vol 5 issue 5 september 2016 16.pdf · the firework boat trip to see the end of cowes week’s...

Vol 5 Issue 5 September 2016

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ContributionsRestaurant Corner---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------7Data Protection Act 1998 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------8The Story of Barbara Villiers------------------------------------------------------------------------------10Jessica Broad Recital----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------11‘A Wandering Aramean was my Father’---------------------------------------------------------------13Elephants and Bees Project-------------------------------------------------------------------------------14Grove Place 2007---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------16There Hasn’t Been Much Sun This Year…….----------------------------------------------------------17Picnic in the Park---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------18Grove Place Harvest Thanksgiving ----------------------------------------------------------------------18Cowes Firework Display------------------------------------------------------------------------------------19Resident Notices---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------20Interesting Inventions by Women-----------------------------------------------------------------------20For Lexophiles-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------20

CONTENTS

The Gazette is dependent on your contributions which you may send to me by whatever means.Bear in mind that submissions should not violate copyright and should fit in with our guidingprinciples. The deadline for submissions is the 20th of the month.

Fred Tickle 24 Northcliffe House Tel:80736439 email: [email protected]

DisclaimerThe sole responsibility for any statement or opinion expressed in The Grove Gazette, or for

obtaining the owner’s permission in respect of any copyright material, remains with theperson submitting them and not with the Editor.

The Editor

Cover design by Fred Tickle,Photo - Summer Time by George Gershwin, sorry Brian Greenhalgh

Regular ItemsResidents’ Association Committee------------------------------------------------------------------------3Sub-Committees-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3Notes from the Office----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------4Chairman’s Report---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------5Cliff’s Column---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------6Little Shop Charity Table-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------6Music Club-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------12Activities Calendar-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------21

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Residents’ Association CommitteeChairman:- Richard Hall

Vice Chairman:- Fred TickleSecretary:- John Berkshire

Treasurer:- Ray SmithOther Committee members:- Kate Mills, Peter Smith, Pauline Willetts.

Sub-CommitteesBuildings, Grounds and Health & SafetyPeter Smith (Chair, External Matters, Car Parks, Leisure Centre, Roadways & Paths),Michael Messenger (Exterior Lighting, Waste & Recycling); Ann Harvey (Health &Safety); Valerie Weeks (Exterior of Buildings, Grounds and Nursing Home); David Moore(Adviser).

● People still enter pool area with street shoes.● Car wash action by Mgmt much appreciated, slabs coming soon.● Paving outside coffee lounge door looks good.● Rubbish situation at St Swithuns and the Knollys seems to be solved.● Gas-fired electricity plant temporarily on hold pending answers to TVBC questions.● Awaiting results of new filters in fish fountain.● Flower bed maintenance now on cycle 2.● Jet spraying done, but no advance notice given to Residents, so some patios, balconies not

totally treated.● Some apartment railings have gathered much gook and could benefit from jet-spraying or

some other method of cleaning.● Shredded paper put in recycling bids and spilt on floor in one bin area suggests that Residents

should be reminded that this waste should be put in secure bag in the ordinary rubbish bins● A "feasibility study" of village hall planned by Mgmt., which might benefit by having some

residents involved in the design and execution.ServicesPauline Willetts (chairman), Pat Heath and Joan Norman are responsible for issuesrelating to the Manor House; e.g. refurbishment, restaurant/bar, the laundry andhousekeeping.

The guest suite is to be refurbished in the near future, and this will include a blind orcurtains as requested by a number of residents

Social EventsKate Mills (chairman), Gloria Durell and Pat Wootten are responsible for on and off siteentertainment activities, room bookings, arranging visits and visitors.I have had good reports from those that visited La Pergola restaurant recently, and bypopular request will try and arrange another visit before too long. Several other lunch

trips are on the notice board, so please don’t forget to sign up in the trip book if you would like togo.

The firework boat trip to see the end of Cowes week’s firework display, was most enjoyable, andwell worth the late night! Our thanks to our driver Brian for escorting us all back and forth safely!

Another date for your diary is the 18th September for a Harvest Festival in the lounge; please again watchthe notice board for details.

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Please see the Residents’ notice board re a musical evening scheduled for October the 8th. Please sign yourname if you are interested, as we need to ensure we have a full house for the event.

I do hope this lovely sunshine continues; it certainly seems to make us all smile.

CommunicationsFred Tickle (chairman), Anne Burchell, David Cooper (web master), Tricia Caffyn(librarian) and Marion Jackson (directory). This committee deals with The GroveGazette, the library, the residents’ web site, residents’ directory and the residents’notice board.

There has been much discussion regarding the distinction between advertising and informing forthe benefit of residents.

