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Magazine of Erdington Methodist Church Station Road - September 2013 1

Contents Whole Life Discipleship: ‘And whatever you do!‘ Scout News Please Sponsor Me Macmillan Coffee Morning Program or Programme?

Upcoming Events Women’s Conference OPEN DOORS - Serving persecuted Christians Worldwide Change of Preacher The Great Scout Camp Pray for Change A Feast of J.S. Bach Vision Project - Where are we now?

The Organist Entertains Children’s Pages When all is safely gathered in Bus trip fundraiser Turn, turn, turn Embedding the ethos of Belonging Together Happy Birthday Brother!

Buying a Television My school summer holidays Answers to July/August Puzzles Crossword Wordsearch Sudoku Urban myth?

Sing out! It’s good for you September Regular Meetings Weekly Church Activities

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3 4 6 7 7 8 9 10 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 18 19 21 23 24 25 26 28 29 29 30 30 31 32

Whole Life Discipleship: A ‘ nd whatever you do!’

Do you know how to train fleas? Take an ordinary jar and place dozens of fleas in it. Put a lid on the top of the jar, and leave them for a few days.

When you remove the lid the fleas will only jump to a few millimetres below where the lid has been. The fleas are now trained and will not jump out of the jar. (Though it is probably best not to try this experiment in your home!)

In the church today we are often 'trained' not to live beyond the limits, as whole life disciples! We can view discipleship as more about the sacred part of life rather than the secular. Are we aware of what God is doing in our school, workplace, with friends and family, on our street or in our leisure time? Whole life disciples spend every day with an awareness of the presence of Jesus in their lives.

As the apostle Paul writes: ‘And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.’ (Colossians 3:17) We do ordinary things in the name or character of Jesus i.e. acting in the same way that Jesus would do if he were in our place.

It’s helpful to think in terms of frontlines, the places where we spend most of our week: Everyone has a frontline: young or old, working or not, sick or well. This could be our workplace, home, college, community or club.

This is where God has called us! God is at work on our frontline to shape and use us, making it a place where we can grow as a disciple and make a difference to those around.

As churches we need to be committed to helping each other see the significance of our frontlines in God's purposes. Are we supporting one another, especially in prayer? As one teacher put it: “I spend an hour a week teaching Sunday School and they haul me up to the front of the church to pray for me. The rest of the week I’m a full-time teacher and the church has never prayed for me. That says it all.”

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With less than 7% of the UK population going to church, God wants to use us as salt and light wherever we spend time. Christians are exactly where they need to be to serve him, so that others might see what a disciple of Jesus looks like, as we grow as disciples ourselves.

Paul Hardingham

Scout News Summer has been a busy time at the 177th Scouts!

On 8th June at 11:57 p.m. Harry Butler, son of Natalie and Lawrence weighed in at a whopping 9lbs 5oz. Â

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On Saturday, 6th July Matt Sambrook married Anne-Marie Dudley at St Barnabas Church, Erdington.

On Saturday, 10th August Steve Bowen married Melody Jones at Aldridge Parish Church.

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Natalie, Matt, Annie and Steve are all leaders in the cub section and to Lawrence who is one of our scout leaders. Congratulations and best wishes to you all!

Congratulations also to three of our young leaders - Andrew Baizon and Laura Hill who have both got places at their chosen universities and Kiaran Ratcliffe who has decided to take a gap year.

Gerald Peel, Group Scout Leader.

Please Sponsor Me Hi everyone. I'm running the Royal Parks Half Marathon on the 6th October to raise money for SPANA. I'm sure you've all seen my mum doing coffee mornings for them before, but if you've never heard of them they are a charity which provides free veterinary care to working animals abroad and educates owners on good husbandry and care for their animals.

I wanted to run a half marathon and decided it would be a good opportunity to raise some money for charity and I picked SPANA to help them raise their profile a little bit as they are a small charity compared to other animal charities such as RSPCA and WSPA so they need extra help!!

I'd be very grateful for any donations you could make either to my mum or via my online 'just giving' account. It's a secure website that lets you donate to many different charities and the money will go straight to SPANA via my webpage; you can add gift aid to the donations online too! I know many of you have already supported this great cause so thank you to everyone who has already donated! I have £350 to raise and I'm about halfway there... every little helps!

