January 2021 - Thornbury Weather Station Daily Stats
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January 2021
Old and New Year Ditties
New Year met me somewhat sad:
Old Year leaves me tired,
Stripped of favourite things I had
Baulked of much desired:
Yet farther on my road to-day
God willing, farther on my way.
New Year coming on apace
What have you to give me?
Bring you scathe, or bring you grace,
Face me with an honest face;
You shall not deceive me:
Be it good or ill, be it what you will,
It needs shall help me on my road,
My rugged way to heaven, please God.
Christina Rossetti .
4ward
Community magazine for
Oldbury, Shepperdine, Kington and Rockhampton
www.oos4ward.plus.com
EDITOR Chris Tymko,
Fisherman’s Cottage, Cowhill, BS35 1QJ. Tel: 412152
PRINTED BY Oldbury Deckers Tel: 01454 412153
4Ward is an independent community magazine and material is
published at the discretion of the editor. Articles for next month's
edition should reach the editor or email 4wardmag@gmail.com
NO LATER THAN 20th OF THIS MONTH
4Ward Magazine Advertising Charges
Back Cover Whole page - £20 Half page - £10 Quarter page - £5
Inside Pages Whole page - £16 Half page - £8 Quarter page - £4
10% discount on all charges when paying for full year in advance.
Cheques should be made payable to “4Ward Magazine”
Advertising contact Rob King 07494209222
Email: robwjking@gmail.com
Oldbury Community Website www.oldburyonsevern.org.uk
Oldbury Memorial Hall 01454 413380 Contact: Karen Porter
07986 931893 tlk.porter@live.co.uk
Church Contacts
Thornbury & Oldbury www.arildachurcholdbury.co.uk
Parish office 01454 281900 Wed, Thurs, Fri mornings
Methodist www.thornburymethodist.org.uk
Revd Simon Edwards 01454 418176 simon.edwards@methodist.org.uk
Rockhampton
Parish office 01454 260096 www.croftt.org.uk
Christ The King Thornbury 01454 412223 www.ctk-thornbury.org.uk
Morton Baptist Church 01454 413200 Willie Grey
01453 810491 Hilary Grigg
Editorial What a strange year it’s been and we have no way of telling what the next few weeks or months will bring, so to cheer everyone up we have a colour spread of the Nativity Trail, now on display on top of the church hill where Revd Joy led a lovely, open air carol service on Christmas Eve complete with a trumpeter who did a brilliant job accompanying all the carols. The Trail was a wonderful community effort - very well done to Amelia Sorrell for organising it. The figures have certainly been appreciated by the hundreds of walkers and cyclists and other day trippers who stop to photograph them when they pass by. With more space available, in a magazine usually full of forthcoming events and meetings, and accounts of recent social activities, we can now include more of our loyal readers’ own varied articles and items. Many thanks to all our contributors and do please keep on sharing your reminiscences and stories with us. We hope that you find them as fascinating as we do and we’re pleased to be able to give those tales a wider audience. At Christmas the primroses were already flowering bravely in the churchyard, and the days are now getting steadily longer – by the end of this month we will have over an hour and a quarter more daylight to enjoy each day than we did on the shortest day, back in December. In that spirit of optimism, all of us at 4ward would like to wish every one of you a very healthy and “Our community” (from Refresh service, October 2016)
A letter from Debbie Dix, formerly Headteacher of Oldbury School
Dear residents,
I can barely believe that the time has come when I have finally said goodbye
to Oldbury School and our lovely community. I first joined Oldbury School in
2004 when Tony Cooper had just left; 4 years later Gill Leaper retired and I
became head teacher. It has been an absolute privilege to serve the school
and the community and I have loved every minute of it.
As you read this I will have left these shores and hopefully I’ll be settled in a
new life in France. We are very lucky to have had a house in France for nearly
20 years and although I’m sure that I’ll miss lots of things about living in
England (bonfire night and good teabags spring to mind!) there are many
things about the French way of life which will compensate for the losses.
Our house is in the Cher department in central France – which looks a lot like
the Devonshire countryside but with more sunshine. It’s not a densely
populated part of France; when we first bought the house I remember saying
to my mum ‘it’s not quite the ends the earth but we’re pretty sure we can see
it from here’. My husband and I will be living on our small farm with our 3
dogs, Douglas, Margot and Winnie. They have all been to France many times
on holiday and they’re fluent in French! (Our neighbours tell us the French for
woof-woof is ‘wouaff-wouaff’ or ‘vaf-vaf’). The dogs also love to chase our
chickens and ducks around the garden and when they hear the ‘chasse’ (the
hunt) across the fields, their blood rises and they forget that they’re domestic
cockapoos and try to escape the garden and join in – especially Winnie, whose
life is basically a catalogue of crime!
Lots of people have asked me what I’ll be doing after I take early retirement;
the answer is not very glamourous, I’m afraid. For the first year or so I’ll be
helping my husband complete our 20 year old building project and hopefully
we’ll finally complete our house. After I’ve finished being a builder’s mate,
who knows? Life is full of possibilities! I do intend to enjoy a slower way of
life, grow some vegetables, enjoy the weather and the wonderful French food
and wine.
