Aldington June 2014 by The Village Directory

The Delivered by

villag ge directory

Aldington Area

Delivered FREE to 3,000 homes in TN25 6&7

June 2014

Problem with Wasps?

Bensko Pest Control Services

can help!

Friendly, reliable and effective service We’ll take the sting out of your pocket!

Call 01303 221008 or 07857 344770 bensko@talktalk.net

Enjoy your Summer ...Pest-Free! Family Run • Fully Insured • Authority Approved DOMESTIC • COMMERCIAL • 7 DAYS A WEEK

JMINTERIORS Fine hand crafted kitchens and bespoke furniture

Hand crafted kitchens & interiors

Showroom: Park Farm, Frittenden Road, Biddenden, Kent TN27 8L J

Tel: 01580 291221 Web: w w w.jmi-kitchens.co.uk

Quality, Q uality Made Made to to Measure Measurre Blinds Blin nds at Affordable Prices FREE HOME DESIGN SERVICE ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Roller Blinds Roman Blinds Vertical Blinds Venetian Blinds Wooden Blinds Pleated Blinds Shutters Conservatory Blinds Commercial Blinds

■ 1 Year Product Guarantee ■ 3 Year Installation Guarantee

We Also Sell Curtains & Awnings For more information or to book an appointment

Call: 01233 226570

E: info@jlsblinds.co.uk W: www.jlsblinds.co.uk

Welcome

July Issue Deadline 1st June

Hi everyone, My son Luke recently past his driving test and as a result has now taken over the delivery of magazines to various drop-off points around the area, so if you see a young man carrying piles of magazines, that will be my Luke so do Last month I introduced a new “Kids Corner” say hello and make him smile! to the magazine featuring Dolly Doodles and Please, please, please, if you are sending the land of iDoo-B-Doo. The creators of this me an event please send it to events@ new feature are pleased to announce that they thevillagedirectory.co.uk - not info@. It’s so have just signed a new TV development deal important to keep them all together, which is with animation studio Flix Facilities, makers of why we have set up this specific email address. Postman Pat, Old Jack’s Boat, and Rupert Bear, to name but a few. We wish them the very best Until next time have a great month of luck and hope that in the not too distant future Dolly Doodles and Tinkaboo capture the ~ Debbie hearts of children everywhere. In the meantime T: 01233 720488 I hope you enjoy this new feature and maybe pay a visit to the land of iDoo-B-Doo at www. e: info@thevillagedirectory.co.uk events: events@thevillagedirectory.co.uk idoobdoo.com. w: www.thevillagedirectory.co.uk Welcome to the June Issue, and as we enter the season for fete’s, picnics and summer fairs there’s plently to keep you occupied in the summer sunshine (hopefully!).

All Seasons Garden Services For An Appointment

TAY LO R MAR R TIN T IN IN H A IR

01233 502719

Closed on Wednesdays www.taylormartinhairsalon.com

NOW ON FACEBOOK - VISIT OUR PAGE FOR OFFERS & DISCOUNTS.

Cleaning Services

Over 20 years experience All aspects of garden care undertaken Fully insured

T: 01233 665322 M: 07941 205 374 Email: rob@ashford-gardening.co.uk

F. A . B

A Multi-trade Company

Fast Affordable Builders

Specialising in Large Homes We understand the need for quality cleaning

Tree Surgery - Landscaping - Garden Work Driveways & Patios

Call 01303 211500 DRESS MAKING & ALTERATIONS

30 years y Experience p - fullyy insured - www.fabbuilders.com

QurnaNowCreations in Tenterden Tel: 01580 764131 Email couch.hilary@gmail.com

NEEDLES & PINS REPAIR AND ALTERATION SERVICE Zips & Trouser / Skirt Shortening from £4.50 HAND SEWN CURTAINS FREE COLLECTION / DELIVERY SERVICE

Call Christina 01303 864280

Tel: 07979 003 291 / 01303 875246

C S Pa Painting & Decorating Services Interior & Exterior 15 years experience – Fully insured

Tel: 01233 668345 Mobile: 07807 294527

Please call for a free quote

Paul Smith Plumbing Services FOR ALL YOUR PLUMBING NEEDS FREE ESTIMATES

Call Paul on 01303 812965 07794005909

The

the garden

Garden Shed

Plotting a Vegetable Garden

by Pippa Greenwood

Even the smallest garden can find space to grow vegetables. Start now and you can enjoy delicious home-grown salads all summer long. Producing useful quantities of your own vegetables doesn’t take up as much space as you might imagine. There’s a lot you can plant out or grow from seed right now that will give you some super-tasty, succulent, and top-quality salads in just a few weeks’ time. And salad leaves grown in ornamental pots can be as decorative as they are nutritious. Before you get sowing or planting, choose the right containers. Big ones are easier to maintain than small ones; and of course bigger pots mean more produce. Go for something of at least 30cm (12in) in diameter, larger if possible.

Stephen Bailey Landscaping  Garden Landscaping FREE  Rock Walling ESTIMATES  Patios & Drives Reasonable  Fencing & Decking rates together  Turfing & Tree Work  Clearance & Groundwork with a personal and friendly  Hedge & Shrub Cutting  Water Features service

As salad crops tend to be pretty short-term there’s no need to spend a fortune on compost. Ideally choose a good-quality multi-purpose compost, but you can get perfectly acceptable results with the contents of a growing-bag. I find the quality of

SYMONDS (Direct Services) Garden Machinery Maintenance & Pre Season Servicing • Servicing & Repairs of Most Makes • Ride on Tractors • Mowers • Brushcutters • Hedgecutters • Chainsaws

FULLY INSURED & ENVIRONMENT AGENCY REGISTERED

Home: 01303 266552 Mobile: 07747 707409 www.baileylandscaping.co.uk

• Collection & Delivery Service Full Workshop Facilities • 35 years Experience

Tel: 07999 445 569 / 07511 113 633 Higher National Diploma in Countryside Management

e-mail brucesymonds@aol.com

the garden the compost in these isn’t all that brilliant, but for the time you need it – and provided you keep it well-fertilised – it’ll be adequate. If you grow your own salad leaves you can get precisely the mix you like best. There are plenty of eye-catching lettuces such as the frilly Lollo, either a gorgeous bright-green standard Lollo a burgundytinged Lollo Rosso or a mixture of both. Treat them as cut-and-come-again crops, snipping off the leaves as you want them but not cutting into to the base, then they’ll put out new shoots and keep cropping for longer. Baby beet leaves are a popular salad ingredient, too. Choose a variety like Bull’s Blood for the prettiest leaves or grow any of the standard varieties, and you’ll also get a great-tasting root crop later on. I generally harvest the young leaves a few at a time but let the plant produce a root too. There are still plenty of tomato plants in the shops now, but hunt carefully to find the ones that are still in top condition. If you choose an outdoor variety it can be grown in a pot on its own, and if you have a big enough container you can grow some other salad ingredients around the edge of the container. If you’re after some fire in your cooking, a chilli pepper thrives in a pot in a warm and very sheltered

spot as do sweet peppers. Fresh herbs can make a salad more interesting too. Choose your favourites and either grow them in a dedicated herb pot with extra grit in the compost for good drainage, or even consider popping a few in with your main crops. Vegetables, like most plants, do best in a relatively warm spot with plenty of sun, so site your containers carefully. You want them to be easily accessible from the kitchen, but it’s more important to ensure they’re sheltered from the wind yet still get enough sun. You may prefer to raise some of your crops in pots and grow them on a bit before planting them out. The garden containers will always be full and looking their best, even while you’re harvesting them. The new plantings will very quickly blend in with the old, and all summer long you’ll have a garden that’s as pleasing to the eye as it is to the tastebuds. Visit Pippa’s website, www.pippagreenwood. com, for ‘Grow Your Own with Pippa Greenwood’, the AskPippa Q&A service, Nemaslug, natural pest controls, and lots more.

A Complete and Comprehensive Tree Care Service since 1907 For over 100 years, Bartlett Tree Experts has led both the science and services that make your landscape thrive. No matter the size or scope of your needs, our arborists bring a rare mix of groundbreaking research, global resources and a local service approach to every task at hand. Trees add so much value to our lives; Bartlett adds even more value to your trees.

01233 367141 ashford@bartlettuk.com www.bartlett.com Please Mention The

village directory When Responding to Adverts

the garden

FENCING

SHEDS, DECKING & MORE...

Large Stocks Usually Available Subject to Demand

Waneyedge Panels

.com www. NATIONAL AWARD WINNER FOR 3 YEARS WE ARE A LOCAL COMPANY, INSTALLING BLOCK PAVING, NATURAL STONE & SLABS LANDSCAPE DESIGNS FOR DRIVEWAYS, PATIO & GARDEN PATHS

FREE QUOTE & ADVICE Tel: 01797 344266 Mob: 07836 298020 Email enquiries@terswinpaving.com q p g

Reach Out to 3,000 Homes & Businesses via Royal Mail Advertise Here for £32 pm plus vat 10% Discount & A FREE Editorial for 6 month bookings Easy monthly payment options

Tel: 01233 720488 e: info@thevillagedirectory.co.uk

Chimney Sweeping Services Brush and Vac

01233 626 188 www.chartfencing.co.uk

Visit our Show Site

Chart House, Dencora Way, Ashford, Kent TN23 4FH

Friendly, Clean, Reliable Service Every Type of Flue Swept Pots, Cowls & Bird Guards Fitted Stove Installations NAC’s Certificates Issued Fully Insured Best Possible Prices on all Fires Local Family Run Business Weddings Attended All Areas Covered

Call: 01303 221008 M: 07857 344770 www.benskoservices.co.uk e: bensko@talktalk.net

A CLEAN CHIMNEY IS A SAFE CHIMNEY

the garden PLUCKLEY ROAD BETHERSDEN KENT

www.stonegreennurseries.co.uk Wholesale Nursery Open to the Public On the 4th, 5th & 6th July We grow our vast range of plants with passion and pride for garden designers, landscapers, local nurseries, farm shops and other horticulture outlets. We have a truly exquisite range to offer you from the tried and tested to the more unusual. You will be making your selection direct from our growing beds! You can’t buy fresher. Fantastic range and fair prices. Should you need help with your selection we also have knowledgeable staff to help answer your questions.

