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(U//FOUO) SID Around the World: Jumping Into Yorkshire's Village
Life with Both Feet
FROM:
Menwith Hill Station (F77)
Run Date: 08/29/2007
(U//FOUO) What's it like for an American to settle into life in a
small North Yorkshire, England, village?
who works
at Menwith Hill Station, fills us in...
SERIES:
(U) SID Around the
World '06 - '07
(U) Greetings from foggy Albion! Well, actually, the weather here
has been just great for the past month or so and, believe it or not,
most people here in North Yorkshire are actually hoping for some
much-needed rain. I never thought that it would be so dry here
during the early spring that some local parks have had to impose
camping restrictions because of fire hazards.
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8. SID Around the
World : Jumping Into
Yorkshire's Village
Life with Both Feet
(U) It's been over a year now since my wife
and I have PCSed to this lovely area of England and we are greatly enjoying our
stay. This area is considered to be an area of outstanding natural
beauty (AONB), and it has certainly earned that distinction. I never
tire of looking at the rolling green landscapes with the grazing
sheep and the dry stone walls. Although, I will admit that it's next
to impossible to sightsee and drive at the same time since the
country roads are quite narrow and most of them are basically
paved over cowpaths. Plus, one always encounters pheasants,
rabbits, riders on horseback, and people on bikes who seem to
travel in gaggles.
(U) We opted to live in a small village called Staveley, situated
between York and Harrogate and about 25 minutes from base. So
far, we have been very pleased with rural English life. The village
has around 200 houses, an Anglican church, and, of course, the
local pub. We were very lucky in finding a lovely home to rent
which, unlike most British homes, is quite spacious and even has
ample closet space. And, most importantly, there's enough room in
the back for me to have a vegetable garden. There were two main
requirements for our home: an extra room that
could use
for her quilting and sewing projects, and room for a vegetable
garden for me. I owe what little sanity I still possess to gardening
and working outdoors.
(U) The author's home in Staveley, front and back
(U)
and I got involved in village life from the outset.
joined the village Anglican church and recently became the first
American to be asked to serve on the Parish Council. She tells me
that it's not quite like the TV program "The Vicar of Dibley," but it
is interesting. I joined the Staveley Historical Society and have
attended many interesting lectures on a variety of topics.
(U)
has also started a Staveley ladies' quilting group which
meets at our home on Thursday evenings. They are making a quilt
and other items which will be sold or raffled off at the summer
garden party with the proceeds going to the church. There are
many other social events in the village such as the yearly
strawberry festival and various teas, coffees, and plant sales,
which we attend on a regular basis. We have made several friends
in the village with whom we socialize often and feel that we are
really part of the community.
(U) The "Staveley Stitchers" quilting group.
(U) One of the fun things we did last summer was to host a Fourth
of July party for our English and American friends. We really had a
good time poking good-natured fun at our English friends for
having lost the colonies to such a ragtag army. They actually
seemed to be quite relieved that it turned out the way it did. This
summer, along with the Fourth of July party, we are planning to
hold the first Staveley bocce ball tournament on the village green.
(U) Along the same lines,
and I really enjoy introducing the
joys of Italian cuisine to our fellow villagers and often serve a
traditional Italian dish when we entertain them. As a general rule,
the favor is often returned and we are invited to their homes for a
traditional English meal. We certainly come out as winners in that
exchange! Who knew that boiled beef and potatoes could be so
delicious? And that wilted sprig of parsley on top is the piece de
resistance. No wonder the Brits have a few pints of bitter or ale
with each meal! But seriously, English cuisine has been a very
pleasant surprise for us in that it is actually very good and
certainly doesn't deserve the bad reviews that it has been getting.
English cuisine has been unfairly maligned for far too long now and
that needs to stop. Really, I mean it.
(U) We have done a good bit of traveling, though not as much as
some. We spent the first several months just exploring North
Yorkshire since there are so many castles, manor houses, gardens,
and other sites of interest. We did take a nice tour of Southern
Italy and Sicily last fall, and have also taken a couple of shorter
trips to Edinburgh, London, Tenerife, and Wales. We plan to take
advantage of the proximity to Europe and Ireland, and plan on
taking some more trips in and out of the country before we leave.
(U) Overall, I would say that our stay here in England has been
even better than expected, both professionally and socially. Of
course,
is having a great time of it since she is now retired
and spends the better part of her day quilting or reading,
interspersed with some occasional housework and cooking. I think
that she put it best recently when she said that right now, for her,
"every day is like Christmas." I won't quite go that far since I'm
still working in the government salt mines, but I am also having a
great time.
(U//FOUO) I would recommend a tour to MHS to anyone.
(U) The author, manning a "cookies of the world" table at the
Staveley summer garden party.
(U//FOUO) Note: This article is reprinted from the July edition of
S2H's "Mezhdu Nami" publication.
"(U//FOUO) SIDtoday articles may not be republished or reposted outside NSANet
without the consent of S0121 (DL sid_comms)."
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DERIVED FROM: NSA/CSSM 1-52, DATED 08 JAN 2007 DECLASSIFY ON: 20320108