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Whilst taking my many walks alongside the river as I have said I invariable daydream about the possibility of my ancestor treading the same ground, for I know from early records, that Samuel Alvey in 1757 had allocated by a Mr Ogle Radford, 3 falls of grass in the field known as Hobble Moor allocated by a Mr Ogle Radford, these had to be mowed, made and parted. Hobble Moor was a piece of land at the south west corner of the Meadow land and alongside the Old Grimsby Road (which exists today, in much of its existing form.) I frequently walk around the extremities of the land down the Old Grimsby Road and now invariably, refer to this area as Samuel’s field.
My walking gait and poles are obviously recognised by the many dog walkers and their pets, from as far away as three quarter to a mile away (sorry once again - approx one kilometre). I say this because often and immediately many of the pets see me, they come running at me as though I am some sort of light house, attracting them from their normal lack of purpose meanderings, and several greet me with a psuedo ferocious air, the others with sceptical anticipation. Invariably the owners call out to them Come here Max! Tiger! Luvvy! Eric... etc- Whatever their name may be - Don't be silly, it is only the man with the two sticks etc So now I am known and recognised by the animals, particularly the canine community of BJ, as the personality referred to by their Masters/Mistresses/ Walkers as Two Sticks thus I join the many (not necessarily merry) men of Nottingham with names given by their peers i.e. Robin Hood Will Scarlett Much the Millers Son. Alan O Dale. And yes Cloughie Ahh! Well! So be it. I should add that the River Trent is approx. 40/50 yards wide ( sorry 40M ), quite shallow in places ( at one period you could wade the full width at BJ via the man made/trod ford which means it must have been only a couple of feet deep ( sorry 0.5M), it can be tranquil and peaceful, as still as the reflection in a mirror with Great Crested Grebes, Water fowl of various size and variety, geese, swans, Herons and I have even seen Oyster Catchers there this last summer. However, the river can change very quickly and dramatically, becoming aggressive, treacherous and very choppy with winds coming from both up and down river ( thee easterlies tend to be quite chilly, they also appear to change direction on the apex of the bend in the river - still it is a most pleasant river to be alongside most of the time and will always be considered as a integral part of BJ village.
There are also many tall trees with much green foliage around and within BJ, where the SW winds will sweep thro the valley from the right hand side, and up and over the chain of hills running along the north flank of the village, via the small access gorge from BJ which accesses Lambley. All in all though, BJ is a pleasant place to live, always considered a relative peaceful backwater, yet quite accessible, which convinces me that the pleasant experiences of living here, and the high possibility of achieving self sufficiency, coupled with the opportunity provided by the access to the East and West via the Trent, (and later with Steam and Railways) is probably the very reasons why BJ has and is what it has always been for the
