Edition 29 - April 1994

 
Artwork by: Paul Swailes

EDITORIAL

I am delighted to report that the Coffee Morning in aid of Newsletter funds was a great success and it was fortunate that the heavy rain first thing disappeared to become a beautiful, sunny spring morning. My grateful thanks to Ivy Richards for once again opening her home, to her helpers and the many villagers who attended. The final sum raised was £108. Solvency again!

As I begin to put this issue together, it looks like a bumper edition. Thank you to the many contributors - some old, some new. Crossword puzzle addicts, thanks to David Beagley of Brookside, will now be kept happy with our latest regular feature. Paul Swailes, one of our artists 'in residence' and a colleague at the College, has successfully taken us into the realm of multi-colour printing for the front cover and his generous support of our Newsletter is much appreciated. In thanking him, I must also pay tribute to Alan Bacon for his support and encouragement and Colin and Mark, who do the printing itself - always at short notice and with never a grumble at my often complex instructions! I must not leave out Maureen and Graham and Sue [distribution], and the many readers who so kindly 'pop' something in the collecting boxes in the Post Office, Globe and Meakings - every penny counts and it's amazing how it adds up! And finally, the readers, who make it all worth while.

Congratulations to the winners of the Disney Prize Wordsearch - Ben Sanders of Lee Cottages [8 years], Darren Lawson of Haywards Heath [12 years] and Anne Moseley [nee Billett] of Poole. The answers were: Pluto, Pinocchio, Mary Poppins, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Jungle Book, Snow White, Bambi, Goofey, Dopey, Bashful, Dock, Fantasia, Aladdin, Dumbo, Cinderella, Lady, Tramp, Pooh and Peter Pan.

Items for the June/July issue should be at the Post Office or Chicane by the middle of May please.

Enjoy this issue and have a Happy Easter.

1

IN MEMORIAM

CHRISTINE BURGESS

Many people in Berrynarbor and Combe Martin were saddened by the death of Christine on 3rd February, after a short illness bravely borne.

Chris was a Combe Martin girl, her parents - Austin and Marjorie Nott - were well-known local business people. Chris went to school at Combe Martin Primary, then to Ilfracombe Grammar School and on to the North Devon College.

She married John in 1967 and they had two sons , Kenny and Darren.

Chris was a great lover of dogs, German Shepherds in particular, and for several years she enjoyed taking them to Dog Training Classes and to Dog Shows. She also enjoyed playing Darts.

Berrynarbor Church, which she attended, was completely full for her Funeral and I personally was very impressed by the Service, which included the poignant recording of 'The Wind Beneath My Wings'.

Chris and I had been friends for many years and I shall always remember the chats we had together when I visited her in Intensive Care in the North Devon Hospital.

Our thoughts go to John, to Kenny, Darren and their wives, and to Chris's mother and her sister Pamela.

Daphne Challacombe

2

SUNDAY SCHOOL

A little late but still important was our Nativity Tableau at the Carol Service. It was a wonderful start to the Christmas Festivities. To the sounds of cows mooing, sheep baaaing and a baby crying, the children told the story. Gracie was our 'real' baby Jesus, despite one little boy scathingly saying, "but Sally, it's a little girl!" Mary vas played by Lucia and Joseph by Charlotte; Katie was the Angel Gabriel with little angel, Lauren. The Three Kings were Ben, Heidi and Joshua, with Edward, Geoffrey, Matthew, Sebastian and Ryan tending the sheep. Thank you, children and helpers, for such a special occasion.

Our other major event so far this year was our Coffee and Pancake Morning held on Shrove Tuesday at Berry Home - I made 50 pancakes and with a raffle, cake stall and white elephant, we raised £90.35p for the Church Floodlighting Scheme. Despite the weather, it was a very enjoyable morning. The children raced around the garden tossing pancakes - a couple of adults couldn't resist joining too! It all ended in a snowball fight!

We still meet every Sunday, except for school holidays, 10.30 to 11.30 in the Penn Curzon Room, so please children, come if you can - we have some fun and Berrynarbor Sunday School's future depends on you.

Sally Barten and Joy Morrow

3

HANDY HINT

Cut the fronts off old greeting cards and use blank reverse side of the picture to write notes and letters to friends or relations in hospital or bed. It is much easier to handle reading a letter on a series of small pieces of card than on sheets of writing paper and there is the added Interest of all the illustrations for the person confined to bed.

[The rest of the card can be used for shopping lists or telephone messages.]

4

OF THIS AND THAT ...

