Meon Matters News, Views & Comment from

£1.00 Spring 2021 Issue Number 208 meonmatters.com 11 Plumbing & Heating [email protected]

551073 Mobile 07775 866690 William Home 01329 830379 Fleming

All aspects of Plumbing & Heating 39 years experience Boilers :- Servicing, Replaced, upgrades Free estimates Central Heating :- Flushed £350 No call out charge Gas, LPG, Oil Log Burners Breakdown . Service Domestic & Commercial New Installs

30832

02392 632 275 Selling, Letting & Managing properties in East Meon countryhousecompany.co.uk 02392 632 275 countryhousecompany.co.uk

Cover Picture: Charlie and Monty pupils at East Meon Primary with hedgehog home 1 EDITORIAL

Dear Readers

Spring has sprung and as I write, by the time this edition of Meon Matters has dropped through your letterbox, schools will be open, the lifting of further Covid restrictions will be near and we’ll be eager-ly awaiting the arrival of the Easter Bunny!

You may have noticed that the Meon Matters website (www.meonmatters.com) has been refreshed thanks to Andrew Hughes who’s done a sterling job. The focus is on village events, photos and any news that doesn’t fit the quarterly magazine.

Contributions are welcomed (email [email protected]). We hope to start Meon Matters Village Diary - an email alerts service for events - as lockdown eases.

Lastly, the Editors would like to give a shout-out to our team of 26 distributors headed up by Rosemary Ryder who, voluntarily and come rain or shine, deliver your magazine to some 630 house-holds - THANK YOU TEAM!

Wishing you all a lovely Easter and here’s hoping for a more sociable summer ahead!

Annabel Tyrwhitt-Drake

Deadline for submission of articles etc for the Summer Issue is 18th June.

The Editorial Team: [email protected] Editors: Marc Atkinson, Clare de Lotbiniere, Sigi Goolden, Andrew Hughes, Anna Tebbutt, Annabel Tyrwhitt-Drake Contributing Editors: Ron Ingerson, Debs Evans Roving Reporter: Charlie Gaisford Advertising and Finance: Andy Hales Distribution: Rosemary Ryder Layout and Printing: Wildly Upbeat Printers LOCAL INFORMATION 2

Useful Numbers

POLICE: 101 or 01962 841534

POLICE COUNTRY WATCH Anna Presswell 07469 562221

WEST MEON SURGERY 01730 829666

OUT OF HOURS DOCTOR 111

EAST MEON STORES 01730 823276

CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU 03444 111306 / 0300 3300650

EHDC 01730 266551

EAST HAMPSHIRE COUNCILLOR Rob Mocatta 01730 823908

EAST MEON PARISH COUNCIL Susan Davenport, Chair 01730 776207 Suzie Brooker, Parish Clerk 07913559579

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL 0845 603 5638

VICAR Jane Ball 01730 823221

EAST MEON CARE GROUP 0705 017 7505

EAST MEON VILLAGE HALL BOOKINGS 07956 783061

3 PARISH COUNCIL

Parish Council Update With lockdown having exhausted our supplies of TV boxsets and Scandi-noir, it’s no surprise that we are turning to our Parish Councils as an additional source of light entertainment. Fortuitously, EMPC has so far been negligent in this regard, although truth be told, many of us on the Council would lack the social media awareness to even begin to know if one of our meetings had gone viral. And we are hoping our latest March meeting will be our final one on Zoom, although we will roll-the-dice one last time with an online Annual Parish Assembly at 7pm on Monday 26 April. We do hope you will be able to join us, and please do submit any of your questions in advance if possible. And so, to business. And it’s a double, seamlessly covering our January and March meetings. Spring has sprung, and so have our stiles. Well, 4 kissing and wicket gates to be strictly accurate, all kindly provided by SDNPA and to be installed in time for your Easter walks. Supported by our County and District Councillor, Rob Mocatta, we are in communication with SDNPA to better protect our byways. To help us, please do continue to supply Susan Davenport with photographic evidence of any motorised abuse, ideally ahead of our early summer meeting with SDNPA to discuss this matter. Moving from byways to roads, we are storing up a worthy list of topics for EHDC’s highways engineer as soon as he is allowed to visit. Subjects include (i) yellow line repainting; (ii) better signage to deter unnecessary traffic from Workhouse Lane, the Cross and Lane; (iii) possible measures to prevent recurring damage to the kerb on the bridge opposite the George; and (iv) our quest to reduce speed limits in the village where accident risk is highest. On speed limits, we have been cautioned that this will require long term persistence on our part, hopefully aided by more weighting being given to climate change considerations. Again, you can help us by providing photographic evidence of any motoring incidents. You will be heartened to learn it’s not just East Meon banging on about this - in late 2020 the UN (presumably following in East Meon’s wake?) endorsed the setting of 20mph speed limits where pedestrians and cyclists mix with motor vehicles. PARISH COUNCIL 4

Inevitably, Speed Watch has been more Speed Wait during the Lockdown, but our team of eager volunteers is just beginning to regroup and start limbering-up - so it’s time to be on your best motoring behaviour. In parallel, our portable electronic speed warning sign has been returned to base for an upgrade, potentially incorporating better visuals and data acquisition capabilities to further inform our speed limits campaign.

Talking of local volunteers, you recall EMNG - our highly active Nature Group? Well, they are still bursting with energy. On Coombe Road, they have pressed on with toad crossing warning signs. You cannot miss them...... and the toads themselves are thriving under EMNG’s care. Based on the latest count, some 350 toads and almost 100 newts have been ferried safely across the road! Hats-off to the EMNG team for sustaining over a month of evening patrols, particularly considering these wonderful amphibians are most active when it’s raining! With energy seemingly to spare, EMNG are now turning their attention to an experimental wildflower area on the north side of the Sports Pavillion.

We too are focused on the Sports Pavillion, progressing with a partial change of use planning application and obtaining quotes for the associated works. We are also in line to receive a welcome grant from EHDC which we will put to making necessary repairs to the fabric of the Pavillion and potentially for CCTV provision.

Whilst on buildings, planning applications continue apace, with everything from modest doer-uppers to a pre-application for Westbury House and new plans for the Coombe Road development, on which we have commented extensively. Thank you for doing so too, and please do keep your observations coming through the usual planning channels.

Finally, a big thank you to EHDC for providing the recycling flyer included with your magazine. EHDC incur considerable costs re-sorting waste, so it’s in all our interests to get our recycling as accurate as possible. You may have recently received your 21/22 council tax demand which offers a limited breakdown of where your money is spent. We have posted more detail on our website, which we hope will satisfy you on the appropriately cost-conscious nature of our Parish and District Councils. 5 PARISH COUNCIL

Annual Parish Report

2020 was a year of opportunity as much as it was a year of cancelled events - the Annual Parish Assembly, VE Day Celebrations, the Sewage Open Meeting and the Village Autumn Picnic, to name a few. Liaising with public bodies has been in some cases frustrating and several initiatives have had to be delayed. In general however it has been “Business as Usual” with all the councillors honing their PC skills to join webinars and our bi-monthly Zoom Parish Council Meetings. We have completed or initiated an enormous number of infrastructure improvements notwithstanding Covid and thanks to the dedication of the Planning Committee have continued to comment on all the applications within the parish (see below).

