October 2020 Issue : 140 Mercia

MERCURY www.merciamarina.co.uk Comings and Goings etc. which not only provide e can expect to see a home but also are an W some of our winter essential food source. visitors soon putting in an Fungi is often viewed as appearance. and dangerous, magical and are both mem- mystical and only con- bers of the family. cerned with decomposi- The is our small- tion but is fascinating in all est true thrush while, con- its bewildering forms and versely, the is a is vital to the wellbeing of very large thrush. Both our trees creating great love fruit and berries as support networks helping well as insects and you can trees to thrive and survive. see them flocking across The fruiting bodies of the fields or landing in the fungi make a tasty meal hawthorn hedgerows. Both for the wildlife. Squirrels will leave in April/May. store them high up in the We may also be visited by trees to munch on through the beautiful Waxwings if winter. You can often the berry crop in their win- Mercia’s spot teeth marks from tering grounds of Scandi- voles and other rodents navia and Siberia is low. as they gnaw at them.

Our resident Blackbird Autumn Watch numbers are often boosted by winter migrants as are Starlings. other of prey and larger mammals. What Can We Do To Help Recent sightings of a flock on the Marina Red Admiral, Tortoiseshells and Peacock In most cases it is best to leave well have been a real bonus. Butterflies are regular hibernators inside alone with a few notable exceptions. On the going side of things Swallows, houses and sheds and occasionally under Especially hedgehogs. If anyone sees Swifts and Martins and most of our boat covers. If you find any please just them out in the winter particularly dur- Warblers will soon be heading back to leave them alone. However, if there are ing the daytime it is important to con- their winter quarters. However, an tact Hedgehog groups or wildlife rescue increasing number of Chiffchaffs are as soon as possible. It is illegal to disturb now staying all year round probably due bat roosts and comes with a hefty fine. If to the country’s warming climate which done deliberately it can lead to imprison- means the birds can survive the winter ment. Dead plants, leaves and fallen here. Not easy to distinguish visually but branches should be left where they fall, the song is a giveaway as it repeatedly unless a safety risk. calls its own name. We are all far too fond of keeping things `neat and tidy’ but this has very little Hibernation Redwing benefit to wildlife if any at all. The only in the UK which truly Probably the most beneficial impact we hibernate and we know we have at the any old spiders’ webs nearby, clear them can have on wintering wildlife is Marina are Bats and Hedgehogs. Bats away so the butterfly doesn’t become feeding and the constant provision of will do so in their normal roosting places entangled when it wakes. clean water for them to drink and wash and wrap themselves in their wings. in. Most importantly get out there to Hedgehogs prefer to make underground In The Undergrowth watch and enjoy the changing seasons. nests. Favourite sites are under hedges Of vital importance to invertebrates of Clear up and don’t leave any litter. Keep and roots of trees, in piles of brushwood, all kinds are the leaf litter, dead grasses, an eye open for animals in distress and inside compost heaps or in old rabbit as is often quoted ‘Only leave footprints The Nature Society will still be selling burrows and underneath timber build- and only take away memories’. bird seed, fat balls etc. and nest boxes ings and sheds. Remember that nature has its own and feeders. If you want anything get All our other mammals Voles, Shrews, balance and cycles of life and we need to in touch with Jane Wakeham on 07469 Mice etc. remain active all year and are respect that. 256447 or email [email protected] of course vital food sources for Owls, Jane Wakeham 2 Mercia Mercury - October 2020 Mercia’s Pumpkin Challenge t’s that time of year again, and this Halloween your challenge is to carve, I paint, decorate or dress your pump- kin, and then put it on display on your boat or lodge and take the best picture of it that you can (or ask for help) and send it to: [email protected]. Everyone can vote for their favourites in the adult and children’s categories and categories for presentation and creativ- ity. Hopefully some of these images will inspire you. Where can I get one from? Pumpkins can be delivered the next day from our local Field Supplies (a ‘monster’ priced at £2.35, ‘large’ at £1.99 and ‘medium’ at £1.75). Or have a trip up to Scaddow’s Farm and pick your own. What do I do with the insides? (Put your fresh left over flesh into dishes for the wildlife – squirrels, foxes, badgers and birds will be delighted (it will be too tastleless and stringy to eat yourself – unless you get a small ‘culinary’ pump- kin) . Dry the seeds before putting them out for the birds (10 minutes @ 180 degrees).