• Many Happy Returns, congratulations and best wishes to Blanche Dummett of South Lee who celebrated her 94th birthday on the 17th March.
• Farewell to Roy and June Perry who have left Dormer Cottage and Miss Muffets for the balmier climes of South Devon at Sidmouth. We wish them both well in their new venture with the Clovelly Coffee House and Restaurant and thank them for all they did for the village, and especially Roy's Chairmanship of the Manor Hall Management Committee.
• Welcome to Brian and Mary Malin and sons, Tom and Matthew, who have given up farming at Eynsham, Near Oxford, to make the running of Mill Park a truly 'family' business .
• Get Well It is good to report that Margaret Tyrell is now home again and that Alan Prater is doing extremely well after a further spell in hospital. Our best wishes to you both. We were sorry to hear that Vera Lewis - one of our long-distance [and past resident] readers who has contributed so much to our newsletters with her knowledge of Old Berrynarbor - has not been well and we hope, Vera, that you are now feeling much better.

Rough Justice. A drama of suspense and intrigue in the British legal system starring Martin Shaw and Diana Quick, 5th-9th April.
Little Shop of Horrors The fast-moving, man-eating, monster musical comedy with Su Pollard, 9th-14th April.
• Some More Literary Criticism "This book is both good and original, but the parts that are good are not original and the parts that are original are not good. "

Dr. Johnson

5

BERRYNARBOR W.I.

Our February meeting welcomed Mr. Danny Reynolds, the new owner of the Exmoor Bird Gardens, and Podge, the Penguin, who stole the limelight, plodding around looking at everyone, and following Margaret Parkin on her trips to the kitchen. Mr. Reynolds expressed his hopes for the Gardens, and of his 10 years' work on saving endangered monkey species - Tamarins and Marmosets - so it was with sadness that we read of the cruel theft of same a few days later ... we can but wish Danny and his wife a successful season, and hope that his fears for the remaining animals will prove unfounded and that they will breed again.

On March 1st we celebrated the Institute's 32nd birthday and my thanks to the members who contributed small iced cakes. Rosemary Gaydon won the competition. Linda Brown was given her new member's pack and Elisabeth Lloyd came along as a visitor. Both ladies being new to our village, we wish them every happiness and enjoyment of our W. I. Mr. John Wills was our visiting Baker and he demonstrated the art of preparing and icing an Easter Gateau, complete with bunnies - we may not have had the pleasure of tasting his delicacy, but Mr. Wills seemed to enjoy our cakes! We appreciated his coming, having started his day at 6.00 a.m.

Our next meeting is on 5th April, when Margaret Pover hopes to tell us about her long service as an Air Hostess.

21st April is the Chichester Group Meeting at Bratton Fleming and names will be needed so that transport can be arranged.

May I, on behalf of the members, thank one and all for their support of our various activities, and wish them a Very Happy Easter.

Vi Kingdon - President

6

SHARE-A-POEM

To Daffodils - Robert Herrick

Fair daffodils, we weep to see
You haste away so soon;
As yet the early-rising sun
Has not attained his noon.
Stay, stay
Until the hasting day
Has run
But to evensong;
And, having prayed together, we
Will go with you along.

We have short time to stay as you,
We have as short a spring;
As quick a growth to meet decay,
As you, or anything.
We die
As your hours do, and dry
Away
Like to the summer's rain;
Or as the pearls of morning's dew,
Ne'er to be found again.

7

HAPPA

We should like to thank all who supported our Coffee Morning and Sponsored Walk in aid of HAPPA [Horse and Pony Protection Association]. Our sponsored walk was around 3 miles of coastal path. On the way we got soaked, rescued a sheep stuck in brambles and had lots of fun. So far we have raised £150 but there is still sponsor money to come in.

We all think the Coffee Morning went really well. Thanks again.

Jan Davies

 

The photograph shows Jan Davies, Alison Jackson, Lucy Roberts, Sophie Putnam and Katie Gubb at the start of their walk.

8

COUNTRY CUSTOMS
Eastertide

Throughout the British Isles, Easter is a time of customs and traditions. Perhaps one of today's most picturesque and well-known is the Easter Parade in London, held in the afternoon of Easter Sunday. As traditions go, this is comparatively new and unusually has no religious or superstitious significance.

In the early part of the 19th Century, on the outskirts of London, the area known as Battersea Fields had a somewhat unsavoury reputation and in 1829 it was the venue for a duel between the Marquess of Winchester and the Duke of Wellington himself. Word of the encounter got out and the elite of London Society - attired in the height of fashion and finery - massed to witness this aristocratic encounter! Neither duellist was injured but 'honour was satisfied'. Some 20 years later the area was made respectable and renamed Battersea Park and in 1858 Queen Victoria compounded its respectability by paying it a State Visit in the Spring, wearing, of course, a new spring bonnet and gown for the occasion. Thus began a tradition for an annual display of fashions and millinery and every society lady attempted to upstage her rivals by appearing in something more spectacular each year.

