Edition 113 - April 2008

EDITORIAL
Easter, the earliest since 1913 - and it will not be so early again until 2060 - is now past and after the long week-end break, schools are looking forward to breaking up for what is normally the 'Easter' holiday.
Again, this year, the spring flowers seem to be ahead of themselves - camellias and magnolias fully in bloom, snowdrops gone and daffodils going over. Certainly February was a crisp, sunny month, with blue skies by day and the occasional frost by night. However, at the time of writing March appears to be going out 'like a lion', wet and windy.
By the time you read this, our new Shop will be fully operational. On behalf of us all, a big thank you to the Committee who have worked so hard to ensure that we retain a shop and to Jackie, Anita and all their helpers. We wish you good luck and every success in the future. The new shop looks really great, so now we must all give it the support it deserves.
Our colourful cover is the delightful work of a new artist - Linda Hughes from Berrynarbor Park. Thank you, Linda, we hope we don't have to use our umbrellas too frequently with April showers!
With all but a couple renewing their subscription, over 120 readers remain on the mailing list and the additional donations they have included are very welcome. In recent months the cost of paper has increased which in turn puts up the printing charges, so that each copy now costs approximately 85p, or more than £5 for the six copies a year, to produce. Although donations received help to allay these costs, please give this some thought when picking up your copy and popping something in the collecting boxes.
There are quite a few events happening over the next couple of months, so make a note of them in your diary and join in wherever possible.
As always I must thank everyone who has contributed to another bumper issue, it is only due to them that the Newsletter continues and we are now at Issue No. 113. But, has anyone spotted the deliberate mistake? October and December both claimed 111, so No. 112 has gone missing! Items for the June issue will be needed by MONDAY, 12TH MAY please - earlier is very much appreciated, but later is not!
Judie - Ed
1
BERRYNARBOR LADIES'
GROUP
On
the 5th February, we welcomed Rosemary Cooke who brought along various baskets
made of willow and other materials from the hedgerows and demonstrated how they
are made. They make natural and
attractive containers and can be used for a variety of purposes. The raffle was won by Ethel Tidsbury.
The
March Meeting, on the 4th, was when Gerry Marangone
enthralled us with an account of his early childhood living in a small village
in
The
raffle was won by Rosemary Gaydon.
Mr.
S. Hoddinett, from the North Devon Hospice, will be
coming to talk to us on 1st April, and Mr. L. Tovey
will be visiting us again on 6th May.
This time he will be showing slides of gardens he has visited.
Fourteen
members are visiting Castle Drogo on Monday, 28th
April. Janet and Liz are organising
this and have booked a 15 seater mini-bus, so there
is still one seat available.
The
annual subscription has been kept at £12 and there are now 28 fully paid up
members.
New
members and guests are always very welcome.
Meetings are held on the first Tuesday of each month at
Doreen Prater
2
THANK YOU
Jackie
would like to thank everyone, but especially the helpers in the shop for their support and encouragement during
her son Tom's six month tour of
3

ST. PETER'S CHURCH
The
repainting of the inside walls of the church is finished at last and everyone
agrees how much better it looks - fresher and cleaner with a happy choice of
colour. It was no easy task for the
contractors, especially as everything had to be tidied away for Sunday services
and special events. It was also
interesting to see how many people visited the church during the week, in spite
of notices on the gate advising that work was in progress. It is encouraging that the church is so well
used and a focus for the school, parishioners and visitors alike. Plans are now in hand to repaint the vestry
with the left over paint.
A
strange service for Berrynarbor on Mothering Sunday! No families with young children appeared,
although the adults [numbering the same as last year] enjoyed singing the hymns
and taking part in Rector Keith's address, all going home with bunches of
daffodils. Church festivals are coming
round early this year and some of us are perhaps being taken unawares, but you
were missed!
With
Easter Day on 23rd March, Pentecost [Whit Sunday] will be celebrated with a
Family Communion on Sunday, 11th May at
The
PCC held their Annual Meeting on Monday 10th March, looking back on 2007 and
forward to 2008. Rector Keith thanked
the Churchwardens and the PCC for all their work in maintaining the life and
witness of the church. Doreen Prater and
Stuart Neale continue as Churchwardens and all members of the PCC pronounced
themselves willing to continue to serve:
Sylvia Berry, Marion Carter [Secretary], Jean Ede,
Janet Gibbins, David Steed, Mary Tucker [Treasurer] and Sue Wright.
Friendship
Lunches will be held at The Globe on Wednesdays 23rd April and 28th May, the
Globe 12.00
Mary Tucker
4

