First National Countryside Week

Did you know this is National Countryside Week/ No? Well neither did I till I read about it in the newspaper  - which is surprising considering it's purpose is   " a week of celebration of the countryside and the people who care for it." Since I care for a little over 3,000 acres of it I do think someone might have let me know what was going on. After all no one, as far as I know, has ever 'celebrated' anything I have done in my life - least of all my school masters or those long suffering and misguided individuals who gave me employment in London and, for a time, in Australia.  So this is something of a unique experience for me.  Even more so as my efforts are being celebrated by such esteemed  corporations as Barlcays Bank, Waitrose, Asda, and Dairy Crest.

Odd that. I remember I had to sack Barclays as my bank some thirty years ago as they then didn't seem to appreciate at all my efforts to 'care for the countryside' and as for Asda, and Dairy Crest, we in the countryside rather wish that, if they appreciate our efforts so much, they would pay us a bit more for our produce.