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Ramsbury & Axford Community
Village Diary - September 2006 |
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| Please may we have items for the October Diary by 18 September. They can be left with Sylvia Judge, 55 High Street; Ben Tottenham, Vicarage Cottage, Back Lane; at the Post Office; or by email to diary@pccare.ltd.uk | ||
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After such a hot dry month, thanks to the heavy rain as I write on 17 August, the water butts are now full. May this be a welcome interlude to our summer weather and not the start of the autumn rains. Yesterday the soil was so dry that twitch grass came up easily with long pieces of root; yet in spite of the dryness, many of my vegetables are yielding quite well, and both hard and soft fruits are cropping better than usual. This is no doubt due to the absence of late frosts when the trees etc. were flowering. While many of the wayside plants have reached the stage of rank growth, the more colourful plants are not just confined to the garden (golden rod and buddleia), as the great bindweed gives beautiful trumpets, to be admired away from the garden. The small field bindweed is also quite pretty, especially the deep pink variety with a white centre to its bells. Have you noticed that these vary in colour so that some are almost entirely white? Other late flowering plants include the knapweeds (hardheads) and scabies. While on the village walk recently a gravel path had a centaury in flower, small with deep pink flowers. Like other people, I have been visited by a green woodpecker probing my lawn for ants: or was it seeking a more juicy prey? When working in the garden there never seems to any shortage of ants' nests and on one hot July evening they were in full flight, good for the birds, I suppose. Ladybirds again this year seem rather scarce; also the greenfly on which they feed: but I expect that you have a few wasps around as I have. In fact there seems to be a nest in my main compost bin, a bit inconvenient. I hope they are not too much trouble when plum picking starts. This year there have been quite a variety of butterflies around, yet the small tortoiseshell has not been as common as usual. As to the whites they have visited the cabbages, yet when looking for caterpillars I found very few but batches of eggs were present. Has dryness delayed development I wonder? I must keep my eyes open after the rain. I have just received two reports of hummingbird hawk moths, one on valerian. This is the time of year when they come to lower vegetation prior to pupating. Some hawk moths over-winter in the soil as pupae. Rosie Pauline In Bolstridge Bottom last month, I found the pellet of a Buzzard. When you compare its size with a Tawny Owl's pellet it is about 4 cms. larger. The thing that bound the pellet together was fur but I was intrigued by the amount of beetle bodies it contained. It has been another bumper month for sightings of Hobby and Red Kite from all over the village. Looking back at my diaries from thirty years ago, the only bird of prey we saw regularly was the Kestrel. The Sparrow Hawk and Buzzard were only seen on rare occasions. How different things are today; in the time I've spent writing these notes a Sparrow Hawk and a Hobby have flown over Knowledge Hill. I wrote last month about a number of marbled white butterflies in the Pentico area. These have been replaced by numerous Common Blue Butterflies, with their natty females in a brown livery! Also about this month are Grasshopper Warblers at Seven Bridges and behind the fire station, and Snipe and Lesser Whitethroat on the airfield. John Marshall Rainfall for the month to 18 August was 1.90 inches, average 2.16 inches. Summer rainfall has been about average due to occasional heavy falls. |
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Abstraction of water from the River Kennet at Axford Thames Water is due to publish their plan for water resource management in September/October this year. This may give some clue as to how they plan to meet their obligations to supply water to Swindon and Marlborough. ARK will continue to lobby for a sustainable alternative to abstraction at Axford to be found. News from Friends of the Ridgeway Thanks to pressure from the Friends of the Ridgeway, and a change of heart at the Ridgeway National Office, there are now only three miles of the Ridgeway that are open to motor vehicles all the year What a pleasure for Ramsbury residents who ride, bicycle or walk on the Ridgeway near the village. Your vote is your voice - don’t waste it KDC began their annual voter registration campaign in August. If you have to every household you will be reminded in September. Any changes should form in the prepaid envelope. To vote or not to vote is your choice, but have that choice, and it could affect your credit status if you have not registered. and/or forms, phone 01380 724511 or email kennet@kennet.co.uk Waste Collection The system of waste collection will continue as usual in September. Details are given on the Calendar page of the Diary. There are also skips for plastic and cardboard at Aldbourne Pond every month, alternating fortnightly with the Ramsbury Surgery skips. If you are not able to reach the Ramsbury Surgery by the 8 - 10.30 am collection, there are a permanent pair of plastic bottle and cardboard recycling containers in the George Lane Car Park (behind Waitrose) in Marlborough. |
