Edition 116 - October 2008
Artwork by: Matthew Reynolds - The Mayflower Dish, 1st Class 3
EDITORIAL
The Four Seasons, the subject of the pictures on the covers and centre pages, have been produced by pupils at the Primary School and judged as Section K of the Horticultural Show. Thank you to all the pupils at the school for their work and congratulations to the winners.
Unbelievably, as I write this the sun is shining and it has been another glorious but autumnal day. Let's hope that we get a few more similar days before we have to put the clocks back and winter sets in.
Newsletter monies are dwindling and it may be that a fund-raising event will have to be planned before too long. However, although officially a 'freebee', a very disappointing £50 was collected from the Shop, the pubs and Sue's following the August issue - I hope it was only a one-off. This amounts to the equivalent of paying 15p per copy, when in fact it costs nearly £1 a copy to produce in printing costs alone. There are a few other minor expenses and my time is, of course, buckshee. But, I do know that many of you are more than generous [especially the postal readers], for which I am extremely grateful. But do YOU contribute? Over 100 copies are delivered free with the newspapers [thanks to Sue's and Dave] - do you pop something in the box when you visit the Shop? Hopefully, you do. Or, perhaps, it is put in with your paper and you don't really want it. If that is the case, please give me a ring and let me know. Enough said - let's see if the boxes yield up more after this issue.
It is understood that the Manor Hall Committee will again be running their Christmas Card Collection and Delivery, but if you wish - and I hope many of you do - to once again send your Christmas greetings to friends and neighbours via the Newsletter, please let me have your message and a donation [this year donations will be shared between Manor Hall Funds and the Newsletter] AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. These can be left at the Shop or Chicane but by 17th November at the latest. Thank you.
The 17th November is also the deadline date for articles for the December issue, which should be available on the 4th.
Last, but definitely not least, my thanks to all the contributors who keep our Newsletter going - the 'regulars', the artists, the new contributors and especially the two nonagenarians, Trev and Walter.
Sadly there will be no Christmas Fair this year, but there are many other events planned over the coming weeks, so make a note of the dates and see you there!
Judie - Ed
1
BERRYNARBOR LADIES' GROUP
After
the summer break [what summer?] the September Meeting took place in the Manor Hall on the 2nd. Birthday cards were given to Joan Garbett,
Ann Hinchliffe and Margaret Weller.
Members were invited to take
part in the World's Biggest Coffee morning in the Manor Hall on 26th September,
organised by Vi Davis. All proceeds go
to the Macmillan nurses.
Janet Gammon had organised
a cream tea at Fremington Quay on Wednesday 17th September and has suggested a
Christmas shopping trip to
Janet Gibbins then welcomed
Dave Webb to the Meeting. He gave an
interesting talk about silver mining in Combe Martin. Mining became popular in the 16th Century
and evidence of these silver mines is still present. Several disused mines are located on the
eastern ridge and evidence of tunnels can still be seen, as well as the remains
of a wheelhouse used to lift ore from the mine. There are items in the Crown Jewels made
from Combe Martin silver. Enthusiasts
have been exploring the old mine workings since 1999.
In the reign of Edward I,
337 men were brought from Derbyshire, where they had been working in silver
mines, to work the Combe Martin ones, which are said to have furnished money
for the wars in the reign of Edward III.
The mines were again worked successfully in the reign of Elizabeth
I. Unsuccessful attempts were made to
work these mines with profit in the 19th Century, but were finally closed in
1880 as silver was being mined in the colonies less expensively. Any silver found today would legally belong
to Prince Charles.
The archaeological finds
from the site will go on display at
A vote of thanks to Mr. Webb was given by
Margaret Weller. The raffle was won by
Jenny Caswell.
The next Meeting, on 7th
October, will include a talk on Hypnotherapy given by Mr. Pugsley. Jan and Bill Butcher will be demonstrating
Encoustic Art on 4th November and the Christmas Party will be on the 2nd December - surely it's not that time already?
All Meetings are in the
Manor Hall on the first Tuesday of the month at
Doreen Prater
2
ST. PETER'S CHURCH
So, once
again we had the rain to contend with at our Summer Fayre held on the 5th
August. Everyone opted to bring their
staff inside, apart from Ivan, who with his family and friends nevertheless had
a successful evening running the barbecue. We did miss the skittles, but it was just not
practical to bring the board down in the wet.
The hall was very busy thanks to everyone who braved the weather to come
out and support us. So many also gave
prizes and goods for the various stalls, not to mention their time. Including several generous donations and
with all expenses paid, £760 has been raised for much needed church funds.
The
Harvest Thanksgiving Service will be on Sunday, 5th October at
November
will see a number of special services and times will vary from the normal, so
please check.
Sunday,
2nd November, is All Souls Day and the Candle Service will be held at
Sunday,
9th November, will be Remembrance Sunday.
The service will begin in church at the earlier time of
Sunday,
30th November, is St. Andrew's Day and also the first Sunday in Advent when the
first candle will be lit on the Advent Wreath.
The service will begin at the normal time of
Friendship
Lunches will continue at The Globe and will be on Wednesdays 22nd October and
26th November.
Mary Tucker
Two Choirs
Some
months ago I approached the Primary School Headteacher, Sue Carey, to see if some of her talented children
could get together with St. Peter's Church Choir to sing something special for
our Harvest Festival Service this year.
It was quite clear to me that Sue was extremely
enthusiastic about the project and so it was agreed
that those children who enjoy singing should start practising as soon as
possible!
Under the
expert eye of Mary-Jane Newell, rehearsals have got underway and as such will
be 'recreating' an event that took place many years ago when the School and
Choir performed John Rutter's 'Look at the World' anthem at Harvest Festival
time. Rehearsals are going well and
'joint' rehearsals commenced in early September. Come October, we hope that the Church will
be filled to capacity to hear this beautiful piece of music performed once
again - the words and music being so appropriate for the celebration of
Harvest.
My earlier
plea for new people to join our Church Choir has not met with much success, but
one new lady, from Ilfracombe, has joined us.
We are very pleased to welcome Anne Baldwin to our fold and can only
hope that more people will come forward to enjoy singing together in the very
near future.
Stuart Neale - Organist and Choirmaster
3
IN MEMORIAM
After I Have Gone
Speak my name softly,
after I have gone.
I loved the quiet things,
the flowers and the dew,
Field mice; birds homing and the frost that shone
On nursery windows when
my years were few:
And autumn mists subduing
hill and plain
and blurring outlines of
those older moods
that follow, after loss
and grief and pain -
And last and best, a
gentle laugh with friends,
All bitterness foregone,
and evening near.
If we be kind and
faithful when day ends,
We shall not meet that
ragged starveling 'fear'
As one by one we take the
unknown way -
And speak my name softly
- there's no more to say -
DENNIS COLLINS
It was
with much sadness that we learnt that Dennis, having suffered a stroke earlier
in the year, had passed away peacefully on the 9th September.
