Suffolk Heights Benefice News March 2021

SUFFOLK HEIGHTS BENEFICE NEWS MARCH 2021

2nd March 1969—Concorde’s Maiden Flight

Rector: Rev Dr Simon Hill 01284 850857 [email protected]

Reader: Barbara Hill 01284 850857

CHEDBURGH—CHEVINGTON—DEPDEN HARGRAVE— HAWKEDON—REDE

SUFFOLK HEIGHTS BENEFICE NEWS March 2021

Welcome to the March 21edition of the SHBN. As ever, I look forward to receiving your contributions for this and future magazines.

We are very keen to have photographs of what has been going on in the Benefice. In fact the lack of communal events in lockdown makes them all the more valuable so don’t be shy about sending in photos! Please DO NOT SEND PDFs if it can be avoided. Only Word docs, Publisher files or Jpegs.

The deadline for the April 2021 edition is 5pm Monday 15th March 2021.

[email protected]. t

Contents Page

Rector’s Letter 4 Rain Matters 7 ADVERTISING RATES: Book at Bedtime 8 Chedburgh News 9 To advertise in this magazine, please RAF Chedburgh 10 contact Jill de Laat on 01284 850463, Chevington News 17 or email Chevington Parish Council 21 [email protected] Depden News 24 Aggie Redpath’s Kitchen 26 £65 per quarter page per year Hargrave News 27 £130 per half page per year Hawkedon News 32 Rede News 38 Specifications: Rede Scribe 39 1/4 page - 8.5cm x 5.5cm (3¼” x 2¼”) Hartest Gardening Club 43 Portrait ADVERTISEMENTS 44 1/2 page - 12cm x 8.5cm (5” x 3½”) Useful Numbers 63 Landscape Mobile Library 64 All images must be jpeg 150dpi Benefice Contacts 64

MY WEBSHOP IS STILL OPEN !! Please contact me with any questions or to place an order directly All orders either directly to your door or you can collect, whatever you prefer

Plus, all orders £30 or more get free delivery ! My mobile number is - 07702 310666 Email - [email protected]

Do you belong to or run a group that is looking for virtual talks?

My name is Simon de Laat and I work as a volunteer speaker for East Anglian Air Ambulance. The charity has worked hard to readjust to these surreal times and we now have a presentation that can be delivered virtually to groups and clubs

The presentation lasts for 30 minutes with the opportunity for questions at the end. Feedback from other groups has been very positive – we have tried to engage the audience by adding video footage and slides rather than just listening to a talk. Virtual presentations are a whole new world!

If you feel that your club or society would like me to give a talk please drop me an email at [email protected] EAAA has never had a set charge for delivering talks to community groups – we welcome all donations from clubs and their members to help us continue the life -saving work that we do within our communities www.eaaa.org.uk

LETTER FROM THE RECTOR

I do hope that no one is giving anything up for Lent this year. If this pestilence (under an editorial edict, I’m not allowed put pen to its name) has taught us anything, it is that giving things up is no road to well-being and most certainly not happiness. There are bound to be exceptions to this observation but the overwhelming majority of us are living slimmed down lives already, without giving anything else up.

Yes, it’s true. The seven deadly sins are just a step away. But it’s a pretty screwy idea that you only have to forgo their pleasures for six weeks a year. This persistent idea that somehow, we should make ourselves miserable for Lent, just won’t go away. ‘You’re not allowed flowers in church during Lent.’ What balderdash! I’m all for giving the over-stretched and wonderful flower people a break from their loving devotion, but don’t use a miserable Lent as the reason.

In his Gospel, John recalls Jesus’ declaration as being ‘the Good Shepherd’. And in the passage that follows John contrasts the Good Shepherd with a thief, ‘The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they (the sheep) may have life, and have it abundantly’ (John 10.10). So many are suffering terribly at present. Thousands of families are grieving, others suffering lingering health conditions. Many have lost their jobs, suffering not only loss of income but of dignity. And what is abundantly clear is that, far from levelling up, an even larger wedge has been driven between those of us who are OK and those who have been disproportionately thumped, those whose lives have been stolen from them by this thief. We are under no illusion. The social cost will be felt for a long time to come, paid for by those who are least able to afford it. So how on earth, in these appalling times, can we speak of the Good Shepherd as one who ‘offers life in abundance’?

I wonder whether the psalmist was faced with a similar conundrum when he/she penned, ‘You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore’ (Psalm 16.1). Was the psalmist also faced with pestilence and fear? We don’t know, but the psalmist suggests that by trusting in God we will be led through the wilderness into the fullness of joy. And, in his Gospel, John tells us how the Good Shepherd will lead us away from the poverty to pastures new.

There’s no escaping the desert we are living in at present but when the Israelites found themselves in the Babylonian wilderness, amidst the sorrow the prophet Isaiah finds a sign of hope, ‘The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing’ (Isaiah 35.1-2). The crocuses will soon be in flower, by when we will be approaching Easter and hopefully the easing of restrictions.

So, don’t waste time thinking about what to give up, and then fretting because you gave in to your temptation and ate a whole bar of chocolate. That’s the path to miserableness. No, fight the good fight of the faith, in lives overflowing with generosity and love, rich in good works and ready to share. Because herein lies life in all its fullness. This is nothing about giving anything up. Except yourself of course.

Every year the Diocese has a Lent Appeal and this year we are again supporting our twinned diocese of Kagera. Kagera Diocese is in North-West Tanzania, where, unsurprisingly, the people have been devasted by recent events. In particular, we are raising funds in support of Kagera’s Church and Community Mobilisation Project. The project seeks to help subsistence farmers survive the climate crisis, support the diocesan hospital providing medical care to the most in need and trains priests in their pastoral work directed towards leading their people out of poverty. The vision of Kagera is, ‘Life in all its fullness’ and with our support we can assist them achieve it. If you would like to make a donation, you can make a payment online at cofesuffolk.org/bishops-lent-appeal or drop your gift at the Rectory, New Road, Chevington IP29 5QL and I will forward on your behalf.

BENEFICE SERVICES IN MARCH

Due to the changing nature of lockdown at the moment it is difficult to plan church services accurately, so for the latest information of Benefice services can you please refer to the information on the Benefice website,

suffolkheights.org

THE COLD SNAP

We’ve all had a dollop of snow lately and some of us may have enjoyed it more than others. I can’t say I like being cold but a touch of the white stuff during the proper time of year does make it feel right, somehow.

I asked for photos from around the benefice of snowy scenes the result of which you will see scattered with gay abandon throughout the magazine’s pages.

So thanks to Ian Leggett, Christine Fitzgerald, Lucy Agazarian, Pip Goodwin, Fiona Reddick and Jacky Pratten who answered my plaintive cry for photos.