Just giving page: www.justgiving.com/Rebecca-Henderson3 SPANA website: www.spana.org Thanks Becci 6

Macmillan coffee morning 21st September 2013 10am till noon Erdington Methodist Church, Station Road B23 6TX

we trEaT ou!s"lveS

Please note the date change call Sue Turner on 01213848373 or email suelizzyturner@yahoo. co.uk

Macmillan Cancer Support, registered charity in England and Wales (261017), Scotland (SC039907) and the Isle of Man (604)

I will be holding a Macmillan Coffee morning as detailed above which is a week earlier than usual. Any donations of cakes and raffle prizes would be appreciated.

I will also need help in the Kitchen and selling cakes on the day, all help gratefully received. Please help with this worthwhile cause. Thank you.

Sue Turner

Program or programme?

That is the question! In the US the word ‘program’ is the spelling for all uses. In the UK we use the American spelling for anything relating to computers but we use ‘programme’ for broadcasts, theatre programmes ... in fact anything other than computer related contexts.

Barbara Rawson, Proof Reader.

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Upcoming Events On 1st September at 6.00 pm there is to be a United Service at Stockland Green to welcome our new presbyter, the Reverend Paul Dunston and his wife Alex. It would be great to have a good representation from Erdington on this occasion.

On Saturday 14th September at 6.00 pm as a Church family we will be welcoming Paul and Alex at our annual Harvest Supper.

During the evening we will share a meal and have a skittle alley available for those energetic enough to have a go. There will be a prize for the winner.

Nick is organising a wall quiz too.

Harvest supper will consist of baked potatoes and a variety of fillings for you to choose from and there will be a pudding as well. There will be no charge for this, but a collection will be made during the evening to cover the cost of the food and the hire of the skittle alley.

So that we know how many to cater for can you please sign the list outside the office.

On Sunday 15th September we celebrate our Harvest Festival and this will be Paul’s first Service with us at Erdington. Please bring along donations of money and tinned and dried goods for Erdington Food Bank.

Thanks Sue Turner on behalf of the stewards

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Women’s Conference

ÂŁ5.00

Six Ways Erdington, Baptist Church Wood End Road B24 8AD

Saturday 7th September 2013 At 10:30am Ticket Price Includes: Inspirational Guest Speakers Buffet Style lunch Fellowships with sisters Workshops

Tickets are on sale now. Get your tickets from: Gloria, Angela, Arnella, Isabel, Morine, Trudy For more details contact Morine: 07714018149

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Birmingham Autumn District Meeting Coventry Central Hall Tuesday, October 1st 2013 Coffee from10.15 am Come and Learn about Birmingham District President's Project OPEN DOORS—Serving Persecuted Christians Worldwide

Change of Preacher Please note the following change notified by the Circuit.

Please note in your diaries a change to the plan to accommodate two dates that Rev John Taylor had previously offered to preach which had been inadvertently missed during the planning process.

8th September will now be Rev John Taylor. Miss Pat Padley was originally planned for this service and she has kindly agreed to let Rev Taylor take it in her stead.

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The Great Scout Camp Ever wandered what our Scouts get up to at camp - read on - ed On Friday 3rd May 2013 there was a Group Scout Camp where lots of scout groups went camping. Our group (177th Erdington Methodist) also went.

When we got to the Methodist Church I went in and watched a film. When everybody arrived, we were put into groups to travel in. Then we were off!

When we got there we all got out of the car and had a walk up to the site where we had to help with unpacking the bags from the vans. When that was over we were split into tent groups and then we had to set up our sleeping bags. We had dinner and went to bed.

The next day, just a few hours after breakfast, we went on an adventure course (let me tell you that was a great thing) that lasted all morning. Then of course it was lunch.

After lunch I can’t remember what we did but I think it was good.

After the thing I can’t remember it was dinner and after that we played a great game in the forest. I called it ‘Get the light or take the flight’. You can sort of guess what it was like. A kind of hide and seek type thingy.

The next two days we did: • Tracking • Map reading where you have a card and punched designs in them • Grass sledging And we went to the Severn Valley Railway where we travelled from Kidderminster to Bridgenorth. On the journey there were lots of things to see such as farms and villages. Marcus and I kept thinking that the train would topple (well it was on a very high hill).