I want to thank all the staff, children, families and governors of Oldbury School
who have made working there such a good experience. I will miss you and I’ll
remember you all fondly. This winter, as I sit by the wood burner, I’ll be raising
a glass, thinking of you all and saying, ‘à votre santé’ and ‘merci beaucoup
pour tout!’
Debbie Dix
Shop Spot
Happy New Year to everyone and let’s hope 2021 is better than 2020. A
special thanks to all our volunteers, suppliers and customers who have
supported the Shop throughout a very difficult year. Our sales remain
positive and our takeaway drinks and delicious cakes have continued to be
very popular.
As mentioned in last month’s 4ward, we invite applications from local good
causes and local charities for donations. Applications should be sent to me in
a sealed envelope (it can be handed in at the Shop), by the end of January.
In addition to 2020 donations totalling £800 made to the Thornbury Food
Bank, we have recently donated a further £550 to the Food Bank. This
latest donation was achieved from the Government reduction in VAT on the
sales of takeaway drinks. We have also donated the sum of £500 to the
local Air Ambulance Service that serves our Community. This in turn was
matched by another entrepreneur, so in reality the Air Ambulance received
£1000 due to our donation.
Happy New Year to everyone.
Chris Awde
4ward By Post
Would you like to receive a regular copy of 4ward by post? Join our
mailing list and in exchange for a book of 12 first class stamps every
year, Vicky Collin will be happy to post one to you.
Please send your stamps directly to Vicky with your address details.
Phone her on 01454 418244 or email vrcollin@aol.com or write to her
at
The Cottage, Pullens Green, Oldbury on Severn, BS35 1PW
Oldbury on Severn - Memorial Hall 100 Club
Christmas 2020 – Draw Winners
1st prize. £80 Jude Illingworth
2nd prize. £50 David Hill
3rd prize. £30 Karen Porter
4th prize. £20 Gerry Dyke
New members of the 100 Club are always welcome!
Forms are available in the Shop, or contact Doug Mills or Angela Conibere
at Christmas Cottage or aeconibere@hotmail.com or 01454 413828
Hall News
Since the last update, activities within the Hall have been severely curtailed
due to the restrictions placed on us by the Government. We will, of course,
update you all as the situation changes - for the better hopefully!
In the meantime, the committee have been extremely active and we have
now completed the removal of the chimney, which was allowing water
ingress. We have also engaged contractors to inject a damp course into
the walls. In addition, it is planned to repoint and render parts of the
outside brickwork which should prevent moisture infiltration. This work
should take place fairly soon in the New Year.
We are currently reviewing the lighting in the Hall. Whilst we appreciate
that the new lighting is significantly better - we have had some very
positive feedback, thank you - we appreciate that it does need to be
brighter for particular users, such as committee meetings etc. This will be
concluded in early 2021.
We are now considering two further projects:
Firstly, our aim is to make the Hall more disabled-friendly, particularly
regarding access, so we would be very grateful to receive any input from
our community as to how this might be achieved. Please feel free to
forward any thoughts or suggestions you might have.
Secondly, we would like to consider how we can add an additional toilet;
this could be a unisex toilet that would include a baby changing area.
Additionally, this would remove some of the 'inconvenience' of just one
ladies’ toilet!
Both projects will almost certainly need planning permission, so it is
important that we treat them, as far as planning is concerned, as a single
project to minimise the planning fees that will be incurred. We are currently
looking at grants that can help fund these improvements.
John Sears, our treasurer, is standing down at the AGM so we are very
keen to recruit a replacement to take on this role. If you are interested,
please contact me.
If you have not done so already, please consider joining the 100 Club as
this is an important source of income for the Hall.
Wishing everyone a better 2021 with the hope that we can meet up and
enjoy social activities in the Hall once again.
Chris Jennings cjlj@hotmail.com
Working in Canada 1954 I have mentioned previously that I was a student at Imperial College. Studying engineering we were expected to take a job relevant to our course during the summer vacation – 4 months. In 1954 I got a job with Calgary Power in Alberta, Canada. The only problem with these jobs was you had to organise how to get there yourself. I signed up on a student charter flight going to New York. The plane was an old 4-engined DC6. It didn’t have the range for a transatlantic flight so we flew to Keflavik (Iceland) – Gander (Newfoundland) – Kennedy (New York). A long trip as you can imagine, with twice re-fuelling. However, since a propeller aircraft flies much lower than a jet there are great views on the way – especially over Greenland. A short stop in New York to see the sights, a contact suggested I go to Radio City to see a live show. In England when uncertain which way to go, you ask a policeman. Here was my introduction to the New York Police Department. I found a policeman on duty leaning against a wall smoking a cigarette and reading a newspaper. I went up to him and said, “Excuse me officer but can you tell me the way to Radio City?”. Without looking at me he said “Can’t you see I’m busy?”. My first encounter with the NYPD. I took the train to Montreal. In Quebec they speak French of course as a first language. I went into a shop and, although I can speak some French, I made a mistake when I spoke to them in English. I could see that they understood me well enough but would only reply in French. They are very protective of their language and don’t like to have to speak in English. Another lesson for me in North America. I took the trans-continental Canadian Pacific (CPR) train westwards; three days via Toronto and along the shores of Lake Superior. Even in 1954 it was a comfortable trip with bunk beds, a dining car and, if you wanted a smoke, a special area at the end of each carriage; all pulled by an enormous diesel engine, and with 15 carriages.