*Shrubs* Trees* Herbaceous Perennials * Climbers * Large Plants for Instant Impact* Pluckley Road Bethersden TN26 3ET

Our Complete Open Weekend Dates for 2014 July 4th - 5th - 6th August 22nd - 23rd - 24th - 25th September 5th - 6th - 7th 26th - 27th - 28th Fri 10am-5pm, Sat, Sun & BHM 9am-5pm

Truly a Gardeners Paradise! Please remember we are only open on these dates. We accept most major credit cards

For detailed directions please see our website Follow day-glow signs from A20 at Charing and A28 at Bethersden

Paul Thompson Tree Surgery & Fencing

• Felling, Pruning & Shaping • Pollarding • Crown Reductions • Hedge Cutting • Garden Clearance

Tel: 01303 267267 Mobile: 07976 625330

• Stump Grinding • Good Job For a Fair Price!

e: info@thompsontreesurgery.co.uk w: www. thompsontreesurgery.co.uk

Professional Tree Work Fully Qualified & Insured Environment Agency Registered Council Approved Contractor Please Mention The

S EASONED

LOGS A VAILABLE

village directory When Responding to Adverts

Mowgli

e l l o everyone, Mowgli here. We can’t believe it is June already. The last month has simply zipped by here as it has almost completely been taken up by the clinic moving across the car park at Evegate. When I wrote my last column I said we hoped it would have happened by the time I wrote my next column and it has. The whole clinic was packed up and moved over the Easter weekend. It was apparently quite impressive- all packed up and driven across the car park to the new clinic in loads on a forklift truck with a palette kindly driven by Brian the Evegate caretaker. Everything went well into the new clinic and Clive and Jane were very pleased with how it all went. Until it got to the phonelines........ Clive had spoken to BT months before and had asked them to transfer the lines. They were confident that this could be done in one day but of course when it came to it there were problems and the clinic had no phoneline for a while and then the poor nurses had to sit in the old building and answer the phone and then phone the messages through to the new clinic on mobiles. Then the phone line worked on and off for some days. Something so very simple has been very difficult. It is all fixed now but Clive has been very worried that the owners of sick pets

SMART DOGS GROOMING SERVICE

TEL: 01233 732505 www.smartdogs-kent.co.uk

wouldn’t be able to get through and that the clinic would be letting animals down. Ebony and I have had to look after him- extra purrs, sitting on his lap every time he sits down, sleeping with our heads on his pillow, bringing him toys. To be honest, we always sit on him and pretty much always sleep on his pillow anyway but it’s the thought that counts isn’t it? Humans just don’t appreciate the attention though. Clive is often grumbling about having an uncomfortable night’s sleep because of us- we took up all the space or stole the duvet or kneaded him with our claws all night. I mean, how much space can two small cats take up? And how much duvet does he think a cat can steal? Humans are the most irrational of creatures I think. Almost as stupid as goats!

e have also had a bit of excitement in our house this month. We have had a wood mouse in the kitchen! Ebony and I of course knew all about the mouse but the silly humans weren’t taking our cues about it. So we absolve ourselves of all blame for the fact that Clive found it sitting on the worktop one evening when he was going to bed. We were only sleeping in a blanket on the sofa because we had been telling him about it all day and he had ignored us. In fact, even Josh had been telling him about it. It’s not our fault that Josh has the same word for cat and mouse (‘Yaaaarrr Yaaaarrrr’ if anyone is interested. Who knows why. We are of course ‘Moo’ and ‘Ebb’) and Clive just thought he was talking about cats. Anyway, he caught the mouse in a lunchbox and took her outside. She hasn’t come back yet but we think it will just be a matter of time. I’m going to go and check! Clive says feel free to go and look at the new clinic building- now the phones work he thinks it’s great!

~ Mowgli Montgomery Vets

Marsh Rd Hamstreet,TN26 2JE

Sheds - Plus Sheds - Workshops - Garden Offices - Kennels

Made to Measure & Made to Last

Call Steve Samuels 07988 888078 Email: sheds-plus@sky.com Unit 3B, Frith Business Centre, Frith Road, Aldington TN25 7HJ

the home

REPAIRS TO... WASHING MACHINES COOKERS (ELECTRIC) TUMBLE DRIERS DYSON VACUUM SPECIALIST

AT THE EVEGATE CENTRE SMEETH, ASHFORD ‘We treat your pet as if it was our own’

Call Garry on 07958 640152 01233 632329

FABRIC CLEAN

Specialising in all pet animals including exotics & avian. Calm and friendly family run clinic.

Professional Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning

Open 7 days a week Full emergency service

Family run business for over 25 years. Drying time kept to a minimum

Ample Free Parking

Call Bob for a competitive price and booking

CALL 01303 813756



01233 733792 07767 167731 9

Haven Boarding Kennels, Cattery & Small Animal Boarding Grooming Parlour (specialist in Handstripping )

Advertise Here £44 per month plus vat 10% Discount & FREE Editorial on 6m Bookings

Dogs exercised 3 times a day (including in the evening ) Viewings welcomed prior to booking, no appointment required 10am – 4pm Visit our website and video www.havenboardingkennels.com Laws Lane, Mersham, Ashford, TN25 7HG

Easy monthly payment options

Tel: 01233 720488 e: info@thevillagedirectory.co.uk

Tel: 01233 720384 Please Mention The

village directory When Responding to Adverts

business Wills: Fact and Fiction As part of our regular series on legal matters, Gill Snow of Tenterden law firm Pengelly & Rylands looks at common misconceptions about Wills. There are many common misconceptions about Wills and believing the myths may cost you and your family dearly.

The most obvious one is that you don’t need a Will, as everything will pass automatically to your spouse. This is not necessarily the case, as under the Intestacy Rules, which apply if a person dies without a Will, your spouse is only entitled to the first £250,000 of your estate and, for their lifetime, the income provided by investing half of the remainder, the other half being divided between any children in equal shares. If a couple own their property as tenants in common, then this may mean that the widow or widower does not receive even the whole of the spouse’s share of the home, if it is worth more than £250,000. The Intestacy Rules also make no provision for friends or charities, so if you do not make a Will shares of your estate may pass to relatives you rarely see and your estate will be administered, not by Executors appointed by you but by administrators appointed by law. If you have minor children it is also advisable to appoint guardians to look after them in the event that both parents die. This ensures that someone you trust to bring up your children in the way you would have done can step into the role if the worst should happen. Another common misconception is that you are free to leave your share of a jointly owned property to whomever you wish in your Will. If you own your home jointly as tenants in common then this is the case but if, as many people do, you own your property as joint tenants your half share will automatically pass to the other owner. You can, however, change the way you own your property by ‘severing’ your joint tenancy to convert it to a tenancy

in common. This is a fairly simple procedure which involves one owner serving notice on the other and then informing the Land Registry of the change. Once this has been done you are free to leave your share of the property to your children or to anybody else. Other joint assets, such as bank accounts, pass automatically to the surviving joint owner, whatever your wishes may be.

Pengelly & Rylands FAMILY SOLICITORS For friendly advice in times of need • Family, Children & Divorce (Fixed Fee appointments available) • Elderly Client Care • House Sales & Purchases • Equity Release • Wills & Probate • Commercial

Please call us on 01580 762248 39/41 High Street, Tenterden, Kent TN30 6BJ www.pengelly-rylands.co.uk

business

Brabourne Lees - £425,000

Sellindge - £ 475,000

Unlisted four bed detached period village property full of character, two receptions, kitchen, utility room, conservatory & garage. Totally secluded & within a short walk of local amenities.

Five bed detached property with extensive accommodation. Extremely generous lounge and dining area. Three en suites & family bathroom. Double garage. Driveway parking for 4/5 cars.

11 Brook

Brabourne

Brabourne Lees

Four bed detached chalet bungalow occupying a generous plot and accommodation, offering the chance of idyllic country living. Backs onto fields and with wonderful views.

Unlisted period cottage, stunning rural location opposite woodland. Spacious three bed with newly fitted kitchen & bathroom. Two receptions and boot room.

Individual four bed detached property, good sized accommodation, mature garden backing onto open fields.

£379,995

£330,000

Ewell Minnis

Brabourne Lees

Detached bungalow with 0.9 acre of land and two pairs of stables. Set in rural location offering good bridle paths.

Four double bedrooms, master en suite, two receptions, kitchen/breakfast room & utility room. Situated on sought after village development with generous driveway parking.

Stunning four bed period property. Deceptively spacious, extended & refurbished with impressive conservatory. 125ft garden backing onto open fields. 10min walk to Westenhanger Station.

£385,000

£349,995

£410,000

£375,000

Stanford

LEES ROAD • BRABOURNE LEES • Nr ASHFORD • KENT TN25 6QB

SALES: 01303 812515 • LETTINGS:01303 812541 www.sjmproperty.co.uk Please Mention The

village directory When Responding to Adverts

Furnishing Finesse Is your living room looking more drab than fab? Then it’s time for an image overhaul. One or two new items of furniture, some revamps or repairs, or simply a different layout, can make all the difference, says Katherine Sorrell. Where to start

Firstly, take a long, hard look at what you already have. Most of us own a collection of family heirlooms and hand-me-downs, high-street buys, chain-store pieces and perhaps the odd junkshop find. Step one is to work out what you want to keep and what should be dispensed with and what could be revamped. Then, assess your overall style – old or new, shabby chic or pristine, rustic or sophisticated, plain and slender or heavy and ornate? The key to mixing old and new is to ensure the overall look has coherence. Materials, scale and decorative style are all important, as are colour and texture. If things aren’t quite working, perhaps you can shift something that stands out to another room, or sell it on.

What’s your style? • Antique Key styles are Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian. Genuine Georgian pieces are expensive but beautiful, and mix surprisingly well with modern furniture. Victorian furniture tends to be heavier and on a larger-scale, while Edwardian pieces are a little plainer and lighter. • Retro Furnishings from the Fifties, Sixties and Seventies in bright colours and unusual materials such as plastic or wire, they’re tricky to mix with other

furnishings but make an eyecatching focal point. • Design classics Covetable chairs and other pieces by mid-20th century names such as Eames, Breuer, Le Corbusier, Aalto, Wegner, Day and Race. Originals are pricey; some reproductions are available. • Country Anonymous, functional wooden pieces, generally from the UK or France (the latter is more decorative). New or old, these pieces are useful, pretty and tend to work well with most other furnishings.

Designing a living room layout Draw a plan (overhead view) of the room using graph paper, marking the positions of windows, door, fireplace, radiators, sockets and any fitted furniture. If using paper, cut out paper shapes, at the correct scale, to represent the proposed furnishings. Do they work as a whole, or can they be moved to create more floor space? Are there any ‘dead’ or crowded areas?

comfortable and practical. Modular seating units in an L-shape (or even a U-shape) are a great alternative. In a small room, stools can double as mini-tables and be pushed out of the way when not in use. A coffee table takes up a lot of floor space but side tables are another option, as is a long, thin console table pushed against the back of the sofa. The living room also needs the right furniture in which to keep things such as DVDs, books and cables out of sight, as well as display areas for attractive possessions. Choose plain, inexpensive bookcases that can be painted the same colour as your walls, or go for a designer option such as a sleek sideboard or modular units or even Oriental and Indian-style pieces, in beautiful woods and with lovely detailing. Finally, add boxes and baskets to disguise awkward items that simply won’t fit anywhere else.

Choosing and arranging living room furniture It was once traditional for living rooms to be arranged with the fire as a focal point. These days it’s more likely to be the TV, but you can also have subsidiary focal points, such as a work of art or a view. Placing two sofas so they face each other is both

Sometimes you just want to stretch your legs out and lounge. A side table is at hand for a drink or a book. Crumpet Chaise with solid beech frame and feather-filled back cushions, £1895; Little Loafian side table in reclaimed fir, £195; both Loaf, 0845 468 0698; www. loaf.com.

the home

NICOLA LORD DESIGN interiors | furniture | design

mail@nicolalord.com 07939 564 964 www.nicolalord.com New website now live 13

Images courtesy of Harlequin

Call Now For a Free Consultation Please Mention The

Open Tues - Fri 10am - 4pm Sat 10am - 1pm

village directory When Responding to Adverts

Life Begins Ne’er cast a clout … by Kate McLelland A reliable sign of good weather?

