This is our handsome village signpost.
Top left depicts the village blacksmith, an important part of village life. The old forge remains, but all his work tools and equipment were auctioned off a couple of years ago. His family were blacksmiths and wheelwrights in this village for several generations. They deserve their place on the sign.
Then there is a train, because we had the railway line and station until the line was closed in 1960.
The main house here, The Old Parsonage, was a beer house for the railway workers for a number of years from 1840 onwards. Funny to think of all the pints which were consumed in there over the years.
Finally, we have the ploughman and his horses because this is still a deeply agricultural area.
* * *
This afternoon I had to pull on my boots and walk to the village hall for the monthly TEDs meeting. I didn't want to go, but I always feel I must try to show my support as much as possible, duty called.
Of the dozen or so regular members, only six of us turned up for an afternoon of card games and chat. Can you tell, by the way none of us had shed our outer clothing, that the village hall is cold, despite the best efforts of four heaters.
I am not a card game player.
Snap, Happy Families and Fish are about the limit of my experience of cards. Luckily we were only playing for pennies and most of those were brought by the one man who supports the group.
We had several quick and fun rounds of a game called 'Newmarket' which was quite fun, once I had got the hang of it.
The next game was 'Bonk'. It was entirely incomprehensible to me because you can lie and cheat your way through it. If you put a card down and the next playing puts one down of the same value, 'Bonk' must be shouted out loud and a forfeit of a penny paid... or sometimes two pence.. I gave it a go and managed to stay in until the very end, which was quite a shame as I'd been trying to get out as quickly as possible...!
Next month a village elder is going to give a talk about her childhood and growing up in Dovecot Dell. She is also going to discuss some of the home-made concoctions with which her mother would treat ailments.
This will be much more to my taste.
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