So, I arrived in Calgary at last – a small city on a flat plain towards the end
of the prairies and about 50 miles from the Rocky Mountains. The Bow
River runs through the middle with a single bridge crossing it. I am staying
on the North side with some old people who had a spare room.
It was the weekend and
the Stampede was on. A
great annual jamboree
with chuck wagon
racing, steer wrestling,
Native American tepees,
and many unusual
sideshows with barkers
outside trying to tempt
you in (women wrestling
covered in strawberry
jam, etc). Lots of fun.
I travelled down on Monday morning by bus across the bridge to the offices
of Calgary Power. I am part of a construction and maintenance crew that
travels all over Alberta. Calgary Power is a private company responsible for
the power generation and distribution throughout the southern part of the
province – an area about 300 miles north to south and the same east to
west. A lot of the generation is hydro with a number of thermal power
plants.
It was interesting to see how
very protective the company
was about its public image. As
a maintenance crew we were
the public face of Calgary
Power, we wore clothing with
the company logo and it was
drilled into us to be polite and
to be tidy at all times. Very
interesting to compare to
some of the public servants
we have in the UK.
I needed a driving licence. In Calgary this would have meant a test and a
lot of administration. However, go 50 miles east to the next small town
(Brooks) and they give you a licence on the spot for just a few dollars – no
questions asked. So, on one of our jobs in the town I did just that.
I’m talking of nearly 70 years ago now, so I am sure things must have
changed a lot, but at that time the laws on drinking alcohol were almost
Victorian. In towns and cities in bars men and women were strictly
segregated and had different rooms – no chance of taking a girl out for a
drink. But if you went 20 miles west to a small place with a hotel then you
could meet and drink together. So of course, that is what everyone in
Calgary did at the weekend.
The general social standards were many years behind that of the UK. Also,
the lack of knowledge of what was going on in other countries – or even
outside Alberta – was very apparent. Many people I met had never even
been outside Alberta. When they asked where I was from, I used to say
London; this meant to them London, Ontario. London, England was another
planet. I don’t want you to think they were uneducated, they were fantastic
people to be with, just a little unaware of the rest of the world.
One day our truck broke down. We waved down another guy who was
passing, to give us a push. He put his car behind us and just pushed us to
the next garage. When I said to him that was unusual behaviour he just
said ‘that’s what fenders (bumpers) are for’.
Another time in Medicine Hat I was lifting a lightning arrestor when it fell
on me and cut my eyebrow open. I didn’t know that the company personnel
were divided into groups that measured lost time at work. You were
allowed half-an-hour of lost time before the group was deducted points in
the accident competition. They rushed me to hospital, asked the doctor to
stitch me up quick to stop the bleeding, and got me back to work. We just
made it within the half hour. I still have the marks to this day!
In my spare time I went
down to the YMCA in town
and played table-tennis. I
soon met up with a gang of
people like me – single
working men. It was a good
contact point that would
prove useful in the future.
One guy, Norman, was
English but for some
reason had been in the
Canadian Navy on their
only aircraft carrier – the
Bonadventure, so we often
teamed up together. Outside the YMCA was a bench on the pavement with
a sign saying ‘reserved for veterans’. Well, I had been in the RAF, and
Norman in the Navy, so we used to sit on this bench until the Mounties
tried to move us on. Seemed very strange to be a veteran and only 22.
At the weekends we used to go to the mountains and Banff. Hitch-hiking
was very easy; take the bus to the edge of Calgary on Route 1 – the Trans-
Canada Highway. Many people would stop and we would often get a ride
all the way to Banff. Sometimes we would only get a lift to the next town,
that I mentioned earlier, for a few beers, before we moved on for the rest
of the journey.
In Banff is the Banff Springs
Hotel – one of the CPR
hotels built along the length
of this rail route. The hotel
was full of tourists but also
staff, mainly students
working during their
summer break. So, we often
found a bed for the night in
the staff quarters; though
on one occasion we missed
out and had to sleep on the
golf course, a bit scary as
there are a lot of bears
wandering about. On Sunday night we stood on Route 1 to get a lift home;
sitting in the back of a warm car we were soon asleep.
During my 4 months
with Calgary Power, I
travelled over most of
Alberta. This area has
very many lightning
strikes so we are
constantly working to
keep the power
system running. I
learnt to climb a pole
with just 2 spikes
attached to my boots;
very scary initially as
they didn’t use a belt
until you reached the
working position.Living was often very uncomfortable – on an emergency job in Red Deer
accommodation was so difficult to find that I finished up having to share a
single bed in a Greyhound bus driver’s hostel.
