Out For a Stroll.

The morning rain did not last too long leaving a dry and very windy day. When I hung some washing out on the line I made sure to use plenty of clothes pegs as I didn't fancy hunting down blown away clothing.The sun made a 10 minute appearance late in the afternoon but for the rest of the time it has been overcast. Peter's arthritis has moved to his foot  so he hasn't been able to do anything today. I got on with screwing hooks into the sturdy wooden door of the meter cupboard by the front door which also houses a selection of our DIY tools. Now all the saws and anything else that could be hung up are easy to find and not in places where the unwary can cut themselves. I also screwed what used to be a kitchen tool rack onto the back of one of the kitchen cupboard doors so we can hang up all our keys. Neither of those were big jobs but as long as something, however minor is done towards sorting the house I feel my day hasn't been wasted.

Having done most of my daily tasks I felt a bit stir crazy and decided to take my camera out for a walk around the block. Although the builders of our estate back in the 70's used a similar basic design for the houses there is still a lot of variation in terms of size and whether the garage is part of the house or in a block. Because the fields the estate was built on were hilly there never seem to be more than 3 or 4 houses in a straight line with different sized generous front gardens. Looking between the houses I could see roofs of buildings from earlier times. These were part of the ancient village of Bradiford which lay outside the walled town/settlement of Pilton.

I walked as far as the bridge over Bradiford Water which runs through the water meadows of Mannings Pit. 

 Standing on the bridge looking north towards the countryside.

Old village houses in Bradiford.

 From here I turned left, back up the hill towards Pilton.

I'm not sure if these walls are from the Benedictine Priory founded some time in the 12thC or if they originate from the time when Alfred the Great had a walled town built as a defence against Danish (Vikings) back in the 9thC.

Long Stone (below) is thought to be a prehistoric monument but it has been moved in and out of somebody's garden in the 19thC and re-sited in 1967. 

 My route home was again to the left, along the wall and left again.

Walking or driving I really appreciate the view over the fields as I approach our turning.

Coming home another neighbour introduced herself to me and we had a long chat. She's lived here for 30 years and unsurprisingly it turns out we have friends in common. This is a very friendly neighbourhood.