Win and
Dennis left the village two years ago - having lived here in
Our
thoughts are with Win and the family and we send her our love at this very sad
time.
4
LOCAL WALKS - 110
'Westleigh nestling among
the trees ... with Instow close to the
water's edge, will make
the artist long to fix the scene on canvas.'
from a 1934
Between
squally showers we ascended the hill to St. Peter's Church past rows of cottages, many of them thatched; rosemary bushes around the war memorial on a
bank planted with potentilla, Rose of Sharon and deep pink cistus.
The centre
of Westleigh is a tangled knot of little streets and the village is pleasantly
situated within view of the River Torridge.
We entered
the churchyard through a deep archway, forming the centre of a fine old
building with mullion windows; part lych
gate, part long
church house.
Lych gates provided shelter for coffins on arrival at the church, lych
being the Saxon word for corpse.
Westleigh
church dates back to the early years of the fourteenth century, with a north
aisle added two hundred years later. It
is noted for the medieval Barnstaple tiles on the floors of the nave and aisle,
and for
a painting called 'Rizpah' by the celebrated Victorian artist, Frederic
Leighton, which was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1893.
However,
disappointingly we were not to see any of this
as the church was locked and
there was no information about a key holder, so we paused to admire the
elaborately carved, decorative bosses on the ceiling of the porch before walking
around the outside of the church. The
tower, which dominates the village, is Early English with stout buttresses at its corners.
The lack of pinnacles emphasises its sturdy appearance. Red admirals were visiting the ox-eye
daisies and knapweed flowering among the headstones. Although it has been such a poor year for
butterflies a lot of red admirals emerged in late August in bright newly-minted
condition,
their wings unfaded and unbuttered by encounters with
spiders' webs or being buffeted against brambles and thorns. Seventeen red admirals on one small buddleia
was a splendid sight.
. It was a short walk down the lane from the
village and across the main road to the river where there are views across the
estuary to Northam and Appledore. There
were a lot of black headed gulls on the beach, still in their summer plumage,
and oyster catchers, and at the water's edge a solitary bar-tailed godwit. Appledore was lit up by sunshine but soon, as
we walked along the track towards Instow, a grey gloom settled over Crow Point
and it was raining again. The bonus when
it stopped - a rainbow spanning the junction of the 'Two Rivers'.
Illustrations by: Paul Swailes
Sue H
5
OPTIMISM
A Gypsy
'Life is sweet, brother.'
'Do you think so?'
'Think so! There's night and day, brother, both sweet things; sun, moon,
and stars, brother, all sweet things; there's likewise a wind on the heath.
Life is very sweet, brother, who
would wish to die?'
George
Borrow
A Young Girl
The year's at the spring,
And day's at the morn;
Mornings at seven;
The hillside's
dew-pearled;
The lark's on the wing;
The snail's on the thorn:
God's in His Heaven -
All's right with the
world
Robert Browning
A Japanese
Gentleman
The flowers
that bloom in the spring, tra la,
Breathe
promise of merry sunshine.
As we
merrily dance and we sing, tra la,
We welcome
the hope that they bring, tra la,
Of a summer
of roses and wine,
Of a summer
of roses and wine.
And that's
what we mean when we say that a thing
Is welcome
as flowers that bloom in the spring.
Tra la la
la la, Tra la, la, la,
The flowers
that bloom in the spring.
W.S. Gilbert
A Jockey
I've gotter motter - [From the
Always merry and bright!
Look around and you will find
Every cloud is silver-lined;
The sun will shine
Although the sky's a grey one.
I've often said to meself, I've
said,
"Cheer up, Cully, you'll soon
be dead!
A short life and a gay one!"
Trev
Robert
Browning and W.S. Gilbert are household names, but George Borrow and Monckton
and Talbot are probably less familiar.
The writer
George Borrow was born in Dumpling
Green near Dereham in
He was a
rebellious youngster and spent much of his time wandering around
A skilled
linguist, he taught himself Welsh and Romany and he is perhaps best known for
his semi-autobiographical novel Romany Rye [1857]. As a member of The Bible Society, he
travelled extensively on the Continent and after retiring married Mary Clarke,
whom he had had met in
His
critics were not kind to him and he became, in later years, a lonely
figure. He died at the age of 78 at
Oulton, but is buried in the
What are
EdMusComs? Edwardian Musical Comedies
are, perhaps, the most neglected series of musical comedies today. Those shows that delighted a previous
generation with robust humour, carefree atmosphere and catchy tunes, are rarely
heard or seen. They are the shows from
about the period in the late 1890's when Gilbert and Sullivan began to lose
their dominance, and before the rise of the American musicals by Gershwin and
Porter following the First World War.
Lionel Monckton was born in
Howard Talbot, the conductor and
composer, whose real name was Richard Lansdale Munkittrick, was born of Irish
descent in
It was in
1909 that he teamed up with Lionel Monckton to produce 'The Arcadians',
considered to be one of the most successful Edwardian Musical Comedies. Talbot died at the age of 63 in
6
THE HORTICULTURAL & CRAFT SHOW
Blessed
with a rare beautiful sunny day and with over 450 entries and lots of visitors,
young and old, in the afternoon, the Show was a great success. Thank you to everyone who helped or
supported it in any way.
'How nice it was to see the involvement of the
children, so many wonderful entries, and so many there in the afternoon', was a
comment heard over and over again.
It was a
pleasure to welcome Sue, the Chairman of our Parish Council, who presented the
cups and awards.
Sue Wright
won the cup for Floral Art with her arrangement for 'Season of Mists and Mellow
Fruitfulness', which also won her the Watermouth Castle Cup for the best
exhibit on the Show's theme of The Four Seasons. Florry Braund won not only the Junior award,
but took 1st place in the Class for a lively arrangement entitled 'Summertime'.
Once again
the Home Cooking table groaned with goodies, with the judge complimenting the
entries which she felt were of a very high standard. Dena Denham, from Kentisbury, took the Walls
Cup with her Apple Crumble Cake [with the 2 eggs!] and the Junior award went to
Olivia Prentice.
The
wide-ranging and very professional display of handicrafts was impressive! Joan Wood and Ellis Rees won the Davis Cup
and Junior award in the needlework section, whilst Colin Harding's scale model
of an aeroplane not only took up much space, but also gained him the Watermouth
Cup! Five-year old Florry Braund's
mobile 'Bug' won her not only the Junior award but the judges felt it was
deserving of the Ray Ludlow award for the best non-horticultural
exhibit in the Show - well done Florry!
And so for
the Art section. A good display but not
too many adult works of art! Lisa
Shelley's lovely ethnic 'Portrait' regained her the George Hippisley Cup she
won in 2005 and 2006, and six-year old Samuel Prentice took the Junior prize.