Tricia has put a notice up in the library which reads as follows:

Donated books. We have space for a few. Please leave in the bottom desk drawer to the right, withname attached.

Unfortunately, we do not have room for duplicates.

● Newly donated books. These will be placed for a limited time on the top left hand shelf, beforethe start of the ‘A’s.

● Returned books. Please replace in appropriate space on the shelves.

● Book clearing. We are withdrawing a certain number of books from the library, (mostlynonfiction, dilapidated and excessive books from a single author) which are being stored in theresident association cupboard. These books are listed and the list may be found in the bottomdrawer. If no-one requests their replacement in the library, we will donate them to charity after6 months. These suggestions are not set in stone and are open for review. Please leave anysuggestions you may have for me in the bottom drawer.

Sub committee reports continued

If you have any electrical items that you are unable to dispose of at the local recycling centre, pleaseenter details in the Maintenance book and a fellow resident going may offer to take them. If thereare numerous items Grove Place could arrange a group collection and charge accordingly. There isnow a sheet for this in the back of the Maintenance book.

Please also be reminded to give Lesleigh holiday dates and car registrations.

Lesleigh

If you have any maintenance issues please record them in the Maintenance Book. May I respectfullyask that you DO NOT make requests directly to the maintenance staff as they may well be forgottenby the time they return to the Manor.

When parking, please avoid overhanging on the grass, as it makes it difficult for the Gardener’s tomow right up to edge of lawns.

Colin

Notes from the Office

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Chairman’s ReportDear Friends and Neighbours,

Since 18th August was Colin Penny’s 7thAnniversary at Grove Place let’s applaud his longhours working for us maintaining the grounds andthe fabric of this lovely village. The recent roller-coaster of sun and rain led to the lush growth ofgrass. In turn we heard that happy, childhoodsound of summer: lawn mowers with the smell offreshly mown grass and the sight of striped lawns.Colin and the team became saddle sore on themachines but he is not content with maintenance.He plans continual improvement; some seen,some unnoticed.

During August we saw ‘Dave and the gang’ layingthe slabs by the Manor providing a most usefulglide to the parasol-tables for those inwheelchairs. Mark then power cleaned the oldslabs to match. Dave & Co. also finished theNorthcliffe guest car park by installing two Ts toseparate the 3 bays. They also dug out the groundby the re-furbished Car-wash Corner to preparefor our Gardening and Maintenance teams to layslabs. Then Colin persuaded the gang to scoop astrip of turf for our team to build the handsomesleeper wall along the stony car park to replacethe failing yew trees. It must be said that thesleepers came free, cannibalised from thecompost bays on the far side of St Swithun’s field.Very practical. All these ideas have come from thethoughtfulness of Cliff, Colin and the teams whoconsistently search for areas of improvement:thank you all – especially to Colin.

A late item of news adds thanks for a new showerunit in the women’s changing room.

Just before the Rio Olympics, panel members onAny Questions were asked, ‘”n which event wouldyou like to take part?” They gave their carefulreplies, including one who said “spectator”! I’malways tickled by such questions. After a

moment’s thought, I decided that I would like torow in an eight, partly because my father rowedat Henley, partly because I rowed at school, butmainly because the rowing eight seems to me thesupreme example of a team sport. I guess we’veall seen the Oxford v Cambridge Boat Race, butdid you see the women’s and men’s eights winsilver and gold respectively at Rio? Amazing! Eachcrew member contributes to the success of theboat as they pull together.

I see the rowing eight as an illustration of our jointeffort here. We all pull together for the success ofthe village. Sir Steve Redgrave says of a crew, eachone in the boat has a different role: Bow, Stroke,the ‘engine room’, and the Cox who givesencouragement to the crew. Something similarapplies here: some are able to generate ideas;some start new groups; others join in curiouslythen eagerly; some promote events; othersattend willingly. And when somebody has toretire a new person picks up the oar.

With this in mind, September is full of events forthe benefit or enjoyment of everybody.

Friday 9th, 2.30 – 4.30 pm Raptor Display on theManor House lawns; Management’s secondspecial event. Did you catch the first one – TheLaser Clay Shoot on 23rd August?

Sunday 18th, 6 pm Harvest Hymn Sing in theLounge.

A day in the week of 19th-23rd Stillwells, Solicitors,legal update. Date, time & venue tba.

Wednesday 21st, 7 pm The Best MarigoldRetirement Village: an Indian themed dinner inthe Restaurant at £15.50 per person.

NB Utility Warehouse promotion dropped due tochallenge on advertising.

Richard Hall

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Cliff’s ColumnWell, there’s been quite a lot going on over thelast few weeks. I do have to say that I’m delightedhow the team have held the fort whilst I had a fewweeks off with the family.

