Edition 13 - August 1991

 
Artwork by: Lloyd Gove [Age 10] and Ashley Lane [Age 9]

EDITORIAL

This is our August Issue, but where is the summer this year? Thanks to Lloyd Gove and Ashley Lane the sun is definitely shining and holiday-makers are happily swimming, boating, water-skiing and rock-climbing - even the helicopter is busy - on our Front Cover.

However, this month's poem is far more familiar ...

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SHARE-A-POEM

Salvatore Quasimodo

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THANKS

Very many thanks to Betty Davis for all she has done for the village. Her services as Clerk to the Parish Council, as a member of the Manor Hall Management Committee and a stalwart [and latterly Warden] of St. Peter's Church are just some of the many ways she has so generously given of her time to the benefit of the whole village. Heartfelt thanks Betty. Get well soon, we miss you and look forward to seeing you about the village again before too long.

Once again the Parish Council has kindly given financial support to our Newsletter. This is greatly appreciated since it is the only real source of income. To date we have been very lucky, with minimal costs covered by donations from private advertisers. However, as the last few issues have shown, duplicating is becoming less efficient and out-dated as the equipment gets older and nearer retirement! New methods of printing vastly improve the quality but also incur higher costs. The intention was and still is that the Newsletter is both FREE and free of advertising [except to the benefit of residents]. So now comes the crunch!

Donations to help with the costs would be very welcome and Maureen and Graham have kindly agreed to a collecting box for this purpose being available in the Post Office. Would anyone be willing to hold a Coffee Morning or similar event to help? If so [and don't all rush!], please 'phone 883544.

Also available in the Post Office in future will be a clipboard. Please use it for your 'snippets' and other interesting news items.

Thank you to all this month's contributors and keep up the good work! October items should be in by the 15th September.

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CONGRATULATIONS!

To Daphne Challacombe and Hilary Beaumont, and their many helpers, on the setting up of the Combe Martin Museum. The very successful 'Official Opening' was held on 7^th July. If you have half-an-hour to spare, the Museum is well worth a visit. It may be small, but it is rich in interest - in a visitor's words, it is 'Bijou and Fab'!

To Andy Marangone, Editor of the highly successful Channel 4 series of 6 programmes entitled "The Literary Island" with Melvin Bragg [Tuesdays, 8.30 p.m.]. Andy , eldest son of June and Gerry Marangone, has been an Editor with London Weekend [ITV] for over 12 months, fulfilling an ambition originating when he was 11 in the Television Studio at Ilfracombe College. Andy lives in Surrey with his wife, Christine, and their two little boys, James and Dominic, but is a regular visitor to Berrynarbor.

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GET WELL

Get well soon wishes to all 'poorly parishioners' , especially Norman Richards and Nick Cataldo. We were sorry to learn of Helen Armstead's and Margaret Kemp's accidents, but understand that both have now recovered.

It is good to know that Betty Davis is home again and making good progress, as is Michael Morrow.

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HOSPICE CARE NEWS

Our many supporters from both Combe Martin and Berrynarbor will be delighted to know the following results from recent events:

Strawberry Tea [with special thanks to our hosts, Dr. and Mrs. Eames] - £195. Coffee Morning and Ploughman 's Lunch [with special thanks to our hosts Joan and Donald McCallam] - £436.

Thank you all for your tremendous help and encouragement. Our next event is a Coffee Morning at Newberry Cottage, Thursday, 8th August, 10.30 a.m. to 12.00 noon.

The new Autumn programme includes a Concert at the Combe Martin Town Hall on 7th September commencing at 7.30 p.m. given by the Ilfracombe Male Voice Choir, and our annual Autumn Fayre in the Combe Martin Town Hall on Saturday, 26th October.

We look forward to your continued support of this worthy and ever-needed charity.

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NOTES FROM THE PARISH COUNCIL

In the last Newsletter we spoke of the shock of the enforced retirement of Betty Davis, and now her successor can be announced.

