villagediary.net

Lest we forget

© Ian Summers

1,3,5,7,9-11,13-17,19

Editor: Ian Summers, 14 The Knoll, Hempstead, Holt NR25 6TJ 01263 710702 editor@villagediary.net

Sub-editor: Su SummersProduction: Thomas WormaldVillage Correspondents:

Baconsthorpe: Ro Hardingham 577262Barningham: Sara Buxton 577207Hempstead: Betty Hart 712726Matlaske: Florence Hunt 577363Plumstead: Thomas Wormald 577239

Add your own contentwww.isdata.co.uk/cgi-bin/post.plInstructions on http://post.ly/wiXx

Copy date20th of the month preceding publication

Postal Subscriptions£10 per year – Corinne Youngs 577263

AdvertisingAnnual: Contact: Mrs D Spalton 711117

One-off or special requirement: Payment by the copy date. Contact: The editor

For Sale & Wants: £1 per 20 words (free if proceeds to Newsletter) Contact: The editor

Village Diary Web Site villagediary.netWhere you see these boxes then you can  either find out more details about the item

on the web site and (for some items) add comments to share your ideas or views. Just enter the code (case-sensitive) into the Address Bar preceded by post.ly/

ChurchwardensBaconsthorpe: Tessa McCosh 577611Barningham: Mary Wortley 577246

Brian Clements 570293Hempstead: Ann Udale 713656

Su Summers 710702    Matlaske: Florence Hunt 577363

Thomas Courtauld 577250Plumstead: Thomas Wormald 577239

John Durdin 577234

Village Diary & Newsletter

Community Information and Services

Mobile Library Every fourth ThursdayMatlaske 12:20 pm Old Post OfficePlumstead 13:00 pm Walnut Farm

Baconsthorpe 14:25 pm Council Bungalows 15:45 pm Old Post Office 16:05 pm The Street

Hempstead 15:00 pm Hare and Hounds 15:20 pm Telephone kiosk

See www.libraries.norfolk.gov.uk

Holt Library 9 Church Street, Holt NR25 6BB Tel: 712202

Mon–Wed, and Sat: 9:30 am to 1 pmFri: 9:30 am to 6 pm

Books can be dropped off out of hours in the letterbox labelled ‘bookdrop’ in the blue door.

Post Office Baconsthorpe Village HallTuesdays 12:30 pm to 4 pmFridays 9:30 am to 12:30 pm

For a full range of services offered at this branch and all other enquiries call 712139.

Norfolk Constabulary 101 for non-urgent calls Holt Safer Neighbourhood Team

e-mail: sntholt@norfolk.pnn.police.ukPolice Community Support Officers:

Baconsthorpe & Matlaske PCSO Guy SladeHempstead PCSO Rachel HowardPlumstead PCSO Jason Ford

Police Direct about crime and policing issueshttp://tinyurl.com/cra3u4j

Dog Warden516085 (out of hours 513811) ep@north-norfolk.gov.uk

Norfolk Carers Helpline – 0808 808 9876 Mon–Fri 8 am to 8 pm. Free and confidential listening, support and information for family carers. www.norfolkcarershelpline.org.uk

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily the views of the newsletter. The newsletter apologises if contributed material is not

published due to space constraints. All facts are believed to be correct at time of publication.

The editor reserves the right to amend material.

mNau

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British Red CrossThe Home from Hospital Service in Norfolk aims to offer support, encouragement and some practical help to patients recently discharged from hospital. The help our volunteers give is short term and can involve such tasks as shopping, collecting prescriptions, preparing the home for arrival and generally keeping the client company.

This service is free and hopefully helps rebuild lost confidence, encourage independence and also can bridge the gap between patients leaving hospital to go home and the statutory services starting.

We are desperately short of volunteers in your area to carry out this valuable work. Appropriate training will be given.

For further information please feel free to contact the British Red Cross on 01603 288320 Chris.collict@nnuh.nhs.uk

Community Lunch ClubThere will be no Community Lunch Club in November. Save up your appetite for Christmas Lunch on Wed 12th December. Booking is essential – contact 577455.

In Case of EmergencyDid you know that your mobile ’phone will still have a little bit of extra battery life for an emergency call even though it will be flat for an every-day call? Also, your provider may be out of range but, for emergency calls they join together to increase your chance of getting through.

Do you have an ICE number in your mobile ’phone? The emergency services are trained to look for mobiles and look for ICE numbers so they know who to contact In Case of Emergency. This is a very sensible idea and can be fully utilised by having as many ICE numbers as you need. For example: ICE 1 Wife, ICE 2 Son, ICE 3 Dad, etc.

