Udimore

Over 50 people attended the “Tricks of the Trade” demonstration by the Mermaid Inn Cookery School in St Mary’s Community Hall on November 12. We’re extremely grateful to Head Chef Kyle Tatner and Aaron his assistant for putting on such a wonderfully skilful show, sending their customers home with plenty of new ideas and new recipes. Thanks to the good turnout, and the generosity of The Mermaid in making no charge for this inspirational show, the event raised over £1,000 for Hall funds.

This Sunday the services in St Mary’s are the 8am Holy Communion and the 6pm Evening Prayer.

Next Saturday, November 30, the annual Grand Christmas Fayre takes place in the Hall between 10am and noon. This will be your chance to do some Christmas (and other) shopping at lots of attractive stalls, including Christmas garlands and gifts, books, home-grown produce and home-made cakes, puddings and jams, with more for the children this year, and even a Messy Church stall. A chance too for a flutter on the sloe gin and Christmas hamper prize draw, and the tempting raffle. So please get busy baking, making or decluttering, to ensure that all the stalls are even better-stocked than ever. But whatever else you do please make sure you come along. All proceeds will be in aid of St Mary’s Church, such an important central part of our Christmas celebrations.

A most unwelcome species of ladybird, the Harlequin, previously unknown here, has been spreading through Britain in recent years. It’s now been reported in Udimore. Where it occurs, it has proved to be a major threat to other species of ladybird, both as a more successful competitor and by actually attacking and killing them. As winter approaches, Harlequins tend to gather in large numbers in search of a good place to hibernate, sometimes clinging to the inside folds of your curtains. Although from above they aren’t easy to identify (varying considerably both in colour and in markings - hence their name) their distinctive feature is the colour of their legs (reddish brown, unlike the black legs of nearly every other species). If squashed, they release a most unpleasant smell and a liquid that can leave a stain. To dispose of them it’s better to brush them carefully into a bucket and pour warm water onto them. I’ll be interested to hear from any of you who find them (01797 223055).