The Council is fortunate to have obtained the services of Denise Lane, who will be known to very many families through her work as Secretary at the Primary School. She has a super family in husband, Maurice, and two youngsters, Ashley and Melanie. It is our hope that she will find the job interesting and fulfilling.

Design work on the A399 diversion proceeds apace and costs have risen already. There will be little change from a £million by the time it is all finished, I suspect.

Perhaps the greatest disappointment with the present proposals is that it has not yet been possible to find a frontage on the new route for On-A-Hill Garage. Your Parish Council are of a single mind that there should be such a facility, and are grateful to those who supported the recent petition.

Another on-going saga is the repair of the walls around the children's playground. It is to be hoped that a way forward can be found so that we can avoid yet another closure next winter.

The two Parish Councillors elected for the first time have attended a Training Day and all those re-elected are showing all their familiar enthusiasm.

Graham E. Andrews
Chairman, Berrynarbor Parish Council

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QUICK QUOTE

You always help a lame dog over a stile, but you never help a lazy one.

John Huxtable

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FOOD FOR FREE FOOTNOTE: AUGUST

Whortleberries

These small, blue-black berries are to be found growing on heaths and moors from July to September. Other common names are bilberry, blueberry and huckleberry.

The plants, 9" to 2 ft. high, with oval, slightly serrated leaves and deep pink cup-shaped flowers, often become hidden by heather growing over them. Picking sufficient berries can be fiddly, but at least there are no prickles to cope with.

The other advantage of a whortleberry picking expedition is that It provides a good excuse for spending time, at the height of summer, in some of the most wild and beautiful places. And the somewhat laborious process of picking the berries enables you to stand [or rather crouch] still long enough to fully enjoy the view and observe your surroundings in detail.

In Scandinavia where the berry is popular, a pronged implement has been invented especially for speeding up the gathering of bilberries by stripping the berries off the stems.

The Dutch-grown imports, which are sometimes available in this country, are very expensive. However, the country which is probably most associated with this fruit is the U.S.A. The North American Indians dried the berries and used them as a flavouring for stews.

The fruit can be eaten raw but is better cooked. Very little liquid needs to be added during cooking. For the classic blueberry pie, simply sprinkle the berries with sugar and lemon juice and bake in a double pastry crust.

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ST. PETER'S CHURCH SUMMER FETE

The Manor Hall

TUESDAY, 6TH AUGUST at 6.30 p.m.

Proceeds to be split between the Devon Children's Hospice and funds towards the repair of the Cobbled Steps at the Church Lychgate.

Plenty of support and help needed, especially from our young village families. Come and join in and make this our BEST EVER effort.

Gifts of tombola prizes, cakes, plants, fruit and vegetables' etc., needed for the stalls.

Contributions: please either contact Mary Tucker [883273] or leave at the Berrynarbor Post Office

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WHAT A WASTE!
BACK TO THE RUBBISH HEAP

Mr. G. C. Dunford, the Principal Environmental Health Officer for North Devon District Council, writes that there are "several initiatives coming from the DEVON COUNTY RECYCLING PLAN and these include ... CAN BANKS and RECOVERY OF PAPER. I hope during 1991 and 1992 that these will come to some sort of fruition.

Not so long ago we were being persuaded simply to "Take your litter home with you" or "Put litter in its proper place". Now we know that leaving all our rubbish to the litter bin or dustbin is not enough.

While we await the Council's can and paper banks, as an alternative to South Molton Recycling's monthly collection, there are various local shops and organisations which accept recycleable waste in aid of worthwhile charities. These include:

The office of FILERS TRAVEL in Marlborough Road, llfracombe, takes NEWSPAPERS and WASTE PAPER [a useful end for your junk mail]. Please keep the different categories of paper separate and if the office is closed, it may be left on the doorstep. The paper is recycled in aid of the RSPCA.

