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November / December 2020
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Life through A Lens
A local photographer has captured the essence of the Cotswolds during lockdown
We will Remember
A look at the history behind Rememberance poppies
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08 Local business assists IT users local news 08 Winter events garden view: 10 All about Rhubarb this Winter general interest: history of rememberance 10 The poppies local news: FEATURED
FEATURED
FEATURED
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Garden View
All about Rhurbarb in the garden this Winter
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10 Observing Jupiter education 12 Christmas Quizzes local news: 12 Local photographer captures area cotswold link 14 Advertiser Index & Advertising Details astronomy: FEATURED : FEATURED
FEATURED
Welcome to the November - December issue Well here we are, November already. What a year it has been for all of us; we had all hoped that things would be looking more positive by now but, alas, it seems there are more difficult months ahead. As we head into this festive period, we may have to be distanced from those we love, but let us take cheer from our strong sense of community and the beautiful landscapes that surround us.
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I hope you all enjoy this issue and I’ll see you again early next year. Best wishes,
Christine Campbell | Editor
Cotswold Link Magazine is published in good faith and the editors cannot be held responsible in any way for inaccuracies in reports or advertising in reports or advertising that appear in this publication and the views of the contributors may not be the those of the editors. Adverts and advertisers Your Cotswold Link carry no implied recommendation from the magazine or the publishers. All rights reserved. All information is appearing in Cotswold Link Magazine correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of going to press. Cotswold Link Magazine cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions.
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Local business looking to empower IT users
After spending several years as an IT engineer, continuously learning new skills and building on my qualifications, I decided to start Empower-IT. There is a large vacancy for a business that specialises solely on providing IT support to individuals and their homes; especially with female engineers. Considering our adaptions to the ‘new normal’, I understand that our time is more valuable than ever and your printer not working or your laptop displaying a peculiar error message might not be at the top of your to-do list. However, you no longer need to be concerned about allocating time to these
tasks, as I can be on hand to help. Whether it’s over the phone or face to face, my only aim is to make your life easier by resolving problems in a fast, friendly and efficient manner. Supporting everything from setting up a new device, resolving issues within Microsoft Office or securing your network; there is no problem that is too major or too minor. Make contact today to discuss how I could be of help to you, by calling 01908 893224, emailing Paige@Empower-IT.co.uk or visiting: www.Empower-IT.co.uk. I look forward to hearing from you soon! Paige Jeffs
Out & About Events This Winter 12th - 15th November
OXFORDSHIRE ARTWEEKS CHRISTMAS EXHIBITIONS 2020
2020 has been a challenging year for us all-- the bright side is that artists have had unprecedented time to engage their creativity, so this Christmas Artweeks promises many new creations to delight all ages. Charlbury artists look forward to welcoming you, (facemasks and social distancing notwithstanding, if we must!) Two minutes’ walk from the Spendlove Carpark, Lee Belcher and Marion Coates’ Artweeks’ banner will welcome you to 20, The Playing Close, between 11am and 4pm daily from 12th to 15th November. Restrictions permitting, up to four visitors at one time will be allowed for your safety, with hand gel provided on entry and own facemasks required to be worn. Another option would be to book a “Concierge visit”, i.e. ring and book a private half-hour (single person or two from one household), Telephone 01608 810116. From unique pocket-money presents, calligraphic creations and cards, to Lee’s beautiful oil paintings, there will something to please everyone and lift their spirits. 20 The Playing Close, Charlbury ....................................................
25th November
Bourton and District U3A
The next meeting of this group will be on Wednesday 25th November at 10.30, and will be a talk by Tom Constant via Zoom on the subject of “Furness Peninsula” Connection details will be available nearer the time. There will be no meeting in December. Although we are unable to hold meetings as a result of the Covid restrictions, many of the groups are meeting in small numbers or by Zoom sessions. If you have not yet renewed your membership, please do so to enable groups and the U3A to continue at this difficult time. Full details on our website: www.u3asites.org.uk/bourton ....................................................
3rd - 6th December
2nd Charlbury Christmas Tree Festival
St Mary’s Church, Charlbury ....................................................
Having an event?
Email us your event details to: christine@jkanorth.com and we’ll publish it for you. Magazine distribution dates are on p14.