CONGRATULATIONS!
Our
belated congratulations to Win and Dennis Collins [late of
5
COME & JOIN US!
For
many years I have been in the very happy position of being the Choirmaster and
Organist for our Choir and I certainly hope that this will be the case for many
years to come. Its a privilege to be
part of this wonderful choir and I wish to go on record in thanking all
members, past and present, for their loyalty, enthusiasm and wonderful singing
over the years! We've also had quite a
few laughs along the way as well!
In
my opinion, one of the most important reasons for our success - not to mention
enjoyment - is that we sing a wide range of music with compositions from
Bernstein's 'West Side Story', Lloyd Webber's 'Requiem', Rutter's 'What
Sweeter Music', plus the wonderful music of Mozart and Elgar. It wouldn't be fair to select a
'favourite', but I recall one of the most moving pieces of music we have ever
performed was at the November Remembrance Service two years ago when we sang
the moving and beautiful song 'Bring Him Home' from 'Les Miserables'
- the lyrics being so meaningful for the occasion. We've even sung in French, German, Polish
and Latin at the annual Christmas Carol Service.
Two
years ago we had a choir of some 16 members, encompassing soprano, alto and
tenor voices. Unfortunately, due to
some of our members moving away and others affected by illness, today we are
reduced to a mere 7. Here I must convey
my sincere thanks to members of Combe Martin Choir who have, when required to
sing for special services, kindly come to our rescue to boost our numbers.
In
the past I've made appeals to people living in our parish - and elsewhere - to
encourage men, women and children who are interested in singing, to join us on
Monday evenings, from
We sing at all the major events in
the church calendar - Mothering Sunday, Easter, Harvest Festival, Service for
Loved Ones, Remembrance Sunday and, of course, Christmas.
If
you would like to join us - even if it's only to find out what's involved -
please don't hesitate to contact me on 889115 at any time [if I am out, feel
free to leave a message and I will return your call as soon as possible.
It
would be so sad if our choir were to cease functioning through lack of numbers,
for we are an intrinsic part of the musical fabric within this beautiful
village!
Please don't let this happen - come
along and join us and enjoy!
Stuart Neale
6
THE EVACUEES - DAVE
AND TOM
Part I
Illustrated by Paul Swailes
It
was 1942 and the last day before the school summer holidays.Dave and Tom were evacuees and had become
good friends.
Dave
Brooks lived at Goosewell with his mother.
He was a tall, dark haired lad with rosy cheeks, popular with his fellow
pupils.Tom Clark lived in
The
two were sitting together, talking on the school bus from Ilfracombe as it
approached Watermouth. "How
about tomorrow?" said Tom, "Perhaps you could come over and we could
go birds' nesting."
Dave's
eyes lit up."Yeah, OK, I'll be at
yours, say about half-nine.I've got to
be back home by half-one as mum's going shopping in Ilfracombe and wants me
back for lunch."
The
next morning Dave filled his backpack with a few things before making his way
to the stone style in the wall on Hagginton Hill.He climbed over and made his way down to
Mill Farm.It went through his mind
that he might be chased by that vicious cockerel which usually attacked him,
but fortunately it was not there.
Once
across the farm, he trudged up the field to
"What
do you think about sea gulls' eggs?" he asked."Good idea," replied Dave and off
they went over the fields to the main road and down to the old
coast road.
Both
boys carried catapults and very often liked to go to a rubbish dump just a few
yards up the old coast road on the right.
There, they crunched across old food tins, bottles, and all kinds of
generalrubbish.
"Right, we set up the
bottles like this", said Dave, putting six large bottles and two jam jars
on an old chair."Ten paces back
and see whichof us can break the
most," Tom answered.He won 5 to 3,
and then they were on their way.
Some
way up the old coast road is a particular cliff and both lads knew about it
from other friends who had told them that there were sea gull eggs to be had
there.
Stopping,
Dave announced, "I think this is the spot."
"Well,
it's all very well, but how can we climb down there?" asked Tom.It was sheer apart from a couple of
ledges.Dave looked down at the huge
drop to the rocks below."I've
brought some clothesline which we can tie to that tree.It'll be Ok, you'll see."
The
line was tied to the tree and dropped over the cliff.Tom, eager to get some eggs, wanted to go
first.
Looking
at his watch, Dave told Tom that he wouldn't be able to stay much longer as he
had to leave time to get back to Goosewell.
"That's fine," Tom replied, "I can manage if you want to
go."
Not
wanting to go but also not wanting to incur his mother's wrath by being late,
Dave set off."See you
tomorrow," he shouted back.
By
now Tom was lowering himself down.
Suddenly the clothesline snapped!
He tried desperately to claw the
face of the cliff, but to no avail.He
thought he was going to die but at that moment his feet miraculously landed on
a firm and reasonably safe ledge.He
was now stuck about ten feet from the top of the cliff.
What
will happen?Will he fall?Turn to page 29 to find out!
Tony Beauclerk -
CAUTION - EDITOR'S
NOTE
Tony's
tale of the two boys is, of course, fictional, but in the 1940's, the
collecting of birds eggs, by young lads in particular, was a pastime or
hobby.Today, however, it is illegal.
Climbing
cliffs is also not a wise thing to do!
So, for any young readers, as the saying goes:'Don't try this one at home'!
The
following, which you may find of interest, is the advice given by the Royal
Society for the Protection of Birds on egg collecting and old egg collections:
It has been illegal to take the eggs of most wild
birds since the Wild Birds Protection Act 1954 and it is illegal to possess or
control any wild birds' eggs taken since that time under the Wildlife and
Countryside Act.
It
is illegal to sell any wild bird's egg, irrespective of its age.
Possession of wild birds' eggs is an
offence of strict liability so that anyone who chooses to be in possession of
eggs is obliged to show, on a balance of probabilities, that their possession
is lawful. The potential maximum fine for each wild bird's egg is £5,000
and/or six month's imprisonment.
Despite the fact that legislation
prohibiting the taking of certain wild birds' eggs has been in existence since
1880, the practice still continues and, in the case of particularly rare birds,
it can have serious implications for their conservation. Rare breeding species
particularly vulnerable to egg collectors include Slavonian
and black-necked grebes, ospreys, white-tailed eagles, red kites, and
red-necked phalaropes.
Collectors can devote their life to the
pursuit of eggs and can become obsessed with the practice. They usually take
the whole clutch of eggs, and may also return for a second clutch. Often rarer
species of birds are targeted. An egg will rot if the contents are left inside
so eggs must be 'blown'. Collectors will take eggs at every stage of
incubation, although freshly laid eggs are preferred as it is easier to blow
out the yolk and the white of the egg.
Since the
introduction of custodial sentences for these offences by the Countryside and
Rights of Way Act 2000, a number of collectors have been sent to prison for up
to six months. This appears to have had a positive effect in reducing
egg-collecting activity in the
However, it remains a
problem and there is some evidence that egg collectors are operating
increasingly abroad.
Whilst the law is
mainly intended to deal with active egg collectors, it means that anyone with
any collection of British birds' eggs is breaking the law.
Some people have
old egg collections in their possession, perhaps discovered in a loft or handed
down by an elderly relative.
If you have a genuinely
old collection there's no need to be unduly worried. If you can show that the
eggs were taken before the Protection of Birds Act of 1954 came into force, you
will not be convicted of possession. You do not have to prove this 'beyond all
reasonable doubt' but merely to show that it is likely 'on a balance of
probabilities'.
In effect, provided you
could satisfy a court that the eggs were taken before 1954, you have nothing to
fear. In practice, it is unlikely that with genuinely old collections a case
will ever get as far as a court. Experienced investigators and prosecutors
should quickly recognise these old collections and are unlikely to think
prosecution is appropriate in such cases.
Nevertheless,
if you choose to keep the eggs of wild birds, you should be aware that it is
possible you may be called upon to explain yourself in court. If that happens,
it is up to you to show that your possession is lawful and not up to the
prosecution to show otherwise. The prosecution has only to prove the actual
possession.
7
SEA SHANTIES
Some
of you may remember these grand old songs had quite a vogue between the wars,
when the 'Great Days of Sail' were still
a living memory. My own acquaintance
stems from a series, given by the BBC Male Voice Choir, I believe.
Sea
Shanties evolved as a means of keeping the crew in synchronisation when hauling
on the ropes or other duties requiring a concerted effort, thus achieving
maximum efficiency. Besides this, I believe, they had a social side,
establishing a mood of good humour and ensuring even the slackers pulled their
weight. They were led by the Shantyman who set the key and tempo, often to the
accompaniment of his concertina or other instrument. They varied from quick and lively to slow
and steady, and below are three different examples:
I
Oh! Blow the man down, bullies. Blow the man down.
Way! Hey! Blow the man down!
Oh! Blow the man down bullies. Blow him right down.
O give me some time to blow the man down!
Oh we'll blow the man up and we'll blow the man
down,
Way! Hey! Blow the man down!
We'll blow him away into
Oh give me some time to blow the man down.
As I was a-walking down
Way! Hey! Blow the man down!
A charming young damsel I chanced for to
meet,
O give me some time to blow the man down.
I says to her, "Sally, and how d'ye do?"
Way ! Hey! Blow the man down!
She says, "None the better for seeing of you!"
Oh give me some time to blow the man down.
Oh we'll blow the man up and we'll blow the man
down,
Way! Hey! Blow the man down!
We'll blow him away into
Oh give me some time to blow the man down.
Illustrated by: Paul Swailes
Notes:
Trev
8
GREEN FINGERS!
With
thoughts turning to this summer's planting and blooms, a quick return to last
year to congratulate those ex-pats from the village on their gardening success
in the
The chief award for Fuchsias and the Best Cacti in Show went to Les
Bowen, whilst Stella took the award for Pot Plants and Cut Flowers. Pictured here are Laurel Draper's prize-winning
show-stopping Spider Chrysanthemums.
A
new class, spider chrysanthemums sport bizarre, narrow, curly and wavy petals,
like plants from another planet. From
small beginnings, two years ago,
Spider
plants, with their 10" wide blooms, are used by the Japanese to decorate
traffic islands and motorway verges.
9

