Polgooth Times - Summer / Autumn - Edition 156 by PolgoothTimes

POLGOOTH TIMES Summer/Autumn 2021 - Issue 156

TION 15 I D

Short Stories Birds - Birdsong Vintage Wolseley

Easy Elderﬂower Cordial Morgana’s Roulade Win £50

Polgooth Garden Club with Chris Sullivan

www.polgoothtimes.co.uk

elcome to the summer edition of the Polgooth Times although the use of the word summer relates more to the month than the weather. How changeable it is, one day so hot, the next cold and wet, and everything in between. The magazine is full of so many interesting articles and pictures, thank you everyone for your contributions......keep them coming! The magazine has details of some competitions, the sunflower growing and the garden display as mentioned in previous issues and on the posters around the village. My sunflowers are growing steadily but I have serious doubts that the flowers will be produced at the right time, also having never grown a sunflower before, I don’t even know how long it takes to get to ‘bloom’ stage, or how long it will last if we get to that too early in August. How do the flower show exhibitors manage to achieve this? Tony’s brilliant display at the flats demonstrates that growing in containers doesn’t have to be restricting, so I’m hoping that there will be plenty of entries for the Polgooth in Bloom. The children’s drawing competition on page The other competition, details on page The last 18 months have been a time like no other; a time to have taken up a new hobby, learnt a language, become interested in gardening, when maybe you previously didn’t know a weed from a plant, cleared out the ‘lets just pop it in there’ cupboard, become involved in volunteering, or maybe changed your entire perspective on life and you’ve changed your career or lifestyle. Share your stories, what motivated you, how you achieved it and what was the result? It would be lovely to produce a booklet of all of your stories. The PT committee comprises 7 people who will ‘judge’ to award the voucher. Perhaps you don’t have a personal achievement to tell us about, but in any small way feel you ‘made a difference’, do share these with us too. Names please with your contributions although these will be withheld on any published articles. Happy reading ......and writing. Di Thompson

EDITOR Di Thompson 26 Woodgrove Park, Polgooth 01726 65342 infopolgoothtimes@gmail.com DESIGN / PRODUCTION Dan Frater 32 Polyear Close, Polgooth 07773330466 ADVERTISING TREASURER / ACCOUNTS Heather Lamble 50 Polyear Close, Polgooth 01726 75299 CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Alan Plester Chris Sullivan Christine McHaines Jen Pope Morgana’s Kitchen Roger Tolliday Ian Toogood-Johnson Teresa Bassett Michael Bunney Chris Moore Sharon Kendall DISTRIBUTION Ann Dowling Barbara Littlejohns Colin Hall, Sally Williams, Chris Inman, Wendy Eade, Michèle Taylor Ian Taylor, Sarah Snell Jane Hicks, Val Stevens Pauline Sweet, Dawn Jeeves, Teresa Rogers, Jenny Pope Heather Lamble, Di Thompson Graham Banks, Carole Syson Cover Photo by: Polgooth Mine Printed by: Instantprint

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POLGOOTH GARDENING CLUB Meet the members The Club has grown to over 140 members, many have a particular interest in certain avenues of horticulture. For the next few editions I will include a brief article written by a member of the club about their particular horticulture interest. This article is by Polly Grist, Polly is very interested in wild ﬂowers and here Polly wittily explains wild foraging a 3 course meal with nibbles. Have a coastal feast from Pentewan Beach Set the table with vases of frothy hemp agrimony, tall but dainty valerian, or smaller beauties like yarrow, wild carrot and aster. Or perhaps tiny bud vases of azure sheepsbit offset by some of the various bright yellow flowers of late summer (some of which shut half the time!) Put out a nibble bowl of mallow seed heads (once known as cheeses) and serve a chilled infusion of yarrow petals, garnished with its feathery leaves, and add a retro cocktail umbrella, perhaps. For a starter or side dish enjoy a salad of sea radish, sea rocket and rock samphire flowers.

Main So, with taste buds hugely enthusiastic, tuck into a hot dish of seaweed stock thickened with mallow leaves and peppered up by roast ground Alexanders seeds, made mushroomy by adding plantain seed heads, then brightened by adding rock Samphire tip shoots and lastly Orache leaves.

Dessert Try some Parkin, flavoured with ground common Hogweed seeds and pair that with ‘coffee’ brewed from Nettle and Cleavers seeds.