There were times during last winter when our normally temperate UK climate appeared to have undergone a complete change of character, creating storms and floods of almost biblical size and intensity. It’s at times like these we begin to understand the impact the weather must have had on our ancestors, for whom the difference between a good winter and a bad one was literally a matter of life and death. The only real evidence we have of their personal struggles with wind, rain and snow now exists in the form of a few, doggerel rhymes. To the modern ear these rhymes can seem childish and trite, but the fact that they have survived so long, passed on by word of mouth, gives us an indication of their importance to our forebears. Following the UK’s recent experiences of extreme weather events, it may be time to rub away the dust of antiquity and see if this ancient weather lore still has something useful to teach us. With its sprinkling of quaint, archaic words, “Ne’er cast a clout till May is out” is probably one of the most famous old adages about weather. The word “clout” means “item of clothing” so the rhyme warns us about the variable nature of spring weather.

If the month of May has always seemed quite late in the year to be finally packing away your winter wardrobe, then you’ll be glad to know that there’s some controversy surrounding the reference. Certain historians believe that the “May” in question is the may tree, or hawthorn, which actually begins to flower in April, so the meaning becomes: “Don’t shed any winter layers until the may tree blossoms.” Before the days of Met Office forecasts, farmers, fishermen and anyone else who depended upon the weather for their livelihoods would glean information from the natural environment. The maxim “Red sky at night/Shepherd’s delight/Red sky in the morning/ Shepherd’s warning” even wins a cautious endorsement from the Met Office. It’s true that a red sky can be an indicator of rain or dry weather, depending on the time of the day it occurs and the direction of the prevailing weather. Such a sky appears when high pressure arriving from the west traps dust and small particles in the atmosphere. Blue light is scattered from the spectrum and red light remains to give the sky its distinctive appearance, indicating a dry, pleasant day to

follow. A red sky in the morning simply means that this high pressure system has passed, most likely making way for wet and windy weather to come. There is, however, a lot less sanction amongst meteorologists for beliefs such as the St Swithin’s Day lore, which says that if it rains on 15th July it will continue to rain for 40 days and 40 nights. You’ll be reassured to know that there has been no occurrence of rainfall for such a prolonged period of time since records began. While we can reject long term forecasts linked to certain days in the calendar as pure superstition, it turns out that there may be more than a grain of truth in ancient lore relating to hourly or daily forecasts. When the weather’s raw power can be so intimidating, it’s good to know that our ancestors’ comforting old rhymes can still keep us in tune with nature.

the home

WE GUARANTEE GUARANTEE TO TO BEAT BEAT ANY ANY PRICE, PRICE, WE ON ANY ANY ITEM ITEM ,, INCLUDING INCLUDING PROMOTIONS PROMOTIONS ON

UPHOLSTERY SUITE IN-STOCK

Reclaimed

How Daddy is Doing With Fathers’ Day just around the corner we thought we’d put together a collection of books about dads and their offspring. Whether they’re doting or disastrous, destructive or departed, this is a day for celebrating the role of these most inﬂuential of men.

The Road - Cormac McCarthy Although this book is set in a post-apocalyptic world and is, quite frankly, a bit terrifying, it’s a fantastic tale of a man who’ll do anything to protect his boy. Together they walk through the battered remnants of America, heading to the coast and hoping for salvation, with only each other to rely on. The landscape is brutal, chilling and ash-ridden and father and son must find food and shelter where they can, away from the dangers that lie in wait. Often described as a masterpiece, Cormac McCarthy’s novel is haunting and yet reassuring that the bond between parent and child can withstand anything. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee Show me the person who wouldn’t want Atticus Finch as their fatherfigure. Atticus is an attorney and is often hailed as being the personification of all that is moral and just. He’s adored by his two children, Scout and Jem who try to make sense of the happenings in the sleepy southern town of Maycomb, Alabama. Atticus must face the disapproving eyes of the town’s residents as he defends Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white woman. Scout and her brother Jem aren’t allowed into the courtroom but they sneak in and hide out on the ‘coloured balcony’ to watch their father in action, and the trial that will change Maycomb forever. Danny the Champion of the World - Roald Dahl

‘The most marvellous and exciting father a boy ever had’- you can’t do much better than that accolade. Nine year old Danny idolises his father and adores hearing his fantastic stories and tales of daring-do. Danny’s seemingly simple existence is his own personal bliss: growing up in a traveller’s caravan and tinkering with cars in his spare time. Then his dad comes up with a master plan in the form of a pheasantsnatching adventure and Danny’s world becomes that much more exciting. Roald Dahl’s story of a boy and his love and admiration for his dad is so heart-warming, you’ll want to start finding the extraordinary in the ordinary and realise that you too, can be the champion of the world. Death of a Salesman - Arthur Miller There’s no way that Willy Loman is winning any Father of the Year prizes anytime soon and yet his son Happy is determined to follow in his father’s footsteps. His other son, Biff has more of the measure of the man having once caught his father in a compromising situation. Whatever the dropout Biff and the hapless Happy decide to do with their lives, Loman himself is all washed up as a salesman and facing a precipice. Arthur Miller’s play is set using a series of flashbacks as we watch this family and their own American Dream vaporise before our very eyes. Loman commits one final act of desperation for his sons, and the

reader is left to decide whether or not he was heroic in the end. And When Did You Last See Your Father? - Blake Morrison In his memoirs, the author recounts his relationship with his own father, throughout his dad’s life and after his death. It raises questions as to whether or not we ever see our parents as adults in their own right, or simply as our parents. How do we deal with family secrets and is it destructive to reveal them? Do we ever really get to know our parents and how they view the world? It might be time to put the kettle on, call the folks and see if there are any skeletons in the closet. Darth Vader and Son - Jeffrey Brown A bit of light relief comes in the form of Jeffrey Brown’s ponderings over Darth Vader’s propensity for fatherhood. What if Vader uttering the immortal words, “Luke, I am your father” opened the floodgates for some father-son bonding and making up for lost time across the galaxies. What if he was completely misinterpreted and it was a just a stern telling off from daddy? Brown’s comic illustrations reveal life as it could have been if he and Luke had been able to build a relationship and end up as allies rather than enemies, revealing what a handson dad Lord Vader could really have been.

the home GemmaShay Electrical Services

Jakeman & Jakeman Homecare Steve Jakeman

Established ELECSA Part P Registered Electrician All types of work undertaken including: • • • •

Lighting, sockets and rewires, garden electrics Fault finding and repairs Test and Inspect certification 3 phase installations

Free estimates Contact Phil Manning

Tel: 07739018050 / 01303 813132 Email: philmanning@gemmashay.co.uk

Handyman Painter & Decorator Interior & Exterior Decoration and Maintenance

01233 625442 07910591393 219 Canterbury Road, Kennington, Ashford, Kent TN24 9QH

Jakeman-homecare@ntlworld.com

SANDSEAL FLOORING

Professional and insured Kitchen fitting Bathroom fitting Tiling Decorating: Interior & Exterior Free quotes

T h e Wo o d e n F l o o r i n g S p e c i a l i s t s Floor Sanding Staining & Varnishing Repairs Decking, Sanding & Sealing Call now for a competitive quote

T: 01233 733792 M: 07767 167731 w w w.sandseal-flooring.co.uk

Geoff Evans

Call 07500 905622 / 01233 627715 Email : geoffevans8@googlemail.com Facebook : qfproperties@gmail.com

Practical Kitchens by Design Low-Cost, Quality Kitchens, Supplied Directly from the Manufacturer

Speak to the Designer, Gary on 01233 Please Mention The

754170

We Will Beat Any Quote!

village directory When Responding to Adverts

Glazed Chicken Kebabs with Sweet Potato Mash Serves 4

Ready in 25 minutes

These quick chicken kebabs with a tangy chilli glaze are perfect for a mid-week supper. Sweet potatoes cook just as quickly as ordinary potatoes, just make sure they are cut into even-sized chunks and take care not to overcook them.

Thread the chicken cubes and onion wedges onto four wooden skewers. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and brush all over with sunflower oil. Cook under a medium preheated grill for 10-15 minutes, turning occasionally, until the chicken is just cooked through.

Ingredients: •

450g chicken breast fillets, cut into cubes

•

2 small red onions, peeled and cut into thin wedges

Meanwhile, boil the sweet potatoes in a large pan of lightly salted boiling water for 10-15 minutes, or until tender. Drain well, then mash with the butter and crème fraiche until smooth. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

•

2 tsp sunflower oil

•

1 kg sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

•

25g butter

•

2 tbsp crème fraiche

•

2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

•

1 tbsp runny honey

•

2 tsp red wine vinegar

•

1 tbsp fresh chopped coriander

Serve the kebabs on the sweet potato mash with the rest of the hot glaze drizzled over. Garnish with fresh chopped coriander.

•

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For an extra fiery flavour add some finely chopped fresh red chilli pepper to the glaze.

Place the chilli sauce, honey and vinegar in a small pan and simmer for 1-2 minutes until syrupy. Brush half the glaze all over the chicken kebabs and grill for a further 1-2 minutes.

TIP

Dirty Oven?

It’s not your fault! With busy, hectic lives and off the shelf cleaning products that don’t seem to do the job, keeping the oven clean feels an impossible task. Let Oven Wizards take care of this job for you. We use a specialist, non-toxic and effective process to get your oven looking spotless and take pride in working tidily in your home. Over 10,000 local customers trust us to make their oven sparkle! Take a look at our website to see before & after pictures and read their reviews. Professional oven cleaning from just £49 £44 Call James to book your clean oven!

01233 210 662 07751 833 305

www.ovenwizards.com

Cake and Bake Lemon Curd Cookies Crisp and buttery with a tangy lemon flavour these delicious home-made cookies taste divine. You can change the flavourings if liked, try orange zest with fine shred marmalade or replace 1tbsp of the flour with cocoa powder and fill with chocolate and hazelnut spread for a moreish choc and nut version! 20

Ingredients: • 50g butter, softened • 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest • 85g caster sugar • 1 medium egg, beaten • 175g plain flour, plus extra for dusting • 4 tbsp good quality lemon curd • Icing sugar, for dusting

TIP The chilled dough will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days. Leave at room temperature for about 20 minutes to allow the dough to soften a little before rolling out otherwise it may crack.

Makes 16 - Ready in 30 minutes plus chilling

1 Place the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat together until light and fluffy. Beat in the lemon zest and egg then sift over the flour and mix to a crumbly dough.

2 Gather the mixture together with your hands and knead on a floured surface until smooth. Flatten to a disc shape, wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for about 45 minutes.

3 Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°F/gas mark 4. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment.

4 Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to a 5mm thickness and using a 6cm round cookie cutter stamp out 16 circles, re-rolling the dough as necessary.

5 Place the circles of dough on the baking sheets. Spoon about ½ teaspoon of lemon curd in the centre of each circle then pull up two sides of the each circle and pinch together tightly to seal. Chill in the fridge for a further 30 minutes.

6 Bake in the preheated oven for 12-14 minutes until pale golden. Cool for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire cooling rack and leave to cool completely. Serve dusted with icing sugar.

