Christmas Bazaar Saturday 30Th November 2013 Okeford Fitzpaine

FIPPENNYFIPPENNY NEWSNEWS The Parish Magazine of St. Andrew’s Church Okeford Fitzpain e

30p

THE OKEFORD BENEFICE serving the parishes of:- St. Nicholas , Child Okeford, St Paul, Hammoon , St. Nicholas, Manston, St Andrew, Okeford Fitzpaine, Church of the Holy Rood , Shillingstone.

In the Blackmore Vale Deanery of Salisbury Diocese . The Ministry Team Rector - The Revd Fr Darren A’Court - 01258 861847 (Off duty Friday) Associate Priest – Rev Sheila Thomas – 01258 820469 (Available Sundays and Mondays) Licensed Lay Minister - Mrs Sue Le Riche - 01258 861830 (Off duty Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday)

The Rector is always happy to visit people in the Benefice, whatever the reason. Please let him know on 01258 861847 if you would like a visit. All enquiries relating to Weddings, Baptisms and Funerals should be directed to the Rector. The Sacrament of Penance (Confession) is available by appointment with the Rector.

Benefice Administrator, Diana J Lewis, Benefice Office, Shillingstone Church Centre, Mon & Wed & Fri. 10.00 am - 2.00pm 01258 860652 Office Hours. Benefice Office e mail:- [email protected] www.okefordbenefice.org e-mail [email protected]

St Andrew’s Okeford Fitzpaine.

Churchwarden Keith Bradley 01258 861735

Churchwarden Mrs Zoë Goddard 01258 861046

Church Robert James 01258 860523 Treasurer P.C.C. Secretary Mrs Zoë Goddard 01258 861046

Closing date & time for copy is 5.00pm on 20th of the month . 2 Dear All

"I really am sorry", what do those words really mean? Sometimes when we say we are sorry we really do mean it. But, often it is a throw away comment. 'SORRY' said by a disgruntled teenager, as most parents will attest, can often mean little. 'SORRY' said by moving the lips, but not from the heart also means little. Pushing into a queue whilst saying 'SORRY' is just downright rude.

Lets for a moment picture the problem of children caught with their hands in the biscuit tin just before dinner. Mum has said, "No biscuits before dinner, they will spoil your appetite." But as we know mums are busy people and when preparing dinner, they are not able to monitor all their offspring's movements.

So into the biscuit tin go four grubby little hands, but this time they get caught, all they can say is 'SORRY', but what does that mean? Does it mean that they are sorry that they got caught, or sorry that they disobeyed mum's instructions. For I think if we look back to our own childhoods, we would not have been sorry if we had succeeded in getting the biscuits without being caught, we would have enjoyed every morsel and crumb.

Many people come to God with that kind of repentance, sorry for the consequences of their misdemeanours, but not for the misdemeanour it- self. God's requirement for us, His children, are the same as the mothers, that we be good children and obey.

The mother and God are both after the same thing, healthy children. She is looking after their diet, so that they grow up fit and strong. God is looking after our spiritual diet, so that we can become better people.

God will bless us if we can learn to really say 'SORRY' from the heart. Saying 'SORRY' from the heart means that we can forgive and be forgiv- en. Is there someone that you need to say 'SORRY' to?

Sue le Riche

Remem- brance Day Service

Remembrance Day will be commemorated at St. Andrew's on Sunday 10th November at 10.15 am

There will be a Service of Remembrance in Church. We will then proceed to the War Memorial for the Two Minutes Silence at 11 o-lock

‘Lest We Forget’

Benefice Curry Supper and Quiz Night

St Andrew’s PCC would like to thank all those who attended the "Benefice Supper and Quiz Night" last Saturday 12th October. An enjoyable evening was had by all and special thanks go to all the ladies who both cooked and served a delicious meal.

New – Benefice House Groups in Advent

Are you interested in House Groups or in growing your own personal discipleship? If so, then you may want to join a group during the Advent season when we will be looking at the new Pilgrim course “Turning to Christ.” We hope to run two groups – one on a Monday evening starting on Monday 17th November and one on a Wednesday evening starting on Wednesday 27th November, each will last for four weeks. Please sign up by phoning Sue Chandler on 01258 861432 or by e-mailing okefordbene- [email protected] and letting us know which night you prefer. If you are interested but can’t make either Monday or Wednesday nights, again please let Sue know and we will see what we can do next time around. The two groups will meet at different locations in the Benefice and both are likely to start at 7.30. Sue hopes to be inundated with re- plies!