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GARDEN VIEW
Rhurarb Rhubarb Rhubarb is a reasonably easy trouble-free plant to grow. It is also a handsome plant, with large leaves and striking red stems, and who doesn’t love a rhubarb crumble? The trick is to choose the right spot. Ideally it needs to be planted in full sun but if your garden is very sheltered it will tolerate partial shade. Don’t plant it anywhere where it might be in the way, disturbed, or need to be moved from. Rhubarb has an extensive root system and prefers to stay put, for at least a decade, so give careful thought to the spot. Rhubarb dislikes wet soil, so make sure it’s well-drained. Dig in plenty of organic matter a month or so before planting. It’s generally easier and more productive to grow rhubarb from crowns (divided plants) rather than seed, and from now until Christmas is the perfect time to plant. Dig a hole a little wider than the rhubarb crown in your prepared ground. Plant so that the growing tip is about an inch /2.5 cm below the surface. Firm the soil well around the roots to removed air pockets. Water well and mulch with organic matter, avoiding the growing tip. During the growing season keep the area around the plant free of weeds and give an occasional good soaking in prolonged dry periods. Remove any flower heads that appear in the spring. Flowering
will weaken the stems. If the crown rots, your soil was too wet, but following all the advice I’ve given earlier should prevent this happening! Harvest time is May until July, but rhubarb is a long-term investment so don’t harvest it during the first year. It needs that full first year of growth to establish a strong root system. Second year leave at least five strong stems when you harvest. After that you can leave three or four stems each time. You should get 2-3 crops per season. Remove only the largest stems when picking and wait till the leaves have fully opened. Pull gently from the base with a slight twist. The leaves are poisonous but can be safely composted. Once your rhubarb is established you might want to try a forced crop for sweeter more tender stems. Rhubarb is forced by growing it in the absence of light in a microclimate slightly warmer than the outside temperature. You can start forcing in January for best results. Remove dead leaves and weeds from around the crown and add a layer of straw or shredded paper to warm the emerging shoots and to protect them from frost. Then cover the crown with an upturned dustbin or large crock pot to cut out all the light. The rhubarb should be ready for harvesting 8 weeks later. Happy gardening. By Rachael Leverton
We will remember them Why do we wear a poppy? Scarlet poppies grow wild all over Western Europe wherever the soil has been disturbed. The battles of the First World War churned up such vast areas of earth that millions of poppies germinated and bloomed, often around the bodies of the fallen soldiers. A Canadian surgeon called John McRae wrote the poem In Flanders Fields in which the poppies symbolise the deaths of those who fought. It is a haunting memorial to those soldiers who have died in any war. Why do we have a two-minute silence? It was on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month that the guns of World War I
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fell silent. Four years of fighting and devastation finally ended. The following year ceremonies of remembrance took place on what was known as Armistice Day. An Australian journalist, Edward George Honey first proposed a respectful silence to remember the dead. He wrote a letter to the London Evening News which was brought to the attention of King George V. The king then issued a proclamation which called for a two-minute silence. These days Armistice Day is known as Remembrance Sunday and is a chance to honour the fallen soldiers of all conflicts. By Sarah Davey
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The
Cotswold Sky
CHRISTMAS CROSSWORD PUZZLES
Observing Jupiter Take the children out to observe the giant planet Jupiter covering Saturn (technically called a conjunction) Between 17.00 hours to 17.30 hours from 14th December wrap the children up nice and warm and take them out to look towards the South West. There you will see Saturn and Jupiter very close to each other, Saturn on the left and Jupiter on the right. Make a habit of it every evening at the same time and you will notice the two planets drawing closer to each other until the 21st December (coincides with the Winter Solstice) when they will be indistinguishable. By this I mean Jupiter will be covering the whole of Saturn, this is called a conjunction i.e. when one planetary object obscures another. You will be able to observe the closeness of the two planets up to around the Christmas festivities with Saturn now emerging to the right of Jupiter.
Looking South West at 17.00 hours 21st December Saturn is hidden by Jupiter
Solar Eclipse
December is a special month in astronomy at 16.15 hours on Monday 14th December there is also a total eclipse of the Sun.
For younger children Unfortunately, this takes place over Chile and Argentina, but it will be shown live and be widely advertised on the internet. The path of the eclipse is shown in the diagram below.
Diary Winter Solstice The shortest day of the year. The Sun reaches its most southerly point on its annual journey at 13.30 hours on Monday 21st December.
The Planets Mercury – Can be difficult to observe but look towards the South East at 06.00 hours during the first half of November. Not observable during December. Venus – Observable in the South East between 06.00 and 07.00 hours during both months. Note how close it comes to a crescent Moon on the mornings of 12th and 13th December. Mars – Prominent in the southerly skies every evening during the months of November and December. Jupiter and Saturn – Lower down and further to the right of Mars. Saturn is tracking Jupiter, and both will set earlier in the evenings as the weeks progress into December until the conjunction occurs as described in the lead story. May I wish all our readers A Merry Healthy Festivities Season followed by a Happy Healthy 2021. Stay Safe – John Harris
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Across 2. Christmas colours are red and ______? 3. What animal pulls a sleigh? 4. Who delivers presents on Christmas Day? 6. Who is the reindeer with a red nose? 8. Who builds and wraps the toys? Down 1. What month is Christmas?
4. Santa rides on a ________? 5. Presents go under the ______? 7. Kiddies open ________on Christmas Day? 9. ______Christmas and a Happy New Year?
Answers: p14.
