TWYFORD & WARGRAVE - RG10 - MARCH 2010TWYFORD & WARGRAVE - RG10 - MARCH 2010
Ahhhhh! March! Finally the repressive tide of winter recedes and we can begin to once again look forward to more regular doses of vitamin d, colour in the garden and perhaps the odd smiling face when we’re round and about. Suddenly a trip outdoors doesn’t seem like such a trial to endure, what with all the coats, scarves and hats (hopefully) left back at home. We’ll be talking in hushed tones about the early predictions of the Met office; this will be ‘the year’, and of course that delicious promise will remain for at least the duration of this transitional month. So get out there, soak up the spring time joys before that early outlook is shown to be as flimsy as the sub-prime mortgage market.
And personally I cannot see what could be more spring like than enjoying one of the key benchmarks of this glorious season; that being lambing time. A chance to see the true cyclical nature of the beasts below us, get a ride on a tractor, have a bit of fresh air and perhaps, for the more carnivorous of you, eye up your next meal. If you’d like to immerse yourself in this key indicator of the glorious new season then get yourself down to Rushall Farm in Bradfield on Saturday 13th or Sunday 14th March and enjoy all of the above – apart from the salivating for those veggies among you. The days are simple outdoorsy fun and all proceeds will be given to the local Multiple Sclerosis Society. Suggested donations are £5 for adults and £2 for children. Call 0118 961 6107 for more information.
It’s not just the sheep who choose this time of year to bring their young into the world, Mother Nature seems to have programmed many of her creatures’ with this very sensible tendency. With this in mind, a wander around just about anywhere will be a veritable feast of new life. You can’t get away from the stuff! Amongst the more prolific critters are fowl, especially of the water dwelling variety. The have their young with gay abandon it would seem (yes I realise there is a darker, more Darwinian, reason for this but when looking at baby geese, swans, ducks etc I prefer not to think about it, which given my earlier talk of lambs might seem a little rich, but there we go!) so a trip around one of your local waterways might be worth a visit, especially for the kids. If you’d like them to be accompanied by someone who has more than an inkling of what they are speaking then pack them off to Dinton Pastures on 13th March where the junior branch of the Wildlife Trust are meeting for their monthly club. For further information call 0118 934 2016 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
There are fewer things in this life that can claim such an impressive track record for influence than stars. They’ve roused songs, poems, books, films, plays, essays, theories, religions, language and discovery. Some folk – bizarrely - look to them as an indication of what is to come in life, others gaze in awe at the true wonder of the universe. They can make us feel insignificant, bold, lonely, mortal and circumspect. We even use the word as a rather lose collective noun for a group of celebrities. They truly hold something different for every one of us and to a greater or lesser extent all of us have an interest in them. So I would imagine that the Reading Astronomical Society are going to be busy on Friday 12th and Saturday13th March at Dinton Pastures (it really is a lively hub is it not?) where they are offering a free, open to all invite to let you know what makes up our night sky. They’ll be there for 7:30pm both nights to bring you in the loop. For more information call Gerry Bond on 0118 986 4032.
Okay, as a son and a husband (with two boys of course) I really cannot go any further without mentioning Mothers Day. In fact I’ve probably put myself firmly in the dog house for not mentioning it from the outset. Still I felt - editorially - that spring, sheep, nature and stars were a more enlivening start to this months offerings. It’ll cost me but I’m sure it’ll be worth it. Quite how though eludes me at this juncture! Nonetheless this most venerable of occasions is on March 14th and you really should plan to do something for that undoubtedly lovely person who hurts when you hurt and smiles when you smile. The next two entries are just a couple of the things offered locally to make the day a little more special than some petrol forecourt flowers and an inappropriate card;
Mothers Day at Wellington Country Park offers a chance to enjoy the day out with your dear old (or perhaps dear and youthful) mum. The surrounds are delightful and will of course be bursting with the joys of spring. Call 0118 932 6444 for more information.
On the same theme, if a beautiful, freshly renovated, riverside environment is your mum’s thing then get along to Caversham’s fabulous historic gardens for a bit of a stroll and to catch up on all the comings and goings of which only mums can be fully in the know. Go to www.fccg.org.uk if you feel the need to top up the rather sparse information I have given you here.
