December 2007 & January 2008 - St Leonards · 10 Hilltop News Hilltop News 11 MRSGOBELL’S100TH...

December 2007 & January 2008

3Hilltop News

KEEP A WELCOME INTHE HILLTOPS

Minutes after Angela and I movedinto our Hilltop cottage 27 yearsago, a chap walked through our

gate and said to me in a typical Bucksdrawl, ‘I know you’. I looked back at thesmiling, ruddy-cheeked face and replied ‘Iknow you too’. It was Alan Brown and wehad played cricket against each other (ifyou play cricket against Alan, you tend toremember). I was from now destined toplay with Alan at H&CCC: and he still doeshis best to get local people to play, as wellas working harder than ever to keep theground in tip top condition.

Alan’s was not our only friendlywelcome. The late Bert Gomm introducedme to the History Group. Near neighbours,the Firths and the Yees, could not havebeen more helpful. I like to think thiscourtesy is extended to all newcomers tothe Hilltop Villages, and that they may jointhe many and various clubs and societieswe have to offer.

Which reminds me: when in 1985 I wasasked to produce the cricket club’scentenary brochure, part of this was toresearch and write the club’s history. Whatstood out to me was that, in the 1950s, theHilltop Villages had two cricket clubs (H&Cand St.Leonards), two football clubs(Cholesbury and St.Leonards), a tennis anda bowls club. Only H&CCC remains on thesporting front, but other clubs and societies(all represented in Hilltop News) are alsothriving and these help make our HilltopVillages so special.

Happy Christmas!Graham Lincoln

Included in this issue…

Off to AfricaFollow Fred Baxter on his Charity Bike Rideand the adventures of Toby Thwaites as hesets out to conquer the world!

Yum yum…Our school children get their teeth intohealthy food.

Ghostly talesStrange goings on at The Black Horse.

Cricket Club looks to the futureOur colts get their just awards.

Are you inspired?If not, Valerie Schuch may change your life!

A splendid century!Mrs Gobell’s special birthday celebration.

Memorial GatesJohn Farmer gives the background to thenew gates at Cholesbury Church.

Our regular featuresNature’s all black and white to Chris Brown.Jim Hetherington delves into the lives ofour local mice.Our Curvaceous Cook serves up a doubletreat for Christmas.…plus all the news from our churches,clubs, council and societies.

Ishould like to say how much Iappreciate the help and support Ihave received from neighbours and

friends since my return home fromhospital last May. ‘Getting going’ againhas been made so much easier and I amnow taking short walks up and downthe lane. Writing however, still takes along time and therefore I shall not beable to send local Christmas cards thisyear. However, I should like to wisheveryone in the Hilltops a very HappyChristmas and peaceful New Year.

Daughne DriverBuckland Common

5Hilltop News4 Hilltop News

LOCAL AND GHOSTLYTHE BLACK HORSE INN,THE VALEWith the return of Janet and Mick Goodchild

as our hosts at The Black Horse Inn a year

ago, the Hilltop Villages can now boast that

we have four first class pubs with loads of

atmosphere and all with good food and

drink selections. Happily for us denizens of

the Chiltern peaks, each has a distinctly

different character which can lend variety to

our outings.

Atover 500 years old, the Black Horse issaid to be the oldest inn in the Chilterns.The original core of the structure is

bounded on the south end by a deep inglenookfireplacewhich is the focus of themain bar area.The inn’s accommodation roomswere above theentrance and bar. Over time and in stages, thebuilding has been extended in three directionsto provide dining and kitchen areas as well as aresidence on the first floor.

Given its age and the constant flow ofinn trade traffic, there has been ampleopportunity to acquire the presence ofghostly spirits. And so it is that there aretwo visiting ghosts or spirits according to a1999 report that was written following aninspection visit by The Ghost Club Society.One is an old lady about five feet tall with ahunched back wearing a white housebonnet and displaying prominent whitecuffs. She resides in one of the first floorbedrooms. The second spirit is that of acoachman or footpad who frequents thebar. A psychic has portrayed him as a tasselhaired youth named James. His likeness is onview beside the fireplace. These spirits areonly casual visitors who make sure thebuilding remains at rest. The inn is said toachieve its friendly atmosphere as a result oftheir guardianship.

The Ghost Club Society had conducted aninspection following persistent reports of aghostly highwayman who appears fromtime to time after last orders. He seems tobe a touchy sort of character who opensthen slams doors and throws objects about.A previous landlady of the Black Horse, LynHawkes, has been quoted as saying that this

ghost is usually friendly. Since he has beenseen in the bar area, staff bedrooms andkitchen doorway, she has concluded that hehas been pleading for attention. Wheneverhe has been present he has appeared in verydark clothing. An unidentified visitor to theinn claimed that he had been raised there asa child. He confided that previous residentshave handed down the legend that thishighwayman was having an affair with anincumbent landlady hundreds of years ago.After he was caught, he was shot to death.Nevertheless, he may never have been faraway since.

* * *Janet and Mick have been very effective

in tastefully creating a clean and cheerfulinterior décor with a fascinating display oftheir collections of plates including localcommemorative series and many horsebrasses. Their effort has extended to theexterior of the inn where the walls, signageand flowering hanging baskets have allbeen renewed. Looking forward to milderweather, there is an ample garden with

picnic tables for outdoor dining orsocialising. The garden and patio are out ofsight at the rear with tranquil views up thevale toward the hills above. For those whosuffer from Crackberry type addictions, freeinternet access is available.

Food service is an important part of whatThe Black Horse has to offer. It is a rollingmenu of traditional English cuisine. Thereare always pies that are homemade in theirkitchen from ingredients whose provenanceis known to them. Vegetarians should bepleased by the several options available tothem at any time. With a full time kitchenstaff of three including a chef, the inn serveslunch and dinner seven days a week.

Since the Black Horse was previously aBenskins property, it is now owned by PunchTaverns, and the landlords are leaseholders.Their policy is always to offer a choice of atleast three real ales at any one time with afourth frequently available. A goodselection of wines is available by the glass.

Bill Ingram 758258


FUTURE LOOKINGBRIGHT FOR CRICKETCLUBHawridge & Cholesbury bade farewell to the

Mid Bucks Cricket League (having been

members since 1993) and look forward to a

new challenge next season in the Chilterns

League.

TheSaturdayFirstXIcouldn’tquitematchthe

previousseason’sheight(champions!)butfinishedascreditablerunners-up.Oh,butfortherain!Fivematcheswererainedoff,includingonevitalweekendwhentheeventualchampions,WidmerEnd,playedandachievedmaximumpointswhenallothermatchesthatdaywerecancelled.Thatwasthedifference.Duringtheseason,of18leaguematchesplayedwewon10,lost2,drew1,gaining305points,17behindthewinners.

The Saturday Second XI finished sixth inDivision 3, an improvement on the previousseason, having won 3, lost 5, drawn 2, with 6games rained off.

The club held its awards evening inOctober. Despite competing with the Englandv France rugby World Cup semi-final, it waswell attended. The player-of-the-year awardfor the Saturday First XI went to AdrisAhmed, for his excellent bowling: left arm,very quick with an awkward swing when theconditions are right. Adris is still only 18 andhe will get even better. Second XI awardwinner was James Cath, this time primarilyfor his batting: he achieved the LeagueDivision 3 top score of 103 not out. Again,James is a young man with his best years, nodoubt, still to come. The Sunday team, whichplays friendly matches, shared three awards.Best bowler award went to Mick Channer,

batsman Nick Jones and overall player-of-the-year was Edward Knight. Each winnerreceived a club cap, proudly emblazonedwith the club crest, as well as a trophy.

This evening was also special for theHawridge & Cholesbury Colts, the future ofour cricket club. Colts manager Neil Jonesacknowledged the help given to training ouryoungsters by Matt Stay, Digger Reading andSue and Guy Williams. Given the large

numbers that come to the common onThursday evenings throughout the summer,this help is vital. Our thriving colts section isnow beginning to produce boys who arecapable of stepping up into the senior teamsand improving the overall standard of theclub.

The award for the Under 12 batsman-of-the-year went to George Haggerty, and thebowling award to Jonty Wager-Leigh. Under14 batsman-of-the-year was Gary Emery andbowler Jonathan Channer. The overall colt-of-the-year prize was awarded to William Jones.A special achievement award went to youngBen Marsden.

Here’s to a bright future for Hawridge &Cholesbury Cricket Club.

Graham Lincoln, Secretary, Hawridge &Cholesbury Cricket Club 758449

Jonathan Channer receives his bowler-of-the-year award.

Fourteen year-old William Jones (wearing newclub cap) accepting his award for ‘colt-of-the-year’ from Club Chairman Tony Smith.

CURVACEOUS COOKI asked my neighbour in the office,

Gail, for a different recipe forChristmas, and this is what sheserves for non-Christmas-pud-loving Christmas dinner eaters.Looks seriously celebratory!

Gail’s Spiced Christmas Fruit Salad4 comice pears peeledand cut into chunks

4oz dried ready to eat apricots(halved)

4oz white seedless grapes8fl.oz dry red wine3oz dried cherries

Zest and chopped flesh of largenavel orange and its juice

1 cinnamon stick2fl.oz honey

2fl.oz ruby port

Bring all ingredients (except port)to the boil.

Simmer for 20 minutesAdd port and simmer for

further 10 minutes

Will keep in the fridgefor several days.

Lulu Stephen

[email protected]

offered. You can place a ‘wanted’ message.It is acceptable for someone to takesomething and then sell it, so long as this ismade clear at the time and the offereragrees.

To join a group, log onto ‘Freecycle.org’and click ‘Browse groups’. If you then clickonto the South East you will find a list ofgroups which includes Chiltern District,High Wycombe and Aylesbury.Berkhamsted comes under the East! Joiningis simple – you have to set up a Yahoo e-mail address and be approved by themoderator.

I have joined Chiltern District and anunwanted electrical item has found a newhome. The group appears to generateabout 25 messages a day, and the numberis increasing. However, you can elect toreceive only the daily digest, or nomessages at all (except general ones fromthe moderator which apparently are rare).You can, of course, go to the website anddo searches.

Fletcher Nicholson758366

Hilltop NewsHilltop News

CHOLESBURY CUM STLEONARDSHORTICULTURALSOCIETY NEWS

The Society’s final event of the yearwas the AGM and supper with quiz,which was held at Cholesbury Village

Hall on Friday 09 November. Around 60people attended what was a most convivialevening. The brief AGM took place beforethe meal and Charles Firth was welcomedto the committee. Charles has kindlyagreed to take on the role of Treasurer forthe next year. We were delighted to re-elect John Garner as the Society’sChairman. Without the effort and hardwork of John and Diana the Society wouldnot definitely not be as successful as it is.