NEW ARRIVALS
Just
like buses, after waiting for some time for one to arrive, two come along close
together! That is just the case for
June and Len Coleman who are delighted to announce the safe arrival of June's
second grandson. George Henry was born
to Charlotte and Ian in
Geoff
and Penny Gove are also delighted to announce the
arrival of their second grandchild, but in their case it is two little
granddaughters. Grace Beatrice, a
daughter for Emily and David Thubron,
was born in
Our congratulations and best wishes to
you all.
10
THE
GREAT BERRYNARBOR PLANT
Monday
5th May
Manor Hall, Berrynarbor
Free Entry
Plants and Flowers,
Gardeners' Questions and Answers
[ask the experts about your plant problems]
Cream Teas, Gardening Sundries, Raffle
The Hall
will be open from
11

THE MANOR HALL
MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
In
a short time, on the 7th May, we shall be holding our Annual General Meeting
and we should like to have some new members on our Committee.
We
work hard to satisfy the needs of the community and all the new regulations
which seem to occur on a regular basis.
For this work and for new ideas, we should welcome members of the users
of the hall and people with a community spirit to join us and help keep the
hall in good order for everyone. Please
give me a ring on [01271] 882353.
The
roof has been temporarily repaired and a new controller and fan will be fitted
shortly. The overhead heaters have been
serviced and our new chairs have arrived.
Archivist We have old minute books and information
on the Manor Hall collected in boxes in several locations. We are hoping to find someone who might be
interested to draw all the information
together to look after our local history.
If you would be interested in
carrying out this work, please do give me a ring.
Bob Hobson -
Chairman
12

