Pitcombe News - March 2018

PITCOMBE

news View online at hall.pitcombepc.org.uk

MARCH 2018

In this issue: Neighbourhood Watch Update - pg 7 The Bruton Community Messiah - pg 12 Village Hall Update - pg 17 Easter Egg Colouring - pg 23 ...and more

MONTHLY MAGAZINE FOR THE PARISH OF PITCOMBE

What’s on...

...LATER ...WEEKLY

...THIS MONTH

Pitcombe News

Page 2

Sunday 4 - 9.30am

Holy Communion

Friday 9

Black bin collection

Sunday 11 - 11.00am

Matins

Tuesday 13 - 10.00am

NGS Garden Opening Lower Shalford Farm, Charlton Musgrove

Tuesday 13 - 7.30pm

Parish Council Meeting

Sunday 18 - 11.00am

Holy Communion

Sunday 18 - 5.00pm

Combined Choirs Messiah St Mary’s Bruton

Friday 23

Black bin collection

Sunday 25 - 6.00pm

Evensong

Friday 30 - 10.00am

Good Friday Litany

Mondays - 5.45pm

SOSA - HVH

Wednesdays - 7.15pm

Short Mat Bowls - HVH

Saturday 14 April - 7.00pm

Live Music Night

Sunday 13 May

Somerset Garden Day

Saturday 16 June - 12.00pm

Village Fayre

welcome

March 2018

PITCOMBE NEWS

T

he Ides of March (15 March) is best known for the date on which Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44BC.A seer had warned that harm would come to Caesar ‘No later than the Ides of March’ On his way to the Senate (where he was stabbed to death) Caesar remarked ‘The Ides of March are come’ to which the seer replied, ‘Aye Caesar, but not gone’. Thank you, Wikipedia!

Meanwhile back in the Parish of Pitcombe, the Hadspen Quarry receives some coverage, having applied to extend its activities to the other side of Lime Kiln Lane. The Village Hall has news of successfully applying for a Lottery Grant to extend its car park facilities and alerts us to its upcoming Live Music Night on 14 April. The Happy Cooker, as forthcoming as ever, describes some interesting things to do with rhubarb and delves into the folklore surrounding beans.

Meanwhile, the horticulturists amongst us will be keen to get to work on the list of Jobs in the Garden for March.

Details of a wonderful concert in St Mary’s Church, Bruton, are disclosed, where over 160 singers and an orchestra will gather to perform the Messiah on 18 March. Elsewhere, Hauser and Wirth is advertising details of its latest exhibition entitled, The Land We Live In - The Land We left Behind, which has already been favourably reviewed.

By the time our next edition is distributed, Easter will have come and gone, Easter Sunday being on 1 April (that’s not a joke!).While this edition is therefore not necessarily sprinkled with chocolate eggs and Easter bunnies, here’s wishing you a very Happy Easter and everything that goes with it.

contribute

Editors: Jane and Anthony Hodges Layout and design: Max Doughty

The next edition will be April 2018. Please send any articles or advertisements to the Editors by 15 March at the latest. Our contact details can be found in the Parish Directory in the centre of this magazine.

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Pitcombe News

S LEONARD’S

March Services 4 March - 9.30am

Holy Communion with Fr Justin Bailey

11 March - 11.00am

Matins with Rev Trevor Cook

18 March - 11.00am

Holy Communion with Rev Dan Richards

25 March - 6.00pm

Evensong with Preb Mark Ellis

30 March - 10.00am

Good Friday Litany with Fr Justin Bailey

D

uring Lent, the service of Compline is going to be held in St Mary’s Bruton each Sunday at 6.00pm. This is a contemplative service that emphasizes spiritual peace and is traditionally held at the end of the day, the last service of the monastic daily schedule of worship.We have usually had a service of Compline at St Leonard’s during Holy Week but this year we are going to observe Good Friday.

T

I can’t tell you much about that service because I have never been to one; the prayer book says that it is the ‘General Supplication to be sung or said after Morning Prayer on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays and at other times when it shall be commanded by the Ordinary’. Our Ordinary is Justin Bailey and it will be interesting to see how he conducts it.

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Of one thing I am clear which is that general supplication is what we need for the good of our country at this time. I was lucky enough to spend two weeks in Rajastan during February and it was so refreshing to be in a country which is filled with optimism and promise: they know where they want to go and are confident of getting there.Would that was the case here.

