Cooksbridge, Offham & Hamsey

DON’T FORGET: The Monday Club meet on March 11 to hear Debbie Twitchen talking about the Landport Food Bank, in Offham Church Hall at 2pm.

BEAUTIFUL: During the lovely spell of warm an sunny weather that we have been enjoying it has been wonderful to see all the cherry plum trees in blossom again, as last year there was not a lot of blossom and no cherry plums. With the sun shining so brightly on them along the B2116 it has been a sight to behold. My father-in-law planted them all in the 1930s to give shelter to his beloved Arab horses. I hope that he is looking down to see the rewards of his work.

SHEEP: WE have just started lambing and got off to a good start so far, and I have now read in my latest South East Farmer that the National Sheep Association (NSA) has attended meetings with DEFRA which have given the NSA confidence that the government has listened to, and agreed with, the case that has been made for the importance and value of British sheep farming. DEFRA offered assurances that it is prepared, in the case of a no deal or hard Brexit, to step in to protect the industry in the event of market difficulties.

LEGO MAN JOINS BOARD: British Wool has appointed a new non-executive director, Marco Ilincic, to its board. Ilincic has most recently been an executive board member for the Lego Group, responsible for setting global strategy and leadership direction for the company. We have several certificates presented over the last few years for the excellent wool clip from our sheep so it is interesting to know what is going on with the Board.

THE SPHERE: May 2, 1953, price 2/-. It is amazing what one finds when trying to have a clear-out, as in the end most of it gets put back to save as it might be of interest. When I found the old copy of The Sphere I was fascinated and wasted time sitting down to read through it. As it was Coronation year there are some wonderful pictures of Her Majesty the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, looking so young, in one of their official Coronation portraits. Also are the pictures of Sir Winston Churchill as he was leaving for Windsor Castle to be Knighted and invested with the Insignia of a Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter. Mr Churchill then became the first commoner to receive the highest of British orders since Sir Austen Chamberlain received it in 1925. I can quite see why Derek’s parents had tucked this away and saved it as the four middle pages are all about Lewes with wonderful pictures headed, The Sussex Assize Town, and there in the picture of School Hill with the memorial is the office of the Sussex Express and County Herald, shown on the side of the building opposite Barclays Bank on the corner. The pictures are wonderful by John May with drawings by Stuart Boyle. I shall now put it back in amongst some other treasurers and hope that the next generation will find it interesting too. I also found, tucked into another book, an old black and white photograph of Derek’s mother in a gondola on the canal in Venice. I was told when I was shown it years ago that she was on her way to stay with Fortunia Matania, the Italian World War II artist, and his wife, who used to come and stay at Courthouse during the late thirties. The little vanity case that she had with her in the gondola is still about here somewhere. It seems that having a clear-out is hopeless as most of what you think you are going to throw away gets put back.