Quiet rural Hampshire

Today we visited our son and after a nice roast lunch in a pub in St Mary Bourne we went for a walk along a very quiet road so that the grandson could ride his bike too. Only three cars passed us in about an hour as we were on a road which really only serves a few houses and runs alongside the river. 

I was very impressed by this signpost which looked freshly painted…the others in the village were not as smart. Possibly a local resident has painted it? I know my brother did that for the one very near his house in a rural village as he was fed up waiting for the council!

The three villages on the sign post are now desirable for people who WFH but sometimes need to go to London as there is a station a few miles away. House prices have risen a lot in the last few years as it still has a village feel with no new housing estates and quite strict planning so most extensions etc are in keeping with the original brick and flint, and in many cases thatched roofs too. There is a good community spirit too and lots of young families which my son did I not expect, but is good for them.

Lots of lovely autumn colour on the trees en route down the M3 and so many bright red berries in the hedges nearby….lots of hips and haws…much more prolific than usual presumably because of the hot summer. Lots of berries for the birds!

The river we walked past  was still completely dry…it never gets more than a foot or so deep…let’s hope more rain comes to refill it.