The Hambook June by Rob Andre

June 2012

Hello everyone, Welcome to the June edition of The Hambook. As I look outside I notice the clouds gathering again and I have to admit to some nostalgia for a warm sunny spring, but hey its only nostalgia after all and at least we can use our hosepipes with a clear conscience now! Thank you so much to those of you who let us know when you have heard a Cuckoo locally. Interestingly we had three reports all from Stoke. The first from a lady who heard the cuckoo in the Cole Lane area and the next followed swiftly from Mrs Rainford from the foot of the path up to the hill from Highway and then again from near the Pond past Furlongs allotments. Thank you both for your reassurance. Now then, more welcomes. Brian Thorne Building and Plumbing Services (pg. 7) joins us and can offer you a free quote! On our back cover you will have noticed an offer of a free review and advice on your driving skills or an opportunity to save some money on your car insurance, Richard Aldworth has more details. New Cross Fruit Farm (pg.7) is situated between West Lambrook and Kingsbury, they have an informative website and at present I am told their Asparagus is particularly good. Sharon from S&S Pilates Perfection (pg.9) works in Norton, Montacute and Stoke and Sam from Slimming World (pg. 23) runs classes in Martock and Yeovil. All About Hats, Rosemary Egerton, has a fabulous variety of beautiful hats for hire just as you begin to think of that special summer event or perhaps even a wedding (pg.9). Some great local events to look forward to in June beginning with “New Horizons”, an introduction to exciting new work from Moish Sokal featuring Venice, Ibiza, Morocco and India (pages 19 and centre). Later in the month we “join the fun” with folks from Montacute at the Carnival (pg.9), and on the 30th you are invited to the “Automotive Spectacular 2012” (pg. 35), hosted by the Rotary Club at the Showground, classic, vintage and modern vehicles that have never seen the inside of Chris Evans wallet! See the Notebook (page 4 & 5) for lots more information on what's happening near you. “Folk Fest” for instance just up the road in Petherton. Don't forget all the fantastic Jubilee celebrations happening in your communities! See your Parish Magazines, notice boards and telegraph poles for more info. We would love to see some of your photo’s from your Jubilee fun and events, as we can’t be everywhere at once, and if we get enough we’ll make a community feature of them in our next issue. Email and address details below. Finally, we often get encouraging feedback from people who have been especially pleased with the service or products provided by the Local Businesses who advertise in The Hambook. This month we would like to congratulate Don from Chips Away (pg.19), and Beki from Kemps Kitchen (pg.10) as we have heard really good things about your work during the last month. Thank you. Now an excerpt from a blessing that will be used for Her Majesty's Diamond Jubilee, in the Jubilee Thanksgiving Service at St Paul's Cathedral on Tuesday 5th June. Elizabeth our beloved and glorious Queen. In this year of Jubilee, grant her your gifts of love and joy and peace as she continues in faithful obedience.....

Andy and Ruth :)

P.S. Copy deadline for July issue is Friday 15th June

Only this per day to advertise

Published by Andy and Ruth Chant, 21 Castle Street, Stoke-sub-Hamdon, TA14 6RE,

Tel: 01935 824072 email: info@thehambook.co.uk www.thehambook.co.uk

Grand Jubil ee

Fayre the Priory an d Memorial Hall Ground Monday 4th s June 11.30 am - 5pm Lots to do a nd see. www.stoke-su b-hamdon.c o.uk

The Rex Trevett Big Band

28th June 7.30pm ns' Outdoor Concert rdia Martock Gua St. (opp. Matfurlong) ter Wa , Old Orchard a Signs to parking near playing are wet if bos Bring a picnic, numerous gaze wine & fruit drinks available £8 on gate, £7 in advance

Info: 01935 822706

www.martockonline.co.uk/events. ng band This long-established 26 /30 stro the from hits play will rt dpo from Bri era d 1930s Swing to 1980s Big Ban

Middle Ch in 10th June nock Open Gardens 2 Teas and p pm - 6pm lant sales. Church Flo w June 9th & er Festival 10th

Chiselborough Village Street Fair Sat. June 16th 2pm Lots of stalls, Grand Raffle, Refreshments in the Village Hall

Sunday 17th June 4

One

day FolkFest , South Petherto n

Sat.

