Cooksbridge, Offham & Hamsey

CHURCH SERVICES: Sunday, Hamsey Church, 8am Holy Communion, 6pm Evensong. St Peter's Church, 10.15am Sunday School in the church hall, 10.30am Parish Communion followed by coffee in the hall.
Cooksbridge, Offham & Hamsey newsCooksbridge, Offham & Hamsey news
Cooksbridge, Offham & Hamsey news

WHOOPS: The gremlins must have been at work as the Cinnabar Moth that I wrote about last week turned into a Cannibar moth in my column. I was most amused when I received a call to correct me and as a joke asked me if it should have been a Cannibal instead.

BRADNESS GALLERY: Tuesday and Wednesday, July 12 and 13, two day course with Michael Cruickshank, Advanced Landscape paintings in Oils. Thursday July 14, one day course with Michael Cruickshank, Landscape Painting in Watercolours. Saturday and Sunday, July 16 and 17, two day course with Emma Burnett, Painting Abstracts. To book a course ring 01273 400606 or email [email protected]. The gallery is open every Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday Mondays from 11am to 5.30pm through the year, except January. Please do get in touch if you wish to visit outside these hours. At Bradness they welcome cyclists, walkers and other groups of visitors. If you are a group it would be helpful if you could phone or email to say that you are planning a visit.

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REMINDER: The Monday Afternoon Club meet on July 11. Contact Judith on 01273 474356 for further details.

INTERESTING LETTER: Entitled Off Plan, which I think a lot of residents around here would agree with. It reads: Why do councils invite a response when, so often, planning applications opposed by the majority are then given the go-ahead. One realises that they have to consider their Local Plan, but what about those people whose lives will be affected on a daily basis? It seems so undemocratic, the views of people who have lived somewhere for years appear to be unimportant. Isn’t it time for a bit of planning reform, whereby people who live and work in and care for our countryside have more of a say?

STORMY WEATHER: Flaming June. For many it has been flaming awful with floods etc. I was told by the Rector that when he was in St Peter’s Church on Saturday June 11, when there was a storm going on, there was a lightning strike which knocked out the audio system in the church. It was the same afternoon when I heard an enormous bang here which tripped off the electrics for a short time. On the Monday morning when we went to sue the laptop it was dead, even though it was not turned on during the storm. Ever since we were struck by lightning here some years ago, when the main meter caught fire and we had to have the fire service out, I am always a bit nervous, especially with the weather we have had during this month. Are we ever going to get some proper summer days?

WILD ROSES: Which are so pretty when you see them in the hedgerows. I have some growing here near the old apple orchard in the hedge, some white and some very pale pink blooms which are like the ones that used to grow in profusion at the recreation ground in Buxted on the Scout Hut where the children would gather them to take home for their mothers. I always thought this was naughty as once picked they don’t last very long and they looked beautiful growing up the building. They are also very prickly and are best left growing for everyone to enjoy.

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PHEASANT FOR ALL: A new rural charity has taken an innovative approach to tackling food poverty. The Country Food Trust has launched the Country Casserole, made form pheasant breast, green lentils, carrot, swede, onion and herbs. High in vitamins and low in cholesterol, which will eventually be sold in retail outlets. For every one bought, another will be sent to FareShare, a charitable food distribution body. The trust (www.thecountryfoodtrust.org) currently funded through individual donors, aims to feed 20,000 people a year, starting in the Bristol area. The pheasant meat comes from UK shoots via Hampshire Game. Having read the above I looked out onto the patio and spotted the lovely cock pheasant that frequents the garden, who is looking beautiful with the sun shining on his wonderful plumage, knowing he will be safe from the hunters gun.

BUTTERFLY CONSERVATION: (www.butterfly-conservation.org) would like to hear from anyone who has seen a humming-bird hawk moth this month. The charity suspects that the spectacular moth, which dramatically beats it wings 80 times per second, is beginning to colonise in Britain. Wintering in greenhouses and other sheltered spots as well as visiting in summer. Richard Fox, Butterfly Conservation’s Head of Recording, describes hawk moths as having the wow factor. These include the bat-like privet hawk moth and the punk pink small elephant hawk moth, plus the pine hawk moth and the broad bordered and narrow bordered bee hawks which resemble bumblebees. I do get the humming-bird hawk moth here in the garden each year because I have a lot of buddleias around the garden and have planted more to attract them. The first time I saw one I had no idea what it was but I am quite used to seeing and hearing them, although the flowers are not out on the shrubs yet so it will probably be another month before I spot one.

NERVOUS DOGS: A petition calling for fireworks displays to be restricted to four days a year, including New Year’s Eve and November 5, has been signed by 100,000 people.

LISTENING TO SWIFTS: The South Downs National Park Authority accidentally annoyed residents of Midhurst by leaving a recording designed to attract swifts running on a non-stop loop.

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COOKING: the BBC’s decision to close its food website, which has 11,000 recipes on it, has caused a storm of protest and a 190,000 signature petition. I can understand the anger as there are some very nice recipes on there, which can be looked up and tried, especially if you want something special or a tasty supper dish which takes little time to prepare.

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