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Ramsbury & Axford Community
Village Diary - January 2009 |
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| Please may we have items
for the February Diary by 18 January. They can be left at the Post Office; or sent by email to diary@ramsbury.org |
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A Happy New Year to you all and may the weather improve, with fewer frosts, no black ice and without the torrential rain which is falling as I write this. Perhaps the recent frosts will have killed off some of the garden pests so that our plants, be they fruit, flowers or vegetables, will thrive during the summer months. Often we do not give a thought to the interaction between plants and the many invertebrates that, for the most part, live unnoticed lives. We all recognize the hive and bumblebees, but there are others which play their part in pollinating the flowers, so that seeds will be produced to keep us supplied with fruit and vegetables, be they garden or field crops. A while back, it said on the radio how poor England's honey supply was this year (2008) due to so many wet days when the bees were unable to go out and forage for pollen and nectar, and also due to the damage to hive bees by the varroa mite. This is not just a pest in England but it is causing problems in many countries, including China. In some years, wasps can be too numerous for our liking but many types feed on insects in the early summer and only turn to fruit as autumn approaches. Hornets are of the wasp family and they also feed on insect pests. Spiders capture flies, while beetles are both good and bad. Some attack timber, be it trees, in buildings or in furniture. Ladybirds are helpful as they feed on aphids; not just the adults but also the grubs which hatch from eggs. They remind me of minute crocodiles. They are greyish-black with pale orange markings. They crawl over leaves as they have no wings. A long while ago, I referred to black squirrels, saying they were related to the red ones. While this is true, it seems some greys have mutated, giving rise to some black ones in the Letchworth and Cambridge areas. Will they spread elsewhere, I wonder? Rosie Pauline The very cold weather in the north of England in December seems to have driven a lot of birds our way this year. The flock of Golden Plover on Springs Hill has grown to around a thousand, which makes for a really dramatic sight on a clear, sunny day. They are sharing the fields up there with a small flock of Lapwing which often seem to share territory with the Plovers. Another lone visitor from the north was the Merlin, reported just west of the village. This is our smallest bird of prey, little larger than a Blackbird, and very much in decline in the UK. Closer to home, the bird feeders have been doing brisk business, and in just one hour I counted sixteen different species either at, or under, the feeders. A special moment allowed me to watch a Wren, a Coal Tit and a Goldcrest working over the same shrub at the same time. All were presumably unaware that they are the three of the smallest birds in Europe. One very cold walk was warmed by the sight of a Bullfinch, glowing in the sunlight, and the surprisingly melodious song of the very monochrome Dunnock. Paul Swan Rainfall for the month to 16 December was 3.05 inches, average 3.62 inches. |
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Christmas trees and cards - There will be a skip for recycling real Christmas trees at the Surgery on Monday 5 January from 8 am to 2 pm. They may also go into green wheelie-bins and in a special area in George Lane car park, Marlborough, between 5 & 12 January 2009. Cards must not be included with paper waste, but can be left at three sites - Ramsbury Post Office, Ramsbury Primary School and Midway Stores. Normal waste - Black boxes and green wheelie-bins will be emptied on Tuesdays 6 & 20 January. Black wheelie-bins and orange sacks will be taken on Tuesdays 13 & 27 January. Skips will be at Aldbourne Pond on Tuesday 6 January and at the Ramsbury Surgery from 8 to 10.30 am on Tuesday 20 January. Newcomers Welcome Pack The Ramsbury Amenity Group, who publish this Diary, also produce a Newcomers Welcome Pack. Please contact Rolf Mitson on 521366 if you are new to the village and have not received a copy. Home Oil Purchase Group Chris Morgan, a member of the Parish Council Sustainability Committee, is evaluating the possibility of a village group purchasing scheme for home heating oil. The scheme would reduce the price of the oil from a company who deliver to Ramsbury and Axford. Preliminary discussions are under way with a local oil distributor. If you are interested in joining, and to assess potential demand for such a scheme, please contact Chris Morgan ASAP, preferably by email at chris_morgan@dsl.pipex.com or telephone 520501. |
