I had the answer today following a chance encounter in the museum of Wells with a mixed race couple. She was from Birmingham and he was from I’ll take a guess the Caribbean. But let us start from the beginning.

On our allotment in Midsomer the committee decided to have a ‘clearing day’ where anyone could bring their refuse and put it in a pile possibly for burning but more likely for taking away. People have a funny idea about the law regarding burning. It is not the time of day you do it, for example 4 pm, but it’s the amount of nuisance you create and this is determined by the complaining of the neighbors. It is common sense for anyone not to light a bonfire with potential for smoke when the wind is in the wrong direction and blowing towards people’s homes especially on a Monday when washing is more likely to be hung out.

We decided to go to visit Wells – which gets its name from the home of a spring of pure water that comes from out of the Mendips in great torrents when it has been raining. This can be found in the bishop’s garden and it is a great experience to see the clear water gushing up from some mysterious underground source.

We waited faithfully for the 1031 bus number 173 and at 11 o’clock we realize it was not going to come so having set ourselves on a carless journey we went back home, picked up the car and drove to Wells. Parking is somewhat of an art but if you can bring yourself to walk 200 or 300 yards you can normally find a side street or main road without parking restrictions.

However if you have to pay the rate for city centre parking lots the price  is not too excessive. We arrived about 11:30 and repaired to the market which is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The emphasis on Saturday is food and I found myself spending 10 pounds and being served quite a large chunk of chicken with rice Kama noodles, and delicious brown sauce by two delightful and giggling Chinese girls. We had intentions of eating in a vegetarian cafe which we normally go to but the temptation was too much.

I wanted a cup of coffee but being midday on a Saturday pretty much every establishment was full so we found ourselves wandering down the high street from place to place and finally finding an Italian restaurant of the family ilk.

We had coffee and tea followed by no less than three sweets. One was an oversized chocolate cake, the next one was a lemon drizzle slice, and the third was a tiramisu. I overate enormously after a fast where I had not had a cake for at least a week so I decided that this was the day for a treat.

Anyway we went towards our first destination which was the last day of a printmaking making exhibition at the Museum of Wells.   Here I found work of remarkable quality, sorry about the lack of quality on the pictures. Glass is glass and it does reflect. I was very struck by the  works shown in the images below and felt that the artist had a great depth of soul and was born into this world a multi-dimensional being whom I felt had to express herself in other ways apart from art itself.

Left – Young Woman’ and right ‘Warrior Woman’ www.cathbloomfield.com Highly recommended.

I met her and I said she would never run out of ideas. I even asked her if she had had an astrology chart to which she replied that she had not. I hope she gets one (and I would say this to all artists)  because I know that what I say would be underlined by the chart.  Her work speaks to the soul directly and bypasses the left brain.  What a brilliant multidimensional gift she has.

I was chatting downstairs to one of the volunteers, a chap called Nick, who was fuming about the actions of Dr Beeching in 1964 who cut off many of these small branch lines because they did not make enough money. Nick said that the problem was the environment and the way of life and the communication system example by the rail tracks. He said that in many cases the rail tracks remain and are used as cycle ways but tragically certain sections were sold off, some years ago in some cases, and the paths suddenly come to an end interrupted by a new housing estate.

We were about to walk out when the couple I mentioned at the top of this article looked in the front entrance but hesitated and were about to leave when I jumped forward and said with a strong Instinct that they should enter and we discovered they were looking for the information bureau.

As you may know, all information Bureaux have been sidelined or removed altogether particularly in Wales when I don’t think there is one left. They are considered a waste of money which is daft short term political thinking if ever I could think of an example.

Anyway the couple came in and asked where Vicars Close was. This is one of the oldest streets still remaining in the United Kingdom, it was built about 1348 AD that is over 650 years ago. I introduced the couple to Nick and I said he was as good as an information bureau and we had a talk lasting at least half an hour in which Nick told us of the amazing uniqueness of Wells and how it was once one of the main legal centers in the United Kingdom.

The couple and asked left the Museum at the same time and walked to Vicar’s Close.  It  quickly became clear that they had traveled extensively in Europe and more remarkably could remember details of the places they had been to. They had been to Lyon in France which is where Francoise was born and he had taken many relevant images on his iPad.

It was here that the distinction between tourists and travelers became clear. The tourist wants to clock up places that they have been to as some sort of trophy whereas the traveler desires to make meaningful contact with as many people as possible and if  practical meet them in their own environments.  The four of us talked for a further 15 minutes and then we left them to wander up and down the close until their appointed cream tea at 4 o’clock in their local hotel.

I measured the value of my adventures to various places by the number of informal and spontaneous conversations I had. This certainly was well up there.

We also visited the bishop’s garden. By that time it was raining or at least misting and there were few visitors and no children and this enabled us to experience the garden in quieter moments and to get  an impression of this historic facility without the tourists.

wonderful big rose hisps

A resplendent vessel of plants. Cant remember the name of this stone work.

Garlic probably planted a few weeks ago. The Bishops Garden has its own micro climate.

Raindrops clustered on Nasturtium leaves .

On the way into the Abbey garden we went into the small Lady Church which is part of the grounds of the abbey and herd a string trio play. There were only half a dozen people in the audience but it was very pleasant to sit and listen. When I discover how to translate videos from my phone to my PC then I will upload the clip.

When we returned it was only 3 p.m and I was reminded of the old phrase, one hour in the morning is worth two hours in the evening. We achieved a lot.