Copy for the next edition should be given to Mr. George Adams at "Karibu", Main Street, tel: 680286 by midnight on Friday, 24^thAugustplease.

If you normally prepare your material using a computer, it would make my life easier ifyou could submit your offering in electronic form, though paper is, of course, fine. My ‘official’ e-mail address is: news-editor @ oxhill.org.uk if you wish to send me stuff that way.

This edition was edited by George Adams.

A Thought for Today

The rain it raineth every day

Upon the just and unjust fellow

But more upon the just because

The unjust hath the just’s umbrella

September Issue

Please could I have all copy for the next issue by midnight on Friday, 24th August?

If you normally prepare your material using a computer, it would make my life easier if you could submit your offering in electronic form, though paper is, of course, fine.

If you do use electronic form, the best format is a Word file with the page size set to A5 and Margins of 1.5cm all round. The News is currently set in Garamond 10pt, with headings in Lucida Sans Unicode 14pt bold.

My ‘official’ e-mail address isnews-editor @ oxhill.org.ukif you wish to send me stuff that way.

George Adams - 680286

Cover Pictures

Cecilia Miller provided this offering of the Kineton Road in July, whilst David Kean illustrates the state of Back Lane on the back cover.

Editor

The Bill Gardner Memorial Cup

Sunday 2nd September

The annual 5-a-side football tournament will be held on Sunday 2nd September in Janet Gardner’s field next to the old Methodist Chapel, by kind permission of Janet Gardner, and once again the Bill Gardner Cup will be up for grabs. That’s weather permitting, of course.

The field will be open for business from about noon, with the first game expected to kick off at 1.00 p.m. Following the much-lamented demise of John Stirman’s wonderful barbeque the new Village Hall one will be pressed into service to provide refreshments.

Team captains or organisers are asked to contact Marcus Robertson on 01295 680408 as soon as possible to announce their entry.

We hope for as great a turnout and as wonderful a day as last year.

Editor

Chernobyl's Children Coffee Morning

We would like to thank all our helpers and all those who attended the coffee morning and supported it so generously.

Our grand total is £1,288, including donations and Gift Aid. This is a fantastic result and our thanks go to everyone who contributed to the success of the event.

Angela Emmerson & Anne Marshall

Flower Festival

The Flower Festival on September 15th and 16th will have a Harvest Theme.

Please have a think and a look round and, if you have any items that would be suitable contact me. We are looking for things such as old farming implements.

There will be another notice in the September issue of the News giving more details of the Festival and asking for help with the preparations and running, so please keep an eye out for it.

Lilian - 10295 680564

Church Service Times

St. Lawrence Oxhill

All are warmly invited to our services

Sunday 5th - Trinity IX
9:30am - Holy Communion. (ML).

Sunday 12th - Trinity X
8:30am - Holy Communion. (ML).
6:30pm - Evensong (ML).

Sunday 19th - Trinity XI
9:30am - Holy Communion. (ML).

Sunday 26th - Trinity XII
9:30am - Family Service (ML).

Armscote Manor Lecture Series

forShipston Home Nursing

This year the Lecture Series will run from Monday 1st to Friday 5th October, with lectures by Rupert Golby on minimum input maximum output gardening, Christine Marchant on creative planting, Paula Henderson on the Tudor garden, Gwyn Perry on plants from round the globe and Lucy Worsley on William Cavendish.

Tickets range from £14 for one lecture to £53 for all five, and can be obtained by contacting Deborah Williams on 01608 682375 or by email to Deborah.Williams @ armscotemanor.co.uk.

Fuller details can be found on the Armscote Manor website,www.armscotemanor.co.uk.

Editor

Refuse Collection

AUGUST BANK HOLIDAY ARRANGEMENTS

There will be no collection in Oxhill on Tuesday 28th August. Refuse (black bags only) will be collected on Wednesday 29th August.

Village Fun Walk

Sunday 12th August

10.30 from the Village Hall

led by Hugh Rowse

See your local countryside

Suitable for all

About 2½ hours

£1 per head

includes soft drink and biscuits halfway round

Children and Dogs free

Lifts available back to Hall from halfway

BBQ at Village Hall starting at 1.30

Non-walkers welcome at BBQ

The Oxhill Cookbook 2007

The new Cookbook, which has been mentioned before in these pages, is being planned as a joint venture between the Church and the Village Hall.

We would like to produce a small book, similar to the two produced previously (but obviously with different recipes), with the accent firmly on family favourites.

Will you therefore please discuss with the family which recipes are their favourites and then let us have, typed up, handwritten or by email, as you choose, the clear winners in your household.