Recreation During the year the All Sports Court and our two play areas have been locked and unlocked in accordance with government guidelines. Following extensive repairs and improvements to the play equipment last year this year our annual Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) report highlighted only a couple of minor repairs. Sadly, Clanfield FC Juniors who have rented our Football Field for many years have found cheaper and less waterlogged pitches elsewhere which has left us with a shortfall in our annual income of £1200. Conscious that there is a market for renting out office space in the village but aware that we need to retain changing facilities we are looking into a partial change of use of the Pavilion. Rest assured we will not allow the Pavilion to be used either as a cafe or other retail outlet which would result in even more traffic in Workhouse Lane. The All Sports Court has been professionally cleaned, will have a new tennis net and posts in the spring and can now be booked online via the PC website.

Speeding/ Traffic Calming East Meon has been subjected to increased numbers of vehicles driving through the village. Some are taking short cuts directed by SatNav others using the High Street as a rat run. Prompted by justifiable concern expressed by residents at the eastern end of the High Street we commissioned a Traffic Count by Hampshire Police and also have set up a Speed Watch Campaign in the village headed by Helen Galliano. Once Covid restrictions are lifted Helen and her team of 7 volunteers will be able to go ahead with their training and will become familiar figures reminding drivers to slow down as they record and report to the police the registration numbers of cars exceeding the speed limit in various locations round the village. Meanwhile we are in dialogue with HCC Highways to introduce traffic calming measures to restrict speeds.

HCC has repaired a mass of potholes over the year, however there are still many requiring attention so please do report these at www.hants.gov.uk/roads/road- works PARISH COUNCIL 6

General Maintenance Our two Lengthsmen continue to clear footpaths, install handrails, remove fallen trees, clean village signs and generally keep the village tidy. Our Tree Warden keeps a watch on all our trees. By the time you read this we should have planted a replacement cherry on Washers Triangle, kindly donated by a resident. The River Meon is, according to the SDNPA, in good order. No further enhancement works have taken place although the SDNP Volunteer Rangers came again this November to clear the river of willow herb.

We suffered appalling sewage leaks in Workhouse Lane and the allotments nearby in the winter of 2019/ 2020. Southern Water has acknowledged that the Victorian pipework cannot cope without regular maintenance which is at last now in their annual work schedule. We are pressing for a more sustainable solution.

Infrastructure. We hope that you have noticed the various improvements which have been carried out in the village. All the railings by the river were painted in the summer, Frogmore pedestrian bridge overhauled and painted, a bench on the Recreation Ground completely restored and all being well the renovated village noticeboard will be up outside the shop in the spring. The second noticeboard we are donating to the very active East Meon Nature Group.

We have carried out repairs to the Pavilion with a new smoke alarm system and have put in a dropped kerb by the bottle banks. We have taken delivery of 2 wooden kissing gates which will be installed once the weather allows and a self-closing wicket gate which is already in place by Templars Brow.

Planning 2021 was, by far, a record year for the number of planning applications in East Meon. The Planning Committee reviewed 60 applications in the 12 months ending in January compared with 41 in 2019 and 38 in 2018. The past year is broken down as follows:

No objection No objection Objection In progress Total Total last year with comments Dwellings 11 25 5 0 41 23 Trees 8 1 0 0 9 9 Farms 2 2 1 0 5 3 Other 2 2 1 0 5 6 Total 23 30 7 0 60 41

The increase was almost entirely due to applications for changes/extensions to, or the building of, new dwellings. 7 PARISH COUNCIL

The Planning Committee visits the sites of all applications before submitting a response. Due to lockdown restrictions, at times this was challenging but Councillor Steve Ridgeon as Chair of Planning together with Councillors David Cooke and Andrew Hales used individual or socially distanced visits and consolidation of notes over Zoom to good effect. Three significant applications were considered this year: · Dwellings on Land south of Coombe Road – part of our Neighbourhood Development Plan · A pre-application for Dwellings on Land near Garston Farm – part of our Neighbourhood Development Plan · Conversion of Westbury House into dwellings Details of the Parish Council’s comments on these and other East Meon planning applications can be accessed via our Parish Council website under the ‘Planning Tracker’ tab. Every two weeks, we also put up a list of current East Meon planning applications on the Parish Council noticeboard. In the past year, the Parish Council also submitted comments to HM Government on their White Paper “Planning For the Future” and the SDNPA on their proposals for guidelines on parking provision for new developments.

Finances With uncertainty over the future of the Pavilion and loss of income from Clanfield FC as well as planned expenditure on traffic calming measures, SpeedWatch and the installation of more kissing gates, as last year, following guidance from our internal auditor, our Parish Clerk recommended the precept be increased by inflation (2.5%) to ensure a balanced budget.

Biodiversity We have been working closely with the newly formed East Meon Nature Group. We have approved Toad Crossing signs to alert drivers to toads migrating across Coombe Road, we now have grassy margins as refuges for small mammals and invertebrates either side of the Glebe Hedge, and have taken over responsibility for the management of the verges of Frogmore Lane which will hopefully allow the wildflowers to bloom there.

Goodbyes In the spring Andy Symes resigned as the Pavilion caretaker and Chris Smith was appointed in his place with additional duties to keep the play areas clean and tidy. The Council greatly appreciates the time Andy spent looking after the Pavilion for us all, at times a thankless task clearing away cans and bottles thoughtlessly left by irresponsible residents and visitors. PARISH COUNCIL 8

During the year Chris Pamplin our Womble of many years sadly died.

I am able to report that the group

of volunteers organised by him has continued to keep our village tidy.

Chris was a Councillor for as long as anyone can remember whose input BERELEIGH HOUSE was always much valued. Bed & Breakfast Thanks The Parish Council is a group of 9 3 double ensuite bedrooms volunteers who give freely of their from £130 per night time and energy. My thanks go to each of them for all they have done to make Visit www.bereleigh.co.uk East Meon an even better place to live. I am also very grateful to our District Tel: 01730 823486 and County Councillor, Rob Mocatta, (Open from 17th May subject to Government Guidelines)

for his help and support, particularly in protecting our byways. Finally what would we do without the guidance and expertise of our Parish Clerk, Suzie Brooker? Her patience is limitless as she keeps us all on track with good humour.

Susan Davenport Chair East Meon Parish Council 9 DIARY

April Monday 26 April @ 7-9 pm Annual Parish BERELEIGH EVENTS Assembly public online meeting 2021 June (subject to Covid government guidelines) Saturday 26 June – Bereleigh Berefest Mascombe Valley. Tickets on sale www.berefest.eventbrite.com Friday 21st May 2021 Saturday 26 June Cricket sixes competition. Simulated Clay Day Evening Summer Party. Friday 25th June 2021 July Lobster Shoot Monday 12 July @ 2.30 First meeting of WI in garden of President, Saturday 26th June 2021 Berry Preece. Berefest For further information about West Meon WI (with a contribution made to please contact Berry Preece The Rosemary Foundation) [email protected] or 01730 823488. Beer Festival with Food and Live Music Midday to Midnight, Mascombe Valley August Tickets available on the gate or online To celebrate coming out of Covid! www.berefest.eventbrite.com Saturday 14 - Sunday 15 August Details being developed right now. (If you’ve got any ideas please let us know Sunday 12th September 2021 at [email protected]) Hampshire Country Sports Day Monday 23 August closing date of Garden Club Countryside Alliance photographic competition www.hampshirecountrysportsday.co.uk

September Sunday 12 September - Bereleigh – Hampshire Country Sports Day in aid of The Countryside Alliance.