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On the very last day everybody packed up and got ready to go and we left.

We were in the same cars as last time. When we got back we had to get all the bags of the van against and then we went home.

by Ben Southall aged 10 of the 177th

Pray for change May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths and superficial relationships, so that you will live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression and exploitation of people, so that you will work for justice, equality and peace.

May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation and war, so that you will reach out your hand to comfort them and change their pain into joy. and May God bless you with foolishness to think that you can make a difference in the world, so that you will do the things that others tell you cannot be done.

Amen

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A Feast of J. S. Bach A Circuit Concert celebrating some of Bach’s best known music is to be held on Saturday November 2nd starting at 6.00 pm at Erdington Methodist Church The evening’s music, both choral and instrumental, will be varied in content and, we hope, enjoyable. The audience will be asked to join the choir in singing one or two of Bach’s well known hymns. Hymn books will not be needed as we will be using PowerPoint to screen all the lyrics.

Refreshments will be served in the church hall when the concert has ended.

It will probably last for about an hour but this is only a rough estimate.

Admission is free but donations will be gratefully received and forwarded to “Send a Cow, Uganda” where some of the poorest families living in Uganda receive gifts of livestock such as cows, goats, or poultry plus training in sustainable organic farming methods.

Everybody is welcome 13

VISION PROJECT – Where are we now?

FUNDS - we have £53,500 in hand or promised. In the next few months we shall know what the District and the Connexional Fund for Property are prepared to offer us – if anything – but we are hopeful! At the moment we are preparing an application to Veolia, who were Stockland Green’s big funder, and are working hard to get the wording right! Meanwhile our own funds continue to rise and thank you to all who have been so generous, and we hope this will continue. Pledges over 12/24 months have boosted our total by £5000, which is great, and looks good on applications. If you are still considering this then please take a form, or speak to John, as this way of giving shows potential funders that the whole church is involved and supporting the Vision Project, in turn encouraging them to be more willing to give a grant for this.

What are we doing for ourselves? There are several ongoing sources for funds and these are totals at August 9th: Savings boxes Vision Pens Book stall Talents

£1303.94 £49.20 £205.57 £628

5p bottle – filling up but will not be counted until it is full.

These are the main events in the Autumn. Further details to be announced.

BARN DANCE Saturday October 5th.

Early CHRISTMAS FAYRE November 9th 10.00 – 1.00 QUIZ NIGHT with fish and chips November 16th 6.30 pm CHRISTMAS TREE FESTIVAL December 7th 10.00 am onwards.

Would you, with your group, friends or family, run a coffee morning please?

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Would you do a sponsored event, or some other activity to bring in more funds and get different people involved?

Hilary, Gerald, Jacky Jan, Lesley and Sue

The Organist Entertains Four Oaks Methodist Church and Nkanfoa Methodist School and Church Aid are hosting an organ concert on October 19th by Nigel Ogden of BBC Radio 2's ‘The Organist Entertains’.

Nkanfoa Methodist School and Church Aid, a registered charity recognised

by HMRC (no. XT38062) was started by Ian & Diana Bosman with a number of local trustees, to support the Methodist school and church in the village of Nkanfoa, Cape Coast, Ghana where each have embarked on building projects. The school needs extra classrooms to reduce class sizes from 75 pupils to around 40 per class.

Ian & Diana are members of Four Oaks Methodist Church but before that they were Mission Partners from 2003 to 2006 working with the Methodist Church Ghana in the school and Cape Coast. They return each year at their own expense to further the work of the charity by taking out the money raised. 100% of that money provides books, clothes and computers. Above all it is used to help the final year class of the Junior High School section who are being prepared for their final leaving exam. The outcome of the exam determines if they receive a place in further educational establishments such as Senior High Schools, teacher training, nurses training or vocational high schools. The charity is also helping the church with a building programme to replace the old church that has outgrown its membership.

Further details and ticket availability will appear on noticeboards shortly

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When all is safely gathered in It’s time once again to raise the song of harvest home (to quote Henry Alford’s hymn) but recent years have seen big changes in how the gathering is done. According to the Association of Labour Providers (ALP), about 95 per cent of the agricultural work-force in the UK is foreign and the official annual number of seasonal workers in 2012 was estimated at 67,000.