Local Markets Challock Challock Memorial Hall, Blind Lane. 1st & 3rd Friday of each month 1pm to 4pm Contact Pauline Hickson 01233 740979 The Barn Shop Traditional Market Challock - 2nd & 4th Saturday of each month 10am – 2pm Contact 01233 740237 Charing Farmer’s Market Charing Church Barn 9 -11.30 every Thurs morning Contact 01233 740176 Egerton Every Friday 2 - 4.30pm Millennium Hall Rolvenden - 01580 240763 Every Thursday 10am -12 noon St Mary’s Church and the Village Hall Rye Farmers Market Every Wednesday at Strand Quay 10am - 1 pm (12pm Oct - April)

In Season: June Fruit Cherries Gooseberries Rhubarb Strawberries

Vegetables Asparagus Beans Broccoli Carrots Courgettes Cucumber Garlic Kohirabi Mangetout Peas Potatoes (New)

Radishes Rocket Spring Onions

Salmon Sardines Sea Bass Sea Trout

Salad

Meat & Game

Lettuce Sorrel Spinach Watercress

Fish Cod Crab Dover Sole Halibut Herring John Dory Lemon Sole Mackerel Plaice

Beef Guinea Fowl Hare Lamb Mutton Pork Rabbit Veal Wood Pigeon

Rye Market Every Thursday at the Cattle Market Car Park. Early till around 3pm (depending on the weather)

Rye Country Market Formerly WI Market Rye Community Centre, Conduit Hill. Every Friday 10am -11.30am Tenterden Country Market Every Friday 9.30am -11.30am St Mildred’s Church Hall, Church road. Tenterden High Street Market Friday’s – 0830 – 1400 Wittersham Market Every Tuesday Village Hall 9am. - 11am Tel: 01797 270757 Wye First and third Saturday of every month on the Village Green in Wye. Tel: 07804 652156 www.wyefarmersmarket.co.uk

L i v e Ja z z What’s On Ju n e / Ju l y T h e Fo l k e s t o n e J a z z C l u b A t T h e To w e r To B o o k C a l l : 0 1 3 0 3 2 7 7 1 7 5 A l l g i g s s t a r t a t 8 3 0 p m , Ad m £ 1 0 June 5th 8: 30pm £10 THE DEREK NASH QUARTET PLAY THE GERRY MULLIGAN QUARTET ( THE CHET BAKER YEARS ) DEREK NASH Baritone Sax / DICK PEARCE TrumpetGEOFF GASCOYNE Double Bass. SEBASTIAAN De KROM Drums To seeTo hear - To listen- Is this the original ??? June 12th 8:30pm £10 The Legacy Continues EMILY DANKWORTH The Latest Member of The Dankworth Family to be in the Jazz scene. The vocalist with a little Latin. The Dankworth Dynasty But Not all Appearing ! ! ! (John - Cleo - Jacqui - Alec - Emily) With Emily will be this fantastic rhythm section NIC BRAKESPEAR double bass LIAN DUNACHE Piano ROD BROWN drums

June 19th 8: 30pm £10 ALEX GARNETT & WILLIE GARNETTFAMOUS FATHER & SON SAX SESSION ON THE BRITISH JAZZ SCENE Plus The Rhythm Section of Rhythm Sections ( These were here with Scott Hamilton ) JOHN PEARCE DAVE GREEN STEVE BROWNNon better Brit Jazz Award Winner Brit Jazz Award Winner June 24th 8:30pm £10 Back again by audience request Europes No1 Vibes player THE ROGER BEAUJOLAIS QUARTET Everyone a star in his own right ROBIN ASPLAND Piano - - SIMON THORPE Double Bass WINSTON CLIFFORD Drums July 1st 8:30pm £10 This event is in conjunction with FHODs & The Tower Theatre To Celebrate THE HYTHE FESTIVAL 2014 THE HYTHE FESTIVAL FUN NIGHT- -GOOD TIME JAZZ FOR EVERYONE with THE COLROSE 7 - A Feast of Music.From Ellington to Spike Jones in a party atmosphere July 10th 8:30pm £10 The UKs Top Jazz Pairing DIGBY FAIRWEATHER & JULIAN MARC STRINGLE TED BEAMENT piano TEDDY POPE drums ALEX KEEN double bass. July 17th 8:30pm £10 The Musicians Jazz Singer - - The fabulous SARAH MOULE SIMON WALLACE piano - MICK HUTTON double bass - ROD BROWN drums

3 May to 1 June 2014 - La Mer - An Exhibition of Photography by Liz Garnett The Art Shack, Kent Wildlife Trust, Dymchurch Road, New Romney, Kent TN28 8AY. Open hours are 9am to 5pm Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Further information about Liz can be found at www.lizgarnett.com.

Sunday 8th June - Hamstreet 17th Festival of Transport 10am-5.30pm We have Extreme Falconry, Red Wheelies display team, Swinging Sixties Band and other arena displays, Bar and food Merlin Balloons, Ashford Model Aircraft and more. Entrance fee Adults £3 Chi ldren (under 15) £2 Senior Citizens £2 Infants (under 5) FREE OF CHARGE

Monday 9th June Smeeth W.I. will meet at 7.30 pm in the Brabourne and Smeeth Village Hall when Martin Crowther will introduce us to Bagpuss, The Clangers and Others. We extend a warm welcome to any lady visitor and should further information be required please contact Joy Taylor on 01303 812165 or Margaret Garrett on 01303 813932” Weekends 7/14th & 8/15th June - Chris & Judy Older welcome you to their garden opening in aid of the :- National Gardens Scheme and St Rumwolds Church, Bonnington. The 16C cottage nestles in romantic seclusion at the end of a drive. This enchanting garden (1 acre) is a mixture of small herbaceous borders, roses & unusual topiary. There is plenty of seating to enjoy the garden & extensive views across Romney Marsh to the sea. Some gentle slopes, limited access for wheel chairs. (Also private visits in June by appointment only.) Admission £4, children free. Ample off road parking. Plants for Sale. Homemade cakes & teas available. WYCKHURST GARDEN Mill Road, Aldington, Ashford, Kent. TN25 7AJ. (4m SE of Ashford off A20) 01233 720395.

Thursday 12th June Aldington & Bonnington Gardening Society talk on “Preparing for a Show” 7.45pm for 8.00pm at Aldington Village Hall. Visitors and new members are always welcome. For full details of our programme contact Jean Evans 01233 720618.

Sunday 16th June, there is to be a Drumhead Service on the Brabouorne and Smeeth Playing Field at 2.30 pm, as part of the commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the beginning of the First World War. The Drumhead Service had its origins on the battlefield, where in the absence of an alter the drums were arranged in the shape of a pyramid and the colours draped upon them to provide a temporary alternative. On 16th June, the drums to be used will

be those of the New Romney ATC., and they will be accompanied by pipers and a bugler who will sound the salute. The Service which will be non-denominational will be conducted by Tim Simpson, the Scouts and Guides and the Brabourne and Smeeth Branch of the Royal British Legion will parade. It is hoped that other Legion Standards will also attend. Refreshments will be available and the RB.L. hope that this local recognition of such a significant event and noting the sacrifice of those local men during the War will provide the Villages of Brabourne and Smeeth with the opportunity of commemorating this important centenary and hope to see as many as possible attending.

Media partner

Pyjama Walk

Saturday 21st June - Brabourne and Smeeth Village Fete and Craft Fair will be held at Smeeth School from 2-5pm instead of on the Playing Field. As well as mega choir, Ashford Sings, Corrine Wilsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Performing Arts Club will be appearing, and the puppets will be back! There will be some new games and competitions and some new wicked raffle prizes too! Crockery is needed for the Smashing Crockery Stall as well as volunteers to run it. Please contact Allison if you can help.

Saturday 28th June 2014 Fun starts from 8.30pm, walk starts from 10pm Ashford Designer Outlet Adults ÂŁ10 Children 5-10 years ÂŁ5 You can register online via www.pilgrimshospices.org or call our hotline 01233 504111 www.pilgrimshospices.org email eastkent@pilgrimshospices.org Pilgrims Hospices in East Kent is a company limited by guarantee. 4GIKUVGTGF QHĆ&#x201A;EG .QPFQP 4QCF %CPVGTDWT[ %6 ,# 4GIKUVGTGF EJCTKV[ PQ CPF CU C EQORCP[ KP 'PINCPF PQ

If your dogâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s got a waggy tail, can or canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t resist a tasty treat, or likes to race on an agility course then bring him or her down to Paws on the Playground! If you would like to hold an event or run a stall, please contact Alison Godfrey 01303 814639 (chairman) to book your place.

Saturday 28th June Aldington & Bonnington Gardening Society Summer Show at Aldington Village Hall. Doors open 1.00pm, raffle & prize giving at 3.30pm. Visitors are very welcome, no entry charge.

Friday 27 June - Brabourne & Smeeth Gardenersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Society. Meeting at 7.15 for 7.30 pm in the village hall when Janet Bryant will give a presentation on â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ponds and Water Gardensâ&#x20AC;?.All are welcome. For further info contact Wendy Sanders on 01303 813451 or emailbrabournewendy@gmail.com.

Farming Themed Day Sunday 29th June 12.00 Noon till 3.00pm

Please note that dogs, (except assistance dogs), cannot be admitted onsite under the terms of the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s public liability insurance. Please contact the school on 01233 720 247 for information on disabled parking spaces, (these spaces are limited and may not be suitable for all types of disability).

SAINT

RUMWOLD

LECTURES

2014

Come and enjoy a summer evening, with a stimulating talk and discussion by candlelight, in the picturesque setting of St Rumwoldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Church, Bonnington on the edge of the Romney Marsh near the Royal Military Canal. SatNav users put in postcode TN25 7BW and keep on down the lane until you see the church. All lectures start at 7:00 pm.. Friday 4th July - Reverend Canon Robin Mackintosh â&#x20AC;&#x153;Augustine of Canterburyâ&#x20AC;? Rev Mackintosh, author of the recently published biography of Saint Augustine of Canterbury, will describe Augustineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life and ministry and his important role in the development of English Christianity.

Dolly Doodles Good at: Making greetings

cards, bookmarks and lot s of other things from pape r and card

Not very good at: Reading

Meet the Doo

and spelling

Hobbies: Doodling and

drawing

Best friend:Tinkaboo

Grumbleweed Grove

Who is Dolly Doodle’s BFF (Best Furry Friend)?

KnottaMouse - a Water-rat

Willamina’s Words of Wisdom

hing

What doo-b-doo the Doo-B-Doo Crew doo-b-doo?

Good at: Fixing anyt

broken

Not very good at:

Remembering stuff

Hobbies: Making thin

Best friend: Faye

gs out Willamina’s Words of Wisdom: They make beautiful things out of paper and card. Tinkaboo is hiding in Grumbleweed Grove, behind the Swap Shop.

of wood

TinkabFoinoding and Good at: ything! collecting an od at: Not very go writing Reading and ying Hobbies: Pla s hairdresser Dolly Best friend:

o-B-Doo Crew! Muddle-Puddle

Can you ďŹ nd Tinkaboo? He is hiding somewhere in the land of i-Doo-B-Doo.

