August 2019 Edition

Romsey & District U3A Newsletter – August 2019 Web site: romseyu3a.org.uk

Monthly Meeting Speakers All meetings start at 10.30 am.

18 September

Jenny Mallin A Grandmother’s Legacy A unique insight into the five generations of an Anglo-Indian family during the British Raj.

————————————————— 16 October

Steve Herra Prince’s Murderess Mistress

A true story about the future Edward VIII’s affair with a French prostitute in the 1920’s and how she was later accused of murdering her husband. Was she found guilty?

————————————————— 20 November

Ben Cross British Alstroemeria & the UK Ben will enlighten us on how our British Alstroemeria are grown and maintained, as well as educating and increasing the awareness about the massive benefits of buying British flowers.

————————————————— 18 December

Brian Freeland A View from the Wings

A stage manager’s view of theatre productions as seen from the prompt corner, especially on those occasions when ‘everything is not quite alright on the night’.

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Chairman’s report Another hot summer, and another August issue of our Romsey & District U3A newsletter to read (with a long cool drink to hand?). You may notice a few changes though as you reach this page – after four years as Chairman, Marion Fowler has handed over to a new committee and a new Chair, elected at the AGM in May. There are several new people on the committee, as well as some continuing ones – we’re the ones with blue lanyards and name badges. You’ll see us at a monthly meeting – come and talk to us!

I’ve been the Treasurer for the past four years, working with Marion and the “gang of twelve” (the committee), and found out just what a variety of groups and activities you’re all doing. Now I’ve moved from the back of the room at the monthly meetings to the front, as your new Chairman, where I introduce the monthly speaker. In June, it was about Apollo 11 and the moon landing, fifty years ago – I remember staying up till 3am to see it “live” on TV in 1969. Did any of you do that too? And as our speaker showed quite clearly, it was not a hoax, in spite of various conspiracy theories on the internet.

Then in July we went 2,000 years back in time, but only a hundred miles or so across the Channel, to understand France through the cartoon “Asterix the Gaul”, first published sixty years ago, and culturally very significant in France – though not so well known here. There was an item on “BBC South Today” recently, about the results of ten years studying an archaeological find from a rescue excavation in Bognor Regis – it was introduced as “a real life Asterix the Gaul”, dating back to 50BC. He was from Gaul, and perhaps had come over to warn us of the invading Romans. He was buried with an extremely impressive helmet, and sword, which will be on display in Chichester museum next year. Asterix is “not just for children”, as our speaker demonstrated – explaining the layers of meaning in some of the captions, as well as discussing the difficulties of translation. (We do have at least three French language groups – does Asterix feature in any, I wonder?)

However, as well as introducing the speaker, I’m asked to read out various messages at the start – sometimes to say there are places available on a special trip, but more often to ask for volunteers.

Our U3A, like the thousand or more U3As around the country, is autonomous but can look to the Third Age Trust for guidance and advice – on GDPR, financial, insurance and legal matters, for example. Part of

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your annual subscription goes to them, to provide a small core of paid staff in an office in London. Everything else is done by voluntary labour – that is, you and me and the people sitting next to you at a meeting.

Elsewhere in this issue you can read about our 20 th Anniversary celebrations in May – it was a great pleasure to see some of the founding members there, and to read the first issue of the newsletter. In the past twenty years, we’ve built up from around 20 groups to 57 (varieties?), with more in the pipeline. I don’t know how many members there were at the start – but having completed the renewals for 2019-20 (a big thank you to everyone involved in processing them all) we have about 760 of you now. We’re the second largest U3A in the local area – and the larger of the two in Romsey!

With all these members, surely there’s no difficulty getting enough people to:  organise the tea and coffee at monthly meetings  take over as Programme Secretary  lead a walk for “Strollers”  organise a “Short Day Trip” and those are just the ones I’ve had to announce in my first two months.

These are all continuing roles, with plenty of support to get you started from the people who have been doing it already – but after ten or fifteen years in some cases, want to hand it over. Unlike our founding members twenty years ago, you’re not diving in at the deep end – so why not get more involved in what goes on “behind the scenes”?

“Your U3A needs you!” Come and talk to us, to find out more.

