Monday 24 December 2012

Sunday School and the Choir

No doubt because of the links between the Church and the School, (Kingsley Church of England School ), and therefore many joint ventures, it seemed quite normal for most children to join the Sunday School. This in turn lead smoothly into joining the church choir when children were considered old enough to do so, I don’t recall exactly when that was but I have an idea it was at the age of eight or nine.
School and Sunday School linked together for events at Easter, Mothering Sunday, Harvest Festival and Christmas in particular and the village fete and jumble sales etc. in general. In the case of the former it was a religious festival that brought them together and in the case of the latter, fund raising.
Sunday School took place in the Church, between services, and consisted, for the most part, of low key lessons on biblical stories and singing. The Sunday School teachers were ladies from within the Church community. They obviously made a great impression upon me because I can’t remember whom a single one of them was. I suppose we stopped going to Sunday School when we graduated to being members of the choir.
As far as I can recall, the choir membership and its activities were of rather more interest to most of us, but I am sorry to say, for all of the wrong reasons. In the first place, choir practice took place in the evening on, I think, Thursdays. This, of course, meant I and my friends were released from our homes and allowed out into the village. The practice itself lasted about an hour but we endeavored to leave home as far in advance of its start as we could. Equally we delayed our return after the completion of the practice for as long as that could be stretched without causing parents to come in search of us. I well recall how grown up we felt, particularly in the winter when the evenings were dark, by being out together without parents. This weekly escape increased in duration as we grew older and moved on from Kingsley School to the Secondary Modern in Alton. The choir was, of course, mixed and as we got older, the fact that girls were involved provided additional attractions.
During church services choir boys sat on one side of the aisle and girls on the other, in the case of All Saints, as one walks towards the altar, the girls were on the left and boys on the right. Being directly above the organ, the girls could be watched by the organist, Mrs. Inwood. Mrs. Inwood was also the choir mistress during the time I was a member. Her husband was a Church Warden and sat in the front pew on the left from where he glared at the choir boys.
The angelic faces of those young people clad in purple cassocks and white surplises belied the naughtiness and un-angelic behavior contained within. It was very much the norm for the boys to attempt to make the girls giggle and to this end we went to quite extraordinary lengths. Common in our arsenals were elastic bands, these could be easily concealed, but when stretched between two fingers provided a super little catapult more than capable of propelling a folded up roll of paper well into the ranks of the female singers. An additional benefit was the almost silent operation of these little tools. All that was need was to avoid Mr. Inwood’s gaze. For the most part the vicar had his back to us and did not represent a risk.
If our paper missiles managed to create an odd giggle from the girls this would be followed up by, what I believe, is known as gurning. Although not aware of this old rural pursuit at the time, it was effectively what we were doing. The aim of each of us was to pull such a ghastly face that the girls opposite would descend into uncontrollable fits of laughter. Fingers were pushed up nostrils and noses persuaded into grotesque shapes, mouths and tongues were all brought into service in order to achieve our aims. I first learned, in the Kingsley choir stalls, how to make my eyes go cross eyed, all in pursuit of causing the girls to giggle, and then receive the telling off from Mrs. Inwood.
On one occasion the boys of the choir brought with them, into the morning service, a selection of various coloured beer bottle tops. Together with these we had four inch nails. The bottle tops were arranged along the shelf in front of us designed to hold prayer and hymn books. During the playing of the organ,for hymns and psalms, we tapped the bottle tops with the nails to the beat of the music, poor old Inwood nearly had a heart attack. Another highly successful mode of giggle making was achieved by two or three boys at a time when they stuffed their handkerchief up one of their nostrils. The handkerchief would hang in place, dangling down the side of the face, and could be caused to swing and sway by sharp movements of the head. Invariably this did the trick and much giggling would be the result. Of course, once the giggling began the hapless girls had little chance of controlling it and the end result was red faces, coughing and a general break down of decorum. Needless to say, at the point of reckoning, that was when Mr. Inwood had reported us to the vicar, and, no doubt accused individuals of all sorts of heinous behavior, we all steadfastly denied any involvement in such matters.
As we progressed through the choir, for there was a progression of sorts, (servers and candle lighters), we became even more devious at” Inwood “ bating. In addition to the chief objective, of a pew full of giggling girls opposite, there evolved the subtle art of “Inwood “ bating. It became increasingly obvious to us all that Mr. Inwood had no sense of humour and furthermore he could be easily wound up. Unfortunately for Mr. Inwood he had an eye defect. One eye was normal and the other peered off at a rather acute angle. Therefore, at any given time, it was quite difficult to be sure exactly where, or whom, he was looking at. If this were not enough, when he got angry he got very fidgety and twisted and turned in his seat getting redder and redder in the face. Throughout this torment the poor fellow desperately tried to maintain his composure and the semblance of adherence to his devotions. On the other hand our aim was to disrupt them. It is quite extraordinary how affronted we were by Mr. Inwoods weekly attempts to get the vicar to give us a good roasting and how much this behavior on his part increased our resolve to bate him. It quickly became clear that our bating had, on the one hand, to be subtle and on the other to be effective. What we needed was a method which sufficiently offended Mr. Inwood and made the girls giggle without appearing to be overtly naughty or of bad behavior.
Young we may have been, innocent we were not. I am not quite sure how the solution evolved, but evolve it did and to devastating effect. It became clear to us that it was completely correct and indeed polite to agree with everything the vicar said. When he was preaching, when he was making public announcements or any other form of statement, we boys felt it was our absolute duty to agree or disagree with any and every thing he agreed or disagreed with. Simple! Here you have it lads; every time the vicar made a point the whole of the boys side of the choir stalls would nod furiously in agreement or shake their heads vigorously in disagreement, which ever was appropriate. The desired effect was achieved almost in an instant, girls were giggling uncontrollably and Inwood was in a lather, bingo!! Game, set, and match and how on earth could we be told off for listening intently to His Reverences every word and loyally expressing our support?
I rather imagine that today’s children do not join the village choir, if indeed there still is one, but I am confident they would be much better behaved if they did. Since this is December's offering may I take this opportunity to wish all of my readers and the people of Kingsley a very Happy and peaceful Christmas.

Friday 21 December 2012

21 December 2012

Today is a significant one.

Firstly it is the last day of the Mayan calendar and the Mayans were a comparatively smart bunch so some people think it probably means that the world will end today. They weren't really that smart though so maybe not. If you want, you could spend today making love with beautiful strangers, buying exotic sports cars on credit or telling your boss what you really think of him - maybe the Mayans were right after all!

It's also the winter solstice, the shortest day, the turning point towards spring and a festival far older than the johnny-come-lately "Christmas", "Hanukkah" and other religious inventions. The Romans were particularly fond of the solstice and came up with "Saturnalia" Originally held on December 17 that celebration became so popular it was extended to December 23rd. That was not surprising since the Saturnalia encouraged excessive indulgence in food, drink and sexual exploits. Schools were closed, citizens wore long hats, and played pranks upon each other in an atmosphere of public revelry. In a reversal of the old social order, masters served their slaves who, in turn, treated their owners with disrespect. Privately, families visited among themselves and exchanged small gifts.
 
Our calendars haven't always reflected our modern, scientific, understanding of why the sun kept disappearing in winter which is why the secondary festivals mostly take place on the wrong date but, whichever calendar we use, today will be the shortest day

Thursday 20 December 2012

Natural England, Three year review

DEFRA (Department for Ending Farming and Rural Anything) is conducting a Triennial Review of the Environment Agency and Natural England and inviting comments, criticism, praise and insults.

Anyone with an interest in the Environment Agency and Natural England is invited to respond to the discussion document by 4 February 2013.

I have nothing to say about the Environment Agency. They fined me for accidentally spilling diesel into the river Wey some years ago so they're probably mostly doing their stuff ok.

But then there's Natural England! Where to begin? What a complete waste of space, not to mention taxpayer money, civil liberties and sanity. The only sane comment anyone could make would be "abolish it immediately".

The purpose of Natural England (NE) as defined by the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006, is to: “ensure that the natural environment is conserved, enhanced and managed for the benefit of present and future generations, thereby contributing to sustainable development”.  Who could object to that?

