A thriving, unspoilt market town

I have hardly posted on here recently and I apologise.

The Coles, with a sniff of spring in their collective nostrils, ventured to Newent this afternoon for a double header of watery thrills. First, we headed to Oxenhall, where the canal is being gradually restored, and, in particular, the lock. To be frank, I’m unsure what the intended end result for this stretch of water might be; it remains a lovely spot though. We then headed to central Newent – the ‘hood – for a gentle stroll round the town’s lake. It was just really pleasant to be outside for an hour or so. Here are three Newent pictures.

I’m appreciating the three albums I purchased from Amazon. I have hardly played the School of Language recording; it seems a challenging scamp and I need a day or two to really play it to death before it clicks. Vampire Weekend’s eponymous debut is a cheeky blighter, full of impish wit and toe-tapping zing. Some of the lyrical content is a touch clever-clever – does the world really need a song about an obscure piece of punctuation? – but I can’t help but admire the band’s energy and intellect. The British Sea Power’s Do You Like Rock Music is a work of admirable quality, a stirring collection of songs about, inter alia, bird flu and immigration, with earnest choruses and rousing sections galore.