December 2020, Issue 265 News, views and issues from: Chapel Amble, Pieces of Pendoggett, St Kew, St Kew Highway, Trelill, Tregellist, Trequite, Eight Trewethern Email: [email protected] The editorial team would like to wish all our readers, advertisers, contributors and distributors a happy Christmas and a healthy, peaceful and prosperous New Year. Let’s hope 2021 is better than 2020. A Christmas Cactus in full bloom Photograph by David Balmford Your free guide to news and events within and around St Kew Parish Polzeath Beach on New Year’s Day 2020. Little did we know what a strange and difficult year it would turn out to be…….. Welcome to Pieces of Eight We are a free independent community magazine, published ten times a year (not January and August) covering local news, views and events in the St Kew parish area. Volunteers produce, edit and distribute the magazine to every household in the area, and to all the local churches, shops and pubs. We do hope you enjoy reading it. We would love to hear from our readers - articles, letters, suggestions and other contributions are always welcome. Please see our contact details below. There is also an on-line edition hosted by the Parish Council which can be found at www.stkewparish.org.uk (We are very grateful to the Parish Council for allowing us to use their website). EDITORIAL Thank you to everyone for all your contributions We wish all our readers, advertisers, contributors throughout the year. We would love to include more and distributors a happy Christmas and a peaceful short (up to 500 words or so) articles about local & prosperous New Year. events, or about any subject that would be of interest to our readers. If you would like to write for us - Welcome to the December 2020 edition of Pieces of regular features or one-off articles - please let us Eight, we trust that you are all keeping well and are know at [email protected] or drop a note in our all looking forward to the festive period that will soon post box in the Spar shop. be upon us. Finally a huge thank you to our advertisers for their The year, as usual seems to have flown by, albeit, support, to Phil the printer and his team and this year, different in many ways given the especially to our distributors who deliver the uncertainties and restrictions we have had to live magazine to you all whatever the weather. We'll be with. back in February. Happy Christmas everyone. Within the parish many have been helped by St Kew We hope you find the magazine both useful and Help, also the mystery benefactor who provided enjoyable, if you happen to use any of the services meals via the Red Lion, friends and neighbours, the provided by the advertisers in the magazine please Food Bank, teachers who are educating our children mention that you read about them in the magazine. and not forgetting the NHS and key workers. Thank you all for the support and comfort you have given Steve one and other (apologies if I have missed anyone). Contacting the Editorial Team Copy date for the February issue is: Friday 15th January The Editorial Team are: Philippa Harkness - Children's page & History Please could all contributors send us copy Steve Liddiard - Advertising Manager & Treasurer or advertisements as soon as possible, and David Penhale - Events & Poet in Residence before the copy deadline. If your article or Nicky Pickard - Main editor who puts the advert is going to be late it would be very helpful magazine together, assisted by husband Mike. if you could let us know in advance. We can be contacted by email at Many thanks! [email protected]. Please use this address for ALL correspondence, the in-box is checked regularly. Alternatively you can phone Nicky’s mo- Note to Readers bile - 07813 603776. Leave a message if you can’t When responding to an advertisement, please get through and she will phone you back. Advertisers mention that you saw it in Pieces of Eight. This should contact Steve, our Advertising Manager via shows our advertisers that the magazine is the the above email address, putting ‘Advertisement’ in place to reach local customers. the subject line. Steve can provide information on advertising costs, space availability, formats, etc. The magazine does not accept any responsibili- ty for any issues arising from advertisements. Views expressed in this publication are those of its contributors and do not necessarily reflect PoE is printed for us by Parish Magazine Printing, those of the Publishers (the management com- Northmoor, Whitstone, Holsworthy, Devon, EX22 6TD. www.communitymagazineprinting.co.uk, 01288 341617. mittee) who reserve the right to refuse or alter any material supplied. Garden Services Clearing REAL CORNISH PASTIES HOMEMADE Grass Cutting EVERY DAY (except Sundays) Hedge Trimming FEELING HUNGRY? Hedge Laying JUST CAN'T WAIT? Tree Work COME TO AUNT AVICE'S etc... THEY'RE ALWAYS FRESH BAKED! WE ARE AT UNIT 1, ST KEW SERVICES, Stephen Lambert ST KEW HIGHWAY. 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For further information please contact KEVIN BRIGGS Mobile – 07921 957356 Or email: [email protected] St Kew Highway Tel: 01208 841470 or 07581197622 St Pirans Garden Services Hedge Cutting/Pruning Strimming/lawn mowing All aspects of home and garden maintenance No Job too big or too small Fully insured 01208 221397 Would you prefer to have a FEMALE to do your Painting & - can also Maintain your Garden & Power Wash your Patios, Decking, Walls, Driveways etc. with a Pressure washer For free quote ‘Phone: 07754 346457 St. Kew Community Gardens does tend to send stones through the air, so mow- ing should be a friendlier approach to a tidy plot! Association . One other thing I did do, though, was to prune the The View from the Allotments ….. and vines and clear circles around each one and put we have entered that time of the year when some manure down around the plants, too. The there is really not much to relate… vines grew well this year but all their growth seemed to go into foliage and not into grapes. We had one Last month I seemed to have a lot to write about but or two very small bunches of grapes but nothing we in the past few weeks, apart from lifting leeks and could use. So I hope for better things next year and cutting brassicas for dinner, I haven’t done anything the pruning should help. really interesting. Although it’s always interesting to eat one’s own produce, of course! One job I can do during this gloomy weather is to sort out the greenhouse and make it ready to grow No, what I have been doing on a boringly regular the first seedlings at the end of the year. And of basis is shifting manure. We get regular deliveries course that’s something I can do when it’s raining! of good horse manure from Graham Tiplady and this stands in large heaps at the top and the bottom Our members have been very good this year and of the site, for all to use. So for the past fortnight, I we have received a lot of rental fees already. Of have been clearing one small patch at a time, get- course, we couldn’t have our AGM, which will have ting rid of the worst weeds (dock, dandelion and to be put off again until we see what we can and groundsel) and covering it with manure. I find my cannot do with regard to meetings. But the plots are elderly arms will only permit me to do a few barrow- all in use and the whole site looks used and worked loads at a time, as even with a lightweight fork, it’s and productive. Long many it last! quite hard work. But I have now gradually tidied up all but a couple of patches and if we have some fine days next week (mid-November) I’ll finish it off. Judith Mott It doesn’t look very scientific but my reasoning is, if we have bad weather, all that will happen is that the [email protected] rain will help soak in the manure so that, come Tel: 01208 841312 Spring, it can all be rotavated into the plot. We have also decided to make wider strips between the tilled patches, so that next year, we can get a lawn-mow- er between the patches, thus making it quicker and easier to keep tidy. Strimming is not much fun and A True Christmas Ghost Story Once outside I said how odd it was that it sounded as though someone had come in. My mother and I When I was a teenager I lived in a village, one which had not seen anyone but my sister had. She said has been used for filming ‘Midsomer Murders’. My that when she looked up she saw an older lady mother was the head of the village school situated dressed in a green wool coat and matching hat who directly opposite the church. Each year the children walked behind a pillar and disappeared. Our moth- made a nativity scene which, after the school term er said that the description sounded like the lady finished, was used in the church.