4 Okeford Fitzpaine Village Hall Many thanks to everyone who supported our Jumble Sale by either do- nating items to sell, grabbing a bargain or just having a cup of tea and a piece of cake. We made a profit of £231.92, but there are still a few items to be sold so that number will go up. A huge thank you to the extra volunteers who stood behind the stalls and took the money. Once again all the left over clothing and shoes went to the School recy- cling bank, so the children will benefit and nothing will be wasted. The CHRISTMAS MARKET will take place on Sunday November 17th at the Village Hall, open to the public from 11:00am – 4:00pm. I still have a few tables left @ £7 for a six foot table or £4 for a three foot table. DONT DELAY, or you may miss the opportunity to make a little extra cash by selling items for yourself or your favourite cause. Diane Burt, Treasurer/Secretary & bookings. Tel: 01258 807697 or email [email protected]

Parish Council News The following planning applications have been received and will be discussed at the next meeting: Planning Applications 2/2013/1141/PLNG - Land At Poppy Bank Farm, Okeford Fitz- paine, Dorset DT11 0EF - Erect agricultural plant room, store and office. Volunteers Wanted – Neighbourhood Plan Sub-Committee The Parish Council is looking for 3-4 people to sit on a sub-committee to help produce a Neighbourhood Plan. A Neighbourhood Plan is a community-led framework for guiding the future development, regeneration and conservation of an area. It is about the use and development of land and may contain a vision, aims, planning policies, proposals for improving the area or providing new facilities, or allocation of key sites for specific kinds of development. The Neighbourhood Plan would be part of the statutory development plan for the area, if successful at referendum. This statutory status gives the Neighbourhood Plan far more weight than some other local docu- ments, such as Parish Plans, Community Plans and Village Design State- ments. Please contact the Clerk on the email below if you are interested in taking part and helping your Local Council to produce this important docu- ment.

5 Dorset Community Speed Watch The Parish Council are looking for volunteers for the following a Com- munity Speed Watch initiative. At least 6 volunteers are required and volunteers will work in teams of 3. The initiative, which allows members of the public to monitor motor- ists’ driving behaviour in their area and pass on details to the police, has been successfully piloted in West Dorset. Volunteers are trained in the use of a camera device and are able to rec- ord the registration numbers of speeding vehicles, before passing this information to the police. Dorset Police work with local people, at their request, so that they are able to monitor speeds and driving behaviour in their areas and tell us about their findings. The Police will then take action, including –if such behaviour is persistent – enforcement activity, which may lead to prosecution. Scheme volunteers do not act in a covert manner and, in fact, wear high visibility clothing while participating. If you are interested in volunteering for this initiative please contact Cllr Mike Wood on 01258 860146.

Netball Pitch A member of the public has approached the Parish Council asking if a netball pitch could be provided at the recreation ground. If this is something which would be of interest to you please contact the Clerk on the email address below in order that the Parish Council can assess the viabil- ity of providing one.

Date of next Parish Council Meeting The next Parish Council Meeting will take place at 7.30 pm, 3 Decem- ber 2013. All residents are welcome to attend. Sandra Deary, Parish Clerk, Telephone No: 01258 459863, Email: [email protected]

Daring students “I’m tired of this routine existence,” said one university student to his friend. “Let’s do something extraordinary, startling, magnificent; something that will make our brains whirl and our hearts leap.”

“Okay,” said his friend. And so they studied.

6 Goddard Landscapes Ltd.

Water fea- tures, Patios, Walls, Fencing & Driveways any job considered. Tel 01258 861046 Email in- [email protected] www.goddardlandscapes.co.uk

Mouse You can't teach a new mouse old clicks.

The Olde Bell Stores & Post Office

Okeford Fitzpaine 01258 860414 General grocerieslocal produce.Photo Copier Bakery serving breadcakeswarm savouriestake-away tea & coffee croissants on Saturdays Off Licence  NewspapersTraditional sweetshop  Opening Hours Shop: Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri 7.30-5.30 Wed,7.30-1.00pm Sat 8.30-1.2.30 Sun closed Post Office: Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri 9-1, 2-5.30. Wed 9-1 Sat 9-12.30. Sun closed. National Lottery

THE GREEN BUILDER SUSTAINABLE BUILDING SOLUTIONS

*Green construction & consultation *Lime plastering, rendering and Pointing *Cob specialist *Stonework *Yurts made to order *Bespoke carpentry *Restoration and conservation

Tel: 07859 075179 Email: [email protected]

8 Okeford Fitzpaine CE VA Primary School

Dear All,

Admission to School Applications are open for children who will be starting school in Sep- tember 2014. If you have a child who will be starting school please contact school on 01258 860530 so that you can come and look around. We have space for 15 children. You may apply until Wednesday 15th January 2014. If you are new to the village and have children of primary school age please take time to visit our fantastic school and to look at the facilities we have to offer and to meet the children and adults who work here. You will be made to feel very welcome. Peter Pan The whole school enjoyed a theatre production of Peter Pan. We managed to secure the booking at a much discounted rate due to another school cancelling at short notice. It was lovely to see all the children from Reception to Year 6 totally engrossed in the performance. Next year is “Wizard of Oz”. We hope the PFA will help to fund the cost because this experience is so valuable for all of our children. On this occasion there will be the opportunity of the older children having a follow up session looking at how the production is put together and how the staging and scenery works – exciting! DIY Morning A number of parents/families came along to school on Saturday 5th Oc- tober and worked tirelessly tidying up the school grounds. We got lots of autumn planting done and weeding around the site. The wisteria was trimmed back and all debris removed and disposed of. We are very grateful to our helpers who were rewarded with tea and cakes. Come and look at our new planters and the school grounds. We are so lucky to work in such a beautiful part of the country. 200 Year Celebration The Bishop of Salisbury has kindly found a space in his busy diary and will visit school in October 2014 to lead our final act of celebration. We are planning to have a special service for school and community to bless our school and to look ahead to the next 200 years.