Janet Payne

SHORT DAY TRIPS GROUP NEED VOLUNTEERS! The SHORT DAY TRIPS group need AT LEAST TWO people to join the organising committee to help to plan & arrange the programme of trips.

If you would like to see the group continue to flourish and are interested in helping, please contact: Gill: gillhodge@peterhodge.clara.co.uk 01794 511529 or Kay: u3ashortdaytrips2@virginmedia.com 01794 515316 3

Our 20th Anniversary Celebrations!

120 members of the Romsey & District U3A gathered together at the Crosfield Hall on the afternoon of Sunday 12 May to mark the organisation’s 20th anniversary with a celebration tea. A welcome glass of bubbles greeted The Mayor, Founding members, guests and others attending, all ably served by Bob Wren and Mike Koscian.

Romsey Town Mayor, Councillor Dorothy Baverstock, who was instrumental in setting up our U3A group, gave a most interesting talk about her efforts to get the group off the ground despite the fact that she had to wait a year for retirement, to become a member herself! She congratulated the group for its current success and continuing well-being.

Founding Members, Harry Tuffill, Michael Sleigh, Pam Daniel and Shirley Rogers reminisced about their experiences back in the early days and much laughter and happy memories were stimulated by the photos displayed of many interest group activities taken over the years.

Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the rolling screen of photographs of events projected throughout the afternoon ‌ but did they recognise themselves with straight backs and dark hair??! Everyone attending enjoyed reading copies of the first and 10 th Anniversary newsletters, as well as taking part in a picture quiz of locations around Romsey.

The Mayor cut the delightful Anniversary Cake with its perfect blue and yellow U3A logo. It was delicious, as were all the sandwiches and cakes.

They must have been, as there was very little left-over! At the end of the afternoon the Mayor was presented with a bouquet and founder members were each given a pot plant to remind them of the celebrations!

We start our journey of the next 20 years with 760 members and 60 interest groups, ranging from Art Appreciation to the Wine Group via Travel, Latin and Table Tennis. The interest groups are organised and run by volunteer members, sharing their knowledge and interest in the various topics, with each of us being able to learn from other group members.

To those who have made the last 20 years so successful and enjoyable we say a BIG thank you. To everyone wishing the next years to be just as successful, we ask that, if you are not already, please get involved by sharing your knowledge and expertise, perhaps chairing a group, organising group trips and events, serving on the committee, serving tea or coffee at monthly meetings or in any other way you feel able to contribute.

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20th Anniversary Afternoon Tea

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Thank you to our photographers: Janet Moody, Malcolm Heathcote & Glenda Taylor. If you would like a copy of a photograph or one you saw on the rolling screen, please contact the newsletter team.

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The Tablecloth Have you ever wondered about the magnificent tablecloth in use at the monthly meeting and special events? The tablecloth, which has been used at all our regular monthly meetings for the last 20 years was created during the first year of our R&D U3A by Craft Group members Margaret Barraclough, Doreen Foster, Margaret Franklin, Margaret Jenkins, Peggy Sleigh and Edna Webb in December 2000.

It has since been updated in 2003 by Margaret Baraclough, Doreen Foster, Edna Webb and, in 2009 by Margaret Barraclough, Colin Moretti, Margaret Jenkins and Joan Singaroy.

Most recently, and in celebration of our 20th anniversary, the cloth has been updated by Sylvia Beckett, Celia Blandford, Sylvia Dyke, Linda Smith, Margaret White and Christine Whitley when more group logos, such as Creative Writing, Spanish, Italian, Bird Watching, Meditation, Current Affairs and Literature, have been added.

GROUP LEADERS If you would like your meetings advertised to our members at the General Meeting, please send brief notices to Roger Hunt:

rog_and_linds@btinternet.com Tel: 01794 652008 / Mob: 07774 112184 7

News from around the Groups

QUESTERS - WAITING LISTS FOR TRIPS Questers is run by a small group which organises nine coach trips per year, to places of interest. Membership numbers are limited to 160, as we can only accommodate a maximum of 53 people on each coach trip.

Our last trip in July was to West Dean Gardens and Chichester, clearly a popular destination as a full coach was booked, with another 25 on the waiting list; this meant half of the membership wanted to go.

We accept that when you book several months in advance, there may be things which occur later, resulting in you having to cancel.

