The Volunteer
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--- The Volunteer The Newsletter for all Ashdown Forest Volunteers Issue 14 – October / November/December Where does all the time go! It seems like only yesterday I was talking about adders – now I’m starting to think about lighting the boiler! IN THIS ISSUE: The weather this summer has been variable to say the very least. I suppose it has been a typical English summer. However, most importantly Welcome it stayed fine for the summer BBQ and despite dire warnings of freezing Summer BBQ winds it was pleasantly balmy! Sadly, I didn’t get an opportunity to take pictures this year but I can report that everyone seemed to have a very Update on grazing nice time! A very big thank you to Janet Wirdnam for her fantastic chef‐ Hogget recipe! de‐partie skills and overall support in the kitchen and to our chef‐de‐ cuisine Chris Sutton and sous‐chef Roger Beal – Gordon Ramsey would be Exhibitions proud! Forest history Not the Waglog New website Conservation Management Exhibitions Staff Comings & Goings! “We need a really good sauce to cover our mistakes!” We’ve heard a lot over the last couple of years about the rise of the ‘staycation’ and it would seem that the Information Barn has been busier than usual with visitors staying much longer. We have had lots of compliments from visitors about the new Information Barn displays, but these tend to come from first‐time visitors and returning visitors have said they regret the loss of the tree and stuffed animals. We will, over the autumn and winter be further ‘personalising’ the displays – such as dressing the area around the deer with branches and bringing the birds down from the beams so they can be easily seen. We don’t have any more stuffed animals; most of them disintegrated when the displays were taken apart and no one wants to see a balding earless rabbit! We also intend bringing the audio‐visual unit and the films back and, with luck, run the ‘tit‐cam’ in full colour. There are discussions afoot on how we can make a further short information film for the barn – however, it’s a very costly undertaking but we will let you know how we get on. Keep your eyes peeled for the Christmas Party Invitations and make sure you RSVP in plenty of time as space is limited! Update on Grazing… The Hebridean sheep started grazing on the Forest in April and were out through the summer within electric fences. The sheep were in several locations such as Wrens Warren (Lone Oak Hall); Jumpers Town; at the rear of Cats Protection and briefly on the Golf Course. Local residents and interested parties were kept informed via our two news groups; Twitter, Facebook and our website. Posters were put up the Information Bar and on our notice‐boards at the Centre. There were also a plethora of warning signs on all approaches to the sheep. On the whole this worked well but there was one nasty dog attack which, with the help of our friends at the Courier, was widely reported in the local media. Caroline has recently been joined by a new, part‐time, grazing assistant, Joe Wallis. Joe comes to us from a commercial sheep rearing and management background and had a baptism of fire – straight into shearing on his first day! As winter approaches we are continuing the search for winter keep and covered storage areas that could be used for feed and/or hay. If you hear of anywhere that might be suitable please do let Chris Marrable or Caroline FitzGerald know! At the end of September some surplus sheep were Slow Roasted Hogget taken to market to be sold on and others to slaughter which allowed us to 8 tinned anchovies make some meat sales. Hogget (sheep older than one year) is a healthy meat 2 tsp capers naturally high in omega 3. As the animals are older than conventional 2 tbsp honey supermarket lambs when they are slaughtered they have an opportunity to put splash white wine vinegar splash white wine on some muscle, and, as they have only ever been forage fed which means the 2 lemons, zest and juice meat has a great depth of flavour. Also, if anyone would like to help us look 2 cloves garlic, crushed after the sheep by acting as a lookerer please give us a call or drop us an e‐mail. 1 tbsp Dijon mustard 1 sprigs thyme Method 1 sprigs rosemary Using a pastry brush, brush the mustard over the outside of the lamb then pour over the anchovy 100 ml olive oil mixture making sure all of the lamb is covered. Tie up the leg with string. 