3rd December 2020

A Week on the Estate: Dreich Days, Huddling Ladybirds & Stories Wanted

Winter has arrived right on time, giving us dark, dreich weather with single-digit temperatures and a little less than eight hours of daylight at the time of writing. By the time the solstice comes around on 21^st December, we’ll be down to 7.5 hours of daylight.

As if we didn’t already know it, a scrum of ladybirds discovered under a joint in a fencepost are a good indicator of falling temperatures. To endure the worst of winter, ladybirds are known to huddle together in south-facing, sheltered spots where they become torpid until the weather turns again. They may have to wait until April for their next meal.

The hard work of running an estate continues in all weathers. Mike Finch and his team visited this week to deal with a tree leaning precariously close to the wall of the Walled Garden. A much more comfortable use of estate timber – and a welcome look ahead to better weather – came in the form of some fine new picnic benches, courtesy of Ketsby Sawmill.

Can YOU help us tell a story? Kathleen Brown’s memoir of life in the Lincolnshire Wolds between the wars has inspired us to seek out more personal accounts of our region’s rich social history.

We’re interested in the everyday history of the Lincolnshire Wolds in very different times – the times that made us who we are today, but which are gradually passing out of living memory. The stories can be your own or handed down by parents or grandparents.

Kath Brown family picture & RAF Stenigot

If you have some Lincolnshire Wolds memories you’d like to share and you’re happy for us to publish them on our website:

– send us a direct message via the message button at the top of our Facebook page;

– mark your message ‘FAO Gavin Smith’;

– briefly summarise the story you’d like to share and add a few photos if available;

– include a phone number so that we can get in touch.

We’re particularly interested in stories from the following areas: South Ormsby, Louth, Stenigot, Donington on Bain, Welton le Wold, Goulceby, Market Stainton, Skendleby, Skegness & Mablethorpe.

A Week on the Estate: Dreich Days, Huddling Ladybirds & Stories Wanted

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