We have had a few more new residents arrive thismonth. Audrey & Bob Taylor, 10 St. Swithun’sand Lee Lovell, 32 Northcliffe House, have movedin and I am sure you will join me in welcomingthem to the village.

The pathway connecting the coffee loungeexternal door to the terrace is now completed andlooks fantastic as well as making it much easierfor access to and from the coffee lounge.

Thank you to all the residents that came along toour first Diary of Events on St. Swithun’s field onTuesday 23rd August for the simulated laser clayshooting. I hope everyone enjoyed themselvesthat attended; I certainly did.

We are running very low on some crockery for thecatering team at the moment with almost 50% ofsome items such as cake plates missing. Could Itake this opportunity to ask anyone who has any

of the Restaurant crockery, cutlery etc. to eitherreturn it to reception or ask one of the team, whowill be only too pleased to come and collect.

Following the success and vibrancy around ‘Route66’ last year, foolishly we have agreed to anotherventure on Wednesday 28th September. Thistime, however, leaving from Grove Place in themorning and heading up to London to end atBattersea Place. It’s a smidgen further that whatwe ended up completing last year at around 70miles, so I’ll have to get on my bike for sometraining soon. Joining me on the ride this yearfrom Grove Place are Colin, Darren and Attila. Inthe few weeks leading up to the 28th, it would beamazing if we could begin to log the miles on thetreadmill, walking, rowing etc. and of courselengths in the pool again to see if we can improveon last year’s achievements. If you didn’tparticipate last year and would like some moreinformation, please do not hesitate to ask me.

Regards

Cliff

David & I went to Jane Scarth House Charity Shopin Romsey today(19/8/16), to give them someitems which were too large for the Charity Table.

If you have large items you wish to donate to usplease check with Emily as to whether or not youritems are suitable for the Charity Table.

We have received 60 new Handmade Cards whichthe shop is selling for £1 each. To let newresidents know, these cards are made by 2 eightyyear olds and their daughter. They sit patientlymaking them night after night and send them to

us by post and will not accept any form ofpayment.

If you have any old cards, please pass them to us.NOT XMAS CARDS.

Our Resident Charity this time is Mrs Val Tatham'sPancreatic Cancer, so

please come to the shop and support thisworthwhile charity.

Thank you all for your kindness,

From Emily and helpers in the little shop

Little Shop Charity Table

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Firstly can I just say a massive “THANK YOU”to every one for your support with the CocktailEvenings, It was certainly nice to see and heareveryone enjoying themselves and the Bar comingto life once again after so many months. It hasgiven us something to look forward to every week.

We intend to have a different version to theCocktail Evening in the future. This time aroundwe will ask you, the Residents, to concoct acocktail, mix, present and serve, we will back upof course, something you would like others to tryand this will be the speciality on that evening. Weare starting this in October and Mrs. Swiegers hasalready booked the 7th October. We may eventurn it into a competition and the best votedCocktail would be Rewarded !!!!!!! Soplease book your Friday Date with us as soon aspossible.

My sincere apologies, but for reasons beyond mycontrol I need to change this year’s HalloweenNight Dinner from the 28th October (Friday) to the31st October (Monday). Space is limited in therestaurant as usual so early booking is essential.Chef and I are currently working on the menu andhope to have it to you latest by mid next month.Looking forward to a thrilling time once again.

Just to remind you as well that there are a fewCatering Events in the “Exceptional Events atGrove Place Village 2016 / 2017” to take note of.On the 21st September we have The BestMarigold Retirement Village, Indian themedDinner up in the Restaurant; again early bookingis essential.

Thank You for your understanding and co-operation regards allowing us to park your trolliesduring Sunday Lunches. This frees up spacearound the tables, giving us more room to

manoeuvre to better serve you.

Thank you to Residents who already are using anda reminder to other Residents regards being ableto book your meals on line via the Grove Placewebsite; we have had a couple of minor glitcheshere and there, but I’m quite certain that thesehave all been ironed out and it should be allsmooth sailing from now on, all thanks to Mr.Cooper’s determination and persistence and yourvaluable feedback.

For those of you who may not know,02380.743594 is the direct telephone contactnumber to the restaurant staff. Please keep inmind that we are only available on this numberbased on the following times, and sometimes wemay not be able to answer the phone if we are inthe midst of lunch or dinner service. Please leavea voicemail and we will respond to you as soon aspossible.

Monday, Tuesday & Thursday – 9am till 5pm

Saturday & Sunday – 10am till 5pm

Wednesday & Friday – 9am till 8pm

Good News - Tom has decided to join the team ona permanent basis, much to the relief of Chef. Tomis replacing Jodie. With Chef’s guidance I am sureTom will adjust to Grove Place requirements andsettle in very swiftly.

