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Ramsbury & Axford Community
Village Diary - April 2007 |
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| Please may we have items for the May Diary by 18 April. 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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Nearly the middle of March and what a joy it is to be experiencing some spring weather. Warmth from the sun has dried off the grass this afternoon, enough to make it suitable for cutting, and the spring flowers after the dull leafless conditions of winter are such a delight to behold. It is not only the variety of daffodils in the gardens but also the celandines and purple dog violets. These are not the only flowers that I have noticed when out with my dog, as this morning several leaves of butter burr are now beginning to flower before its large rhubarb like leaves develop. This is a plant of boggy places but as the Kennet is so high some heads are appearing out of the water. At least the river is now clear whereas a few days ago it was carrying so much silt that it was quite a muddy colour. This is a good time of year to study the various types of moss, not just on walls and the lawn, but also in woodland. This is a group of low growing plants that I have never studied in any detail, as I am not good at remembering Latin names. Although recently I got a leaflet giving English names for some of the more common ones such as Thuidium tamarascinum, one of the feather mosses that was common in Hens Wood which we visited recently on a village walk. It formed quite a ground cover in one area: each tiny piece was a fern frond in miniature, the damp shady conditions providing an ideal habitat. As you probably know, mosses do not have flowers but send up spore capsules on small stems that split when ripe and, like fungi, the spores blow away in the wind. The lucky few that land in a suitable place then germinate. Some trees are already flowering so hopefully we will not get too many hard frosts as the fruit trees begin to bloom. Will it be a good fruit year? With such bumper crops last year will the trees need to rest whatever the weather? Only time will tell. At least the bumble bees are on the wing to pollinate the flowers that open. Rosie Pauline As I write these notes on 18 March I have just heard my first summer migrant, a chiff-chaff in the water-meadows at Axford. A gentleman I was speaking to said that he had heard a couple the week before. Last year, I heard my first summer migrant on 28 March. My best sighting of last month was a Little Egret that was seen on the flooded River Dunn at Froxfield. This bird is like a small white Heron but what makes it fascinating is its black legs and yellow feet. It holds its legs up above the surface of the water, the fish come to the surface to look at the yellow feet, then, hey presto, one meal for the Egret! Thank you to everybody who telephoned after I commented on the lack of winter Finches. Needless to say, I went out after making the comment and saw Siskin in Hens Wood and the water meadows at Axford. Other notables include Stonechat at Hilldrop Farm and Red Kite at Woodsend. Now is the time of year to view Buzzards in courtship and territorial displays: just recently I was fortunate enough to be in The Lanes when no less than eight were performing above a valley. John Marshall Rainfall for the month to 18 March was 4.40inches, average 2.91 inches. |
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Peter Page Drives to St.Petersburg At the wheel of his 47-year-old Austin 101 van, Peter Page, Designer-Goldsmith and Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths will fulfil a life's ambition in May. St Petersburg, home of the Winter Palace and a fabulous collection of jewellery and pictures will be at the end of a 1500 mile drive across Denmark, Sweden and Finland. His overhauled and restored van bearing the Goldsmith's Coat of Arms, will also display a sign supporting the Prospect Hospice, which provides compassionate care for those facing life with the diagnosis of serious illness. Support this venture by donating to The Prospect Foundation using forms available in most of Ramsbury's businesses. For enquiries concerning the Prospect Hospice contact Andrew Thompson on 01793 816167, or email Peter Page on peter@peterpage.info |