When this happens, Brenda, our group treasurer, contacts the first person on the waiting list to ask if they would like the place. If not, everyone on the waiting list is offered the seat in turn until it is taken. For this trip, many hours were spent trying to contact people who then said they no longer wished to go or had planned something else. Very few had let her know that they would like to come off the waiting list, thereby resulting in Brenda wasting a lot of her valuable time. Ultimately, there were only 47 people on the coach.

When something like this happens, the committee, who are all volunteers, feel that we are being taken for granted and that very few members appreciate what we do, for their benefit. Especially because it is such a large group it is no easy task to keep it running smoothly.

So PLEASE, whether you have a place booked on the coach OR on the waiting list, make sure that you contact the trip organiser as soon as you know that you are no longer able to go.

Unfortunately, we are now looking for a new Treasurer as Brenda wishes to resign from the committee, having other things she would like to do, and for which she feels she will be appreciated.

Hopefully there is someone out there who would be willing to volunteer and fill the gap we now have.

Questers Committee 8

Genealogy Group

- Hampshire Record Office

This Behind the Scenes tour on 11 July was a revelation! The Chief Archivist, Heather Needham, welcomed us in the foyer and gave us a short history of the Hampshire Record Office. Some of our members could remember visiting when the archives were previously held in St Thomas’s Church, Southgate Street! Heather then proceeded to give us a description of the modern purpose-built building, opened in 1993, its layout and what it holds. We learnt that the main purpose of the Record Office is both “preservation and access”.

Next we were taken upstairs to be entertained by a film consisting of snippets from the Wessex Film and Sound Archive which is based at the Record Office and brings history to life with some 38,000 visual and audio recordings from late Victorian times to the present day. The choice of film, Historical Newsreels taken in Romsey, incurred much comment and delight as we tried to identify scenes from long ago. It confirmed, not just that we have a long tradition of pageants and carnivals, but that Romsey has long suffered from flooding!

Our subsequent tour took us through the Conservation Areas, one dry, one wet, and we were shown examples of the kind of work that is carried out in order to preserve documents and artefacts. Alongside some of the conserved items were photos of the condition they had been in when they first arrived at the Archives and we marvelled at the transformation.

Hampshire Record Office is proud of the fact that it is one of the few Archive holders in the country to offer a digitisation service and we saw the huge machine that can cope with documents up to A0 in size. Along the corridor we then came to one of the climate-controlled strong-rooms, where eight miles of archives covering 1,000 years of history are stored.

Our last port of call was downstairs in the Search Room, with which most of us are familiar, where many original documents had been laid out for us to peruse at our leisure. The largest was the tithe map of Romsey; the oldest was the 12th century Charter awarded to Winchester by King Henry II, witnessed by Thomas Beckett; and perhaps the most alluring items were a schoolboy’s diary from WW2 and a Girl Guide’s scrapbook from the 1920s and 30s.

Overall this had been a most interesting, enlightening visit and our thanks go to Heather who showed us around, told us so much and expertly fielded all our questions!

Kay Lovell

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Interest Groups News 1. Spanish: This group is reforming under the leadership of Vincent Prensa-Villegas and we would like to thank him for taking this initiative. Anyone interested in joining this group can contact Vincent (details in Groups List at the centre of the newsletter or on the website).

2. In September the Poetry Group will be reforming; watch this space for further details and look at the website.

3. Jo & Margaret are always looking for ideas for new groups, so please have a think about what you would like or be capable of organising.

4. Short Mat Bowls will be resuming in September, so please see Jo if you would like to join.

If you have any suggestions for new groups, please see Jo or Margaret in the Annex or contact them as below: Jo Morgan : 01794 514134 Margaret Marchbank : margaretmarchbank@btinternet.com

Thank You We would like to thank everyone who helped to make Membership Renewal go smoothly at our March and April meetings, and also those who sent in their forms by post.

A big thank you goes to all the members who volunteered to collect in payments and issue the 2019-20 programmes with membership cards at our general meetings. We know they were extremely busy.

Thank you to everyone for using the Membership Renewal form sent to them in February. The form makes life so much easier for us when trying to make sure that payment is credited to the correct person.