The Izaak Walton – Thursday, Friday and Saturday 6-8pm. Sunday 12-2. (for Sunday pre-order essential 01730 823252.) Take away only. For menu check out Facebook. Also check out sparkling new décor – all carried out by volunteers!

Village Hall Car Park: Wild Kite Coffee in Village Hall car park every Saturday morning from 10 – 1 (weather permitting!) Findlay’s Fish & Chips in Village Hall car park every other Tuesday evening from 6 April. If you don’t want to wait in the queue you can phone your order through 07506713717 Simply Hog Roast in Village car park every other Tuesday evening from Tuesday 16 March.

NB. (dates correct at time of printing) CYCLING MATTERS 10

“MAMILS” – A species that is often misunderstood.

For those of you who don’t know, “MAMIL” stands for “Middle Aged Men in Lycra”. And it is at times like this, with the weather warming up and another lockdown coming to an end, that many of us are noticing an increasing number of “MAMILs” coming out of hibernation.

Although tame, this species have some really bad habits such as cycling slowly up a hill, when you are behind them on a narrow country lane. Why do they do this??? They must know it is annoying. It often makes me want to knock them off – although I know that culling this species is strictly forbidden.

They are also social creatures and like to cycle two or three abreast along the road – How b___dy inconsiderate is that?

And at other times, they cycle one after the other, hell for leather without any consideration for their own safety or other road users. – Why, Why, Why? It is these fast MAMILs (well they think they are going fast at 20mph), who also love to discard their energy gel wrappers all along the verges.

As it happens, as well as being a farmer, I also love cycling, so I have some sympathy for the species and although not condoning it, I understand the reasons behind the habits and have outlined the MAMIL thought process below.

Cycling slowly up a hill. Thought process – “It is taking me quite a lot of puff to get up this hill and I have a really light bike, which cost me £3000, therefore I must be going really fast.” Fact - “I’m fat and unfit, which is making me puff and even Chris Froome would be going slow up this hill, compared to a car”. Cycling two or three abreast. Thought process – “I haven’t seen Joe since before lockdown. I wonder how his stocks are performing and what is happening at work. Must cycle up to him and have a socially distant chat.” Fact - “I’m completely unaware that I’m in the middle of the road and even more unaware that you are behind me. When you do eventually beep your horn at me – I’ll probably be quite offended”. Cycling one after the other – very fast Thought process – “I’m in, what is known as a Sportive. Or an organised race, where up to 100 of us MAMILs are trying to prove ourselves as being the fastest MAMIL. I’m not going to be beaten by my mates.” 11 CYCLING MATTERS

Fact - “To me, winning this race is so important that I really don’t care about other road users and I’m prepared to take a few risks. I also haven’t got time to put my energy gel wrapper back in my pocket and, towards the end of the race, I’m so exhausted that I really don’t know whether to stop at a junction or not”.

All this being said, cycling is a very positive sport. Cyclists eat more food (good for farmers) and often raise loads of money for good causes. I just wish (when I’m driving not cycling) that they would sometimes have more consideration for other road users. Jamie Butler

EST 2017 Dampney’s Remarkable Drinks A delicious range of hand-crafted English Liqueurs

www.remarkabledrinks.co.uk CRICKET MATTERS 12

CRICKET 2021 With only half a season possible last year, this year the East Meon Cricket Club is keeping its fingers crossed that it’ll have a full uninterrupted COVID (and rain)-free season. The Club gets the season underway with a home fixture against on 18th April, followed up by home matches against Clanfield and XIIth Men on the following two Sundays. Will Atkinson takes over as captain from his brother James – looking to emulate the high level of success achieved by the club over the last 7 years of James’ leadership. The club comes into the season in rude health, with a large squad of players keen to get out there and keep the tradition of hard-fought friendly Sunday cricket going. Although COVID-restrictions are likely to make our teas a slightly more ‘bring your own’ affair than normal, we always love welcoming supporters to the ground on a Sunday for a chat and catch up, and hopefully at some point as restrictions lift, we’ll be able to offer you all a cup of tea and slice of cake. The sixes competition is pencilled in for the 26th June and we’re looking at ways to hold the summer party that evening in a safe and risk-free way, keep an eye on Friends of East Meon Facebook for more information. Anyone interested in finding out more and joining, please email [email protected], to find out more, or come and join us at our pre-season nets (from April) or on match day to meet the team. Best wishes, EMCC

DAVE WYATT Quality Decorating All aspects of interior and exterior decorating

Enquiries and booking on 01730 823916 07979078834 [email protected] For information about our wines visit: www.eastmeonvineyard.co.uk or email: [email protected] [email protected]

BE A RESPONSIBLE DOG WALKER TAKE THE LEAD southdowns.gov.uk/takethelead

KEEP YOUR DOG ON THE LEAD NEAR LIVESTOCK BAG AND BIN YOUR DOG POO – ANY BIN WILL DO STICK TO THE PATH TO AVOID GROUND NESTING BIRDS DO NOT ENTER MILITARY LAND WHEN RED FLAGS ARE FLYING NATURE MATTERS 14

Toad Patrols on Coombe Road

Over the years, in early spring, some of you may have noticed the carcasses of squashed toads on Coombe Road. They may occur anywhere on Coombe Road from the village along to Coombe Cross. This annual massacre has been taking place for a long time.

The background to this is the annual migration of toads to their spawning ground, which is the large pond on the east side of road to the north of Duncombe Wood. On mild damp nights in early spring the toads make a move out of the fields and woods, where they have been hibernating underground, to get to the pond. Male toads generally make the move first, to get into pole position to meet the females!

To help prevent this massacre and to protect and stabilise the population of toads the East Meon Nature Group has set up a nightly ‘toad patrol’. Starting this year on 15 February, the first night when conditions looked suitable, the toad patrol starts at dusk and goes on for 2 to 2.5 hours until the movement of toads stop. If conditions are not suitable, dry and cold, the patrol will finish much earlier after ascertaining that there is no movement. It is expected that the patrols will go on to April, but some years it could be as late as May if there has been a very cold winter.

Help and guidance for these toad patrols have come from ‘Froglife’, an organisation concerned with all things amphibian. They have produced a leaflet called ‘Toads on Roads Patrol Pack’ which is available free at https://www.froglife.org/wp-con- tent/uploads/2021/02/Patrol-Pack-2020.pdf. With their help the Toad Crossing has been registered with the Department of Transport, and Hampshire Highways have supplied road signs denoting the main crossing area. You will also see temporary signs, put out each night, informing motorists that the toad patrollers are on the road.

The big surprise for the toad patrollers has been the number of newts, as well as toads, that have been making their way to the pond. Though up to 3” long, newts are very slim, and if squashed by a motor vehicle it is very difficult to spot them on the road surface, that is why we did not know they were about in such numbers.

On the first patrol on 15 February, we helped 1 toad and 5 newts, numbers were up and down until 20 February when there were 35 toads and 7 newts, and then on 24 February it was 36 toads and 6 newts. The first really big migration evening was on 3 March with 112 toads, they were everywhere! The toads and newts are gently picked up in buckets and transported to the grass verge adjacent to the pond, they then have about a couple of metres journey to the water’s edge. 15 NATURE MATTERS

To date, 19 March, the patrollers have found 423 toads and 83 newts on their way to the pond. Unfortunately, there have been 15 squashed toads and 9 squashed newts, but this is much less than there would have been without the work of the patrols.