Over the years this has expanded from Easter bonnets to today's procession of incredible decorative and floral floats.

Easter Monday is the day for Pace-Egg Rolling in Lancashire. 'Pace' has nothing to do with speed but comes from the word 'Paschal' , Hebrew for Passover. Children roll brightly coloured, and often beautifully decorated, hard-boiled eggs down the hill, competing against one another as their eggs bump their way to the bottom. It is thought that the tradition of Pace-Egging symbolises the rolling aside of the stone blocking the sepulchre from which the Resurrection took place.

Hock-Tide [the 2nd Tuesday after Easter] and Michaelmas Day have for centuries been regarded as the chief rent days of the year and in Hungerford, the rent collectors are known as Tutti-Men. At 8.00 a.m. on Hock-Tide, the Town Crier summons the commoners to the Court Leet. Here the Officers - for Hungerford is still governed by a Constable, a Portreeve, a Bailiff and a court of 12 Feoffes [or trustees] - are elected for the following year. Among them are 2 Tutti-Men, dressed in morning attire and top hat, who immediately go out on the streets, each carrying his staff of office, a tall pole with a Tutti [a West Country name for a bouquet of spring flowers] secured to it with ribbons and topped with an orange. With them goes an Orange Scrambler, wearing an evening coat and a tall hat adorned with the tail feathers of a cock pheasant. He carries a sack bulging with oranges.

The Tutti-Men have to visit the house of every commoner, to exact a penny from the men and a kiss from the women. The ladies have little chance to escape, as the Tutti-Men are equipped with a light ladder and are entitled to enter houses by an upstairs window if the door is barred! An orange is exchanged for every kiss received - hence the attendance of the Orange Scrambler. The rounds completed, the remaining oranges and coins are thrown out to be scrambled for by the children who follow the Tutti-Men.

9

MUDDIFORD & MILLTOWN MORRIS MEN

Keeping up old customs and traditions locally are the Muddiford and Milltown Morris Men, with our own Dave Duncan as Squire.

For a great sociaI life, whilst keeping fit and helping to preserve England's Heritage, come and join us. We welcome new members.

If you're male, aged 6 to 106 come and talk to any of the men or phone:

We shall be dancing at Ye Olde Globe, Berrynarbor, on Wednesday, 25th May at 9.00 p.m. and again on the 13th July and 10th August, also at 9.00 p.m.

Dave Duncan

10

COMBE MARTIN MUSEUM & HISTORICAL SOCIETY

1994 is proving to be a very special year for the Museum because we have, with the generous help of many kind people, been able to purchase the lease of the premises below our building, thus doubling our space. We now hope to be able to display more effectively the many exciting exhibits and old photographs in our collection.

Berrynarbor and Combe Martin have a great deal of shared history and any artefacts or old photos associated with your village would be most welcome. Items may be loaned or donated, whilst photos can be copied and returned promptly.

Volunteers to man the Museum during the summer are warmly welcomed. Volunteers work in pairs. The job is very simple and the views marvellous! Sessions last just 2.5 hours. Free car parking is available in a Volunteer's drive nearby. For more information, please call me on 882636.

Hilary Beaumont

11

CROSSWORD CORNER

Solution in Article 20.

12

BERRYNARBOR WINE CIRCLE

There is always a warm welcome for anyone to join us at our meetings, but by the time you read this there will be only one meeting left. On 20th April sparks will fly as Pam Parke and Tom Bartlett compare English and German wines! We shall meet at the Manor Hall, 8.00 p.m. and can almost guarantee that you won 't be walking in a straight Iine when you leave.

The Wine Circle will then take a break for the summer, reconvening next October. details of the new season's meetings will be given in the August and October issues.

Tom Bartlett

13

ST. PETER'S CHURCH

Floodlighting St. Peter's Church

Something special to celebrate or commemorate? The Church Tower could be floodlit just for you for the evening [or week] in return for a small donation. Please contact Mrs. Betty Davis [883541] and book the date.

18-30 Club

The joint churches in Combe Martin and Berrynarbor are considering starting a Club for young people. The idea is to organise social events on a purely secular [non-religious] basis. If there is anyone in this age group in Berrynarbor who would be interested in going on the Committee, please contact Mrs. Mary Tucker [883881].

Hunger Lunch

St. Peter's Church P.C.C. are hoping to hold a Hunger Lunch on Saturday, 30th April, in the Manor Hall, proceeds to go to Christian Aid. Look out for further details later in the month.

