Today is the day when the various authorities will meet to determine the range and terms of the feasibility study. It seems like a tiny but also monumental step forward. I will let you know what comes out of it as soon as I am told. I submitted a rather sad little video clip to be shown at the beginning of the meeting; I found it very hard to express what it feels like to lose a pony to a driver who is alleged to have been going well over the speed limit. Incidentally, the police have only got 11 days in which to summons him now and I can only cross my fingers that they do what they have said they will do.

Addressing a different problem on this road, the Commoners' Defence Association have put out a number of salt licks set back from the road in the hope that the animals will seek them out rather than standing in the road to lick salt from the surface.  Unfortunately several animals - including four in one go and another three donkeys - were killed as they licked salt from the road during the hours of darkness; drivers, often blinded by oncoming lights, imagine that the road ahead of them will be clear and are shocked when they hit an animal instead. The salt/grit is spread whenever icy conditions are anticipated and we are told that the authorities either will not, or cannot use, anything to make it taste horrible. I really hope that this experiment will work; it seems like a common-sense thing to do but animals are instant gratification creatures and may still seek the nearest source.