30th June, from 10am Ceilidh, Craft Fa yre, Music, Da nce, Workshops.... For more

tel. 01460 2403

details 40 or visit

Stoke Village Artists Group Welcome you to learn more about the art of watercolour painting in a demonstration by professional Artist +icky Clarke at the Memorial Hall, Stoke sub Hamdon. Tues. 26th June 7 - 9.30pm Cost £5, All Welcome. More details from Lee Allen tel. 01935 472675 Knit tch & i t S e circle Od com b itting n K d n a 26 th Sewing st . th and 2 1 and 3 1 e n h t Ju 4 2 0th, itute' a Ju ly 1 ' Inst d

others y group an 'The M la is now es a p combin nd knit and .30pm a m -12 stitch 10.45a , s y a d Hall. Fri nt Village te u c ug pla ta n Mo and pl h, s g n i t cutt ne 12 Plant, Tuesday Ju Odcombe n o a e a 5pm t swap at 7.1 here will b s t r a T st s . r l e l m a Pal e H Villag eaker from ntry. p e s p t 0 s 5 . gue Centre n e d r ll a G ase ca

e nfo pl 7 Mo re i 19 35 863 11 0 r o Ga yn

Little Fishes invite you to a Teddy Bear's Picnic and Sponsored Walk on Sunday 8 July 2pm to 5pm at the Methodist Church, West St., Stoke sub Hamdon.

Fun, games and free picnic for all Teds and Children plus short sponsored walk. Cream teas on sale for adults. All in aid of Action for Children.

The Li ghthou se Cof fee Sh Stokeop sub-H a mdon Openin M g

on. & T hurs. 9 Hours .30am Closed - 4.30p B a nk H m oliday Monda y

N Mother ew & Todd at Ham don Pla lers ygroup Wednes day af

tern From 1 pm unti oons l 3pm Dur Come & ing term time play, m new frie eet & make nds in a child fr Starting iendly enviro nment. on W e d n e £2-00 p sday 23 rd May er famil . y.

tacute Fete, Mon s at 1pm , S June, open of th 6 1 y a rd s Satu tiful ground in the beau . House Montacute ames, ... Stalls, G s e g a ll a r fo astle, Attractions , Bouncy C e Sizzle s ke a C d n g Tea a sic, Sausa Organ, Mu it. d s n is u m ro g ’t ir n a o F more. D h c u m d n a e’s Church t. Catherin

Saturday

Classic Car

30 th June

s, Vintage A And Much ircraft Display More Rotary Clu b of Yeo V ale an Western G azette Prese d “AUTOM nt OTIVE SP E See full det CTACULAR 2012” ails on pag e 35

Everyone is welcome to come to the Memorial Hall in Stoke sub Hamdon on Sunday 3rd June at 10am for a special service run by St. Mary's Church in Celebration of Her Majesty the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. Refreshments will be served in All Saints' Hall afterwards. 5

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Simple tips for your Garden. Every year it amazes me how the plants respond so dramatically to the arrival of the warm weather. Anything sown or planted out in May seems to positively leap out of the ground and shoot skywards, in many cases quickly catching up with earlier sowings! Of course the lawn is no exception and if you don’t already have a composting system in place then why not set one up now and make use of some of those endless grass clippings? Ideally you want to have two (or even three) compost bins so that when one is ready to use for the garden you have another filling up and rotting down. You can buy allsorts of nifty looking, ready made, compost bins, but you don’t need anything fancy. You can just start a compost heap in an out of the way corner, enclosing it with old pallets, or wire mesh wrapped around four stakes if you want to keep it looking tidy. So what should you compost? Well any dead organic matter will decompose naturally but you should aim for a good mix of ‘green’ and ‘brown’ ingredients. Lawn trimmings, vegetable leaves and peelings provide the green element and you should add a reasonable balance of brown items such as shredded paper, straw, eggshells and even the contents of your vacuum cleaner bag. Turning the heap occasionally will accelerate the breakdown. Leave for several months and you should have some great compost! June is also the time of year when it is easy to start to run out of space on your plot. Everything puts on growth and you are suddenly left wondering where you are going to plant out those tomatoes that you’ve been nurturing in the greenhouse, or finding you’ve no room for the cabbages. Time to expand? Make use of containers and of your borders. Look at the different varieties of lettuce and salad crops - many of these, along with cabbages, can add a splash of decorative, coloured foliage to your borders! Grow bags are wonderful for crops such as tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers. They’ll be happy in a sunny spot on your patio but do remember to water and feed regularly. Larger pots can house courgettes and pumpkins, with the exotic looking flowers adding a bright splash of colour. Even hanging baskets can get in on the grow your own act! Look for suitable strawberries or tomatoes and you could be treated to a bumper crop of luscious fruit tumbling down from above.

