October 2019

Issue 60 October 2019

Baldock legend G La Roche - Photo by Martin Wootton

Raising awareness of what’s on & where to find things locally

www.onourdoorstepbaldock.co.uk Baldock, Ashwell, Weston and surrounding villages

Welcome September, the month of Balstock. Personally I think this month's front cover says it all. Martin Wootton managed to captured ths month's 5 Minute star and festival legend, G La Roche, in his natural habitat. Find out a little more about him, the Magnificent Seven and the background of Balstock on page 26. In true G style it makes for an interesting read and is guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

In it's 13th year the once small festival drew in around 50,000 people across 3 days. Although the next morning the town would look completely transformed and a distant memory from the rock fuelled antics of the night before. All thanks to Baldock's 2nd Scouts who aced their duties as the clean up team.

The awesome event has been such a success that the money is still being collected and counted for the charities that they support.

Head over to our Gallery page to see some more great shots of the weekend as well as the Baldock 5k Rat Race that Sam Holland successfully organised for another year. It was lovely to see whole families participating and running together, as well as individuals. It's always great to see the whole town come together and we won't have to wait long for the next town event, as the annual Charter Street Fair rolls into town during the first week of October. Then it’’s time to don your Lederhosen & Dirndl ready for the Baldock Oktoberfest.

We've had a great end to the summer even managing to eek out a few more sunny days through September, but the darker nights are starting to close in now.

The first few weeks back at school have seemed to fly by! Our youngest is now in Year 9 and has decided to take on the Bronze D of E award. We've had the evening introduction at the school and she has her first session coming up this week, to prepare her for the next step in the challenge.

Enjoy your October

Paul & Jacqui info@onourdoorstepbaldock.co.uk Jacqui Calver 07973 788418

Disclaimer All adverts and editorial are printed in good faith, however On Our Doorstep Baldock cannot take any responsibility for the content of adverts or services provided by the advertisers. Reproduction on whole or in part of this publication without prior permission from the publishers is strictly prohibited.

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“Another Successful Year” Over the past two years Baldock Twinning Associa on has celebrated the 20th anniversary of its partnership with French twin town, Sanvignes- les Mines (in 2017) and the 30th anniversary of its partnership with German twin town, Eisenberg (in 2018).

Both celebra ons demonstrated the strong links that exist between our towns. This is further reinforced with Eisenberg and Sanvignes having been twinned together since 1970.

The longstanding personal friendships will undoubtedly con nue for many more years and the cultural and social exchange that our Twinning partnership offers binds the towns and the people together.

This year members from Baldock visited Eisenberg in July and visitors from Sanvignes visited Baldock in August.

A typical three night programme when people meet consists of a welcome recep on, followed by a full day out, official evening dinner and coffee morning get together. This year we took our French visitors to Peterborough Cathedral and Flag Fen Archaeological

Park. There is always me to spend with hosts which gives everyone a chance to catch up on news, interests, travel, health and of course the 'B' word, Brexit or is it 'Boris'???.

One of our most recent new members wrote to me a er par cipa ng in this year's exchange visits for the first me, “I have just had a super weekend and all because I joined Town Twinning. I had thought about joining and put it off for several years mainly on the grounds of not having enough me. Well it's a commitment of just a long weekend each year actually so not much me and I wish it could have been longer!

It was great to share informa on, experiences and loads of laughs with people from another country. I can highly recommend it. There's a lot of

To celebrate our 20th Anniversary of trading we will be running a series of deals and promotions!

We are offering a Free Wind Sensor with every Motorised Awning purchased until end of October.

Normal RRP £180.00, these vibration Wind Sensors automatically retract the Awning during windy spells.

friendly people in Sanvignes-les-mines and in Eisenberg looking forward to finding someone here to exchange with.

I got to use my French which was great fun but not essen al, and I hope to learn some German for next year when I meet my new German friends.”

The membership of Baldock Twinning is stable and extremely enthusias c but there is a need to a ract new and younger members to con nue the tradi ons that have been established.

To widen appeal, a pen pal project has been started between St Mary's Junior School, Baldock and schools in Sanvignes which has led to an exchange of le ers between the pupils.

Baldock Twinning is a self-funded voluntary organisa on and has an ac ve fundraising programme which usually includes food in some form. We have staged a very successful Murder Mystery evening as part of the Baldock Fes val in recent years and have dinners, bbq's and a ernoon tea par es.

For more informa on about us or how to join please contact Secretary Viv Reed, telephone number 07815-308124 or e-mail vr60@icloud.com Paul Lucke – Chairman Baldock Town Twinning Associa on

20th

Anniversary Celebration

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PRESENTS St Mary’s

Baldock Community

Fireworks Display

BAR

St Mary’s School Saturday 9th November 2019 Gates open 5:00pm Fireworks start 6:30pm Tickets £5.00 Per Person - Under 3's Free

Available from Tapps Garden Centre, St Mary’s School , Baldock Community Centre All profits from ticket sales will be distributed between local charities and St Mary’s School In the event of cancellation no refunds will be issued.

For more info see our website www.baldockcommunityfireworks.com

Edier H880 –

the fit both comfortable and snugly over my ears and instantly silenced a large amount of background noise.

The H880's are wired headphones and stored neatly underneath the headphones are two boxes, the first comes with a very long 3.5mm to 3.5mm gold plated connector lead, you also receive a shorter 3.5mm to 3.5mm lead which includes inline volume control and hands-free func on for use with smartphones.

Finally, there is a 3.5mm to 6.35 mm adapter. The second box contains a very smart so -touch material storage bag which the headphones neatly fold up into for safe and portable carrying.

Once set up and plugged into my phone, it was now me to test them out. I connected them to my Sony Xperia 1 phone using a USB Type-C adapter and cranked on the music.