Lilian Welsby, Binswood Cottage, Main Street, 680468

Gwyn Adams, Karibu, Main Street, 680286, gwyninoxhill@yahoo.co.uk

Nature Notes

August comes, and though the harvest-fields are nearly ripe and ready for the sickle, cheering the heart of man with the prospects of plenty that surrounds him, yet there are signs on every hand that summer is on the wane, and the time is fast approaching when she will take her departure … But, far as summer has advanced, several of her beautiful flowers and curious plants may still be found in perfection in the water-courses and beside the stream – pleasanter places to ramble along than the dusty and all but flowerless waysides in August.

Chambers Book of Days, 1864

Well, I’m afraid the only thing that will be found in water-courses and beside streams this August is mud and debris! However, over the last couple of weeks we have seen several grass snakes. Grass snakes are very much at home in water and are often found basking on stones or rocks next to water, as indeed were the two we saw at Upton House gardens a week ago. They were good-sized adult snakes and we thrilled for as we watched, one was ‘sloughing’ its skin. They do this by pushing between two rocks or bush stems, and rather like slipping a stocking off (oh! that dates me!) completely slips out of its old skin. They do this every year and we were lucky, this skin was intact and complete. We laid it out on the grass to dry and hopefully to intrigue and amaze any children who found it.

Part of a grass snake’s diet are shrews and in Back Lane the other week I found a dead Pygmy shrew (Sorex minutes). Sometimes called the lesser shrew, it is paler in colour than the common shrew and is the smallest British mammal, its body measuring 2 - 2½in length and weighing just a quarter of an ounce. [For our younger readers, The Mammal Society quotes a body length between 40 and 60 mm with a tail between 32 and 46 mm, and a weight of 2.4-6.1g, decreasing by up to 28% in winter. This is about the weight of a 1p coin. Ed.] They were not recognised as a distinct species until the mid 1800s and were previously thought to be young common shrews. They do not burrow and are found in open habitat and are the only shrews found in Ireland.

Whilst walking a footpath the other day, I was aware in the evening setting sun (yes, it has been out on occasions!) beautiful long shadows in the undulating land. This was ridge and furrow, long waves in the land with crests eleven human paces apart and a length of 220 yards. These strips or ridges gathered together made a furlong, a now familiar distance in horseracing. The undulations were made by oxen or horses pulling ploughs and throwing the earth up to a ridge. It was though that oxen could pull for 220 yards and then needed a rest, when they would be turned for the return. Ridge and furrow was mainly confined to the flatter midland or heartland counties and is middle Saxon or medieval in origin, and was the standard up until the Enclosures Act. The pattern and direction was designed to maintain natural drainage across the contours, but in the Midlands by 1999 just six places were found to retain forty per cent of their original open-field remnants. David Hall confirmed“what has long been suspected anecdotally – that ridge and furrow which was most characteristic and a commonplace sight in the Midlands, is now very rare and becoming rarer by year. If ridge and furrow is rare and threatened in its primary areas, then its survival as a significant component of the national heritage must be in some question. We have let something ordinary become hard to find.”

We are lucky in Oxhill to have ridge and furrow within the centre and around the village. Let’s hope that that this too is not lost forever.

Grenville Moore

WI Report

Mr Steve Patalong spoke about his position as Rural Enterprise Development Officer. In his talk about local maps he used modern technology to show us a satellite photograph of Tysoe, and an OS map of the same area. He then explained that maps could incorporate any aspect of the community that the maker thinks is important to the place, and use any medium. We saw a wide range of maps: drawing, embroidery, painting, costumed figures or just lists of words.

At the beginning of the meeting a cheque for £250 was presented to Bev Knight to buy a second cooker for Tysoe schoolchildren’s cooking area. She said that at the moment it is PHSE fortnight. Each day children in one class are preparing themselves a complete meal. Next year with our cooker installed the task will be so much easier.

Belinda Keep was the hostess. Philippa Robinson and Jessie Sinclair served refreshments. The flower of the month: 1st a passiflora (June Wreford), 2nd lily (Belinda Keep)

St Peter’s Community Centre in Whatcote was transformed into a waitress service tearoom one afternoon in June. We had a lovely afternoon.

Belinda Keep

Wild About...

The 2007 Family Readers and Writers Weekend, organised jointly by Compton Verney and Warwickshire Libraries, will this year be held at Compton Verney during the weekend of September 15th and 16th.

There will be a wide range of events suitable for all ages. Details can be obtained by telephone on 01926 645500, or by visiting www.comptonverney.org.uk or www.warwickshire.gov.uk/libraries.

Editor

Notes of the Oxhill Parish Council Meeting

Tuesday 10th July 2007 at8.00pm in theVillage Hall

Apology received from David Hill. The meeting chaired by Tom Heritage was attended by all other Councillors and one member of the village.

