‘Where observation is concerned, chance favors only the prepared mind”
Louis Pasteur 1854

Crop circle codes of light

As a catalyst for change, their imprint on harvest field and human consciousness is gaining ground and their messages of joy, beauty, grace (as well as mathematics, geometry, astronomy, enough science to boggle the most ardent geek) have been hitting us squarely between the eyes: 10,000 messages in 29 countries in the last decade. Along with spiritual feelings generated in visitors within the circles themselves, those messages are having an impact on us, the human race: feelings appropriate to this particular season: like peace and goodwill to our fellow man. How clever of them to be able to combine both physical and spiritual. And to do it in such a miraculously short time.

Helicopter and microlite pilots have attested to crop circles appearing in the Wiltshire countryside in a 15-minute timespan between one flyover and the next. Overnight campers trying their best to stay awake to ‘catch them at it’ have either dozed off at the crucial moment or seen the tail end of a luminous glow disappear over the horizon, leaving a trail of beauty blazed in the corn.

Crop scientists agree, stalks of barley and wheat show effects of intense heat similar to microwave or laser energy which can make a stem node pop or a stalk bend and lie flat without breaking, all the while being manipulated into a stunning swirling pattern akin to weaving or cosmic basketry. Monitored examples so far have registered minute alterations in cellular structure, fluctuating background radiation and depletion of the local water table, but crops continue to grow to maturity and harvest with no negative impact. In fact recent research is beginning to believe a quick dose of light radiation and an altered energy field actually improve crop yield.

Known side-effects, seen by the scientific establishment as an increase in electromagnetic energy and altered soil chemisry, produce on-the-ground human biological emotions such as brotherly love, increased camaraderie, and an inclination to share with others; add to that the agricultural bonus of stronger wheat, more robust barley, increased yield, and the fact that these crops are increasingly being consumed by us in our bread, malt, beer and pastries, would it not follow that we too are being affected? To take the concept even farther; might we find through the gifts left in these complex manifested forms a way to feed the world’s starving masses?

In recent years the beauty of crop circle art, alone, has succeeded in affecting us as a collective. That in itself is remarkable. Through the immediacy of the internet and with huge advances in video technology, visitor numbers have escalated beyond local belief, air traffic and ’sky tours’ have doubled and website ‘hits’ on the phenomenon number over one million.

There are few left unaware or untouched by them. People in all countries – even the most inured city-dweller – and followers on all continents, whether or not they have experienced them first hand, are writing and blogging about them. I for one have visited only one, but that’s the beauty of their effect: the photographic record has nearly as much impact on us as the creations themselves.

While some communications media continue to postulate their formation by humans, most of us who’ve been following their process of revelation are aware now that something else is going on.
They are making us look to the stars. Our place of origin, according to all major world religions, astrophysicists, philosophers, a multitude of alternate faiths, and a huge body of ancient knowledge.

‘He made his Progeny of an extract of Water held in Light estimation’
The Koran

Why, if not to guide our fumbling consciousness in a new direction, would we be given a steadily increasing stream of tantalizing coded information, created in seconds, coming from what appears to be the Realm of Light?

Sextant Crop Circle at Alton Barnes Phase I June 21, 2009

Take the Sextant Crop Circle for instance: After its preliminary formation on midsummer night 2009 in a field at Alton Barnes, Wiltshire, it took two successive nights to complete. And it brought reaction from three different schools of thought:

Coronal mass ejection predicted in 'jellyfish' crop circle

The Mathematics community, including our dear-departed gurus Sagan and Hawkins (my last blog) are insistent that much crop circle symmetry and form resembles the perfection of number and the exquisite harmony of music:

‘As the expression of number in space, geometry is inextricably linked to music since the laws of the former govern the mathematical intervals that make up the notes in the western music scale – the diatonic ratios – hence the reason ancient Egyptians referred to geometry as frozen music.’

