Home Life Style ALEXANDRA SHULMAN’S NOTEBOOK: The hunting snap that left people asking for my blood

ALEXANDRA SHULMAN’S NOTEBOOK: The hunting snap that left people asking for my blood

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A post about a traditional local hunt encounter on my Instagram account caused more uproar than any other I've posted over the past year, writes ALEXANDRA SHULMAN

What activity saw a gathering of carers, hill farmers, midwives, children, parents, shopkeepers and even a vicar on New Year’s Day in a small North Yorkshire village?

And which image from this event posted to my Instagram account caused more buzz than any other I’ve posted over the past year? Answer, nothing less than the traditional local hunting meeting.

Now, I have no particular passion for hunting, but having witnessed this event, the Government’s determination to impose further restrictions makes no sense.

This hunt, in which dogs and riders follow an anise-scented trail through streams and forests, hills and valleys, is no more dangerous to the fox population than the daily existence of this animal, with all the dangers endemic to life in nature.

There has been no fox-killing by this group in years, no howling of the aristocracy, no bloodletting of teenagers.

Rather, it was a wonderful example of an activity that had nothing to do with privilege and everything to do with a beloved tradition in which children plodded on their sturdy ponies behind the huntmasters in their red jackets and the women, with hair gathered in snoods, only a slightly less intricate style than the horse’s mane. Followed by walkers from the town.

The Department of the Environment’s description of this as “a smokescreen to cruelly kill foxes and hares” is another example of those who claim to have no experience of what they are talking about.

I’d be interested to know how many of the leading Labor politicians who are committed to banning this (surely a harmless activity) have even been on the brink of a manhunt.

A post about a traditional local hunt encounter on my Instagram account caused more uproar than any other I’ve posted over the past year, writes ALEXANDRA SHULMAN

A hunt near Husthwaite, North Yorkshire, on Boxing Day 2020. I'd be interested to know how many of the leading Labor politicians who are committed to banning this have even come close to a hunt.

A hunt near Husthwaite, North Yorkshire, on Boxing Day 2020. I’d be interested to know how many of the leading Labor politicians who are committed to banning this have even come close to a hunt.

The description of a hunt by the Department of the Environment as 'a smokescreen to cruelly kill foxes and hares' is another example of those who claim to have no experience of what they are talking about (file photo)

The description of a hunt by the Department of the Environment as ‘a smokescreen to cruelly kill foxes and hares’ is another example of those who declare they have no experience of what they are talking about (file photo)

I suspect neither had the Instagram followers who jumped to accuse me of callous behavior, as if I had posted a photo of a public execution rather than a celebration of community and rural activities.

I respect their opinions, but I would pay more attention to them if they showed any knowledge of the current hunting rules that prohibit the gruesome massacres they imagine, and of the rural infrastructure that helps the hunt continue.

Surprised… by a sad Christmas story

Imagine this scene. A young man and a very pregnant woman seek shelter in the middle of winter. When they arrive in the dark at the inn where they hope to sleep, they find themselves in the company of another couple in the same situation.

There is only one room, but the other couple takes it because the innkeeper prefers their “story.” They get stuck with the manger.

Okay, the comparison is a bit of an exaggeration, but a young friend of mine is looking for a flat to buy in an attractive area of ​​London and was offered the asking price, as was another buyer.

The other applicant won the apartment, not because either party had increased their offer or were in a better financial situation, but because, the real estate agent said, the apartment owners were captivated by his story.

Real estate agents now encourage buyers to make up a story that impresses sellers (file photo)

Real estate agents now encourage buyers to make up a story that impresses sellers (file photo)

Fortunately, the last time I tried to buy a property, all I had to do was offer the most money. But now real estate agents are urging buyers to make up a story that resonates with sellers.

Unfortunately, my friend had no heartfelt story, no pregnant partner, no current homeless situation; only, as he commented, the ability to reach the figure of more than half a million that was requested.

Next time it won’t be so stupid. A poignant Hollywood-style script is being prepared to strike a chord should it be needed to supplement the mortgage offering.

Now I know what’s been happening

Since the Gavin & Stacey finale broke television viewing records, I thought it was time to watch the show for the first time.

It was certainly perverse to start my own G&S experience with the end of a story that was released in 2007, but fortunately for me, having enjoyed every second, I now have all three delightful series to catch up on.

Nora is right: never skimp on bath oils

Over the holidays I re-read Nora Ephron’s masterpiece, I Feel Bad About My Neck. I last read it a few years ago and really only remembered the title essay, but this time it was the last chapter – Considering the Alternative – that really resonated.

No one writes with more humor about the inevitable dilemma of aging. Nora sensibly concludes that there is little positive that can be said about this condition, but she has some wonderful advice: pay no attention to the instructions on your favorite bath essence and only use a capful.

As she points out, a capful gets you nowhere in terms of a delicious scented bath. Pour into cups.

She writes: “If the events of the last few years have taught me anything, it’s that I’ll feel like an idiot if I die tomorrow and skimped on bath oil today.” What words of wisdom!

The last nightmare in the duchess’s kitchen

If Meghan Markle had even one-thousandth of Ephron’s intelligence and common sense, she would have realized that hosting a cooking and lifestyle show dressed in white will never convince anyone that you’re a domestic goddess. One touch and the curtains are gone. Why do you think Nigella wears black so much?

But that probably won’t stop anyone from watching. Seeing how badly Meghan does things has become the compelling point of her appearances, and much more enjoyable than in the unlikely event that she did something right.

If Meghan Markle had even one-thousandth of Ephron's intelligence, she wouldn't have worn white on her Netflix cooking show — just a touch and that's it.

If Meghan Markle had even one-thousandth of Ephron’s intelligence, she wouldn’t have worn white on her Netflix cooking show—just one touch and the curtain was gone.

A tasty Italian has never disappointed me.

The popularity of single-serve coffee machines continues to surprise me. The coffee they produce is invariably unpleasantly weak and, worse still, almost always lukewarm.

It doesn’t compare to the pleasure of making my morning cuppa in a traditional Italian Bialetti that hides on the hob comfortably for hours, ready to refill and at a cost per cup that is much cheaper. I bet Meghan prefers a capsule.

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