The Bulletin | February 2021

Langua ge of Flower s

WelcometotheBulletin!

Hard to believe that we areoverhalfway through the winter monthsand daffodils are already in bloom, a sure sign that spring is on its way.

With everything else that is going on in the world,it may have escaped yourattention that Valentine s day is looming andalthough you won t beable to book a table at your favourite restaurant this year, why notspoil yourself or a lovedone with the recipes that can be found onpages S12 andS22.Andif you are sending a bouquet tosomeone check out page S18 to makesureyou choose the right flowerand colour to avoid any misunderstandings!

BestWishes,Julie

10. Puzzles

12. Losing a Loved One

14. Living Gardens: Wildflower Meadow

S2. Short Story

S4. Skincare Myths

S6. Sky Watching: Sirius

S10. Travel: The Seychelles

S12. Recipe: Cherry Shortbread Hearts

S14. Mary Gernat: Artist & Illustrator

S22. Recipe: Salmon Cooked in Wine

S26. Hedgehogs: The Gardeners Friend

S28. Tracking Birds of Prey From Space

S30. Point of Ayr Lighthouse

50. BOAC Experience

52. Book Review

56. Short Story

54. Putting Birds on the Map

58. Balance in our Life

62. Wine of the Month

Editor: Julie Smith

Tel:01425 270100 or 07762 701271

Email: julie@themudefordmag.co.uk

www.themudefordmag.co.uk

Cover PhotoCourtesyof John Clarke

Printed by WarwickPrinting

Disclaimer: Whilst everycarehas been taken to ensure that data in this publicationis accurate,the publisher cannotacceptan yliability to any party forloss or damage caused by errorsor omissions resulting from negligence, accidentorany othercause.

Please be assured that this publication has been delivered with the utmost care and considerationin these difficult times.

The Mudeford Mag and The Bulletin does not officially endorse any advertising material included withinthis publication. No partof this publication may be produced, stored in any retrieval systems ortransmittedin any form, without prior permissionof the publisher.

Photo: Krisztina Papp

Nextyearmayseemalongwayoff,butwith demandcurrentlyoutstrippingsupply,nowis thetimetothinkahead.Withleadtimeshaving increasedsignificantlyduetocovid19,ifyou orderyourbuildingnow,bythetimeyou feelthosefirstraysofspringsunshine,you'll haveagardenroominplacereadytogo. Ifyouwouldliketoknowmoreabouthow youcantransformhowyouliveoutdoors,visit usforalittleinspirationor call us forafree brochuretosee whatyoucancreate.

OurlargeshowsiteissituatedatStewartsGardenCentre, LyndhurstRoad,ChristchurchBH234SA

Yourgarden,Yourway

We’reafamilyrun business andour aimis to deliveranexceptionalpersonalexperience forallourcustomers. Thereare nohardsales here, just friendly andhelpfulstaff. We providetheultimate servicerightfromthe initialdesign,groundwork's,installation, electrics, andevena paintingservice. We have an extensive rangeofbuildings in allstyles,sizesandbudgets to suit everyone's needs.

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san grono istandconsultantin orticulture ha e eenin ol edin thehealthandprofitabilityofgrowing andnurturingplantssince 99 . ach onth will e ringingyouuseful andinterestingtopicsin relationtothe ardenseason. nterspersedwith uicy facts regardingsoillifeanditssy iotic relationshipwiththeplantswegrow.

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so eofthatspace acktonature. anygardenersandindeed anyof y clientsha e recognised andunderstand theneedtoencouragewildlife ackinto theirho espaceandenhance theirgarden.

n y ece erarticlewelookedat weedsanddiscussedthe anyways gardenersandgrowers iewthese wonderfulhealersofthesoil. heword weedca efro the nglo a on word eod which eans littleher ifher sareintendedforhealing we shouldlookatweedsashealersofthe soil. o eoftheseareco onlycalled weedsandothersarecalledwildflowers. Theymaybeweedsbyonedefinition and eauty yanother.

oasweheadinto anewyearandif westandonourtiptoeswecanal ost seespring. etusdiscusswildflower eadowsandhowtoesta lisha eadowinyourgarden. rowinga wildflowermeadowinyourgarden areacan e atrulysatisfyingwayof attractingwildlife eautifultolookat andyoudon tnecessarilyneeda largegarden.