There is a physical connection, too, between matter and sound, as sound waves will create geometric patterns in sand, iron filings, any flexible medium. Navajo and Hopi traditions relate how shamans in ancient times would utter words on to sand to create sacred patterns. Music soothes the fevered mind; it coaxes plants into growth (Secret Life of Plants, Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird).

Sextant crop circle phase 2 appeared June 23 2009

‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God St. John

Phase 3 Sextant crop circle Alton Barnes June 30, 2009 with coded tail

She fervently believes Mankind has reached a point where we are now listening:
- to our own ‘Spirit within’,
- to messages sent from our Universal Matrix to remind us of our sacred potential, and
- to our own forgotten memories of who we were before we incarnated on this planet. She is convinced that water carries the matrix of our future.

Her information is carefully and lovingly documented and her website is a work of art in itself. She also – like the crop scientists measuring growth rates and changing cell structure – thinks we are being directed towards new simpler technologies which we have only to use our God-given intelligence to figure out and implement. In her view, the 2008 Crop Circle season was about ‘energy’; the 2009 season about ‘water’. Man’s way forward is to develop our next source of energy from the water molecule: what she calls Omega Cell or GEM energy.

Judy Beebe's concept of phase 3 Alton Barnes 'sextant' crop circle with tail

Her work has matured over several years and her evidence is clear and beguiling. It is a masterpiece, with directions to reach the Master Key, and well worth taking time to study.

Gradually, as we work our chilly way moment by moment towards winter solstice, the time of earthly endings and solar standstill, we are being shown miracles in nature along with human ideas which have sparked from them. In contemplating designs devised by laser consciousness, we are also being given a razor-sharp view of an alternate reality. I believe we are being drawn closer to our destiny, and. like the return of the light after solstice, our new beginnings are around the corner.

The new 2010 Wiltshire calendar features the
ever impressive Stonhenge. This calendar is
now in stock.

This calendar measures 9.5 inches by approximately
13 inches wide and comes with its own mailing wallet
for posting to family and friends.

Places featured include Longleat , Salisbury Cathedral
and of course Stonehenge itself.

Order:        Wiltshire Calendar 2010

Price including UK P&P       £6.99

‘If you have any interesting local news, thoughts, ideas or wrongs you think should be righted, please kindly let me know by using the ’comments’ sections of this blog. It costs nothing to use! Please email ace@journalist with all photos and images for publishing.’

Coming up this weekend – Sat 5th Dec – and needing lots of support to help keep it going, Chilmark Reading Room’s Christmas Bazaar is open for business at 2pm. Enjoy the stalls, bric-a-bac, raffle, books and many Christmas goodies and relax with some mulled wine and refreshments. NOT TO BE MISSED!

The Black Dog in Chilmark had a hugely successful Bingo Night, raising over 400 pounds for charity. Well done Pauline for organising it and she thanks everyone who supported her. Photo of the presentation to Salisbury’s Pembroke Ward by landlady Trish and Pauline will be posted next week. I am certain her Bingo Nights will become a regular happening in the winter weeks to come and I will keep you updated. Also more to come in the new year about the Black Dog’s interesting history and how Trish’s dreams are being realized.

Pat at The South Western is going into hospital next week and we all wish her well – She should be out before Christmas. Feature coming up on her soon in the Valley News! I tried one of Pat’s Tuesday Pensioner Lunches for just over four pounds and it was delicious. Incredible value! I believe The South Western is one of the few ‘real pubs’ left. I love it there – Full of great fun characters with plenty of wit and humour flying everywhere.

The Beckford Arms is going from strength to strength and after such an amazing awards dinner there the other evening, I am not surprised.

Compton Marbling’s annual pre-Christmas Fair was better than ever with the car park bursting at the seams most days.

Pythouse’s Kitchen Garden Shop and Cafe never lets you down for quality food and drink in a wonderful atmosphere with friendly staff and relaxing surroundings. It is simply a great place to go and in the summer it will be sensational. 

