printed on page 15 of issue 485 (February 2008)

I know very little about owls from first-hand experience, though like most of us, I hear tawny owls hooting after dark and I have seen the occasional bird floating across the village against a black sky.

Just after Christmas I was walking into Savage’s from the road, about lunchtime, when a small owl flew out of the hedge missing being hit by an incoming car by inches. I followed it on foot across the car park of the wine barn until it settled on the fence on the far side of the field, Even in the bright light of day my eyes were not good enough at that distance for me to study it. Oh, if only I had had my binoculars with me.

However, although at first I thought it might have been a young tawny owl I realised it was probably the little owl Athena noctua. It was brown but mottled with white and with its tail fanned out in flight the feathers looked barred. The fact that it was flying by day, flying low and fast, was quite small and perched on a fence with ease all suggested it was the little owl.

It is not a native bird, having been introduced near the end of the nineteenth century. Like most introductions it spread quickly and is well settled. This in spite of a tricky start when gamekeepers tried to eliminate it. It was mistakenly thought to kill game bird chicks. In 1936 there was ‘The Little Owl Food Enquiry” and it was reprieved. It actually feeds on beetles, worms, voles, shrews and very occasionally a small bird.

Its likeness is engraved on the face of an ancient Greek coin, currency once used in the city state of Athens . Its eyes shine out as pale discs from a largish, round head on a much valued coin.  

Bernardine Shirley Smith

printed on page 17 of issue 485 (February 2008)

I do hope some of you managed to spot comet Holmes over the Christmas period. If you remember, this comet suddenly increased in brightness a millionfold, last October, becoming an easy naked eye object. Amazingly, as I write these notes, it is still visible to the naked eye, although you do need to be somewhere dark to see it, as the cloud of dust has now expanded to a huge, and very diffuse glow. It is now physically bigger than the Sun. Why this comet did this is still a mystery.

The Sun is now noticeably higher in the sky at midday, moving from Capricorn into Aquarius, and the hours of daylight increasing, as we move away from the Winter Solstice.

The constellation of the month has to be Orion, to the South around mid evening. Have a look at Betelgeuse. It has an orange colour, and is one of the best examples of a red supergiant star. Its diameter has been measured at over 4 astronomical units - one unit, being the distance between the Earth, and Sun. In other words, if you placed Betelgeuse where our Sun is, the orbits of the Earth and Mars would be inside the star!

Have a look around with binoculars - lots to see, including the Great Orion Nebula (M42), in the sword below the three stars of Orion’s belt. This huge cloud is busy making new stars, and probably, planets. Telescopes will show some structure, and a group of central newborn stars, which are illuminating the scene.

Also very young, higher in the sky, are the Pleiades or “seven sisters”,. Best seen with binoculars. But how many stars can you see with the naked eye? A good test, for the clarity, and darkness of your sky.

You will need your binoculars to spot three more star clusters, smaller and fainter, as they are much further away. M36, M37, and M38, in the constellation of Auriga.

Above Orion, we have the planet Mars. The red planet is still shining brightly with its orange tinge. But is now rapidly moving away from us, and it will need a large telescope to see any surface detail.

New Moon 7th: Full Moon 20th - Also known as the Storm Moon (Medieval) or Ice Moon (Celtic).

Clear skies: John Napper - Starfields 01235 818853

printed on page 1 of issue 486 (March 2008)

It is with great regret that I have to report the death of Ralph as he was always known on 31 January after a long illness. He was the oldest Blewbury born resident having been born at the cottage now called Wenfre on 16 April 1920 and was the oldest son of Mark Street the founder of the long established Blewbury business. He attended Blewbury School and after leaving he worked for Wilfred Aldridge in his building business. Together with several other employees he joined the Territorial Army and was called to the colours at very short notice on 3 September 1939 so decimating the local building workforce.

He was in the Royal Army Service Corps as part of the British Expeditionary Force despatched to France and went forward to meet the German invasion before eventually coming out through Dunkirk . He was then stationed at Epsom where he first met Lily who was later to become his wife. A posting to North Africa followed as part of the 1st Army and he went ashore in Italy at Salerno and was mentioned in dispatches (oak leaf on his Africa Star) for outstanding service.

