We have just returned from our annual visit to Sussex, which as usual we enjoyed a great deal. The scenic variety of the UK never ceases to amaze me. It is only 120 miles to the cottage that we rent, and yet the landscape is so different one feels that one has been to a completely different country! Last year I commented on the fact that in Sussex they seem to be suffering from even worse cases of fly tipping than here in Suffolk. Well things seem to have improved greatly this year, but I noticed a few discrete signs from the Council asking for members of the public to ‘shop’ offenders if they are seen. I wonder if this has made a difference? I also wonder whether it is really possible to get a criminal conviction on the say-so of a member of the public in this way? I was under the impression that photographic evidence is necessary, which opens up the whole question of how far it is appropriate for a council to spy on the populace!
Another area where Sussex can teach us a thing or two is the state of rural footpaths at this time of the year. Nick and I have come to accept that from about the middle of May, until the middle of July when Suffolk County Council finally cuts the paths (usually), the countryside around the house becomes something of a no-go area. I suppose it is because the South Downs are so much used by walkers that the paths that cross them are so pristine!
This year we got out and about a bit, and went to see both Arundel Castle (rather bleak, but interesting), and Parham House, a lovely Elizabethan home with marvellous gardens. Photos of both above.