'Through
the Window' was the subject of Alex Parke's photograph from a train that won
him the Vi Kingdon Award and Caitlin Burgess's 'Little Pony' dressed for
spring, summer, autumn and winter gave her the Junior award.
In spite
of this year's weather, there was an excellent display of fruit, vegetables,
potted plants and cut flowers. How does
he do it? Once again Tony Summers'
onions took the Derrick Kingdon Cup [for the 5th year running], and the Manor
Hall Management Committee Cup for the Best Horticultural exhibit, and Sam Walls
was the winning Junior.
The
green-fingered Bartletts took the Lethaby Cup for Potted Plants and the Manor
Stores Rose Bowl for Cut Flowers - Inge for the magnificent and enormous
plumbago and Tom for his beautiful roses.
The Rose
Bowl for the Junior with the highest cumulative score was hotly contested this
year with excellent scores from Poppy Andrews, Caitlin Burgess, Florry Braund
and Sam Walls but once again the Prentice family reigned supreme with between them
over 70 entries. In third place was
Samuel Prentice, sister Sarah was second but this year Olivia took the
honours. Congratulations to all our
junior entrants.
So,
another Show over and another Show to remember. We'll be back again next year - so keep up
the good work!
The Organising Committee
7
Disaster
has struck! From winning the
The
reason? Not because the village was
untidy, not because of litter or dog fouling, not because the flowers looked
messy, not because of the lack effort from the 'Bloomers' and villagers
themselves, but because of Claude's Garden!
We feel this to be very unfair.
We are waiting for the Parish Council to build steps and paths, tenders
have gone out, but obviously work has not begun. The problem is that the judges come
unannounced, we do not meet them and therefore we cannot explain that the
garden is a 'work in hand'. The project
will not be resolved until work has been completed on the Garden and we do not
know when that will be. Our apologies
to all who have tried so hard to make the village look 'best kept'.
No
result yet of the
This
autumn we will be putting in bulbs and spring bedding plants. Let's hope again that next year will be
better.
Wendy
Advance
Notice ... Bank Holiday
8
THE GREAT BERRYNARBOR PLANT
Following the success of last year's sale, we plan to hold another one
next year. So please save some of your
plants and seedlings to help make it an even bigger and better sale. We hope to have plants from all categories
including trees and shrubs, herbaceous perennials, fruit and vegetables, indoor
and pot plants, bedding and annuals.
There will
also be some space for stalls connected with gardening and plants. If you would like to have a stall to promote
and advertise your business or cause, please contact Kath Thorndycroft on [01271]
889019.
Proceeds to Berrynarbor Community Shop.
9
THE MANOR HALL
In July,
the BBC gave the Manor Hall the magnificent sum of £700, which was accepted
with great delight and we should like to thank all the hard working team for
this generous donation.
In August
we held our Berry Revels and chose a dry day for the event! We made over £1200. Well done to all those who worked so hard
and a special thanks to Ivan Clarke and his family for all their hard work and
commitment to the village.
We are
still waiting for further quotes for the decoration of the Hall, but we are
hopeful that the leaks in the roof will soon be put right.
On Friday,
10th October, in conjunction with the Beaford Arts Centre, we are putting on a
Comedy Play entitled 'Funeral Games', by Unpacked Theatre, who have recently
appeared at the Edinburgh Festival.
This
should be a very good evening, starting at
Bob Hobson - Chairman
10
WEDDING
Saturday, 6th September,
was the wedding day of
Melanie, daughter of Dave
and Ann Harris, and Lee
Allen. Following the ceremony at St. Peter's church,
the
wedding party celebrated
in true style at Sloley Farm.
We send you both our
congratulations and very
best wishes for your
future happiness together.
We should
like to say thank you to the following for all the very kind help and much
appreciated help to make our wedding in Berrynarbor on 6th September such a
memorable occasion, for so many reasons:
John [I'm
too sexy for my shorts] and Fenella [I'm not drunk, the floor is uneven]
Boxall, Phil [Kind Hearts and Coronets] Bridle, Roger Luckham, Richard Gingell,
Martin Belitho, Reverend Keith Wyer, the Bellringers, the Olde Globe, and
finally all the villagers who turned out and sent their best wishes. We hope it wasn't too noisy as our rabble of
guests wended their ways back to their various accommodations.
Most of
our guests had to make a 400plus mile round trip and many have commented on the
beautiful setting and friendly community in Berrynarbor. We both feel very privileged to have been
able to choose Berrynarbor as the venue for our wedding week-end.
Just one
last mention must go to Mum and Dad [Dave and Ann], you pulled out all the
stops, THANK YOU!
Melanie and Lee 'Whathisname'
11
THE NEW ROOF
The 23rd
July was a great day for us - our new roof was finished! The 28th July was a great day for the
village - the scaffolding disappeared, finally, from the road! Obviously in Health and Safety Britain,
scaffolding is a necessary evil but we appreciated that it was also 'a pain'
for some. It conformed to the Highways'
requirements, but we know that it reduced the width of a main
thoroughfare. Thank you to everybody
for your understanding and patience.
Originally
the job was scheduled for May, but licences for the scaffolding on the road,
sheathing overhead cables and correct disposal of the asbestos-mix tiles had to
be received by the contractor and took more than a month to be issued. It used to take a couple of days! Whilst the scaffolding was in place, we used
it to inspect progress and can say that it is a work of art! We are delighted with the quality of the
workmanship.
We were
very disappointed, for the village, that the job could not commence until June
and took longer than expected, due to the weather, as we had hoped that the
scaffolding would have gone before the final judging of
Geoff and Judith - Flowerdew Cottage
12
WEATHER OR NOT
You won't
need us to tell you what a wet, miserable couple of months July and August have
been! All we can do is provide a few
figures to confirm it.
Over the
first week-end in July, 76mm [3"] of rain fell in the 48 hour period, this
was followed by 61mm [2 7/16"] in the 24 hours between
In August
the total rainfall was 192mm [7 5/8"] which made it the wettest August
that we have recorded since we started keeping records in 1994, although 1997
was not much dryer with 187mm [71/2"].
The rainfall was spread evenly through the month and there were only two
days without some precipitation. Like
July, the temperatures were nothing special for the time of year, with an
average maximum to 19.54 Deg C, although on Saturday 30th, the temperature rose of
24.6 Deg C, making it the warmest day of the month. This was only 0.2 Deg C lower than the maximum
reached last August, but generally last year temperatures were higher
throughout the month. The maximum wind
gust was 29 knots, which was the strongest wind that we have recorded in
August.
July and
August combined produced 389mm [151/2"] of rain, more than we have ever
recorded before for these two months, but if we add June, which was a dry
month, we had 427mm [16 15/16"] for the three months, as opposed to 444m
[17 5/8"] for the same period last year.
On the Shipping Forecast for sea area Lundy during July and August,
there were so many gale warnings that we lost count! These are not reflected by our wind figures
because we are fairly sheltered here in the Sterridge.