I look forward to the next exciting “weather event” so we can liven up these pages with more stunning images. JdL

Stanley in the Snow

A mini snowman in Hargrave

Fiona’s frozen puddle

Rain Matters Jamie Robertson

January was another wet month with 95.75mm of rain, a figure you might well expect to be near the average for the time of year. In fact it is the third wettest January since we came to Chevington. 2014 (99.75mm) and 1995 (98mm), the first year we took measurements, were both wetter. Other Januaries were positively dry in comparison. 1997 had only 3.5mm of rain.

This year the month had no spectacular downpours, just a seemingly never- ending succession of dull, damp days, in fact the worst kind of weather for a lockdown. The ground seems to have drunk up as much of the rain as is geologically possible and the water table has come about as high as it can come without turning the village into a pond.

We did have snow on the 15th and 16th January and the temperatures came down to zero on a few days. In the past we have seen daffodils and snowdrops well into bud by the end of the month but not this year, with flowers keeping their heads down and safely tucked away until we get a proper change of weather.

A BOOK AT BEDTIME—AND A NIGHTCAP Tune in as Jamie Robertson reads a short story each week. Jamie has so far dipped into the worlds of James Herriott, Laurie Lee, O. Henry, Somerset Maugham, P.G. Wodehouse and Rudyard Kipling. So grab a nightcap of cocoa or a snifter of something stronger and join us and Jamie every Friday and Sunday evening. Everyone welcome to sign in to the Zoom link at 9.45pm - a great way to unwind at the end of the day.

Details of the Zoom link are on our SHBN website, www.suffolkheights.org, each week.

WORLD DAY OF PRAYER 2021

th - Friday 5 March

World Day of Prayer is a world-wide movement led by Christian women from around the world who call the faithful together to observe a common day of prayer each year. The service has a special annual theme and this year’s service has been prepared by the women of Vanuatu, an island country located in the South Pacific. The theme chosen for 2021 is ‘Build on a Strong Foundation’.

Due to current restrictions, we will be holding the service via Zoom on Friday 5 March at 6pm. Please check the Suffolk Heights website – www.suffolkheights.org – for log in details. If you would like to participate by doing a reading during the service, would like a service booklet sent to you by post or would like to make an offering to the World Day of Prayer, please contact Jill Upton 01284 850286 or [email protected].

CHEDBURGH All Saints’ Church

Chedburgh

FLOODLIGHTING YOUR MEMORIES

If you would like to support the cost of floodlighting All Saints’ Church, Chedburgh in memory of a loved one or to mark a significant event we ask for a contribution of £15 a week. To book please contact Christine Lofts, 850479, donations will be acknowledged in Suffolk Heights Benefice News.

Mr Alan Hilditch R.I.P.

Mr Alan Hilditch, known to everyone in Chedburgh as Bill, passed away suddenly, at home, on 25th January. Bill and Audrey were in the process of moving house to Telford to live nearer family and with the help of her family Audrey has now moved. The family would like to thank everyone who has sent condolences, and supported them at this very difficult time.

This is the view from Christine Fitzgerald’s garden in Chedburgh during the cold snap

R.A.F. CHEDBURGH CHEDBURGH

This is the third of Ian Leggett’s articles about RAF Chedburgh during WWII. This month he covers Site 6 and recalls the tragic accidents resulting of loss of life of the airmen stationed here.

R.A.F. Chedburgh From the Viewpoint of the Airmen

The February article mainly related to the building of the airfield. Some of the early arrivals at Chedburgh were transferred from R.A.F. Stradishall, an airfield which was built mainly in peacetime as a permanent site. The accommodation was brick built and had decent insulation. There were recreation areas, a football pitch and officers had houses with a garden. Compare this to Chedburgh. Flimsy asbestos clad units on a concrete and brick base, steel window frames, communal coal fired heater, and of course all washing and toilet facilities were a distance away. No outside lighting, and we all know what the surface area in Chedburgh is like after rain. Muddy! It was well known that Chedburgh was not a site that they relished.

The first winter, 1942, was harsh with long periods of snow and ice. Then of course there were the hundreds of young men and women who had joined up and after initial training this would have been their first posting. They were in for a shock. Much of the accommodation was not finished and some of the showers were not connected, especially in the WAAF area. They would have been particularly distressed to find no doors on the toilets, which resulted in them having to use the male facilities. Hardly a good idea.

Now, I have already mentioned the Chedburgh clay mud. The airfield was hastily constructed and you can imagine this sticky mud was everywhere. Some machinery was still on the runway and there were occasions when aircraft hit this machinery causing them to lose control, and if this meant veering off the runway onto the soft clay alongside it inevitably meant the undercarriage collapsing and the aircraft nosediving into the ground. The Stirling was a very high aeroplane and the undercarriage was a weak point, so there were numerous incidents. Similarly if the aeroplane was taking off or landing and met a sharp cross wind the soft area was waiting.

CHEDBURGH

There are many stories also of the aeroplane on full acceleration to take off having an engine failure on one engine causing it to veer off the runway or, as it failed to gain height, it would clip trees at the end of the runway and crash. Rede Hall Farm saw one crash nearby. Another crashed across the A143 towards Depden 400 yards from the Marquis Cornwallis pub. This was on 2nd July 1943 and six aircrew were killed. A Lancaster crashed near th Depden Church on 20 April 1945 killing all eight crew. Four days later another Lancaster crashed on Bury Road killing eight airmen.

On 24th April 1945 another fully-loaded Lancaster lost control and crashed onto the area behind what is now Mulberry Park. This was a WAAF area and some were trapped in the shower area and many more in the cinema while the fire was dealt with. Fortunately the bombs did not explode, but the eight aircrew were killed.

Even walking along the road wasn’t that safe; an airman was run over by a lorry in a military convoy near Chedburgh Church on 8th August 1943. Near to Chedburgh Hall was Hall Farm and it was here that an early crash occurred when a Stirling lost control soon after the airfield opened. That was on 24th October 1942; the crew survived but were badly burnt. A good test for the fire crews and the R.A.F. Hospital in Majors Close. A similar incident with a Stirling was on 17th February 1943 when it crashed at the front of Tan Office Farm in Chevington.

Some of the pilots made amazing attempts to return the aircraft to the airfield, or at least to avoid crashing onto housing. I can only imagine the terror trying to control an unresponsive aircraft full of fuel and high explosive bombs. Like the Stirling that crashed near Hargrave Hall on 20th January 1944 killing all nine crew. And a month later on 22nd April 1944 when five were killed at Barrow and a month later at Banstead Green, another Stirling, when two more killed. Remember again, the average age of these airmen was 22. Quite an adventure for them. At that age adventure would have diluted much of the fear, but coming back to an accommodation block and finding eight empty beds must have played on their minds no matter how hardened they had become. I composed a poem (page 13) a few years ago, based on the thoughts of a Chedburgh Airman. This one, though, was killed and his soul is still here, so these words are his words as he walks the area and recalls his fears.