He returned to the Village in 1946 and worked with his brothers in the family business which was so well known in Blewbury and surrounding villages as Mark Street and Sons. Having been one of the first in the services he was one of the first out and played a large part in the re-formation of Blewbury Football Club to become captain for his long playing career as a safe pair of hands in goal or as a strong left back always putting the needs of the Club first. He married Lily in 1948 with Michael being born in 1950 to be followed by the twins Ann and Alan. They had the bungalow Bankside built in the nineteen fifties on what had been part of the Load of Mischief orchard and that remained the family home. Ralph had a great interest in football and had a wonderful memory of past events. He loved his garden and the beautifully maintained bank and hedge were the hallmark of his care.

He was a great example of the fine pre-war products of Blewbury School and is survived by Lily, Michael, Ann and Alan who much appreciate the cards, letters and calls they have received

Derek Smith.

printed on page 5 of issue 486 (March 2008)

In the years after WWI up until the thirties money was very short and although parents did their best for children especially at Christmas our games were simple and those played together outside the home were generally of low cost or homemade. Those that always had a season although I cannot recall the order were tops, marbles and hoops which were played on the roads without any great danger as noise of the little traffic gave plenty of warning. Tops came in two shapes, the self explanatory Carrot Top and the more common type which had the larger round top on a narrower leg which were whipped by a home made whip of string tied to the end of a stick. Marbles were played with small 'clayies' and larger 'trollies'. There were various games but the one I best recall was played by two players who put their clayies in a circle and took turns in knocking them out with their trollies which were usually glass with those removed being kept by that player. Hoops were usually of iron obtained from the blacksmith at The Forge at the cost I believe of one shilling (five pence). Hoops were probably an autumn and winter game when the roads were unsuitable for the other games.

War games were popular in the twenties when WW1 was still fresh in memories: the British versus the Germans. However, being one of the latter was not popular so lots were drawn but battles were short lived because the unwilling enemy quickly surrendered or fell to earth dead! Cowboys and Indians also had their day with cowboys adorned in chaps made from sacks obtained from my grandfather and cut and sewn to shape with his packing needle. We all had homemade bows and arrows with the cowboys using popguns or pieces of wood fashioned like firearms. Film Fun was a popular magazine and Tom Mix, Tom Keene and Buster Crabbe were our favourites. Aeroplanes were made from sheets of paper - not the common arrow type but ones folded into triangle shape with a tail attached by folding over the point of the 90 degree front of the triangle. If made carefully these flew extremely well and stayed airborne for longer periods. Javelins were made from the dead stems of the wild plants of the Downs roads verges of which I forget the name but it is like very large cow parsley. When these have died off they are easily pulled up with root attached which made the head heavier and ideal for throwing. I cannot recall ever playing the game of conkers but we collected them as ammunition in our battles.

We collected the expended cartridge cases left after the shoots which we used a skittles to shoot at with popguns.. Almost everyone collected cigarette cards which we put into albums produced by the cigarette companies and I still have a considerable number of these with the most valued being those of cricketers, footballers, warships, ocean liners and aeroplanes.

This takes us up to about 1930 when all of us were attracted by ball games but there was rarely access to a football or bat and ball away from School, but we often had an old tennis ball or similar at our feet. I had purchased an old fashioned flat topped tennis racquet for two old pence at a jumble sale in Ashbrook garden and became very proficient hitting a ball against the side of Laurel Bank. It was the era of the coming of the first cheap (about six old pence) nationwide craze in the form of the Yo-yo, so it is probably appropriate to leave this for another time.

Derek Smith

printed on page 9 of issue 486 (March 2008)

Early February usually sees some harbingers of spring. This year has been exceptional in that snowdrops started flowering in early January upsetting the plans of those gardens that open specially for their display of snowdrops. During the first few days of February I have seen a bluebell in flower and a tulip, not to mention primroses. I am not inclined to think this is due to global warming, rather a warm spell in January with some sunny days.

All spring-flowering plants have specialised structures to withstand harsh wintry weather, cold strong winds and lashing rain. The snowdrop drops or hangs its head and bends its flexible stalk. Daffodils, being taller, have to be especially resistant; they twist and turn, dancing in the breeze.

The snowdrop has three inner true petals which shield its pollen from the elements, and three white outer sepals which are often pure white and can be mistaken for petals. There are many variations on this basic structure and as many varieties of snowdrops. Each year the plants multiply and spread; the snowdrop is not a native of this country but has been so successful that it can be found growing wild.

The best time to move snowdrops is now while they are nearing the end of their flowering. Beg a few plants from a friend and transplant them. Dry bulbs from a garden centre never do so well and take time to establish. This is because there is no soil clinging to the bulbs and it is in the soil that the microrhizza or fungi can be found. They live in harmony with the plant assisting it to absorb nutrients. The same is true of aconites. Do not cut back the foliage as the leaves continue to “feed” the bulb.