I now received a letter from my student travel company saying they had
gone bust and there would be no flight home. So, change of plan, the
cheapest option was to take a ship if I could get to Quebec. An interesting
way to travel in the States was to deliver a car; many cars would be hired
for one-way trips, so the car company had to find a way to bring the car
back to them. So, a notice on the YMCA board, and I joined up with a guy
to drive a large Pontiac back to New York.
So, we set off from Calgary and drove day and night for 3 days – one
driving and the other sleeping in the back. I arrived in New York just in
time to get a train to Quebec and catch the ship. Fortunately, I had been
paid quite well in Calgary so had just enough money for the ticket.
We were on a Greek ship sailing to Cherbourg and Southampton. Quite
small, only about 300 passengers, so soon got to know a lot of the people.
It’s a 7-day crossing so plenty of time to work out whom to spend time
with. Quite a rough crossing which soon sorted out many people, in fact
one of the interesting things to do before you sail is leaning on the rail and
noticing the passengers coming on board who might be interesting to meet
later on. Some people I took note of I never saw again until we dis-
embarked at Southampton.
Fascinating trip, much more interesting than flying. Mainly French people
on board so it was one continuous party. One of the drawbacks was there
was only one saloon with a bar and a lounge area. I play bridge now, but
an event in the saloon put me off the game for years. I was at the bar with
some of my mates and I guess it got quite noisy; suddenly from a corner
a lady in a group of four said in a loud voice ‘Do you mind! We are trying
to play bridge and can’t stand the noise.’ They spent the whole 7 days
playing bridge. Her complaint worked for a few minutes but we soon forgot
about them.
So, to Southampton; Norman met me as he had managed to fly back and
I stayed the night with him. The end of a very instructive four months. I
have been back to Calgary since, it is very different place now thanks to
oil – I didn’t recognise it.
Peter Everton, October 2020Church Services for January 2021
St Mary’s St. Arilda St. Mary St. Oswald
Thornbury Oldbury Shepperdine Rockhampton
10:00am 10th Jan No services at 24th Jan
Every Sunday 6:00pm present due to 10:30am
Morning Prayer Evening Prayer coronavirus Benefice Service
at St Mary's
Revd Joy Ludlow
Open as a Booking required:
17th Jan 01454260096
(3rd Sunday) place of
www.croftt.org.uk
9:00am pilgrimage and
Morning Prayer prayer,
at St Pauls. For details
phone
Booking required via
Booking required Andrew Gazard
01454 260316
See naitefarm@gmail.com
http://www.thornburycof
e.org.uk/newsletter.html 07831 849742
Catholic Morton Baptist Thornbury Quakers
Christ
Christ the King,
the King, Services restarted
Thornbury. Due to Community
Chantry the virus
Thornbury.
pandemic our
& Morning Service Centre on Castle
Holy Cross, normal Sunday
Sunday Mass Every Sunday Street
Meetings have been
Wotton Under Edge.
9.30am at suspended. Weekly
please consult the website
10.30am
for up-to-date details
10.30am Sunday
meetings now on
Holy Cross, Wotton 10.30am
Zoom. Further
Booking required.
See details contact
Under
DetailsEdge
at
https://mortonbaptist.org
https://www.ctk- Sheila Waters on
Saturday For details 07738495776
thornbury.org.uk
(vigil Mass) 16.30pm
All church services subject to current coronavirus rules. Check before going!Christmas Eve Carols and the Oldbury Nativity Trail Figures Revd Joy led a carol service on Christmas Eve near the figures from the Oldbury Nativity Trail that were collected together at the church.
Oldbury’s Nativity
Trail had angels,
shepherds with
their sheep, wise
men bearing gifts,
an inn-keeper,
and of course the
holy family and
the animals from
the stable where
Jesus was born.
Many thanks to
Amelia Sorrell
for all her hard
work organising
the wonderful
Oldbury Nativity
Trail for all the
local community
to enjoy!Christian Comment
I am sure that most of us will be glad to have seen the end of 2020 – a
year like no other we have ever experienced. So many things in our lives
have changed beyond all recognition – this time last year nobody had heard
of social distancing, and wearing face masks to do our shopping would have
seemed bizarre! The last time the world seemed so totally turned upside down
was probably during WW2 when nobody knew how or when it would end.
At that uncertain time, during his 1939 Christmas message, King George
VI famously quoted from a 1908 poem that its South Gloucestershire born
author Minnie Louise Haskins had simply entitled “God Knows” but which
has since become better known by the final five words of its opening line:
“And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year:
‘Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown’.”
That request seems just as apt today as it was in 1939, as we await the
unknowns of 2021 – when will a vaccine be given to us, when will we be
able to spend time with friends and family again, and most of all, when will
things be “back to normal”?! Thankfully, the reply in the poem’s later lines
is just as comforting now as it was to those who at the start of 1940 faced
an unknown length of time living through all the uncertainties of war, and
being separated from their families through evacuation or military service:
“’Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God.