Pete Hick’s Memorial Fishing Match Left: Lee & Mark present Gail Limming t was a wonderful tribute to Pete that so many people joined and supported the Memo- with the winner’s prize for the heaviest I rial Fishing Match on Saturday, 26th September. With everything properly socially dis- catch. tanced, bacon baps were delivered to the fisherfolk at their stations at the beginning of Centre: Sue Hicks receives the dona- the match and burgers a welcome snack at the end. It was a lovely occasion and the pho- tion from Nigel Hunt for the local Air Ambulance in memory of Pete. tographs speak for themselves. Sue Hicks was delighted to be able to present £425 to Right: Beatrice delivers the bacon baps Pete’s charity – our local Air Ambulance. to Keith Griffiths. 3 Mercia Mercury - October 2020 2020 UK winner WORLD GOURMAND COOK BOOK AWARD unctuous, gently bub- FOR FOOD TOURISM bling away, left to its own devices for long periods of time, would act as a spur to keep us going through rain and snow and fog, knowing that we would be devouring our delicious dinner mere minutes after we had tied up “A Foodie Afloat” for the night. Once on the move, I was either steering the butty or lockwheeling his is Di Murrell’s second book (the to those who dream of boating off ahead of the boats, so there was little T first “Barges and Bread” will be into the sunset as well as those time to attend to nicieties of cooking. Oh explored and reviewed in next month’s who nurse a special interest is - but we did have some cracking meals Mercury). To quote her: food and wine in all its guises.” then.” “[A Foodie Afloat is] the story of a Tam and Di started carrying freight on The book is a wonderful read. Chapters cook’s journey through France on the canals around 1970. You’ll see them lead with a superbly written guide to a barge. As the landscape changes in the photograph “all that hair sort of where they are, what food can be for- so too does the cuisine and the gives the game away as to when this aged or is given, local food producers wine. Bought in the market, dug photo was taken - long, long ago, during and the changes wrought by time from a lock-keeper’s garden, even our happy-hippy days. At the time we which see the once bustling locks and foraged along the towpath beside were working a pair of English canal canalsides becoming all-too-frequently the waterway, the food I find and boats and in the picture we are seen quiet backwaters. Then follows a collec- cook is always seasonal and local loaded with barrels of unprocessed lime tion of recipes linked to the food just to the region. The boating life, pulp, heading up the Grand Union Canal gathered – tasty, seasonal foods with a though rarely sensational, is full of to L.Rose and Sons wharf at Hemel tempting twist or two. It’s had me look- small events and chance encoun- Hempsted. ing at self-drive barge holidays in ters. This, I hope, is an enticing It was also on these long trips across Burgundy and start planning. story of slow boats and slow food England, that I learned the value of slow [A Foodie Afloat by Di Murrell, Troubador brought to life. I hope it will appeal food cooking. A pot of something deeply Publishing. ISBN: 9781838593513]

 A R O U N D T H E M A R I N A 

batteries precisely because of this sort of on www.justgiving.com/fundraising/tony danger. It was unbelievably stupid be- -haslam1 or drop a donation into the haviour when, only a few steps away, Office. Give what you can for a very im- Streethay would have taken it for safe portant cause and a great effort from disposal. And scrap yards will pay for Tony and friends. them. Whoever is identified as doing this can be fined up to £5,000. Boat Moves The boat moves (for residential moor- Walk in aid of ings only) will happen in October. Most Prostate Cancer UK Tony Haslam’s walk from Preston Brook

Bins On Fire During September The Veolia Recycling Lorry had a fire as a consequence of col- lecting waste at the recycling bin by Avo- cet pontoon. pontoons tend to have a system worked Someone had disposed of an automotive out so if you arrived in the Marina within battery in the bin. As it was being com- the last few months, ask your neighbour pacted, the plates touched which causes or your Pontoon Rep. for more informa- a short circuit and that set off a fire. The tion. fire alarms in the cab went off and the Please make a note of the date you entire load had to be dumped. move; this is needed by the Office so it

Whoever did this should know that it is to Shardlow starts on Sunday 6 October. can be recorded against your boat’s against the law to dispose of automotive The quickest way to give is either to click name for the official records. 4 Mercia Mercury - October 2020

Covid-19

A message from Robert Neff (General Manager & Partner)

hen the Mercia Mercury is dis- W tributed, we may have been given new guidelines or information about new restrictions. But I imagine Rebecca Parker we’ll all need to continue to behave as carefully, courteously and aware as we have been through thoughout most of Karen Edwards this year – self-distancing, avoiding close contact, going out only for es- sential journeys, necessary shopping trips and exercise.

I would also hope that we have basics in the store cupboard and have the information we need for local shop- ping and supermarket deliveries. We’ve shown what a wonderful com- munity we can be; make sure this con- tinues through the winter months and that no one is feeling alone on their boat or in their lodge, no one is worry- ing about an errand that needs to be run and no one misses out on daily conversations even if it is through win- dows, open doors, on Zoom or over a phone!

And – most importantly – to ask for help or support from friends, neighbours and the Marina. It seems as though we’re in for a difficult winter so do take care of yourselves and each other.

Lee Gallagher Our thanks to Midland Chandlers August’s Photography for their support with Competition Winners this newsletter Congratulations to Karen Edwards, Rebecca Parker and Lee Gallagher for their late-summer inspired images. Each receives either a bottle of Prosecco or a box of chocolates from the Marina Office. If you are out and about around the marina with your camera and take a photo- graph you think merits inclusion in the Mercury, submit your entries to [email protected]