April 2015
SPRING GARDENING
EDITION
INSIDE: THE GARDEN PALETTE DIXTER’S TULIPS RACHLIN AND KERR
r pe m m iu IN n Ha rrar ts W Gi te cke ’s s ti all rou ma n o ee iv ne Gr carn o ci A Kin
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01797 253668 Publication date: 1st of the month Entries for Noticeboard email: noticeboard@onionpublishing.co.uk To send editorial/advertising material email: carol@onionpublishing.co.uk For advertising sales enquiries email: advertising@onionpublishing.co.uk www.onionmagazine.co.uk Twitter: @OnionMag1
The Onion magazine is published by Onion Publishing Limited, The Studio at Friars Cote Farm, Crockers Lane, Northiam, East Sussex TN31 6PY. Editor & Publisher: Carol Farley Director & Publisher: Nicholas Farley Contributors: Caroline Boucher, Fergus Garrett, Sarah Giles, Jessica Harding, Jack Hebden. Print: Buxton Press Cover picture: Tulips at Great Dixter by Carol Casselden. Designed and produced for Onion Publishing Limited by Vantage Publishing Limited, Godalming, GU7 2AE.
April 2015
Easter’s here and when you have all finished playing marbles in Battle on Good Friday I know that many of you – some willingly and some out of duty – will be spending part of this long weekend gardening and so we have a big spring gardening edition this month. In addition to our regular gardening writer, Jack Hebden, who, poor chap, seems to be having big problems with badgers (or possibly squirrels?), we have Fergus Garrett, the Head Gardener at Great Dixter, talking about the tulips there, and Sarah Giles, the editor of the award-winning magazine, The Garden Design Journal, showing us how to use colour effectively in the garden. Nick has got very excited about our visit to the beautiful, and listed, Walled Nursery in Hawkhurst and I urge you to support their on-line petition if you can. This is quite an important Onion for us because with this edition, believe it or not, and we really can’t believe it, we have completed our first year: this is the twelfth Onion! It wouldn’t exactly be true to say that it has been an easy year, quite the opposite sometimes, but we have always been hugely encouraged by the reaction we have from readers. Just when we have been feeling a bit despondent we get an email or a phone call from someone telling us how much they like the magazine or from a club, society or charity whose event has been a success because of the publicity which we have given it, and all suddenly seems right with the world. Advertisers too are recognising the value of The Onion and they too are telling us of their successes, which is important because without them there would be no Onion. It is always very helpful if you can mention the magazine whenever you are responding to any of the advertisements. We are looking forward to our second year now. This is such an interesting corner of the world and as we have discovered there are so many interesting people living here – read Bewitched on page 12 this month for the proof of that – and there is so much to see and do. We will carry on bringing you news of what’s happening in the area, and please keep keeping in touch. Carol Farley, Editor COMPETITIONS Competition Winners for February 2015 competition Chromatix Hairdryer set P Bushnell, Cranbrook D Whitman, Sandhurst Old Dairy Beer J S Bannister, Tenterden
Paw Paw product J Brand, Cranbrook J Price, Tenterden D Wood, Wittersham P Wood, Hastings N Woodgate, Cranbrook
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COUNTRY Markets EVERY TUESDAY 09:00 to 11:00 Wittersham Wittersham Village Hall, The Street EVERY WEDNESDAY 10:00 to 13:00 Rye Farmers’ Market Strand Quay, Rye, East Sussex, TN31 7AY EVERY THURSDAY 09:00 to 12noon Rolvenden Farmers’ Market, St Mary’s Church, Rolvenden, TN18 5PN Rolvenden Village Hall, Maytham Road, Rolvenden, TN17 4ND EVERY FRIDAY 10:00 to 12noon Brede Brede Village Hall, Cackle Street, Brede, East Sussex, TN31 6DX
Contents 5
Noticeboard What’s on in your local community
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Sounding Off Scene and Heard!
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Dixter’s Tulips
10 Letters to the Editor 12 Bewitched 16 People in Glass Houses 22 April Gardening with Jack Hebden
EVERY FRIDAY 10:00 to 11:30 (BUT IN APRIL ON THURSDAY 2ND) Rye Community Centre, Conduit Hill, Rye
26 Eating out
EVERY FRIDAY 09.30 to 11.30 Tenterden (Formerly the WI Market) St Mildred’s Church Hall, Church Road, Tenterden TN30 7NE
32 A Good Book
EVERY FRIDAY 07.00 to 15.30 Tenterden Market Square, behind Savannah Coffee Shop, Tenterden & Tenterden High Street from 08:30 to 14.30 SATURDAY 4 APRIL 10.00 to 12noon Robertsbridge Station Road, Robertsbridge TN32 5DA
The Standard Inn, Rye
28 The Garden Palette 34 Walk Blackboys and Waldron
38 Business Cards Small ads for trades and services
39 Win Enter our giveaway competitions
SATURDAY 18 APRIL 09:00 to 12:30 Heathfield Co-Op car park, 110 High Street, Heathfield TN21 8JD SATURDAY 25 APRIL 10:00 to 12noon Brightling Village Hall, Brightling SATURDAY 25 April 09:30 to 13:00 Cranbrook The Vestry Hall, Cranbrook
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The contents of this magazine are protected by copyright and nothing can be reprinted without prior permission of the publisher. The publisher has tried to ensure that all information is accurate but does not take any responsibility for any mistakes or omissions. We take no responsibility for advertisements printed in the magazine or loose inserts that might be delivered alongside it. © Onion Publishing Limited.
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Noticeboard... EXHIBITIONS … CONCERTS … FETES & FAIRS … CHARITY EVENTS ... THINGS TO DO
Don’t forget, the Noticeboard is your opportunity to promote your events, memberships and messages for FREE if you are a charity, club, society or non-profitmaking venture, or are promoting a charity event. The deadline for you to send information to noticeboard@onionpublishing.co.uk for May’s Noticeboard is 3rd April. Northiam Unemployables Cricket Club is looking for new players If you feel that you would like to join a village cricket club but won’t want to play every weekend then this club might be the one for you. The Unemployables are a wandering team who play around 8 games a season against local village clubs. They welcome players of all abilities. The idea behind the team is to try to get everyone involved – so you won’t be fielding on the boundary all afternoon and then batting number eleven. If this sounds like it could be for you then call Glen on 01797 252599 to find out more. Line Dancing in Sandhurst & Hawkhurst Mondays and Wednesdays If you want to keep fit and have some fun at the same time, why not try your hand (feet?) at Line Dancing in the Old School Hall in Sandhurst on Monday evenings 7.30pm to 9.30pm or at Copthall in Hawkhurst on Wednesday mornings from 10am to 11.45am. Beginners are welcomed. Contact Ruth on 01580 850637. The Bowmen of Robin Hood Archery Club Tuesdays and Thursdays 17:00 until dusk They will be shooting at the Robin Hood Inn, Icklesham on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 5pm until dusk and on Saturday from 10am until dusk, starting after Easter. If anyone is interested in joining the club or having a taster session, please either visit the club’s website at www.bowmenofrobinhood.co.uk, contact Tom Firth on
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tomxx10@gmail.com, or call 07460 190298. Winchelsea Beach Art & Craft Club Every Wednesday 13:30 to 15:30 For just £2 anyone can go along and sew, paint, knit, draw and make anything crafty. They tell me that ‘a cup of tea and a friendly welcome is guaranteed’. For details call Maureen or Stuart on 01424 813918 or just turn up. Tenterden Over Fifties Singing, Tenterden Every Wednesday 14:00 to 15:30 I’m told this is a friendly, mixed group who sing a variety of songs. You are urged to go along – the first visit is free – to see if you enjoy it. There is a similar group in Hawkhurst on Wednesday mornings. Email celia@livinglively.org.uk. Or telephone 01233 250585. Venue: St Andrew’s Church Hall, Ashford Road, Tenterden. Guided Meditations Every Thursday 19:00 to 20:00 Meditation has many well-known benefits including reducing anxiety, reducing stress levels, inducing better sleep and focus. Naomi says that for those unaccustomed to meditating it is best to start with guided meditations, as she is an experienced teacher and can take you on a ‘journey’ rather than you sitting in total silence. Everyone is welcome and you are asked to take a cushion. Cost £10. Venue: WI Hall, Houghton Green Lane, Playden (behind the Peace & Plenty), where there’s free parking, TN31 7PL. For more information ring 07712 627193. “You Said It!” drama group for children in Playden Every Friday 16:00 to 17:30 This is a brand new drama group for children aged 9 to 16. Classes are designed to inspire confidence, giving each child communication skills to draw on throughout their lives. The group combines drama with musical theatre and public speaking and are taught by experienced
YOUR COMMUNITY NOTICE BOARD IS FOR LOCAL EVENTS AND INFORMATION. TO FEATURE HERE FOR FREE, PLEASE EMAIL US AT NOTICEBOARD@ONIONPUBLISHING.CO.UK
Delivered by the Royal Mail to 23,000 local homes every month in Appledore, Benenden, Brede, Brightling, Broad Oak, Burwash, Camber, Cranbrook, Cripps Corner, Etchingham, Hawkhurst, Hurst Green, Icklesham, John’s Cross, Northiam, Peasmarsh, Robertsbridge, Rye, Salehurst, Sandhurst, Staplecross, Tenterden, Udimore, Winchelsea, Wittersham and surrounding villages. April 2015
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Soundingoff Scene and Heard! Shoot me now, but the behaviour of small children drives me insane. Put on a pedestal, dressed to the nines – why? – and pandered to, they rule the roost. No longer do they fit in with the adult world, grown-ups have to fit in around them. Meal times are shunted about to fit in with their sleep or their recreation; and, if they are asleep, adult conversation is reduced to a whisper while the anxious parent is attached to a baby monitor listening out for every snort. This has partly come about with the rise in number of two working parents. These exhausted individuals feel permanently guilty, and therefore weekends are completely structured around the children. Sentences rarely begin ‘We are going to have a nice outing to the dump and then to the supermarket’; oh no, out comes the fatal phrase ‘What would you like to do today?’ heralding a recipe for disaster. A disaster not only for the family involved, but also for all those around them. No longer seen and not heard, children are prominently both. And you just know that the hyperactive child screaming round the check-in desk is going to be sitting right next to you, undisciplined by its parents, for the flight’s duration. The phrase ‘I’m bored’ is no longer swatted away with ‘Read a book’ ‘Put on your coat and go outside’. Oh no, it is taken seriously and addressed with some activity that invariably ends in tears on both sides.
