Scarecrows, Sunshine and my Muse
For the past two weekends I took it upon myself to take a break from writing and get myself out in the warm weather to sample what Yorkshire has to offer a first-time writer like me, (and basically to suss out some plot ideas!). Last Saturday saw the opening day for the Kettlewell Scarecrow Festival and after mentioning it to the hubby for weeks, I dragged him along to soak up some Yorkshire sunshine and ogle some straw-filled sacks in the shape of human beings, (and some non-human beings too!).
After parking the car (and soaking up some breathtaking Yorkshire Dales scenery on the drive there) we moseyed on down to the small, but heavenly, village of Kettlewell. It truly was a sight to behold, and even lovelier was the amount of visitors that had turned up for the unveiling of this years scarecrows’ in such an idyllic village. Everywhere I looked luscious rolling hills lit up the landscape in a patchwork of assorted greens and yellows, creating a dramatic atmospheric feel to the village. Small cottages were lined up in quaint rows with layers of bunting still decorating them, (the village was included in Le Tour) that only stood to reinforce the quaint village stereotype that is so alive in Kettlewell.
For £1 we purchased a map of the village, that included both child and adult trails, and then we were off! It all began with the hubby spotting a yellow minion and after that it would appear scarecrows of all shapes and sizes came out to play! An adorable sugar plum fairy, complete with wand and sparkly wings, was perched in a nearby garden, Spiderman was seen impressively climbing up the grey stone of an old cottage and even Father Christmas managed to make an appearance along with many others! I even had a chance to turn myself in to a scarecrow with a fantastic photo op set up just outside the village hall.
But, my all time favourite scene had to be the maypole scene in the centre of the village. Small scarecrow children adorned tiny straw hats and formed a circle with their straw arms outstretched in a pose that made you think they would launch in to a cheerful dance at any second, while colourful bunting gently flapped in the wind. What a fantastic way to spend a Saturday.
After tirelessly scouring the entire village, including the beautiful local church, for amazingly life-like scarecrows often in humorous and clever scenes, we felt we were in need of a little light refreshment. So we made our way to the village hall where we found a huge variety of scrumptious looking cakes expertly made by the local villagers as well as a variety of drinks and sandwiches, all very modestly priced too! We chose to sit in the walled garden that belonged to the village hall and devour our scarecrow-hunting rewards whilst soaking up the fantastic atmosphere and scenery.
The best part of the festival was knowing that all the proceeds from the car park, (£2 all day stay), the scarecrow trail sheets and the refreshments in the village hall were put back in to the village via the local school and church. It was great to know we had helped towards keeping such a fantastic little village with such an incredible community spirit up and running for another year.
So, see you next year Kettlewell Scarecrow Festival I can hardly wait to see your next batch of creative scarecrows!
Over the past week I have come to a real difficult point in my story, I guess most people would call it writers block but in short: I haven’t a blooming clue how to carry on my storyline! At least, I didn’t until I took a visit to the place it all began. Burnsall, the beautiful Yorkshire Dale village that my book is set in. The weather was a bit temperamental; raining one minute, bright sunshine the next but that didn’t make the scenery any less beautiful. As I stood on the path that runs along the river wharfe and gazed at the decorative 5-arch bridge, my beloved characters began talking to me again! To my great relief my muse was back!
I decided to take a walk further down the river and came across some spectacular views, the limestone cliffs loomed and overshadowed the clear water beneath it and ideas started popping in my head at a rapid rate! What a magical, fantastic place it is and what a privilege to have it on my doorstep. The peaceful surroundings had such an effect on me that I was reluctant to go home.
I always mused whether I had a muse (get it?) and it turns out I do…it’s just embedded in the beautiful Burnsall countryside, which I am extremely happy about. After all, now I have an excuse to visit the village me and the hubby got married in and I can file it away as ‘creative necessity’!
Anyway, now I have no excuse’s I had better get back to work! I hope you liked my first blog post and keep tuning in for more Yorkshire-related musings.
The post Scarecrows, Sunshine and my Muse appeared first on Stacey Field.
