NATURE

An afternoon in Geddington – Mark Avery

Yesterday I spent the afternoon at Geddington’s Green Fair, just a few miles away from home. I took some copies of Reflections and sold 10 of them – that was pretty good.

I rarely go through Geddington but it is a pretty Northamptonshire village with a cricket pitch, village pub and church, stone cottages aplenty and one of only three (of an initial 12) remaining thirteenth century Eleanor crosses erected by Edward I to mark the nightly resting places of his wife’s body as she was brought back to Westminster Abbey (click here).

I arrived before midday, took a couple of boxes of Reflections to my allotted table inside the attractive church of St Mary Magdalene, and then sat on a bench watching the world go by until official opening time of 1pm.

It was a sunny day and my Birdtrack bird list of 14 species included the House Martins nesting under the eaves of The Star Inn, a very few Swifts in the air (I’d expect more in this well-to-do village of old buildings), and Red Kites and Buzzards.

It is, of course, election time, and as I left home my former MP, seeking re-election in my Corby constituency, Tom Pursglove, was knocking on a door around the corner so I missed the opportunity of a doorstep chat, but here in Geddington I was in the Kettering constituency where the former MP, Philip Hollobone is seeking re-election. The Green candidate, Emily Fedorowycz, was at the Green Fair and I had a long chat with her and she went away with a copy of my book. You can get 50/1 on Emily being the next Kettering MP with Mr Hollobone at 7/4 and Labour’s Rosie Wrighting odds on.

Until the Labour victory in the recent Wellingborough byelection, there wasn’t a single Labour MP in Northamptonsire. It seems likely that will be very different on 5 July (yes, a week is a long time in politics and there are four weeks to go but…).

The other table holders were all very friendly and I spent the afternoon talking to them and visitors and looking at Gemma’s table of crocheted Hedgehogs. The date cake was very tasty.

The triumphant campaigners for Weekley Wood (click here) were present and I had a chat with Dez Dell – a Green councillor. Kettering is a Green oasis it seems, and Natalie Bennet visited last week to launch her book there (review coming soon).

All in all, a very pleasant summer’s afternoon in rural Northants- many thanks to Nic for organising the event and inviting me to attend. When I got home to listen to England’s defeat in the cricket I found a Conservative leaflet had been pushed through my letterbox. It doesn’t look as though Mr Pursglove has many friends in the House of Commons …

… all those empty benches. But joking aside, he has been a pretty good constituency MP even though I don’t share many of his views about how the world should be. I hope he finds a worthwhile new role in life.

If you are reading this blog on Sunday morning – I’ll be in the Alban Arena, St Albans at 2pm this afternoon, talking about how we can save wildlife – click here.

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