printed on page 3 of issue 505 (Decermber 2009)

Stephen came to Blewbury in 1982, when he and his wife, Sandra, bought the Charity School House. They had fallen in love with the village, and with the house, which they called “Harry’s gift”. Harry was their infant son; he was born and he died while they were completing the move to Blewbury.

After his arrival in Blewbury, Stephen immediately took three months off from his duties as Bishop of Repton in Derbyshire to write his book Water into Wine . He and Sandra “camped out” in the Charity School House, working all day, and sometimes almost all night in order to meet the deadline.

Retirement as Bishop in 1985 led to his moving permanently to Blewbury, and joyfully taking part in many aspects of village life: making music – he sang in the opera, started a male voice choir; gardening – his love and skill with this enabled him to create a beautiful and interesting plot; going to the village church – enthusiasm for the ancient bells spurred him to raise money by selling boxes of seedlings, notably evening primroses, which can still be seen blooming around the village.

His project in 1997 was to take a group of people on a journey from Blewbury to the Holy Land . This pilgrimage had a great and lasting impact on all of those who accompanied him, and he has maintained enduring links with the university in Bethlehem .

The island of Crete was a place which he particularly loved, because during the war he spent time working there as a secret agent. MI6 had recruited him because they thought that reading Greek at Oxford would be useful!

For many people their last memory of Stephen will be of the celebrations for his 90th birthday party in April of this year. These were held at The Abbey, Sutton Courtenay, where since 1979 he had been responsible for helping to found the inter-faith centre, where people with varied and different faiths could meet to enrich their spiritual life and explore their common ground.

Stephen always found time for people: to listen to them, to give advice, and above all to make them feel good. All of us in Blewbury who knew him have been enriched through Stephen’s friendship and love.   

You can find more about this modest and remarkable man, if you google “Stephen Verney”.

Janet Wagon and Mike Edmunds

printed on page 3 of issue 505 (December 2009)

“Blewbury Remembers” by Mark Palethorpe and Karen Brooks - a review.

This is a worthy sequel to “Treading the Path of Duty”. It is different. It has less of the poignancy and sadness appropriate to the stories of those village men who served so willingly and valiantly during the First World War. We have that element of course, men did give their lives in the same tragic yet honourable circumstances and they are remembered. Just as important, however, we have the vivid, personal memories of people very much alive and often known to us in the village today. The authors have gathered and distilled first and second hand memories both from here at home, in the lanes we know, and from far-flung places where the war affected them in all kinds of ways: some ordinary, some horrific with much between. They are the memories of childhood and youth in a war torn world, now vividly recounted, with both humour and nostalgia. I felt that a foreword was needed to match the first book but that is my only criticism. I look forward to seeing the next in this important series, which is preserving a precious and elusive part of our heritage. The work is thoughtfully dedicated to Derek Smith, DFC who died earlier this year.

Peter Cockrell, November 2009

printed on page 5 of issue 505 (December 2009)

We are fast approaching the Winter Solstice on the 21st, when the Sun reaches its lowest point in the sky. The longest, and what should be the darkest night of the year. Unfortunately, this will probably not be noticed, due to the horrendous light pollution which has spread everywhere. This should be the best time of year to appreciate with awe, and to be inspired by the beauty of the night sky. With all the talk about climate change and carbon footprints, I find it shocking that we still waste so much energy through careless, unnecessary lighting.

There is a current trend being followed by some local authorities around the country to switch off the street lights for a number of hours in the dead of night, when most of us are asleep. This can save huge amounts of money, and make a considerable reduction in emissions. I hope and pray that this trend will spread further! It is worth noting that, contrary to popular belief, when this has been tried some areas report a drop in the crime rate.

Are there certain things you only do “Once in a Blue Moon”? Well now is your chance. December has two full moons, and, traditionally, the second one, which this month occurs on the 31st , is known as a Blue Moon. This tradition is fairly modern. The true meaning of a Blue Moon seems to be lost in the mists of time.

If you go out on New Years Eve to see the Blue Moon, unless there has been a huge volcanic eruption on the scale of Krakatoa, you will not see it turn blue. But you might notice the moon looking a bit odd. Not only a Blue Moon on New Years Eve , but also a Partial Lunar Eclipse . How about that!