Due to covid 19 we have controlled the number of patrollers taking part this year. If you would like to take part in these patrols next year please contact any of the East Meon Nature Group members. Further details about the toads and the patrols, and other aspects of local nature are available on eastmeonnature.com

Brian Biggs EAST MEON GARDEN CLUB 16 East Meon Garden Club – Banksian Medal

The Banksian Medal is one of a number of medals awarded by the Royal Horticultural Society, and is named after the great scientist Sir Joseph Banks (1743-1820) Banks made his name on the 1766 natural-history expedition to Newfoundland and Labrador. He was part of James Cook’s first great voyage in 1768-1771. He held the position of President of The Royal Society for over 41 years.

As you may know, our Garden Club is affiliated to The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). As such, we are granted a Banksian Medal, normally to be awarded to the person with the most points in the horticultural classes at our annual show. However, as most shows around the country were cancelled last year, the RHS suggested that……..

“…it would be a great idea to present your medal to someone in your club who has gone the extra mile this year and deserves a little bit of recognition”.

Now, it just so happens that there is indeed such a person in our Garden Club who, in a normal year, might not necessarily score the highest points in our Annual Show, but who would nevertheless certainly score the very highest points for imagination, leadership and sheer hard work put into making our club not just survive, but in fact to thrive: and to thrive in the face of huge difficulty.

In particular, the effort he has put into harnessing the technology to over- come the drawbacks of lockdown on our activities has been amazing – and has enabled us to make the very best possible of a difficult situation.

So, your committee has unanimously decided that there is just one person here for whom these criteria not only apply, but is precisely the sort of person the RHS had in mind.

David Lewin: that person is you – and it gives us the greatest pleasure to present you the Banksian Medal for 2020.

East Meon Garden Club Committee

17 EAST MEON GARDEN CLUB

Find us on West Meon High Street buckinghamartisanbutchery.com

Find us on West Meon High Street buckinghamartisanbutchery.com EAST MEON GARDEN CLUB 18

Garden Club Photo Competition Categories 2021

1. Still life from the Garden Using items from the garden, construct a still life. These could be plants, stones, seed heads etc. For inspiration Google Evelyn Hoffer and John Blakemore.

2. Wildlife From mini beasts to badgers and beyond, all creatures big and small are welcome. For expert advice watch a really good Country File episode of Simon King talking about how to take photographs.

3. Pet portrait Images that capture the character of a pet, is not confined to photographs of just the face or head.

4. Views of the Valley This landscape category is about exploring the area we live in with fresh eyes. For inspiration, Google Charlie Waite and Faye Godwin.

5. Village Life In an upside down chaotic time this category is about a celebration of community, what we have and what we may have (temporarily) lost.

6. Diptych We often think of photographs as a singular object, this category explores the creative possibilities when 2 images are put together, they can explore shape, time, colour etc. When submitting either join the 2 images together or name them indicating which is the left and which the right.

Images can be colour or B&W and must have been taken between the competition announcement date of 1 March 2021 and the closing date 23 August 2021. Please state if entries are from anyone under 13 years old. All classes are for amateur photographers only. Photographs will be judged on the creative use of the medium to represent the theme of each class. One entry only per class. By submitting your photograph(s) for this competition you agree that the East Meon Garden Club may use them for publicity purposes. The judges decisions is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

For locating the links mentioned above and more details please go to the Garden Club website. 19 POEMS

Coronavirus: Covid 19 the experts call it, Coronavirus is the other name if you can spell it, It has taken us by storm, Being indiscriminate it can cause you harm, No matter man woman boy or girl, Young or old, Be wary never get too bold, If out and about stay 2 metres apart, For it can be fatal if you have a bad heart, To help front line workers especially the NHS, There was a gentleman who tried his best, He set out walking to get them a few grand, Up and down his garden, his piece of land, He carried on walking although he was a hundred years old, He reached over £30 million, Now that’s some pot of gold, His name in case you didn’t know was Captain Tom, Don’t you think that’s going some.

Peter Payne

Lockdown in General: You can’t go here, you can’t go there, Only go shopping if you are in despair No unnecessary journeys, you have to stay at home, The country has gone into a lockdown zone, It’s needed to help stop you getting the virus, Also not to fill the hospitals and overload the nurses, Front-line workers all around, At 8pm we lined the streets and made a sound, We whistled, we shouted, we clapped, we cheered, But I do hope soon we can go for a beer.

Peter Payne COMMUNITY MATTERS 20

Winter in the Vineyard Pruning the vines proceeds during the cold and gloomy days of winter. Ninety per cent of last year’s growth is removed, leaving selected branches, or canes, from which this year’s shoots will spring. We completed pruning in the first week in March, and as the days get warmer and the sap begins to rise, we will bend the canes horizontally and tie them to the fruiting wire. The buds on the canes will start to produce shoots in April, and the growing season will then be under way, leading to the grape harvest in October. The wine that the vines produced in 2020 is enjoying its infant development in barrels at the Wiston winery, while that from each of the previous years, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019, is lying near to these in bottles, maturing on its lees. Meanwhile the 2014 and 2015 are drinking well. For orders and information visit http://www.eastmeonvineyard.co.uk 10% discount and free local delivery using code meonmatters10 Offer ends 1 June 2021 George Bartlett 21

YOUR TECHIE ASSISTANT All things tech related - great and small - personal assistance or from a distance!

With over ten years experience, I can help you learn more about using your technology, as well as efficiently handle techie tasks for you. I work in both London and Hampshire, either at your home or remotely.

Guiding you on how to get the best use out of your computer, tablet or mobile phone Resolving technical glitches Help with setting up new devices & broadband Choosing well reviewed & reasonably priced computing products, TVs, phones & appliances Designing invitations, brochures & flyers Creating photo books & calendars Helping you save money on your phone, broadband & utility bills

Emily Tyrwhitt-Drake M: 07789443051 E: [email protected] W: www.mooreconnected.co.uk

MonthlyMonthly pop pop-up-up dining dining eventss in in Privett using using homehome grown grown and and seasonalseasonal produce produce. . www.sageandseason.co.ukwww.sageandseason.co.uk amandaamanda@@sageandseason.co.uksageandseason.co.uk 07711068887 07711068887 @sageandseason @sageandseason SCHOOL MATTERS 22

Back to School in East Meon

The 8th March saw the eagerly anticipated return to school for the children of East Meon Primary School.

While the school has been open to the children of keyworkers for the past two and a half months, the majority of our school community have been undertaking their learning remotely. Teacher and support staff have been providing daily video sessions with downloadable resources for all children encompassing both maths and literacy and also the wider curriculum. All of the resources were available through the school website to anyone who needed them and we were delighted to hear that they were being accessed as far away as Scotland and Australia!

But none of this compares to a class full of children actively learning together, so we were delighted to welcome everyone back on Monday 8th March. As a school, we chose to focus on making the first day back a gentle start as many children were apprehensive about returning to formal schooling, so we planned a whole school Spirituality day. The children enjoyed learning about what spirituality is through a series of four sessions, each focusing on a different aspect. The teaching staff utilised their video making skills so each session was led by a different teacher enabling the children to refamiliarise themselves with all the teaching staff whilst remaining in their class bubbles.

