making the most of it

Past the halfway mark of October and Dorset still has much to offer on a sunny day.


What about this as a change from seaside views?


Compton Abbas Airfield in the heart of the county.










Of course, you can't see Compton Abbas quite like this unless you go up in something like this.
Norm in Augusta will probably recognise the model it as it was one of theirs a long time ago!











Or, you can sit in the restaurant and watch them take off.











Or, go across the road and, with your feet on the ground, look at a view  that comes fairly close to the one from the sky above.

Compton Abbas is close to Shaftesbury where King Alfred built a priory in 888AD.
He clearly had an eye for beauty, as seen when you walk along what may have been ramparts in his time.















Shaftesbury hasn't changed much over the intervening years:











and when it comes to health and safety even the locals do not seem to care too much.
Note the plank on the way down!!!!
It was great entertainment while we watched them dismantle the whole thing this way, including the metal poles, while we sat looking out of the pub window opposite.









He at the bottom actually caught the poles one-handed.
You can see where they got the idea and understand why King Alfred wore a helmet.







So much to see down here: even the van that prompted someone to ask if I had gone back to work for a brewery.