The
sunshine figures for July at 166.22 hours were up on last year when we had only
150.97, but were a bit down on previous years.
Not surprisingly, August was a very dull month with only 127.64 hours,
which was over 30 hours less than last August.
We haven't
enjoyed the wet weather very much but the slugs have had a field day! September hasn't started very well, more about that in the next
Newsletter.
Simon and Sue
13
NEWS FROM THE COMMUNITY SHOP AND POST OFFICE
Well, our
Shop is now 'officially' open! If you
were there, we hope you had a good time with plenty to eat. If you couldn't make it, the shop looked
superb with the garlands, balloons and bunting provided [and largely put up by]
Our
visitors included the Chairman of the North Devon District Council, a member of
the Plunkett family, representatives of the grantees and builders and shop
fitters, and, of course, villagers - about 90 in all!
Now it's
down to the hard work of all of us to continue to support our Shop throughout
the long winter months. To help you,
Anita is prolonging the opening offer of a bottle of red and a bottle of white
wine at a good price. She also says
that you can be early for Christmas - cards are now in the Shop!
PP of DC
14
LETTER FROM THE RECTOR
The Rectory
Combe Martin
Dear Friends,
The other day a colleague was
telling me about a time when he was driving his very old Ford Fiesta at a
steady 28 mph in a built-up area, when he noticed in his mirror a very
expensive Aston Martin driving up his tail-pipe, very anxious to get
by. My colleague, out of sheer
devilment I suspect, carried on his sedate way. As they came towards a bend in the road, he
noticed the police waiting with a radar speed gun. Being the careful driver he was, he actually
slowed down. This was too much for the high flying executive who wanted
to go places! He put his foot down
and shot round the bend, right into the arms of the men in blue. Sure enough a few hundred yards up the road
the Aston Martin had been pulled over.
My colleague waved politely as he passed - poetic justice.
The trouble is, I think we have
all at some time or other been guilty of exceeding the speed limit and
were just grateful that we weren't caught. So perhaps we ought to be more kind in our
judgement of others, especially if the driver of the Aston Martin was a hospital
surgeon on his way to an emergency.
We may judge others, and think
"Poetic Justice", but God never does. He always looks for the best
and even loves us when he knows that we have done wrong. He positively goes out looking for us to
bring us back "home" with him.
[Just think of the Prodigal Son and the love of the Father.] That's why Jesus was sent into the
world, to reveal the extent of God's love for us. However, that does excuse us from
driving carefully when the welfare of others is at stake.
With all good wishes,
Your Friend and Rector,
Keith Wyer
15
MY
On
Thursday, 28th August, I attempted to swim from
Following
months of training down in
So ...
after 12 hours and 22 minutes of dodging P & O ferries and ocean going
tankers, I finally walked out of the English Channel in complete darkness and
on to French sands - but not a glass of vin or a croissant in sight!
The
swimming conditions were good in the early stages but as we approached
So thank
you all, your support is much appreciated.
To date we have raised in the region of £2,500! Cancer Research also send their thanks and
we hope to have made a little bit of difference to many people's lives.
Tim [Jenner]
Avoiding another ferry
Approaching the French coast in the dark
16
CHOCOLATE & LEMON FLAN
Many
people, it seemed, enjoyed this dessert at the
If you're worried about your calorie intake, don't go
near it! If you like it, you'll find
one piece is not enough!
For a 7" or 8"
flan dish
Cooking Time: 8 minutes
Oven setting: 310 Deg F,
150 Deg C, Gas 2. Freezes well.
The flan base can either
be shortcrust pastry or biscuit
Biscuit Base:
4 oz digestive biscuits
and 2 oz. butter
Break the biscuits into pieces over a bowl and then
crush them into very small pieces with a rolling pin. Melt the butter, pour over the crushed
biscuits and mix together well. Put
this mixture into a flan dish and press it into a flat, even base with the back
of a spoon. Bake in a slow oven for 8
minutes. Leave in flan case to cool.
Chocolate Layer:
1/4lb dark and 1/4lb milk, eating
chocolate, 1/2pt double cream
Break the chocolate into pieces and put them in a
glass heatproof bowl. Over a low heat,
place the bowl over a pan of boiling water to melt. Stir thoroughly so it is a smooth, combined
substance. Do not allow this to bubble
fiercely. Once smooth, turn off the
heat but leave the mixture in the bowl over the hot water.
Pour the cream into a heavy based saucepan and over a
low heat, bring it to the boil slowly.
As soon as bubbles appear at the side of the pan, add the chocolate and
stir into the cream until you have a chocolate coloured cream. Pour this over the chilled biscuit base and
refrigerate until cold and firm.
Lemon Layer:
1/4pt double cream 6oz. condensed milk 2 large lemons
Pour the cream then the condensed milk into a
bowl. Mix together well. Grate the lemons and add the rind to the
mixture. Juice the lemons and beat this
slowly into the cream. As soon as you
add the juice, the mixture will thicken.
When the chocolate layer is cold, spoon the lemon on top and return to
the 'fridge for several hours before serving.
Decoration:
Grate chocolate from the bars all over the lemon
layer, OR buy a Cadbury's Flake and cut it into small pieces OR Flake pieces
and fresh lemon slices.
PS: The chocolate flan can be served as a dessert
without the lemon layer, but you do need to serve it with fresh fruit, such as
orange slices, strawberries or raspberries, because it is VERY rich without!
Judith [Adam]
17
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
We've been
back to school for a week and the children are in to the familiar
routines. Our Caretaker has worked
wonders over the holiday and has painted two classrooms and two toilets, and we
have had a good sort out! We started
the term with the school looking shipshape and the children are trying hard to
keep it looking that way!
This year
we are concentrating on improving our ICT facilities, continuing to develop the
teaching of writing and helping the children to become more responsible for
themselves, their learning and their actions.
Our new mantra is 'Is this my best?'
We'd love to hear any examples of children 'being their best' to be good
citizens outside school.
Later this
term we'll have a whole school theme week entitled 'Around the World'. Each class will be finding out about a
country and then presenting what they have learnt to the rest of the
school. The countries that we have
chosen are
By the
time you read this, we will have celebrated European Day of Languages when we
hope to give the children the opportunity to hear, see and experiment with
using lots of differing languages.
Our plans
for Christmas include a Christmas Giving
Day when the children will be encouraged to give something back to the
community. We are hoping to sing to
you, deliver cards and pack food boxes for a local charity to distribute to
disadvantaged people over Christmas. We
shall conclude the day with our Christmas Service in the Church. We hope these activities will help us all to
reflect on the true spirit of the season.
If you have any ideas for this special day, please get in touch.
A final
plea would be for any handy person who might be able to restore a poorly Singer
hand sewing machine back to working order!
I acquired the machine from the tip in the hope of being able to teach
the children to use it, but do not have the skill to get it running again.
