Dorset Memory 3 - Around the Piddle Valley

Whilst living in 'An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty' in West Dorset, the postman had delivered a very special parcel from an English relative living in Australia, a book published in 1978, the year the move from Australia to England was executed, supposedly for a three year trial period. Meanwhile, twenty six years later, the cottage was still occupied.

The river Piddle meanders along a pretty valley, not too far from Dorchester, & several springs bubble up to feed into it from near an inn of a long straggling village. The church in the village has a Norman tower dating back to the 15th century which is adorned with gargoyles, with the south doorway & piers of the chancel also Norman, it sits in the upper tithing together with the manor house. The village was assessed in the Domesday Book for thirty hides, the latter part of the village name being 'trenthide', & the French word for 'thirty is 'trente'. A twisting lane climbs up & out of the village, on the dip slope of the Dorset Downs, where the gentle rolling hills climb in & out of some deep valleys. The many walks lay open to the autumn mists that waft gently across the tops of the hills, where the cows amble through the dewy damp grass, their rough tongues wrapping around & tearing it from the juicy stalks.

The Piddle valley has a light sprinkling of villages where some of the cottages are stone & lime with thatched rooftops, under which sit small dormer windows set into thick cob walls. An assortment of trees enhance the area, spilling out onto  winding lanes, & gather into woods where the spring bluebells carpet the ground & beside the narrow roadways, campions & cow parsley grow thickly. The gardens in the summer enhance the villages, with borders & hanging pots cascading with petunias, hollyhocks & lupins standing tall, & roses entwined with honeysuckle. The hamlets dotted here & there along both sides of the 'B' road through the river valley, join the occasional village, & wander eventually to a few main roads around Thomas Hardy country. The river flows gently through the County twisting & turning meandering  past farms & towns, the mouth rippling out into Poole harbor.

The river valley ladies compiled a cookbook including 'Rumbe Thumps', Hubble Bubble', 'Hopel-Popel' & the makings of a fruit cake that has stood the test of time for thirty five years. (A few essential ingredients were later added to make this one of the most enjoyable family heirlooms that will be handed down for future reference!) The proceeds of this book were donated to the restoration fund of the village church. The book that began in a Dorset valley, travelled to Australia & returned to where it began, the book that the postman delivered.

On the last page  written by a lady in the Piddletrenthide Vicarage it states -

In order to forestall a riot,

And keep the whole family quiet,

I have said I will cook

All things in this book...

And then we'll all go on a diet.