Racing along against the wind at four miles an hour I passed through this village long before the world was awake. The roads round here all possess the normal road signs but English towns and villages always have a signpost informing you of the village name and indicating what the place is all about. There is not a lot of anything but agriculture in this area and the sign indicates a tractor to reflect this. In fact a dirty great combine machine was being led along the roads as I passed indicating harvest is here for someone. The land in this area probably saw hunter gatherers and stone age farmers and has been farmed continually for around five thousand years. The small church reflects the population has never been huge, the church itself replacing a Saxon one most likely built on a pagan spot, and the huge tithe barn (one of two) shown in the top left was erected during the 13th century by the Knights Templar. A ten percent tithe had to be given to the church and was collected in such barns, the money raised supporting the Crusades. The church of those times being full of politically powerful men, and the occasional Christian. A similar, slightly smaller barn sits in Coggeshall a few miles down the road near where a Priory once stood. Some strange rules concerning ancient church law still exists in English Law and occasionally people complain that a tax must be paid towards upkeep of church buildings they do not use. The wheat and barley that once filled the barns are still grown in abundance but rarely are animals seen near here, at least not since the Foot and Mouth outbreak of a few years ago. I did however attempt to photograph a Hare that came close, but he left too quickly for me, and the crows hovering around and the Swifts on the wire were too far away for my wee camera. Such fauna and flora seen today would have been, mostly, common in the days of the Templars (or Hospitallers who replaced them). However the servants would not have had the time to observe them I suspect. One morning I will sit and wait for the wildlife, unless I get lifted of course.
There is a Victoria Cross in the middle of the sign and I am sure there is a man in the graveyard who obtained one during the 19th century. So far I have failed to discover anything about him! I canny even remember his name!
Not all signs are as well made as the town one but these road signs must go back many years. I suspect these were erected in the twenties or thirties when car driving became more widespread, certainly among the middle classes. Morris, Austin and others produced cars aplenty and these were happily acquired by those able to move out of the centre of big cities into the three bedroomed detached or semi-detached homes that burgeoned during that time. The signs were removed during the war to confuse any enemy that invaded but probably confused the indigenous population more. The commuters between the wars would travel to work by train into the city centre and at weekends roam the country in the 'Baby Austin,' at least that was the idea. Mind you there were more people killed on the roads in those days than there are now, which tells you something!
The cats expression tells you he is not sure about this photography business. He is not one to venture near people, this one keeps his own counsel, but insists on spending all day wandering about the area around his home, usually disdainfully keeping clear of all comers. As I got home I found him soaking up the sun and he is none to pleased about this. His owner, if you own cats that is, takes her two small dogs to the park early in the morning and this brute hates to be left behind. He will trail slowly up the road behind them, occasionally crossing the road to the park itself. This gives the poor woman the collywobbles naturally enough, and the only time the cat has let me touch it was when I attempted to stop her following them over the road. The cat just wants to be with the dogs but one day that road might make an end of her/him/it.
Having risen early to cycle around to enable the bulk to develop physique, health and energy I was fast asleep within an hour of returning. However I woke in time to watch the youthful, inexperienced, enthusiastic, talented and good looking Heart of Midlothian defeat the experienced, dull, inept, ugly, aged Hibernian side. For some reason this victory was unexpected by the media, who wanted to talk about the sinister Glasgow sides instead and yet each and every intelligent viewer of the game knew this would be a victory for the Hearts. The Heart of Midlothian have so many victories over the 'wee team' that by winning all the next games it will take them thirty or more years to catch up, and that's not going to happen is it? It's been a good day today.
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