After a
few hitches, we are trying to use the notice board outside the village shop to
let you all know of up and coming events, and to share our successes with
you. We welcome the involvement of the
wider Berrynarbor community with the life of the school and hope that you will
join us at some of the events listed:
3rd October - Harvest Festival
8th November - Coach Trip to IKEA & Cribbs Causeway [see
separate notice]
8th December - Christingle Service followed by the Christmas
Fair
15th December - 'Senior Dudes'' Meal
18th December - Christmas Service and Giving Day
Sue Carey - Headteacher
18
HONEY, HONEY
[No, not the Abba version
nor the successful Mamma Mia! film]
Following
Pam's piece about the Quince Honey Farm at
You turn
fifty and this big box arrives on your doorstep screaming "Happy
Birthday". Yippee, somebody loves
me. Then, forced to open it in front of
the post man, because it's the largest box he's ever delivered, you discover
you've been given a bee hive by a very generous friend!
Oh my
god, the responsibility! Like a dog,
bees are not just for Christmas. So, next thing I know, I'm a fully paid up
member of the North Devon Bee Keeping Association [NDBKA], attending bi-monthly
classes.
From
that day on every magazine, newspaper and Sunday supplement seemed replete with
articles about bees: their importance in
food production; their plight in the
face of global warming; their decline
due to the Varoa mite and Colony Collapse disorder through over work in the
almond and orange orchards of America.
In fact it could be the end of the world as we know it if the humble
honey bee is not around to pollinate our plants. Thanks to this generous gift, I was now
single-handedly responsible for saving the planet.
Fortunately
help was at hand at the Horestone Horror House, as the NDBKA HQ at Bishop's
Tawton is known. Not to be confused
with Club Vanilla, in the same locale, although they look very similar, both
being converted chicken houses - Horestone, however, is an apiary of over 20 hives, and truly a hive of astonishing activity.
I
arrived at my first meeting to be confronted by half a dozen Captain Bird's Eye
look-alikes. All sporting chunky-knit
sweaters and large beards, these lovely gentlemen ushered me in, plied me with
copious cups of tea and a plentiful supply of chocolate biscuits and in the
warmth of an old pot- belly stove, suckered me into the world of the honey
bee. Two hours flew past as these wily
apiarists spoke their honeyed words explaining everything from hive management
to bee disorders and the nuptial flight of the promiscuous virgin queen.
By
April, so lulled by their sweet words, I was ready to go hands on and found
myself dressed as an alien [see photo] handling frames smothered with
bees. Before I knew it, I was persuaded
to gently probe a throbbing mass of bees with my bare finger in search of the
queen and these wonderful, intelligent, gentle insects obligingly moved aside
to reveal her. All fear of these
stinging beasts had been allayed by my Bee Boys. Treat them right and you will
gain their respect - that's the bees not the boys.
By May I
had signed the cheque for £150 and ordered a nucleus of bees from the National
Bee Supply Centre in Okehampton. In
July I collected a violently humming box of bees. With just a small piece of
gauze holding back the hoards, I drove home
appropriately via Honeychurch and Beaford.
After two days letting them settle and orientate, I transferred them, on
a rare warm, sunny afternoon, to their new home, my birthday hive, and they
have been happily nesting ever since.
Due to
the atrocious weather, the poor beasts have hardly been out of the hive, but
their dominatrix queen has been laying eggs frantically. I am now the proud owner of no less than 10
frames, of approximately 10,000 summer worker bees. You might have noticed them flying about the
village. These will literally work
themselves to death over the next
couple of months and gradually be replaced by winter bees who, with a
life span of 6 months, should survive the winter to kick start the colony next
spring.
I won't reap any honey this winter, but keep feeding
my babies with fondant over the winter and I'll hopefully bring you more
buzzing tales next year. Meanwhile do
not fret if you see an alien wandering abroad in Castle Hill, it is simply me
talking to my bees.
Fenella
19
THE DREAM
It had
been a long day. Highlights and
lowlights had jostled their way through the preceding hours and I was
tired. It had been a long day.
I was
overdue for a period of relaxation so stretched out in a comfortable chair and
selected orchestral music to enable me to chill out. The CD was on the player. Sitting in my armchair I settle down to
listening to the soothing melody, shutting my eyes the better to enjoy the
music. Drifting away into a world of
peace and tranquillity, time stood still.
I awoke to
find myself sitting on a beach. A
brilliant sun was shining. It was
warm. In the distance mountains looked
down on a calm and peaceful bay. The
lapping of the waves of a sultry sea accompanied the soft warmth of violins far
away.
Nobody was
about. The place was deserted. How did I come here I wondered.
The
silvery sand stretched beyond into a haze of blue as the sea and sky seemed to
merge. Sea birds flew lazily
overhead. It was paradise.
I became
aware of a figure approaching along the beach, far away. Drawing ever closer I now saw it was a girl
wearing a flowery dress. The sunlight
touched her dark hair. There was a
smile on her face. Her lips were moving
but there was no sound. I tried to
speak but no words came. She had
something in her hand which she was wanting me to take. As I stretched out to do so, my fingers
brushed against hers - the vision vanished immediately.
I awoke
with a start. I was leaning forward,
hand outstretched. The music played on.
In the
morning, as I collected the mail, which had fallen on the mat, I noticed a
postcard among the letters. I looked at
the picture. A beach bathed in
sunlight, with mountains in the background.
It was so familiar it was uncanny.
Turning the card over, I read the written words.
They were
from a friend who was holidaying on a remote island thousands of miles
away. Extraordinary dream, wasn't it!
Walter Canham
Illustrated by: Peter Rothwell
20
Kayleigh Hinsley - Class 3: 3rd
Oliver Ivan - Class 2:
Joint 2nd
Megan Webb - Class 2: 3rd
Molly Marangone - Class 1:
1st and The Men's Institute Cup
Louis Orr - Class 1:
Joint 2nd
Ella Gibson
- Class 1: Joint 2nd
Sam Walls -
Class 1: 3rd
21
RURAL
REFLECTIONS - 37
Early
October. Yellows and golds encroach
upon the Cairn. Yet green still
dominates; it shows how autumn's
spectacle is shifting. Yellow does,
however, have the monopoly amongst the bracken, particularly beside Station
Path. Here, their leaves have decayed
to reveal a bench hidden since May. On
the other side of the path, a wren sings its heart out within the layered
hedge. One year on from being laid,
infant branches are shooting forth, enabling the hedge to slowly take shape
once more.
I had left
home intent on searching for one of the Cairn's long lost paths. But, as I stood by the hedge, I became
acutely aware of how crisp the surrounding scene looked; hardly surprising, a fresh autumnal breeze
taking with it the haze that had been a feature of the hot summer (remember
them?). The Welsh coastline stood out in
particular, a view that required better appreciation. Cairn Top would, therefore, be my first
call; reached by taking the most direct route, past The Spindles and up the
steep Shelter Steps.