Jobs for June:Take off the side shoots from tomato plants to avoid them becoming too bushy and overburdened with fruit. Water regularly. Garlic that was planted in the Autumn should be maturing now. Lift when the leaves start to shrivel and leave to dry in a warm spot. Keep planting - the moist soil, higher temperatures and long days are ideal growing conditions. French beans, courgettes and salad crops can all be sown now. 12Watch out for pests! Think about protecting brassicas before caterpillars start to become a problem. 12

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In 2012 the Queen has been on the throne for 60 years. Would JUBILEE vit? I was going to buy some slippers today but I got cold feet. This bloke said to me, he said I once got my dog to retrieve a stick from 100 miles away. I said that’s a bit far-fetched. Do you know the reason why Miss Piggy never got married? It’s because she can’t Kermit. This bloke said to me, he said I bet you can’t name a famous Egyptian landmark. I said that’s what you Sphinx. Do you ever get that, when you’re halfway through eating a horse and you think to yourself, I’m not as hungry as I thought I was. I went to the head office of the RSPCA today. It was tiny. You couldn’t swing a cat in there. This bloke said to me, he said you look like a medieval string instrument. I said, are you calling me a lyre? I saw a 20-foot parrot the other day. You could have knocked me down with a feather. I went down the local opticians. I said have you got a contact lens solution? He said, what about laser surgery? I didn’t have a happy upbringing. I remember my 3rd birthday party. I was 15. Exit signs - they’re on the way out. 14

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Chocolate Covered Strawberries Give the strawberries a wash and pop them on kitchen towel to dry off.

Ingredients 2 large chocolate bars milk & white 15 fresh strawberries, with stems grease proof paper Edible sprinkles (optional)

Break the chocolate into pieces and put into a microwave bowl. Pop in the microwave on high for 30 seconds - give the chocolate a little stir to make sure it has all melted and if not repeat for 15 seconds. Alternatively you can melt the chocolate by placing it in a glass bowl over a small pan of simmering water, stirring regularly. When the chocolate has melted, pick up a strawberry by the stem and dip into the chocolate. Use the sprinkles to decorate and leave to cool on the grease proof paper.

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Somerset-based watercolour artist and traveller Moish Sokal has again returned from his travels to Venice, Ibiza, Morocco and India with a new collection of work which will go on show in the exhibition ‘New Horizons’ at the Malthouse Gallery, East Lambrook Manor Gardens, on 4th June 2012. After his very successful exhibitions last year Sokal was keen to get on the road again to search for inspiration. With visits to Venice and the hills of northern Ibiza behind him the artist resolved finally to visit Morocco. Leaving the fascination of Marrakesh behind Sokal crossed the spectacular High Atlas mountains to follow the trail of oases to the desert. “Then, the last oasis displayed a modest sign saying ‘Timbuktu 52 days’ and soon we were surrounded by a host of ‘Blue People’ making haste to saddle camels as the sun was setting as we still had a few hours riding to do before reaching the camp in the dunes.” “Waking up the next morning having slept under the starry sky was magic – a pale sun rising over the dunes, a Tuareg camel boy drinking water from a leather vessel, the sound of a flock of desert birds flying low. This is a new horizon! However Sokal’s taste for deserts still kept him on the road and led him back to Rajasthan and the vast Thar desert. Having visited the well-known Pushkar camel fair many times Sokal was keen to visit the lesser-known Nagaur cattle fair. Arriving in the dusty desert town at sunrise the fair brought a thrill to the artist’s eye. “Crowded together, with the golden low sun defining their outlines, it was an awesome sight. Brahmin cattle, spirited Marwari horses and thousands of huge camels were tethered on the dusty ground, with the desert traders making their way through the herds checking out the stock, bargaining, counting money furiously.

Young girls collect dung for fuel, darting between man and beast. Somewhere there is a crowd - a decorated camel is performing a dance! Stalls are busily supplying hot chai to sooth dry throats as the traders take a break.” As a contrast Sokal’s love of water sent him back to the romantic city of Udaipur, currently famous as the setting of palaces and lake for the film ‘The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel’ starring Judi Dench. “Udaipur ticks many boxes for me. Again, like in Venice, wherever I turn there is a painting to be done, the beautiful havelis, the royal palace, the ghats where womenfolk do their daily washing – against the wonderful setting of the water palace, all with those reflections in the water!” says the artist. In this exhibition ‘New Horizons’ Sokal also features his beloved Old Horizon – Somerset. “This is where I started 21 years ago – I would have never gone this far if it was not for my first steps here in the fields and villages of Somerset. And it’s great to be back in the beautiful East Lambrook Manor Gardens, such a lovely Somerset

High resolution versions of the pictures are available.

setting." Moish Sokal’s exhibition “New Horizons’ opens to the public on Mon. 4th June till Sat. 21st July, 10am – 5pm. daily in the Malthouse Gallery, East Lambrook Manor Gardens. Further details at www.moishsokal.co.uk and www.eastlambrook.co.uk For further information contact the artist on

sokalart@aol.com or Tel. 01935 881350 21

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This months prize is free entry to Montacute House Gardens and a Cream Tea for 2 in their Cafe, kindly donated by the National Trust.

Do you know from which brands these Advertising 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30.

Slogans come from?