On a technical level, the H880's use 40mm polymer drivers with cavity control technology which gives a superior bass response. Frequency response is in a range of 20Hz – 20kHz, sound pressure is 100dB, nominal

High Fidelity Stereo Headphones I've just returned from a family summer holiday in Wales which took us through the beau ful mountains and valleys and onto the even more spectacular coasts of beaches of a very beau ful part of Great Britain. Our holiday gave us plenty of chances for quiet evenings snuggled together in an old converted farmhouse.

What be er me but to slip on a set of headphones and listen to my favourite music and while away the evening.

Fortunately, I was armed with a set of Edifier H880 Over-ear wired headphones and boy was I impressed!

As is now the want in this age of 'product unboxing', the H880's come in a sleek ma black foam padded box, with the headphones si ng securely in the purpose made inset. A er taking them out of the box and fi ng them over my ears, I found

impedance is 24ohm all powered by a closed moving coil.

The headphones feel very well constructed using alloy and durable metallic connectors. The leathere e ear pads along with the padded head a achment were extremely comfortable and although very well insulated, didn't get too warm a er wearing them for extended periods.

Most importantly, the music reproduc on was superb, my Xperia 1 supports Dolby Atmos, so the sound is very good and I found the H880's provided a very enjoyable listening experience. Bass wasn't overbearing and treble and midranges were excellent too. Vocals were crisp and clear and on the whole, I was really impressed! It really goes to show that wired headphones are s ll the obvious choices of music fans as they don't suffer delay and compression that can some mes be obvious on Bluetooth headphones.

At a shade over £100, the Edifier H880 over-ear wired headphones are a contender for those of us that don't mind si ng in a chair enjoying music.

Ma Porter - The Gadget WWW.THEGADGETMAN.ORG.UK

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If you care about your smile - Call us - We will too!

Sandon School Update Macmillan Coffee Morning and School 80th Anniversary It was wonderful to see so many people at school on Friday 27th. Thank you to all those who came, shared their memories and donated cake and money.

There will be more details and photos in next month's edi on.

New Playground We are very lucky to have received a grant from the sugar tax which has allowed us to replace and enlarge our playground surface, relocate and add to our collec on of fitness equipment and install a traversing wall. We would really like local people to come and use the fitness equipment and netball court if they would like to, out of school hours.

Community Choir We are hos ng a new community choir.

Suzy Bowden is leading the choir and teaching a variety of songs. Members of the choir include village residents, school parents and staff.

We are a light-hearted group with

differing singing abili es and everyone is welcome. The choir is on a Tuesday evening from 7.30 un l 9pm.

School Garden and Produce Stall The new raised beds are proving most produc ve and children help to water, weed and harvest at lunch mes. We now have a produce stall outside school and try to put something from our garden on it every day. Some local residents have very kindly donated their own produce too!

We have now received the RHS Level 4 Award and we are the lucky recipients of £100 of seeds.

Mrs Bowden has been busy looking for plan ng plans and Mrs Hart has very kindly donated a small green house to help with germina on. If anyone in the community has really green fingers and would like to help us out please contact the school office.

Next month we will be able to tell you about events this academic year that we would like to invite you to.

Copy Deadline for the November issue is 15th October OCTOBER

2019

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PREPARE YOUR PETS FOR FIREWORKS

It may be helpful to seek Veterinary advice for your pet 6 – 12 weeks before the firework season begins to help you prepare for it, as now days it won't just happen on November the 5th.

Ideally for behavioural advice regarding fireworks you will need to see your Vet a lot earlier around 3 – 6 months in advance.

Dogs (Signs to look out for} - Pan ng & pacing, shaking, growling, finding places to hide Try walking your dog earlier and making sure they have eaten, close your curtains a bit earlier and put the TV or radio on for background noise. Maybe give your dog a filled Kong to keep them busy, as this may help to distract them and ease their anxiety.

Cats (Signs to look out for) - Hissing or low grumbling, hiding, withdrawing from you, ears back, and crouching gait Make sure you keep your cat in if you know a firework display is planned nearby, and as for dogs close the curtains earlier than usual, and put the TV or radio on to help reduce the outside noises.

Make sure there are places easily accessible for your cat to hide, and provide an indoor li er tray in a convenient loca on, as anxious cats o en avoid toilet visits if they feel threatened.

Small Pets - Rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, mice, ferrets and birds all need to be treated with special Care when fireworks are being let off.

These animals are easily frightened.

Hutches/cages and enclosures should if possible be put in a quiet room

indoors, or a garage or shed.

Give your pet extra bedding so they can burrow into it to make them feel safe. If you cannot move the hutches or aviaries cover them with thick blankets or even an old duvet to help block out the flashes from the fireworks and it will also deaden the sound of the bangs, but do make sure there is enough ven la on.

If you have any other concerns or ques ons then please call the prac ce and our dedicated staff will be there to assist you.

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OCTOBER

2019

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY

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11 Today

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY WILLIAM CHAPMAN

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Growing Over the Last 30 Years Bury Lane Farm Shop began as a small hut in an orchard over 35 years ago, selling fruit and vegetables to passing and local trade in Melbourn. Growing quickly, this family-run business moved to the current loca on on the A10 Melbourn bypass and has become a pres gious farm shop and a leading UK flower grower, focusing on fresh produce, local suppliers and being a des na on for all the family.

A visit to Bury Lane can easily be a day out. There is a large free car park and on entering the store you will find a fabulous food hall with an in-house butchers, fishmongers (Thursday to Sunday), wonderful delicatessen, bakery and drinks departments. Through the Gi Hall there is a buzzing restaurant for breakfast, lunch, cakes and drinks and on the opposite side of the Farm Shop

there is a Garden and Plant Shop which becomes a magical Christmas Shop from October un l December. Finally there is a brilliant farm-themed children’s Fun Barn with its own cafe (which has an open air Beach themed play area in the summer!).

New for Autumn 2019, the Farm Shop has just completed a total refurbishment of their large Gi Hall, which is now bright, open and full of wonderful gi s including kitchenware, jewellery, scarves, candles, gi toiletries, gree ngs cards, baby and children’s toys and books.