Items for the NewsletterWe are delighted to receive items for the newsletter and are much appreciative of those who do so either regularly or occasionally. We regret that any submissions from an unknown source cannot be included but you may, of course, ask for items to be signed how you wish (initials, name or, indeed, anonymous).

Newsletter supportWe need financial support to cover the cost of production. We are most grateful to our advertisers and would appreciate you telling them that you heard about them from the newsletter. Coffee & Gossip continues to provide a welcome trickle feed of funds. Also, every year we approach various parish councils, churches and village halls who willingly support us so that we may continue to advertise events and report on what is happening. I am pleased to say that we have, for yet another year, had 100% response from these requests. Thank you to everyone and to generous donations that individuals are kind enough to make from time to time.

Coffee and Gossip in DecemberNext month on 7th Dec, the Hempstead Kneeler Group will have a stall for Church Funds at Coffee and Gossip selling crafts and gift items which may be of interest to you with Christmas looming all too soon! There will also be a Bring and Buy stall for Newsletter funds for items that will be suitable as gifts. So get weaving (sewing, soldering, carving, ...ing, etc).

Gardener RequiredOne/two days a week. Please apply 577239.

Thank you to the anonymous sponsor of this edition of Village Diary & Newsletter

Thank you to everyone who has supported our Coffee & Gossip events in Hempstead – you help to keep our Village Diary & Newsletter solvent.

More help is needed – please see page 18. Next time it is on Friday, 3 Feb.3

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Quote of the monthTo argue with a person who has renounced reason is like administering medicine to the dead. Thomas Paine

‘Join us on

Friday 3rd Augat Ash Tree Farm, The Street,

Baconsthorpe NR25 6LF

10:30 -- noonProceeds to the Newsletter

You can either resent the way life is ordained, or be intrigued by it. Denis Donoghue

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Quote of the monthIf you have any problems or difficulties, don’t hesitate to sort them out yourself.

Lawrence Campbell

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Back numbers of 2011–12 newsletters http://post.ly/56SAD then select the issue

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Church Matters

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Church Matters

Church Services2 Nov All Souls Fri @ 10 am Eucharist Matlaske Church

A Eucharist service of Calling to Mind our deceased loved ones with an opportunity to light a candle in their memory. It will replace the usual Thursday Eucharist for this week.

4 Nov All Saints 10:45 am Choral Patronal Eucharist Hempstead Church11 Nov Remembrance 9 am Eucharist Baconsthorpe Church

10:45 am Remembrance Service Plumstead Church18 Nov 2 before Advent 9 am Eucharist Barningham Winter Church

This service will be taken by The Ven Michael Handley 10:45 am Mattins Matlaske Church

This service will be taken by Rev Andrew Butcher25 Nov Christ the King 9 am Eucharist Plumstead Church 10:45 am Toy Service Baconsthorpe ChurchThis will be our annual Toy service. If you are able, please bring along a wrapped, labelled toy or gift, showing gender and age for which it is suitable. These gifts will be given to the Salvation Army Christmas Appeal for distribution to families for whom gifts at Christmas prove difficult and for many, impossible. If you are unable to attend but wish to donate a gift, any churchwarden will be pleased to take it.2 Dec Advent Sunday 9 am Eucharist Hempstead Church

10:45 am Advent Carols North Barningham ChurchWeekday Holy Eucharist You are most welcome to join us every Thursday

morning at 10 am in Matlaske Church for Holy EucharistNo service on 1st Nov but there will be a service in Matlaske for All Souls on 2nd Nov – see above

From the RectoryThe Rectory Matlaske NR11 7AQ 577455 (any day but Wednesdays)

My dear friendsInspiring a Generation

What was your favourite moment in the Olympic Games? One of mine was the lighting of the torch in the stadium at the opening ceremony. After all the speculation about which famous person would be the last link in the great relay, the final torches were given to the next generation of athletes. They lit flames around the edge of the cauldron and the flames spread slowly. The cauldron began to rise and the different flames came together and burned as one. That cauldron gave a great image of the ideal of the world in union which is the best of the Olympic movement. Different nations come together in a celebration of sport, wondering at how much we have in common.

Isn’t that an image too of the church at her best? God calls together men and women of different races and backgrounds to form one family; one people throughout the earth; united by a common allegiance to Jesus Christ. The Christian Church was the first truly global organisation. It remains a sign and sacrament of the kind of unity God wants for the whole world. Rather like the flames round the cauldron becoming one, there should be unity in the Church: each of us bringing our own gifts; our own flame. By God’s grace these flames are drawn together into a community of grace and love: parish churches which themselves give light and life to our communities.