A Lunar Eclipse occurs when the moon moves across the shadow cast by the earth into space. The eclipse on the 31st is only partial, with the shadow covering a mere 8.2% of the moon. If you look around mid eclipse (7.23pm) you might notice that the moon appears a bit fainter than normal. This is the penumbral part of the shadow. But look for a small bite of the main shadow across the lower edge of the moon. Binoculars would be ideal for this event.

The other significant event this month will be the annual Geminid meteor shower – so called because they appear to radiate from the area of sky occupied by the constellation of Gemini. For several years this event has been on the top of my list, as the most reliable and spectacular of all the showers. This year is very favourable, as there will be no Moon around to spoil the show. The peak is predicted for the night of the13th but it would also be worth looking out on the evening of the 14th. The last time this shower peaked without the moon being around, (1997), the meteor count reached over 110 per hour. I remember it well.

If we are lucky enough to have a clear sky for this event, do wrap up warm and go outside to have a look for meteors. Any time will do. But the later you look the better your chance of seeing them. Obviously, the darker the sky, the better your chances. So once again, for many people, one of nature’s most spectacular displays will be spoilt by the appalling and costly light pollution.

Full Moon 2nd Oak Moon (Oak being a sacred tree of the Druids)

Wolf Moon (The fearsome nocturnal creature represents the night of the year)

New Moon 16th .

Full Moon 31st Blue Moon

Happy Solstice and a Merry Perihelion.                 John Napper – Starfields 818853

printed on page 5 of issue 505 (December 2009)

Perhaps Life’s Metaphor

Autumn is contrary - scary - contrasting with sudden storms and beautiful fair weather

It chooses to confuse - as we question our expectation of this supposedly settling Season.

Fickle and unpredictable life’s weather may be

Yet has it not led to a splendidly adaptable people?

Freda Chapman

printed on page 15 of issue 505 (December 2009)

Visiting a lovely old house this autumn I was asked to identify a cluster of twenty or more ladybirds in the corner of the sitting room window.  My friend thought they were the dreaded Harlequin ladybird. To me, at first, they looked like the eyed ladybird with at least fourteen spots.  Closer inspection however proved them to be the Harlequin Harmonia ayridis .

Identification can be confusing because there are just over one hundred different forms. They come in disguise - all shapes and sizes with a variety of patterns, multicoloured and with varying numbers of spots.

They have come here from eastern Asia and are said to be the most invasive ladybird on earth.  They are not welcome because they compete with our ladybirds for food and space but worse than that that they attack our ladybirds and eat them as if they were aphids. 

Our indigenous ladybirds hibernate in gardens under leaves and bark.  It is the Harlequin that comes indoors, perhaps because it originated in warmer climes. Since seeing the first lot I have been told of several other householders who have been unwittingly sheltering them. DON'T.  Get rid of them.

Sadly, entomologists prefer the name ladybugs to ladybirds.  More correct but not so attractive.

There is a harlequin beetle Acrocinus longimanus,  not a ladybird but with the multicoloured diagonal patterns of the entertainer from the Comedia del Arte who has crept into pantomimes and fancy dress. He is called Harlequin.

Bernardine Shirley-Smith

printed on page 4 of issue 506 (Christmas 2009)

Mary and John’s contribution to Blewbury cannot be overstated. From their arrival at Borlase in the early 60s they both entered wholeheartedly into village events.

Borlase Gallery became a cultural centre and Mary ran the Box Office for Peter Sheldon’s pageants, Music Halls, Operas, Blewbury Festivals and many Blewbury Players productions. Many artists owe a real debt of gratitude to Mary for her promotion of their work. She was herself an enthusiastic artist and a regular member of the annual Venice painting course. Borlase was also the focus of much music-making in Blewbury and after John died, Mary donated his Bechstein piano to the Village Hall.

During the past few years, despite memory loss, she was always smilingly ready to welcome her many friends for tea, biscuits and a long chat . Mary’s great charm and personality will always be in our memories.