WEATHER OR NOT
January
was a pretty miserable month, with low after low arriving from the west
bringing wind and rain. There were only
10 days when we did not record rain and on the 21st we had a 'shower' in which
16mm [5/8"] fell in under half an hour!
The total rainfall for the month was 185mm[7 1/4"] which was the
highest total for January since 1999, which had 240mm [9 7/16"]. The maximum temperature was 12.5 Deg C which was
about average but the minimum of 0.7 Deg C was warmer than the average. The wind was fairly strong for most of the
month, gusting to 25 knots or over on 11 days, with a maximum gust for the
month of 39 knots.
By
contrast, February has been a much quieter and drier moth, with some sharp
overnight frosts followed by glorious sunny days. The month started unsettled with some rain
and fairly windy, but after the 8th a high pressure moved in, the rain died
away and the winds became gentle breezes.
This dry period continued until the 22nd, after which it became more unsettled. After January's soaking, it was a dry month
with a total of only 55 mm [2 3/16"] of which 20mm [3/4"] fell in a
single 24 hour period. Apart from 1998,
which had only 32 mm [15/16"], this was the driest February we have ever
recorded. The average maximum
temperature was 10.3 Deg C with a high of 13.8 Deg C on the 9th. The lowest temperature we recorded was -3.5 Deg C
on the 17th and the average low was 2.7 Deg C.
We also recorded a wind chill of -7 Deg C.
Wind speeds varied throughout the month with a maximum gust of 29 knots
on both the 5th and 22nd.
The
sunshine figures confirm the differences between the two months: in January 7.20 hours was recorded, the
lowest for a January, and in February the total of 43.01 hours was the highest
for a February since records were taken.
The
snowdrops are starting to go over now but the daffodils are coming out well,
the birds sound very happy and there is a definite feeling of spring in the
air.
Simon and Sue
13
OF THIS AND THAT .
. .
BERRYNARBOR
TODDLER GROUP meets every Friday between
For
further details, please ring Naomi on [01271] 883708 or pop in one Friday
morning and see for yourself what the toddlers are up to.
THE FIRST FARMER'S MARKET held At the Manor
Hall on Easter Saturday was a great success and congratulations to organisers
Louise Richards and Jane and Bobby Bowden.
A sum of £134 was raised which will be split between the School, the
Pre-School and the Toddler Group as well as the Community Shop.
Jane,
Bobby and Louise would like to thank everyone for coming in their hundreds to
support the event - some of the stall holders said it was the best farmers'
market in which they had taken part and hopefully there will be another one,
perhaps towards the end of May.
This
year's Knit In: The Craft Group
were joined by members of Berrynarbor Ladies' Group on the 11th February to
knit strips for the North Devon Hospice,
each knitter making a donation rather than seeking sponsorship.
Well
refreshed during the afternoon, a bag of colourful strips was collected and
taken with £100 to the Hospice.
A
letter of thanks has been received thanking all the knitters for their support.
14
WELCOME
A
warm welcome to Della Vallance who, after working on
a tug boat for the last year, has come from
Della
has already become involved in the village, acting as PR for the BBC Show. Currently she is genning
up on her journalism qualifications, is doing Work Experience with the North
Devon Journal and plans to stay in the area and we hope you will be very happy
here.
An
'outdoor girl', Della, like her mother, is in to Yoga, but also enjoys art and
photography. Della is the person to
contact If you have an item you would like put in the Journal.
We are delighted to welcome Annie
and Colin Trinder, after a brief sojourn in
15
E-MAIL FROM DOWN
UNDER
'Thank
you to everyone in Berrynarbor'
Hi! My name is Wendy and I am Sally Barten's daughter.
I read your wonderful magazine on the internet and Mum sends me her copy
when she has finished with it. I love
to keep up to date with what is going on in the village, 'though I don't
recognise a lot of the names now.
In
January this year, my husband Ariu was diagnosed with
bowel cancer. Although the initial surgery
was successful, he suffered post operative infection, kidney failure and septic
shocks which resulted in several more surgeries and a couple of stints in
intensive care.
During
those days and hours, I spent a lot of time thinking about my home town. Years ago, my Dad told me a rhyme made up, I
believe, by the stone masons that built the church: 'Hartland for length,
We
received many well wishes and letters, many of which came from
Berrynarbor. We are truly grateful to
have been in so many people's thoughts and prayers and we thank you from the
bottom of our hearts.
I
am very pleased to tell you that Ariu has made an
incredible recovery and has now returned to good health. The doctors will monitor him closely, but
they are pleased with his progress.
We
hope to return to Berrynarbor for a visit in the not too distant future.
With
kind regards,
Wendy [Wendy Sio]
16

LETTER FROM THE
RECTOR
The
Rectory, Combe Martin
Dear Friends
With Spring in
the air, it reminds me of the short story by Oscar Wilde about the selfish
giant. You
probably know it very well. I didn't
until a couple of months ago when the Sunday School at
Combe Martin retold the story to the congregation.
The giant wanted to keep the children
out of his garden where they used to play. He built a wall around it to keep them out. Then winter set in, and stayed for months,
but just in his garden. Outside spring
had come, but not for him. He was very
sad and eventually realised how selfish he had been. Winter stayed in his garden until he suddenly
heard a bird singing. He looked out and saw the trees coming into
flower because the children had found a way in and were playing in the
branches. He was delighted and allowed the children to play in his garden. Spring and summer had come! However, one tree was still in winter
because a young child couldn't reach the branches to climb up. The giant ran over and lifted the child into
the branches, and immediately it came into flower.
The giant loved to see the children in
his garden and the garden bloomed, but he never saw this one small child again
until he was very old, when he saw him by the tree in bloom. As he ran over his heart filled with rage. "Who did this to you?" he demanded
when he saw holes in his hands and feet. "These are the marks of love." said
the boy, "And as you allowed me to play in your garden, so come into mine.
Read the story for yourself. Oscar Wilde's version is much better than my
couple of sentences, but it makes one or two points.
If we are selfish we put up boundaries to
keep others out of our world. We
devalue ourselves as well as others. We actually need others to
become fully alive.
Springtime reminds us not only of life
coming back to the earth, but also of our need to let life back into our
existence. The quality of life is so important
and by helping others, we actually help ourselves. It also reminds me that children are
great at breaking down barriers! When
we are trying to be all stern and serious they will say or do something which
will make us laugh, and "open us up". The story also reminds me that
the risen Jesus (still with the marks of his passion) came to bring us life,
and that we should have it in all its fullness.
A Happy Eastertide to you all.
Your Friend and Rector,
Keith Wyer
17

