LACKING IN MOTIVATION!

Dark, wet, windy, and Jenny away, resulted a lack in motivation and therefore no walk for me!  Regular exercise is hard to keep up on your own.  If you haven't anyone to do the walking, running, swimming, or whatever activity, with - it is a good idea to join a group.  The chances are that you will become friendly with someone that you can meet up with outside the group who can become your exercise buddy!

The news in Shepton last week was not good for the town. The local paper headlined - 'A Dark Day for Shepton' and it even made the national news!  It concerns one of our main industries - cider making.  At one time the Shepton Mallet Cider Mill was the second largest production unit in the world...

The Cider Mill is to close with the loss of over 120 jobs.  This follows a takeover six years ago, by Magner's Cider Makers C & C, who are based in Ireland. They are moving production back to Ireland but still using Somerset apples!  This ends decades of drinks production in the town.  In 1953 Frances Showering invented Babysham which became one of the most popular drinks at that time - hence the Babysham deer, which is a popular Shepton landmark that we often walk past (see top right).  I wonder what will become of the site and all the equipment. All that will carry on, will be the crushing of the apples, so they won't need these enormous vats (see above left).

We were promised cold, but dry weather, but unlike other parts of the country who have had snow and ice, we have had rain again!  Last Friday I was sent the above photo - it is ice on the roof of a car in the London area!!