1.7 kg leg of hogget 200 ml white wine Put the remaining herb sprigs and the zestless lemon halves in the bottom of a roasting tray. Sit the hogget on top and roast to your preference. Forthcoming Exhibitions… We have a full and interesting programme of John Lanteri‐Laura – this will be a very different, exhibitions over the next 12 months. Some of the dates challenging exhibition using large scale and titles are not yet fully fixed but below should give photographs and Victorian techniques from 1 you an indication of what to expect: April to 28 May. www.photographicpractices.com/laura.html Nature Stripped Bare – natural artworks by Pamela Hurwitz with photographs and paintings by Tom Julia Rowlands – Julia produces vibrant and Morgan and Paul Humphrey – 6 October to 27 colourful landscapes and townscapes and she will January 2012. www.pjhurwitznaturalart.co.uk be exhibiting with us for the first time on 1 June to 31 July. www.wix.com/juliadr3/juliarowlands James Barrett – James produces really beautiful landscape photographs. It will be his first exhibition Mervyn Hathaway – Mervyn’s dreamlike with us and is pencilled in from January to March landscapes contain some surprises – 3 August to 2012 tbc. www.jamesbarrettphotography.co.uk 31 October. www.mhathaway.co.uk/ Ashdown Forest Wood Turners – we are We have also had expressions of interest from three welcoming back these very popular local craftsmen other landscape photographers and at least four local for their regular winter pre‐Christmas slot from the painters and an art group! 4 to 19 December. The Volunteer ‐ Page 2 Forest History – Brian Jones, 28 February 1942 – 3 July 1969… Brian Jones was born in Cheltenham. others, considered himself to be who wanted to tour America. His family had an interest in music, the leader as he promoted the Jones’ convictions were a major mother was a piano teacher and band and arranged the gigs. obstacle and on 8th June 1969, father played the organ in church. Jagger, Richards and Wyman Brian’s interest in music was sparked Jones began travelling to gigs sacked him and went to the by hearing music by jazz saxophonist alone; gradually alienating himself States to find global fame. ‘Cannonball’ Adderely in the mid from the band. The emphasis 1950’s and he asked his parents for a began to shift away from Jones as It was during this period that sax. However, his interest soon ‘leader’ towards the increasingly Jones retreated to Cotchford shifted to the acoustic guitar. formidable song writing duo of Farm which he had purchased in Jagger & Richards. 1968. No one is really sure about Jones was academically bright but his mental state at that time but hated conforming to school rules and Days on the road, alienation from on the night of 2‐3 July 1969 he regulations. He breezed through his his band mates, change of musical was found floating in the examinations but left school in direction and the perceived loss of swimming pool. There were, and disgrace (as his teenage girlfriend leadership took its toll on Jones’ remain, rumours and speculation was pregnant) and spent the summer mental health. He increasingly about murder – in November travelling through Europe and found refuge in alcohol and drugs 2008 it was reported that Frank Scandinavia living a bohemian becoming unfriendly and anti‐ Thorogood (a builder working on lifestyle, busking and living off the social. He was hospitalised several the house) had killed Brian Jones charity of friends. He was fond of times. in a fight and the senior police telling stories about his European officers covered up the true adventures, however, friends May 1967 saw Jones famously cause of death. In August 2009 it reported he simply stayed with them arrested and released on there were stories circulating and much of what he said was a probation with the proviso he see that Sussex Police had decided to fiction. a counsellor. Later that year, in a review the death for the first final blaze of glory, he attended time after new evidence was By 1962 Jones quit Cheltenham and the Monteray Festival where he handed to them by an had moved to London. He advertised was hailed the ‘unofficial king of investigative journalist who in ‘Jazz News’ inviting musicians to the festival’. traced many of the people who audition for a new R&B group at the were at the house on the night of Bricklayers Arms – Mick Jagger, his Hostility was growing within the the death. Murder or friend Keith Richards, Paul Jones, band. Bill Wyman observed "There misadventure ‐ nothing has ever pianist Ian Stewart, bass player Dick were two Brians... one was been proven. Taylor and drummer Tony Chapman introverted, shy, sensitive, deep‐ were all recruited. thinking... the other was a Fans still make pilgrimages to preening peacock, gregarious, Cotchford Farm, so briefly a The ‘Rollin' Stones’ played their first artistic, desperately needing place of refuge for a troubled gig on 12 July 1962 in the Marquee assurance from his peers..