As always, we would all like to thank you for allyour continued support, understanding, co-operation and patience. As always It is ourpleasure to look after you to the best of ourabilities.

Cemal.

Restaurant Corner

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Data Protection Act 1998

Grove Place Village DirectoryPlease keep this sheet for future reference. It will only be reissued if the Act is amended.

Compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998 - Information HoldersIt is incumbent on all residents receiving a copy of the Communications Directory that they do not passon to a third party any information in the directory without the consent of the person or persons towhich the information relates.

If you wish to check any information related to the Data Protection Act and specifically information heldfor the purposes of the Communications Directory please contact the Information Commissioners Office08456 306060.

Compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998 - Data ControllersThe Data Controllers must comply with the provisions of the 1998 Act even if they are exempt fromnotification. (The Residents Association is exempt from notification.) Marion Jackson is the DataController.

Only Information supplied by residents in writing can be included in the Communications Directory;similarly updating and correction must be conveyed in writing to the Data Controller.There are eight data protection principles. In summary, they require that data shall be:1. fairly and lawfully processed;2. processed for limited purposes;3. adequate, relevant and not excessive;4. accurate;5. not kept longer than necessary;6. processed in accordance with the data subjects' rights;7. secure; and8. not transferred to countries outside the European Economic Area without adequate protection.

When you receive a new updated copy of the Directory make sure you shred the old copy.Marion Jackson

Early Deer catches a nice fresh breakfast - Brian Greenhalgh

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The Care Team

Alma Road Surgery - Flu Clinic for 2016

Venue: Crosfield Hall - Thursday 6th October 2016

18 – 64 year olds (if eligible will receive a letter) with a time slot, usually 08.30 –09.30 and 16.30 to 17.30 (to accommodate working patients)

All over 65 year olds will NOT receive a letter.These patients are asked to come at the following time slots ac-

cording to the First letter of their surname:

A-D 09.30a.m. – 11.00 a.m.

E-K 11.00a.m. – 12.30p.m.

L-R 13.30p.m. – 15.00p.m.

S-Z 15.00p.m. – 16.30p.m.

If patients cannot make Crosfield Hall on that day there will be a catch up clinicapproximately a month later; this will not be held at the surgery due to nursingappointments and parking constraints at the surgery.Last flu season catch up clinics, equated to 384 Nursing and HCA ap-pointments lost due to flu catch up slots, which we felt on reflectionwas detrimental to the overall service we try to offer our patients.For further information about our catch up clinic please phone or look out forinformation in the surgery and on the website after Monday 10th October 2016

Thank you

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The Story of Barbara VilliersThe Mistress who chose the King’s Wife

Barbara is a popular name amongst Grove PlaceResidents, there are four Barbaras at my lastcount. I wonder if any of them know of theirinfamous namesake whose descendants includePrincess Diana and Camilla, the Duchess ofCornwall as well as Sarah Ferguson and SirAnthony Eden!

As you know from my article about ‘Sweet Nellie’last month, King Charles II was very fond of theladies, which is somewhat of an understatement!His favourite mistress after his accession was oneBarbara Villiers. Barbara was born in November1640 in the parish of St Margaret’s Westminster,the only child of the 2ⁿd Viscount GrandisonWilliam Villiers and his wife Mary Bayning. Afterthe death of Charles 1st the family remained loyalto the monarchy and to the exiled Prince Charles.It is probable that Barbara became Charles’mistress when her family pledged their loyalty tohim when they visited him at The Hague.Unfortunately, Barbara’s father then spent all hismoney on providing horses and men for theRoyalist cause during the Civil War but died fromwounds following the Battle of Newbury; beforehe could benefit from Charles II’s gratitude andhis family were left in dire straits.

Barbara was apparently considered to be one ofthe most beautiful of the royalist women. ‘Tall,voluptuous, with masses of brunette hair, heavylidded violet eyes, alabaster skin and a sensuoussulky mouth’ - she had plenty of admirers but nofortune and so her marriage prospects were notgood. However, in April 1659 she married RogerPalmer, the son of Sir James Palmer, who did notapprove of the marriage. Sir James is reported tohave predicted that, “she would make him one ofthe most miserable men in the world.” Althoughthey remained married until Palmer’s death in1705 they separated following the birth of her firstson and it is believed that none of her childrenwere fathered by her husband!

