Enclosure

I was watching a documentary the other night. I didn't plan to, it just came on after something else. It was about farming. Sounds boring doesn't it. It was really, but then the presenter spoke about something called the 'enclosure movement' and that made me think.

Apparently, a couple of hundred years ago, most of the land around England was common ground. So people could go wherever they wanted. They could graze their sheep, hang out or whatever. Then a load of people became land owners, put up fences and kept it all to themselves. All the other people couldn't use it anymore and even had to take different routes to get places.

To get from my place to the High Street. I used to cut through a car park that runs behind some shops, over a bit of wasteland and then through a little alley leading on to the High Street. I can't do that any more because there's a new housing development where the old wasteland used to be. There's a couple of new houses sitting right on it, and a big wooden fence surrounding it.

The documentary said that a lot of people were pissed off when the government gave all the land away. I can understand why.

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I woke up the next morning at around the usual time and quickly started thinking about the housing development again. I even got quite angry. That housing development adds at least five, maybe ten minutes to my journey to the High Street. Not to mention the station, which to be fair I rarely use as I'm unemployed, but would be very annoying in the morning if I wasn't.

Sometimes people have to make a stand.

I decided to get up, get dressed, have some toast, a cup of tea, and then take my old route to the High Street, even if I had to climb over the fence and through the housing development to get there.

I left the house at around 1pm and walked down towards the High Street. As I got to the bottom of the hill I took a left into the car park behind the shops and cut across diagonally, slipping through the cars. I could see the new fence where the wasteland used to be on the other side. It doesn't fit in really because the car park itself is old and weathered and there are pot holes and weeds everywhere. The new fence is made of rows of bright wood.

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I remember the climbing wall at primary school. It was multi-couloured and sat at the end of the playground. Most of my friends conquered that wall long before I did. Years before perhaps. When they'd got to the top they pulled faces at me and made noises. In fact, I think I only finally made it to the top at the very end of the last year, just before moving up to secondary.

Anyway, I got to the fence and looked for a foothold. The slats were vertical so it wasn't easy. I stretched up to the top and the wood felt rough on my hands. I pulled up and thrust both my trainers into the slats to get some grip. I managed to drag myself on top so that I was flopped over with the thin fence cutting into my belly. I swung a leg up and managed to turn myself around and drop down.

I had a look around. The old wasteland was still there partly, because they hadn't put the gardens in yet. The houses were finished though. Two of them. They were pretty standard looking houses. Red brick sides. Sloping roof. Double-glazing. I wonder why nobody ever wants a more interesting house.

There was one practical problem- the two houses were joined together by a double garage. In order to carry on straight and follow my path, I'd have to get over the garage as well. Mind you, it was only one storey.

This time I found a plank of wood and propped it against the garage wall. this gave me a foothold and I was able to lift myself up onto the garage roof. The roof was black and sticky. As I got to my feet I noticed that I had a pretty good view down onto the High Street. I stood and watched the cars pass for a while, being careful not to be seen. I had to duck down at one point as a guy walked out of the betting shop.

It was pretty cloudy, but for a couple of seconds a little bit of sun poked through and lit up some of the shop roofs.

It felt pretty good, beating the system.

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I ripped my jacket as I came down the other side. Thankfully there was a gate on the High Street side fence and it was easy to climb over. I had to wait a couple of minutes though as there was someone standing by the window of the nail salon having a cigarette. Once she went back in I jumped over and walked out onto the High Street.

I looked at my watch. I have to say it's not really quicker anymore. And, let's be honest, when people move into those houses it'll be a whole different ballgame. I think I've made my point though.

I looked up and down the High Street, thinking if there was anywhere I wanted to go or anything I wanted to look at. There wasn't, so I went home. A nice little adventure.