Offering new products and old favourites from companies such as Jellycat, Sophie Allport, ‘I’d Rather Be…’ Stubbs Mugs, the ever-popular Wrendale Designs, Di Palomo hand creams, Powder scarves and Barefoot & Beau ful vegan beauty products, the new look Gi Hall is a stunning addi on to the business. Bury Lane Farm Shop is truly independent with friendly, knowledgeable staff who help make your visit relaxed and enjoyable by offering a personal, helpful service. There is also a loyalty scheme for both the Farm Shop and the Fun Barn rewarding regular and loyal customers.

Why not go and see for yourselves, and make a note in your diaries for their Taste of Christmas event on Thursday 14th November 2019. Open seven days a week, apart from Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day and Easter Sunday, check the website www.burylanefarmshop.co.uk and like their Facebook pages www.facebook.com/burylane and www.facebook.com/BuryLaneFunBarn for up to date opening hours, news and offers. Everyone at Bury Lane looks forward to welcoming you to the warm and friendly atmosphere of this fabulous farm shop.

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Year 9 Boys Start The Season In Style On Monday a ernoon a large squad of year 9 boys made the short journey to John Henry Newman in Stevenage for the first game of the season.

On a large pitch and playing 15 a side for the first me the game started at a ferocious pace as both teams made errors forcing the play. KTS quickly se led and began to pass the ball to space and threaten the JHN line.

In the forwards the team were delighted to welcome “Big” George back into the fold having been out of ac on for over a year due to injury. George was a force of nature with the ball in hand carrying hard and giving KTS front foot quick ball. This go-forward allowed scrum half Stan to release Louis, Jake and Max to cut the defence apart. By half me KTS had racked up 5 excellent tries. This was also the first school game with conversions for this age

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group and Louis showed excellent technique and temperament slo ng kicks over from the touchline.

As the game progressed Mr Ma hews and Mr Smith rotated the squad and tried players in different posi ons and different combina ons. As this squad develop and evolve new players are added when ever possible and it was fantas c to see Callum, Jacob and Alex made their debuts for the team. All three enjoyed the experience and contributed posi vely to the team effort.

In the second half KTS scored 5 more tries with Stan scoring a superb try breaking from inside his own half and using his speed and agility to slice open the JHN defence. Stan had enough gas to get to the line for a superb individual effort. JHN fought hard all game and were rewarded with two well taken tries.

It was also very pleasing to note that this game was played in excellent spirits with the values of rugby on display for all to see. Well done to both teams!

Tougher challenges will undoubtedly await this talented team this season.

Time for the hard work to con nue…..

Watch this space!

Mr Ma hews

Baldock Events Well by the me this reaches you all we should have recovered from the best Balstock yet. G La Roche and his lot were amazing. The beer fes val commi ee did our bit by shaking the buckets and dressing up promo ng the Oktoberfest. Not long now un l the 25/26 October when we will hold our second charity Oktoberfest complete with Oompah band and compared by G who hopefully will have his voice back!

Then it's onto the Baldock Events Forum Christmas Fayre on Saturday 7 December which should be the biggest yet with stall holders in the community centre, Baldock Arts and heritage centre (town hall) and St Mary's church hall complete with Santa's

Catch Up! gro o. On the high street there will a bar, food stalls and stage with some local bands and groups ready for the big light switch on. Carols around the Christmas tree with mince pies and mulled cider is on Thursday 19 December.

Then next year – dates for the diary Due to the changes in the early bank holiday in May we won't have a bank holiday on the Monday 4 May it will be on Friday 8 May to celebrate the 75th anniversary of VE day (next year's themed beer glasses maybe!!) and therefore the two-week Baldock fes val will be moving.

As usual the Independent Baldock Beer fes val will kick start the event but this year it will start at 5pm on Thursday 7th May, then will be on 12noon – 11pm Friday 8th May and 12noon – 11pm Saturday 9th May. It will then be closed on Sunday 10th for clear up. The rest of the events will then be spread out over the two weeks, with the book fair on Saturday 16th May, the Street fair on Saturday 23rd May and the Classic car show on Sunday 24th May.

Over the summer our Site Manager has given the school a complete make over.

The woodwork at school has been painted and looks amazing. We also come back to our lovely new outside classroom. We are very grateful for the lo ery grant received to fund this project. The children are so excited.

We welcome back the children and offer a warm welcome to our new Recep on and Nursery children and their families. The children have all se led in well and I'm looking forward to ge ng to know the new children and their families.

I hope to meet many of them at our Friends of Weston School welcome back BBQ, the first of many events organised by our great parents' associa on.

As we welcome the new Recep on and Nursery children, I am planning events to showcase our school in prepara on for applica ons for Recep on and Nursery children joining us in 2020. It is hard to believe that the on-line admission process for children joining Recep on in 2020 is open from November 4th. I'm sure many parents will be thinking about where they would like their children to go to school. We will be holding several tours and an open day for these parents throughout the term.

The first 2 tour dates are: Friday 11th October 9.30am Thursday 24th October 9.30am More dates later in the term are available. Please look at our website for more informa on. www.weston.herts.sch.uk/adminssions/ If you know of anyone who may be interested please feel free to pass on these dates. Please contact the school office on 01462 790317 if you would like any further informa on or would like to book a place.

We look forward to sharing our lovely school with you.

Mr Holmes, Head Teacher

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OCTOBER MOVIES OCTOBER 4th - JOKER Joker centers around an origin of the iconic arch nemesis and is an original, standalone story not seen before on the big screen. Failed comedian Arthur Fleck encounters violent thugs while wandering the streets of Gotham City dressed as a clown. Disregarded by society, Fleck begins a slow dissent into madness as he transforms into the criminal mastermind known as the Joker. This is not only a gritty character study, but also a broader cautionary tale.