Barbara was recognised as the King’s favouritemistress in 1660 and it is thought that she

encouraged him to agree to marry Catherine ofBraganza, the eldest surviving daughter of theRoyal House of Portugal who had originally beenagreed by his Father Charles I. No doubt Barbarathought that the devout Catholic conventeducated Catherine would provide no competitionfor the King’s affection. Charles and Catherinewere married in 1662 and it is reported that whenBarbara was presented to the Queen as one of herLadies of her Bedchamber, she greeted hercordially before realising that she was herhusband’s mistress - when she promptly fainted!

Barbara did everything she could to sideline andshow disrespect to the new Queen and she wasreferred to as, “Queen in all but name”.Contemporary diarist John Evelyn called her, “thecurse of the nation.” Unfortunately for Catherineshe had at least three miscarriages- and wasunable to produce an heir to the throne althoughBarbara produced five healthy children includingthree sons! All were recognised by the King andgiven honours. Some of their descendants arenamed above.

Barbara’s influence over the King waxed andwaned for many years and she was well rewardedfor ‘services rendered.’ He appointed her long-suffering husband to be the Earl of Castlemaine,(which made her a Countess) but restricted thetitle to the descendants of Barbara’s children,which was a further acknowledgment of theirparentage and further humiliation for her poorhusband as the honour was obviously for herservices in the royal bedchamber!

Barbara was famously not only very promiscuous– when the King had other lovers so did she - butshe was also hot tempered, avaricious andextremely extravagant - helping herself regularlyfrom the Privy Purse. She also is said to have takenbribes from the Spanish and French Court,meddling in politics to further her own interests.Others who knew her, however, said she couldshow acts of random kindness and was goodcompany.

Continued on next page

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For some reason, known only to her, Barbaraconverted to Catholicism in 1663, this proved tobe part of her downfall. As a result of an Act ofParliament in 1673 known as the Test Act,Catholics were banned from holding office andBarbara lost her position as a Lady of theBedchamber. She was also cast aside by the Kingwhose affections were now elsewhere. Headvised her, “to live quietly and cause noscandal…….he cared not whom she loved.” Shewas, however, reconciled with the King duringFebruary 1685 the week before he died, when itis reported they enjoyed supper together.

Barbara Palmer, nee Villiers, Countess ofCastelmaine died on 9th October at the age ofsixty eight, probably from congestive heartfailure. She had spent the previous twenty yearsliving a life of promiscuity, extravagance and poorjudgement; not least by marrying General ‘Beau’Fielding who she later prosecuted for bigamy!!

Many well-known people are descended fromthe infamous Barbara Villiers, one of whom alsobecame a royal mistress!!

Pat Wootten

The Story of Barbara Villiers continued

Jessica Broad RecitalJessica Broad is a professional, classically trained soprano who lives and works inLondon.

We have been lucky enough to book her for a recital here at Grove Place onSaturday 8th October.

The programme is on the Notice Board and Tickets will be £7.00.

We need a full audience for this recital so please book your tickets by the endof August, to make sure it can take place.

Reminder:Thank you to all the residents who have already booked their tickets but we still needto sell more tickets before the end of August to confirm the booking and ensure we canmeet the cost incurred.

Please sign up on the notice board list or book tickets with me (PW) as soon as possible.

Assuming that the recital is able to go ahead tickets will be delivered to residents the first week inSeptember and prompt payment would be appreciated.

Pat Wootten & Kate Mills

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Music ClubThe September meeting will be on Tuesday 27th at7PM in the Palmerston Room. The programme willbe as follows:

1. Wagner – Ride of the Valkyries2. Tchaikovsky – Swan Lake- Valse – Dance of the

Goblets3. Butterworth – Banks of Green Willow4. Rachmaninov – Elegie opus.3 – no.1

Etude – Tableau opus.39 no.5Andrei Gavrilov – piano

5. Marrianne Olyver – Gypsy Orchestra - Westminster Waltz Fiddler On The Roof

6. Richard Strauss – Four Last Songs – no.3'Time To Sleep'

Kiri Te Kanawa – soprano7. Tchaikovsky – 1812 Overture8. Lena Horne – Someone To Watch Over Me9. Frank Sinatra – I Get A Kick Out Of YouSergei Rachmaninov B.1873 D.1943Rachmaninov was born on the estate of Oneg inthe province of Novgorod, between St. Petersburgand Moscow. His family was aristocratic and land-owning: at the time of the future composer's birth,however, its fortunes were steadily declining. Thecomposer was the fifth of six children, and showedan early interest in the piano, a talent doubtlessinherited from his father. But it was his motherwho was to nurture it. When Rachmaninov wasnine years old the family estate had to be sold, andhis parents separated. As an aristocrat, Sergei couldnot have taken up music professionally; nowwithout property and expectations, living with hisbrothers and sisters with his mother in St.Petersburg, he was launched upon a study of thesubject.