A reminder - if you have not yetrenewed your annual subscription this canbe done by contacting Diana Garner on758347. We were pleased to welcome somenew members to the society this year, someof whom did well at this year’s show, soothers among you, who are not alreadymembers, may wish to consider joining.Membership costs only £2 and benefitsinclude the members-only summer eveninggarden visit, reduced charges for your showentries and discount at several local gardencentres. Members are reminded to taketheir membership cards with them foridentification purposes when makingpurchases from these nurseries.

Our first event of 2008 will be a talkfrom Edwina Roberts of the Hertfordshirebranch of the National Gardens Scheme on‘The NGS and Hertfordshire Gardens’.The talk will take place on Friday 14March, and will be accompanied by cheeseand wine. Notices will be issued in the usualway nearer to the event but make a note inyour new diaries now! Those who attendedthe AGM on November 9th will have heardthat Edwina was inspired to give this talk bya request from the Society and that, thanksto Cholesbury cum St Leonards HorticulturalSociety, the NGS is now consideringpreparing similar talks on a national basis.

Other events for 2008 will include anafternoon open garden with teas, anevening garden visit for members and, ofcourse, the annual show. Be sure to orderyour seed catalogues to while away thosewinter evenings selecting treasures for nextyear, when we can only hope that springwill be spring and summer will indeed besummer!

Anne Brown 758890Hort Soc Committee(http://www.cholesbury.com/hortsoc.htm)

8 9

RECYCLE WITHFREECYCLEI’ve always felt uncomfortable when

putting perfectly good stuff on the tip –

TVs and other working electrical items,

surplus furniture, etc – because they are

unsaleable and nobody seems to want

them. So I was delighted to find the

Freecycle website.

Freecycle was started in America in 2003and now claims to have over 4,000groups worldwide each made up of

people in a particular area. It is aboutpeople giving and getting unwanted itemsso that they are reused and don’t go intolandfill. It is free to join, non-profitmaking, and each group has a volunteermoderator who controls the group site.

There are some basic rules. Everythingoffered must be free (and legal) - if youwant to trade, go to e-Bay! Freecycle mustnot be used to advertise businesses andcertain items, including pets, cannot be

11Hilltop NewsHilltop News10

MRS GOBELL’S 100THBIRTHDAYCELEBRATION.

On 23rd September, Mrs Lisa Gobellcelebrated her 100th birthday ather home, The New House at

Hengrove, Chivery, with family, friends andformer pupils of the school, which she andher late husband, Alfred, established in1947 to meet the needs of children withbehaviour and learning problems. MrsGobell’s inspiration for their school wasfrom a German book called ‘The House inthe Sun’ in which there are beautifulillustrations of children enjoying a happyhome life and many and varied physicalactivities; together with her conviction thatthat is what children deserved.

Mrs Gobell's home occupies part of thegrounds of Hengrove, on the road from StLeonards to Aston Clinton, where theirschool was situated.

According to Terry Jackson, a formerpupil, whilst Lisa is frail, her mind is assharp as ever. With the help of her son,Alexander, she has just finished editing theoriginal version of the book which shewrote after her retirement, entitled'Hengrove, The House in the Sun', for asecond edition. This has now beenpublished online at the websitehttp://hengrove.thisweek.co.uk. Furtherwork is soon to be done on the website aspart of a project to re-unite pupils whoattended the school between 1951 and1997. Many former pupils have expressedtheir appreciation for the help theyreceived at Hengrove and the skills thatthey learned there.

Mr and Mrs Gobell and their familycame to England from Germany in the late1930s and, before opening their school atHengrove, Alfred taught languages inLondon. They later ran a small school (RedLodge) in Tring for children unable to cope

with mainstream schooling. Their successwas soon recognised and places atHengrove School, where they moved in1951, were eagerly sought by many localeducation authorities, looking foralternative school placements for suchchildren.

The school catered for up to 36 studentsfrom under 10 years old to school leavingage and beyond. There they received groupor individual counselling, where necessary,with the celebrated, local paediatrician andpioneer of child psychology andpsychotherapy, Dr Margaret Lowenfeld inattendance. The school was originally co-educational but catered for girls only,because of governmental restrictions, fromthe 1960s.

The children were taught in small classesof six to eight pupils and followed theNational Curriculum, with special emphasison literacy and numeracy; creative arts; and

life skills. The Gobells were vegetarian andmany local people remember visits to theschool when they were taken around thegardens, which Edward Newmark describedas “a cornucopia of vegetables grownorganically”. Local visitors were also invitedto attend performances of the children'sconcerts, plays and exhibitions.

The students were encouraged to takepart in a wide variety of activities outsideof school, such as using local sportingfacilities and, when they could reliably doso, they were given responsibilities in therunning of the school. Many have gone onto take responsible positions in society.

After Mr Gobell's death in 1972, MrsGobell continued to run the school untilshe retired in 1979, with the help of herson, Alexander, and Ilse who had joinedthe school in 1951. Alexander describes Ilseas Lisa’s right hand assistant and shefulfilled many roles in the school includingacting as matron. Ilse is now Lisa’s devotedcompanion at The New House.

Sadly, the school closed in 1997 whenAlexander retired, but its success inproviding a new beginning for so manystudents is a tribute to the work of theGobells.

Hengrove was built about 1910 and itsarchitect was Morley Horder, who was anassociate of Sir Edwin Lutyens. Its beautifulfront facade is a copy of one of Lutyens’buildings. In the 1960's the Gobells built anannexe in the grounds of Hengrove forstaff and pupils, and this is where Mrs.Gobell now lives.

Another cottage in the grounds isbelieved to have been the originalHengrove, probably built in the 16th or17th centuries, which was formerlythatched and was, at one time, one ofmany ‘inns’ in the area that served drinksto travellers along the Ridgeway at thehighest point between Tring andWendover.

12 Hilltop News Hilltop News 13

CHOLESBURY VILLAGE HALLAttractive period hall with good modern

facilities available for hire

Local organisations £5 per hour

Local private bookings & localfundraising/events from £7 per hour

Private parties from £10 per hour

Special rates available forall day functions.

For more details, please call theBookings Secretary on 01494 758334

Are you looking atyour options?

If you’d like to find out about a way of…• working for yourself with flexible hours• doing something you enjoy• being with positive people• helping others & helping yourself• taking care of your health naturally• with lots of training & support

…then please give me a call.

It would be my pleasure to share a business I love withyou, so that you can see if there is something in it for youSuitable for any age or background, whatever kind of

income you are looking for

Look forward to hearing from you…Valerie01494 757197 or 07946 423251

THE COUNTY COUNCIL

The wonderful cleardays of autumn havenow given way to

shorter days and coldernights and living on top ofthe hill we are all moreaware of the frostyweather. Once again we have haddiscussions about the County’s wintergritting programme and I have spoken outforcefully about the expectations of localresidents.

Some of you will have seen my letters tothe Press expressing concern about theknock-on effect on the Chiltern AONB fromthe Government’s plans to build 9300houses south of Aylesbury. This changes thestakes considerably from building themnorth of the town. It suggests thatwithout investment in infrastructure toentice quality employment to Aylesbury,these new residents will join the 60,000people who already commute out of thecounty each day to work and put extrastrain on our roads and railway system. TheA413 is a particular concern. No one wantsa new super-highway through theChilterns, but how could the present roadcope with the influx of more heavy traffic?Aylesbury Vale District Council believes thatby co-operating with Government they willget the maximum investment and theCounty Council is determined to see localvillages retain their identity. None of this isperfect, and we understand that toaccommodate every new person arriving inBritain for work from now on a further 260new houses would be needed each andevery day! We must express our concern forfuture generations in Buckinghamshire.

Last week whilst I was out and aboutlooking at the roads in Chiltern RidgesDivision you might be interested to knowthat I came a across a large juggernautbelonging to The Walsall Wheelbarrow

Company ‘Hallmark of Quality’ which hadrelied on its SatNav equipment and becomestuck in Beamond End Lane, together witha large quantity of fly-tipping. I do hopeyou will contact me if you encounterproblems of this sort.

The County Council expects to retain thefour stars awarded last November for topquality services and performance, ‘offeringexcellent value for money’. TheGovernment’s Comprehensive SpendingReview, ‘Meeting the Aspirations of theBritish People’, sets out its spending reviewfor the next three years. This will continuethe drive for even better value servicesdelivering at least 3% net, cash-releasingvalue for money savings per year acrosscentral and local government.

I was delighted to contribute towardsthe replacement of the exterior doors atthe rear of St Leonard’s Parish Hall throughthe Community Leader’s Fund. This fundenables me to make a small but vitalcontribution to projects in the communityand your future ideas would be welcome.

The festive season will soon be here andmay I wish everyone a very happyChristmas and New Year. Please contact meif I can support your views or concerns atCounty Hall.

Tricia Birchley 01296 621138

ST LEONARDS PARISH HALLAvailable for all types of events, partiesand meetings, large field, children’s play

area and convenient parking

Local organisations £5 per hour

Local private bookings & localfundraising/events from £7 per hour

Discos & other bookings from£9.50 per hour

Special rates available for all dayfunctions, weddings, camping etc.

For more details, please call theBookings Secretary on 01494 758341


LOCAL HISTORYGROUPThe Programme for Winter 2007-8

How do you explore

the local area and

learn something new

about its history

without catching cold

or getting your feet

wet……? The worst kept secret in the

Hilltop villages - join us on the first Friday of

the month for our evening talks.

On 7th December, we welcome backa good friend of the Local HistoryGroup, Wendy Austin who has been

a frequent speaker about the Rothschildfamily and has once again been digging intohistory with the story of Tring Gardens -Then and Now.

We get on the road in the New Year on4th January with the Archaeology of theA41 when Robert Masefield, who was thearchaeological consultant for theexcavations, will take us on a journeythrough some of the early history that hasbeen revealed.

A trip to the movies is our treat for themeeting on February 1st when Clive Foxellwill be directing and starring in his ownproduction - The History of Technicolor.

The venue for all these meetings is StLeonards Parish Hall, and they start at 8.00for 8.15pm.

Annual membership, which provides freeentry to our evening meetings as well as acopy of our Newsletter, is great value at just£6 per annum. Visitors are welcome at allmeetings for just £2 paid at the door. Forfurther information please contact SylviaWatson on 758914.

Chris Brown 758890

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CHOLESBURYCHURCHYARDMEMORIAL GATESDuring October new gates and posts were

installed at the entrance to Cholesbury

churchyard. Whether you are going to Holy

Communion or walking the dog, rambling

with the family or a Duke of Edinburgh’s

student the entrance is as good as at

anytime since 1922.

For the technically minded, the gatesare made of furniture grade oak thathas been air-dried for at least twelve

years and then kiln dried. Both gates havecurved heels on their stiles. The posts aregreen oak and have Rothschild heads. Thegates follow exactly the design of theoriginals installed in 1922 with mortise and

tenon construction. The former ironfurnishings have been retained whereverpractical.

