Copy for the next edition should be given to Mr. George Adams at "Karibu", Main Street, tel: 680286 by midnight on Wednesday, 27^thJulyplease.

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.

July 2

Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, was born on July 2nd 1489, though he was not actually Archbishop at the time. The day was also the birthday in 1714 of Christoph von Gluck, the German composer and in 1862 of William Henry Bragg, the English physicist. David Owen was born this day in 1938 and Kenneth Clarke in 1940. That means he must have been in the year above me at school rather than in my year, which is a considerable relief.

Deaths

1566: Nostradamus died on July 2nd 1566 and Jean Jacques Rousseau in 1778. In 1937 Amelia Earhart chose this day to disappear over the Pacific, and Ernest Hemingway died in 1961. Betty Grable died in 1973 and James Stewart in 1997.

Editor

August Issue

Please could I have all copy for the next issue by midnight on Wednesday, 27th July?

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 font size should in general be 10 point.

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

George Adams - 680286

Cover Picture

A shot of the splendid scarecrow wedding in the Church during Scarecrow Weekend. The same photograph is on the cover of the Oxhill Scarecrow Weekend booklet (see advertising matter later in the News) but there, of course, it looks so much better since it is in full and glorious colour.

Editor

Church Service Times

St. Lawrence Oxhill

Sunday July 3rd - 9:30 - Holy Communion.

Sunday July 10th - Family Service.

Sunday July 17th - 10:45 - United Benefice Service at Tysoe.

Sunday July 24th - 9:30 - Holy Communion.

Sunday July 31st - 9:30 - United Benefice Service of Matins.

Mid-week Service - 7.30pm Thursday evenings

An informal service lasting no more than 30 minutes.

Thursday July 3rd - Compline.

Thursday July 14th - Holy Communion.

Thereafter the Thursday Worship will cease for the summer, and resume on Thursday, 8th September.

Church Events

Tea Party

There will be a Tea Party at The Old House on the afternoon of Tuesday, 5th July from 3.00 p.m. onwards. Anyone who would like to come to tea will be very welcome.

Jill Tucker

Church Events

Car Boot Sale

The Car Boot Sale will be held on Saturday, July 9th from 10.00 until 12 noon, in Bill Fox’s field, just past the last house on the right as you go along the Whatcote Road towards Whatcote.

The cost of a pitch is £5. Refreshments will be available. Items to sell will be welcome for the Church Stall

Full details from Lilian Welsby, 680468.

Jill Tucker

Church Events

and Finally

It has been universally agreed that the Scarecrow Festival was amazing. Next to the Jubilee celebrations it was the biggest and best thing we have ever done in Oxhill. Never have so many people been seen wandering the lanes of the village, and then ringing up their friends to get them to come too! It was a huge team effort, which raised the magnificent sum of £2000, which will be split between the Stratford Samaritans and the Church. Unbounded thanks must go to Lilian and her team, which probably included most of the village one way or another – well done to everyone.

Jill Tucker

Chernobyl's Children Coffee Morning

I am absolutely delighted to report that the coffee morning raised £470.70 p, and that with donations our splendid total now stands at £1127.70 p.

This wonderful sum is due to the hard work of a great team of helpers, both 'front of house' and 'behind the scenes'.

I would like to thank everyone for their help, generous donations and support on the day, and all of those responsible for the incredible selection of cakes and produce.

It was good to see so many people sitting relaxing in the sunshine chattering.

The winner of the bottle of whisky for guessing how much we would make at the coffee morning was Parker Smith. He was in fact only 80 p. out! Well done, Parker.

Anne Marshall

All Day Feast – If You Want!

There is a chance for that, for on Thursday 28th July 2005, from 10.30 a.m. to 5.00 p.m., there will be the this year's second All-day coffee/tea event at St. Peter’s Cottage, Stretton-on-Fosse, this time in aid of Katherine House Hospice, Adderbury. This hospice offers accommodation for any terminally ill persons. It is fully a voluntary work and depends almost entirely upon private giving, so please come along and spend some time, helping forward the work of the hospice. We never know if we might be grateful for its ministrations for someone in our family.

