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Ramsbury & Axford Community
Village Diary - April 2009 |
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| Please may we have items
for the May Diary by 18 April. They can be left at the Post Office; or sent by email to diary@ramsbury.org |
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It is the middle of March and grand spring weather has arrived at last. How long will it last? What a joy it is to see the daffodils and other spring flowers, including some of the early tree blossom of the blackthorn type, which will no doubt reach its peak by the beginning of April. The overnight frosts are vanishing quickly as the sun comes up but it is still too early to put out any tender plants. However, who needs them as yet, when the heathers and celandines are putting on an attractive show and the soil is drying out enough to allow some tidying up to be done. Make the most of the fine weather while it lasts. This is the time of year when the wildlife starts to get active. The moles are throwing up lots of soil heaps and at the junction of Newtown road at Knighton, I have noticed these hills occur on land close to, but not on, water meadow areas. Yesterday a yellow brimstone butterfly was in the garden. Another early type which will be seen any day now is the orange tip. It is usually the males we notice as the females lack bright colouring so pass unnoticed, as do the smaller insects. The other day, on opening my front door, there was an active earwig on the threshold. Until recently I thought there was only one variety in England but three types occur, so if you see a small one it may not be a juvenile but one of the other types. The sunshine is also bringing out the bumble and honey bees. The latter were busy visiting the lungwort (pulmonaria) flowers. There was a time when plant features were thought to indicate what diseases they would cure, so the spotted leaves of lungwort would help with lung troubles. Likewise, another name for the lesser celandine was pilewort due to the little nodules seen as the plant dies down. Very few of these so called signature plants proved to be of any medical value. Rosie Pauline The variety and volume of bird song continues to increase, as spring gets a grip, and thoughts turn to nest building. I spotted a long-tailed tit with some moss in its beak, about to start on a major, three week, construction process. The work starts with moss, held together with spider’s web, the walls and roof are finished with lichen, and then lined with feathers. A single nest can contain up to two thousand feathers, and completes a minor engineering miracle. On the bright, warmer days the raptors are really active. I was delighted to see a pair of buzzards soaring and tumbling in courtship display over the village. This included a series of steep dives on half closed wings before soaring up again, almost vertically. There are now three red kites that seem to be resident towards Chilton Foliat, which have also been giving regular aerobatic displays in the bright sunshine. A magic moment of the month was listening to a nuthatch whistling from the top of a tree at the bottom of Mill Lane, followed a moment later by the sight of a treecreeper, also singing its heart out. Then, as I crossed the bridge a water vole paddled to the bank while a trout lay in lazy ambush a few feet away. Paul Swan Paul Swan Rainfall for the month to 18 March was 1.3 inches, average 2.09 inches. |
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Would you like to learn to play a musical instrument free of charge? Perhaps you used to play but stopped because of school exams, or raising a family? The Band is seeking new players of any ability including absolute beginners. Instruments are provided for the use of band members and there is no subscription. If you are interested, contact Lesley Groves 520816 or Edward Judge 520748, or come and see us during one of our practice sessions on Fridays between 8 and 9 pm in the Church Room. You will be very welcome. Best Kept Village Competition Ramsbury is entering this year. Please keep the frontage of your house tidy and look out for litter during the key period of May and June. Newcomers Welcome Pack The Ramsbury Amenity Group, the publishers of 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. The Parish Council The Parish Council want the village to remember that anyone can report failed street lights, fly tipping or holes in the road direct on 0800232323. They do not need to contact the Parish Council. Waste Black wheelie-bins and orange sacks will be taken on Tuesdays 7 & 21 April. Green wheelie-bins and black boxes will be emptied on Tuesdays 14 & 28 April. Skips will be in the Square in Aldbourne on Tuesday 14 April from 8 to 10.30 am, and at Ramsbury Surgery on Tuesday 28 April from 8 to 10.30 am. |