The gates are a memorial to those whoserved during the First World War. We stillhave the Cholesbury PCC Minute Bookdating from 1922 when the War was arecent memory. The provision of gates isfirst recorded on August 25th 1922 and atthe same time reference is made to aPrisoners of War Fund. By September 15ththe minutes report a Cholesbury ChurchWar Memorial account. On December 8thwe are told of a List of Subscriptions formemorial gates. The money mounts up:

Prisoners of War Fund ....................£15–10 -4Cholesbury ChurchWar Memorial Fund .......................£10–12- 0Subscriptions....................................£15-19 -6“Price” of materialof old gates .......................................£1– 0 –0

£43 –1 -10

The December minutes also show £30-15-0 paid to Mr.W.Bishop for Gates and £1-10-0 for a bronze plaque. Over £20 wasspent on other repairs including a “Lampnear the Entrance Gate”. Whateverhappened to that Lamp?

The exact date when the gates wereinstalled is not known but we can speculateArmistice Day in 1922. Parish records,faithfully reported by the Rev.J.A.Walker,show who were the first to pass throughthe gates for their great occasions.Baptism on 23rd January: Eric

Gordon Wingrove sonof William and IvyGrace. William was apainter and the familylived in Chesham.Marriage on 23rd

December: WilliamHarry Plested awoodworker ofChesham and EvaElizabeth Gomm ofCholesbury. Bothfathers are reported asbootmakers.Burial on 1st

February: Emily AnnGilbert aged 84 of 100,Bierton Road, Aylesbury.

The next reference inthe Minutes to thegates was on April 29th1947 and simply says“Gates want oiling etc”.

In 1997 the gateswere in need of repair and Evelyn Moneyand Mike Scarrott tackled the work. Theybrought in a carpenter who fitted newwood and also obtained replacementironwork while being careful not to alterthe gate design. But rotting of the timbercontinued and recently a hinge brokeleaving us with no alternative but acomplete replacement.

The saga began in April last year with

enquiries to many companies and I amgrateful to John Garner for his advice onthis specialist task. In the end a localcompany ‘The Gatemakers’ from BucklandVillage was given the work to make thegates and install them. The gates are onChurch property and within the boundaryof the Iron Age Fort and permission wasrequired from both Church and State. Thefinal authority was English Heritage whowere strict but helpful and clearlycommitted to our heritage.

We received three generous offers to

help pay for the gates and the PCC is mostgrateful to all three parishioners as Churchfunds are inadequate for the considerableexpenditure. We accepted the offer fromAnne Byrne and the restoration becomes amemorial to Mike Byrne who died last year.Thank you, Anne, and we look forward tosharing the rededication of the gates withyour friends and family.

John Farmer

In with the new

Out with the old


WHAT’S BLACK ANDWHITE BUT READ ALLOVER?Looking back at September and October’s

weather we see a shift from cooler, wetter

spring and summer weather patterns to a

milder, dryer autumn season. There was

little more than an inch of rain in the

months of September and October and

November has started in much the same

way. The outlook for December and

January is for a mild winter with less

rainfall than the average of the last ten

years although perhaps a little wetter than

last winter.

Nature’s autumn colours – the reds,yellows and browns have largelygiven way to nature’s winter and its

shades of black, white and grey. Take astroll or even look out the window anybright morning around now and youcannot fail to appreciate why artists favourthis time of the year for those shafts ofslanting ‘winter light’. The polarising of thelight adds a distinctive quality to subjectsfor painter or photographer alike.Everything in view, from an awe-inspiringlandscape down to just a few blades offrost-scarred grass seem to be magnified,their otherwise overlooked features nowsharply in focus.

Spring and summer are the seasonswhere perhaps the need to propagate isthe chief driver of wildlife activity. Fallingtemperatures and the shortening daylength condition wildlife to concentratetheir search for food over shortenedsessions and seek shelter for the majority oftime.

Black and white long-tailed tits, despitethat blush of reddish-pink they also display,are unconcerned it seems by attractingattention. Groups of 10-20 seem conjoined

somehow by an invisible elastic thread asthey noisily process from tree to tree insearch of invertebrates and occasionallyseeds and wizened fruits that remain ‘insitu’. Meanwhile great spottedwoodpeckers monochrome save a red punk‘Mohican’ frequent our peanuts.

The lapwing is one of the moredistinctive resident birds. Visually, with its‘brylcreemed’ crest and black and whitewings it makes a spectacular, synchronised,semaphore display when taking off enmasse from a field. Audibly its high-pitchedpiped call, as though the admiral of thefleet was being signalled on board,provides one of its alternative names -Peewit. Although, sadly, there has been adecline in numbers, 42% since theseventies, there are moves underway tohelp with grants being provided tolandowners and to farmers, for whom inreturn, it provides a service by removinginfestations of leatherjackets andflukeworms from sheep pasture. There arerecords of one or two pairs nesting onarable land in St Leonards during the1990’s but none recently. If you are verylucky, you may catch a glimpse betweenautumn and spring of them en routebetween upland arable fields and thewetland areas around Tring.

Holly, a common occurrence in ourbeech woods, is one of the few sources ofbright colours at this time of year. It isdioecious, i.e. separate male and femalebushes, with only the female bushesresplendent with red berries. Ourwoodland once ran with pigs in theautumn and holly was nurtured as animpenetrable boundary, keeping theporcines in and poachers and predatorsout. Holly was also an important source offuel. Only the younger leaves have thornsthough - pointing alternatively up anddownwards – and strengthened bythickening of the cell walls. The newerleaves contain the most nutritious materials


for deer and have, through evolutionarypressure, developed thorns to protect itfrom overgrazing. The holly has furtherrefined this evolutionaryreaction by progressivelyrecycling the valuablereinforcements fromolder into the youngleaves.

Both black andwhite bryonies are‘December’ plants,showy this monthbut inconspicuousfor most of the year,they creep throughhedgerows. Butdespite the name theyare otherwise unrelated.Neither has leaves ondisplay this time of year butthe black variety furnishes redberries and the white has pale scarletberries, is related to water melon and alsogoes by the name of ‘English mandrake’.

Squirrels build their winter drays thistime of year, visible in the crux of trees. Weare not, of course, blessed with redsquirrels in the Chilterns anymore but thegrey squirrel which drove them out, doesoccasionally sport a black variety and nearhere is where the black melanic variety wasintroduced into Woburn Park at the end ofthe 19th century, and they have spreadalong the Chilterns since then.

Ponds also reflect the winter scene, thedark beneath the surface. Everything slowsto a near stop during the cold period butthe carnivorous insects such as dragonflylarvae do feed periodically. Anotherinvertebrate, the water spider, in summerrests up during the daytime in a bubble ofair it has gathered at the surface andpulled down trapped in a silken web,which is then spun in the water plants.After dark it gathers around its hairyabdomen sufficient air to set off and hunt.

In winter it may remain within its silkencocoon or use empty snail shells sealedwith silk.

Any account of black and white is notcomplete without mention of

badgers. Their name is derivedfrom becheur, the

French for‘digger’. Whenavailable theyhave beenknown toexcavate up to200 earthworms ina single night.Badgers remain

active throughout thewinter although pregnant

females retreat to their setts inJanuary to give birth to their cubs.

Time to suggest some moreChristmas gifts, this time forchildren. First, the delightfully

titled ‘Under One Rock, Slugs, Bugs andother Ughs’ by Anthony D. Fredericks or‘The Horrible Science Annual 2008’ by NickArnold and Tony De Saulles. As analternative, how about a subscription to‘Buglife’ the charity for invertebrates(www.buglife.org)?

As always looking forward to receivingyour questions and comments.

[email protected]

***STOP PRESS*** STOPPRESS ***STOP PRESS***STOP PRESS***Hot off the press is the news of another

successful evening in St Leonards Parish Hall

On10th November Dave Clarke and friendsproduced one of their best performances,that had everyone calling for more. From the

kitchen the SAS of Shirley Blomfield, Ann Horn and SallyReynolds provided wonderful food completed by the superbpavlovas made by Ann, with cream generously supplied byDavid Hawkes.

The money raised will go towards the Extension Fundand Chairman, Michael Reynolds, announced that an appealis going out to the communities of Buckland Common,Chivery and St Leonards, in whosecare the hall is left, to enable thework to commence in 2008.

It was by local contributions in1937 that the hall was built andafter unsuccessful lottery bids thisyear, it is hoped that the shortfallneeded may be found to enablethe work to start next Spring.Should you wish to make a pledgeto help with this ambition and donot receive a letter directly,Michael will be very pleased to hear from you. Hecan be contacted on 01494 758548.

Hilltop NewsHilltop News22 23

TANZANIA WORLDCHALLENGE 2007I would like to begin by thanking all those

who made my expedition possible. The

Rose & Crown for a year’s employment,

Brigett and John Farmer for getting me

outside working with my hands, all those

who donated items for my Quiz-

night/supper/auction evening back in

November, Matt Baker for his ‘volunteered’

quiz-mastering and all those who came

along to the event.

The expedition really began way back,about 19 months ago when I waschosen out of 80 applicants to be part

of a team of 18 to travel to Tanzania on aWorld Challenge Expedition. From thismoment on, I had to think about raisingthe funds necessary to go, my fitness andequipment as well as studying for my Alevels.

Saving most of the money I received forChristmas and birthdays, I supplementedthis with regular work at the Rose & Crownand hosting the aforementioned Quiz-night at St. Leonard’s Village Hall. With aconstant income, I lapsed somewhat in mypreparations and forgot my objectives (I’mhighly disorganised), also distracted byexams, I did not focus again until theapproach of the expedition.

However, the team’s training expeditionto Buxton in early 2007 helped us torefocus. One of the main safety aspects welearned was known as ‘The count-off’. Weassigned ourselves a number (done on thebuild-up day for the actual expedition),and simply said our number in the correctorder. For Tanzania though, we learned itin Swahili, so not to scare the locals (asmuch) by shouting out in English. Mynumber was ‘kumi-na-moja’, number 11.Count off simply served the purpose of

letting us know if one of our number wasmissing, which thankfully wasn’t often.

Eventually though, with my final A levelexams finished, I set about buying my finalpieces of kit and the 14th July crept upquickly. We checked our own kit andreceived the group equipment, such astents, from World Challenge (the companythrough which our expedition wasorganised). Finally, we flew on Sunday15th, to Dar es Salaam via Dubai, the teambarely containing their excitement.

