This Month's Diary
Parish Council Tues 7th 8pm Village Hall
Village Coffee Sat 11th 11am Village Hall
Village Hall C'ttee Tues 14th 8pm Village Hall
Friendship Club Tues 14th 2.30pm Cambrae
Christmas Mkt Sat 25th 2pm Village Hall
Field Meeting Thurs 30th 8pm Village Hall
Fete Meeting Thurs 30th 8pm Malt Shovel
Mobile Library Thurs 2nd, 16th & 30th
Toddler Group Thursdays 10-11.30am Village Hall
Neighbourhood Watch
A quiet month for Gaydon....except for a repeat of an incident that occurred a year ago. Two Gaydon houses, generally well known to be un-occupied most of the time, were entered by person or persons unknown. Nothing was stolen. Nothing was damaged except in the gaining of entry. This is a puzzle. If anyone know anything about this please contact your Street Co-ordinator.
Police Alerts
At lease three households in Gaydon were telephoned by an alarm company offering a free alarm system. This particular company asks you to pay for the installation and annual maintenance only. Not a good offer when one discovers that the "maintenance" cost is extremely high. They also claim to be approved by the Police and Neighbourhood Watch, which is not true.
Anyone considering the merits of an alarm or who wants advice is welcome to contact our Community Safety Officer PC Nick Stephens at Stratford Police Station on phone 01789 414111 Ext. 4598.
Christmas Market
Saturday 25 November at 2pm
Once again we hope to raise
much-needed funds
for St Giles Church at the
Annual Christmas Market.
Please support your Parish Church by donating gifts, bottles, raffle prizes, cakes,
bric-a-brac, books etc. to the stalls.
You can also help by coming along to the Village Hall on Saturday 25th and having fun on the various stalls, buying your Christmas presents and winning prizes on the Tombolas and Raffles.
We shall be calling round the village as usual a few days before the event to collect your contributions - thank you!
Gaydon Fete 2007
Yes! The indefatigable Fete Committee is already thinking about next year's extravaganza. As always we are keen to talk to anyone about new ideas. We are also thinking of holding a couple of social evenings next year - maybe a dinner and Salsa evening or another pub quiz? Again any ideas let us know.
We will be having a meeting in the Malt Shovel on Thursday
30th November at 8.00pm. If you are interested in helping or just coming along please call Madeleine on 640636, Anna on 641971 or Heather on 640953.
Mobile Library
The van will call at Gaydon this month on Thursdays 2nd, 16th and 30th.
The usual times for visits are Church Road at 1.10pm by the Telephone Box and St Marks Close at 1.30pm.
Village Coffee Morning
The last coffee morning and market of 2006 will be held in the Village Hall on 11 November commencing at 10.55am as we shall be observing the two minutes' silence for Remembrance Day at 11 o'clock.
We offer tea and coffee, biscuits and a small raffle as well as home-made produce.
This is a good chance to meet neighbours old and new.
PS Please don't forget the BIG market on Saturday 25th November!
Nature Notes
from Barrie Ontario, October 2006
As I'm in Canada for the magazine deadline this month, I thought readers might like to know about the natural history of the area. I'm staying with my cousins who all live on farms in this quite remote area. I say this because it's quite near Niagara Falls, Toronto and the States but a world away.
Everyone is desperately planting their winter wheat and cutting their Maize Crop for cattle feed. The cattle are mainly Herefords and my cousin Rod also has some Red Angus, an unusual breed for the UK. The hunting season has begun.
The main birds are Wild Turkey which we see with white tailed deer behind the house. You need to pass a written exam to hunt "gobblers" and then only males or 'Toms' can be shot (2 max). Most people hunt Deer and Elk or ducks and geese.
Other animals that you often see are black squirrels, chipmonks and groundhogs. Racoons and skunks, too, but I have only seen these as Roadkill. Black bears and Cougars sometimes appear but are seen rarely.
Some spectacular plants like Trilliums (Ontario's national flower) and Ladies Slipper orchids grow in the forests. Milkweed is loved by butterflies but hated by farmers as it is impossible to irradicate and highly poisonous.
There are some spectacular common birds like Bluejays (totally different from our species) and Red Cardinals. In the summer Hummingbirds come here but they have begun a thousand mile migration to the south last week. I've also seen red-winged blackbirds which are like ours but with bright scarlet wing patches, Catbirds a bit like a cuckoo and some Eagles and buzzards. We took a canoe trip and saw Trumpeter Swans (like our mute swan without the yellow on the bill and larger). Of course, one familiar bird is the Canada Gooose, as much of a nuisance here as in the UK.
Beaver dams and flooding were spotted in many places and the tracks of a Bobcat (like a Lynx).
We even had a flurry of snow last week and winter is a hard time here with prolonged snow and low temperatures. The insulation of houses is essential and something we give low priority to here in the UK. Most of the houses though a century old are pretty snug.
