Village Tweet - April 2013 by Village Tweet

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Spring has sprung! www.villagetweet.co.uk

April 2013

CONNECTING THE COMMUNITY AND LOCAL BUSINESS 11 Barns Green • Billingshurst • Five Oaks • Ifold • Kirdford • Loxwood • Plaistow • Slinfold • Wisborough Green

Editorial and advertising enquiries: 07762 767084, editor@villagetweet.co.uk

Contents

espite a forecast, as I write, of sub-zero temperatures it is officially spring – hence the lamb gracing the cover! As this issue of Village Tweet will be with you just before the end of March (clocks forward on the 31st!) we have features on yummy chocolate and Easter eggs, the egg of course symbolising resurrection, new life and spring. We also have timely features on April Fools’s Day and St George whose feast day we celebrate the 23rd April. Spring is the time many people think of making their homes and gardens look their best and there are many excellent local companies in this issue who can assist in this. I’ll close by wishing you a Happy Easter. Grahame Cover photo: Maria Delezé (10) holds a spring lamb born on the Village Tweet smallholding. By Grahame Pearson Food & drink The Hungry Guest Café . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Queens Head Pub . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Recipe: Spicy Mexican Crab Salad . . . . . . . . . Piggin Good, Hog Roasts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wisborough Green Farmers & Village Market Monsoon Indian Restaurant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Chef Thai Restaurant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sumners Ponds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Health & wellbeing BEAT (Billingshurst Emergency Assistance Team) . .8 Care Comfort Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Meraki Hairdressing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Solar Flare, Yoga Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 AM Beauty Clinic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Greenleas Homeopathy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Rosemary Conley Dieting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Billingshurst Osteopaths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Davis Foot Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Gozone Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Lesley Hawker Sports Massage Therapy . . . . . . . .14 About the house Fowlers, Estate Agent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Jef Wilson, Decorator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Re-Nu Kitchens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Vertus Building Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 West Sussex Interiors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 ADC Appliances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Appaloosa Upholstery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 LRG Carpentry & Building Services . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Apex Aerials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Cleansing Service Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Miss Mop Domestic Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Odd Job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 GJ Coles Builder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Hamilton Cole, TV & Satellite Equipment . . . . . . . .20 Pest B Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Austens Home Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Pest Man . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 Goring Road Carpets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 Oven Revival Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 All About Kitchens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 Brazier Building Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 Delta Decor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 Hallam Trim, Window Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 Holly Boilers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 Euroll UK, roller garage doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 Oven Rescue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 Cracknell Pitt-Draffen, Estate Agent . . . . . . . . . .OBC Motoring KB Private Hire . . . . . . . A-Team Mechanics . . . . Macs Private Hire . . . . . Sussex Towing Brackets

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COPY DATE FOR MAY ISSUE: 5th APRIL Published by A272 Design, PO Box 371, Billingshurst, West Sussex RH14 4AS

Editorial and Advertising: Grahame Pearson 07762 767084 editor@villagetweet.co.uk Website Design: Stephen Pearson stephen@pearson-design.co.uk

www.villagetweet.co.uk Printed by: The Lavenham Press, Suffolk Disclaimer: All adverts and editorial are printed in good faith. However, A272 Design cannot take any responsibility for the content of the adverts, the services provided by the advertisers or any statements given in the editorial. © No part of this publication may be reproduced or stored without the express permission of the publisher. Garden Tweet! DI Garden Services . . . . . . . . . . . Garden View: Can You Dig It? . . Andrew Gale Tree Surgery . . . . . Jonathan Carter Tree Surgery . . . Village Nurseries . . . . . . . . . . . . . AR Garden & Tree Care . . . . . . . Clayton-Turner Trees & Gardens John Potter Garden Work . . . . . . REM Landscapes . . . . . . . . . . . . Mark Hedges Garden Services . . Peter Ireland Landscapes . . . . . . Sussex & Surrey Tree Services .

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Features Easter Egg Hunt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fun Facts About Chocolate . . . . . . . . . Book Reviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April Fools’ Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Living with Laika: Laika and the Lawn! St George’s Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Computing: Windows 8 Tips (Part 2) .

