This evening

It was our usual time for thinking about drifting down to the pub, about quarter to ten, so drift down we did. We come out of our front door and head down the little alley between our house and next door – except it’s not really an alley, it’s a foot path with our flower beds on the left – soon to be dug over and relaid with turf which will be much easier to manage, although I fear it might be an attraction to local dog owners – if you get my drift. On the right side of the house is a very tal beech hedge belonging to our neighbours, which they keep well-trimmed and very neat and attractive. As you get to the end of the path ther is a stone wall, maybe six or seven foot in height, and on our side there is a massive and flourishing bamboo which my cousin Robin gave me.

The path leads into Westfield Close, a cul-de-sac, and teh first house on the left is our Pakistani neighbours, who, if they are in their garden, greet us cheerily. The mum is a fabulous cook – how do I know? She wafts wonderful smells from her kitchen over into our garden, and as I write, quite often my mouth is watering as the aromas drift through my open window. Next door to our neighbours is a friendly lady who always smiles hello, and next door to her is a family whose daughters went to school with our daughter, I’m not sure who are in teh other houses before Westfield Close joins Old Church Road – I do wonder if maybe they are rented. Opposite our friendly neighbours, the lady and the family, is the Victory Hall, the village hall, I assume it was so called because it was established after WW2.

We turn right onto Old Church Road and head south, walking down the centre of the road because it is a quiet village street. We pass various old houses, which I really have no information about their age or history, except there used to be some tiny village shops along here. We cross the rhyne (a drainage ditch, now a stream leading down to the sea) pass the Dolphin (now a restaurant) on our left and La Cucina a wonderful Italian place on the right, and head east along Uphill way to The Ship, the finest pub in Uphill.

Equipped with a few pints, we sit in our usual places by the window and chat and natter about this and that, half an eye on the tv which is on a sports channel. A couple of pints and we head for home before time is called.

What a very pleasant evening!