Things came to a pretty pass when in December last year a wheelchair user took a bus company to court after a woman with a pushchair refused to make space for him. The disabled man received compensation from the bus company, but the judge found that there was currently no legislation to give on-board precedence to wheelchair users. This will come as no surprise to old grumps like me who refuse to get off the pavement, out of the shop aisle or out of the lift when about to be mowed down by a confidently-wheeled buggy. The fact that said buggy will then probably block all access to check-outs, café loos, café tables and plane gangways ad infinitum, is neither here nor there. Nor, very often, is the mother or nanny at the handle end of things because they’ll either be on the phone or drinking coffee from a huge cup attached to one of those annoying cup holders designed to rip the pocket off your coat when you inch past it. And, oh, the paraphernalia! Seats for this and that, chariot sized buggies that are impossible to collapse, hundreds of bits to clip on to said buggy (usually donated by grandparents who are still reeling, two years later, from the cost of the thing and silently wondering what was wrong with the old Mclaren they used). And don’t get me started on scooters. Lethal! And as you’re picking yourself up off the ground and wiping your bleeding shins, the collision apparently doesn’t warrant an apology as the parent races past in pursuit of the helmeted missile. Ah well, that’s that off my chest. Now I’m off to collect the grandchildren from school. Caroline Boucher
If you would like to Sound Off about anything please feel free to do that here. Email Carol@onionpublishing.co.uk or post to the address on page 3. 6
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EXHIBITIONS … CONCERTS … FETES & FAIRS … CHARITY EVENTS ... THINGS TO DO
professionals. I’m told that “no other performing arts class offers this level of all round excellence”. For more information and details of Easter workshops please call 07712 627193. Venue: WI Hall, Houghton Green Lane, Playden, TN31 7LP (behind Peace & Plenty – free parking). Play Badminton in the Pretious Sports Hall, Northiam Every Friday 20:30 to 22:00 Social Badminton club (adult) meets each Friday evening to play badminton in the Pretious Sports Hall attached to Northiam School. With two courts they try to ensure a good mix so everyone gets a challenging game. All abilities are welcomed. You are invited to go along or call Karen on 01797 253375. £3 a session. No joining fee. Fascinated by windmills? The Cranbrook Union Windmill committee is actively seeking new volunteers to help with this still wind-driven, working windmill. If you feel you would be interested in volunteering to train as a miller, help with maintenance, enjoy showing visitors how things work or helping in the little gift shop then please leave your details on 01580 714557 and they’ll be in touch with you. Volunteers usually cover only 4-6 sessions in a six-month period. More information about this wonderful building can be found at www.unionmill.org.uk. TN30CC – Tenterden Cycle Club
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Wednesdays and Sundays This is social cycling – always with a tea and cake stop! The rides start from the Crown at St Michael’s at 9.30am on Wednesdays and 10am on Sundays. For more information contact Ian at tn30cc@sky.com or call on 07724 141115. There’s also more information on http://tn30cc.blogspot. co.uk. History walks in and around Rolvenden Every Sunday 12:30 Meet at St Mary’s Church, Rolvenden. Various local projects related to research carried out by landscape archaeologist Dr Brendan Chester-Kadwell. Enquiries to Sue Saggers on 01580 241056. Want something different for your club or society? If your club or society would like the Budgerigar Society to display their birds at one of your meetings a request would be seriously considered. Contact Brian Mepham on 01424 429094. www.hastingsbudgerigarsociety.org. ‘Gardening with Flair’ by John Negus Wednesday 1 April 20:00 Sandhurst and District Horticultural Society welcomes John Negus to talk about ‘Gardening with Flair’. Guests welcome for £2. For more information contact Ros Maggs on 01580 850583. Venue: Old School Hall, Sandhurst.
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Dixter’s Tulips
By Fergus Garrett, CEO and Head Gardener of Great Dixter.
Tulips set spring ablaze with a kaleidoscope of colours from soft blush pinks to the most vivid reds, with flowers opening unashamedly wide to greet the sun, revealing hypnotic murky green centres and prominent male and female centres which are so attractive to bees on the wing. This year at Dixter we seem to have planted more tulips than ever. Some are old favourites like the tangerine-scented, orange lily flowered Ballerina, so elegant in its flower, flushed with wide brushstrokes of pink, the heads standing proud on slender stems held well above neat leaves. The High Garden will be full to the brim with Ballerina weaving in and out of the permanent perennials. Tulip Bleu Aimable is another beloved old timer, with a rich soft mauve flower and an electric blue centre. Planted on Lutyens’s circular steps amongst our own pale sky-blue forget-me-nots, this combination is sure to get people talking. Christo never favoured blue and mauve together – so the pressure is on. Tulip Black Jack is a deep purplish red, almost black, tulip that sits tall on sturdy stems. It is striking when mixed with white honesty and we have combined the two running through a section of the Peacock garden and augmented by bold plantings of the orange and yellow tulip, Beauty of Apeldoorn, and Shirley with its delicate cream which ages to pink. These will all sit amongst neatly clipped topiary birds, with purple flushed young foliage of Thalictrum Elin, the fresh green of emerging perennials and a sea of powder blue forget-me-nots. (See cover picture. Ed.) Large goblets of peachy yellow Daydream, the rich red lily flowers of Redshine, the satin burgundy of Merlot, the fresh white of Inzell, and rivers of China Pink with lily flowers of a mid bluish pink, all sitting above carpets of blue, white, and green. The green and cream streaked Spring Green, coffee coloured Cairo, and buff 8
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Images from top: Tulips in the Barn Garden; China Pink sitting above carpets of blue; Ballerina weaving in and out of perennials
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SATURDAY 16th MAY, 2015. *9.30am-5pm
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Species tulips are also at home here. Tulipa sprengeri is extinct in the wild but happy seeding itself amongst the fuchsias in the High Garden with its delicate red flowers rising above fresh green leaves in May. Tulip batalinii Bright Gem with its delicate sulphur yellow heads sits comfortable amongst self sown bunny tails (Lagurus ovatus) and Orlaya grandiflora in the Barn Garden. All in all there is much to see: from the overflowing tulip displays in terracotta pots, where we try new bulbs to judge height, colour and season, to the naturalised species tulips that look quite at home amongst their western counterparts, tulips are the most evocative flower breathing life into a waking spring garden just as paint brings life to an empty canvas. FIND OUT MORE
Great Dixter is open Tuesday to Sunday and Bank Holiday Mondays, 11am to 5pm. Great Dixter, Northiam, East Sussex TN31 6PH. Tel: 01797 252878. www.greatdixter.co.uk
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Some of these tulips will be left in the ground to see if they will remain perennial, coming back year after year. The plum coloured Negrita does just that, bulking up between border phloxes on the Long Border. Chunky pillar box red Apeldoorn is another stayer reliably lighting up a dull corner on the opposite side of the path. Bleu Aimable is another perennial, often streaking dramatically white and purple as old bulbs are infected with a virus.
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peach of Menton will all be jostling for room in Dixter’s burgeoning borders.
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Bleu Aimable and Forget-me-nots on the circular steps at Dixter
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ERIDGE PARK, ERIDGE GREEN, NR TUN. WELLS, TN3 9JT *9.30 am PREMIUM EARLY ENTRY TICKET £11 11.30 am STANDARD ENTRY TICKET £7.50. UNDER 18 FREE. BOOK AT WWW.CAROLINEZOOB.CO.UK
v DECORATIVELIVINGFAIR t DECLIVINGFAIR
The Decorative Living Fair The Decorative Living Fair was started ten years ago by Caroline Zoob and Hetty Purbrick and is now one of the most eagerly anticipated events in the vintage calendar. ‘People book their holidays around it’ says Caroline, an embroiderer and textile artist. ‘I think it is because we have kept it intimate, which means we can curate it carefully, choosing around 65 exhibitors (some of whom are Kent and Sussex based) selling a fabulous mix of decorative antiques, authentic brocante and collectables of the future, hand crafted by some of today’s best designer-makers, as well as jewellery and fashion. The result is a delicious mix of old and new. Exhibitors are chosen not only because they have beautiful stock, but for their stand presentation. ‘We want the fair to be a feast for the eye and show visitors how cleverly antique and vintage finds can be displayed in the home.’ The weather-proof fair (everything is under cover) is on a Saturday this year. ‘Eridge Park is such a lovely place for a day out, browsing, shopping exploring the beautiful garden and relaxing over lunch in the Blackbird Cafe or out on the lawns. Not to be missed.
www.facebook.com/decorativelivingfair
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Letters to the editor Dear Onion, I too agreed with your article Eat in January. But there’s another thing that annoys me in restaurants these days and that’s noisy children who are allowed to run around unchecked. Why do people with children seem to think that we all admire their noisy, badly behaved offspring as much as they clearly do? And, more to the point, why don’t restaurant owners do something about it?
so many interesting people who live around here. One that particularly sticks in my mind is the lady in Tenterden who was making costumes for The Metropolitan Opera in New York. How do you find out about these people? And who would have believed that there are 500 alpacas in Hawkhurst? Not me, that’s for sure. I thought I lived in a quiet backwater and now I find that far from alpacas in Hawkhurst there are 50 lions and tigers in Smarden of all places. What next? Keep up the discovery work.
S.J. Plater
Karen Mitchel
(I don’t think you are alone. See Sounding Off on page 6 Ed.)
Dear Editor,
Dear Editor, Penelope Goodare’s Sounding Off about bonfires (December Issue) and Nick Horton’s letter in January raise a good point. The summer’s coming and I wonder how many evenings will be spoiled by bonfire smoke again? Is there any chance that there could be an ONION no-smoking-bonfires campaign? E. Igglesden, Charing. [We have been asked to support several campaigns in the last year. Perhaps we could have a sort of Onion Portmanteau campaign which is against anything and for anything and we could just add to it every month. Personally I’d kick off with a ban on other people’s noise, whatever its source. So, we can start by being against noisy restaurant kids, against smoky bonfires, against other people’s noise, but I’d like us to be for independent booksellers. Let us know what you’d like to add. Ed.]
Thank you for your informative and interesting magazine. I have scoliosis of the spine and for over a year had been searching for a leather bag with inward facing fastening for security which could be worn on my back as it’s better for my posture. Reading your January issue of The Onion led me to the talented Brian Borrer whose artistry in leather you featured. Brian made me the most beautiful and comfortable leather bag and as the opening flap is against my back it lessens the chance of anyone dipping into my possessions. What hidden talent we have locally! Many thanks, Ann Chambers
Dear Onion, I was fascinated to read ‘The Life of Brian’ in the January Onion. Fancy having a cowboy living ‘just down the road’. The Onion has opened my eyes to 10 The Onion magazine
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Dear Onion, The Onion is indeed a welcome addition to the local information coming through our letterbox; interesting contents and very well presented. The Eat section is a good idea and, indeed, I cut them out and keep them for future reference. Reading through Nick Farley’s comment in a back issue I was appalled to read “we approached expecting the worst; expecting the worst is my default position when approaching any pub or restaurant that I haven’t visited before and usually I’m not disappointed; by which I mean that most pubs are grim or at best mediocre and restaurants rarely achieve even that dismal accolade.” Bearing in mind the cost of VAT and often staggering overheads, we have been impressed by the standard
April 2015
of food and service in many of our local eating places (and that’s after living in France for ten years). What about The Crown at Stone in Oxney, The Bull at Rolvenden, The West House in Biddenden, Lemon Grass in Rye and the Ozgur in Tenterden to name a few? Restaurants need our support and encouragement – although admittedly not all are deserving! It is interesting that in many of the best places the proprietors are very much in evidence – and Nick Farley might well agree with that. Mrs M Fawcus GET IN TOUCH
Do write to us, we’d love to hear from you either by letter or email. Letters Page, The Onion magazine, The Studio at Friars Cote Farm, Crockers Lane, Northiam, TN31 6PY or email carol@onionpublishing.co.uk.
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home of his widow, Ann; Ezra is only featuring here in the opening paragraph by way of an introduction to her story, and the story of their friend, Iain Kerr. Ann, as you might expect, is not without an abundance of musical talent herself, but her special talent lies in teaching music to children and, more importantly, in making classical music enjoyable and memorable for children. For forty years she and Ezra performed concerts for children all over the world; he conducting some of the world’s great orchestras while she narrated the stories which she had written specially to accompany the music in order to capture children’s interest and to develop in them an understanding of, and love for, classical music.