CHEDBURGH This is the area now known as Kings Park, originally designated Site 6. The reference to the buildings, below, uses the terminology Barracks rather than Quarters for all the accommodation units except the one Officers’ Quarters. Noting also that there was a boiler room and a drying room and the proximity to the airfield, this area was for ground crew and airfield workers rather than airmen. They would be clothed in boiler suits rather than uniforms which would have required regular washing. It looks as though the current entrance driveway is built on the same Site 6 entrance drive. The proximity with the area opposite (now Elizabeth Drive, in next month’s issue) was well thought out with the leisure facilities a short walk away.

SITE NO 6 KINGS PARK. Building Reference: 1. 1 Officers’ Quarters and latrines 7. 2 Latrines 2. 1 Boiler Room 8. 9 Nissen Barrack Huts 3. 1 Ablutions 9. 8 Everite Barrack Huts 4. 1 Drying Room 10. 3 Barrack Huts 5. 1 Fuel Compound 11. 3 Air Raid Shelters 6. 1 Effluent Tank 12. 1 Picket Post

THE CHEDBURGH AIRMAN CHEDBURGH

I was an airman flying from the airfield here, I was sent on flying missions, and each time filled with fear. I drank at the Marquis with its wonderful beer,

It helped, but always, I still had that fear. I met a Chedburgh girl, but dare not call her dear, In case I should not return, I lived with that horrible fear. After every mission, as Chedburgh drew near,

My heart relaxed from that constant fear. The church that I attended, and wise words I would hear, They helped to control my worry and that awful fear. At the school, the children would call out, and cheer, So I smiled, and waved, so hiding that aching fear. Then one day, while returning at the end of the year,

My plane was hit, exploding, now no time for fear. We all died on that mission, never more to appear, But at last I will not have to live with that fear. I am at peace in Chedburgh, and your voices I can hear, With no pain, and no worries, but mostly, I have no fear.

Ian Leggett

CHEDBURGH FOOD WASTE

We regularly see items about food waste. Not only is it costly to waste food, but in most instances it is avoidable. This article is about fresh food waste. There are three levels at which food waste can occur: 1) At the point of growing 2) In the store selling

3) At home

With the demand for perfect looking fruit and veg the mis-shapen or under/ oversized items are often rejected. They taste the same, last as long, but are just not size-consistent. The stores who now sell “Wonky” fruit are to be congratulated and if you buy this fruit or veg you are helping to avoid food waste. In the shop you may come across pre-packaged items marked 30% off or half price as they are short dated. With pre-packaged items many have a “Display Until” date and at that time the item will be reduced. However, the “Best Before” date will often be a few more days away. Take them out of the plastic bag at home and store in a cool dark place and most fruit and veg will keep far beyond those dates. Another way to avoid waste. Then there is the potential waste at home. I rarely have to throw out anything. Be flexible with your eating menu, if you see something that needs using up, like a few tomatoes that are going soft, or some potatoes starting to sprout, then make your choice a Cottage Pie. You can use up all sorts of veg, frozen and fresh, with mince, and even grate any dry or stale cheese to make a tasty meal. Now what about bread? I never have to throw bread out. We are not big bread eaters so the sliced loaf is packed into freezer bags of four slices per bag, leaving out just the last four slices. Bring the bread out of the freezer the day required and after an hour or so it tastes as good as fresh. Bear in mind the 50% off stickers. A loaf sold at reduced price will freeze down just the same as a new baked loaf. Save money and avoid any waste. If you do get some bread that is going a little dry, then use it up as toast, or as Bread and Butter Pudding, an old fashioned dessert but very tasty. Another is eggs. When you buy a tray there is normally a use by date on the egg. If you realise you are not going to use them by that date, why not freeze them? Yes you can. The eggs will be perfect for making cakes or for scrambled egg afterwards. Break the first egg in a cup. (To ensure it is not a bad one) then pour into a small mixing bowl. Repeat with 2nd/3rd and 4th egg.

With a hand mixer or fork mix the egg vigorously so that the yolk and the CHEDBURGH white are mixed and form a pasty gel with no lumps. Pour the eggs into a freezable lidded container, label the lid so you know what they are, and put in the freezer. When you come to use them do not use defrost in the microwave as the white will cook and go lumpy. Just leave the container at room temperature for a few hours to thaw normally. You now have four eggs, all ready to make a home made cake.*** And you have avoided food waste. Milk is a product easily wasted, but why? I buy milk in two litre bottles, 10 at a time, and freeze eight of them as soon as I get home and the other two go in the fridge. That way, the day before you need a fresh bottle just take it out of the freezer and defrost at room temperature. (In the fridge it can take 2-3 days). If by any chance you do need to use up some milk then try a rice pudding. Simply rice, small amount of sugar and milk. Home made rice pudding is so much better that the canned type. (Make sure you buy pudding rice as the long grain type is not really suitable). To make it special sprinkle nutmeg on the mixture when cooking. Now I have not mentioned meat! Well that is an easy one. Bobby my Golden Retriever makes sure there is never any meat left over, so no waste there. Ian Leggett ***”Frozen eggs in any form need to be fully thawed to be used and can only be eaten in thoroughly cooked dishes. Never cook eggs directly from frozen”. (British Egg Industry Advice)

Obituary

Mrs Jane Wilson It is with sadness that we have to report the sudden death of Mrs Jane Wilson, who lived in Elizabeth Drive until 2018 when she moved to Newmarket to be closer to her family. Jane and her husband Bill chose Chedburgh to set up home about 25 years ago on their return from New Zealand where they spent much of their working life. Bill, who died in 2017, was quite a character and they were both very good neighbours and liked by all. Jane helped out at village Jumble Sales helping to raise funds for Chedburgh Church and was also a member of the Village Lunch Club until she moved away. The funeral took place at St Mary's Church, Newmarket. on February 19th where she was buried with her husband Bill. RIP Jane

Chedburgh Walkers

Snow Dog Meets Bella

Bella and Diz

Frozen Pond at Knowles Green, Hargrave

All Saints’ Church

Chevington CHEVINGTON

Parish Prayers Every week at the Sunday service at All Saints’, Chevington we pray for areas of our village and matters of local concern. Over the past few months we have been praying for those worst affected by the pandemic and continue to pray especially for the lonely and frightened and those whose lives have been blighted by the pandemic and the

lockdowns.