Fonthill Park Cricket Club is looking for more members this year so if you like the sound of leather on willow and enjoy wonderful balmy days watching one of our country’s most enjoyable games, from deep within the heart of the glorious Wiltshire countryside, then come and join them! The grounds are in one of the most beautiful spots on this earth, next to the lake, on the Fonthhill Estate. You just have to see it to believe it! Visit www.fonthillparkcc.org or look at the blog by googling – fonthillparkcricketclub. The grounds make an amazing place to have your summer party, celebration or wedding reception, so please ask for more details.

One Pub to try for a leisurely drink in a laid back atmosphere is The Angel in Hindon. You will not be disappointed by the chat and banter. The landlord is well known for his amiable, amicable, affable talents in running many local pubs over the years – See if you remember Dougie!

Ron and Ruth at the Boot will keep you warm and cosy in their Inn during this wet and chilly winter. Try their yummy faggots with a pint of real ale and if you are interested they will ‘talk turkey about horses’ !

‘If you have any interesting local news, thoughts, ideas or wrongs you think should be righted, please kindly let me know by using the ’comments’ sections of this blog. It costs nothing to use! Please email ace@journalist with all photos and images for publishing.’

Phew – it has been crazy busy, what with juggling the demands of on-site work (a favour to a dear friend and not my core Business focus) and my Virtual Assistant role.  Interesting thing is I’ve had more work come my way in the last few months whilst I’ve been carrying out this juggling act than in the whole of the past year.  I’ve written more web articles than I can recall, got involved with SEO work and am on that steep learning curve, had some really interesting Research work come in and there’s the possibility of putting a couple of Websites together using Microsoft Office Live Small Business – just to name a few things.

Usually a stickler for getting my monthly Newsletter out on time, even that had to hang around patiently in the wings whilst I had all the balls up in the air.  Glad tidings though, it’s all set to go out to the masses tomorrow, complete with an article on how I can help you guys out there avoid yet another year of the December 24th Wife/Girlfriend or Partner Christmas present buying fiasco and the disappointment that inevitably follows.

There’s also a couple of events this week in Tetbury, being the late night Christmas opening and light switching on ceremony this coming Thursday 3rd.  One of our local Cotswold celebrities, Jason Durr, formerly of Heartbeat fame has stepped into the fray to take up the post of ‘Le Grande Light Switcher On-er’ - well done Jason and a great many thanks from all of us on the Tetbury Chambers Committee for coming along to help.

Additionally, we’ve got the ladies Pampering/Health/Wellbeing and Christmas Shopping event taking place in the Market Hall (the building on stilts) on Sunday 6th.  Come along from between 11am and 4pm, buy some gorgeous Christmas pressies and why not try out a ‘no hands’ massage or one of the other mini taster sessions on offer from Beauty through to Aloe through to Neal’s Yard gifts plus more?  Just a little tip – use the free old Railway Car Park towards the bottom of Chipping Street (next to the Snooty Fox) as it’ll be a busy day.  Don’t try and walk up Gumstool Hill – like me, you’ll regret it and might even have pangs of fright once you realise just how steep it is (yes I did actually).

Though I’m feeling a lot better (and more human) after having had the lurgy of late, I’ve now, for the second time in only a few weeks, ‘done my back in’.  Anti-i’s don’t seem to be touching it, but I really don’t have time for my back letting me down with such a busy week ahead.  Might have to resort to a trip to the Osteo in fact.

Apart from work, have lots to fit in this week, including personal bits and bobs that have gone by the wayside since September.  Looking forward to having a very dear friend to stay this weekend, a fab nosh-up and a few glasses of something red and warm (no, wine not blood for the benefit of those vampirish types out there).

Anyhow, whatever you’re up to, have a good week one and all.

