The sun is shining on Great Busby

The North York Moors are easily as gorgeous as the Peak District, I think!

Walking the Cleveland Way 

We had our first short walk this afternoon and there are stunning views out over miles and miles of countryside from the top of the hill just behind our current campsite, South View Farm. The Camping And Caravanning Club are our hosts here and the CS site, between Carlton In Cleveland and Great Busby, is an open field, again with good views. It's fairly windy, but warm and sunny and pretty peaceful other than the eerie cries of peacocks from a neighbouring farm. (Dave recognised the sound - he's good at identifying birds by ear.) We certainly didn't expect to get warmer as we trekked further north! The only facilities are electric, water and waste but then the site is only £12 a night. We've patched the tear and got the awning up allowing us to eat a lunch and two evening meals outside. It was so soporifically nice out there early evening today that I struggled not to doze off to my audiobook!

I will just jump back to York to tell you about a lovely garden nursery and farm shop on the outskirts of the city, in the village of Bishopthorpe. The Brunswick Organic Nursery And Craft Workshop is not only a mouthful (!), but also a charitable enterprise offering workplace opportunities to adults with learning difficulties. We had a lunch invite to old friends of Dave's, Frances and John, and I was able to create a giftset of jams to take. Brunswick also has fresh veg, bird food and feeders, and fun gifts for gardeners. Pop in if you're ever nearby.

We supported local shops in Stokesley this morning visiting two butchers and also getting lucky (or not from a parking point of view) by arriving in town on market day! The town is pretty with a vibrant High Street and the small market added an extra bustle. We got our veg there and also two fresh mackerel from a fishmonger's van. There is also a Co-Op and a great shop called Boyes which sells an amazing variety of products - we got sealant for the shower, a trivet, a four plug gang and a roll of cling film! Stokesley is only about three miles from our campsite so I am planning to walk or cycle in on a quieter afternoon next week to have a proper look around.

Our gorgeous view 

We have another anniversary to observe in my fortieth year - the 125th anniversary of Bram Stoker's visit to Whitby. The town is on our to-do list and apparently we must eat fish and chips there, but the CS owner here made sure to tell us not to try visiting on a weekend. In a fun coincidence, one of my free AudioSYNC downloads this week is a full cast recording of Dracula which I have taken as a good omen!

And, I almost forgot, I have won a book too thanks to Sophie and Suze's Netgalley Challenge which has now finished but had several mentions in my recent book reviews. I will be receiving a signed copy of The Judas Scar by Amanda Jennings. Very excited!

More good news from 38 Degrees today. I am trying to do my bit to

reduce food waste and, thanks to publicity including a now 170,000 strong petition, Tesco is the first UK supermarket to announce that they will donate all their unsold food to charity. "The Tesco’s move is a positive step, but unless it’s inscribed in law, tonnes of perfectly good food will still end up in landfill sites. So while it’s hot in the news, let’s ramp up the pressure on the government to force all big food chains not to waste their unsold food. Momentum is on our side. Green MP Caroline Lucas has championed the campaign since the beginning, and now Hackney Labour MP Diane Abbott has submitted a parliamentary motion calling for it to become law." If you haven't already done so, please sign and share the petition too.

Enjoy 3 for 2 on all fruit, herbal and green teas at Twinings throughout June