For centuries, harvesting was done by the local community, with some itinerant labour. Since the end of the Second World War, the work has largely been done by students and migrant workers. After the war, a cultural exchange programme for young people was introduced. The flow increased with the coming and expansion of the EU. Recently the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) put the total number of seasonal workers who come here each year at between half a million and 700,000.

So what about British workers? Things are not as simple as they might seem.

British people tend to want full-time work – and the countryside is not close to most urban areas of high unemployment, which means a lot of travelling.

The work is not guaranteed and the benefits system is not geared to irregular work patterns (UK workers generally want a guarantee of 40 hours a week) Professor David Metcalf, chairman of the Migration Advisory Committee, has gone on record as saying that “growers tell us that British workers either can’t or won’t work at the intensity required to earn the agricultural minimum wage”. Also, foreign labour can provide the “just in time” pattern of supermarkets demands.

If that wasn’t difficult enough, the National Farmers’ Union say that without seasonal labour imports would increase, prices will rise and quality will fall.

According to Professor Metcalf, British workers are not displaced by those from abroad and there are no real immigration issues because the incomers normally live on the farm. from the Parish Pump Website 18

Bus trip fundraiser

I had been mulling over whether it was possible to use the bus pass to do a long journey...the answer now is yes.

I had the idea of trying to get to West Lulworth in Dorset for two reasons.

My nephew was the YHA manager there and in the summer a bus travels the Jurassic Coast from Weymouth to Bournemouth several times a day.

So using the internet we worked out a route and a friend agreed to keep me company.

We set off on August 19th with our first bus at Wylde Green into Birmingham after 9.30. We travelled to Swindon on the first day via Stratford, Banbury and Oxford. All went according to plan - buses and stops were all in the right places. Some interesting conversations were had with people who were amused at our plan.

We stayed the night in a hotel in Swindon near the M4. Swindon is the home of the so called magic roundabouts . . . I have to say there is nothing magic about Swindon . . . (apologies if that offends anyone).

Next day we travelled to Devises, Salisbury, Blandford Forum and Dorchester across Salisbury Plain. We passed Silbury Hill, Avebury and 19

were driven through Blandford Military Camp. Here the bus was checked by an armed soldier which gave us pause for thought!

We spent a couple of hours in Dorchester and planned a bus to get us to Weymouth in time to get the coast bus. However, the electronic board said it was on its way and then it disappeared. We caught the next one passing Maiden Castle and driving into Weymouth saw our next bus driving away.

There wasn’t another so plan B get a train to Wool and then a lift for the last 4 miles to our destination. My nephew was able to rescue us. The YHA is small - a bit like a cricket pavilion and we had a good dinner and an early night. Fortunately Lulworth camp nearby was quiet no ammunition practice in August!

Wednesday we caught the elusive X43 to Swanage having explored Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door. The journey took us to Bovington Camp and the monkey park where no one got on or off and to Wareham and Corfe passing the castle ruins. Swanage is a sleepy little seaside resort with a lovely sandy beach and views across to the Isle of Wight. The YHA was up a steep hill and is a large Victorian mansion sleeping 102!

We explored Swanage and got some dinner before turning in. Next day after a hearty breakfast we set off home . . . no chores these days at YHAs. The X43 took us to Corfe castle for a look round and then to Wareham.

15 buses over 3 days and at Wareham we caught a train to Bournemouth for Birmingham. Home in 4 hours!

Was it worth it? Yes! We saw lots of England , the countryside is beautiful and not that much traffic away from the towns. The cost of most journeys was between £2.20 and £5.70.

I have raised £58.50 plus a free night at YHA. My nephew has moved to work at Bristol YHA - not sure I will be staying at that one. Would I do a journey again? Yes - it’s just a shame you can’t use your pass in Wales or Scotland!

Jan Payne 20

Turn, turn, turn We were in Scotland during August and were amazed by the quantity of Rosebay willowherb. It seems to be everywhere, filling the verges and those odd bits of uncultivated roadside land with huge swathes of its magenta spiral spikes, a real visual treat. The Internet tells me that the natives of North America call it Fireweed because of the way that the leaves change colour in the autumn creating the colours of a forest fire. It also reminded me that after the war it was called Bomb-weed because of its propensity to colonise bombed out sites.

