Waldron

RURAL AND CITY: Our newspapers often give the impression that there is no other place where events happen than in our cities, particularly the capital. London-centric they call it as they obsess about the latest trends, scandals and discoveries. Rural areas like ours are dismissed as the sticks or even the boondocks. Yet I have been amused recently to see that sometimes the rural areas are ahead of the rest. For instance, suddenly the literati are trumpeting the virtues of buying your milk from a real milkman in (shock) glass bottles instead of at the supermarkets. Better returns for the farmers, the milk arrives (often in the early hours) on your doorstep and glass bottles are easily recyclable. Surprise. Waldron gets its milk delivered and has done for as long as I can remember. Then at the weekend, I read a report that the trendies in London are enjoying the sociable, healthy brunch rather than heavy, wine-laden dinners. More surprise. We can do that too at our village pub on Saturday mornings. Another report on television promoted the '˜new idea' of GP referral to the local gym for depressed or overweight patients, particularly the elderly. Yet Wealden District Council was pioneering that back in the 1990s with great success. And of course there's the latest discovery that we are overloading our brains with too much information and being too available on social media, leading to burn-out. Waldron has its own solution to that too. We can't get a mobile signal at all, and our speed of internet connection is so slow there's time to make a coffee or do ten minutes of yoga. See? Who needs cities? Let's hear it for rural life.

WI MEET: May’s Women’s Institute meeting is on May 11 at the Lucas Hall. It will be preceded by lunch at 1pm and members are asked to let Lesley Cooper know if they want to be included. The main meeting begins at 2.30pm as usual and will be the annual resolutions meeting when members decide if they wish to support the proposed resolutions put up from our national body for adoption as national policy. There are two resolutions for discussion. The first proposes, WI calls on all supermarkets to sign up to a voluntary agreement to avoid food waste by passing on surplus food to charities thus helping address the issue of increasing food poverty in the UK. The second resolution deals with the subject of carers and dementia.

MACBYRD FLIES IN: Early warning that the Rude Mechanicals will be starting their summer tour round the rural villages of southern England from the beginning of June. Their new play is MacByrd described as a comedy thriller set in 1940s Jevington. While George, a retired mechanic, tends his Dig for Victory wartime veg patch, keeping an eye on the bombers criss-crossing the summer sky above him, there’s a parallel plot amongst the birds with a menacing raven and some vicious magpies playing leading roles. Sounds great, don’t miss it when it comes to Waldron on Thursday August 11. The performance will start at 7.30pm in the field behind the pub and remember to bring your own chair and wear warm clothing. Tickets available online at www.therudemechanicaltheatre.co.uk or through the central box office on 01323 501260.

SERVICES: This Sunday’s morning services are both at St Bartholomew’s at 8am for Holy Communion and at 10am for Parish Eucharist. Coffee and cake to follow. Evening Prayer will be at the summer time of 6pm led by Christo Corfield at All Saints’. Weddings are taking place at All Saints’ during May on Saturday May 14 at 11am and at 3pm and on Saturday May 28 at 2.30pm.

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