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

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 (430) was edited by George Adams.

Weekday Walkers

We have walks in September as follows:

Friday 10th September

This is a 7.50 mile walk from Great Rollright to Hook Norton with 430 feet of ascent. Lunch will be at “The Pear Tree” Hook Norton. We will leave Oxhill at 9:30 a.m.

Friday 24th September

This is a 7.0 mile walk from Epwell to Shutford with 250 feet of ascent. Lunch will be at “The George and Dragon” at Shutford. We will leave Oxhill at 9:30 a.m.

Due to the numbers on the walk Jim Saxton now contacts regular members to get meal decisions by Wednesday evening. Those who wish to join us are most welcome, but please contact Jim Saxton on 01295 680613 or at saxton @ tiscali.co.uk before the Tuesday evening prior to the walk.

Mobile Library

The library van will continue to visit Oxhill on Tuesdays, stopping at the Village Hall at 10 a.m. and staying there for 30 minutes.

This monththe van will visit us on Tuesday 14th.

You can renew books between van visits by calling 01926 851031, or online at www.Warwickshire.gov.uk/wild .

Editor

Refuse Collections

Recycling and green waste bins (blue and green bins) will be collected on Tuesdays 14th and 28th.

The grey rubbish bins will be collected on Tuesdays 7th and 21st.

Editor

October Issue

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

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.

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

George Adams - 680286

Cover Pictures

Foot-weary members of the Garden Club in deep contemplation at Kew. Photo from Jim Saxton.

Editor

Gourmet Dinner

The Old Church House, Oxhill

Saturday 9th October 2010

7.30 p.m. for 8.00 p.m.

Come and join us for a fabulous evening.

Enjoy excellent locally-sourced food with complementary champagne and canapés on arrival.

Tickets strictly limited so please book as soon as possible.

Price £35.00 per head

Black Tie

All profits to Chernobyl’s Children, with a small donation to OWLS

To book and for more details telephone

Anne Marshall, 01295 680411

Village Hall

On Sunday, 22nd August, the Village Hall Committee carried out some much-needed maintenance on the Hall and was successful in getting a few volunteers to assist on the day. Amongst other tasks, we cleared out the entrance hall annexe, cleaned out the gutters, re-organised the store room and the kitchen cupboards and carried out some painting on the Hall itself and the surrounding, and now gleaming, railings.

I’m not going to single out any of our helpers because everyone worked very hard and in the end we achieved more than we expected to do. We had people from the existing committee, people who used to be on the committee and a few people with great community spirit to help with all of the tasks and we’re grateful to them all.

We finished a very successful day with a simple BBQ and a couple of drinks in the afternoon sun for all those who came along and helped.

So if, when you drive or walk past the Village Hall, you notice the gleaming white railings or the re-painted facia boards or when you next use the Hall you notice the welcoming entrance lobby or the improved toilets you just might think ‘seldom has so much been owed by so many to so few’.

Derek Harbour

Church Service Times

St. Lawrence Oxhill

All are warmly invited to our services

Sunday 5th - Trinity XIV
9.30 a.m. Holy Communion (ML)

Sunday 12th - Trinity XV
6.30 p.m. Evensong (ML)

Sunday 19th Trinity XVI
9.30 a.m. Holy Communion (ML)

Sunday 26th - Trinity XVII
9.30 a.m. Harvest Festival Service (NM)

For details of other services in the Benefice please see the list in Church or telephone the clergy.

Deanery Garden Party

The sun shone, we kept running out of chairs, and the car park field was very nearly full! A massive thank you to so many people for bringing themselves and each other, and for supplying cakes, and in particular Rene, Liz and Ros for brewing and serving endless cups of tea, and for mountains of washing up. Thanks too to my family, for ground support services viz-a-viz chairs, tables, sandwich making and a gazebo.

As I write this on the Monday morning, there is eight inches of water where the cars were parked. So 'Thank you, Lord, for that fine day'!

Jill Tucker

Deanery Synod

The next Deanery Synod is the one where we look at finance, and we are really pleased once again to be able to welcome Simon Lloyd to our meeting. The Synod will be held at Long Compton on Tuesday, October 5th at 7.30 p.m., preceded by coffee from 7 onwards. In particular we hope to look at the new parish share system. This meeting is open to anyone, so please do feel very welcome to join us.