Alex

Alex is a Virtual Assistant – visit her website:-

www.virtual-assistant-help.co.uk

www.alextrapnell.co.uk

www.alexandratrapnell.co.uk

Swindon is largest town in Wiltshire with a population over 170,000.  However, before 1840 Swindon was a market town serving the surrounding dairy farms with fewer than 2500 inhabitants.  Its growth and population boom can be seen as a direct result of Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s decision to choose Swindon as the site for the railway works of the Great Western Railway (GWR).

At its peak in the mid 20th the railway works were employing over 14, 000 and the works stretched for 2.4 km.  The railways were nationalised in 1948, and GWR became British Rail Western Region and the works became part of British Rail Engineering under the 1960 Transport Act.  In 1960 the Evening Star became the last steam locomotive built for British Rail. The site closed on 27th March 1986.  In the 1984 the historic parts of the site were designated Grade 2* or Grade 2.   There was redevelopment of the site in the 1990’s and English Heritage was the first new tenant in 1994.

An aerial view of the former Chain Testing House, Swindon - soon to be home to the BPMA

Early History

By the end of 1832, there was commercial pressure for a rail link from Bristol (and the Atlantics) to London and a committee to investigate the matter was formed of prominent Bristol merchants.  The ‘Committee of Deputies’ met in July 1833 and agreed that the way forward was to form a company and obtain and Act of Parliament.   However, the GWR Railway Bill took some further two years to pass due to the opposition of some local landowners on the route.

The reason why Swindon was chosen to be the heart of the mid 19th railway expansion was actually a simple matter of geography. The line passing through Swindon was seen as ideal due to the lie of the land and it was the straightest route. The railway works were located in the Vale of the White Horse to the north of the old market town.  It is still often referred to as Swindon New Town.

It was Daniel Gooch, GWR’s first chief engineer and later Chairman, who was instrumental in the decision to select Swindon as the site. In 1840 Gooch wrote to Brunel suggesting Swindon as the most suitable site for the engine shed.  It was agreed in 1840.  Works began on the building of the site in 1841 which opened in January 1843. There were three building stages and work continued until 1849 with only minor additions to the site made thereafter.

More than just a job

Swindon had no history of heavy industrial labour, and so the workforce would need to be imported.  This meant that one of the first requirements of the site was accommodation for the workforce.  Brunel was responsible for the design of the railway village.  Most of the terraced stone houses built to the south of the site still stand today. They are perceived as excellent early example of a model village development for an industrial workforce.  They were planned as a self-contained community; the intention was to provide all the necessary facilities for what the Victorians perceived a ‘decent’ life.  The Swindon Mechanics Institute, set up for the purpose of offering an educational and social outlet for the railway workers had already outgrown the use of the rooms within the factories and in 1855 the Swindon Mechanics Institution opened in the heart of the railway village.

 In fact, the late 1860s and early 1870s saw many progressive actions that would help improve the lives of the workers on site including a hospital and from 1868 there was fresh drinking water from the Swindon Water Company and sewage disposal in 1872.

The BPMA in Swindon

Chain testing equipment, which will be a feature of the BPMA's new home

The Chain Testing House was built in 1873.  The Testing house – or Shop 17 as it was known – tested iron, steel, copper and rope for use on the railways.  At its peak in the 1950’s around 57 miles of chain and rope were being dealt with annually.

The British Postal Museum & Archive (BPMA) is the custodian for the visual, written and physical records of 400 years of postal development. In telling the story of communication, industry, and innovation of the British postal services, many parallels can be drawn with the Great Western Railway site.

A great time was had by all at the FPCC annual awards dinner - The food at the Beckford Arms was sensational and the company terrific – Lots of laughter! www.fonthillparkcricketclub.wordpress.com for more details.

Even the staff joined in the fun

‘If you have any interesting local news, thoughts, ideas or wrongs you think should be righted, please kindly let me know by using the ’comments’ sections of this blog.’ It costs nothing to use!