It also keeps a check on email addresses and ensures the newsletter reaches the correct recipient.

Gill Hodge/Jane Rogers Brenda Sennett Jean Stone Joint Treasurers Membership Secretary Membership Assistant

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News from around the Groups continued Garden Visits 2 Thursday 23 May. What glorious weather we had for our short trip to The Sir Harold Hillier Gardens as ten of us gathered for a very interesting and informative tour. Mary South, our volunteer tour guide was a previous permanent member of the education department and was thus well versed in the history of the gardens and house and its previous occupants. Mary took her time explaining details of the plant collections.

She explained how Sir Harold, who was an avid plant collector had amassed the eclectic collection of plants now growing within the grounds.

The history of Jermyns House was intriguing, especially the previous occupancy by Mrs Sergison Smith, who had accidentally been given strychnine instead of her prescribed medicine, resulting in her death and a court case involving the pharmacist.

After taking a little rest around the house area, we meandered up ‘Magnolia Avenue’ and carefully crossed the road to admire the wonderful sight of the rhododendron and azalea collection in Brentry Woodland. The colours were magnificent, and the scent from the azaleas added to the overall enjoyment.

After spending some time admiring the spectacle, we made our way back to the refreshment facilities where we relaxed over a light lunch. We all agreed it was a lovely short trip.

Christine Whitley

Wine Appreciation April saw us tasting sparkling wines from various parts of the world, led

by John and Anne Scarborough. South American wine followed in May when Patrick and Juliet Austin found, not only some interesting wines for our taste buds, but also some grapes unheard of until this evening. June saw Mike Phillips present a selection of wines from the same wine makers to determine whether “we get what we pay for” - an interesting experience.

The group would like to thank Charles Slatter for being group treasurer over the past two and a half years, as he now moves on to pursue other interests. We welcome into the role Patrick and Juliet Austin.

We are a small group of 25 and meet once a month in the evening in central Romsey. We have a waiting list of three at present. If you are interested in joining us please get in touch.

Derek Morley

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Walking Group At the start of the year about sixteen of us met on a beautiful, crisp and sunny winter morning in the car park of Canada Common near West Wellow. From there we walked across the wild and rugged terrain, watched by a number of curious cows, ponies, donkeys and pigs. Our wellingtons came in handy as we had to cross a few rivers. Fortunately no one fell in. Afterwards we enjoyed a welcome warm drink at the Rockingham Arms.

Since then the group has enjoyed some glorious walks including a lovely one from Chilbolton. We have also walked from Lyndhurst, Bursledon, Cadman’s Pool in the New Forest, Romsey Water meadows and Sherfield English.

During April and May we had some stunning walks through bluebell woods around Dunbridge and also the beautiful Mottisfont Estate. On our walks we have been lucky enough to spot a number of deer, an egret, llamas and a heron. We have also heard skylarks and seen rare wild orchids. We are truly blessed to live in such a lovely country.

On 4 June an ambitious bunch of thirteen caught the train from Romsey to Bradford on Avon. From there we walked along the canal path into Bath, a distance of ten miles. Alan Whittaker kindly organised the trip that included a superb lunch at the Cross Guns pub. We all had a wonderful day out and fortunately the weather was better than predicted. Everyone managed to complete the course without any adverse effects (or so I’m told).

Hilary Buttle

Newsletter Team Contacts Please send copy for the NOVEMBER newsletter to:

Dave Lovell : 01794 515316

news.copy@romseyu3a.org.uk The deadline is Friday 25 October 2019 but please send any copy as soon as you have it!

Other newsletter queries to: romseyu3anews@gmail.com 12

Short Day Trips (1) Beaulieu National Motor Museum, Palace House and Abbey The Beaulieu Estate is more than just the National Motor Museum. A visit there means immersion in over eight hundred years of history as well as seeing all the wonderful vehicles.

Our admission included entry to Palace House, the Victorian Gardens, the Mill Pond Walk, the Abbey remains, where an exhibition of Monastic Life is housed; rides on the Veteran Bus and Monorail, the ‘Secret Army/SOE’ exhibition, the Motor Museum, On-Screen Cars and the World of Top Gear.