Charles Brook Churchwarden

March 2018

The Parson’s Pulpit W

e’ve been visiting the Hauser & Wirth exhibition, ‘The Land We Live In – The Land We Left Behind’, which explores the ways in which our mainly urban society has viewed, imagined and used the land since the British largely left it behind. It begins with Victorian visionaries and eccentrics, desiring to restore the values of honest labour, craft and connection with the land, and brings the story right up to the present day, with our growing concern for the way our food is produced.

I first discovered artists like Samuel Palmer, David Jones and the then fashionable Brotherhood of Ruralists when in my twenties and working in London. Many such artists, and many thinkers and propagandists, have drawn on Christian tradition for their inspiration. The Bible offers the myth of Eden, of Paradise Lost. The question, why we had to lose it at all, takes us to the heart of what it is to be human, modern western humans in particular. The end of the biblical journey is New Jerusalem – a city, but one through which flows the river of life.

Some societies manage to find room for the rural (and the truly human) in the urban. Farm animals, and nature, exist side by side with humans. Humans can safely walk and cycle. Water catchment and other eco-friendly practices are fostered. People are not rendered insecure by surreal house prices. Perhaps the British problem is that in our love affair with the modern and its logic, we have rushed to create a sanitized, mechanized world: one in which we have inevitably suffered alienation. It is easy to smile at the British nostalgia for the land, but the instinct is sound.

Does Christianity have anything to offer to modern urban Britain? It does indeed; but the answers are all about regaining what has been lost – social connectedness (community, family, the curbing of individualism for the sake of the common good), natural connectedness (stewardship of creation, the dignity of labour), and a sense of transcendent meaning and purpose - the sacred.

If Lent is a sort of spring clean, then here is a real Lent programme, a vision of Paradise to be restored. The world before the modern age was never perfect, of course. Far from it. Those who believe such a thing tend to be fascists or utopians. But to believe in the pilgrimage towards Paradise, well that is a defining feature of what it is to be British.

Fr Justin Bailey benefice@stmarysbruton.org Page 5

Cole Manor Tea Rooms I’m not sure if this is a record but we had our first booking for a Christmas party today! I am both deeply impressed and in awe of people who have their lives so very well organised.

The snowdrops have brought huge pleasure to the many who have come to see them and there are already signs in the garden that spring is well on its way.

We have a few spaces left for the Mothering Sunday weekend and although we won’t be doing a Sunday Roast on Easter Day this year we will have a special menu so do call us for details.

Our opening hours remain the same: Tuesday – Sunday 10.00am – 5.00pm. Booking for Sunday roasts and ‘Posh Teas’ need to be made at least 24 hours in advance.

Call us on 01749 813676.

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March 2018

NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH

T

FORCE-WIDE MESSAGE - LIVESTOCK WORRYING

his message is sent on behalf of our Rural Crime Team and aimed at all dog walkers and we would be grateful if you could pass this on:

livestock. We don’t want anyone to lose their beloved family pet.

The Avon and Somerset Police Rural Crime Team recommends: Livestock worrying is a big issue • Always checking for livestock in especially as we approach the Spring. fields when walking your dog/s We are seeing an increase in such • Always making sure you shut gates reports and would like to take this behind you opportunity to politely remind dog • When in or near fields with livestock, walkers to keep their animals on leads keep your dog/s on a lead and under control at all times around livestock.

• The only time you should release Remember to follow the Countryside your dog is in the event of being Code, https://goo.gl/EVoDcu, chased by cattle. By restraining the dog in this circumstance, you put especially during lambing season. yourself at risk of being injured If your dog attacks livestock, you • If you live near livestock and own a could end up being responsible for dog/s make sure that your property offences including criminal damage and and garden are secure so your pets sheep worrying, as well as potential cannot escape prosecution for offences under the Leading rural insurer NFU Mutual saw Dangerous Dogs Act. a 50% rise in dog attacks on livestock Farmers also have the right to shoot in the UK in 2016. dogs that are worrying or attacking

STOP PRESS Sometime during the evening of 20 February there was a burglary at a house in Higher Ansford. Entry was gained through an unlocked door and a laptop and charger were stolen

So... make sure the hatches are battened down securely!