Longleat, 17^th August 2009

So, having got home from the road trip, the situation is: Doug and Beth left us temporarily for a visit to Salzburg, and two of our grandchildren, Jack and his cousin, Megan are staying with us.

And, where better to keep kids entertained than Longleat? Now, the thing with ‘stately homes’ is that they’re pretty much of a muchness, so other ‘attractions’ have to be sought to draw in the customers and, importantly, to part them from their cash. And, few do it better than the two successive Marquesses of Bath, father and son, at their house at Longleat.

(If you want to know the difference between a Marquess and a Marquis … I have no idea; you’ll have to Google it!)

The good thing about Longleat is you don’t buy a ticket, you buy a ‘passport’ … which entitles you to a free visit later, to check out the attractions you didn’t visit first time. There will be some; I think to visit all in one day is an impossible challenge.

When we have kids with us, a visit to the Safari Park is a must. On this occasion, we couldn’t visit the Monkey Jungle, as it was closed because of an outbreak of simian herpes. Which means I got out with my windscreen wipers, radio aerial and trim intact … although I think if the rhinos felt a bit grumpy, they could do much more damage.

Other essentials are the train and the boat … although I’m always a little disappointed with the train. Why do they never seem to get their steam engine out?

The boat, though, always enthrals. I think the artificial lake is the only place in Britain where hippos can be seen in anything like their natural surroundings. I was able to get much better footage of the sea-lions, and the gorilla on his island than on previous visits … and if you’re asking ‘Where are the lions?’ … they weren’t doing anything interesting, just being lions. And, I already have footage of that.

Delegates at the 2009 Nalgao annual conference in Swindon.

More NALGAO CONFERENCE images can be seen on my main website.

Groom dancing at his wedding reception in Shrivenham, near Swindon, in Wiltshire.

More WILTSHIRE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY can be seen on my main website.

I visited Lacock with friends recently and there also appeared to be a Morgan owners outing there that day as the National Trust car park was full of them. All were neatly turned out and brightly polished. How the umbrella stayed in place on this particular car when on the move was most intriguing.

Cup-Marked Stone:  OS Grid Reference – SU 152 696

Getting Here

Follow the directions to reach the Devil’s Den, a half-mile north of Clatford up the footpath towards the Fyfield Down cup-marked rock.  You can’t miss it!  The cup-markings are on the top of the capstone.

Archaeology & History

First described and illustrated by Pete Glastonbury on the Avebury Forum, as far as I’m aware these cup-markings have not previously been included in any of Wiltshire’s archaeological surveys (that can’t be, surely?).  The only reference I’ve found — not untypically — is from one of the early editions of the english Folklore Journal.

...and again!

Devil's Den cup-markings

At least two well-defined cups stand out on the top of the capstone.  Each of them have ‘cracks’ running out of them, with the easternmost one of them (closer to the edge) turning into a channel which runs upwards on the stone, before then leading down off the edge of the rock.  Each cup-mark is very clear, about two inches across and about a half-inch deep.

Archaeologists can check these cups out and work out for themselves whether they’re natural or not.  They’re far more qualified than I on such matters and may be able ascertain other faint remarks on the stone.  The proximity of the nearby Fyfield Down cup-marked rock, several hundred yards to the north, shows that such petroglyphs can be found in this region.  Although we cannot expect many examples of rock art in this area (the rock’s damn tough and takes some burrowing into), it is likely that more carvings await discovery.

Folklore

The capstone on which these cup-markings are seen was told to be immovable and had lore said of it akin to that found at the great Whispering Knights, near the Rollright Stones.  But the main piece of lore describes the cups quite sepcifically.  In an article by Alice Gomme (1909), she told that:

“if anyone pours water into any of the natural cup-shaped cavities on the top stone at midnight, it will always be found in the morning to be gone, drunk by a thirst-tormented fiend.”

This folklore motif is found at rock-art sites in a number of the northern counties, where milk has been poured into the cup-markings (some of which were known as ‘cat stones’) and left overnight for the spirits to drink.   In the case we have recorded at Devil’s Den, the spirit of the place seems to have been demonized, as is common.

