We're always amused by impressive-sounding descriptions which include sufficient qualifications to be almost meaningless. Rose just sent me this one:

"Lavenham is perhaps one of England's finest preserved medieval weaving villages"

Almost every word, after the first two, is a restriction. Let's read them backwards:

• We're looking at villages here, not cities, towns or hamlets.

• They need to be primarily associated with weaving.

• Medieval weaving, that is. Or perhaps medieval villages. In any case, other periods need not apply.

• Their character has been preserved.

• Rather well preserved, in fact.

• Only English ones, mind you. None of your Belgian weavers, for the moment.

• There may be more than one village meeting all of the above.

• Lavenham may be one of them.

• Perhaps.

Well, I think we can agree on that.