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Ramsbury & Axford Community
Village Diary - January 2010 |
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Please may we have items
for the February Diary before 18 January. |
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In the autumn there were lots of red berries on the pyracantha, cotoneaster and holly. The latter, including my neighbour’s close to my fence, looked good for Christmas decorations but now all the berries have gone. They have been taken for the most part by the pigeons and I saw one frequently feeding on my cotoneaster berries. Although it is rather a dull, wet time of year, there are still a few unseasonal flowers to be seen giving a little colour. The pink flowers on my azalea and a solitary buttercup in Tankard Lane were in flower this morning (December 12th) but the recent sharp frost has destroyed the delphinium that was flowering until a few days ago in my back garden. This morning I noticed the winter iris is starting to flower, while the winter jasmine and some viburnums have been flowering for a while now. The other day a squirrel was in the garden, no doubt looking for nuts buried in the autumn. The problem is they never find them all, so that in the spring I expect I will find a few hazel seedlings along with holly, ivy and blackberry developing from last year’s fruits. It makes one realize how quickly a garden can become overgrown if left unattended for a year or so. It is not just the seedlings but the more vigorous ones which soon smother the smaller, more delicate plants. Although most days since mid November have been cloudy, with much rain, what a joy it is when the sun does shine, as on December 1st and the 10th, when looking out across the fields was grand. May we be blessed with such days over Christmas since snow in this part of England is most unlikely. May good fortune shine upon you all in the New Year. Rosie Pauline There have been a number of sightings of blackcap this month, including one at our garden feeder. Putting food out for birds seems to have had a startling impact on the blackcap. A report in New Scientist says that there are now two distinct sub species of blackcap. One of these migrates to the Iberian Peninsula, as they always did, and the other to the UK, but both leave from the same forests in northern Germany. Those birds wintering in the UK now have rounder wings and more pointed beaks. These have developed in response to the shorter journey to the UK and the size of the food we put on the bird tables. The two groups no longer interbreed in Germany and are about to be classified as two species. It has been described as ‘the first example of human behaviour creating a new ecotype’. We have had two clear sightings of snipe on Springs Hill. This is unusual as they are normally wetland birds. However, in very wet times they often turn up in flooded fields and apparently used to be quite common around the village. Finally, the redwings are all around the edges of the village and, for the first time, one has been visiting our garden. Paul Swan Rainfall for the month to 14 December was 4.9 inches, average 3.62 inches. |
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Club bowling sessions are on Thursday mornings from 10.30 am to 12.30 pm and Thursday evenings from 8 to 10 pm. For more details contact Phil Allin 520306, George Hawes 520693 or Robert Osmond 520568. Waste Green wheelie-bins & black
boxes collection will be on Tuesdays 5 & 19 January. Black
wheelie-bins & orange sacks collection will be on Tuesdays
12 & 26 January. Aldbourne Theatre Club The Aldbourne Theatre Club is looking for new members. The club arranges coach trips from Aldbourne, Ramsbury and Hungerford to theatres in Bath, Bristol, Cheltenham, Newbury, Oxford and Salisbury. Please contact Eric Jennings on 521042 for further details. Royal British Legion The Ramsbury British Legion Club will be open from 7 pm – 2 am on New Year’s Eve; from 7 – 11 pm on 2 January and 7 - 10.30 pm on 3 January. The club will be closed on 1 & 4 January. You do not have to be a member: everyone is welcome, so come and give the club a try. The AGM of the Royal British Legion Club, Ramsbury will be at 7 pm on 29 January. Police message - Stop Silent Phone Calls If you receive a silent phone call, then dial 1471 to get the caller’s number. If you get the reply “we do not have the caller’s number” then the last call was made from outside the UK and was probably a sales call. This is not the same as “number withheld” which is for UK based calls. Get them stopped by registering every year with Silent Call Guard on 0844 372 2325. It is endorsed by BT and it is FREE. Hill's Stores Charity Shop Please note new opening times on Tues, Wed, Thurs & Sat 10 am - 12.30 pm; Tues & Thurs 2 - 4.30 pm. The Charity Shop will welcome any unwanted Christmas presents. Don't put them in the top of the wardrobe: recycle now and village organisations will benefit. Suggested Local Walk by Graeme Fearon “Kings Ditch” (Ramsbury Bridleways nos. 18B & 48). This track may once have linked Roman Cunetio (Mildenhall) with the villa at Littlecote and remains an easy and popular route for horses, cyclists and walkers. These two bridleways span nearly the entire parish but there are plenty of opportunities to link smaller sections into circular routes, especially around Ramsbury. If the permissive path by Harbrook gets too muddy, follow the right of way itself along the tarmac drive. |
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Services in Ramsbury at 10.30 am on 3, 10, 17, 24 & 31 January.