OCTOBER 11th - GEMINI MAN Henry Brogan (Will Smith) is an aging elite assassin trying to get out of the business when he becomes the target of a mysterious operative who can seemingly predict his every move. To his horror, he soon learns that the man who's trying to kill him is a younger, faster, cloned version of himself. Gemini Man has been floating around for twenty years while the technology developed to turn the Spider-Man pointing meme into a living, breathing thing

OCTOBER 11th - ABOMINABLE When teenager Yi encounters a young Yeti on the roof of her apartment building in Shanghai, she and her mischievous friends, Jin and Peng, name him “Everest” and embark on an epic quest to reunite the magical creature with his family at the highest point on Earth. But the trio of friends will have to stay one-step ahead of Burnish, a wealthy man intent on capturing a Yeti, and zoologist Dr. Zara to help Everest get home.

OCTOBER 18th - MALEFICENT 2 "The years have been kind to Maleficent and Aurora. Their relationship, born of heartbreak, revenge and ultimately love, has flourished. Yet the hatred between man and the fairies still exists. Aurora’s impending marriage to Prince Phillip is cause for celebration as the wedding serves to unite the two worlds. When an unexpected encounter introduces a powerful new alliance, Maleficent and Aurora are pulled apart to opposing sides in a Great War."

OCTOBER 18th - ZOMBIELAND A decade after Zombieland became a hit film and a cult classic, Zombieland: Double Tap is the sequel and through comic mayhem that stretches from the White House and through the heartland, these four slayers must face off against the many new kinds of zombies that have evolved since the first movie, as well as some new human survivors. But most of all, they have to face the growing pains of their own makeshift family.

OCTOBER 25th - THE ADDAM FAMILY Get ready to snap your fingers! The first family of Halloween, the Addams Family, is back on the big screen in the first animated comedy about the kookiest family on the block. Funny, outlandish, and completely iconic, the Addams Family redefines what it means to be a good neighbour. Gomez, Morticia, Wednesday, Pugsley and Uncle Fester square off against a reality television show host.

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OCTOBER

2019

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If you weren't at the last Baldock Beats Waste mee ng in July at the Orange Tree you missed a treat on all counts. We shared our lists of changes we've made to make our own households more environmentally friendly and these ideas have also been posted on our Facebook page. A selec on of alterna ve products were inves gated along with where they can be sourced.

We've con nued to collect crisp packets at the Community Centre to send to Terracycle. Thank you to all those who have contributed. Although we will con nue to collect, the way we manage this will be changing because Terracycle has altered the way they operate. So keep an eye on our FB page

@baldockbeatswaste.

We have managed to inuence local businesses and individuals to reconsider their environmental prac ces and hope to do more in future.

The next open mee ng will be in October, date and venue to be announced in all the usual places!

Come join us.

Addi onally I am hoping to be in the Community Centre from me to me to chat about all things rubbish. So if you have any ideas or want to discuss an appropriate ma er please look on our FB page to see when I'll be there.

Chris ne Watson for Baldock Beats Waste.

Baldock Chan is a medita on group in Baldock which meets every Monday evening between 7.00 and 9.00 pm.

Our venue is the Clothall Village hall, which is just outside the town.

The group started in March to support anyone who has, or would like to establish a medita on prac ce.

Chan is the Chinese ancestor to Japanese Zen. There is no charge but any dona ons support the hire of the hall.

Please visit our website, www.baldock-chan.net for further details.

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OCTOBER

2019

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OCTOBER

2019

Weston Way Nursery Baldock

The new term has started on a very posi ve note. The new intake are now all in and se ling onto their new rou ne.

There is so much to remember for a 3 year old: Ÿ What is the name of my new teacher? Ÿ What colour group am I in? Ÿ Which classroom is mine? Ÿ Where do I put my lunch box? Ÿ Where do I put my water bo le? Ÿ And that is just in the first 2 minutes of arriving at the nursery!

We had a new conservatory entranceway installed over the summer break. We are wai ng for the flooring to be installed before we can u lise it as a welcoming area for children and their parents. Many thanks to Kindlelight for yet another successful project.

Our Open Air Cinema Event is scheduled for this Friday, The Greatest Showman, we are keeping our fingers crossed for some good weather.

Our wellie trolley is ready for the children when we have our first wet day.

The children have been prac sing iden fying their own wellies and pu ng them on and taking them off. Think of us on the next rainy day with 88, 3 and 4

nd

2 Scouts year old children being encouraged to undertake the 'wellie rou ne' independently!

Baldock enjoyed a very sunny and successful Balstock Free Music Fes val this weekend. We are very proud of our Caretaker Mr 'G' LaRoche who is responsible for its organisa on. 'G's mother Elaine worked at the Nursery for 27 years. Tragically she passed away in 2017 due to breast cancer. Her loss was marked at the Fes val with the ELR Stage on the High Street. She would have been very proud of 'G's accomplishments along with the support of his dad Mick and brother Robert, and all the other wonderful volunteers.

Jane Mille - Headteacher

We are delighted to share with you that over the Balstock weekend we raised an impressive £856. This will go towards keeping scou ng affordable, not just our subs, but also our outdoor ac vi es and allows the leaders to plan some exci ng ou ngs.

2nd Baldock are keen to recruit some younger leaders into the Group, so whether you were in scou ng or not and interested in helping support our Young People either once a month or every week, then get in touch at enquiries@2ndbaldockscouts.org.uk .

Thank you to all the volunteers over the weekend, the customers of course and the Balstock team for their support and we will be looking at the work of some of the Chari es supported by Balstock later Rubbish cleared over the weekend in the year.

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OCTOBER

2019

19

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Baldock Gardens

By Graham Tapp

October 2019 October is here and the end of our growing season for another year. I don't mean that we have to harvest everything in the allotment or garden immediately. Just that due to the shortening day length lower light levels and of course the temperature slowly dropping, nearly everything stops growing, flowering or fruiting.

We will have been harvesting, since early summer, but we now have to get on with the pre-winter collection of anything that won't survive the frosts, snow and bitter easterly winds. Recent years have been milder than we would have reasonably expected, something I quite like, having spent most of my working life working outside in the cold and wet.