Susan Chamberlain 01963 350616 Page 7

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March 2018

HADSPEN QUARRY EXTENSION

H

adspen Quarry has applied for planning permission to extend its quarrying activities in the field opposite the existing quarry, on the other side of Lime Kiln Lane. Details of the application can be found on this link: https://goo.gl/ VHtcWU. The Parish Council has until 14 March to submit their comments.

A near neighbour of the Quarry, Charles Brook has already articulated his concerns about the extension in a letter to the Somerset District Council.

With his permission, we are reproducing his letter here, as it raises a number of issues, which others might find useful to ponder on: “The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has issued guidance on the assessment of environmental impacts from minerals extraction (https://goo.gl/kGdtwa Reference ID: 27-201440306 revised 6 March 2014). The principal issues that should be addressed include a number items which have not been addressed in the present application.

Specifically the application lacks: 1. A noise impact statement (paras 19 22).

2. Dust assessment (paras 23-310), 3. Effect on air quality, 4. Comments on lighting (if any) and 5. Water issues.

As a very near neighbour in a Grade 2 listed house to the north north east of the site and therefore subject to the prevailing south west winds, items 1-4

are of concern. Because my water and that of my neighbours, including Grove Farm Quarry, comes from the spring that is shown on the map due north off the site, attention should have been given to that issue in terms of extraction and contamination. The proposed extension the site of the quarry is on a hill on the opposite side of the valley from the present situation so water used at the extension has a different drainage from the current site.

Our Parish Plan (2015) has as its first objective ‘to protect the visual amenity, character and peaceful nature of the parish’ (page 6) It stresses that the ‘special country landscape and generally peaceful nature of the parish is important to residents many of whom value very highly the quality of life this brings’ (page 5). These issues need to be investigated by the County Council before it can adequately assess the application.”

In the meantime, the owners of Hadspen Quarry, Rob and Lucy Comer, have invited members of the public to a site meeting on Sunday 25 February to discuss and explain the quarry extension.

They have also convened a meeting at the Village Hall on 26 February for those who cannot make the site meeting. Unfortunately, this month’s magazine will not be out until after these meetings occur, but they will provide an opportunity to answer queries and address some of the concerns expressed in Charles Brook’s comments above.

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THE HAPPY COOKER

Pitcombe News

BREAD AND BUTTER PUDDING

Rhubarb baked with custard soaked brioche - a heavenly combination! This recipe serves 4-6.

INGREDIENTS • • • •

50 g butter, melted 400 g brioche loaf, sliced 300 g rhubarb, thinly sliced 500 ml creamy milk

• • • • •

100 ml double cream 2 large eggs 1 egg yolk 1 tbsp caster sugar 1/2 tsp vanilla essence

METHOD

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1. Heat the oven to 170 °C/Gas mark 3. Brush a deep 24 cm square dish with a little melted butter.

2. Layer the brioche in the dish, brushing each side with butter as you go. Tuck the rhubarb among the layers.

3. Beat together eggs, milk and cream. Stir in the sugar and vanilla essence. Pour over the sliced brioche and leave to soak for 30 minutes.

4. Put the dish in a large roasting pan, half filled with boiling water to reach half way up the sides of the dish. Bake for 30-40 minutes until golden and set. Serve with warm cream and custard.

PS. For breakfast, while rhubarb is in season, why not make a compote? Combine 400 g trimmed rhubarb, zest and juice of 1 orange, 2 tbsp brown sugar, three thin slices of root ginger and simmer 5-10 minutes. No more, as you want the rhubarb to hold its shape. Cool completely and serve with Greek Yoghurt.

March 2018

BEAN SUPERSTITIONS! from Lorraine Harrison’s ‘A Potted History of Vegetables’ The bean plant may seem innocent enough entwined around a framework of canes, but this humble legume has been long associated with death and evil doings. Following a funeral, the ancient Greeks would sit down to a bean feast, and the vegetable also played a vital role during the exorcism of ghosts from dwellings. It is even said that Pythagoras even believed that human souls became beans after death!

The Romans too thought the bean was an inauspicious vegetable. English coal miners believed that accidents were more likely to happen below ground, when bean plants were in flower (because the souls of the dead were thought to live in bean flowers.) The flower scent was thought to induce nightmares and madness, and in Scottish legend witches ride on beanstalks instead of broomsticks.

