Gold Hill, Shaftesbury

'Grandad always used to say 'twer a bloody long way to go for a loaf of bread.'
The Two Ronnies
When I tried this on K2 she just didn’t get it at all, so some 70’s humour is very definitely of its time and needs some explanation. When I decided on joining K1 for part of her dog-sit in Somerset I decided on a visit to ‘nearby’ Shaftesbury in neighbouring Dorset, to see Gold Hill for myself. It’s a deeply rooted part of my psyche of course, ever since it featured in the 1973 Hovis advert combining music, nostalgia, regional language and strong visual imagery to create a culturally iconic memory that has never existed in my life, but resonated very strongly nonetheless -  ah, the power of advertising. So when The Two Ronnies came along in 1978 and did their spoof advert which had the audience in stitches from the word go it created an even stronger link with the unconscious, and it’s sat there for the last 50 or so years quietly fermenting, and I still find it funny.
So today I got my opportunity for my take on this little corner of England, and with clearing skies on our journey there I was looking forward to a lovely skyscape to frame it. When I arrived of course, I found the framing (the classic downhill view) I wanted was pointing almost directly into the sun, so I had to work around that to rescue something from my ‘day out’. Disappointing photo in the bag I wandered around to have a look at the rest of Shaftesbury, a friendly little hilltop Dorset town. Very picturesque architecturally and the coffee and cake at nearby King Arthur’s Kitchen, recommended by a gardener at the Abbey Garden, revived my flagging spirits. My disappointment must have registered with the Gods because when we emerged from our coffees the skies had clouded over temporarily so I hastened back to the Hill to grab several more images. Not only that but there was this dog-walker coming up the hill too – not quite Ronnie Barker perhaps but an equally entertaining reminder for me. Time to nip in to St Peter’s to thank the Gods for the weather while K1 finished her shopping, then we made our return journey in the beautiful afternoon sunshine.