Rosy Bay

ordsmith w e is w e h t a Willamin a Teddy-airbat g, writing Good at: Readin and spelling

t: Not being

Not very good a bossy!

stories

Hobbies: Writing Wittering Best friend: Mrs

: ok o tb s r ďŹ er le r h udd u o d n s i s an dle-P .com u e out oodl Mud doo ck) b ll a ly D in doobrd Ba a ad Dol ures ww.i r Ha e R nt to w ok o e v Ad Go (e-bo

The Great St Rumwold’s Raft Race Sunday 15th June 2014 Competition Rules: 1. The race will take place on the Royal Military Canal at Bonnington. Gates open at 12pm. First race starts 1pm. Rafts and crews may arrive from 11am. 2. There will be 4 classes or rafts: 1-2 person, 3-4 person, an open class, and a pub challenge. Children over 10 may enter any of the classes above. 3. Raft Construction: all rafts must be home-made. NO PART of the raft may be constructed out of any pre-made boat, canoe or inflatable dinghy. All rafts must be man powered. No oars are allowed, but paddles are permissible, as are sails. Oil drums and other equipment used in the construction must be thoroughly cleaned prior to the race to prevent polluting the canal. 4. Fancy dress is optional, but attracts a special prize. 5. All crews must wear life jackets and be able to swim. No person will be allowed to enter without a lifejacket. A limited number of lifejackets may be borrowed on the day from the Raft Race committee. 6. Children must be supervised at all times. Please be aware that there is a deep, water filled ditch between the canal and the church. 7. All dogs must be kept on a lead. Owners are responsible for cleaning up after their dogs. 8. All competitors are bound to abide by the rules, and the organisers will not accept responsibility for any loss, damage or injury to crew or spectators. 9. Please take great care when entering and exiting the site with your raft and vehicle. ` 10. Entry fee is £5 per raft. Please return your entry form to Tina Metcalfe. The Old Oak, Bonnington, Ashford TN25 7BT 01303872453 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Entry form for the Great St Rumwold’s Raft Race 2014 In aid of St Rumwold’s Church and the Fire Services National Benevolent Fund Name of Craft_________________________________Captain____________________________ Category_______________________Please return early to be featured in race card and programme. All competitors are bound to abide by the rules, and the organisers will not accept responsibility for any loss, damage or injury to crew or spectators. Entry fee of £5 to be attached. One entry form per craft. Crafts may enter a number of times with different crews at £5 each. Sponsorship for St Rumwold’s greatly appreciated! Cheques payable to St Rumwold’s Church PCC Name, address and phone number (without which entries cannot be accepted)__________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________Email__________________________________

Hobbies Small steps towards a prize-winning future communication. It can take the form of an online diary or may simply record the writer’s observations on life.

The old adage says that “everyone has at least one novel in them” but for some inexperienced writers the thought of writing a novel is a bit like climbing Everest in carpet slippers with only a length of washing line to keep you from falling. For that reason many aspiring authors give up before they’ve even started, and that’s regrettable as these days there are so many other routes writers can take if they want to flex their creative muscles. Writing for pleasure is a lowcost, easily manageable activity that may even –on occasion - offer financial rewards. Flexibility is the keyword and it’s up to you to decide how much time you spend writing, what subjects you write about and whether you invest any money to support your endeavours. So where should you start? The internet has revolutionised the way writers interact with their readership and blogging has become a new art form in the world of online

Websites such as Wordpress, Tumblr, Blogger and Weebly all host blog sites and most will offer a basic, free entry so you can establish your presence as a blogger. If you are happy to direct your blog to friends and acquaintances alone, that’s fine, but if you have ambitions to become a star blogger with a following of thousands then you’ll need to offer something truly original that gives inspiration or help to others. If you’re not driven to write about a particular topic or cause, then you might want to try your hand at composing short stories. Flash Fiction – a genre of ultra-short fiction that applies to stories of up to 1,000 words – has recently grown in popularity. If you want to have a go at writing Flash Fiction there are a number of online competitions you can enter, but beware those sites that charge exorbitant fees to participate. The website www.flash500.com charges a relatively low fee of £5 to take part in competitions, for which participants have the chance to win up to £300. It’s natural to lack confidence when you first start to write,

but fortunately there is a lot of training and support available to fledgling writers. If you fancy writing serials or short stories for women’s magazines, you can attend a Woman’s Weekly fiction workshop in London for around £65. If romantic fiction is your thing, you can pick up hints and tips on Mills and Boon’s website (www. millsandboon.co.uk) and find out how to submit a story to their editors. Writing can be an isolating pastime so you may prefer to join a writer’s group. The National Association of Writers’ Groups (www.nawg.co.uk) can provide information on local meetings, or guide you to collaborate with other writers online. Finally, it goes without saying that the best way to gain literary skills is to soak up the work of high quality writers such as Charles Dickens or Virginia Woolf. If you’re not sure where to start with contemporary authors then you could search through the lists of nominees for high profile fiction awards such as the Man Booker Prize. It may seem like an impossible dream now, but there may come a time when your own name features on that list! By Kate McLelland

2nd August 11 am Fun Day - The Black Horse

Pub, Monks Horton TN25 6AP. In Aid of Rett UK. We are parents to a beautiful little girl called lucy she has Rett Syndrome she is 10 years old now and completely disabled. We didn’t know there was anything wrong, she progressed normally then lost her skills at two and a half. There is work being done on looking into a cure but it’s early days and they need funding as there is no government funding. We are having a Fun Day at 11am at The Black Horse to raise money for Rett UK. Trisha and Adrian Orchard

Photoshop Tuition If you’ve ever wanted to know how to use Photoshop to improve your digital images, we can show you!

1ST CALL BOUNCY BOU UN CASTLES Bouncy Castles for all Ages Free delivery & collection Suitable for Indoor & Outdoor Special rates for weekends Schools & Event Days

Call now on 01233 733792 M: 07767 167731 w w w. 1 s t c a l l boun c yc a s t l e s . c o . u k

Printed Mugs Have your own photos on a mug or your company logo

Embroidered Clothing

• T-shirts •

Polo Shirts • Sweatshirts 38mm Pin Badges to Order

Our latest 1 to 1, 3 session course will teach you how to use Photoshop to enhance and create your ideal images. Beginner or experienced enthusiast, we can tailor a course for you. Suitable for PC and Mac users. Limited places available.

3x 1 hour sessions only £99

greenappletree /HDUQ 0DF

/HDUQ 3KRWRVKRS

7KH 'LJLWDO &DPHUD

ID Cs

,Q'HVLJQ 6NLOOV

$GREH &6

Call us on 01303 813563 Email: design@greenappletree.co.uk Evegate Business Centre, Station Road, Smeeth TN25 6SX

Has Your Watch Stopped? Is It Losing Time? We specialise in watches over 20 years old All makes and models can be serviced and repaired using original parts. parts For All Your Watch and Jewellery Repairs

Tel: 01233 720809

Call 01303 211500

louise@bumbledesigns.net

w w w. f u l l y w o u n d. d . c o. u k

CLUBS & SOCIETIES Ashford Radio Aeromodellers, we have a field at Sellindge for flying seven days a week, and fly indoors in Ashford Market on various Thursday evenings during the Autumn, Winter, & Spring, please visit www.araclub.co.uk for more details, or phone Iain on 07956501510, or myself (Roger) 01233 627694.

Bilsington Ladies meet in Bilsington Village Hall 2nd Thursday of the month at 2.15pm. Interesting speakers and a warm welcome awaits. Call Jan on 01233 641820.

Sellindge Table Top Sale the 1st Saturday of each month in the village hall Sellindge. Tables booked in advance are £5. 00 Each and on the day (If available) £8. 00. Telephone for more information 01303 813475. Refreshments are available and home made cakes.

Legs, Bums & Tums An hour of challenging toning & groaning. Body weight exercises to music for motivation & lots of fun. Every Tuesday 18.0019.00 £5 per class, Aldington Village Hall. Yoga Thurs 6.30 - 730. Call Hayley on 07843 099912 for more information and to register your interest A New Quilting Group held in the Oak Room, Smeeth TN25 6SA. If you are interested in quilting or patchwork why not come along and learn new skills and share your expertise with like minded people. Beginners and advanced levels are welcome. Bi-monthly meetings, for further information contact Marion on 01233 750319

Stowting W.I.

We meet on the second Wednesday of the month (except August) at 7.30pm in the Peace Room. For further information please contact Jennie Cooper on 01303 862572.

Line Dancing Classes, Sellindge Village

Aldington & Bonnington Gardening Society We meet on the 2nd Thursday of the month in the Aldington Village Hall at 7.45 pm for 8.00. We have a varied programme of talks, shows and social events. Visitors and new members are always welcome. For further details please contact Jean Evans on 01233 720618 or colin.e123@ btinternet.com

Aldington Short Mat Bowls Club We play on Monday nights at Aldington village hall from 7.30pm to 10.00pm. No special equipment required you only need a pair of shoes with flat soles and we can supply the woods. Go on give it a try it may be just the sport you are looking for. Interested, give Jim or Janet a call on 01233 632102 Lympne Short Mat Bowling Monday and Thursdays from 7.00 p.m. to 9.45p.m. in the Village Hall. Annual Subscription is £20.00 and the green fees are £2.00 per evening. For more information call Mick or Marian Hatton on 01303 814274

Line Dancing Classes, Sellindge Village Hall. BEGINNERS CLASS commencing Thursday afternoon 3rd October 12pm - 1pm Also (EASY Intermediate class) Thurs afternoon 1 - 3pm For more details on both these classes contact Raye Warrne on 01303 813098. Tues and Thursday eve. 7.30 - 9.30 (Intermediate classes) contact Maureen Lincoln on 01303 813161 or 07989 210449 Step at Sellindge Village Hall Sundays at 10.00 a.m. Fun fitness for all levels Call Michelle Sinclair ACE Personal Trainer 01233 820109 The Sellindge Get Together Club Meet in the Durling Hall at Sellindge, next to the main hall, from 2pm to 4pm on the second Wednesday in the month. If you are interested just come to our meetings or phone 01303 813454 for more details.

Smeeth W.I. We meet on the second Monday of the Month at 7.30 pm in the Brabourne & Smeeth village hall for further information do contact Joy Taylor 01303 812165”

Hall. Tues Eve 7.30 – 9.30 (Intermediate), Thurs afternoon 1-3pm (easy intermediate) Thurs eve 7.30 9.30 (Intermediate) contact Maureen Lincoln 01303 813161 or 07989 210449.

Body Conditioning Class at Smeeth Scout

Brabourne & Smeeth Gardeners’ Society

Hut, Mondays 7.00 p.m. Fun Fitness for all levels Call Michelle Sinclair 01233 820109

We meet on the last Friday of the month at Brabourne & Smeeth Village Hall, 7.15 for 7.30pm. New members and visitors will be made very welcome. For further info contact Wendy Sanders on 01303 813451 or email brabournewendy@ gmail.com.

Hi/Low Aerobics at Sellindge Village Hall on Wednesdays 7.00 .p.m. Fun Fitness for all levels Call Michelle Sinclair ACE Personal Trainer for details 01233 820109

What was life like in a Kent village in WW1?

Zumba Fitness 7.15pm A latin inspired dance

Charing in the First World War Exhibition

fitness class and Legs bums and Tums 8.15pm Every Wednesday Aldington village hall. Contact Leigh Little 01233 65075 3 M: 07756 726590

Open days June 14 -15; July 5-6 Saturdays 10am-5pm; Sundays 2-5pm

For details see www.charinghistory.co.uk

Yoga Mondays 7.30-9.00pm, Warehorne Village Hall & Thursdays 10.00-11.30am, St Mary’s Oak Room, Smeeth (off the A20). £7 per class. Please call Daniela 01233860417 or 07939870826

Calligraphy Classes at St Mary’s Oak Room, Smeeth from 10.30a.m. to 12.30p.m. All welcome including complete beginners. Cost is £7 per session. For further information, please call Sue Gray on 01233 720696.

