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The Grapevine Magazine May 2004 Issue No 190 |
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Friends of Watlington Hospital
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To:
Grapevine From: Heather Blake, Lewknor “My mother knits blankets for the children
and hospitals in My mum was wondering if any Lewknor residents had
any spare wool/half knitted garments that they would be willing to give. She would, as would the recipients, be very
grateful. I can collect any wool. My phone number is 01844 350040. Many
thanks.” The Jubilee Hall was recently the venue for us to
celebrate our Golden Wedding. We comfortably seated over 60 people with room to
spare to socialize, dance etc. Many of
the guests commented favourably on the hall and all
its facilities (the kitchen is excellent).
With lots of flowers, balloons, decorations etc the hall looked
splendid. The only drawback was that
we had to hire/borrow tables. So, if more people use the hall for their functions
or patronise the fund raising events arranged at
the hall, we should then be able to buy tables and new chairs to make the
hall complete and a great asset for the village. Derek & Kay Hazlewood The League of Friends of the Watlington
and ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING on MONDAY
24 MAY 2004 at THE
MEMORIAL CLUB, High Street, Watlington 7.30pm
for 8.00pm Since the closure of the Watlington
and The start of the summer term has seen the children
making full use of our newly finished outdoor area - sand and water play are
now high on the agenda! They also have
a garden area which will provide added colour and help the children with
their understanding of seasons and growth. We are having a ‘grand opening’ of the
outdoor area on Wednesday 9th June, at 11.00 am, to which everyone is
welcome. Out topic this term is sun, sea and air, which
gives plenty of scope for creative fun
- including music and dance - this year the children will be attempting a May
Pole dance! The Annual Sponsored Trike
ride will be on Thursday 17th June (weather permitting) 11.30 am at school.
This year we are also raising money for Barnardos’,
do come along and cheer on the children. For all enquiries phone Penny McCulloch KB
353727. Our second book “Astonishing splashes of
Colour” by Clare Morrall proved to be a much
more popular read. It introduced some
interesting themes which resulted in us discussing the neurophysiology of synesthesia (first highlighted in last year’s Reith
Lectures) and the ethics of children conceived by AID contacting their
genetic fathers in the future. As for the novel itself, the plot was described as
a jigsaw with the author producing the pieces revealing the completed picture at an
accomplished pace but that some of the jigsaw pieces did not quite fit (a
rather over-dramatic fire was used as a device to end the book) which spoilt
the overall effect. Next month’s book is ‘The Constant
Gardener’ by John le Carré. If you are interested in joining the group, contact
me on 350382. Elan Preston-Whyte, ‘Knysna’, SATURDAY
22nd MAY 10.30
- 1.00pm JUBILEE
HALL, LEWKNOR In
aid of The British Heart Foundation Caroline Swanborough and
Amanda Edwards are taking part in the Thame Area Forum YOUR
VIEWS MAKE A DIFFERENCE TUESDAY
18 MAY 2004 at 7.00pm Agenda items to include: SHAPING HEALTH SERVICES: presentation by Shaun Brogan, chief Executive of the Vale of Aylesbury PCT and Graham Robinson, of the Clinical
Executive Committee. THAME 20 MPH PILOT ZONE: presentation by Geoff Barrell, Something Unusual from Totally Tropical If you dream of a garden full of drama and impact
why not go for a tropical look?
It’s more straightforward to achieve and care for than you think
- with just a little imagination, a bit of design and flair and some big bold
plants. Plant enthusiasts love tropical gardens because
they focus firmly on plant and leaf form.
Key features are large, glossy, unusual-shaped leaves; intensely coloured flowers; and interesting stems. The look is wild, natural and, of course, jungly! If you have a protected site with not too much sun,
a tropical garden is ideal. Then
again, if you do have a sunny spot, a few large leaved plants will create
that shade for you! Bananas, bamboos,
yuccas, alocasias, heliconias,
strelitzias and hedychiums,
will do the job and are totally tropical.
The last four on the list, (and most bananas) however, are
tender. For ease choose some hardy
exotics such as cordylines, phormiums,
hardy bananas (Musa basjoo)
and palms like Chamaerops humilis
and Trachycarpus fortunei. Or cheat with plants which look exotic but
aren’t. Try Fatsia
japonica, or a gunnera for a damp spot, and ferns
for the shade. Add focus with
flowering plants in hot colours. Cannas look really tropical with great big red or
orange flowers and huge leaves. You
could also try crocomias. They have just the look and the colour you
want. Or if you want to be a little
different, give your houseplants a breath of fresh air. Orchids and bromeliads, for instance, look
stunning hanging in trees. It’s
how they grow in the wild, and they will really benefit from a summer
outdoors, as long as you keep them in the shade. Finally, what about the finishing touches? A few jungly
climbers will really add to the look. Vitis coignetiae with its
massive heart shaped leaves is good, or for scent, the large glossy-leaved
Clematis armandii.
And to complete the look, a huge hammock strung between the trees, a
large If you would like more ideas and inspiration on
tropical planting, visit Newington Nurseries.