On 27 June, a beautifully warm and sunny day, we explored all that Beaulieu has to offer at our own leisure. As there are plenty of picnic facilities to choose from, a few took their own lunch, some used the cafeteria facilities whilst others partook of a pre-booked two-course lunch in the Brabazon Restaurant where Home-Battered Fish, Chips & Mushy Peas followed by Duo of Clotted Cream & Strawberry New Forest Ice Cream with Strawberry Coulis was served. At the end of the day, our coach returned us to Romsey in time for tea.

Kay Lovell

(2) The Hawk Conservancy Trust On 25 July we were promised a “fantastic day out” and, despite it being the hottest day on record, so it proved to be!

Having travelled in the coolness of a Herrington coach driven by our trusty driver Graham, we were welcomed to the Trust by Carol who handed out our guide books and admission wrist bands. She then explained a little about the work of the Trust and how we could make the best of our visit. The Trust focuses not just on Conservation, but also on Education, Research and Rehabilitation in their efforts to preserve birds of prey and their habitats. During our visit we would have time to experience two displays, the Wings of Africa flying display and the Valley of the Eagles flying display, as well as having the opportunity to wander around the aviaries and view the large number of various birds in their care which range from huge African vultures to tiny burrowing owls. It

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soon became obvious how the birds are cared for with love and passion and how strong relationships have been formed between the keepers and birds which, by the way, have all been named. There’s Tolkien the Milky Eagle Owl, Fagan the hooded vulture and Angola the Secretary Bird, for instance.

During the Wings of Africa display, we were introduced to an owl, black kites, an eagle and vultures but I think everyone’s favourite was the young Secretary Bird who showed his prowess at killing a snake with his feet. It wasn’t a real snake, I hasten to add! To the accompaniment of music, African Storks and Sacred Ibis joined in for the spectacular finale.

We broke for lunch which most of us had pre-booked; others picnicked or chose from the selection available from the cafeteria counter. Those of us who partook of the two courses all agreed the food was both delicious and well presented.

The afternoon display, Valley of the Eagles, was staged in Reggie’s Wildflower Meadow and began with a look back into history, to the days of Medieval falconry. Volunteer actors helped to bring the tableau to life before the falconer showed off both his own skills and that of his Peregrine as it swooped down to the lure. Then the fun started! Hooded Vultures cruised and swooped over and above us as we watched in astonishment and soon learned the art of ducking. Some lucky spectators found they had a fleeting feathered new neighbour sitting alongside or in front of them. The vultures were obviously enjoying themselves! Next, Black Kites demonstrated their skill of catching prey with their feet, transferring it to their beaks and eating it all on the wing without stopping – right above our heads. The culmination of the display was gazing out to the horizon to watch for the star of the show as he soared from the other side of the valley to arrive in front of us for his prize. This majestic Bald Eagle was a sight to behold and obviously quite likes to have his photo taken from close quarters!

What a wonderful day!

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Snapping History, a trip to Old Southampton Between the months of April and November the Snappers photographic group meet once a month at a location within a sixty-mile radius of Romsey, to put into practice techniques taught in the winter classes.

As part of an on-going project to photograph architecture, early on a bright morning in July, the group descended on Old Southampton to record the many different styles that the area has to offer. It turned into a morning where they learned many historical facts about Southampton, as well as honing their photo skills.

We set off from Mayflower Park and did not have far to go before coming across the first snap, the Wool House at the Town Quay end of Bugle Street. It dates back to early 15th century when Southampton was a leading wool port; the building is now a wine bar.

On the opposite side of the street is an imposing white building, which was the clubhouse for the Royal Southern Yacht Club, and built in the mid-19th Century, at which time the sea wall was only a few yards away.

Bugle Street and its surrounding area offered the Snappers numerous photo opportunities. At the northern end stands the imposing Tudor House, c1518, and, further along, buildings in different styles built between the 15 th and 19th centuries.

Notable buildings include the Duke of Wellington, a pub built in the 15th century on the remains of a previous dwelling, a three-story building with a Dutch gable, and several Georgian style buildings as well. Many of the older buildings were refurbished in the 18 th Century.

Running parallel to Bugle Street to the east is French Street. Here stands the 14th century Medieval Merchant’s House at number 58. It is one of the best-preserved merchant’s houses in England, and is currently a museum owned by Southampton City Council.