RURAL REFLECTIONS - 36
Early April. The
sound of puffing is heard along the western ridge of the Cairn. A steam train pulling out of Ilfracombe station, perhaps? Unlikely; the track was pulled up over thirty
years ago! Instead, a jogger is panting
heavily as she strides out along the old railway line. Only
occasionally does she look up, revealing a furrowed brow and piercing eyes
looking straight ahead. They fail to acknowledge their surroundings.
With
her mind transfixed on her every next step, she fails to hear the rasping
shrieks resonating through the air. They come from the southern end of Pall
Meadow. After a few minutes, the noise is replaced by
the sound of slow flapping wings. Soon a jay appears from over the ridge of the meadow,
struggling to gain height, passing directly over her head before landing in a
tree within the grounds of the Round House. Perhaps its slow flight was the result of an injury, the shrieks were certainly loud enough to justify an
aggressive squabble with another jay.
The jogger passes the buddleia which
borders the old railway line. New green
shoots are fast appearing. In the undergrowth beneath, a wren bobs about
in search of food. Opposite the wren, upon a prominent ash tree,
stands a chiffchaff. His repetitive two-note song is a welcome
sound upon the Cairn, his arrival acting as a reminder that spring is on its
way. The jogger is oblivious.
Even when she lowers her head again, she
overlooks the lesser celandine which are increasing by the day. Their
splash of yellow is a welcome sight. Just
for one second, the jogger's foot, pounding heavily, sidles up against an
unblemished celandine flower. Above its heart-shaped, glossy leaves, the
flower's eight petals display a faultless, symmetrical circumference. The
flower nods its head in the cool spring breeze as though asking to be
appreciated. Primroses also line the path. One stands out in particular, its rosette
made up of twelve bright yellow flowers.
Although tucked away beneath the buddleia, the morning sun pokes through
the branches and highlights the plant.
"You are common, we are rare, so just take the time to stop and
stare" it calls to the jogger.
She trundles on, allowing the
chiffchaff's call to become just an echo.
Yet before it peters out, the two-tone songs of the great tit and the
coal tit start to replace it. For a
while, the jogger runs to the melody of three tunes, each containing just two
notes but distinguishable by their own
speed. It is
as though they have been wound up like an old record player, one bird whistling
at seventy-eight revolutions per minute, one at forty-five and the other at
thirty-three. Their tunes are soon replaced by another echo,
for our jogger has left behind the wonderful sights and sounds of early spring.
No doubt unaware of the decrease in light
around her, the arched walls within the Slade Tunnel reverberate to the din of
thumping footsteps and heavy breath.
The jogger, of course, is not alone in
missing the rural delights which are literally springing up around her. The worker has targets to beat. The
parent has children to meet. The dog walker has jobs to complete. So
perhaps it is about making time
available and, at this time of year, one does not have to wait long before
nature springs into action. For example,
whilst sat in my summerhouse, collecting my thoughts in preparation for this article,
a female blackbird made regular visits as she collected material for her
nest. Admiring her patience, as
she rummaged beneath the hydrangeas and picked up each tiny twig before rolling
it within her beak in order to test its suitability, was a constant
distraction, but a most pleasurable one.
So, if you can, try and make the time to
stop and stare. This really is a
wonderful period in the countryside's calendar.
Stephen McCarthy
18

LETTER FROM
Dear All
I
write as Chairperson of Berrynarbor Pre-School. We are a charity providing a pre-school
facility within the village.
At
present we have 17 children attending various sessions during the week. We have received support from Sure Start,
but predominantly rely on fund raising by parents for equipment and
development.
The
School's own budget is met each year by a combination of Local Authority funds
and extensive local fund raising.
Capital expenditure and improvements are extremely difficult on such
tight budgets.
A
small garden area was developed in 2002.
This is now unusable due to wear and tear. We believe that the installation of 'wet
pour', or similar, will solve this problem and hope to have this work complete
by the summer. Parents will do as much
work as is practical and we have already raised £1,550. However, we shall need an additional £2000
to complete the project.
I
should like to ask if there is anybody who would be kind enough to make a
donation, either financial or something we could raffle or auction at a future
event.
I
thank you on behalf of everyone involved with the Pre-School and will keep you
informed of our progress. If anyone
needs to contact me, please feel free to ring on 01917 562216.
Jenny Beer -
Chairperson
Thank
You: We should like to say a big thank you to the Combe Martin Wurzels for their donation of
£100 to replace the ride-on toy which was taken.
Congratulations: A huge thank you to Emma and all her staff
who were awarded a 'Good' in their recent Ofsted
Inspection.
Four Star Hygiene: We had a surprise visit from Environmental
Health and Housing and achieved a hygiene rating of four stars!
Dates for your Diary:
Saturday, 5th April:
Spring Fete, Manor Hall,
Saturday, 24th May: Nearly
New Stall, Manor Hall. Time to be confirmed.
Everyone welcome. Clothes, Toys, Books,
etc., Tea and Coffee.
19
POETRY AND PRAYER
It
wasn't hard to find, amongst Peter Rothwell's work,
an aptly suitable illustration for the evocative words of the quotation given
for the Local Walk in the last issue.
The quotation came from a poem by the Rev. R.S. Thomas entitled
The Other
That I can hear the small owl calling
far off and the fox barking
miles away. It is then that I lie
in the lean hours awake and listening
to the swell born somewhere in the Atlantic
rising and falling, rising and falling
wave on wave on the long shore
by the village, that is without light
and companionless. And the thought comes
of that other being who is awake, too,
letting our prayers break on him,
not like this for a few hours,
but for days, years, for eternity.
A
staunch Welshman and advocator of the Welsh language - although he wrote his
poems in English - Ronald Stuart Thomas was born in 1913. He was ordained as a clergyman in the
Writing
some of the finest religious poetry of his generation and writing over 1500
poems, Thomas was awarded the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry in 1964 and in 1996
nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature.
He died in 2000 at the age of 87 and is buried close to the door of
In
the year Thomas died, this prayer was written by 13 year old Anna Crompton and selected as The Celebration 2000 Millennium
Prayer
Prayer for the
Third Millennium
At the dawn of a new millennium,
in a world of darkness, give us your light;
in lands of war and prejudice, grant us peace;
in a world of despair, give us hope;
in a world of sadness and tears, show us your joy;
in a world of hatred, show us your love;
in a world of arrogance, give us humanity;
in a world of disbelief, give us faith.
Give us courage to face challenges of feeding the hungry,
clothing the naked,
housing the homeless and healing the sick.
Give us the power to make a difference in your world, and to protect your creation.
Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord, Amen
20