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hilstautu nistheidealti etosow a eadow earlyspringisalso agreat ti e. irstlyit si portanttounderstand afewprinciples. n y anyyears experience havefoundwildflower andweedspecieslikepoorsoils soif youha e awellfertilisedorfertilesoil youwillstruggle. fyouha eanacid soilthiswillalso e apro le . any growerswilltellyouwildflowersdon’t

likenitrogen. heydon tlikenitrogenin a oniu for roughta out yhigh fungicountsin oreacidicsoil. cid soilstendto e orefungaldo inant ildflowersandweedspecieslike nitratessoifyouha e achalkysoil you reinthe allpark. fyou read y ece erarticle discussedplant succession. ild lowerandweedtype plantsareearlysuccessionandprefer poorsoilthatis acterialdo inant.

wildflowerstobecomeestablished.The estapproachwould eto re o ethe turfwith aturfcutteror yhand. hisis la ourintensi esoanalternati ewould etoscarifythewholeareaand re o e pocketsofturf a outones uare metreeach,sowaroundfivegramsper s uare etreandgraduallyesta lishthe eadow. ellow attle inanthus inor isthe agicingredientasitisparasitic to anycoursegrassspecies. o ake sureyouha ethisinyourseed i and thefreshertheseedsthe etter. nother trickistouse alittlesandorcheap catlitterinthepocketsofturfyou ha e re o ed.

s ellow attle eco esesta lished thecoursegrasseswillthinoutallowing otherplantslike etches orn lower irds oottrefoil ye aisy ild arrot ady s edstrawand arrow totakehold. ouwill ea a edat allthespeciesdi ersitynow isiting yourgarden. easandbutterflies, grasshoppers,birdsandbatsflyingover onsu ere enings.

fyou dliketolearn orea outsoil iology andhowwecanhelpyou establish awildflowermeadowbring thendocontactustofindoutaboutour uni ueapproachandser ices. A . simpsonhorticulture@gmail.com

greatruleofthu istoworkout howwecancreate apoorsoil. y introducingthetypeof iologyinthe for of acterialco postteaisa greatwaytostart. fyoursoilisacidic asoiltestanda end enttosweeten thesoilandraisethep isbeneficial. gain itisi portanttounderstand wildflowerslikepoorinfertilesoilsand anygrassedareasaretoofertilefor

Gardening Jobs for February

Cut back deciduous grasses left uncut over the winter

Sow some vegetables under cover

Prune trees and summer flowering clematis

Prune wisteria

Other Jobs to Consider

Net fruit and vegetable crops to keep the birds off

Protect blossom on apricots, nectarines and peaches

Prune hardy evergreen hedges and renovate overgrown deciduous hedges

Mulch beds and borders

Prune winter flowering shrubs that have finished flowering

Chit potato tubers

All equipment and essentials needed for the above jobs can be found in store, ask any member of staff for assistance /StewartsGardenCentres

Fa llingin Lov ew ithDavid Ag ain

Shor tStory by Mark Laming

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Photo: Rémi Walle ~UnSplash

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Canis MajorshowingSirius

Canis Majorand Canis MinorbelowOrion

Aguide to theS eychelles

stra el restrictionscontinuetolinger wouldliketosharewithyou aguideto the eychellesas are inderof alu ury destinationthatyoucanescapetoonce nor ality resu es. fyouarealo erof paradise eacheswithpowderysands lapped ya urewaters the 5islands which akeupthe eychellesare lessed with hundredsofthe . eyondthe each there snoshortageofscenichikes a ongsttheunspoiltnaturereser es i ranttownshipstoen oyandnatural wonderstoe ploreinthissu li e ndian ceanarchipelago.

nownas thelandofperpetualsu er uchoftheislandsthat akeupthe eychelles re ain uninha itedtothisday with any re ainingasnaturereser es howe erthethree ainislandsarea eleeofhotels arsand restaurants not to entionthepicture perfect eaches.