Some fruit and veg are, in some ways very similar to me and do not like cold and wet; they need picking digging and cutting before the bad weather arrives.

Apples and pears will have to be stored away from the cold in a dry, dark, airy, but cool place best to wrap each fruit in tissue paper, making sure that they do not touch to avoid the transfer of diseases. Other fruits will have to be bottled or frozen, berries and late stone fruits will likely turn into Jams and preserves. There are many different ways of keeping the products of your hard work, and most are great fun.

I have just had a first-hand experience of some of the best local produce, having been asked to stand in as a Judge at the LDGA Autumn flower show, the quality of the exhibits were of the highest quality, and I would like to thank the team who organised the event and those who entered for their hard work and congratulate all of the entrants and especially the prize winners. It was a great day.

Some months ago I wrote about our borehole, and that we have monitoring equipment in it to keep an eye on the water level, I have to report that it is still dropping, it has fallen from a usual working level of 12.0 metres below ground level down to 15.1metres, lower than has been recorded in the thirty-odd years I've been looking after it. The level had dropped to the point where the pump was not deep enough under the water surface to give adequate cooling, and the

inevitable happened it overheated and stopped working. It was quite old, a younger pump would have coped, but they gradually fur up like a kitchen kettle and eventually stop; unfortunately, this one stopped at a time when we needed it to be giving a reasonable output.

When it's hot, it takes two of us two and a half hours to water everything properly, in an emergency we have to revert to using mains water from half-inch taps, and suddenly the job takes all-day. The engineers have now installed the new pump, and all is well, ( see what I did there? ) I'm currently trying to short cut the water cycle, the one we all learned at school where it rains, falls on the land, drains into the river, flows to the sea, evaporated by the sun, forms clouds, condenses and turns into rain, well I am now just finishing a collector for all the rain that falls on my roofs. An extensive system that can store 49,000 litres of free rain, the system will feed a new extremely efficient irrigation system that will be a fully automatic ebb and flow system, in effect a colossal piece of hydroponic growing equipment, I'm told its the sort of thing some people use to grow their private stock of marijuana plants, but mine will be on a very much more significant scale and in case any police are reading this, only for bedding plants.

I have been looking into more recycling this year, you may know that we were able to get a lot of our black pots and trays recycled, we managed to get a large skip full so many thousand of them transported to a centre that could convert them. We are now growing our plants in light blue pots these are made from recycled plastic and are fully recyclable.

For some years I have been looking into reducing the peat levels in our composts; unfortunately, the supply trade has not been able to bring the changes to the market place as fast as we would have liked. In 2015 the Government requested the retail horticultural trade to self-police a zero per cent peat use by 2020. Our

St Johns

Tapps, The Baldock Garden Centre

suppliers have been able to manufacture a peat-free range of garden composts that have been intensively tested by various institutions, including Which; the results show that it is comparable with some of the best peat-based composts.

The problem with the reduced and peat-free composts put onto the market over the past few years was that they would hold too much water and drown the plants or the complete opposite and be so dry that nothing would thrive, that problem along with feed levels is solved, and I have just put an order in for next season so that I will be able to supply to my customers a full peat free-range rather than only the odd pallet.

The commercial ranges are lagging by a couple of years, but research is still progressing, and I would expect them to meet the target in another five years from now. The Governments target date is for 2030 as the problems for commercial production for mass growing are enormous, perhaps I will explain that another time.

I will continue to supply an excellent recycled household waste product sold as a multi-bag offer for an excellent cheap price, used as a flower or vegetable border planting compost or better as a soil improver instead of farmyard manure. I think this is a fantastic and novel way of our council's overcoming a challenging problem.

I think there will be some new and innovative solutions to many of our waste problems and we will see a few turn up in our gardens in the near future.

Enjoy your gardening,

Cheers Graham

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n O s ’ t a h W Letchworth Parkrun A free 5km run every Saturday at 9am, Grange Recreation Ground, SG6 4PN. Very welcoming for new runners - see www.parkrun.org.uk/letchworth for details

Baldock Country Market Every Friday morning until Christmas - The Victoria pub Sun Street Baldock 9.30am - 12pm

Monkey Music Classes Every Friday classes running from 9.30 at the Baldock Community Centre contact Katherine on 01462 -626735

The Royal British Legion Baldock Branch Third Monday of every month - The Orange Tree Norton Road -7:30pm

Baldock Rotary Club Meets every Wednesday 12.00 for 12.30 (except if 5th Wednesday in month) at Baldock Bowls Club West Ave, Baldock. Contact Paul Redwood 01462 835795

Baldock Charter Street Fair Wednesday 2nd, 3rd and 4th October. All the fun of the fair returns to the High Street. The fair has been running every year since 1199, when King John 1st granted the fairs Royal Charter

North Herts Art Society - Lecture Thursday 3rd October 2019, 11.00 -12.15 or 2.00 – 3.15 at Spirella Ballroom, Bridge Road, Letchworth Free Parking – lift access Visitors £7.00 www.theartssocietynorthherts.org.uk

I

Baldock Rotary Club - Jazz Concert Saturday, 5th October 2019, 7.30 p.m at Knights Templar School. Fish and Chip Supper and Licensed bar Tickets: £16 each. (Buy 5 get the 6th free). Available from Keith Britter (01462 896189/07866 739248) or Baldock Community Centre. Proceeds will go to Mercy Ships UK

New Art Exhibitions Saturday 5th October at North Hertfordshire Museum Hitchin. Open from 10.30am - 4.30pm Tuesday to Saturday and 11am - 3pm on Sundays. Admission is free

Standalone 10k Sunday 6th October - 9:30am, Standalone Farm, Wilbury Way, Letchworh. Also Childrens Fun Run after the main event no need to register, just turn up and run.