Matters Discussed

Finance

Invoice for £30 was paid for conducting the Internal Audit.

Highways

The stone slab footway on Main Street was in a very poor state of repair with many broken stones that presented a hazard. Following consultation with Warwickshire County Council they are not prepared to pay the much higher cost of replacing these stones. Therefore it was agreed to tarmac this section and edge with kerb setts.

Planning

Planning consent granted for demolition of rear projection and erection of conservatory at Edenberry.

Planning consent granted to fell one birch and two laurel at Meadow Cottage.

Planning permission granted for provision of parking and vehicular access at Oxhill Christian Community Centre.

Application for single storey extension to rear at Appletree Cottage had been returned with no objection.

Application to fell Leylandii tree at Binswood Cottage was also returned with no objection.

Code of Conduct

In compliance, documents had been completed and Declarations of Acceptance of Office signed.

Litter Bin

A new litter bin had been requested to replace the one by the Village Hall.

The Leys Field

The Parish Council were informed that a Village Committee had been formed to protect this site from any development in the future.

DATE OF NEXT MEETING

Tuesday 11th September 2007 at 8.00 p.m. in the Village Hall.

Angela Kean, Clerk

News from The Peacock

July has been wet and dreary but it hasn’t dampened everyone’s support and we have had another busy month. We even managed a surprise birthday holiday, well needed I may say, for which I am very thankful to my beautiful wife Ellen. Whilst away my sister Vicky and brother in law Mark took the helm, nearly literally with the floods, and I think they did a marvellous job, and I thank you all for supporting them and giving them such positive feedback.

For those of you who didn’t see the Stratford Herald article, I’m pleased and proud to say that we were featured in the summer issue of Squaremeal.co.uk (an acclaimed restaurant critic based in London) under “Top 50 Restaurants Outside of London – Gastropub section”, whilst I’m not keen on the Gastropub term, it was great to get such an award so early in our venture. It really makes all the hard work worthwhile. And I’d like to thank everyone for all the positive feedback on the new menu and especially our great fish specials.

Now we are recharged and ready for a bright and sunny August. We are planning a number of events to make the most of the month, and we hope to see you all at some or all of them.

Firstly, on Wednesday 1st August we will have Coffee Morning from 10.15, followed again by lunch club on Wednesday 15th. Thanks for a great turnout at the last lunch club; it’s becoming a very popular event.

On the music front we will have First Folk Friday on the 3rd, and we are also hoping to get Wired the Band back for another gig, dates to be confirmed, so keep a look out on the board or the website –www.thepeacockoxhill.co.uk.

The quiz was another successful night, so we plan to have another one on Sunday 19th from 6 p.m. again. Please swot up so you can take on the twice-reigning champions - the Sayers!

And last but certainly not least, we are going to put our faith in the sunshine coming and are planning a Beach BBQ Party for Sunday 26th. We will convert the garden into a beach and aim to have a lot of fun. Beachwear is mandatory; so don’t pack your board shorts and flip-flops away too soon.

See you all soon, along with some beaming sunshine.

Chris and Ellen

Vicarage Notes

Thought for the month

Within the Church’s Year, each Sunday has a special prayer or collect. Many of those in the Book of Common Prayer are poetic in their simplicity, with well chosen thoughts brought into one single sentence. The recent “Common Worship” has re-used many of the old collects and also supplied an additional prayer for the end of the communion service. Many are worth further reflection, including the following:

God of our pilgrimage, who hast willed that the gate of mercy

should stand open for those who trust in thee;

look upon with thy favour, that we,

following in the path of thy will,

may never wander from the way of life;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Our thoughts, prayers and practical support go to everyone who has been badly affected by the recent dreadful weather. With homes and workplaces wrecked, and crops and livestock lost, people in both town and countryside are struggling. The Addington Fund at the N.A.C. is offering practical advice and hardship grants.

Family Pet Service

Our special pet service at Oxhill Manor survived the onslaught of the rain, although numbers were down. However, it was a lovely occasion and all who came enjoyed the service and tea. We will plan one for next year, look out for the date in due course!

God bless, Nicholas Morgan 01608 685230

Kinetone Oil Consortium

Just a quick reminder for those who may be on holiday in September.

Oil will be ordered on Friday September 7th, so if you will be away than but want oil please order it before you go away. There will be a reminder in the September News as well.

Di Harper, 01295 680529

Tysoe Unitied Junior Football Club

Restarts
Saturday 8th September 2007
at Tysoe Sports Field

10.15 a.m. - Ages 8-11 (classes 3/4/5/6)

11.00 a.m. - Ages 7 & under (Classes 1/2)

All children must have football boots, shin pads & a drink

Back Lane - David Kean