9 We will begin the New Year (2014) with the children carrying out research on Okeford and the school to discover the history behind Christian Education in this area of Dorset. There will be a number of events taking place to discover and to celebrate. We need volunteers from the local community to be part of a Working Group to plan the events and to raise money for the school. A specific fund raising project will help pull everyone together and provide a target to be reached. Ideas and suggestions are most welcome. This will be a great opportunity to put Okeford firmly on the map! Sports Coaching The children are really enjoying the football and gymnastics coaching that takes place on a Tuesday and Thursday afternoon. These sessions provide dedicated teaching for the children and coaching for our Teaching Assistants who support the coach. I am seeing an improved attitude from the children and I feel this will also benefit levels of concentration and independence. The football and gymnastics after school clubs that follow are a great success and we thank the PFA for part funding this opportunity. As I have stressed previously these two clubs complement the large variety of school clubs on offer in such a small school. How lucky we are! Building Work We should have some finishing off work in school during half term week. There is some internal decoration as a result of the new windows and heating work carried out this summer. We have already put in a bid for funds to update “electrics” in our expanding school building, to “permanently repair our leaking conservato- ry roof” and to provide an “accessible toilet” within school. We hope that our bid will be successful and this work will be carried out next summer. The school is moving forward at pace and we are pleased that the Local Authority and Diocese are supporting us. As Christmas is approaching quickly we wanted to give you notice of the following events:- Christmas Fair We will be holding our Christmas Fair on Saturday 7th December between 2pm and 4pm. Please put the date in your diary and come along, even if just for a cup of tea and cake. We hope to have lots of stalls selling festive goods. If you would like to be part of the fair, tables can be booked at £5 per table. Please phone us on 01258 860530.

10 Carol Singing Please open your doors to our parents and children who are coming round the village carol singing on Thursday 12th December between 6pm and 7.30pm. This is a lovely tradition and it is always heart-warming to hear young children sing. Christmas Carol Service Come and join us in church on Wednesday 18th December at 6.30pm. We will be holding our nativity and carol service. We hope that all children and parents will come along with any members of the community who would like to join us for Christmas worship. We normally guarantee to fill St. Andrew’s Church and it is always enjoyable, moving experience. Make sure you are part of that experience this year.

Yours sincerely

M.S. Acreman Head Teacher

Beat the superbugs Traditional remedies such as hot tea and honey have a lot going for them in the fight against dangerous bugs. With antibiotics on the wane, as superbugs become resistant, it seems that good old-fashioned cups of tea may not seem such a daft way of combating your illness. After all, tea contains compounds called polyphenols, that have the ability to kill micro -organisms. In the meantime, one expert from Cardiff University re- cently told the BBC that he feared: “We’re heading back towards the pre -antibiotic days when treating serious diseases was extremely problemat- ic.”

Are you too tired for pudding? When did you last have a slice of apple pie or bread and butter pudding after your dinner? It seems that eight out of ten of us are now too busy to make the effort to have a pudding each night. While half of us would still be happy to tuck into a favourite pudding every night, we just don’t have the energy to get around to organising it. Long days at work and stressful commutes, followed by domestic duties and raising children, take their toll on our sweet tooth, it seems, according to some research for British Pudding Week. If we did have the energy, apple crumble is our favourite, followed by cheesecake and chocolate cake.

11 For Hire Mini digger– various types and siz- es of buckets 2 ton flatbed trailer 2 ton tipper trailer Farm Manure-bagged or trailer load Self drive hire & towed Contact: Mike Bartlett Mill Farm Bungalow Shillingstone Lane Okeford Fitzpaine Phone 01258 861647 Mobile 07890 829645

ROYAL AIR FORCES ASSOCIATION STURMINSTER NEWTON & GILLINGHAM BRANCH

To join contact Tony Edmunds 01258 473823

12 Donations for Blandford Food Bank at Christmas St Andrew’s PCC has received a very kind letter from the Blandford Food Bank thanking everyone for the donation of food stuffs from the Harvest Festival. The PCC has decided to organise a collection of food for the Christmas season. Suitable items are puddings, tinned meats, fish, fruit & veg. Sugar, tea, coffee, flour, mincemeat, pasta, biscuits, any thing a little to bring a little Christmas cheer. Toiletries are also needed, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, talc, baby oil, toilet rolls The main collection point will be St Andrew’s, but others will be added next month. If you would like more information, or if you would be willing to be a collection point please don’t hesitate to call me, Jane Tapping on 860095.