The Veg Pot …..Winter leaves…grown in a pot Edible Leaves sown in spring have a tendency to bolt/flower when the weather turns hot or dry, once they flower the leaves turn bitter and inedible Plants sown in Autumn have less chance of bolting and there’s less wild life around to eat your leaves. Early Autumn sowings August and September are the best times to sow winter hardy leaves of Spinach, Pakchoi, Tatsoi, Rocket, Mustards, Chicories, Endives, Claytonia, Lamb’s lettuce, Buckler-leaved Sorrel and Coriander…if the winter is mild. Where to grow You don’t need a big space to grow these, all the above edible hardy leaves can be sown and grown in a pot. The pot doesn’t have to be too deep, leaves don’t have deep roots and a shallow pot will be fine, it’s the width of the pot that’s more important than the depth. Of course you don’t need to grow your leaves in pots, you can grow in the flower garden and later in the year there’ll be plenty of space once the summer bedding has died.

Most leaves don’t mind a little shade, in fact spinach grows better in some shade, but winter sun is scarce so give your leaves as much sun as you can. Watering Once you’ve sown your seeds and they start to become decent sized plants water your pots well, leaves are full of water and need lots of water - if the pots get dry the plants will bolt and the leaves become inedible. Make sure your pots have bottom drainage holes otherwise your plants will drown and die. Soil Soil needs to be pretty decent for these to grow into sturdy succulent plants and a feed with a nitrogen fertilizer will help larger plants to grow more succulent leaves. Picking and fertilizing Some plants like Spinach and Pak choi (and lettuce) grow leaves off a central stem, to harvest just pull off the outer leaves, the central stem will continue to produce more smaller leaves for you to pick. Some Spinach is called perpetual and this type will continue to grow leaves for you to pick for years, some types grow very tall and won’t suit growing in a pot, check how big your plants grow before you plant them. Fertilise your plants after harvesting, this will promote more leaf growth for you to continue to harvest even more leaves. Types to grow. Medania is a great spinach, very reliable and tender Joi Choi is good and grows into a very large Pak Choi plant Rozetto Tatsoi is an F1 hybrid, an expensive seed but produces excellent plants Seeds Most local garden centres will sell seeds for hardy winter leaves, however if you want a particular type you can order online. Polgooth Garden Club have a deal with Sutton seeds and get 50% off all seed orders placed during 2021 when using code GS1235G Save seeds One last thing……if your plants start to bolt…don’t throw them away….they’ll flower and produce seed, collect the seed and store for next year’s sowing. The Constant Gardener Chris Sullivan For The Polgooth Garden Club

HASSLE FREE TASTY FAST FOOD ‘anyone for luncheon? by MORGANA’S KITCHEN

ROULADE Makes in minutes, bakes in ten, uses simple ingredients and best of all… freezes perfectly and reheats from frozen. Make two batches and take as many out of the freezer as you need. Perfect when people turn up unexpectedly or just for a tasty treat … throw a salad and a few of these on a plate… job done.

Ingredients Pack of ready rolled puff pastry Pack of cream cheese with herbs and garlic Grated cheddar cheese Spinach leaves or 4 balls of frozen (you can try chard or baby gem lettuce)

Method Heat oven to 180 degrees gas mark 5 and cover two ﬂat trays with baking paper. Unroll pastry and leave the paper in situ; spread the cream cheese over the whole area. Cover with a single layer of leaves and sprinkle on the grated cheese. Salt and pepper. Roll up as tightly and carefully as possible, using the paper to help you get started. Carefully cut into thin rounds and lay ﬂat onto your trays leaving gaps between each. Pop into the oven for 10-12 minutes until puffed up and golden brown. Cool and pack into an air-tight freezer container interleaved with some of the baking paper – this makes it easy to remove ready for your next impromptu lunch. Pop back into the oven for around 10 minutes at 160, they will be warm and ready to eat. Yum!

SOUTH POLGOOTH MINE I am no expert on the buildings of Cornwall’s industrial past, but I do believe we should try to preserve as much as possible. South Polgooth is part of that industrial heritage and sadly over the past few years that iconic structure that has stood so proudly over Polgooth (and Trelowth) since 1880 has started an accelerated form of decay. The site including the beam engine house and the arsenic calciner building and flue leading to the chimney are Grade Two listed and as such attempts should be made to preserve them. In recent years hundreds of tons of soil have been dumped on the site which has not helped the preservation. Bricks are falling from the upper part of the chimney and what appears to be a crack has started the length of the brickwork. A lot of what might have been the mine office has also fallen along with the explosives store in an adjacent field, (a building which I foolishly thought was a shepherds hut until one of our senior villagers told me its

true purpose). South Polgooth was never a very profitable mine having been closed down many times during its life but the principal lode and associated tin works were mentioned in 1593. So who will have any interest in saving South Polgooth?… our newly elected Cornwall Councillor… our Parish Council… our local MP who is a true Cornishman……Or will it just fall…? Signed, Villager R.