No sooner
had I set foot on to Spindles Path when rasping shrieks resonated through the
air. They came from the southern end of
Pall Meadow, blocked from view by the surrounding blackthorn. After a few minutes, the shrieking was
replaced by the sound of slow, flapping wings.
Soon a jay appeared from over the ridge of the meadow, struggling to
gain height. Seemingly unaware of my
presence, it passed directly overhead before landing in a tree within the grounds
of the Round House. I wondered for a
moment if its slow flight was the result of an injury. The shrieks were certainly loud enough to
justify an aggressive squabble with another jay. Laboured flight is, however, a
characteristic of the species but I had not noticed any injury as it flew
past.
Instead, I had been given an opportunity
to admire at close hand the pale pink feathers of its breast and the contrast
of its white rump and black tail. These
colours, along with the striking blue wing coverts and jet black flight
feathers, blend to make the jay one of our most attractive woodland birds. It can also be one of our most elusive, yet
this was not to be the last time today that I should experience jays at close
hand.
Within the blackthorn along Spindles
Path, a female blackbird was overturning leaves in search of food. Beneath each leaf she found plenty of sloe
berries but these too were tossed to one side. And who could blame her? Now withered and imitating miniature
wrinkled prunes, they looked far from appetizing. In any case, blackberries and hawberries are
her particular fancy at this time of year.
Their seeds will not break down once inside her stomach. Instead they will pass through her digestive
system undamaged and then be deposited in individual "bags of
manure". It is a process special
to the blackbird, enabling the seeds to germinate much quicker. Furthermore, the blackbird's diverse fruit
diet allows a host of plants including rowan, bramble, haw, ivy, and holly to
benefit.
The action of a bird relentlessly
turning over twigs, leaves and stones in search of food is always a joy to
watch. Like all her fellow species, the
female blackbird knows that now is the time to build up energy in preparation
for possible leaner times ahead. Of
course, she does not need anyone to tell her. All she needs to do is look at her
surrounding scene; the hedge bank with
its grasses now pale and its montbretia leaves
and three-cornered-leek leaves now limp.
Even the cluster of greater plantain is an insipid brown colour, not a
hint of green in any of its flowers which once made up their distinguished
stalks. At least there is greenery
hanging over the hedge bank where it passes The Spindles. It is provided by ivy, a site that will give
comfort in the coming months to our female blackbird; if food does become scarce, the ivy will at
least provide her with berries late into winter.
A lone red campion flower brushed up
against the bench just here, as though needing it for comfort. It must wonder what has happened to its many
hundred counterparts which once cloaked the bench. Nowadays it looks down upon a Spindles full
of seed heads; a reminder that nature is looking after its own and ensuring that
flowers will grow here again next year.
Entering the woodland, it was clear that
the sycamores were now losing their leaves at an increasing rate. With the sighting of birds becoming easier
by the day, it was tempting to look upwards.
On the Cairn, however, October heralds a time to look down, especially
on damp mornings when the paths' exposed rocks become either slippery or hidden
beneath wet leaves.
The climb through the woodland was in
complete contrast to the brightness of the summit, enhanced even more due to
recent gorse clearance by the Cairn Conservation Carers work parties. The area would have been brighter still if
it were not for the cloud hanging wearily over the sky. Inland looked perilously dark. Yet on reaching the hills south of
Ilfracombe, the cloud base lightened and, on reaching the town, tried its
hardest to break up. Once over the
Closer to hand was an autumnal display
at different stages. With the beech
trees still green, the oaks were just turning yellow. The ash trees on the other hand were almost
gold; and whilst the maples and sycamores were fast losing their leaves, the
nearby cherry tree was already naked.
The northern perimeter from which the tree rose was a hive of activity -
not bees, but flies - with the matter of the "birds and the bees"
their apparent concern. Rarely resting
on the rock to be easily identified, a game of "kiss-and-chase" was
clearly in evidence. When the male
finally caught up with his female counterpart, the pair momentarily flew in
tandem before uncoupling, the required deed for the day having been
accomplished. The bulging red eyes of
the fly species suggested they could have been flesh flies. As their name suggests, they are normally
attracted to carrion and carcasses.
No doubt these "hot-blooded"
flies appreciated the wind blowing across Cairn Top to lower their body
temperatures following their five seconds of intimacy. Conditions, however, were far from cold,
providing an ideal opportunity to rest awhile upon the summit before attempting
to discover the long-lost path.
Not knowing the path's location, I felt an
urge to descend Cairn Top via the North Kerne Path, one that is ideal for
solitude on foot. With its surrounding
beeches still resisting autumn, the sun came out and shone through their
lime-coloured leaves to make them appear transparent. Dappled shade covered the ground, whilst
higher up the leaves rustled in the autumn's breeze, a contrast to the
stillness and the warmth of the air around me.
Yet it was not just a bodily warmth; there is an atmosphere in the beech
woodland here which penetrates the body to provide an inner glow as well. For all was indeed tranquil. But for the rustling leaves above, there was
no birdsong or any sound of movement.
Even
Loud squawking then abruptly disturbed
the silence. In the trees above me,
three jays were viciously fighting. As
they did battle, one was forced down on to a lower branch, the other two birds
thrashing their wings and smacking their beaks savagely. Eventually the singled out jay was almost
forced to the ground but, before giving up his battle and flying off, gave out
one last aggressive squawk, loud enough to disturb a nocturnal creature from
its slumber.
Out from the greenery, the bold white
wings of a barn owl flapped profusely.
At first it hovered just above the foliage before finding its bearings
and flying off across the path just a few yards in front of me - whilst
omitting an inexplicable glowing warmth.
Within moments it had lost height and disappeared into the bramble. Keen to get a closer look, I gently stepped
across the rough terrain and peered in.
The owl was nowhere to be seen.
Neither was the pair of jays.
Silence had returned to the woodland and inside me was a warm bodily
glow, penetrating from the inside out.
Stephen
McCarthy
22
FOR ALL LOVERS OF LUNDY
'The Lundy
Granite Company - an industrial adventure' by Peter Rothwell [one of our Newsletter illustrators]
and Myrtle Ternstrom, is a book for all Lundy lovers.
The book
tells of the reasons why the Granite company was short-lived, its ignominious
collapse and the impact it has had on the island.
The
remains of Bronze Age hut circles on the island show that its granite has been
used for dwelling and enclosures since the earliest times. However, as a commercial resource, it was
not until William Hudson Heaven, the then owner, began to explore its potential
in 1838. The idea led to the
establishment of the Lundy Granite Company Ltd. in 1863.
Beautifully
illustrated with old photographs, other archive material and reconstruction
pictures by Peter, this book relates the story of an industrial
adventure, the effects of which are still evident today. It is published by Westwell Publishing Devon
and is available from W.H. Smith at £14.99.