Time to go home! Nicki Taylor, on Thomas and Charley Little on Rosebud after taking part in the Historic Churches Ride & Stride in September, and covering 10.25 miles in 3½ hours, visiting 5 churches and raising £100. Half of this will come to St Andrew's and half to the Dorset Historic Churches Trust. Well done girls, I do hope that you really enjoyed yourselves. Well done to Thomas & Rosebud also! Next year perhaps as well as drinks and biscuits we should have some apples or carrots at church

13 14

Located within Okeford Fitzpaine CE VA Primary School grounds Opening Times Monday to Friday 8.00am - 6.00pm Ages 2 – 5 years. Experienced, qualified and friendly staff. Safe enclosed outdoor play area. Wide range of indoor activities Please contact the Manager Niki Carey on 01258 860023 Email: [email protected]

NEWS FROM THE PRE-SCHOOL We hope you all had a fantastic summer and enjoyed the lovely weath- er. We have been busy transforming the old pre-school building into a light and bright new Nursery ready to welcome all of the children (and their parents) to The Oak Tree Bright Sparks Day Nursery. We have a new member of staff, Sammi who is our apprentice and working towards gaining her Level 3 qualification in early years child care and education. We are able to offer full wrap around care for your children, the break- fast club is open from 8am and the primary school children are welcome. The ‘Out of School Club’ runs from 3.15 until 6pm (time slots are 3.15- 4.15 (subject to change), 3.15-5.15 or 3.15 to 6pm). For more information please contact Claire or Cathy (the Directors) on 01202 601841.

15 WE ARE MACMILLIAN. CANCER SUPPORT Many thanks to everyone who supported the World's Biggest Coffee Morning at the Village Hall on September 27th and put their small change in the collection box at the Shop. Together we raised £266.00. This money will pay for Macmillan time, to help people affected by cancer. Mike, Diane and Anthea

Purring Little George was visiting his aunt. He found the cat in a sunny window purring cheerfully. “Oh Auntie, come quick,” cried George. “The cat has gone to sleep and left his engine running.”

16 Christmas Market

Sunday 17th November Village Hall 11.00 am-4.00 pm

Christmas Gift Ideas

Crafts Jams & Chutneys Mere Fish Farm New & s/h books Toys Jewellery Small Antiques Bric-a-Brac Plants Cakes & Biscuits Charities Wood Turner Bath Products Tarot Reader Greetings Cards Tombola

Refreshments all day

For information call 01258 807697 Or email

Christmas Bazaar

Saturday 30th November 2013 Okeford Fitzpaine Village Hall Noon until 4pm

Why not join us for a soup for lunch or a cuppa and a slice of cake. A chance to catch up with friends whilst having a look around.

TOMBOLA RAFFLE CAKE STALL REFRESHMENTS NEARLY NEW STALL GAMES

There will also be some craft stalls where you will have opportunity to buy that ‘something different’ Christmas present.

We have a few places available for craft stalls please contact us for more details 01258 860027

Donations for stalls and prizes would be welcome

Friars Moor Veterinary Clinic Sturminster Newton & Shaftesbury Farm Animal Practice & Domestic Pets Consultation By Appointment

8.30am-6.00pm 24 hour Emergency Care

01258 472314 01747 850500

One of our main roles in Trading Standards is to protect the public so why do we scare the life out of them? We like to put out press releases to warn consumers about unscrupu- lous traders and think that this will prevent people being ripped off. What I hadn’t realized was that sometimes this has the effect of scaring some people to the extent that they won’t trust any tradesmen and worry that everyone is out to con them. This happened to my favourite Aunty who lives in the New Forest.

She lives alone in a fairly remote bungalow and one day had a problem with her telephone. She contacted BT who sent out an engineer who found that the phone line in to the property had been damaged by an overgrown tree. He re- paired the line but told her that she would need to get the tree cut back to prevent it happening again. Shortly before this she had read a trading standards press re- lease about itinerant traders who had ripped off a consumer for hundreds of pounds. Unfortunately these types of traders do prey on the elderly and vulnera- ble. Typically the householder knows that they need some work done, such as a loose tile replacing or a tree cut back and so they jump at the chance when someone knocks at the door offering to do it there and then for what sounds like a very reasonable price. Inevitably once the work is started the price increases dra- matically and the work is often very shoddy. With this in mind my Aunty asked around to see if anyone could recommend a tree surgeon but had no luck.

