December 6th, 2021.
One of the advantages of living in a small town 450 km from London is that sometimes things pass us by. So it is with Covid. Now that the tourists have gone home the town is quiet and peaceful. Everyone just gets on with things in a laid-back way. Mostly people wear a mask, but not always. No one yells at you if you don’t wear a mask because most people know each other. There is a strong sense of community spirit in the town and pre-Covid it used to hold an annual festival and an annual carnival. Every New Year’s Eve there is the March of the Giants through the town to see in the New Year.
After 18 months to 2 years of being pushed around by the bossy authorities, the locals seem to have had enough and are just enjoying life as normal.
A couple of months ago they heralded the start of this new attitude with the restart of the annual duck race on the river. This was celebrated with food stalls, music and a licensed bar.
The plastic ducks are all numbered and the first one over the line 100 yards downstream wins.
Now that we have long nights the traditional run up to Christmas has started. There is nothing like a traditional band playing Christmas carols on a cold (2°C) December evening, breath condensing in the air and people laughing and joking. It is heartening to see that there are still some things in England that can’t be destroyed. The band meets once a week in the town square and plays its set of carols, eliciting a strong appreciative reception.
It’s nice to see some traditions endure.
Finally, between now and Christmas the town has a Dickensian evening, where shopkeepers, food stall holders, street artists and yes, even members of the general public dress up in Victorian costumes and perambulate thorough the town. With roasted chestnuts, mini pasties and pies and hot chocolate one can forget the everyday cares for a couple of hours.
The above picture may help explain the attitudes of the locals. The town is tucked away in the bottom of a valley and manages to maintain its own identity, even in times of national oppression.
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