g n 15

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SUNFLOWER GROWERS 21st August is Polgooth Sunflower for Hope Day The dwarf sunflowers can be displayed outside the village hall from 10.00 am – judging will be at 11.30 when the winners will be announced. Make sure you have your name and contact details clearly on your exhibit. For those of you with enormous examples we will visit you in the afternoon – you can organise your visit in the square during the judging or call 0779 884 7351. Photographs will be published in the next Polgooth Times edition together with details of the winners. Polgooth in bloom competition will be judged on the same day. Good Luck! And thanks to everyone taking part.

Birds Birdsong

by Ian Toogood-Johnson

I’m going to start off this issue’s bird page with a little quiz. The theme I’ve chosen for this quarter is birdsong – one of the reasons I love to go out into the garden in the spring and summer months and just sit and listen to the birds around. I find it very relaxing and calming, hearing the beautiful song of the blackbird, robin, blackcap or whatever else may be tootling its heart out. 1. Which bird with its song asks for ‘a little bit of bread and no cheese’? 2. Which bird is known as the Northern Nightingale, due to its beautiful melodic song? 3. Which bird arrives in April, sings its song in May, lays its eggs in the month of June, and July it flies away? 4. Vivaldi’s flute concerto in D, opus 10, No 3 is named after which songbird, whose twittering song gave him the inspiration for the opening movement for a solo flute? 5. Which bird complains about its feet hurting, by singing ‘My feet hurt, they do. My feet hurt, they do’? 6. Which bird sang in Berkley Square according to Vera Lynn in 1940? 7. Which bird has a call, known as a “yaffle”, which is a descending series of notes sounding like someone laughing? 8. A bird calls from the tree above you. Its squeaky song is asking for the ‘teacher, teacher’. Its nickname is thus the “teacher bird”, but what is its more common name? 9. Which bird is known as the “Chiswick flyover”, due to it calling ‘chis-ick’ at it flies overhead? 10. Which bird, according to Shakespeare’s Sonnet 29, ‘sings hymns at heaven’s gate’? Why do birds sing? Well, one is to advertise their presence and to ask for a mate. Imagine you’re flitting around in a tree, but you’re the same colour as the leaves (willow warbler springs to mind). You’ve just flown 2,000 miles and can’t see any females around. Well, sing a loud, clear and distinctive song and hopefully, they’ll come flocking to you as they like the sound of your voice. Then next, you want to tell other males to stay away from your territory. So, a song will advertise your presence to them and tell them that you’re the boss here and they’d better keep their distance.

Bird song is very complex. Just like humans making sound by airflow through the voicebox or larynx, songbirds do the same, but further down the airway in a structure called the syrinx (named after the Greek word for panpipes). There are two sets of flaps and birds can make a different noise with each set simultaneously. Air sacs surrounding the syrinx are then used to amplify the sounds to a greater or lesser degree, resulting in the ability to produce the variety and depth of sounds encountered for such small creatures. If you want to identify the birds around you in your gardens or out on your walks, then my advice is to try to listen for them as well as looking through binoculars. The ability to identify birds by their songs and contact calls is a very rewarding skill, but not easy to master. Start by learning some of the more common birds - you’ll be surprised at how many you already know; for instance, the ‘twit, twoo’ of the tawny owl, the cuckoo singing its own name, the blackbird singing from the treetop. Use mnemonics to help remember them (see some examples in the quiz). There are also numerous websites with recordings of all the common, and not so common, bird species found in the UK. For example, try https://www.british-birdsongs.uk There are also several apps that can be downloaded onto your phone to help you with the identification of unseen birds. They work by you recording the song on your device and then they will offer a suggestion as to the bird species. The one I use is “BirdNET”, but there are others such as Warblr and BirdSongID. Finally, I always like to finish with a few fun facts: 1. The sedge warbler sings the most complicated and longest songs. Because it can combine individual parts in new ways, it never sings the same song twice. 2. Whooper swans sing duets to show that they belong together – aah, how romantic! 3. The marsh warbler is a migratory bird that breeds in Europe and winters in Africa. It has European songs and African songs. 4. The wren has one of the loudest of bird songs, and it is also one of the highest-pitched, ranging from about one full octave below to one full octave above the highest note on the piano. 5. The earliest birds to rise in the morning and start singing in the ‘dawn chorus’ are blackbirds, robins and thrushes. These birds eat worms, so there may be some truth to the old saying! Have fun and enjoy the birds of summer. Not just for their looks, but also for their beautiful melodic songs.

