MOVED ALONG, THANK YOU...

At about 4.45pm yesterday afternoon, I took Barney out in the car and as we passed the village green I glanced across to where the travellers seemed to be well entrenched. An hour or so later, after Barney and I had had our walk, we drove home but this time there were no travellers to be seen. No caravans, no trucks, no chicken, dogs, no nothing. Just the empty deserted area where they had been for the last week.

How could this have happened so quickly? Was it down to the influence of people like our Parish Chairman, who may have fast tracked the bureaucratic processes to secure their early removal? Was it the persuasive charms of our Community Police lady who was known to be sympathetic to their plight and simply encouraged them to seek pastures new? Could it have been that they sussed out the village and concluded that there was a limited number of drives needing tarmac and a limited call for pegs and lucky heather? Maybe they heard the news that Portsmouth FC had their CVA proposals accepted by the creditors yesterday and they wanted to get back there to join in the celebrations?

Who knows, but the fact is that our traveller visitors have moved on. Small wonder, therefore, that, as pictured above, the local populace is back on the village green celebrating in the unique, traditional, pastoral way that is so much a part of rural life in Merrie England.