In 1883 Rachmaninov entered the St. PetersburgConservatoire where he studied and impressedfellow students with his gift of absolute pitch.During the three months of summer vacation, hismaternal grandmother took the family, to hercountry house on the banks of the River Volchov,near Lake Ilmen. Rachmaninov continued at theconservatoire . He entered an advanced harmonyand composition class, and his progress was rapid.A piano study so impressed Tchaikovsky, that hewas granted entry to the special composers class.

A somewhat difficult period began around thistime. Rachmaninov decided to hurry the remainder

of his course there and asked permission to sit thefinal piano examination a year ahead of time. Hewas allowed to do this and passed with honours.He still had to finish the course in composition anda bad bout of malaria weakened his health for overa year. However, he managed to take his finalcomposition examination early and gained a GoldMedal. In 1893 Rachmaninov began appearing asa pianist. Also in 1893 his 1st Symphony wasperformed under Glazunov's baton. It was adisastrous failure. It was not published and themanuscript destroyed. It was also a hugepsychological blow to his confidence, but by 1898he felt able to compose again.

In 1902 Rachmaninov married Natalie Satin; themarriage was happy, blessed with children andlong-lasting, although his wife outlived him bysome years.

On the 23rd December 1917 Rachmaninov, with hisfamily, left Russia for a Scandinavian tour; hecarried little money and only such possessions aswere portable, and he did not expect an earlyreturn to a country where his birth and upbringingmade him a stranger to the new politicalsystem.With the fees from his Scandinavian tourhe was able to get back on his feet and pay off hisdebts. In order to provide for his family, educatehis two daughters, and have a regular income hedecided to become a full-time concert pianist.

The family sailed for the new world on the 1stNovember 1918. Now came his years of concertplaying, which were to continue with fewinterruptions until the time of his death in 1943.Rachmaninov specialized in the kind of music hisaudience wanted to hear, the romantics such asChopin,Schumann, and Liszt and ,of course, his owncompositions. He was greatly heartened, in 1939,when the Soviet authorities, having for many yearsconsidered his music bourgeois and decadent,changed their minds and invited him to send scoresto Russia for performance. But compositionbecame more difficult for him. He said as much toa friend: “How can I compose without a melody?”It was cancer that struck him down finally. His lastrecital was in February 1943; on the 28th March hedied, and was buried in Kensico Cemetery nearNew York.

David Hunt

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When the world was vast and flat and the humanpopulation small, we were nomads flitting overthe landscape as hunter-gatherers. In 2013, PaulSalopek, an American journalist, started to walkthe 30 million steps from Ethiopia to SouthAmerica, re-tracing our 160,000 year journey intobecoming who we are, where we are and when:the ultimate marathon journey.

In ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece andRome, communication was slow and veryexpensive. Messengers and teachers were alwaysperipatetic, a word we still use of teachers whovisit schools.

‘He travels the fastest who travels alone’, wroteKipling. He travels even faster if he travels light,so inevitably, the nomad travelled light: one cloak,one pair of sandals and one bag. Our ancestorswere almost perpetual vagrants, a word we usewith derision, like tramp or hobo, though perhapswith a smile as we sing ‘King of the Road’, orperhaps pilgrim, which we say with respect.

Very slowly, learning and prosperity increased, ourvalues changed and we took to a settled life asfarmers growing just one or two types of grasses,which made for a more plentiful but, very limiteddiet. Work was hard with ploughing, sowing,weeding, watering, reaping and guarding theprecious crops. We lived in temporary shelters,then in more permanent buildings. Class divisionsemerged, the rich man in his castle, the poor manin his hovel, but both with extended familiessettled into the annual cycle of the seasons.

This lifestyle remained relatively stable until theIndustrial Revolution. Part of that revolution wasa shift of settled land workers when wholefamilies travelled to the new cities; and part wasbuilding the railways, ironclad ships andautomobiles, which made us nomadic again, butmuch faster.

Today we live between the settled and the

nomadic. We are conscious of a highly mobile andinteractive global community, which we partlydetest when it unsettles our lives, but which weeagerly enjoy when we skype our relatives, driveto London, fly abroad or cruise the seas.

In the settled order, everything is easy,readymade and convenient in our ‘Little Boxes’.Everything stays put. In the new, nomadic orderall is change: food, politics, fashion, morality, evenclimate, but we are always nostalgic for the past.We each left our home to live at Grove, yet webrought most of our home with us and found wehad too much: five bedrooms into two won’t go.Some of us even want a garden like the one wehad just given up. We are reluctant to travel light.