Report From Your Cornwall Councillor for Polgooth Your Cornwall Councillor for Polgooth is MICHAEL BUNNEY Cornwall Councillor for St.Mewan, Grampound, St.Ewe & Pentewan Valley Summer 2021 Thank you to the good people of Polgooth and surrounding parishes for choosing me as your new Cornwall Councillor. I am delighted to be representing you and very honoured by the support I received. I will work fulltime as your councillor and will represent all residents, regardless of whether you voted or not. I would like to pay tribute to Toni Dowrick, the other candidate, a Polgooth resident and lovely person. The result was close and Toni would have made a fantastic councillor too, I am sorry we couldn’t both have been chosen. I strongly feel local politics should be about representing our local communities and I will cooperate with all groups, irrespective of party politics. I will also work closely with the Polgooth community, St.Mewan Parish Council and all community groups to be a truly community-based councillor. With the new larger divisions, it is harder to be as easily available in person. To rectify this, I am starting my councillor surgeries at Polgooth Village Hall on Thursday 5th August at 10am. These will be monthly surgeries, on the first Thursday morning of every month, so please contact me if you would like to make an appointment. I have enjoyed meeting many residents to help with casework and I am very happy to also visit local people at a time to suit you, whether daytime or evenings. I am loving getting more involved with the Polgooth community and very impressed by the community spirit. For example, I have been happy to help improve disabled access at the park and to persuade the community

network area to adopt Pentewan Valley/ White River as its project for the next four years. This will allow us to preserve and enhance the local environment, which Polgooth residents enjoy. I am here to represent you, but as this is my first report, I thought you may appreciate a little information about my background. I live in Gorran Parish and my family has lived in the St.Ewe-Gorran area since the 1500s at least. Community work, gig rowing, education and Cornish heritage are my big passions and I have been involved with many community initiatives. I ran the pandemic help scheme in St.Ewe/Gorran and was awarded an “Unsung Hero” award by the High Sheriff of Cornwall in May. I was a teacher for 23 years and still teach an afternoon a week at the University of Exeter at Penryn. My last role was as Vice Principal of a local school for excluded children in St.Austell, so I am certainly not afraid of hard work. I am especially pleased I have been appointed to the Children & Families Scrutiny Committee, so I can use my 23 years teaching experience and work with vulnerable families to improve council services. I have been helping many residents with individual casework and a very broad range of issues have come up, from highways to homelessness. I am here to help, so please do not hesitate to contact me. I always respond to emails within 48 hours or on tel 07939 457590. I don’t work on a Sunday, but am always contactable by mobile in an emergency. Many thanks to you all and I look forward to representing you for the next four years. Oll an gwella (all the best in Cornish) Michael Bunney

To contact me, please email cllr.michael.bunney@cornwall.gov.uk Or telephone 07939 457590 I am happy to help with any issues & to visit residents. Many thanks. Michael Bunney

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Vintage Wolseley I moved to Polgooth in 2018 from the Midlands with my wife and youngest son. My vintage Wolseley was still in Leicestershire and it wasn’t until June 2019 that it came down to join us

I had the dilemma of driving it down or getting it transported, but after much deliberation I decided I must drive it down however long it took. So on Sunday 7th July 2019 I went up to drive it down taking me 9 hours to arrive in Polgooth. My father bought the Wolseley in 1980 after it had been in dry storage since 1959, the car was in a very solid state so was stripped and repainted to original colours and put back on the road in 1981, when it had only covered 36000 miles from new. The car attended many shows on most Sunday’s . I took over the car in 1988 where I continued to show the car. It has now still only done 52000 miles. The Wolseley a 10/40 was built in 1936 and was registered in Fife Scotland in August at a cost of £236. Although the car is slow by today’s standards having only a 10hp engine, it will cruise along at 40-45 mph although it doesn’t like some of the Cornish hills. Unfortunately it has not been out much since we have been down here, we attended the Sticker and Boconnoc show in 2019. It was hoped I would get out to a lot more shows, then unfortunately the pandemic hit so apart from driving it around the village occasionally, putting it on my drive for VE Day last year and a trip to Truro on ‘Drive It Day’ in April it has remained in my garage. I hope to start driving it again soon and meet up with other classic car enthusiasts. Chris

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Silver Lining Competition! WIN a £50 Village Voucher*