We then visited the Town Quay, at the bottom end of the High Street, where stands the Harbour Board Building, which is now a casino. It was built in the late 1920s and, with its imposing Clock Tower, with the Weather Vane of the Pilgrim Father’s ship the Mayflower on top, it gave the group another unique

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photo opportunity.

The morning’s photography concluded at the South Western House Hotel. It was built by a private developer in the French Renaissance style and opened in 1865. It was then leased by the London and South Western Railway Company. After WW2 British Railways used it as offices; other tenants included Cunard Line and the BBC, which used it as studios for regional programs. It has now been converted into flats.

We all had a thoroughly enjoyable morning’s photography, and a history lesson to boot.

If you want to know more about Snappers and its activities you can contact me through the Romsey U3A website.

Mike Driscoll, Snappers Group Leader

Creative Writing A woman’s place Buildings have gender, but not many people know that. Sometimes, it’s down to style: Salisbury cathedral is a fine boned lady, York minster a stocky, well-built, no nonsense gentleman. Sometimes it goes according to type: barracks are all masculine, and garden centres are all female.

Little local shops selling small things are ladies, though they may be shabby, but on the other hand, a certain supermarket chain always erects male shops, big, aggressive and go-getting. The Manor House was a gentleman, the terraces along the Street were female, and the cottage on the edge of the village was definitely a little old lady, though she’d started out as a mere woman. It’s all in the wood, with cottages.

This tree had stood for a long time, when Roger the farmer decided she was a fine oak, just the right shape and size for his purpose. His landlord had given the crucks, though he would have to find the rest of the materials. Still, that was the heart and core of the house, a good oak cruck. The tree was already a home, but Roger gave no thought to that.

The pigeon squabs had just flown the nest, but the squirrels moved in a hurry, whip-tailed refugees, and the moss and ivy, unable to flee, was left to die, displaced, derelict on the forest floor. They roped the corpse of

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the fallen queen, and grunting, flatulent oxen hauled her body over the mould, dragging her to Roger’s land. And there she was drawn open, split, and set on old bricks that they’d found in the wood, to keep her dry.

Another fallen noble joined her, nearby, and many smaller branches, and the osiers almost without number, mere serfs supporting the muddy plaster. But she was the oldest, and the biggest, and a queen, and so the cottage became a female, too.

For a year or two she dried and settled, and they had to fuss about with buckets of mud to patch up the cracks. For a little while, she changed colour, gently kippering in the smoke on the inside, soaking up paint on the outside. Martins built a mud cup on her top, where her two halves still united, and the little ones squeaked and ate, and ate and squeaked, all summer long. In the winter, bats hung near her, hardly moving unless the weather was a little warmer, when they crept out past her joints. Much talking and fussing, more trees, lots of men, a great deal of cursing and hauling and the house was doubled in size. The old tree was much warmer now, sheltered from the weather, though she did miss the birds.

There had always been birds before.

Somehow, the part of the house that rested against her always seemed to be the woman’s part. They were sleeping next to her top branch, and worked next to where her roots had been. The young women singing as they pounded the butter churn in Spring, strained the cheese in Summer, span in Winter. Sometimes, not very often, they lay propped against her upper branch, yelling and straining, and then came a thin wail. The wail was usually hung up in a bundle upon a wooden peg, set into her side.

Safe, they said, from the fire and the cat. And at night they leant against her in the dim rush light, with the wailing thing pressed to their breasts, and sang gentle songs, not like the vigorous butter churning noises at all, and prayed for the wail to get stronger and grow healthy. Sometimes it did, and then it became a scamperer, running in and out all day long; and sometimes it did not, and there were tears, and sadness, and the wail, fallen silent, was carried out on a little board.

Carrying seemed to be important. Sometimes a young woman was carried in, and there was laughter far into the night. Sometimes, old women were carried out, on big boards, and there was a little quiet weeping by the tree, and comments about a good long life. And once there was a bad time, a terrible time, when the doors were locked, a cross was painted upon it, and one by one the wails fell silent, then the

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scamperers, and then even the weeping stopped.