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sanincreasinglypopulartourist destination,youcanflyvia aconnection stopin ubaiorAbu habiwith mirates and tihad . owevenmoreaccessible andaffordable,the eychellesis agreat placetospend ualityti e whetherits withthefa ily as acoupleortra elling solo. oucanalso isitthe eychellesas partof acruiseitinerary il erseaha e acruisefro an i arto ahein pril22.

sland hoppingisalways afa ouritefor isitorsandtheislandsof raslinand a igueare ust 5 inutesaway y planeoranhour yferry. here youwill findexcellentopportunityforswimming, snorkelling,hiking,golfing,sailingand ore.

he eychellesis adrea honey oon destination withthewhite sand eaches crystalwatersandalluringsunsets aking itonesofthe ost ro anticspotsinthe world. t sunsurprisingthat rince illia and ate iddletonchose orth slandfor theirownhoney oon alongside awhole hostofotherfa ousfaceswhoha e isitedtheislandsfor aro anticescape.

ereare afewofourtope periences fornewlyweds nwindwith acouple’s assageo erlookingthe ndian cean. ireaconvertibleminimokeand exploretheisland. n oy aromantic candlelitdinneron asecludedbeach. osnorkellinganddisco ertheincredi le arinelifeup close.

Thecoral reef filledwatersofthe eychellesmakeitperfectforflyfishing anddiving.Thebestfishingspotscanbe foundon lphonse sland andthe est ti esforsnorkellingare prilthroughto ayandOctoberthroughto ovemberas thewaterisclearandcal .

tisnow orei portantthane ertotake outtra elinsuranceassoonasyou ook yourne ttrip. ra el ounsellorsha e enhancedtra elinsuranceoptionsfor ra el ounsellorcusto ers pro ided y ush nsurance underwritten ytifgroup. tnowincludes o id 9co er.

ouldyouliketo recei e yweekly e ailsfortra elinspiration hey ight gi eyouso eideasandtheycontain usefuladviceandhotelideas,offersetc. hereisusuallyone aweek pleasegetin touchwith eifyouwouldliketo recei e the .

fyouwishtoplan atriptothe eychelles orifyouha eanyothertra elideasin indpleasecontact e you llen oy exclusivebenefitssuchasfullfinancial protectionand a hourdutyo ceto supportyou efore duringandafteryour trip.

THELANGUAGEOFFLOWERS

t snearly alentine s ayand illions willberushingouttosendflowers. raditionallythiswill e redrosesofcourse. thers aychoosetheirpurchaseson the asisofcolour s ellore enprice ut there sawholelanguageand eaningto flowerstoowhichiscalledFloriography.

oses ed osesas ostwillknow sy olise o eand esire utchanging thecolouroftheflowerleadstodifferent connotations.Forexample, Yellowisfor friendship inkforperfecthappinessand Orangeforfascination.Thereare different meaningsforspecifictypesof rosetoo, suchas ea oses eaning ll re e er always and og osesconnectingto painandpleasure.Formationsalsohave ani pact. hinking acktothetraditional do en redroses a unchof asingle

loo eans lo eyouor stilllo eyou whilstanassort entofcolours represents thesenti ent you ree erythingto e. do en redroseshas eco ethenor becauseofthesignificanceofthenumber twel ewithinnature philosophyand religion. henu er 2often represents afullcycle so 2 onthsoftheyear

2signsofthe odiac 2hoursona clockforinstance.Fromancienttimes, culturesaroundtheworldha ede eloped calendars asedoncyclesoftwel e and

thereare any ythologicaland religious connectionstothenu eralso. heuse of 2acrossthenaturalandspiritualworld eansthat 2or ado en hastakenon auni ersal ualitywhichenhancesthe significanceof adozen roses.