Well, apart from the fact that all so-called conservation is pointless (four billion years of evolution have coped reasonably well without 'conservation'), you have only to consider their response to this planning application to realise that they're staffed by the usual bunch of up themselves, backside covering, leftie goons and are entirely incapable of achieving any sensible purpose. They should all be sent off on a ten year fact-finding mission to Mars.

I shall not be bothering to file that as an official comment because I don't believe that any input from anyone will alter the outcome but, if any of you feel like having a go, fill out this response form and send it in by 4th February

Monday 17 December 2012

Hampshire Jedi Knights

The Jedi Knights don't only live in East Hampshire, they're fairly evenly distributed throughout the county.

But the picture for the whole country shows a less even distribution. The south-east really is the home of the Jedi.

Thursday 13 December 2012

Country Market Osborne Farms

This application, 24601/039, seeking permission for

VARIATION OF CONDITION 9 OF PREVIOUS PERMISSION 24601/035 - TO ALLOW SUBSTITUTION OF PLANS

is marked as open for consultation until 10th January.

Tuesday 11 December 2012

East Hampshire Religion

According to the 2011 Census results, East Hampshire is still a Christian place with over 64% reporting their religion as Christian.  The second largest group was "no religion" reported by more than 26% followed by Islam with just over a third of 1%

One of the more interesting statistics is that the "no religion" figure includes 506 Jedi Knights.

Wednesday 5 December 2012

Second Slowcoach

When you come up behind a 40mph driver on an open road do you smoothly and safely overtake him as soon as possible or do you become the "Second Slowcoach"?

A typical passenger car is 15-20ft long so overtaking a 40mph driver at 60mph will take around 12 seconds and 1,000ft of road. On a clear stretch of road, no junctions, driveways, sharp bends or oncoming traffic, in good conditions, that's quite manageable, quite safe.

Not everyone does that when they have the opportunity though and there isn't always a clear road either.  If the road's not clear then you have no choice but when it is clear and you choose to sit behind the leader, you become the problem.

Assuming the standard following distance of two seconds between the leader and second car, a third vehicle has to choose between overtaking both vehicles in one go or forcing himself into the gap between the two. The double overtake will now take about 24 seconds and cover 2000ft of road, well over a third of a mile, a much harder proposition.

This is the beginning of what most people call "traffic" as in "I'm stuck in traffic and can't get to work on time". Traffic isn't something you are stuck in, you are traffic!

Sometimes the slowcoach at the front of the queue is just a useless driver, sometimes they're slow for good reason, they might already be going as fast as they can.  The second slowcoach turns a mere inconvenience into a traffic jam; the second slowcoach is the main problem. Don't let that be you!

If you really can't bring yourself to overtake the leader, drop back, leave a bigger gap between you and the leader so that anyone wanting to overtake can make two simple passes instead of one dangerous one. It's all part of driving with due care and consideration.

Monday 3 December 2012

Eco-station exhibition this Saturday, 8th

The Eco-station and Exhibition House are proving really popular with residents and the next date for your diary is Saturday 8th December from 10am-1pm.

Free face painting and Christmas treats will also be available this Saturday

There has been a steady flow of visitors during Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and the Saturday events have been really busy. However, the late-night opening on Wednesdays from 5pm-7pm hasn’t been popular – so the community facility will close at 5pm on Wednesdays from 1st December. This will be kept under review.

The Eco-station and Exhibition House will close for Christmas from Friday 21st December and will reopen on Wednesday 2nd January.

The opening times from 1st December will be:

Mondays:        9am-5pm
Tuesdays:        By appointment
Wednesdays:   10am-5pm
Thursdays:       9am-5pm
Fridays:            By appointment
Saturdays         One per month

Cllr Glynis Watts, East Hampshire District Council’s Portfolio Holder for Whitehill & Bordon, said: “The Eco-station and Exhibition House are really popular with residents who are keen to find out more about the plans to regenerate the town.

“We have had school parties coming to look around and youngsters have been so impressed that they have come back after school with their brothers and sisters.

“This week the new community facilities are being visited by Guildford College and Highbury College and we have already had groups from Bordon Junior School and Mill Chase.

“What’s also been extremely encouraging is the number of positive comments that have been written in the visitors’ book.”

Friday 30 November 2012

16 Woodfield, Kingsley

This application, 54712, seeking permission for

SINGLE STOREY EXTENSION TO FRONT/SIDE

is marked as open for consultation until 28th December

Thursday 29 November 2012

Carols in Kingsley

It's that time of year again and this year we have not one but two carol concerts in Kingsley.

This Sunday, 2nd December at 4pm, the place to be is All Saints church in the centre of the village.

Next Sunday, 9th December at 2pm, St Nicholas church near the Bakers Corner junction.

I can't attend either as I shall be off to London to watch my wife (and the Worldham Choir) (and several other choirs) sing MESSIAH FROM SCRATCH at the Royal Albert Hall and next weekend we'll be in Staffordshire attending the Annual convention of the UK Iron Butt Association.

Monday 26 November 2012

Stolen statue

Please keep an eye out for this statue that has been stolen from a property near Alton at the end of last week. If you see this anywhere for sale then please report it to Police. It is a large garden statue made of bronze.

Thursday 22 November 2012

Michael Mates doesn't get it

That should have been the title of this report.

Anyone watching Mr Hayes' and Mr Mates' speeches at the count can see for themselves one reason why he lost; what a grumpy miserable whinge. This week's Bordon Herald reports that in a letter to the electorate (but not to me apparently) he complains

"It's rather galling to have won comfortably ... and then to stand by and watch while the Labour and Liberal Democrat voters were given a second chance to vote again ... that's coalition politics for you - foisting on us all an unfamiliar and flawed system whereby the people's second choice is declared the winner."

No, Mr Mates, you did not win comfortably: 80,000 wanted Mr Hayes, 65,000 wanted you and 65,000 wanted someone else. That's 140,000 people who expressly didn't want you. No, the Labour and Liberal Democrats didn't get to "vote again", they just didn't want you. The "coalition politics" is what you get when not enough people want to elect Conservative candidates, that's your fault, not the fault of the electorate, nor of the voting system.

As for the unfamiliar and flawed system; presumably the flaw of which you speak is that the system failed to elect the Conservative candidate?  Did you happen to notice that the same "flaw" also defeated John Prescott in Humberside?

Having "fought 9 elections over 40 years", I would have expected you to be rather more clued up on how to win this one, according to the actual rules of this election rather than some longed-for Valhalla under which only Conservative candidates can win. I'm disappointed though unsurprised.

I'm not disappointed that you didn't win the election and I wish you a long and happy retirement.

Tuesday 20 November 2012

Trees: Elms, Poplars, Oaks

Nothing stays the same and this is never more true when considering how much Kingsley and its landscape have changed over the years since I was a boy in the village.
 
The most dramatic and, indeed, speedy change occurred as a result of Dutch Elm Disease. This wiped out twenty million elms within a decade in the UK. As far as Kingsley was concerned there had been a large and healthy elm tree presence before the disease struck. The mature elms, of which I speak, were nothing if not magnificent. They were huge both in girth and height and, of course, provided homes for a vast range of wildlife. The trees were scattered all around the vale between Kingsley and Worldham, over into Oakhanger and across the fields towards Buckshorn Oak and beyond. They were an integral part of the landscape, huge and gentle upon the eye.
 
Readers might recall an earlier article regarding the pond which was filled in beside Alice Holt Forest where I used to go and watch various wildlife. On the east of that pond the, raised up, causeway had a whole row of huge elms upon it. The road out of Kingsley from Dean Farm towards Bakers Corner had lots of huge elms on either side,and beyond where the railway bridge once was,there were some of the biggest specimens. On the right hand side up to the Bakers Corner junction the bank had a large elm every few yards and on the junction itself and up the old lane towards St Nicolas church there were many of them. I suppose the most staggering thing about Dutch Elm Disease was just how quickly it hit those trees and caused their destruction. Much was written about the disease in the press and those of us who lived in Kingsley were well aware that it was around. But, somehow, those huge trees seemed almost invincible to me and I really did not believe they could be wiped out as was being stated widely.
 
