THE letter from Mrs Pennock of Ruardean Woodside strikes a chord in my mind. I have only just moved to the Forest from Penarth, following a period in my life I would rather forget, and have been determined to start anew as a professional musician following divorce, death of mother, embezzlement of my money by others etc.

In echoing Mrs Pennock's admirable statement that she intends to love all her neighbours, I can vouchsafe that since arriving in July, I have found no better group of neighbours anywhere in Britain or in other parts of the world where I have lived, including South Africa, Canada, the States and Australia.

Everybody Jane and I have met have been so kind and helpful and have really made us feel at home. The village postmaster and his wife, Mr and Mrs Coones, and all of the other residents of Bakers Piece and the village generally, particularly Eileen, the "Dog Ladies," Joan, Teresa, the retired "Angel," Nat Hawkins (for whom I shall be performing at his Old Thyme Music Hall for the Moose in the spring), Roy (the expatriate from Mornington Crescent), Pugh the milk, Mark Tew at the Malt Shovel – for whom I shall shortly be starting "unplugged" nights, and anyone else I may have forgotten by name but already enjoyed a good yarn, our sincere thanks for all your warmth and joy.

We are already using some local traders too – Mr Rowlands an excellent plumber, and others.

I shall be working with the Forestry Commission to ensure that only trees of lasting environmental interest are planted on my land, and we intend to make an amenity of part of it for communal use.

So hats off to Mrs Pennock and all the local residents here – this is by far the nicest village we have ever lived in. She refers to Pc Hall, who I have not met, but we have been introduced to Inspector Pickstock, who has been most helpful in explaining the causes of difficulties in the past, now through Mrs Pennock's love and care for her neighbours, happily over.

We shall go out of our way to ensure that peace and harmony prevails and that the strange state of affairs that has prevailed prior to our arrival shall, we pray, cease. – Peter Goodall, Jane Abbey-Smith, Ruardean Woodside.