14

OLD BERRYNARBOR - VIEW NO. 28
Orchard House, Berrynarbor. 133 Garratt

Yes, this month we are back to one of Garratt's fine photographic postcards, probably taken in March or April c. 1930-34. I am able to say March or April because of the daffodils in bloom in the garden.

 

Judging by the shades of roofing tiles/ slates, it appears that Orchard House had been extended at least twice since it was built, the central section of one gable and chimney with two pots being the original building. The left section, complete with gable, and the right-hand lower out-buildings were probably added later. Orchard House has always been a private residence and did not form part of the Bassett's Watermouth Castle Estate, in line with other notable properties like Beech Lee, but sadly I have not found any mention of the house in any of the directories. I am thankful to the present owners [since January 1975], Toby and Joan Wood, who have kindly given me information and a guided tour of the House, gardens and remains of the Temperance Hall.

Orchard House was built by Tom Ley, Vera Lewis' s father, in 1926 and I am grateful to Vera for the following information. It was in 1926 that the Revd. Churchill had a chat with Tom regarding some property to be sold by the Rectory/Glebelands. This consisted of an old tumbledown barn with just walls and a roof that had not been in use for many years. To the south and west of the barn were orchards - hence the name Orchard House - whilst northwards at the rear stood the Temperance Hall, which had been the village hall used for dances, concerts, Bible classes, meetings, etc., until the present Manor Hall was built and opened in 1913. The Temperance Hall, built originally as stables/bar in 1727 and converted into a hall in the late 1800's, had a laundry house added on to the north end, complete with a furnace in a corner for heating the water and boiling the 'whites'. This was used by the Rectory for their weekly wash of clothes and there were two wooden wash tubs and two wooden mangles. Beyond the Orchard was a field named Broad Meadow. Whilst Vera can remember that her mother was not keen on the venture, her father thought there was great potential and agreed with the Revd. Churchill to purchase the barn, orchards and land. By March 1927, Tom Ley, with the help of men he employed, had converted the old barn into a six-bedroomed dwelling house with a bathroom and toilet upstairs and a large, cool larder to the rear. Vera can remember their family all moving from a small cottage with outside toilet and tin bath by the kitchen fire in Goosewell to Orchard House in 1927. She and her sister thought Orchard House was a 'huge mansion'. Tom Ley, a carpenter by trade, set up a sawmill beside the Temperance Hall. This was powered by a large engine and the Hall converted into a large carpenter's workshop with benches for working on and rafters for storing planks of wood. Ever industrious, Tom then built a blacksmith's workshop near the stables. One stable was home for Prince, the carthorse, and other sheds were used for carts and chicken houses. The front orchard was cleared, apart from 3 apple trees to the left of the house, and Tom enjoyed laying out a formal front garden with lawns and flower beds on either side of a path to the entrance door. An even larger patch was cleared and fenced off for growing vegetables and three greenhouses for growing tomatoes, cucumbers, etc., complete with large rainwater holding tanks, were constructed. Quite near to Broad Meadow he made a tennis court where anyone, locals and visitors, could play a game whilst Prince grazed in the meadow! The Ley family catered for holiday guests and welcomed their first party in June 1927.

Sadly Tom Ley died in 1931, after a short illness, and all the business side had to be sold. Vera, her sister, Evelyn, and their mother continued living in Orchard House and both sisters were married from there [Evelyn's wedding was described in Newsletter No. 5 - April 1990] and Vera believes that her daughter, Wendy, is the only baby to have been born at the house. During the war the family took in evacuees - some nice and some not so nice. One couple remained with them for three years. In 1944, Vera, her husband and her mother moved to a large guest house in Ilfracombe, letting Orchard House to Mrs. Charles Conibeare. In 1950, a compulsory purchase order was made on Mrs. Ley for Broad Meadow for the purpose of building the four council houses [for which she was paid £120]. A year later, in 1951, Mrs. Ley died and Vera and Evelyn decided to sell the house which was purchased in 1952 by Mr. and Mrs. Fogg for the sum of £3,000, including the Temperance Hall which was still standing!

Warmly remembered by Vera is the invitation of a couple of years ago from Toby and Joan for herself and Ivy Richards to revisit Orchard House for tea and a stroll around the gardens.

Tom Bartlett
Tower Cottage, March 1994

15

STAR TREK 1994

So many questions - what would be the starting point for Star Trek this year? Where would the route lie? Would we get stuck in the bog? Surely not - for we are the Lady Bog-Hoppers team, with a combined age of over 300 years! Most importantly, would the night be fine?

