Sweeping Vistas

THE other day a lady invited me for a stroll along one of Soham s many footpaths. Hello , I thought, the old magic hasn t disappeared completely yet . Then I realised that she wanted me to go for a stroll on my own, and that Stinky Ditch isn t actually

THE other day a lady invited me for a stroll along one of Soham's many footpaths. 'Hello', I thought, 'the old magic hasn't disappeared completely yet'.

Then I realised that she wanted me to go for a stroll on my own, and that Stinky Ditch isn't actually the most romantic place in town for an assignation anyway.

She was concerned that the hedges and bushes along the eastern side of the path have been trimmed back to the point of oblivion.

Where there were once leaves and branches to protect walkers from the lazy east wind there are now a few sad looking stumps.

There is a fence between the path and the Wetheralls allotments, but it must be a pre-radio fence; it is completely wireless.

To be fair, the work that has been done has been done well, but it has left the short cut between Queensway and Eastern Avenue a bit open. The sweeping vistas across the allotments with the bypass rumbling in the distance are quite impressive, but when the east wind batters the field and buildings of the Wetheralls school next winter some of the people inside might wish the bushes were back again.

Meanwhile, I'll do my walking alone and reflect on the fact that the magic must have disappeared completely.