RAMBLINGS - WANTAGE - OX12 - NOVEMBER 2008
G’dy my little
Possums! Here I sit in my underpants as the sun comes up out of The Coral Sea
listening to the dawn chorus. Noisy it is, tuneful it ain’t. What I call the
Woollawoo bird is curlewing away to a background of dinks, chinks, whoops, schreeks,
grrrronks and piercing whistles. A kookaburra is chuckling evilly, and as I
sip my second coffee, I am being inspected from my balcony rail by a blue-black
bird with a white breast, very like a large swallow without a forked tail. Instead
it has a very long one which it fans out in my direction and then lasciviously
flirts from side to side like an inexpensive street walker. ’S’lovely! And I
can smell bacon and sausages cooking on the breakfast barby.
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Rightyho! As
we Aussies say, back to earth and the realisation that Christmas is coming and
Wantage ‘Annual Charities Christmas Cards Sale’ runs between 10 and 4.30 Monday
to Saturday from the 10th to the 22nd at the Vale and
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‘Cards For Good
Causes’ and their volunteers have also been busy setting up the charity Christmas
card shops, so, once again, we will be able to support a good cause with the
money we spend on our Christmas cards – in fact, the charities will get back
at least 79p in £1. The shops
sell cards from over 30 different charities as well as advent calendars, Christmas
wrappings and small gifts. Call
in Faringdon Tourist and Community Information Centre from
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Storyteller,
Peter Grimm opens the box to find ‘THE am-A-zing THING’ that takes him on an
unusual journey that weaves it’s way through a medley of well known Brother’s
Grimm tales. Peter is a descendent of the famous Brothers Grimm and through
the Lempen Puppet Theatre tells their stories as they were written 200 years
ago. You can catch the performance at Faringdon Corn Exchange at
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The ecumenical
Wantage and Grove Christian Aid Group would like to thank those who gave so
generously during this year’s Christian Aid Week in May and those who went out
delivering and collecting envelopes. The overall collection was just over £9700,
which was channeled to
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How’d you like
to do your bit for Helen and Douglas House? One of our top three favourites
that is! Pop into Grove Craft Fair at Old Mill Hall on Saturday the 8th between
10 and 4. They’ll have a wide range of stalls including hand-made cards and
gifts, home crafts, children’s toys, jewellery and even refreshments provided
by Grove District Guides. Entry £1, under 16’s free if accompanied by
an adult.
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The Vale of White
Horse District Council is looking for amateur meteorologists to help them understand
the impact of extreme weather conditions. This August was one of the wettest
on record and of course, last summer Vale residents had to cope with widespread
flooding. The Council is running a climate profiling project to help understand
severe weather so it can better respond to the threat. To do this the Vale Council
needs to look at the last five years’ weather patterns and they would like to
supplement Met Office data with any local records or anecdotal information from
people who live in the Vale. Email your interest to ‘mark.kowal@whitehorsedc.gov.uk’.
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Right, I’m packing
in for a spell. It’s 6.50 on a beautiful sunny morning and my neighbour in the
next apartment has switched on his television full blast with the French doors
wide open. If it’s any consolation, Australian TV is even worse than ours. That’s
unless you like repeats of ‘The Bill’ or ‘Midsomer Murders’. The recent Para
Olympics recorded every Australian athlete who came second or third I still
don’t know who came first and second. One news item announced “The President
of South Africa Thabo Mbeki has resigned.” Just that! Twenty minutes into the
news that was largely devoted to some dubious Rugby League tackles and the misbehaviour
of some of their players off the field. Oh! And the provision of some new traffic
lights in
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Back now after
a stroll along the beach. Seven blue black aboriginal children aged from 3 to
about 8 are splashing around in the shallows while a portly grandfather figure
in a baseball hat stands guard in the deeper water. Lovely! I feel better now.
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And that’s nice!
I may pop along. On 13th November East Hendred Heritage Trust is having a moonlight
guided walk around East Hendred, where they talk about village history, legends
and the odd ghost or two, followed by supper at the Plough – tickets limited
at £15 on 01235 821 796. Park at the Plough, bring a small torch, waterproofs
advisable. Hah! So much for the moonlight. I thought they’d made a prior arrangement.
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Help to raise
some cash for the completion of the new Hendred & Ginge Village Hall. You
can sample the new amenities and enjoy North Country Theatre buckling their
swash in ‘The Prisoner of Zenda’ on Saturday 22nd. A ripping yarn with thrills
and comedy suitable for bright children from age 7/8 upwards and adults of any
age. Tickets from Tony on 07866 428 943 at £5 for children and oldies
and £7 the rest. Third child free.
