1st December, 2011 No soft soap

Like any village, Woodgreen has it's fair share of highs and lows and things seem to change just as quickly as in one of the soaps. In the last few weeks we've been to a couple of great parties, meeting lots of people who have moved into the village but also attended the funeral of a 50 year old man. Someone said that funerals always make you wish you had known someone better and that was certainly the case here where the tributes were very touching and poignant. Today Meryl and Brian moved out of the village to go back to their beloved Yorkshire and they will be sorely missed. They made us so welcome when we moved here 12 years ago when they ran the shop and took us over to the pub and invited us for dinner. Getting up at five to sort the newspapers every morning can't have been much fun and yet they both oversaw the shop when it changed hands and only finally stopped this year when the new shop opened in the Spring. I will never forget seeing Meryl delivering Christmas turkeys on her hands and knees in the ice and snow one Christmas Eve to make absolutely sure that no-one went without their Christmas dinner.