Perhaps you have been in that dramatic situationwhen a voice calls for a doctor to help someonewho has been taken ill, like a Good Samaritan.Some travellers pass on by, some gawp, some takeselfies but the doctor is expected to stop, help,and be the Good Samaritan. We forget that he orshe, too, is a traveller, a nomad, a vagrant, apilgrim, a passer-by, like you and me.

The small, round world, now with a hugepopulation, seems to be full of endless nomadsflitting over the landscape and we resent them,the enforced migrants, always called ‘illegal’ evenwhen they aren’t. They invariably travel light asthey escape war and torture and seek asylum.The ‘economic’ migrants, deemed the lowest ofthe low, seek a better life - just as we have alwaysdone.

“Be passers-by” is a saying attributed to a veryfamous pedestrian indeed in the gospel of Thomasas we begin to discover that nothing is fixed,certainties fade away and we go the way of allflesh, as nomads through the world, hopefullysinging, ‘It Was a Very Good Year’.

Richard Hall

‘A Wandering Aramean was my Father’- 30 Million Steps

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Being a farmer is hard work — but being a farmerin places like Kenya, Botswana, and Sri Lanka hasa unique challenge that other areas of the worlddon’t have - elephants!

Wild elephants, whose natural behaviour is toroam, have been known to march right throughfields, damaging and destroying crops. When thehuman farmers try to intervene, things can turnugly, and both human and elephant injuries andeven deaths can occur. Sadly, like toomany animals, elephants face many dangers atthe hands of humans. It’s a shame, because thesecreatures are intelligent, sensitive and havecomplex emotional and social connections,forming strong bonds with one another, and withdifferent animals, too. So a solution was neededthat would both keep the farmers’ fields safe, butmake sure the elephants were in no way harmed.This solution was not only brilliantly simple, butalso had the added bonus of helping out anotherspecies in crisis: bees. - Read on to see how theydid it!

In areas where elephants are free-roaming,humans must learn to coexist with them. Sadly,elephants like to raid farms at night, eating andflattening crops and damaging the farmers’livelihoods. This can lead to violent confrontationswhere both humans and elephants are hurt andkilled.

Elephants usually raid fields at night and to wardthem off, people have fired guns, thrown rocksand launched firecrackers to scare them off. Justlike with humans, an injury or death in anelephant’s family unit puts major emotional stresson the herd.

The devastation to fields is no small issue,either. These small farmers rely on their crops tosurvive, and a damaged field can mean a seriousloss of income and food.

There seemed to be no simple solution, untilzoologist Dr. Lucy King noticed that Elephantsreally don’t like bees, and will avoid them at allcosts. If they hear buzzing, they’ll leave an areaimmediately, signalling to others that bees areabout. This is because bees’ stings are especiallypainful to elephants’ trunks, and to avoid this pain,elephants prefer to just stay away. And thus, beefences were born!

“Beefencing”, as it is now known, is the use ofhanging rows of beehives, connected together bya length of wire. When a nosy elephantapproaches, it will knock into the wire, setting thehives swinging and disturbing the bees. And whenthe elephants hear that buzzing, they will turnaround and leave. The crops are safe, the humansare safe, and the elephants are safe. The bees aresafe, too.

Dr. King has been working with variousconservation organizations and communities inAfrica and Sri Lanka, building beefences aroundlocal farms. She hopes that this will be the first ofmany steps to create sustainable solutions wherehumans and animals can coexist peacefully.

The project has also attracted the attention ofsome big names, who are chipping in to createmore beefences.

The bees also help pollinate fields and maintainthe biodiversity needed to support an ecosystem,so the farmers get a helping hand, too. And as anadded bonus, the farmers get to keep or sell thehoney and beeswax produced by their hives.

This “elephant-friendly honey” is available in localshops near the areas where the farmers live andwork. But unless you’re planning a visit to Nairobi,you won’t be able to get any. But it is quite popularwhere it is sold!

Contributed by Heather Nestel

Elephants and Bees Project

of 22

ADVANCE NOTICE

DID YOU ENJOY

SING-ALONG-A-UKEIN JULY?

WE WILL BE DOING IT AGAINCOUNTRY AND WESTERN

FLAVOUREDDUE TO RESTRICTION ON NUMBERS REGISTRATION

WITH LESLEIGH COMMENCES 14TH SEPTEMBER 2016

of 22

Grove Place 2007In 2007, when LCR took over Atherley School at Grove Place, they applied for planning permission toadapt it for use as a Retirement Village. Plans accompanying the application included the existing sitelayout, which is reproduced below.

Fred Tickle

of 22

There hasn’t been much sun this year ― and summer’s almost gone!Although we’ve had a few hot days they didn’t last that long.

It seems to me our climate’s changed ― we’re getting too much rain.When will the summer months for me be endless sun again?

