Extremely deep and very cold

Out in the wilds, on an old road (before they built the by-pass) there is a sharp bend. One side of this bend is occupied by Hospital Cottages, formerly three terraced houses (farm labourers’ cottages – they were empty and decaying for many years, but have recently been converted into one quite substantial property). The opposite side of the road is bordered by a thick and gloomy copse of trees and dense undergrowth.

In Marketing this morning we had temp Armstrong (actually temping for Accounts, but there was nowhere for him to sit in the Finance Department). We talked in a casual sort of way, and I found out that he travels almost the same route to work as myself. On the way home he turns off the road near Hospital Cottages. I made some remark about how dangerous the bend was, and Armstrong told me that the copse of trees contains a remarkable lake.

This body of water is not large in area, but is extremely deep and very cold. Due to the geological structure of the region, it is basically a stone-lined shaft, gouged out in the last Ice Age. Scientists are very interested in the lake because it is only fed by rain-water – no streams run into it. Therefore it has remained isolated since prehistoric times, and provides a snapshot of what a pre-diluvian lake contained.

I have driven past that thicket of trees many times, and never guessed it contained such an interesting feature.

All of today I kept reminding Neil Hancock that he needs to make a decision on the new Marketing Assistant (we have the shortlist down to three). Normally very good at making decisions, Neil has been prevaricating over this Appointment since Friday. At one point he asked me: “Who do you want?” but when I told him, came out with all the reasons why they would be unsuitable.

Last night, and into this morning, a terrific wind blew, bringing some blustery rain. It took away most of the leaves lying in the garden (raking these leaves up can take hours unless there is a good wind to dissipate them) but left the big white flowers on the magnolia grandiflora tree.