Saturday, July 04, 2009

Another perfect day in the countryside...


I'm beginning to get the hang of this countryside stuff, I think. This morning, I combined some healthy exercise, a household chore and my councillor responsibilities in one easy task.


As Ros is away, I needed food, so I decided to walk to Tesco, which is on the edge of the Cedars Park estate, about a mile away as the crow flies. To do so, I needed to use one of the footpaths that criss-cross the Parish, and for which I, as a Parish Councillor, am apparently responsible. It gives me great satisfaction to report that the footpath parallel to the A14 towards Creeting Lakes is in pretty good condition, and makes for an easy walk.

I got to Tesco in about 25 minutes without getting lost, eaten by wolves or attacked by pheasants, did my shopping and grabbed a coffee, before heading out to the now mostly disused bus stop. At precisely 11.21, the Club 88 taxibus rolled up, and Philip, the driver, helped me get my bags into the otherwise empty vehicle, before setting off towards Stowupland.

As we rolled through Stowupland, we chatted about the service and its usage, and I was disappointed to hear that there aren't that many using it, although those that do are very loyal. Indeed, the two scheduled journeys, intended to provide a connection at Little Stonham for Diss and Ipswich, appear to be pretty much unused. Given that I would like a morning service into Stowmarket instead, this strikes me as providing an opportunity, something I intend to look into.

And now I'm in the conservatory, here in Creeting St Peter, with a cheese sandwich and a bottle of Greene King's 'Strong Suffolk Vintage Ale'. You know, you might well be able to take the boy out of the city, and you may even take the city out of the boy...

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