Weston Music Concerts Saturday 19th October 7.30pm at Holy Trinity Church, Weston SG4 7DJ. Cavendish Winds (Mary Tyler, Clarinet; Katy Ovens, Flute; Alice Quale, Bassoon; Henry Clay, Oboe; Charlie Ransley, Horn) felicitylowe@yahoo.co.uk 01462 790573. www.westonmusicsociety.org.uk

Baldock & Clothall W.I. - Autumn Coffee & Cake Saturday 19th October, 10:30 - 12:30 at the United Reform Church. £4.50 on the door If you would like to have your event included FREE in the next issue please email us at info@onourdoorstepbaldock.co.uk by 15th Oct 2019 OCTOBER

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Tricky rela onships say as much about you as the other person involved, but by shi ing your own behaviour and se ng some boundaries it's possible to make real progress. The network of people that surrounds us family, friends, colleagues and acquaintances is something we all rely on, but how many of our rela onships get stuck in a nega ve loop?

Someone in your circle who either brings out the worst in you, or who exhausts you mentally or physically, is a 'toxic friend'. With their unreliability, putdowns or jealousy, a toxic friend unse les

and corrodes pleasure.

O en our own emo onal history will cause us to cling to a rela onship which has become unbalanced. A useful tool is to conduct a friendship audit. This is where we reflect on our friendships and assess whether they s ll give us fulfilment or pleasure.

Ask yourself why you are s ll friends with this person. Do they allow you to pretend you're younger, fi er, less lonely than you really are? Or are you friends out of habit? You may discover that some of things you used to get from a par cular friendship, such as fun and mutual support are no longer present.

If a friendship reaches crisis point there are ways to restore an even keel.

Work out whether you're the giver or the taker and if you need to start behaving differently to feel more fulfilled. Se ng boundaries is important in all rela onships even friendships that go back decades. If you feel diminished by a friendship, try to recognise that in order to receive respect in friendships, you have to respect yourself.

It's possible to forgive a friend who hurts you or who withdraws believing you've hurt them. It's a big step and few of us are brave enough to risk it and be the one who forgives. We worry that forgiveness looks like condoning shoddy behaviour. True forgiveness is subtly different it's something you give because you want to give it not because of what you might hope to receive in return, forgiveness can be a step towards personal healing.

However, if your friendship has run its course, yours feelings could range from hurt, disappointment, anger and guilt. Start planning new hobbies or ac vi es to help you meet new people and inject new energy into your life.

Using Hypnosis combined with other techniques improves thought processing building confidence in a fast and effec ve way helping to create changes in your general a tude towards yourself and your current life situa on.

Kim Holloway – www.totaltherapy.co.uk OCTOBER

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5 minutes with... ...Mr Balstock, G La Roche *Tell us a li le bit about yourself Please call me 'G'. I'm not keen on the name 'Graeme'. I own a colour television set and I have a bronze swimming cer ficate. I like performing live and the occasional whisky. *What's your day job Believe it or not I am the caretaker at Weston Way Nursery School.

Possibly the best Nursery school in Her ordshire…no, in whole of the UK…nay ..THE WORLD!!! *Where did the original Balstock idea come from I don't leave Baldock much, so wanted to hear bands here, where I live. Everyone else is just encroaching on my fun. Please leave!!! *Most iconic Balstock moment Tough to say. Ge ng Chas Hodges from Chas and Dave to perform would be up there. Having my face ta ooed on Ben Diplock's arm for Help For Heroes would count. Ge ng the Balstock banner on St Mary's church in 2010 (thanks Scouse x). Ritn Ditn crowd surfing with an ironing board! Or just recently being able to call the stage on the High Street the Elaine LaRoche Stage in honour of my mum, that's got to top all of them * what's been your proudest Balstock moment Every moment I get to see my friends again, that I made when I was a teenager, s ll come back to perform, even though I'm well into my 30s. You cannot put a price on that link to the past. I love a bit of nostalgia. *Dead or alive who would be your ul mate Balstock line up Freddie Mercury. But just performing for me in the Orange Tree.

I'll be wearing the Brian May wig for it…accompanied by Jesus Hooligan.

. *I've heard there's a Magnificent Balstock Seven Hellz yes. I have the most awesome commi ee behind me.

Steve 'Scouse' Holmes has been the powerhouse behind Balstock since day one. Michael Rees knows all there is to know about stage set up and computer stuff. Becky Miller has her hands full of volunteers and charity management. Lynne Smith laughs in the face of admin challenges. Paul 'Smiffy' Smith doesn't sleep, he just loads equipment like a Trojan roadie and Mick LaRoche is the dad with diploma c dominion. *This years event looked bigger and be er than ever before Don't blame me. I just book the bands! But the fact that we can encourage over 200 acts to play for free in the name of charity s ll fills my heart with much joy. *I've heard there's a pe on for a G La Ro statue, your thoughts?

Hahaha yes Richard Morgan from the George Hotel started a pe on 4 years ago. Can I just ask that my nose be reduced a bit and no-one men ons my receding Mohican. *If your 20-year-old self could see you now, what would he think?

He’d call me a sell-out for not performing exclusively Death Metal music. *what would you like to own that you don’t currently possess Some modesty …and a double-neck guitar. *Who’s been your biggest influence and why?

Sorry to be obvious, but once again I’d have to say my mum. This is gonna sound bias, but she was a woman of wisdom, kindness and integrity. If I could live up to a frac on of her values I’d be a made man. *What ‘old people’ things do you do?

I was an old man at 25! I like a ernoon naps, I drink too much tea and listen to Sounds Of The Six es on Saturday mornings. I also can’t get up from the couch without grun ng! *what item would you be buried with so you could use it in the a erlife?

Moisturiser…NEXT QUESTION *if you could have any superpower, what would it be What makes you think I don’t already have a superpower???

Does hayfever count? * 2020, what can we expect At this point, who knows? Let's get 2019 out of the way first xx

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Slimming Wld Recipe Supplied by

Sandra Lloyd

Teriyaki Salmon and Noodles Easy Teriyaki Salmon served on a bed of Asian Noodles, fresh veggies and a homemade Asian Sesame Dressing! A light, simple refreshing recipe for the whole family!