A few weeks later she confided in my Dad that she was losing sleep over the tree because she had no idea how much it would cost to have cut back. In her mind she initially thought it should be no more than a few hundred pounds but over time her imagination had worked overtime and she was now expecting a bill into the thousands. My Dad mentioned this to me and at the time I knew that Hampshire were one of the few authorities trialing a new scheme called Buy With Confidence. I contacted them and they were able to recommend 3 tree sur- geons in her area. My Aunty called them in for a quote and was delighted with the prices. She chose one who came within the week and trimmed the tree back clear of the phone lines. A nice happy ending you would think but unfortunately not. My Aunty was so delighted with the quality of work and the price charged that she got a bit carried away and selected virtually every tree in her garden for a short back and sides. Her once slightly overgrown wildlife sanctuary of a garden now resembles a slightly greener version of the Somme. As they say, you can lead a New Forest pony to water but you can’t make it drink. Look out for the Buy With Confidence logo - trading standards check traders so you don’t have to. Visit the website www.buywithconfidence.gov.uk or call The Citizens Advice Consumer Service 08454 04 05 06

20 The Entertainment Page. What’s on in the district in November

Date Time Venue Show Contact No Price

1st 7.30 Exchange Music by 01258 475137 £12 Miranda Sykes & Rex Preston 2nd 7.00 Exchange Film & Food by 01258 475137 T.B.C Screen Bites” Film.. ’Brief Encounter’ 9th 9.30 - 3.00 Christmas Gift & Craft Fair 01258 475137 Exchange Free 13th 7.30 Ft’mell ‘Hyde Park on Hudson’ 01747 811189 Mag. VH Film Bill Murray, Olivia £5 ad.v. £5.50 dr Colman Sam West 16th 7.30 Exchange “We Three Knights of 01258 475137 £16 Rock & Roll” Tribute show . All the classics 17th 7.30 Exchange “The Budapest Café 01258 475137 £12 u. 18£10 Orchestra” 17th 7.30 Ch Okeford “ 6 Wives of Henry VIII” 01258 861391 VH £8 u18 £6 2 Actors, Too many charac- ters, 1 Big Ego” 22nd 7.30 Durweston “Petites Annonces” 01258 488883 £8 £6 u18 Gypsy jazz (Django) to French chansons. 24th 5.00 Exchange “Song for Marion” Film 01258 475137 £5 Vanessa Redgrave, Terence Stamp

21 Getting ready for the Festive Season Cooking for Christmas now sounds daft but it does save a tremendous amount of stress and hustle later. Why not involve the kids , they’ll love it

Quick and Easy Mincemeat A good way to use up windfall apples 8 oz each of shredded suet, dried apricots, large prunes, apples, sultanas. Chop as necessary. 4 oz each of halved glacé cherries, chopped mixed peel, soft brown sugar, 2 oz chopped blanched almonds, 1 tbsp golden syrup, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, ½ tsp ground cloves, 1 lemon, 1 orange, 1 pt ginger wine. Mix together suet, fruit, nuts and spices. Grate orange & lemon peel and add, together with the juice of each. Stir well and add the wine. Stir , cover with a cloth and leave overnight. Bottle & seal. I have always found it useful to have an extra jar in the larder to make a quick pie later. Very good on a cold, dreary, wet night in February.

Making the ‘Pudding’ was always an event when I was a child. The big washbasin came down from the bedroom, the ingredients were assem- bled on the kitchen table, and we all got stuck in. Suet, in a lump from the butcher, and was chopped, stale bread and a carrot, grated, for extra mois- ture and sweetness, dried fruit had been washed and dried earlier. You had to do that in those days. Nuts from our hazel bush were cracked and chopped. Then the real fun began. Every thing was mixed in and we all had to stir, closing our eyes and making a wish, very important!

Christmas Pudding 6oz shredded suet, 6 oz each of raisins, sultanas, currants, moist brown sugar, 1½ oz chopped almonds, 3 oz each breadcrumbs, plain flour & chopped candied peel, Grated rind 1 lemon, pinch salt, ½ level tsp grated nutmeg, 2 eggs, beaten, 1 small wineglass brandy, sherry or fruit juice (optional), a little milk. Little grated carrot. Grease 2 1½pt basins. Sift flour, nutmeg and salt into mixing bowl. Add breadcrumbs, suet, sugar, dried fruit, peel, lemon rind and nuts and carrot if used.. Beat eggs well and stir them into mixture together with wine. Add milk to make a soft dropping consistency. Pack mixture into basins, cover with greaseproof and a cloth/ foil. Steam for 4 hours. Store in a cool place, change cloths and re-steam for 2 hours on the day of use. Christmas Spiced Beef. I have wanted to try this traditional recipe but was only able to get saltpetre at twenty quid for a large amount, enough to last about 30 years! You can now get small quan-

22 tities from that universal aunt of online retailers… the one that starts with an A. So this year I shall have a go.

