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| Todmorden - By Loh93 at English Wikipedia - |
There is a lovely little story going round on our local chat. Several days ago a small black elderly dog called Ringo went missing. People searched diligently for him up on the moors. Then yesterday, someone out walking his dogs, found Ringo in a stream bed but alive. He heaved Ringo on to his shoulders in the dark and carried him to safety. People were still looking for him after all this time. He is now at the vets being tested and cared for. The landscape round here is very wooded, plenty of places to go dog walking, and then of course the moors above -flat, wide and open but also very easy to lose your dog if it takes off after a deer or rabbit.
There is also a journalist on the chat, poking around asking people what they think of Todmorden. Everyone, except the odd joker, talks with pride about their town. The community spirit, the market and shops, the College, which houses a Makery, and a Climate College. The gardens and vegetables grown around the town and the emphasis on 'kindness'. This last is true, for if you smile at people they will smile back. Someone wants to rent more land to grow food, there is also boxes of organic vegetables to be had every week.
Tod has to compare itself with Hebden Bridge town up the road which is a mecca for tourists. But there is a certain amount of resentment against its 'foreigners' (people like me for instance) who have pushed up the price of houses. It has the reputation, according to my daughter, for being full of old rich hippies.
There is a town, I think Totnes, which calls itself a 'transition town', well that is what Todmorden is doing, though probably not realising it. It is people that transform society, not the government.
Edit; Well I had a nice surprise, there was a talk on 'The Things we do for Luck' round the corner at a cafe/bakery this coming Saturday. So I went to buy a ticket this morning and as directed went upstairs to a large room lined on every wall with folklore stories. I had just walked into the Centre for Folklore, Myth and Magic. Apparently all these books were at a Museum in Shrewsbury but had to be moved from that town.
Totnes had a pretty bad reputation a few years ago. Frome - near here - is full of old poor hippies, which maybe even worse than the rich ones.
ReplyDeleteI would have thought Glastonbury was the place for poor old hippies. Not that I have anything against Glastonbury by the way, apart from a parking ticket and losing my car keys ;)
DeleteWe were house hunting in both Frome (my Devon gran is buried there) and Totnes, where Devon gran came from. I have deep Devon roots in the South Hams. We have had holidays around Totnes, but were disappointed to see how it was being filled with what we call round here "people from Off!". The last time we were there, one of the pubs had a music evening, all musicians welcome. We had just settled down with our drinks when a lad came in with his rucksack and banjo or similar, and was told his music wasn't wanted there!
ReplyDeleteLlandeilo always had aging hippies wandering about - some were the original ones who had settled in Wales in the 60s and 70s and in wheelchairs now!
Wheelchaired hippies - the mind giggles. But they had to grow old, rich or poor Jennie I suppose. I have been to Frome mostly to do with weaving but I remember it as a very quiet place. The problem many of us are 'people from off', foreigners, incomers and whatever name they wish to call us. We moved around as you and I did because of circumstance. Is Tom even indigenous to Bath for example - chuckle.
ReplyDeleteI love that picture of Todmorden. It looks quite picturesque. I also loved that story about Ringo, that someone hefted him across his shoulders and carried him to safety. There are good people in this world, and I love to be reminded of that.
ReplyDeleteFrom above it is very picturesque Debby, but the buildings are very gray when you walk about the town. I think everyone is keen that this old dog should pull through, it has been cold the last few days it was lucky he was able to survive so long.
ReplyDeleteI'm an old hippy, moving house again while the last of the money will stretch. Knock wood...
ReplyDeleteGood idea Joanne 'knocking wood' I am going to a talk on Luck this Saturday.
ReplyDelete