A Walk in the Park...

 

 

 

Saturday morning I hobbled around the Public Gardens, donated by Sydney Courtauld in 1888.  The Braintree and Bocking Public Gardens website says this:-

From the time of his entry into the business, Sydney rose to be in charge of Engineering at the Bocking and Braintree factories. From 1886 – 98 the business suffered a serious downturn such that had never been experienced before, but this was the moment when Sydney decided to give his garden to the people of Braintree.  Living at Bocking Place, he conceived a great idea. Although he built a new house on the same site in 1887, the garden was the same.

Across the Causeway road was another part of the garden of Bocking Place and Sydney seeing the thundering horse drawn traffic up the Causeway, determined to make an area for people, particularly children, could walk more safely and “whither the tired mechanic could resort, with his wife and children and where the industrious tradesman could escape for a brief spell from his cares and worries of business”. What we see today is his legacy to the people of Braintree & Bocking.

 

The place is awash with trees of all sorts and a vast array of plants, now tended by who knows who?  The onsite gardener is no more and costs must be cut.  I know many volunteer to work there, I am not one of them!

 

When opened the people celebrated by a cheering crowd wandering around the town and at night lighting a great bonfire on the open spaces along the road.  Much fun was had, no TV in those days, and no little beer was drunk that night.

 

 The trick of course is to go in early, before mum and the wee ones beging running around screaming and yelling, the kids not the mums.  Mostly peaceful, birds singing, Bees buzzing, and far too many midge like creatures hovering unexpectedly where I walk.  Only one woman appeared, she exercising by walking around the perimeter and turneg back again, once she saw me.  

This may be the last weekend of proper sunshine for some time.  Autumn begins officially on Tuesday 22nd and the leaves are already turning brown and falling in piles from the trees.  Ideal for kids to run through but a horrid forewarning of winters approach.

 

Today we are confronted with a shameless Matt Hancock offering a future 'Lock Down' and indicating that if it happens it is all your fault.  No shame fro the failing 'Serco' Test & Trace system, a system which tells people to travel 500 miles for a test, no shame for giving a friend, who gave him £100,000 for his constituency, no shame for incompetence.  

Life is Good under the Tories.