Bewitched by Nick Farley
The celebrated American conductor, pianist and composer, Ezra Rachlin, was a musical child prodigy who gave his first recital at the age of five and was playing the piano in concert at the Carnegie Hall, New York, at the age of 13 under the great conductor, Leopold Stokowski. Rachlin, of course, went on to become a great conductor himself, conducting many of the world’s best orchestras and, among countless other musical achievements, he became Chief Conductor of The Fort Worth Symphony and The Queensland Symphony orchestras, and in England he conducted The Hallé and The Philharmonia, and was awarded a gold disc for a recording which he made with the London Symphony Orchestra. His musical achievements are legion and would fill several books, but why, you may justifiably ask, am I talking about a famous American musician in The Onion? Well, American he may have been but Ezra Rachlin married an English woman and they lived in England from 1972 and, what’s more, they had a weekend retreat right here in downtown Icklesham, and that’s definitely Onion country. Furthermore, that ‘weekend’ cottage is now the permanent
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In 1986 Ann and Ezra gave a famous series of children’s concerts at the Barbican, Ezra conducting the LSO and Ann narrating the stories. It was Ann’s ability to engage with children and interest them in classical music that made her such a successful music teacher, and the list of her pupils is an eloquent confirmation of her teaching reputation: apart from Princes William and Harry, they include the sons, daughters and grandchildren of such diverse people as Yehudi Menuhin, Spike
Top left: Ann beside a picture of Ezra Above: Iain (right) and Roy Cowen on stage
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Milligan, Judi Dench, Julian Lloyd Webber, Peter O’Toole, Clement Freud, Bob Hoskins, Barry Humphries… you get the picture. Iain has known Ann and worked with her since 1978 when they met in Australia. He is an amazingly versatile musician and performer and there is nothing that he hasn’t done. He’s a pianist, an organist, a composer, an arranger, a conductor, in fact, a pretty much everythinger. He too was an infant prodigy and his first paid-for piano performance was on the radio in New Zealand at the age of four. Since that early start 77 years ago he has performed all around the world: he has made records; he’s a broadcaster; he has written for television, for the stage, for radio and for cabaret; he has accompanied some of the biggest stars including Sammy Davis Jnr and Howard Keel, and he has played for The Queen. But it was perhaps the ten years he spent with Roy Cowen touring their two man show ‘Gilbert and Sullivan go Kosher’ for which he is best known. (The recording of this and more of Iain’s work is still available on-line and is well worth listening to.) Kerr and Cowen were, and still are, the only two-man show to have played the Coliseum in London; they toured the UK three times; they toured South Africa and Australia, and it was in
Above: Some of Iain’s press cuttings
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Above: Iain at his Steinway
Australia in 1978 just as they were about to tour America, that Roy died of a heart attack. Yet it was because of this terrible tragedy that Iain met Ann and Ezra who were in Australia at the time. They all became firm friends and began not only a friendship but a working relationship which continues with Ann to this day. You would think that two people who have done so much in their lives would be calling it a day now that they are 81, but no, work goes on unabated. They are off to The Festival de Musique Classique de Dinard in August where Ann will be performing in front of 500 French schoolchildren, and will be doing it all in French, of course! Sitting in the ‘weekend’ cottage listening to Iain play on the Steinway and listening to these two talk about what they‘ve done and, more importantly, what they are still going to do, is a joy. Ann is still passionate about encouraging children to listen to and to enjoy good music and although she is no longer actively teaching, her Fun With Music™ CDs are all readily available and are a delight. On these CDs she narrates the stories which she has written of, say, a ballet while the ballet music is played by some of the very best orchestras and conductors in the world; for example, the story of Swan Lake is beautifully told by Ann while Tchaikovsky’s wonderful music is played by the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by André Previn. Alternatively, it may be Ann’s story of the life of one of The Onion magazine 13
and Ann has those handwritten memoirs which are the basis of her highly acclaimed book on Edith, Edy Was a Lady. Ann is still in demand to give talks about Edith Craig and Ellen Terry so it doesn’t seem as if there’s likely to be any let up in the future activity; indeed on April 14th she will be giving a talk on Ellen Terry at Rye Castle Museum and this will include some rare archive silent film clips of the great star which will be accompanied by Iain on the piano in true silent movie style. Above:Heckerty
the great composers told while his music is being played. I’ve been listening to Swan Lake and to Mozart’s story and it’s an experience that even this very old child really enjoyed, and one which he is looking forward to sharing with his granddaughter.
We spent an enormously enjoyable afternoon with Ann and Iain and were sorry to leave. As you can see, I hope, from this short article, there was an incredibly rich vein of stories and experiences to tap with two people who have led, and are still leading, such fascinating lives; perhaps we can return one day.
The other thing which amazed me, as a computer ham-fist, was the complete mastery which both Ann and Iain have of the latest techno-wizardry: I was urged to try the latest Heckerty app. Now I am not much of an ‘app’ sort of person myself and Heckerty, who is a witch, by the way, was even further out of my comfort zone, but Ann’s fingers were soon whizzing across the screen of her iPad in demonstration. Let me explain: not content with teaching children to listen to and to enjoy good music, Ann invented Heckerty to help children learn to read. Heckerty isn’t a very scary witch and you really need to see this app in action to appreciate what I mean. If you’ve got an iPad I’d do it right away. (See information panel.) But it doesn’t end there… Above: Smallhythe Place (Vernon Dunhill)
Ann’s latest book is neither musical nor for children; it’s about Edith Craig, the lesbian, illegitimate, suffragette daughter of another famous ‘local’ – the actress Dame Ellen Terry who lived at Winchelsea and later at Smallhythe Place, which is now a museum devoted to her, and is today owned by The National Trust. Edith travelled all over the world with her mother and knew many of the most famous and influential people of the day. She dictated her memoirs when Ellen Terry died in 1928 14 The Onion magazine
FIND OUT MORE
For more information about Ann, Iain and Heckerty go to: www.funwithmusic.com https://kerroy.com/ info@ryemuseum.co.uk https://heckerty.com/
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EXHIBITIONS … CONCERTS … FETES & FAIRS … CHARITY EVENTS ... THINGS TO DO
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‘Antarctic Explorer’ by Michael Smith Thursday 2 April 10:00 Polar exploration author, Michael Smith, will present a fascinating talk on the life and exploits of Sir Ernest Shackleton for the Hawkhurst U3A. The talk will be followed by coffee. Visitors will be made very welcome. Venue: British Legion Hall, High Street, Hawkhurst. The Great Eggcase Hunt, Rye Harbour Thursday 2 April 13:30 to 15:00 An Easter ‘egg’ hunt with a difference. Look for mermaids’ purses, these are the egg cases of sharks, skates and rays, plus other treasures washed up on the beach. Suitable for all ages. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Meet at Lime Kiln Cottage Information Centre, Rye Harbour. No booking necessary. Donations appreciated. www. sussexwildlifetrust.org.uk/whatson. The National Trust are organising Cadbury Easter Egg hunts and trails around Kent and East Sussex over Easter. Here are just some of the events: Bateman’s Daily until Sunday 12 April 10:00 to 16:00 Follow their spring bird Eggsplorer trail around the property. Find out how good you are at spotting nests and working out who laid the eggs? This sounds like a great way to discover more about garden birds, plus there’s a Cadbury Egghead at the end for those who complete the quest. Normal
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admission charges apply. Trails cost £2.50 per person. Scotney Castle Daily from Friday 3 April to Monday 6 April 10:00 to 17:00 Normal admission charges apply, trails £2.50 per person Sissinghurst Castle Daily from Friday 3 April to Monday 6 April 11:00 to 16:00 A Wind in the Willows themed Cadbury Easter Egg Trail. Follow Mole, Mr Toad and Ratty on an adventure around the wild woods. Plus giant games on the plain and wildlife bingo. Normal admission charges apply, trails £2.50 per person. Smallhythe Place Daily from Friday 3 April to Monday 6 April 11:00 to 16:00 Follow the white rabbit around the garden, find all the clues and work out the secret code at the end of the Cadbury Easter Egg Trail to claim a chocolate prize. Normal admission charges apply, trails £2.50 per person. Tenterden Museum Opens for the 2015 Season Good Friday 3 April As well as the continuing story of the people of Tenterden and surrounding district who were involved in the First World War, there is a brand new display showing pieces of 18th century wallpaper believed to be from Tenterden’s old theatre, together with details of its historical setting in Georgian Tenterden. For more information visit www.
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The Onion magazine 15
People in
GLASS HOUSES
By Nick Farley
In February, Jack Hebden, in his Onion gardening column, directed us all to The Walled Nursery in Hawkhurst and so we went there to meet Emma and Monty Davies who own it and to see the big greenhouses that so attracted Jack. It was a late February day when we were there, not the best time of year to see a nursery, and yet despite the relative lack of plant action at that time of year those beautiful old greenhouses looked magnificent in the winter sun. More about those greenhouses later. Note that this place is called a ‘nursery’: The Walled Nursery is decidedly not a garden centre. The difference – and it’s an important difference – is this: virtually everything sold at the nursery has been sown and grown or propagated and grown
16 The Onion magazine
on the nursery. They grow everything from perennials and bedding plants to vegetable plants and roses, and they are specialists in auriculas and scented leaf pelargoniums; you will also find relatively unusual plants such as Primula Florindae from Tibet, which is one of my all-time favourite garden plants. Garden centres these days are really garden supermarkets stocked by huge lorries backing up to the door and unloading thousands of plants which have all been grown at some central point. I am not knocking that at all, but it does mean that the offer from garden centre to garden centre is, like food supermarkets,
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becoming more and more uniform and they have a completely different and, to me, a less ‘planty’ atmosphere; they have become plant supermarkets. True nurseries, like Emma’s and Monty’s, are becoming rarer and that does matter because it’s in places such as these that we find specialist growers and unusual plants. We also find depth of knowledge: Monty and Emma both studied horticulture at Hadlow College and Emma went on to work at Great Dixter, Pashley Manor and Sissinghurst, and they both agreed that one day should The Walled Nursery ever come up for sale they would buy it. Five years ago it did come up for sale and they bought it. Now they work in a magical place with these huge brick and timber greenhouses sitting in an enormous walled garden that once provided the fruit, vegetables and flowers for the big house which is today St. Ronan’s School. Magical place it may be but it is very hard work when you are literally ‘making’ every plant you sell and also, in the case of Emma and Monty, looking after this wonderful site and its buildings. A site and buildings which you will see do take quite a bit of looking after. The reason that this place exists at all is thanks to the imagination of the Victorians but the reason that it takes so much looking after is also the fault of the Victorians. The Victorians were a clever lot and built some pretty impressive structures such as bridges, ships and great machines, but when it came to building greenhouses I’m afraid that their ambition ran away with them and ran ahead of the materials that were available to them. So it was that when they built their large and beautiful greenhouses they built the structures of wood. Wood rots when it gets wet and it gets wet if you don’t paint it every ten minutes. And large wooden structures which are mostly glass are obviously very difficult to paint, which means that wood that has been outside unpainted and getting soaked for the best part of 150 years can get very wet and quite rotten.