NEWS FROM OUR
COMMUNITY SHOP
As
I write, our new shop is due to open on 31st March, so
hopefully as you read this, you will already have visited it and bought
goodies! We hope too that the Post
Office will have moved their equipment successfully and will open on 3rd April.
Everyone
has worked so hard to get everything ready: Kingston Construction who pulled out all the
stops to catch up on an initial delay; John
Boxall who became unofficial 'Clerk of Works';
Sandy, Brian and Alex who sorted
out all the day to day problems, and Anita, Jackie and a myriad of helpers who
moved the shop.
Thanks
to them, we can now enjoy shopping in a pleasant and spacious place - and enjoy
a cup of coffee, or send an e-mail before we leave!
We have decided to 'go with the flow'
and have our own "green" long- life shopping bags with our logo on that sell at
£1.00. We have also decided that in the interests of
hygiene, we shall no longer use second- hand plastic bags - and anyway, it
looks as if they will become scarcer. Thank you to everyone
who has brought plastic bags for re-use over the past 3 1/2 years. For anyone who hasn't a bag, there are new
plastic ones available at 5p each.
We have two exciting fund-raising
events for the May Day holiday:
Friday, 2nd May:
Berrynarbor Community Shop Second Golf Tournament
for the Sandy Anderson Grocer's Cup. Forms
are in the shop and
John
Boxall has details 882675
Bank Holiday Monday, 5th May: Plant Sale and
Garden Fare in the Manor Hall - for details see this newsletter,
village posters or 'phone Kath on 889019
Happy Shopping!
PP of DC
21
MOVERS AND SHAKERS - No. 14: JOHN SMEATON
The
first Civil Engineer,
The name John Smeaton
leapt out of the Daily Telegraph last week, but it belonged to the heroic
Glaswegian baggage handler who received a gallantry award from the Queen. Nevertheless, it reminded me of an earlier
John Smeaton, who built, amongst many other notable
things, the third Eddystone Lighthouse, 14 miles
south west of
John Smeaton
first described himself as a CIVIL engineer in 1768, identifying a new
profession distinct from MILITARY engineers, graduating from the
The son of a Yorkshire lawyer, he was born
at Austhorpe Lodge, Whitkirk,
4 miles outside
He then became interested in large-scale
engineering, and was elected Fellow of the Royal Society at the age of only 29. In
the mid 1750's he made a tour of the
In 1756 the Royal Society asked him to
come up with a design for a third Eddystone
lighthouse. The first, an octagonal wooden one built in 1698 lasted only 5
years and was washed away, together with its architect Henry Winstanley, during a violent storm. The second one, made of wood and iron, burnt
down after 47 years when a fire broke out in the lantern. During the blaze, the
cupola began to melt and as the duty keeper looked up, he swallowed 7 ounces of
molten metal. No one believed him until
doctors found it in his stomach after he died several days later. The metal is now on show in
Smeaton based
the design for his lighthouse on an oak tree - a tall natural object that could
withstand gales. His idea was
revolutionary. He used 1, 493 blocks of
granite and
When it was replaced in 1882 about two
thirds of the structure was removed stone by stone and re-built on Plymouth Hoe
where it opened in September 1884. From
its refurbished lantern room, it offers superb views of the Sound and city. If you
look out from the Hoe on a clear day, you can still see the hump where it stood
on
Smeaton's Tower is
open daily except Christmas and Good Friday and visitors pay £2, [£1 for
seniors and children 6-16]. Various events take place throughout the year, and
you can even get married there!
After Eddystone,
John Smeaton went on to construct pumps, ports, mines
and jetties as well as windmills, watermills, bridges, and canals. His
best remembered project from these was constructing the Forth and Clyde canal
which took 22 years and stretches across central
Still, it is Eddystone
lighthouse that forms part of the coat of arms of the Institution of Civil
Engineers, features in the portrait of John Smeaton,
and if you look at an old penny, you will find it tucked just behind
Britannia's left hand!
John Smeaton died after a stroke on
Many of his methods of construction, site
management and supervision are still used but one of his important viewpoints
was that managing people correctly was as important as his design and
construction methods. He was a man before his time!
Stone, wood and iron are wrought and put together by
mechanical methods,
but the greatest work
is to keep right the animal part of the machinery.
John Smeaton
PP of DC
22
BERRYNARBOR PAST
This photograph was taken in August
1901 outside a workshop at the far end of Goosewell, on my great-grandmother's
90th birthday.
From
left to right, the picture shows Harry Slee and
Albert Jones, who lived at 12 and 14 Hagginton Hill; next to them is my uncle, John Ley, and my father, Tom Ley - her
grandsons.
Great-grandmother's
name was Mary Chugg and she married twice. My grandmother was her only child from her
first marriage, who married Thomas Ley in March
1869. They lived at Hall Farm and when
my great-grandmother lost her second husband, she went to live at Hall
Farm. By then there were twelve
grandchildren.
My
father used to tell me how they loved 'little grandma'. She died at Hall Farm in 1903 when she was
92.
Vera Lewis [Ley] - Epsom
23
THE EVACUEES - DAVE
& TOM
Part II
You
will recall that Tom was stranded on a ledge down a cliff on the old coast
road.
He
was worried! He could not climb up or
down. He hoped he might be seen,
perhaps, by someone in a boat. At that
point it started raining and to help keep dry, he pulled his coat up over his
head. Two long hours passed when he
heard a fain 'clip clop'.
"I
know that sound," he said to himself, "That's old Fred Snell, the
travelling oil shop man." Fred
Snell with his horse Dandy plodded the area, selling pots, pans and most things
for the household.
"Help! Please
help me!" Tom shouted as loud as he could. Although Fred didn't hear him, it happened
to be the spot where he usually stopped
for a break. He jumped down from his cart and gave Dandy
his daily apple. It was only then that
he heard Tom's calls.
"Where
the dickens are you?" he called.
Illustrated by: Paul Swailes
"Down the cliff!" Tom screamed back. Fred looked over the edge at Tom, "What
are you doing down there?"
"Birds'
nesting, but please do something!" was the answer. I've got some rope," called Fred, and
tying it to the same tree as the clothesline, threw the end down to Tom.
Tom
climbed up, looking very pale and frightened.
"Bet
you won't do that again!" said Fred.
"No,
I won't and thanks, thanks, thanks" replied Tom. He made his way slowly home where his mother
greeted him with "You look a little pale.
Anything exciting to report?"
"No,"
answered Tom, "Nothing."
Tony B.
24
A COINCIDENCE
Several
months ago, when I was at mother's [Ivy White], I picked up the Berrynarbor
Newsletter and took it back to
The
following morning I went to Abergavenny Market, where
someone was selling postcards. I
stopped for a quick look and the first one I picked up was of Berrynarbor with
an arrow pointing to Orchard House!
Turning it over, I saw it was from Heather Fogg
who was staying with her grandparents - postmarked June 1961. What looks like the ruins of the Temperance
Hall can be seen at the rear.
The next card was of the road outside Orchard House at the end of two
rocks and showing the old hollow oak tree - a great hiding place when I was a
child. To find them both at the same time
seemed quite a coincidence. For £9 I
was also able to buy a card of Watermouth.
Do you think Tom Bartlett could date the cards for me [Yes, he has!] and
I wonder if anyone has any clues as to who the gentleman is?
Twiss of Ilfracombe c1904
Harvey Barton c1939
Readers may also be interested in the
photograph of The Cottage, also a newspaper article I found on the internet.
The photograph, taken about the
turn of the century, shows the dancing class outside The Cottage - now known as
The
following article appeared in a
A Century for Ella
"A
well-known
"Helena
Victoria Hall, who everyone knows as Ella, was born on
"She
was married at 18 years of age to Harry Graves. They later had a daughter 'Zan'. Harry was a
shoemaker and repaired and made shoes for the
"When
based in Tidworth and
"After
leaving Army service, Harry and Ella moved to Berrynarbor,
Ella
and Harry lived at Little Sanctuary.
Harry had a large shed in his garden from which he did his shoe
repairs. He also ran a taxi service in
the village. I expect there are people
who still remember them. Sadly, Harry
died whilst they were living in Berrynarbor and later Ella remarried and moved
to
Marlene
25

