There was a time when I was the only person whoever ventured into the damp paddocks and fields of Ratby Meadows.  This was a self deceit of course but that is how it always felt as I explored the common.   As with many such places it was surrounded by the modern world and yet it had its own peace.  No more.

Today it is a modern pleasure park known as Everards Meadows.  Gone are the scrubby grasses and the forlorn horses replaced by clear paths and freshly cropped grass and people flock for reasons that are something of a surprise to me.  But then I am looking at this with old eyes: Eyes that have seen the past and cannot be totally reconciled with the present.  The one thing is sure:  The Everards Brewery company knew what they were doing when they moved across the road and decided to build this family entertainment brewery.   Even in the lockdown and the brewery not yet complete   there were plenty of people enjoying the first proper summer sun we have enjoyed for several days.   Goodness only knows what the place will be like once it is fully open?