Hillsford Bridge was the chosen, highly organised, centre of activities. Almost all the Ilfracombe Rotarians, and many of their wives, are involved in one way or another. There is a great emphasis on safety as 84 teams of 4 or 5 members are set off at 5-minute intervals to walk a 16 mile course over Exmoor. To this end, other organisations such as the Army, Exmoor Search and Rescue, St. John Ambulance, etc., are involved.

What a night! No rain and the brilliance of the stars above is to be exceeded only by the depth and intensity of the mud underfoot [or rather over feet and legs]. Some felt such an affinity they even sat in it! We're lucky and off to an early start at 7.20 p.m. and, striding down the river towards Watersmeet, we are studying the first instruction sheet as we go. All these ingenious questions are designed not only to blind our minds to the hills but also to ensure that no short cuts are taken. Not too difficult to see the connection between a small bird and Blackpool - the National Trust board tells us that dippers may be seen on the river. We are asked about a suitable club for Douglas Bader and membership of the Spitfire Club is evinced on the windscreen of the Triumph Spitfire parked at Watersmeet.

Rockford is the first of our check-points, where we exchange the first instruction sheet for the second [there will be six in all!!]. Now the terrain becomes much more difficult and the correct route can only be gained by taking compass bearings [thank goodness for a very competent navigator]. The questions, too, are more tricky, even asking us if we can post a card, 'wish you were here' in the middle of nowhere and the next morning we are asked to find a Star Trek stamp on the top of Cheriton Ridge!

Soon after 11.00 p.m. we are back at Hillsford to be served with refreshments. It's good to see Rita Reeve-Black who is working away with the others. Many times during the night we speak of Maurice, who had immense knowledge of the Moor. He is greatly missed.

Then off we go on the second leg, heading towards Cheriton. Now we know that Mr. Guppy, whose name appears on the N.T. board, is the small fish that gives permission. Upwards, upwards and then down to another river. Occasionally, the blackness of the Moor is stabbed with beams of torch-light from fellow star-struck hikers and, if we meet up, the greeting is "Good Morning" . No such greeting from the sheep who keep their woolly thoughts to themselves. We're running quite late at one check-point but thankfully they guess we're enjoying ourselves so don't send out the search party!

It's after 4.00 a.m. and we're on the last stretch back to Hillsford and we ponder - should we let the Home Office know of this excellent alternative to African Safaris for young delinquents?

We've made it and we're back to a great welcome. The indefatigable Peter, President of Ilfracombe Rotary, still smiling and urging us to have our return recorded on photo, and John Swan - who co-ordinated the whole operation - now quite happy to give us the answers to those clever questions. There will be no points for our guessed answer of 'horses' to the question "what does LAG 8 carry?" It was the number on an electricity pole and not on the horse box which we imagined to be lurking in the darkness!

We are free to go home to bed but it's going to be another 4 hours of smiling for Peter and Co. until all the teams are home. Rumour has it that some of these gallant folk have been here since the day before yesterday!

It was a great night under the stars and it's believed that sponsorship donations will be around £12,000 - good news for Rotary's chosen charities of Hospice, Children's Hospice and the Samaritans.

Jill McCrae

16

LOCAL WALKS - 23

'Halcyon Days! '

There is always something interesting to see on the Braunton Marsh and our last two visits there this year have provided very pleasant surprises indeed.

Passing through Braunton on the way home, we decided to stop off on the marsh for some fresh air and exercise before it got dark. Soon after we arrived on the causeway, a white shape passed over our heads We watched its wavering, erratic flight until it landed on a post near one of the derelict barns beside the lane which separates the marsh from the Great Field. Two cyclists and a dog were approaching along the lane. Although quite close to the barn owl, because of a sharp bend in the road, the three of them were totally unaware of what was ahead. From the advantage of our elevated position on the embankment, we were able to watch the little drama unfolding. Once around the corner, even the dog stopped in its tracks. The owl remained on its perch for a couple of seconds before taking off.

We discovered it again on a post in a field near the Toll House. It was facing us and we could see the 'furry' completely white feathers covering its long legs and watch its heart-shaped face turning from side to side. The delicate grey markings and small white dots on the fawn back give the impression of the plumage being studded with tiny pearls. But on the wing the barn owl appears to be completely whiter especially when seen at dusk. No wonder it was considered ghostly.

Braunton Marsh is the result of reclamation work started in 1811. A bank cutting off the sea from the salt marshes was built during the 19th Century by local, Dutch, Irish and Cornish labour.

Last month we were strolling along the lane near Gallowell, watching the numerous swans dotted about the marsh and thinking about turning back when, as we came to Sir Arthur's Pill, we saw that unmistakeable flash of iridescent blue skimming the water. It is no exaggeration to say that on the wing a kingfisher looks like an arrow of dazzling, bright blue electric light. Its normal flight is low, direct and rapid. Henry Williamson described it as "drawing a blue line".