It was a wonderful day and a lovely return for children as, they enjoyed the learning whilst being able to chat and catch up with their friends. We now look forward to the gradual relaxing of restrictions as the country moves through the government’s roadmap and the day when we can all come together as a school community.

Steph Perkins 23 SCHOOL MATTERS SCHOOL MATTERS 24

School Hedgehog gets a Name

The children of East Meon School were invited to listen in on a zoom talk given by Chris and Stephen Powles on Hedgehogs. This inspired the school to do some work within the school grounds and also for the children to do as part of their home learning to encourage hedgehogs into our local spaces. Miss Lambton put together a series of videos, explaining tasks on how to encourage the hedgehogs into our gardens. The videos can be found on the East Meon School website page, on the video resource centre.

We started the week by having a ‘Name the Hedgehog Mascot’ competition. Our winner was Lennie in Year 1 who named the school mascot as ‘Herbert’.

By the end of the week, the children had to create a poster on what they had learnt about hedgehogs and how we can help other people encourage the hogs into their gardens, but also what we should do if we see a hedgehog in daylight. The children explored the life cycle of a hedgehog and looked at their food chain. As well as all the research, the children had to build hedgehog shelters, make suitable feeding stations and clear their gardens of potential hazards. They had to go outside to check ponds were safe, there was no netting or other litter that could be in a hedgehog’s way and to make sure there were suitable gaps in hedges and fences to create the hedgehog highway. We will hopefully be putting some of the children’s posters up around East Meon village for people to have a look at.

Evie G with hedgehog house 25 VOICE FROM THE VICARAGE Church News

The good news is that from Palm Sunday (28th March) we will be holding services in church again. Sadly, we will still need to follow the COVID-19 guidance of using hand gel coming into church, wearing face masks and sitting separately. Hopefully, as we start to see the lightening of restrictions, we will be able to lighten these as well, but we will need to wait for updated advice from the Church of .

We will send details of services for Holy Week via Pew News so please contact me if you would like to be included in the mailing. Details will also be available on the Meon Matters website.

Our usual Sunday services will be: 8am Holy Communion (BCP) 10.30am Parish Eucharist (this service will also be zoomed)

During the week there will be morning prayer – a short service including a psalm, ELECTRICAL PLUMBING AND HEATING ENGINEERS Bible reading and prayers. This will be in church on Tuesday and Thursday and on Friday via zoom.

We are looking forward to a time in the not-too distant future when we will be able to sit next to each other and sing hymns! We will keep you updated as and when the advice changes.

Rev’d Jane OIL, LPG AND NATURAL GAS FIRED BOILERS WORCESTER BOSCH ACCREDITED INSTALLERS DISABLED BATHROOM SPECIALISTS VOICE FROM THE VICARAGE 26

Dear Readers, Jean and I wish to thank all those people, who in the last edition, responded to our request to donate Christmas Shoe Boxes for Home-Start Butser. These boxes were for families with children under 5 years old who live in Petersfield and surrounding villages and get support from this organisation. Many people do not use social media sites and pew news and several donors asked me to follow up with this article. I have also included a photo of your gifts. We had estimated that we would fill 20 boxes with Christmas delights but your donations just kept coming in and we finally presented 28 boxes along with several bags of books, crayons, chocolate powder, mugs, marshmallows, toys, family games, hats, gloves, chocolate treats, girlie glitters and a Lenny the lion hot water bottle; what fun especially for this winter. We were also presented with a huge hamper full of Christmas food including cake, pudding and so many other delicious treats, all which were shared around the families and it was so rewarding to know that we supported over 50 Families. You also kindly gave monetary donations of £230-00, someone even popped an envelope containing notes through the door, thank you, whoever you are. The Rev Jane organised a Christmas family carol service in the village hall car park, which was well supported by many families and she asked for the collection, which amounted to £170-00, to be added to the sum you had already given, providing a total of £400-00. This will be used, in various ways to support families through this year I have included this “Thank You letter” from H-S Butser. It was so much fun to do it and very rewarding for us. This would not have happened without your support, love and generosity at this time. Many families had a much better and happier Christmas than expected and were so delighted that their child / children had lovely boxes of treats to enjoy, which made then feel so special. With our grateful thanks to you all. Sue Croft and Jean Cooke 27 VOICE FROM THE VICARAGE

Beauty Therapy

Choose from a comprehensive range of quality beauty treatments using the latest, including IPL & Laser therapy for permanent hair reduction & skin rejuvenation. The salon offers privacy & comfort in a pristine, tranquil environment - ensuring a relaxing, enjoyable experience. YOUR WELLBEING IS PARAMOUNT

01730 828341 / 07823 334398 [email protected] Rachel Wilkes Ltd www.rachelwilkes.co.uk

VOICE FROM THE VICARAGE 28

A Walk on the Wild Side

I wonder what images spring to mind when you think about wilderness? My first thought would be my back garden! Once I get beyond there, I start thinking about wild places that I know, starting with Yorkshire. I remember various walking trips in the Dales and the Northern Pennines, the North York Moors. They seemed pretty wild to me when I was tramping across great expanses of heather and peat bog on various Duke of Edinburgh expeditions, generally with the rain being driven through your waterproofs by the horrendous wind; the barren, featureless wasteland (so it seemed) that made map reading impossible, the lack of trees and hedges – in fact the lack of anything behind which you could shelter! A couple of years later saw me at teacher training college in the Lake District. That seemed quite tame when we were taken up to Scotland for snow and ice climbing. Rannoch Moor seemed vast and inhospitable.

I’m not sure whether I would have called any of these places’ real wilderness though. I had a very clear idea in my head about what that would look like. In my mind it was vast, featureless, hot (even though I know there are plenty of very cold places!), dry and dusty. This was a vision of wilderness formed by years of singing ‘Forty Days and Forty Nights’ as a child, of looking at the pictures in my Bible that included one of Jesus in the wilderness. A few years after we were married, Jonathan went to the Holy Land with the Chaplains Department and spent some time in the desert. He showed me photographs and it was exactly as I expected; dusty, rocky, hot, dry, big – and I thought, ‘that looks boring. Why would anyone want to go there?’ Well, leap forward a few more years and I was in Texas - Fort Hood to be precise. This was a trip with the Royal Wessex Yeomanry when I served as their padre. We were welcomed by a captain of the Home Guard and told that Fort Hood was bigger than Wales. We had to drive over an hour just to get off base and all we could see were miles and miles of scrubby, dry, dusty hills. This is probably the nearest I had come to what I expected wilderness to look like and I still found myself thinking, ‘Why would anyone want to come here?’

Over the last few months – actually it’s probably nearly a year now – I’ve found myself thinking of a different sort of wilderness, an internal one. From the shock of those first few weeks of lock down last year to where we find ourselves now, I have had many conversations with people who have spoken to me of a sense of loss. There have been real losses – thinking of Rosemary Hopewell and Roger Deadman – that, with COVID restrictions in place, we haven’t been able to mark in the way that we would have. Some have lost jobs. All of us have lost time with friends, family, work colleagues. For some, the loss of church as we know it has been painful. It almost feels like we’ve lost time, as one day morphs into the next and they all feel the same. 29 VOICE FROM THE VICARAGE

One friend said to me that she hated people asking how she was and what she’d done because there was so little to say. Real conversations and meetings replaced by phone calls and zoom have become ‘normal’. In the first lock down people spoke of getting the garden sorted, clearing out the attic, reading that pile of books that had been sitting around, learning a new skill…this time feels harder, the time spreading out into a vast space that seems endless. And on top of all this, it’s Lent! As if we needed anything else to make us feel miserable!