Gomme also reported the curious ingredient that the spirit of a white rabbit with glowing eyes would appear on the capstone at midnight and help the devil demolish the site with the aid of eight oxen!  On this latter matter, I am duly informed by one-in-the-know that, to “those of us that know the locals and their humour, we just know this tale was made up for a visiting townie!”

References:

Gomme, Alice B., ‘Folklore Scraps from Several Localities’, in Folklore, 20:1, 1909.

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian

City Hall
Malthouse Lane
Salisbury
Wiltshire
SP2 7TU
Date: Thursday 19 November 2009
Time: 7.30pm

Guildhall
Market Square
Salisbury
Wiltshire
Date: Saturday 21 November 2009
Time: 10.00 Until: 17.00

Un des plus fameux rond-points en Angleterre

Aprés s’être habitué à la conduite sur le “mauvais côté de route” il faut aussi se familiariser avec les certaines spécialités locales telles les rond-points. Ceci peuvent se révéler trés farfelus comme nous l’a indiqué une internaute nomée Pia qui nous a fait parvenir ce document en version pdf (cliquez sur l’image ci-dessou).

“Ils sont fous ces Anglais” comme dirait Obelix.

Ce rond-point se trouve pres de Swindon dans le Wilshire et est connu sous le nom de “Magic Roundabout”. Il a vu le jour en 1972 et, selon le Highway Insurance Agency, il est le septième endroit le plus apprehendé pas les automobilistes britanniques.

Voici comment il peut être négocié.

Liens:

BBC Wiltshire Video: 1972 Points West TV report (Anglais)

BBC Wiltshire History of the Magic Roundabout (Anglais)

Magic Roundabout video on Swindon Viewpoint (Anglais)

Magic Roundabout, Swindon Web (Anglais)

The Magic Roundabout at Swindon (Anglais)

GPS Drawing tour around Magic Roundabout (Anglais)

Google Maps image par satellite

Highway Insurance Agency (Anglais)

Rondpoint en Angleterre (pdf)

Swindon, site officiel (Anglais)

Wilshire, site touristique (Anglais)

City Hall Salisbury
Malthouse Lane
Salisbury
Wiltshire
SP2 7TU
Date: Sunday 29 November 2009
Time: 7.00pm

City Hall Salisbury
Malthouse Lane
Salisbury
Wiltshire
SP2 7TU
Date: Saturday 5 December 2009
Time: 7.30pm

City Hall Salisbury
Malthouse Lane
Salisbury
Wiltshire
SP2 7TU
Date: Tuesday 8 December 2009 Until: Saturday 12 December 2009
Time: 2.30pm and 7.30pm

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City Hall Salisbury
Malthouse Lane
Salisbury
Wiltshire
SP2 7TU
Date: Tuesday 2 February 2010
Time: 8.00pm

On my return to England after my adventures in France I did not really settle particularly well. For some months afterwards I hitch-hiked across the bottom of England, shuffling between friends in the West Country and others in the South East and London. One of the first trips I made back on English soil, however, was the relatively short hop to Avebury stone circle. Thought to be about five thousand years old, this Wiltshire landmark had been recommended by one of the drivers who had given us a lift back from Dover when we returned to England. On this occasion I was with a mate of mine who wanted to come along for the experience. Because there is no single road between my home town and Avebury our journey was a succession of short rides and then sometimes quite long waits until we got another lift. I didn’t mind as it was interesting to see some of my own country in this way: the time spent in France had made me appreciate the countryside in a way that I had not done before.

