A Yorkist local recommended that I should visit the Yorkshire Lavender farm. So, I took the bus from York to Melton. The bus ride through the farmlands and dairy farms was so picturesque.
From Melton, I was supposed to connect to the bus that would drop me outside the farm. But the bus never arrived at Melton. Of course, I was disappointed but I’m sure everything happens for a reason.
It was lunch time and I was a bit hungry, so I headed towards Melton city center and found a cozy restaurant I could have a nice meal and figure out how I can get to the farm. Sadly, there were no cars available on Uber. I called the local taxi companies, only to find out that the round trip would cost me £80-£100. That sounded like a rip-off for a 15 to 20 minutes drive. I could have walked all the way but walking on a 90 degrees super hot sunny day for hour and a half through the highway just didn’t seem practical and healthy. I decided to just relax in this small town by doing the river walk and find a shaded area to relax.
After few hours, I decided to just hop on the next bus, and go as far as I could. I ended up in a small town called “Thornton-le-Dale.”
This quaint tiny village in the middle of nowhere was a pleasant surprise. There’s a stream, the Thornton Beck, that meanders along the streets and to access most of the homes and shops, you have to cross the tiny bridges.
As I was wandering around, I was drawn towards one of the side streets and as I kept on walking, I encountered the stream where some of the locals were relaxing while the kids and dogs were playing in the stream. On the other side of the stream stood a huge tree and a farm where cows and sheep’s were having a wee time. It was such a relaxing atmosphere that I decided to find a place to sit down, have some munchies while reading a book about meditation. The cool breeze, the rattling sounds of the leaves and the changing shape of water, was exactly what I needed to connect with my inner self.
After few hours, I headed back to the bus stop to catch the next bus to York. I had 10 minutes on hand, so I went to the chocolate shop to pick up some gifts for my friend in Edinburgh. Then I went to the nearby cafe to grab a sandwich. The cafe had the sign “closed,” but the owner, Sonia, who was working on her garden outside, asked for my opinion about how the garden looked. After we had brief conversations, she said that the cafe is closed but she can make something for me. She suggested that the rosemary focaccia bread would be perfect, she layered it with some hummus, aubergine, red peppers and dried tomatoes. I asked her to rush because I had the bus to catch but she took her own sweet time and I am partially to blame because we were having some great conversations. I grabbed the sandwich and ran towards the bus stop, but by the time I could flag down the bus, it took off.
I went back to the cafe. I suppose I had come all this way to meet Sonia. She felt bad that I had missed the bus, so she made a cup of spiced hot tea for me. Over a cup of tea, Sonia shared about her journey from Brazil to London 20 years ago. She grew up in a poor family but she knew that she has to do something with her life. Her sister was offered an opportunity to go to the UK but she was too afraid to go by herself, that’s when Sonia stepped in, and decided to go to UK. In London, she stayed with an Italian family and over the years, she learned a lot about cooking Italian food and desserts. She enrolled into the evening program at the University, and got her degree in linguistic and became a translator. She also met her would be husband in London, who was originally from this small village. She had never imagined about ever leaving London but her frequent visits to her in-laws, made her fall in love with this village and the people. So, they finally ended up moving here. She started working at the cafe and when the owners decided to move to another town, she thought that it was the perfect time to buy the cafe and put her culinary skills to use.
What an inspiring story about someone with no means but just a dream about living a better life and seizing the opportunities when they knocked on her door.
There is no doubt that the locals love her because she is not only is a great cook but has a big heart. In fact, she offered me a job to work in her cafe few days a week, if I ever wanted to move to this part of the world. I have no idea what she saw in me to even put that offer on the table. Something to think about if I ever decide to live a simple life in this idyllic town reading books, creating artwork and having afternoon tea with the locals.
While I was talking with her, an older gentleman pops in to inform her that there has been an Otter sighting in the stream. We ran to get a peek of him but he swam quickly and hid under the bridge. We got to see his beady eyes watching us with curiosity. They had never seen an Otter in this stream before, so Sonia told others, Milesh has bough this Otter to us for good luck. May be I did or may be the Otter bought me here, we shall never know.
My alarm started to beep because it was time to head to the bus station or else I would miss the bus again, which would not be a good idea since it was the last one for the day. I hugged her and bid her farewell. She gave me the juicy peach for the road. Awe!
We drove back while the sun was setting and the sky blushing with orange hues to add sparkle of magic in our mundane life.
