(Continued)
We always used the first Sunday in December to decorate the windows for Christmas, which were also dressed suitably for other special occasions. (The building being so 'Olde Worldy', it lent itself to it.)

We were blocked in by snow for three days during the winter of 1979. Luckily we were well stocked up, because candles and paraffin were in great demand and our stock over-all had greatly diminished by the third day. The estate offered a tractor and trailer to replenish it, which we gladly used, but then the thaw set in. Although the snow was inconvenient, the village looked an absolute picture, especially when a customer from East Green arrived on horseback and tethered it to the rail against the steps. I also reflect on the times we had to mop up from the floor all the snow brought in on shoes.

One morning before 7 o'clock, my husband could see a man standing at the top of Crown Hill and thinking he was a lorry driver who was lost he opened the gates and asked if he needed help. The man enquired as to how to get to Hadleigh. My husband was then most surprised to see two more men appear, one pushing another on a bicycle who appeared unable to walk. They all clearly knew each other. They deposited the injured man on the shop steps, used the phone box opposite, then the two of them got on the bike and rode off. Within minutes a telephone call came from the prison to inform us that three prisoners had escaped and that we were not to challenge them. My husband's reply was, "I've got one sitting on my doorstep and the other two are riding down the road on a bike". The call was soon followed by a police car with two passengers, then an ambulance arrived for the third.

We participated in village activities, helping tidy up for the "Best Kept Village" competition which we won on two occasions. There were lots of laughs when we got together to scrub the bridge and one scrubbing brush fell into the water; like children we had to watch for it to come out the other side.

Two days before retirement I was faced with two youths asking for money from the till and one made me aware he had a kitchen knife up his sleeve. When I cried to my husband to "fetch the dog", I'm sure they expected something like an alsatian to appear, so they scattered sweets all over the floor with a sweep of the arm and þew out of the shop.

We were given a wonderful surprise party by the village people when we retired and were presented with a cheque, an inscribed rose bowl and also a basket of flowers. We feel indebted to those same people for giving us so many happy memories of our sixteen years in Thurlow.