And as the raindrops gripped on for dear life to the underside of the gate, the distant hill brooding and unapproachable in the biting wind, something began to happen.
Snow.
Big blobs of it fell on to the soggy ground, desperate to take hold but failing miserably, until the fields became a sea of slush.
Down in the lane by the stream, a removals lorry was parked at an angle in the driveway of a house. From the outside looking in, the rooms had been stripped bare with only the light bulbs remaining.
Two sets of lives going different ways. One leaving the village and the other relocating within it.
For sale signs line the streets of Lush Places like flags outside the United Nations building. People are on the move.
Long-standing residents are moving out and moving on. New people take their place in this never-ending circle of village life.
In times of coronavirus, this is as good a place as any to relocate – not too far from the coast and the charming market town of Bridport but far enough inland to avoid the crowds. We have the twin peaks of our stunning ancient hillforts to explore and a community with a shop, church, village hall, primary school, pub, restaurant, baker, hairdresser, nail bar, dog grooming salon, crystals shop, an upholsterer, sports field, playground and hard-surface games area.
Not surprisingly, buyers are snapping up houses for sale left, right and centre.
Clearly, no-one has told them about the fog. When the rest of the world is in bright sunshine, you can bet your woollen mittens that Lush Places will be enveloped in a cloud of mist. You won’t see that in an estate agent’s brochure but it does help to engender a kind of martyring community spirit.
In other news, the village’s Living Advent Calendar continues to brighten these dull days of December. I’m posting the pictures on Instagram and my Maddie Grigg Facebook page after each one is unveiled at four o’clock.
That’s about it.
Love, Maddie x
