Catsfield Village Voice

SCOUTING NEWS

From Sandra - One of our fantastic Ninfield Explorer Scouts and a valued Young Leader volunteer, has been selected to attend the World Scout Jamboree next year – an incredible achievement and a real honour. Archie has been a Scout in Ninfield since his 6th Birthday. Hopefully a leader in waiting. The World Scout Jamboree brings together thousands of young people from across the globe, including countries from every continent and a wide range of backgrounds and cultures. It’s all about building friendships, learning from one another, and helping create a better world.  To help raise funds for the trip, we had Archie working in our garden today – strimming, mowing, shifting heavy items and tackling all those jobs we’d been putting off. What a star and what a grafter!

If you’ve got jobs around the house or garden that you can’t face, or can no longer manage yourself, Archie might just be the person to help. Every job helps him get one step closer to this once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Well done, Archie – we’re all incredibly proud of you. A true super Scouter! 

HARVEST SUPPER

Advance notice of this annual event to make a note in your diary.  The fundraisers of St Laurence Church are holding a Harvest Supper in the Village Hall on Saturday 26th September at 7pm and tickets, which need to be booked in advance are £15 person. Bring your own drinks. Contact 01424 77708 or 07545292533

JAN WRITES

Continuing with the theme of school days in the 1940’s/50’s and in particular school dinners, which at Sedlescome primary school which were wonderful and cooked on the spot by three local ladies. Unfortunately it was a different story at Claverham, meals weren’t cooked on the premises, they were cooked and brought over from the kitchens at Battle Hospital in tin cans.  By the time it was served at Claverham, needless to say it was cold and tasteless. Many of us took sandwiches and had a hot meal later at home.  Eventually of course, meals were cooked on the school premises, but I had left by then.

ANN WRITES

Stay with me dear readers while I do another waffle and you will see where it leads.  I've read a lot of Thomas Hardy because, unlike Dickens who mainly wrote about city life, Hardy wrote some wonderful evocative books about the countryside and village life.  I'm also reminded of Thomas Gray's Elegy in an English Churchyard where he writes "the plowman homeward plods his weary way" and I'm thinking of how tiring ploughing used to be, walking behind heavy horses all day struggling to hold the plough in a straight line and finally walking home, perhaps in the gloom, settling his horses and falling asleep by the home range.  I wonder if there will be a ploughing match this year?  The ground is so hard and unforgiving, I doubt if even today's heavy tractors will be able to turn the soil finding moisture for the seed drill to sow next year's crop.  The groundsman used to love ploughing and regularly came happily home knowing he'd had a satisfying day, but even he would have moaned about the soil.

It's a very worrying time for us all, particularly the farmers and I'm hoping they will benefit from the way our news is concentrating on the way our food is grown and the value we should put on home grown produce.  As to my rams, they seem to be finding enough in the dry, rough grass to eat and so far they have abstained from biffing each other in the head; perhaps they haven't got the energy.  All the gates have been tied up as the posts have moved in the cracked clay and I expect there will be a hefty fencing bill later in the year.  In the meantime, the air is cooler and there's even been a mist coming up from the Watermill Stream.

Our cricket team continue to look after the wicket in a responsible way and our next match is away at Northiam this Sunday with two more home matches.  The club were in evidence at the recent fete running the car park and they are grateful for the donation to their funds.  As are the WI, whose job in the kitchen serving teas and cakes was extremely busy and the donation we received will be put to good use.