Rodmell and Southease

TRAFFIC: So Ringmer is suffering from the amount of traffic going through the village. We, in Rodmell and surrounding villages along the C7, have had dreadful problems for years. We too get really large HGV vehicles using the C7 as a rat run, and mornings between 7am and 9am are horrendous, as are evenings when traffic between 3pm and 6pm can be backed up to Southease, and sometimes even Lewes. I've lived on this road for 50 years and it's progressively got worse since we have the traffic from two universities, school runs and traffic from Lewes and industrial areas coming through to Newhaven. Very rarely are they keeping to the 30mph limit and as this is a narrow winding road with many dangerous entrances and edits on it, our parish council have been fighting for years for more safety measures. Looking at it from an honest point of view, isn't it us, the drivers, who should be taking more care? Do those of us who drive through Ringmer keep to 30mph and do drivers who come from Ringmer stick to 30mph along this road? Confusion probably arises from 50mph between villages, maybe we all have to concentrate a bit more and not tailgate which is a big problem stated by many who live on the C7.

FIREWORKS: I have just listened to people who coped with the war years being interviewed on TV about the big bangs from fireworks that shake houses, frighten animals and distress those who are old and vulnerable. My own mother, whose family was bombed out three times in Brighton in the Second World War, suffered all her life from depression and ended up with Paranoiac Dementia at 96, due to the noise of bombs being dropped. She loved the pretty fireworks but dreaded November 5. Those of us that have not lived through a war or in a war zone have no idea what damage it causes for years for those unfortunate to have suffered. Every year, for some years now, I have a couple from Lewes come to stay on November 5 as their dog gets so traumatised. Many years ago, I used to join in the bonfire procession in Lewes and it is a wonderful thing to see, it is of course a tradition loved by many. As it’s become so famous and is watched worldwide on TV, it seems to have caused a few problems to its dedicated organisers. Such is the price of fame. Fortunately, unlike a war, it is supposed to go on for only one day.

MEETING FRIENDS: On Sundays I usually meet up with friends and former jazz musicians and singers that I have sung with in the past, at the Depot in Lewes, where various musicians and singers entertain us at the far end between 11am and 1pm. We usually end up eating a light lunch there as well, so it’s a friendly occasion. They recently had a very good duo named Javajam. For those who like music I recommend this venue on a Sunday. It’s very friendly.

COOKING: There are endless cookery programmes on TV these days, but I do wonder how many families sit down together at a table for a home-cooked meal these days. I am guilty at times of sitting in front of the TV with a microwave meal, but I have very fond memories of a table laden with home-cooked food and a time of good family conversation, without a mobile phone in sight.

PHONES: On the subject of phones, on TV recently they mentioned that the ‘dumb’ phones that I wrote about are flying off the shelves, as people are fed up with the technology of modern phones. They interviewed people in the street and many were young, who said they preferred a dumb phone, apart from a lady who appeared to be perhaps Scandinavian, who stated that she would also like one of these phones but didn’t want to appear to be old. What a load of nonsense, can’t we do what we actually want without keeping up appearances like Mrs Bouquet on TV.

REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY: Don’t forget it’s Remembrance Sunday on November 11 and there will be a service at Rodmell Church at 10.55am and one at Southease Church at 10.55am. We will remember them.

ILLNESS: So many of my friends are ill at the moment. Whilst I can’t get to them all, I’m thinking about them and wish the well.