Well Went for a wander around Arlesford today. A beautiful spot - with a beautiful mill

Now this beats "no Hawkers, Circulars or Peddlars" on your wall huh? 

The rulesmay have changed -but the fish remain

 Spring was clearly around - don't you love ducklings?

 I rather like the Cygnets too - no-ones "ugly duckling"

On a "non bushcraft" footing - Arlesford church is well worth a visit if such things interest you. It is orginally dated well before the Norman invasion to the Saxon period.  The Arlesford Cross is very faint and set in a church wall in solid flint It is dated around 1050AD. And still there.

A surprising thing in Arlesford is the Napleonic cemetary - for the French POWs.

This is the grave of soldier from 1810 - Ensign Joseph Riouffe. He was a member of Napoleons Marines, catured off Africa and held as a POW in Hampshire. He gave his "parole" (promise not to escape) and was allowed to roam within a mile of the village, make money by carving and selling trifles. Sadly, he died of a fever caught in Africa. His grave is still tended and cared for as a brave man who fought for his country. I mourn a world where such honour between men of differing opinions and sides was possible and took quiet pleasure seeing the grave mown and tended.

This forms a poignant contrast with the stained glass window that overlooks the graveyard

Is this too much for a Bushcraft Blog? I'd be grateful for your thoughts.

Red