Out and about again in Oxfordshire......

Ah ha, we were out early this morning at the very attractive village of Marsh Baldon, where the villagers are planning to buy their local pub, and get it up and running again...and soon.

A whole team of village friends have got themselves into a support group, are fund raising and have been organising matters so that they may be on course to have the pub open in April this year.

They're not quite there yet but their plans are coming along nicely and they're all terribly excited about the prospect of using their own pub pretty soon now.

So there we all were, this dull, cold and very windy Sunday morning, standing in the car park of the Seven Stars pub, clutching mugs of steaming hot drinks and munching bacon or sausage baps, talking about their plans and hopes for the future of their exciting new venture; and waiting for a regional BBC filming unit to take pictures of the pub and its team of enthusiastic supporters.

The filming unit were their to photograph the pub, and its supporters, for a discussion programme on the closure of this and other village pubs, and the ramifications of such happenings, on the local and  wider community, for they pose a complex and diverse problem for country dweller and visitor alike.

Our village pubs provide a warm and inviting haven for all who enter their portals and many a jovial    evening and welcome meal, can be had within their premises.

We were there because my parents once ran this establishment for the brewery who  then owned it, and I was married at the local church of St. Peter, and had my wedding breakfast afterwards within the pub's warm confines.

Enthusiastic supporters

Me, wrapped up against the cold

And here are three of my photographs from this morning, to show you how we were all enjoying ourselves, together, this cold winter's day!



Cheerio  -  Daisy xxx