Life Through A Lens
Local Photographer Captures Cotswolds During Covid-19 Local photographer, Mark Anthony Sweeting, has captured the unique beauty of the Cotswolds countryside during Covid-19 lockdown in a special 2021 calendar – using just his camera phone. And he says, the photography has not only helped keep him grounded during lockdown, but also provide a stress release as relaxation measures have been introduced over recent weeks. His hope is that his images might inspire others, too. Mark, a Youth Support worker at a Special Needs School, from Burleigh in Stroud, started his collection of snaps whilst out on his bike and on his walks around the county, as part of his daily quota of allowable exercise. During lockdown, Mark walked and cycled the length and breadth of the Cotswolds – his home county – and took photographs of his travels on his mobile phone; of places and things that caught his imagination or inspired a pause to reflect. It was a perfect antidote to the stresses of lockdown life. Before long, he realised he had a unique body of work that was not only highly stylised but inherently Cotswolds, capturing the very best of 2020, so far – an exceptional year and one that would hit the history books.
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For older children Across: 1. Christmas hymn 3 The original Santa Claus 4 A bird traditionally eaten on Christmas dinner 6 A crystal of snow 7 Father of Jesus 10 An evergreen plant producing white berries 13 A traditional Christmas drink 14 Vehicle used by Santa Claus 16 Santa enters the house through this 18 Circular Christmas decoration for the front door 19 Another name for Christmastime
5 The birthplace of Jesus 8 A sock filled with goodies on Christmas day 9 The sound bells make 11 A human figure made from packed snow 12 The four weeks leading up to Christmas 15 A mischievous fairy 17 The three wise men belonged to this tribe
Down: 1 A hard candy in the shape of a rod 2 December 25th is his birthday
This range of outstanding photographic cards and accompanying calendar would be his visual legacy to an extraordinary year showing nature at its most beautiful.Rather than leave the pictures on his camera-roll, like most of us do, Mark has taken his collection of lockdown photographs and turned them into a limited edition Calendar and 24 keep-me cards in the hope that others can reflect and enjoy the positives and beauty of the Cotswolds, captured during Covid-19. Far from this being a lockdown hobby, Mark continues his expeditions in and around the county, armed with his trusty mobile phone. He has set up an online Facebook store at Cotswolds Cards and an e-commerce website – www.cotswoldscards.co.uk – for those looking to buy online and enjoy home delivery. Those interested in stocking the calendars and cards should email Mark via his website, www.cotswoldscards.co.uk For further information, high res images and interview requests with Mark, please contact Kevin Urquhart or Rebecca Rhodes at FU Media on 07713 40272 or email kevin@fu-media.co.uk / rebecca@fu-media.co.uk
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Index Bathrooms Country Bathrooms: p6 Thompson Bathrooms: p3 Blinds Associated Blinds: p16 Builders & Contractors Churchill Surfacing: p11 Country Roofing & Building Contractors: p4 Garolla Garage Doors: p3 Hopper Roofing Services: p11 JA Shirley Building Services: p11 Children’s Services Cotswold Tutor: p13 Chimney Services Cotswold Stoves & Chimneys: p4 Cleaning Services The Laundry: p8 Education Burford School: p1
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Cotswold Tutor: p13 Electrical Services Mayday Aerials: p11 S Turner Electrical Services: p3 Flooring Chipping Norton Flooring: p7 Furniture Amanda Hanley By Design: p1 Bob Dadge Carpentry: p14 Garage Doors Garolla Garage Doors: p3 Gardening & Outdoors Churchill Surfacing: p11 Luke Dadge Drystone Walling: p11 Stockwell Davies Tree Contractors: p11 Gifts Cotswold Brewing Company: p9 Cotswold Frames: p8 Healthcare & Wellbeing David Brookes Foot Health: p13
Footworx Clinic: p13 Services:p6 I. D Godden: p14 Heating Gas & Oil Heating Services: p6 Property Maintenance Churchill Surfacing: p11 Home & Interiors Cotswold Stoves & Chimneys: p4 Amanda Hanley By Design: p1 Country Roofing & Building Associated Blinds: p16 Contractors: p4 Bob Dadge Carpentry: p14 Garolla Garage Doors: p3 Chipping Norton Flooring: p7 Gas & Oil Heating Services: p6 Country Bathrooms: p6 Hopper Roofing Services: p11 Paul Dadge: p6 I. D Godden: p14 Thompson Bathrooms: p3 JA Shirley Building Services: p11 IT Support Empower-IT: p1 Kitchens & Christmas Quiz Bathrooms Answers Country Bathrooms: p6 Younger Children Quiz: Across 1. carol 3. Nicholas 4. turkey Laundry 6. snowflake 7. Joseph 10. mistletoe The Laundry: p8 13. eggnog 14. sledge 16. Chimney Logs 18. Wreath 19. Yuletide Walkers Logs: p5 Down 1. candycane 2. Jesus Plumbing Gas & Oil Heating
Sound & Vision Mayday Aerials: p11 Tree Surgery Stockwell Davies Tree Contractors: p11 Tuition Cotswold Tutor: p13 Vets Vet On The Net: p2 Windows Milena: p15 5. Bethleham 8. stocking 9. jingle 11. snowman 12. Advent 15. elf 17. Magi Older Children Quiz: Across 2. Green 3. Reindeer 4. Sleigh 6. Rudolph 8. Elves Down 1. December 4. Santa 5. Tree 7. Presents 9. Merry
The Index is a free service offered to our customers. No responsibility can be held for errors or omissions. Multiple entries included on a space available basis
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