How wrong I was. First of all their leaves began to wilt and then discolour and gradually the whole tree was in a sorry state. Once the tree was infected there was no hope for it and before long it was cut down. I have no idea if the timber of an infected tree was still useable. I suppose the trees had to come down as a large dead elm would probably have been a major danger. Any way down they came and in a few months the face of Kingsley had changed and probably changed for ever. I recall that a great deal of research was carried out into the disease at the Forestry Commission’s Alice Holt research station but I have no idea if healthy elms will ever grace our countryside again. Anyone not knowing what a mature elm looked like or the impact it made upon the countryside can get a pretty good idea by looking at the many Constable prints that exist and feature elms. The Haywain being just one of them. It is probably the fact that elms were so wide spread and impressive,(before the disease), that Constable featured them in his work.
 
The other trees which played a major part in the lives of small boys in Kingsley were the poplars which were on either side of the railway line in both directions and in varying lengths between Bentley and Bordon stations. Our particular group was between Kingsley Halt and the Kingsley Mill bridge. The railway authorities pollarded the poplars at about six or eight feet of height and this caused them to clump. From that point the new growth that followed would send up thin new stems which were left to grow for a few years before being cut back again to the original pollarding point. I have no idea why the railways went to so much trouble when the trees could have been left to do their own thing. However, I am sure there must have been a reason I just don’t know what it was. From a boys point of view there were many benefits which, no doubt, the railway people were just as unaware of. These benefits came in the form of providing wonderful nesting sites for a number of birds. Where the trees had been pollarded the clump that followed and the new shoots sprouting from it provided good cover and a secure location. As the trees aged many of them developed hollow areas which attracted other birds which preferred to nest in holes. Little Owls for example. In addition Stock Doves and Pigeons with an occasional Jackdaw also used the poplars for their nesting sites. The trees themselves were not without beauty as their leaves were a dark green on one side and a silver colour on the other. This resulted in an attractive rippling effect when the wind was blowing and also a characteristic rustling noise.
 
After the loss of the elms, the most significant trees in the fields around the village were, of course, the oaks and these gnarled giants provided sanctuary for a whole host of life forms, birds, insects, butterflies and moths. Our attentions centered primarily upon the birds and those were predominately crows which nested high in the branches of the oaks. There were a number of old oaks on the right hand side of the old lane beyond St Nicolas Church,towards Binsted,which had hollow areas in them and these, (still there), usually housed owls and or jackdaws each season.
 
Other trees of importance to us were Hazels and Chestnut each provided nuts, and as previously mentioned, the Hazel all manner of implements for little boys.
 
Since beginning this article the Ash tree has come under attack from some foreign virus and the predictions for its future are gloomy. The Ash in and around Kingsley provided us with sticks to make into walking sticks, this, because of its great strength. Ash had traditionally been used for wheel spokes and tool handles, again because of the strength of the wood. It would appear that yet again our wonderful politicians have done nothing and the problem is now at an advanced state. I suppose our rural areas will once again be subjected to dramatic change as the Ash tree follows the Elm into obscurity. I started this piece by writing, nothing stays the same, having written the last couple of sentences, it occurs to me that, actually, there is one thing that remains pretty constant. Our politicians remain just about as useless and ineffectual as they always did!

Monday 19 November 2012

Kingsley Parish Council - Thursday 22nd

Kingsley Parish Council will this Thursday, 22nd November 2012 in the Kingsley Centre at 7.30pm.

AGENDA

1. Chairman’s Opening Remarks
2. Apologies for Absence
Cllr Linda McCorkindale

3. Declarations of Personal/Prejudicial Interest
4. Public Question Time: Public Questions
Consideration of agenda items which will be open to public participation

5. Approval of Minutes of the Meeting held on 25th October 2012
6. Matters Arising
7. Planning
Applications ongoing:
34313/017 Oak Tree Farm, Gibbs Lane, Shortheath Common Bordon GU35 9JS

38992/004 Dunroaming, Shortheath Common
Detached Single Storey Dwelling and Detached Plant room and Garden Store….

Appeal:
22732/015 Sandyfield Farm, Main Road, Kingsley, Bordon, GU35 9NG
Retrospective change of use of part stable block to ancillary habitable accommodation
(A/12/2/82188)

New applications:
24601/036 Country Market Osborne Farms, Main Road, Kingsley, Bordon, GU35 9LW
Provision of prefabricated toilet facilities unit for car boot sales event

22947/001 Land to the East of Kingsley Sports Club, Sickles Lane, Kingsley, Alton
Solar Farm

8. St Nicholas Cemetery & Cemetery Chapel
To receive an update from Cllr Croucher
To review the reservation of burial plots

9. Transport, Highways and Road Safety
10. Commons, Village Greens and Rights of Way
To receive an update from Cllr Lazenby

11. Community Resilience
12. Environment and Biodiversity
13. Sports, Recreation and Leisure
14. Kingsley Village Forum   
15. Parish Plan    
To receive an update from Cllr Rigden

16.  Housing, Business & Commerce
17. Communications
To receive a written report from the Clerk detailing correspondence

Website:
To receive an update from Cllr Scrivener

18. District Councillor
19. Procedures, Finance and Payments
To review the clerk contract of employment
To consider the purchase of a new cupboard for Parish Council papers
To consider an increase to the donation made to Kingsley Centre for use of the meeting room
To agree the budget 2013/2014
Payments to be made & Accounts to accept

    
    Date of Next Meeting  - Thursday 24th January 2013 - 7.30 pm at the Kingsley Centre 

Country Market Osborne Farms polytunnel

This application, 24601/038, seeking permission for

CHANGE OF USE (PERMANENT) OF BLACK BARN FOR GARDEN CENTRE RETAIL SALES AND ERECTION OF POLYTUNNELS (retrospective application)

is marked as open for consultation until 18th December

Friday 16 November 2012

Election cockup

Well who'd have thunk?

Simon Hayes (Independent) won and is the first Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire. The votes were as follows:-

Candidate1st Preference2nd PreferenceTotal votes
Michael Mates52,61613,18865,804
Simon Hayes47,63233,03780,669
Jacqui Rayment38,813
David Goodhall27,197
Don Jerrard24,443
Stephen West21,185

The first problem is that 52,000 people who were just completely unable to control their urge to vote Conservative will not understand how their man didn't win. Some of them will blame the LibDems, some will blame UKIP or the EU, some will just bang on for years about how the idiot in charge got it all wrong.

Now let's consider some of the more interesting statistics:

Turnout: 15% On those rare occasions when elections are held for parish councils they usually manage 20%

A total of 5,595 ballots were rejected including:-

1,904 "Voting for more than one candidate as to the first preference vote"
1,900 "Unmarked as to the first preference vote"
1,733 "Void for Uncertainty"

You see? those who rejected AV last year on the grounds that it's too complicated for thick English voters knew what they were talking about.

Wednesday 14 November 2012

Dinsdale on the mend

Dinsdale is back with us after his trip to Bristol on Friday. He is very much on the mend and has retained all four limbs, though bearing a significant amount of embroidery at present. He is eating well and keeping himself clean and the surgeon expects him to make a full recovery over time. They did manage to remove all of the lead fragments and these are now with the RSPCA for further analysis.

Michael Mates carpetbagger

During a trawl of the BBC news site this morning I came across this item pointing out that Michael Mates is the only candidate who doesn't live in Hampshire and he's had to rent a flat in Winchester to make his candidacy legal - but only for nine months apparently.

"I'm perfectly prepared to rent a flat, I'm prepared to make that investment for nine months - and quite a considerable investment - because I really want to do this job." He said he had stayed in the flat on "a number of occasions" and would live there if he was voted into the post. "We have taken the flat, we have put furniture in there, put some of our possessions in there - it is perfectly legal to have two residences," he said.

 

Saturday 10 November 2012

Time to call it

I've been giving some thought to who I shall vote for in Thursday's election and my reasoning is as below. Feel free to disagree with me and vote for whoever most tickles your fancy but you should at least drag yourself down to the Kingsley Centre and make some sort of mark on a ballot paper.

I don't think we should be voting on a party political basis in this election. Political parties are all the same, they promote "politicians" and what we want is an individual capable of making up his/her own mind and getting on with the business of policing, not more bloody politics.

I don't know any of the candidates apart from Michael Mates who I've met and been unimpressed by so I'll start by dismissing him. He's also the Conservative candidate and well past his sell-by date so ruling him out is what most rational people will do anyway.

