2016 is sooo last year.   2016 was all about Playground of the Midlands 2017 is going to be about Ironstone Benefice.  Before you wonder what on earth I am going on about let me explain.   My good friend and I are slowly visiting all the parishes mentioned in a series of guidebooks created by the district councils of Leicestershire:  2016 was Charnwood Borough Council’s guidebook called ‘ Playground of the Midlands’; 2017 will be the Melton Borough Council’s guidebook called ‘Paint the town red’.   This was going to be the name of the project but this morning whilst walking Scalford I saw on the notice board outside the church that it was a member of the Ironstone Benefice which I thought was a much better name for the project as it reflects much of the character of the Borough.   It was only when I got home I found out that I hadn’t read the notice correctly and it should have been the Ironstone Villages Benefice but it was too late the name had stuck and so I am not changing things now.  (The Ironstone Benefice refers to a similar collection of churches in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds who I am assuming got the name first.   However, as the villages of Melton Borough largely sit on the same rocks as the Oxfordshire Cotswolds I think the name still works – I wonder if this will causes problems further on down the line?   Only time will tell.)

After a shaky start this morning I managed to create three images from the photo’s I captured which actually accurately reflect the day we had.  Before I go I thought it would be useful to mention where we eat today – The Sands Cafe and Deli at Long Clawson is well worth visiting if you are in the area.