BEAN JOKE related by one of our contributors My friend Rob’s aunt was in the habit of making bean chutney every year. Each year, when the new batch was produced, he’d pick up a jar and ask, ‘Now what is this?’, to which she always replied, ‘It’s bean chutney’.

And every year Rob caught her out with the same retort: ‘I don’t want to know what it HAS been, I want to know what it is NOW!’.

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Pitcombe News

THE BRUTON COMMUNITY MESSIAH

O

n Sunday 18 March at 5.00pm, over 160 singers and an orchestra will gather in St Mary’s Church, Bruton to perform Handel’s Messiah, under the direction of guest conductor, Edward Goater. Edward is the conductor of Taunton Choral Society, Somerset Choral Society and is a vicar choral at Wells Cathedral. Choirs from Bruton School for Girls, King’s Bruton, Sexey’s School, St Mary’s Church and Bruton Choral Society will perform alongside talented solo singers from the schools and adult choirs. This is the first time that such a large-scale musical enterprise has been mounted in the town. Our very own ‘Bruton – The

Big Sing’! All proceeds from this event will be donated to Macmillan Cancer Support and we very much hope that this is an event the whole community can enjoy and we will have a full church for the occasion. The performance will end by 6.30pm. Tickets (£5) are available from Bruton Pharmacy, Church Bridge Stores, the Church office and the Community Office. There will also be a retiring collection for this most worthwhile cause. It is hoped we can raise a record amount for Macmillan. If anyone (individual or business) would like to make a contribution to this before 18 March please contact Harry Mills on 07815 848818.

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The Flower Shop Beautiful fresh flowers Bespoke country style bouquets Range of jugs, pots, gifts and vases Weddings, funerals, events Family run business Local deli delivery 8 High Street Bruton, Somerset. BA10 0AA Telephone: 01749 812465 Email: jo@theflowershopbruton.co.uk www.theflowershopbruton.co.uk

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Pitcombe News

PITCOMBE PARI

PARISH COUNCIL Chair

pitcombepc.org.uk

John Knight

Secretary Zoe Godden ST LEONARD’S CHURCH The Rector Justin Bailey Benefice Office Bell-ringing

Asiong Crombie Tina Harley

Church Flowers Roster

Tina Harley

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL Secretary Carole Wyatt Churchwardens

Charles Brook Wendy Crane

FRIENDS OF ST LEONARD’S Secretary Cathie Brook HADSPEN VILLAGE HALL Chair Steven Wheadon Bookings Secretaries

Penny Mounsey Jan James

Secretary

Carol Wintle

NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH Co-ordinating Officer Sue Chamberlain

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01749 813635 stationmasterknight@me.com pictombepc@gmail.com church.pitcombepc.org.uk 01749 812616 frjustin@btinternet.com benefice@stmarysbruton.com 01749 813262 tina.harley@btinternet.com 01749 813262 tina.harley@btinternet.com 01963 350222 carolewyatt@btinternet.com 01963 351492 c.brook@ucl.ac.uk 01749 813005 wendycrane@btinternet.com 01963 351492 catherinebrook@aol.com hall.pitcombepc.org.uk 01749 814980 steve@longman-cheese-sales.co.uk 01963 359488 penny.mounsey.354@btinternet.com 01963 350464 janet.james945@btinternet.com 01963 350632 carollw1950@gmail.com 01963 350616 sechamberlain@btinternet.com

ISH DIRECTORY PITCOMBE NEWS Co-Editors

Jane Hodges

Anthony Hodges SHORT MAT BOWLS CLUB Secretary Carole Wyatt U3A Bridge

Kate Mair

Patchwork

Jan Wilcox

History

Bruce Bower

March 2018

01963 351429 janepamelahodges@hotmail.com anthony.hodges@hodgesassociates.org 01963 350222 carolewyatt@btinternet.com 01963 351544 kateandbillmair@hotmail.com 01747 840335 mail@janwilcox.plus.com 01747 840335 bowersxb@btinternet.com

PILATES Shirley Rutter

07733 085077 shirley.rutter@outlook.com

Jane Onslow

01963 351544 janeonslow@theretreatsc.co.uk

BRUTON ART CLASS

POLICE, AMBULANCE OR FIRE EMERGENCIES Police Non-emergencies HEALTHCARE Bruton Surgery Wincanton Health Centre Shepton Mallet Treatment Centre LOCAL COUNCIL District Councillor Mike Beech County Councillor Roads and Transport