Bernardine Shirley Smith

printed on page 17 of issue 486 (March 2008)

Another constellation to learn this month. Last month, we looked at Orion the hunter. Directly below Orion’s feet, we have Lepus the hare.

Lepus has a number of origins. According to one story, Lepus represents the hare associated with the Moon. While we tend to see a man in the moon, many other cultures see a hare, and have many stories to tell about it. The Arabs believed that the four brightest stars represented four camels drinking from the nearby constellation Eridanus, the river. Instead of Orion, the early Egyptians saw Osiris in the sky, and believed Lepus to be the boat of Osiris.

Lepus is sitting very still, hoping not to be seen by the hunter. But the hare is well known for its speed when needed. My favourite myth says that the hare was once a bird who was changed into a hare by Ostara, the Goddess of Spring, but it has kept its power to run as fast as it could once fly. Once a year it is allowed to lay its eggs again, hence we have Easter bunnies (hares), and eggs. (Easter is believed to be derived from Ostara, the Goddess of Spring.)

All telescopes should be pointed towards Saturn this month, as it is at opposition, so as close as it gets. Most telescopes will reveal the fantastic ring system, and this will be your last chance to see the rings for a while. In a years time, they will be edge on to us, as the earth crosses the ring plane, and difficult to see. You will find Saturn in the Spring constellation of Leo the lion. Look a good distance to the left of Orion, and look for a backward question mark. Saturn will be next to the dot of the question mark - a star called Regulus. Remember, planets don’t twinkle, and it will have a yellowish tinge. The moon will pass close by on the nights of 18th /19th.

New Moon 7th : Full Moon 21st , known as the Sleepy Moon (Medieval) , Moon of Winds (Celtic), Worm Moon (Farmers Almanac)

Clear skies: John Napper - Starfields 01235 818853

printed on page 5 of issue 487(April 2008)

WHY SHOULD YOU BE A SCHOOL GOVERNOR?

School governors make up one of the largest bodies of volunteers in England and Wales . Governors are people who have an interest in the role of schools in society and wish to make a positive contribution to their communities. The law requires every state school to have a governing body, which is made up of people who represent the many partners in state education - including parents, teachers, the local authority, the Church and the community. Its task is to oversee the running of the school.

Since they represent these many partners, school governors come from every walk of life -industry, education, home-makers, public services, manual jobs and the professions. At Blewbury primary school we are looking to recruit new governors to represent the wider community, as some of our longer serving members are retiring. We shall also be holding elections shortly for an additional parent governor. We are particularly keen to recruit someone with finance/accountancy or with public sector management experience to strengthen the spread of skills within the governing body, and to recruit some older and some younger governors so that we better represent our community.

What you would need to do as a governor

Governors need to attend meetings. Blewbury School governing body for example holds 5-6 full governing body meetings a year during a school term evening or late afternoon. New governors will be invited to join one of the committees to which some of the work of the governing body is delegated - often the committee that matches their work or home skills.

As a governor, you must work as members of the governing body for the best interests of the school. You will contribute to strategic planning, be a critical friend to the school (i.e support and challenge the school), and ensure accountability This involves asking questions on a range of matters, perhaps when you are visiting the school, attending an open evening or during a meeting. It also means contributing your opinions to the discussions of the governing body and accepting the majority view, which may not always reflect your own opinion. You are expected to represent the views of those who appointed or elected you.

You must show an interest in school activities. This means the everyday work of the school as well as special events. Every Blewbury governor is encouraged to visit the school (by prior arrangement) during working hours at least once year.

Governors do receive training in their roles. Oxfordshire County Council Governor Services provides a range of training, starting with a basic induction course introducing you to your new role as a school governor. These are run at various time including evenings and weekends to suit different people’s availability.

And finally - we do have fun, and we do make a difference to our local school and our local children and their families. Are you interested in finding out more? Contact Kathryn Fletcher , Chair of Governors on 01235 851490 (home), or c/o Blewbury School , Westbrook Street .

printed on page 11 of issue 487(April 2008)

There is now a growing awareness of the need to save old varieties of plants before they are lost. More than one village community has bought (or been given) land to plant an apple orchard. Villagers form a trust in perpetuity to maintain the trees. A long time ago one such idea was suggested for Church Moor to save the land from developers. Incidentally it was a chance discovery, in a garden, that rescued and made popular our most famous British apple, Cox’s Orange Pippin.