David Knight

Anti-social Behaviour

Members of the Parish Council (particularly me) have received telephone calls from villagers reporting anti-social car-driving, motorcycling and noise. It would be more helpful and immediate if complaints could be reported to the police directly.

The number to ring is 01789 414111. If you then ask to be put through to Shipston you may or may not be successful, depending upon whether or not the station is manned. If you cannot get through to Shipston, you can ask to record a complaint. If this course is taken, it is advisable to ask for an 'incident number' in order that the call is properly logged.

All calls are treated in confidence - your name will not be used if further action is taken. The sergeant at Shipston is 818 Sergeant Warren Ayres who, in the short time he has been based there, has made himself aware of problems in local villages and is keen to sort them out.

The most important thing about incident reporting is detail. The police ideally require a) the time and place of the incident, b) the make and colour of the car, c) the registration number. It is understood of course that it is not always possible to provide this detail in all cases. For example, if the offender is a motorcyclist, it is not always possible to identify (b) and (c), although there may be other details you might submit, for example if the person is known to you.

I know that the police are compiling dossiers on certain people in certain villages. The information gained is likely to be of great help to the police should they decide to take firm action rather than merely give friendly warnings. One thing is absolutely certain: the police cannot act unless they receive prompt and detailed information. They will patrol randomly when asked, if resources allow, but there is no substitution for hard intelligence.

David Hill

Scarecrow Weekend -Plant Stall

A very big thank you to everyone – some unknown! – who provided us with plants. We had a magnificent display; the only problem was that the plants were wilting almost as much as we were during the day and had need of frequent liquid refreshments – again like us.

Thank you too to those who did relief duty and also fetched and carried and helped assemble and dismantle the gazebo.

We raised £230 and met many old and new friends, some from far afield.

You may be glad to know that some of the plants which we had left have gone to Tysoe for a stall at the Methodist Church Flower Festival weekend on July 2nd, 3rd and 4th.

Congratulations to Lilian for such a successful weekend. It was worth all the hard work.

Janet Gardner & Eve Whaley

Watching the Neighbourhood

I am sorry to burden the parish with gloomy news but I think that it is important to pass on the following:

1) You may not be aware that an attempted break-in took place recently at a house on Whatcote Road. The police are still pursuing the case.

2) A Land Rover has been stolen from the driveway of a house in Pillerton Priors.

3) The police computerised reporting system to Neighbourhood Watches has reported numerous thefts of power tools (mowers, strimmers, drills etc.) from garages and garden sheds in the south of the county.

4) Distraction burglaries and people posing as utility services officials are still causing concern in the county. The police have asked for as much publicity as possible to be given to this.

Please do not infer from the above that we are in the grip of a fearsome crime wave. Crooks, thugs and anti-social yobs will occasionally target quiet villages in the hope of easy pickings. Vigilance and instant reporting by all of us is the best antidote. We should avoid falling into the trap of 'not wanting to make a fuss'. Keep a pencil and paper handy to make a note of anything, particularly car numbers, which may subsequently help the police. A car registration was recently reported to the police from Oxhill; as it turned out, the occupants were entirely innocent of any crime, but the police commended the report. It takes the police a matter of seconds to check a car registration.

Perhaps we ought to keep some scarecrows strategically placed: the other Sunday I felt as if I was being watched from every corner!

David Hill

Dear Editor

I hope this is not too late for the June issue, but I wanted to respond to your May editorial in which you stated that some people thought the April issue boring. Personally, I always find the 'News' interesting and stimulating, but never boring - not even the April edition.

One of the highlights for me is Grenville Moore's nature notes, always full of fascinating insights into the world of nature. However, observant though he is, some things seem to escape his notice, and my bucolic chum 'Old Muckraker' presents his own naturewatch elsewhere in this issue.