God bless you all.As from this issue churchwardens

are listed on page 2 should you need to contact them.

Back to the Garden, Fakenham Road, Letheringsett, Holt, Norfolk, NR25 7JJTel: 01263 715996 www.back-to-the-garden.co.uk

www.twitter.com/back_togarden www.facebook.com/backtothegardennorfolk

Prickly ThingsNovember; and nature brings forth her treatFor Christmas, with colour and good things

to eat.A time we forage to decorateThe hearth, the home, the festive plate.As nature offers you her ‘bling’,Please don’t ignore the ‘prickly thing’.

Sweet chestnuts may deserve their name;Respect their armour, just the same.While squirrels feast until replete,The spines end up in your dogs feet!In gorse, the pheasant – feast of kingsStays safely hidden by ‘prickly things’!

Fancy some sloes for that Christmas gin?Then tackle the blackthorn – be sure you

won’t win!Gathering holly, a Christmas tradition,(Finding the berries can be quite a mission)And often results in a mild injuryFrom protesting leaves of that most prickly

tree.

Fir cones are gathered beneath towering pinesWhose branches will scalp you with their

prickly spines;And as you look up, a bramble will trip you,Its prickly tendrils determined to rip you;Leaving you prone and attracting the glareOf a slumbering hedgehog, whose prickles

you’ll share.

Protection for seeds, for fur and for wings,This is the job of our ‘prickly things’. J

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Serious stuffDo you check that passengers in the back of your car have fastened their seat belt? Chances are that it will make little difference but bear in mind that a sudden halt at about 30 mph will propel your guest forward and crush you with a force of about 3½ tonnes. An awful thought – easily remedied on every journey.

Do you have a modern car which is run by a computer (ok, so you do the steering and brakes, etc)? Have you noticed that it is never happy to travel at 30 mph. This is because your car has been made for the European market where the built-up-area speed is 50 kph – which translates into 32 mph. Now, you may not think this makes much difference

Nature Notes

Motoring Moments

but it does. a) in a 30 mph zone you will be breaking the law and, b) just consider this: if you knock someone down at 30 mph then there is a two-in-40 chance that they are likely to die; at 35 mph this increases to three-in-40. So, even at 32 mph you are significantly increasing the chances of... it does not bear thinking about. Not much we can do about this manufacturing flaw except be aware.

Maybe not so seriousI have a little Satnav; it sits there in my car.A Satnav is the driver’s friendWhich tells you where you are.

I have a little Satnav; I’ve had it all my life.It’s better than the normal ones:My Satnav is my wife.

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few others. Interesting, the Morston example is the only one I have seen where the centre spindle had gone rusty. They must have been made of pretty good steel.

At about this time I moved into the twentieth century and went on the internet. That shook a lot of people I can say as I got a mobile phone as well. (For those who have not ventured there yet – don’t try! It’s quicker to send a pigeon!) I thought that ‘Spigot mortar’ would be a good training exercise on the computer. Complete failure. So with some inspiration I venture to the Muckleborough Collection at Weyborne. I don’t know if you have been there but it is a very, very good museum and well worth a visit. I showed my pictures to the lady on the desk: ‘No we have nothing like that here’ she said adding ‘I have worked here for 20 years so...’ I had a good look around and then as I drove out I stopped to look at the Harrier V1 by the entrance. Blow me if there was not a complete spigot mortar base sitting beside the road! So I walked back to reception where the good lady gasped: ‘As soon as you went I remembered that lump of concrete.’

So, no wiser, and harvest and drilling took up my time until last week I had another look on my computer... Hey presto; everything came up trumps: it’s a spigot for a Blacker Bombard Mortar. Bertie Harmer

Bertie’s Ramblings I apologise for the non-appearance of last month’s Ramblings. My pathetic excuse is that I was baulked when taking my copy to the Editor by the state of the footpaths – quite impenetrable. Before you blame the farmer, remember that upkeep of footpaths is the responsibility of the Council (ie, paid by us via the Poll Tax) except where they go across cultivated fields. Some of you may have recollections of WW2? I know the biggest bomb in Norfolk fell on Hall Farm and then the Luftwaffe strafed Baconsthorpe.

Do you have one of the above in your back garden or parish? This picture was taken by Jack Parfitt up on Court Green, Hempstead. For some time I have been intrigued as to what these lumps of concrete with the lovely shiny spindle were used for. I’m pretty sure it had something to do with the Home Guard in WW2.