David Goodall's election statement begins by telling us how bad the Conservatives, Labour and UKIP are and concludes with a rather bland "I'm a project manager and a local councillor". Just another would be politician.

Don Jerrard and Stephen West look like minority sport weirdos to me so it's between Jacqui Rayment and Simon Hayes both of whom appear well qualified.  Rayment's photo makes her look a bit weird and she's the Labour party candidate but on balance I think I'll vote for her.

Don't forget that this uses the hugely confusing and complicated Supplementary Vote System so I'm actually going to vote 

First preference = Jacqui Rayment
Second preference = Simon Hayes


Wednesday 7 November 2012

Dinsdale shot

Meet Dinsdale, a silly ginger fluffball with a character several times his, admittedly substantial, size. Those in the village having made his acquaintance will testify that he is gentle soul, quick to purr and trusting to a fault. Yesterday afternoon he was shot at close range with an air rifle by person or persons unknown at the rear of our house and is currently under the care of those wonderful people at the Cedars Veterinary Surgery in Alton. He is stable at present,  though heavily sedated, with a nasty injury to his lower jaw and a similarly nasty multiple fracture to his shoulder. He will be making the journey to Bristol on Friday to meet an expert orthopaedic surgeon who will attempt to remove a number of large pellet fragments, one of which is lodged in the fracture. If he is lucky he may remain a quadruped – very lucky that is.

Both the Police and the RSPCA are taking a keen interest and would like to hear from anyone who may have noticed anyone hunting with an air rifle recently in the vicinity of Inverallen the adjacent yard and the allotment area. Police Constable Louisa Whatmore is managing the case and may be contacted either via email at louisa.whatmore@hampshire.pnn.police.uk or by dialling 101. I will update further if we discover any more about the  particular circumstances in this case but in the meantime Please be very careful with your cherished pets.

There is a special place in hell reserved for those who offer cruelty to animals, and for the particular individual concerned  I would gladly hold open the door.

Thursday 1 November 2012

Police and crime commissioner

You've forgotten about it already even if you were aware in the first place but two weeks from today you'll be expected to vote for one of the six candidates for the post of Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire.

That link provides access to the candidates own statements but I include below google search links for each so you can also read what they don't want to tell you themselves.

Monday 29 October 2012

Country Market Osborne Farms

This application, 24601/036, seeking permission for

PROVISION OF PREFABRICATED TOILET FACILITIES UNIT FOR CAR BOOT SALES EVENT

is marked as open for consultation until 27th November.

Tuesday 23 October 2012

Common volunteers wanted

Susanne Frost, Countryside Ranger,  will be running some volunteer work parties at Shortheath and Broxhead Commons over the winter months as part of our ongoing efforts to keep trees and scrub at bay and protect the rare habitats at these sites!

These work parties provide an excellent opportunity to enjoy some fresh air and exercise, whilst helping to maintain special heathland and mire habitats for wildlife and for the enjoyment of the local community present and future.

Although you may normally attend work parties at one or other of the sites, you are of course more than welcome to join us at both!

This year I have added in some weekday work parties (on Wednesdays) in a bid to try and help boost the numbers coming along to help out at the sites. We will also have a couple of work parties organised in conjunction with local geocachers, which promise to be good fun as there is always a good turn out to those!

Shortheath Common (meet at the pond car park)
  • Wednesday 24 October 2012, 10am to 1pm
  • Sunday 16 December 2012, 9.30am to 2pm – special work party in conjunction with geocaching group
  • Saturday 12 January 2013, 10am to 1pm
  • Wednesday 20 February 2013, 10am to 1pm
Broxhead Common (meet at the cricket club car park)
  • Wednesday 12 December 2012, 10am to 1pm
  • Sunday 13 January 2013, 9.30am to 2pm – special work party in conjunction with geocaching group
  • Wednesday 6 February 2013, 10am to 1pm
We will aim to finish around the times given above, although if you need to get away earlier you can just let me know on the day. As usual, tools and refreshments will be provided. The exact nature of the work on the day is a bit weather-dependent, and in some cases work parties may have to be cancelled if there isn't a task suitable for the weather conditions. For Shortheath, bring or wear wellies on wet days or if it is due to rain that day (as we will probably be working in the mire on those days). If you are unsure whether a task will be going ahead, or want more information on what we will be doing, please get in touch a day or two before the work party. You don't need to let me know if you plan to come to a particular work party, but it does help with planning refreshments and also means I can let you know if we have to cancel the task for any reason.

If you would like any more information or have any queries then get in touch by email at susanne.frost@hants.gov.uk or on 02392 476411. Also please feel free to circulate these dates to anyone else you think may be interested in coming along.



Electoral reform anyway

Well despite the fact that we almost all said 'no' to electoral reform last year, we'll be using it next month when we elect our first Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight - yes, that means you!


These elections will use the supplementary vote system; Under this system voters will be able to vote for a first and a second choice candidate.

If no candidate has 50 per cent of the first preference votes counted, the two candidates with the highest number of first preference votes go forward to a second round.

In the second round of counting, the second preference of the candidates not finishing first or second are counted and redistributed to the two candidates with the highest number of first preference votes.

Obviously most people will just vote Conservative because that's what we do round here despite the fact that Michael Mates is now 150 years old but if you want to struggle on with the new fangled voting system I repeat and update my advice from last year: number the candidates in order of preference until you don't care any more or until you have chosen two candidates, whichever occurs first .

So that's actually more complicated than the system everyone said was too complicated last year!
 

Kingsley Parish Council - Thursday 25th

Kingsley Parish Council will meet this Thursday, 25th October 2012 in the Kingsley Centre at 7.30pm.

AGENDA

1. Chairman’s Opening Remarks
2. Apologies for Absence
Cllr Linda McCorkindale & Cllr Brian Lazenby

3. Declarations of Personal/Prejudicial Interest
4. Public Question Time: Public Questions
Consideration of agenda items which will be open to public participation

5. Approval of Minutes of the Meeting held on 27th September 2012
6. Matters Arising
7. Planning
Applications ongoing:
34313/017 Oak Tree Farm, Gibbs Lane, Shortheath Common Bordon GU35 9JS

34068/002 Land to the south of Periwinkle Cottage, Main road, Kinglsey
Change of use of land for stationing of a mobile home for residential purposes for single gypsy pitch with associated hard standing and utility shed

38992/004 Dunroaming, Shortheath Common
Detached Single Storey Dwelling and Detached Plant room and Garden Store….

54448/001 Land at Dean Farm, Main Road, Kingsley, Bordon
Retention of shed, open fronted field shelter, polytunnel and toilet

26242/044 Dean Farm Golf Course, Main Road, Kingsley, Bordon, GU35 9NG   
Change of use of land to wood yard – retrospective application

21605/009 Bakers House, Oakhanger Road, Kingsley, Bordon, GU35 9NJ
Change of use of land from paddock to domestic purposes, demolition of existing sheds, and erection of new garage building

50311/003 Land North West of Rose Villa, Sandy Lane, Kingsley, Bordon, GU35 9NH
Detached garage/shed following demolition of existing outbuildings

27396/040 Old Park Farm, Main Road, Kingsley, Bordon, GU35 9LU
Variation of condition 3 of planning permission 27396/038 to allow the erection of flood lighting.

53664/001 Unit 7 Kingsley Business Park, Main Road, Kingsley, Bordon, GU35 9LY
Change of use from B8 to B2 car servicing.

Appeal:
22732/015 Sandyfield Farm, Main Road, Kingsley, Bordon, GU35 9NG
Retrospective change of use of part stable block to ancillary habitable accommodation
(A/12/2/82188)

New applications:
Appeals against enforcement notice:
22732/014 Sandyfield Farm, Main Road, Kingsley, Bordon, GU35 9NG
(A/12/2/82174)

54616 Land West of Farnham Road, Bordon
Lawful development certificate for an existing use – stables, barn, hardstanding and access onto the A325

8. St Nicholas Cemetery & Cemetery Chapel
To receive an update from Cllr Croucher

9. Transport, Highways and Road Safety
10. Commons, Village Greens and Rights of Way
To receive an update on Upper Green

11. Community Resilience
12. Environment and Biodiversity
13. Sports, Recreation and Leisure
14. Kingsley Village Forum   
15. Parish Plan    
To receive an update from Cllr Rigden

16.  Housing, Business & Commerce
17. Communications
To receive a written report from the Clerk detailing correspondence

Website:
To receive an update from Cllr Scrivener

18. District Councillor
19. Procedures, Finance and Payments
To discuss the budget 2013
Payments to be made & Accounts to accept

Date of Next Meeting - Thursday 22nd November 2012 - 7.30 pm at the Kingsley Centre 

Monday 22 October 2012

Selborne Brickworks Condition 4

This HCC application, SDNP/12/02224/CW, seeking

Amendment of Condition 4 of SDNPA Consent 20661/049 relating to vehicle size, type and no. of movements with no increase in tonnage of food waste and farmyard manure transported to the site from that permitted under Condition 25 of HCC Consent 20661/048

is open for consultation until 9th November.