That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way’.”
This echoes the advice about turning to God that is given in 1 Peter 5 v 7:
“Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.” We cannot see
the future, but we can trust that God is with us in it, always and forever.
Ruth Riddle
Rockhampton Village Hall 100 Club
December 2020 Draw
£100 Rob and Cathy Watkins £ 30 Linda Smith
£ 80 Mike Irish £ 30 Gemma Melvill
£ 70 Angela Walker £ 20 Margaret Watkins
£ 60 Ivor Isaac £ 20 Val Gulwell
£ 50 Josie Wilson £ 20 Charles Eardley-Wilmot
£ 40 Victoria Barker £ 10 Patsy Hurley
2020 has been quite a challenge so we decided to do just one draw.
The 100 Club has been going for 17 years, set up to provide funds for
Rockhampton Village Hall. We would like to thank all those of you who have
joined the club and supported the Village Hall over many, many, years,
your support has been very much appreciated.
Many thanks, Rockhampton Village Hall 100 Club committee.Tribute to Hazel Veronica Staley
9 September 1940 - 11 November 2020
Hazel sadly passed away at home on 11 November 2020 after a short
illness. She had 80 years of a life well lived.
Hazel was born to loving parents Tom and Veronica Grey in 1940 and had
many happy childhood memories of growing up at Sibland Farm,
Thornbury, with her four younger brothers Willie, Gordon, Robert and Alec.
There was always much to keep her busy, not only looking after her
mischievous brothers, but an array of dogs and geese and general
household chores. She also helped to sell potatoes at the farm door. Hazel
grew up during the war years and had one vivid memory of her mother
taking her out into the garden one early Autumnal evening and seeing the
glow of Bristol burning from a bomb raid during the war.
Hazel enjoyed her school years, firstly at Miss Trayhurn’s Preparatory
School at the top of Thornbury High Street and then riding her bike daily
to Thornbury Grammar School. She enjoyed school life and was a keen
hockey player and was proud to play in the school hockey team. On leaving
school at 16 she had her first job as a shorthand typist come secretary at
the Drainage Board in Thornbury.
She met her future husband Roger at the Thornbury Youth Club, their
romance blossomed, and they married when Hazel was just 20. So, she
left home and her job to start married life at Kington Mead Farm where
they had 56 happy years together.
Roger and Hazel had three children, David, Helen and Jonathan, who kept
Hazel busy in the early years of marriage. She was a very active partner
in the farm, helping Roger in whatever way she could. This included
providing board and lodgings for the live-in farm agriculture students,
plentiful picnics of delicious food out in the harvest fields for the busy
workers, and late-evening suppers when hay was being made whilst the
sun shone. She enjoyed “keeping the books” as well as developing the farm
as an Egg Packing Station, delivering eggs around the local area and selling
eggs at the door. She was also kept busy letting the farmhouse flats,
mostly to workers from the Oldbury Power Station when it was being built,
right through to its full operation and then as it was decommissioned. The
flats were later let to other people in need of a place to stay, some
becoming dear friends.
Both Roger and Hazel worked hard looking after the farm and their family
but they also loved to open their home to extended family and friends.Many happy days and evenings were spent playing tennis on their lawn,
hosting church bonfire nights and barn dances, together with many events
for the young people of the church. The annual sports day for the local
churches was a particular highlight! Hazel’s hospitality was always
generous and warm, and her boundless energy made for many happy
occasions. She loved her food and so did many others! Whether that was
a full roast dinner or cottage pie, one of her famous rock cakes or a
steamed sponge pudding. Most Sundays she would have the visiting
preacher from Morton Baptist Chapel back to share a meal.
Hazel put into practice her Christian faith every day of her life, sharing love
and kindness to all she met. For many years she was a Sunday School
teacher at Morton Baptist Chapel, and then later at Thornbury Baptist
Church where she worshipped each week.
Roger and Hazel were keenly involved in helping to run a charity called
‘Saltlic’ which aimed to provide help for farmers in Kenya. Once David and
Jonathan could be left running the farm, they visited the charity on several
occasions to support and encourage them. They also enjoyed other
holidays abroad, sometimes visiting family and friends, something they
had not had the chance to do in previous years!
In the later years Hazel always loved her Saturdays when the
grandchildren, and then great grandchildren, came to visit or stay. She
loved to be surrounded by her family and to be at the centre of all that was
going on.
’Open the Book’ was something very dear to Hazel’s heart. It is an initiative
encouraging teams to go into local schools to share Bible stories with the
children and Hazel and her team went into Oldbury School for the last 16
years, right up until lockdown started.
There were of course ups and downs in Hazel’s life, but her Christian faith
kept her strong, and during her short and recent illness Hazel had an
amazing sense of rest and peace.
The family wish to thank all those who have sent cards, flowers and
messages of condolences and who have supported us during her last few
months. To all who have known Hazel, she will be remembered as a loving
mother, a wonderful sister, a caring grandmother and great grandmother,
and a true friend.