Ingredients Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ

6 tbsp dark soy sauce 1 garlic clove, crushed 2.5cm piece fresh root ginger, grated 550g skinless salmon fillet, roughly chopped 250g dried egg/rice noodles Low calorie cooking spray Juice of 2 limes 2 courgettes, cut into batons 450g pack Chinese-style stir-fry vegetables 200g beansprouts 225g can bamboo shoots, drained

Method 1. Mix the soy sauce, garlic and ginger in a bowl.

Add the salmon and toss to combine.

2.Cook the noodles according to pack instructions and drain.

3.Heat a wok sprayed with low calorie cooking spray. Drain the salmon (reserving the marinade), add to the wok and fry for 3 minutes. Return the salmon to the marinade and add the lime juice.

4.Spray the wok with more low calorie cooking spray, add the courgettes and fry for 2 minutes. Add the Chinese vegetables, beansprouts and bamboo shoots and continue to fry for 3-4 minutes. Add the cooked noodles and toss to combine.

5.Divide the noodles between four serving plates, top with the salmon and drizzle over the soy and lime sauce

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Single I've been single for a li le while now.

Its ok, ups and downs and all that. But every now and then I feel the need to find someone. The missing piece of life if you like.

Now, as my fellow singletons will a est, mee ng Mr or Mrs Right is not as easy as it sounds. Where does one start? I don't o en go out. I'm certainly past clubbing, not that I was ever prone to that kind of thing. I'm more your local pub, fabulous friends, decent wine and conversa on type of girl who reserves the right to get completely outrageous on occasion.

I'm not likely to meet the man of my dreams whist deep in conversa on with friends sor ng out the world, and I don't think any man would find a 'wasted' Nicky very a rac ve, it's not pre y and it's certainly not clever. As you know I've worked where I am for a very long me so unless my Adonis was to start working there, I'm not going to find love at work. Besides, there are so many problems associated with da ng work colleagues nowadays, its just not worth the visits to HR on a sexual harassment charge is it?

So, I am forced to go 'online' to seek out my Mr Right. My chosen place of torture is a well-known free da ng site I won't name but I think you know the one. I'm told you will find the same people on all of them, the only difference is there's less adverts on the ones you pay for.

I'd very much like to share with you some thoughts and experiences, some are mine, some are friends. I offer these snippets in an effort to cheer your day, and perhaps make you feel a li le be er about your lot, and for those that are on the same path as me, a li le kindred spirit.

Fish; If they have a picture of themselves holding a huge Chub, they can do one. It just says, 'I Am Man', 'I Bring Food' 'ugg!'. Sorry but no, they may as well be clubbing a seal. It just does nothing for me.

life Cars; If the Lambo they are standing next to isn't theirs, (you can tell because they are in a car showroom) what are they trying to say? Look at me ladies, I don't own this car, but I need you to think I do so you think I have loads of money and you will date me.

Oh, Come on.

Motorbikes; Same as cars really, but with a bad boy image. Saying that, who doesn't love a bad boy, but I'm done with my pillion days. Riding on the back of a bike with 'Wide Load' signs and flashing lights is just not cool at my age.

Ladies that use filters; They surely don't know how disappoin ng it is for a guy that turns up to find that they don't have bu erflies whirling around their head, or a cute black nose with puppy dog eyes.

And please everyone, put some damn clothes on. Geez!

Profiles that say, I'll fill this in later or just ask. No, no, no, we need some clues. Can you spell? Do you use text talk? Do your hobbies include shopli ing or pin green bowling, do your teeth come out at night? We need to know.

Quick coffee dates can be fun. I have met drug addicts “just off to the loo luv, sniff” Racists are always a joy to meet. Men that hate women, what is that about? And people that have forgo en your name… alright luv, Ello dahlin, and whacha 'aving sweetcheeks? I haven't met a woman yet that enjoys being called Luv by a total stranger.

How on earth do people think any of the above is a rac ve?

Walking into a pub, coffee shop or restaurant expec ng to find Jonny Depp or Angelia Jolie only to bump into your version of Shrek or Fiona I've never backed out of a date, even when I got a text to say that he would be the one wearing the beret. I should have walked, not only did he have a beret, it was raspberry, and he had a man bag.

I've heard some crazy da ng tales. some are just horrendous, but most are hilarious. I will share this one with you as it is mine and my worst to date.

Enjoy.

I scored a date with an amazing guy, he was a 6'3 police officer. The guy was intelligent, so funny and built like a Greek God. Every single box was cked, twice! He was polite, friendly and interested in me. The conversa on flowed so naturally, I was in heaven.

About half way though our second coffee (you know it's going well when there is a second coffee) he turned to me and with his beau ful eyes, looked deep into my very soul and said, “well Nicky as there is a hotel next door, why don't you and I spend the rest of the a ernoon ge ng to know each other be er”. You know when you think of something to say about 10 minutes a er you needed to say it? The perfect putdown or come back? There is a phrase for it, L'esprit de l'escalier. It means “the wit (or spirit) of the staircase”.

My Daughter thinks I'm too fussy.

By the way, for those of you interested, I got a grade 5 for my GCSE English results, so I'm now educated as well as fabulous.

Nicky

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2019

Baldock 5K Rat Run

8th September saw the second of Baldock's annual 5k Rat Run! Hosted by us at Hollinton Health in Whitehorse street.

This year, we included chip ming and had our mascot 'Timmy the Rat' running the route too! The weather was on our side and with 200 runners signed up and providing a raffle, bouncy castle, face pain ng, live music and other bits and bobs, we managed to raise over £1,800 for the Garden house Hospice care!

A huge well done and thank you to everyone who par cipated and helped make the day happen. Each par cipant received a goody bag and medal and we had trophies for first, second and third male, female and under 15's. This year saw the event 'go green' so each par cipant

was also provided with a compostable cup and water. Marshals were fantas c, helping runners through the trail route and encouraging them along the way with their loud cheers and claps. Lead by chief marshal Neil Cherry, his great organisa onal skills evermore shining through!

