Issue 205 Catfield News January 2021 2 January Notice Board We wish all our readers a Happy and Healthy New Year The Mobile Library Service is running again. See page 5 for details Books and jigsaws available in the Catfield Church porch for you to borrow. The changing face of Catfield. You may have noticed the work going on to tidy up the old Mushroom Farm site. Do you have any before and after pictures of developments in village you would like to share? If so we would love to receive them. Catfield Coronavirus Mutual Help group contacts:- Jean Thirtle 01692 581201 Gail Whittleton 07766 312081 Our January Quiz is on page 18. Come on, give it a go. You may win a voucher to spend in the village shop 3 The January cover picture is of the weather vane put up over the end of the new houses on the Neaves Garage site. It is of Mr Neave with his haulage truck and his faithful dog, which was always by his side. CATFIELD STORES & POST OFFICE New Years Day Opening Hours 8.00 am to 7.00 pm otherwise opening hours will be as normal Monday to Friday 7.00 am to 8.00 pm Saturday & Sunday 8.00 am to 8.00 pm **** Shop local Parish Council Meeting Minutes If you would like a copy of the P C Minutes please contact the Parish Clerk, [email protected]. The minutes can also be viewed on the village website www.catfield.org.uk and are displayed on the notice board outside the Village Hall. The next P C Meeting will be a Zoom meeting on Wednesday 6th January at 1900 hrs. 4 Mobile libraries update (information taken from www.libraries.norfolk.gov.uk) Our mobile library routes are restarting on Wednesday 2 December. We have updated some routes - please see the information below for more details on specific routes. Please note the libraries will not visit nursing homes yet. Please read the following guidelines before visiting the mobile library. You will be required to wear a face covering when you visit the mobile library The mobile library will be operating on a one customer (or one household of up to 3 people) at a time basis to reduce the number of people inside Please remember to bring your library card with you We will ask you for your contact details for ‘test and trace’ purposes Hand sanitiser will be available for use on the way in and out and surfaces that are commonly touched will be regularly wiped down Returned items will be quarantined for up to 72 hours We look forward to welcoming you back on board. Please bear with us if we run a little late due to limiting the number of people on the mobile library through the day. The Library will visit Catfield on Wednesday 21st January stopping at the locations detailed below:- 09:45 10:00 NEW ROAD NR29 5BH 10:05 10:20 THORN ROAD NR29 5AY 10:25 10:40 VILLAGE HALL NR29 5AW Information may change so please check www.libraries.norfolk.gov.uk for updates 5 National Census 2021 The Census takes place every 10 years and the next Census date is March 21st 2021. If you would like to find out more about the Census please visit the website www.census.gov.uk. There are also part time temporary local jobs available, for more information visit www.censusjobs.co.uk. Taking part in the census is so important, as it gathers essential information that’s used for things that affect your community. Public bodies use census information to help plan and fund services like housing, education and healthcare. Charities and businesses also use it to inform their work. Sylvia is looking for swimmers for her ladies group. Thursday nights 6pm to 7pm. For more information contact Sylvia on 01692 583151 or 07470655799 One Liner: It’s the fate of history to be rewritten to suit the agenda of the present. 6 Chef’s Specials Traditional Beef Stew and Dumplings Ingredients 25g plain flour 1.2kg stewing steak, cubed For the dumplings 30ml olive oil 115g suet 2 large onions, sliced 225g self-raising flour 450g carrots, sliced 2 tbsp chopped mixed fresh herbs 300ml stout or dark beer approx. 150ml water 3 bay leaves 2 tsp brown sugar 3 fresh thyme sprigs 1 tsp cider vinegar Salt and freshly ground black pepper Method 1. Preheat the oven to 160C. Season the flour and sprinkle over the meat, tossing to coat. 2. Heat the oil in a large casserole and lightly sauté the onions and carrots. Remove the vegetables with a slotted spoon and reserve them. 3. Brown the meat well in batches in the casserole dish. 4. Return all the vegetables to the casserole and add any leftover seasoned flour. Add the stout or beer, bay leaves sugar and thyme. Bring the liquid to the boil, cover and then transfer to the oven. Leave the meat to cook for 1 hour and 40 minutes before making the dumplings. 