Don't be discouraged by carping criticism - I'm sure the majority of us look forward in anticipation to each new issue. Keep up the good work!

Peter & Carol Taylor, Grove Cottage

[The carping criticiser was my wife! She claims she has the right. However, I did agree with her, and hope that the May and June issues were better.

Perhaps here would be a good place to offer my humble apologies to the fifty per cent of my readership who received a deformed June News. During collation I managed to turn one of the page piles upside down, resulting in pages not appearing in the intended order and presenting Ray Dagg's 'Journey to Hell' back to front. The mistake was not noticed until the copies had been sent to the distributors. Particular apologies are due to Ray – "Sorry, Ray".

Editor]

Scarecrow Weekend

I would like to personally thank Lilian Welsby for her enthusiasm and hard work and also to the many people who helped her, some who worked with her the whole week prior to and during the week-end. To give up a week of your holiday, as Lilian did, to organize a charity event is to be greatly admired. I was told that on Saturday morning there were about 80 Scarecrows in and around the village and the Church was beautiful and the Wedding Party fascinating. It was wonderful that so many people wanted to take part. Thank you Lilian and ALL your helpers

A few of the Scarecrows are going to do their rightful job, frightening pigeons and crows, on a farm near Stratford for a suitable fee!

Ann: Heritage

[I feel we should try to get the number of scarecrows tied down a little. Gwyn sat and counted the ones in the photographs in the booklet that is offered for sale elsewhere in this publication. She claims to have counted 99 scarecrows, not including the Dalek or the maypole dancers. I have no intention of arguing with her. Editor]

Whatcote Community Centre

At 7.30pm on Friday July 8^th 2005

An evening of music for everyone

Tickets £8.00 (concessions £6.00)

Accompanied children free

Available from committee members or phone

01295 680007/ 680294

To include light refreshments

What's On at Compton Verney This Summer

Open: Tuesday – Sunday 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. (Thursday 8 p.m.)

Closed Monday except Bank Holidays

Admission: Adults £6, concs. £4, child £2, family (2 adults & up to 4 children) £14. All tickets half price on Tuesday.

Places on workshops and tours are limited.

25 June – 29 AugustExhibition: The American West

Collection tours are available on Wednesday (2.30-3.30pm) and on Saturdays and Sundays (12noon-1pm and 2.30pm-3.30pm), free with Gallery admission.

July

Saturday 2, 11 a.m. – 4.30 p.m. Easel-y Done, A drop-in workshop as part of Children’s Art Day. Workshop included in admission price.

Thursday 7, 4 p.m. – 7 p.m. A Midsummer Night’s Draw, A drop-in event for all ages. Workshop included in admission price.

Thursday 7and 28, 7–7.45 p.m. American West Exhibition Tour. Tour included in admission price

Sunday 10, 1–4 p.m. American West Roadshow

Thursday 14, 7.30 p.m. In the grounds of Compton Verney - The Western, A talk. Tickets: For talk £5 / £3.50 concessions. For talk and gallery admission £10 / £7

Thursday 21, 7.30 p.m. Kanehsatake, 270 Years of Resistance £5 / £3.50

Saturday 23, 1–4 p.m. The American West: In the Mix

Saturday 30, 10 a.m. – 4.30 p.m. Landscape Watercolour Painting £40, includes all materials, light lunch, tea and coffee

August

Monday 1 to Friday 5Artists’ Summer School Places are limited – it will be necessary to book in advance. £175, includes gallery admission, refreshments and a light lunch

Thursday 4, 7.30 p.m. A Boy King and his Portraits £5 / £3.50

Saturday 6, 3 p.m. James Luna performance £5 / £3.50

Wednesday 10, 11 a.m. – 4.30 p.m. Horse of Course

Thursday 11and 25, 11 a.m. – 4.30 p.m. Land Ahoy!
Two bookable children’s workshops for age 8+. Come and create your own version of 17th century ship The Mayflower that took the Pilgrim Fathers to America, with Anthony James and Nigel Sewell. Tickets £12, includes gallery admission and materials.

