Early days in the village

 

So - this is church number one in The Rector2B's benefice of six churches. This is the church we can see when we open the curtains each morning. It is a friendly looking church built of alternating flint and stone layers and dates from the 13th century.  It is surrounded by the ancient graveyard. In the other direction we look across to the village school. The Rector2B tells me that the thatched house opposite the rectory was once the village jail. I don't know where he got that gem from!

We are on chalk land and the fields around us are full of large flints - it is a wonder that the farmers can plough them without damaging the ploughshares - but that's modern technology for you. At the moment The Rector 2B and I are exploring the footpaths and finding the most suitable walks for the dogs. It is so different from the open moor that we had become used to - and before that, the Collie and The Lakeland used to have their daily walk on the beach. Footpath walking is very different to those places but there are so many bridal paths (as well as footpaths) around us, I'm sure we will come to love exploring. There are carpets of snowdrops everywhere and evidence that the field and road banks will be swathed in primroses by Easter. 

Blogging has had to be put aside while we try to unpack the mountain of boxes that remain carefully placed in the wrong rooms (necessary as the builders are still finishing in one bedroom, the utility room, the bathrooms and the garage). We are awaiting the electrician to complete installing lights and a shower so we have managed to escape back to Devon - and we are meeting the builder who will be repairing the leaks in our own house here! We are both frazzled as we would have liked to spend this time getting to know Dorset but we can't leave the dogs with the builders and Tess is too young for long walks or car drives. We have been tested to the limits of our patience at times.

Despite all this - The Rector2B and I have managed to attend the village pantomine and I realised how much I needed to laugh (there were a superb pair of ugly sisters in this performance).This last weekend we went to listen to an excellent Jazz trio - Jonty Fisher's Flyright Trio, also in the village hall. It was a lovely laid back evening and walking distance from home.

Ah - but walking through the village at night time is an adventure in itself - as there is no street lighting. This is a novelty for us - even our village in Devon has street lights! Torches are kept by the back and front door but the joy is to walk out into the darkness and see the luminous stars stretching across the skies. The torches are really only to make any cars aware of our presence.

Word is getting round that we are in situ and The Rector2B's telephone is beginning to ring. He has been persued by a tenacious journalist who wouldn't take no for an answer. Officially - he is not available until after he is licenced on March 7th but I suspect answering the telephone is his escape from sorting out his study (which DOES need doing).

I hope to give you a glimpse of the other 5 churches in this benefice - all intriguing in their own way - but until I get to that last packing box - I may be a little slow in blogging.