The kingfisher stayed quite still on a thin branch, extending from the bank and dipping into the water. The white patch on the side of the neck was showing clearly and the deep reddish orange of the under parts and ear coverts. It darted away suddenly and reappeared, hovering, a little further off. This time we had a good view of its turquoise crown and wings. The brilliant blue part, so eye catching in flight, is the bird's back. Kingfishers are especially vulnerable to hard winters, when they sometimes move to estuary or coastal habitats.

Halcyon was a legendary bird, identified with the kingfisher, which was supposed to have a peaceful, calming influence on the sea at the time of the winter solstice - hence the expression 'halcyon days' to denote a time of idyllic happiness and tranquility. The bird of the ancient fable was believed to have bred in a floating nest on the sea during the fourteen days of the solstice, when it charmed the wind and the waves to be still, for the safety of its eggs.

On our halcyon afternoon, after our encounter with the kingfisher, we continued on a little way to the junction with Sandy Lane and by the time we had returned to Sir Arthur's Pill the scene had completely changed. The calm and tranquility had gone - Landrovers and men with guns and dogs were gathering along the edge of the marsh and the swans now agitated, were taking off, flying in the direction of the estuary.

Sue H

17

NOW AND THEN

Capel Cottage

 

Summer 1993

 

c1925, Old Berrynarbor - View No. 6
Berrynarbor Newsletter August 1990. See: Edition 7

18

BERRYNARBOR PRIMARY SCHOOL

During another busy term, we were pleased to welcome some members of the community into school to share memories of the evacuation and wartime with the children. The school has been involved in a number of activities over the last few weeks. A group of Year 5 and 6 children were selected to take part in the North Devon Schools Prom at the Queen's Theatre, Barnstaple, giving a performance of a dance choreographed by themselves. The Juniors have been involved in football and netball matches against Georgeham Primary School, both at home and away. Some of the Infants have visited The Lantern Centre in Ilfracombe for an enjoyable Science Workshop as part of the Ilfracombe Area Schools' Science Fair. We look forward to welcoming the illustrator, Paul Dowling, into school to work with some of the children as part of the North Devon Book Festival.

The P. T. A. have recently provided a marvellous cookery area for the children to user complete with sink, fridge and cooker. We ' re looking forward to using it over the next few weeks. Our new pottery kiln, also provided by the P. T. A. is working well and we have had several successful firings. You will be pleased to know that the bulbs we planted last year in the bank in the playground are doing well and we again have a splendid display of daffodils to enjoy.

David Chaplin

19

20

"HAVE FUN IN ZIM" ...

... so said a friend the night before our departure to Victoria Falls last February. It had seemed a good idea when we spotted the 'ad' in the National Trust magazine. Then we discover it's as far as San Francisco and we'd have to have the dreaded jabs ... and all this for a mere 8 days! Could it possibly be worth it?

After a 10.5 hour night flight to Harare [Salisbury in my day], and a 1/2 hour into the short flight to Victoria Falls, the captain apologised for the 2 hour delay - he'd been waiting for the cement to dry on a replacement window! No rush, we murmured. As consolation, he flew us over the Falls, made famous by David Livingstone in 1855. They are impressive. The great Zambesi, dividing Zim[babwe] - once Rhodesia - and Zam[bia], suddenly plunges 400 feet over a mile-wide chasm. Its course is blocked by the opposite rock face, and its only escape is through the 'Boiling Pot' , a 100 foot wide channel. The resultant spray can rise to 2000 feet and hence the local name 'Mos-oa tun-ya', 'Smoke that thunders'. And it does! Take your brolly and flip-flops ... and still expect to get drenched! You pay for the view on the Zim side [the tickets still say Rhodesia], or for an even more spectacular view, see them from Zambia for free. You will have to queue at customs with Zambians returning from a shopping spree in Zim, where the cost of living is much lower, but the wait is enlivened by marauding baboons who steal from loaded shopping bags. Be prepared, too, for propositioning customs officers - in my case only for my zoom lens! A 1/4 mile walk takes you across a splendid road and rail bridge from whose parapet 'eejits' throw themselves to the rocky canyon far below in what is claimed to be the highest bungy jump in the world.

So how did we fill our days? Well, we cruised the Zambezi at sunset, intruding on hippos at bathtime; enjoyed a 'Breifleis' [Bar-B-Q] washed down with excellent local red wine; hired bikes and had a puncture by a sign which read 'Beware of Crocodiles'; lazed by the pool, eating alfresco lunch to the gentle sound of African music; white water rafted for 2 hours down the rapids - and we have a video and peeling skins to prove it. Due to practise trots to 'The Globe' , our climb out of a 700 foot gorge at the end was less breathless than macho types half our age!