Jill Tucker

From the Parish Registers

Wedding

July 31st - Congratulations and best wishes to Emily Gummer and Ben Hargreaves

Kineton Oil Consortium

The consortium will be ordering oil again in early September. Please let me have your needs by Wednesday 8th September not later than 6 p.m. The delivery will not begin before Tuesday 14th September at the earliest.

D. Harper, 01295 680529

St. Lawrence - Oxhill

A game of Skittles and a Pig Roast at OXHILL VILLAGE HALL on Saturday 11th September at 7 p.m.

Pig Roast
Puds
Skittles

Tickets - £7.50 adults - £3.50 children (under 11)

Please let us know how many tickets you want as soon as possible

Val Ewens, 680215
Lilian Welsby, 680468

Chris Wilde

I hope you all picked up on the nice photo of Chris in the Student Guide & Clearing Special in the Times of Thursday August 19th.

There's also a video about his ocean trip on Australian TV; try the link

http://video.au.msn.com/watch/video/hell-and-high-water/x7tcdz4.

Editor

Nature Notes

September is the month of plenty; hops, apples and other fruit, and was the month of reaping, although these days the harvest is cut and stored by the beginning of September. There was a tradition that the last sheaf had to be cut in a particular manner. In some counties it was reaped by the youngest maid or lad on the farm and must not touch the ground before being carried home in much triumph and rejoicing. In many other areas about a square foot of standing corn was left and plaited together, and all the reapers threw their sickles at it until one managed to cut it down, whereupon he cried “got the mare” or “cut the gander’s neck”. Regardless of how it was cut, the last sheaf was often dressed in women’s clothes or plaited into a corn dolly. ‘She’ then presided over the Harvest Home feast and was carefully kept for luck until the next harvest.

It would appear that this year is yielding an abundance of fruit, and with the fruit come the wasps, and like the fruit they seem more abundant this year. The workers have now finished looking after the young and are attracted to the ripening fruit. Most people seem to hate wasps, but they should not be destroyed unless their nests are very close to the house where there are very young or old people, or people who are allergic to their stings. Bees feed their young on pollen and nectar, but wasps feed theirs on animal matter, including a great number of insect pests and dead carcasses, and their role as biological control agents is largely unappreciated. Unlike bees, wasps do not make their nests from wax but instead scrape wood fragments from gates, fences or sheds, chew it to a pulp and create ‘paper’ which they use to construct the nest. If you have never seen one, they are one of nature’s wonders (the wasps vacate them and die by the end of Autumn). The name wasp is from Old Teutonic, waeps or waesp, and is related to ‘weave’, which refers to the way the nest is created. In the sixteenth century ‘waspish’ described irritating, aggressive or tetchy behaviour – ‘if I be waspish, best beware my sting’ – The Taming of the Shrew, Act 2, Scene 1.

Harvest suppers or Harvest-home dinners, variously called ‘horkeys’, ‘mell suppers’, ‘kern feasts’ and ‘clyacks’ were generally held everywhere by the end of the first week of September. What a great pity we seen to have lost this tradition.

“To make a rich frumenty for ten persons. Steep one pound of whole grains of what in water overnight, and then boil the steeped grains in one pint of milk until the whole be soft. Add thereto raisins and sultanas, honey, a nutmeg freshly grated, a little cinnamon, brandy and cream: and serve it forth hot or cold.”

(Mistress Barton’s Cookery Book, 1680).

Grenville Moore

Owls Photographic Competition

It’s time for all Oxhill photographers to get clicking again!

There are two categories:

Local nature –Oxhill wildlife & landscapes

British nature – wildlife

Open to 2 age groups (12 & under and adults).

Entries, which cost 50p each, should be submitted as prints (no larger than A5) to Rhian, Weavers Barn, Rouse Lane, Oxhill (680574) or to any other Oxhill OWLS member! If you fancy trying to get your photo into next year’s fantastic OWLS calendar, please submit before September14^th. (Please state where the photo was taken on the back!)

Entries will be exhibited and judged in the Village Hall on Sunday 17^thOctober, 4pm till 6pm.

Hosted by the Oxhill ‘OWLS’

Village Hall Events

'Friday Night at the Village Hall’

Friday, 17th September, from 7.00 p.m.