Turningnowtootherflowerswefrequently uyinthe

arnations arnationsnowco ein manydifferentcolours,butpinkwastheir originalcolourwhichpro a lye plainswhy theyarestill referredtoas pinks rather thancarnations. inkcarnations ean llne erforgetyou whilst redsy olise ad irationandyellow re ectionand disappoint ent sopro a ly esttoa oid those

ilies iliesofallcolourssy olisepurity andde otion utthiscanchangeslightly dependingonthecolour. igerlilies representconfidence,prideandwealth,so agoodchoiceifyouwanttoi press ut also oyandhappinesswiththeir right orangeandpinkcoloursand ayellow lilyalsostandsforhappinessaswellas thankfulnessanden oy ent. helilyis recognisedasthe30thanniversaryflower andis agoodoptionforpeoplecele rating a ilestone.

Photo: DebbyHudson

Photo:Natasha Welingkar

ulips Representloveandpassion. Yellow ones ean there ssunshineinyours ile whereas redtulipsareadeclarationoflo e andwhiteonessay worthyofyou. Thetulipwasfirstcultivatedon alarge scale ythe urkishpeoplewhosawitas paradiseonearthandwasthereforeused in any religiouspoe sandartwork.

the reek od arcissuswhowasso o sessedwithhisi ageinthewaterthat hedrownedtryingtocapturehisown reflection.

Daffodils: Asdaffodilsareoneofthe earliestflowerstobloominthespring, theyarenaturallyassociatedwithnew eginnings. owe er theycanalso sy oliseinspiration creati ityandinner reflection.Theybelongtothenarcissus genusfa ilywhichgettheirna efro

Freesias Thebeautifulfreesiaflower representstwothings trust indicatingyou arehonestinyourfeelingsande otions andalsofriendship.Givingtheseflowersto so eonesy olisestheyareyour special friendorloyalpartner.

fcourse thereare any orewonderful flowerstochoosefrom,soifyou really wantto esureof akingtheright impression,it’sworthaskingyourflorist a outtheir eaning.

Photo:Josh Mills

Photo: TijanaDrndarskr

Photo: KrisztinaPapp

Photo:Jessica Lewis

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Memories of Days Gone By

f you ould like to see more photos of the local area please visit facebook com mudeford keep the old days alive

Christchurch Fountain Corner1956

BOAC Experience

In memor yofBrian Grinterwhosadlypassed away in November2020

Thefollowingarticleisaninsightintothe British Overseas AirwaysCorporation.

Written by Brian Newman Grinterwhostar

tedhis careerwithBOAC inBristol’s old airpor t,Whitchurch,in1944. Laterstationed at Hurn,whenBOACtookoverthe RAF Officer’smesswhen WorldWar 2ended.

“Afterthe war, Hurnbecamethenumberone Internationalairpor tforlongdistanceflights fromtheUK ,including Australia, India, South AfricaandtheUSA.

The‘Kangeroo’servicetoAustraliacatered foramaximumofninepassengersandits royalmailcargo.I ttook twoand ahalfdays ofstopgapflyingonan Avro ‘Lancastrian’, developedfromthefamous wartime Lancasterbomber.I twastheonlyaircraftof thetimethatcouldofferlongdistanceflying without refuelling.With itsfrontand rear gunturrets removedand replaced by pointed streamedfairings.Bombbays wereremoved to accommodate extrafueltanks,makingthis ‘SilverBird’ amuchmoreattractiveaircraft. Thecrewconsistedofthe Captain, co -pilot, navigationand radioofficers.Beforethedays of computersandwithlittleinthe wayof radar agreat dealdependedonthenavigator and radioofficer to keeptheaircraftontrack . In somecases,still relyingonstarnavigation visiblethroughthe ‘AstroDome’ontopofthe plane.Altitude wasusually at amaximum of10-12thousand feetintheLancastrian. If it wasnecessar ytoclimbhigher overpoor weather,oxygenmasks wererequired by both crewandpassengersas compared totoday’s modernaircraftwhich canflyeasilywitha pressurisedcabin at 35,000 feet.

Mostof my trainingas asteward washands on.Just amatterof“there’sthe aeroplane, there’sthe passengers,now getonwithit!”

Afewoftheladsdidtheirfirsttripona trainingflight, wheretwo completecrews wouldfly to Karachi, to familiarisethemselves withthe route.Commercialflights were still intheirearlydays andit wasonsuch aflight thatwelost twotraineestewardsandthe ex RAFcrewwhentheir’Lancastrian’crashednear Paris.