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Miscellaneous Professional Services & Businesses Icebreakers singles dining club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Virtual PA/Secretary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 Catherine’s Pet Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 Willows Cattery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 Southwater Cycles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 Bax Computers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 TechGeek IT and Computers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 One Stop Computer Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 Community/Out & About/Farming/Smallholding Easter Service Times at St Mary’s Billingshurst . Billingshurst Bowling Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Johnny Ball visits Billingshurst Primary School . . British Airwaves Productions, Entertainment . . . Kirdford Village Store Wins Again! . . . . . . . . . . . Rock Docteurs Perform Musical Medical for Charity Gateway to Spring Fair, Itchingfield . . . . . . . . . . Michaela Giles’ Diary of a Smallholder . . . . . . . . John Nash’s Farming Column: When the cat got the cream Community Garden in Billingshurst . . . . . . . . . . . Billingshurst Community & Conference Centre . .

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Little Tweeters! Neighbours from Hell by Yvonne Kids Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bobtails Montessori Nursery . . . Little Russets Nursery . . . . . . . . Tip Top Tutors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fishers Farm Park . . . . . . . . . . .

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Fleece ...... ...... ...... ...... ......

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Games and quizzes Crossword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9, 40 Spot the Difference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16, 42

Equine SPR Centre’s page: Paddock maintenance . . . . . .30 Kelmscott Farm, riding instructor & equine agent . .31

Last But Not Least What’s On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44, 45 Advertisers Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46

The area’s longest-established, independent family firm Meet Fowlers’ people:

See our window or website for 2013’s special offer

Keith Hutchinson

Director, Billingshurst

Keith brings our clients 27 years of experience and a record of awardwinning client care and attention. He is a Fellow of the National Association of Estate Agents and is a Qualified Energy Assessor so can advise our clients on energy conservation.

Keith’s partner in the office is Lori, his wife. You see, Fowlers really is a family firm. Lori too is the consummate property professional having managed offices in nearby towns and villages working with clients in Southwater, Ashington, Horsham, Arundel and Billingshurst.

tĞ͛ůů ŵĂŬĞ ǇŽƵ feel at home

74, High Street Billingshurst RH14 9QS. www.fowlersonline.co.uk 01403 786787

Editorial and advertising enquiries: 07762 767084, editor@villagetweet.co.uk

Easter / Food and drink

An eggs-cellent idea!

hatever the weather, children of all ages will love an Easter egg hunt. Try one of these ideas and have a cracking good

time! l For a simple hunt, put plastic eggs around the house or garden that children have to collect to win a prize, or hide small chocolate eggs for them to collect in a basket. l Add clues to make the search a bit harder. Alternatively, create a treasure map and mark each egg with an X. l Young children will enjoy following a trail of paper bunny footprints, or a long piece of string to reach their prize. l Add a fun educational twist using numbered cardboard egg shapes – children can collect odd or even numbers, or get the highest total to win a prize. You could also put the letters of an Easter-themed word on the shapes and challenge them to solve the anagram. l Set up an ‘obstacle’ hunt. To win Easter Services at St Mary’s Billingshurst

Maundy Thurs 12 noon Holy Communion 7.30pm Holy Communion with Foot Washing Good Friday 10am Family Service (followed by coffee and hot cross buns) 11am Ecumenical Prayer Walk of Witness 2pm The Last Hour – readings, hymns and meditation led by the Archdeacon of Horsham, The Ven Roger Combes Easter Day 8am Holy Communion 9.30am Parish Communion 11am Morning Worship with Holy Communion

An ad in Village Tweet’s Food and Drink section is the most cost-effective way to promote your restaurant, pub or food shop Call: 07762 767084 or email: editor@villagetweet.co.uk

each egg, children have to complete a challenge, such as doing ten star jumps, singing a nursery rhyme, or completing a craft activity. l If you have a mixed group of children, prepare individual checklists so they each find only what is on their list and no more – for example, two chocolate bunnies, three silver eggs and four fluffy chicks. Alex Brown Why not colour your eggs? Add 1-2 teaspoons of food colouring (the type which comes in little bottles will do) per cup of water, and add 1 tablespoon of vinegar (prevents cracking). Make sure the bowl or cup you are using is big enough to take an egg as well without overflowing. The eggs have to be still hot from boiling (put into cold water, bring to the boil and boil for another 5 minutes). Put them into the colouring and leave until sufficient depth of colouring is reached. Take your egg out, let it dry and polish it with a cloth – and a drop of oil or a bit of butter for a good shine. The eggs will keep in the fridge for several days.