Anna Groskop

999 (or 112) 101 01749 812310 01963 435700 01749 333600 01749 812335 mike.beech@southsomerset.gov.uk 01749 812520 anna.groskop@southsomerset.gov.uk 0845 3459155 roadsandtransportSD@somerset.gov.uk

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March 2018

VILLAGE HALL B

LIVE MUSIC NIGHT - SATURDAY 14 APRIL 2018

ack by popular demand, our next Live Music Night is being held on Saturday 14 April 2018, doors opening at 7.00pm. Building on the success of the previous event, the evening will centre around 2 sessions with 2 groups playing a varied range of music including rock and roll, pop and jazz. The first session will feature a newly formed group, fronted by and introducing a young talented female vocalist, Becky Steward. The second, a trio (or more!) of experienced musicians. Both sessions are being organised and led on behalf of the hall by professional local musician Dave Eastoe, already known to many from previous events.The evening will include a substantial cold buffet supper followed by mini desserts and tea/coffee.A pay bar will be open from 7.00pm and continue throughout the evening.Tickets are a highly attractive £6.00, which includes the buffet supper.The price is being kept to a minimum as a thank you for the continuing support the hall has enjoyed from Parish residents who have contributed significantly to its solid financial position.

We also hope this will encourage newcomers to attend and experience a fun evening, as well as providing an opportunity for them to meet fellow residents. We are looking forward to a great night with something for all musical tastes and hope to see as many of you there as possible. Numbers will be restricted so you should all book early to avoid disappointment. Tickets are available now. See details on the back-page poster.

CAR PARK EXTENSION Full speed ahead (not to be taken literally!), as the car park extension receives very welcome funding support. Following previous reports, we are delighted to announce that we have been very successful in our grant applications to help fund the car park extension. We have received £9800 from the Awards for All (The Big Lottery Fund) - an offshoot of the National Lottery - which helps fund small projects with grants of up to £10 000.This award is a major endorsement of the Hall and the important role it plays in the local community. In addition, while SSDC had originally agreed a grant of £3000, this has now been reduced to £900 reflecting a standard condition which applies in the event of a successful application to the Lottery.The reduction is linked to the size of the original grant award and the remaining project cost shortfall and allows for the wider distribution of limited Council funds. It remains very encouraging that, in considering our application, the East Area Committee was unanimous in its support for the project, the Hall in general and its facilities. As reported previously, we will also receive £500 from the PPC which means that the combined grants will represent around 85% of the total cost. Our chosen contractor expects work to commence in the Spring depending on weather conditions and will be on site for 1 - 2 weeks. We will attempt to keep disruption to a minimum during this time but would ask for your patience throughout. We are extremely grateful to all bodies and Councillors that have supported this project, which will significantly increase our parking capacity and ease congestion at busy events.

Hadspen Village Hall Committee Page 17

Pitcombe News

POLICE REPORT W

SEASONAL ADVICE FROM OUR CRIME REDUCTION OFFICER

ith Spring hopefully ‘around the corner’, many of us will be thinking about getting back into our gardens. So, have a look at the security of your shed or outbuildings.

Before upgrading locks or fitting alarms have a look at the shed structure first. Is it sound or are parts a bit rotten? Is the roof secure? Is the door and door frame still sound? There’s no point upgrading locks or fitting alarms if the thief can kick through a weakened door panel or lift an insecure roof. When upgrading your locks and hinges use ‘clutch screws’ or coach bolts as fixings as these cannot be undone.

Double up on the door shackle and hasp with one fitted a third of the way up and the second a third of the way done from the top of the door.The hinges can then be reinforced with hinge pins. Choose closed shackle padlocks preferably with a ‘Sold Secure’ rating.These are more resistant to attack than conventional padlocks. If your shed or outbuilding has a window, be sure to cover the inside so that the thief cannot see in and see what’s available to steal. Opaque film applied to the inside works well here, it also makes the window more difficult to break. Consider fitting laminated glass or steel security mesh – or both.

If someone does manage to gain access to your shed, make life difficult for them by: • Chaining everything together with a heavy-duty chain and padlock.

• If the shed has a concrete base, considering a ground anchor and chaining your mower and bikes to this. You can now get wall anchors, they strengthen the structure of the shed considerably.

