A Local Landmark

How had I never noticed it on the map before? But there it was clearly marked and only a mile from my back gate. It had been a day of sunshine and downpours but the situation had to be remedied; I had to go and find it, if indeed it still could be seen.

I pedalled off down Bury Lane, once a road but now a leafy track. I paused only to sample the wild blackberries. 

The sky was growing darker and I was glad I'd got my waterproof jacket with me. What sort of idiot messes about taking photos when he's clearly going to get soaked in a few minutes?

The wind got up and blew me on my way. I felt a few spots of rain but thankfully it skirted around and I found what I was looking for.

OK, it's not that impressive to look at, I know. But that low mound is a prehistoric burial chamber. It's probably Bronze Age which means it dates from around 2000 BC.  Yes, that means it's been here for 4,000 years. The view must  have been a lot different in those days but they would certainly have been able to see for a long way from up here.

As I turned to go a rainbow appeared among the departing dark clouds.

Take care.

More From The Country Fair

A second instalment of photos taken at Quy on Sunday:

One man and his dog...

one woman and her spinning-wheel

A traditional Romany caravan

the interior of the caravan

All together now......"aaaaaahhhhhh!"

Fordson Triple D

Falconry display

A technical hitch

                                                                     Cider-making

Take care.

Quy Country Fair

I spent much of today at the Country Fair at Quy (it rhymes with "why" not with "key"). The photographs should tell you all you need to know.

A mighty steam traction engine

The taxidermist's art

Donkey rides for the children

Chain-saw sculptor

and one of his creations

An old Fordson

Making "skeps" - beehives

Terrier racing - with very small jockeys!

An Austin 7

There were lots of stalls selling everything for huntin', shootin' and fishin', clay pigeon shooting, fish'n'chips,a bar, conservation stands, fairground rides and numerous other things which escaped the attention of my camera. I'll post some more pics tomorrow.

For more photos of the country fair click here.

Take care.

Barrington - The Village On The Green.

Prospective buyers of the Dream Cottage advertised in Saturday's post will want to know something of the neighbourhood. It's situated in the Cambridgeshire village of Barrington, just a few miles south of the city of Cambridge. Villages in this part of the world are usually thought of as neat rows of houses situated around a village green. The reality is often quite different but in Barrington the ideal has been carried to extremes.

The green in Barrington is enormous. An area of grass over half a mile long and two hundred yards wide, smack in the middle of the village. It easily accommodates a cricket field and a soccer pitch. It was even bigger at one time as parts of it have been built on.

At the western end of the green stands the village pub, The Royal Oak, which dates from the 16th century. It's a grand place to sit outside with a pint on a summer's evening.

It's difficult to understand why the village needed such a huge green. It's thought that it was used to bring the livestock in at night and during the harshest winter months, but other villages seem to have got by with less grassland in their midst. Nowadays it may look idyllic but it takes a lot of mowing and must be very inconvenient for anyone with mobility problems.

The house in the picture above looks as pretty as any, despite not having a thatched roof. In fact, behind its white painted walls lies a house dating from the fourteenth century, probably built by a wealthy farmer of the day.

Village life used to centre around the village pump but now has moved across the road to the local shop.

Brick can look attractive too.

These two cottages, built so close together, always look as though they are conspiring about something, one whispering in the ear of the other. And at the far end of the green stands a very fine church.

Take care.

Dream Cottage

Just like the ads always say "Get your own dream cottage in the beautiful English countryside!"

....or if you're as pennyless as I am create one with some technical trickery. For the record this is actually two identical images superimposed, one of them wildly blurred, the other in sharp focus. Well, that was the starting point anyway; can't remember what else I got up to!

I do remember that while I was taking the original shot the owner of the house returned home and stood watching me - he seemed pleased that his cottage had beeen noticed.

Take care.

Foggy Bottom

If you enjoyed the recent trip to Bressingham Gardens and Steam Museum then you'll be pleased to learn that there's another part to the garden which you've yet to visit. It's a bit tucked-away and difficult to find but well worth the effort. It was Dad's favourite area; he loved all the trees and the different shades of green. Although it's still beautiful I was disappointed to see, on my last visit, that a lot of the trees have been cleared. Never mind, by the wonders of digital technology I can show you what Foggy Bottom, for that's its unlikely name, looked like when Dad loved it so.

The garden was the creation of Adrian Bloom, one of the founder's sons. If you manage a visit then you'll find very few people around - they don't seem to wander far from the tea-shop!

Take care.

Cycle-City Miscellany

I had an hour to kill in Cambridge yesterday so I decided to take some photos:

It's hard not to take photos of the bikes.

A bit of a cliche maybe,

but I like bikes!

Trinity College Chapel

photographed through not one,

but two, windows of distorting glass.

A couple of rather serious-looking buskers.

Lately I keep wanting to crop photos

 in unusual ways.

I like the incongruity

 of the half-timbered architecture

and

the Spanish Tapas Bar.

Oops! Nearly deleted this -

lots of reflected light caused

by shooting through the bar window.

But then I realised that with a bit

of sepia toning it created the smokey atmosphere

of an old pub.

Oh no! More bikes!

Take care.