Piddinghoe

FULL HOUSE: The sun has got it’s hat on again and the lovely unseasonal February weather has put an extra spring into the step of Piddinghoe residents or so it seems. Things are coming together, more people going to church (a few, anyway), more attending Film Night (two or three perhaps) and an increasing sense of expectancy about Piddinghoe Players, but more of that later. The best news is not maybe obvious because it is still noticeable is that when visitors drive through the village they invariably gasp in shock: ‘What’s that building site’. They are talking about the construction in the very centre, right bang next door to the village hall, which was commonly referred to in its early days as The Hole. It is a Hole no longer. The structure of the roof is on, the walls are going up. Pretty soon we should see a real, live dwelling there. Yes, it has been nearly three years in the making and there have been numerous setbacks and delays which the brave owners, now residing elsewhere (temporarily) in the village, did not deserve. Yet surrounded as it is by those mauve fences there is no denying it still looks a spectacular mess, especially to first-time viewers. So lets get it on now to finality as quick as possible Mr Builders. The weather is on your side. Let’s have your finest efforts and make the nearby Malthouse which is looking so shiny and refurbished now after long months of work and disruption, your example.
Piddinghoe newsPiddinghoe news
Piddinghoe news

NOTICEBOARD: Here is a moan directed to Piddinghoe’s neighbouring village people. Please let us have a bit of room on our own noticeboards. We have four of them, three on the corner of the tarmac road that leads to the village hall and one more at the other end, going towards the sailing club. However, they are all so populated with notices from outside our own village. And although many are very worthy announcements, we have little room to post our own. The main grouch is that long after the expiry dates these ‘imported’ notices are simply left there until somebody (living here) is brave enough to pull them down. Non-Pidd people are welcome to come and inform us of worthwhile events near at hand but please remove them when they are no longer relevant. And try not to make them quite so big. No names, no pack drill but you know who you are.

FILM NIGHT: Already there is a buzz about our next presentation on Friday March 22. Bohemian Rhapsody, the story of Queen and, particularly, Freddie Mercury which is heading for a bunch of Big Screen awards. We have the DVD version and people are emailing the projectionist asking to have seats in their names reserved for the show. We don’t do that, though. It is pay on the night usually but if the groundswell of interest grows then consideration will be given to allocating seats on a first come, first served basis. It seems a ridiculous notion considering some of the poor attendances we’ve had but double figures for the acquired taste of the black-and-white sixties classic La Dolce Vita was a pleasant surprise. Not all of the audience made it the closing-titles,admittedly, but their willingness to come out for it in the first place was encouraging. And we liked the cushions.

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PIDDINGHOE PLAYERS: Please note rehearsal sessions have now been switched from 4pm Sundays to 4pm Mondays in the village hall. The Thursday stints (also 4pm) are still going as well and we look forward to more news soon about the planned March 30 production.

BOOK CLUB: The group meets at Halyards, The Street on Thursday March 14 to discuss Cormac McCarthy’s book, The Road. More details about the club from [email protected].

CHURCH SERVICES: Every second Sunday (8am) and every fourth Sunday (9.30am) at St John’s Church with either Rev Tim Mills or Rev Mary Sitwell. Good to see increased numbers in the congregation at last week’s ‘later’ service.

APOLOGY: There was a misprint in last week’s Piddinghoe columns suggesting Easter Sunday as April 2 when everybody knows it is really April 21 (although it is still hard to believe it is going to be so late this year.) Probably the error was the fault of the reporter but just as in days of working in Fleet Street he believes the sub-editors should also be taking more care with the ‘copy.’

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PILATES: With Rebecca 8.15am to 11.15am tomorrow (Saturday) in village hall. Three separate sessions.

PARISH COUNCIL MEETING: Tuesday March 26 (village hall 7.30pm). Residents welcome.

INDOOR GAMES: Free use of darts and table tennis equipment in village hall on Wednesday evenings from 7.30pm (keyholders listed in church porch noticeboard).

ART AND KNITTING: With Jill’s ladies on Thursday afternoons from 2.30pm in village hall.

YOGA: Tim Blair’s class in the village hall is on Thursday evenings from 6pm. Easy to join.