My firstflightwas a12hourhaul to Lydda, TelAviv.OnarrivalatHurnIwasshownwhat foodanddrink wassupplied forthejourney, thenon to theplane.Withthehelpofthe1st Officerweensuredpassengers were safely strappedin, knewwherelifejackets were stowedandhowtousean ox ygenmaskif required.Eachpassengerhad abunk to be erectedaftertheinflightmealofporkchops, potatoesand vegetables.

As youcanimagine,reston a12hourflight in aconvertedbomberwith four Rolls RoyceMerlinengines,wasnoteasy for thepassengers.Myjob wastostayawake spendingmanyhoursinthe ‘AstroDome’ takinginthebeautifulviewsoftheclear Mediterraneanskies.

BrianGrinter

oo e ie Burial itesby anna ent

Abrilliantliterarydebut,inspiredby atruestory the finaldaysof ayoungwomanaccusedofmurderin Icelandin1829,oneofthelastexecutionstotake placeinIceland.

nspiredby atruestory,Burial itesis abrilliantdebut novelwrittenbyHannahKent.SetagainstIceland’s starklandscapein1829,AgnesMagnúsdóttiris chargedwiththebrutalmurderoftwomen,oneof whichisherformermasterandissenttolivewitha familyonanisolatedfarmwhilstsheawaits Wherexecution.

Horrifiedattheprospectofhousing aconvicted murderer,thefamilyatfirstavoidAgnes.OnlyTóti, apriestAgneshasmysteriouslychosentobeher spiritualguardian,seekstounderstandher.Butas Agnes’sdeathlooms,thefarmer’swifeandtheir daughterslearnthereisanothersidetothesensational storytheyhaveheard.

Rivetingandextremelywellwritten,thisbookcomes highly recommended.

TheLas tLet ter

By Colin Seager

Sittingonthestairs,lookinglikeshedressedin thedarkElla,headinhands,istransfixed by the burgeoningheapoflettersandfreebiespilingup againstthefrontdoor.Somanynow thatshehas tocomeandgothroughthe kitchen. Atopisa “sorry we missed you” cardfromRoyal Mail,telling herthataletterneeding asignaturecouldn’t be delivered.

Ican’t dealwiththis.I’llcallSimonhe’ll know whattodo, he’llhelp.

‘Hello Mum,what’stheproblem, yousound upset.Ithoughtyou’d got overthat. It ’s nearlyfive yearsgone.I’llbewith youinacoupleofdays,we’ll go to thesortingofficetogether.Youdon’t owe anybodyanythingnow, nobody ’s gotanyreason to hassle you. Stop worr ying.’

‘I know dear,it’sjust,well,I’m afraidthatperhaps I’ve overlookedsomething.’

‘Mum, youweren’t theonlyone.Therewere thousandslike youwholost theirjobsbecauseof thepandemicandstruggled to paybills.Butthat’s inthepast.You’reOK.’

‘Thanks to youSimon, Icouldn’t have doneiton my own,butever ytimesomethingelse comes throughtheletterboxitsetsmeoff.Ithinkthepile isalive, waiting to pounce onme.’

‘Epistlophobia,that’swhatit’scalled Mum.’ ‘I’veneverheardofthat.’

‘Notsurprised,Imadeitup.I’ll recommendit to theOED compilers.There mustbe alotofitabout.

It ’s afearofletters,par ticularly formalones.Ignore everything forthe moment. When Isee you, I’lltry to help younailthisonceand forall.’

‘Thanksson,whatwould Idowithout you? Don’t forget to usethebackdoor.’

SimoninsistedthatEllasatoppositehim at thedining roomtableashe went throughevery envelopeandpieceofjunkmail.

‘ThereyouareMum,thatwasn’t sobad wasit? Nothing at all to beafraidof.Nodemands,nohate mail,threegoodoffers,one fromHottershoesstill indate.Thingsarestill abittightfor you, maybe that’sworth followingup,you toldme youneeded somenewsandals.Get your coat and we’llpickup theletter at thesortingoffice. Bring yourpurse, you’llneed yourdebitcardasID.’

