Bothered

CBA in my book stands for Could Be Arsed, but sometimes it's quite difficult to reach that state when you're suffering from a bout of lazygititus. It's an affliction I get from time to time and the latest lot was brought on by my friend having to cancel at the last minute due to having an interview. From that point on I argued with myself about whether I could actually be bothered to haul my ample rump out for the short walk that we'd been planning. When I analysed what I would do if I stayed at home I reckoned that in reality I'd probably do very little, whilst secretly I do rather enjoy a trip out on my ownsome once in a while. Once I'd made my mind up it proved to be the right decision. 

With limited travel in place at the moment I'm repeating a walk from a few weeks ago around the local  villages of Slinfold and Broadbridge Heath, but refreshed with different images.

This house was once a farm and a trug making business [trug image from Pixabay]. 'Trug' derives from the Saxon word meaning boat shaped vessel and you will read in various sources that it was invented by one Thomas Smith who displayed the item at the Great Exhibition in 1851. Queen Victoria was so taken with the trug that she bought several. This exposure no doubt brought the basket to the attention of many, but it's been quietly made and used for collecting the harvest in Sussex for centuries. With our woodlands and iron industry the county is well set to provide the coppiced sweet chestnut for the handle and rim and the white willow boards for the main body. With the introduction of farming machinery this should have sounded the death knell for the trug, but it's become a useful and popular addition to the gardener's tools.

This just made me smile.....I was always too old for club 18-30. You couldn't meet a less suitable person if you tried...I always hated the whole party/nightclub scene and just had to grit my teeth to get through it and out the other side. That's being a sociable introvert for you!

Two of the beautiful cottages that sit within the conservation area in the centre of Slinfold.

Painted stones around the war memorial. It was the purple poppies that caught my eye. It makes such a positive change to see all the animals that perished in the war effort being remembered.

A most unusual brick tomb which I regret I can't tell you anything about and external details from the parish church of St Peter's.

Now this is one of the reasons I relish a bit of time spent in my own company now....unexpected things happen. Normally I plan, but left to my own devices I am far more spontaneous. Whilst on my way home I took a different route because I wanted to find out what the big yellow blob I keep seeing across the Common in Broadbridge Heath was.....well now I know. A big old yellow duck litter bin....it sits in the corner of a children's play area [there weren't any children around when I was there taking photos otherwise I wouldn't have been doing it] which, it turns out, is the whole theme of the park. It's called The Ducky Play area and the theme is continued with duck shaped equipment.

This beautiful pond sits at the far end of the Common down at the bottom of a slight incline. It's very well hidden within the trees, but, if the stories are to be believed, it has been used in the past for ducking witches. For all I know that may well be an old wives tale. However, what I did subsequently find out is that the villagers call it The Ducky.....now I understand the connection. The pond has certainly earnt its name because you can just see the resident mallards on the water.

In the end I was glad that I could be bothered.

Arilx