All you have to do to be in with a chance to win is to tell us your Silver Lining. The phrase ‘Every Cloud has a Silver Lining’ dates back to 1634 in John Milton’s poem Comus and refers to no matter how bad a situation may be there is always something good to come from it – even if that is not immediately apparent. Well, let’s face it, since the world has been hit by the pandemic, there are certainly many stories to be told of how awful the situation has been for so many, from closed businesses and lockdowns to sickness and in some cases losing loved ones. Good news stories are so important and so we are asking for YOUR ‘silver lining’ story out of this past year, where coronavirus has been the main topic in everyone’s conversations. What are your COVID positives? Tell us what good has come from the last year or how you have faced adversity and ‘won’. We want to celebrate those good news stories and the best story will feature in our next issue of the Polgooth Times. The rules of the competition: - your Silver Lining should be no longer than 300 words - entries should be emailed to infopolgoothtimes@gmail.com, or put in the red box in the post office - Please use “My Silver Lining” in the subject line of your email - entries can be in an attached MS Word or Apple Pages document or just in the body of the email (easier to check word count in Word or Pages though) *£50 to spend in any shop in the village: Polgooth Stores, Polgooth Inn, Hawke Antique Shop or The Village Salon - the value can be split and used at more than one shop, if you wish.

Thank you & Wow

Tony, you have done it again this year at the flats. All the beautiful flowers people stop and admire, some taking photos. Thank you Tony for brightening up our days.

Irene.

Blooming Great Summer Celebration Sat 14th August 2pm to 4pm At 1 The Old Cooperage, Polgooth Cream teas, cakes, raffle and stalls In aid of Marie Curie in Cornwall

TELEPHOBIA By Christine McHaines

Gillian was beginning to think she’d have to give up her landline. Lots of people these days only had mobiles, she knew, her own daughter being one of them. But somehow Gillian didn’t feel she could rely on a mobile alone – she didn’t feel safe without the certainty of knowing that she only had to lift the landline handset and punch in some numbers to reach her family, friends and essential services like the doctor. Outside contact was important when you lived on your own, and anyway she had lived with a landline all her life. In the last six months though, she had received so many nuisance calls that she dreaded the phone ringing. Instead of rushing to answer it as she’d used to, she hesitated, wondering whether she was going to be subjected to a telephone survey, someone trying to persuade her to switch her energy supplier or a robotic voice telling her to claim compensation for a non-existent accident. She worried about it so much she was afraid she was developing a phobia. ‘Just tell them to push off,’ her neighbour, Jack, told her. ‘I do.’ From what she knew of him, Gillian suspected that Jack used more colourful language to an uninvited caller than he did to her. Giving them a piece of his mind probably made him feel better, but it didn’t stop them calling. ‘You should do what I do,’ her friend Mary said when she complained about it. ‘I let them go on for a bit, then say there’s someone at the door and leave them hanging on until they ring off.’ ‘That’s all very well,’ Gillian pointed out, ‘but if someone genuine is trying to contact you they wouldn’t get through.’ Mary shrugged. ‘They’d have to phone back later then.’ The next time she saw Jack over the garden fence he came up with a suggestion. ‘Why don’t you get an answering machine? Then instead of picking up you could let it go to the machine. If it’s anyone you know then you can pick up, or if it clicks off you’ll know it’s a nuisance call. They don’t usually bother leaving messages.’ Gillian considered this. ‘I suppose I could do that, though I don’t really need a machine for any other reason. When I go out I just press 1471 to see if I’ve missed a call.’ ‘Do that all the time, then,’ Jack said. ‘Don’t answer any calls – just press 1471 when it’s stopped ringing.’ Gillian nodded. She would try that, though she knew sometimes she would answer purely out of habit, or when she was expecting a genuine call. Her normally placid temperament gave way to aggravation. Why should she have to change her usual long-standing method of communication just because of this persistent barrage of unwelcome calls? Two days and six telesales calls later, after Jack had volunteered to trim her hedge, she invited him in for a cup of tea. She’d just set the cups on the table when the phone rang. She waited, wondering if the person who’d spent twenty minutes trying to get her to make an appointment with their double-glazing representative was making a second attempt. She’d been unable to convince them that she wasn’t interested - the house was