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I do love a cliché!
You’ve probably noticed. When dining out one evening in a beach side restaurant
on the other side of the world we were seated near two other couples. As we
were leaving we bade them good night and one of the chaps asked where we were
from. “Oxfordshire.” I replied. “We’re from Wantage.” said he…Wait for it!...
‘Small World’ isn’t it?
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Wantage Choral Society's
next concert is at the Parish Church of SS Peter and Paul at 7.30 on 8th November.
They’re doing Hummel's Mass in B flat, with the Stabat Mater Dolorosa by Palestrina
and some Flemish motets by Petti. And they’ll have to be good ‘cos they’re accompanied
by a professional orchestra who’ll prove their credentials with a performance
of Elgar's Serenade for Strings Op.20. Well worth a tenner a ticket from
The Vale & Downland Museum, and at the concert door.
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The Choir of
Longcot Primary School is 'Singing for Shelter' at the Farmer Gow's
Farmers' Market between
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The Vale and
Downland Beekeepers Association is organising four apiary meetings beginning
on the 6th November and continuing next year on 8th January, 5th February
and 5th March. Keep your trousers tucked in, as they say, and all protective
clothing will be supplied. For more details phone Lilian Valantine on 01235
767 524. Chairman James Mein also says that this is probably the last time he’ll
be in contact with us as he’s getting a little stiff and is handing over to
younger hands. I though bee stings were good for stiffy things.
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Brightening up
the tail-end of autumn, Wantage Art Group hold their annual exhibition at the
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Roger Price was
originally trained as a scientist at
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Wantage Gardeners
Association is full of beans. And marrows and other veggy things. And now that
the season of mellow fruitfulness has passed it’s AGM time. They’d like as many
members and potential members as possible to come and help plan next years
activities. It’s on Thursday November 27th at 7.30 in the St. John Vianney Roman
Catholic Church Hall,
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A touch of ‘Arsenic
and Old Lace’ from The Domino Players on the 5th 6th 7th November at Lains Barn
near Wantage. Tickets £8 from The Vale and
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You can discover
your village history by visiting Wantage Library between the 3rd and 29th. There
are also free tickets for a special afternoon event on Thursday the 13th with
a talk by Judy Dewey. Telephone
01235 762 291
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Wantage Stage
Musical Company is back on the road again with their
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Challow Ladies
Netball Club is now open for new membership. They have recently been given £10,000
of lottery funding, and over the last year people within the club have
received several coaching awards. The club also received its bronze caps and
club mark award. Full details on ‘challownetball.f9.co.uk’.
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The Hanney Volunteer
charity team is on course to meet a historic target in 2008. Kath Carter, her
sister Lyn Johnston and friends Dulcie Parfoot and Marion Carter have worked
to continue the work started in Hanney over 20 years ago by Rene Nobes to raise
money for Cancer Research. The target is to reach £50,000 by the end of
the year. The event scheduled to push the group’s fund raising total through
£50,000 barrier will be the Christmas Bazaar to be held at Hanney Memorial
Hall on Sat November 15th. Anyone who would like to assist these ladies in their
worthy cause by donating unwanted useful items should call Kath on 01235 868
527.
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This Month’s
Artists at Faringdon Tourist and Community Information Centre are Sculptor Pat
Elmore and Photographer Al Cane. Pat Elmore’s subject matter is her immediate
environment, four handsome sons, two lovely daughters, and one husband (a cross
between Father Christmas and Jesus), ducks, cats, sheep, and the rolling landscape
of the Vale of the White Horse. She teaches from her studio at Longcot where
she has a permanent exhibition in her studio and garden.
Al Cane is currently
editor of the Faringdon Folly, as well as being a freelance photographer and
graphic designer, and a member of Farringdon’s burgeoning Flickr group of photographers.
His work is diverse, covering amongst other subjects, nature, strange signs,
local scenes and special collage pictures.
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Wantage Orchestra's
Autumn concert takes place at 7.30 on the 22nd in
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Faringdon Circle
Dance Group is offering a free trial lesson at the Corn Exchange on 2nd December
at 10.30. The group meets on Tuesday mornings during term time to enjoy music
and dance from around the world. No partner or experience needed. Just pop along,
or if you’re shy, phone Lilly on 01367 820 143 first.
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You may have
read in the papers that a chap got eaten by a crocodile in
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