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The Flyer will not be available for the scheduled Hungerford service, the monthly trip to Newbury, nor for Surgery duties on 6, 7, 8 & 9 January. The Community Bus also has its own page - just follow the link. Ramsbury WI Ramsbury WI New Year Party will be held on Friday 9 January at 7.30 pm in the Memorial Hall, with entertainment from Vera Hughes and David Weller, plus supper. Tickets £6 are on sale in the Post Office. Members are welcome to bring guests. Busy Bees will meet at 7.30 pm on Thursday 15 January in the Lychgate Room. Ramsbury Amenity Group Guided Walks Sunday 11 January Whiteshard (walk no.10) 4 miles and Sunday 25 January Great Coppice (walk no.2) 4 miles, followed by cream tea at the Crown and Anchor. Walk numbers are from the Ramsbury Amenity Group Short Walks pack available from the Post Office. Come and join us on our local walks, get to know the local area and make new friends. We meet at the Tree in the Square at 2 pm on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month and everyone is welcome. Shared cars and dogs on leads. Further details from Sheila Morgan – tel. 520501. Short Mat Bowling There will a demonstration in the Memorial Hall by the Wiltshire Short Mat Bowling Association on Wednesday 14 January 2009 from 4 pm to 7.45 pm. All welcome to come along and try their skill. For further details, please contact Robert Osmond on 520568 or email osmond48@btinternet.com Ramsbury Roxy Mama Mia, Cert U, starring Meryl Streep. Screenings on Friday 16 and sing-along on Saturday 17 January. The Duchess, Cert 12A starring Keira Knightly, on Friday 30 January. Doors and bar open at 7.30pm. Films start at 8pm. This season's programme is available in the Post Office, the library and on the Roxy web page. Parish Council Meeting The Parish Council meeting will be on Monday 19 January at 7.45 pm in the Memorial Hall, Ramsbury. All Parish Council meetings are open to the public who are welcome to attend. Horticultural Society The Horticultural Society AGM will be on Monday 26 January at 7.45 pm in the Memorial Hall. This will be followed by a quiz, "How well do you know your village?". Mulled wine will be served. The new Schedules and Fixture List will be available at the AGM. Subscriptions are now due. Please pass these to the treasurer, Michael Handford, Millstream, High Street, Ramsbury, SN8 2PA. Please give all names with subscriptions - Family £6, Single £5, Retired persons £4. The Snow Queen On Thursday 29 January at 7.30 pm, in conjunction with the Ravensbury Players and Rural Arts Wiltshire, the Proteus Theatre is presenting Hans Christian Anderson's The Snow Queen in Ramsbury Memorial Hall. An event for all ages from 5 and above! Ticket prices adults £5.50, children £3.50 and £16 for a family of two adults and two children. To buy tickets call 520515 or email chrissy@astrocruise.com |
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£202.32 was raised at the sale of ARC Christmas cards held at Evelyn House on 14 November. Many thanks, as always, to all our supporters. The Annual General Meeting of the Ramsbury and Axford Link Scheme was held on l December. Susan Findlay thanked all involved in the fund raising events at the Band Concert held in Simon & Julia Blunt’s lovely garden and the very generous donation raised by the Crown & Anchor at their Beer Festival. The year 2008 has seen an increase in the numbers of tasks undertaken, with 746 tasks carried out up to 1 December. The Link currently has 47 volunteers: more volunteers would be extremely welcome. Both drivers and non-drivers are needed. Our thanks are due also to Dr. Rodney Owen-Jones, who gave a very interesting talk on the Surgery. The Christmas lights at Whitehill Close raised a grand total £1167.94 in aid of the Prospect Hospice on the evening of 1 December. Thank you for all our helpers and donations on the evening in achieving the best total so far on the night, over the last seven years. The Carol Service at St Michael's Axford, led by Tony Eyles, was celebrated on 14 December by a goodly congregation of almost 50 including 11 children. Elinor Foster started the carols with a beautiful solo 1st verse of Once in Royal David's City. Although reduced in number by sickness, the children were able to complete the crib, adding Shepherds and Wise Men during the appropriate hymns. The congregation all joined in singing many of the old favourite carols, and heard the traditional readings telling the Christmas story. The Church was impressively decorated by Axford residents, who also provided scrummy mince pies to go with Maria Foster's teas after the service. We give many thanks to all those who helped and contributed and came to the Service. Thank you to the person who left an anonymous donation for the Diary at the Post Office early in December. |
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A Date with Music on Saturday 7 February at 7.30 pm in the Memorial Hall. We continue a tradition of over 20 years, with an informal, light-hearted musical evening in aid of Arthritis Research and Jessie’s Fund with Danny Watson as compère and Moya Dixon at the piano. Tickets £5 each will be available from 5 January at Ramsbury Post Office or contact Caroline Franklin on 520496. Ramsbury Conservatives have organised a public meeting on Monday 23 February at 7.30 pm in the Memorial Hall, when Jane Scott, Chairman of Wiltshire County Council will explain how the Unitary Authority will work. On Saturday 7 March, the Bella Voce Choir, augmented by male voices, and White Horse Strings will present a concert in Holy Cross Church which will include Vivaldi’s Gloria. A detailed programme and tickets will be available in February. The Parish Boundary Walk will be on Sunday 3 May 2009. The Ramsbury Summer Fête will be on Saturday 1 August 2009. The Ravensbury Players will be presenting The Wizard of Oz in November 2009. If you are interested in getting involved as an actor, singer, musician, backstage, with lighting, sound, constructing the set etc., then please contact Matthew Haynes on 520563. The Diary is published in paper form, and is incorporated here by
kind permission of the Ramsbury Amenity Group. |
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