Dog Agility Classes new to Chequer Tree

Admission free. Supported by the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund, Ashford Borough Council, Charing Parish Council.

h H it

DISCOVER ART on your doorstep ART by local artists and craftspeople

Equestrian Centre, Mersham on Thursday evenings.Contact: Nathan Thompson on 07795 077921 or bone-a-fidebehaviours@hotmail.co.uk

Burlesque Classes. Lympne Village Hall. Wednesday nights 8pm til 9.30pm £7. Ladies only. Get fit, have fun, feel fabulous. Whatever your size, shape or age - release your inner vixen! www. quizzicool.co.uk, click burlesque classes.

L tt

EVERY JUNE 2014: 6th – 22nd www.seos-art.org Participating artists in different areas. Free guides available at many locations 31

JOIN WALLACE & GROMIT AND GET YOUR KIT ON TO RAISE MUCH NEEDED FUNDS TO HELP SICK CHILDREN IN YOUR LOCAL HOSPITAL AND HOSPICE. PLEASE SHOW YOUR SUPPORT AND JOIN THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ACROSS THE COUNTRY BY WEARING WRONG TROUSERS FOR CHARITY! REGISTER TODAY FOR YOUR FANTASTIC FREE FUNDRAISING PACK

www.wrongtrousersday.org Supported by Wallace & Gromit’s Wrong Trousers day raises funds for Wallace and Gromit’s Children’s Charity, which supports children’s healthcare throughout the UK. Registered charity 1043603. Company number 04659630. © and TM Aardman/Wallace & Gromit Limited 2014

health & Lifestyle

My Path to Wellbeing! For some time now I’ve been trying to develop a healthy lifestyle for myself, something that works and suits me. I’ve seen various things work for different people but everyone is individual and what works for one may not work for another. I wanted something that will keep me healthy, help me to lose a little weight and suit my hectic daily routine. The majority of my time is spent sitting at a computer and I do very little exercise, virtually none in fact! Exercise is not something I enjoy and I find it very difficult to fit it into my day. I’m rubbish when it comes to diets, the minute I tell myself I’m on a diet I immediately become obsessed with food and eat more than I usually would have done. My life is hectic with eight magazines to run and it’s quite normal for me to skip breakfast and then grab whatever I find in the fridge for lunch if I’m hungry. I eat small main meals that are reasonably healthy and yet as I get older I continue to gain weight. The fact that I skip meals often

results in hunger pains interrupting my concentration, this creates emotional turmoil when working on deadlines and results in high calorie snacking, that only keeps hunger at bay for short periods of time. A few months ago I met Neil D’Silva, a nutritionist based in Great Chart. We discussed his wellness coaching and the machine that enables him to assess the body composition of his clients. The monitor not only indicates weight but also analyses the entire body makeup, the emphasis being on health rather than weight loss. Knowing your weight is one thing, but there are other health factors that can indicate, more accurately, how healthy we are on the inside. The body composition machine can give you accurate body weight and fat measurements, which can help to keep you motivated as you track your diet or fitness progress, or simply as you make basic changes to your lifestyle in order to eat right and exercise more. This subject captured my interest so Neil offered me a full wellness evaluation and body composition scan, then suggested I try the Herbalife meal replacement program. Basically you have two nutritional shakes per day along with vitamin and fibre tablets, two healthy snacks and a healthy main meal. The emphasis

is on incorporating protein into every meal or snack whilst eating healthily i.e incorporating your 5-a-day. The shakes are high in protein, they taste delicious and give you everything your body needs to function at its optimum level, along with boosting your energy and aiding weight loss. The downside for me was to increase my water intake throughout the day and complete 100 sit-ups every day, not something I’m used to! Herbalife, the world’s largest nutrition company, has been around since 1980 and yet I’ve never looked closely at it before. My assumption was that the products were probably expensive and I was skeptical of its success. The products actually compare quite favorably to their supermarket equivalents and have an emphasis on quality nutrition. Recently I ran out of shake mix so I popped into Tesco for a popular off the shelf product. It wasn’t great, in fact I threw half of it away, the protein content was also far less than my Herbalife shake. Since starting on the plan I’ve lost approx 8lbs, I never skip meals, I rarely feel hungry. My hectic days are easier because I don’t have to think about what I will have for breakfast or lunch and I thoroughly enjoy every milk shake. My concentration is no longer interrupted by hunger pains. It remains a challenge to drink

health & Lifestyle a healthy amount of water every day and my weight loss has slowed down so I now need to increase my exercise a little to reach my goal weight - another challenge! Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s amazing to think that by adding to my diet, rather than taking away, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve lost weight and feel more energised, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s definitely a lifestyle that suits me. The Benefits of Protein Getting adequate protein in your diet can offer many health benefits. Studies have shown protein can help whether you are looking to lose weight, bulk up, improve heart health or boost your energy. Incorporating lean protein into your diet is a critical component of a healthy eating plan. Proteins are the bodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s building blocks for: bones, muscles, skin and blood. After a tough workout, muscles are rebuilt and repaired by the proteins you eat. When trying to lose weight, protein foods can help you feel full longer, likely reducing the total number of calories eaten per day; protein increases satiety, and may increase metabolism. Consuming protein will also help the body maintain lean muscle mass, which is critical for a healthy weight loss plan. A diet higher in protein may provide heart benefits, which can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease as well as reducing cholesterol levels and lowering blood pressure.

A SOURCE OF ESSENTIAL NUTRIENTS FORMULA 1 With our lives getting busier and busier, eating regular nutritious meals can be difficult. HerbalifeÂŽ Formula 1 meal replacement shake is a delicious meal on the go that provides an excellent balance of high quality protein from soy and milk and essential micronutrients.

One serving of Formula 1 meal replacement shake made up 5 with 250ml semi-skimmed milk provides...

Though protein may offer heart health benefits, many protein-rich foods are high in saturated fat, raising cholesterol and increasing the risk of coronary heart disease. Higher fat protein foods to avoid include fatty cuts of meat, fullfat dairy, regular minced beef, hot dogs, bacon and processed meats. Turkey, skinless chicken breasts and beans are good lean protein options. Select beef cuts such as round steak or top sirloin, and ground beef that is at least 90 percent lean to get the protein benefits without the fat. Meal replacement and supplements may not be everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cup of tea, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to find out what suits you personally. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also important that you enjoy your chosen path, otherwise you wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stick to it. Debbie Allen Please Mention The

village directory When Responding to Adverts

health & Lifestyle

Health Osteoarthritis

The term ‘arthritis’ covers over 200 conditions causing joint pain and inflammation, but osteoarthritis is the most common of them, affecting an estimated 8.75 million people in the UK. It is usually most severe in joints that are heavily used, such as the knees and hips, but also often found in the neck, back, hands, wrists and big toes.

Sometimes called degenerative or mechanical arthritis, it occurs when the cartilage in a joint becomes thin or damaged. Cartilage usually acts like a shock absorber, cushioning bone ends and reducing friction as the joint moves. When it deteriorates, the bones rub together, causing bone ends and surrounding tissues to thicken to repair the damage, while synovial fluid in the joint (another shock-absorber) can decrease in quantity or effectiveness. All these changes can cause the inflammation, and sometimes distortion, we see in osteoarthritis. Symptoms Symptoms swelling,

include stiffness

pain, and

By Alison Runham www.alison.runham.co.uk

reduced joint movement, particularly after resting, and often grinding or crunching sensations when moving a joint. Diagnosis Symptoms alone aren’t enough to diagnose osteoarthritis, as they can resemble symptoms of other joint conditions. An x-ray is usually required and sometimes an arthroscopy will be performed. This involves the insertion of an instrument called an arthroscope into a small incision near the joint, to check for damage in the joint space. An arthroscope contains fibre optics which act as both light source and camera. Arthroscopies are usually done under general anaesthetic but may be performed under a local or spinal anaesthetic. A blood test, MRI scan or joint aspiration (removal of a small amount of joint fluid for analysis) may be used to rule out other types of arthritis. Am I at risk of osteoarthritis? Sometimes osteoarthritis has no obvious cause, but your chances of developing it increase if you: • Are a woman • Are over 45 • Are overweight (not only because this increases pressure on joints, but because recent research has identified chemicals released by fat tissue that cause inflammation and affect your joints)

• Have a physically demanding job • Make many repetitive movements – once considered an occupational risk (i.e. connected to your job), but recent studies show that the repetitive movements we make when texting or playing videogames could contribute to osteoarthritis too. • Have a family history of osteoarthritis • Have had an infection or disease that causes joint damage, e.g. rheumatoid arthritis or gout • Have sustained a joint injury – particularly when you are older • Have had a major operation on a joint • Have muscle weakness • Were born with a joint abnormality or developed one in childhood Can I avoid osteoarthritis? Maintaining a healthy weight and avoiding prolonged repetitive movement will lessen the chance of developing osteoarthritis. Regular exercise to strengthen muscles and ligaments will support joints and reduce joint strain. However, it is worth remembering that rest and relaxation are important too. Treating osteoarthritis Managing Symptoms It’s important to maintain a healthy weight and avoid repetitive movement, as this will lessen symptoms and help to prevent further damage. Don’t give up on exercise –

health & Lifestyle keeping muscles healthy will still be vital to take the strain off the affected joints. Swimming is ideal as it exercises joints gently, while aerobic exercise (exercise that increases your heart rate) will stimulate endorphins, hormones which act as pain relievers. There are several types of medication that can reduce symptoms; trial and error may be required to see what works best: â&#x20AC;˘ Simple painkillers (analgesics) such as paracetamol â&#x20AC;˘ Stronger painkillers that contain opioids e.g. codydramol â&#x20AC;˘ Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as Ibuprofen, which relieve pain and reduce inflammation. These are often available as creams too - some people find they work more quickly than tablets â&#x20AC;˘ Capsaicin cream, which reduces pain by blocking nerve endings and gives a warming sensation, which many patients find soothing â&#x20AC;˘ Steroids that can be injected directly into the joint to reduce inflammation quickly â&#x20AC;˘ Glucosamine and chondroitin supplements, which some studies suggest may repair cartilage Physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, massage, heat packs, ice packs and complementary treatments, such as acupuncture and aromatherapy, can be useful. There are also special aids and appliances which can make everyday tasks easier and less painful; you may be referred to an occupational therapist, who can assess your needs in your home or workplace and suggest solutions to make life easier. Repairing Damage In severe osteoarthritis surgery may be necessary, from simple arthroscopy â&#x20AC;&#x201C; where small instruments are used via the arthroscope to repair damaged cartilage or remove loose bone or cartilage fragments - to total joint replacements. You may also have a partial joint replacement, osteotomy (where bones are cut and realigned to improve joint alignment) or joint fusion procedure. What about diet? Foods in the allium family, such as garlic and onions, may prevent or slow osteoarthritis as they contain a chemical that limits cartilage-damaging enzymes. While experts doubt the value of many â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;osteoarthritis dietsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, they agree that a more plantbased diet could be beneficial as it should reduce consumption of saturated fat, which can ontain inflammatory chemicals that aggravate your arthritis.

Please Mention The

$ %

& ' ' ' ! "

+,++ -'+- ..&

( ) *

village directory When Responding to Adverts

health & beauty

Beauty Beach Ready Beauty

By Helen Taylor If you are going for the DIY option, don a pair of latex gloves, squeeze a dollop of fake tan on to your hand and then work quickly and methodically, covering every inch of your skin evenly. Don’t forget to include your armpits, toes and the backs of your ankles, although you are likely to need help to do your back.