2½-3 kgs of topside, silverside or brisket beef, 75 grm brown sugar, 25grm black peppercorns, 12 grm allspice berries, 25 grm Juniper berries, 12 grm ground cloves, 12 grm salt, 12 grm saltpetre. Trim the beef. Rub all over with the sugar and leave for two days in a bowl in the fridge. Crush the peppercorns, allspice and juniper berries with a mortar & pestle. If you haven’t got one use a metal or plastic bowl and give them what for with the end of the rolling pin. Mix with the cloves, salt and saltpetre. Rub the beef thoroughly with the spices. Cover and store in the fridge for 6-7 days. Turn the beef daily in the mixture. To Cook: Place the beef in a deep casserole dish as near to its size as possible. Add 250ml water and cover tightly. Cook in a very low oven, 140°C: 275°F; Gas Mark 1. for 5 hours. Or put it in your slow cooker. Just check the instructions. Leave to cool in the liquid for 2-3 hours, then remove and wrap in foil. Store in the fridge. Should keep well for 2-3 weeks. (freeze what’s left) Would make a change from cold turkey.

Uncooked Fondants Something to keep the kids busy. 8oz sieved icing sugar, 2 tbsps full cream condensed milk. Mix well together and form into individual sweets. Peppermint Creams Carefully add a few drops of peppermint essence. Roll out on board with sieved icing sugar and cut into tiny rounds. Hazel Nut creams Form into pyramid shapes and press a hazelnut on top Stuffed Dates Fill stoned Dates with fondant mixture or marzipan. Cherry Fondants Mix in chopped glacé cherries and roll into balls. Marzipan Fruits. 4ox ground almonds, 2 oz icing sugar, yolk of 1 egg, few drop almond essence. Food Colouring. Small paint brush. Mix everything together, knead well and form into fruits. Leave until next day, then colour. Aprons on kids and newspaper on floor is recommended.

23 Dorset Wildlife Trust North Dorset Group Event Wednesday 20th Nov. 7.30pm Fontmell Magna V. Hall An illustrated talk on Frogs & Amphibians, by John Buckley from the Amphibian & Reptile Conservation Trust. £2 (incl tea/coffee & biscuits). No charge for children. Non-members of DWT are very welcome.

Preventing native species from becoming extinct is part of the remit of Brit- ain’s wildlife conservation charities, and the Dorset based Amphibian & Reptile Conservation Trust is no exception. Committed to conserving our six long- recognised amphibians (great crested, palmate and smooth newts; common and natterjack toads; common frog) and saving the disappearing habitats they depend on, the Trust has also re-introduced a native frog that was presumed extinct in Britain by the mid-1990’s. “The pool frog is our seventh native species, but it became extinct around 1995 just when we were learning about it and recognising it as native to Britain,” explained John Buckley, Amphibian Conservation Of- ficer. Since then, it has been successfully re-introduced at a site in East Anglia. John’s talk will concentrate on these efforts to bring the pool frog back from ex- tinction and also how colonies of our rare natterjack toad can be maintained.

Digging a garden pond is one of the best ways to help our native wildlife, and it doesn’t have to be the size of an Olympic swimming pool. Even a small one will quickly attract wildlife, and ponds are increasingly important for the surviv- al of frogs, toads and newts.

Male frogs arrive in ponds during early spring and are soon followed by the females. The tadpoles hatch about two weeks after spawning and by May they have developed into small ‘froglets’. In late summer, the surviving frogs leave the ponds and seek shelter in long grass and bushes. If they can avoid their pred- ators (including badgers, foxes, hedgehogs and some birds) they will return to breed in the same pond about three years later.

Established ponds can sometimes appear ‘swamped’ with frogspawn or toad- spawn, but don’t be tempted to pass it on to neighbours’ ponds or local water sources. Natural predation by dragonfly larvae, newts and other wildlife, results in only approximately one in 50 eggs surviving to froglet or toadlet stage, so ponds don’t get over-run by frogs or toads. By not ‘swapping’ spawn you will also ensure that disease and invasive plant species aren’t transferred to your pond.

24 Dorset County Museum Day School Lyme in Dorset and Lyminge in Kent. 10.00am 16 November 2013 An opportunity to explore the story of two places linked by a common name. Talks focus on the later years of the seventh century: the archaeo- logical investigations at Lyminge in Kent, and the writings of the fathers of the Christian Church at Lyme in Dorset. Hosted by Museum Director Jon Murden with guest speaker Dr Gabor Thomas, University of Reading and Director of the Lyminge Excavations. £15, students £5 from Museum shop Calligraphy Workshop For Beginners Adult workshop Wednesday 4 December 2013 1pm to 3.30pm Experienced tutor Sara Newman will teach the basic skills, talk about the history of calligraphy, and show some examples of traditional quills and pens and demonstrate many of the basic techniques of the art. Pre-booking is essential. Cost is £7.50 and basic materials will be supplied. Tickets are available now from Museum shop. Early booking recommended Museum shop…. 01305 756827

LEWESTON NURSERY Situated just outside Sherborne in 46 acres of beautiful Dorset parkland, Leweston Nursery and Prep offer an inspiring education in a happy and purposeful environment to girls and boys aged 2 to 11. A Catholic Foundation which welcomes pupils of all denominations Leweston School Trust Is a registered Charity number 295175 For more information please contact Chiara Damant on 01963 211010 or email: [email protected] www.leweston.co.uk Morning and afternoon sessions and after school crèche available. Free Parent and Toddler Music Group every Thursday 9am-11am. Just drop in!