Can you remember those summer days, when we were all so young?Those long hot days and short warm nights and games so full of fun.The picnic teas with simple foods, like home-made bread and jam.

And a bottle of fizzy drink, to wash down mum’s best apple pie!

Hard boiled eggs with too much salt! And sugar-laden tea!For there were no labels on my food to say what’s bad for me!

Days spent making secret dens and flying kites so high.And climbing trees which looked so tall against the cloudless sky.

Playing hide and seek in long-grass fields before they’re cut for hay -And catching butterflies with nets before they fly away.I can’t remember rainy days or dark clouds in the sky.

Unlike today when dark clouds form ― whilst summer passes by.

Underneath the apple trees there were ‘fallers’ all around.Now ‘Health and Safety’ rules they say ― don’t eat food off the ground!

No playing ‘tag’ or jumping streams nor climbing trees so high.For now in all those summer games ― ‘Health and Safety’ rules apply!

Most children today would rather play on i-pads and cell-phones!And any suggestion of a game outside is met with moans and groans.

Some children still go on holiday playing games on a sandy beach.But before the game can go ahead they make sure their phone’s in reach.

The summer sun, when we were young ― it seemed to last for days.But now there’s always big black clouds blocking out its warming rays!

I look outside each morning ― what to wear I cannot say.For although the sun is shining bright there are rain clouds on the way.

Although I can’t remember rain ― in summers as a boy.But they say you always remember days which brought you lots of joy.

Perhaps we often did get wet whilst playing in the rain.So maybe our climate hasn’t changed ― it’s always been the same!

David Wootten (at the time of writing)

There Hasn’t Been Much Sun This Year…….

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Picnic in the Park

On a pleasant summer’s evening, eight residents ‘christened’ the picnic table and toasted the lateTony Gopsil for his gift to the residents of Grove Place. For newcomers to the village, Tony was a

highly respected previous Vice Chairman of the residents’ committee.Ken Mills (taking the selfie).

Grove Place Harvest Thanksgiving

Sunday September 18th at 6-30 p.m. Come and join in singing traditional hymns and listen to familiarreadings.

Any tins or dried goods donated will be given to the Lords Hill Basics Bank to be distributed to localpeople who have fallen on hard times.

Pat Wootten & The Fellowship Group

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Cowes Firework Display

11 of us travelled by minibus from Grove Place toSouthampton Red Funnel terminal, setting off at7pm on a beautiful calm, clear night, to witnessthe traditional end of Cowes week fireworkdisplay. Once aboard we quickly found our seatsand settled into the trip, with music on both decks,disco on the upper, and a live group playing all thehits from the 60’s onwards, which is where mostof us stayed to enjoy the hourlong trip to anchorjust off Cowes.

We arrived there at 9pm and it was announcedthat the firework display would start at 9.30pm,so at around that time we made our way up to thetop deck, from where we watched a fantasticdisplay, which lasted over 15 minutes. We allagreed that it was a superb display. Once thesmaller vessels had made their way back towardsCowes or Southampton, we returned to our deck

and continued to enjoy the live music on offer,together with an impromptu picnic of sandwichesand nibbles/snacks, plus the odd glass of wine etc.The hour’s journey back to port was spent lookingat our pictures taken of the display, and joining inthe singing with other passengers, who, like us, allannounced that the evening was indeedmemorable and a great success.

On disembarking from the ferry, the welcomingsight of our driver Brian waiting dockside to takeus back to Grove Place, made the whole eveningperfect! We arrived back at GP at 11.45 pm; ourgrateful thanks to Brian. We certainly will belooking forward to returning, at the same timenext year.

Ken Mills

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SMART METERS.

Smart Meters are now becoming popular and areavailable from your electricity supplier. They aresupplied free of charge, including fitting. I havechecked with Cliff Hasler, the Village Manager, andhe confirms that you do not need to get permissionfrom Grove Place to have one installed; it is entirelydown to the resident.

The only thing to be aware of is that there is not justone type of meter; various types are used by differentelectricity companies, so if you have one and arethinking of changing your supplier check that yournew supplier is operating with a similar system.

Ray Smith

Resident Notices

Interesting Inventions by Women

Contributed by Heather Nestel

The Modern Electric RefrigeratorThe electric refrigerator was invented by Florence Parpart in 1914 (Florence also invented an improvedstreet cleaning machine in addition to the refrigerator).

For Lexophiles• How does Moses make tea? Hebrews it.• England has no kidney bank, but it does have a Liverpool.• I didn't like my beard at first. Then it grew on me.

Contributed by Ken Peters

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vol 5 issue 5 september 2016 16.pdf · the firework boat trip to see the end of cowes week’s...

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