TIN FOIL can be taken to K SHOES in llfracombe High Street for the RNIB - GUIDE DOGS FUND. USED STAMPS can be disposed of in Ilfracombe High Street either at THE HEALTHY WAY, in aid of GUIDE DOGS FOR THE BLIND or JUST S MEATS for the RNLI-LIFEBOATS. OLD GREETINGS CARDS are reused by the NORTH DEVON CHESHIRE HOME.

If you ever find yourself visiting the South Somerset Council area - this includes Yeovil, Chard, Crewkerne, Ilminster, Langport and Somerton - it is well worth taking your WASHED AND SQUASHED CANS for disposal in the skips, Provided by the District Council, in the main car parks of most of the towns in the district. The proceeds from the sale of this metal boosts the funds of MENCAP.

Steve Portsmouth of South Molton Recycle tells me they are always pleased to receive unwanted furniture and electrical goods, which they can restore; and wearable clothes which they usually send on to Eastern Europe and the third world for immediate use.

Closer to home, most inhabitants of Berrynarbor are lucky enough to have a garden in which they can find space for a compost heap - the best possible recycling unit for our organic waste and of direct benefit to us in the garden, saving on peat and artificial soil additives.

The E.E.C. is working on plans to restrict the amount of packaging allowed especially where a combination of several different types of materials is used to pack a single item. A problem presented for plastic recycling is the fact that there are so many different kinds of plastic in use.

To stimulate recycling, the Danish Government made landfill sites commercially unattractive by imposing a tax on each ton of rubbish dumped, thus doubling the cost of this method of disposal.

British households throw away about twenty million tonnes of rubbish each year. [Christian Aid claims that 25% of food in Britain is thrown away.] To counteract this, follow the 5R's:

• REFUSE to buy - do I really need it or want it? Can I manage without?
• REUSE - can I make do with something I already have?

This may involve

• REPAIRING or adapting things,
• RENOVATING and RESTORING

Finally, as a last resort

• one discards for RECYCLING.

Gertrude Jekyll wrote, "Is It worth having? Is it worth doing? These questions form a useful mental sieve through which to pass many matters in order to separate the husk from the grain."

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LATE NEWS

We have just heard that Lourdace Burberry at Sterridge [Bracken], the younger of the Sterridge Gordons belonging to Jan and Bill Gammon has qualified for Crufts 1992. Congratulations to all three.

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A JACKDAW JAMBOREE

Most crows are robbers, but none is a bigger thief than the jackdaw. It not only steals eggs and chicks when it gets the chance, but it will sometimes pick up useless, inedible objects [especially if they shine] and hide them away.

*See the tale of the Jackdaw of Rheims.

Most monogamous birds pair with a different mate each new breeding season, but the jackdaw, in company with some long-lived birds, mainly sea-birds, is one of the few that pairs for life, usually in the spring following the year of hatching, and they stay together for a year before they begin breeding. Unlike the grey lag goose, if a jackdaw's mate dies, the survivor will look for a new partner.

Jackdaws, once simply known as 'daws', have greatly increased this century and are certainly prolific in this area. They are friendly birds, tameable, capable of becoming good companions and household pets, and even learning to speak.

Tootsie and Jacky are two such Jackdaws.

TOOTSIE

Our friends, Inge and Tom, brought Tootsie to us late one night in early June [1990]. She had been trapped down a chimney for nearly a week and was full of soot.

We quickly found our bird cage and Alf set to work on cleaning her up. Poor little thing was so full of soot she couldn't keep any food or drink down and we were so afraid she wouldn't last the night.

However, next morning found her quite perky [she's sitting on my shoulder as I'm writing]. She stayed in her cage for a few weeks, then took to wandering around, indeed taking over the whole household. The dogs weren't too keen on her at first, but soon accepted her as one of the family. We always have the kitchen window open, so she started flying around in the garden and meeting the ducks and other wild birds. We put a green ring on her so we could pick her out amongst the other Jackdaws.

She always appeared at mealtimes and various intervals, and slept in her cage at night, with the door open of course. The first night she stayed out all night, Alf and I were worried sick - It was a dreadful night, raining hard and very windy. She turned up the next morning, wet and bedraggled, but she must have enjoyed it because she's stayed out every night since although she's at home all day to torment and amuse us!

