Rodmell and Southease
SAMMY THE SEAL: A very excited villager phoned me this week to tell me Sammy the Seal is swimming in the Ouse near Southease again. He, or it may be she, often appears in the river at various times of the year, probably following certain fish that come up the river at certain times of the year. Sammy as he is fondly known, loves it when he sees people and tolerates loves it when he sees people and tolerates dogs swimming in the river with him. I do hope he keeps away from the Lewes area, as he may be harassed by some who do not appreciate that he is a wild animal and not something to be shouted at or have objects thrown at, which is something that happened when a seal found his way up to Lewes some years ago. Seals have been seen as far up the Ouse as Barcombe. They are enchanting creatures, to be enjoyed by their very presence in our lovely river, so let’s respect that.
EVENING OUT: I had a lovely evening in our pub recently, with one of the students I worked with at EAPS at the University of Sussex. He was over for a conference at the university. As a student he was a big boisterous lad with a kind heart and a great urge to do well in life, having come from one of London’s poorer areas. I always remember him telling me that in his class there was an unruly element and he got very fed up, so one day, he stood up and bellowed: ‘If you lot don’t want to learn, I do, so pack it in’. He did very well at university and now lives in the USA with his lovely family, comprising of wife Elayne and three sons, who have all done well in life. On a Friday, I always lent him a £5 note and on Monday, I always had it returned. I became known as the bank of Pauline. It was only recently I found out that he worked in a bar and needed to buy drinks, but then was paid after doing his shift so then had money in his pocket again, so was able to pay me back. He now has an extremely good job at GE Aviation US. His dream of working on aircraft engines in the USA has all come true. Laughingly, he presented me with a £5 note when we met.
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Hide AdWI: We had an extremely interesting evening at our last WI evening on Tuesday January 15 when we all painted mugs to our own design. Some lovely works of art appeared and the evening was enjoyed by all. We even had visitors from Woodingdean who came to join in. We are getting an influx of young members now, which is nice and we certainly do an assortment of very interesting things now. The next WI meeting is on February 19, when singer Katharine Collett is presenting Downton Revisited with Edwardian songs and consume. Visitors are welcome.
VISITORS: I love people to visit my house and one afternoon recently a singer named Tazina and her friend Stella, also a singer and musician came for tea and talk, plus a walk round the village. I originally met them at The Depot, when Tazina was singing there. She completely wowed the audience and is appearing there again on February 10. When we met it was as though we had known each other for years, so we are now thinking of working together as a group of singers. As I have not sung seriously for around 12 years, because I had caring duties, it may take me time and confident to get back into it.
SNOWDROPS: Tomorrow (Sunday), I aim to try to get to Southease Church to view the snowdrops in the churchyard and try to see Sammy the Seal before going to meet friends at The Depot for lunch then go to the matinee of Robin Hood, the pantomime put on by Rodmell Stage Company, with friends of mine, so it will be a full-on day. I will report on it next week.