Following the pleasing success of our ‘Friday Night’ event in July, we are holding another casual evening with a simple meal, a few drinks and a chat with friends. On this ‘Chilli & Tart’ night, we will be providing a Chilli con Carne with Rice & Salad meal followed by a selection of jam tarts for a cost of just £7.50 per person. A vegetarian option will be available.

Please contact Gaynor van Dijk on 680349 to reserve your Tickets (demand is expected to be high and tickets have already been reserved).

Quiz Night

Friday 8th October at 8.00 p.m.

On Friday 8th October, we will be holding a Quiz Night with light refreshments. The Quiz will be prepared by a specialist ‘author’ who normally ‘sells’ his Quizzes to Pubs and other organisations but thanks to one of the Committee Members contacts we have obtained it at a special low price. There will be a variety of different rounds including music, sport and pictures, so something for everyone. The cost, including light refreshments will be £2.50 per head.

Tickets can be reserved by calling Tricia Harbour (680676) or Gaynor van Dyke (680349).

‘Afternoon Delight’ in October

We plan to trial an afternoon’s delight in October whereby those of you fortunate enough to be at home during the day can come along to The Village Hall for a couple of hours in the afternoon on a Thursday, to take up a new hobby or craft, meet up with your friends and have a cup of tea. More details will follow in the next Oxhill Village News.

Derek Harbour

Circuit Training

I am part of a group who do circuit training at Walton Hall on a Thursday evening; age ranges from teenagers to 50 year olds, men and women. We have lost a few over the summer and the class is at risk of being cancelled, so anyone (yes anyone !) who fancies a bit of fairly vigorous exercise to raise a thirst is welcome to join us. Circuit training is as hard as you choose to make it, and is great all over body conditioning. The class is run by a lady who is part of the fitness team at Stratford Leisure Centre and costs £6. If you’d like to know more please call me on 680451 or email paul.r.sayer @ btinternet.com.

Paul Sayer

Gardening Club News

Did you know you can become acquainted with trees underground and 59 feet up in the air on a Treetop Walkway?

Did you know that there are more cedars of Lebanon in Kew than in the wild?

Do you know how many trees and their varieties there are in the People’s Arboretum? I have no idea but I think we saw all of them during our day there!

Did you know that you can travel through all the continents in just one of the magnificent glasshouses; see exotic butterflies; find secret gardens; visit the luxury of a palace and much, much more?

This was the Garden Club’s experience of Kew Gardens - and they make good cake too!

Thanks go to Reg Gethin for arranging the visit with speedy transport and no hitches.

New members of the Garden Club are always welcomed. Why not come along to the new season’s speakers and have a cup of tea?

The programme includes:

16th September - "The Night Garden” with Peter Jones
21st October - “A Year of Wild Flowers” with Monica Evans
18th November - “Christmas Table Decorations” with Gill Hawtin

December - Christmas Party, date to be announced

Don’t forget that photo competition entries must be submitted at the September meeting so there is only a little time left to get snapping!

Ann Saxton

Stour Singers - The 35th Season

Stour Singers next concert will be on 11th December, when they will perform Benjamin Britten’s 'Saint Nicolas'. After that they will perform Mendelssohn’s dramatic oratorio 'Elijah' on 14th May 2011.

The choir's rehearsal sessions start on Thursday 16 September between 7 & 9 p.m. in the Community Lounge of Shipston High School, Darlingscote Road, Shipston-on-Stour. If you want try or return to choral singing you are warmly invited to come and join in. There are no auditions! The society is a balanced choir of about 60 voices drawn from a wide area of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, & Warwickshire so you won’t feel alone. Music is usually hired & and free to members. We produce CDs of the individual parts so everyone can get to know the music at their own pace. Please visit the website; www.stoursingers.org.uk or contact Vic Twyman on 01608 664215 to resolve any doubts or for further details.