already double glazed, but not, according to the salesperson, with the latest hi-tech openings and fastenings or the self-cleaning glass. Stopping short of being verbally rude, she’d lost patience and cut them off. ‘Leave this to me,’ Jack said now, as if sensing her reluctance to answer the incoming call. ‘I’ve learned a new trick.’ Only seconds after his first “hello” Gillian knew it was another nuisance call. Jack said nothing, just winked at her over the receiver. After a while he spoke. ‘Really? Well, all that sounds very interesting. Yes, cavity wall insulation does help conserve the heat, but that’s not my first priority. It shouldn’t be yours either. It’s far more important to have good insurance. What good would insulation do you if your house burnt down? Perhaps I can help you. I’m in insurance, and I’ve got a very good policy that covers everything you need–’ He broke off, grinning. ‘He hung up on me,’ he said, replacing the handset. ‘Honestly, you try to give people advice, give them the benefit of your experience, and that’s how they treat you!’ Gillian laughed. ‘That was brilliant,’ she said. ‘I’d never get away with that though. I haven’t got your confidence, or your authoritarian voice.’ ‘It’s time something was done about these calls,’ Jack said. ‘You do seem to get a lot.’ ‘Perhaps I’ll change my number,’ she said, though she didn’t want to. She’d had the same number for years and all her friends knew it. Nevertheless she had to do something. The situation was beginning to get her down. ‘You don’t have to put up with this, Mum,’ her daughter told her when she visited the following week. ‘There’s a service you can get that filters out all these calls. I think it’s free but even if you had to pay, it’ll be worth it. I’ll get it set up for you.’ Two weeks later Gillian sat in her kitchen enjoying the sunlight that shone through the window. And the quiet. Especially the quiet. The phone hadn’t rung all day, and she blessed her daughter for applying for the telephone preference service. She smiled, relieved and happy in the knowledge that when the phone did ring she could answer it without being hassled by salespeople. No more nuisance calls. Bliss. She went to the phone, lifted the receiver and listened to the comforting purr of the dialling tone. Then she replaced it, stroking the handset as though it were a pet or a long lost friend. The peace of the afternoon was interrupted five minutes later. The shrill of the telephone split the air, and readily Gillian went to answer it. ‘Is that Mrs Baker?’ asked a voice she didn’t recognise. ‘Yes,’ she replied warily. ‘And you’re responsible for the telephone bill?’ ‘Yes,’ said Gillian, more wary than ever. ‘This is the telephone preference service. Are you still receiving nuisance calls?’

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Polgooth Village Hall

Where is this…. Trelowth..? Polgooth…? or Little Polgooth..?

Submitted by a reader who wonders how many people know the location.

Wheelbarrow Carnival It has been decided by the carnival committee, after a great deal of consideration that the usual Wheelbarrow Carnival will not take place again this year. Although no decisions have yet been made, this may take place in 2022 to coincide with the Queen’s 70th anniversary from Thursday, 2nd June 2022 to Sunday, 5th June 2022. At the moment it is expected that the firework display will take place, look out for more information nearer the time on the Facebook community page.

Easy Elderﬂower Cordial by Teresa Bassett

I love this time of year, when our beautiful hedgerows are full of life and blossom. As I write, the elder trees are busy opening their creamy, fragrant heads, and it’s the perfect time to make my first batch of Elderflower Cordial. I’m hoping that, by the time we go to print, there will still be time for you to try this, one of my favourite foraging recipes. If not, why not try it next year? I like things to be easy, and this delicious drink couldn’t be simpler to make. It’s non-alcoholic, perfect diluted with sparkling or plain water on a summer’s day. (If you prefer more of a kick, elderflowers also make a delicious wine!) First things first: hopefully it doesn’t need saying, but if you haven’t used elderflowers before, make sure you are 100% certain of your identification. We have quite a few trees gracing our hedgerows around Polgooth. Their umbrellas of tiny, white flowers have an alluring smell which is unmistakable once you’ve learned to recognise it. Ingredients 25 elderflower heads (no leaves) 1 kg sugar 2 or 3 sliced lemons and/or oranges 1 tablespoon citric acid (if you don’t have this to hand, you can use lemon juice instead, adding about 4 tablespoons to the hot water mixture) 1 ½ litres of water Method The first step is to snip off your 25 elderflower heads and shake out any little critters into the hedge. I don’t wash my elderflowers because it can take away some of the fragrance, but it’s best not to pick them from a busy roadside, due to traffic fumes. Ideally, take a few from various trees – remember to leave some for the wildlife. Our pollinators love the flowers, and the birds adore the berries! Back indoors, place the blossoms in a bowl with the citric acid (if using). Meanwhile, heat your kilo of sugar in a large pan with the water and sliced lemons/oranges. Bring the mixture just to boiling point, stirring to dissolve the sugar. I like to bash the sliced fruit a little with a wooden spoon, to release the juice. Pour the hot water mixture over the elderflowers and citric acid. Give it a good stir.