  Ron Freeborn and Peter Saunders

printed on page 4 of issue 506 (Christmas 2009)

photo: Bernard Mattimore

On Friday December 11th this year Ruby Weeks celebrated her 100th birthday. She was born in Somerset and lived in Dorset for much of her life. If you ask Ruby what she remembers about the War she’ll tell you about the day her father was called up, August 4th 1914. Her memories of growing up during the First World War are even clearer than many 75 year-olds’ memories of WW2. She was born in Dulcote, near Wells. The day her father received his calling-up papers her mother retired to bed and had Ruby’s youngest sister. She went to school in the nearby village of Dinder , which she clearly enjoyed mostly, except when she got hit with the ruler usually for talking in class. She still recalls sitting at the desk with her best friend at one side and a ginger-haired boy sitting between them, and all three getting into trouble by the sound of it. As soon as she reached her 14 th birthday she left home to go into service in Brighton . She was not treated very well there, being fed mostly on lentils, and having to look after two ladies Upstairs. She was able, however, when she had a penny to spare, to go on the beach and hire a swimming costume and a bathing hut. After Brighton she got a couple of other jobs where she met her husband-to-be and was married by the time she was 20. They had three children, and life was not easy in the 1930s. Her husband served with the Royal Artillery during WW2 and when the war ended he became a thatcher. Sadly, he died relatively young, aged 62, but characteristically finished the house he was thatching the day before he died. After that Ruby had to work as a cook for a dozen years before she came to the village to live near her son. The garden of the Almshouse where she now lives is always worth looking at, and she still tends it herself.

Congratulations Ruby. The village is honoured to have such a lively happy centenarian in its midst.

Audrey Long

printed on page 13 of issue 506 (Christmas 2009)

Christmas 1970, with snow thick on the ground, Ted Kennings (my father) in his gown and mortar board, started the first Boxing Day Walk organised by the BVS. The walk had two sections:

(1) Speedwalking, heel and toe with judges around the course looking for cheats!. Mary Siebold won the speed cup for walking the fastest time for most of the four legs between the pubs. (Where beer or whisky was drunk!)

(2) Fancy dress entries, individuals and teams. (Tied together with string !) All participants raised sponsorship money for charity and despite freezing temperatures felt they must walk, even John Grice as a baby wearing only a nappy. He had bad flu as a result.

For years the walk remained the same but eventually the speed walking died out and the idea of tying individual members of a team together was abandoned.

There were some very memorable entries: Individuals- Concorde, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The only gay in the village, A Victorian lady and of course Ron Freeborn who has walked all but two of the forty years. This was marked by a team of thirty ‘Rons’ at the thirty year anniversary.

Teams: Grand Prix, Barbie Dolls, 101 Dalmatians, Green House, Naked Chefs, Synchronised Swimmers, The Chinese Dragon, 12 Days of Christmas and many, many more.

This year the walk has a new route. (see this Bulletin) The BVS requests that you bring old photograph of past walks this Boxing Day. They will be displayed in the Village Hall. Long may this annual event continue. It is a great community occasion and such fun.

Judy Lloyd-Jones

The very first Boxing Day Walk on December 26th 1970 – photo taken at the triangle on Church End

Note from editor – we have dug out the December 1970 issue of the Bulletin (or ‘This is our Village, Blewbury’, as it was called) Here is a bit of it:

“GREAT NEW EVENT” on Boxing Day

Arrangement are now being made for a Walking Race to be held on Boxing Day, probably at 10.30 a.m.
Provisional arrangements are that the course will pass each of the pubs, Blueberry Inn, Barley Mow, Load of Mischief, and Red Lion, where contestants would be required to consume a half of best bitter, before progressing to the next vantage point.

There will be attractive prizes for the competitors first across the finishing line, with special awards for dress, (which will be optional) and ‘walking style’…... There is a rumour that Westbrook Green and Eastfields are already in strict training, whilst shapely members of the TA are playing football matches as part of their preparation for the event!!

printed on page 25 of issue 506 (Christmas 2009)

Christmas and Frankincense

Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh were the precious gifts the Three Wise Men supposedly brought to the infant Jesus.  We might have preferred gold but the other two gifts would have been of more practical use to the Holy Family.

Frankincense is a resin obtained from the trees, shrubs of the genus Boswellia  or Olibanum (from Arabic).  When burned it gives off sweet smelling fumes and has long been used to treat wounds and sores.  It was used in religious ceremonies, notably by the Parsees who may well be cultural descendants of the Three Wise Men.  The Egyptians used it on mummified bodies.

The trees and shrubs grow in the dryness of Southern Arabia where small cuts are made in the bark.  A few weeks later the resin, which has trickled out, will have solidified into whitish lumps.  A glance at the map of Saudi Arabia shows how a trek across the desert could have transported this valuable product to the Holy Land .  One of the most fascinating TV programmes this year recorded Kate Humble's attempt to follow the frankincense trail.  Only men were permitted to make this journey and she was prevented from following the complete route.  Also she was whisked off to Riyadh to meet the Sultan.