The old apple orchards have disappeared from Blewbury as have the walnut groves, but isolated walnut trees survive grown from seed, the familiar nut. These have either been planted intentionally or at random by squirrels. Invariably they are fast growing and high yielding. I know nothing about walnut varieties except noting that there are differences in the surviving trees. It would be exciting to discover and promote the Blewbury Walnut. It could become as famous as Blewbury Watercress was in its day, or Blewbury Tart, the well known snowdrop. We could plant a walnut grove, perhaps on Church Moor. Sadly walnuts are mainly imported now from drier and warmer climes when we should be supporting local grown foods.

The nuts are rich in Omega-3, an essential polyunsaturated fatty acid, which is also found in oily fish. There are two fatty acids which our bodies cannot make, Omega-3 and Omega-6, so it is essential that they are included in our food. These essential fatty acids were found long after the discovery of vitamins. Like vitamins, they would not have been found to be essential if people in the western world had not become deficient in them. In a natural diet they are supplied in our food, no need for supplements, but how many of us eat oily fish? However most of us enjoy walnuts.

Bernardine Shirley-Smith

printed on page 15 of issue 487(April 2008)

Apologies in advance - this is just for those of a certain age who only ever wanted to learn to ride a bike. Folks - I. T. is here to stay! - IT is it - it rules the world! but first get to know your www. - get dot@slash correct, see? Wire-less - just accept it as a miracle; it`s taken over from our old wirelesses with accumulators/hi-tension batteries which gave out just when the prog. got to the exciting bit,(hurrah for the little man who came in a van every week with a recharged battery). So, just for you , a guide to new words :- emails - in business you will find 50 waiting for you a.m. containing wartime spam. Download - our ancestors did plenty of that. Podcast , for bus or train. Laptop, to annoy your fellow passengers as you take up an extra seat. I-tune as you jog, beware of traffic. Create your own blog --careful. Twitter on the web , ( no more chatter over the garden gate). Digital - green fingers; no, sorry, you need the red button. ( be thankful you’re not colour blind). Rush off to boil the kettle, or something, and press Pause on your plasma , and switch on when you return. Now that really confuses the brain. (plasma - something to do with a blood test ). Plan B-if you miss a prog. play it later on your computer with iplay - don`t worry if you’re addicted to the screen -have your elderly nap. Videos and dvd’s - things of the past - h-d-r does it all, even has a library! Playstations - invented to cause dissension between parent and child. Wii - (I could never spell) - no comment. Nintendos - that pocket-thing , not for adults but it keeps children quiet for hours (do they ever speak?). Digi-camera -an invention not for idiots or those with bad eyesight but you can play them back on your TV screen - you knew that, of course? Then there’s mobiles - multi-tasking (must be female) . There is now obsessional text-text-texting - a new language - teachers despair. In times past we walked a mile to a phone , or wrote a letter - that fast-fading talent. On holiday you can use your blackberry so you never get away from work. If you have to phone a call centre make sure you can count up to 5, or worse, and be au fait with a number of languages. Chip and pin - oh dear, we’re getting used to it. Sat-navs - are you contemplating cliff-hanging? My advice - “hang on in there!”

Freda Chapman.

printed on page 17 of issue 488(May 2008)

Spring has arrived once more with its green buds and flowers and the usual wintry weather. It is tempting to list all the signs of spring year in and year out. However I will try not to repeat myself.

The sighting of the first swallow on April 4th must surely be a record worthy of note even though last April was so unseasonably warm. There has been no report of it having settled in Blewbury so far.

The rescue of a fox cub, from further damage on the main road, was thanks to David, Steve and my granddaughter Emma. We felt that every young animal deserves its chance in life whether it be born in the wild or on a farm. We feel the same compassion for a baby lamb as for a baby fox; they are all destined to have short lives in the end. What surprised us was how many wildlife sanctuaries there are; some of them specialising with considerable expertise in just one species. This is reassuring on this crowded island with all the daily pressures on wildlife.

The muntjac is one species (alien) that has had no difficulty in surviving. One was seen grazing by the Cleve with no fear of man, it was less concerned than some farm animals. These tiny deer are very good at jumping and very speedy which together with perfect camouflage gives them protection.

Ladybirds have taken refuge in our homes this winter in considerable numbers. More than one household has found several ladybirds overwintering, many of them dead, but not all.        Bernardine Shirley-Smith