Addressed“Privateand Confidential”theletter fromsolicitorsSimmondsandSimmonds wasbrief. Thepracticewasdealingwiththeaffairsofthelate Mrs. Beatrice EverettandaskedElla tocontactthem to makeanappointment.

‘So, Mum,what’sthisallabout,who isor wasMrs Everett?’

‘You know dear.That’llbe Beatie,thewidowwho livedalongthe road.Afterallthe restrictions were liftedshemovedtoanapartmentinoneofthose shelteredhousingblockstheothersideof town. Oh,that’ssosad.’

‘Wait amoMum,isthattheone…’

‘…yes. Duringlockdown, youremember,Ilent her Stubbymyhousecat. She wasdesperate, she couldn’t have physical contactwithanyone.Ifelt sosorry forher.Would youcomewithme to the solicitor?’

Themeeting wasshor tandbusinesslike.Ella leftwiththe knowledgethatwhenprobate was grantedshe wouldbe twenty-thousandpounds betteroff,alongwith aletterfromBeatie.Inaclear openhand BeatiethankedEllafromthebottomof herhear tforlettingherhave Stubbytocuddle.She wrotethatElla’s compassionate actionhadsaved hersanityandherlifeduringthosedarkdays.

‘Thereyougo Mum. Couldn’t have plannedit better.Neveragainbeafraidof aletter.’

Photo:SharonMcCutcheon~UnSplash

Photo:JanZikán~UnSplash

HappyNew Year!

Welcometo 1 ithsincere ishesfor abetteryearthanthelastone. t riory et roup ehavehad abigchange ith hilipHughesretiringfromthepracticeon 31stDecemberafter41years.He’soff to spendtime ithhis abradorandhishorses and e ishhim alonghappyandhealthy retirement ithgratefulthanksforallhis orkovertheyears.

surgerieslikeneuteringunlessthereisa medicalreasontodoitduringlockdo n and eareconsciousof apotentialshortageof o ygenincaseitneedstobeprioritisedfor the H . ur 4hrserviceisstillavailableto ourregisteredclientsandyou illbeableto seeoneofouro nstaffatour hristchurch hospitalinanemergency.

We’vealsohadtomakechangesagainas eenteredlockdo non4th anuary.We askthatanyone h oisselfisolating orhas symptomsof Ddoes cometosee us butringand ecanhelp. urpoliciesof earingamask sanitisingyourhands and maintainingsocialdistancingareinplace andarekeytokeepingusallsafe. We are stillopen earedoingroutineappointments atbothHighcliffeand ransgore and eare seeingpoorlyanimalsanddoingoperations at hristchurch. edicationcanbeordered byemailingoffice@prioryvetgroup.comand eareofferingremoteconsultationsby phoneorvideoas el lasapostaloption formedication. urreceptionareasare open but ecannotaccommodateclients inthe aitingrooms orconsultrooms unfortunatelysothepetshavetocomeand seeusbythemselves(theydon’tseem tomind abit .Wearedelayingelective

We sa severalemergenciesover hristmasand e earincluding iscuit the ocker panielpuppy h o as unfortunatelyattackedonhis hristmasDay alk.Hehadeatenhisbreakfastsohehad tosit ithournurseand aituntilhe as readyforhissedationandstitchup. We also deliveredsomebeautiful ealyhamterrier puppiesby aesareanon e ears ve and ehad usketinhospitalfor anightas he asbeingsickandfeelingun ell. arsh thepointersentusthislovelyphototosay Happy hristmas

iscuit

ealyhamterrierpuppies

usket arsh

FromCafayate ValleyinNorthernArgentina.

1800mabovesealevel.

Thisis averyinterestingwine.Madefrom Bonarda(100%).Duringproductionthegrapes aredestemmed,coldsoaked(toobtain aricher/ darkerwine)itisthenmaceratedfor 3weekspost fragmentationwherewinespends 8monthsina mixofAmericanoakbarrels.

Blackcurrantandplumsonthenose.

Fullbodiedbutdeepandsilkycoupledwithgood cleanacidity.

Aperfectwinterwarmer.