Day 514

Today I extended my morning walk by ten minutes so that it now includes the park’s rose garden, although I didn’t take any pictures of the roses this morning:

…I also took a picture of the Witching Tree, which is so named because a “witch” was hanged on the tree in 1723. Way, way back in ye olde days that part of Chalkwell was the edge of Westcliffe village, where the Cunning Folk (a.k.a. the witch doctors, the wise men and women of the village, etc.) lived. In the early 1720’s, Rebecca Goodmane was in dispute with her neighbours, the Dores, about land borders, which got ugly and resulted in Ms Goodmane being accused of witchcraft, found guilty and hung from the tree.  

In the years following, each of the Dores died in suspicious or strange circumstances and the land eventually became a park. The tree remains, but strange thing are said to happen around it, and it is rumoured that in the early 1800’s, when they tried to cut the tree down, the groundskeepers were attacked by bees, the second time they tried they were attacked by a dog and on the third (and final) time they tried the head groundskeeper died of fright in front of the tree (although it is claimed that he just had a stress-related heart attack), so, it was decided to leave the tree where, and as, it was.

I also did today’s G2 Crossword:

...which didn't go that well, I had to cheat on five thirteenths of the clues (ten out of 26), but I argue that the use of 'sparkler' in two of the clues was misleading. The answers to these two clues are regional sparkling wines, but, to me, 'sparkler' suggests jewellery or something that sparkles and not something that is bubbly. I maybe...I just...have sour grapes!!!Boom Boom!!!