Waverley dowsers were allowed to set up a stand at the rural Life centre near Frensham in Hampshire. Michael Haxeltine and I turned up early to set up the stand and we then spent some time walking around investigating what was on offer at the centre while I took lots of photos of the wonderful ancient and not so ancient rural machinery and transportation, its great when you look at old mechanical equipment because you can see how it worked with the gears, cogs and levers all open to view.

I was amazed at the many horse drawn and hand held ploughs as well the small lightweight and not so lightweight horse drawn carriages on display you can see the photographs of a lot of the equipment at the bottom of this article.

People who were visiting the centre were investigating the traditional methods of rural life, were just as curious about the dowsing methods as they were in the machinery, in times of old most villages would have a dowser in their midst, my gandma was such a dowser and the wells that were dug from the merits of her dowsing are to many to mention.

There was a steady stream of family’s asking questions with Michael and myself being busy talking and demonstrating as well teaching people to dowse, but the British weather is fickle in April and we don’t say April showers for no reason. Michael and I thoroughly enjoyed our time at the Rural life centre based near Frensham in Surrey and when the sun came out, the landscape sparkled.

People were enthusiastic to try out the dowsing as it was all part of the ancient culture of rural England they were even more pleased to be able to purchase some of Michael Haxeltine’s extensive books on the subject.