Our first night’s accommodation waspre-booked for us, along with transportthere from the airport. World Challengehad also booked our time on MountKilimanjaro. Other than that, it was up tous to work within our daily budget forfood, accommodation and transport.However, our first phase was theacclimatisation. We spent about a weekcamping in a school field in Lomwe, a smallvillage in the Northern Pare Mountains.With a phrase book in hand we haddifficulty communicating in the markets asthe village is very secluded, only theteachers and students speaking any English.While in these mountains, we spent threedays hiking, through jungles and forests,trying to strike up light conversation withthe locals as we passed, much to theiramusement. However, the views werebreathtaking, seeing mountains abruptlystop and turn into the flat plains that muchof East Africa is known for. We could alsosee the Tanzanian/Kenyan border, markedby the shores of Lake Jipe.

With the acclimatisation phase over, webid farewell to Lomwe and the NorthernPare Mountains and travelled West,towards Moshi, where we would preparefor our trekking phase on MountKilimanjaro. Moshi came as quite a shockto most people, high prices (more than wehad budgeted for) and street vendorshounding you, selling a range of items,from safari trips to mass-produced art. In

Tanzania, especially in the main towns andcities, they have a fairly good grasp ofEnglish, previously being under Englishrule, so I found that pretending to beFrench was a good way of being left alone.Other spoken foreign languages seem tobe almost non-existent.

Mt. Kilimanjaro was one of three partsof the trip that I was looking forward tomost of all, the others being the projectphase and experiencing a different culture.For the mountain, we took six days to getup and down, with the descent beingconsiderably faster. At the end of each dayof trekking, we stayed in wooden cabinsthat were tight for space, but kept us fromfreezing.

We took the Marangu Route, taking usfrom the Marangu Gate to Mandara Hut,then on to Horombo Hut, Kibo Hut and thesummit. The ascent was slow for the firstfew days of trekking, but comparatively

easy with the final ascent, traversingthrough tropical rainforest, fenland andalpine desert, in thinning air and droppingtemperatures. We began our final push forthe summit at 00:15 on 28th July. The climbwas in surprisingly bright conditionsbecause the clear skies allowed the moonand stars to illuminate our paths, andlighting the lunar landscape in a spectralway, casting eerie shadows. However, theeffects of altitude started to take their tollon the team, not to mention thetemperatures that were around -15ºC,which would rapidly freeze our water ifnot insulated in those glacial conditions. Tothat end, and for convenience of carrying, Ihad gaffa-taped my platypus to my body.Don’t worry, for those that don’t know, aplatypus is a collapsible water bottle.

On the mountain, there are two pointsto reach. First is Gilman’s Point at a heightof 5681m above sea level, then Uhuru


Peak, standing at a mighty 5895m. Ireached Gilman’s Point in time to see thesunrise into the black sky, but was quicklyushered on by the porters before I got toocold. At this point I was ready to give up.The challenge towards the end was largelymental, battling thoughts of going back, orjust stopping, but I pushed on. Past wearymuscles, headaches and queasiness, alleffects of the altitude, to reach my goal,the summit, at about 8:00. It is a mostinvigorating experience, reaching thehighest peak of the mountain.

To feel the warmth of the sun in thecold, to see it reflected off pure whiteglaciers, gave me enough energy to reachthe top, standing next to the signposttelling me that I had reached the top. Itwas unfortunate though, as only 10 out ofthe team of 21 made it to the summit, andone of the three leaders.

On our last day of descent our guidesand porters gave us a performance of apopular song whilst trekking. That was avery memorable moment, stepping outsideon a brisk morning to the sound of singingvoices. Afterwards we returned to Moshi torest and organise our Safari trip. In theend, we decided on spending two days onSafari, the first in Lake Manyara NationalPark and the second in Ngorongoro Crater.Over the course of the two days, wespotted a wide variety of wildlife, includingall of the ‘Big Five’: elephants, leopards,water buffalo, lions and rhinoceroses. Youcan tell when there is an interesting animalaround, because all the cars in the areaquickly make their way over in the hope ofgetting a good view. The ‘Big Cats’ areactually very lazy animals, lying down inthe grass or under the bushes, yawning andsleeping!

With Safari over, we spent yet anotherevening in Moshi, then set off for ourproject phase where the team would dowork at Kifaru secondary school. On thefirst day, we were shown the projects

undertaken by previous challengers aroundthe school and given a list of some thatthey would like done. That evening,budget permitting, we looked at the listand decided upon providing the materialsfor a new classroom ceiling, painting atoilet block and a classroom and tocontinue with laying the foundations for abasketball court. We spent a week at theschool working, leaving on the 9th ofAugust, having finished all the paintingand laying over two-thirds of thefoundations, with the classroom ceilingbeing finished just as we left.

Funding wasn’t the only challenge thatwe faced. At the school the heat was oftendifficult to work in, although it didoccasionally rain! Also, on the basketballcourt we were warned to watch out forblack mamba snakes and scorpions nestingamong the rocks we were moving. Luckilythough, all we found was a small scorpion,a harmless lizard and lots of insects.

The school was very friendly, with thestudents talking to us, and the staff evengave us lunch on our second day. On ourlast evening, they organised a disco for usand the students. It was a lot of fun to seethe team dancing with the Tanzanianstudents. We were even asked to showthem a dance and unfortunately somebodysuggested a country barn dance. It washighly amusing for everyone involved.

The following morning we left for thefinal stage of our expedition, R&R. For this,we travelled 6 hours by bus to theTanzanian coast. Here, we stayed at thePeponi Beach Resort, encountering twoother World Challenge Teams along theway. Despite the possibility of huts, wedecided upon camping (not sick of thetents yet) for $1 each a night, whilebudgeted for $10 each. With the rest ofthe fund, after putting some aside for thefinal accommodation, transport meals andtips, we spent an afternoon snorkelling inthe clear waters of the Indian Ocean. The

rest of the time was spent lying on thebeach. From our tents we could just rollout onto the sand, but as a result many ofus got quite badly sunburnt (includingmyself) to the point that they glowedbright red!

After eating well for a couple of days(not having to put up with our owncooking) at the beach, it was time to returnto Dar es Salaam. We stayed at the firstnight’s accommodation, the Safari Inn,which seemed to bring a sense of closureto the expedition. Trying to get there,however, was a nightmare, with one of thebus drivers changing the price of thejourney as soon as we boarded, and thengetting lost in the city. A final meal outwas followed by sleep in preparation forthe 12 hours of flying ahead of us.

On the first flight back (the shorter one)I luckily got a window seat to see the viewnext to the emergency exit, meaning a lotof leg room to stretch out and rest after along and hard expedition. However, itwasn’t over yet. During that flight I lost myvoice, and being leader for the day with novoice is no easy task.

Finally we touched down at GatwickAirport, on the 14th August, with theweary team being greeted by the waitingfriends and family, who had dragged

themselves out of bed to meet us at7:00am. The team was all clean and in freshclothes, except me in shorts, muddy shirt,walking boots, sun-hat and a beard. In fact,I was so different that I wasn’t initiallyrecognised! We returned the group kit toWorld Challenge, gave a final count-offand said our farewells.

The expedition was challenging, but alsohighly rewarding. It was an exhilarating,once in a lifetime experience, having tosave up the near £4000, all the while in fulltime education. To go and experience acompletely different culture for a month,living with a group of friends that you getto know even more along the way,undertaking both mental and physicalchallenges and supporting each other.

The expedition was thoroughlyenjoyable. Highlights for me were reachingthe top of Mt. Kilimanjaro, trying tointeract with the locals and speak theirlanguage and the work on the projectphase, not to forget seeing the ‘Big Five’on safari. Tanzania is an amazing countryfull of rich, diverse culture, variableclimates and it offers up many differentchallenges for visitors. It is a country that Iwould definitely like to visit again, perhapswith the same team.

Toby Thwaites


THE TIME IS NOWby The Revd. David Burgess

Almighty God, give us grace that we may

cast away the works of darkness, and put

upon us the armour of light, now in the time

of this mortal life, in which your son Jesus

Christ came to visit us in great humility, that

in the last day, when he shall come again in

his glorious majesty, to judge both the living

and the dead, we may rise to the life

immortal; through him who lives and reigns

with you and the Holy Ghost, now and for

ever: Amen. (The Collect for Advent Sunday)

December 2nd is the first Sunday inAdvent this year, and Advent itselfseems to be a season in a hurry. At

one level, of course, we’re striving to get asmuch done as possible, to get everythingdone in fact, before Christmas descendsupon us. We only have to go down to theshops any time in December to appreciatethis.

But I wonder if we also appreciate thespiritual urgency of the season? You mayknow that much of the Advent Collectdraws on the words of St Paul: `Now it ishigh time to wake out of sleep, for now isour salvation nearer than when webelieved. The night is far spent, the day isat hand. Let us, therefore, cast off theworks of darkness, and put on the armourof light.’

There is an enormous sense of urgency

in this, which is well brought out in theNew English Bible translation of thispassage: `In all this remember how criticalthe moment is. It is time for you to wakeout of sleep’.

So to the Collect again: `Give us gracethat we may cast away the works ofdarkness, and put upon us the armour oflight, now…‘ Suddenly it’s not thehistorical past or the unknown future thatwe bring to mind, but the immediatepresent: now in the Vicarage at 9.00pmon Tuesday 30th October 2007, or for youwherever and whenever you may bereading this: it’s now that we are to castaway the works of darkness.

During the course of Advent we lookback to Christ’s earthly life and forward tohis coming again, but we need to be waryof falling into the trap of having nothinggoing on in our present life. Somethingdecisive happened in history; somethingdecisive will happen beyond history; butthe risk is that nothing decisive happensnow.

Unless we allow Christ to enter into ourhearts here and now – to visit us in greathumility – the story of redemption fails tocome alive for us, the work of redemptionisn’t fulfilled in us, and Advent descendsagain into one mad rush.

So let this season be one where you castaway the works of darkness, whatever theymay be for you, put upon the armour oflight, which is God’s gift and His alone, andin so doing let your preparationfor the Christmas season focuson the coming of Jesus Christin the world and into yourown life.

Yours in Christ

2928 Hilltop News Hilltop


ST LEONARDSHoly Baptism

Liberty Scarlett Matthews 28th October 2007

Bethany Isla Young 4th November 2007

Blair Alistair Strevens 18th November 2007

CHOLESBURYConfirmation

Jacqueline Harriman 20th November 2007

ST LEONARDSLittle Bears came to church to celebrateHarvest Festival on Tuesday 9th October.They contributed a most generousbox of produce and home baking and wereyet again enchanted to hear Virginia and her‘friend’ Charlie telling them about thesowing of seeds and the growth of new life.From small beginnings many things cangrow! David led the service and togetherwith Clare Cox, their leader and her greatband of support staff, we all learnt a newharvest song before the children sang theirown song to us. On a rather wet autumnday, they were happy to have a drink andbiscuits in the church room while we had theopportunity to talk to their parents andgrandparents. A very happy and well-behaved bunch of Little Bears!