Heavenly Hair

You’ve been toning up and getting into shape for months, ready to ﬂaunt your bikini body on the beach. So, now your holiday is just around the corner, it’s time plan your holiday beauty routine. As wonderful as the long hot days are, they can really take their toll on your hair and skin, so it’s important to maintain good beauty habits while you’re away to ensure that you return from your trip looking great and not worse than before you left! Here’s our guide to looking gorgeous both on and off the beach.

Fake it First Whatever the ‘natural is best’ advocates say, winter pale skin does not look great in a bikini. So before you reach your sunsoaked holiday destination, you’ll need to fake the golden glow. Head to the beauty salon (for best results) or to the shops (if on a budget) and follow

our preparation guide to get a perfect, even and naturallooking result: Thorough exfoliation is key to creating the right base, and it’s best done the night before. Take your time and concentrate on those areas prone to dryness like knees, ankles and elbows. Allow at least 24 hours between waxing and tanning. If you tan too soon after waxing your pores and hair follicles will still be open and you may find that the product builds up leaving you with dark dots. Be really generous with your moisturiser and make sure that it’s fragrance and colour free. Put plenty on your knees, elbows and feet.

If your hair is a bit dry, or has split-ends, a couple of weeks in the sun and in sea-water or chlorinated pools will make the matter far worse. So a trim before you hit the beach will ensure your hair remains looking healthy. When you’re relaxing by the pool, slather a leave-in conditioner onto your hair. This will help to protect against damage from the sun and will leave your locks looking thoroughly shiny, as the heat makes the product even more effective. Always rinse your tresses with fresh water after swimming in the sea or pool. Both salt and chlorine will really dry your hair out. If your hair is long enough keep it pinned up during the day and preferably covered up too. Not only will this protect your hair, put it will also protect your head which can easily burn along a parting line, leaving you with a flaky scalp. Finally add a few drops of a leave-in conditioning hair oil before bed.

health & beauty get back to the hotel.

Sumptuous Skin The three important steps which you should follow at home are cleanse, tone and moisturise, and it’s even more important on holiday. Keeping up with those beauty rituals will keep your skin looking hydrated and flawless. Regularly apply and re-apply sunscreen. Ensuring that your entire body is protected against damaging UV rays is a must. Use a high factor, and remember to re-apply after swimming. Don’t forget to protect your lips too; use a nourishing balm that contains a sun-block. Wear a large hat on the beach. Not only will you look chic, you’ll also be protecting the delicate skin on your face too. Always apply after-sun lotion. A long day on the beach calls for plenty of after-sun when you

Unhealthy hangover Keep thoroughly hydrated by drinking at plenty of water each day, more if you’re out in the hot sun for long periods of time. Of course you are on holiday so if you do indulge in cocktails and beers, try to alternate each alcoholic drink with water.

Minimal Make-Up Keep make-up light in the day by swapping a fullcoverage foundation with a tinted moisturiser. Cover imperfections with a little concealer. Wear one coat of quality water-proof mascara on your top lashes for definition. Better still, arrange a trip to your beauty salon for an eyelash and eyebrow tint before you jet off. Sweep a peachy coloured blush over your cheeks for a flattering look. Peach tones look fabulous with bronzed skin and are a much better alternative to pink hues which only serve to add more redness to already flushed cheeks.

ASHFORD’S FINEST LINGERIE BOUTIQUE lingerie

•

Free fitting service with experienced fitter

New Season Stock Now Available

•

Specialising in mastectomy bras

•

Bridal

•

Soft non-wired • Starter Bras

• 73a High Street, Ashford TN24 8SF

•

Now Stocking Chamos Hosiery

• www.elegancelingerieashford.com

•

All sizes available

Lingerie for all age groups

•

T: 01233 643818

Sudoku

Hidato

Fill in the grid so that every row, every column, and every 3 x 3 box contains the digits 1 through 9, with no repetition! That’s all there is to it, you solve the puzzle with reasoning and logic there’s no maths involved and no adding up. It’s fun. It’s challenging. It’s addictive!

Starting at 1 and finishing at 49, track your way from one square to another, either horizontally, vertically or diagonally, placing consecutive numbers into the empty squares as you go. Some numbers are already given.

40 33

9 6

1. 5. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 15. 18. 19. 20. 21.

Type of pudding (7) Trimmed (5) Large pebbles (5) Brutal (7) At right angles (13) Without effort (6) Grieves for (6) A protest (13) Financial system (7) Beverage (5) Stairs (5) Hauled (7)

16 17

Puzzle Time

Quick Crossword Across

1 5

14 15

Down 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 11.

Sticky liquid (5) Accompanies (7) Assorted (13) Split (6) Book of facts (13) Snarl (5) Removes weapons (7) Goes on forever (7)

13. Fence (7) 14. Remained (6)

16. Large deer (5) 17. Nude (5)

the home

• • • • •

Industrial • Commercial • Domestic New Installations • General Electrical Repairs Showers / Extractor Fans • Energy Saving Advice Emergency Lighting • Solar Panels Garden Electrics • Inspection & PAT Testing Full and Part Rewires • Central Vacuum System • Under Floor Heating

Plumbing Masters De 9Wbbekj 9^Wh][ <h[[ ;ij_cWj[i (* ^ekh ;c[h][dYo I[hl_Y[ 7bb Meha =kWhWdj[[Z De @eX Jee IcWbb

Call: 01233 665107

FbkcX_d]

E: jacqueline@tbelectrical.org.uk FREE Quotations!

TINA FRANCIS DOMESTIC ELECTRICIAN

New Installations Re-wires Additional or replacement Lights, sockets etc Mobile 07761 695101 Email – tinafrancis1@aol.com Newchurch, Romney Marsh, TN29 0DH

8Wj^heec Ik_j[i JWfi 8Wbb LWbl[i >ej 9ebZ JWdai 8beYaW][i 8khij F_f[i

>[Wj_d] ?dijWbbWj_edi H[fW_hi Fkcfi HWZ_Wjehi If[Y_Wb_ij Fem[hÆ ki^_d] WdZ :[#IYWb_d] I[hl_Y[

J[b[f^ed[0 &')&) .'('*. CeX_b[0 &--)./&--'mmm$fbkcX_d]#cWij[hi$Ye$ka 39

STANFORD ROOFING       

New Roofs & Repairs Slates, Tiles, Kent Pegs Leadwork Repointing Guttering, Fascias Flat Roofs Public Liability Insurance

FREE ESTIMATES Over 25 years Experience

Telephone or Fax: 01303 814860 Mobile: 07725 124891

Pound Lane, Smeeth TN25 6RJ

e: info@stanfordroofing.co.uk w: www.stanfordroofing.co.uk Please Mention The

village directory When Responding to Adverts

D-Day 1944: Democracy 1 Tyranny 0 By Ted Bruning

On 6 June we celebrate the 70th anniversary of the greatest victory achieved by democracy over tyranny. And while most of the coverage of this great day will undoubtedly and rightly focus on the unflinching selflessness of the 50,000 Allied soldiers of the assault waves who faced German artillery and machine-guns across the open beaches of Normandy, it’s worth sparing a moment to contemplate why democracy won. The majority of the soldiers who contested those narrow strips of sand were young workingclass men, broadly similar in training and equipment, in courage and determination; indistinguishable from each other, in fact, in everything except the language they spoke. What separated the victors from the vanquished that day was the nature of the political systems that directed them. The young British, American, and Canadian men confronting the concrete, barbed wire, landmines, and guns of the Third Reich may not have known it, but the young German men opposing them had already been fatally undermined before a shot was fired. A leadership that was corrupt, incompetent, divided, toadying, blinkered, obstinate,

and alternately swollen with pride and prostrated by fear had made so many idiotic decisions over the past two years that no amount of heroism on the part of its troops could redeem it. And at the heart of all the double-dealing, betrayal, and rottenness stood Adolf Hitler. After the invasion of Russia in June 1941 Hitler more or less retreated to his Eastern Front HQ, where he was surrounded by a small cadre of placemen, yes-men, courtiers, toadies, flatterers and cronies who told him only what they thought he wanted to hear. He governed the Reich via a maze of overlapping bureaucracies which squabbled for influence and ceaselessly stabbed each other in the back. And despite his remoteness he insisted on making even the smallest tactical decisions himself, paralysing his front-line commanders. This administrative chaos effectively crippled the Germans facing the invasion. They had almost no armoured support because Rommel, the commander on the ground, knew that tanks couldn’t move from rear positions to the front because of Allied air-power, and therefore wanted the armour right at the water’s edge. To the commander of Panzer Group West, Geyr von Shweppenburg,

this was heresy. They appealed to Hitler. His compromise was that the available armour should be divided between them, but that von Schweppenburg couldn’t commit his tanks without Hitler’s express orders – which, of course, came too late. Then there were the phantom divisions in Kent and Sussex that appeared to threaten the Pas de Calais. Their existence was conjured up and sedulously fostered by Allied deception specialists, and 15 German divisions remained in the Pas de Calais to meet the expected second landing. But the Germans already believed in them: in an astonishing example of simultaneous invention, their existence had already been fabricated by German army intelligence, the Abwehr, as part of an intricate plot to discredit its rival, Himmler’s Sicherheitsdienst. And why did the defenders have no air cover? They could have been protected by a fleet of war-winning jet fighters, for the Germans had been ahead of the Allies in jet technology despite the engine being a British invention. But Hitler had cancelled work on a feasible jet fighter because a personal friend of his, Willi Messerschmidt, had persuaded him to favour the ludicrous

Me163 Komet rocket-plane with its seven-minute endurance and propensity to explode. As a result the Me262 didn’t appear until September 1944, far too late to make a difference. The occasions on which Hitler accepted bad advice that chimed with his preconceptions and fantasies and ignored sound advice that didn’t are too numerous to relate, but they cost the Germans dear on 6 June 1944, and they probably cost Germany the war. And here’s the contrast between tyranny and democracy. Churchill wasn’t short of bad ideas himself, trying to stop Nazi bombers by dropping parachute mines on them from above being one. And the Allied leaders weren’t short of dissent: the row over the division of US naval resources between Europe and the Pacific rumbled on for two years. But Churchill and Roosevelt surrounded themselves with strong, capable advisers who weren’t afraid to argue their corners and who had nothing to fear from doing so. Dowding, in charge of Fighter Command, threatened to resign in late May 1940 when Churchill proposed to send more fighter squadrons to prop up the French. And Churchill bowed to his superior judgement! The Allies made mistakes, big ones. But the reason that the 159,000 troops who landed in Normandy that day 60 years ago broke through with fewer than 5,000 killed was that their leaders weren’t driven by fear of a homicidal despot; that they tried to make rational plans based on their own expertise and the available intelligence; and and that they represented a society that – for the duration, at least – was willing to bury its differences and make huge sacrifices in defence of shared values. On that day, democracy proved to be strong and tyranny weak.