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Ramsbury WI meets on Thursday 2 April in the Methodist Schoolroom, Oxford Street. Julie Merrifield will give a talk on "Personal Colour and Style". There will be a competition for the best bloom of the month. Doors open at 7.15 pm and the meeting starts promptly at 7.45 pm. New members and visitors are always welcome. Busy Bees meets on Thursday 16 April at 7.30 pm in the Lychgate Room. Short Mat Bowls Short Mat Bowls Club meetings will be held in the Memorial Hall at 10.30 am on Thursdays 2, 9, 16 & 30 April, and at 2.30 pm on Sunday 5 April. Contact Robert Osmond on 520568 for details. Methodist Church Ramsbury Services at 10.30 am with local preachers on 5, 12 & 19 April. Aldbourne Service on 26 April, followed by a treasure hunt with tea in the afternoon. Good Friday Service at 7 pm on 10 April with Ramsbury Silver Band. Coffee Centre at the Methodist Church in Ramsbury every Thursday. There will also be a Spring tabletop sale in the Methodist Hall with teas & cakes in the church on Saturday 16 May at 10 am. If you would like to book a table please call Sue Barnes Tel 520558 (Tables £8 each). Horticultural Society The Horticultural Society Spring Show & Bowls Club Fête will be on Saturday 4 April from 2 to 4 pm in the Memorial Hall. Please study your schedule to confirm entry details for adults and children. Visit to Malmesbury Abbey Gardens departing the Square at 9 am on Saturday 25 April. Please contact Sheila Glass immediately on 520409 - to confirm coach size. £18 per person for coach and entrance. Talk by Robert Harvey on British Wildflowers at 7.45 pm on Monday 27 April in the Memorial Hall. Holy Cross and St Michael’s Easter Services Holy Cross Holy Communion 9.30 am and Evensong at 6 pm on Palm Sunday. Compline (short contemplative service) 8.30 pm on 5, 6 & 7 April. Holy Communion 10 am on Maundy Thursday. Easter Garden service 10.30 am and Liturgy of the Cross 2 pm on Good Friday. Easter Family Communion 9.30 am on Easter Sunday. Sonrise Service Easter Sunday at 6 am at the Prices’ wood on the Froxfield road. Do come and join us (tel 520652). St Michael's Holy Communion at 8 am on Palm Sunday. Family Communion 11 am on Easter Sunday. There is also a Team Service, Eucharist and Foot-washing in St Michael's at 9 pm on Maundy Thursday. Ramsbury Flyer The next visit to Newbury will be on Thursday 9 April, 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 April 10 Burn After Reading Cert. 15, starring George Clooney, Frances McDormand, John Malkovitch, Brad Pitt and Tilda Swinton. A disk containing the memoirs of a CIA agent ends up in the hands of two unscrupulous gym employees who attempt to sell it. Doors open for pre-film drinks at 7.30pm, films start at 8pm. Tickets £3.50 from Ramsbury Post Office. See the latest programme on the Roxy web page. Ramsbury Amenity Group Guided Walks Sunday 12 April Littlecote (no. 3) 4 miles and Sunday 26 April Crooked Soley (no. 4) 4 miles. Numbers refer to the 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. Shared cars and dogs on leads. Further details Sheila Morgan – tel 520501. Treloar Coffee Morning The annual coffee morning in aid of TRELOAR will be on Saturday 18 April from 10 am to noon in the Memorial Hall. The Treloar Trust provides education, therapy, independence training and first class care for young people with physical disabilities. Donations for the book stall by Tuesday 14 April. Bring cakes, gifts and bathroom stalls donations to the hall on Friday l7 April between 2 and 4 pm - or contact Ellin Osmond (520568), Ethel Hutchings (520278) or Hilary Hicklin (520899), who will arrange collection. Parish Council Meeting The Parish Council meeting will be on Monday 20 April at 7.45 pm in the Lychgate Room, Memorial Hall, Ramsbury. All Parish Council meetings are open to the public, who are welcome to attend. The Ravensbury Players The Ravensbury Players are presenting an evening of three one act comedy plays, with light supper, from Wednesday 22 to Saturday 25 April in Ramsbury Memorial Hall at 7.45 each evening. Tickets £7 available from Ramsbury Post Office, Midway Stores or Box Office 01672 520515, email chrissy@astrocruise.com Bedwyn Music Society Summer Concert Friday 24 April at 7.30 pm in St. Mary’s Church, Great Bedwyn. A Kirchman Society concert with Rebecca Kozam (oboe) and James Longford (piano). Enquiries to Andrew Hutchison tel 870970. Tickets - members £8 or £10 on the door with children free. Ramsbury Recreation Centre Formal Opening Saturday 25 April.
Admission is free. Bring a picnic or enjoy the BBQ and hog roast. |
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Beating the Bounds Boundary Walk will be on Sunday 3 May. This year we are encouraging all walkers to seek sponsorship for the Ramsbury School Great New Space project. The school wishes to erect a much needed new building for music, drama and the creative arts, along with a library and a quiet reading area. The Ramsbury Bus Committee AGM will be on Thursday 7 May in the Memorial Hall Alexander Room. The Spring Plant Sale & Coffee Morning at Millstream will be from 10 to 11.30 am on Saturday 9 May. The Ramsbury School PTA 5 mile Circuit Run will be held on Sunday 17 May at the Recreation Ground starting at 10 am. Application forms available in the Post Office or downloaded from the village website. Axford and Minal Open Gardens will be on Sunday 14 June from 2 - 5.30 pm. Teas with the Ramsbury Silver Band, produce and plant stalls. Ramsbury Flyer will bring people from Ramsbury and maybe Minal too. There will be 'Flowers Overall' in the Church, a music recital in the afternoon and Evensong at 6 pm. Would prospective 'Garden Openers' and other helpers please contact Bridget Treherne on 512406 asap. The Diary is published in paper form, and is incorporated here by
kind permission of the Ramsbury Amenity Group. |
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