25 FIPPENNY GARDEN CLUB I think we all know how lucky we are to be living in Dorset. However, the presentation by Paul Sturgess at our October meeting certainly high- lighted that to great effect. Paul captured the great variety of landscape ‘from coast to countryside’ including some aspects that many of us had not seen before. Particularly enchanting were the early morning photos taken with mist in the valleys, with hills, cliffs or trees breaking through into the rising sun. I’m so glad that there is someone like Paul willing to get up and out at 4.00am to photograph these stunning scenes and bring them to our club to make such a memorable evening.

Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door. Photos that I took (but not at 4.00am).

26 Next Meeting: Monday 4th November at 7.30pm in the Village Hall

Autumn Dinner!

Tickets available from Roy Allingham (Tel 472022) or myself (Tel 863419) priced at £6.00 for members and £7.00 for guests. Remember to bring your own beverage, glass and cutlery.

Forthcoming Events: December 2nd – A talk by Chris Evans about Bournemouth Borough Council at the Chelsea Flower Show.

FRED PHILPOTT, Chairman

Sewing and Craft Group. The next meeting will be at 2.30pm, 18th November at 6, Netherway Cottages. New members are always wel-

The boys had been up in the attic together helping with some cleaning. They uncovered an old manual typewriter and asked their mother what it was. She briefly explained, but they were still puzzled as to how it worked. "I'll show you," their mother said, and returned with a blank piece of paper. She rolled the paper into the typewriter and began striking the keys, leaving black letters of print on the page. "WOW!" they exclaimed, "That's really cool...but how does it work like that? Where do you plug it in?" "There is no plug," she answered. "It doesn't need a plug." "Then where do you put the batteries?" they persisted. "It doesn't need batteries either," she continued. "Wow! This is so cool!" they exclaimed. "Someone should have invented this a long time ago!"

Old You're getting old when you wake up with that morning-after feeling, and you didn't do anything the night before.

27 On using Glebe land for allotment The Rectory St James the Least of All My dear Nephew Darren I hear you have joined the committee which wants to convert the waste land between the abandoned soap factory and canal in your parish into allotments – although I would have thought there were holier sorts of con- versions you could have concentrated on. I am sure you will soon be caught up in arguments which make that little disagreement over an apple in the Garden seem quite trivial. Some years ago, we similarly decided to let part of our Glebe land become allotments; the outcome was not wholly as may have been anticipat- ed. Colonel Wainwright saw it as an opportunity of re-living his War years and was only just restrained from digging trenches around his plot; no doubt he would have offered to play football with neighbouring allotment holders on Christmas Day. It caused some surprise when the Earl of Stowe applied for a plot, but it has become something of an attraction to see his daily procession, preced- ed by his gardener pushing the wheelbarrow, the under-gardener carrying the tools and following him, his butler with the newspaper, a deckchair and a flask of coffee. He then settles down for a comfortable hour while occasionally supervising the work, once reports on the local hunt have been read. Miss Simpson managed to unite everyone in communal outrage by using her plot to encourage fluffy bunnies, darling foxes and sweet squirrels. She seemed to be particularly grateful to everyone else for providing fruit and vegetables for their happiness. Resolution was only achieved when she was convinced to grow potatoes, helping the Colonel in his War Ef- fort. Fortunately, he did not ask her to arrive equipped with the regulation gas mask. Our local architect seems to spend most of his time beautifying his garden shed, rather than growing produce. With its gothic arched windows, Nor- man tower and flying buttresses, I do wonder if he may have spent rather too much of his time renovating ancient churches. Neighbouring plot- holders look forward to the agricultural equivalent of the Dissolution of the Monasteries. I am sure you will find you have committed yourself to many hours of unnecessary work. Just make sure you receive a percentage of their produce for your Harvest Festival. Your loving uncle, Eustace

28 Stour Castle Day Centre Christmas Fair Wednesday 4th December 2013 10.30 to 3.00 Stourview Hall, Stour view close, Sturminster Newton DT10 1JF ‘A range of unique and traditional gifts for family and friends‘ This is a major fund rising event but also an opportunity to meet with parents / carers professional and the local community.