Remarkably, native Americans like the Hurons and Algonquins now own Casinos which are tax free on the reservations. There are lots of ruins in the forests of old logging camps and Trading Posts which have an eerie atmosphere when you suddenly come across them by a forest track. Niagara Falls has huge flocks of interesting seabirds, too,
though the spectacle leaves them unnoticed by most.
The forest colours around this area have their own eco-climate and are quite spectular in their autumn colours. There are also many vineyards in that region. It would be impossible to grow these 30 miles to the North!
Finally, there's one creature here that's fearless. It's the large Porcupine which we had a meeting with today. They are so well protected by spines that they don't run away and we were able to get right up to it before it spotted us and got annoyed, turning its tail towards us filled with potential missiles. There are a few escapees in the South of England though not, fortunately, this large species. The huge spaces and patches of virgin Forest here mean they get a fairly wide margin.
Most farmers tell me that everything is returning from near extinction: the Wild turkey is a good example. You are also forbidden to take many species of wild flower and there is a positive campaign to protect the Wolf and Cayote too. My uncle's fox Terrier did not benefit from this enlighted policy though as he took on a Cougar (large mountain Lion) and needless to say lost!
I am just off fishing so will sign off.
Bernard Price
The Malt Shovel Inn
New Year's Eve at The Malt Shovel, Gaydon, Six Course Gourmet Meal
£50.00 per person - £25.00 deposit per person - reservations only
Menu
Roasted Pumpkin Soup with Kirsch
Chicken Patties with Rosemary and Pancetta
Smoked Salmon marinated in Dill and Pernod
Lemon sorbet with Vodka
Haunch of Venison Marinated in Red Wine served with roast potatoes, roast parsnips with honey and sesame seeds and seasonal vegetables
Selection of Cheeses served with a glass of Port
Apple and Calvados Parfait with Blackberry Compote or
Coffee or Tea with Truffles
Phone 01926 641221 now to avoid disappointment
St Giles' Parent, Baby & Toddler Group
The Toddler Group meets every Thursday in Gaydon Village Hall from 10am to 11.30am and anyone looking after a baby or toddler is very welcome to join in.
Friendship Club
The November meeting will be on Tuesday 14th at Cambrae, Kineton Road at 2.30pm.
Obituary
We record with sorrow that the funeral of June Howes took place at
St Giles' Church Gaydon on 13th October 2006.
We offer our condolences to her family and friends.
Over 60s Christmas Lunch
The Over 60s Christmas Lunch will be held this year on Sunday 10 December at 12.45pm in the Village Hall.
Invitations will be sent out shortly month and cooks and helpers will be contacted.
If you would like to be invited or would like to join the team of cooks and helpers, please contact Julie Rickman at the Old Bakehouse on 640349.
Pilates
A Pilates exercise group has now started in the Village Hall on Tuesday evenings at 8.00pm. It is run by a fully qualified and trained instructor called Debbie Birch. Pilates is bending and stretching exercises which are very good for general fitness and especially for strengthening the back. It costs £35.00 per person for five sessions and works in blocks of five weeks. There are still a couple of spaces. If you are interested contact: Madeleine Hill on 640636.
Welcome
New residents Dhushy and Tracy Kumar moved into Kineton Road last month. We hope that you will be happy living in Gaydon.
Flag
The flag on the village green was raised on 21 October to commemorate the Battle of Trafalgar.
Parish Council News
Gaydon Field Purchase
The drive still continues to raise money to buy this amenity for the village - the field behind Church Lane, where the footpath goes. We are still looking for more donations and if anyone would like to contribute or has further ideas, please contact Jonathan Crowe on 640394.
We plan to hold a further meeting to discuss progress on Thursday 30 November in the Village Hall at 8pm. All welcome.
Parking
Councillors discussed parking issues at their last meeting and they are monitoring the problem of Church Road being blocked with cars parked on both sides.
On the occasion of the village fete it was felt that the success of the event had caused unforeseen parking problems; the Chairman of the Parish Council undertook to mention this to the fete committee for future reference.
When parking on the pavement occurs Parish Councillors place a notice on the windscreen of the vehicle asking the driver not to do so.
Villagers can help by reporting parking difficulties to the Parish Council at their weekly meetings on Saturday mornings in the Parish Office.
Parish Council Meeting
The next meeting of the Parish Council will be held on Tuesday
7 November at 8pm in the Village Hall. Members of the public are invited to attend.
Christmas Coffee Morning
at Warmington Village Hall
on Saturday 2 December 11am-1pm
In aid of Warmington Playschool
Everyone Welcome!
Domestic Fuel Oil
A consortium has been run for many years, from Kineton, for the bulk purchase of domestic fuel oil. It covers Kineton and the surrounding areas. Opportunities to purchase occur 5 times per annum and because of the power of bulk buying, the cost to members of the consortiium is normally at least 2p per litre cheaper than would be available to individual purchasers. No contract or any type of obligation is involved.