Two days were spent in sybaritic style at a Safari Lodge. No roughing it here. Apart from one mid-day downpour, all meals were out of doors. At dinner, or from various hides, and protected by a wide ha-ha, we watched a procession of impala, kudu, wildebeest, warthogs, zebras and elephants drinking at the dimly floodlit waterhole, undisturbed by the croc seen earlier, but the hyenas caused havoc.

There was no time for a lie in! Game viewing started at 6.00 a.m., but lions at 10 feet distance were reward enough. And then there was microlighting. 6 am 'phone calls to Zambia for a weather report yielded third time lucky. On our last morning, we were once again walking to Zambia for a final Falls spectacular [well, packing is so boring]. We have more passport stamps between Zim and Zam than from a round-the-world trip.

Arriving at the grassy airstrip, I was stripped of all loose items - handkerchief, rings, watch - anything which might foul up the propeller. Then, with the pilot sitting between my knees [I assured him that any pressure I might apply was not a sign of familiarity - merely the result of youthful scooter ownership!], we took off, separated from infinity by a sheet of plastic, thin metal strips and a canvas parasol. What freedom! Rhino tracks indented the sandy runway, a crocodile swam lazily at the river's edge, and then the culmination of our 5000 mile 'Have Fun in Zim' stay - a slow glide along the face of the mighty Falls. This has to be the best way to see them. The results of a camera on the wing tip - same figures, different background - may bore our friends, but not us. We can feel the warm air, the spray on our cheeks.

And what a tonic that dose of VitD was - or could it have been the malaria tablets? Whatever it was, it was worth it!

PP of DC

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MANOR HALL MANAGEMENT

The Manor Hall A.G. M. is on Tuesday, 3rd May, at 7.30 p.m. in the Penn Curzon Room. The public is welcome to attend. Please bring CONSTRUCTIVE COMMENTS for use of the Hall and express you feelings about staging: its pros/cons, cost, use and storage.

USERS .. please turn on the fan in the kitchen when boiling water - we have enough moisture in the building without another source. Also, please note that we now have a dehumidifier in the Hall. If you turn it off because it is noisy, please make sure you TURN IT ON again when you leave.

Work has commenced on preparing the site, beside the Manor Hall, for a seat in memory of Bill Tyrell.

Horticultural & Art Show A reminder that this event is AROUND THE CORNER, so please be thinking of craft items, jams, veggies and flower entries for the Show. This show has always been held on the first Saturday in September, but would YOU support it if it was held earlier, say 20th or 27th August? Please let Joy or Ray or Margaret Ludlow know of your feelings, in writing by 1st June, regarding this possible date change.

Best Kept Village Competition The Village has once again entered this competition, so please help by:

• picking up litter when you see it *
• putting your rubbish out on the morning of collection and not the night [or even longer] before, as animals tend to attack the bags *
• give your 'little bit' of Berrynarbor a tidy up - as you always do *

The preliminary judging is May/June, with the Final Judging in July. We do not know when these judges will come.

Comments or offers of help please contact Joy Morrow, after 20th April [882531].

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BERRY GOES TO BROADWAY

After the success of last year's Wartime Night, I was asked, 'How do you follow that?' And I must admit that I was doing some head scratching myself. But this is Berrynarbor, so the answer was simple. You put on a Gang Show, sub-titled 'Berry Goes to Broadway', and off we go again!

This year, like Topsy, it grew - bigger cast, bigger audience, bigger hall.

The whole point of these shows is to bring people together and this it did. It was a show performed by village people for village people to enjoy and like last year it was a sell-out. Even though it took place in a larger room, some people were still unable to get tickets - we hope to rectify this next year.

After a donation to the Manor Hall and expenses, such as hardboard for scenery, etc., was taken out, we managed to raise a total of £178 for the Carnival Float.

The Cast were as follows:

Barbara Wood, Mary Jane Newell, Sally Barten, Joyce Songhurst, Lynne Bridle, Diane and Danny Lloyd, Neil and Val Morris, Heather Levy, Alf, Ann Davis, Richard Lewis, the Newell lads and Pater, Jack Elliot, Bill Purvis, Tony Lynch, Nigel Mason, Mark Adams, John Clark, Derek Phillips, Jim Brooks, Sarah Beale, Shaun Cooper [bless 'im] , Olinda Holden, Jenny Holly, Marie Mason.

The Band [and so they should be] were:

Phil Bridle and Stuart Neale.

