Netherfield

David Stone Chair DDARA

Mountfield Village Hall Cinema Club: This is the final reminder for you to view the latest blockbuster to hit the big screen in this local social-night cinema centre. It is the James Bond 007 film “Spectre”, starring Daniel Graig.

Pre and post film drinks are available to all on the night with chocolate, pop-corn, caffeine, beer and wine able to satisfy even the most discerning palate. The showing will take place on Friday 17 March from 7.30 pm onwards. All they suggest is a £5 donation from each person towards the upkeep of the hall. What could be better?

Battle Neighbourhood Plan: Whilst it is still a few weeks away I will be reminding you all of the exhibition to be taking place in the Memorial Hall Battle on Thursday Evening 27 April at 6 pm, all day Friday 28, and in the morning of Saturday 29 April from 9 to 1 o’clock. You will be able to leave your comments on what you see and these will be taken into consideration when the plan is put forward to the Council later on in the year. So please may sure you register your feelings about the proposals and if necessary, how you think they can be improved. For residents of Netherfield the Battle Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group are hoping to organise transport to and from the Memorial Hall in order to gather as wide an audience to the proposals as possible.

Reflections on a garden: The sunny weather on Monday of this week was the perfect incentive for my wife and I to get into the garden and start removing the signs of winter and early growth on the lawns. What is amazing is that we do this against a backdrop of subtle yellows from the abundant primroses, deep purples of the violets and crocuses, or croci if you prefer, shades of yellows and white from the daffodils and the early vibrant pink of the Bergenia Cordifolia, or Elephant’s ears as they are more commonly known.

Being the Elvis freaks that we are, we have named our barbecue and arbour covered seating area at the bottom of the garden as Gracelands and it is the plot in front of this pleasure palace that my wife attacked with her snippers. Long dry stems of almost now forgotten Crocosmia Lucifer pervade the patch with seed heads long emptied by over-wintering birds. These need to be cleared and used to support peas and the like during the coming months. Montbretia crocosmia x crocosmiiflora “coppertips” detritus, with its carpet of sagging stems laying across the earth, need to be pulled up and thrown on the compost. This years growth from this almost thug-like flower, can already be seen fighting its way through this blanket of brown.

Like all gardeners, that first first cut of the grass has a magical effect on the soul. It seems to state categorically that the gardening year has begun. Whilst we tinker around the edges, with the odd cosmetic interlude here and there during the winter, we know when that hand goes on the handle of the mower for the first time, we are in for non-stop exercise for a major part of the year in front of us, trying to perfect those lines in the grass and putting our neighbour’s efforts to shame. Oh the joys of gardening.....

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