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Food and drink

Spicy Mexican Crab Salad A taste of summer in spring

Serves 4. Preparation time: 15 minutes (overnight marinade optional)

INGREDIENTS

METHOD

1. In a large bowl, combine the lime juice and cumin. Whisk in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. 2. To the same bowl, add the beans, sweet corn, chilli, red pepper and tomato. Toss to combine. (You can let this mixture marinate overnight if preferred). 3. Before serving, toss the spinach with the veggie and dressing mixture. Divide evenly into four portions. Top each with the crab meat and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. 4. Serve with fresh crusty bread.

The juice of one lime 60ml olive oil 3/4 teaspoon cumin 400g tin of black beans, rinsed and drained 250g of frozen sweet corn, thawed Half a red chilli, seeded, chopped into small pieces 1 red pepper, seeded and chopped into chunks 1 plum tomato (or large tomato), seeded, chopped into chunks 250g bag of baby spinach 225g crab meat Salt and freshly ground black pepper

The Queens Head, Barns Green Traditional 17th Century Village Pub Finest quality beers, ciders and wines Cask Marque Pub of Excellence Accredited in CAMRA Good Beer Guide

Finest quality, original home cooked food using our home grown and local produce (Some say it’s the Centre of the Universe)

FORTHCOMING EVENTS Tuesday 2nd April General Knowledge Quiz Wednesday 3rd April Live Music Acoustic Night Sunday 21st April Drive It Day, for Classic Vehicle Enthusiasts Tuesday 23rd April St George’s Day – Additional Special Menu

Chapel Road, Barns Green, West Sussex RH13 0PS. Tel: 01403 730436

www.thequeensheadbarnsgreen.co.uk

Editorial and advertising enquiries: 07762 767084, editor@villagetweet.co.uk

Fun Facts about Chocolate C

hocolate comes from the Aztec word ‘xocolatl’, meaning bitter water. Originally it was consumed as a drink made from cacao beans, chillies, achiote and cornmeal. Emperor Montezuma drank 50 golden goblets every day!

itchcock used chocolate syrup for blood in the famous 45-second shower scene in his movie Psycho.

Food and drink / Private hire Wisborough Green

Farmers & F Vill ket Village Market

ver 66 percent of the world’s cacao is produced in Africa. The US consumes the most chocolate per year, but the Swiss consume the most per capita.

olumbus brought the cocoa bean to Europe, but Cortez first realised its commercial value. With the addition of cane sugar the chocolate drink became very popular, but it wasn’t until 1842 that the first chocolate bar was produced by Cadbury.

ne unfortunate bishop was poisoned by chocolate-addicted parishioners because he tried to ban its consumption during church services.

argest and longest records go to Nestlé for creating the largest cup of hot chocolate (2,400 litres) in November 2010, and to Mirco Della Vecchia for producing the longest chocolate bar measuring 15.9m a year later.

2nd THURSDAY MONTHLY 9:00-12:30 VILLAGE HALL Enquiries: 01403 700624

CALL US ON

01403 790395 )KC -=I> 3K=OPO >U )KC -=I> 3K=OPO >U

A T

phrodisiacal qualities are believed by many to be contained in chocolate.

horntons produced the world’s biggest chocolate bar (six tonnes of it!) in October 2011 to celebrate its 100th birthday.

www.piggingood.co.uk

nergy-seeking Napoleon always carried chocolate with him to use as a pick-me-up whenever he needed a boost. Debbie Singh-Bhatti www.kbprivatehire.co.uk

“…customers return again and again!” My last visit to Monsoon (Village Tweet, February) made the observation that many customers return again and again. I found myself in the village one lunchtime last week so decided to do just that! And, it being a Wednesday, I was pleased to take advantage of Monsoon’s popular midweek Eat-in offer! This time I plumped for a Chicken Podina. The menu described this as being made with coriander, green pepper, fresh mint and green chilli. (Lamb, prawn or salmon versions are also available). As usual, service was without fault and the curry soon arrived, accompanied by pilau rice. The Podina was divine – the chicken was succulent, the sauce fairly thick (just how I like it) and the seasoning – as ever – spot on. Not an overly hot curry but full of flavour, as was the rice. Some may think rice is rice – thankfully Monsoon do not agree! If you have yet to try a meal at Monsoon you are missing out, especially with such amazing special offers often available. We are very fortunate to have such a wonderful local restaurant. Grahame Pearson

Two-course meal for two for just £22 Eat in or take-away, lunch or dinner, Sunday-Thursday Larger party? No problem. Please call to discuss how we can make your meal special – and affordable

This extremely popular offer applies to all chicken, meat and prawn main courses

Take-away offer

Eat-in offer

7 days a week

Wednesdays only

Order a take-away meal costing over £25 and have a 660ml bottle of Cobra beer on us!

