But hang on, what on earth is going on? Hi Viz, flight feathers? What’s happening with the ducks?

In May, much like last year, the ducks and the ducklings were being spooked at the beck as dusk fell. Was it an otter, known to be around, or a mink? No-one knew, but every evening a waddle of ducks and ducklings would exit the water, and into town they’d head, on and off the pavement to seek sanctuary in the Market Square car park.

But let’s face it, a road at dusk and then a car park are not the safest of places for ducks, even ones as determined as Thirsk’s. So the Thirsk Duck team sprang into action as they did last year. Time tables were drawn up by Emma-Jayne, who led from the front, the rear and all ways, and the high quality ‘escort service’ began. The Wardens were on the march!

Image credit: Bethany

Off would go a pair of wardens to the beck to wait for dusk. Eventually the waddlers gathered on the bank, and set off for town, but only when they were good and ready. The two sets of ducklings with a mum front and rear would plod across the grass, then across the lane scrabbling up onto the pavement. At the T junction the lead mum would take a swift turn left, and busy busy, off they’d go to the car park, which involved crossing a fairly busy road. So, escort wardens waddled alongside. No, really, they did not, they walked – forgive me – in the road actually, hi viz (courtesy of Mary K a warden) on display, warning traffic to slow, and stopping the traffic at the T junction, and most willing the cars were too.

The mum ducks, heads held high would waddle on, looking out for dogs, the only real monster, they feel, with the ducklings keeping up, somehow. If a dog appeared, panic ensued, but never fear, the Duck Wardens sprang into action. You might have heard of herding cats? Try herding ducks.

Image credit: Suzanne

Once at the car park they would automatically head for the cones which a volunteer will have set out earlier, and which the ducks recognized as sanctuary, and into which no car would dare to come – so very there. Quack Quack.

Complete with water, (thank you The Mowbray Arms for the water) always ready for the ducks to refresh after their journey, and of course, for the ducklings to plonk themselves into. Oh, come on, who doesn’t like to play?

Image credit: Richard

Once settled, the ducks and ducklings, now growing at quite a rate, were left with one or two wardens, while another returned to the beck to escort the grown ups when they were ready, along the same route. Once all were settled in the cones, these wonderful wardens would stand guard to calm the ducks when dogs passed, when the pubs emptied, cars revved until all was quiet. Then it was ‘Home James, and don’t spare the horses’ .

Sadly some ducklings and ducks were lost to the predators, and to the roads when the team had left for the night. (Some didn’t leave until midnight at the weekend). At dawn the ducks would take themselves back to the beck, when traffic was light, hopefully. Jody who was one of the founders would collect up the cones at dawn. In the evening it would all start again.

Of course, with any team effort, there were plentiful volunteers in support, what with the morning and evening feeds, the cones to put out, and bring in – some pretty heavy let me tell you. And the organisation of the whole thing requires hands to the pump.

Image credit: Adam

Come rain or shine though, and boy, was there some rain, the wardens would be there, and always passers by stopped to chat, to learn, some coming quite a distance, as this year there was national coverage of this strange North Yorkshire event, even in Australia and America. Always there was kindness and appreciation. As May ended, and the months came and went, the protection continued and the team watched as flight feathers became evident, and wing flexing was an increasing feature of the escorting. As the ducklings fledged, and flew, so did the adult ducks, until last Sunday, in the pouring rain, only one adult duck (surely this duckling was now grown up?) was settled within the cones. The next evening, none came, and none the next, so it was over, – for another year. There were 24 ducklings at the start 12 survived (50%) and in the wild the ratio is 10%-40% – now that is something of which to be extremely proud – all of you in the Thirsk Ducks team.