David, Helen, Jonathan and familiesVeggie Paella
If you are tempted to try Veganuary (pronounced vee-GAN-uary) in 2021,
you may like to try the recipe below. You can also visit the website
https://veganuary.com for more recipe ideas and to find out about the
registered charity (1168566) that encourages people to try vegan for
January.
Preparation time: 10 minutes. Cooking time: 45 minutes. Serves 4
Ingredients
1 red pepper sliced 3 lemons
200g chestnut mushrooms, chopped Coconut oil
225g pack of fresh green beans sliced 3 garlic cloves, crushed
400g tin mixed beans 300g short grain brown rice
400g tin cherry (or chopped) tomatoes 400ml can of coconut milk
A few handfuls of fresh spinach 500ml of boiled water
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper Salt
1 tsp paprika Fresh coriander, finely chopped
Method
1. Warm 1 tsp of coconut oil in a large pan (it needs a lid to use in step 3).
Add the red pepper and mushrooms with the green beans, cayenne,
paprika, the juice of 1 lemon and the garlic. Simmer over a low heat for
about five minutes, stirring now and then until the veg begins to soften.
2. Wash the rice and add to the pan with the coconut milk, tinned tomatoes
and 500ml of hot water.
3. Place the lid on the pan and bring the paella to the boil, then reduce the
heat to a simmer. Cook for around 40 minutes until the rice is al-dente,
lightly stirring now and then to ensure it is not sticking to the bottom of
the pan and adding a little more water if needed.
4. Drain and rinse the tinned mixed beans and add to the pan with the
washed spinach.
5. Bring back to the boil and simmer for another 10 minutes, then check
the rice is cooked to your liking. Stir in the juice of one of the remaining
two lemons and add salt to taste if required.
6. Place the paella in bowls, with the remaining lemon cut into wedges on
the side and the chopped coriander sprinkled on top.
If you have any favourite recipes that you would like to share with 4ward
readers, please send them to 4wardmag@gmail.com
Thank you. Karen P.Colouring (for young or old!) kindly created for us by Lorna Page
Falling in love
In the summer of nineteen-fifty-nine, age twelve, I fell enduringly in love.
I had been invited by my rather eccentric godmother to accompany her
and her two nieces and nephew for a holiday at her chalet in the French
Alps. My first trip abroad, I was so excited. My bag was packed and with
great anticipation and some nervousness our journey began. My only travel
experience so far had been caravan holidays to the east coast and wild
Wales, now I was without my parents too.
Our mode of transport was to be by train with a two-day stopover in Paris.
I don’t remember much about the start of our trek but imprinted is our
arrival at the hotel where we had a bathroom with a bidet, none of us
children had a clue what it was for but after much discussion the conclusion
was it was for washing feet and was used as such for our stay. We visited
the major sites over the next few days and then to the station for our
overnight trip down to the alps. What fun going to bed in bunks, peeping
out under the blinds at the platforms seeing the hustle and bustle of the
stations. Then the first sight of the mountains, I was hooked!
An early morning arrival with breath
taking views of snow-covered
peaks. Rather bleary eyed we
clambered off the train and had
quite a wait for our follow-on
transport. Now it was the local bus,
not the streamlined buses of today;
remember this is the fifties. I had
never been on a bus like this before;
the first problem finding a seat, did
I sit on top of the hay bales or the
packages and boxes? The crates of
chickens and ducks also had prime
position, plus a number of older
ladies in their black garb with rather
large shopping bags. Seats were
found and off we went. Imagine
driving The Mumbleys with hair pin
bends, sheer drops and overhanging
cliffs [still there] for eight miles.
What a relief to arrive safely at the
village of our destination. This was a typical mountain farming village.
Wooden chalets and barns across the hillside, a bakery, a shop and a bar.“Which chalet were we
heading to?”, I remember
thinking, with visions of
Heidi in my head. I was
being optimistic - our chalet
was not in sight - another
three miles I was told. I
didn’t know if my legs
would get that far, then my
heart lifted as a man with a
donkey appeared and was
greeted by my godmother.
Not for me however; the
bags were strapped on the
donkey and we began our
trek up a steep rocky track higher into the mountains.
Arrival in a small secluded valley and our destination ahead - I fell in love!
A large wooden shack, green shutters, with a large balcony and fantastic
views. No electricity, no running water, no inside facilities. So, cooking and
light by calor-gas, water fetched from the traditional hollowed out log
across the track, and the outside loo, but living in a small village I was
used to that! Sleeping on hay however, was a new venture. We spent our
days picking wild strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. Walking to
waterfalls and lakes. Damming the stream. Catching crickets and generally
exploring the locale. This has been an everlasting love. I still visit this
wonderful place. Like all places time has not stood still. Now the local
village is a popular ski
resort and summer
activity centre. The
chalet still has its green
shutters but now also
has interior modern
facilities. It is now
owned by those same
nieces and nephew.
The old charm of the
place is still there, the
views do not change,
and nor does the peace
of this special place.
