A hop, skip and jump later took us over the A2. There is a wide potholed layby with a temporary café just off that road, on the B2046. I pulled over, but quickly decided that it wasn’t suitable. For starters, it was far too busy a road. As soon as it was safe to do so, I pulled back onto the road and continued, crossing the North Downs Way a short distance on. After crossing the bridge over the railway near Adisham, a large farm shop appears on the right. I pulled in to top up my larder.
Now, I say ‘farm shop’, as that is what it described itself as. In fact, it’s more like a ‘country supermarket’. An incredibly expensive one, at that! My idea of a farm shop is a small shop attached to a farm which sells it’s own produce, along with some other local products. Anyway, I bought some sausages and oat milk. I also bought Rowan some liver. Then we continued on, through Wingham to a village called Preston.
In Preston, I turned into Grove Road heading towards a well known local picnic site at Grove Ferry. The road is windy and narrow. As I turned one bend right, a huge verge appeared on the right, with a track leading onto a field. I pulled on. After recceing the area, I decided that I could park alongside the river, which was a good distance from the road and I would not be blocking the farmers access.
I have no idea what the river is named here. All I know is that it is, like all waterways in this area, a tributary of the River Stour, in this case, the Little Stour.
The village of Preston is officially called Preston-next-Wingham, to differentiate it from another Preston near Faversham.
I had been settled not half an hour when my weed man messaged to see how the kitten was getting on. I told him of the problems. Before I knew it, he had been able to remedy the situation. His brother-in-law had taken on the sister of little Tyke. She had been pining for her brother. So, the obvious solution beckoned. An hour later, Tyke was on his way to rejoin his sister. I have since been told both kittens are now happy playing together again. I’m so pleased.
Ten minutes later, the farmer turned up to check his field. He then knocked and said that I couldn’t stay as it was private land. I apologised and said that I would leave as soon as Rowan was home. I then went on to explain my thoughts concerning why I had parked there. Then he told me that I was okay to park for the night. I thanked him and assured him that I would be gone in the morning. He said that he would be here at 9 o’clock to spray the field. I really didn’t want to be about for that!
Later that evening, I had a message to inform me that a kitten that I had been promised had died. The lady who had the kittens said that she had been dreading telling me and was relieved that I would not have been able to home another kitten, anyway, due to Rowan’s reaction.
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