Steep, covered, overnight (up to 24 hours), then strain into bottles. It makes around two litres altogether.

And that’s it! Store the cordial in the fridge—don’t keep for too long, it may begin to ferment! Add plain or sparkling water to taste, some ice, maybe a sprig of mint. Then sit back and enjoy your refreshing, home-made summer drink.

Some intriguing facts about the Elder Tree (Sambucus nigra) The elder has a long and distinguished history, dating back to Neolithic times. It has been used for all kinds of purposes, from musical instruments, to medicine, to magic. In medicine it’s used for hay fever and warding off colds, among many other things. According to folklore, the elder tree is sacred, home to Hylde Moer, the Elder Mother. It’s always wise to ask her permission before harvesting her gifts of flowers or berries! An elder tree growing near your home is said to be a good omen, and to have a protective influence. This is welcome news, as we have a little family of them in the garden. Happy foraging!

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geoff

weaver It is with great sadness that the family of Geoff Weaver announce his passing on 8th May 2021. Geoff and his wife Pat continued the ownership of Polgooth Post Office through the 1970’s, having received ownership from Mike and June Corneby. Upon retirement they moved to ‘Brookfield’ at Recketts Road. After enjoying a holiday with friends in Spain, they decided to up sticks and move there permanently where they have lived in a remote village ever since. Geoff and Pat loved their time in Polgooth and the great feeling of Community Spirit. They were instrumental in setting up the Polgooth Times, with Pat spending many hours working on the Art work and design format of the original issues. The Polgooth Institute also allowed them to showcase their artistic talents further in exhibitions and pantomimes. They took the same Community Spirit with them to Spain, and set up a much needed magazine for their Village at Campoverde. Geoff celebrated his 95th birthday in February, when he stated that ‘95 was a good innings - worthy of celebration - so join me and fill your glass!’ He is a father who will be hugely missed by his daughter Sara, and his wife Patricia.’

47 74

Polgooth Times Information

News information and diary events for inclusion in the forth coming issue should be put in the Red Box in the shop or emailed to: infopolgoothtimes@gmail.com Thanks to those who regularly contribute to our magazine. COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Di Thompson, (Editor) 26 Woodgrove Park, Polgooth 01726 65342 Heather Lamble, (Advertising / Treasurer) 50 Polyear Close, Polgooth 01726 75299 Dan Frater, (Design / Editor / Compiling) 32 Polyear Close, Polgooth 01726 63066 Jenny Pope, (Committee Member) Redwoods, Polgooth PL26 7AZ 01726 61185 Teresa Stepping, (Committee Member) Chycoose, Tregongeeves Lane, Polgooth Teresa Rogers, (Committee Member) Rosehill House, Bosinver lane, Polgooth Carol Syzon, (Committee Member) Woodgrove Park, Polgooth

PLACES OF WORSHIP

St. Mewan Parish Church For details please contact the churchwarden, Ian Coleman 01726 61360 Polgooth Methodist Church For details please contact Tony Warren on 01726 75362 St Augustine of Hippo, Roman Catholic Church Woodland Road, St Austell (opposite ASDA) Sunday Mass Times: Saturday 6.00 pm Sunday 8.30 am and 10.30 am Holy Days: 10.30 am and 7.00 pm Telephone: 01726 73838

Polgooth Times Dates & Info

Issue 157 Closing date 10 October - delivery circa 13 November Issue 158 Closing date 10 January - delivery circa 13 February Issue 159 Closing date 10 April - delivery circa 13 May Please bear in mind delivery dates when submitting events for inclusion in the Polgooth Times. We need events after August for Issue 156.

ADVERTISING IN THE POLGOOTH TIMES

If you are a retailer, or provide a service, in or near Polgooth, you’ll find this newsletter a worthwhile advertising medium. Potential advertisers will get a good deal because: • • • • • •

HE POLGOOTH TIMES is published four times a year T It is delivered free to every household in Polgooth, Little Polgooth and Trelowth It has a circulation in excess of 600 copies Subscribers U.K. and Overseas Copies supplied to St. Austell Library for County Records Advertising Charges are reasonable

We cannot guarantee the positioning of adverts. This depends on the layout decided when the newsletter is compiled. Advertisements will continue to be published and charged annually in advanced, unless the advertiser notifies Heather Lamble before the deadline of 31 December. New advertisers may be put on a waiting list. For advertising please contact: Heather Lamble Tel: 01726 75299

ADVERTISING CHARGES

Annual rates Full Colour: Full Page- £102 1/2 Page - £63 1/3 Page - £49 1/4 Page - £37 Advertisements started during the year will be charged pro-rata.