Angela ConibereA “Strange but True” Story - How I met a retired Kamikaze Pilot
At the age of 33, when working for Smiths Industries at Bishops Cleeve, I
was transferred to the USA to live and work there as the Harrier
Programme Manager on the AV-8B project with the US Marine Corps
(USMC). I lived and worked out there from 1972 up to 1976. Part of my
job was to maintain contact with the USMC’s AV-8 Programme Office which
was based in Washington DC. The office was in the NAVAIRSYSCOM (Naval
Air Systems Command) building complex at Crystal City. It was a mile or
two outside central Washington DC and abutted the Washington National
airport on the banks of the Potomac River. The complex was a twin tower
type building of some 14 floors in each tower.
One day in 1974 I was visiting the offices on a technical matter and the
man I was interfacing with indicated that to get the answer to my question
we needed to go up a couple of floors to see a guy called Tommy
Moymiama. As we were going up to see this guy my contact said that
Tommy was an interesting guy as he was a retired Kamikaze pilot! Show
stopper of a statement, and I thought, and said so forcefully, that he was
having me on. He assured me he wasn’t, and I awaited with great interest
to meet this man. Well, we found, and I was introduced to, Tommy
Moymiama who would have been about 49 years old. My contact explained
to Tommy that I had serious doubts about his past ‘profession’, and I was
assured that it was the truth.
The document ending the war with Japan (V-J Day) was officially signed in
September 1945 aboard the USS Missouri. For all intents and purposes the
war however, ceased on August the 14th of that year. At that time Tommy
was about 20 and was bolted into his Zero aircraft (they bolted them in,
and with only enough fuel to get to their target) and ready to take off for
a raid. By amazingly good fortune for him the war news came through and
the raid was called off and he was let out of the aircraft.
It was ironic that, after all those years, Tommy should end up working for
the American Department of Defence. So, I am sure that very few other
people can honestly say that they have met a retired Kamikaze pilot!
Ian Bell
Rainfall
November
2020 2019 2018
77.0mm 103.0mm 106.5mm
3.03” 4.06” 4.19”Meteorological Office’s Assessment of UK Weather in 2020
(Some selected highlights from their summary of the year.)
NOTE: When they talk of ‘since records began’, they started in 1884.
JANUARY - 6th mildest on record.
FEBRUARY - Wettest on record.
MARCH - Sunniest ever recorded.
APRIL - Sunniest on record.
MAY - Sunniest on record.
SUMMER – JUNE, JULY & AUGUST
Extremely hot, and July produced the highest temperature ever recorded, of
37.8ºC at Heathrow Airport.
August produced five tropical nights, which are described as being more than
20ºC, four of which were consecutive, in the first half of the month. It also
had two tropical storms remarkably close together.
SEPTEMBER - Sunniest on record.
OCTOBER - Was the wettest on record and the total amount of rain that fell
in the whole country would have filled Loch Ness (7.4 km3).
NOVEMBER - 6th Wettest on record.
DECEMBER - As of 30th, has been the mildest and warmest on record.
OVERALL
The year of 2020 has been inside the TOP 5 years of change on record in its
weather overall.
ANALYSIS
There were eight months in which a current record was exceeded. Of those
eight, five were due to sunniest, two to wetness and one to mildness. In
percentage terms that means:-
8 = 67% out of 12 months in which a record was exceeded.
5 = 42% out of 12 months which were sunniest on record.
2 = 17% out of 12 months which were wettest on record.
1 = 8% out of 12 months which was mildest on record.
What this all seems to say to me, is that we are getting warmer.
Ian Bell – 31st December 2020Tide Table: Inward Rocks, River Severn.