But soon new people came, and the farm prospered. Bricks were brought, and the smoke was confined to a chimney, a strange masculine thing penetrating the heart of the house. Slots were cut into the tree to support more boards. Now there was a roof space, and presently, in that space were old friends: mice, birds, bats. She was glad, for she had missed the birds.

The scamperers slept by the tree, hanging their treasures upon it, corn circles and cloth balls, and whilst they dozed the women talked by the fire. Something they called war was coming, had come … who would go to fight? Who should go to fight? For whom should they fight, in a war of brother against brother?

The women running in, barring the door, clutching the scamperers, full of fear. The scamperers, pushed into the roof space, crouch, silent, beside her crown. And then something very bad was happening down below, angry, violent, foreign men were hurting her women, they screamed and clung to her for help, as the men ripped at their clothes … the house was angry, but what could she do? She tried to move, creaking ominously, but what could she do? Suddenly there was quiet, except for silent weeping that was somehow louder than the shouting. Nothing to do, except be herself, quiet, peaceful, full of comfort, trying to reach out to the women as they wept. Life goes on: presently the scamperers ran and shouted again, and after a time, there was a wail … strangely, instantly stilled, hustled away; not at all like the board ceremonies.

The tree stirred: bare sky, she had not seen that for many, many years.

Stars, and sweet summer rain, though her friends had to flee. Men with straw and ladders, climbing over her, shouting, laughing, and the sky was gone. And there was paint and whitewash, and new boards. The tree cracked, but they came with a great iron band, and pinned her fracture.

Anger in the fields, the men are angry, she hears they fear to have no work. There is rage in the farm yard, as the family cower in the kitchen, and the barn is fired. They run out then, hauling buckets and flinging curses. The tree at the end of the house is badly singed, and presently it is taken down and cut up, and bricks are brought. No one knows how to raise a lady cruck anymore, so they use coarse baked mud. In spite of it all, there is wealth now, a new kitchen is built, more barns. And then

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there is less wealth, but still the chickens peck around the door, and wails grow into scamperers, who grow into women, and then there are new wails, more joy and more sorrow.

And another war. This time the men go in twos and threes, and not all of them come back. The women are weeping again. The farm is sold, the house divided into two, used for workers, then left empty, but for the tramps, as the barns, long neglected, begin to fall.

Now it is a house of women, who wear strange trousers and seem lost in the countryside, as machines fly overhead and sometimes fall into the fields. Something they call an incendiary lands in the thatch, there is red light and the crackling, and panic amongst the bats, and all seems to be over. And then one of the girls, bolder and more determined than the rest, climbs onto the roof with a rake, and others pass her buckets of water, and the house is saved.

She begins to itch, to feel less strength than formerly. There are no people now, and the scorched roof straw is falling in. There are a lot of friends, but she is no longer strong enough to support them. Nothing stands forever, she knows that, and waits for the long peace with resignation. Water, once life giving so long ago, is now her enemy.

And then come men with clipboards, and people in suits looking interested. Definitely an important survival, medieval, thirteenth century, in the centre. Needs work, though, I’ll be honest, sir, a lot of work.

Woodworm, maybe some dry rot. She’s sold, for the first time, without the land. They come with strange guns, and hurt her with strange chemicals, but then the itches stop. She begins to regain strength. There you are, sir, good as new. The thatch is redone, the floors are re-laid, discrete holes are made, wires and pipes run through. Part of the tree, covered by paste and paper, is laid bare again, and lovingly painted with preservative. It tickles … she wriggles, creaking.

A woman, settling some scamperers for the night, runs her hand over the beam, and sighs contentedly. And presently, they bring home a basket, and sit it carefully in the corner by the beam, and soon she knows, the world knows, for it seems to have very good lungs, that there is a new wail in the cottage …

Jennifer Foster

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Romsey & District Committee Members 2019-20 Chairman

Janet Payne

Secretary

Janet Moody

Joint Treasurers

Gill Hodge Jane Rogers

Membership Secretary

Brenda Sennett

Programme Secretary

Vacant

Interest Groups Co-ordinator

Jo Morgan

Committee Member

Liz Holloway

Committee Member

Michael Koscian

Committee Member

Dave Lovell

Committee Member

Elaine Rockell

Committee Member

Jean Stone

Other Posts Co-opted Member

Ron Maidment

Co-opted Member

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