Thursday 11, 2.30–3.15 p.m. American West Exhibition Tours

Thursday 11, 7.30 p.m. A View from Naples: Sir William Hamilton and his Collecting £5 / £3.50 concessions

Friday 12, 11 a.m. – 4.30 p.m. Fish-Eye Photography, a bookable children’s workshop for age 8+. £12, includes gallery admission and materials

Wednesday 17 and Wednesday 24, 11 a.m. – 4.30 p.m. Compu-bility Brown, two bookable children’s workshops for age 8+. £12, includes gallery admission and materials

Thursday 18 and Friday 19, 11 a.m. – 4.30 p.m. Dime Store Drawing, two bookable children’s workshops for age 10+. £12, includes gallery admission and materials

Thursday 18, 7.30 p.m. Curator’s talk: Jimmie Durham. £5 / £3.50 concessions

Saturday 20, 8 p.m. Outdoor Film screening: The Searchers (U) £5 / £3.50

Thursday 25, 7.30 p.m. Tilman Riemenschneider and his Work: The Unknown Female Saint £5 / £3.50

Friday 26, 11 a.m. – 4.30 p.m. Fired Earth, a bookable children’s workshop for age 8+. £12, includes gallery admission and materials. Please note all work will be fired by the artist and will need collecting by the participant at a later date.

Saturday 27 and Sunday 28, 11 a.m. – 4.30 p.m. The Lost Mine Part 1, two bookable interactive workshops for all ages. Experience the ‘American West’ by building an enormous 3D board game. £12, includes gallery admission and materials. Places are limited – it will be necessary to book in advance.

Sunday 28 and Monday 29, 11.30 a.m., 12.45 p.m., 2 p.m., 3.15 p.m. American Storytelling, a series of 45 minute drop-in children’s storytelling sessions for all ages. Come along and experience American Culture through storytelling. Workshop included in admission price

Monday 29, 11 a.m. – 4.30 p.m. The Lost Mine Part 2, a drop-in interactive workshop for all ages. Come and join the learning team at Compton Verney and play ‘Lost Mine’, an enormous 3D board game. Free on admission to the gallery

September

Thursday 1, 11 a.m. – 4.30 p.m. Painting from Scratch. A bookable workshop for young people aged 12+. £12, including materials.

Thursday 8, 7–9 p.m. Bat Night at Compton Verney £5 / £3.50

For further information and bookings contact 01926 645500.

Nature Watch

That Grenville Moore - by gum he's an observant chap, but he don't see it all by any means! Only last Sunday morning - about six o'clock I reckon it was - I awoke to the characteristicbroom- clunk-clunk-broomof the four-stroke rotary, the first of the year, but now sharply on the increase as spring moves into summer. Keep an ear out for it, usually early on a week-end morn!

Talking of rotaries, the more discerning observer can sometimes pick out its close relative, the two-stroke, distinguished by its much higher-pitched call, and distinctive emission of vast clouds of blue smoke. The two-stroke is of course becoming much rarer now, but the avid naturewatcher can still some times be rewarded.

Another specimen announcing the change of the season can often be heard flying over Sunrising Hill - yes, it’s the plaintive scream of the Yamaha family, most usually the ZR1, but sometimes its smaller cousin the FZ350. These can often be seen in large groups, swooping along the highways and byeways, often coming to rest in little gaggles to refresh themselves by ingesting large quantities of a brown, hop-based liquid. These brightly-coloured little bustards are sometimes difficult to spot, owing to their astonishing speed and weaving trajectories. However, unusually they are not at all nervous, and frequently reward the onlooker by rearing up and putting on a huge surge of speed! Do watch out for them!

But why venture out when so many interesting sights can be seen in your own back garden! Last week-end whilst walking the borders, I spotted a flashing zig-zag of bright green, with characteristic 'vee' shaped markings on its top surface. So that's where I left the old hosepipe last autumn!