Sunday 21 October 2012

40mph hazard

The first in an occasional series of rants on road safety issues asks the question "are you a 40mph driver?"

If you are, you might not recognise yourself but if you're not, you know exactly who I mean.  Next time you're out in your motor car, glance down at the speedo and see if it's reading 40mph; if it is, look around outside the car and see if you can figure out, perhaps using the speed limit signs, what the speed limit is; is it 40mph? If it's not 40mph then you are a 40mph driver.

There is no excuse for 40mph drivers and there may well be no cure either. The two obvious cures: relearning to drive properly and permanently banning the incompetents are unlikely to happen because of the cost of the first and the social upheaval associated with the second.

Particular care must be taken when going from a 40mph zone to a 30mph zone when there's a 40mph driver behind you because the chances are that he will fail to anticipate your slowing down to match the speed limit. Always check your mirror while slowing down as the 40mph driver might not be able to brake in time, if he notices the change at all.

The thing about the 40mph driver and speed limits is that they don't apply to him. He may well have seen the signs and he might even know what they mean but they're only for other people, not him. He is a "safe driver", he's not speeding (except when he is, in the 30s or even 20s) and he's never had an accident in 50 years of driving.

On the open road the 40mph driver may well be at the front of the queue of traffic backed up because of the 40mph driver's best mate, the "second slowcoach" (which will be featured in a separate rant)

There are times when 40mph drivers aren't causing a public nuisance but they are so few and far between that I think flogging should be reintroduced especially for them.

Friday 19 October 2012

The Rydosh Sisters

When Woodfield was first built numbers one, two, nine and ten were old people's bungalows and were all occupied by elderly people, mostly women. In number two were the Miss Rydoshes. Two sisters of considerable years. They were as different as chalk and cheese, both physically and in their general attitudes. I know not their Christians names so I shall have to refer to them as Miss Rydosh one and Miss Rydosh two. Incidentally I am guessing at the spelling of their name it could quite easily have been spelt using an I instead of the Y. I think they were both spinsters as I have no recollection of husbands ever being mentioned and there were certainly none at their Kingsley residence. They kept an impressive garden which was usually full of flowers and one or other of the sisters could regularly be seen in the front garden tending to their plants. This provided the perfect opportunity for them to engage passers-by in conversation which they always appeared eager to do.

Miss Rydosh one was a shortish, stocky and a rotund lady with a jolly disposition. She wore her grey hair in a bun and usually wore an apron. She appeared to find much to laugh at and this enhanced her reputation as being jolly.

Miss Rydosh two was altogether different, she was taller and very thin. Her hair was longer and hung loose. Her features were sharp with a pointed nose and a rather piercing gaze from eyes which regarded the world from behind small steel rimmed spectacles. Her arms and fingers were thin and boney. She seem to have a permanent sniff and was a much more serious person, seldom did I see her laugh. I remember too,that she sported a large wart on the side of her chin but I forget on which side of her face it was positioned. She was regarded by us as being witch like and her sharp eyes, long nose and strange high pitched and squeaky voice gave her a rodent like feel. Generally this lady was not particularly liked by the youngsters of the estate and we would pass quickly by when she was in the garden without making conversation. By contrast Miss Rydosh one would engage or be engaged by us when she was gardening.

I remember that on occasions we would mimic Miss Rydosh two's strange voice and this always resulted in her reporting us to our parents and a telling off and this further alienated her as far as we were concerned.

Matters came to a head and deteriorated completely one season, in the autumn, when the field behind the houses produced a huge crop of mushrooms. This is the field which was accessed by a gate to the left of the first bungalow in Woodfield and extended down behind the school as far as the footpath which ran from opposite the Cricketers in an almost straight line to the railway. The field extended down behind houses one to eight of Woodfield, past the sewage plant and on down over the brow sloping several hundred yards until reaching a large hedge and ditch. It was, therefore, quite a large field.

The thing which made the mushroom crop all the more extraordinary was the fact that the field, at that time, had been growing a crop of corn. The corn had been harvested leaving dry earth and stubble. This was so unusual that many of the Woodfield residents, my parents included, refused to believe that the mushrooms were of the usual edible field mushroom type. This, of course, because typically the field mushroom grows in grassy fields and not in stubble. However, since my chicken run bordered the said field I had spotted the mushrooms through the fence and had very soon picked a large bag full and it became quite clear that they were indeed the edible field mushroom. Word soon spread and pickers began gathering this free harvest. This, for the most part, meant the children of my age, I don’t recall adults out there collecting the mushrooms.

The chain link fencing which then separated the gardens from the field was quite high, possible six feet or so, which meant that it was easier to get into the field by using the gate beside bungalow number one, which was then occupied by Mrs. Woodward, rather than climb over the fence.

It, therefore, followed that we, the mushroom pickers, passed by the Rydosh residence. It was not long before the two ladies became aware of the mushroom crop and the fact that large numbers of the fungi were being transported passed their gate on a daily basis. Soon thereafter a small group of us were stopped by the gate of bungalow two by Miss Rydosh two … the ratty one. We were told, much like Mrs. Waters had previously, that the sisters Rydosh were very partial to a mushroom or two. The request was made for a bag to be provided for which, we were assured, payment would be made. As far as we were concerned this was great stuff, visions of a three penny bit or, maybe, even a sixpence filled our thoughts. Back we went into the field, collected a handsome bag of mushrooms and delivered them to Miss Rydosh two without delay. She received us at the door of her bungalow where she took possession of the fruits of our labour. Having subjected our delivery to her steely eyed scrutiny and the odd sniff or two she commanded us to wait. Shutting the door she disappeared into the house with the bag leaving us waiting in excited anticipation of the fortune we were about to receive. Oh the sweets it would buy ! Within a few moments Miss Rydosh two returned, in her hand she had a grease proof paper package which she proceeded to open. To our utter horror the package contained a lump of cheese. The sort of cheese which, in those days, was referred to as mouse trap cheese. I know not which variety this was but it was hard and, to a young palate, very strong. Not an item any of us would have chosen even in those austere days. Worse still the whole piece was covered in mould. This the good lady began scraping off with a kitchen knife whilst trying to reassure us that it was perfectly alright to eat and was, in fact, delicious. Having scraped the miserable offering clear of its mould, she cut it into several pieces and gave us one each. No doubt my vivid recollection of the event has been etched upon my mind by the absolute horror and disgust which I and my pals all felt at this revolting reward. Like all young boys of that sort of age, readers will appreciate, we would eat most things and were always hungry. Thus you will understand just how bad this offering appeared to us and how quickly we dumped it. If that were not bad enough in itself, Miss Rydosh two had the brass neck to tell us, as we departed, that she would be happy to receive another delivery later in the week. We all agreed that she probably had more chance of walking to the moon ……. or something like that !

Clearly not a person to be embarrassed by her miserly reward, and or, any offence it may have caused us, a couple of days later she again accosted us as we passed her gate on our way to collect another bag or two of the still plentiful mushroom crop. Presenting us with her own bag she made it clear she expected another delivery and it was obvious she would not take no for an answer. We entered the field and the discussion was all about how the old bat had done us up etc. Although only children, I well remember how we had a total sense of betrayal and the overwhelming feeling that she had cheated us.

As stated earlier, the mushroom crop had appeared in a stubble field on dry earth and in amongst the stubble and mushrooms were lots of large stones. We collected our own mushrooms and then began the task of filling the Rydosh bag. In the bottom of the bag we place as many old an maggoty mushrooms as we could find and on top of them were carefully placed a layer of stones and pebbles. These were topped off with another squashed layer and finally a few whole, but very inferior, fungi were placed on the top. We placed the bag in the Rydosh doorway and left without knocking. We were never asked to collect any more mushrooms in spite of the fact the crop lasted for quite a while until the field was cultivated again.