On Wednesday 10th October, BishopJohn – newly appointed as Bishop of Oxford– spent the day in our Deanery. It wasagreed he would have tea in the Church

Room and as this was too good anopportunity to miss, we invited the nineother small rural parishes in the Deanery tojoin us. It was a marvellous meeting andmost interesting to compare notes withother churches very much in our position andfantastic to hear the Bishop address ourhopes and fears in a most constructive andhelpful way. He reminded us, above all, thatwe were not to try and act as a large churchwhen we were in fact small! He described us

as the bedrock of the Church of England andtold us that we should pray; keep the faith;and continue evermore to draw the villagesand the church together. Hopefully,something we all try to do.

As a result of this extremely positivemeeting we have decided to hold a SmallChurches Forum twice a year to comparenotes and share experiences. The nextmeeting will be in April.

The Tea Parties held each month (on thefourth Wednesday) are much enjoyed notonly by those who don’t get out as much asthey would like – we will collect you – butindeed by many of us who pause for an hourto exchange news and views. Do come along– 3 o’clock – and your age is of noconsequence!

We will meet onWednesday 28th

November as usual and onWednesdayDecember 19th Joanna Strevens, whosebeautiful voice some of you will rememberfrom both the Firework Concerts, is going tosing something ‘a little Christmassy’ for usfor a few minutes in church before tea. StLeonards will be looking very festive – warmand candlelit and decorated simply withgreenery – you are all most welcome.Baptisms – It is, as always, a privilege to

receive children into the church and wewelcome particularly Liberty Matthews,daughter of Elise and Jamie who wasbaptized by Ivor on 28th October and

Bethany Young christening

Little Bears

WE SEND DAVID OUR CONGRATULATIONS ON THEFOLLOWING ANNOUNCEMENT

‘After ten years of being Priest in Charge, and after extensive discussion of the pastoralorganisation of all the deanery’s parishes, David has been given the Freehold andIncumbency of all four parishes. In practical day to day terms this makes no difference tothe parishes, but it does grant more security and permanency to David’s position’.

There are legal and historical reasons for the different status of Priest in Charge andIncumbent which are too involved to be gone into in these two paragraphs. If you reallywant to know, ask David!

Blair Strevens christening

Bethany Young daughter of Lauren andGraeme, baptised by David on 4th November.On 18th November Blair Strevens shared hisbaptism with an enthusiastic group ofoccasionally noisy friends! There was of coursewonderful singing coming from the backrows as David welcomed Laurie’s baby brotherinto the church.

We send our love and congratulations toClaudia and Enzo d’Allessandro on thebirth of their baby daughter, Aurelia. Claudia(nee Phipps) and Enzo were married in St

32 Hilltop News

Leonards – and Claudia has been responsiblefor the beautiful stained glass window in theChurch Room. We look forward to meetingthem all at Christmas!PCC –We are very grateful to Jill Green

and Helen Pert who have agreed to serve asmembers of the St Leonards PCC. This makesus a Committee of twelve in total, withDavid as Chairman and Gavin as Vice-Chairman. If you have any comments at anytime on any matter, please address theChurchwardens, Anne Butterworth and AnnHorn. We do listen!

The Blessing of Pets Service held this yearon Sunday 18th November was, as always,very well attended. Everyone behavedimmaculately and the dogs were somesmerized by David’s talk on love and careand responsibility that they didn’t even thinkabout eating the rabbits! (Or if they did theywere too polite to show it). The church wasfull of dogs and children as the Strevensfamily had brought Blair to be baptized.Because the children were not on leads, theytumbled about in the aisle…all just as itshould be.Christmas ServicesWe start the

Christmas season with our Carol Concert onSunday 16th December at 6pm. TheNativity – to which all children resident orvisiting are most welcome – will be onChristmas Eve,Monday 24th December at3.30pm followed byMidnight Communion

at 11.30pm. For those of you who enjoy thepeace of a more contemplative service, therewill be Holy Communion at 9am onChristmas Morning followed by a trueFamily Christmas Service at 11am. David,ever mindful of the childrens’ presents andthe turkey, only asks for a few minutes ofyour time on this very special day…and thirtyfive minutes later you can be on your wayhome! DO JOIN US – it’s a lovely service.

HAWRIDGESunday 2nd December – ChristingleService at 3pm. (This will be the only servicethis day). Do please come and join us andhelp us to contribute to the work of theChildren’s Society. Christingles which will beavailable for everyone are being made at Kayand Stephen Bass’ home on Sunday morningbefore the service. If you would like to helpplease come to Langdale, The Vale at 10am.Tuesday 18th December – Carol

Singing – meet at 7pm on the commonoutside the Old School. We will be raisingmoney for Save The Children Fund and youare most welcome to join us as we walkround the village singing carols at varioushouses.

Monday 24th December - ChristmasEve Carol Service at 5.30pm. This is a realfamily occasion and we look forward toseeing you there.

Tuesday 25th December – ChristmasDay – Parish Communion at 10am.Hawridge Church Walking Group. The

Decemberwalk will be on Tuesday 4th

followed by lunch for those who would like itat The White Lion at Marsworth (Startop). Wewill meet at The White Lion at 10.30am for awalk round the canal and reservoirs. We canleave cars in their carpark and someone fromthe pub will be taking orders as we arrive!Anyone is welcome to join us. The walk isabout three miles and is taken at a leisurelypace.

The January walk will be on Tuesday8th and we will meet at St Leonards Church

at 10 o’clock. A donation of 50p towardschurch funds is always appreciated.Margaret and Joan Walton 758332

CHOLESBURYThe new gates have at last been installed atthe entrance to the Churchyard. It has takena long time and caused many parishioners towonder what was happening but I’m sureyou will agree the result was well worthwaiting for!The Church drive is popular with walkers andthese handsome and well constructed gatesenhance the area enormously. (A full reportappears elsewhere in HN). We are verygrateful to Anne Byrne who has given thesegates in memory of her husband, Mike, whodied last year.

The new Bishop of Oxford is touring theDiocese during this, his first year in office. Hecame to Cholesbury for a brief visit onWednesday 10th October and he couldn’thave chosen a better day! Impressive flowerarrangements had been done at everywindow for the recent Joint Service and wedo thank Pauline Allum whose‘flower week’ it was. We wouldlike to take this opportunity tothank Dorritt and her team whounfailingly decorate our littleChurch. Their flowers are seen onboth Saturdays and Sundays as theChurch remains unlocked mostweekends.

The Bishop will have surelynoticed the well tendedChurchyard and our thanks to theeighteen families on the mowingrota who have kept the grassunder control all year. After the‘Autumn Tidy’ on Saturday 17th

November we feel ready to sit backand relax a little till the Spring.Thank you to all those whocontributed.

At the Four Parishes Service on

30th September, we were able to send£123.50 (plus Gift Aid) to the ShoeBoxappeal. George Rivas, the local organizer forthis charity, spoke movingly of thecontinuing poverty in parts of EasternEurope. This is a very real situation – oftendescribed by the lorry drivers who deliver theShoeboxes - and your contributions areparticularly appreciated at Christmas when itwill often be all that children there receive.At our Giving Service on 25th November,you are yet again invited to fill shoeboxeswith gifts for children.Christmas events –Monday 17th December – Carol Singingaround the village. More details later butmeanwhile do put the date in your diary andcharge your torch batteries!

Sunday 23rd December at 6pm –Candlelit Carol Service. The Christmas storywill be told once again with readings andmusic – mulled wine and mincepiesafterwards!

Midnight Communion – Christmas Eve -This is to be at St Laurence this year andbegins at 11.30pm. Do join us.

Hilltop News 33

Pets’ service

Hilltop NewsHilltop News34 35

100 CLUB WINNERSOctober 2007

1st Prize

£15 Mr J Phimester, Chivery

2nd prize

£10 Mrs L Fox, St Leonards

November 2007

1st Prize

£15 Mrs S Clarke, St Leonards

2nd Prize

£10 Mrs K Dallas, St Leonards

New Members always welcome, please

contact the Treasurer, Mick Mariscotti 837093


CYCLE TO AFRICALike all of these ideas, my mate Matt

Kirby’s idea seemed a good one at 10.30pm

in the pub with the London Pride flowing.

It was going to happen at the end of the

summer. Looking out of the window on a

cold, dark winter evening, this was a long

way off.

If we were going to raise money forcharity, Matt reasoned it had to be a bitdifferent and a bike ride to Africa

seemed to fit the bill. St Francis Hospicehad recently moved into wonderful newpremises and we wanted to help them aswell as other charities, such as cancerresearch and myloma.

It was amazing how quickly the timecame around. Suddenly we were weeksaway and had to get some long rides in astraining, get the logistics sorted and start

found a better supporter than Jean Paul,who is a keen tri-athlete and knew as wellas anyone the pressure of relentless riding.

The second piece of luck was thatanother friend had a graphic designcompany in Chesham which gave its timeand materials in cutting and fitting thelogos we managed to sell. This enabled usto sell the advertisingspace at a reasonableprice. The support ofeveryone else wasquite uplifting and wecannot thank themenough.

Apart from one dayof rain in the PyreneesMountains we wereblessed with goodweather. Saturday 15September 2007 saw usand nine fellow cyclistsdepart from the Moorin Chesham bound forPortsmouth, where wecaught the overnightferry to St Malo andour friends returned bycoach. Our routeplanner Steve, knownto all as Knowledge,got us to Portsmouthentirely on quiet Broads.

Western France through La Rochelle andBayonne was quiet, pretty and flat withgood roads and friendly people: a 600-milewarm-up for Spain. The Pyrenees weregreen and we thought that we had crackedit after two 900 metre climbs beforecrossing the Spanish border and swoopingdown to the historic town of Pamplona.We were mistaken.

Spain had excellent roads, smoothlysurfaced and straight. The country wasdramatic with eagles fairly common in theNational Parks we went through. Matt had

planned the route south well and westayed on minor roads wherever possible.Neither of us knew what to expect and didnot realise how mountainous Spain is.Although the roads are straight and youcould see for miles, you could also see thenext mountain range! On our second dayin Spain we were at 1475 metres and red

and white snow poles marked the road. Wetravelled about 90 miles plus on most days,which kept us on schedule, but we beganto dread going down-hill because we knewthat meant there would be more climbingto come. The ups and downs continued likethat until we reached the Sierra de Rondamountain range guarding the southerncoast. We climbed up and past the touristvillage of Ronda before descending toAlgeciras, where we caught the ferry toMorocco.