Interested? Please contact Gordon Kemp on 640119. (Latest date for next order: 18 November 2006.)
Seasonal Recipe
Mince Pies with Orange Cinnamon Pastry
Ingredients
225g/8oz plain flour
50g/2oz icing sugar
2tsp ground cinnamon
150g/5oz butter
grated rind of 1 orange
225g/8oz mincemeat
1 beaten egg to glaze
Method
1 Sift together flour, icing sugar and cinnamon. Rub in the butter
to form crumbs and stir in grated orange rind.
2 Mix to a firm dough with about 4tbs ice-cold water, knead lightly
and roll out to 5mm/¼" thickness.
3 Using a round cutter cut out 18 6cm/2½" circles and 18 smaller
5cm/2" circles.
4 Line 2 bun tins with the larger circles of pastry. Put a teaspoon
of mincemeat into each pastry circle and top with the smaller
ones. Press the edges together to seal.
5 Glaze the tops of the pies with the egg and leave to rest in the
fridge for 30 mins. Turn on the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6.
6 Bake the pies for 15-20 mins until they are golden brown.
Remove from the oven to wire racks to cool. Serve warm,
dusted with icing sugar.
Village Hall Notes
The Village Hall Committee will meet on Tuesday 14 November at 8pm in the Hall.
The Malt Shovel Inn
We're having another Meal at the Malt on Saturday 11 November 2006
All welcome, meet at 7.30pm to sit down at 8pm
Menu
Roasted Tomato and Pepper Soup
served with bread and butter
Avocado and Smoked Salmon Mousse
Roasted Poussin, boned and stuffed with garlic, rosemary and lemon,
served with potatoes and vegetables
Selection of Cheese and Biscuits
Lemon Trifle
£18 per person - deposit of £10 each to secure your table
Bouncy Castle Hire
Make someone's day!
Bouncy Castle 17' x 15' with Slide and shower cover
Ideal for children's parties, schools, pubs etc
Indoors or out
Delivered and inflated with safety mats etc.
Very Competitive Rates and Great Fun!
For more details phone
01926 641389 or 07748 497873
Gaydon with Chadshunt Parish Magazine
Services for November 2006 AD
5 11.15 Matins Gaydon
12 9.00 Remembrance Day
Requiem Eucharist Gaydon
11.00 Remembrance Day Service Northend
19 9.00 Eucharist Gaydon
26 11.15 Family Eucharist Gaydon
Weekday Service
The Eucharist will be celebrated at 11am on Wednesday 15 November.
Baptisms
Paige Elizabeth Smith was baptised at St Giles' Church on 1st October;
and Lois Elisabeth Alice Rickman on the 22nd.
Vicar's Letter
Now that the clocks have gone back and British Summer time has ended, we are in a season of shorter days and increased darkness. However, this month we celebrate the light that shines out of people's lives and lights up the world; and in December we shall celebrate Christ's birth as the light that shines in the darkness and illuminates our humanity.
On November 1st the Church keeps the feast of All Saints when we give thanks to God for the saints who have reflected Christ's light through their lives and have shared Christ's love. This company of saints encourages us to be faithful as we follow Christ. In the letter to the Hebrews we find the verse:
Therefore since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus.'
Through the lives of the saints and by their prayers we are strengthened and guided to Jesus. As All Saints Day is also our patronal feast, we shall celebrate it with a Eucharist at All Saints' Burton Dassett on Wednesday November 1st at 7.00pm.
The following day, Thursday 2nd is the feast of All Souls when we remember and pray for the dead. Many of us have known and loved people whose lives have reflected Christ's light and who have shared with us Christ's love. So again we shall be giving thanks for those precious lives, those whom we have known and love still, at a Eucharist at the Chapel of Ease at Northend at 7.00pm. At this service the names of the dead will be read out, so if you would like to record the names of those who have died, please record the names on the sheet at the back of the churches or let me have them before the All Souls' Eucharist.
Remembrance Sunday on November 12th is another occasion to remember and give thanks to God for those who fought in two world wars and various conflicts and who sacrificed their lives for freedom and peace. This year's 9.00am Requiem Eucharist will be held at St Giles' Gaydon. As a sign of support for those members of our Armed Forces who are serving now in hostile places and on dangerous operations, I invite you to come to this service in order to pray and remember.
There is even in the darkness so much light that is reflected and mirrored by God's saints and those who we have known in this life. What is good and perfect in them comes from God, who in Christ has revealed His light and love in our world and in our hearts. At Christmas time we especially celebrate Christ as the Light of the world. On Christmas Eve, the Family Crib Service will take place at St Giles at 6.00pm. Do join us at all of the services: a warm welcome awaits you.