Just Do It I’m Loving It No More Tears They're Grrrreat It’s Good To Talk Have It Your Way Every Little Helps Snap Crackle Pop It’s The Real Thing No Ordinary Airline Finger Lickin Good Only Devon Knows Buy it. Sell it. Love it. Fluent in Finance Because You’re Worth It Reassuringly Expensive The Best A Man Can Get Put A Tiger In Your Tank Exceedingly Good Cakes Vorsprung Durch Technik The Appliance Of Science Soft Strong And Very Long The Ultimate Driving Machine Let Your Fingers Do The Walking Where Do You Want To Go Today Melt In The Mouth Not In The Hand Keep Hunger Locked Up Til Lunch Only the best for the Captains table Good Things Come To Those Who Wait I Liked It So Much I Bought The Company

For all entries please send (by email, post or by hand) your name, address and a contact number along with your answers to: The Hambook,

21 Castle Street, Stoke -sub- Hamdon, TA14 6RE or email info@thehambook.co.uk by the 15th of June A winner will be picked at random from all correct entries. The judges decision is final and we can’t be held responsible for lost entries.

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Did you know...? A new born Kangaroo can fit onto a teaspoon. A new born Panda is smaller than a Mouse.

Mini Sudoku Place a number between 1 and 6 in each empty cell so that every row, every column and every 2x3 box contains all the numbers 1 to 6.

Strawberries have more Vitamin C than Oranges. The first ice lolly dates back to 1923 when lemonade salesman, Frank Epperson, left a glass of lemonade with a spoon near a window on a very cold night.

Answers on page 37 Please mention The Hambook when responding to adverts

3131

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Accountancy Acorn Accounting Aerials & Satellites CamCom Airport Shuttle AHC Travel Ash Taxis Alterations (Clothing) Nana B&B Hopes Bathrooms Brian Thorne Curtis Plumbing Bicycle Repairs South West Bicycle Works Boiler Services Beales Heating and Plumbing Curtis Plumbing MRM Plumbing Builders Brian Thorne PJC Property Services Dale Redwood Martin Langdon Richard Bowring Hinton Carpentry Building Design Hamdon Design Service Building Restoration PJC Property Services Car Paintwork Auto-Mobile Crash Repairs Chips Away Carpentry Brian Thorne Hinton Carpentry Inspire Neal Cullen Carpet Cleaning Helliar & Son Childcare Hamdon Playgroup Computer Repairs GEM Home Computing Hamdon IT Curtains and Blinds Drapes Direct Dog Grooming Waggy Tails Dog Grooming Dressmaker Nana Driving School IAM Driveways James Down Electricians KS Electric Lawrence Electricals

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Fencing James Down John Cox Landscaping K M Dike Filling Station West End Garage Financial Services Shape Financial Fitness Pilates S & S Pilates Perfection Foot Care Prof. Foot Health Fruit Shop New Cross Fruit Farm Garage Services West End Garage Garden Maintenance Gardening Girls John Cox Landscaping K M Dike Gift Shop One World Guitar Lessons Mike’s Music Hat Hire All About Hats Insurance Brokers Livingstones Warman Kitchen Design Neal Cullen Landscaping Dale Redwood James Down John Cox Landscaping K M Dike PJC Property Services Lawn Care Sherborne Turf Logs for Sale Dale Redwood Manicures The Perfect Ten Meals at Home Kemps Kitchen Mechanic West End Garage Mobility Products Hart Mobility MOTs West End Garage Mums and Toddlers Little Fishes Music Shop Mike’s Music National Trust Events Oven Cleaner Mr. Oven Painting & Decorating Inspire

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Pedicures Prof. Foot Health The Perfect Ten Pilates Nicola Gibb S & S Pilates Perfection Plastering Scott Little Plumbing & Heating Beales Heating and Plumbing Brian Thorne Curtis Plumbing MRM Plumbing Pre-School Hamdon Playgroup Pubs Dinnington Docks Fleur de Lis Prince of Wales The Lord Nelson The Masons Arms Ready Meals Kemps Kitchen Restaurants Fleur de Lis Prince of Wales The Lord Nelson The Masons Arms Roofing Parks Roofing Shuttle Services AHC Ash Taxis Site Clearance Dale Redwood Slimming Slimming World Social Clubs Stoke Working Men’s Club Solar Curtis Plumbing MRM Plumbing Solicitor Gareth Webb & Co Taxi Service AHC Ash Taxis Tree Felling Dale Redwood K M Dike Turf Sherborne Turf Vehicle Body Repair Auto-Mobile Crash Repair Windows & Conservatories SNB Conservatories Wooden Outbuildings Barton Buildings Wool Knits for You

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The Hambook is printed on FSC accredited paper. For every tree felled, significantly more are planted. Vegetable based inks are used throughout , which are far more environmentally friendly than oil or chemical based 38 inks. Waste paper To advertise call 01935 824072 or ise-mail info@thehambook.co.uk from the printing and binding process recycled and goes back into providing pulp for recycled paper products.