Connect with nature; let her be your driving passion.
She heals us, so let yourself be healed.
Nature
Tag Archives: People
Expectations
Be ready for anything and embrace the unexpected.
What you want to happen may not be what actually happens, but there may be a reason behind that.
Open your mind and go with the flow.
Passing
Don’t waste an opportunity when it is presented to you.
Too many of us pass by doors that are just waiting for us.
Live life to its fullest – if something comes up, then go for it.
Entry
You can be who you want.
Life is not an exclusive club whose doors are only open to certain people.
The opportunities are yours, so grab them with both hands!
Aspirations
It’s good to have something to aim for.
It gives you focus and purpose.
Set your sights realistically, however, and have a plan in place to get you there.
Blooms
Not everything blooms at the same time or in the same way.
Just because all flowers are the same, they are all individual.
Don’t judge yourself by other people.
You are beautiful and special.
100 War Grave Stories
One hundred tales of the fallen of World War One.
One hundred tales of pandemics, battlefield wounds, accidental shootings, car crashes, drownings, suicides, tram accidents and plane crashes.
One hundred tales of soldiers, sailors, airmen and nursing staff, from the United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa and the West Indies.
One hundred stories behind the names on the gravestones.
Let their stories not be forgotten.
Learn more at the CKPonderingsCWG blog.
Grudging
There is no point in holding a grudge.
Negative thoughts and emotions do nothing but drain energy from you.
Understand the reasons behind someone’s actions will help ease the tension – you don’t have to agree with those reasons.
Everyone is different, and you don’t have to get on with everybody all of the time.
Happiness
Find happiness in the small things.
Not all joy comes in the form of huge bells and whistles.
Sometimes, it is the smallest of details that can bring a smile to your face.
A-Z of Somerset: Stanton Drew
In the north of the county*, just eight miles from the centre of Bristol lies the quiet village of Stanton Drew. Nestled in the rolling hills of this part of the county, it is easily overlooked. (Avoid using your SatNav – you will end up encountering all sorts of twisty turny country roads!!)
Old enough as a village to have featured in the Domesday Book, it was listed as Stantone, from the Old English and Celtic words meaning “the stone enclosure with an oak tree”.
Drew came from the name of one of the former owners of the area, and was added to distinguish the place from neighbouring Stanton Wick and Stanton Prior.
Approaching from the north, the first hint of Stanton Drew comes from the sight of the unusual Round House. Originally a tollhouse, this quirky thatched building sets the tone for the other buildings in the village.
Over the narrow bridge, and you arrive at the village itself.
You very readily identify that this was once a place of great wealth. There are a number of large properties, and it is difficult to identify if there was ever just one manor house.
Stanton Drew gained its wealth from coal, and, at, as late as the 1950s, there were as many as three mines within the parish boundaries.
In fact, there is little evidence of any smaller housing; yes the land around the village is also good for agriculture, but there aren’t many traditional farming cottages to be found.
The main religious site is the church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which dates to the 13th and 14th centuries.
As befits a village of this stature, there is a school and village pub, but as you wander round Stanton Drew, you can’t help but get the feeling there there is something more about this place, something that you cannot quite put your finger on.
And oddly, it’s the garden of the village pub – The Druid’s Arms – that gives you the first hint.
For while Stanton Drew was first listed in the Domesday Book, its history significantly predates this writing from 1086.
Three stones form a prehistoric enclosure, within site of the village church. They hint at the ceremonial activities which took place here around 4,500 years ago.
They are also said to be the relics of a parson, bride and bridegroom, turned to stone by the Devil because their wedding guests danced on a Sunday.
Behind the church as the most impressive element of Stanton Drew.
Three stone circles, up to 371 ft (113m) in diameter lie to the east and north of the village. Contemporary in date to the Neolithic site at Stonehenge, the Great Stanton Drew circle is, in fact, larger than its more well-known Wiltshire counterpart.
Only the stone circle at Avebury is bigger in size, meaning that the Stone Age circles of Stanton Drew are, in fact, the second largest Neolithic site in the United Kingdom.
Significantly less visited than either Avebury or Stonehenge, Stanton Drew is one of the country’s best kept prehistoric secrets.
Undoubtedly one of the places to visit in the county, there is plenty to admire in Stanton Drew, and, for history buffs and walkers alike, there is more than enough to see and do.
* While Stanton Drew lies in the Bath and North East Somerset Unitary Authority, is is still part of the ceremonial county of Somerset, and so is happily included as part of this A-Z wandering.
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