We had visited the coastal areas, as havemany people, but inland Spain is very

raising some money.There were two of us undertaking the

ride and as our time was limited we feltthat we needed vehicle support,particularly in the high Spanish plains afterthe Pyrenees, because we knew it was fairlyisolated and would be hot. We also neededto get some long rides in as training. It isOK to do 100 miles day one and rest onday two, but this was going to be everydayfor fourteen days, so we had to get saddlehardened. The logical way was to take a4x4 vehicle with us as support and sell thevehicle’s panels to local companies asadvertising space. We did not want to pushthe fundraising too much because peopleare getting rather charity weary and wedid not want to pressurise the obvioustargets: our friends.

We had two initial strokes of luck.Firstly, a friend volunteered to take threeweeks annual leave and act as our supportdriver/domestique. We could not have


HAWRIDGE &CHOLESBURY COMMONSPRESERVATION SOCIETYAGM

OurAGMwill be held onWednesday5th December at CholesburyVillage Hall, starting at 8pm. After

the formal part of the meeting, wine andcheese will be served and our guest speakerthis year will be John Willson of DownleyCommon. All are welcome and we lookforward to seeing you there.

Draft AGM Minutes for 2006 are onwebsite www.cholesbury.com/HCCPS.

Working PartiesThe working parties have started well witha good turnout on each occasion andespecially on 4th November when we had astrong contingent from the HemelHempstead Volunteers. This group has justcelebrated its 25th Anniversary and, thoughwe are unclear just how long they havebeen coming to Hawridge and Cholesbury,we believe that it is at least fifteen years.They have spent at least one day with useach year and have helped with all mannerof jobs from pond clearance to hedgelaying - in this case clearing the blackthornby Mermaid Cottage. Thank you to theHH Volunteers and to all who havehelped on the Commons.

Horse RidersOn one of the recent working parties apassing rider was concerned since her horsedoesn’t like bonfires. If this is a problem for

you, you might like to contact OliverParsons on 758694 or Isobel Clark on758987. If you provide them with youremail address, they can then send ourregular emails informing you where andwhen the working parties will be andwhether there is to be a bonfire near to ahorse ride.

Beech TreeWe were very grateful to David Burns forremoving the dying beech tree opposite theOld Smithy. Several local residents havereceived some of the logs and we hope thatthe large section of the trunk will be put togood use either by wood turners or asculptor. Meanwhile we are sorry for anyinconvenience caused whilst it continues toblock the permissive ride. If you, orsomeone you know, needs logs pleasecontact Isobel on 758987.

Is this your tree?There is a young hawthorn, which has beenplanted on the Common on the patch ofground between Parrott's Lane and SandpitHill. It seems to be about 5-6 years old andhas a spiral guard around it and is staked.Does anyone know who planted it andwhy? If you know anything that mighthelp us identify why it is there, please callIsobel Clark 758987.

Annual SubscriptionsSubscriptions for 2008 fall due at the AGM.They remain at £7.50 per member and arepayable to Mike Fletcher, Ivy Cottage,Cholesbury, Tring. Herts. HP23 6ND.

Lindsay Griffin 758440

different to the tourist regions. Thetemperature was still about 30 degreesduring the day, but so quiet. Even the maintowns had a very different culture andpeople rarely spoke other than Spanish.Most of the towns and villages are old andpicturesque, situated (for past defensivereasons) on high ground with commandingviews of the surrounding country. Thedown side of this was that we always faceda stiff climb at the end of the day in searchof a hotel and restaurant, which were notcommon off the beaten track.

We reached the Mediterranean atAlgeciras on day fourteen: about 1300miles from Chesham. After the obligatorybottle of champagne, we found a hotelbefore catching the ferry to Tangiers thenext morning.

We disembarked from the ferry with ourbikes and found Tangiers very different,particularly the Casbah. At night it tooksome getting used to but it was certainlyexciting with the stalls and narrow streets.After a couple of days relaxing by the seawe started the long drive back to theChannel and the end of the adventure.

Many thanks to everyone who filled thecollection boxes in the Full Moon and Roseand Crown. If anyone else wants tocontribute to these charities, our web pageis still open on www.justgiving.co.uk

Fred Baxter

Working Parties for JanuaryJan 13 Behind gorse patch beside cricket pitch.(GR 932072) Remove oak on corner of paths; fell small trees to push back woodland

edge; regenerate gorse and throw seeds on other patch. Bonfire.

Jan 27 Road edge opposite High View.(GR 943067) Cut back blackthorn/brambles to ride and allow regeneration; remove

ash and sycamore near road opposite May Cottage. Bonfire.

THE THURSDAY CLUB

Our Christmas Party will be held on13th December at 7.30pm in StLeonards Village Hall when David

Clarke and Friends have again agreed toentertain us after supper. Contributions offood for the buffet supper will be greatlyappreciated. A welcome drink will beserved on arrival and a raffle will be held -the evening’s charge is £2.00 for membersand £2.50 for non-members.

Everyone is welcome to attend any ofthe meetings of the Thursday Club as theyare intended for all – we look forward toseeing you there.

Our normal Winter Social will be held on17th January at 2.30pm.

Brian and Anne Lake 01296 620169;Violet Lovett 758775; Primrose andAlan Langdon 01296 696092;Joan Walton 758332

43Hilltop News

ARE YOU INSPIRED BYHOW YOU ARELIVING…?….because there are often more choices

than you think

Have you ever felt stuck? At acrossroads? Trapped betweendifferent options that don’t feel

completely right? That was me 9 years ago.I was doing work that I loved, but neededmore money. I felt stuck between differentoptions…either carry on doing what I loveand struggle financially, or do somethingthat would give me a great income butthat I didn’t necessarily love and enjoy.

I was working for a children’s charitybuilding self-esteem in primary agechildren and encouraging healthy choices,then as a coach and training consultantwith a company which was driven more by‘compassion’ than being ‘commercially’successful. In both cases I was doing work Itruly believed in, but not earning verymuch money.

I questioned whether I should give it upand get a high-flying corporate job in HRor personnel (which I was qualified to do). Iwould earn great money but potentiallycompromise my values and settle for doingsomething that wasn’t inspiring andmeaningful every day. And yet, I didn’twant to settle for the lifestyle and financialsituation I was currently in either. I feltlimited to an ‘either/or’ option.

Because of my background in personaldevelopment and life coaching, I realisedthat when we feel like we are stuck in‘either/or’ situations, there are usuallymany more choices and options availablethan we might have considered. The giftwe have, if we realise it, is to change ourthinking or the way we are looking atsomething. This changes what we are

looking for and ultimately the reality weget as a result. I started thinking differentlyand a whole new world of options,possibility and opportunity opened upbefore me. Life has got better and betteras a result.

I share this with you in the hope that itmay inspire you to open your mind and bereceptive to new possibilities for you – sothat you may continue to find ways to loveand enjoy life to the full.

So I made a conscious decision to thinkdifferently. I started thinking that… …theremust be a way I can do the things I love

(that helps people make the most ofthemselves and life) and earn a greatincome.

Rather than feeling ‘stuck’ I started‘being’ very different – more open,positive, and focused on my ‘idealoutcome’ of achieving both things thatwere important to me. New things thatfitted with my way of looking at the worldstarted coming into my awareness and life.This new thinking made me feel different –more hopeful and optimistic – and I wasnow ‘programmed’ to look for and noticedifferent opportunities and ways of doingthings.

I soon came across an amazing businessoffering real quality of life to people allover the world. The whole philosophyunderpinning the organisation focuses onproviding people with natural products forgood health and a business that gives realflexibility of time, money and lifestyle. Thecompany also provides masses of support,training, love and inspiration. In thisenvironment, people have the freedom todevelop businesses for themselves, whichgive them the lifestyle that is right forthem, and that they can be proud of – bysharing ‘goodness’ with other people. Youare either helping people be well andhealthy through natural products orhelping people build inspiring businessesfor themselves to help them achieve theirdreams.

I now get to work with all sorts ofdifferent people, who are creatingsomething special for themselves. There arestudents building an income alongsidetheir studies, parents creating flourishingbusinesses from home around theirchildren, executives developing new careerswhich get them out of the rat race andgive them a better quality of life, and olderpeople supplementing their pensions –having fun doing something worthwhile inthe process. There is a whole range ofreasons why people get involved, and a

whole range of options available. Once youstep out of conventional thinking and aconventional job mentality, I have foundthat you start to discover whole new waysof working and living.

I was able to build up my part-timebusiness with this company around my full-time training job, until it was earning methe same, and gave me the choice to giveup being ‘employed’ forever. This growingincome gave me the confidence and choiceto go freelance with my personaldevelopment consultancy and life coaching.

I now have the pleasure of working witha range of large corporates running theirpersonal leadership programmes, soft skillsworkshops and coaching their key peopleon a one-to-one basis.

So today is a beautiful mix of doingdifferent things I love…• Working in natural health and well-being, helping people be well

• Working with people who want todevelop special businesses for themselvesin this field, helping others to do thesame

• Working with companies andorganisations to support them ininspiring and developing their people tobe at their best, bring out the best inothers, and be successful at what mattersto them

• Working with people on an individualbasis through coaching, supporting themin moving forward with whatever is mostimportant to them and will make thegreatest difference in their lives

It really is amazing what can happen whenyou put your mind to it.

Life is now full of quality time (for meand others), amazing people, freedom andchoice. I’m healthier than I’ve ever beenbefore and have the personal satisfactionof doing things that I believe in. There ismore fun and play in life. Time to be withmy friends and their children, time to walkin nature, read, think and be with the

My Background:Through challengingtimes in my mid-lateteens I started toquestion how andwhy it is that somepeople seem to beable to make themost of themselves and life, and enjoy it tothe full, while other people sometimes holdthemselves back or get stuck. I began toconsciously look at my beliefs and values andstarted to ‘choose’ how I thought about lifeand the world around me. I spent timegetting really clear on my own personal values– who I am, in terms of what I care about andmy principles, and how I choose to live.

From that point on, I have simply becomemore and more in love with life – through allthe ups and downs! It doesn’t mean that it isalways easy or ‘perfect’ but that I genuinelyfeel good about being alive and appreciate allthe choices I have – which ultimately influencemy experience of life and how I affect others.

Since that time, the beginning of my ownpersonal development journey, I have chosento be involved with things that I believe helpothers find their own way of loving life andmaking the most of it for themselves, givenwhat they care about. This has meant that thelast 14 years have been spent enjoying manydifferent aspects of personal development,life coaching, and natural health and well-being – exploring with others how we can behappy, healthy and effective human beings!

Hilltop News42

Hilltop News44 Hilltop News

NEIGHBOURHOODWATCH

Now that the clockshave been turnedback and the hours

of darkness increased, thepolice offer the followingadvice to help you avoidbecoming a victim of crime.

Trim overgrown trees and hedges thatobscure lighting or might hide a burglarfrom your neighbours or passers-by.

If you are going to be out all day, setindoor lights on timer switches to come onat dusk to give the impression someone isat home - though lighted windows withopen curtains could also invite closerinspection and indicate that no-one is athome!