Should anyone, advertisers or others, wish to include a flyer with this magazine we are now having to make a small charge. A5 size would be £25 but anything that required folding would be £50. Anything directly concerning the village is negotiable.

CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE POLGOOTH TIMES

The format and number of pages are decided soon after the specified date. Late material may be impossible to fit in, unless especially important, articles, letters, etc. will be held over for fresh consideration. Editing of some articles may be essential. SUBMISSIONS for publication can be hand-written, printed, typed or photocopied BUT MUST BE LEGIBLE. We can also include photographs. WHEN SUBMITTING ARTICLES PLEASE TRY TO PRODUCE THEM ON A5 SIZE (as this page). This helps reduce work in compiling the draft. Articles may be emailed to: infopolgoothtimes@gmail.com The Editorial Committee cannot undertake to confirm times, spellings, dates, venues, etc. Contributors are asked, please, to check accuracy of details sent in. Views expressed in letters and articles in the POLGOOTH TIMES are not necessarily those held by members of the Editorial Committee, the Committee does not accept responsibility for opinions, methods, conclusions or views expressed in content material. The POLGOOTH TIMES is FREE to people living in Polgooth, Little Polgooth and Trelowth. Additional Copies: 60p Copies sent by post: £5 per 4 issues (payable in advance) Please contact: Di Thompson, 26 Woodgrove Park, Polgooth, 01726 65342

VILLAGE DIRECTORY Police: Ring 999/112 for EMERGENCY - but for Local Enquiries the number now is 101 and ask for your Local Police Station. The NHS 111 service. You can call 111 when you need medical help fast but it is not a 999 emergency. NHS 111 is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Calls are free from landlines and mobile phones. Refuse Collection takes place on Wednesday. Recycling fortnightly. Garden Refuse Fortnightly on a Thursday. See special notices re Public Holiday Collections. Travel Cornwall Bus Service 471 now runs from Polgooth to Asda at the following times Monday to Saturday: 10.35 am and 12.45 pm plus 2.45 pm (Saturday only) Returning from Asda at 10.55 am and 1.05 pm plus 2.55 (Saturday only) Full timetable from Transport for Cornwall on 0808 196 2632 or TFC website at www.transportforcornwall.co.uk or download the app. COVID-19 Timetables, please visit the website for the latest timetables which are changing frequently.

GROUPS & ORGANISATIONS Please make enquiries as restrictions gradually ease. POLGOOTH LADIES GROUP: will be meeting on the last Tuesday of each month in the Village Hall at 7.30 p.m. For further details please contact Mrs Carol Peatheyjohns on 63457. POLGOOTH PANTO GROUP: Contact Garry Hitchens on 61220 for details. All welcome. Annual productions. POLGOOTH CHURCH: Coffee morning in the Chapel, on the first Monday of the month at 10.30 am. POLGOOTH VILLAGE HALL Bookings: Contact Michèle Taylor 73150. KNIT & KNATTER: Contact Angela Champion 72440. POLGOOTH EVENTS COMMITTEE: Arrange seasonal events throughout the year. To get involved contact Kate Spencer on 61889. POLGOOTH BABY AND TODDLER GROUP: At Polgooth Village Hall every Wednesday from 9.30 am - 11.30 am during term time. £2 per session. POLGOOTH GARDEN CLUB: Meets every third Wednesday of the month (except December) in the Polgooth Inn at 11.00 am. Contact Chris Sullivan 63437

MAC IS A FAMILY COMPANY, STARTED BY CARL PRYNNE OVER 10 YEARS AGO. AT FIRST THE BUSINESS WAS JUST CARL, AND OVER THE YEARS WE HAVE GROWN INTO A COMPANY EMPLOYING OVER 12 STAFF AND ANOTHER 10+ SUB-CONTRACTORS OUR WORK RANGES FROM MAINTENANCE, BATHROOM AND KITCHEN REFITS, TO EXTENSIONS AND NEW BUILDS WE ARE HAPPY TO WORK THROUGHOUT CORNWALL, ALTHOUGH MUCH OF OUR WORK IS CONCENTRATED WITHIN AN HOURS COMMUTE FROM ST AUSTELL. IF YOU REQUIRE ANY WORKS QUOTED NOW OR IN THE FUTURE, PLEASE DO CALL THE OFFICE ON 01726 64827 WHERE WE WILL BE HAPPY TO RECEIVE YOUR ENQUIRY

EMAIL: MACCORNWALL@LIVE.CO.UK WWW.MACCONSTRUCTIONCORNWALL.CO.UK