We haven’t been to Scotland at this time of the year since we came with the children so that probably accounts for our surprise. However, there are a myriad other reasons to avoid Scotland in August. Firstly August is monsoon season; the average rainfall is higher than any other month of the year. The resulting dampness coupled with the summer warmth mean that it is peak time for midges, the bane of all Scottish holidays. As a final straw there are of course the children, which make me feel like a grumpy old man.

On the other hand, however, because it is the school holidays there are lots of things organised, not just the Edinburgh Festival and Fringe.

In a previous age the Rosebay flower tops would have been collected and dried to use as a medicine. The young flowers are a good source of vitamin C and pro-vitamin A. Whilst the flower is young it can be used to flavour sweets and ice cream. But as the plant ages the taste becomes more bitter and as such was used as an astringent to sooth intestinal irritations such as diarrhoea and typhoid. The Russians ferment the leaves to make tea.

Presumably the lack of any caffeine content hindered its commercial development. I also discovered that because it is classed as a pioneer species it is used as part of the rehabilitation process for land that has for some reason become blighted, unusable or just vacant. Apparently one plant will liberate up to 20,000 of those beautiful fairly like seeds, which float away in the breeze, to start the cycle over again.

However, our pleasant surprise made me think about the way that life moves on all of the time, from month to month, season to season and year to year.

New life comes; my grandson is almost three and may be going to nursery in 21

September. My daughter moves into her fourth year at Med’ school and will soon face the ordeal of selection for a junior doctor post somewhere across the country. My cousin’s son was married recently and we were treated to a magical moment when a father has to ask his own son if he will ‘take this woman to be his wife’. He got through, just, but it was touch and go. My studies move on and suddenly I am confronted with having to do some real research rather then just talking about it. In the Methodist Church ministers move on, across the summer so that in the autumn they and we may be faced with change. Lastly we all get older. Amongst our friends we tend not to notice, but suddenly my elderly relatives at the wedding were very old.

This in turn made me think about that song from my youth, when Adam was a lad and the Seekers sang ‘There is a season, turn, turn, turn’ based upon the words from Ecclesiastes 3 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak, 22

a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace.

Which is as relevant today as it was when Solomon reputedly wrote these words.

Peter Farley

Embedding the ethos of Belonging Together A three-year project promoting and celebrating ethnic inclusion across the Methodist Church will leave a lasting legacy when it comes to an end next week.

The Belonging Together project has sought to affirm values of inclusiveness across the Methodist Connexion through the production of resources and new ways of working. It began following a report to the Methodist Conference in 2010, Towards an inclusive Church, which built on the work already done by previous committees and initiatives.

The project has encouraged churches to be intentional about ethnic diversity in leadership and stationing decisions in order to be consistently inclusive.

Strategies are being implemented to focus on enabling the contribution, representation, access and participation from people from all backgrounds.

Katei Kirby, partnership officer for Belonging Together, said, “The Methodist Church in Britain is one of the most ethnically diverse churches in the UK, and that is something to be celebrated. This three-year project gave the Church the opportunity to see what could happen when people of all ethnic backgrounds are encouraged to become and belong. As the project closes, the Church now has the responsibility to continue to be intentional and deliberate about ethnic inclusion, so that the rich diversity of the whole people of God is both visible and sustained.” from the Methodist Church News Service 23

Happy Birthday Brother!

The 28th September 2013 would have been the 100th birthday of Edith Pargeter, who wrote many novels under her pen name of ‘Ellis Peters’. The most well-known and well-loved of these were the Brother Cadfael books; many were made into television films starring Derek Jacobi as the eponymous monk. In TV or in book form they delighted millions, including, we suspect, many of our readers!

Brother Cadfael When medieval murder foul In Shrewsb’ry was committed A Brother, in monastic cowl – Unusually quick witted Would rise up from his place of prayer On learning the sad news And seek, with patience, zeal, and care For tiny, subtle clues.

These crimes nonplussed poor Sheriff Hugh Confused, he’d scratch his head; But Cadfael knew just what to do For justice for the dead.

The slightest scuff upon the ground, The slyest lie he’d see Then soon the murd’rer would be found – Who needs the C.I.D?