 

 
Tootsie & Alf

 

Tootsie's Christmas Pudding

She was a great hit last summer with the holidaymakers at the Castle - they couldn't believe how friendly she was. She loved sharing their lunches and picnics. A couple of loud claps and she'd appear from nowhere on to Alf's shoulder. She's always around when I'm cooking and gets to taste and pinch anything that's going. She loves onions, raw or cooked, and eats anything from mustard to icecream. She sits on the tap and makes noises till we turn the tap on for her to have a drink. She enjoyed Christmas, with her own Christmas pudding and present, along with our other pets. The cold weather doesn't seem to worry her much as she can fly in and have a good feed, then settle on Alf for a sleep. She doesn't bring her friends in, but I've a suspicion she takes food out for them though!!

P.S. It is now July and Tootsie hasn't a boyfriend as she spends most days with us [tormenting as usual!]. I wonder if she will mate one day and if she will bring her babies to see us.

Bet & Alf Turner
Castlemount, Watermouth
April 1991

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JACKY

One spring morning a jackdaw appeared on my birdtable. It seemed very tame and not at all worried by my presence, so I gave it some crumbs on the kitchen window sill. So began a daily routine.

Although I was not sure if my visitor was male or female, I guessed from the size that it was a young male and he became known as Jacky.

Jacky would come to my bedroom window every morning at about 6.00 am and knock.

As soon as I showed signs of getting up, he would fly and wait on the kitchen window sill, demanding his breakfast. He never expected food on the bedroom sill. If the kitchen window was open, he would come in and perch on my hand, arm & shoulder, he would walk all over me - but he would not let me touch him. He would happily join other birds on the table, but he never had a bath in the birdbath.

After he had eaten, he would hop into the kitchen and play with his toys - milk bottle tops and curtain rings, anything bright. I had to warn my visitors not to leave rings or ornaments on the dressing-table if the window was open. Once, I put my house key down on the garden table and only just managed to get to it before he did! Had he gone off with it, he would certainly have dropped it in the hedge or in the field beyond. If he wanted my attention, he would either tap on the window or squawk.

Jacky came for well over a year, often two or three times a day and latterly his visits were more frequent and he would take food away. I was sure he had a family to feed.

Sadly, Jacky's visits suddenly stopped. He never appeared again. He was too wise to have been caught by a cat and I can only think that he must have been shot, mistaken for a rook. Although jackdaws still come to the table, none have become friendly like Jacky.

Barbara Pickup
Lane End

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BERRYNARBOR HORTICULTURAL & ART SHOW 1991

Saturday, 7th September, Manor Hall

Please SUPPORT this VILLAGE event! Schedules will be available from 13th August at: the Post Office, Butchers and Willis and Sons, Combe Martin.

Wanted desperately: floral arrangements, crocheted and knitted items, wood items, art work and home-made wine. There is also a non-competitive exhibition for those who would like to share an item with all of us - just for fun.

Last year three cups could not be awarded - please don't allow that to happen again. The Show is for fun and sharing, so please 'join in'. There will be a Bring and Buy stall so bring something along - plants, cakes, a white elephant etc.

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MANOR HALL MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

Chairman: Roy Perry [883209]

The team was sad to lose one of its valued members - Betty Davis. We have only 'lost' Betty in one sense, because she is always a phone call away. She served this team both in the capacity of Chairman and Treasurer. We miss you, Betty! Linda Denzey has kindly agreed to become our new treasurer - welcome aboard, Linda.

The team has had some ups and downs lately. We try our best to 'manage' your village hall and this takes time and effort from the 6 or 7 of us. Do you appreciate it? Please help us by ensuring that when you or an organisation you belong to use the hall, that you leave the rooms in good order and that heaters and Iights are turned OFF. Please pay bills promptly. A word of praise or constructive criticism isn't out or order. We do our best for one of the village properties.