CHURCH LIGHTING

If you would like to support the cost of floodlighting the tower at All Saints', Chevington in memory of a loved one or to mark a significant event we ask for a contribution of £15 a week. To book please contact Simon Williams on 850045

OPENING THE CHURCH All Saints’ Church is now open for private prayer and for weekly Sunday services. If you wish to enter the church there are instructions on the church door as to how to act to minimise the chances of infection:

• A bottle of hand sanitiser is provided at the door. • Please sign the visitors’ form. This is to help track and trace if any visitors contract coronavirus. • Please use the plastic chairs for sitting and not the wooden pews. A cleansing spray is also provided. • If you pick up any guide book or prayer sheet they must be taken from the church with you when you leave. Thank You

CHEVINGTON 2021 GARDEN FAYRE

If you can cast your minds back to before the current difficulty, you may remember we had grand plans for a 2020 Benefice Whitsun Tea and Plant Sale. There had been a thought that we might postpone the event until this year. But experience has taught us that planning events like this leaves us

at the mercy of lockdowns, quarantines, isolations and all the

uncertainties of the pandemic. However, several Chevington gardeners have suggested we could just open our gardens on the same day with the minimum fuss and organisation and invite people to wander in, buy a plant if any were for sale and if the regulations allow us, have a cup of tea. There have also been suggestions we may put on another event at the church similar to the Christmas Comfort and Joy exhibition, but with a summer theme. The date suggested is:

Sunday, 23rd May If anyone has ideas about how we might be able to run this either on a village basis or at a Benefice level, please contact: Jane Thacker on 01284 850384 or Jane Romana-Powling on 01284 850680.

Chedburgh, Chevington and Depden Oil Syndicate

After the cold weather in February you will probably be anxious to refill your oil tanks. So please check and let us know if you would like to order oil this month. The deadline date is 6pm on Wednesday 10th March. Prices will be negotiated by the weekend.

Call us on 07985 884172 or email [email protected] with your name, CHEVINGTON address, contact number and volume of oil in litres. (Minimum order is 500 litres)

If you are new to the area or would like to join the syndicate, please let us know.

Thanks, Kaz Morris

Chevington church across a snowy field—Pip Goodwin

John Sundon Fyson Over two years ago I researched the names on the Chevington War Memorial. One of them was John Sundon Fyson (His name is recorded on his Nairobi gravestone as John Sundow Fyson) who had lived with his brother William, two sisters, Florence Maud and Rosa Sophia, and his parents John and Alice at Ruffins Farm. William emigrated to Canada, probably to Saskatchewan, in 1903. John joined the colonial service in

CHEVINGTON Kenya, and worked for the Public Works Dept supervising road construction from a place called Londiani, about 130 miles north west of Nairobi close to Lake Victoria. He came home on leave at the start of the war but then sailed back to Mombasa in March 1915. Later that year he joined the East African Pioneers, a kind of engineering/construction/fighting unit. He died of Blackwater fever (a complication of malaria) in the British General

Hospital on 16th May 1917 and was buried in Nairobi.

It also appeared that he had been at school at Framlingham College. However, he was not on their Roll of Honour and there was no mention of him on the Chapel War Memorial. I contacted the Society of Old Framlinghamians and told them of my research and at the end of last year heard back from Chris Essex who wrote: “I confirm your research that our John Sundon Fyson does appear to have died while serving with East African Pioneers during WW1. One additional piece of the jigsaw was the fact that his elder brother also briefly attended the College in 1897. We will therefore arrange for his name to be added to the Chapel memorial in time for Remembrance Sunday 2021.”

John’s father gave up farming in 1918. There is no trace I can find of his brother William. Florence died unmarried in 1947. Sophia Rosa married Robertson Rolfe, a corn merchant and lived in St Andrews Street in Bury and according to the 1911 Census, had one daughter Edith Marion.

Jamie Robertson

CHEVINGTON PARISH COUNCIL

Council contacts: Cllr Agazarian (Chairman) 07776 783747; CHEVINGTON Cllr McCormack (Vice Chairman) 850277; Cllr Keegan 850628; Cllr Briggs 0778 9775157; Cllr Mark Surety 07808 974530

Neighbourhood Watch: Peter Keegan, James Briggs. All Neighbourhood Watch queries to The Clerk

The Clerk: Mrs Betts 810508. Email: [email protected]

Planning Applications: Please contact PC Website https:// chevington.onesuffolk.net

Please refer to the PC website for updates, minutes of meetings and information about the village:

CHEVINGTON PARISH COUNCIL WEBSITE https://chevington.onesuffolk.net

Suffolk Heights Benefice News Website http://suffolkheights.org

Just a reminder that The Suffolk Heights Benefice News Website is there to provide information for anyone who cares to log on. suffolkheights.org is a beautifully designed website, lovely photography with the fun things as well as the serious stuff: cookery, book at bedtime, gardening, church news, countryside matters and more.

Lucy’s dog in the snow

Chairman’s Report

Litter As our PC annual litter pick has been put on hold, I would like to thank volunteers who take it upon themselves to pick up rubbish in Chevington, mainly thrown out of passing car windows. Denis Doyle, Dr. St. Clair Roberts

CHEVINGTON and his daughter Rosanna, and all others, who really are unsung heroes doing this thankless task.

If anyone would like to volunteer (in your own bubble please). Individuals can sign up by filling out this online form. https://westsuffolk-self.achieveservice.com/service/ Community_Volunteer_Form_Litter_Picking

We’ll deliver:

• litter picker, • a hoop, • a hi viz jacket • waste bags • If using your own black bin bags, put rubbish in your own bin. If using council bags put by side of bin and council will collect.

VAS machine VAS The new VAS machine, which has been bought with your precept money to keep the village safe, is being activated on all roads in Chevington; one always wants to be greeted with the green smiley face not red!

Anglian Water The Parish Council is in communication with Anglian Water concerning water overflowing the road by the pumping station.

Just remember when you read this it will be March and the clocks will go forward at the end of the month, so time to celebrate. Spring is on the way!

Lucy Agazarian Chairman Chevington Parish Council

PARISH COUNCIL VACANCIES The Parish Council and Clerk were very sad to hear of the decision made by Cllr Denis Doyle to resign from the Council. We would like to thank Denis for his loyalty and hard work to the Parish Council over the last thirty years. With his efforts the bank balance slowly grew and with this firm financial grounding the Council has been able to maintain services to the village such as new benches, dog bins, neighbourhood watch signs, VAS CHEVINGTON machines and poles and a small, but well manicured burial ground. Denis has also been vigilant keeping an eye on the small sewage pumping station at the bottom of Church Lane and has monitored the frequent flooding issues which alerts Anglian Water to come and deal with the problem. He is often seen walking around the village and alerts the Clerk to potholes, dumped rubbish in ditches and other nefarious activities which can then be sorted. I for one, will miss him on the Council. Thank You, Denis. THIS MEANS WE NOW HAVE TWO VACANCIES ON THE COUNCIL. INTERESTED? Contact the Clerk if you are. The Clerk: Mrs Betts 810508. Email: [email protected]

CHEVINGTON WI

Our latest Zoom talk was speaker Chris Foote-Wood, the brother of much loved Victoria Wood. He spoke about her early life as the youngest of four children. Their father was an Insurance Agent but was very theatrical, playing in a band and had written episodes of Coronation Street. Victoria played the piano from an early age. Her career began at the Rochdale Youth Theatre, she won New Faces and started her partnership with Julie Walters. Her writings include Acorn Antiques, Pat and Margaret and Dinnerladies. She wrote and stared in Housewife 49 for which she won two Baftas, one as the writer and the another for acting. Sadly, Victoria died of cancer at only 62 leaving a son Henry and daughter Grace, both have followed their mother into the music industry.