Well, enough of this misery. I don’t think I’d be doing a very good job as your vicar if this is where I left you. And I suppose where I want to take you next is the obvious place. In 2019 I finally found myself in that wilderness that Jonathan visited all those years ago. We were driving from Tiberius down to Jerusalem and we drove off the main road so that we could see the old road from Jerusalem to Jericho – the place where Jesus set the story of the Good Samaritan. When we got off the bus we were hit by the heat and the strength of the sun. But we were more powerfully hit by the overwhelming beauty of the place. Yes, it was dusty and hot but the air carried a scent I have never come across before and the majesty of what we saw before us was breath-taking. VOICE FROM THE VICARAGE 30

We read the account of Jesus in the wilderness as a time of trial and temptation, which is true, but I don’t think it’s the whole truth. However we understand Jesus’ struggles with the devil, with temptation, I’m sure it was agony but I’m also sure that this wasn’t the whole story. When you stand out there you get a sense of the paraphernalia of 21st century life being stripped away. There is time and space to reflect on what really matters. I’m fairly sure that Jesus would have felt that same sense of sorting out priorities whilst having his soul recharged by that breath-taking beauty.

Mark Oakley, who is Dean and Fellow of St John’s College Cambridge, described Lent as ‘a snowfall in the soul’. He went on to say that as snow makes us see our landscape in a different light, Lent invites us to see our lives in a different light too, to try and re-find a sense of balance and proportion, to live a ‘life that really is life’. Lent and wilderness are not always bad and difficult places to be.

The journey of Lent is not an easy one and we know that it gets harder as, week by week, we follow in the footsteps of Christ to Jerusalem, to betrayal and to death. We know that the darkest part of the night is just before the dawn. But on Easter Day, as we gather in the dark (which we will even if we have to be outside!) we know that the dawn will come, and with it Resurrection, a sense of promise, of new beginnings, new potential, new life, eternal life.

With love, Jane

Leydene Tree Care All aspects of Tree Work Undertaken Tree Removal | Reductions | Stump Grinding Hedgecutting | Planting 07443 589 659 [email protected] 31 COMMUNITY MATTERS

WITCH BOTTLES Anyone who has lived in a very old house will have got used to the occasional bumps and creaks, and the strange noises made by the wind blowing through the structure. But waking in the wee small hours, you may wonder if all these sounds can just be the creaking of old timbers. Were there unhappy souls among its previous inhabitants - troubled spirits unable to leave their last earthly dwelling? The Tudor House certainly has a long history dating back to the 14th century. If any house were to have a ghost..... It’s not recorded as a haunted house but there is talk of a troubled Naval officer pacing the corridors at night, bewailing the loss of the rum tot. Not that I’ve seen him. Certainly there were times when my predecessors in the house were troubled by malign spirits. In the 17th century in particular, illness and misfortune were commonly seen as the work of witches or evil spirits; older women, often those practicing herbal medicine, were frequently targeted as the culprits. Science and medicine were in their infancy in those days and people resorted to folklore and superstition to help them against these evil powers. So it was common for people to conceal mummified cats or children’s shoes in their chimneys to ward off evil spirits. I have not found either of these. As part of my current building works, my builders had to take up the old floor at the western end of the house - originally a medieval Hall House and later outhouses. As well as the remains of a coal store, they found two small bottles, still largely intact. At first, I thought these must have been part of a rubbish pit, though it seemed unlikely anyone would bury rubbish in the house. Then I read a book which mentioned witch bottles. These were buried at the corners of houses or under hearths to defeat evil spirits. It seems likely that was what I had but I could not be sure since the tops of the bottles were broken and had filled with earth. Witch bottles were filled with bodily fluids and a hair or nail of an individual who was unwell, together with a pin or nail and some rosemary. The theory was that the evil spirit would be attracted to the hair or nail, trapped in the bottle, hooked by the pin and drowned in the liquid. It is unclear whether this would have been effective against coronavirus. But, if you are suffering from unexplained ailments, if modern medicines have failed you and you think you may have crossed one of the village witches who has put a ‘hex’ on you in revenge, then you may want to try this simple remedy. It’s probably easier than putting a mummified cat in your chimney. Jonathon Iremonger HISTORY MATTERS 32

The Tudor House Some 40 years ago, I bought an Alpha Romeo Alpha Sud. I knew the model had major rust problems and I knew the electrics were unreliable. But I also knew it was a great driver’s car. It had the flair that the sensible option (a Golf) could never begin to aspire to. I bought one that had enjoyed a good start in life. The purchase was an affair of the heart rather than a cold rational decision. I had years of fun driving it but I spent more days than I can care to remember hunting the next eruption of rust and treating it. And I spent more than it was worth to get it MOT’d when I finally came to sell it: I couldn’t bear to send the car to the scrap heap. For all is imperfections it had been a much loved partner in all sorts of motoring escapades and it is those that I now remember.

I guess that, looked at with cold Kantian logic, the purchase of The Tudor House was similarly an act of folly. It was clearly very sick and it was inevitable that there were likely to be a host of problems that I could not see. But it had charm and character in spades; it had a wonderful garden; and it enjoyed a great location in the village. I was at an age when I had less excuse for such an act of folly but I was about to retire and the lure of a project that would open a fascinating window into an aspect of history about which I knew very little was irresistible. It was going to be an affair of the heart and you enter such things with the confidence that the difficult moments will be outweighed by the joy that the journey will bring.

So, the difficult moments: I have replaced more of the front than I had ever thought would be needed; there was rot and decay everywhere and it was literally falling down. The flammable polystyrene insulation all had to be replaced with something a bit warmer and safer. Various other bits of the frame needed major repairs. And I have blitzed the woodworm and deathwatch who had been enjoying an extended banquet on the various softwoods that had been used in the build. 33 HISTORY MATTERS

But it has also been a fascinating journey back through history as the house has been stripped of more recent panels, floors and render. The work has exposed several uncharted areas of 14th century wattle and daub. Two witch bottles were found below one of the concrete floors. Victorian wallpaper was found behind more recent plaster work. And of course there were the inevitable bats, lodging for the occasional night but delaying building work for several months whilst my lovely ecologists worked out whether or not they had also established maternity or hibernation roosts.

In all of this there’s always the dilemma about how far to take the repairs. I was clear that I wanted to preserve the old timber and flintwork wherever this was practicable. But I also wanted a house that was more habitable in the winter. The front of the house will give you a pretty good idea of how this balance was achieved and I have my excellent builders to thank for the sensitivity with which this has been done. It’s now well over three years since I bought the house and there’s a bit more of the journey still to go. The framework is now sound but there’s replastering and rewiring still to be completed as well as further insulation. That said, most of the internal timber structure is sound and would still be recognisable to my Tudor predecessors. They built a wonderful house and I am delighted to share it with ghosts who seem to be just as happy as I am to be there.

Family and friends give me concerned looks, wonder about my bank balance and ask if I regret my purchase. One should never look back when it comes to affairs of the heart.

