Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Flyer to Ramsbury & Ramsbury Library 1 2 3 4 Hungerford Axford Free internet Flyer to WI visit to Aston RHS Summer Show The Square every Link Scheme Mon 2-5pm.Wed 10-12pm Marlborough Pottery. Meet in in Ramsbury Wed 10.06 am Mon-Fri 9 – 5 Thur 2-5pm. Sat 10-12 Fri 10.16 am Tel 520111 the Square at 1.30 Memorial Hall 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Flyer outing to Blue top Flyer to Newbury Ramsbury Cricket Mudeford Quay and wheelie-bins & Club vs Devizes 2 Christchurch Black boxes emptied Recreation Centre 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Black & Green Flyer to RBL Jumble, wheelie-bins/ Marlborough Coffee and Cake Orange bags emptied Sale 10am 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Parish Council Blue top Flyer outing to RAGS competition Ramsbury Cricket meeting in Wyevale Garden at West Berks Club wheelie-bins & Ramsbury Black boxes emptied Centre / Butterfly RBL Quiz night vs Spye Park Memorial Hall World Recreation Centre 26 27 28 29 30 31 Charity Shop Black & Green Tue, Wed, Thur & Sat wheelie-bins/ 10 – 12.30. Orange bags emptied Tue & Thur 2 – 4.30 Every Sunday Every Monday Every Tuesday Every Wednesday Every Thursday Every Friday Every Saturday Holy Cross Short Mat Bowls Over 60s exercise Ramsbury Lambs Short Mat Bowls Senior Band Rehearsal Junior Football 10am See notices Memorial Hall Memorial Hall 10.30am Mem Hall 9.30 to 11.30 Memorial Hall Methodist Church ______________________ 4 – 6pm Painting Group Training Band 10am - 12 noon 7.30pm Methodist Church 1st and 3rd Tuesdays Methodist Church Royal British Legion August See notices Church Room 10-1pm 6.45pm Club - Bingo 8pm Bowls Club open Senior Band 7.45pm Bowls Club open 2018 Tennis Club 10am evenings 6 pm at the Axford Village Hall evenings 6 pm at the Bowling Green Bingo 2nd and last Bowling Green Crown & Anchor Wednesday 7.30pm Quiz Night 8pm Electronic Diary The Village Diary is available on the Ramsbury website every month. See www.ramsbury.org.uk – What’s on - Village Diary Ramsbury and Axford Village Diary August 2018 May we have items for the September diary before 10 August. They may be left at the Post Office or sent to [email protected] NATURE NOTES by Rosie Pauline As I write this in early July I expect we are all wondering how long this intense heat will last? Some are enjoying it while others long for it to be a little cooler. The grass may have turned to straw but with a good downpour of rain it is surprising how quickly it will become green again to hide the weeds which, having deeper roots, are still green even if they are growing slower than usual. I noticed this yesterday when I saw pineapple weed growing beside a path. Crush a piece and you will realise the reason for its name. Nearby was a large willow tree with, at its base, a quantity of fallen leaves. Since most trees have larger, thicker leaves they cope better with the heat. As buddleia is now starting to flower, peacocks and red admirals will have the pleasure of feeding on the nectar. I am not the only one who is finding the raspberries are suffering from the heat with the fruits drying off. The blackberry canes have flowered well. How good the fruit will be? Only time will tell. Rain is also needed if the fruit of apple, pear and plum trees are to reach their usual size. The hot, dry weather is causing some flowers to be smaller and last for a shorter period unless they are growing in a deeper, shady place such as the common cow. What with its small, yellow flowers which I saw while on holiday. It is a small, dainty plant of open woodland, not a lover of chalky soils. I have never seen it locally. The teasel thistle is now in flower. It seems to be less fussy as to soil type. Other varieties of thistle can only be found in flower, as is the bindweed. The field variety has pretty, pink and white flowers, fine by the roadside but not welcome in my vegetable patch as with such deep roots it is difficult to destroy. The lower forms of life as yet don’t seem too numerous. No blackfly on the beans, nor have I seen any greenfly. Unfortunately there are few ladybirds but bees are quite busy around the flowers and slugs seem to be in hiding. May the wasps and rainfall not be too much in evidence during the holiday period of August. (Correction – in the July Notes hemlock white dropwort should have read hemlock water dropwort). BIRD NOTES by Paul Swan In April last year I had my first sighting of a crane on the road to Froxfield. In the last few weeks I have had