Our speaker for March, via Zoom, will be Murray Jacobs, subject Kings Parade in Cambridge. We are making plans to celebrate our 100th birthday in April but it looks like that will be a virtual party. More information nearer the time. If you would like more information about the WI or think the WI can help in any way, please contact the Secretary Susan Boor 01284 850536 or email [email protected].

St Mary the Virgin Church, Depden

NEWS FROM DEPDEN CHURCH DEPDEN

This has been a particularly difficult winter for Depden Church. The combination of lockdown restrictions and very muddy pathways have made it difficult hold services in the church, but we are expecting to hold services there again from February. I am going to put my head on the line

and say that a service will be held on March 21st at 11am. The Zoom services continue.

Evelyn Payne 01284 850502

Bee Orchids in Lawns (continued) There were one or two things that I forgot to mention last month. The first one is that when the orchids develop from seed they spend a while underground growing their root system which looks a bit like a pair of testicles, hence their name. When the leaves and eventual flowers do occur it will be after some years of underground development. If you find the leaves in your lawn and the flowers come out it is good to leave the plant to set seed and allow the seeds to disperse. In Britain Bee Orchids are generally self pollinated, the seeds are tiny and are dispersed by the wind. Plants do not always appear in the same spot each year so they need to be marked each year in the early spring. Good hunting! Evelyn Payne

DEPDEN PARISH COUNCIL

DEPDEN PARISH COUNCIL Chairman: Mark Leadbeater

Councillors: Dennis Bibby, Peter Ebbens, Nicky Moncrieff, Andrew Rabett and Andrew Read

Neighbourhood Watch Contact: Angela Barnetson, Area Co-ordinator.

Telephone no. 07875 605165 email: [email protected] DEPDEN

A DEPDEN BIRTHDAY

I was overwhelmed on Sunday 7th February, my 95th birthday, when I awoke to find banners along the drive and Happy Birthday notices on the doors and windows and cards, pot bulbs and gifts on the doorstep. Later on a box of home made cakes and goodies for my afternoon tea.

I did not need a reminder that I live in a very caring community but was very touched by the efforts made to make my birthday such a memorable one.

Thank you all. Pearl Sugden

ZOOM WINETASTING join charles eaton of nethergate wines friday 19th March 7pm Taste four bottles of wine for £40 in your household bubble Local delivery with tasting notes. Purchase in advance to guarantee early delivery. Provide email address for zoom connection. Subject to change depending on Covid regulations

Organised by St Mary the Virgin Church Depden

RSVP [email protected] or 01284 850658

Recipe from Aggie Redpath’s Family Kitchen and Garden

As it is Seville Orange Season, what else would you make but …………… Marmalade Upside Down Cake

Heat oven to 180C/350Fgas Mark 4 Grease a 22.5cm round cake tin, and line with greaseproof paper.

For the base 40g butter 40g caster sugar 2 large heaped tbsp marmalade

2 sweet oranges sliced into segments HARGRAVE

For the cake 200g very soft butter (soft, not liquid) 4 eggs 3 tbsp Seville Marmalade 2 tbsp milk 50g ground almonds

200g self raising flour 1 heaped teaspoon baking powder

In a pan melt (slowly) base ingredients, pour into cake tin. Lay segments in tin in a circle, tips touching in the middle and fanning out.

Put all cake ingredients into the bowl of an electric mixer, mix gently until incorporated and fluffy adding flour and baking powder last.

Spread batter on top of base mixture spreading it out and bake for 35 mins, test with skewer— if comes out clean, cake is done, if wet, leave for another few minutes.

Turn out carefully removing the paper, the delicious orange base will now be at the top, cool and eat with cold greek yoghurt.

St Edmund’s Church, Hargrave

HARGRAVE QUIZ Via Zoom Saturday 6th March

2021 HARGRAVE Saturday 10th April 2021 7.00pm—9.00pm

There will be prizes—delivery within the Benefice only! For log in details and how to make a donation please go to www.suffolkheights.org or scan QR code

Proceeds to St Edmund Church, Hargrave Fabric Fund

HARGRAVE’S HISTORY ARRIVES FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD

The Hargrave Heritage website only went on line at the end of October, so we were surprised to receive two emails this month from Australia and New

Zealand offering stories of old village families from the 19th and 20th centuries. The wonders of modern technology!

The Gooch Family Two years ago we

HARGRAVE received details of a beer house on Hargrave Green that had been auctioned by Charles Gooch in 1847, but had no information about what happened to the family thereafter as they disappeared from the subsequent censuses. We now learn from his great grandson from Queensland, Australia that Charles and his family emigrated and settled in Queensland, with son Alfred who was five when he left Hargrave. He

became the first postman in Bondi, delivering on horseback - a remote image from this busy suburb of Sydney famous for its beach and surfers.

The White Family Fred and Flo White moved from a South London home with all mod cons to Knowles Green Cottage in 1953, in search of “the good life”. The “good life” then came with no electricity, no running water and no sanitation. Lighting relied on oil lamps and candles and bathing was in a tin bath. Such was the state of the lane that the milkman refused to deliver and so a goat was purchased to supply milk. Even Chevington and Chedburgh schools still had bucket toilets and the church no electricity. What a difference 45 years has made to our comfortable life in West Suffolk. Read the White Family’s full story on page 29.

Read more at www.heritage.hargrave-suffolk.co.uk. If you have information on Hargrave families, memories, photos or anything about the village, please send to [email protected]. It might just be the missing piece we are looking for.

HARGRAVE HERITAGE These Hargrave memories come from Valerie Wadsley (née White) who lived at Knowles Green in the 1950s and 60s. Mrs Wadsley now lives in New Zealand.

I came to live in Hargrave in 1953 when my parents, Fred and Flo White, bought the cottage at Knowles Green from a Mrs Brown. I think they paid under £1,000 for the house, now a grade II listed property. We had previously lived in South London in a home with all modern conveniences so the move meant a huge change in our lives. The cottage looked picturesque but it lacked electricity, running water and sanitation. We relied on Tilley and Aladdin oil lamps, candles, a Tilley iron, battery powered radio and Calor gas cooking stove. A well supplied water outside the back door, and there was a dunny outhouse beside the pond. In order to have a bath we heated a bucket of water over a Primus stove, tipped it into a tin bath and topped up with cold water. Housekeeping was certainly not easy.

HARGRAVE My father removed the black coal range from the inglenook fireplace, revealing the original bread oven in good condition. Upstairs the floorboards were so uneven that blocks of wood had to be placed under bed legs to make them stand level. I remember my mother bought an old washstand set, a jug and basin, at a jumble sale for five shillings, which she put in the bedroom. What would an antique dealer charge for the same items today? Tradesmen were reluctant to call at the cottage because of the narrow road. The daily newspaper was left in a drainpipe further up the lane. As the milkman would not deliver, my mother kept goats to supply us with milk.

