spring in the cotswolds.

nothing wronge with my spelling Ron, just a 'lazy' typer lol

Ps It's not were, its we're, lol

FLY-TIPPING of building waste has prompted Stow Town Council to ban allotment holders from using its skips on the allotment site. Burials board chairman Colin Smalley said builders had been using the skip, which is primarily for use by cemetery workers, meaning that they were becoming full up too quickly. “We are having vans turn up with builders’ rubbish. It’s regular and they know it’s there,” said Coun Smalley, who said steps would be taken to stop the tipping. Parks committee chairman Keith Cox said: “We change those skips every month at a cost of £168. Allotment holders will no longer be able to use those skips for their rubbish.”

The Amish don't just live in Pennsylvania, but have large communities throughout Ohio, Indiana and Michigan as well. There are a number of Amish communities in Clare County (central Michigan) just north of us and they are not all lockstep in their beliefs. Some of the communities are more conservative and self-isolating than others. They tend to be very practical when the need arises and some have accepted the use of a few modern conveniences. I know some Amish families who now use electric freezers as a practical method of storing food, though they do not have the freezers in their homes--generally they are out in the barn. Also, many Amish families will readily accept a ride to the store in an automobile without any hesitation.

I have some friends in that area who have forested land and when I was younger I used to go up there and lend a hand clearing woods and helping out with the Spring maple syrup-ing (tapping hundreds of maple trees to collect their sap and cooking it down for maple syrup). My friends generally hired out Amish men to help with the work and their wives and daughters to cook meals for the end of the day. I always found them to be friendly, humorous and at a basic level not as different from "the English," as they call us, then one would think. Harvey Yoder, one of the Amish men that I got to know, would even sit down with us after the work was done to have a beer! So much for stereotypes!

One of my most cherished memories comes from that time. One Spring I was helping out with maple tree-tapping and I had brought my daughter Leah along, who was 5-years-old at the time (she's now 26) so that she could see how maple syrup is made. There were several Amish hired workers there and one of them had brought a couple of his kids along, one of whom was a daughter (also 5-years-old). I remember at some point looking around to make sure that Leah was near by and the memory of what I saw is still with me as if it happened yesterday. As a child, Leah was always into clothes with wild colors and a sense of flash. On this trip she had on pair of bright pink pants and a hot pink, electric blue and bright yellow coat--you could say that she stood out! As I turned around, there was Leah in all her shocking color glory standing six feet opposite the 5-year-old Amish girl who was very plainly dressed in purple and black with a tightly tied bonnet. They were just standing there staring at each other, I'm sure wondering "Who on earth are you?". It was so sweet and poignant, and at the same time so amusing! Sadly, I had no camera to record this meeting of cultures and if I had a moment that I could live over, it would be that one (this time with the camera)!

Are you having a bout of depression Michael?  What a long, sordid, miserable story! 

Nice cross-cultural segment Rob, you have a very special "snap shot" of a wonderful moment in time,  in your head even if you didn't capture it on camera!

Your post about the Amish is very interesting Rob.This is the first time I have heard about this sect.

Yes,there are some moments in our lives which we always regret not being able to catch on camera.But your Avatar is a lovely 'moment' too.

letting off a bit of steam James lol

Rob I've no problem with the Amish, live and let live is my motto as long as you live within the laws of the land and respect others.

Cathyml, you know me so well already LOL forgive me but sometimes, just sometimes, something gets my back up and I have to let off steam. I think the Cotswolds is a lovely place but its not heaven. Some of the people that live there are so far up there own  xxxxxxxxxxx that they think the rest of the UK doesnt exist, they talk down to and look down on anyone who isnt one of them or anyone/anything north of Oxford. They live in cloud cuckoo land. Last night on Tv was a new programme (nothing to write home about, but I watched it). The show put together 3 sets of couples who ran bed and breakfasts. Typical tv researchers put together a couple who ran an olde worlde b and b boarding in the cotswolds, a couple who ran a b and b in Blackpool, Lancashire and a couple who ran a b and b in Skegness, Lincolnshire. they each visited (for the program) the others b and b for 24 hours then give their verdict. The first couple, a pompus toffee-nosed retired pair from the cotswolds, their b+b was a 'pretty' olde worlde converted house filled with antiques. They took their guest to a local miniture village (that they admited had not visited before) He was staggering from having one to many glasses of port before setting off. When the other couples gave judgement on their stay they commented that whilst the property was charming and lots of antiques adorned the lounge the bedrooms were very bare and basic. he replied we dont trust our guests. When it was their turn to visit Blackpool and Skegness the same couple did nothing but insult the  towns, stating 'I suppose its alright for northerners as they like that sort of thing!'. Now, Blackpool can , to some, appear brash but it is modernising and still draws in millions of visitors every year. One mile or less back from the sea front you have beautiful parkland, a well stocked zoo and the famous Lancashire Countryside with charming little villages to equal the Cotswolds. If you dont wish to stay in Blackpool itself a 5 minute drive or public transport will take you to the upmarket town of Royal Lytham and St Annes for those who like it a little quieter. The Cotswold couple, looking down ther nose quipped 'we didnt want to come north and we wont be back! .

Dont insult us with your toffee nosed blinkered opinions, we have much more than the Cotswolds to offer and our people are real people not stuffed shirts who cant see beyond their biased veiws.

Rant over, Cath, lol

I