But the Thirsk Ducks team must have the last very beautiful words courtesy of Emma-Jayne: ‘As the sun sets on another unforgettable year, we want to say the biggest, warmest thank you to everyone who make Thirsk Ducks 2025 so special. To our incredible Thirsk Duck Wardens, – your dedication, selflessness, and humanity have been the quiet heartbeat of this whole journey. You’ve gone above and beyond, rain or shine, and we are endlessly grateful. To our followers, supporters near and far and to the local businesses (The Mowbray Arms, The Three Tuns and the Yorkshire Feed and Country Store) who stepped up with generosity and enthusiasm, our friends who made donation in different ways – thank you for standing with us, cheering us on, and helping us continue something truly unique.

And to our wonderful comminity here in Thirsk, nestled in the heart of beautiful North Yorkshire – you’ve shown what it means to come together, to care deeply and to make magic out of the everyday.

From the bottom of our hearts thank you. We’re closing the book on 2025 but already looking ahead with excitement Here’s to 2026.

Frost Magazine is moved beyond words at the small but very special market town of Thirsk, and its example of community, friendship and humanity.

https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/pubs/the-three-tuns-thirsk/

https://www.facebook.com/p/The-Mowbray-Arms-Thirsk-61573545925475

https://www.facebook.com/p/Yorkshire-Feed-Country-Store-61551945367729/?locale=en_GB

Do you find that you’re always cooking the same meals? Or is that just me? I remember when I was first married (which feels like a hundred years ago), every meal was a triumph of careful planning and slaving over a hot stove. Sadly the novelty was short-lived, and meals soon became defined only by speed and ease. Every so often I’d dust off my culinary interest when friends visited, but I confess to feeling totally uninspired over recent years.

However, I’m a changed woman, brimming with excitement and ambition, since experiencing Tom Parker Bowles cookbook, Let’s Eat: Recipes From My Kitchen Notebook, (2025 winner of the Good Housekeeping Good Books Christmas Collection).

As I’m sure you know, Tom Parker Bowles, besides being son of the Queen, is an award-winning British food writer and a restaurant critic for The Mail On Sunday. He also writes for Country Life, is a judge on BBC’s Masterchef and has written eight books.

What I love about this book is that it’s true to the title – it’s written like a set of notes, jotted down whenever a fabulous new recipe is discovered. Rather than the usual starter, main course, dessert format, it’s much freer, and frankly more practical. There are sections total devoted to comfort food, to quick meals, and slow ones, and a section on national cooking – including Mexican, with three different ceviches (my mouth is watering as I write). Then, finally a fabulous section on cooking children’s meals, a life-saver when I’m on grandkids duty.

But, for someone with a short attention span, I absolutely adore the sudden change of direction, with a few cocktail recipes slotted in after the ‘Quick Fixes’ – how perfect is that? And I love that he starts each recipe with a chatty bit – an interesting anecdote or useful tips, it’s like cooking with a friend.

The recipes are great – from dinner party to simple fare – and yet all easy, with clear instructions. Some have an interesting twist, like Chillie Cottage Pie, some are traditional such as Treacle Tart, or a bit special like the Porcini Risotto, but each one makes cooking feel exciting again.

So if your nightly meals are craving new inspiration I can totally recommend this book – it will change your life. Let’s Eat: Recipes From My Kitchen Notebook RRP is £26 and available from major book sellers.

By Dr K Thompson, award-winning author of From Both Ends of the Stethoscope: Getting through breast cancer – by a doctor who knows

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01A7DM42Q http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A7DM42Q
http://faitobooks.co.uk

Note: These articles express personal views. No warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of information given and you should always consult a doctor if you need medical advice.

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Having so enjoyed the first of The Carlswick Series, just see what is out at a special price for a short while: The Carlswick Treasure: A gripping mystery of lost masterpieces and buried truths (The Carlswick Mysteries Book 2)  Kindle Edition by SL Beaumont

When history holds the key to danger, who will make it out alive? The Carlswick Mysteries continue with a story of lost treasure, deadly secrets, and high-stakes betrayal. Stephanie Cooper is studying history at Oxford University when she finds an ancient treasure map hidden in the village of Carlswick. Solving the map’s mysterious clues provides her with a much needed distraction following a shocking revelation in her personal life.