My parents had a dream of the "good life" which was not a profitable venture. Their pigs and chickens were well housed in an outbuilding constructed by my father. It seems the livestock enjoyed more comforts than we did. George Farrow and his mother were our nearest neighbours. Surrounding land was farmed by Ken Reid who employed George Rudderham and Bill Grey as Foreman. Pluck Hall was still standing down Knowles Green, though in a derelict state. It was a big old farmhouse with a multi-seater dunny, all of which eventually burnt down. I remember another derelict house across the fields off the Wickhambrook Road, home to a colony of jackdaws.

I have happy memories of picking wildflowers in the ditches—cowslips, violets, king cups and wood anemones. The bluebell wood at Great Saxham was a joy in spring. There were wild ponies and mistletoe in Ickworth Park. Moorhens nested on all the ponds.

Chevington and Chedburgh village schools still had bucket toilets. Miss Crawford was headmistress at Chedburgh. She kept many cats and I recall her sharing her lunch (a hot meal served at our desks) with her pets. She ate from one side of the plate while cats ate from the other! Anyone who misbehaved in class had to sit next to brothers who had a problem with HARGRAVE personal hygiene. Sitting next to the smelly kids was hardly a politically correct form of discipline. I attended the county Grammar School for girls in Northgate Street, Bury St Edmunds and am still in touch with some of my fellow pupils. My contemporaries on the school bus included Barbara Smith, Wendy and Valentine Tolhurst, Stella and David Knight, Jean Arbon, Diana and Stuart Ayres, Willie Grey, Terry Carpenter and David Pettitt. I wonder if they or their descendants are still in the area? Surprisingly, I still have in my possession an old gig lamp found in a shed at Knowles Green and now well travelled both in time and space.

Personalities in Hargrave included Ian Carlisle, an Anglican lay reader who also assisted at Chapel services. Despite a serious disfigurement, Alec Morley at the village shop was cheerful and helpful to customers. I remember attending a wonderful candlelit harvest festival at Depden Green church conducted by Reverend Harold Koop. There was no electricity in the church, only a very holy atmosphere—the result of centuries of prayer. I once found a small bat at Hargrave church and took it home wrapped in a handkerchief.

Whist drives and Saturday hops were a regular feature of village Life. There was always a live band at these dances, though it might only have three or four pieces. At one such dance at Hargrave Village Hall, I met my future husband who was working on a research project at Risby fruit farms. We married in Chedburgh church and emigrated to New Zealand in 1962. Initially we came on a teacher recruitment scheme for three years, but nearly 60 years later, I am still here. Tragically my mother was killed in a car crash in 1965 and after a few years my father left Hargrave.

The cottage may not have been convenient, but it had its own magic. The plum and greengage trees yielded fruit, icicles hung from the thatch in winter, bats flitted around at dusk and the hay loft in the barn held echoes of times past. Truly a peaceful corner of England.

As part of the Hargrave Heritage Project, residents have been asked if they’d like to submit a doorstep photo for posterity. Here

are some of them:

HARGRAVE

If any other residents of Hargrave would like to snap their doorstep photos, please send them into the Hargrave Heritage Project

St Mary’s Church, Hawkedon

ST MARY’S CHURCH FLOODLIGHTING The floodlighting for the week of January 24th was in appreciation of Rosie Cawston and all local NHS workers. The week of February 1st was in fond memory of Diana Rose. The 14th February week was in honour of Jean Gardner’s birthday.

If you would like to sponsor the tower floodlighting for a week in celebration of an occasion or in memory of a loved one, please contact David Taylor on 789324. The suggested weekly donation is £15.

HAWKEDON PARISH COUNCIL

HAWKEDON The Parish Council had a meeting on 20th January. ‘Highlights’ include discussions about tree works around St Mary’s Church, the now permanently missing postbox at Scoles Gate and defibrillator training.

During the meeting the Parish Council precept was agreed – this is the amount added to your Council Tax bill to fund the Parish Council. The total precept for Hawkedon has been set at £216.36, which is much lower than all surrounding villages. In all probability it will be the lowest in all of West

Suffolk. Do you consider this to be evidence that Hawkedon Parish Council is run with remarkable efficiency? - or would you like your Parish Council to be raising more to give them more resources to have a local influence? Talk to your Councillors to let them know….

Draft minutes of the meeting can be found at hawkedon.blogspot.com.

LOCAL HEROES

You may well have seen Rosie Cawston featured in the East Anglian Times. The strength of character and commitment of many of our NHS staff has been well documented, but it is all the more poignant when it is one of your neighbours. If you have not read the article, have a look at eadt.co.uk/ news/life-as-a-covid-nurse-suffolk-690195.

There are, of course, many others who have worked throughout the last year, fulfilling vital roles in keeping essential businesses and services going. Here is a small selection of those who live in Hawkedon:

Keeping water safe—Richie Reading runs a business with six employees providing vital water treatment and plumbing services to commercial properties such as care homes, office blocks, universities and hotels. Richie has had the challenge of continuing to work in occupied properties and has had to get used to additional PPE for himself and his staff, as well as coping with delays necessitated by testing prior to entering properties. These additional costs in conjunction with a small reduction in turnover caused by the pandemic have put extra strains on the running of a small business, but Richie considers himself fortunate to have a business that has been able to continue operating throughout

the year. HAWKEDON

Getting rid of our rubbish—Sean O’Connell manages the collection of waste from businesses in West Suffolk. Having been one of very few people working from the office, Sean has found many other responsibilities have

landed on his desk, such as the provision of PPE,

simply by virtue of his physical presence. The waste team has needed mitigation strategies to cope with the dual issues of staff having to isolate and fluctuating service demands – while levels of commercial waste have gone down, domestic waste has increased. Sean is full of praise for West Suffolk Council employees who have been out on the roads keeping our towns and homes clean and free of waste.

Providing medical supplies—Chris Gray has changed jobs during the last year. During lockdown one Chris was working in the supply chain for a ‘big pharma’ company, providing pills and capsules to the NHS and globally. Overnight, the whole administration of the company adapted to working from home, which has now become a permanent way of working. Adding to the challenge was the need to prepare for Brexit whilst in the midst of a pandemic. Chris now works for a company providing bespoke cancer treatments, and has responsibility for the early phase development team designing these treatments. He described how they are struggling to get hold of some parts required for this work as they are being reserved for the manufacture of Covid ventilators. It provides a shocking context when cancer treatments are being sacrificed in the fight against Covid.

MORE HAWKEDON HISTORY!

Who would have thought that the church Electoral Roll book covering the period 1935 to 1965 could provide such interesting snippets to add to what we know about the village during those years? Much depends on the detail provided by the compiler and incumbent, but with the assistance of the parish registers and the churchyard gravestone list, plus other additional information it has been possible to piece together a picture of the village.

