but isn't setting seed yet. Here are a few points to remember.

•       Check the land manager doesn’t mind. The Huttons Ambo Estate has said it’s happy for people to pull balsam along rights of way. 
•       Make sure that you can pull the plant up safely You will make more progress if you choose a small isolated patch 
•       Pull along the edge (or edges) of a patch, in particular where it will push the plants back from their most likely route of spread (e.g. watercourse, road or other right of way)
•       Persist with a particular patch, rather than dipping into different areas each time
•       Follow the guidance in the box below.

You will make more progress if you:

•            Choose a small isolated patch
•            Pull along the edge (or edges) of a patch, in particular where it will push the plants back from their most likely route of spread (e.g. watercourse, road or other right of way)
•             Persist with a particular patch, rather than dipping into different areas each time
•             Follow the guidance in the box below.

For further guidance, see http://www.northyorkmoors.org.uk/learning/focus-on/focus-on-himalayan-balsam

A Summer Evening Stroll

It's been while since we've had a picture post on the Huttons Ambo website so I thought I'd share some pictures from a short evening's stroll.

Incidentally if you'd like to share any of your own pictures on the website, just email them in to philip@huttonsambo.com . You don't need a fancy camera, some of the pictures posted on the site this year were taken with a smart phone camera and I challenge you to figure out which ones they are.

Don't forget that you can click on any of these pictures to see a bigger version.

Wild honeysuckle in the hedgerow  (click to enlarge)

I think there are some notable differences in the wild flowers this year. Although 2013 seems to have been an excellent year for tree blossom, I don't think the cow parsley has been as prolific as last year.

Back lit cow parsley (click to enlarge)

Also noticeable last year were elder flowers, the hedgerows were smothered in flowers, but this year they are quite a bit sparser.

Elder flowers on Rake Lane  (click to enlarge)

Ash tree,a study in light and shade (click to enlarge)

Back in May, we looked at the business of potato sowing seed potatoes in Planting By Numbers. I took a little detour to check on the progress of the plants and here is the result, a sea of potato plants from St Andrew's Fields down to Grange Farm.

Scientifically planted potatoes (click to enlarge) 

You don't need sweeping vistas or exotic plants to make a decent picture, these humble nettles are turned into glowing spires by a beam of evening sunlight on Rake Lane

Glowing nettles, Rake Lane (click to enlarge)

Near Grange Farm there is an entrance to a field that I've always found appealing, it has lovely rustic look that I've yet to successfully capture with the camera.

Entrance to field, Grange Farm (click to enlarge)

It seems an age ago, but in April, in Field of Beans we saw Richard Wainwright planting beans by night. Here is the result, wall to wall bean plants in Coach Fields, already in flower.

Field of beans (click to enlarge)

We've seen wild flowers and cultivated crops,so we'll end with some garden plants allowed to run wild, with wonderful results: Valerian growing out of a wall.

Valerian, High Hutton (click to enlarge)

I hope you've enjoyed this little collection of snapshots and they'll inspire you to get your camera out and take some pictures. And if you do, why not send them in? We'd love to see them!

All material © Philip Stone 2013

Network Rail to Lock Low Hutton Level Crossing Gates

For many years there has been a 'User Worked' Level Crossing allowing vehicles and pedestrians to cross the main York-Scarborough railway line from the fields on the hillside at Low Hutton on to the banks of the River Derwent.

A Transpennine Express passenger train approaches the Low Hutton level crossing (click to enlarge)

However Network Rail has safety concerns about the crossing - there is restricted visibility for train drivers - and so they have decided that the crossing will no longer be available for vehicle or public pedestrian access.

Low Hutton level crossing gates (click to enlarge)

At this stage we're not sure if the gates will simply be locked or if they will be replaced by pedestrian-only gates usable only by key-holders.

If you have any questions or concerns about this they should be directed to Network Rail:

National Rail Online Contact Form

Information on User Worked Crossings

National Rail Helpline: 08457 11 41 41

All material © Philip Stone 2013