Images from top: Emma smiles through it all; 50 feet of cold frame; Roof detail Left: The pelargonium house
April 2015
This in turn explains why virtually all of the large and beautiful greenhouses which the Victorians and Edwardians built and which were once commonplace in the gardens of large country houses, have long since collapsed and disappeared. Fortunately a few, a tiny few, of these wonderful and important old greenhouses do survive but they are clinging to life by a thread and are dependent on dedicated owners like Emma and Monty. When they took it on they knew what they were doing and knew that they were facing a gargantuan task, but they were confident that they could handle it, indeed, they are still totally confident, but you do wonder why the world of officialdom seems so intent on making life difficult for adventurous and willing people like this who are putting their backs and their money in to saving our heritage. Make no mistake, these greenhouses in Hawkhurst are not just any old greenhouses, The Onion magazine 17
they are part of our heritage; they are listed buildings and we are all lucky that they have survived thus far and are now in the hands of people who really care about them. Yes, it’s Emma’s and Monty’s business but it’s also their passion. None of the greenhouses is in good shape; they all need huge amounts of money and time spent on them, but it is the vinery which is in need of most care. Emma and Monty have already sunk over £30,000 into restoring it but despite all this money and their hard work it lies in ruins following the gales of last autumn and the reason it lies in ruins is because officialdom says they must rebuild and repair it using the very material which has brought it to the verge of collapse in the first place – they must use wood. This is unrealistic and there is no point in doing this. Aluminium is what you need for this job, and we Elizabethans have invented aluminium glazing bars which look exactly like perfect Victorian wooden glazing bars but which don’t need painting and don’t rot. Aluminium is lighter, stronger, cheaper and will last for ever-ish. Hurrah, you cry; job done. But no – and this is the glorious bit, the supreme idiocy, the towering baroque lunacy of what passes
Stuart Kirk Freelance photographer
www.TenterdenPhotography.co.uk Telephone 01580 764899 18 The Onion magazine
Nemesias in bloom in one of the big greenhouses.
for government in this ridiculous world – Emma and Monty are not allowed to use the better, stronger material because the Council has got a ‘conservation’ rule book which says the wooden-ness of the building must be ‘conserved’. The original building was made of wood so it must continue to be made of wood in order to ‘conserve’ it. But if you think that’s mad, get this: in other places, such as Dyffryn and Fulham Palace, where similar greenhouses have actually collapsed they have been allowed to rebuild them using aluminium because they had already collapsed. Even more galling for Emma and Monty is that a greenhouse at Chiswick House, which is owned by English Heritage no less, has been allowed by English Heritage to be rebuilt in aluminium! (If ever a sentence warranted an exclamation mark, that was it.) However, if you are trying to prevent an existing but barely upright building from collapsing you must use wood thereby absolutely guaranteeing that it will eventually fall down because wood is simply not up to the job. In fact where wood has actually been used to rebuild greenhouses such as this it’s already rotting and failing after a few short years. You may have noticed that we don’t build wooden ships any more. Now, if you haven’t already slit your wrists and decided to end it all, faced with this ridiculousness, just sign Emma and Monty’s on-line petition and see if all of us together can get someone somewhere to see sense and let them save the vinery for all of us by using modern Elizabethan aluminium heavily disguised onionmagazine.co.uk
Then think about this next time we have a bit of snow: if the snow is four inches deep, the weight of that snow on the thin, rotting, wood glazing bars of the biggest greenhouse could be as much as 3½ tons. It was in the winter snow five years ago that Monty and Emma took on the four huge greenhouses, each one 50ft long plus a sunken melon house 110ft long; they also took on 52ft of double sided cold frames, a 130ft peach house and most significantly they took on a spectacular L-shaped vinery 140ft long; all of them in various states of advanced decay. Business started in February 2010 and despite all that the world has chucked at them since then, and it’s chucked quite a bit, they are still managing to conserve a smile. I wish them good luck. Auricula - speciality of the nursery.
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as Victorian wood. If the vinery was saved it would provide Monty and Emma with usable commercial space and consequent income which would enable them to ‘conserve’ the wooden structures of the big greenhouses, and it would also allow them to create some much needed local jobs.
Garden Machinery
Ernest Doe
Open Tuesday to Sunday and Bank Holidays On-line petition: www.change.org/p/tunbridge-wellsborough-council-allow-the-walled-nursery-to-rebuildtheir-vinery-glasshouse-using-powder-coated-aluminium Website: www.thewalledgarden.com Tel: 01580 752752 Water Lane, Hawkhurst, Kent TN18 5DH
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The Foundry, Hurst Green, Etchingham TN19 7QP Tel 01580 860495 hurstgreen@ernestdoe.com
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The Onion magazine 19
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EXHIBITIONS … CONCERTS … FETES & FAIRS … CHARITY EVENTS ... THINGS TO DO
tenterdenmuseum.co.uk, telephone 01580 764310 or email enquiries@tenterdenmuseum.co.uk. Table Sale at Winchelsea Beach Saturday 4 April 11:00 Tables are £6. Please telephone 01797 224820 if you would like to book a space. Entrance on the day is 40p and includes tea and biscuits. All are welcome and all proceeds will go to Winchelsea Beach Community Association. There will also be similar table sales in May and August and details will be announced in these pages nearer the time. Venue: Winchelsea Beach Community Hall, Sea Road, TN36 4NA. Cranbrook Union Windmill open Saturday 4 April and Easter Monday 6 April 14:30 to 17:00 Run and maintained by volunteers this is Britain’s tallest working Smock Mill. Wonderful for children of all ages with lots to see and to do. There is also the facility to sit and watch a video about this windmill if you don’t like heights (or stairs). It is open to the public Saturdays and Bank Holidays, plus Sundays in July and August. Entrance is free and donations are appreciated. www.unionmill.org.uk. Antique Maps and Prints Fair in Rye Saturday 4 April 10:00 to 16:00 Genuine, framed and unframed, decorative and topographical antique maps and prints, and some ephemera. Free admission. For more information telephone Patricia Wheeler on 01424 882153. Venue: Community Centre, Rye. Scent of Wisley, RHS Garden Wisley Daily from 4 April to 26 April Learn how to fill your house or greenhouse with scent and colour this spring. This display features large swathes of heavily scented Narcissus, Dianthus and other colourful flowering bulbs. Surprisingly, there will also be masses of Sweetpeas in full flower! www.rhs.org.uk/ gardenswhatson. Guided Tours of Winchelsea’s Medieval Cellars Saturday 4 April and Sunday 5 April 11:00 Winchelsea’s Friends of the Ancient Monuments and Museum are running tours from April to September – dates will appear in the Noticeboard section of The Onion in the appropriate months. The ones in April are on the 4th, 5th and 9th. Each tour takes in five of the cellars. All the money they raise goes towards the maintenance of Winchelsea’s ancient buildings. For bookings and more information contact Richard Feast at cellars@winchelsea.com or telephone 01797 222629. Cost £5 per person. Please note some cellars have difficult access. You are advised to take a torch and wear sensible shoes. Meet at the Town Well in Castle Street, Winchelsea 10 minutes before start time. Tours last about 1.5 hours. Rye Walkers Sunday 5 April 10:00 They are a small band who meet at Budgens car park in Rye 20 The Onion magazine
on the first Sunday of the month to do a short walk of about 5 miles, sometimes in the Rye area but often venture further afield to Lamberhurst, Bewl Water or Romney Marsh. The numbers of the group need boosting so if you fancy a walk with this group please contact Jan Weston on 01797 230877. As this month’s walk falls on Easter Sunday they’ve asked for you to ring first to double-check whether it’s planned to go ahead. Under Winchelsea – cellar tours Monday 6 April 14:00 Winchelsea has more than 50 medieval cellars and each year Winchelsea Archaeological Society (WAS) conducts tours. Find out why and how the cellars were built and learn something of the history of the Ancient Town and Cinque Port. Cost is £5 including a guidebook. All tours start at 2pm on Castle Street, TN36 4EL. Proceeds go to WAS to pay for new archaeology. Enquiries and reservations to 01797 224446 or tours@winchelsea.net. There are also tours in May, June, July, August, September and October which we will announce in the Noticeboard here each month. Jempson’s Charity Boot Fairs for 2015 Monday 6 April All the money that is raised from the sale of the pitches at the Peasmarsh superstore car park is donated to local charities. The dates and beneficiaries for this year are: 6 April (Rye Bonfire Society); 4 May (Rye & District Community Transport); 25 May (Rother Responders); 31 August (Rye Day Centre). For more information contact Dominic. Dominic@ jempsons.com. Telephone 01797 230214. Bodiam Castle Outlaw Academy Daily from Tuesday 7 April to Friday 10 April 11:00 to 16:00 Take part in a special outlaw academy. Learn how to live off the land and survive on the run from medieval justice. Normal admission charges apply. Tickets £6.50 per person (includes trail). Booking essential on 01580 831324. Minibeasts at Rye Harbour Wednesday 8 April 13:30 to 15:00 Take the family along to find out about the weird and wonderful world of minibeasts. Suitable for all ages. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Meet at Rye Harbour car park. Booking essential. £3 per child. www. sussexwildlifetrust.org.uk/whatson. ‘Inside the Palace of Westminster’ by Kevin Jordan Wednesday 8 April 14:30 A talk by Kevin Jordan for the Winchelsea Second Wednesday Society followed by a tasty homemade tea. Talks take place on the afternoon of the second Wednesday of each month (except August) at the New Hall, Winchelsea. Annual membership costs £10 plus £1 for each at each meeting. Non-Members are welcome at £4 for each talk and tea. Venue: New Hall, Winchelsea. For details contact Richard Feast on 01797 222629. Rockpool Ramble at Rye Harbour onionmagazine.co.uk
EXHIBITIONS … CONCERTS … FETES & FAIRS … CHARITY EVENTS ... THINGS TO DO
Thursday 9 April 10:00 to 11:30 Find out more about the wonderful marine life around here with an exploration of the rockpools on Pett Level Beach. You are urged to wear wellies or sturdy shoes suitable for paddling in the water. Suitable for accompanied children aged 4 to 12yrs. Meet alongside the Smuggler Inn on Pett Level Road, postcode TN35 4EH. Booking essential. £3 per child. For more information contact Lime Kiln Cottage Information Centre on 01797 227784 or email rhnroffice@sussexwt.org.uk or see the websites www. sussexwildlifetrust.org.uk/whatson or www.WildRye.info. ‘You Don’t Actually See What You Think You See’. A talk by Andrew Hills Thursday 9 April 19:30 Andrew Hills gives his talk for the Tenterden and District National Trust Association. Members £4, non-Members £5. Visitors welcome. Further information 01580 764791. Venue: Tenterden Junior School, Recreation Ground Road. ‘My Favourite Perennials’ talk by Ed Flint, and Spring Flower Show Thursday 9 April 19:30 Ewhurst, Staplecross and Bodiam Garden Society welcomes Ed Flint, the Head Gardener at Tidebrook Manor, to share what makes his favourite perennials special and also to share his top tips. They will also be staging their Spring Flower Show. Staging of exhibits at 7pm and the talk starts
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at 7.30pm. Non-members are welcomed. Cost £2. For more details telephone 01580 830551. Venue: Staplecross Village Hall. First Friday Networking Friday 10 April 13:00 to 14:30 Businesses of all sizes are welcome to go along to make connections, talk about your business and help each other. This is an informal and friendly event each month. There are no fees. Everyone is welcome, you just need to buy your own drinks and food. Contact Marian Child on 07912 344954 for more details. Venue: White Lion, 57 High Street, Tenterden TN30 6BD. ‘Saltwood Summer, the Orchid Foxglove’ by Susan Scrivens in Tenterden Friday 10 April 14:30 This talk by Susan Scrivens for the Weald U3A is described as ‘only once in a lifetime does a plant so different occur’. £3 entry for non-Members. For more information on the Weald U3A visit www.u3asites.org.uk/weald or contact Roger Berman on 01233 850859 or email rogroger@ tiscali.co.uk. Venue: The Zion Baptist Church, High Street, Tenterden, TN30 6BB. Pop-up Opera - Mozart’s comic opera ‘Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail’ in Canterbury Friday 10 April 19:30
The Onion magazine 21
APRIL GARDENING By Jack Hebden It’s Easter and the traditional start to the gardening year. I know that many of you will have been busy for a couple of months already and I know that gardening is an all year round occupation, but spring for me is the start of the cycle and the long Easter weekend usually sees a flurry of activity. This past winter has seemed particularly gloomy and wet and I’m glad to see the back of it. My lawns look worse than I have ever seen them after a winter. Moss invasion, which is always a problem in my damp, clay garden, has been particularly bad this year and I have also suffered a lot of badger damage this winter too. They dig little holes about four inches deep all over the lawn and I haven’t found a satisfactory way of stopping them. If anyone knows of a good way of deterring badgers I think there are a lot of us who would be glad to hear about it. Badgers have also dug up and destroyed perhaps half of the new tulip bulbs I planted last autumn. They are not my favourite animals at the moment. Now is the time to right the winter lawn problems by applying moss-killer to the grass and by filling the holes and any other undulations or spots of lawn damage and reseeding them. The moss will go black when it dies and you will easily see the bits of the lawn you missed, but don’t be too vigorous when you rake the dead moss out because you will open up the ground and let weeds get established. After applying moss killer, a more positive act is to feed the grass by applying a nitrogen rich fertiliser to encourage it to grow and to re-colonise the areas that
The badgers have ensured that my lawn doesn’t look like this! 22 The Onion magazine
the moss has commandeered. Nitrogen is the food which all plants need in order to make green growth and it is also the food which is most likely to be in short supply at this time of year because it will have leached out of the soil in the past very wet winter. This is also the time of year when weeds in the lawn will multiply quickly if we get a couple of days of warm weather allied to moist soil. Daisies have had an easy time this past mild winter and have been growing virtually unchecked all the time. Now is the time to deal with them: apply a good lawn weedkiller and get stuck into them early. Daisies unchecked can very quickly take over a lawn. Don’t let it happen to yours. Good lawn care now will be repaid in the coming months. Spring is the time of year which we think of as bulb time in the garden (See Fergus Garrett page 8) but it is not only a good time to admire flowering bulbs it is also a good time to plant them too. If you are like me, you find that when you are planting bulbs in the autumn you invariably choose exactly the spot where there are already dormant bulbs which you then disturb and damage. If you plant now you can avoid that problem to some extent. I am definitely not advising you to do your main bulb planting at this time of year; that should still be done in the autumn, but now is a good time to transplant bulbs and also, surprisingly, to plant new ones. The advantage of doing this now is that you can see exactly where to put them because the foliage is still very much in evidence and you will not risk planting in the wrong place and damaging dormant bulbs. I always seem to find a need to transplant some bulbs which I have put in the wrong place. This wrong positioning only becomes apparent when they are in flower and when you can see what needs to be done. Transplant when the flowering has finished and dig up the clumps of bulbs with a good ball of soil attached so that you are not really disturbing them at all. Plant them immediately and give them a good watering of liquid fertiliser and they won’t know that they’ve been moved. Also transplant into the garden any bulbs that you have had growing in tubs; do this as soon as they have finished flowering. Once again plant them with a good soil ball and put them in the gaps which are obvious at this time of year. Don’t leave it until the autumn. I know that it seems unlikely but new spring bulbs are available at this time year and they are usually cheap. Obviously you won’t find new dry bulbs now but onionmagazine.co.uk
what you will crammed into a see in garden small pot so make centres, florists sure that you and some separate them supermarkets carefully and give are the leftthem plenty of over pots of feed when you bulbs which plant them in the have flowered garden. and which, therefore, Finally, I assume they can no that you have longer sell in already pruned flower. These your roses and pots of bulbs they should now Planting at this time of year you can see where the gaps are are useless to be making strong the retailer but they are valuable to us and you can growth. Give them a good feed now and also an early sometimes find them being ‘cleared’ at very low prices. spray against blackspot at the end of the month. I Over the years I have added many bulbs to my garden know that they won’t have much foliage yet but I find in this way. It’s particularly easy to find small daffodils an early spray is worthwhile. Blackspot seems to be such as Tête a Tête and Jetfire as well as crocuses and more of a problem than it used to be, or is that my tulips. Daffodils and crocuses are a particularly good imagination? PIanting, spraying, weeding, whatever buy because they will last for years in your garden. you are doing I hope you have a good gardening Easter Some of the tulips will too, but not all – tulips are like and that your mower started first pull after its winter that. These bulbs will have been grown with several lay-up.