• Marking everything with your postcode.

‘Damage’ mark if necessary – make it less attractive to the thief.

• Always considering registering any property that has a serial number with immobilise.com If you see something – say something.

Report it to the Police by calling 101 (or 999 in an emergency) or visiting the website at avonandsomerset.police.uk/contact.

Page 18

PITCOMBE PARISH COUNCIL

March 2018

P

arish Council expressed their disquiet over the impending closure of Strutters Hill (A359 south of Bruton School for Girls). We are contacting The County Road Closure Team asking for consultation on the placing of Road Closure signs to try to minimise Rat Running via Mill Lane and Sunny Hill The planning proposal to replace a rear porch and uPVC windows at Twillbee Cottage, Pitcombe was supported.

An appeal has been lodged regarding the refusal of Contact us! Find Planning Permission for an Eco House to be built on land adjacent to the disused railway line at Mill Lane. our details in the Parish Council has submitted its written submission Parish Directory to the Planning Inspectorate, reiterating its objection to this proposal.

The Local Government Boundary Commission has proposed new ward boundaries which would combine the current Tower Ward, comprising Pitcombe, Brewham and Shepton Montague, with the Wincanton Ward.

Council felt that this is inappropriate as Pitcombe is much more closely aligned with Bruton. Councillor Donald is researching the relevant population data and our submission to the consultation will be agreed at our next meeting on 13 March.

Next meeting: You may contribute to the consultation by visiting 13 March at consultation.lgbce.org.uk The consultation closes 7.30pm in on 19 March. There is also a consultation regarding the Village Hall Somerset County Council’s proposed changes to Library Services. We submitted our view that the Bruton and Castle Cary libraries should be maintained as is, in cooperation with local community support rather than being replaced with a mobile service.

Please be vigilant - a white Ford Transit tipper KU57 *** is suspected of being involved in the collection of ‘scrap items’ sometimes without permission! If spotted please alert Police on 101.

John Knight Chair Page 19

Charles Dowding Day courses at Charles Dowding's garden: There are dates for 2018 on the website, book early to secure a place as they mostly sell out well beforehand.

10.30am to 4.00pm at Home Acres, Alhampton BA4 6PZ £135 includes the best vegetable lunch in Somerset. www.charlesdowding.co.uk Homeacre’s garden is open on the first weekend of June (2nd – 3rd) 12.00pm to 4.30pm, in aid of NGS. Charles is on a tour of northern UK in late January and early February.

Charles' latest book is a bestseller, reprinted and 2000 already shipped to the USA: No Dig Organic Home & Garden.

Grow, cook, use and store your harvest.

By Charles Dowding and Stephanie Hafferty Check out his Diary too!

Available on the website and at Bailey Hill Bookshop.

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JOBS IN THE GARDEN FOR MARCH

March 2018

Edible Crops: 1. Sow fruiting half-hardy vegetables e.g.. tomatoes 2. Sow courgettes and cucumber under cover 3. Sow hardy annual vegetables under cover: leeks, coriander, dill, peas, beetroot and salad leaves in gutters 4. Sow broad beans direct outside 5. Sow perennials e.g.. globe artichokes 6. Plant asparagus crowns and early potatoes 7. Cover soil with plastic to dry out, then direct sow carrots, parsnips and radishes 8. Finish pruning and planting fruit trees and bushes Flowers: 9. Wait until the middle of the month to start half hardy annuals - light levels increase and nights less cold as the month progresses 10. Plant dahlia tubers in pots inside 11. Take chrysanthemum cuttings 12. Plant roses 13. Plant herbaceous perennials including those for picking e.g. delphiniums

Page 21

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March 2018

EASTER EGG COLOURING Happy Easter! Grab your colouring pencils and colour in the four patterned Easter eggs above!

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March 2018

BOTTOM BARN FARM W

e are trying to do some serious restructuring (pruning) of some very difficult and steep rows of trees. This is impossible when the ground is really wet, as it is at the moment.There’s a lot of top work needed, which has been left every year because the heavy machines tear up the ground, causing deep ruts that the apples hide in during the harvest. Our soil becomes incredibly slippery and for us humans, the art of staying upright is comedically challenging. Also, on our hills and cambers, gravity takes over, so the machines want to reach the bottom of the slopes by the shortest route. There is a bit of me that wants to giggle at these thoughts, whilst trying to suppress despair. Is this a sign of slight madness?