Wednesday 17 October 2012

RBLR1000 update

After reporting the Royal British Legion Riders Branch RBLR1000 event in the summer I thought we could all use an update on the results:

152 bikes returned to Squires. 138 completed at least one IBA ride:
  • 14 did the RBLR 1000 only, completing the ride in over 24 hours
  • 2 completed Bun Burner Gold (1500+ miles in 24 hours)
  • 1 completed the RBLR 1000 (a SaddleSore 1000), but then went on to ride another 500 to complete a Bun Burner (1500+ miles in 36 hours)
  • 1 set out from Lowestoft at 0400 Friday and covered 2468 miles for a combined SS2000/4 Corners/RBLR 1000
  • The rest ONLY did 1000+ miles in the worst riding conditions imaginable

A total of £148,000 has now been raised by the riders branch.

The 2013 event will be held over the weekend of 21st-23rd June 2013 and you can enter now by completing this form.

If you'd like to know more about long distance motorcycling, you can find out everything you want to know and more via the Iron Butt UK website.

Friday 12 October 2012

Harvest Supper 2012

Don't forget this Saturday, 13th, is Harvest Supper in the Kingsley Centre at 7:30pm

ALL WELCOME


Tickets £10 from Wendy Renton or on the door

Land West of, Farnham Road, Bordon

This application, 54616, seeking permission for

LAWFUL DEVELOPMENT CERTIFICATE FOR AN EXISTING USE - STABLES, BARN, HARDSTANDING AND ACCESS ONTO THE A325

is marked as open for consultation until 7th November.

Wednesday 3 October 2012

FP20 famous victory

Hampshire County Council's countryside access team are to be congratulated on having finally achieved the removal of the wire fencing alongside footpath 20!

Walking along Sickles Lane today I noticed that the wire has been removed at least as far as can be seen from the road and a pair of deer ran unencumbered through the hedge and across the field as I watched.

I don't know whether Hampshire's team achieved this by negotiation or by force as they have made no public announcements that I'm aware of but it must have been down to them as I have been too busy this summer and I can't believe that Rory saw sense all by himself.

Well done countryside access team, give yourselves a pat on the back!

Saturday 29 September 2012

50mph nonsense

Hampshire County Council is proposing to impose a 50mph speed limit on sections of the currently derestricted A272 and A32 at West Meon specifically

(i) A272 between a point 100 metres west of its junction with A32 at Meon Hut and a point 70 metres east of that junction, an approximate distance of 170 metres.
(ii) A32 between a point 310 metres north of its junction with C28 High Street at West Meon and a point 50 metres north of its junction with A272 at Meon Hut, an approximate distance of 2,012 metres.

because "Following a review of speed limits on A and B roads in Hampshire, a number of roads have been identified as having excessively high speeds. Based on the number of accidents occurring along their length and given the nature of the roads it is proposed to reduce the speed on each road to help reduce the accident rate and increase overall safety."

This is nonsense.

These are both straight stretches of road, no "difficult" bends, no blind spots, no tricky elevation changes, no side roads, no houses, no walkers. The national speed limit for cars and motorcycles on these roads is 60mph but HCC would have us believe that the danger is eliminated by reducing it by 10mph - who are they trying to kid?

I have no idea what the total accident statistics are for these two stretches of road but  the BBC offers us a map of every road death and none occur on either of these sections.

The "review" must have been conducted by a gaggle of little old ladies sitting in a darkened room without the benefit of police traffic officers, highway engineers or anyone who's driven faster than 30mph.

This is yet another example of "control" for the sake of it, it's a waste of public money and we should all strenuously object.

Thursday 27 September 2012

Trees

As a boy growing up in Kingsley trees formed an important part of daily life and Kingsley and its surrounding area was rich in trees of many varieties. Quite apart from the various bits and pieces that we made from the wood of the trees, the obvious reason they had been put on earth was to be climbed. We climbed them for all sorts of reasons, birds nesting, nutting, camp making, and as look outs in order to see what was going on over the hedges and in distant areas. But, I suppose, just like mountaineers we climbed many of them just because they were there and presented a bit of a challenge. Although I liked climbing I have never had a great head for heights and consequently I never went to the great heights of my pal Lewis Batty. Lewis was a real tree monkey and had no fear, he went where others feared to tread. Once again it should be remembered that for boys in the era of which I write, most of our pastimes had to be created, we had few toys and our days were spent in the open air pursuing whatever the seasons provided by way of time fillers and diversions. After each long day spent outside there would usually be a discussion as to where we would clear off to tomorrow. This, of course, was at weekends and during school holidays. School annoyingly interrupted our days during term time.
 
"Clearing off" generally meant leaving the house after breakfast and going off for the day in pursuit of some objective, it could involve the whole day, and our return would often not occur until tea time. That sort of day might involve going to rather more distant areas such as Oakhanger Common, the common beyond the Bordon – Farnham road out towards Lindford, or a trip to Alice Holt Forest in the Buckshorn Oak area. On the other hand it could have been a trip towards Worldham or Binsted. We walked miles but generally there was a reason for so doing. It could be in search of nuts berries or fungi, the location of new varieties of bird or animal habitats that might provide some bounty or other for self or school. The seasons played a great part in all of this but the weather was never much of a consideration, we went off come rain or shine and, for the most part, dispensed with coats as they got in the way. By the time we were ten or eleven years old most of us had a mental map of the whole of the village of Kingsley and the surrounding areas as described above. Registered upon it were the locations of where all the various species of birds nested, where to find the best nuts, sloes, mushrooms and wild flowers. Where the various species of fish were best sought, where to catch Harvest and Dormice etc. I still know where owls, jackdaws, stock doves, yellow hammers and long tailed tits nests could be found and many others beside. This then was the background to our daily routines and in which the trees around us played such a central role. Apart from climbing them we sheltered beneath them as necessary except, of course, when thunder and lightning was around. We had all had it well drummed into us not to get under trees for fear of lightning strike. We built camps in the trees and climbed them to hide from passers-by when we found ourselves in places that perhaps we ought not to be.
 
It was the norm, when on our wanders, and upon coming across a particularly interesting tree for the group to ask if any one present had been up it. If the answer was no, then it had to be climbed. This we did both individually and on occasions two or three of us together. If the lower branches of the tree were too high to be reached one of our number would stoop down facing the tree with his hands upon its trunk. The climber would then stand upon the shoulders of the stooper who would then stand up with the aid of the rest of those present thus elevating the climber to within reach of the lowest branch. If this were not achievable we would walk away from the trunk following the direction of a sloping branch and seek to grab it at its lowest point above the ground. The branch would then be held down by the non-climbers whilst the climber would grab the branch with both hands with his back to the tree. He would then swing his legs upwards in order to lock them around the branch with his body suspended towards the ground. In this way he would crawl forwards with hands and feet a few inches at a time until close enough to the trunk and larger branches to enable himself to swing around and gain an upward position and hence achieve the climb.On the way down the climber would slide out along the lowest branch, easing his body downwards whilst holding the branch with both hands until fully suspended and then quite simply drop the distance to the ground. This could be anything from six to eight feet. Upon reaching the ground the trick was to bend the knees and break the fall in much the same way as a parachutist would. I do not recall a single injury as a result of these escapades.
 
There were a number of specialised techniques which we developed whilst birds nesting and or egg collecting but I will deal with them in a later edition when addressing those subjects.
 
The other great Kingsley pastime was that of swinging! We were the original swingers!! Gasps of horror I hear. The Kingsley swingers were all small boys and had nothing to do with the modern usage of the word. Our form of swinging had nothing to do with dodgy parties, wife swapping and those sort of goings on. Thank God I hear the Blog Master muttering! Having read that the common is now a Site of Special Scientific Interest, I suspect swinging would almost certainly be banned upon it now. I am not sure how it all began, I suspect it was one of those days when idle hands became a little bored and upon searching for a new diversion some member of the group present shinned up a birch tree. For, it was the birch tree that featured in our swinging activities.
 