Hearsay described it as a Spigot Mortar so I rushed off to see Hempstead’s military expert, Robin Carver, although whether a ‘Green Jacket’ would have anything up top?... His answer was that all mortars were spigot mortars because the spigot is the firing device which sits at the bottom of the tube/barrel and actually fires the bomb. Not much help, but I remember another example down on the coast west of Morston and a

I am a relative newcomer to Hempstead - I was born in Wymondham and lived the first 23 years of my life east of Norwich - coming to Hempstead in 1965. But s

What a terrible state our footpaths are in this year. It is obviously an economy measure as the upkeep of the footpaths except where they cross cultivated fields is the responsibility of the County Council who pass it onto the District Council. Ultimately, we pay for this upkeep through the poll tax. So it is a bit of a two=edged sword situation. The council, I believe, are only really interested in the tourist trade so what do we do?

Historically, some of our paths go back a very long time. I have a copy of the estate map for Green Farm, Hempstead for 1728. Alongside our boundary with Beckett’s Farm is shown a pack-way. you can still trace this ancient highway from Kelling Hard at the north extremity; over Kelling Heath to Baconsthorpe, past Hole Farm, Hempstead and south all the way to Saxthorpe. I always imagine that the smugglers must have found it a very useful track. One field adjacent

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1 Nov Thu @ noon Police Surgery: Baconsthorpe Bus Shelter until 1 pm1 Nov Thu @ 12:20 pm Mobile Library See page 2 for times pWOD

1 Nov Thu @ 1 pm Police Surgery: Matlaske 8Lvfloutside St Peter’s Church until 2 pm

2 Nov Fri @ 7:30 pm Hempstead PCC Meeting5 Nov Mon @ 7:30 pm Baconsthorpe Line Dancing pWOC

5 Nov Mon @ 7:30 pm Hempstead PC Meeting pqFz

6 Nov Tue @ 10 am Baconsthorpe Diocesan Play Van 243kl

6 Nov Tue @ 7 pm Matlaske PCC Meeting At the Rectory 9N22r

6 Nov Tue @ 7:30 pm Baconsthorpe Indoor Bowls pWOB

8 Nov Thu @ 11:30 am Baconsthorpe VH Meeting All Welcome 9K5cY

9 Nov Fri @ 10:30 am Coffee and Gossip Hempstead Village Hall 9bjZB

9 Nov Fri @ 7:30 pm Baconsthorpe – Keith Loads 1VgbQWe have booked the ever-popular and hugely entertaining Keith Loads. It may be your last chance to see this very popular ‘Norfolk man of squit’ as he has said he is giving up around Christmas time. £6 per person including a tea/coffee and Buffet Supper. Tickets are limited so buy your tickets now. Contact: John 711320, Doris 577489 or Evelyn 577315.

12 Nov Mon @ 11 am Hempstead Kneeler Group At Su’s 21X3m

12 Nov Mon @ 7:30 pm Baconsthorpe Line Dancing pWOC

12 Nov Mon @ 7:30 pm Matlaske PC Meeting In St Peter’s Church 9N2H1

12 Nov Mon @ 7:30 pm Plumstead PC Meeting In the Church 9N2H1

13 Nov Tue @ 10 am Hempstead Charcoal Drawing pWOA

13 Nov Tue @ 10 am Baconsthorpe Diocesan Play Van 243kl

13 Nov Tue @ 7:30 pm Baconsthorpe Indoor Bowls pWOB

14 Nov Wed @ 7 pm Hempstead Play Reading Group 9bjYfEnd of season supper and Fawlty Towers evening. Please note the change from our regular day, and the earlier time.

14 Nov Wed @ 7:30 pm Baconsthorpe PC Meeting In the Village Hall16 Nov Fri @ 7:30 pm Hempst’d – King Henry’s Tudor Band 6nBtT

Robert FitzGerald and his (absent) friends present a unique entertainment of tuneful music from the 13th to 16th centuries featuring a wide variety of fascinating early instruments. Programme (including refreshments) £7 at the door (or £6 in advance from Ian 710702). In aid of East Anglian Air Ambulance and the Village Hall.

19 Nov Mon @ 7:30 pm Baconsthorpe Line Dancing pWOC

20 Nov Tue @ 10 am Hempstead Charcoal Drawing pWOA

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20 Nov Tue @ 10 am Baconsthorpe Diocesan Play Van 243kl

20 Nov Tue @ 7:30 pm Baconsthorpe Indoor Bowls pWOB

21 Nov Wed @ 7:30 pm Hempstead Film Club Contact: 712460 1Zhgd

23 Nov Fri @ 10 am Police Surgery: Plumstead 8LvflOutside Walnut Farm until 11 am

26 Nov Mon @ 7:30 pm Baconsthorpe Line Dancing pWOC

27 Nov Tue @ 10 am Hempstead Charcoal Drawing pWOA

27 Nov Tue @ 10 am Baconsthorpe Diocesan Play Van 243kl

27 Nov Tue @ 7:30 pm Baconsthorpe Indoor Bowls pWOB

28 Nov Wed @ 4 pm Something to celebrate in Hempstead 9cGiCMany people will be surprised to learn that David Durst and Molly Freegard are both about to be 90! We think this merits a party. All their friends and admirers are warmly invited to the Village Hall to join the celebrations when perhaps they may be persuaded to impart the secret of their youthful looks and enviable vitality.