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The Onion magazine 23
EXHIBITIONS … CONCERTS … FETES & FAIRS … CHARITY EVENTS ... THINGS TO DO
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This opera is about a hero, Belmonte, and his servant, Pedrillo, attempting to rescue their lovers Konstanze and Blonde from an Ottoman harem. Performed in its original language with intimate use of props, story-telling and interaction. Runs for 2 hours plus an interval. Cost £20 (£10 concession under 18s). www.popupopera.co.uk, Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/popupopera. Venue: Preston Court, Canterbury CT3 1DH. Also in Ditchling on 25th April. Jumble Sale in Rye Saturday 11 April 11:30 to 14:30 Rye & District Day Centre is hosting this jumble sale, including tea and cakes at Magdala House, Ferry Road, Rye. Local Geology and Fossils – part 1 Saturday 11 April 14:30 Local geologist Ken Brooks will give an introductory talk about geological interest in the area, followed by a walk (the following week, Saturday 18 April) to see some examples. Only those attending on the 11th will be able to go on the 18th, so don’t miss out. Meet at Winchelsea Beach Community Hall. No booking necessary. Donations appreciated. For more information contact Lime Kiln Cottage Information Centre on 01797 227784 or email rhnroffice@sussexwt.org.uk or see the websites www. sussexwildlifetrust.org.uk/whatson or www.WildRye.info. Beginners Bird Watching, Rye Harbour
Sunday 12 April 10:00 to 13:00 Find out how to distinguish between terns and gulls, wildfowl and waders, and how to spot the differences between those elusive birds of prey. Binoculars can be borrowed on the day. Meet at Rye Harbour car park. No booking necessary. Donations appreciated. For more information contact Lime Kiln Cottage Information Centre on 01797 227784 or email rhnroffice@sussexwt.org.uk or see the websites www.sussexwildlifetrust.org.uk/whatson or www.WildRye.info. ‘Ellen Terry, Star of the Silver Screen’ by Ann Rachlin Tuesday 14 April 19:30 Ann will talk about Ellen Terry’s life and work which has been rather forgotten. She will include excerpts from some of Ellen’s films. Ann is an amazing storyteller – see the article on her and Iain Kerr on page 12. Rye Museum Members £2, £3 non-Members. Refreshments will be available at approximately 8.45pm. Venue: East Street Museum, Rye. Spring Walk at Ightham Mote Wednesday 15 April 10:30 to 12:30 Join a free spring walk around the estate of Ightham Mote, spotting bluebells as you go. The ancient woodland at Ightham Mote is home to around 15 acres carpeted in the stunning blue of spring. The walk sets off from the visitor reception. Normal admission charges apply. Booking is essential on 01732 810378, extension 100. Ightham Mote, Mote Road, Sevenoaks, Kent TN15 0NT.
Think you can’t sing, but secretly sing in the bathroom or have you always been told you can’t sing but really enjoy it? Come along to The Tuesdays of Tenterden. We are a friendly and enthusiastic singing group. All ages and abilities welcome and there are NO AUDITIONS. Learn to sing, gain confidence and have fun.
For more information contact Helen Walsh on 07475 103230 or email hlnwlsh@gmail.com. We are a very friendly, informal and social group who just love to sing. 24 The Onion magazine
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Go walking with the Northiam Footpath Group Wednesday 15 April 09:00 Leaving Northiam Surgery car park at 9am for a 10am start from Ruckinge. This is a 6-mile circular walk with a pub lunch en route. All welcome. Further details from Sue Clark on 01797 253428 or www.northiamfootpathgroup.co.uk
Trust properties and their stories. She will be telling about the interesting life of Mrs Greville and how Polesden Lacey became ‘the place’ to be invited to. This is a talk for the Rye & District National Trust Association. For more information contact Marion Brunt on 01424 883566 or email marionbrunt@btinternet.com. Venue: Brede Village Hall.
‘Digital Photography’ at the Weald of Kent Computer Club Wednesday 15 April 19:30 If you would like to know more about organising and simple editing of pictures using Picasa now is the time to go along. They will also be taking a look at what other software is available. Annual membership costs £10 and covers free admission to all 10 meetings. Non members are always welcome with a £2 admission fee. Enquiries to secretarywkcc@yahoo.co.uk. Venue: Biddenden New Village Hall.
‘WW1 Monuments in London’ by Tim Kidd for Tenterden U3A Thursday 16 April 14:00 There is a monthly meeting with a guest speaker on the third Thursday of each month at St Mildred’s Hall, Church Road, Tenterden at 2pm. Members and guests welcome. Details of speakers can be found at www.tenterdentown/u3a.
Jumble Sale in Robertsbridge Saturday 15 April 10:00 to 12:00 Lots of bargains and nearly new items at the Robertsbridge WI jumble sale. Entry is 50p. For more information call 01580 882004. ‘Mrs Ronald Greville and Polesden Lacey’ by Heather Woodward Thursday 16 April 14:00 Heather is an historian with a particular interest in National
‘Wind in the Willows’ presented by Cranbrook Operatic and Dramatic Society Thursday 16 April to Saturday 18 April 19:30, plus Saturday matinee at 14:30 Script by Alan Bennett and music by Jeremy Sams. This ingenious adaptation of the classic children’s novel created a sensation at the National Theatre of Great Britain. Here are Badger, Rat, Mole and Toad of Toad Hall in the familiar tale with a contemporary slant. Tickets from www.ticketsource. co.uk or from Ubertogs in Cranbrook High Street. Venue: Queen’s Hall Theatre, Cranbrook. National Open Gardens Day at all RHS Gardens
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The Onion magazine 25
EAT BY NICK FARLEY
The Standard Inn at Rye As you might know from previous Eat reviews my default position when walking into a place which is new to me is to expect the worst (see readers’ letters page 11)and usually that’s what I get, which is what makes it doubly joyful when I walk into a new place and I know from the moment I open the door that I have struck gold. The Standard in Rye is such a place. We dropped in a few weeks ago for a quick coffee one morning when we were in a rush but we knew that we had to return and eat at leisure. The Standard is one of those place that welcomes you as you enter; I don’t mean that someone is standing there welcoming you, I mean the place itself says welcome; you instantly feel as if you belong. There’s none of that awful gastro-pub pretence which is all too common these days; this is a comfortable, down to earth place, a place to eat, drink and relax. So that’s what we did. It was a Saturday lunchtime and the place was buzzing with a mixture of people, some drinking at the bar, some eating meals and some eating snacks and reading the thoughtfully provided newspapers. Providing newspapers is always a good sign I think. It’s the sign of a place that’s expecting you to stay. From the moment of ordering drinks and food at the bar the tone was set: the service was cheerful and helpful, and my Coke was from a bottle not from one of those ghastly hoses. That may seem an insignificant thing to you but I promise you it is important if you drink Coke. The Ed believes that the test of a place is how good their burgers are and accordingly she ordered the Standard Sussex Beef and Chorizo burger. I went for the chicken and mushroom and tarragon pie with mash and broccoli. The food quickly arrived and was very good. The Ed disappeared behind the biggest burger I have ever seen and eventually re-emerged some time later cooing with delight. The burger had clearly passed the test. My chicken pie too would have won a chicken
pie contest - so far so good. For puds we chose a treacle tart and a sticky date, bread and butter pudding. Carol regards herself as something of an expert on treacle tarts and I have watched her build up her CV in this specialised field over many years, so her opinion on The Standard’s effort was keenly awaited – it was, apparently, among the best ever. That, in effect, is the treacle tart equivalent of a Michelin star. The bread and butter pudding with home-made custard was also right out of the top drawer; if it had the merest frisson of a fault it was that there was not quite enough of the delicious custard. I know that it goes without saying that we finished with coffee but in this case it shouldn’t go without mention because the coffee was excellent and we weren’t subjected to that ludicrous Americano? Latte? charade which these days usually precedes the serving of the most ordinary coffee. The wine list looked interesting and reasonably priced although we drank very little – a glass of rosé, two Cokes and the coffees – and our meal cost £40 including a generous tip. That is extraordinary value for excellent food, well served in a comfortable and relaxing atmosphere. It was quite the best couple of hours we have spent in a pub/restaurant for a very long time indeed, and I bet if you had been able to ask anyone else in there that day they would have agreed. Highly recommended.