But her quest to uncover the map’s secrets sets off a chain of events that no one could have foreseen. Stephanie and those closest to her, are led into a world of intrigue and danger as they race from London to Barcelona and rural France, to unearth a cultural treasure trove before it’s too late. It really is a page turner, but so was the first in the series, The Carlswick Mysteries. Here we have old enemies, betrayal and danger – and this time, the stakes are higher.

It is available at the pre publication special price of £1.99 instead of £2.99 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FVDM2PPC/

Warm up here – Death Under Palm Trees: A cozy 1930s murder mystery (Jack and Frances Mysteries Book 4)  by Carmen Radtke Kindle Edition

Before a party turns deadly Jack and Frances must trade glamour for disguises to unmask a thief – and a killer. A hard task, and fascinating.

It’s 1931. Jack, Frances and Uncle Sal are supposed to be the guests of honour at a dazzling New Year’s party in Nice. But instead, their hostess needs their discreet help to solve the theft of government documents before it becomes public. With all their plans awry, Frances swaps her evening gown for a maid’s uniform, Jack poses as a chauffeur, and retired Vaudeville artist Uncle Sal intrigues the guest at the house party as a man of possibly nefarious mystery.

With their suspects out and about, including nights at the casinos, it is difficult to keep track of their suspects without raising suspicion about their roles. Just when Jack and Frances think they’ve solved the theft, a death under palm trees raises the stakes. Quick turn the page.

They need all their wits and ingenuity to unravel this tangled web and catch the murderer before a second victim dies … Again, at the special price pre-order price of £1.99. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FVXW2XRP/

I love my Hokan Bowls – Hokan means storage in Japanese and I’ve enthused about these before in Frost Magazine. Although a British company, Hokan Bowls have embraced the Japanese values of Shibui – simple, beautiful, unobtrusive. They’re oven, microwave, freezer and dishwasher safe, so you can prepare a meal in the bowl, cook it, then eat from the same bowl (or the lid, which also doubles up as a small bowl). This is the kind of minimalism I love.

My bowls are Jade Green – just looking at them makes me feel calm and happy. But, great news, there are now two new colours – Baby Blue and Pink. So with nine colours in all to choose from – Lemon Yellow, Sea Green, Cobalt Blue, Pitch Black, Antique White, Blue Reactive, Green Jade and the two new colours – you’ll have no problems finding the perfect colour for your mood, and your kitchen.

RRP £90 for a set of three or individually:

• Small: 400ml, RRP £25

• Medium: 600ml, RRP £30

• Large: 1000ml, RRP £35

Available from hokanbowls.com with free shipping on orders of £90 and over.

By Dr K Thompson, author of From Both Ends of the Stethoscope: Getting through breast cancer – by a doctor who knows

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01A7DM42Q http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A7DM42Q

http://faitobooks.co.uk

Note: These articles express personal views. No warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of information given and you should always consult a doctor if you need medical advice.

Currently in the UK there are around 13 million women who are in the peri or menopausal stages of their life. That’s around a third of the entire UK female population.^[1] But, this significant life change, which is the consequence of huge hormonal shifts, often makes itself very known. In fact, there are more than 30 recognised symptoms of menopause and three in four women will experience symptoms.^[2]

But, while there are several symptoms such as hot flushes, anxiety, mood swings and sleep disruptions which are commonly known, there are in fact, many other, often debilitating symptoms, which can be caused by menopause.

Women’s health specialist GP Dr Janine David, advisor to Berkeley Health says: “With October marking World Menopause Awareness Month, there’s no time like now to increase awareness around this key life change. Menopause, marked as the time when there have been no periods for 12 consecutive months and no other biological or physiological cause can be identified, tends to occur between the ages of 45 and 55. Perimenopause, the period leading up to menopause, is when you have symptoms of menopause but your periods have not necessarily stopped. Perimenopause can go on for several years, as can the symptoms of perimenopause.”^[3]

In other research, more than a third of UK women admitted that menopause affected their work life while 36% said that symptoms impacted their social life. Plus, a high 42% said their menopause symptoms were worse or much worse than they suspected.^[4]

Explaining the hormonal shifts during menopause, Dr Gill Jenkins says: “Oestrogen is a hormone which will have been present in a woman’s life for the entirety of her reproductive years, but it starts to decline pretty rapidly during perimenopause, which usually fuels the menopausal symptoms. 