MORE
CHURCHYARD GRASSCUTTERS -
PLEASE! We are looking for a few more people to help to cut
the grass in the Churchyard. Machinery
is provided (unless you prefer to use your own) - all that is needed is about
an hour at a time to suit you. The churchyard is looking better than it has done
for some years, thanks to the time and effort put in by the grasscutters and helpers when we do the Churchyard Clearups! However,
some areas to the side and rear of the church still don’t get cut very
often and could do with regular cutters. The major repair works to the Church are unlikely
to start until later this year at the earliest, so it is important that we
keep on top of the work in the churchyard - especially as we have at least
one wedding this year and maybe a few christenings as well. Please contact Robin or Caroline Notley on 354237 if you can help. We would like to thank everybody who came and
supported us at the Plant & Shrub Sale last Saturday in the rain. As always the home made cakes were
fantastic, and almost all the plants were sold. A very big thank you to all those keen
gardeners who brought along their homegrown cuttings and plants to sell, it
really boosts the takings. The final total was £433,
this will really help towards the project at the moment. This is to enable the pupils to film,
record and edit their experiences and performances, using computer software. Friends will be helping with the pupils “June
Pole” dancing. More information
to follow. There have been requests from several Lewknor
residents, to ask car owners not
to park on the pedestrians’ pavements.
The main area being the Crescent, BIRTHDAY WISHES TO A
LOVELY LADY On the 6th June we have some very special Birthday
Celebrations in Lewknor. Daisy Denham
will be 90 years old. A resident of
Beacon View all her life, she must have seen many changes in the village. I’m sure that you will like to join with us
and wish her Many Happy returns for next month. Here are a few words from
Ernestine, Daisy’s daughter in law. Ernie says that, “Daisy has
always welcomed her like a daughter. Well done to a lovely lady, Mother to
8 boys (5 of whom still live in the
village - in fact there are not many roads in Lewknor that do not have a
member of her family living in it) Granny to 24, Great Granny to 26! A great example to her daughters in law.
Here’s to the next years. God
bless you Mum.” It has taken a lot of time and patience, but the shop
has now been emptied after South Oxfordshire Housing Association called the
former tenants to a meeting and asked them to hand in the keys. The catalogue
of incompetence is very sad, as two village shops which have opened not far
away, have exceeded all expectations in the first two months of opening. Great With the right attitude and adaptability, community
shop can be a valuable asset to everyone, and provide a focal point for those
who don’t drive, and often are unable to meet up with friends any other
way. SOHA are very optimistic that
with the right management, the village will benefit, and they are committed
to the project. There is also the
office space upstairs for any local business person interested, this can be
sublet by the tenant. SOHA have widely advertised in the last two weeks,
and the application closing date is the 21st May. If you, or anyone you may know is
interested in hearing more about the tenancy please contact Michelle Briggs
on 01235 515921 at the Didcot offices. SMALL
SCHOOLS FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT We arrived at Stadhampton
confident that this was going to be our year to win the cup. There were four teams taking part; Stadhampton, Lewknor, Ewelme
and Aston Rowant. Our first game was against Stadhampton. We kicked off and passed the ball around
well. Lewknor had a chance - Tim
passed the ball to William who scored a blinder! It was 1-0 at half time. We continued to play well in the second
half with William and Tim combining well to play the ball through to Harry
who scored to end the game 2-0. We
came off the pitch proud to have our first win. Our second match was against Ewelme. We were worried because we hadn’t
seen them play before. The match
began. We played the ball around
well. Harry and Tim were linking up in
midfield and they passed through to William who buried the ball in the back
of the net. We were 1-0 up again at
half time. We came back on to the
pitch and were hoping to score again.
They kicked off and David tackled them and took the ball past their
player, crossed the ball to Thomas and put it away for 2-0. We had won our second game. The last match was against Aston Rowant and we knew that a win would seal the cup for
us! The tension mounted as we failed
to score in the first half. Nerves
were getting the better of us! The
second half was a different story. It
was a fantastic performance and William scored a hat-trick! 3-0 to Lewknor. We had won the cup! The Stadhampton head
teacher presented us with the trophy and we all did a lap of honour. We
returned home proud that we had won the trophy for the first time in 10
years! Team: William Carroll (capt),
Harry Mangion, Tim Cox, David Black, Thomas Bishop,
Samuel Adamson, James Stone and Adam Harrington. By William Carroll & Tim Cox REMOVAL
OF BT PAYPHONE FROM SOUTH WESTON BT proposes to remove the payphone from South
Weston. The rationale behind this
decision is essentially economic.
Reduced to its essentials, the facts underpinning BT’s case are
that 99% of homes now have a telephone and 85% also have access to a mobile
phone. As a result of this major
change in the way that society communicates, over the last three years the
use of payphones has reduced by almost a half and the associated income has
fallen by 41%. Low-use phone boxes are
clearly unsustainable and the provision of three boxes within the Lewknor
parish is considered to exceed customer needs. The Consultation Period, during which comments may
be made, expires on 11 June 2004. All
correspondence must be received at the address below by that date at
the latest. If you wish to raise
any issues write to : BT Payphones,
PP06A21, Delta Point, |
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