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Ramsbury Horticultural Society On Monday 2 April at 7.45 pm in the Memorial Hall, Dr. Haycroft will be giving an illuminating talk on Fuchsias. As always, prospective members are very welcome to come along. Waste The black boxes and green wheelie-bins will be emptied on Tuesdays 3 and 17 April. The black wheelie-bins and orange sacks will be taken on Tuesdays 10 and 24 April. There will be skips at Aldbourne Pond on 3 April and at the Ramsbury Surgery from 8 - 10.30 am on Tuesday 17 April. Ramsbury WI Ramsbury WI will meet on Thursday 5 April at 7.45 pm in the Methodist Schoolroom, when the speaker will be Richard Brown on ‘The History of Lavender’. New members & visitors are always welcome. Church Services on Easter Sunday There will be a Dawn service at 6 am on 8 April at Price's Wood up Froxfield Road followed by Holy Communion at St. Michael's, Axford at 8 am and Family Communion at Holy Cross, Ramsbury at 9.30 am. Ramsbury Amenity Group Guided Walks There will be guided walks on Sundays 8 April to Great Coppice (no. 2) 4¼ miles, and on 22 April either to Westwood 4 miles, if the bluebells are flowering, or to Crooked Soley 4 miles. Meet at the Tree at 2 pm to share cars. Axford Bingo There will be Bingo at Axford Village Hall on Wednesdays 11 and 25 April at 7.30 pm. Ramsbury Flyer The next visit to Newbury will be on Thursday 12 April, leaving the Tree at 11.30 am, returning 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 April 13: 'An Inconvenient Truth'. Advance Notice - 'The Queen' May 11. Spring Show & Bowls Club Fête The Spring Show will take place on Saturday 14 April in the Memorial Hall. Entries to classes must be made to our desk in 'The Bell', on Friday 13 April between 6 & 9 pm. Please check your Show Schedule (also available from the Post Office) or contact Sue Arnold (520322) or Allan Davison (520591) in case of difficulty. The Show & Fête will open at 2 pm, entry free. Both organisations look forward to your support for this event. Free seeds will be available for collection to enable entry of pot marigolds, calendulas and "sunflower faces" in the children's classes at the Summer Show. Easter Surprises Service St Michael's Church, Axford will hold its annual 'Easter Surprises' service at 3 pm on Sunday 15 April. Everyone is welcome to celebrate the Easter story with us. Tea and an Easter Treasure Hunt will follow the service. Please contact Maria Foster on 515633 if you need further information. Holistic Health Fayre The Holistic Health Fair at Aldbourne Memorial Hall on Saturday 21 April from 10 - 3 pm is an opportunity to meet local therapists. Treloar Trust Coffee Morning Ramsbury has supported Treloar for over 30 years and the main fundraiser is the annual coffee morning. The Treloar Trust provides education, therapy, independence training and first class care for young people with physical and/or learning disabilities. Please donate items for the various stalls. It would help if you could deliver contributions directly to the stallholders, viz.:
Contributions could be given to Ellin Osmond 520568 or Ethel Hutchings 520278. Contributions, except books, can also be left at the hall on Friday 20 April between 2 & 4 pm. |
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The Committee, volunteers and users of the Link Scheme thank the Bella Voce Choir for their delightful entertainment at the Link’s recent Tea Party. Over the past year more and more people are using the scheme, especially for transport, and our drivers went to the Surgery 148 times, as well as trips to hospitals, opticians and dentists. We have 42 volunteers, mostly drivers, but our Co-ordinator Wendy Jordan sometimes has a problem finding a driver for a morning appointment. If you have just an hour or two to spare a month, please talk to Joy Wilson on 520848 or Tessa Rissone to find out more about the scheme and see if you could help us. Mileage is paid at 38p per mile. The English Chamber Choir would like to thank all those people who kindly housed them after the concert. They thoroughly enjoyed themselves and look forward to coming back. The proceeds were split between the Choir and the Church, with the church receiving nearly £500. The Project 2005 "200 Club" winners in March were: |
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Ramsbury Tennis Club are holding a 'Sports Quiz' on Friday 4 May in the Memorial Hall. Teams of five at a cost of £35 per team. Supper provided and there will be a Bar. To enter or for further information contact Roger Henry on 520395. The Horticultural Society’s Spring Plant Sale will be held at ‘Millstream’ on Saturday 12 May. Please put aside any plants that you can for this event. On Saturday 19 May there will be a full day coach outing (leaving the Square at 9.15 am) to Exbury Gardens on the Beaulieu River. Christian
Aid Week will be held from 13
to 19 May. There will be the usual house-to-house collection
and a
Coffee Morning at
the Methodist church on Thursday
17 May from
10 am, where there will be a cake and produce stall and other
interesting items on sale. Ian Ritchie invites sponsorship of his attempt to complete the 40 miles Ridgeway walk on 12 May. All the proceeds will go to the Marlborough Brandt Group's support for the village of Gunjur in the Gambia. Sponsor forms can be obtained from Ian on 520841. The Diary is published in paper form, and is incorporated here by
kind permission of the Ramsbury Amenity Group. |
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