Put your postcode on electrical goodswith an ultra violet pen or permanentmarker and make an inventory of theseitems, including brand names and serialnumbers.

Did you know that you can also registerall mobile equipment such as cameras andiPods on the national databasewww.immobilise.com The police haveaccess to this database allowing stolenitems to be returned to their owners.

Finally, ensure all your external windowsand locks are secure, and fit additionallocks where necessary.

Shirley Blomfield 758314

45

CHOLESBURY-CUM-STLEONARDS W.I.

The WI year draws to a close with theAnnual Meeting held in October.This is always an occasion for looking

back on activities which have taken placeover the past twelve months and Sue Scott,in her Secretary’s Report, certainly madethis year seem extremely lively, as indeed itwas. Perhaps this is further reflected inthe rise in membership and if you make2008 the year in which you also join us, youwill certainly find fun and friendship. OurChristmas Party meeting in December is forpresent members and invited guests butJanuary’s meeting is open to all – wouldyou like to know more about thedisappearance of Glenn Miller in 1944?Come along and find out on Monday 21stJanuary, 8pm in St Leonards Parish Hall.Carol was re-elected as our President andwould be happy to give you moreinformation about our meetings if you ringher on 758435.

people I love. There is no real distinctionbetween work and play – because I enjoy itall. I feel truly blessed.

And it all started by taking the time andcare to think about what’s important to meand get really clear on my ‘ideal outcomes’.I had to open my mind and start askingmyself how I could have this ‘AND’ this,rather than limiting myself to ‘either/or’options. I then had to stay open andpositive to see and receive new ideas,opportunities and experiences. Now I domy best to continue developing the skillsand abilities, over time, to help me achievemy goals and help others achieve theirs.

It takes faith and courage to believe inyour ideals and what’s possible, rather thanfocus on what’s not as great as it could be.Sometimes we all need a little help andencouragement to have faith in our idealsand follow what inspires us. This is theessence of all my work and life. Ifsomething could be better, change howyou think about and look at it andeverything changes about you. When you

change, what you share with the worldchanges, and so does what you get inreturn.

Are you having the most helpfulthoughts and feelings about you, life andwhere you’re at? Are you inspired by howyou are living life at the moment? I dobelieve we can change our experience oflife from the inside out. And there areusually more choices open to us than weoriginally might think!

I am so happy to have a conversationand share any/all of this with anyone whowould like to find out more and explore itfurther with me. I am always looking forgreat people to work with, to developexciting futures together, and share theadventure of life!

If you feel like contacting me to exploreany of these options I have mentioned foryourself I would love to hear from you.

I truly wish you every happiness.

Valerie Schuch757197

47Hilltop News

HAWRIDGE ANDCHOLESBURY SCHOOLYum Yum … Healthy lunches…

In September the school embarked on ahealthy eating fortnight, part of anongoing programme to teach the value

of a varied, healthy diet. Themed dayswere arranged when the children worebright ‘fruit-coloured’ items of clothing andbrought in the same coloured fruits andvegetables to share and taste. Localchildren’s cooking company Cookies ledcookery lessons for all the classes,despatching everyone home with tastytreats and recipes ideas. Waitrose kindlyagreed to help by donating many of theingredients and we also had sponsorshipfrom Darvell and Sons Bakers. Our thanksto them, to Cookies and to all those whovolunteered their time to help with theproject.

Later in the month, we had a verysuccessful coffee morning run extremelyprofessionally (and politely) by the pupils

of Class 6 in aid of Macmillan CancerSupport. The children did themselvesproud with their tea and coffee makingand raised an impressive total of over £350!

Our Year 6’s are obviously on a roll withtheir successes as we were delighted to findthat last year’s class had taken first prize ina Roald Dahl writing competition run for

schools across Bucks. The ‘flushbunking’winning story entitled ‘My Special Place’secured us the prize of a free trip to theGreat Missenden Roald Dahl museum for agroup of pupils. The winning work was alsopublished in the Bucks Examiner.

Then something rather strange occurredin the form of a large group of Celts andRomans in the playground (all aged about7-8 years old). Class 3 (including theirteacher, Miss Frederiksen) had turned up infull costume and were joined by somesimilarly robed re-enactment characterswho helped the children step back in timeto see how these peoples lived, ate andworked. Apparently nettles were on themenu that day (…is that part of healthyeating week, I wonder?)

So, now we prepare for the rest of term.Nativities, carols and Christmas parties. Aterm of glitter and fun (and probably alittle more glitter). Rest assured we will tellall in the next issue!

Kay BassHawridge & Cholesbury School

46 Hilltop News

Hilltop News48 Hilltop News 49

MICE AND MENAs the days draw in and temperatures

drop, some of our Hilltop mice head for the

shelter of our homes and outbuildings. The

mouse has been closely associated with

humans for thousands of years, originating

with man in Asia and it was common in

ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome. With the

exception of man, the mouse is now more

widely distributed than any other mammal

in the world.

Mice can generally be differentiatedfrom voles and shrews by their pointedfaces, big eyes and prominent ears(designed fororientation and earlywarning of danger inthe dark) and by a longthin tail that is usuallylonger than the body.In our locality we cancome across fivedifferent members ofthe mouse family.

The first to come tomind is the ubiquitousHouse Mouse which hascolonised most of theworld where it inhabitsalmost any form ofshelter created by man;but it is also common inhedgerows and opencountry during the warmer months. About85mm long with a scaly tail of about thesame length, the house mouse is veryactive, an agile jumper, climber and goodswimmer. Its grey fur is greasy and theanimal has a strong, unpleasant smell. Addthe fact that it taints its surroundings withits black droppings and its urine tounderstand why the house mouse is sounwelcome in our houses.

Its ability to reproduce is legendary,exceeding that even of rabbits; one femalecan have up to ten litters a year each offive to ten young – and young females areready to reproduce after only six weeks!Though its food preference is for cerealsand fats, it will consume a very widevariety of substances including soap,plaster, glue and plastic insulation strippedfrom electric cable! The mouse’s habit ofdefecating fifty times a day makes it amenace, especially in corn mills where itcontaminates more grain than it consumes.

The house mouse is mainly nocturnalbut darkness is no problem because of itsexcellent night vision and exceptionalhearing; its large ears can be swivelledround independently like radar dishes to

pick up faint soundsAverage life span is

about 18 months;numbers in the openare kept down by cats,weasels, foxes, kestrelsand owls. In the relativeshelter of dwellings andfarm buildings, numberscan reach amazinglevels.

The Wood (or Long-legged Field) Mouse isprobably the mostwidespread Britishmammal and altogethera much more appealingcreature. Comparedwith the house mouse,it is slightly longer in

body (95mm) with a long thin tail. It alsohas larger ears, eyes and hind feet, abrowner back and a white belly. Because ofits long hind legs, it can move very fast –sometimes like a kangaroo with its frontlegs tucked in! It is also a good climber.

Wood mice dig their own burrow inwhich they spend daylight hours, nest andstore food supplies. The female produces

about four litters a year of four or fiveyoung. Food includes berries, nuts, seeds,shoots, bulbs and insects. If food runs short,the creature can go into a torpid state akinto hibernation to conserve energy. Themouse ventures out only at night where itis preyed upon by owls and cats. Fewsurvive from one summer to the next andaverage life span is around 18 months.

The slightly larger Yellow-necked Mouseis easily confused, visually, with the woodmouse and it shares muchof its behaviour andcharacteristics. Given this,it is difficult tounderstand why thismouse is only found insome parts of southernEngland. As the nameimplies, it has a distinctyellow collar.

Then there is thebetter known HarvestMouse, one of the world’ssmallest rodents weighingless than a 2p coin! Itsgold brown colour isquite different from thepredominant grey ofother mice. Its clearest distinguishingfeature is its long prehensile tail used as afifth leg serving as a brake or anchor. Thishelps to make it an exceptionally agileclimber, curling its tail round a twig or longstalk. The harvest mouse is a great builderof nests; those intended for breeding are acomplex woven structure in the shape of aball about 10cm in diameter suspended upto metre above the ground. The mouse hasabout three litters a year (each in adifferent nest) of five young. Given thatpeak nesting time is August/September, theworld of the harvest mouse is prone tosudden and violent change; when corn isharvested, its environment can bedevastated in a day. Survivors shift theirground and do so again when vegetation

dies down – moving into barns, strawstacks or hollow trees. As the mouse isactive both by day and night, predatorsabound; life expectancy for this tiny rodentis measured in months rather than years.

During the 2001 Wimbledontournament, the All England Clubcontributed 350 used tennis balls to theWildlife Trust with which to create artificialnests for harvest mice. With suitable accessholes drilled on each side and attached to

stakes driven into theground, the ballsoffered instant shelterto the tiny animals.

With its pointedface, big black eyes,rounded ears andluxuriant whiskers,the Common (orHazel) Dormouse isone of Britain’s mostappealing animalsimmortalised by theMad Hatter’s TeaParty. It spends morethan half its lifeasleep. Its sandyyellow fur and long

bushy tail make it impossible to confusewith an ‘ordinary’ mouse. But it is notoften observed as it is secretive andventures out only at night during thosefew months when it is not asleep! In recentyears, numbers have declined and its rangehas contracted; it is now confined tosouthern England.

Dormice live in woodland and, insummer, spend almost all their time in treesand bushes. All four feet are prehensile;the animal can turn its hind feetbackwards, like a squirrel. This enables it toclimb and jump with great agility, to runhead first down tree trunks and to hanghead down when feeding.

The dormouse leaves its nest about anhour after sunset and spends the night

Yellowneck

Dormouse

Hilltop News50 Hilltop News 51

foraging for food among thebranches, climbing high intothe canopy. Just beforedawn, it returns to hole upfor the day in an old bird’snest, squirrel drey or hollowtree. Food varies with theseason; autumn is the seasonof plenty – berries, fruit, nuts– during which the dormousebuilds up its body fat beforehibernating inOctober/November. High protein hazel nutsare a favourite – hence its alternativename. The dormouse becomes earthboundand sleeps the winter away, rolled uptightly in a nest of woven bark or grass,covered with leaves or moss. Heart beatand respiration slow down to one tenth ofnormal rates and scarcely any energy isexpended over the many weeks before re-emergence in April.

Compared with other rodents, dormiceare slow breeders. Females have only onelitter, in a domed nest, of about five youngwho stay with mother for up to twomonths. The slow rate of reproduction isoffset by greater longevity – the animalslive much longer - up to four or five yearson average.