Salahah, on the coast of the Arabian sea just inside Oman , is renowned as the "Perfume City of Arabia" thanks to the abundance of frankincense trees and shrubs that waft fragrances through the streets.  UNESCO now rates it so highly that the entire frankincense region is on its World Heritage list.  A more recent introduction is the Frankincense Land Archaeological Park!   Salahah is actually a very ancient city and is said to have been the home of the father of the Virgin Mary.

Bernardine Shirley-Smith  

printed on page 3 of issue 507 (February 2010)

One of the new areas that schools now have to be accountable for during an OFSTED inspection is ‘Community Cohesion’, which will, of course, create differing demands depending on locality. Blewbury School was lucky enough in the inspection last January to be awarded an ‘Outstanding’ for this area of governance, and I have found myself pondering over the last few weeks about the reality of this situation.

Before Christmas our Key Stage 2 children, 7-11 year olds, put on an ambitious production of ‘Macbeth’. They had all studied Shakespeare’s play and the youngest children had learnt dances to recreate some of the more complex scenes and passages, another class had taken the storyline and developed a narration in rhyming couplets, whilst the third class wrote a play script and acted out the main features of the story. Watching this splendid scene in the Village Hall I was struck by the audience. Yes, many parents were there, but so were several other members of the community; friends, grandparents and other interested parties.

I guess that some of the people in that audience would have reflected on times past when they would have watched other plays and events associated with the school, and again realised what a vital part the school plays in village life.

This sense of community was again reinforced at New Year when members of the school PTA and governors worked together to provide the village with a New Year Dance, and were aided by many other members of the local community who gave of their time and their talents to make this a resounding success, for which we are all most grateful. We mustn’t forget the main driving force for everyone who worked so hard, because this was organised as a fundraising event for the school.

We are fortunate to have a PTA which constantly works very hard to raise funds for the school which help to pay towards extra facilities, storage systems, maths equipment, extra classroom resources and ICT consumables.

Like all schools we are caught in the drive to become more technologically advanced, whilst maintaining sustainability, providing a diverse curriculum, creating global awareness among the children and providing extended services such as after-school and breakfast clubs, as well as being a hub for creating cohesion within our community. Oh, and we mustn’t forget the relentless drive to raise standards.

A daunting future, perhaps, especially in the current economic climate and with an impending general election and all the uncertainty that will bring. I do feel, however, that there is one area in which I can have great confidence, and that is that the village will continue to support us in our quest to provide a first class education for ‘your’ children, and for this I am most grateful.     

Marion Mills

printed on page 3 of issue 507 (February 2010)

WAITING

That mistakenly casual, abstract word -

The constant accompaniment to our natural path of existence .

It shadows us in life’s myriad steps -

Haunts our thoughts -

Taunts us with emotion

Presenting a tension of the mind .

It captures us in all circumstance of life

And delays us - for a necessary while.

WAITING is a hard teacher but it can be our friend - testing our personality, developing our patience, allaying our frustrations, calming our annoyance , controlling our expectancy, maintaining our diligence and managing our decisions; telling us, perhaps, to watch and wait.

Freda Chapman

printed on page 17 of issue 507 (February 2010)

Throughout December I watched the last of the leaves fall from the trees leaving bedraggled skeletons.  Tree skeletons can have their own grandeur, but to me it was depressing to think that it would be five months before their greenery returned.  Curiously the last leaves to fall were from the crack willows and it is these that will be the first to glow green in the late winter sun.  The evergreen trees and shrubs came into their own looking like Christmas card scenes during the recent heavy falls of snow.

I wonder if anyone can remember Elms?  Tragically they have disappeared.  Watching the landscape fill with sad skeletons will forever remain in my memory.  I have been re-reading John Betjeman who scarcely writes without mentioning elms. His poem on Uffington:-

  "Tonight we feel the muffled peal - - - - it overwhelms the towering elm".

Yes they did tower along the way from Blewbury to Upton , now long since gone.  Their poor, pathetic regrowth soon succumbs to Dutch Elm disease.

My winter honeysuckle flowered until the temperature fell below zero and then the petals turned brown.  Up until then two bumble bees visited regularly and will soon return if they have survived the cold in underground burrows. 