But menopause does not have to be a difficult stage of a woman’s life. It’s all about good symptom management and self-awareness to help make it a fulfilling and satisfying time.

Dr Janine David continues: “To empower women and allow them to feel more in control of their health, Berkeley Health – the smart brains behind clinically backed self-care medical device testing solutions – has released a range of at-home tests which offer answers in minutes. This means women can better understand what’s driving their symptoms and discover if they are in fact menopausal. The Berkeley Health tests are all accredited by GenM too which means they are menopause friendly, trusted by retailers and they meet the MTick criteria on the grounds that the products are backed by authorised health claims under the medical device law.” 

The Berkeley Health range of self-care tests for women going through the menopause include:

• Berkeley Health Menopause FSH
• Berkeley Health Vaginal PH
• Berkeley Health Urinary Tract Infection
• Berkeley Health Thyroid TSH
• Berkeley Health Vitamin D

50% of women don’t seek medical advice about their menopausal symptoms

A high 50% of women aged 45 to 65 who have experienced the menopause in the past 10 years, had not consulted a healthcare professional about their menopause symptoms^[5].

Dr Gill Jenkins adds: “This could indicate that women are unsure about what’s happening in their body or perhaps they’re unsure if help is even available. Although the Berkeley Health tests are not a replacement for medical advice, they can give women information to take to their GP or specialist. It allows them to advocate for their own health, rather than waiting years for symptoms to be recognised, whether they’re cause by menopause or not.”

The Berkeley Health Menopause FSH is the main menopause test offered by Berkeley Health. 

Dr Janine David explains: “If you’re beginning to experience symptoms related to menopause such as a lack of menstrual cycles, hot flashes, sleep irregularities and obvious mood changes, this test is a great way to gain an understanding as to whether you’re entering menopause. 

“Essentially, this simple urine test helps to identify levels of Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH). Menopause, which is the consequence of the end of ovary follicle lifecycle, leads to an increase of FSH, with values less than 20 mUl/mL going up to approximately 80 mUl/­mL.”^[6]

If the Berkeley Health Menopause FSH test indicates an increased FSH level, the onset of menopause is likely to have started.

The lesser-known signs of menopause 

The menopause is more than just hot flushes and as a result brings with it so many other, often unknown, symptoms. These include:

• A change in the vaginal pH: Vaginal pH is a measure of how acidic or alkaline the vaginal environment is. An acidic vaginal pH helps keep harmful bacteria, fungi and infections (such as UTIs or bacterial vaginosis) at bay.

A healthy vagina typically sits within the acidic range of 3.8 to 4.5 but hormonal shifts during menopause can cause this pH to change. 

A 2020 study of 173 women found that a vaginal pH greater than 4.5 had an 84.9% sensitivity for diagnosing menopause.^[7]

This change in the vaginal pH can lead to problems, for example, an increased risk of infection which can lead to symptoms such as itching, a strong odour and uncomfortable discharge.

Explaining why menopause can lead to change in pH, Dr Gill Jenkins explains: “During the reproductive years, oestrogen supports the vaginal lining and encourages the growth of Lactobacillus bacteria. These bacteria produce lactic acid, which keeps the vaginal environment acidic, between around 3.8 to 4.5. But, during menopause, oestrogen levels drop and vaginal cells can thin. There’s less lactic acid production and the acidity of the vagina can weaken, which can cause the pH to rise, often into the 5.0 to 7.5 range, which is more alkaline.”

Testing the vaginal pH can be an indicator of menopausal status. The Berkeley Health Vaginal PH test can identify any pH change; it’s an easy vaginal swab test which can be done in the privacy of home.