The day would not have been possible without the support of local companies so a big thank you to Baldock events Forum, Alchemy Crea ons, Op mal Technologies, StonePoint and FB Chain who sponsored.

There was an amazing BBQ, provided by Baldock scouts (I had a lovely bacon roll in the morning and a burger in the a ernoon!). Baldock Events Forum were a great support and commentated on the day, allowing us to use their PA system and helping selling raffle prizes too.

The warmup was fun, provided by Nicola at eleva on Personal Training and had us all laughing as Timmy the Rat struggled to keep up with some of the moves (it must have been hot in there!). The a er event boasted all the above but included live music from acous c duo 'Why Not?', raising more money for the charity.

Well done!

Next year we hope to include more age group awards so watch this space.

Each person (and rat!) that contributed to this event in any way, thank you all for making the second Baldock Rat Run be er than we could have hoped for. We really hope you enjoyed it as much as we did and look forward to seeing you all again next year and bea ng our new target to raise as much for the Garden House Hospice as possible!

Samantha Holland – Race and clinical director at Hollinton Health

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Regular maintenance Garden Make-overs Jungles tamed Patios Fencing Turng Planting Articial grass Decking Driveways Pressure washing of patios and drives

Credit - Martin Wootton

Balstock descended upon Baldock town like a herd of Valkyries filling every nook and cranny with all genres of music. DJ sets, Heavy Metal, Pop music, Rock covers, Ska, Theatre groups, Choirs, Punk, Reggae, Electro and Burlesque amongst many others. Despite the record amount of venues, every pub, café, restaurant and town hall was filled to capacity with more people filling the town than records could record.

Bucket shakers roamed from pub to pub collec ng for Mind In Mid herts, Darcies

Wish, Essex & Herts Air Ambulance, Luna Animal Rescue and Baldock Sports Facility. Balstock 'Reps' in yellow shirts erected stages, greeted bands and worked their collec ve backsides off. Pub staff struggles beneath the weight of thirsty punters while 200+ bands, DJs and acts flooded the town.

G LaRoche said: “ We were blind-sided by the a en on Balstock received this year. What a stunner of a weekend! My commi ee is only 7 strong and we struggled to keep up with demand. We have created a MONSTER!”

Credit - Peter Aan Gill

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2019

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Many of you will have heard about the decision of the Inspector to reopen the inquiry of the Local Plan. This is likely to cause a delay of at least a year before the Local Plan comes into force, whatever that ďŹ nal plan may contain.

We are con nuing to work on the Neighbourhood Plan to stand alongside that Local Plan, to focus on par cular aspects of the poten al new developments that are of concern to residents of Baldock, Bygrave and Clothall.

We have been considering the responses that were made to our dra plan that we issued earlier in the summer. These responses, along with informa on received about possible changes of use for parts of the BA1 and BA3 sites, have caused us to focus on the gap between Baldock and Bygrave. This is to assess the acceptable size of that gap and the type of buildings appropriate for the closest part of the proposed development area (to Bygrave). We have commissioned a consultant to help us gather evidence to support local opinions.

In the light of this, we are planning to

36

OCTOBER

2019

submit a revised neighbourhood plan to NHDC towards the end of this year. We will con nue to keep you updated. If anyone would like to be added to the membership of the planning group, to receive email updates, then please send your details to info@bbplan.co.uk or look on our website www.bbplan.co.uk for more informa on.

Baldock Beavers Congratula ons to the Baldock Beavers who joined with 8th Letchworth Beavers to form the winning team at the District Beaver Sports a ernoon on Saturday.

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03444 111444 0300 300 8136 116 123

Councils North Hertfordshire District

01462 474000

Doctors Baldock Surgery

01462 892458

Dentist Victoria Place Dental Surgery

01763 313869

Emergency Utilities Gas Emergency Electric power cut

0800 111 999 0800 7838838

Hospitals Lister Hospital Queen Elizabeth 2 EMERGENCY HEALTH

01438 314333 01707 328111 111

Library Baldock Library

0300 123 4049

Police Police

01707 354000

Schools Knights Templar Hartseld St Johns St Marys Brandles

01462 620700 01462 895267 01462 892478 01462 892347 01462 892189

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08701 201088 03457 484950 0870 6082608

Vets Baldock Veterinary Centre

01462 895579

Nurseries Weston Way Nursery Merry Go Round

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Plumbers Maben PE James

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Window & Door repairs JML Windows Repairs Warrens Windows

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Florist Blooms of Baldock

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Barbers Micks of Baldock

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Funeral Directors Shires - CPJ Field Balodck

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OCTOBER

2019

37

October Gallery

Please send your local snaps new or old to our facebook page or email info@onourdoorstepbaldock.co.uk

Rocking it out on the Main Stage - Martin Wootton

The French family smashing the Baldock 5k Rat Run Sam Holland from Hollington Health -at the 5K Rat Run

Two friends enjoying Balstock, planning which bands they want to see

Number 127, Weston Ways Mrs Jane Millett.

More Rock n Roll - Peter Gill Proper Rock n Roll - Paul Lyme

Crowd surď€ ng in Baldock who would have thought it - Paul Lyme

Duchess of Sutherland approaching Baldock.

- Matt Porter

KTS 1st XV

Buddy, Evie and Hunni overlooking Clothall Common - Stuart Knock

Afternoon crowds Weston Way team

Loving life at Balsock - Martin Wootton

2 0 12 90 1 9

Baldock very own G La Roche - Michelle Claire Woolnough

AUGUST

2019

37

AND VIEW THE FULL RANGE OF OUR PRODUCTS

Come along and view our full range of products on display in our new show room.

Kindlelight’s friendly staff will be on hand to assist with any queries. Everyone is welcome.

Ample parking and refreshments available.