Ginger

A Memory of Wendens Ambo.

We arrived in Wendens Ambo around this year, and took residence in a little cottage in the grounds of a big house. Opposite was a pond in which moorhens spent peaceful days. Next to the pond was a field - I think it is a play area and park now. One of my enduring memories is of a grey horse that grazed in that field. He and I had a wonderful relationship. I would lie on the ground and he would munch the grass peacefully nearby, and when I wandered off and saw some juicer spot, if I called, he would come and graze there. I can even remember being underneath his giant belly, with no fear that he would tread on me. One day a man came to the fence and leaned on it, and when the horse saw this man, he suddenly charged off and started snorting and leaping near to the man. The man moved away and must have gone in to see my mother, for I was told that I must not go in the field again as the horse was 'dangerous'. The strangest thing is, I think that horse and I had actually met a year or two before, and in quite a different place, and had then struck up a very special relationship. Why do I think that? Well how many flea-bitten grey old milk horses do you see with a curly mustache whose name is 'Ginger'? I remember the church, and going to get a stone jar of something from the shop, but losing the money before I got there. And the stream.. and lying in bed one evening and seeing this dark blob on the ceiling above and wondering if it was a spider - and it was, and it fell and plopped onto my pillow. My I have never moved as fast since. Soon we were on the move again and my next place was Ugley - but Wendens Ambo was beautiful

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