Ramsbury Village Diary -August 2009

Ramsbury & Axford Community

Village Diary - August 2009

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Nature Notes Bird Notes Rainfall Editorial Items Diary Items Thanks Advance Notices Calendar (current) Past Issues	Please may we have items for the September Diary by 17 August. They can be left at the Post Office; or sent by email to diary@ramsbury.org
	Nature Notes After a colder winter than we have had for some years, it seems some insects may have benefited; not just the unwelcome, green and black flies, which we need more ladybirds to eat, but also the butterflies. After the very few hot days at the beginning of July, I was walking towards the Manor gates and noticed lots of ringlets. The males are very dark brown with a fine white edge to their wings. When the sun is shining at this time of year, lots of marbled whites can be seen on the chalk downland but they do not descend to the village. It is also rare to see common and chalk hill blues in gardens, and on the downs it is often difficult to get a good look at their wings, both open and closed, so as to see the colour and patterns. Grasshoppers and crickets are now active but identification is often difficult as the young are small and shed their skins several times as they grow and develop wings. Illustrations usually only show the adult insect. We think of moths as only appearing at dusk but quite a few types also fly by day. One such is the white plume moth which I found in the garden a few days ago. It is small and rather dainty, with its small fore‑wings and narrow hind ones. This moth is very white with a downy appearance. It is one of the larger micro-moths. Bumble bees are quite active in my garden but I have received reports of some lying dead in gardens. What is the cause? As we have two bee-keepers in the village, I expected to see honey bees on the garden flowers but have not seen any. Where are their hives situated I wonder? Rosie Pauline Bird Notes A number of birds seem to disappear in August as they go through the annual moult. Over a month or so they replace every feather in a careful sequence so that flight is not affected. However, the process uses a huge amount of energy and renders the bird very vulnerable, so they tend to hide away. As I write in mid July, our skies seem to be full of raptors, with sightings of buzzard, red kite, kestrel, hobby and sparrowhawk in a single day. The buzzard was heading back to the nest carrying what looked like a small rabbit, so I guess that the young are not yet fully self-sufficient. Another busy group are the swifts, circling the village in their screaming groups, feeding on the minute ‘aerial plankton’ that float around in the air up to a height of 300 feet. By the end of August they will have departed for warmer climes, warning us that autumn is at hand. Special sightings of the month have included a gang of fifteen long tailed tits chasing through a friend’s garden, and a water vole attempting to climb up a willow branch above the river. The inevitable fall caused great consternation to a group of young coots, and much amusement to us. Paul Swan Rainfall Rainfall for the month to 18 July was 3.43 inches, average 1.97 inches.
	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. Hill’s Stores Charity Shop There is a plan to start a charity shop in Hill's Stores in September. Volunteers from participating village organisations will run the shop, selling bric-a-brac, toys, books, small electricals etc., but not clothes. Profits will be divided among the organisations represented. A similar shop in Pewsey raised £32,000 last year. We would like to call a meeting of interested parties as soon as possible. We would also like to hear from any individuals who would be interested in volunteering to help for a few hours each week. This could be a very easy way to give your organisation a regular income stream, so please give it a try. Please contact Sheila Glass 520409 or Ian Smith 520871 if you are interested. Waste Green wheelie-bins and black boxes will be emptied on Tuesdays 4 & 18 August. Black wheelie-bins and orange sacks will be taken on Tuesdays 11 & 25 August. Skips will be at the Square in Aldbourne on Tuesday 4 August from 8 am - 10.30 am and at Ramsbury Surgery on Tuesday 18 August from 8 am ‑ 10.30 am. Holy Cross & St.Michael's There will be no Evensong services in Ramsbury or Axford during August. Other services as normal.
