Category Archives: work

A-Z of Somerset: Part 2

My recap of the villages of Somerset continues… Click on the links to read the full posts…


F is for Farrington Gurney.

Not an Edwardian detective, but a 12th century village in the north of the county.


G is for Godney.

When one village just won’t do, why not have three?


H is for Haselbury Plucknett.

Detective Gurney has to have a nemesis, so strike forth, sir!


I is for Isle Abbots.

A river names Isle, and countryside perfection.


K is for Kingweston.

There are no Js in Somerset, so, instead, the first of two villages beginning with a K.


Next week, it’s K (Mk II) to O…

A-Z of Somerset: Part 1

Lockdown 2021 has given a bit of an enforced break on my photographic journey around the villages of Somerset, so I thought it might be good to have a bit of a catch up of the places I have visited so far.

Over the next four Sundays, therefore, I will be having a bit of a recap.

Today, we look at A to E. (Click on the links to see the original posts.)


A is for Ashcott.

On the A39 between Wells and Bridgwater, Aschott sits on a hill overlooking the Somerset Moors around Shapwick.


B is for Baltonsborough.

Nestled on the moors to the south west of Shepton Mallet, the village is a prime place to view Glastonbury Tor.


C is for Charlton Mackrell.

A big house and a close neighbour, Charlton Mackrell is a quiet haven in the countryside.


D is for Dinder.

Quiet and unassuming, Dinder has a hidden secret, designed to protect the nearby city cathedral city.


E is for Evercreech.

A small village, home to a social drinker’s wily scheme…


Next week, villages F to J (ish)…

Honesty

There’s a part of me that wonders whether the world would be a better place is everybody was just honest. Honest with themselves, honest with each other, just honest.

Trying to spare someone’s feelings can quickly spiral into a web of lies and deceit. You start digging a hole, then find yourself twenty feet deep with little more than a trowel.

So, why do it? Why are we so desperate to please other people? What is it about human nature that drives us to avoid honesty at all costs?

Stop and think about it. What harm would telling the truth actually do? Will lying to them do more harm?

Honesty is the best policy, but we’re often too blind to see it.


Confusion

Information was coming at her from all sides.

Conflicting, confusing information that was leaving her in no clearer position to make a decision. Turn left, turn right, do this, do that, fake news, real news, the truth, lies. How was she supposed to know what was right and what was wrong?

Friends were telling her one thing, family another and colleagues a third.

Bury your head, she thought. Keep a low profile and avoid the constant barrage of details, choices, confusions…


Unique

“You are unique, but you are part of a collective.” The message was clear.

Individuality was gone, uniformity was key. But within her uniformity, she knew she was individual. This wasn’t 1984, for Pete’s sake…

She had to keep hold of her individuality. She had to maintain the essence of ‘her’. She didn’t want to stand out, didn’t want to be obvious, didn’t want to run the risk of being separate, ostracised.

So how to keep a collective mentality while retaining an individual perspective? How to be part of the whole while remaining true to herself?

You are unique, but you are part of a collective.