Moonraker

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I'm a moonraker.

Being Devizes born in the English county of Wiltshire, yup, I am officially a moonraker.

The story goes that back in the seventeenth or eighteenth centuries a gang of French brandy smugglers had dropped a few illicit barrels in Crammer pond at Southbroom, Devizes, for safe keeping.

One full moon night they are at the pond with rope, rakes, and a cart as they try to gather up the barrels from the bottom of the pond. They are splashing around, using the rakes to catch onto the barrels and attempting to drag them back to land.

All this noise attracts the attention of the county revenue officials, "What's all this then, what you lads up to?"

Quick smart one of the smugglers replies, "Oh, officers, we're just trying to rake in that lovely round cheese from the pond.", pointing to the reflection of the full moon.

"Hmmm, well you bloody yokels are very weird, so why not, ha ha ha".

The story spreads and the last laugh is had on the revenue men as Wiltshire people start to call themselves moonrakers.
Reflection of the moon in a still blue water with a few bubbles also on the surface.
Devizes, UK

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