29 Nov Thu @ 10 am Baconsthorpe Textile Group spcp

29 Nov Thu @ 12:20 pm Mobile Library See page 2 for times pWOD

Further Ahead1 Dec Sat @ 10 am Baconsthorpe Christmas Fayre 8LwhQ

5 Dec Wed @ 7:30 pm Baconsthorpe Christmas Bingo 8LwlJ

8 Dec Sat @ 7 pm Hempstead Christmas Get-together 9cHDNAll Hempstead residents (and their guests) are once again warmly invited to the Christmas Party in the Village Hall. Another sparkling production of the Hempstead Follies is currently in rehearsal. Do not miss this ever-popular event. Further details in our next issue. In the meantime, will anyone able and willing to provide food and/or help in any other way please contact Yvette Gibson on 712460.

11 Dec Tue @ noon Police Surgery: Baconsthorpe 8LvflBus Shelter until 1 pm 11

DecTue Tue @ 1 pm Police Surgery: Matlaske 8Lvfloutside St Peter’s Church until 2 pm

12 Dec Wed @ noon Community Christmas Lunch Club sR3b

Contact: 577455 – Booking essential19 Dec Wed @ 7 pm Sing Carols in Hempstead 9buUw

Come and sing carols with the Benefice Choir for an hour in the Village Hall. Everyone is welcome from within our five villages and beyond – so bring your friends. Mulled wine and mince pies in return for a donation to St Martins Housing in Norwich.

30 Jan Wed @ 7:30 pm Hempstead Talk 9cGqVLetheringsett’s Scientific Anchorite* David Durst, Hempstead’s genial polymath, tells the story in the Village Hall of Johnson Jex, 19th century blacksmith and self-taught scientist. £3.50 including refreshments. * To save you reaching for your dictionary, ‘anchorite’: a recluse, hermit; and ‘polymath’: a person of much or varied learning.

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Baconsthorpe NewsBaconsthorpe Jubilee Mugs It has only just come to notice that the children of our village each received a mug to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee. Many thanks to the anonymous donor for this generous gesture. A lovely memento of a very special occasion.

Baconsthorpe 200 Club This month’s winners are:£25 Marilyn Clements; £10 Arthur Kinsley; £5 Nick Powell, William Peck.

Baconsthorpe on TV Fifty years ago in 1962 the BBC ran a series of programmes entitled ‘Our Village’. Through the auspices of our then Rector the Rev Francis Allen, Baconsthorpe was one of the locations chosen, as the Rector was an associate of the programmes director Gordon Moseley.

Interestingly, this programme was not merely regional but must have gone out nationwide because Baconsthorpe resident Gordon Lambert tells me he watched it when living in Leicester, having been advised by his mother that the programme was to be shown and that she would be in it.

Rev Allen was an ideal candidate to compère the broadcast as prior to taking up

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Holy Orders he had been a farmer in the area somewhere to the south of Fakenham. He had moved into Baconsthorpe Rectory in 1961 and the accompanying picture reminds us just how lovely some of the these older dwellings were that our Rectors lived in.

The programme opened with the Rector talking of his previous life as a farmer, and mentioning his herd of Dairy Shorthorn cattle, a breed he spoke most highly of, even though by 1962 the Dutch Friesian had already usurped the older British breeds for milk production.

The main part of the presentation was for the Rector to travel around the village talking to various people. He paid John Seaman the compliment of being one of the best farmers in the area, and later spoke to Mr Seaman who was standing in a field of corn at the time. Moving up the Bodham Road he encountered the writer’s father and

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enquired as to how the sugar beet were looking that year. Gordon Lambert’s mother, Dolly, then had her moment of fame when she was filmed leaning out of a cottage window at the bottom end of Long Lane. Dolly exchanged pleasantries with a ‘Good morning, Vicar’, and also gave out the news that a young chap from the village had just become engaged to be married. Further filming took place inside the church during choir practice where a young Tom Worboys and that dear soul Mary Winterbourne were among those involved, together with others who were not! Moving along the road the village school was still active and so youngsters could be seen playing outside in the playground, enjoying themselves.