If you have any problems, contact Peter on [01271] 866736.
A must on
your Christmas present list!
Quarry Quay and Jetty - Circa 1865
Quarter Wall Cottages
Illustrations by: Peter Rothwell
23
WELCOME & FAREWELL
A somewhat
belated welcome to Brendan and Emma Noad of Ellis Cottage. Brendan, who runs a scaffolding company, and
Emma, who makes glorious cakes, have three daughters and a son. Jessica is now at college but Sophie [in the
Sixth Form], Isabella and Sebastian are all at school. Bringing the family up to nine are their
three dogs.
We are
gone! It's goodbye to our welcome
spring visitors.
<
Photo by Wendy,
24
MOVERS
AND SHAKERS NO. 17
GEORGE
LEY
Mid 1600's - early 1700's -
Gentleman of Leisure
Founder of the Pack o' Cards'
If you walk from the Pack o' Cards
Inn in Combe Martin, towards the bar, skirting the Smokers' Den, you will see a
single storey building with the following large notice painted on its
walls: The story of the Pack o'
In
the museum he is quoted as a 'gentleman of leisure', yet he was fairly active
in the village. The dates of his life
are not recorded, but in 1677 he received a licence from the Bishop of Exeter
to teach at a private school in Combe Martin.
In 1688 he became overseer to the poor and joined the local council that
ruled the village.
The Ley
family owned a lot of land, not only in Combe Martin, but elsewhere. They were also well connected in court
circles, one relative, Sir James Ley, becoming in 1625 the first Earl of
Marlborough and Lord High Treasurer of
George
Ley enjoyed a game of cards, and legend has it that after a large win in 1690
he had the idea of building a house in celebration, based on "a stack of cards such as a child might
make".
We've
all grown up knowing that the building has four floors [four suits], thirteen
rooms [number of cards in a suit], 52 windows and stairs [cards in the pack]
and was designed to look like a stack of cards. Added to this, it was built on an area of
fifty-two square feet, and the Squire's Library window, over the front door,
has thirteen panes of glass. There is
another interesting window to the right of the first floor entrance on the
road. The central circle in each pane
was made by the glass blower's iron.
Glass at this time was very expensive and after the main glass had been
used the centre pieces were either thrown away or used on less important
windows such as this. And now people
pay quite a lot to get almost the same effect!
The basic
structure is of stone, rubble and cob.
The wrought iron balustrade at the top of the house is original as is
the oak panelling, except for the arched door to the Oak Room, which is thought
to be much older.
All
thirteen rooms have fireplaces, yet there are only eight chimneys. This was
Ley's way of avoiding some of the Hearth Tax, which began in 1662. The tax assessor counted the number of
chimneys from the outside of buildings to assess the due tax. Ley had another problem, however. In 1696, a Window Tax came into force to
replace the Hearth Tax that people had learnt to avoid. The basic tax was two shillings plus an
extra shilling for each window.
Having put in 52 windows, Squire Ley promptly had many of them blocked
up and they became known as permanent 'Pitt's Pictures' . The Window Tax was stopped in 1851 and
replaced by a House Duty.
The
house remained in the Ley family for over a hundred years. Personal family
touches were added, such as the sundial on the wall above the car park. The Squire's eldest son, also George, added
it in 1752 with the inscription 'G1752L'.
In the
late 1700's and early 1800's, the pressgangs were busy, not least in Combe
Martin. By this time, George Ley's
mansion had become a hostelry. And mine
host had a trick to outwit the pressmen.
He would smuggle two or three free men, in strict order of seniority,
under 'an ancient relicke' - a cunningly disguised hinged lid of a surprisingly
roomy kitchen table. This ingenious
hiding place was never betrayed.
The
first recorded mention of an inn was in 1822 when Jane Huxtable was the
landlady. It was then called 'The
King's Arms' - proof that a previous unlisted landlord had lost an arm fighting
for the King. [Good job it wasn't The
Kings Head!] The King's Arms became a
centre of activity for the village.
Combe Martin Petty sessions were held in a 'large but very low and close
room', but the Ilfracombe Chronicle of May11th 1878 then recorded that there
was 'a new courtroom ... reached by a flight of stone steps ...31feet x 20
feet ... at a cost of £200'. It was
used for other activities: in December local residents parted with their money
at the Lime and Manure audits; in
January the Rector collected his tithes;
in October when tenants paid their rents. The first livestock sale was held on
12thApril 1880 and after that every spring and autumn various auctions of property,
hay and root crops took place. It was a
popular watering hole for coaches and horses passing between Ilfracombe and
Lynton and on August Bank Holiday 1899, 140 horses were watered there. By 1903 'Copp's char-a-banc' ran each day
during the season from Ilfracombe, stopping n hour in Combe Martin for tea to
be served at The King's Arms.
During
the First World War, a bugler played the Last Post from its flat roof whenever
news of the death of a local man was received.
It was
obvious that the inn had been known for years as the Pack o' Cards but this
became official on
Some of
you may remember that in 1987 Paul Daniel's Magic Show was recorded live from
the Pack o' Cards. It was quite a
night! The High Street was closed, and
electricity supply for the whole village disrupted whilst the show was on. [Where were those gaslights?] Arthur Marshall
picked the nine of spades from a pack of cards and
when Paul threw the pack at the Squire's painting, that card appeared inside
the frame. That painting is now in
the museum, still with the card in place.
As a finale, a local man drew from the pack the five
of diamonds. Everyone then went outside
- and from a chimney at the top of the inn rose a huge five of diamonds. Quite a Magic Show!
The
present licensees are Debbie and Chris Batchelor - and the Pack o' Cards is for
sale. We wish them well in their
retirement. If you have a large sum of
money, it can be yours. Otherwise you
can enjoy a pleasant time in summer enjoying tasty bar and restaurant food, or a
beer in the riverside gardens and there is a terrific adventure playground to
keep the children happy. In winter
there are skittles, darts and pool, and quiz nights. Special events for Bonfire Night, Christmas
and New Year's Eve keep the 'locals' happy.
So,
nearly 320 years after George Ley came up with his one off idea, we hope that
this quirky Grade Two ancient monument will be giving pleasant times to patrons
for many years to come.
PP of DC with grateful thanks to
Debbie and Chris for their help
25
The Berrynarbor Wine Appreciation
Circle gets under way again shortly and I am pleased to report that we have a
full and exciting programme lined up for members, but first a little background
for those new to the area.
The wine Circle was started around 20 years ago by the late
Alan Richardson and has
been continued since his death by a small group who got together and 'self
elected themselves' to run the Circle for the first year. However, with a few variations, it is still
the same group. Despite resigning each
year at the AGM, they are then re-elected en-bloc. Either a sign that they are doing a good
job or else that no-one else is prepared to put in the work!