Finally, after sitting quietly in the undergrowth for some time with my trusty twitcher's binoculars, just today I spotted some unusual movement down by the nesting boxes. What a treat! A lovely pair of lively young tits! So rare in the garden nowadays....

Anyhow, Mrs Muckraker's calling me in now, so must go. Happy watching, and remember Old Muckraker's motto - take it easy, but take it!!

Old Muckraker

[Grenville Moore has been on holiday. We are grateful to Old Muckraker for filling in for him so ably. Ed.]

Something for the Archives

Spotting early on that the Scarecrow Weekend was going to be a resounding success I spent a fair bit of time photographing the scarecrows for posterity.

I have now produced a 20 page full colour booklet that includes at least one photograph of every scarecrow that I could find. The cost of printing them myself is horrendous (they would come out at £10 each), but Prontaprint in Stratford can produce them for something a good deal more reasonable.

I am therefore seeking orders for this booklet, and the number of orders I get will determine the price! If only 10 people order then the price will be £5, falling to £3.50 if 20 of you want a copy and £3 if I can drum up sales of 30.

£3 is little more than the price of a pint of beer, and considerably less than a packet of fags, so surely some of you out there are interested.

On the other hand, for those with computers and/or DVD players, I can offer a VideoCD which will display the same images either on your computer screen or television set. These are on offer at £1 each, surely the snip of the year.

If you are interested, please contact me either by a note through the door at Karibu, by 'phone on 01295680286 or email to news-editor @ oxhill.org.uk. I shall close the order file at midnight on Friday 22 July and then set about producing the appropriate number of copies for delivery – and, at that stage only, asking for payment! Until then the price of a booklet will not be known.

George Adams

Scarecrow Weekend

Wow, what a weekend. I have so many people to thank it would fill the Oxhill News.

So would you all give yourselves a pat on the back; it was a wonderful time when so many scarecrows appeared, over 80 in all.

So thank you all scarecrow makers; some of you helped to make so many.

Thanks to Gaynor for organising the teas, to all the cake makers and to all of you that helped on the stalls.

Thanks to the people who put up scarecrows on Friday morning and to all my friends who practically lived with me all week. Whatever would I have done without you?

Thank you to Kevin for the straw; we could not have done without it.

Thanks to all those who helped on car park duty, to Heather for the trip to Birmingham market for flowers and to all the flower arrangers. The Church looked wonderful.

A very big thank you to Tom and Carol for donating the pig roast at the dance, and I must not forget David who did his bit for the weather.

One or two people thought it a silly idea that would not make any money, but I had faith in Oxhill people. Well done, you always come up trumps.

We even had people from Essex who were staying in Stratford who thanked us for a lovely weekend.

A total of over £2000 was raised for Church funds and the Stratford Samaritans.

Thank you, Thank you all,

Lilian

Poetry Corner - Don't Ask For Bread

A wretched man walked up and down
To buy his dinner in the town.
At last he found a wretched place
And entered in with modest grace,
Took off his coat, took off his hat,
And wiped his feet upon the mat,
Took out his purse to count his pence
And found he had but two half-cents.
The bill of fare, he scanned it through
To see what two half-cents would do.
The only item of them all
For two half-cents was one fishball.
So to the waiter he did call
And gently whispered: One fishball.
The waiter bellowed down the hall:
THIS GENTLEMAN HERE WANTS ONE FISHBALL.
The diners looked both one and all
To see who wanted one fishball.
The wretched man, all ill at ease
Said: A little bread, sir, if you please.
The waiter bellowed down the hall:
WE DON'T SERVE BREAD WITH ONE FISHBALL.
The wretched man, he felt so small,
He quickly left the dining hall.
The wretched man, he went outside
And shot himself until he died.
This is the moral of it all,
Don't ask for bread with one fishball.

(Anon.)