At the Sharp End of D-Day D-Day was the most intensively-planned operation in military history. But something had to go wrong; and it did so during the storming of Omaha by American troops. All 329 bombers overshot – not one of 13,000 bombs hit the defences. The 32 amphibious tanks were launched 10 miles from shore – only two landed. The naval bombardment missed the German guns but set the sea-grass ablaze, obscuring the landmarks by which the landing-craft were meant to navigate. Many landing-craft beached on a sandbar 500 yards offshore – their troops either drowned while disembarking in deep water or were killed by machine-gun fire. Most of the assault wave who did get ashore were either hit crossing the shingle or pinned down under the sea-wall, frantically cleaning rifles clogged with wet sand. In the chaos units were jumbled up, many officers being separated from their men. Eventually, weight told. The Germans were thinly stretched and couldn’t defend all the exits. Small parties of Americans found their way into the German rear, while the follow-up wave of tanks neutralised the German guns. But it took six hours of carnage to subdue the defences and clear the beach – six hours during which 1,400 American soldiers were killed and the same number wounded. Whatever was going on at the respective high commands, that was the reality for the men at the sharp end of D-Day. By Ted Bruning

Peg tiles, Slates, Leadwork Felt and GRP Roofing Over 25 years experience City & Guilds qualified, Fully insured Free estimates TEL 01303 814936 . MOB 07708 471869 www.atlas-roofing.co.uk

At last, a company with a team of electricians you can rely on to provide a great service. All electrical work undertaken from changing a light bulb to a commercial project. Contact us on: 01303 812400 / 1 E-mail: larkinelec@bƟnternet.com

Oil Heating & Oil Cookers R-OAK Services M. Oakley & O.Stanley - Oil-fired Specialists Breakdowns & Servicing • Boiler Installation • Power Flushing AGA, Rayburn, Alpha, Stanley, Worcester, Tel: 01233 770138 www.ohoc.co.uk Grant, Boulter, Potterton, Trianco and more... 42

The village directory Coverage 60,500 via Royal Mail

Stour Valley 5,000

Charing Area 4,000

Ashford 20,000

Delivered by

Call: 01233 720488 or email info@thevillagedirectory.co.uk

the home Plumbing & Heating Services All plumbing work undertaken no job too smallÓ&#x201D; Burst pipes, Blockages, Taps, Pumps, Radiators & Drainage work. Bathroom & Shower Installation

Call: Michael on 01233 733779 or 07515 651 717 NO CALL OUT CHARGE. 24HR SERVICE

Derek Hales MASTER TILER Specialist in all Forms of Wall and Floor Tiling Clean, friendly and reliable For your free quotation call Derek

07905 700 142 Mersham Based

Dial a Plumber

01233 642233 07711 666 656

Plumbing & Heating Services Plumbing

Heating

Bathroom Suites Blockages & Burst Pipes Ball Valves Hot & Cold Tanks Taps

Installations Repairs Pumps & Radiators Specialist Power flushing and De-scaling Service

NO JOB TOO SMALL www.dialaplumber.com NO CALL OUT CHARGE FREE ESTIMATES ALL WORK GUARANTEED OAP DISCOUNT

Please Mention The

village directory When Responding to Adverts

Puzzle Solutions May Issue Sudoku

BRABOURNE BAPTIST CHURCH Plain Road, Brabourne Lees, Kent TN25 6QN Pastor Tim Simpson Tel:01303 813257 Café Wednesday! The Café is open every Wednesday from 10am to 11.30am. Drop in for coffee, biscuits, company and a warm friendly atmosphere. Choice of books available. Everyone is invited; just turn up! Graham Kingston, our Community Warden, will try to be there on the first Wednesday of the month, should anyone need to see him. Please note that Café Wednesday Extra has stopped for now and will restart in September. Art Club The next meeting is on Tuesday June 10 when we will be going to a member’s home to paint/draw his beautiful home/garden and enjoy a cream tea! For more details please phone Mike on 01303 812484

Hidato

Men’s Breakfast All men are invited (church goers or not) to the Blue and White Cafe on Saturday June 14 at 8.30am. Please phone Mike 01303 812484 if you want to join them. Meeting Point Come to the Strawberry Tea at 56 Mountbatten Way at 2.30pm on Thursday 26th June; All welcome! Details from Tim Simpson Ladies Breakfast All ladies are invited for breakfast on Saturday July 26 at the church. Please phone Val for details on 01303 813152

Quick Crossword

MP’S Surgery: Our MP Damian Collins, will be holding his monthly surgery at Brabourne Baptist Church from 3.45pm to 4.30pm on Friday June 20. If you have any questions, complaints or comments, please book an appointment by e-mailing your name, post code, subject and message to: shepwayconservatives@btconnect.com or telephone 01303 253 524. Great Big Tea Party Jenny and Clem will once again be hosting this year’s Great Big Tea Party in aid of Open Doors on Sunday June 1 from 3pm to 5pm in their lovely garden at Bourne Cottage, Brook. Open Doors is a non-denominational mission that supports persecuted Christians in over 60 countries. Church Bookings If you wish to book the church hall for a meeting or function, please phone Geoff Thorpe 01303 813152 Sunday Services: There is a regular service at 10.30am every week. Morning Worship is followed by refreshments in the side hall. The Ark: Fridays from 10am to 12noon: for babies and children under school-age with their parents/ carers.

motoring

Advertise Here for £30 pm plus vat 10% Discount & A FREE Editorial for 6 month bookings

Tel: 01233 720488 e: info@thevillagedirectory.co.uk

Harrington Motors • Car Repairs • Servicing • MOT’s • Diagnostic Repairs • Welding Family run business. Est 30 years Free collection & delivery service available

Telephone 01233 720525 M o n k s way, Pr i o r y R o a d, B i l s i n g to n

s ’ r e h is

F b o B Garage

SELLINDGE

You may be surprised what a small country garage can offer today’s motorist! A personal friendly service on your door step at affordable prices.

M O T Te s t i n g C e n t r e • Sඍකඞඑඋඑඖඏ • Mඍඋඐඉඖඑඋඉඔ Rඍ඘ඉඑකඛ • Tඡකඍඛ

Tel: 01303 814131 www.bobfcars.co.uk

• B඗ඌඡ Rඍ඘ඉඑකඛ & Pඉඑඖග W඗කඓ • Bඉගගඍකඑඍඛ & Eචඐඉඝඛගඛ

Also a Good Selection of Quality Small Used Cars

for good honest advice, information and a solution to most mobility problems

www.forrmobility.co.uk New ,Used & Hire Equipment from Aids for Daily Living to Wheelchairs.

come and try the largest selection of mobility equipment in ashford

• Parking by the door. • Indoor & outdoor test areas. • Repairs / Servicing. • Modifications. • Adaptations. • Easy terms available. • Free home assessments

Please Mention The

village directory When Responding to Adverts

useful information East Kent Strokes

Emergency 999 Police Neighbhd Team Ashford & Tenterden

Crimestoppers

www.eastkentstrokes.org

101 0800 555 111

Out of Hours Doctor 0845 4349655 William Harvey Hospital 01233 633331

Samaritans

08457 90 90 90

www.samaritans.org Electricity: Southern Electric EDF Energy Gas: Natural LPG

01233 840448

SE Kent Multiple Sclerosis Soc. 07767326138 email: mssoutheast@gmail.com

Royal British Legion CPRE Kent

01233 620 167 01233 714540

National Train Enquiries www.nationalrail.co.uk 0845 770 8090 0800 783 8866 0800 111 999 Details on tank

Bus Enquiries Arriva Bus Enquiries Stage Coach East Kent (Timetable) (Customer Services)

0844 800 44 11 0871 200 22 33 08456 00 22 99

Doctors Surgery Hamstreet Surgery Sellindge Surgery

01233 730190 01303 812180

Parish Councils:

Brabourne & Smeeth Mersham & Sevington

01233 623902 01233 720816

Ashford Borough Council

01233 637311

W: www.ashford.gov.uk

Ashford Gateway 0845 8 247 247 Citizens Advice Bureau 01233 626185 Brabourne and Smeeth Community Warden: Graham Kingston 07813 712805

Village Halls Aldington Brabourne & Smeeth Bilsington Hamstreet Mersham Smeeth Stowting Sellindge Sellindge Spts & Soc. Club

01233 720213 01303 813234 01233 720818 01233 732568 01233 503192 01303 814977 01303 863520 01303 813250 01303 812437

Veterinary Surgeons Montgomery Vets

01303 813756

Ashford Volunteer Centre Age Concern

01233 665 535 01233 620 635

www.ageconcern.org.uk

CARM E: Carmromneymarsh@supanet.com W: Www.carmromneymarsh.org.uk

Macmillan Cancer Support W: www.forget-me-nots.co.uk

Parkinsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s UK, Ashford Branch Contact Mike Wharrad

01233 330022

St. John Ambulance Brigade 01233 611 414

Sucklifts Cesspool Emptying Service ~ Est 1986 ~ Accredited Engineer British Water

High Pressure Jetting Service and Repair to Sewage Treatment Plants

01233 840624

Disclaimer: Every care is taken to ensure this directory is as accurate as possible but the publishers do not accept responsibility for any loss or damage resulting from errors or omissions.

Country Eye Promoting Rural Safety

Country Eye is a scheme led by Kent Police to benefit people living or working in rural communities. The aim is to help reduce crime by allowing the Police and communities to share information quickly and effectively. Modern technology plays an important role in this. After registering as a Member, information relating to crime in the local area is then conveyed by Kent Police using e-mail, enabling members of the scheme to be aware of immediate risks and to help keep an eye open for any criminal activity. The scheme also provides a point of contact for information to be passed to the Police, and encourages the reporting of anything potentially relevant. The Police are keen to stress that they would rather have lots of calls that come to nothing, than miss the one call that assists them in their fight against crime. . If you would like to be part of this Scheme please contact Alex Harrington on 01303 289083 or give me a call on 07734 174363.

Barbara O’Brien

Country Eye Co-Ordinator – Weald Area

Eight Local Editions Delivered by Royal Mail to 60,000 Homes & Businesses Ashford: 20,000 homes in and around TN24 & TN23 Kennington, Willesborough, Park Farm, Kingsnorth & Great Chart

Charing Area: Charing, Pluckley, Biddenden, Smarden & Egerton.

Wye Area: Wye, Brook, Bodsham, Brabourne,Westwell, Hastingleigh, Boughton Lees, Eastwell.

Aldington Area: Aldington, Mersham, Bilsington, Bonnington, Brabourne Lees, Smeeth, Sellindge, Stanford & Stowting.

TN26 Area: Appledore, Hamstreet, High Halden, Bethersden, Hothfield, Shadoxhurst,Woodchurch, Warehorne.

Tenterden & Rye: Tenterden, St Michaels, Wittersham, Rye, Pladen.

The Marsh: Romney Marsh from Dymchurch to Dunguness.

Stour Valley: Chilham, Chartham, Godmersham, Petham, Bekesbourne Patrixbourne, Bridge., Molash. Please note this is a summary of the towns and villages covered, we reach EVERY home and business within each postcode area.

Call 01233 720488 or email info@thevillagedirectory.co.uk

Reaching the homess others don’t reach!

GTP

HOME IMPROVEMENTS LTD PVCu, Aluminium & Hardwood Top Quality Part L Compliant 'A' Rated Kommerling PVCu Windows Local Family Run Business 27 Years Experience

 FREE DESIGN, SURVEY & QUOTATION  NO SALESMAN - NO COMMISSION  10 YR INSURANCE BACKED GUARANTEE  BASE WORK, ELECTRICS, PLUMBING & HEATING

01233 645712 www.gtpwindows.co.uk