The Standard Inn The Mint Rye TN31 7EN Tel: 01797 225231 www.thestandardinnrye.co.uk 26 The Onion magazine
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Friday 17 April All over the country RHS gardens will be open to the public for free. www.nationalgardeningweek.org.uk The Fibonacci Sequence Concert in Beckley Friday 17 April 19:30 The Fibonacci Sequence (violins and viola) play music by Prokofiev, Bartok, Dohnanyi, Dvorak, Mozart in the fourth concert in the Brickwall Music and Arts Society Concert season. ‘...no praise can be too high for the Fibonacci Sequence’s polished and dashingly committed performances...’ says Gramophone magazine. Anyone who would like to join the Society or wants to buy tickets for individual concerts should contact the Membership Secretary on 01797 225822. Venue: Beckley Village Centre. Accessories Fair at the Rare Breeds Centre, Woodchurch Saturday 18 April 10:00 to 16:00 This is the place to go for new, original, vintage and preloved hats, scarves, bags, belts, gloves and jewellery. All proceeds go to COT. Admission £1 (children and husbands FREE). For details telephone 01233 732684. Venue: Falcons Conference Centre, Rare Breeds Centre, Woodchurch, TN26 3RJ. Heffle Cuckoo Fair Saturday 18 April 11:00 to 16:00 Dame Heffles Procession starts at Heathfield Community
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College and makes its way to the Recreation Ground in Cade Street, Old Heathfield. There will be something for all the family with entertainment, sideshows and stalls, rural crafts, vintage vehicles and of course refreshments. Free entry. Park and ride from the Market car park. All proceeds to Demelza Hospice Care for Children. Local Geology and Fossils – part 2 Saturday 18 April 14:00 This is a ticketed event for those who attended on April 11. Those who went to the talk by geologist Ken Brooks are invited to accompany him on a fossil walk to Fairlight. Meet alongside the Smuggler Inn on Pett Level Road, TN35 4EH. Tickets only. Donations appreciated. For more information contact Lime Kiln Cottage Information Centre on 01797 227784 or email rhnroffice@sussexwt.org.uk or see the websites www.sussexwildlifetrust.org.uk/whatson or www.WildRye.info. Spring Flower and Produce Show, Iden Saturday 18 April 14:30 There will be teas and a plant stall. All are welcome. Hosted by the Iden and Playden Garden Society. For more information contact Morris Metcalf on 01797 280205. Wooden Horse Race Night Saturday 18 April 19:00 for 19:30 start The Rotary Club of Cranbrook and Hawkhurst are holding
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THE GARDEN PALETTE Choose a colour theme – from pure white to hot red – and transform your garden into a showstopper this summer. By Sarah Giles, Editor The Garden Design Journal Colour is key to a beautiful garden, and whether you choose one colour theme for the whole garden, or restrict it to individual borders or even single patio pots and containers, a bit of forward planning will almost always end in a better result than simply adding plants in a mish-mash as the mood takes you. The key to making a colour theme work is to be very strict about it: if you allow any borderline colours to creep in, they’ll detract from the impact. Be ruthless, and if any plant doesn’t quite measure up when it
comes into flower, despatch it immediately to another part of the garden, or to a friend! Whiter than white Vita Sackville-West’s White Garden at Sissinghurst is one of the most famous gardens in the world, and it’s easy to see why it still attracts thousands of visitors every year – there’s a tranquillity about the combination of pure white flowers and lush green foliage that is hard to beat. The key feature of a white planting scheme is the way that light is reflected, making it ideal for shady areas that might otherwise appear gloomy. Use single, stately flowers like white foxgloves, or a combination of flowers with a solid silhouette, such as stately white tulips, perhaps, with the ‘misty’ effect created by the tiny flower-head clusters of cow parsley. But be careful to juxtapose the same kind of whites – few flowers are pure white, and often have tinges of pink, pale blue or green which can look odd if they are placed close together.
Left: The White Garden at Sissinghurst (Penny Tweedie, National Trust) Below: White flowers lighting a shady corner Above right: Purple haze Right: Cool pink peonies at Sissinghurst
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Purple haze From palest violet, through mauve, lilac and lavender to deepest purple, a garden filled with flowers from this part of the colour spectrum can feel wonderfully mysterious. To bees and other insects, however, there’s no mystery about it – they are instantly attracted to purple flowers, so if you want to fill your garden with the evocative summer sound of buzzing, go for a purple haze. Because purple tends to recede in the garden, it’s ideally suited to being planted en masse. A bed filled with a swathe of dark geraniums (that’s the true geranium, the cranesbill, not the zonal pelargoniums which are also known as ‘geraniums’) and delphiniums, for example, with deep purple pansies at their base, looks stunning. Keep it well away from other strong colours for maximum effect. Planted with paler colours, like pinks and pale blues, purple can also make a strong
statement, and pale purples work beautifully with powder blue flowers, serving to intensify their blue. Irises are great in a purple border, and work with either one colour massed together, or planted in a mixture of purple shades from pale to dark. But the best flower of all has to be lavender: nothing can beat it for a truly romantic look and, again, it looks fantastic planted in a swathe of one variety or as a mixture of dark and light shades. Pretty Pinks Nothing sums up the start of an English summer better than a garden filled with shades of pink. Ranging from bright magenta through to the palest blush of pink, it’s a surprisingly wide-ranging colour. What’s more, the colour will often change according to the light and the time of day, and as the flower matures from bud to full bloom. Pinks can be divided into two main kinds - cool and warm - and the two are best kept apart. Cool pinks, which have a hint of blue in them, are good on their own in shades from shell pink to shocking magenta, and also work well with violet and lilac flowers, whereas warm pinks, which have a hint of yellow or peach to them, don’t work so well alone and are best teamed with pale yellow. In fact, nature often takes
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A ‘hot’ border
care of this herself, combining yellow and pink in honeysuckle flowers, for example. Hot colours These often work best in a separate, enclosed area of the garden where they can be discovered unexpectedly, adding to the startling effect - something that Fergus Garrett and his team regularly do at Great Dixter to breathtaking effect. There is nothing restful about a hot colour garden or border, but that is the whole point: the clash of colours is deliberately designed to surprise.
Foliage is important in a scheme dominated by clashing colours, helping to tone them down a little and hold them together. The red foliage of Dahlia ‘Bishop of Llandaff’ and of red-leaved acers and berberis work very well, as does the soft foliage of bronze fennel. If you think that the red leaves are making your scheme feel a little too dark, try adding some golden grasses. Plan your hot colour scheme carefully so that you have concentrated ‘pockets’ of red flowers and of orange flowers, and intersperse them with larger drifts of yellow, then sprinkle in some dark pink, and enjoy the reaction of anyone who visits your garden.
THE WALLED NURSERY Where you can buy a wide range of perennials, shrubs, roses, vegetable and bedding plants. We propagate and grow our plants on site Open Tuesday to Sunday from 9am to 5.30pm
BEAUTIFUL PLANTS IN A BEAUTIFUL SETTING THE WALLED NURSERY ST RONAN’S SCHOOL WATER LANE HAWKHURST TN18 5DH 01580 752 752 www.thewallednursery.com
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Explore our exciting range of high quality,
onionmagazine.co.uk home-grown plants in our beautiful surroundings Bedding, Perennials, Shrubs,Vegetables and Roses Cafe in the Vinery
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their fun, pull-along Race Night. Tote, bar and fish & chip supper. Tickets £10. Take your friends along and have fun. For more information email jbcraig@talktalk.net. Venue: Vestry Hall, Cranbrook. Ladies who Latte, Cranbrook Tuesday 21 April 10:00 to 12:00 This is a very friendly and helpful group of self-employed and business women who meet on the third Tuesday of every month. If you’d like to find out more or go along please contact Gill Buchanan at words@gillbuchanan.co.uk for more details. Venue for the April meeting is at the Queens Inn, Hawkhurst. ‘Bluebells, Buttercups and Beasts’ by Don Wilks, in Biddenden Wednesday 22 April 19:15 for 19:30 start Don Wilks will be giving a talk on ‘Bluebells, Buttercups and Beasts’ for the Biddenden Horticultural Society who will also be holding their annual plant swap (anything growing). Just take along a plant and take home a different one. Contact Irene on 01580 291777 or Lesley on 01580 291931. Members £1.50, non-Members £2.50. Annual membership is £5. New members are welcome. TODS presents ‘The House of Bernarda Alba’ in Tenterden Thursday 23 April to Saturday 25 April 19:30 This is TODS Kent Drama Association 2015 Festival Entry.
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A powerful drama of women in the villages of Spain by the renowned Federico Garcia Lorca. Tickets £10 and £9 (concessions U18s £8 and £7) from www.tods.me.uk or Smiths, 16 High Street, Tenterden. Venue: Tenterden Town Hall. A Highland Fling at Jerwood Gallery Friday 24 April 18:30 to 20:30 Join Rebecca Dunphy, a globe-trotting wine and whisky expert and learn how to sniff out a blend from a single malt, and a Speyside from an Islay. There will also be an opportunity to taste a variety of artisan British cheeses whilst surrounded by works from the Fleming Collection that will be on display. Cost £30 per person and you must be over 18 to attend this event. Booking is essential as places are limited. To book please call 01424 728377 during gallery opening hours. The Jerwood Gallery, Rock-a-Nore Road, Hastings. www.jerwoodgallery.org. ‘Storm in a Teacup’ created by Hot Coals Theatre Group Friday 24 April 19:30 Inspired by Chekhov’s Three Sisters this darkly comic piece gives insight into the quirky world of three sisters in their 80s as they fight the system to keep their independence. This production by alumni of RADA’s experimental post-grad MA theatre lab shares its story through music, clowning and physical comedy and theatre. Presented by Robertsbridge Arts Partnership. Tickets £9 and £6 (under 16s) from Judges
Merriments stunning garden… opens daily for the season again on the 1st April, 10am-5pm (Sundays from 10.30am). Our hidden gem is a rich tapestry of colour, texture and scent. Spring Spectacular 11th April – 10th May Wonderful colour-themed displays of thousands of tulips and a patchwork of soft colours in the Spring Garden.
Muck Boots available from Swaines Tenterden in a range of colours 01580 763166 www.swaines.co.uk
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Spring Food Fair- Saturday 25th April 10.30 – 4pm See and taste the best of local food and drink. Hawkhurst Road, Hurst Green, E.Sussex TN19 7RA
www.merriments.co.uk 01580 860666
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A GOOD Book
In this column we feature books that we, and our reviewers, like. They may not necessarily be new books, but they’ll be fiction and non-fiction books that we have enjoyed. We’ll always include at least one children’s book in the selection each time. We’d love to hear your thoughts on anything you feel we should be reading and sharing with others.