	Ramsbury Horticultural Society Summer Show & Fête Saturday 1 August from 1 pm - 4.30 pm at the Recreation Field in Hilldrop Lane. Methodist Church Sunday Services at 10.20 am on 2 August in Ramsbury with Pat or Brian Hunter, at 10.30 am on 9 August in Ramsbury with Geoffrey Rhodes, 16 August in Aldbourne with Len Wheeler, 23 August in Ramsbury with Kate Trowbridge and 30 August in Ramsbury. Bring and Buy after Sunday services for church repairs. Coffee Morning every Thursday at 9.30 am in August. Methodist church, hall and kitchen available for hire – contact Sue Barnes on 520558 for details. Ramsbury Painting Group The Painting Group will meet on Tuesdays 4 & 18 August in the Church Rooms, Back Lane. Ramsbury WI Ramsbury WI's next meeting will be a visit, for members only, to the Vale and Downland Museum at Wantage on Thursday 6 August. Transport will be provided, leaving the Square at 6.15 pm. We will have a guided tour of the museum followed by a ploughman's supper (cost £6). Busy Bees will have a summer break in August. Crown & Anchor Local Produce Market The Crown & Anchor Local Produce Market will be on Saturday 8 August from 9 am to 12 noon. Coffee, cakes & bacon butties from the BBQ will be on sale until 11.30 am. Ramsbury Amenity Group Guided Walks Sunday 9 August to Marridge Hill (walk no. 6) 4 miles and Sunday 23 August to Woodborough 4 miles. Walk numbers are from the Ramsbury Amenity Group Short Walks pack available from the Post Office. We meet at the Tree in the Square at 2 pm on the second and fourth Sundays of each month and everyone is welcome. Shared cars and dogs on leads. Further details from Sheila Morgan on 520501. Axford Bingo There will be Bingo in Axford Village Hall on Wednesdays 12 & 26 August at 7.30 pm. Ramsbury Flyer The next visit to Newbury will be on Thursday 13 August, 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. Parish Council Meeting The Ramsbury and Axford Parish Council will meet on Monday 17 August at 7.45pm in the Memorial Hall. All Parish Council meetings are open to the public, who are welcome to attend.
	THANKS Ramsbury Primary School’s ‘Vision’ The ground work for 'Our Great New Space' began on 20 July, the building will be delivered in early September and it is expected that the project will be completed in November. Progress reports from the end of the Summer Term will be displayed in the Post Office window. We anticipate reaching the target of £75,000 set in December 2008 by the end of the Summer Term. We are deeply grateful to pupils, parents and the Ramsbury community for the tremendous support everyone has given to enable us to make a reality of our 'Vision.' .Susan Suchopar - Chair of Governors Ramsbury Amenity Group AGM At the AGM, the Chairman Ben Tottenham reported that their monthly Diary and annual Contact List had been published on time throughout the year. He thanked the Editor John Herbertson, the publisher Edward Judge, and Midway Stores for putting the Diary in the Friday delivery of newspapers. He also thanked Rolf Mitson, responsible for the distribution of the Diary and for leading the team that handed 25 Welcome Packs to newcomers during the year. RAG members present at the meeting agreed to make an important change to the constitution. As well as continuing to identify and carry out projects enhancing the environment, RAG can now spend its funds, accumulated by legacy and donation, on “Supporting and encouraging the charitable aims of societies, clubs and associations within the area of benefit”. In conclusion, the thanks of all were paid to Ronny Price and Ben Tottenham for their many years of service to RAG. ARC Coffee Morning At the ARC Coffee Morning held on 11 July £1,143 was raised. Many thanks to everyone involved for their continued and much appreciated support of this event.
	ADVANCE NOTICES Ramsbury Horticultural Society will present a talk on roses by Thomas Sanday on Monday 7 September in the Memorial Hall at 7.45 pm. The new Roxy season starts on Friday 11 September in the Memorial hall with 'The Reader' starring Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes. Full programme details for the season from September to December will be available soon. The English Chamber Choir will give a concert in Holy Cross Church on Saturday 12 September. Tickets will be on sale from mid-August at the Post Office and at Midway Stores. Holy Cross Church will be celebrating the 1100th anniversary of the appointment of the first Bishop of Ramsbury with a service led by the current Bishop, Stephen Conway, on Sunday 13 September. It will be followed by a hog roast. The Ramsbury Flyer will be going to the Royal Berkshire Show at Newbury Showground on Saturday 19 September. To book your tickets and for further information, call Muriel Lye on 520555. The Ramsbury Horticultural Society outing on Saturday 26 September will be either to the Malvern Show or to Kew Gardens in its 250th anniversary year. Would members please email hortsoc@ramsbury.org or phone Sheila Glass on 520409 to confirm their preference for the Malvern Show, Kew Gardens or to either. The Axford Harvest Festival Service will be at 6 pm on Sunday 4 October, followed by Harvest Supper, as usual, in the Village Hall. To book for the Harvest Supper, contact Bridget Treherne on 512406 by Wednesday 30 September. Donations of fruit and vegetables to decorate the Church would be most welcome. The Diary is published in paper form, and is incorporated here by kind permission of the Ramsbury Amenity Group.