Ramsbury Painting Group The Painting Group will meet at 10 am on Tuesdays 5 & 19 January in the Church Rooms, Back Lane. Ramsbury WI The Ravensbury Players will provide the entertainment at the Ramsbury WI New Year Party in the Memorial Hall at 7.30 pm on Friday 8 January. Tickets £6 including a two-course supper and wine, are on sale in the Post Office – guests welcome. Please buy tickets before the end of December. Our sewing group, Busy Bees, meets on Thursday 21 January at 7.30 pm in the Lychgate Room. Amenity Group Guided Walks Sundays 10 January to Whiteshard (walk 10) and 24 January to Chilton Foliat. Walks are about 4 miles and walk numbers are from the Amenity Group Short Walks pack available from the Post Office. Meet at the tree at 2 pm shared cars and dogs on leads, everyone welcome. Further details from Sheila Morgan 520501. Pilates classes Classes start in the Memorial Hall on Mondays from 11 January at 9.15 - 10.15 am and Thursdays from 14 January at 1.30 - 2.30 pm. All levels welcome. £35 for five week course. Please contact Caroline McCord on 511360, mobile 07817 503546 or caroline@backinbalancepilates.com for more information and to book a course. Ramsbury Flyer The next visit to Newbury will be on Thursday 14 January, leaving the tree at 11.30 am and returning at 2.30 pm. Fare £3. Book with Muriel Lye on 520555. The Community Bus also has its own page - just follow the link. Ramsbury Roxy Friday 15 January - Morris: A Life with Bells On. The much acclaimed,
heart-warming comedy following the fortunes of one of the country's
leading Morris teams. Cert 12A. Parish Council Meeting The Ramsbury and Axford Parish Council will meet on Monday 18 January at 7.45 pm in the Memorial Hall. All Parish Council meetings are open to the public, who are welcome to attend. Ravensbury Players The Ravensbury Players are holding their AGM at 8 pm on Monday 25 January in Ramsbury Memorial Hall. Everyone interested in the work of the Players will be welcome. Ramsbury and Aldbourne Golf Society The Ramsbury and Aldbourne Golf Society AGM will be held at 8 pm on Tuesday 26 January in the Bell (Chapter Room). All are welcome to attend. Ramsbury Primary School The grand opening of Our Great New Space, our new building for Music, Drama and a Library, will be on Saturday 30 January. This will be by invitation only to those people who supported us in our campaign to raise £75,000. But from 1.30 - 3 pm we welcome everyone in the Ramsbury and Axford communities. A programme of Music and Drama will take place throughout and refreshments will be served. The Ramsbury Horticultural Society The Schedules and Fixture List will be available at the AGM. Subscriptions: Family £8, Single £5, Retired Persons £4 are now due. Please would members provide all relevant names and send to our treasurer, Michael Handford, ‘Millstream’, High Street, Ramsbury, SN8 2PA. |
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The Methodist Church Christmas Fair on Saturday 5 December raised £227.65. A big thank you to all the stall holders, the helpers and Father Christmas. The Crown and Anchor has raised a total of £3,888 for the Prospect Hospice between 4 April 2008 and 13 December through the Sunday quiz, candle sales, swear box etc. Thank you to all who have contributed. Thank you to the person who left at the Post Office an anonymous donation towards Village Diary costs. |
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The re-scheduled Horticultural Society AGM will take place at 7.45 pm on Monday 1 February in the Memorial Hall. Claire Perry (Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Devizes) is coming to speak in Ramsbury at 8pm on Monday 8 February at a public meeting in the Memorial Hall. May Day Holiday, Friday 30 April - Monday 3 May. “Route To Victory” - various events on WW2 theme. The Boundary Walk will take place on Sunday 2 May. The Diary is published in paper form, and is incorporated here by
kind permission of the Ramsbury Amenity Group. |
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