Order a meal and get 25% off the menu prices!

l Not to be used in conjunction with any other offer l Collection only l Present this voucher to qualify l Valid until 30/4/13

l Applies to any size of party l Not to be used in conjunction with any other offer l Applies to food only, not drinks l Mention Village Tweet to take advantage of this Special Offer

s er r g Local delivery service available up to 5 miles (Minimum order £20, Billingshurst £15) n a Je e re t View our menu at www.monsoonrestaurant.net n i th an ng to aur pm Monsoon, 42 High Street, Billingshurst i rk st st .30 pa , ju re fter 6 sy ad the E a Ea Me of FRE

01403 786636 / 783113

Editorial and advertising enquiries: 07762 767084, editor@villagetweet.co.uk

Health and wellbeing

The Care Comfort Company 1st Class Private Homecare for Retired Gentlefolk

“Making your twilight years the highlight years” We are a small family run care business and pride ourselves in providing an outstanding care service, allocating you with one of our highly recommended female carers who will ensure you remain independent, safe and content in your own home. CARE Personal care, medication care, nutritional care, practical care, holiday, 24-hour care, palliative care. COMFORT Cleaning, shopping, laundry, de-cluttering and organising, gardening duties, upkeep of domestic pets. COMPANY Company of Carer in home, lunch clubs, regular outings and day trips, transport to family and friends, weekends away and short breaks.

Please call for services, trips, outings & prices: 01403 782217 Email: carecomfortco@btinternet.com www.carecomfortcompany.com

Reg No. CRT1-604333978

Feel good inside and out this spring by getting your hair cut with me 29 years experience with TONI&GUY, now in an informal country setting As featured in the West Sussex County Times 20% off your first visit

Meraki Hairdressing For an appointment call Lee Cuddis on 07545 460522 or email info@meraki.uk.com

Billingshurst Emergency Assistance Team (BEAT)

EAT has been operating as your local Community First Responder (CFR) group since 2006. CFRs are volunteers who attend certain 999 calls with the ambulance service, the idea being that as they are local, CFRs will often arrive before an ambulance so the patient will receive treatment sooner. CFRs are trained in basic life support and carry a range of medical equipment including a defibrillator, a device that could re-start a heart that had stopped. BEAT is always looking for new members to help the group provide more cover. The role is incredibly interesting and rewarding and is a great way to help people in the area you live; you may even literally save a life! Could you provide cover a few hours per week, either from home or work? Full training is given and all equipment is supplied by BEAT, a registered

charity. The role is very flexible and you can vary the times you can provide cover if needed. All of BEAT’s current members are on call around work, family and other commitments. BEAT also sets up Public Access Defibrillators in the community; to date the group has set up ten. BEAT also offers training sessions to local clubs and groups in basic life support such as how to carry out effective CPR. We would like to see as many members of the public trained in CPR as possible. If you would like to find out more about becoming a CFR, or would like details of the training sessions we offer, please contact us. Phone: Paul Berry (01403) 786185 Online: beatresponers.org Twitter: @BEATresponders

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Coffee break / Health and wellbeing Village Tweet Quick Crossword

Solution on page 40

A.M. Beauty Clinic is one year old

A Beautiful Six Room Vintage Salon

ONE YEAR OLD, SATURDAY 20th APRIL Semi-permanent make-up, Gel Manicure, Acrylic nails, Manicure/pedicures, Lash lift and tinting, Lycon waxing, Massage, Facials, Spray tanning. Gift vouchers available

A.M. Beauty Clinic

Established 18 years

Tel: 01403 782290 Web: www.ambeautyclinic.com 38 Station Road • Billingshurst • RH14 9SE