This is what you do. First find your tree, the quality of your swing, or perhaps more accurately your jump, is determined by the size and width of your tree. Depending upon the size of the climber, and ours ranged from seven or eight year olds through to thirteen to fourteen year olds, the trees size is important. The idea is that the climber climbs as high as he can up the tree. At a point when the tree begins to give the climbers hands are extended to grab the trunk above his head and he then throws himself of the tree sideways whilst retaining his grip. The tree bends gracefully and gently lowers the climber to the ground. Well, that is the theory and if you get it right it works very well. If you get it wrong you are sent back to earth with something of a thud. Anyway, the two important factors are the circumference of the trunk and climbing up high enough. Both of these are in relation to the size and weight of the climber. If the climber is too light and the tree too thick, when the climber throws himself sideways, the tree refuses to bend over and the climber is left dangling from a great height and the return to terra firma can be nasty. On the other hand if the climber is large and heavy the sideways throw results in an immediate reaction from the tree which, instead of gently lowering the climber down, deposits him almost instantly back to earth at break neck speed. Also not particularly pleasant. It is therefore very important when swinging to get the basics right and although, not an exact science, a little practice will result in almost total success. Swinging was, therefore, a much practised and very popular way of passing a few hours. The good news is the trees do not appear to suffer any damage as a result of the actions of the swingers. They are pliable enough not to break and in all cases they regain their former erectness within a couple of days. Thus favoured specimens were highly prized and used many times.
 
Quite apart from any conservation concerns that English Nature, DEFRA and numerous other modern organisations might have regarding the poor trees, I have no doubt there are a hundred reasons why the Health and Safety Police would object to such dangerous activities. Well, we must have performed hundreds of such swings across a wide range of childhood ages and I knew not of any injuries and not a single tree was broken. Do not attempt this with trees other than birch some are very brittle and do not bend well!! I do not anticipate large numbers of the Kingsley adult population to suddenly start leaping out of trees, birch of otherwise, but if I have any younger readers, this is great fun where it can be done legally.

Monday 24 September 2012

Kingsley Parish Council - Thursday 27th

Kingsley Parish Council will meet in the Kingsley Centre this Thursday 27th, at 7.30pm.

AGENDA

1. Chairman’s Opening Remarks
2. Apologies for Absence
3. Declarations of Personal/Prejudicial Interest
4. Public Question Time: Public Questions
Consideration of agenda items which will be open to public participation

5. Approval of Minutes of the Meeting held on 24th July 2012
6. Matters Arising
7. Planning
 Applications ongoing:
34313/017 Oak Tree Farm, Gibbs Lane, Shortheath Common Bordon GU35 9JS

30633/021 Grooms Farm, Frith End Road, Frith End, Bordon, GU35 0QR
Full change of use of building for events associated with existing hotel, agricultural uses and hot air balloon storage with associated works, parking and access from frith end quarry haul road

34068/002 Land to the south of Periwinkle Cottage, Main road, Kinglsey
Change of use of land for stationing of a mobile home for residential purposes for single gypsy pitch with associated hard standing and utility shed

New applications:
54448 Land at Dean Farm, Main Road, Kingsley, Bordon
Retention of poly tunnel

54448/001 Land at Dean Farm, Main Road, Kingsley, Bordon
Retention of shed, open fronted field shelter, polytunnel and toilet

 26242/044 Dean Farm Golf Course, Main Road, Kingsley, Bordon, GU35 9NG   
       Change of use of land to wood yard – retrospective application

21605/009 Bakers House, Oakhanger Road, Kingsley, Bordon, GU35 9NJ
Change of use of land from paddock to domestic purposes, demolition of existing sheds, and erection of new garage building

50311/003 Land North West of Rose Villa, Sandy Lane, Kingsley, Bordon, GU35 9NH
Detached garage/shed following demolition of existing outbuildings


8. St Nicholas Cemetery & Cemetery Chapel
To receive an update from Cllr Croucher

9. Transport, Highways and Road Safety
To receive an update from Cllr Lazenby

10. Commons, Village Greens and Rights of Way
To receive an update for Upper Green
To consider the quotation received from Paul Grace for Upper Green main road edging.
To receive an update from Cllr Lazenby on Cradle Lane
To receive an update from Cllr Lazenby on other local Rights of Way'

11. Community Resilience
12. Environment and Biodiversity
13. Sports, Recreation and Leisure
Allotments: To consider the allotment site lease rent review
Queen Jubilee: To consider the response from MoD relating to planting a Diamond Jubilee commemorative tree

14. Kingsley Village Forum   
15. Parish Plan    
To receive an update from Cllr Rigden

16.  Housing, Business & Commerce
17. Communications
To receive a written report from the Clerk detailing correspondence
To consider Clerk & Councillors badge’s as suggested by Health & Safety Inspector.

Website: To receive an update from Cllr Scrivener

18. District Councillor
19. Procedures, Finance and Payments
Internet Banking: To receive an update from the clerk
Payments to be made & Accounts to accept

 Date of Next Meeting: Thursday 25th October 2012 - 7.30 pm at the Kingsley Centre 

Wednesday 12 September 2012

Land North West of Rose Villa, Sandy Lane, Kingsley

This application 50311/003 seeking permission for

DETACHED GARAGE/SHED FOLLOWING DEMOLITION OF EXISTING OUTBUILDINGS

is marked as open for consultation  until 4th October.

Monday 10 September 2012

Cradle Lane - dry

I walked Cradle Lane this afternoon around 4:30 in order to check for damage to the 'fragile' surface caused by motorbikes (and horses) over the summer.

As is usually the case, I was the only user of the lane although there is evidence that at least one motorbike and at least one horse has used the lane during the last week or so. Surface all good though I didn't walk the northern, paved, part so I can only assume that, so far, the prophecies of dire environmental damage have not come true.

Perhaps the winter will tell a different tale.


Bakers House, Oakhanger Road, Kingsley

This application, 21605/009, seeking permission for

Change of use of land from paddock to domestic purposes, demolition of existing sheds, erection of new garage building

is marked as open for consultation until 9th October.

The unequal games

Some of you will be aware that "we" hosted both the Olympic and Paralympic games recently; some will have attended as spectators at the venues; some will have helped with the games themselves; some will even have competed in them. For most people however the games will have been enjoyed (or ignored) through the medium of television.

Unfortunately the games were not equal.

The Paralympics has until now largely been viewed as a poor relative of the 'real' Olympics but this time, for the first time, tickets for the Paralympics were sold out and so they should be: the standard of competition in the Paralympics was at least equal to the Olympics, the excitement of the games was just the same, the personalities were just the same, the efforts of the organisers and volunteers were just as enthusiastic and just as thorough but then we compare TV coverage, oh dear.

The BBC's coverage of the Olympics was outstanding: every event was covered on TV and online, commentary was spot on, background info neatly filling in the blanks. It made for compelling viewing and must have gone a long way towards fulfilling the London 2012 ambition to "inspire a generation".

Channel Four's coverage of the Paralympics was, frankly, pathetic. I couldn't get any of their online material to work (too little bandwidth apparently - enough for the BBC though), at most three channels of TV coverage, commentary where supplied mostly irrelevant drivel and the commercial breaks - two kinds: "short break" more than long enough to make a pot of tea and "break" long enough to decide to spend the rest of the day filling out a tax return (slight exaggeration) rather than watch endless adverts. It was damned hard work watching the Paralympics and I didn't even attempt to watch the closing ceremony for fear of being unable to resist the urge to throw rocks at the screen.

Presumably Channel Four had the franchise because they outbid the BBC and money makes the world go round but it isn't everything. London 2012 missed an opportunity to put the Paralympics permanently on the same pedestal as the Olympics and I can only hope that the organisers in Rio don't make the same mistake.

Whinge over - in my view the organisers, volunteers and competitors in both sets of games did a fantastic job and will undoubtedly have succeeded in their aim to inspire a generation.

Thursday 30 August 2012

Land at Dean Farm - again

This application 54448/001 seeking permission for

RETENTION OF SHED, OPEN FRONTED FIELD SHELTER, POLYTUNNEL AND TOILET

is marked as open for consultation until 21st September.