two reports of cranes flying over the village; west to east. These were probably from the Great Crane Project, where these birds were reintroduced on the Somerset levels just eight years ago. Standing over four feet, and with a wingspan of over seven feet, these are magnificent birds. At a smaller scale, the garden continues to be full of juvenile birds, including the largest number of sparrows we have ever seen. Clearly, they are having a good year. The blackbirds appear to be feeding their third brood, and must be ready for a break. As you read this, everything will be much quieter as most birds go through the annual moult, slowly replacing all their feathers. Young robins will lose their speckled breast and appear as full redbreasts in a few weeks. Our trip of the month was an evening visit to the New Forest on a nightjar walk. Just after dusk we heard their strange and somewhat spooky call. It is an almost mechanical ‘churring’ that goes on for minutes. A single bird then ‘escorted’ us across its territory, flying very low and changing direction in an instant. It was a very memorable experience. RAINFALL Rainfall for June was 7.5 mm, 0.3 in., the driest since 1975! July looks like being very dry, the last measurable rain fell on 19th June. Average for month 57.91 mm, 2.28 ins. Newcomers’INSERT THICK Welcome LINES PackIN Calendar If you are new to the village copies of the Ramsbury and Axford Welcome Pack are available from Ramsbury Library, 31 High Street, (see opening times on the Diary calendar). Recreation Centre 200 Club Results £100 to Mark Hayley, £50 each to Nigel Palmer, Geoff Findlay, Bob Foale, Sarah Swan and Victoria Compton and £25 each to Rachel Byfield, Sheila Glass, Tony Madden, Rosie Derrick, Simon Kverndal and Hilary Hicklin. The club costs £60 a year to join. Funds are split 50/50 between prizes and the Recreation Centre. To join, contact Ian Smith on 07977 473975 or [email protected] The Crown and Anchor is now under new ownership A chef has been recruited and will start serving evening meals on Wednesday 1 August. Initially food will be available on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings from 6 to 8.30pm and Sunday lunch 12 noon to 3pm. These times will be expanded as the business grows and it is hoped to be opening for lunches sometime in September. The new owners would like to thank everyone who has supported them and are looking forward to opening the dining room and serving good, traditional pub food. New opening times are 3 - 11 pm Tuesday to Friday, 3pm – 11.30pm on Saturday and 12noon – 10pm on Sunday. Mondays closed. Recycling Changes - Google ‘New Services Wiltshire Council’ - for full details Blue-lidded bin -In addition to plastic bottles and cardboard, you will be able to put yoghurt pots, plastic trays, margarine tubs, ice cream tubs and juice cartons in your blue lidded bin. Black box - Paper, glass bottles and jars, tins and cans, clean foils, empty aerosols, bagged textiles and clothes and shoes (but not in black or charity bags). Please rinse & crush your recycling where possible. Black plastic & plastic films cannot be recycled. Bridge Lessons in Marlborough New courses start in September with lessons for Absolute Beginners, Improvers and Intermediate players. Practice sessions are also available with no partner needed. All in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. Please contact Andy Hill for further details and availability. Tel 01380 724725 [email protected] www.bridgewebs.com/bfamarlborough Aldbourne Music and Song Festival 2018 – (provisional programme) Friday 27 July 8pm Grand Opening Variety Concert on the Green. Saturday 28 July 10.30am Folk music workshop in the Memorial Hall. 1pm to 3pm Taiko Drumming Workshop in St. Michael’s. 7.30 pm Concert St. Michael’s - Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No.2, Folk Songs, Haydn's String Quartet No.32, 'The Bird' , Mozart's Sonata in D major, KV 448 Sunday 29 July 4pm to 7pm Festival of Place Street and 14 Garden/ Street parties around the Village by invitation. 7.30pm Jamboree on the Green with The Oompah Band Monday 30 July 7.30pm Heritage Talk on History of Music & Song in Aldbourne Memorial Hall Monday 30 July – Wednesday 1 August Daily Open Music Studio at 17 Kandahar from 2pm to 4pm Wednesday 1 August Safari Concerts – 7pm Southward House - Causebrook & Selman, 7.45pm The Old Manor – The Paddling Dabchicks and 8.30pm The Courthouse – The Wiltshire Blues Sessions Thursday 2 August 7pm Youth Concert in Aldbourne Memorial Hall Friday 3 August Choral Workshop St.