Netherfield

Our lovely church organ is needing attention,which probably means a substantial amount of money to be found, so fundraising is high on the list.

Also desperately needed is a new, or nearly new, hoover. Ken and Rosemary have been bringing theirs by car, but this is not really suitable long term.

On Saturday 18th February we plan to sell some donated, quality, second hand clothes, bags etc. More details to come, but if anyone else would like to contribute clean, well cared for items of all ages, please phone me – Gillian - on 01424 838825.

Claverham Monday Badminton Club: What a week! There were 14 members over three courts, on Monday of this week. The changes that are made to each of the pairs at the end of every game was constant and challenging. Matches were both intense and very enjoyable. You can see the fun that pervades the proceedings by the number of smiles that appear on everyone’s face throughout the evening. Come along and join us. First week for all newcomers is free. It starts at 20.00 (or 8.00 pm in old money) and goes on until 22.00 (or 10.00 pm). The normal cost is £5.00. That is £2.50 per hour for a good time. If you are interested ring Maurice 01424 838410, text 07957588172 or email [email protected].

Battle Neighbourhood Plan: All the residents of Netherfield will be pleased to know that the results of the survey are now beginning to be put to very good use. During April, an exhibition of potential development sites in Netherfield will be exhibited, along with those of Battle and Telham, at a venue to be identified in the near future. This will allow the communities from each area to view and register their comments. The results will then be taken into consideration and help to formulate the long-term strategy of the area. As more information becomes available, I will keep you all informed through the pages of this paper.

Reflections on a garden: Ornithologists! Have you ever had 8 of the species Aegithalos Caudalus and 10 of Phasianus Colchicus in your garden at the same time? Yes – true! That, by the way is long-tailed tits and common pheasant respectively and is my lame attempt at trying to impress you all with my Latin. I’ll come clean. I had to look it up. The tits were gorging themselves on the same birdy-balls, hung in a strategically placed receptacle by the garage, and the pheasants were pecking at seeds (I guess), scattered over the garden and the flower beds.

My wife and I spent a while viewing them from a bedroom on the first floor of our house as this was the only place that allowed the full spectacle to come into focus. It was definitely a first as far as we were concerned. Whilst the feeding habits of the tits was frantic and frenetic, with constant retreats to treeless shrubs underneath their food source, that of the pheasants was more genteel and graceful. For such a big bird you would think they needed a large grain-store to become replete, but maybe not if our eyes were to be believed.

Before they left, the pheasants all hopped up onto our fence. Some careful preening seemed to finish their time in our garden. The it was off, in a flurry of feathers, to pastures anew.

More next week.

Contact: If you have any stories or articles of interest that will give our readership a reason to buy the paper please contact me on 07957588172 or via email at [email protected]

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