Finally there’s our favourite furry friend,the Fat (or Edible) Dormouse or glis gliswhich needs little introduction to Hilltop

readers. Although aboutdouble the size of thecommon dormouse you willhave noted the greatsimilarities between the two.A comparatively recentarrival – introduced intoTring Park in 1902 – therodent has never spread, inthis country, beyond itsoriginal Chiltern territorywhere the combination of

beech woods and conifer plantations suitedthem well – not to mention Hilltop homesin which many of them find comfortablewinter lodgings! During the five activemonths they cause much damage bothinside and out and keep many of us awakewhen returning at dawn from a rampagingnight out.Glis glis stories abound locally; one of

the creatures in our loft managed tosqueeze itself through a tiny gap to fallinto our cold water tank where it quicklydrowned and slowly decomposed. You arespared details of the consequences!

Once a favourite food of the Romanswho fattened them up on nuts, the glis glisis currently being served as a delicacy inCalabrian restaurants. I shall stick to thepasta!

Jim Hetherington 758836

Woodmouse

YOUR FAVOURITE 8!Following some of ‘My Eight Favourite Pieces of Music’, sought out by George Finlay andpublished in the previous Christmas edition of Hilltop News, back by popular request isanother selection…

Chosen by Paddy ThomasNuages .............................................................................................Django Reinhardt & Stephane GrappellyMy Funny Valentine .....................................................................................................................Frank SinatraTwo Sleepy People ...........................................................................................................................Fats WallerAve Verum...............................................................................................................................................MozartThe Romance from ‘The Gadfly’ ..................................................................................................ShostakovichDido’s Lament ..........................................................................................................................................PurcellLa Mer..........................................................................................................................................Charles TrenetWhat a Wonderful World.......................................................................................................Louis Armstrong

Chosen by Chris BrownLet It Be ...................................................................................................................................................BeatlesPictures at an Exhibition ...................................................................................................Modest Mussorgsky6th Symphony (Pastoral) ..................................................................................................................BeethovenThe Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust ..............................................................................................David BowieTelstar .................................................................................................................................................TornadoesParanoid.......................................................................................................................................Black SabbathDirty Work .........................................................................................................................................Steely DanMars (Planets Suite) .......................................................................................................................Gustav Holst

Chosen by Margaret KewLaudate Dominum from Solemn Vespers .............................................................................................MozartMissa Solemnus .................................................................................................................................BeethovenWhere Corals Lie (from Elgar’s Sea Pictures).................................................................................Janet BakerChe Faro – What is Life ..........................................................................................................Kathleen FerrierSilvered is the Raven Hair (from Operetta Patience) ......................................................Gilbert and SullivanOn Top of the World ........................................................................................................................CarpentersBring Him Home (from Les Miserables)...........................................................................................................?Old Tyme Dancing (Stately as a Galleon) ..................................................................................Joyce Grenfell

Chosen by George FinlayLand of Hope and Glory....................................................................................................By any School ChoirMelody in F.......................................................................................................................................RubensteinTake the A-Train ...............................................................................................................................Artie ShawWood Choppers Ball...............................................................................................................Woody HermannAll the Way..........................................................................................................................................Doris DayHonkey Tonk Train Blues........................................................................................................Meade-lux-LewisMy Way .........................................................................................................................................Frank SinatraBrown Girl in the Ring.........................................................................................................................Boney M

Chosen by Shirley BlomfieldPiano Concerto No.5 (Emperor): 3rd Movement, Rondo...............................................................BeethovenL492 Conquest of Paradis .....................................................................................................................VangelisMaori Songs (Hoea ra) ..............................................................................................................Kiri Te KanawaPure (Pokarekare Ana) ...........................................................................................................Hayley WestenraThe Chain (from Rumours) .......................................................................................................Fleetwood MacRadetsky March....................................................................................................................................J. StraussLes Troubadours du Roi Baudouin ........................................................................................Miss Luba (Kyrie)Night Train ..........................................................................................................................Oscar Peterson Trio

Chosen by Ron EvensLondonderry Air ................................................................................................................................................?Moonlight Serenade ......................................................................................................................Glenn MillerWhispering...........................................................................................................................................Inkspots?Moonlight Sonata.............................................................................................................................BeethovenSolvieg’s Song.............................................................................................................................................GriegVolga Boat Song...........................................................................................................................Paul RobesonRoad to Mandalay.............................................................................................................................................?Night on a Bare Mountain..............................................................................................................Mussorgsky

What a variety!...Ed

Hilltop NewsHilltop News

CURVACEOUS COOKREALLY EASY SPECIAL CHOCOLATE CAKE

I am not a great or frequent cake maker: birthdays and Christmas only really, but I was askedby the family to make a cake for Grandma’s 80th birthday lunch, at which there would beabout 22 people. By complete fluke, The Observer magazine did a piece on chocolate, and

there was this recipe from Angela Nilson. It was exactly what it said, easy, and was more thanenough for 22 people, though it said for 14 slices, as it is incredibly rich. I actually think itwould make a wonderful pud, with some cream on the top for good measure, or maybe an

alternative Christmas cake.

200g good quality dark chocolate, 70+ cocoa solids200g butter, cut into pieces1tbs instant coffee granules

85g self raising flour85g plain flour

¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda200g golden caster sugar200g muscovado sugar25g cocoa powder3 medium eggs75mls buttermilk

Grated chocolate curls to decorateFor the ganache (icing)

200g good quality chocolate284mls double cream

2 tbs golden caster sugar

Butter a 20cm round cake tin and line the base. Heat oven to 140C/Gas 3.

Break chocolate into chunks, and add to butter, coffee and 125mls water in a big pan.Warm very low heat till all just melted. On rack on bottom of top AGA oven for 30 minutes,

with cold shelf, then bottom oven for remainder.

Meanwhile, mix all dry in large bowl. Beat eggs and buttermilk, and add to the dry mix withthe melted chocolate. Stir till all smooth. Pour into tin and bake for 1 hour and 25-30

minutes. The top should feel firm, don’t worry if it cracks. Leave to cool in the tin, then turnout onto the serving plate,

and slice in three (I only sliced in half, and that was rich enough for us!)

Warm the cream, adding the sugar, and heat until almost boiling. Drop in the chocolate bitsoff the heat, and stir till smooth. It will be like magic, first runny, and then suddenly smooth

and glossy.

Put a little ganache between the layers and stack the cake, then pour the remainder over thetop and allow to run down the sides, smoothing with a palette knife.

You can decorate with fancy chocolate curls or just grate some chocolate in a heap, or I put alittle vase of tiny pink rosebuds in the middle, which looked lovely.

The cake remains gooey and delicious for a few days, and keeps longer in the fridge. Wemicrowaved the remainder a few days later, for just a few seconds, and served with cream as

a pud...deelish..

Lulu Stephen [email protected]

52 53

‘SAY IT WITHFLOWERS...’

It is generally believed that the originalpractice of ascribing meanings todifferent flowers began in 17th century

Turkey. The ‘Persian selam’ was a way ofsending coded messages to another.‘Saying it with flowers’ became extremelypopular in Victorian England, when theproprieties of the time did not allow moredirect communication of thoughts andfeelings. Dictionaries of ‘florigraphy’ werepopular and apparently well used byardent swains!

So before you dash off a bouquet to awork colleague or Great Aunt Vi thisChristmas, perhaps it is worth consideringwhat you are saying with your selection.The traditional Christmas gifts anddecorations can be interpreted as follows:

holly = as well as its traditional meaningassociated with magic and enchantment,the holly flower also has the meaning offoresight, domestic happiness.

ivy = fidelity, wedded love, affection.

mistletoe = rather more than its ‘kiss mequick’ image, mistletoe is a sacred plant inIndia, and has the meanings of affection,to overcome difficulties.

poinsettia = be of good cheer.

Other flowers and plants commonly givenat Christmas also convey their ownmessage:

cyclamen = despite being a common plantpresented as a gift on arrival at a Christmasparty or dinner, the cyclamen has themeanings of resignation, goodbye.

hyacinth = games, sport, rashness.Additionally, the different coloured bloomseach has its own message: blue forconstancy; purple for ‘I am sorry’, forgiveme, sorrow; red/pink for play; white forloveliness, ‘I will pray for you’; yellow forjealousy.

daffodil = respect, unrequited love, ‘thesun shines when I am with you’, and is alsoassociated with a tenth weddinganniversary. Interestingly, the number ofdaffodils also has meaning, a single bloommeaning misfortune, while, conversely, abunch indicates joy and happiness, hence,no doubt, the ‘host of dancing daffodils’ ofWordsworth’s immortal poem.

carnation = as well as being the mainstayof many a floral bouquet, the carnationindicates fascination and devotion. As withthe hyacinth, different colours send adifferent message: pink for ‘I shall neverforget you’; red, heartache, fascination;white for sweetness and loveliness,innocence, faithfulness; yellow for rejectionor disappointment. Carnations of a solidcolour mean ‘yes’, while striped varietiesconfusingly mean both a rejection, ‘no’ and‘I am sorry I cannot be with you’!

rose = apart from the mournful messageof the dark crimson rose (not to beconfused with the ‘red, red rose’), theseflowers generally convey positive, happymessages, from the ‘I love you’ of a single,red rose to the ‘you may have hope’ of arose leaf! Both rose buds and full bloomsare given meaning by the flower code,with buds meaning beauty, youth and loveand full blooms conveying gratitude.

I think this year erring on the side ofsafety might be wise when making floralgifts, and decorating one’s Christmas lunchtable with a bunch of mature, red andwhite roses will indicate both gratitudeand unity. However, it would be wise tosteer clear of flowers of the spider flower(cleome)—apparently it means ‘elope withme’!

Anne Brown

54 Hilltop News

HILLTOP NEWSWe welcome all letters and articles which are of general interest and relevance to the HilltopVillages. Information for the February/March (limited) edition should be sent to Imogen Vallance(Societies) or Anne Butterworth (Church Matters) by the 5th January.

Kay Bass H & C SCHOOL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .786016 [email protected]

Anne Butterworth CHURCH MATTERS . . . . . . . . . .758700 [email protected]

Nick Butterworth TREASURER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .758700 [email protected]

Jim Hetherington WILDLIFE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .758836 [email protected]

Ann Horn ADVERTISING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .758250 [email protected]

Bill Ingram THE PUBS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .758258 [email protected]

Maureen Newall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .758515

Fletcher Nicholson AUDITOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .758366 [email protected]

Oliver Parsons PHOTOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .758694 [email protected]

Rosemary Pearce DISTRIBUTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .758334

John Phimister . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .01296 623425

Sally/Marcus Reynolds FARMING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .758548/758610 [email protected]

Michael Spark PRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .758882 [email protected]

Imogen Vallance SOCIETIES, DIARY, PROOFING . . .758552 [email protected]

Guy Williams SECRETARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .758735 [email protected]

December 2007 & January 2008 - St Leonards · 10 Hilltop News Hilltop News 11 MRSGOBELL’S100TH...

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Transcript of December 2007 & January 2008 - St Leonards · 10 Hilltop News Hilltop News 11 MRSGOBELL’S100TH...