By Nigel Beeton

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Buying a Television Our TV became poorly, necessitating the purchase of a new one. John likes his TV and went in pursuit of a replacement. I took a laid back attitude to it as I don’t need it – well I couldn’t do without Pointless, Eggheads, The Apprentice, Dragons’ Den, good drama and – well perhaps I do need it!

So we both went up to Curry’s with a vague idea of what we wanted. Since I had never mastered the other one, apart from changing channels, I was determined to learn how to access everything on a new one, and be able to show photos on it. We talked to a very helpful assistant who spent time explaining different things to us, and trying to find one that suited us best.

We settled for a ‘smart’ LG. Well it looks ‘smart’ and seems to have everything that we want – and don’t need! I suppose the problem is that a ‘smart’ TV needs ‘smart’ people to operate it!! The fitter was very pleasant and helpful and whizzed through lots of programs and data, telling us, repeatedly, how easy it is to use! Unfortunately he wasn’t quite helpful enough, as we had to get someone back from Curry’s in a couple of days to explain it all over again.

With one of the first moves he made the date came up, backwards, the way the Americans write it. He then patiently explained what these numbers meant!! For goodness sake I KNEW that. It was obviously going to be a long morning. This time we both wrote down things, and asked him to go over parts again, and – two weeks later – I don’t even know how to switch it on! I am terrified to touch any button for fear of all the channels and the Internet being swallowed into a black hole. John is patient and can be seen at any time of the day sitting staring at the ‘smart’ TV with a zapper in each hand. This morning he was reading one of the instruction books in bed!

Maybe if he looked at the Chinese section he might make sense of it all.

Pointless is on in ten minutes, I had better remind him so he has time to find it!

Hilary Price 25

My school summer holidays As children near the end of their long summer holidays and some of us of more senior age breathe a sigh of relief, I thought you might be interested to hear about my school holidays which were very different from what today’s children expect.

There was no holiday away from the country village in which I grew up. As a close-knit community, we children had to make our own entertainment, which was easy to do as we had many fields, hedgerows, streams, the canal and trees at our disposal to inspire our imaginations.

We had our favourite fields in which to play ball games, some being flatter than others; although we had no such luxuries as tennis racquets or cricket bats, so we improvised with whatever was to hand. We did have a cheap fishing net and jam jar with which to catch sticklebacks, minnows or bullheads or in which to capture tadpoles from the pond.

An old willow tree stood in the big meadow, and this had at one time been struck by lightning resulting in it being split down its length from top to bottom, one half remaining upright and bending horizontal towards the top, the other half bending towards the ground. This gave us an opportunity to pretend it was a house, a ship or an aeroplane.

From the low-slung branches we swung from side to side and from the upper ones we hung a piece of rope and swung as if we were Tarzan. The old tree, decorated with bits of glass, broken ornaments and the odd discarded net curtain taken from the nearby ash-tip, filled many happy hours.

Mum joined two Army blankets together down their length and hung them over the washing line which stretched across our lawn, pegging them open to the ground to make a tent, covering one end with an old sheet and placing her clothes-horse across the other over which we hung some old net curtains, thus we had a window. A few house bricks from the end of the 26

garden were stacked in two piles and with a piece of wood placed over these, we had a table.

Sometimes Mum would take us to the woods. This great adventure meant crossing fields and fording the brook, so crystal clear, that on occasions when we were thirsty, we drank from its waters. (It was at this brook that I, in solitary moments, used to watch kingfishers catching fish). In the woods we spoke in hushed whispers, though whether this was to avoid disturbing the wildlife or the gamekeeper, I never found out. It was a magical place with overhanging boughs which covered little dells filled with wild flowers in season. There was one bank which in spring, was covered in primroses, then wild daffodils. We got to know the birds and their songs.

An added bonus was having gravel pits in the village which, although noisy and dusty in summer, provided employment for villagers. Although it was supposed to be forbidden for us to do so, we ventured, unknown to parents of course, into the silt-beds; an area where the gravels were flushed through at great force, the water gushing down a long chute and coming to rest in a beautiful lagoon, overhung with willows and surrounded by tall bulrushes and reeds, and where a wonderfully smooth beach edged the water. We would sit there and sunbathe to our heart’s content. Who needed to go to the seaside?!