• Increased risk of Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs): UTI symptoms are common for perimenopausal and menopausal women to experience even without having an actual infection. 

Explaining why, Dr Gill Jenkins says: “The sharp decline in oestrogen levels during and after menopause can cause thinning and reduced elasticity of the vaginal and urethral tissues.  This makes it easier for bacteria to enter and cause infection. However, many UTI symptoms, such as burning, urgency, pain with urination and pelvic discomfort, may not indicate a UTI at all as these symptoms are often due to the decline in oestrogen.”

As well as this, the decline of oestrogen raises vaginal pH and reduces Lactobacillus, which normally protect the urinary tract, so without this, women may experience dryness, irritation, and discomfort without any infection present^[8].

A test, such as the Berkeley Health Urinary Tract Infection test helps to identify whether your uncomfortable symptoms are an infection or a sign of menopause.

Dr Gill Jenkins adds: “This at-home test means women can be in the know and on top of their health. No matter what’s causing their symptoms, they are at least armed with knowledge, which they can bring forward to their GP.”

• Vitamin D deficiency risk:  Vitamin D deficiency becomes more common after menopause as oestrogen, which declines during menopause, normally helps the body metabolise vitamin D.

But a vitamin D deficiency can cause problems, particularly with bones. Research has even confirmed lower vitamin D levels in postmenopausal women and a strong association with reduced bone mineral density^[9].

The Berkeley Health Vitamin D test can identify a vitamin D deficiency if present. 

Dr Gill Jenkins says: “Low vitamin D increases the risk of osteoporosis, fractures, muscle weakness and low mood, so it’s vital to know if you’re deficient. Some of the symptoms are common for menopausal women anyway, so a test can clarify if there’s a further problem.”

• A higher chance of thyroid disorders: Your thyroid is a small, butterfly shaped gland found in the neck. It’s responsible for producing and releasing certain hormones, predominantly T3 and T4, which control how fast or slow your body uses energy. 

Dr Janine David says: “This affects your metabolism, weight, mood and even your body temperature. Problems can arise when your thyroid stops working as it should.”

Dr Gill Jenkins adds to this, saying: “TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) is made by your brain and it acts pretty much like a thermostat signal. If your thyroid is underactive and isn’t making enough hormones (known as hypothyroidism), your brain sends out more TSH. If your thyroid is overactive and making too much hormone (known as hyperthyroidism), your brain sends out less TSH to slow it down.”

A high TSH level equals hypothyroidism, while a low TSH level equals hyperthyroidism.

Ageing and hormonal shifts, such as those seen in menopause, can increase the risk of thyroid issues, especially hypothyroidism.

So much so, that research has found that thyroid disorders are significantly more coming in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women compared with premenopausal women.^[10]

The Berkeley Health Thyroid TSH tests can test for hypothyroidism and give women an indication of whether they may be entering menopause.

Dr Janine David adds: “Many of the symptoms of hypothyroidism can be frustrating and many overlap with symptoms of peri menopause symptoms such as fatigue, weight gain, mood changes and irregular periods. Doing the Berkeley Health Thyroid TSH test is a quick and easy way to test your TSH.”

Last word:

Dr Janine David adds: “Menopause brings with it a vast array of symptoms and many are well known. But there are also lesser-known symptoms, which can be confused with menopause or simply be a standalone health problem. 

“The Berkeley Health tests can test various elements of health. From measuring FSH, a rise of which can signal the approach of menopause, to screening for health- related health issues that commonly arise at this stage of life, including thyroid problems and vitamin D deficiency, women can feel empowered as they learn about their health.”

Testing allows women to take action early, so their GP can help them with the relevant diet, supplement or lifestyle changes.

To learn more about Berkeley Health visit: https://www.berkeleyhealth.com/

Note to editors: The following Berkley Health test kits are available at Waitrose.

• Berkeley Health Menopause FSH
• Berkeley Health Vaginal PH
• Berkeley Health Urinary Tract Infection
• Berkeley Health Thyroid TSH
• Berkeley Health Vitamin D