January 2021
Day High High High Moon Sunrise Sunset
Low Low
3:57 AM 8:58 AM 4:19 PM 9:17 PM
8:16 AM 4:11 PM
Fri 1 GMT / 1.53 GMT / 11.19 GMT / 1.26 GMT / 11.12
GMT GMT
m m m m
4:38 AM 9:34 AM 4:59 PM 9:55 PM
8:16 AM 4:12 PM
Sat 2 GMT / 1.38 GMT / 11.30 GMT / 1.15 GMT / 11.10
GMT GMT
m m m m
5:18 AM 10:14 AM 5:40 PM 10:35 PM
Sun GMT / 1.32 GMT / 11.21 GMT / 1.13 GMT / 10.89
8:16 AM 4:13 PM
3 GMT GMT
m m m m
12:12 AM 7:27 AM 12:40 PM 7:55 PM
Wed GMT / 10.03 GMT / 1.66 GMT / 10.01 GMT / 1.62
Last 8:15 AM 4:17 PM
6 Quarter GMT GMT
m m m m
2:15 AM 9:20 AM 2:48 PM 9:56 PM
8:14 AM 4:20 PM
Fri 8 GMT / 9.22 GMT / 2.04 GMT / 9.31 GMT / 1.98
GMT GMT
m m m m
3:24 AM 10:28 AM 3:58 PM 11:05 PM
8:14 AM 4:21 PM
Sat 9 GMT / 9.13 GMT / 2.06 GMT / 9.33 GMT / 1.97
GMT GMT
m m m m
4:32 AM 11:39 AM 5:04 PM
Sun GMT / 9.38 GMT / 1.90 GMT / 9.67
8:13 AM 4:23 PM
10 GMT GMT
m m m
2:20 AM 7:20 AM 2:48 PM 7:45 PM
Wed GMT / 1.19 GMT / 11.25 GMT / 0.82 GMT / 11.38
New 8:11 AM 4:27 PM
13 Moon GMT GMT
m m m m
3:57 AM 8:51 AM 4:19 PM 9:14 PM
Fri GMT / 0.77 GMT / 11.95 GMT / 0.49 GMT / 11.72
8:09 AM 4:30 PM
15 GMT GMT
m m m m
4:39 AM 9:34 AM 5:00 PM 9:57 PM
Sat GMT / 0.78 GMT / 11.87 GMT / 0.60 GMT / 11.46
8:08 AM 4:32 PM
16 GMT GMT
m m m m
5:17 AM 10:18 AM 5:37 PM 10:41 PM
Sun GMT / 0.95 GMT / 11.51 GMT / 0.87 GMT / 10.97
8:08 AM 4:33 PM
17 GMT GMT
m m m m
12:14 AM 7:05 AM 12:39 PM 7:27 PM
Wed GMT / 9.58 GMT / 1.99 GMT / 9.43 GMT / 2.12
First 8:04 AM 4:38 PM
20 Quarter GMT GMT
m m m m
2:02 AM 8:29 AM 2:32 PM 8:57 PM
Fri GMT / 8.27 GMT / 2.75 GMT / 8.17 GMT / 2.90
8:02 AM 4:41 PM
22 GMT GMT
m m m m
3:04 AM 9:23 AM 3:37 PM 9:56 PM
Sat GMT / 7.88 GMT / 3.02 GMT / 7.87 GMT / 3.14
8:01 AM 4:43 PM
23 GMT GMT
m m m m
4:09 AM 10:28 AM 4:42 PM 11:03 PM
Sun GMT / 7.79 GMT / 3.14 GMT / 7.91 GMT / 3.19
8:00 AM 4:45 PM
24 GMT GMT
m m m m
2:10 AM 7:26 AM 2:35 PM 7:46 PM
Thu GMT / 2.24 GMT / 10.03 GMT / 1.82 GMT / 10.31 Full Moon
7:54 AM 4:52 PM
28 GMT GMT
m m m m
2:57 AM 8:03 AM 3:20 PM 8:23 PM
Fri GMT / 1.74 GMT / 10.78 GMT / 1.32 GMT / 10.97
7:53 AM 4:54 PM
29 GMT GMT
m m m m
3:40 AM 8:41 AM 4:02 PM 9:01 PM
Sat GMT / 1.27 GMT / 11.40 GMT / 0.88 GMT / 11.47
7:51 AM 4:56 PM
30 GMT GMT
m m m m
4:21 AM 9:19 AM 4:42 PM 9:39 PM
Sun GMT / 0.89 GMT / 11.82 GMT / 0.57 GMT / 11.73
7:50 AM 4:57 PM
31 GMT GMT
m m m mJC 4x4 Ltd
SPECIALIST IN LANDROVER
SERVICE • REPAIR WORK • DIAGNOSTICS • MOTs
OTHER VEHICLES WELCOME
Call James 01454 261067 / 07966 086447
Pavilion For Hire
Contact Denise Young
01454 419062
Hire charge is £15 per 3 hour session including use of tables and chairs
( Tables and Chairs can be used elsewhere for a hire charge of
£3 per table And 50p per chair)
Sorry no dogs allowed in playing field area Westmarsh Lane
Oldbury-on- SevernTr e e Surgery
Professional care to all your
Trees & Hedges
David Jones
0 1 4 5 3 511647
hedgestreesurgery@hotmail.co.uk.
22 Leaze Close,
Berkeley, Glos.
GL13 9DAChurch Road, Oldbury on Severn, S. Glos BS35 1QA
Tel: 01454 501090
Covid-19 Notice
Opening Hours Run by volunteers
Reduced opening hours for the benefit of
MonExtended
to Fri 8amto:-- 5pm
Saturday 9am - 2pm the community
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday
Sunday 9am - 1pm
9 am to 12:30pm As well as a great range
Thursday & Friday of basics at competitive
9 am to 1:30pm prices, we stock many lo-
cal products. These in-
Saturday clude: fresh veg, meats,
9 am to 2:00pm ice cream, honey, jams,
Sunday eggs and cakes.
9 am to 12:30pm
We also sell newspapers,
Café Inside Closed Hobbs House bread, plus
Until further notice award winning wines &
beers.
Takeaway
New Volunteers
teas and coffees
Always Welcome
available
Come and see.
CallFor
Marie Stephens You may be
updates check on:
01454 411134
https://www.facebook.com/ surprised!
to find out more
OldburyCommunityShopSupplied and Erected
Neil Vizard
01454 419108You can also read
