More diversity

Following the diversity reported in the previous post and being the rather smaller Raynes Park haul noticed at reference 1.

From the right, first is a leaflet from the archeological service of the Eure-et-Loir department of France, that is to say the department which includes Chartres, home to what many consider to be the most perfect Gothic cathedral in the world, a place which I would like to visit myself, although I don't rate the chances above evens.

So far I have failed to find what looks like a regular municipal web site for the place, along the lines of what you get, for example, for Surrey at reference 4. Just references 2 and 3 which don't look to be the same at all. Perhaps the French do these sorts of things differently too.

The leaflet contains a handy summary of the life of prehistoric humans in the department, but I end up confused. The front cover shows a busy family group doing its stuff, with monkeys in the trees around. While the graphic of animal goings on over the last million years or so inside says nothing about monkeys at all. Just a gradual shift from large animals which could cope with glacial cold to the domestics we have now. I shall ponder on how we meet this need for ancient information in Surrey - but in the meantime I don't recall seeing anything quite like this.

Then we have an estate agents magazine, a consortium of 23 estate agents operating in the department. With the general impression being that property is a lot cheaper in Eure-et-Loir than it is in Surrey. Lots of bungalows. Lots of conversion of old houses of one sort or another. Lots of houses coming with substantial plots of an acre or more. Quite a lot of small plots of land for leisure purposes. One can see the attraction of the combination of an agreeable climate with agreeable property prices - but I don't think we shall move out for all that. And fifty years ago, when we were young enough to make the jump, maybe Canada or Australia, but not France.

Third and last, the November number of the 'Railway' magazine, a magazine directed at inhabitants of the model railway scene. A scene which clearly requires all kinds of craft skills, particularly in the track and scenery department, with not that many people actually making their own miniature locomotives and rolling stock. Lots of it about, with groups, meetings, shops and shows all over the country. And a quick look suggests that this is a hobby which can be expensive.

There is, for example, a shop in Tooting, Janes Trains, which I managed to miss in all my visits to Tooting. See reference 5. And this weekend, there is a show just down the road at Tolworth. See reference 6.

But as with Eure-et-Loir, one can see the attraction, see the point, but it is not going to happen. This dog is far too old for new tricks.

Reference 1: http://psmv4.blogspot.com/2018/11/song-without-dance.html.

Reference 2: http://www.departements.fr/departement/eure-et-loir/.

Reference 3: http://www.eurelien.fr/.

Reference 4: https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/.

Reference 5: http://www.janestrains.co.uk/.

Reference 6: http://www.hamptoncourtmrs.com/. Note the ticket for a coffin, from the days when Brookwood was the place to be buried if you lived in south or west London.