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Ramsbury Amenity Group Guided Walks There will be guided walks on Sunday 3 September to Pentico, 4 miles, 2 pm at the Tree; and on Sunday 24 September to Ogbourne St George along the Ridgeway - tea at Barbary Castle. Meet at the Tree at 2 pm to share cars. Everyone welcome, with dogs under control. Bella Voce Choir The new term starts on Tuesday 5 September in the Memorial Hall at 8 pm. The term schedule has a “Singing” workshop, two weddings in November and a Christmas Concert with Ramsbury Silver Band. The workshop for female voices is open to anyone from this area keen to join in. It will be led by Fiona MacArthur in the Memorial Hall on Sunday 24 September, 10 am - 5.30 pm. The charge for the day will be £20. Please wear comfortable clothes, bring a packed lunch and plenty of water. Hot drinks will be provided. The aim is to present a concert at the end of the day using the singing skills that have been discovered during the workshop. You might enjoy it so much that you want to join the choir!. For further information and to book a place on this workshop, please call Fiona MacArthur. Tel: 01672 520713; Mobile: 07967 183849 or e-mail: fiona_contralto@hotmail.com Ramsbury WI Ramsbury WI will meet on Thursday 7 September at 7.45 pm in the Methodist Schoolroom, when Capt. D Greenaway will talk about flying with the royal family. There will be a trading stall selling cakes, puddings and pies. New members and visitors are always welcome. Holy Cross Church Tower The Church Tower will be open on Saturday 9 September from 2 - 6 pm. Bring your camera for views over the village. Axford Bingo There will be Bingo in Axford Village Hall on Wednesdays 13 & 27 Septemberat 7.30 pm. Ramsbury Flyer The next visit to Newbury will be on Thursday 14 September, leaving the Tree at 11.30 am and returning from Newbury at 2.30 pm. Book with Muriel Lye on 520555. The Community Bus also has its own page - just follow the link. Ramsbury Roxy Friday 15 September - ‘Captain Corelli’s Mandolin’, set on the idyllic Greek island of Cephallonia. Starring Nicholas Cage, John Hurt, Christian Bale and Penelope Cruz. Cert 15. Friday 29 September - ‘The Third Man’, the classic Oscar winning thriller with Orson Wells as Harry Lime. Cert PG. Doors open for pre-film drinks at 7.30 pm, films start at 8 pm. Tickets at £3.50 from the Post Office or £4 on the door. Horticultural Society Outing The Society outing to Wisley on Saturday 16 September, leaves The Bell at 9.15 am and returns at approx 6 pm. The cost is £10 per person including bus fare and entry to the garden. Anyone interested should contact Sheila Glass on 520409 or Sue Arnold on 520322 as soon as possible as places are limited. The Ramsbury Ball A few tables are left for the Ramsbury Ball on 16 September. Individual tickets are available at £50 each. Entertainment from the Boogie Band and the Nashville Teens. Enquiries to Ian Smith on 07977 473975. Parish Council The next meeting of the Parish Council members of the public are welcome. Axford 150th Anniversary, Harvest Festival Service & Supper This will take place at St Michael's Church on Sunday 1 October at 6 pm, followed by Supper at Axford Village Hall. Everyone and all ages welcome. Supper £5 per adult, £2.50 for under 11s. Please book in advance not later than 26 September. Call B.Treherne on 512406 or Rose Russ on 520499 (pay on the day!). Gifts of fruit & vegetables etc. for the Church decoration will be welcomed and later donated to Coombe End Care Home, Marlborough as usual. |
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The Axford Fête, held on Saturday 29 July was the usual successful afternoon. Around 500 people came and nearly £3000 was raised for Axford Church and Axford Village Hall. The committee would like warmly to thank all their benefactors, helpers and supporters who contributed to the Fête's success. 200 Club
Winners in July: £100 – Di Trickey, £50 each
to Bert Swan, Mark Graham & Marilyn Pike. Thanks to the efforts of various village organisations and villagers, the Summer Show and Fête, held jointly with ‘Project 2005’, was generally felt to be a huge success. Staging such an infrequent outdoor event is always challenging. Therefore the Horticultural Society would like to thank all who were involved for their support. Without such support it would have been impossible to stage. Despite a difficult growing season the horticultural element, particularly, was a tremendous success with over 100 entrants and 500 entries. It was also gratifying to see that there were a number of new names who won a trophy for the first time. |
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The first talk of the Ramsbury Horticultural Society’s autumn programme will be on Monday 2 October at 7.45 pm in the Memorial Hall, when Jeanne Bliss will talk on ‘Colour for the Marlborough Area’. Autumn Lectures on ‘How China discovered the West’. The course of eight lectures will describe the history and art of the Silk Road covering the period 206 BC to the Han Dynasty, and to the European explorers of the 19th Century. The lectures begin on Thursday 5 October in the Memorial Hall from 10.30 am - noon. For further information, please contact Molly Sawbridge on 521079. There will be a Christmas shopping evening on Thursday 23 November in the Memorial Hall. Any one interested in booking a table should contact Denise Edwards 07867921878 or minutememories@aol.com for further information. The Ravensbury Players are holding a Table Top Sale in the Memorial Hall on Saturday 28 October. Please book a table early at only £7 from Alison McFee on 520619 or Gaye Adolph on 520068. The proceeds of the table top sale will go towards their November production of ‘Tons of Money’. This comedy will run from Wednesday 15 - Saturday 18 November. Tickets £6 The Diary is published in paper form, and is incorporated here by
kind permission of the Ramsbury Amenity Group. |
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