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OLD BERRYNARBOR - VIEW NO. 12
"Berrynarbor Inn. 108"

Yet another fine photograph by J. W. Garratt of Bristol. This one of the Globe was taken about 1925 and epitomises the old village inn. Note the word "Bar" over the right entrance, and the village petrol pump selling Shell Mex - it follows that the landlords in the '20's and 30's not only pumped beer, but also provided liquid refreshment for motorised vehicles of all types!

When the Inn was included in the first Watermouth Estate sale, Mr. Will Bray was landlord and remained so until March 1921. He also collected the rates and taxes for Watermouth Castle and distributed the Parish Relief [about 5/- per week (25p) in 1900].

The next landlord was Charlie Cornish [and his daughter, Doris] and in about 1923 he had the first petrol pump installed on the front forecourt. Some 7 years later, Charlie Blackmore took over and during his term, published several postcards showing both the exterior and interior views, plus a picture of GEORGE, the Globe Parrot.

The village is fortunate indeed in having Phil and Lynne Bridle [today's landlords] who have taken a real pride in The Globe, and encouraged visitors & locals alike to join them in their hostelry. Their garden has never looked better and their clematis flowers this year were as large as dinner plates!!

Extract from the Particulars, Plans and Conditions of Sale held on Tuesday, August 17th 1920, by direction of Mrs. Penn Curzon:

Lot 44. All that substantially-built, conveniently arranged and slated FULLY LICENCED HOUSE known as THE GLOBE INN situated in the village of Berrynarbor, in the occupation of Mr. W. Bray as a Quarterly Tenant. The Globe Inn comprises: Bar, Bar Parlour, Sitting Room, Cellar, Larder, Kitchen, Scullery, Pump House, Four Bedrooms, Boxroom, W.C., Lavatory, Coal House, Wash House, Potato house and Shed, Piggery, Garden and Back Entrance. Slated three-stall Stable with Loft over, Tiled Piggery and Yard, also a good Carriage House with Loft over. ALSO two SLATED COTTAGES, Nos. 41 and 42 adjoining, each containing four rooms, with Wood House, etc. in the occupation of Messrs. Leaworthy and Lancey, as Quarterly Tenants. There is a Well and Pump on this Lot and also a Water-tap, and W.C. The Cottages get their Water from a Tap in the public road.

The right to maintain the Stop-tap and Branch Pipe in the Globe Garden and which supplies Lot 46 [39 The Village] is reserved.

Note : all the above sold on the day for £1,000.0.0d.

Tom Bartlett
Tower Cottage, July 1991

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BERRYNARBOR W.I.

The June meeting welcomed two visitors and Mrs. Olive Kent as a new member. Miss Jolly gave an interesting talk on the history of Tesco's and answered many questions about shopping in the '90's.

Our visit to Chambercombe Manor on the 12th June was on a sunny afternoon following a showery morning. 29 ladies looked very gracious in their Victorian costumes - the needle had certainly been busy in two homes, Ethel Tidbury's and Doris Upton's [the shower curtain will never look as good as it did gracing an umbrella!] For many it was their first visit to the Manor and all found it most interesting.

A well-attended July meeting listened intently to Win Collins's graphic account of her visit to Birmingham for the Triennial A.G. M. As always, Win made us feel that we had been there with her. Peter Duncan from Stapleton Farm spoke about the making of Yoghurt, and how tours abroad are often to the benefit of consumers here - the Greek recipe being an example, really moreish as the tasters will confirm.

There will be no meeting in August and members are reminded of a busy September - Horticultural Show, entertaining members of the Ilfracombe Disabled Club and a visit to Woolacombe Theatre. Jenny Mock with her Guide Dog will be our guest on the 3rd September.

I am happy to include In my report that through the wonderful support that we had for our Coffee Morning, we are able to send a cheque for £95 to Hearing Dogs for the Deaf - thank you one and all.

VI Kingdon - President

Don't look too far for happiness,
For love Is heaven-sent,
Just count your blessings every day,
And try to be CONTENT.

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