MONDAY IN THE RED!

We started off in sunshine, but it soon clouded over, and was unexpectedly cold!  I should have worn gloves, as by the time I got home, I had lost the feeling in my fingers, and could not turn the key in the lock to let myself in the front door!  And then untying shoe laces proved difficult...  Luckily we saw some lovely Spring flowers and we were both wearing red, which cheered up the photographs, which were looking very grey!










One of our first ports of call, was the Market Place, with the remains of the Shambles, (from the Anglo Saxon 'scamel' or 'little bench'), which can be seen in the picture above left.  This is a piece of Shepton's history.  When the market was granted its charter in 1219, the Shambles, which were all along the North and South side, were used to sell the high quality woollen cloth made from wool from the flocks of sheep which were grazed on fields overlooking the town.  This industry led to the naming of the settlement - Sceap-Fold, Sheeptun, Shepton.  The market was the commercial and social hub of the town and the surrounding villages.

In 1912,  when the Shambles were being used by the butchers to sell freshly killed meat, the benches on the North side were taken down.  What you can see now is all that is left standing.  They are quite rickety, but still sometimes used on market days by a lady selling books for church funds...

We made the steep climb from the Meadows up to fields where we saw dogs being exercised, but noticed that their owners didn't seem to think that it was necessary to pick up their dog poo!  They are probably more responsible in parks and more urban areas...  However, it does spoil a walk when you are always having to be careful where you tread! 

We passed one of our favourite houses - Old Bowlish House, whose front garden always looks good, whatever the season.  Last year we had a delightful afternoon tea there, with a tour and history lesson of the area.  For an account of that day follow the label below...

BRIGHT AND BREEZY

It was a lovely morning for a walk - light because the clocks had gone back, bright and breezy, but not too cold, and, as it was half term, many households were having a lie-in!  Unfortunately, as we both didn't have a lot of time, it was a stroll, mainly around our estate - Tadley Acres.  Jenny had a lot on and I was waiting on a delivery - a brand new juicer!

Leafy Tadley Acres - the tall block of flats seen in the middle is a landmark we often see from afar on our walks!

I have had a masticating juicer for a number of years now and love it. Unfortunately, because of its age and usage it has developed a few problems.  It is a big heavy machine that takes up a lot of space on my worktop.  Now, I have discovered that I can get even better performance from a vertical slow juicer which is more compact and has the added advantage that you can rinse it through with water so that if you are using it several times during one day, you can wait until you have finished all your juicing before cleaning it out properly!  Juicing is a wonderful and delicious way of incorporating vitamins, minerals and natural food chemicals to your diet. Will report back if the new juicer lives up to expectations... 

On our walks we come across a lot of dog walkers.  Many of them act responsibly and pick up the poo their dogs leave behind, but we come across a lot of mess that we have to step over to avoid!  We have noticed that, as well as official signs about the place,  people have started producing their own!  This morning we saw this one on a back gateway on our estate.  It is a subject that has people writing to the local paper and a couple of week ago there was even a humorous poem!  It was written by Carol Vincent and started, "If your dog should do a poo, Kindly take it home with you..." and ends "The next time you walk your pup,  Do your duty - pick it up,  If you're still a lazy twit,  May the good Lord make you step in it"!!  

SOGGY DOGGY

The forecast was right - more rain and yet more rain!  I woke up at 5am to a torrential downpour and my immediate thought was we are going to get soaked this morning! Fortunately, it had eased off by the time we started our walk at 7am.

On our walks we are constantly dismayed by the amount of dog poo we have to avoid - on pavements, lanes, footpaths, everywhere!    We have even named one pathway, which leads from houses into fields, Poo Alley!  This week having our lovely doggy companion, Ernie, brought the subject even more into focus.  We took bags with us and followed him around! On Monday it was easy as we used one of the dog litter bins in the park.  Today, not a bin in sight, so we can see why dog owners get fed up of carrying around their full poo bags and end up throwing them in the hedgerow instead of disposing them at home.  

The thing with dog poo is that it is not only extremely unpleasant but it is dangerous to public health, especially in young children's play areas.  It is not only direct contact that can cause disease but rain drives fecal matter into water supplies and they become contaminated.  So, thinking that if your dog does his business in the countryside it is ok to leave it, is simply not true.  In fact, since May 1997 'you are legally obliged to clear up after your dog if it fouls any land open to air to which the public have access'.

Above is the story of our walk - from urbanisation to countryside within a short distance.  We met up with some fellow dog walkers.  The ground was soggy and we could  see more signs of Autumn encroaching.  Keeping our fingers crossed for some sunshine before the dark, murky mornings begin...  I noticed a purple ribbon attached to this tree below - heard to tying a yellow ribbon around the old oak tree but never one this colour!