Near the canal, we dared each other to ‘walk the plank’ which was placed over the weir at each set of locks. This was really for the convenience of the boatmen to enable them to manipulate the sluices. It was a highly dangerous thing to do and it makes me cringe to think of it now, but this was another escapade of which we never told parents. One slip and we would have shot down into the slimy weir and become trapped in the tunnel which funnelled the surplus water to the lower level. It was here that I spent time watching the bank voles feeding and washing.

At hay making we were allowed to go into the fields to help turn the hay to dry it and when dried and loaded on to the wagon for taking back to the farm, we were allowed to ride on top. While we swayed and hung on for 27

dear life, the horse wearily plodded home, pulling us up the hump-backed bridge on the way.

We climbed trees, followed the spring which rose in the common and made its way to the river; we gathered blackberries, crab apples and elderberries for our mums to make into jellies and jams for the cold days of winter which were to follow. But for the time being, we would enjoy our holidays.

Ann Tomes

Answers to July/August Puzzles

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Urban myth?

This is a tale that I heard whist on holiday in Scotland and you may believe it if you choose?

In the Highlands the Government spends quite a lot of money on maintaining the Gaelic language for the 1% of the population who are currently able to speak it, double signposting, official recognitions etc.

However it is an oral rather than a written language and the Gaelic in Harris is different from that in Skye. As a result experts spend years arguing over whether the name on a road sign should be hyphenated; you get the picture.

Anyway, one of our leading supermarkets recently opened a new premise in Nairn. In order to comply with the current regulations all the necessary duel language display signs were installed, such as soft drinks and wines and spirits. All went well until a letter appeared in the local paper, in the new supermarket, the corresponded asked why had he had not been able to locate the ghosts, which appeared to be being offered for sale.

Peter Farley

Sing out! It’s good for you Join a choir if you possibly can, this autumn. Singing is good for you: it regulates your heartbeat, steadies your breathing, and helps regulate activity in the brain’s vagus nerve, which is linked to emotions and communication with others. Research at the University of Gothenburg has found that singing can improve health by forcing participants to adopt a calm and regular breathing pattern, which helps the heart.

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September Regular Meetings Coffee Mornings Each Saturday 10.00 am to 12.00 noon

Tuesday Club Every 4th Tuesday in the month at 2.30 pm

Sunday Worship All worship starts at 10.30 am unless stated otherwise below 1st

John Rutherford CIRCUIT SERVICE at Stockland Green - 6.00 pm

8th

Rev John Taylor

15th

HARVEST FESTIVAL - Rev Paul Dunstan HOLY COMMUNION

22nd

Lynn Crowe

29th

Rev Keith Webster

Much of the material supplied for inclusion in this magazine comes to me in Microsoft Word format so it is interesting to know that 30 years ago: on 29th Sept 1983 Microsoft Word 1.0 was released – the very first version of that popular word processor - ed

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Weekly Church Activities Sunday

10.30 am

MORNING WORSHIP and Young Church

Tuesday

9.30 - 11.30 am 9.30 - 12.30 pm 2.00 pm

Stay and Play Pre-School : Karen Homer Tuesday Afternoon Meeting : Ann Tomes (4th)

Wednesday

9.30 - 11.30 am 9.30 - 12.30 pm 12.30 pm

Stay and Play Pre-School : Karen Homer Luncheon Club - (1st and 3rd)

Thursday

9.30 - 12.30 pm

Pre-School : Karen Homer

Friday

9.30 - 12.30 pm 5.00 - 6.15 pm 6.15 - 7.45 pm 7.45 - 9.15 pm 7.45 - 9.15 pm 5.30 - 6.30 pm 5.00 - 6.30 pm 7.30 - 9.00 pm

Pre-School : Karen Homer Beavers : Lynn Turner Cubs : Elizabeth Baizon Scouts : Lisa Porter Explorers : Caroline Joyce Rainbows : Debbie Barnett Brownies : Lesley Carter Guides : Helen Rainsford

Saturday

10.00 - 12.00 noon Coffee Morning : Lesley Morgan 10.30 - 11.30 am Church open for prayer : Margaret Curzon

Please hand any items for the October CONTACT to any of the Editorial Team (Peter Farley, Christine Rankin, Ann Tomes & Nick Riley) by 15th September 2013 at the latest please or alternatively email me: nickriley@blueyonder.co.uk with the word ‘CONTACT’ in the title.

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