Melbourn Calendars 2018

Astroturf on which the games had been played!

As if being an ace player in practically every sport you can name was not enough, Howard is also an avid bridge player. He played as a boy at school and with his father and in 2009 he and his friend Tony Allan started the Melbourn Bridge Club in Vicarage Close. Now based in the United Reformed Church they play on Monday evenings (more advanced and duplicate) and on Tuesday afternoons beginners and improvers. At both sessions they have between 30 and 50 people attending so it is extremely popular. Howard took an English Bridge Union Tournament Directors course and is fully qualified to give tuition. Gill, however, does not play bridge!!!

She plays golf occasionally, likes to potter in her very pretty garden and we do Yoga together on a Monday morning but mostly she enjoys entertaining and dreaming up new ways with the wonderful supply of produce Howard brings from his allotment in Meldreth. She has really been tested this year thinking of fresh ways to serve up the plentiful supply of beans, courgettes, tomatoes etc. Both her children are excellent cooks.

The Red Cow (which older villagers will remember as the doctor’s surgery with Miss Harrison fiercely presiding over the dispensary) is a delightful home and they have never regretted moving there. Elegant and comfortable it has, of course, a beautifully equipped kitchen and Howard’s study is lined with photographs of his sporting prowess. I asked Gill to share with us one of her favourite recipes and hope that, like me, you will enjoy having a go at it. Mavis Howard

Howard at 17 with five cups won at athletics and a sixth cup for having won the most cups!

A simple Winter starter using leeks from the allotment!

Smoked Trout, Leek and Watercress Salad with Horseradish Dressing... Leeks marinated while hot in a mustard dressing, make a wonderful salad, particularly when combined with trout, watercress and horseradish. If you cannot find smoked trout, use smoked salmon instead. 4 smallish leeks 3 tbsp creamed horseradish 1tbsp Dijon mustard 2 tbsp white wine vinegar 1 tbsp water 4 fl ozs /100ml groundnut oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 small bunch of chives, finely chopped 4oz/110g watercress ( or standard supermarket bag) 8 slices smoked trout, each cut into three. Cut leeks into quarters, wash well. Boil in plenty of salted water until tender.

While the leeks are cooking make the dressing. Whisk horseradish and mustard together with vinegar and water. Add the oil and season well..

Drain leeks, shake off any excess water, add to the vinaigrette dressing. Coat well, and leave to sit for 10 minutes or so, then add chopped chives.

Lift the leeks out of the dressing, and put on a large plate. Toss the watercress in the remainder of the dressing, scatter it over the top and finish with the smoked trout. Gillian Waller

Melbourn Calendars 2018

Do you have yours yet? It’s still not too late!

They are now available to order, either at the Coffee Stop on Saturday mornings from 10.30 to 12 noon (Last date for collection – 16th December) or by ringing Marjorie Shaw on 01763 220076. Prices are A4 size (large) £9 and A5 (small) £6. All come with envelopes. Profit goes to SOAS (Supporters of All Saints)

Piccolinos is new to Melbourn but has in fact been running for 10 years! Piccolinos is my own little brand of music class for children that I first started in Singapore. Since then, I’ve loved taking the music to wherever my family life led us, which included Dubai and Malaysia. I’m now happy to be home and starting to grow the groups here around Cambridge!

The classes are for early years children and are a funbag mix of singsongs, bubbles, hands on instruments, sound stories, dancing and basic beats and rhythm. As for the music, all sorts that both adults and children alike will love including Motown, Reggae, Jazz, African and sleepy lullabies.

For the older ones – The sessions include the same fun and energy of the little ones groups, with some added extras of imagination games, stories and an intro to basic music theory.

If this sounds like something you and your little ones would love as much as I do – then send me an email on carlycole1@ hotmail.com

Melbourn Primary School

There have been many new faces and names for everyone to learn in September and I have been delighted to see how quickly we have settled in together to become a new school family.

You may have noticed that we have a rather large chimney ascending from the school kitchen roof! This was the first stage of our building programme to accommodate the cooking of additional meals for increased numbers of children. The mobile classroom has been moved to allow access to the site for construction vehicles. The enabling works for the school development then began in earnest in October. This initially involves the laying of a new playground and a road across the school field so that the construction vehicles can access the site. When complete the main build is due to commence during November. We are so excited that the building programme is happening and we will eventually be one cohesive school building.

The building work is exciting for the children to watch and business continues as normal…

Year 1 & 2 Inspiration Day Building work started early for Year 1, as they arrived at school dressed for a busy day of construction. As part of their inspiration day, the hall was transformed into a thriving work place with architects, brick layers, designers, diggers and even an estate agent. The children took on each role convincingly and even had a chance to visit the ‘Corner Café’ after a productive morning. The children were buzzing with imaginative ideas all morning which was truly inspiring! Year 3 and 4 Inspiration Day We had such a wonderful time at our inspiration day, ‘Mysterious Maya,’ on Friday; our topic has been greeted with such enthusiasm. During the day we made some tortilla dough. We learnt how to mix it and when we needed to add more flour or water to the mix so the dough was the right consistency.

We also learnt about the Maya number system and we wrote and added the numbers together. Finally, we made some Maya headdresses based on what we felt our ‘spirit animal’ was. We then wore our headdresses and enjoyed some hot chocolate and tortilla crisps and dips as this was food that used Maya ingredients. We would like to thank parents and carers for the contribution they made; this helped make our inspiration day more special. Bikeability Year 6 At the start of the term our Year 6 children were given the opportunity to take part in Bikeability. The course was taken over four days. Day one involved recapping Level 1, which the children had learnt in Year 3. On days two to four, they took to the roads! They were taught many skills including: U-turns, going around a parked vehicle, signalling and LOL (lots of looks). “It was fun and active but educational at the same time. I feel more confident riding my bike now.” Evelyn.

Harvest Assembly In September we gathered the fruits of our cupboards and walked cheerfully down to All Saint’s church for our harvest celebration. From pasta to custard, from rice to tinned peaches, we displayed our goods at the front of the church and gave thanks for all we eat. The children sang beautifully about autumn leaves, items in their trolley and a harvest samba. We thought about the wonder of the food all around