Shot from the back of the no. 54 bus

...at Frampton Mansell, on the way to Cirencester. Traffic was backed up along the lanes, brought to a standstill in each direction. The pack and riders eventually overtook the bus and vanished up a side track.

Although I live in a largely Conservative county, where bloodsports are still popular, I rarely encounter evidence of such activities apart from hearing the pop-pop-pop of the Boxing Day shoot. It was quite a surprise to bump into this bunch today. I am not sure what they hunt, as fox hunting's been banned for almost ten years. Part of me thinks it's still foxes.

There are several hunts in the Cirencester area, so I could not tell which one this is. The famous Berkeley Hunt (!), in the South of the county. is easier to identify because they wear saffron yellow instead of red (aka pink).

I was off to Cirencester to see a biennial touring exhibition about paper, fibre, and metamorphosis at the Brewery Arts centre. I tried to take photos of the work, but the lighting wasn't right. I will, however, say it's definitely worth visiting if you enjoy paper, fibre and sculpture, and are in the area. I bought a book linked to the exhibition, and the work of the Scottish 'Ghost Croft' artist Charmain Pollok, so I may be able to blip some small part of that.

My cousin Fi, an artist, and her daughter Zina dropped in and we had lunch together, but not for long, as they were rushing off to Devon for a couple of days. I hope they'll be able to drop round to my house on Saturday. Zina wants to buy a kindle with her birthday and Christmas money, so she can try out my Bargain Basement model. I don't see enough of them, considering they live nearby.