HORTICULTURAL &
CRAFT SHOW 2008
As
promised, details of the Art and Photography Sections are now available.
ART: Any medium may be used for all classes -
watercolour, oil, acrylic, pen and ink, pencil [even collage], etc. Other than class 3, which is obviously smaller
[A5], maximum size must not exceed A3 [297 x 420mm].
2. 'Fruit and Flowers' - A Still Life
3. 'Merry Christmas' - a Greetings Card
4. 'All at Sea'
5. A Portrait
6. An Abstract Picture or Design
PHOTOGRAPHY: maximum size 5" x 8"
2. 'Fruit and Flowers' - A Still Life Composition
3. Four Seasons: A set of 4 photographs [1 entry only] to be mounted together on paper or card 24" x 24" maximum
4. Through the Window
5. Caught!
26

NEWS FROM THE
PRIMARY SCHOOL
We
have all been enjoying the snippets of sunshine over the past few days and are
looking forward to the summer. The
children [and adults] have been working hard and the warmth did wonders in
giving us all a lift. We have had a new
window fitted in Class 3 and the sunlight is streaming in.
Both
Classes 3 and 4 have been learning about finances over the past term and have
run two separate fund raising days.
Class 4 raised money for the Dogs' Trust. A lady came in with one of the dogs and
spoke to all the classes about responsible pet ownership and how the money that
they children raised would be used.
Class 3 raised money for The Children's Liver Disease Foundation and
organised a day of yellow themed activities.
You may have seen us in the Journal.
Class 1 has enjoyed a jump rope festival at
We
celebrated Easter with our Easter Service on the Thursday. The youngest children presented work about
springtime and new life;
the oldest children retold the Easter story using drama and Class
3 considered the commercial side of Easter.
We
are eagerly awaiting the arrival of some visitors from
CAN
YOU HELP? We are keen to improve our
lunchtime activities. At the moment the
children eat their dinner and then play in the playground. If we had another adult on duty at
lunchtime, we could extend opportunities for play and recreation to other parts
of the school. We have advertised
repeatedly for Lunchtime Assistants to no avail. Do you know anyone who could work
in our School over lunchtime?
Training is available and we really are a nice bunch of people to be
with!
27

Having
been away for most of the winter, it was lovely coming back to the village and
seeing the snowdrops and primroses.
There is nowhere in the world lovelier than a
We
held our first meeting at The Globe on 5th March and it was well attended. It was agreed to help our new Shop by
supplying some new tubs and to ask the School to help by planting them up.
We
shall be entering the
Our
main fund-raising events will be the
and the
[a change from the 29th June - our first choice - as the
Unfortunately,
the first Litter Pick on the 16th March was cancelled due to the pouring
rain. As soon as the decision was made
to cancel it, out came the sun!
However, most areas were covered the following day and some of the tubs
in the village were supplemented with spring flowers to make a cheerful display
for Easter.
Please
look out for our 'Blooming'
Posters for further Litter Pick Dates.
Years
ago I was lent an old American Cake Book dating back to the 40's and 50's. Some of the cakes had weird ingredients,
such as mayonnaise and beetroot, but one really caught my eye! I tried the recipe out and tested it on
friends and family [poor souls]. To our
amazement the cake was moist, sweet and slightly spicy - yum, yum, but you have
to admit you would never guess the main ingredient 'Tomato Soup'!! So, for April Fools Day I give you Tomato Soup
Cake. Do try it out and get your family
to guess what's in it, they will be amazed!
28

TOMATO SOUP CAKE
1 small can Tomato Soup 1 cup [6oz] Sugar 1 Free Range Egg
1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda 1 tsp Baking Powder 1 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Ground Cloves 1 tsp Nutmeg 9oz Plain Flour
Cream Cheese Filling: Cream together
2oz Cream Cheese 6oz Icing Sugar
1 tbs Soft Butter 1/2 tsp Vanilla Essence
Cream
the sugar and fat until fluffy, beat in the egg. Put the bicarb. of soda into the can of soup and add to the creamed
mixture. Sift all the dry ingredients
together. Add to the 'wet' ingredients and
beat together.
Bake
in a greased and lined 8" tin at 180 Deg C/370 Deg F for 1 hour. Turn out and cool on a rack. When cold, split the cake and fill with the
cream cheese filling or use it as a topping.
Wendy
29