The Backstage Crew consisted of:

Ken Richards and Gerry Claydon [stage hands], Kevin Brooks and John Weaver [lighting], Melanie La Tragna [choreography] , Doey Damon [sound], Brian Jones, Neil Morris and Ivan Clarke [cameras], Nigel Mason and Pete Rothwell [sets] and Ginny Neale [continuity] .

Our thanks go to the Management Committee, Watermouth Castle, N.D.D.C., The Lantern Centre and all those who gave paint, costumes, advice, books, etc., and a big THANK YOU to an audience that made our work easy.

We do hope that we haven't missed anyone - if we have, sorry!

Dib, Dib, Dib! See you next year!

The Carnival Committee

• PS - We're always looking for new acts, so don't be shy, have a go!
• PPS - Thanks for the bottle! Gary.

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Show Time with The Globe

Vi Davies

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ANNUAL PARISH MEETING

It has been the custom of Berrynarbor Parish Council for some years to afford an opportunity to residents of the Parish at the commencement of the monthly meeting to ask questions of the Council.

However, that facility does not release the Council from the obligation placed upon it by Parliament to hold annually a meeting to which every elector may come and receive reports from the Council and other Village organisations.

This year's meeting will be at 7.00 p.m. in the Manor Hall on Tuesday, 12th April. My Chairman's report will be:

"Ladies and Gentlemen,

One of the duties of a Parish Council is to work with others to attract resources from outside the Parish and this year we have several instances of success.

1. We were able to attract a grant from the N.D. D.C. for a lighting scheme and passed that on to the Parochial Church Council to assist in their scheme to floodlight the Church Tower - and what an excellent job they have made of it. Many thanks.
2. Again from the N.D.D.C., and the Community Council of Devon, we have attracted sufficient cash to engage - following a tendering exercise - St. John' s Nursery to lay out Claude's Garden, and we hope to see a good crowd at the Official Opening at 7.00 p.m. on Friday, 22nd April.
3. We are now exploring an enhancement scheme in the Village Centre which will restore some of the cobbles which are covered by tarmac. Again the N.D. D.C. will be asked to fund it.
4. The Heritage Coast Officer - Tim Adkin - has been most helpful in finding resources for several local tasks and is a powerful advocate of the Marine Nature Reserve off our coast.

Highway matters, as usual, occupied much of our time. Work on the road to Berrydown has hopefully brought an end to the spring which gathered so many pot-holes. Another junction improvement at Coil Cross will soon be completed.

The Local Government Commission has started work in Devon and the Council has supported the N.D.D.C. scheme for a new Council in the Northern part of Devon, to carry out work that is now done by the County and the District. The Commission will deliver its proposals to every household before anything is finalised. Locally, the Council has expressed a wish for its own boundaries to remain unchanged.

The contract we held with the District Council to clean the car park toilets has expired and we were unsuccessful with our tender this time. Many thanks to Grace for her superb work.

My thanks go to my Vice-Chairman, Jenny Taylor, and to the rest of the Council Members for their work and their good humour.

A special appreciation for John Vince, our Clerk, whose paperwork is immaculate and whose knowledge is encyclopaedic. He is so keen on the village he even came on Christmas Day - for lunch!!"

Graham Andrews - Chairman
Berrynarbor Parish Council

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AT-A-GLANCE DIARY

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CLAUDE' S GARDEN

On 22nd April at 7.00 p.m., Claude's Garden will be opened and dedicated to the people of Berrynarbor. Claude left the garden to the village of Berrynarbor in memory of his parents, Frederick John and Emma Richards.

Claude Richards loved and worked for the village all his life - he served on the Parish Council, District Council and County Council, as well as being Chairman of the Management Committee for many years and Secretary of the Poors Charity Committee. He was known and loved for his generosity and kindness. His camelias cheered many parishioners rooms in the spring; every elderly customer on his milk round received gifts of cream at Christmas and every child a box of chocolates and in this he followed his much-loved mother's example who never visited anyone without a gift in her basket.

Claude respected his father for the work he did for Berrynarbor not only as a Parish Councillor but also as a member of the District Council, of which he was Chairman for 11 years. He also represented the Lynton District on the County Council and later was made a County Alderman. Fred Richards was instrumental in obtaining the Manor Hall for the people of Berrynarbor and also, through the benevolence of Mrs. Penn Curzon, O.B.E., of Watermouth Castle, obtaining the use of the old Manor House for the Men's Institute and British Legion.

Claude's family have been pleased to place two seats, in memory of Claude and their parents, in the garden which they hope will be used and enjoyed not only by the people of Berrynarbor but also the many visitors to our lovely village.

A third seat has been donated by Mrs. Ivy Richards in memory of her husband, Ivor, who also loved the village in which he was born and lived all his life at Moules Farm.

Brenda Layton

 
Claude's Garden - September 2022

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