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Ramsbury & Axford Community
Village Diary - July 2008 |
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| Please may we have items
for the August Diary by 18 July. They can be left at the Post Office; or sent by email to diary@ramsbury.org |
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Mid June and despite talk of global warming there is no sign of any heat records being broken. This is the best time of year however for a good variety of wild flowers including ox-eye daisies, various cranebills and ground elder which can be such a pest in the garden, but can look quite attractive in a hedgerow with its tiny white flowers clustered together forming a dense head. Speaking of pests, after one of the village coffee mornings, I planted a lupin but when I went to the planted spot a few days later all of the main leaves had vanished. I surrounded the remains with slug granules and eight snails met their end over the next few days. Where are the thrushes and hedgehogs to keep them in check? Too many of the latter have been killed on the roads I fear. At least frogs, which include slugs in their diet, are to be found in the garden and the less common toad will eat snails. When weeding I usually find a few Herb Robert plants with small pink flowers, a very cut leaf and red stems, but its outstanding feature is the strong smell. A small yellow flower on widely branching stems from a basal rosette is Herb Bennet, related to our garden geums, so at the seedling stage the one can be mistaken for the other. If you walk past the old school wall you may have noticed the ivy leaved toadflax with its tiny snapdragon like flowers. I learned recently that like so many of our wild flowers it is not a true native: it came into England in the 15th century from Italy. Trade with other countries brings in all kinds of seed and insects in addition to the product required. A more recent one is the harlequin ladybird which may have a harmful effect on some of our native types. Without long cold spells in winter, some more southerly introductions are surviving and spreading northwards. In recent years shield bugs seem to be more common, usually on a vegetable patch. Many types are plant eaters and can attack potatoes and tomato plants. Hopefully they will not become too numerous. May July bring good outdoor weather? Rosie Pauline I have discovered that one of the rules of writing this column is that remarkable sightings occur just after the deadline for submitting the copy! Last month this was the exciting and regular sighting of a Goshawk by the A4 on the way to Newbury: not alas by me, but by a trusted friend. My loitering in the area produced only a Red Kite, nowadays not an unusual sighting, but alas no Goshawk. These birds though rare, are sighted throughout the UK, and most of our wild birds come from stock that escaped from captivity and found our countryside to their liking. Virtually every kind of bird seems to have young out and about at the moment, and many of them are being trained to enjoy the benefits of our bird-feeders. We have young Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Greenfinch and Blue Tit visiting in numbers, together with a single young Greater Spotted Woodpecker, but I am envious of friends who have two young Nuthatches learning to feed from a bird-feeder, upside down! Having commented last month on the small numbers of Ducklings and young Coots, my sighting of the month was a pair of Canada Geese, with ten goslings in close formation in the water meadow. Normally they only have five or six chicks, so this is either an extraordinary family, or two families out for a stroll. But where were the dads? Paul Swan Rainfall for the month to 18 June was 5.62 inches, average 2.09 inches. |
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Lamplands and Cedars bridges (on the Ramsbury to Froxfield road) will be closed from June 16 for up to 18 weeks. This is to comply with E.U. legislation to strengthen the bridges to take loads of up to 40 tonnes. The work must be carried out between June and October, avoiding the salmonoid spawning season (salmonoids include trout). Footbridges will ensure that pedestrians and horse riders will continue to be able to cross the river. The bridge rails etc. will be replaced exactly as at present and, because the new Cedars Bridge will be slightly wider than the existing one, there will be, at the Parish Council's request, a footway on both sides of the bridge. Ramsbury and Axford Parish Council Waste The black wheelie-bins and orange sacks will be taken on Tuesdays 1, 15 & 29 July. The black boxes and green wheelie-bins will be emptied on Tuesdays 8 & 22 July. There will be skips at Aldbourne Pond on 8 July and at the Ramsbury Surgery from 8 - 10.30 am on Tuesday 22 July. |