5. Mix the suet, flour and herbs together. Add enough water to make a soft sticky dough. 6. Form the dough into small balls with floured hands. Add the cider vinegar to the meat and spoon the dumplings on top. Cook for a further 20 minutes, until the dumplings have cooked through. Serve hot. D.S. 7 Nature Notes for January 2021 By J & C What a strange time we have had over the last year with this COVID-19. It has been a horrendous time for anyone caught by this disease. Most of us are all grateful for having got through it to date, and our condolences go to the families of those not so fortunate. Hopefully we will be getting back to normal by this spring. East Anglia offers opportunities to see wildlife all the year round, including during the winter. Here are a few great places to get close to nature. Even in the depths of winter, there is still a host of wildlife to see all around the area. Wading birds, swans, grey seals, deer and otters are all among the creatures you can spot during the coldest months of the year. East Anglia is full of wonderful places to observe nature, so this is just a taster of some of the best places to start, Visit their websites for more information and details of any admission charges. RSPB Minsmere, near Leiston: This internationally-famed reserve in East Suffolk has a unique, rich landscape which attracts a host of birdlife. In winter, flocks of ducks gather on the Scrape and the grazing marshes, with some amazing bright plumage on show. Other birds you might see vary from marsh harriers and hen harriers to bitterns and bearded tits. Winter is also the best time to see an otter, with the creatures occasionally being spotted in the reedbed pools or on the Island Mere. Red deer can often be seen in the woods and fields. As well as Minsmere itself, the surrounding coast and countryside is also rich in wildlife, including the National Trust's nearby Dunwich Heath and Beach reserve. Blakeney Point, near Holt: The seal colony at Blakeney Point is an amazing sight, with hundreds of seals basking on the beach. Operated by the National Trust, the reserve is home to the largest seal colony in England, with more than 2,700 pups having been born during winter 2017. The Grey seals give birth between November and January and you can see the pups with their mums by taking a boat trip from Morston Quay. Booking in advance is strongly recommended. During the winter you may also see birds including mallard, teal, wigeon, pintails and pink-footed geese. Cley Marshes, near Holt: Norfolk Wildlife's oldest and best-known reserve attracts large numbers of wintering and migrating wildfowl and waders, as well as the bittern, bearded tit and marsh harrier. Birds to look out for during winter visits include wigeon, pintail, brent geese and various seabirds. The new Simon Aspinall Wildlife Education Centre has films, touchscreens and displays, offering the chance to learn more about the wildlife. Hickling Broad, near Potter Heigham: The whole of Broadland is amazingly rich in wildlife, and, as the largest of the Broads, Hickling Broad is a haven for nature. The Norfolk Wildlife Trust's reserve has become home to a number of common cranes, who usually fly into the reeds to roost during the winter months and can be seen from the Stubb Mill viewing platform. A large gathering of marsh harriers can also be seen roosting on the edge of the Broad. 8 KEEP FLEXIBLE AND PAIN FREE This month’s stretch for your lower back is a knee rotation stretch which is performed laying down on your back with your feet on the ground, bend your knees and gently move them from side to side in a windscreen wiper motion. Try to prevent your shoulder from lifting off the floor too much, it will want to lift as you rotate your hips but the closer you can keep it to the ground the better stretch you will achieve. Obviously follow what your body allows you to achieve. If rotating both legs creates too much pressure on your lower back then try a single leg rotation instead. This exercise for lower back pain works by gently rotating your lumbar spine. Rotate to each side 10 times. Perform 3 times per day. Please remember if you are in chronic pain at the moment consult a doctor or physiotherapist before attempting any new exercise or stretching regime.