January and the daylight hours lengthen.  A robin has been calling.  It is increasing daylength that stimulates birds' hormones.  Pigeons have never stopped calling.  They are great survivors but to my annoyance disdained to eat the outer leaves of cabbage I put out for them in the harsh weather. They will happily strip bare cabbage and cauliflower plants in the garden.  Obviously they prefer fresh food.

Tracks in the snow revealed that hares have survived up on the Downs in spite of persecution and cold weather.  A cause for celebration.

Bernardine Shirley-Smith 

printed on page 1 of issue 508 (March 2010)

St Michael`s Church Mysterious and Ever-visiting Cat.

Imagine the scene on a cold Monday night - Choir practice over - the Church put to right;

We make for the north door with large antique key, by torch and with strength we open - to see

Jumping with joy, determined to stay, into Church darkness Cat scampering away.

So, put music bags down and we set out to seek for a sign of this feline - in corners we peek,

Under pews, round the altars , down aisles we call, but Cat stays silent - he loves this great hall.

Then at last kindly Organist finds tabby dear, gently cradles it out to the night bright and clear.

Be sure, Cat, we welcome you in light of day,

With your sociable attitude helping us pray - for Patience, of course.

(Freda Chapman - with apologies for not knowing Cat`s name or gender).

printed on page 13 of issue 508 (March 2010)

The Battle of Fromelles, which took place in France on the night of the 19th July 1916 has been in the news recently. The discovery of a mass grave of unidentified soldiers, buried by the German Army, has led to requests for DNA to identify them.

At least one Blewbury resident took part in this battle and fortunately survived. Private 3980 Ernest (Val) Street was a bandsman in the 2/4 th Royal Berkshire Regiment.

Before the battle took place it was decided to get intelligence by way of trench raiding parties on the German lines and on the evening of 13th July four officers and one hundred men of A company 2/4 th Royal Berks were summoned by a bugler, and it is known that Ernest played the bugle. The only identification the men were allowed to carry was their identity discs and all other markings such as badges, letters, and paybooks were removed from them. This goes some way to explain why so many men who were killed were never identified.

The plan was that at midnight they would leave the trenches and lie in no mans land, only seventy yards from the German lines. However they began to move out at 11pm through one exit and were immediately hit by heavy fire. One group of twelve men did manage to make it through to the German lines but were never seen again. The rest lay out in no mans land, with sporadic fighting, until at 4:15am stretcher parties were sent out.

Ernest was amongst these bearers and as dawn was approaching they darted from shell hole to shell hole to avoid being spotted and also to treat the wounded men sheltering in them. The Battalion war diary states that two NCO’s (Non Commissioned officers) and six men `showed fine spirit in bringing back their wounded comrades from the enemy wire’. It also states `much gallantry was also displayed by several men in bringing in the wounded’ when assessing the attack and Ernest is named amongst them. One officer and six men were killed, the other four officers were wounded along with fifteen men and the men who made it to the German wire were listed as missing.

Ernest was recommended for a gallantry award and was issued a parchment in recognition of the bravery he displayed at Ferme Du Bois that early morning. It stated he behaved with the utmost coolness and set a fine example to his comrades. Six days later he took part in the main attack which has been so well documented in the news programmes of late.

The original parchment is in the safe keeping of Blewbury Local History Group. The Military Medal that Private Street was awarded for bravery later in the war is in the care of his family in the village.

Mark Palethorpe

printed on page 14 of issue 508 (March 2010)

A lone swan visitor on the Manor Moat was a puzzle but mercifully it flew away again.  Swans need to live in a suitable habitat with long or wide reaches of water and plenty of vegetation.  They pair for life and in the spring young birds are looking for a mate.  They will have been driven away by their parents.  I saw a herd (yes that is the correct name for a group of swans) of them in a partly flooded, snowy field.  It could be that they had mistaken it for a lake or they may have been feeding there.  Whatever they need a long runway for takeoff.

The Common or Mute swan may not actually be indigenous but it has lived in the British Isles for centuries.  It is very distinctive with black tubercles on its beak and head, orange bill and uplifted wings.  It is said that the wings are sufficiently powerful to break a leg but I have never heard of anyone brave enough to test this theory.  The are quite formidable and may attack if the nest or cygnets are disturbed.

Other recent visitors are two little egrets, pure white and smaller than a heron. The egret is a wanderer and has visited here before. It is a social species and these two will probably rejoin their colony, most likely in Devon .

A friend of mine was spotted carrying two harlequin ladybirds on his overcoat; they have highly original ways of getting about!  

Bernardine Shirley-Smith