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Ramsbury WI will meet on Thursday 3 July in the Methodist Schoolroom. The guest speaker is Mr Ian Purvis will give a talk on shells. There will be a competition for the best shell - either an actual shell, or a piece of glass or ceramic etc in the shape of a shell. New members & visitors are always welcome. Doors open at 7.15 pm and the meeting starts at 7.45 pm. Marlborough Open Studios Weekends between 5 and 27 July. Seventy artists in a 12-mile radius of Marlborough. A unique opportunity to meet and talk with the artists, to commission, purchase or simply enjoy their work. Local artists include Susan Kirkman, Arran Miles, Trevor Young, John Burrows, Derryn Davis, Nick Leigh and Bridget Treherne. Brochure available from the White Horse Bookshop in Marlborough, local shops and libraries or phone Susan Kirkman at Witcha Cottage on 520429. Details are also available on the website: www.marlboroughopenstudios.co.uk Axford Church Services On 6 July at 8 am Holy Communion service (Book of Common Prayer) and 13 July at 6 pm Evensong. Methodist Church Services Ramsbury Amenity Group Guided Walks Sunday 6 July to Great Bedwyn 4 miles and Sunday 27 July to
Great Coppice (No 2) 4 miles. Horticultural Society Visit to Howe Hill Sir Martyn and Lady Arbib have kindly invited members of the Ramsbury Horticultural Society to visit their garden at Howe Hill, Newtown Road on Tuesday 8 July between 5.30 and 7 pm. No tickets are required but members' names will be taken at the gate. Ramsbury Flyer The next visit to Newbury is on Thursday 10 July leaving the Tree at 11.30 am and returning from Newbury at 2.30 pm. Fare £3. Book with Muriel Lye on 520555. The Community Bus also has its own page - just follow the link. Axford Bingo There will be Bingo in Axford Village Hall on Wednesdays 9 & 23 July at 7.30 pm. Ravensbury Players 'A Little of What you Fancy' - Performance of Play Readings on Saturday 12 July from 5 to 8.30 pm in the garden of Harefield House, off Crowood Lane, Ramsbury. Tickets £3 from Midway Stores & Post Office. Gardens Open in Ramsbury There will be eight gardens open on Sunday 13 July from 2 to 5.30 pm and the Ramsbury Flyer will be available to go to the garden at Witcha Cottage. Teas and refreshments will be available at two locations. Tickets with garden location maps will be on sale in the Square during the afternoon at £5 for families and £3 for singles. We could always do with more volunteers to act as stewards in the gardens, so if you have not already been approached and can spare an hour or two, would you please contact Diann on 521363. |
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At the recent Community Bus AGM, Peter Raper, who plans to leave the area, resigned after 11 years as chairman. Chris Morgan replaces Peter as the new chairman of the Ramsbury Community Bus Committee. Ramsbury Hill provided the perfect setting for a concert by Ramsbury Silver Band on 8 June. Over £300 was raised for the Ramsbury Silver Band and the Link Scheme during the afternoon from the raffle and the sale of teas. Both the Band and Link Scheme are extremely grateful to Simon and Julian Blunt for the use of the garden. Recent press articles on the future of The Wiltshire Air Ambulance have been misleading. The WAAA confirm that the Wiltshire Air Ambulance is not under threat and that the new Bristol based Air Ambulance is an addition NOT a replacement. Also, monies collected for the WAAA will go to the WAAA and no other Air Ambulance. The WAAA pass on their thanks to all who have and continue to support them. The American evening in the Methodist Church with Irena Byron on 14 June raised £205 towards the new kitchen. Thank you to all who contributed. |
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Please note that the visit to the National Amateur Garden Show at Shepton Mallet is on Saturday 6 September and not 7 September as stated in the Ramsbury Horticultural Society Summer Newsletter. The Horticultural Society Summer Show in the Memorial Hall will be on Saturday 9 August from 2 to 4.30 pm. The schedule is available from the Post Office or Di Barnett on 521363 (contact for queries). Schedules are available on the Hort Soc page of the village website www.ramsbury.org We are again including the 'Young Person's Press Article'. Class 124 (maximum 250 words) (11 years old and under) requires an entry for a "Review of the Street Fair" and Class 125 (12 to 16 year olds) covers a "Report on what you would like to see at a Summer Fete". Entries must be made no later than 1 August to the Literature Steward, Geoff Rissone. Winners will each receive a cash prize plus a trophy and publication both in our Newsletter and the local press. The Axford Village Fete will be held in the Jubilee Field on Saturday 2 August from 2 to 5 pm. Attractions include the Ramsbury Silver Band, traditional stalls, dog show, classic cars display, refreshments and a Car Boot sale; book a space with Suzy Connell on 513300 or e-mail susanaconnell@aol.com. For full details see the poster. The Horticultural Society is running a trip to the National Amateur Gardening Show at Shepton Mallet on Saturday 6 September. Cost around £15 to £20 for entry plus coach. Please call Sheila Glass on 520409. The Diary is published in paper form, and is incorporated here by
kind permission of the Ramsbury Amenity Group. |
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