No picnic – extreme sport for teddy bears
It has been the time for seasonal festivals. Of our three local villages, Templecombe (inspired by its history of Knights Templar) has had its medieval pageant; Horsington its traditional fete and an open garden day at a fine 17th-century house, the Grange; and Henstridge has had its "Jostle". Baffled by the name, I made enquiries and was referred to a dictionary: "Jostle (noun) An experience at which jostling (a crowding or bumping together) occurs".
There have been Henstridge jostles on a royal theme, with the landlord of the Bird in Hand as a monarch knighting village worthies, but a clue to the character of this year's jostle was a figure, seen for a while before the event, slightly less than life-size, leaning casually against a wall as you entered the village. He had grey whiskers, a black Stetson hat and a guitar, and looked like an extra from the hoedown scene in Oklahoma!, as did other figures dotted round the village.
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