Jonathon Iremonger COMMUNITY MATTERS 34

LOCKDOWN DISCOMBOBULATION SYNDROME

When Boris told us to cancel our Christmas plans and keep it local the sense of looming doom became real. When we were first locked down in March 2020 we had summer around the corner, the clocks were about to change, the daffs were well-out, the birds were in peak spring-warble and being outdoors was easy and pleasant. The village was juicy with life, the fields green, the lambs in the fields and there was a real sense of resilience in the community.

The unknown of Covid was challenging but also gave us a sense of learning and togetherness – we were all learning together and time was spent getting to understand what was happening to the country and the world. Whilst the threat felt real and often intimidating, invading our village despite our best efforts, our spirits were kept up by the novelty of the situation and thinking outside our boxes and inventing ways to make life more bearable felt like a positive occupation. The trees blossomed and the sun shone and the vitamin D flowed, and Captain Sir Tom walked.

But this time around, it’s been much, much harder. Vastly different and unnerving data being fed into our homes every hour by the news, long dark nights filled with chocolate, crisps, Netflix and more chocolate, endless unrewarding muddy walks in the rain, a total loss of knowing what day of the week it is, a plethora of unknowns muddling our already befuddled brains. Asking someone how they are if you pass them on the High Street? There’s literally nothing to say! ‘How am I? Hmmm, I don’t know! I’m upright, I think I remembered to put underwear on today. Here is my dog being walked for the 6th time today. My dog is super happy. But me? Tell me first what day of the week it is, please’. Confused faces everywhere.

In the last lockdown there rose from social media a wonderful array of self-starters who were Doing Great Things. Sourdough was the main thing. Then banana bread. Then the 5km run. And sponsoring others for running the marathon in their back garden. New start-ups offering home-made food for delivery. Eggs, flour, toilet-roll – sold only through the black market, if you had the right contacts... People learning new languages with online courses; others deciding to do a quick PhD, or tour art galleries via specially designed interactive films. Yoga, pilates, meditation, boot-camp all switched online and people jumped up and down in their gardens watering the bulbs with their free-flying-sweat, in the sunshine, surrounded by tweeting birds and although home-schooling-online was a total nightmare, somehow it was do-able. It was almost intimidating how marvellous people were at Doing Stuff That Was Marvellous - somehow these things kept us going.

But in January 2021 who wants to be boot-camping in their garden, now a quagmire of dead grass and cold pigeons looking glum? High-achieving social-media-ites have been less persistent this time around and winter-hunkering has been very apparent... I haven’t seen a single banana-bread on Instagram in the last 7 weeks. 35 COMMUNITY MATTERS

What’s going on? What happened to our va-va-voom and blitz-spirit? Is the shrinking of our horizons resulting with the shrinking of pleasure, and the cutting off of our usual hobbies and lack of socialising draining our batteries? Or is it quite literally Lockdown Discombobulation Syndrome whereby everything has blurred into one endless grey day where nothing happens except for the sky becoming moderately light in the morning, and then a sequence of computer / food / zoom / food / TV / sunset / more food and our eyeballs spinning to the back of our head with the repetitiveness of it all?

You may ask yourself one afternoon in a wondrous moment of curiosity ‘What did I do yesterday...?’ And then to your horror you realize that you have no idea at all what you did yesterday or what you had for supper last night or what you watched on TV or worse yet, when you last washed your hair (you look in the mirror and reassure yourself that your hair isn’t too greasy and anyway, what does it matter because no one is going to see it). All this repetitiveness is sapping and really very hard going. It feels understandable that this time around we have less energy for it all and just wish, so much, that it was over.

In an attempt to not let this article become morose it could be helpful to turn up the energy and have a think about the things that have kept us going over the last 7 weeks, so here is a list of Lockdown III Positivity that came together from a straw poll of basically no one: 1 – imagining the summer 2 – laughing out loud, even if you’re on your own, when the sun comes out 3 – literally watching the bulbs come up, and possibly talking to them a bit 4 – 100% investment in the snow that weekend (we saw you skiing down Park Hill) 5 – any time Nigel the postman knocks on your door holding a parcel 6 – any form of food that you don’t have to cook yourself (thank you Isaak, thank you burger van, thank you fish and chips van, thank you Janets-shop fresh Sunday morning croissants) 7 – the pristine egret that hangs out on the High Street, not a care in the world 8 – anticipating the Atkinsons fields full of lambs and maybe skipping a bit at the thought 9 – how much your dog loves you right now for not being at work 10 – less use of the alarm clock at pain-o-clock-in-the-morning 11 – filling the car up with petrol once since December 29th “I’m literally saving the planet” 12 – imagining your birthday with actual people you can touch 13 – the vaccine. Gawd Bless The Scientists.

Whilst a few people may say that Boris’s roadmap-out-of-corona resembles the deep Devon country lanes on a moonless night, it does feel like we are getting nearer to the end of the tunnel... and East Meon has been, as it goes, not too shabby a place to have to lockdown for a third time. Hashtag-blessed.

Words by CdeL COMMUNITY MATTERS 36

A MORNING OF LITTER PICKING IN THE VILLAGE!

I thought it would be a good idea to organise a litter pick in the village as when I walk past rubbish I feel helpless!

So, we made some leaflets to advertise this. We delivered them around the village to some families that we knew, hoping that people would come and join us to collect a good amount of rubbish! Mum and Dad thought that it would be best if the kids focussed on the centre of the village and the grown-ups covered the main roads coming in/going out of the village.

The weather was pretty good thankfully and we all set off feeling very excited about what we were going to collect. While we didn’t all agree to meet up in one place to start with, because of Covid, it seemed like most parts of the village were covered.

There were lots of smaller pieces of rubbish around, which were sometimes hard to see and reach, but with the litter pickers and our gloves on it made it easier. There were all the usual bits of plastic wrappers, bottles and cigarette ends, and on the main roads bigger items such as a mattress, strimmer, drinks cans, energy gel sachets, hubcaps etc were also collected.

By the end, the grown ups collected about 9 bags from the main road (East Meon to West Meon road) and 4 and a half bags in the centre of the village and out towards The Atkinson’s farm at Frogmore.

It makes me really sad when I see people dropping litter in the village. They obviously don’t think about the wildlife or the river and how it affects the animals. Also that someone else will have to clear up their mess because they can’t be bothered to put their rubbish in the bin!

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE put your rubbish in the bin and protect our village and our world.

Martha Masters, Age 9 1/2 37 COMMUNITY MATTERS 38

RELIABLE, TIDY, HONESTLY PRICED, PROFESSIONAL MEON VALLEY BASED ELECTRICIAN

E:[email protected] T:07931 522 048 W:WWW.EFFECTIVEE LECTRICIAN.CO.UK

39 VILLAGE HALL

COUNTRY FAIR POSTPONED (AGAIN) VILLAGE PICNIC PLANNED FOR AUGUST

The Village Hall have decided that it would be unwise to try and run the Country Fair in May, just 2 months away, given the probability that the pandemic will still be with us.

After consulting with the Parish Council, school and the church they have chosen to hold The East Meon Village Picnic and celebration event that we were all hoping to hold last summer, on Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 August, provided the pandemic doesn’t interfere once again of course. The date gives plenty of time to look at the details of the picnic.

The Country Fair will also be postponed to Bank Holiday Monday 2nd May 2022 which should be well after the pandemic, helping us all to look ahead with greater certainty.