Everyone knew everyone else, so it was unnecessary to identify the HAWKEDON individual houses. ‘The Green’ or ‘Lower Green’ sufficed (and that was better than just ‘Hawkedon’ - as opposed to Thurston End). Gradually however, it became apparent that Elsie Louisa Gill, PCC Secretary and school mistress lived in Spring Cottage, and Jessie Webb ran the Post Office, whilst other members of the Webb family occupied The Forge. New Cottages appear specifically in 1940, but I am sure the various families hadn’t moved in from elsewhere on The Green, but had been the occupiers for several years before that. (When exactly were New Cottages new?

Perhaps the name was acquired when an older structure was replaced).

There seems to have been some movement or house swapping, as marriages occurred, families grew or folk moved out of the village, especially when Nos 1 and 2 Council Cottages were built in 1939, and others followed in the forties and fifties.

Families who did not attend Hawkedon church are, of course, not included, and it is only adults that are listed. Thus there is no mention of the Misses Marsh who lived at Hawkedon Hall, nor anyone from Dean Farm. But I discovered Garage Cottage Hawkedon House, and Burnt Ash and Kiln Cottage, Stansfield. William and Elizabeth Gayfer, of Garage Cottage, arrived in 1936 at the same time that Mr and Mrs Neilson took up residence in ‘The Old Rectory’ - re-named Hawkedon House in subsequent years - whilst Rev and Mrs Brassel also arrived that year to live in The Rectory. (But where was that? The house now known as the Old Rectory was only built, I understand, in the 1950s when the parishes of Hawkedon and Stansfield were linked with one incumbent - Paul Davison and later, Hugh Hutton).

As purely a list of names, there is no mention in the Roll of the war, but it would seem that most of the men in the village were in ‘reserved’ occupations or too old to serve. Church attendance declined in the years following. Farming methods changed; life in general changed; families moved away, others settled in the village and the small enclave of rural life became more outward looking. But this snapshot of thirty years is a welcome additional piece to the jigsaw.

JRW

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WATER INTO WINE…...RING THE BELLS FOR THAT!

The story of Jesus turning water into wine at a wedding feast in Cana, Galilee was read at St Mary’s Hawkedon today (24th January). Although I ought to be focusing on the message in that bottle, the story reminded me

of an interesting trip to Palestine at least twenty years ago….. HAWKEDON

My work has taken me to the Middle East, including to Palestine, for over thirty-five years. Those visits have provided a depressing context to the news from there during that time. I was staying in East Jerusalem (East Jerusalem is occupied, West is not) and invited to go to Nazareth by a Palestinian Christian family that owned a hotel. It seems strange to us to describe people by reference to their faith and background, but there, then and now, religious faith and background dictate how society and the authorities treat you, and who your friends are likely to be. Nazareth is in Israel itself, and whilst many Palestinians left when Israel was created in 1948, my hosts stayed.

Palestinians who stayed in 1948 and their children (many were forced to leave, which created the refugee crisis and camps that still exist today) are known as the “48ers”. They have become Israeli citizens and whilst they don’t enjoy the same rights and access to services, they do at least have passports and a citizenship unlike many of their refugee cousins.

The hotel is in an old monastery at the top of a hill overlooking Nazareth. It has views down to the Church of the Annunciation, a tall bell tower, and there is a mosque just down the road. It seems that Mosques and Churches are often close to each other, and, sadly, the second to be built is often that little bit higher or grander than the one next door, perhaps not wanting any one faith to have a monopoly on the locals.

My hosts’ children attended University in the UK. They travelled on their Israeli passports, and it was interesting talking to them about their identity and how they viewed themselves, as Israelis or Palestinians and whether that was different when they were studying in London. Which student societies and groups did they join at University? The groups that focus on Palestinian students, or on Israeli students or both? Their answer was simple. When they were in London, they identified with the Israeli students, and were welcomed by them as fellow citizens. However, they found that the contact they enjoyed in London came to an end when they returned to Israel. When in Israel they were Palestinians and treated as such, and when in London they were Israelis. It’s complicated when even your friendships contain a political message.

HAWKEDON But back to the message in the bottle….On the day of my departure my hosts asked if I would like to ring the bell in the tower of the monastery. The view was wonderful, across the hills of Galilee, above the whole of Nazareth….the bell was going to ring out all the way to Cana….you could see the village in the distance.

So with great enthusiasm I rang a church bell for the first time, and what an

amazing place to start. As I was ringing away loudly, I was aware of another sound. It was the Moazen calling Muslims to pray at the nearby Mosque…we had not looked at our watches.

There was a local understanding that the bells and the calls to prayer would not clash…had we inadvertently broken that arrangement? I have seen physical fights between priests from different sects inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem so I hoped that I had not broken a carefully negotiated arrangement in the Middle East.

Luckily there were no repercussions. It was incredible to have experienced Nazareth in the company of its Palestinian Israeli citizens, with its complexities and to have seen Cana from afar…with thoughts of water being turned into wine.

Armageddon is only just down the road from Nazareth, thankfully it remained peaceful that day and the wine tasted all the better for that.

David Freeman

Photos of snowy Rede—by Jacky Pratten

HAWKEDON

Hargrave Icicles

All Saints’ Church, Rede

REDE REFLECTIONS A couple of weeks ago I came across this poem which had been chosen as Poem of the Month in our Saturday paper. For so long now it has felt as if we are being unrelentingly bombarded by news, views and opinions from all directions while, at the same time, doing our best to cope with the pressures and anxieties we face. This little poem perhaps hits the spot by expressing what many of us must be feeling.

Simon Pratten

Serenity Prayer By Brian Bilston

Send me a slow news day, a quiet, subdued day, in which nothing much happens of note, just the passing of time, the consumption of wine, and a re-run of Murder, She Wrote.

Grant me a no news day, a spare-me-your-views day, in which nothing much happens at all - REDE a few hours together, some regional weather, a day we can barely recall.

*****

Serenity Prayer is reproduced here by kind permission of Brian Bilston whose new poetry collection, Alexa, What is There to Know About Love?, is available through all good bookshops.

Rede Scribe

Rede Lottery January winners were: Jacqueline Chubb of Four Ashes Mike Read of Moat Cottage

More from the 1967 Essex Countryside Magazine Compendium

Following on from last month’s comparison of prices, attitudes and language, here’s more from that worthy tome:

Holidays and Travel – a different world The travel pages warned that, if visiting New York, “The European woman needs a man to look after her” and also warned that it was unacceptable to wear a short skirt in Canada. Obviously, the Swinging Sixties had not yet reached the ‘Dominions’!

Regarding a holiday in South Africa, the writer confidently stated that, “If you wonder about the colour bar… forget it. Only by going there can you see how exaggerated it is… many influential black men and women really endorse the South African government policy...” referring, of course, to the country’s official policy of racial segregation known as apartheid.

REDE You could fly from Southend to Rotterdam, Ostend or Calais for £4/13/- (£4.65) or a whopping £162 in today’s money. And that was a single not return!

