Chairman’s Chit Chat October 2026
There is an old Russian proverb that translates as “Visitors, like fish, stink after three days.”
I am glad to say that this was not the case when we had Jessie’s brother and sister-in-law to stay with us for a week in late September. It was the chance to have a relaxing few days in good company, put the gardening jobs on hold and do things that we normally would not do.
Donald, with his vegetable plot, and Chrissie with her ornamentals, grown mainly in pots, are keen gardeners themselves but, hailing from the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, their weather conditions are a lot windier, wetter and cooler than we experience.
With this common interest it was little wonder that one of our days out was a trip to RHS Harlow Carr, near Harrogate.
I have been a member of the RHS for many years but to my shame I am a very infrequent visitor to Harlow Carr. We had a splendid day; the weather was sunny and pleasantly warm with the gardens on the cusp of full autumn splendour.
The only downside was that we were looking forward to partaking of a little light luncheon at Betty’s but sadly it was closed for refurbishment.
Oh well – a good excuse to go again when it reopens.
Chrissie is a chocoholic, so for one day we all became tourists and booked a tour at York’s Chocolate Story on King’s Square.
This popular attraction tells the story of three famous York confectionery families – Rowntree’s, Terry’s and Cravens. It is all very well done, quite light-hearted and the stories are fascinating. As we journeyed through the various stages of the exhibition, there were enough free samples to keep Chrissie happy (P.S. she spent a small fortune in the shop!).
On a more sombre note we visited Eden Camp Modern History Museum at Malton.
This is predominately a history of World War II. There are 22 huts to explore, with most of them concentrating on a different aspect of the conflict, plus a number of others dedicated to more recent wars – Korea, the Falklands and the Balkans, for example. We were there over five hours but only had time to skim through the exhibits.
Another must go to again location.
We had a wonderful week with our visitors – with not a whiff of rotten fish!