ART APPRECIATION COURSE ART of the NORTHERN RENAISSANCE

The 16th century heralded a new era for painting in the Netherlands and Germany. We will be looking at the art produced by artists such as Van Eyck, Breughel and Durer. Thursday mornings 10.00-12.00 on 14, 21 & 28 November Fifehead Neville Village Hall nr. Sturminster Newton, DT10 2AL. £15.00 per session including refreshments. To Book please contact Jennie Spiers MA on 01258 818249 or email jen- [email protected]

Okeford United Football Club :- Monthly Draw results.

October 2013 :- £30—[No.77] Cynthia Goddard £10—[No.50] Johnnie Wareham £5— [ No.112] Alice Goddard

Many thanks to all our supporters.

Anyone interested in joining our monthly draw (cost £1 per month) - please contact Allan Frampton (860083) or any Football Club member.

29 Worried about your memory?

There is so much talk these days about Alzheimer’s Disease that many people worry about it needlessly. If someone you know has memory con- cerns, pass on these tips below to help them to keep their memory sharp:

Science shows that the ability to learn new information and recall it may decline after 50 (you can’t just pull things out of your memory at the same speed as you used to). Slow down and give your brain’s memory system enough time to create an enduring memory.

Noisy environments and multi-tasking tend to be memory busters, so avoid them if you can.

Get enough sleep, and check with your doctor to find out whether any of your medications might affect memory.

You are most likely to forget information soon after you learn it. This transience may seem like a sign of memory weakness but scientists regard it as beneficial because it clears the brain of unused memories, making way for newer, more useful ones.

Then there’s simple absent-mindedness, which occurs when you don’t pay close attention. You forget where you put your pen because you did- n’t focus on where you put it in the first place; perhaps you were thinking of something else at the time, so your brain didn’t encode the information securely. This can also account for forgetting to do something at the pre- scribed time, like taking medicine or keeping an appointment.

Another factor can be what is called blocking – temporary inability to retrieve a memory. You know that you know something but just can’t think of it now. It is thought that memory blocks become more common with age, and that they account for the difficulty older people have in re- membering other people’s names.

What happens then? A little boy was taken Christmas shopping by his mother. He watched the esca- lator going down for several minutes, and then asked with concern: “What happens when the ground floor gets full of steps?”

30 Flower Rota

2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd, November Mrs Z Goddard

Organist Tucker A Tucker A

18 In Advent there are no

flowers in Church until

23.

end -

- 10

- 22

- Christmas

14.

Rom 10:12Rom

S/M

Malachi 4:1

Luke 21:5 Luke Matt 4:18

S/M

18. Ephes 1:11

S/M

31 -

5. 13:11 Rom

3,15

Change in times of

Mr K Bradley Mr James R Micah 4:1 Mr S Allen 1Cor15:50 Mr Clay R Mrs S Clay Thess 2 3:6 Mr K Bradley Readers/Sidesman 7:1Dan 6:20Luke Mrs P 52:7 Isaiah Bradley 2:1Isaiah Matt 24:36 Services From the beginning of

December services at

St Andrew’s will start at 10.30am unless stated otherwise. Benefice services will still S ThomasRev le RicheSue le RicheSue PRev Smith D BlackwallRev le RicheSue Rector start at 10.00am

November

St Andrew Dull November brings the

blast, Then the leaves are whirling fast

Service Benefice Eucharist Hammoon Remembrance Sunday Parish Eucharist Parish Eucharist Patronal Benefice Eucharist Manston

Time 10 am 10.15 am 11 am 11 am 10 am

Services Services Date All Saints 3rd Nov Rem’ance 10th Nov 2nd B/4 Advent 17th Nov Christ King 24th Nov Adv 1 1st Dec N.B. The closing date for copy is the 20th of the month .

31 Who’s Who Okeford Fitzpaine School Mr. M. Acreman Head 860530 Mr Ian Berry Chairman of 860656 Governors Parish Council Mr Mike Burt Chairman 807697 Mrs Sandra Deary Clerk 01258 459863 Tree Officer Adam Saberton 01258 861577 Footpaths Mark Paine 861719

Homewatch Mike Wood co-ordinator 860146 Transport Mrs Anthea Calcott 861071 Pre - school Niki Carey Manager 860023 Village Hall Mrs Diane Burt Secretary 807697 Mrs Diane Burt Bookings 807697 Okeford United Mr Stephen Corben Chairman 861327 Football Club Mr Allan Frampton 860083 Fippenny Garden Club Fred Philpott Chairman 863419 Mrs. Marilyn Berry Secretary 860656 Short Mat Bowling Club Mrs Barbara 861524 Pluthero Youth Club Mike Bennett Youth Worker 01258 472368 Allotment Group Robert Loving Chairman 860966

Fippenny News E-mail Mrs Barbara Distribution 861524 [email protected] Pluthero Mrs Jane Tapping Editor 860095 Shop The Olde Bell Stores & Post Office 860414 The Royal Oak 861561 Surgery Child Okeford 860687 The Hill C.O. Kate Partridge & theditorhill@btinte Richard Muffett rnet.com 32