Sold brilliantly by the epic film ‘The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner’ – and probably for other reasons too – marathons and half marathons are quite well subscribed events these days, indeed people are actually rejected (or rather politely asked to try again with their application next year) from taking part in some! It seems that pounding the pavement and pushing oneself to a bone shuddering, jelly-legged wreck is attractive to more than some. If you think you’ve got it and you’re limbering your mind up for an entry to such an event, perhaps you’d like to go and see for yourself the people who can do it, to give you that last push (or sensibly deter you from making a huge mistake!). The Reading half marathon is your best bet. Have a look at the keen, the athletic and the downright insane on Sunday 21st March. Go to www.readinghalfmarathon.com to find out the best spots to watch it from.
It happens at dinner parties up and down the country. It happens whilst eyeing your significant other over the Sunday paper. It happens when listening to the news, whilst walking about town; in fact it can creep up at anytime. Sympathy. More to the point the expression of it, don’t you just wish there was something you could do? Well frankly there is - a spot of volunteering is always at hand and you don’t need to be a ‘J’ list celebrity desperate for the slightest bit of media coverage to do some. A total of 17.7m adult will do a stint or regular shift this year. So why not give it a bash? Have a look at www.whatdoyoubelievein.org.uk to find out what you can do to help out in RG10.
With their wine, bread, countryside, garlic, previous penchant for allowing the German Army unobstructed access to it and ability to say ‘I am no longer hungry’ as apposed to ‘I am full’, France has some things that are very laudable qualities. I purposefully didn’t mention cheese because they are now importing more and more of ours whilst we’re importing less of theirs. And of course they’ve mused a fine ditty or two in their illustrious past. Thus on Saturday 20th March we of RG10 can get along to the Highdown Concert Hall to catch ‘A French Connection’; A programme of joyful French choral music ranging from the youthful exuberance of Bizet (Te Deum) to the sumptuous orchestral colours of Poulenc (Gloria). The concert will be ably conducted by Janet Lincé and the soprano solo is a locally based Erica Eloff – though not locally bred I am guessing with a name like that. Tickets are £15 or £13 for concessions, call 0118 962 6214 or go along to www.readingfestivalchorus.org.uk for more information.
If the above mention of choral music has got you humming over your cereal then this next ramble should hit you right between the eyes. Two weeks prior to the above mention (so Saturday 6th March just in case you’re not at your most mentally agile today) the Reading Bach Choir will be giving a rendition of Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610. Pre-Bach I know, but widely considered to be the most ambitious music of the time so plenty for the choir to get their teeth into. The surrounds for this concert will be congruous in the extreme as it is taking place in the wonderfully resonant Douai Abbey, Woolhampton. Tickets are £18, with more cost effective options for concessions, students and under 16s. Call Cathy Carr on 01189 947 0104 or email
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.
Once the leading industrial power in the world, Great Britain was once truly worthy of its title. We seemingly kicked off everything and then very languidly allowed the rest of the world to catch up and, latterly, overtake us. It’s like the cool kid in school who everyone wants to be like ending up as a box flattening technician, a bit sad really. Alas this is the situation we currently find ourselves in…but all is not lost. Young minds are being inspired and we will rule again with our growing knowledge economy. It helps that the Big Lottery Fund are supporting events like the upcoming Whacky Scrap Races. You can catch the finals of this enlivening event at Denefield School, Long Lane, Tilehurst on Saturday 27 March. Teams will be pitting themselves against one anther to find out who has made the best rocket launcher! All very scientific, fun and inspiring and being that recycled materials are used, ecologically sound too. There will also be a chance to enter the next free event commencing in May, a great opportunity to get your children, grandchildren, nieces or nephews excited about science. Check out www.whackyscrapraces.org.uk for more information, photographs and video clips. Please contact Sue Hale on 0118 9728978 or email
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if you are interested.
Sunday, a day when it is easy to square take the foot off the pedal, sit around, and generally ensconce oneself in the generic home based leisure activities in life. Still, it is nice on occasion to get out there and do something different, pushing yourself out of the comfort zone and giving Sunday a chance to live again. So if you’re in a cycle of general Sunday abuse then you need something to give you a push. Our friends at Readifolk are on hand to facilitate the shove into Sunday fun and frolics by hosting a variety of Folk based japery from 8pm each and every week. You can find them at Reading International Solidarity Centre (RISC), 35-39 London Street, Reading RG1 4PS, have a look at www.readifolk.org.uk if you’d like more information and to see what is coming up.
