From Pub Walks to Bathtubs and Beyond

Hi Everyone

This week, a pop group returned from yet another world tour. During an interview on TV they were asked where their favourite places in the world were. Perhaps surprisingly, they said Scotland and Ireland. In a time of depressing news about broken Britain, anti social behaviour, litter, the demise of the high street and potholes to name but a few, it is perhaps worth reminding ourselves that we do live in a beautiful country where, for many, life goes on as usual. Both Scotland and Ireland have relatively low populations, with many small communities where past traditions and dialects are preserved. In addition, of course, both countries have plenty of rain to ensure that the spectacular scenery remains green. As a small boy, I would join the Partners on a twenty minute road trip from home to a wonderful short walk. With not many people owning cars at that time, it was a hidden gem. Now, over eighty years on, we still make that short car journey to savour the changing seasons throughout the year. Many more people now have cars, but it is still a place mainly known only to local people. Although the Junior Partner did lots of travelling in his later years, he always said “why do people travel miles when there is so much beauty so near to home”. I am not going to tell you where one of our favourite places is, as I don’t want the road there to be gridlocked when we next visit, but to give you a small clue, it is less than two miles from one of the largest theme parks in England. As someone approaching middle age, which one is best for us is a no brainer. 

We have a Bramley cooking apple tree in our garden, given to us on our twenty fifth wedding anniversary. Over the years, it has given us some great crops of apples, but this year the combination of the amount of blossom, no spring frosts and no winds to blow the blossom off the trees has resulted in an exceptional crop. Our neighbours across the lane have a plum tree in the same state, so they are making almost daily trips to our front door with bags of plums, so it is stewed apples and plums for almost every meal.  Back in the days of the Fruit, Vegetable ………… shop, I would go with the Junior Partner at this time of year to a smallholding where the man had a large orchard full of Bramley apple trees. We would load our car twice each week, when the Junior Partner would then wrap each apple in paper and pack them in boxes to be stored in the cellar below the shop. He would then sell them in early spring when no other nearby shops had any cooking apples at a premium price, of course. It was probably enough to make the Senior Partner smile, but on reflection, probably not.

It seems that as each week goes by, we watch more pictures of rubber dinghies full of illegal immigrants crossing the English channel, while this week, some nutter paddled from near Land's End to the Sicily islands in a bathtub to almost no publicity. Perhaps we should put some on the beaches of northern France at £50 each, with their money returned if they make it to the other side. Come to think of it, why not put some rubber dinghies on our beaches to see how many people might be desperate to leave England to go and live in France? 

Just a Thought:

Now I am an experienced trail walker. I am always trailing behind. 

If you see a robbery in an apple store, does that make you an iwitness.

My friend found a woman dead face down in a bath tub full of cornflakes. The police think it is the work of a cereal killer.

Brian