That the programme was not solely about an idyllic country life with roses around the door was to be highlighted when the Rector visited ‘Plumstead Cottages’ a terrace of five dwellings. There he spoke to a woman who told him in graphic detail about the poor living conditions that farm workers had to endure in dwellings such as these. All the time this lady was talking she was at the same time vigorously scrubbing her young child’s face with a flannel so as to emphasize her point! In hearing these remarks the writer’s father predicted that ‘they (meaning the cottages) would not be standing there much longer’. A prophetic statement as the

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Quote of the monthSurprises are foolish things. The pleasure is not enhanced, and the inconvenience is often considerable.

Emma (1816), Jane Austen

whole block was soon to be razed to the ground and their previous existence is probably not even known by many who now live in the locality.

As teenagers, it was now Rosemary (née Barnes) and John Hardingham’s turn to be in the spotlight. The camera crew spotted them walking along the Plumstead Road, and they were asked to be filmed for the production. Firstly they had to stroll along the road talking, and then to gaze at reflections in the pond on the sharp bend there. Rather a nice artistic touch by the director there I think. Typically the BBC subsequently destroyed their copy of this event, and as video recorders had yet to be invented, those of us who did watch it can only rely on our memories of that special day when Baconsthorpe hit the small screen.

Many thanks to Rosemary Hardingham, Gordon Lambert, and Tom Worboys for their input into this article. Arthur Pentney

Barningham NewsCover PictureOur front cover is part of the reredos in Barningham Winter Church; a memorial to Colonel Charles Radclyffe who was killed in action in 1915. The carving is based on the subject of the Eton College Chapel stained glass war memorial.

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Barningham Harvest Service Sunday 7th October saw the Annual Benefice Harvest Festival service take place; this year it was held at St Mary’s Barningham Winter. The weather was very kind and a congregation of around sixty from our six communities met together and enjoyed a service of hymns and readings. The benefice choir sang and the morning finished with wine and nibbles being served in the ruins; a most enjoyable occasion.

Thanks are due to all who spent time decorating the church with the many colourful flower arrangements and to those who provided produce. The wine and cheese nibbles that followed went down very well, especially with the children. The collection,

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Established: 199201263 821304 or 07534 455301

in the sum of £250, has been given to the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution which is a farmers’ and agricultural workers’ charity. Thank you all for being so generous with your donations. GW

Hempstead NewsHempstead Film Club Film club members were given a real treat. Fast, smart, smooth, comedy with Cary Grant (Jerry Warriner) and Irene Dunne (Lucy Warriner) a divorcing couple enduring madcap adventures leading to reconciliation. Great script! Cary Grant at his sophisticated best, great verbal duels with his wife (Lucy), combined with an excellent supporting cast: in particular Mr Smith, their fox terrier, adding to the fun. MT

Hempstead 200 Club This month’s winners are:£25 M Thody; £10 R Picken; £5 M Thody, K Wood and K Prouton.

Churches Cycle Ride The total raised in Hempstead this year for the Norfolk Churches Trust Sponsored Bicycle Ride was £790. A magnificent achievement. Thank you to everyone who supported this cause. YG

16

up to in the States: Queen of Colonoscopy Colorado: http://tinyurl.com/barbsheets).

She and I would love to have a copy of a photograph of our house prior to her living there, when it was the Wesleyan Chapel. If you know of a picture of the Old Chapel please contact me at Hill House, Chapel Lane, Hempstead 713548. Robert Watters

Hempstead Fun QuizThis was, as ever, most enjoyable thanks largely to our MC and Quizmaster!

It is becoming more popular each year if attendance is anything to go by and is not to be missed. So, many thanks indeed to Mike; and to Iris for her fantastic sausage rolls. DS

Party time on 28 November!Just in case you missed mention of it elsewhere in the newsletter please turn to page 11. Make a note on your calendar so as not to miss it.

Welcome ... to Guy and Sarah Wickham-Brown who have moved into Hempstead with their dog and two cats.

Matlaske News

St Peter’s Heating Programme The installation of ‘under-pew heating’ by Norwich Electrical is now complete. The funds necessary to complete this project came from generous donations by the Duchy of Lancaster, Matlaske Church Buildings Trust, individual donations and proceeds from the Summer Fête. There are still three rows of pews without heaters. If anyone would like to contribute towards the cost of additional ‘hot seats’ the Treasurer would be glad to hear from them. We hope that this improvement to the heating in the Church will meet with a warm reception.

David Wooff, Treasurer Matlaske PCC

Do you remember this lady?