Pocket Guide to Balsam Bashing
and how to tackle other invasive non-native species By Theo Pike Published by Merlin Unwin Books £7.99 stiff, flexible cover
Bashing balsam may not be high on your agenda even if you knew what balsam was and why it needed bashing in the first place, so the chances of your wanting to read a book about it are probably remote, but bear with me for a minute: the balsam in question here is the Himalayan Balsam which was imported into Kew Gardens in the middle of the 19th century and which has since spread to cover the whole of the United Kingdom and Ireland. The problem is that it is doing a lot of damage to native plant and animal species and it needs controlling. Now clearly this isn’t a book just about controlling Himalayan Balsam – that wouldn’t sell many copies; Balsam is the totem for all of the ‘invasive non-native species’, and there are a lot of them, which are doing damage to the native plants and animals in our countryside. Do not dismiss this book as another tree-hugging diatribe; it is a useful and fascinating pocketbook listing 32 The Onion magazine
39 plants and animals which, in one way or another, are damaging our native species. Some of them, like rabbits, grey squirrels and rhododendron Ponticum, we have come to accept as belonging here, I think, even if we acknowledge that they do untold damage. We know that rabbits and grey squirrels are technically ‘invaders’ from abroad but the animal tales we all grew up with have endeared them to us and in any case they are so entrenched that getting rid of them would be impossible. (The awful myxomatosis virus which was introduced to kill rabbits back in the 1950s killed an estimated 98% of the population, but they survived and prospered again.) However, there are some other pretty serious plant and animal invaders which we should try to prevent from increasing their hold on our countryside, and this excellent little book describes them simply, clearly and undramatically. Each invader has a double page to itself in which its origins are explained, the problems it causes are described and how you can deal with it should you need to. Some of these things are an expensive nuisance, like the notorious Japanese Knotweed which takes over great tracts of land and stifles the life out of every other plant, but some are downright dangerous and poisonous, like the Giant Hogweed and Ragweed. If you are a country lover, a walker, or you just like living in the country you’ll
find this little book fascinating and useful. Reviewed by Nick Farley
The Assassin’s Cloak – an anthology of the world’s greatest diarists Compiled and edited by Irene and Alan Taylor Published by Canongate £14.99 paperback
“A diary is an Assassin’s Cloak we use when we stab a colleague in the back“, wrote Scottish poet, William Soutar, which I suppose is why the published diaries of the famous, particularly the diaries of politicians, are so popular: we are all hoping that famous person ‘A’ is going to dish the dirt on famous colleague ’B’. The Assassin’s Cloak, therefore, seems the perfect title for this anthology of diary entries from many well known and lesser diarists of the last few hundred years. However, not all diarists are trying to ‘shop’ those with whom they worked or whom they don’t like. Most are simply recording their private thoughts and comments about the events which affect them from day to day. Some of those ‘events’ are World Wars and some are no more than Lord Longford onionmagazine.co.uk
wondering how he’ll cope with life while his wife is on holiday. Initially the idea of reading just snippets from umpteen different diaries, many written by people I knew nothing or very little about, had no appeal and this book lay neglected for some time. Eventually, however, I started to read it and found that I couldn’t put it down. Not only was it a pleasure to read, I learnt so much about the diarists, their times and the subjects for which they are renowned. This is the perfect bedtime book: you can read the shortest extract or you can read it for hours. You don’t have to remember from night to night what you read last night; you don’t have to remind yourself who the characters are; you just read each self-contained entry for what it is, and you can read as many or as few as your bedtime concentration allows. The editors, Irene and Alan Taylor, have done a brilliant job in choosing the entries and an equally brilliant job in laying out the book. It is in fact arranged by date; March 31st, for example, is rich with entries by Alistair Maclean having his stomach turned by “… all this tartanry, this obscene and irrelevant clutter of sporrans and gew gaws!”, and by Alan Bennett’s wonderful account of a confirmation conducted by a Bishop who gets himself entangled in his microphone cable as he confirms the “Kims and Beckys and Trevs”. Bennett thinks “It’s a good job God doesn’t have a name otherwise we’d probably be calling him Dave.” Only one diary day later, but many years earlier, April 1st 1941, the actress Joan Wyndham admits to doing something April 2015
“completely beyond the pale” with a candle from the altar…. I’ve already read this book twice and am confident that I shall read it again and again in the years to come. Reviewed by Nick Farley
Creaturepedia By Adrienne Barman Published by Wide Eyed Editions www.wideeyededitions.com Hardback. £14.99 For children of all ages
The explanation in the book says that Creaturepedia “celebrates the amazing array of animals that grace our planet. Sadly, some are now under threat, some are already extinct (and one or two may never have existed in the first place!)”. This book with its amusing, witty and beautiful illustrations shows the biggest, brainiest, the hardest to find, and the most beautiful of them all. I can’t possibly list all the different categories as that would be incredibly tedious to read, but here’s a selection: the show-offs, the champion breath-holders, the brainboxes, the unlucky, the prickly ones … I hope this gives you a feel for the tone of the book. And it is educational. I have learned about the Snouter, a mammal which uses its nose for everything from jumping to fishing … or does it? And the Etruscan shrew which is a tiny mammal weighing just 1.8 grams. I so enjoyed looking at this, it’s a really lovely book.
Barnett’s of Wadhurst is a bookshop with a difference. “We really listen to what our customers say” It is a very friendly, personal service at Barnett’s. With a great understanding of books, and people, we have been successfully recommending books for our customers for many years. When an item needs to be ordered we can usually get it for the next day. Why not come and visit our newly upgraded, extensive and thoughtfully selected children’s department. Open: Mon-Sat 9-5 (Closed 1-2) Wednesday 9-1 only Gordon House High Street Wadhurst E. Sussex TN5 6AA Tel/Fax: 01892 783566 Enquiries@barnettsbooks.com www.barnettsbooks.com Proprietor: Richard Hardy Smith
Reviewed by Jessica Harding The Onion magazine 33
Blackboys and Waldron From Blackboys village this generally undemanding ramble follows the waymarked Wealdway long-distance footpath across gently undulating farmland to the quiet hamlet of Waldron where you can find rest and refreshment at the Star Inn. The return walk passes through Kiln Wood, a precious remnant of ancient woodland in the care of the Woodland Trust. GPS waypoints appear in the text. Blackboys is located in quiet rural countryside between the Ashdown Forest and the South Downs and its unusual name is thought to be associated with the charcoal-burning industry. It may have derived from the colour of the charcoal burners when they emerged from the woods, but the more likely explanation is that the name means Black Wood, from the soot deposited in the woods by the charcoal. Most of the charcoal probably went to the Buxted Foundry, where the first iron cannon in England was made in 1543. Charcoal burning declined in the 1800s when the iron industry moved north to the Midlands with its large deposits of coal. The walk (TQ 521 208) Go through the gate at the top of the car park and walk through the allotments, bearing right at the junction of paths to reach a track. Turn left then right in a few paces to follow a fenced path through fields. Beyond a line of holly trees, head downhill towards woodland to a track and turn right. In 50 yds, follow the Wealdway left through a squeezestile and along the line of telegraph poles through a clearing to a stile. Follow the fenced path beside a vineyard and continue along a track to reach the B2102. Cross over, turn right along the pavement and then left, following the Wealdway marker along the right-hand field edge to a stile beside a cottage. Turn left along the road and go through the gate on the right in 100 yds (TQ 516 203). Walk down the left-hand field edge to a stile in the corner and bear right along a grasscentred track towards Newplace Farm. Join the concrete track between the house and farm buildings, follow it left and walk down the drive to the road. Turn left then go through the gate on the left, following the left-hand edge of the field ahead. Where the hedge ends strike out across the open field, passing close to a belt of trees on your right. Maintain direction to a gate and a road. Turn left, then right along
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Bushbury Lane, signed to Waldron. Cross a stile on the right to the left of Oak Tree Lodge (TQ 518 191) and head diagonally across the field to a stile and follow the same line to a further stile. Drop down through a copse, cross a plank bridge and a stile and turn left, leaving the Wealdway, to climb a stile in the hedge. Follow the same line across a succession of fields and stiles, passing in front of a house to cross a stile in the field corner. Turn left along the road to a T-junction, enter the field opposite and bear half right across the field corner to a gate beside woodland. Walk down the field edge to a road and turn left. In
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100 yds take the waymarked track right into a field. Turn left, keep left in the next field and then turn right along the field edge in the third field, soon to bear off left towards a waymarker to cross a plank bridge and stile. Continue up the field ahead to a road (TQ 537 184). Turn left then right opposite Moat Farm to follow a wide grassy track that eventually reaches a junction of tracks. Cross the track and bear diagonally left along a worn path into the adjoining field. Keep left alongside oak trees and follow the path left into woodland. Exit the trees and continue ahead through the field to a gate and walk across two fields to Waldron church, which dates from 1195 and contains a fine round Saxon font. Go through the churchyard to the road (TQ 549 192). Turn left, pass the Star Inn and walk through the village to take the footpath left through the Memorial Hall car park. Walk straight across the playing field, go through a gap in the woodland and follow the path right along the woodland fringe to a stile. Head diagonally across the field to a further stile and road. Walk down Hawkhurst Lane opposite for 200 yds and pass through arrowed gates on your right to join a track (can be muddy) along the edge of woodland. Go through a gate on the left and follow the left-hand field edge to another gate. Keep left at a fork, then right at the next fork, heading downhill through trees to a gate (TQ 536 196). Turn right then left through another gate and head uphill through woodland and along a field edge to pass Dower House
Farm. Turn left at a gate, then right in a few paces to follow an enclosed path beside woodland to a gate. Continue and soon enter Browningâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Wood and later Kiln Wood, then just before reaching a gate and road, turn right up steps (TQ 524 200) and follow the path to the B2192, opposite the Blackboys Inn. Cross over, pass the pub and turn left through the village, keeping ahead at the crossroads back to the village hall.
DISTANCE: 7.5 miles OS MAPS: Landranger 199 (Eastbourne & Hastings), Explorer 123 (Eastbourne & Beachy Head) STARTING POINT: Blackboys ROUTE TERRAIN: Field and woodland paths; stretches of quiet road
This is Walk 18 from the Pathfinder Guides No.67: East Sussex & the South Downs, published by Crimson Publishing (www.crimsonpublishing.co.uk). OS maps available (Landranger 199, Explorer 123).
Neither the publisher nor the author can accept any responsibility for any changes, errors or omissions in this route. Diversion orders can be made and permissions withdrawn at any time.