Cat on a Cold Tin Roof

Jonathan & Kirsty Simpson of The Old Bakehouse would like to thank all the good people of Oxhill who assisted us in retrieving our cat Homer (yes we know!!) from the roof of Springfield on Main Street on 3rd August. Our hapless moggie disappeared on the evening of the 2nd, much mewing in the dark ensued which was finally pinpointed to the aforementioned roof. George & Gwyn Adams kindly let us trample around their garden (sorry!!) in an effort to get Homer down, alas he was having none of it. In the morning he was enjoying a peaceful nap on the chimney when his crazed, half asleep owners reappeared to coax him down. Alas we were again shown to be useless at this & trekked off to work, leaving our key with George. On returning from work that afternoon we found that he was still sunbathing on high, George had attempted to get him down with food & a step ladder but assured me that a larger ladder had been summoned. Our knight in shining armour (or small blue van), Graham Colledge arrived shortly after with a roof ladder. Some scrambling & a nuzzle (aaahhh) from Homer later he had him back on terra firma. As I write Homer has had 2 dinners & is sleeping peacefully on the sofa. Thank you so much to everyone who helped & the concerned passers by (some fully prepared with cat biscuits) - just goes to show what a wonderful & friendly village we live in. A special thank you must go to Mrs Sinclair of Springfield for the loan of her roof. Homer is under strict instruction not to repeat this but has never listened to anything else I have advised him so I can't promise!

Many thanks,

Jonathan Simpson

Free Electric Blanket Check

Warwickshire Trading Standards Service will provide electric blanket tests FREE OF CHARGE, for people aged 50 or over, between Monday 4th October and Friday October 8th 2010.

Testing, by appointment only, will take place at the following venues around Warwickshire in October :

Nuneaton Fire Station - Monday 4th
Leamington Town Hall - Tuesday 5th
Rugby Library - Wednesday 6th
Kenilworth Library - Thursday 7th
United Reformed Church, Stratford-upon-Avon - Friday 8th

Don’t miss this opportunity. Old or damaged electric blankets cause a number of fires each year, which can result in injury or death. These can be avoided by simply getting your electric blanket checked.

To book an appointment, call the Trading standards Service on 01926 736477 (Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.) or email ebtesting@warwickshire.gov.uk.

Vicarage Notes

Thought for the month

I thought that August was going to be a quiet month with an opportunity to catch up on those odd jobs that have been waiting around for ages – no such luck! With continuing events and activities, a significant number of pastoral visits to hospitals and hospices, and dealing with admin. challenges, time has been in short supply.

In sorting out charities’ business, I’ve realised life is becoming quite a struggle. As the difficult economic climate continues, donations are not going up and investment income has fallen. However, the Government is asking the voluntary sector to step in and work more for the transforming of communities. How about legislation requiring banks etc. to offer the same rates of interest to charities as offered to personal account holders – that would help prime the system!

Charities including churches strive to take a lead in transforming communities and a clear piece of teaching is found in the “Beatitudes” in Matthew 7:1-12. Blessed indeed are all who unselfishly work for others.

All are specially welcome to the Harvest service on the 26th – and don’t forget the pig roast on the 11th.

God bless,

Nicholas Morgan 01608 685230

Shipston Home Nursing

Events in September

The Peacock, Oxhill

Food & Wine Matching Dinner
Monday September 13th 7.30pm
4 Course dinner tasting 16 wines
£40 per head
Live music
Raffle in aid of SHN
To book please call Pam or Yvonne on 01295 688060
http://www.thepeacockoxhill.co.uk

Fashion Show

to celebrate the opening of Meg Rivers Cafe
In aid of Maggies Cotswolds and Shipston Home Nursing
Thursday 23rd September 2010
6.30pm for 7.30pm
To be held at Lapstone, Westington Hill, Chipping Campden GL55 6EG
Tickets £20 to include champagne and canapes
20% discount on Lapstone Autumn Clothing Collection
Tickets available on 01386 841611 or email leec @ lapstone.net

Shipston Fun Run And Cycle Ride

Sunday September 26th 10am
Starting from Shipston Leisure Centre
Please phone Gilda Gardner 01789 740083
or visit our website to book a place

All forthcoming events are on our website. For more info please visit

www.shipstonhomenursing.co.uk.

Rebecca Mawle,
Fundraising Co-ordinator, Shipston Home Nursing
Telephone: 01608 674929,
Mobile :07940 716345

Thought for the Month

Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit on the riverbank and drink beer all day.

Accident and Medical Emergencies

First Call - 999

Then Call

Ambulance Responders

Mick & Barbara Shepard

07977149317 Mobile / 01295680644 Home

3, The Leys, Oxhill, Warwick, CV350QX