A West Country Christmas Story

A member of my U3A Book group gave us all a copy of ‘The Sign’, A West Country Christmas Story.  It is a simple but beautifully presented A5 booklet recording a story which was taken down verbatim from an Exeter story teller prior to his death.

The warmth and accent of the local Somerset people is captured beautifully, but even more than that is the embodiment of how they make something their own.  This is a trait I have identified in many different aspects of life, from the Pub quizzes to their attitude to life in general.  

An example from the pub quizzes which frustrated me at first was that the correct answer (according to encyclopaedias, Google and the rest of the world) will not be accepted but folklore or local tradition will be given precedence.  There is a huge resistance to change in these matters.  So the choice one is faced with is to either accept the local view or be prepared to lose the quiz.

It was upon reading ‘The Sign’ that this observation crystallised into focus for me.

The illustrations and presentation of this story is so charming that I have scanned it onto these pages in the hope that it will bring pleasure and a smile to others too.

To view the booklet visit Illustrations and click on the items numbered 2-11 in turn.

14/12/19