windmills and walking haystacks..

The wide-open, flat terrain of the Fens lends itself to the use of windmills for harnessing the power of nature.

In recent years this has been evident in the growth of wind farms with their modern wind turbines, but, of course, in years gone by, the traditional windmill would have been a feature of most communities. The local miller would have milled the wheat and the local baker baked the bread for the inhabitants.

Most of these mills are now abandoned or have been turned into unusual dwellings but some have been renovated and returned to their original use.
One such is Foster's Mill in the village of Swaffham Prior between Cambridge and Newmarket.

The mill is open to the public on the 2nd Sunday of the month and if you are lucky, as we were, you are treated to your own personal tour of the mill by a very knowledgeable and friendly gentleman.

And you also have the opportunity, if you so wish, to buy locally grown, organic, stoneground flour.
Since attending The Sourdough School last summer, making a sourdough loaf has become a weekly ritual and I am looking forward to using this beautiful flour in my next baking session.

And talking of wheat and flour, the first Monday after Twelfth Night is commonly known as Plough Monday, when historically the agricultural year began after the Christmas festivities.
In some areas, predominately, in the East Midlands and East Anglia, this was marked by farm workers touring towns and villages with their plough, sometimes with dancing and singing and sometimes accompanied by a young man dressed as a straw bear.
In our Fenland town this tradition was revived in 1980 and is now a well known festival attracting folk singers and dance troupes from across the country and beyond.

One of the smaller straw bears. It's difficult to tell the front from the back!

This year the sun shone for the festival. There were several 'bears' large and small. (Presumably, encased in straw is a good way to keep warm as it was freezing)

And lots of dance troupes, with wildly colourful costumes.

A good way to cheer a cold January weekend and to mark the moving on of the season.




annjenny x