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EXHIBITIONS … CONCERTS … FETES & FAIRS … CHARITY EVENTS .. THINGS TO DO
Bakery or 01580 880359, pamg88@hotmail.com. Venue: Robertsbridge Hall. Wild Woodland Weekend Club Saturday 25 April 10:00 to 13:00 Monthly adventures in the woods for ‘wild things’ aged 6-11yrs. Parents not allowed. Build dens, cook on a campfire, play in the mud, learn some woodcrafts and play games. Each month is a little different and a lot of fun! Held in a private woodland in Beckley, just outside of Rye. Meet on the last Saturday of every month at Swallowtail Hill Farm, Hobbs Lane, Beckley TN31 6TT. Booking essential. £10 per child (£8.50 for members of Sussex Wildlife Trust). For more information contact Lime Kiln Cottage Information Centre on 01797 227784 or email rhnroffice@sussexwt.org.uk or see the websites www.sussexwildlifetrust.org.uk/whatson or www.WildRye.info. Tenterden Book Fair Saturday 25 April 09:00 to 15:00 Free admission. Thousands of books for sale from a number of book dealers. Refreshments available from the Highbury Hall Café. Enquiries – Barry Williams on 01634 235484 or email barryjean.williams@btinternet.com. Venue: Highbury Hall, Highbury Lane, Tenterden TN30 6LE. Fancy playing bowls? Saturday 25 April 10:00 to 16:00 If, like me, you’ve rather fancied playing bowls but never quite got around to doing anything about it. Why not try go along to Rye Bowls Club’s Open Day. They’re offering people the chance to ‘have a go’ and a have a chat. For further details please contact Margaret Everest on 01243 604084/01797 223301 or email mrgteverest@gmail.com. Venue: Rye Bowls Club, The Fair Salts, Fishmarket Road, Rye. Castle Water Wildlife Walk (2.5 miles) – Camber Castle Saturday 25 April 13:00 to 16:00 A circular walk looking at wildlife in the fields and ditches around Camber Castle and visiting the birdwatching hide at Castle Water. Meet at Brede Lock. No booking necessary. Donations appreciated. For more information contact Lime Kiln Cottage Information Centre on 01797 227784 or email rhnroffice@sussexwt.org.uk or see the websites www. sussexwildlifetrust.org.uk/whatson or www.WildRye.info. An evening of seafood and shanties in Rolvenden Saturday 25 April 19:00 Rebekah Gilbert and the Rye Bay Crew, including guitarist Chris Fisher, will be performing at the Bull in Rolvenden. You will be served a 3-course meal accompanied by shanties and songs of the sea. If you missed them as part of their sell-out evening for Rye Bay Scallop Week this is another opportunity to see them. There will be a limited number of tickets available (only 35) at £32 per person. Telephone to book on 01580 241212. Pop-up Opera - Mozart’s comic opera ‘Die Entfuhrung aus 36 The Onion magazine
dem Serail’ in Ditchling Saturday 25 April 19:30 This opera is about a hero, Belmonte, and his servant, Pedrillo, attempting to rescue their lovers Konstanze and Blonde from an Ottoman harem. Performed in its original language with intimate use of props, story-telling and interaction. Runs for 2 hours plus an interval. Cost £28. www.popupopera.co.uk, Facebook – https://www. facebook.com/popupopera. Venue: Court Gardens Farm, Orchard Lane, Ditchling, BN6 8TH Dance the night away in Staplecross Saturday 25 April 18:30 Just one of the four social evenings held each year – it’s an ‘evening of dance’ with a charity raffle. Doors open at 6.30pm and everyone is welcomed … dancers and non-dancers alike. For more information contact Helen (who runs line dancing classes in Staplecross and Rye) on 01797 252087 or email her at Helen.day9@btinternet.com. Conference on Medieval Ports, Ships and Sailors Sunday 26 April 10:00 to 15:45 A one-day conference hosted by the Winchelsea Archaeological Society (WAS) in Winchelsea bringing together experts in medieval archaeology from the University of Southampton and English Heritage. The conference will discuss the current knowledge of medieval ports and maritime activity and will review the preliminary results of a geophysical and geotechnical survey of the port area. Cost £20 or £15 for WAS members or £10 for students. For bookings and more information call 01797 224446 or email was@winchelsea.net. Venue: New Hall, Rectory Lane, Winchelsea, TN36 4AA. Robertsbridge Aviation Society and Museum Open Day Sunday 26 April 14:30 to 17:00 The museum is a collection of aviation artefacts from the 1900s to the present day. Themed displays include World War 1, Battle of Britain, Royal Observer Corps, Civil Defence, uniforms and model aircraft. Items include over 30 aero engines, 6 cockpit sections and artefacts from locally excavated World War II aircraft and memorabilia. Free entry, free parking, refreshments available, donations appreciated. For more information contact trevorwoodgate@hotmail. co.uk. Venue: Bush Barn Farm, Robertsbridge TN32 5PA situated North of Robertsbridge on the A21. ‘Beautiful Burwash and Batemans’ walk Sunday 26 April 13:30 This is a 5-mile circular walk with the Northiam Footpath Group. They’ll be leaving Northiam Surgery Car Park at 1.30pm for a 2pm start from Burwash. For more information contact Sue Clark on 01797 253428 or visit the website: www.northiamfootpathgroup.co.uk . Bluebell and wildflower walks at Sissinghurst Castle Sunday 26 April, Friday 1 May and Saturday 2 May 13:00 to 14:30 Visit the woodland at this beautiful time of year on the onionmagazine.co.uk
EXHIBITIONS … CONCERTS … FETES & FAIRS … CHARITY EVENTS .. THINGS TO DO
Sissinghurst guided walk with the ranger team. There’s always the opportunity to finish the walk off with a free cream tea in the restaurant too. Irresistible. Tickets £12.50 per person. Booking is essential on 0844 249 1895. Sissinghurst Castle, Biddenden Rd, Cranbrook, Kent TN17 2AB. Hastings Budgerigar Society at Northiam Village Hall Monday 27 April 19:00 to 22:00 This month there is a Judging Competition for Opalines and Cinnamons. Contact Brian Mepham on 01424 429094 or go to their website www.hastingsbudgerigarsociety.org. ‘Show and Tell’ at the East Street Museum, Rye Tuesday 28 April 14:00 to 16:00 The curator will talk about an item of interest from the museum’s collection. Guests are invited to take a small antique or unusual item of their own to discuss. Cost £2 with refreshments. Relaxed and friendly networking with the Sole Traders of the Weald Thursday 30 April 09:15 for about an hour This is an informal and very friendly networking and support group for any self-employed/sole traders who would like to get some more clients (and to have a cup of coffee and some support). It’s run by Ali and Serena who are both incredibly helpful and supportive, and it takes place the last Thursday of every month. Venue: Lunch Belles Café, Highbanks Nursery, Cranbrook Road, Gills Green (opp. Hawkhurst Business Park). For more information contact Ali on 07970 952199 or soletradersoftheweald@gmail.com. Tenterden Rotary Club Every Thursday 19:00 If you’re bored with television, why not try Rotary instead. The members are professional business people of all ages who use their networks, influence and energy to make things better in their own communities as well as abroad. Do as much as you can whenever you can. To find out more contact Chris Northen on 01233 851020, email chris@northen.net, www.tenterdenrotary.org.uk. RSA at Rye Art Gallery Exhibition Don’t forget, the Rye Society of Arts will be exhibiting at the Rye Art Gallery until 10th May. This is the first time that all members will have shown together at the Gallery and the work includes paintings, prints, ceramics, photographs and sculpture. The exhibition is a warm-up before the Rye Society Annual Summer Exhibition, held in August, but this year at a new venue. www.ryesocietyofartists.co.uk. Peasmarsh 2016 Calendar Photographic Competition The Peasmarsh Memorial Hall Management Committee and Peasmarsh CofE Primary School are running a competition to find 12 pictures for a 2016 Peasmarsh Calendar. They are looking for pictures that show a variety of things that make Peasmarsh the village it is. The competition is running through to 11th September 2015, is free to enter and is open to anyone living in Peasmarsh, Rye Foreign or Beckley. April 2015
For more details and an entry form please visit www. peasmarshmh/photocomp. If you are experiencing marital problems you might like to get on board the Retrouvaille programme of a residential weekend followed by three full non-residential days. The Programme is a non-profit making organisation run by volunteers who themselves had difficulties. Up to 20 people attend the weekends, there is no ‘group therapy’. For more information and to speak to someone in confidence call 07887 296983, info@retrouvaille.org.uk, www. retrouvaille.co.uk. Meditation and more Every Thursday and one Sunday a month Woodgate Farm Retreat and Meditation Centre in Beckley offers meditation and opportunities to ‘explore human consciousness and meaning’. They have weekly meetings on Thursdays for meditation and discussion, and more in-depth meetings one Sunday morning a month. They don’t charge for these meditation sessions. For more information contact Carolyn or John on 01797 260763, email info@woodgatefarm.co.uk, http://www.goodgate-farm.co.uk. ‘In the Field’ Concert in Wadhurst Parish Church Saturday 2 May 19:30 Concert will include two world premieres: Composer Helen Ottaway from Artmusic has written a new choral work sung by the Field Choir (a community choir with members aged 10 to 80); the concert will be conducted by renowned musician Howard Moody and includes the Bernardi String Quartet, Wadhurst Brass Band, organ and bells. The second premiere, ‘Wadhurst’ by Stuart Fifield will be played by the brass band. This concert is a major new site-specific arts project commissioned to reflect on the deaths of 25 young men from Wadhurst at the Battle of Aubers Ridge on 9th May 1915. It will also feature in an interactive sound installation to run in the church throughout May. There will also be images of ‘A Weekend to Remember in Wadhurst’ displayed throughout the High Street from April. Tickets for the concert £15 Adults, £8 Children (£20/£10 on the door) from www.wadhurstculture.ticketsource.co.uk or 01892 783911. Sound installation admission free from 3 May. Check opening times before visiting www.wadhurstculture. org.uk. Rye Ukelele Festival 2015 Sunday 24 May There will be 12 bands from across Kent and East Sussex – from 2-piece to 18-piece bands with 114 strummers on the day. This is a relaxed, vintage-style music event for players, families and friends with a barbeque, vintage craft stalls and a bar. Save the date. Will there be a clean window in sight? Rye Food Bank opens Wednesday afternoons 1pm to 3pm operating from Rye Baptist Church, Cinque Port Street, Rye. For further details contact ryemanager@bexhill.foodbank. org.uk or telephone 07934 182906. The Onion magazine 37
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WIN
WIN! A GREENALL’S GIN HAMPER Greenall’s The Original London Dry Gin, which can be found in most good supermarkets (price £15.49), recently launched Greenall’s Sloe Gin and Greenall’s Wild Berry Gin - the first new additions to the range for over 250 years. Greenall’s has been distilling fine gin since 1761 and these two new varieties are the biggest innovation in its long history.
Following the traditional British flavour of sloe berries for Greenall’s Sloe Gin. Greenall’s eight unique botanicals, with their rich juniper notes and mature citrus and spice, combine with the sloes to create a warming drink perfect for winter drinking. Available in Tesco and Sainsbury’s, price £16.00.
The inspiration for Greenall’s Wild Berry came from blackberries growing in English hedgerows, combined with ripe raspberries which were infused in awardwinning Greenall’s Gin to give a vibrant, fruity taste, which is versatile and works well in cocktails. Available in Tesco and Morrisons, price £15.50. Greenall’s Hamper contains: 1 x Bottle of Greenall’s The Original London Dry Gin 1 x Bottle of Greenall’s Sloe Gin 1 x Bottle of Greenall’s Wild Berry Gin www.greenallsgin.com For your chance to win the Greenall’s Gin Hamper please send your name and address to competition@ onionpublishing.co.uk with GREENALLS in the subject line. Winners will be drawn and notified after the closing date. The closing date is 27th April 2015.
T&Cs: No purchase necessary. Open to UK residents in TN postcode only, who are over 18 years of age. Promoter Greenall’s Gin, Quintessential Brands Company Ltd, Melbury Park, Clayton Road, Warrington, Cheshire W13 6PH.
WIN! WE HAVE THREE ‘CARNIVOROUS CREATIONS’ TO GIVEAWAY
WIN! VOUCHERS FOR TWO TICKETS TO THE KINO DIGITAL CINEMA
Grow your own collection of feared and famous meat-eating plants! This deluxe edition has seeds from over ten kinds of carnivorous plants including the Venus Fly Trap, Sundew Plant, Hooded Pitcher Plant, Purple Pitcher Plant and many others! Watch these fascinating plants grow into bugeating monsters! Make your own authentic bog with the included peat planting mix, blue Swamp Rocks, three fun Bog Buddies, and full colour decals! This rare and unusual collection of carnivorous plants will flourish for years in the specially designed terrarium with proper care. Suitable for age 4+ yrs. Dunecraft is available from Educational Toys at www.educationaltoys.co.uk
Hot on the heels of its hugely popular cinema and cafe-bar in Hawkhurst Kino Digital opened the doors of its brand new 2-screen venue in Rye in January. Nestled in the heart of the medieval citadel at the top of Lion Street, Kino Rye is getting rave reviews, with customers loving both the comfort and quality of the film experience, and the stylish cafe-bar that serves delicious food and drink all day every day from 9am. See the Kino website www.kinodigital.co.uk for more information, film listings and to subscribe to the free weekly e-newsletter.
For your chance to win a ‘Carnivorous Creations’ terrarium please send your name and address to competition@ onionpublishing.co.uk with DUNECRAFT in the subject line. Winners will be drawn and notified after the closing date.
For your chance to win tickets to either Kino please send your name and address to competition@onionpublishing. co.uk with KINO in the subject line. Winners will be drawn and notified after the closing date. The closing date is 27th April 2015.
The closing date is 27th April 2015.
Please enter as directed above. Postal entries can also be sent to us at the address given on page three.
TERMS & CONDITIONS OF ENTRY: By entering these competitions you agree to receive periodic emails from The Onion magazine, Onion Publishing Ltd and the originator of the competition you are entering. You can opt out of receiving these at any time and your data will never be passed on for use by third parties. The prizes are non-transferable and have no cash alternative. Only one entry per person per competition and prizes will only be sent to homes with a TN postcode.
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