Iden

LONGING FOR SOME CELANDINES: Apart from the evergreen holly and fir trees, and the trails of ivy with it's blue/black berries, the beauty of the Christmas season relies rather on the artificial. Fairy lights, baubles, and tinsel present their own spectacle, which lift the dark winter nights with a glow that shimmers and sparkles , and produces a kind of wonder and excitement, which does it's best, in a contrived, way to remind us of the Star In The East [something hallowed rising out of the darkness] Before Christmas, this simulated spectacle, does serve to heighten our excitement, about the event that was the first Christmas, but after Christmas we see our decorations for what they are, nothing more than a fake replica. There is a need for nature in it's purest form [nothing bona fide], and we long for daffodils, forsythia, celandines and those tight little promising buds of spring. My mum would go shopping and come back in a flurry of excitement every year. She'd plonk her shopping down and say 'they've got snowdrops in Meadow Road' as though she'd just won the football pools [there was a particular garden in nearby Meadow Road which was her benchmark for nature's happenings] We were vastly different, and didn't always agree, but stand us in front of a garden full of snowdrops, and we'd both drool at the same time [there is always some small reminder isn't there, that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree]
By The Newsroom
Published 22nd Jan 2016, 00:00 BST

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STILL LOOKING FOR JUMBLE: Iden has lovely jumble sales [I love a jumble don’t you?], and on 30th of January, Iden Bowls Club are having a jumble sale at 1pm, in Iden village hall. There will be everything there but the kitchen sink [there may even be a kitchen sink!]. Something for everyone. There is a feeling that we may just unearth something from those heaped stalls that has been missing from our lives! The book stalls alone are always a bit of a treat. If you have any jumble, please ring Vicky Britton [telephone 01797 280568], and Vicky or one of her team will collect, or tell you where to leave jumble. [No electrical goods]

AND FURTHER ON IN THE YEAR!: There will be yet another jumble sale, on Saturday March 5th, at 1pm, in Iden village hall. Proceeds to the village hall, [for upgrading the lady’s and gent’s washrooms] We spend a lot of time in the village hall for a myriad of events, and we want it to be of maximum comfort, so jumble would be gratefully received. Please ring Carol Bourne [telephone 01797 280464] if you have any jumble.

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TONIGHT IN IDEN VILLAGE HALL: There will be a meeting at 7.30 pm tonight, in Iden village hall. The Iden and District Natural History Society, are holding a talk entitled’ My Favourite Images’, by David Fletcher. Visitors are most welcome, and pay £3. Refreshments are provided.

A SERVICE OF HOLY COMMUNION: There will be a service of Holy Communion in Iden Parish Church, at 9.30 am this Sunday [24th January]

THE P0P-IN: If anyone wants to start the week with endless cups of coffee and a bit of companionship, do drop in to the Pop-In, in Iden village hall, at 11am on Monday 25th January. This fortnightly get –together is a great way of catching up on news, and generally unburdening ourselves before we face the week [it’s like phoning a friend]

BINGO: The Iden Bingo sessions are gathering momentum. The next one is on Thursday 4th February, in Iden village hall. Doors open at 2pm, and eyes down at 2.30pm. There is a raffle, a flier, and a light tea provided. Everyone from the Rye area is most welcome. Nice to have it in the afternoon too, while the cold weather is upon us. No need to turn out at night.

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STOP THE CLOCKS: Whenever we strap on a new wristwatch, or hang a new clock on the wall, there is a momentary smugness about owning a new time piece. It’s a fallacy though, when you think about it, because our clocks very much own us. From the time they wake us with that infernal alarm, to bedtime, when they take us on a guilt trip after the watershed, reminding us every time we glance at their, dictatorial, tick-tock face, that it’s the hours before midnight that contribute to our health and well being, and we should think about hitting the hay. We are ruled by the clock, imprisoned by punctuality, until one day we stumble across a ‘white page day’ [a blank page day in the diary.] “Aha! we think , I’ll fix the beggar, that nosey old clock.” Discovering a day devoid of appointments, a day when we are beholden to no one is a revelation. It’s like finding a roman coin with a metal detector. The clock can take a running jump we think, as we find our slippers, reach for a chocolate, and watch a play-back of ‘War And Peace’. That clock though is a relentless stalker. We glance nonchalantly at it to see when we need to take the cheese straws out of the oven [trying not to give it any sense of importance]. We may even decide to apply a hair- colourant [try doing that without a clock, unless you want to be the colour of a carrot]. We need to see the ten- o –clock news. We need to take our statins, and the dog too needs antibiotics at appropriate intevals. It’s no good, the clocks win every time, and to add insult to injury the one over our fridge gets to stay near the food, and has a much nicer face than I do!

CONTACT ME: If anyone would like to add anything to the Village Voice, please ring Gill Griffin [telephone 01797 280311]

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