It was getting dark when our latest lift dropped us about ten miles short of Avebury so we decided to ask at a nearby farm whether we could pitch our tent in one of their fields. They were happy to oblige and sold us some milk and some eggs for the morning. We made hot chocolate and moaned about our aching feet, although we’d hardly walked on them. Some time before dawn we woke up, packed the tent away and breakfasted on scrambled eggs before hitting the road again. An early bird took us right to the stone circle and we gazed in awe as the morning mists slowly lifted to reveal the standing stones. Nobody else was about. We walked in silence around the perimeter with that time-slip sort of feeling. But for the fences and the faint hum of morning traffic close by, we could have slipped back a few centuries. My overriding memory is of a tree which had been growing by the stones for so long that its roots had broken the surface. They seemed to go on forever, twisting and turning across the grass like a nest of snakes. Eventually we spotted another human, a girl who was sketching the stones and the trees. In hushed tones I told her about the tree with all the roots and she whispered back that she’d check it out later.

And then the coaches arrived. It must have been about half ten so we’d had a few hours enjoying the stones pretty much to ourselves and were thinking about finding a cafe before working out where we’d go next. When we reached the car park there were already five or six coaches parked up and seemingly hundreds of tourists milling around, babbling to one another and clutching tin-foil-wrapped sandwiches. A very loud American voice shouted to a friend “Hey Jack, come and get a shot of me next to one of these rocks!” and we knew we’d made the right decision to leave. The stones were no longer exclusively ours and the magic spell we’d been under all morning had broken.

Some weeks later I was hitching alone and hit a real low point. I had no money in my pocket and no tent yet the sun was low in the sky and it was clear that I was not likely to cover the hundred miles or so to my destination that night, which was a friend’s house in Sussex. An hour earlier I had been dropped at a service station, just like we used to in France, but nobody seemed to want to pick me up. I was starving hungry, I was worrying about where to sleep. A little way down from where I was standing was a small brick construction, no taller than a dog kennel, no wider than a car. The wooden doors were not locked and inside were a handful of traffic cones. I decided that I would be able to squeeze inside and sleep there if I really had to, but first I would try and see if the restaurant at the service station would let me do some washing up in return for a plate of food. The first woman I spoke to was Bengali and her English was not very good. I had trouble making her understand what I meant. “You come see manager tomorrow and apply for job.” she  repeated this several times and I was on the verge of saying “Never mind,” when another woman came out and asked what was going on. I explained once more that I was hitch-hiking, had no money and wondered if there were any odd jobs I could do in return for some food. She shook her head but told me to sit at one of the tables then bustled off somewhere. As I waited for her to come back I wondered whether she had gone to phone the manager. Or get security? On her return she was carrying a tray of sausage, chips and beans, with a pot of coffee on the side. “Eat,” she said. “But I can’t pay you,” I stammered. “Eat,” she repeated and smiled.

I could not thank her enough but she just shrugged and said she hoped someone would do the same for one of her kids if they ever needed it. Refreshed and energised I went back to the side of the road and decided I would try for another hour before crawling into the cone hut. And what do you know…someone stopped for me five minutes later. He was not going anywhere near my destination but as we drove along and I told him about the woman at the service station he began asking all sorts of questions about why I hitched around and what I wanted to do with my life. I told him I was a musician (he could have worked that out, I always travelled with my guitar in case I got stuck somewhere and needed to go busking), but that one day I wanted to be a writer. As for the hitching, I said it was the easiest way to find adventure and to meet some good people. As we were approaching the place I expected him to drop me off he turned to me and said he was going to drive me where I was heading. “But that’s forty miles out of your way, isn’t it?” I asked. “Yes but I wish I’d had your guts when I was younger and done some adventuring of my own. And besides, it’s dark and you’ve said you’ll probably have to sleep rough somewhere. So I’ll take you to your friend’s place and I won’t have to worry you’re in any danger.” As good as his word, he dropped me outside my mate’s house an hour later. As I thanked him and made to get out of the car he shook my hand, slipping five pounds into it as he did so. “So you can eat tomorrow,” he said, before closing the door, waving and driving off into the night.

Durrington
Salisbury
Wiltshire
SP4

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