Academia

My involvement with academia began at Kingsley Church of  England Primary School in 1950 when I was five. There  were then two teachers Mrs. Garforth, (or something similar ), who was the then head mistress and Mrs O’Donnell  who taught the younger children. Shortly after I joined, but I don’t remember exactly when, the head mistress retired and was replaced by Mrs. Morris. The Morrises lived in the school house which adjoined the  school and had a door from the main classroom into what was then the living room. As far as I can recall the main class room ran from the house easterly and is where the present shop, entrance hall and rest room are now. The large room that is at the end and at right angles to the road was a later addition. There was a cook house or kitchen and, I think a smaller classroom at the rear of the building. The toilets were outside as were the bicycle shed and coal bunker. Two features of the main classroom stick in my mind and these were two large cast iron stoves, one at each end of the room on the back wall. They were surrounded by tall steel framed fire guards. The stoves were filled from the top with coal or coke from coal scuttles. These provided the heating during the winter months and it was fairly common for the class to sit around the stoves when it was very cold outside. The other feature which sticks in my mind was the huge map of the world which hung on the back wall. This was probably six feet long by about three feet deep and, of course had large areas of pink upon it. Those were the countries which were British and formed The British Empire and in those days there was quite a lot of it.

As a church school, it was normal for the vicar of the day to come into school a couple of times a week  to hold prayers and give a talk at assembly. In fact I don’t think we had assembly when the vicar was not present. There were close links between the school and the church which resulted in many joint events occurring. Jumble sales, Christmas Bazaars, flower collections for Mothering Sunday, and, of course the Christmas Nativity Play.

My memories of Mrs. O’Donnel l are few but I do recall that she cycled into school each day from a village near Alton which I think was Shaldon. It’s difficult to imagine an elderly lady doing such a cycle ride today and for the purpose of getting to work. They made them tough then !
 
Most of my memories of the school involve Mrs. Morris whom I liked very much. If there was such a thing, she was my kind of teacher. Lessons tended to be irregular and to some extent unpredictable. By this I mean that it didn’t take much for Mrs. Morris to take us out on a  nature walk or to wander down to the green by the pond when the foxhounds met or to go off collecting primroses for Mothering Sunday etc. All of which commended itself to me and most of the other children. It was, in the summer, quite usual for class to be suspended and relocated under the large mock orange tree which grew in the school house garden beside the road. There Mrs. Morris would read to us from  Enid Blyton books  The Famous Five and The Secret Seven etc. I think we all loved these sessions and they certainly  inspired us, a) to read and b) to go forth and build camps etc. in order to emulate the Blyton characters. There would also be the occasional cinema trip and I well remember going to Farnham on two occasions to see Rob Roy featuring Richard Todd and also Ivanhoe. Both subjects had been covered in our history lessons.
 
The nature walks were a great favourite and the common provided rich pickings as did the pond and the river beyond Fir Hill. Many of the larger British Moths could then be found on the common and these included the Emperor, Oak Eggar, Deaths Head Hawk moth, Privett Hawk Moth, Drinker, Puss Moth and many others. We would find both moths and caterpillars and the latter would be brought back into the classroom where it would be fed and looked after until it changed into a beautiful moth which would then be released. It was as a result of our studies into Lepidoptera that Mrs. Morris bought some silk worm eggs. These we hatched and had a thriving colony of the caterpillars and they had to be fed on Mulberry leaves. These,it was discovered,could be sourced from Cold Harbour the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Jones. In spite of the fact that two of the Jones family attended the school, Robert (Plum) and Hillary, Lewis Batty and I got the job of walking to Cold Harbour a couple of times a week to pick the leaves from their Mulberry tree in order to feed the silk worms. The walk took us along the path behind the church behind what were them the Haydon’s  strawberry fields on past Titch and Mrs. Elks little thatched house, behind Goldhill and then over the common at a slight angle to reach Cold Harbour.
 
Cold Harbour was a small farm or perhaps a smallholding, but in any event the Jone’s had quite a large herd of goats and these would be taken out daily and tethered on the common where there browsed upon the heather and gorse. Due to the presence of a Billy or two one could smell the goats before they could be seen. I developed my own love of goats from those early experiences and have kept quite a few over the years, in fact I still have two today. They are very affectionate creatures and the Jones’s  herd would always delay Lewis and I  whilst we patted and rubbed then and brought them handfuls of feed which was just out of their reach. Mind you it didn’t take much to cause the pair of us to be delayed. Upon reaching Cold Harbour we would report to Mrs. Jones who would give us the go-ahead to pick the leaves. There were two or three quite large Mulberry Trees to choose from. It is often said that people seem to have the characteristics of their animals and I remember often thinking that Mrs. Jones had a distinct facial look of her goats. This is not meant to suggests that she was ugly or strange,for having fallen in love with her goats, I found her quite pleasant and very kind. She also had horses and we would often find her tending these when we arrived and yet again we were delayed on our mission by Mrs. Jones’s explanations as to what she was doing and why. If that was not enough in the form of delays there were then the poultry to add to the list of essential tasks by which delay became inevitable. Ducks, geese, chicken and bantams all conspired to ensure that Lewis and I remained outside the classroom for a number of hours. Having collected our Mulberry leaves and thanked Mrs. Jones, which often involved yet more delay, we would depart upon the return trip.We never felt under any extreme pressure to rush back and the appearance of a basking lizard, butterfly, bird or any other form of living creature would invariably extend the time it took us to complete the trips. I do not recall Mrs. Morris ever getting heavy with us over the time it took us to complete our weekly leaf gathering tasks.
 
During the winter months it was usual for the hunt, the Hampshire Hunt, to meet upon the green just above the pond and close enough to the Cricketers for drinks to be served to the riders. The Hampshire Hunt country then covered a vast area and, of course, included the whole of Kingsley and its surrounding areas. There were, and I suspect, still are lots of foxes to be found in the area. The biggest problem encountered by the hunt in those days before antis had been thought of, were deer. Ones hounds got into Alice Holt Forest or the wooded hangers that were all around, it was difficult for the huntsman to keep them from ‘rioting’ on the many deer that they came across. Hounds and indeed all dogs love the scent of deer and it takes a very steady pack to stick to the line of a fox when deer are around. This often meant the pack would split and result in hounds being left behind at the end of the day. I well remember the great joy of finding a hound at the end of the day and keeping it until the huntsman came to collect it. Although telephones were then uncommon, the message seemed to get back to the kennels, at Ropley, that hounds had been found with great speed and they didn’t remain at large for very long. But as far as school was concerned, class would be suspended and we would all go down to the meet and remain fondling the hounds until they moved off. Great fun, great memories, I can’t imagine it happening in a school today.
 
Mothering Sunday, Easter and other church celebrations would, depending upon the time of the year, result in flower gather expeditions. Wild daffodils would be collected from the hanger at Wyck which can be seen on the O.S. map beginning where Pookles Lane does a ninety degree turn to the west. The hanger then goes along almost to the site of the Roman Building. In my childhood days those woods were full of the beautiful little blooms and Mrs. Morris obviously obtained permission from the land owners to pick them in order to decorate the church. Our primroses were collected from a number of  locations but the most prolific site was the large hill at the top of the 'Old Lane', this readers will remember  was the name then used to describe the lane running from Bakers Corner, northwards, all the way up to the middle of Binsted. I wonder if it is still referred to as such today? 
 
However, the hill in question can be seen on the map, on the left, in the area between Pondfield  Copse, Stubbs Farm, and South Hay Farm and opposite the right hand turning which goes back towards Kingsley and The Straits. Roughly half way between Bakers Corner and Binsted. The hill is marked on my map with the figures 42. 
 
Incidentally, my mother was born at Stubs Farm and the family lived there before moving to the Straits. But, back to the hill, I imagine it had a name but I don’t recall what it was. It was then covered almost all over the top and down the sides to the south with bramble bushes. These were low and had plenty of gaps and make shift paths between them and it was hear in amongst the bushes that primroses grew in profusion. We would collect huge amounts of those fragrant and delicate little blooms and in spite of this there were so many that our collections would go almost un-noticed. I recall gathering the blooms there for a number of years until the farmer rooted out the brambles and cultivated the hill. This marked the end of the primroses and all that then remained was a grassy hill upon which cattle grazed. Many years later,when I was a teenager,the hill would feature in Sunday afternoon walks and my girlfriend and I would often sit on its summit and admire the lovely views of the surrounding countryside. Hey Ho nothing stays the same. I believe it’s called progress!!