En Route To Rooting For Wrotham

My ankle has still not really improved and therefore for the fourth day in a row I was unable to go for my usual morning run - I'm really missing it because that kick of endorphins normally sets my day off on the right foot - which is certainly not the case at the moment.
We had originally intended to head to the coast again today but as we would want to explore our chosen destination properly in a perambulatory manner and my ankle was still not up to the rigours of a longer walk we decided to postpone our seaside escapade and venture to somewhere nearer where I could hobble around over a shorter distance.
We didn't have a particular route or destination in mind but settled on trying out a new public house venue, The Mote, at Wrotham Heath as we had read a complimentary review in our local paper. It has had an extensive recent facelift and whilst it was perfectly acceptable, as with quite a few large pub chain owned establishments, it lacked a little character.
Once we'd finished our pints I suddenly remembered that there is an actual village of Wrotham (pronounced as root-um) only about a mile away from The Mote and the nearby very busy intersection of the A20 and the M20 and M26 motorways. I'd been there a couple of years previously on a solo trip and hadn't initially been that struck by it but it was a revelation in the sparkling winter sunshine - a small but perfectly formed very pretty village which manages to pack in two pubs, an hotel, two hairdressers, a village shop and a beautiful 13th Century church, St George's.
On the church steps I had a great chat with a chap who was just about to start putting up the village's Christmas lights - he explained that each of the separate colours represented a different trade that used to be present in the village - but that, whilst the church was normally open to the public, it was currently locked due to a recent bout of vandalism where some young kids had gone inside, lit some candles and deliberately set fire to a curtain. Luckily there was only minor damage but it has still been upsetting for the locals so it was currently only opened up for services - although he did say you could ring up another local volunteer and make an appointment for a supervised visit.
After the chat we continued on our walk around the churchyard, which is where I took my image. There was just something I liked about the different elements of the scene - with the stonework of the church on the left hand side, the little spire in the centre, the lichen covered gravestones, the shapes of the trees and shrubbery, the contours of the ground and the contrast between light and shade. It was so peaceful too which is remarkable really considering how close the village is to the nearby busy roads.
We're really rooting for Wrotham to stay as it is and not be swallowed up by development - It really is a delightful spot and we've already made plans to return and try out one of those pubs!