On Chapel Lane, Hempstead

One Saturday evening, during the summer, we had almost finished our tea when there was a knock at the conservatory door. Three ladies stood there, the eldest of whom, a very spry 80 year old, announced that they were Americans and politely asked if it were possible to look round our house. The ‘For Sale’ sign had only recently been erected and we hadn’t advertised beyond Hempstead; so we didn’t think we had potential buyers.

It transpired that Mrs Irene Sheets had lived in our house in 1956–57. Her husband, Ray, had been a doctor at the Sculthorpe USAF base. As our house was the only (available) house in the village that had running water at that time, they became the new residents. We invited them in and heard more of their story.

You may remember, 1956 was a cold winter. The pipe work from the well froze and the electric pump burnt out! This poor mother had to walk through the cold to the well at John and Pam Coe’s house (now Mr Wynn’s and just sold) and lower a bucket to get her necessary water.

She had described her very happy memories of living here to her daughter Barb(ara), who was born in Norfolk and had always had a desire to see where she spent her earliest years. Barb, now a doctor herself was a lovely lady, full of fun (see what she is

17

Back numbers of 2011–12 newsletters http://post.ly/56SAD then select the issue

(click « All to see previous year)

PuzzlesAnswers to last months puzzles a) Honolulu; b) abstemious; c) facetious; d) caesious; e) divisibility.

GCSE-level Maths questions1. I saw seven butterflies in my garden. I

counted six that had white in their wings, and five that had red. How many had both colours?

2. Of 40 children in a school 30 study History and 20 study Geography. How many are studying both subjects.

‘265 equals 265’ said Bill to Bert. ‘You don’t

say, said Bert!’ ‘Ah’, said Bill, but it’s still true

if I split the digits with a ‘times’ in two

different ways like this: ‘2 times 65 equals 26

times 5. What’s more there are only three

other sets of digits (all different) you could

use instead of 2, 6 and 5. Can you find

them?

The answers are: 1 x 64 = 16 x 4, 1 x 95 =

19 x 5 and 4 x 98 = 49 x 8.

I have a little SatnavIt sits there in my carA Satnav is the driver's friendWhich tells you where you are I have a little SatnavI've had it all my lifeIt’s better than the normal ones -My Satnav is my wife It gives me full instructionsEspecially how to drive"It's thirty miles an hour", it says"You're doing thirty five" It tells me when to stop and startAnd when to use the brakeAnd tells me that it's never everSafe to overtake It tells me when a light is redAnd when it goes to greenIt seems to know instinctivelyJust when to intervene It lists the vehicles just in frontAnd all those to the rearAnd taking this into accountIt specifies my gear. I'm sure no other driverHas so helpful a deviceFor when we leave and lock the carIt still gives its advice It fills me up with counsellingEach journey's pretty fraughtSo why don't I exchange itAnd get a quieter sort? Ah well, you see, it cleans the house,Makes sure I'm fully fed,It washes all my shirts and thingsAnd - keeps me warm in bed. Despite all these advantagesAnd my tendency to scoff,I do wish that once a whileI could turn the damn thing off!

Events at

King Henry’s Tudor BandRobert FitzGerald and his (absent) friends present a unique entertainment of tuneful music from the 13th to 16th centuries.

Hempstead Christmas Party

All Hempstead residents (and their guests) are once again warmly invited.

Hempstead Talk 2013Our very own David Durst tells the story of Johnson Jex.

See page 11 for further details of all these events

Churches Cycle Ride Thank you to all those generous sponsors who supported me on the Norfolk Churches Trust Bike Ride this September. I managed a shorter route this year – 15 churches over a distance of 30 miles. Nevertheless this raised the pleasing sum of £200. Thank you once again. David Wooff

Plumstead NewsBishop of Norwich at Plumstead

Bishop Graham with the Rector, Churchwardens and choir after

St Peter’s patronal festival

Plumstead Autumn FeastJust a reminder for all who have been unable to resist the fabulous Plumstead Autumn Feast. See you this Saturday, 27 Oct at 7 pm in Baconsthorpe Village Hall!... and remember there will be treats to buy – so bring your purse! If you forgot and have just realised what you’ll be missing – do ring 577718 right now and rectify your mistake!

Plumstead Green Photographer Mr Bojanowski of Plumstead Green took up photography three years ago after his wife Helen bought him a digital camera. He became hooked on the hobby and was subsequently commissioned by North Norfolk District Council to put on an exhibition at the Council Offices in Cromer of ‘Private Faces in Public Places’.

Open until 19 November: Mon–Thurs 8:30 am–5:30 pm, Fri 8:30 am–4:30 pm (closed Sat and Sun).