David Pepper, the new Chair of the Hall, said “Sadly it’s better to be safe than sorry. While we very much regret a further postponement having already had to cancel the Fair and Picnic in 2020, we have to avoid risks, disappointment and costs that would most likely follow if we went ahead and held a major event in May as we usually do, and then cancelling. Let’s hope the vaccination programme and sunshine allow us to enjoy a celebratory event this August and the Country Fair on the May Bank Holiday next year”.

The major acts and exhibitions for the Country Fair booked for 2020 have been rebooked for 2022. Remove mobile number from some of the cards.

D.J. SCOTT GARDEN MACHINERY

SALES & REPAIRS

Wheely Down Garages www.dj-scott.com Warnford, Nr. Southampton Hampshire SO32 3LG Telephone/Fax: 01730 829207

40

Pearl Window Cleaning Services A local family-run business

Traditional Indoor & Outdoor Window Cleaning

Water-fed pole system Window cleaning

Conservatory Roof Cleaning

Fascia & Soffit Cleaning

Fully Insured

For your FREE quotation Please contact Adam or Samantha Tel: 07546954686 Email: [email protected]

YOGA for everybody Hatha Flow Yoga (influenced by the teachings of Vanda Scaravelli)

East Meon Village Hall

• Monday morning, Wednesday afternoon, Thursday evening • By developing awareness, learn to integrate strength and flexibility and improve the way you move • Feel the connections of mind, body & breath & re-energise • Friendly, fun, well structured and safe Please contact experienced British Wheel of Yoga teacher Susan Tuff on 07392 693224 or 01730 823 205 or see Susan’s web site ‘yoga-for-everybody.co.uk’

41 VILLAGE HALL

GEORGE THOMPSON STEPS DOWN FROM VILLAGE HALL

After leading the village hall and country fair teams with distinction for some time, George has passed the leadership baton to David Pepper. The sharp eyed may have seen for sale signs outside his house (opposite the hall) and rumours of a move closer to the sea are circulating. David and others are hoping this either doesn’t happen at all, or takes enough time to transfer more of the accumulated know how and know who.

To thank George the Hall committee commissioned a painting from Amy Lague (www.sunnyoutside.co.uk) , who lives on the Green. This features the hall, George’s house and other landmarks. The picture was presented by David Pepper with Alan Redpath and Susan Davenport – past and current Parish Council chairs – joining to send the village’s thanks.

Andrew Hughes 42 FARMING MATTERS Spring wine recommendations from Tipple Talk

Springtime offers a wealth of possibility when it comes to wine enjoyment. With longer days, warmer weather and sunny afternoons (here’s hoping) come crisp white wines, rosés and lighter reds. Just what we all need!

I have recently been enjoying the delights of Chenin Blanc, a white grape variety originally from the Loire Valley which has also reached heights of success in sunny South Africa. Its racy acidity and ripe fruit flavours make it the perfect match for flavoursome salads and quiches. If you prefer a delicate, more mineral expression, look for a dry Loire Valley style such as Denier Meunier’s Vouvray “Expression de Silex.” For a fully bodied, more tropical Chenin, opt for the organic “Vinehugger” produced by Reyneke in Stellenbosch. Both come in around £10 each from Majestic when you mix 6 and offer a super alternative to Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay.

I am also itching to enjoy some rosé as soon as there is any sign of sunshine! Provence is undoubtedly the best known French area for producing quality styles but many other regions globally have adopted the same pale pink appearance and delicate red fruit flavours. For easy drinking, budget friendly pale rosés, look out for the typical Provence blend of Cinsault, Grenache and Syrah but from Southern France (IGP Pays d’Oc). I really like Vendanges Nocturnes from Waitrose for £8.99, as it feels summery but still has poise and elegance. I have also been pleasantly surprised with Spanish rosados, which seem to have largely left behind bold new oak flavours and darker fruit flavours. Miguel Torres Vina Esmeralda Rosé (£9.99 at General Wine Company) is a great example of this. Made from the Carignan grape variety, there is a little more weight than some of the blush French wines, but it is still crisp, light and refreshing.

When it comes to reds, light bodied styles produced from Pinot Noir, Mencia or Corvina make great spring time additions, as these wines can be served slightly chilled without tannins becoming bitter or stalky. I’ve been really enjoying the Maruxa Mencia by Virgen del Galir, available at Majestic for £9.99 when you mix 6. It has a similar profile to Pinot Noir, with crunchy red cranberry fruit flavours, but with a slight herbal edge that adds some complexity. For a light red wine with some serious freshness, look to Corvina based wines from the larger area of Veneto (avoiding the more expensive, full bodied and concentrated Amarones - that’s a whole other ball game!). The Recchia Bardolino from Waitrose is super value at £8.79, with typical sour cherry flavours and zippy acidity.

If you’re interested in learning a little more about wine over the next few months, you may like to join my online wine club, Tipple Talk. A selection of 6 miniature wine bottles are delivered to your door, which we taste together virtually on the first Thursday evening of every month. This coming April focuses on New Zealand wine. There is no joining fee or subscription, making it possible to dip in and out of the sessions that you’re most interested in.

Meon Matters’ readers also receive a special local discount of £20 a ticket instead of £25. Simply apply the code “MEONMATTERS” at checkout or email Katrina for more information. Cheers! www.tipple-talk.com [email protected] 43 NOTICES

50th Wedding Anniversary Thank You

David and Jean Cooke wish to thank all those friends in the Parish who so very kindly gave us cards and gifts to commemorate our 50th Wedding Anniversary on 19 March this year.

We will hopefully be able to celebrate with you all in the near future.

With our love and best wishes to all of you

Choose from a series of workshops held Chooseat fromMeon a Springsseries of Long workshops Barn held at Meon Springs Long Barn 18TH TO 23rd MARCH 2021 Qualified and fully insured chimney sweeping service based 18TH13thTO 23 -18thrd MARCH May 2021 in East Meon, serving all the surrounding towns and villages Lino inspired by Tiles • Specialist brushes and equipment to sweep all types of Lino Kitchenaliainspired by Tiles chimney flue, lined and unlined Kitchenalia Block Printing on Fabric • Thatch Advice Centre associate member Block Printing on Fabric Birds on a Wire • Bird nest removal Birds on a Wire Making a mark on the Landscape • Certificates issued with every job Making a markStil lon Life the Landscape • CCTV flue inspections Still Life Gift Vouchers Available Call Katie Foster on: 07827 727801 Gift01730 Vouchers 823794 Available 01730 823794 www.meonvalleychimneysweep.co.uk [email protected]

Self-storage doesn’t have to be stressful.

www.meonsprings.com

Self-storage at Meon Springs. We’re here when you need us. Meon Springs, Whitewool Farm, East Meon, Nr Petersfield, Hampshire, GU32 1HW 01730 823249

MADE IN THE MEON VALLEY CRAMER BESPOKE

KITCHENS | WARDROBES | CABINETRY | WOOD FLOORING

PHONE: 02392 632222 MOBILE: 07805 040464 [email protected]

Why not read our glowing reviews from some of the Meon Valley’s most fabulous residents ?

www.cramerbespoke.com East Meon Village Hall The Perfect place for your event

Ideal for: Facilities: Weddings Large and Small halls Parties Up to 250 people Fully equipped Kitchen Family Events Stage Exhibitions Audio-Visual equipment Classes Marquee and Gazebo hire Picnics Table and Chair hire Sports Car Park Clubs www.eastmeonvillagehall.co.uk [email protected] 07956783061