Meanwhile, back in the heady days of ’67, Stansted had just been approved as the third London airport, with the Government, apparently, completely disregarding public opinion – so no change there then! It was expected there would be “400 Jet flights” per year. In 2019 there were actually 199,925 flights. (one of the reasons Scribe moved away to deepest Rede).

Readers’ letters and complaints, much the same as today

One letter claimed that so much of the countryside was being built on that by the end of the century (that is the year 2000) Greater London would stetch as far as Lowestoft! In fact, many letters bemoaned the way the countryside was disappearing and the loss of many customs and country habits.

Another letter complained of people using strychnine to kill pests, although I was relieved to read later that this was in fact already illegal.

Nowadays we often hear talk of the bad manners used on social media and so it was interesting to compare this to the patronising and superior, yet aloofly polite, language in the letters column where someone would pompously state something like, “Major the Rev. John Smith MBE (ret) was completely wrong, uneducated and ill-informed when he claimed last month ….”.

Historical Interest and Bits and Bobs

There were lovely photos from the 1930s of a pair of oxen pulling a delivery cart in Essex – this belonged to the Atora Suet company.

Harlow New Town was praised as “one of the most modern towns in the world” and futuristic concrete buildings were very much in fashion. In fact, the manmade ponds in Harlow town centre featured on the cover of November 1967.

It also mentioned how Essex had lost a huge chunk of its population (50%) when 6% of its territory was moved into the control of the new London Boroughs in 1965.

REDE The River Roding at Barking had once supported the world’s biggest fishing fleet, but by 1967 was described as dead and “filthy”. Today it is described as “clean and supporting a diverse fish population” whereas its distributary river, the Thames, is clean enough nowadays to be home to

125 different types of fish and 400 types of invertebrates! Progress indeed!

The magazine also revealed that in the 19th century part of the East Ham Levels from Woolwich Ferry to Barking Creek (i.e., along the North shore of the Thames) was actually part of Kent!

One final point, the price conversion I said I used was £867 per annum in 1966, compared to today’s average of £31,000. That was incorrect - £31,000 is today’s median income (average is £34,000). However, median is a more realistic measure as it neutralises the Super-rich who drag up the average otherwise. (Just for the maths geeks out there….)

The Happiness Lab Well, I don’t know about you but I’ve needed all the help I can get from the www.happinessLab.fm in this grey, wet, lockdown January. So, here’s some more tips from Prof. Laurie Santos at Yale University:

We feel happier when we share things with people (bit difficult at the moment) BUT not if we spend so much time Instagramming or Facebooking that we actually miss out on the moment.

Plus, we enjoy things more if we savour them. So, don’t binge on those chocolates or that box-set, little and often increases the enjoyment. On the other hand, if something is upsetting, depressing or worrying you can try not wallowing in it, instead tell yourself to “STOP!” or write it down so you can see what the actual problem is in black and white (silly voices help to put things in perspective!) and get it over and done with, if at all possible (easier said than done…)

BUT you should wallow in good things – relive them as vividly as possible in your mind, stretch it out, look at the photos. It seems we are all very good at dwelling on bad things and terrible at remembering good things! No doubt, it’s a survival mechanism – the Cave(wo)man who dwelt too long on the lovely view or the yummy wild strawberries probably got eaten by a Woolly Mammoth, but nowadays we are usually pretty safe from the latter (though mind that Black Shuck…)

My personal favourite tip is to dwell on gratitude every day. Each morning or evening try thinking of a few really good things in your life. Really imagine

them in your head, dwell on them. They can be big things or small things, REDE material goods or friends, or memories or gladness that something did (or didn’t) happen - whatever you like, it’s your gratitude list. It can be a struggle some days (and, alarmingly, food seems to feature heavily in mine!)

and sometimes you have to think on a tangent. For example, when I was very ill last year, I couldn’t always think of anything to be grateful for… until it occurred to me that I was indeed very lucky to have this happening in 2020 when medicine is so advanced and I was lucky to live in the First World where this modern medicine is available for free (generally) and I was lucky to have an employer who was sympathetic to my plight and gave me some sick pay etc etc.

You can also write a gratitude letter or note or email to someone (even if you never send it) – an ex-school teacher, an old friend, a stranger who once helped you out, for example. Sending it probably increases the happy stakes, especially for the lucky recipient.

And, finally, doing things for other people – even buying things for other people – gives you more happiness than doing/buying for yourself…

Litter Pickers, bags and hoops …which brings me nicely to this next piece:

Please join me in sending a HUGE village thank you to Ellie, Bobby, Jack and Charlie Carter Wright on their litter pick on probably the dampest, coldest, miserabilist day in January. They picked two big bags of litter just from the village to the Kiln Lane lay-by and their finds included such joys as a man’s shoe; ear defenders, several surgical masks, a toy water pistol, a basketball and several bottles of urine. Nice. Classy. WHO are these people who The intrepid Carter Wright boys of Rede cannot take their rubbish home? And a second huge village THANK YOU to David and Derek Nunn of Nunn’s Firewood who kindly paid for the litter picking sticks, bags and hoops to enable this to go ahead and for future use of the village. These are now stored in the village hall porch so anyone who feels inspired by the example set by Ellie and her boys can borrow them. REDE Please place the filled bags in your own black wheelie bin and sterilise

the other bits before replacing them back in the porch.

Enjoyed this? If not, send me something to publish instead - want to tell us about your achievements or pay tribute to someone special - send it to me and I will include it in the next newsletter. The address is: [email protected] or drop it through the letter box of Four Ashes by the bus shelter.

HARTEST AND DISTRICT GARDENING CLUB

The Committee has decided that the Plant Sale should be delayed, probably until June 6th, about the latest we could do and still have anything to sell! A final decision will be made in April. We were hoping to have a small show alongside this, but the lead time needed to organise one means that idea has now been abandoned. We did consider holding it outside, but vaccinations/distancing/weather all led us to delay. Fingers crossed that the September show will be held!

The visit on June 7th should still go ahead, and a site is being investigated for a July trip.

If you have internet access , keep an eye on the club Facebook page - Hartest & District Gardening Club, or the website – www.hartestgardeningclub.info for the most up-to-date information.

We have welcomed two new Committee members, Ralph Carpenter and Paul Woods - we have had an unchanged committee for a few years, which has its benefits, but it is good to have some fresh blood!

Finally, if you have placed any orders online with Kings Seeds, their deliveries are taking a while. They say a combination of "an unusually high volume of orders, COVID-19 social distancing requirements and a significant number of staff having to self-isolate" have actually led to them temporarily not accepting any more orders. Hopefully by the time of publication they have got up to date.

If you have any questions about the club, please contact Geraldine, either via email on [email protected], or by phone on 01787 280134. Geraldine Ross

And finally, snow drifts in Hargrave

43 COMPUTERS

Great Knowles Green in Hargrave is getting a new wood. Some 400 trees are being planted over

just under an acre of the green