Netherfield

The Three Churches of Mountfield, Brightling and Netherfield Events: The following information has been provided by the Churches to hopefully enable everyone to successfully plan ahead for the month of March.

1. St. John the Baptist Church, Netherfield - On March 24th – Eucharist at Netherfield, 10 a.m, and March 31st – Mothering Sunday at Netherfield, 10 a.m.

2. Mountfield – On 17th March – Eucharist at Mountfield, 10 a.m.

Netherfield Village Hall Library Service: There are many different genres on offer at the Netherfield Library, ready and waiting for you to browse and borrow. Novels, stretching from crime to romance, as well as biographies of the rich and famous. There are also cook books and instruction manuals on how to knit. Why watch the TV when you can read something to make you fall asleep? At the same time as you browse you can have a free drink and a chat with the staff. It is your service so please use it.

Netherfield Village Hall Bingo: Bingo will begin again on Thursday 28th.March. See you there.

Netherfield Hall Zumba Class: Wednesday nights 6-8pm. Come and get fit and enjoy dancing.

Mountfield Village Hall: Mountfield Rocks – Appearing at the Mountfield Village Hall on Saturday 16 March are The Funky Fridays, 10 piece Soul and R&B Band, Desperate Dan, all the Steely Dan you know and love and Get Back, who play 70s Rock, Beatles, Stones, The Who and more! Admission is free and a bar is available.

Claverham Monday Badminton Club: We have been following an earlier evening group of badminton players for many years. The four players who make up this small band, have changed little over the years. We acknowledge the presence of each other with “hi’s” and “hope it was or will be a good game” as we make the change at 8 o’clock. Nothing out of the ordinary in that, you would be right in thinking. However, this week, those four had metamorphosed into eight, including a couple of ladies. That is what badminton can do for you.

Our group had a total of twelve. Down on last week I grant you, but still significant numbers. This meant that three courts were in action once again. Multiples of four help to keep the momentum of the evening going in the right direction, but do test the stamina of the players especially, when the games are intense and involved. Unfortunately, only one lady player, Lynn, in that dozen, which is a little disappointing but it does maintain the spirit of diversity.

More next week.......

Reflections on a garden: On Saturday morning, Jim and Glen arrived to help erect my newly purchased the shed on the just completed concrete base, of which I made much capital in last week’s paper. When the shed was delivered, a few weeks ago, its robust construction evidenced the necessity for three to four strapping men to offload and re-position it (in its deconstructed state), leaning precariously against my rustic wood store. Another example I might add, of my prowess with leftovers and recyclables.

Over the couple of weeks that it, the deconstructed shed, has been left in that position, the wood store has developed a lean, normally associated with a tower in Pisa, Italy. Unfortunately, whilst the one in Italy has World Heritage status, due to its proclivities, my wood store, owing to some bureaucratic incompetence, does not. Is a petition needed here?

The shed has two sections which make up the floor. Heavy, I grant you, but with the detritus (my good lady’s description of my shed’s contents) I have accumulated over the years, soon to be returned from its temporary residence in the garage, the floor sections need additional strengthening provided by two by two batons to take the weight. These were gingerly inserted into the two floor sections and the two floor sections were then laid centrally on the newly expanded concrete base. So far so good. It is worth noting here, despite alternative opinions, my eventual concrete calculations, shuttering around the site and efficacy of the ballast mix have proved spot on. No embarrassment there then. Phew!

With the floor securely in place, the walls were the next bits to get right. When you have laid batons on the ground to raise these wooden sections above the soil and the insects, in the storage phase of the operation prior to erection, the resultant effect looks like a footballers training ground, where you see them running very quickly, almost on the spot, putting there feet in and out of small spaces to get fit. If that raises pictures in your mind, that is what the mosaic of batons looked like underneath the remaining parts of the shed. Unfortunately, this is where our problems began on where to put your feet, as we moved each of the heavy side sections into position. This gets more like Constructors Weekly every time I write these days.

Finally, the construction was ready for the roof. Even with three of us lifting, the weight was very difficult to manoeuvre into the correct position. Lots of grunts, groans and difficult to understand language could be heard by anyone in hearing distance. But eventually, as the Latins would say, given that we have an Italian flavour this week in my diatribe – Formus Erectus Completus. Now it is hardus corus tobelaidus.

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 email at [email protected]. Call 01424838410 and ask for Maurice or text 07957588172