© Eileen Gibbons

918

Memorials in marble, stone and various coloured granites

Brochures upon request ? Additional inscriptions Cremation plaques ? House names

Workshop: 01603 755524 Office: 01603 485691 www.rwellsmemorials.co.uk

Unit 8 Sawmill Close, The Street, Felthorpe, Norwich NR10 4BH

Hempstead Taxi Service8 am until Midnight, Mon – Sat

No Sunday Service Friendly & Reliable

Pinewood Park Leisure Club, Holt Road, near Bodham NR26 8TU

with Caroline Jefford

ZIN licensed instructor REPS registeredMonday 9.30–10.30 amThursday 5.30–6.30 pm

Thursday 7–8 pm? Mixed ability classes ? Beginners always welcome ?

£5 per class – bring a drink

01263 587480 or 07930 539159 caroline.jefford@btinternet.com

C. H. MATTHEWSPlumbing and Heating

Juniper Lodge, Hempstead,Holt, Norfolk NR25 6TW

Tel: Holt 713374

John Perry-Warnes

Your North Norfolk District Councillor

Please contact me if I can be of Service

concerning the following issues

? Housing ? Council Tax ?

? Waste Collection ? Planning Matters ?

Tel: 01263 715577john.perry-warnes@norfolk.gov.uk

• Gluten Free• Wheat Free• Dairy Free

AND delicious for ALLBaconsthorpe

07949 031676

19

Wild Chestnut Lasagne Serves four200 g chestnuts (wild or bought)300 g carrots, diced100 g onions, chopped350 mℓ white sauce with fresh herbs

(eg: parsley, sorrel, thyme, marjoram)200 g mature cheddar-cheese, grated100 g lasagne (home-made with rye flour but

bought wheat lasagne will do)• Freeze the chestnuts in season and they

can be used at any time of the year.• Take chestnuts out of the freezer a couple

of hours before you need them.• Peal and roughly chop the chestnuts.• Steam chestnuts, carrots and onions until

tender.

i

• Make the white sauce – you can use some of the liquid from the steaming.

• Add most of the cheese to the sauce saving some to go on top.

• In a casserole: cover one third of the chestnut, onion, carrot mix with one third of the cheese sauce.

• Cover this with a layer of the lasagne.• Repeat layers ending with final layer of

cheese sauce.• Finally, cover with grated cheese and bake

at 180 C for about 30 minutes until golden brown.

• Serve with potato and a green vegetable.You can substitute the chestnuts with mushrooms or cooked puy lentils. I

3 Nov Sat @ 10 am Edgefield Crafts 9N1joSaturday and Sunday in Edgefield Village Hall 10 am to 4 pm. Hand-picked crafts of quality to enjoy or buy as gifts. Heart-warming refreshments. Free Entry.

11 Nov Sun @ 3:30 pm Salthouse Remembrance Sunday 9XCnWThe Kelling Consort, directed by Angela Dugdale, will sing Faure’s Requiem and Vaughan William’s Dona Nobis Pacem. We are fortunate that so many good musicians willingly give their expertise to benefit the Royal British Legion and the Friends of Salthouse Church fabric fund. Tickets are £8 from the Old Post Office, Salthouse; the Computer Shop, Holt; and at the door. Please come – these are marvellous works each lasting about 40 minutes.

24 Nov Sat @ 11 am Saxthorpe and Corpusty Christmas FayreOpen until 3 pm by the Ladies in the Community (LinC) in Corpusty Village Hall. Refreshments, teas, coffee, soup, bacon rolls, ploughman’s lunches; cake stall, tombola, raffle, bric-a brac and Santa will visit. To book a craft table at £10 a site phone Brenda on 587917. Proceeds to East Anglian Children’s Hospice, Corpusty Village Hall, and LinC funds.

25 Nov Sun @ 3 pm North Norfolk Orchestral SocietyA concert of music in St Peter’s Church, Sheringham. Admission £5 at the door with children free. Music to include Meditation from Thais by Massenet. Proceeds in aid of Church Fabric.

7 Dec Fri @ 6:30 pm Edgefield Social 9N1iRA Festive Evening in Edgefield Village Hall for the whole family. Tickets £5 (children 12 and under free) including a festive supper and music to finish off the evening. Seasonal games and surprises. Raffle, Tombola, etc, etc. Father Christmas will be visiting.

MarglazeHome Improvements

WindowsPVC-u and TimberPlain & Simple, Sash, Bays & BowsRepairs to

Sealed UnitsHandles & Hinges

Doors

Conservatories

Kitchens & BathroomsComplete Fitting Service

PlumbingTilingPainting & DecoratingWorktop Replacement

Insurance-backed Guarantee Contact Martin & Carolyn on 01263 577731marglazewindows@aol.comwww.marglaze.co.uk

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