Butterow

...a hamlet on the edge of Rodborough hill, Stroud. Our house is on the other side of the Golden Valley, and this is the view from the foothpath down into the fields, a minute's walk from our home.

The name Butterow comes from the era of compulsory archery-practice. The archery butts (yew trees) were located in this area. Archery isn't a much of thing any more (unless you're a teenager and have read certain books) but the name has survived.

Mostly a good day at work today. Swimming with the children was a real pleasure: so much progress made over the holidays!

I caught the bus home and walked through the cemetery, but hadn't got round to taking a single photo all day, apart from one bizarre shot of an advert in the local carpet shop. They appear to be using an image of Jimi Hendrix to flog their wares! MY colleague, who picks me up from there, says it's because the company couldn't get anyone alive to use in a promotion.

Eventually, after returning to find Steve holding a meeting in our dining room, I nipped out for this shot. The light is going: in a few weeks' time it'll be dark by 7pm. I think I need to live somewhere a little closer to the centre of the world, where the days are of a more even length throughout the year.