BERRYNARBOR PARISH
COUNCIL ANNUAL REPORT
This
past year has been quite eventful for Berrynarbor Parish Council and for the
village. The new Community Shop will,
by the time you read this, be operational due only to the tremendous effort and
enthusiasm of its Committee, the local community and the North Devon District
Council, the Parish Council has also been pleased to support this project
wherever possible.
The
Council was pleased to welcome Mr. David Richards and Mrs. Angela Boyd who have
joined the Council. We were sorry that
due to ill health, Councillor Len Coleman resigned after many years and we
thank him for his commitment and loyal service over many years.
The
closure to the general public of footpaths at Watermouth Cove has caused great
concern and we await the outcome of the Footpath Committee in June when the
public consultation period has closed.
The
Council has two projects which it would like to see underway shortly:
1.
Claude's Garden - we shall be working
closely with the
2.
The Children's Playground - is high
priority and I should hope to have something more conclusive to report by the
next Newsletter.
Finally,
I should like to thank our Parish Clerk, Mrs. Sue Squire, and all the
Councillors for their support, hard work and commitment, who have the good of
Berrynarbor and its parishioners at heart, and also to those who have either
worked for or helped this Council in any way.
Sue Sussex -
Chairman [01271] 882916
30
LOCAL WALKS - 107
A First for
If
the church had not been locked, we should not have seen the rare bird. We had planned to visit Landcross
church, which is situated within a loop of the River Torridge and then try to
gain access, through a narrow strip of woodland, to the river itself, though no
official path was shown on the map.
The
hedge banks along the lane leading to the little church were full of spring
flowers. One of the cottages next to
the churchyard was being re-thatched. A
red admiral [normally a migrant butterfly but increasingly to be found over-wintering
here] fluttered over a wall and an unusually pale buzzard circled above.
Promisingly,
the heavy door moved forward, but only by a couple of inches. The church was locked after all and so
joined a long list of village churches on Torridgeside
which we have been unable to enter.
Nor
could we find any public rights of way nearby, so it was on impulse, as we
returned to Bideford, that we decided to have a wander over Northam
Burrows instead.
Arriving
at the Skern, we stood to watch a large flock of
Golden Plovers, swirling and twisting in a billowing mass, appearing black then
bronze. They landed densely packed
together.
A
local man told us that a King Eider had been seen in the area that week, though
he had no observed it himself, and that it was the
very first time one had been discovered in
As
we set off across the grass, some walker passing by said that if we were
interested, the King Eider had been resting on the sand bank in line with Airy
Point. We crossed the blue cobbles of
the Pebble Ridge and trudged over a carpet of bladder wrack, which made a
satisfying crackle as the seaweed's blisters burst.
A
group of Brent Geese floated past serenely in a line close to the shore. We scanned Pulley Ridge, in the middle of the
estuary, but could see nothing unusual among the gulls and waders there.
Then,
in the distance, we saw a solitary figure with a telescope near the water's
edge. We noted the direction he was
looking and then saw it! The duck was
swimming all by itself in the section of the estuary called 'The
Crumbles'. It was mainly black with a
light front and a white patch on the side of the stern.
The
King Eider dived a couple of times and surfaced with a
crab dangling from its bill. It was
lovely to watch this rare visitor from the Arctic looking so at home, catching
its food in our North Devonian waters.
The
man with the telescope kindly invited us to view the King Eider through his
scope, enabling us to appreciate the bird's most
distinctive
feature. Above the short red bill is a large orange
'shield' which is not present in the Common Eider [which also has a white back
instead of a black one].
The
King Eider is a large duck, 55 to 62 cms, about the size of a shelduck. It is a
vagrant to the British Isles in winter; sometimes among flocks of Common
Eiders off the north and eastern coasts of
When
there are interesting and unusual creatures about, there is a great camaraderie
and exchange of information among people out and about enjoying the
countryside.
It
was the end of February;
a mild, still day with good visibility. The weather reports claimed it had been the
sunniest February on record and the warmest for a hundred years.
Illustrations by: Paul Swailes
Sue H
31

At the March meeting, Alex Parke gave an
excellent presentation with some superb wines.
The April meeting, on the 16th, will be a
presentation entitled "The Same but Different" and given by John
Hood.
The
May meeting, on the 21st, will be the Annual General Meeting, following by a
presentation by Jan Tonkin, who is highly knowledgeable and always gives a
lively and thought provoking meeting, with excellent, often unusual wines. This will be the last meeting for the 2007/8
season.
32

OLD BERRYNARBOR -
VIEW 112
'Berrinarbor'
'Arrived about
This is our cottage, there are about 10
rooms in it, all lovely and clean and comfy.'
A.H.
Hawke of Helston,
Alfred
Herbert Hawke was a well-known and highly acclaimed photographer and postcard
publisher. He carried out his business
from a studio and shop in
Tom Bartlett, Tower Cottage,
March 2008
e-mail: tombartlett40@hotmail.com
33
e-mail: info@marwoodhillgarden.co.uk
Website: www.marwoodhillgarden.co.uk
Currently the camellias and magnolias are looking magnificent,
especially the 30' high jewel of the garden, 'Marwood Spring'
, which stands just in front of the house.
The banks and areas around the lakes have been transformed into carpets
of gold and orange from the thousands of daffodil bulbs planted over the years
and the Plant Centre has a large selection of unusual plants for sale.
The
Garden Tea Room is now fully open, selling delicious home-made soups, light
meals and cakes. There is a new
children's menu and people with special dietary needs are also catered for.
We
shall be attending the Cornwall Garden Show on 5th/6th April, Rosemoor on 26th/27th April and the Devon County Show on
15th-17th May. On Friday, 18th May, we
are open for the National Garden Scheme when all admission takings will be
donated to the NGS, which the gardens have been supporting for some 50 years.
There
is always something to see in the gardens, so why not get yourself
a season ticket. For just £18 you can
visit the gardens whenever and as often as you like and there is always a warm
welcome in the Tea Room.
Patricia Stout -
Property Manager
34