The grey barn is now prepared as a maternity unit for the sheep, with a nice deep bed of straw.

There has been one early arrival, but lambing should begin in earnest in a few days. As with the past few years, we have found a happy compromise between letting the sheep go out to the field to graze naturally during the day and bringing them in to the barn at night. There are advantages to the system. Firstly, most (not all) of the sheep seem to lamb in the early hours of the morning, so they are close at hand and we don’t have to wander all around the field in the dark to check them or help if needed.Also, the cold, wet, windy weather can quickly cause hypothermia and death in a weak, or rejected lamb. Secondly, the tiny vulnerable lambs are safe from foxes and badgers.Thirdly, it is quite costly to feed the sheep if they are kept in all the time.The disadvantage is that it’s time consuming, but the sheep seem to like the system and are very well behaved when being brought in and released.

Finally, the grey barn is scheduled for demolition at the end of April.Yippee! We had the roof professionally tested, which as expected in a building of its age, proved to be asbestos. We have engaged a demolition expert to take down the barn safely, and dispose of the asbestos.

They will then bring in a machine to crush the remaining rubble, which is going to be used for the base of the new driveway, and some tracks around the farm. Farmers don’t like to throw anything away!

As I sit here writing, there is a blue tit fluttering at the window. I haven’t noticed it in previous years, but it has been trying to get in for over a week now. I wonder what’s going on in its head? They usually nest in the wall cavities we made for bats when the house was being built.

Maybe those spots have already been taken.

Roll on spring, with the lambs, snowdrops, and the countryside bursting into life.

Alison Tilley

Page 25

Pitcombe News

THE LAND WE LIVE IN THE LAND WE LEFT BEHIND

H

auser & Wirth Somerset is delighted to announce ‘The Land We Live In – The Land We Left Behind’, curated by Adam Sutherland. This ambitious survey exhibition explores the contradictory nature of society’s relationship to the rural. The presentation features over 100 international artists and creatives, as well as works on loan, by artists working from the 1500s to the present day, including Paul McCarthy, Beatrix Potter, Carsten Höller, Laure Prouvost, William Holman Hunt, Samuel Palmer, Frank Lloyd Wright, Marcus Coates, Fernando García-Dory, Mark Dion, Roni Horn, Aaron Angell and Mark Wallinger. With protagonists ranging from 10th-century anchorites to 21stcentury urban ruralists, ‘The Land We Live In – The Land We Left Behind’ tells the story of humanity’s evolving connection to the land, our perception of, and reliance upon it. Viewers will have the opportunity to engage with the themes of the exhibition through a series of participatory artists’ projects and practical presentations, such as aquaponics, fermentation, goat milking and cheese making.

The exhibition’s title refers to a toast used by migrants in the 18th and 19th centuries, which celebrated the land they had arrived in, followed by a riposte celebrating their country of origin – a place that for many embodied romantic longing. The selected works suggest the rural as a laboratory for Page 26

the development of ideas, in particular the notion of a rural utopia, exploring the religious migrants, the industrial escapees, the metaphors of the flight from Egypt and the return to Eden, that are embedded in humanity’s collective unconscious. This vision is counter-balanced and punctuated by pieces of documentary and reportage, from works illustrating the reality of modern farming, to artefacts relating to boy racers’ car culture. The exhibition explores these tangible themes of territorial friction, procreation, death, and our primeval base instinct, against the backdrop of a more elusive and arcadian incarnation of the rural.

To read the full and very informative press release look on hauserwirthsomerset. com Senior Director Alice Workman says: ‘Since before we opened, it has been our ambition to present an exhibition examining our location and how we understand and respond to contemporary ideas and issues concerning the rural. We approached Adam Sutherland, Director of Grizedale Arts with this concept and were thrilled when he agreed to curate the exhibition.

‘The Land We Live In – The Land We Left Behind’ brings together the many different elements – art, architecture, nature, farming, conservation, food and education – that combine at Hauser & Wirth Somerset.’

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PITCOMBE PARISH Live Music Night Hadspen Village Hall Saturday, 14 April 2018 7.00pm Enjoy an evening of Pop, Rock ‘n’ roll and Jazz Featuring a newly-formed group fronted by

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