The
Anyone wanting more information or wishing to join should
contact me, the Secretary, on [01271] 883600 or by email to tony.veranos@googlemail.com. In fact I should appreciate all members who
use the internet sending me a note to provide me with their email address as
this would make communication so much easier now that most people are
'on-line'.
The
Programme for the coming year, 2008-2009 is:
15th October - Jonathan
Coulthard from Domain Gourdon, Duras, France, makes a
return visit, perhaps with some local delicacies
to taste as well.
19th November - The vineyards of
10th
December - Christmas Food and Drink with ever popular presenter,
Brett
Stevens of the Fabulous Wine Company.
Effectively a three-course meal and top quality wines for well under a
tenner! Come to the earlier meetings
to find out more.
2009
21st January - Our
popular Quiz Show - Call my Wine Bluff.
18th
February - The Majestic Wine Company -
another regular favourite, but this year it will not be Paul, but James, his boss.
18th
March - Pam Parke presents The
Grenache Wines [or Garnacha if you are Spanish].
15th
April - Regular favourite Jan
Tonkin
20th
May - Committee man Brian Wright
presents 'South African Wines - are we overlooking a top quality source?'
I look forward to seeing you all again in October and
hopefully a host of new members.
Please don't forget the email addresses.
Tony
Summers - Secretary
26
JUST A GOOD DAY OUT!
That is the plan for Saturday, 8th November.
To raise
funds for our Primary School, arrangements have been made with Filers Travel to
have a day trip to
The day,
which will start at
Everyone
[but not children] are welcome - male or female and you do not need to have any
connection with the School.
To reserve
your seat on the coach or for more information, please ring Barbara Jordan at
the School on [01271] 883493. First
come, first served.
27
Berrynarbor Upholstery Group
The group meets every Monday morning from
We have instructional CD's available for your use at home or
on a laptop at the hall, and all materials and tools are available to purchase
at discounted prices.
Dig out Granny's favourite chair or stool or maybe
something you have picked up at a car boot sale and bring it along for
renovation. It doesn't matter if you
have never done anything of this nature before, we will guide you on each step
of the way as you turn that battered old wreck back into an attractive
antique. The pictures give an idea of
what you can achieve.
Ring Tony Summers on 01271 883600 for more
information or turn up on any Monday, except Bank Holidays, at the Berrynarbor
Manor Hall.
From
this ...
To this
28
THE BLINK
Combe
Martin of many years ago was very different to how we know it today. In the earlier part of the last century, it
had a number of fishing boats of the sailing type; there was the exporting of strawberries; many roads were unmade and Seaside Hill was
narrower as the project of widening the footpath overhanging the beach had not
been carried out.
One
morning in November 1918, two brothers, Harry and Brian, set off from their
home opposite the Church, walking the length of the High Street and stopping on
Seaside Hill for a rest.
The area
was shrouded in mist and cloud and when they cast their eyes over to
The other
people about all witnessed what happened
next.
Suddenly
there was a slight tremor, a rumbling and a roar started to build up and
everyone's attention was drawn to the Camel's Head. Because of the mist, it was only just
visible.
"Look
at that!" people called out in unison.
"The camel seemed to blink its eye." "It couldn't have done," said
another.
Following
this event, a Mrs. Gladys Jones of Combe Martin wrote to her sister in
'Dear
Jane', it read, 'You won't believe this although a lot of people will tell you
the same thing. The other day it
definitely looked as if the Camel blinked.'
The letter went on to talk about
other, domestic matters.
The letter
was held for many years by the late Colonel Brian Chambers of
What was
curious was that the 'blink' happened at
Now we
move on to 1945.
Two
sisters, Elizabeth and Joan, were ambling their way up Seaside Hill. Again it was one of those days of mist and
cloud. They stopped for the customary
taking in of the general scene, as were other people.
Just as
there had been all those years earlier, there was this sudden tremor, roar and
rumble - a difficult thing to describe.
All eyes turned in the direction of Camel's Head, and together they
witnessed what seemed to be a blink of the Camel's eye. A strange and almost frightening experience!
Everyone
began exchanging views on what they believed they had seen and of course some
exaggerated the matter as they related it in the local pubs, probably getting a
free pint for their trouble.
As the two
sisters made their way home, they passed a house where the window was open and
the radio was on and could be heard quite clearly. The news was on and a voice told the nation
that 'Today at 3.00 p.m. on
"That
must have been about the time we thought we saw the Camel blink," said
What do
you think? There was no particular
rubble found below the Camel's Head, by way of falling rocks which might have
caused the 'roar.
There was
a small insertion in the national press at the time. Theories have been put forward but no real nor
satisfactory answer has been found.
What do you think?
Tony Beauclerk -
Illustrated by: Paul Swailes
29
A LONG TIME AGO
I think I was seven when I first had 'pocket
money'. The one penny was a large coin
and there were 240 of them to the pound sterling. At my age then, I was not bothered with
pounds sterling!
In 1924
that one penny went a long way in the sweetshop. Liquorice was in abundance and it was cheap,
so you got a lot for your penny. Pontefract
cakes, boot laces - those strands of liquorice which were the favourites of
young children, tiger nuts and gob stoppers.
Those days are long gone. My
collection of coins contains a large number of Queen Victoria, King Edward VII
and King George V pennies. The weight
of the album in which they are housed is enormous. No wonder that trouser pockets wore out so
quickly, having to cope with such weighty items!
The other
day I was talking to a youngster who seemed unable to grasp the fact at, at one
time, there were small coins called farthings - 960 of them to the pound
sterling. It took me quite a time to
tell him what had happened to our currency since 1971 when everything went
decimal. In schools, these days, they
don't even tell children that we had a half penny once - that was discontinue
in 1984. Going back even further, it
was in 1956 when the farthing disappeared.
So what happens next?
Walter Canham
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OLD BERRYNARBOR - VIEW 115
For this
issue, and because of holidays, I have chosen four different postcards showing
'
The first
card, a photograph taken by W. Garratt about 1925 shows the Post Office and
Shop No. 62, Brookside No. 63, No. 61 Betty Brooks, and the two cottages, Nos.
60 and 45 [the nearest became a butcher's shop] and part of Berrynarbor School.
The second
card is photographed and printed by E.A. Sweetman of Tunbridge Wells c1926 and
was sent to some in Swimbridge in 1931l.
This card shows part of the
This
photographic card was published by Raphael Tuck & Sons Ltd. and again shows
Lastly, another Sweetman postcard, in colour, of
around 1950 showing the same buildings as before, but with two cars, possibly
of 1939 vintage, and several villagers or visitors.
I felt these views of our previous shop and post
office were apt for this issue. The new
Shop was opened by District Councillor Yvette Gubb on Friday, 30th August, on
an actual sunny day!
Tom Bartlett
Tower Cottage, September
2008
e-mail: tombartlett40@hotmail.com
31
Artwork by: James Uzzell - Class 3:
Joint 2nd
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