There are few sights more enchanting than a bird of prey in full flight. In fact we’re very lucky in this neck of the woods as the Red Kites are a common site, but aside from those beautiful specimens we see little else from the birds that redresses the balance between the winged creatures and the domesticated cat. Still if you’d like to add to your tally of big birds that you’ve seen aloft then you can always visit a Falconry Display, and as coincidence would have it there is one such event coming into view on the local calendar. Ray Prior will be showing off his array of feathered friends during the Aldworth Village Market – so you can get yourself some local goodies too – on Saturday 3rd April. Get down to the recreational field for 9am to catch the start. Call Pauline Sheppard on 01635 578 177 for more details.
Scientifically there must be a tempo to which the average human is attracted. Given our ancestors cove of using giant drums for communication, there has to be something intrinsic that will call us towards it, pushing buttons untouched but still live after years of evolution. One way to add weight to this theory would be to get out there and rattle something at a specific beat to see what the results are like. Well, if you’re feeling generous – on two fronts as some feedback on this would be scientifically useful to me – then you can practice your tempo calling whilst helping to raise money for Marie Curie. They need as many ‘can rattlers’ as they can muster on Saturday 3rd April as part of their ‘Great Daffodil Appeal’ in Reading. Get in touch with Lin Godfrey on 0118 947 7820 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more details.
Easter is oft considered the runt of the litter in terms of celebrations. Obviously in the Christian Calendar the litter is restricted but still Easter finds itself overawed by its gregarious show-off of a brother. Well, the Twyford Singers are at pains to redress this imbalance and reliably ensure me – and they’ve yet to steer me wrong - that they put just as many hard yards into their Easter work as they do their Christmas performances which are very well attended. Judge for yourself on Sunday 28th March at 7pm when you can catch them performing the St. Mark Passion at St. Mary’s church, in Twyford of course. The choir will be welcoming back soloists Ronan Busfield and Simon Whitely who sang at last year’s Easter concert. Ronan and Simon are both Lay Clerks at St Georges Chapel, Windsor Castle and have busy professional solo careers so one can only assume that they are selective about whom they associate with. Tickets for the concert are £5 including refreshments, you can get them on the door or by telephoning 0118 934 2406 or 0118 934 5985. The choir’s website is at twyford-singers.org.uk. As a short aside the singers are also on the prowl for male voices to join the fold. Go to the website for more details.
The very British trend for muttering under one’s breath, or perhaps - if the offence gives us enough justification - a severe tut, did for centuries serve as more than enough chastisement for the greater bulk of the population. Unfortunately, and at the moment I’ve no wish to get into the sociological side of the matter, this no longer seems to be the case. But we do still have options and keeping the local bobbies abreast of our concerns for our community is essential in this modern era of box ticking, health and safety and needless quantities of paperwork. If you’ve any concerns at all regarding local policing then get your rant sorted, take a friend and get down to one of the local police surgeries. On Thursday 4th March there is one at the Hare Hatch Sheeplands coffee shop, 10am – 12pm for residents of Twyford or you can pop along to the Pavilion in Wargrave the very next day at the same time.
Let’s face it, most women are easily pleased. The occasional compliment, keeping in touch with those odd jobs about the house, putting the toilet seat down and perhaps a hug or two and you’re pretty much kept on their good side. The real beauty is that they really do like a surprise (note to women who don’t ever get one, leave this somewhere that he’ll read it…it may not have occurred to him) even a simple one. So why not give ‘er indoors a simple yet effective surprise and find your way to Hare Hatch Sheeplands on Saturday 13th March where there is a ladies ‘Pamper Event’ between 9am – 4pm. It might cost you a bit when you get there but I’m willing to wager that for most of us the thought of going alone will keep things sweet for a little while yet.
With that said I’m off to make the missus a cup of tea to keep the tot of brownie points in good health, ta ta for now.
PJET
To raise awareness and money for the charity ABC (Assisting Berkshire Children) to read we are organising a sponsored walk of the River Thames from Pangbourne to Caversham. This is to be held on Sunday 28th March, starting at 10:00am. For more information please contact Tessa or Cathy on 0118 9511336 or email us at:
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