WELL, ALMOST...

I was out for an evening stroll with Barney our Retriever and we wandered down the lane to where the village green is and as we got there, we were confronted with a steady convoy of smart cars, even smarter caravans and accompanying white vans leaving the area and heading off towards the sunset.   So, Dibley breathes again, as our unwelcome `travelling visitors` have complied with the Court Order, vacated the area they had been illegally occupying for the past week and taken up travelling.

And now the work of repairing damage and quite literally decontaminating the wooded area and much of the stream is under way, we feel that the area is becoming ours once again. Well, almost.  The clean up operation has only been mildly successful with the local Borough Council claiming they have done what they can, there`s nothing more they can do and we must wait for some rain to do the rest.  "I`m from the Council and I`m here to help you!" comes flooding back to my mind.

Now as any significant rain is not forecast until next week at the earliest it means we are still wary of letting children and dogs loose to enjoy the freedom they should have.  On the plus side, `security measures` are being installed to prevent a recurrence of the illegal entry, especially as the travellers and their scouts and outriders have been spotted not a million miles from here.  

I wouldn`t wish their unwelcome presence on anyone but I really do hope we here have seen the last of them.   I`ve got a load of pegs going cheap but the lucky heather is wilting a bit and anyway it doesn`t work.  I should know, I`m a Saints fan!