Michelle and her team are celebrating their first year at A.M. Beauty Clinic. What an amazing year it has been! Thank you to all our valuable clients that have continued to support us throughout our first year. Michelle has worked in the beauty industry for many years and knows what it takes to create the best treatments in luxurious surroundings. Michelle said, “I’ve taken great care to make sure my clients have the best treatments, at affordable prices in a relaxing salon environment, with highly qualified staff. The treatment rooms have been specially designed to give my clients the feeling of being in their own home.” A.M. Beauty Clinic has a wide range of beauty treatments suitable for both men and women, all designed to make you feel utterly pampered and revived. To find out more about all the available treatments we have to offer contact us at A.M. Beauty Clinic. To celebrate our first year we would like to offer 10% off all treatments, a glass of champagne and a Dermalogica goodie bag on Saturday 20th April on production of this voucher

Editorial and advertising enquiries: 07762 767084, editor@villagetweet.co.uk

Health and wellbeing

New Homeopathic Clinic – Greenleas Homeopathy Natural and Holistic Medicine for Body and Mind Hi, I’m Tracy Brewster-Brown, your local Homeopath with past experience working as a qualified nurse. I have knowledge and experience working with adults and children in both areas of medicine covering a wide range of complaints. I enjoy helping people and have chosen to integrate homeopathy into my life because I believe in the fundamental ethos that it stands for – to promote the body’s own capabilities to heal itself. The human body is unique and continually surprises me in its abilities to adapt to life’s stresses and strains, which ultimately can lead to poor health if we don’t listen to it, yet it is still capable of bouncing back if we respond! I first approached homeopathy as a patient when I felt I needed help with my emotions following the birth of my fourth baby. I didn’t want to take antidepressants but felt I wasn’t quite coping either and so went to see a great homeopath after recommendation from a friend. I responded well to treatment and then involved all my family in the natural treatment when needed. I do advocate seeing your GP to get a diagnosis and will often refer you back to them. Together we can then choose which medicine is appropriate for your condition. I consider homeopathy

as a complementary therapy not alternative as I do not believe that any one form of medicine is the best but I like to have the knowledge and freedom to make an informed choice about my own health. As a homeopath I love to meet new people and use my nursing knowledge as a sound medical basis for treating my patients. I am a good listener, empathetic and calm. My job is to match the right homeopathic medicine to the individual characteristics of your complaint. I build a picture of you by asking questions about how you are feeling in yourself, the sensations your body is feeling and how you react to things in life. I take into account your past medical history, diet, lifestyle and personality type as well as your current physical or emotional symptoms. Homeopathy can be used by everyone and can help with many conditions in a gentle and effective manner. It can support through short bursts of ill health or injury as well as during periods of growth, change and hormonal fluctuations. I am registered with the Society of Homeopaths, the largest body governing the training and practice of homeopaths in the UK. Tracy Brewster-Brown Greenleas Homeopathy 07917 830651 greenleashomeopathy@gmail.com 9 Andrews Hill, Billingshurst, West Sussex RH14 9JT (Situated in Charles Wadey and Sons Offices) www.greenleashomeopathy.com

Greenleas Homeopathy Natural & Holistic Medicine for the Body & Mind Tracy Brewster-Brown SDShom Registered Homeopath

Tel: 07917 830651 greenleashomeopathy@gmail.com Please visit my website:

www.greenleashomeopathy.com Clinics in Billingshurst & Steyning

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Health and wellbeing

You ca n trust u s to help you . Just imagine yourself slimmer slimmer,, fitter & healthier this Spring. At Rosemary Conley Diet & Fitness classes we can help you lose weight and keep it off for good. Join now and pay just ÂŁ25 for unlimited entry to our classes for one month and you will receive; s ! .EW W -EMBERS PACK containing the Diet, Portion Pots and Rosemaryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s special -AGIC MEASURE s ! WARM AND FRIENDLY WELCOME from Helen your instructor s ! PRIVATE WEIGH IN s 0ERSONAL SUPPORT AND DIETARY advice s &UN WORKOUTS DESIGNED FOR everyone whatever your age, size or fitness level

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I lost 3 dress sizes with the amazing support at my class,â&#x20AC;? Julia

Whether you have a little or a lot of weight to lose or have never BEEN TO AN EXERCISE CLASS BEFORE YOU WILL BE ABLE TO TAKE PART IN OUR CLASSES WORKING AT YOUR OWN level.

Wednesday Wednesday 6:00 - 7:30 pm (Slim & Aerobics)

#HOOSE FROM BACK TO BASICS !EROBICS &ITNESSS 0ILATES :UMBA 'OLDÂŽ !LL EQUIPMENT IS provided, call Helen for a chat or just come along.

Call Helen on 01403 265574 helen.heinrich@rosemaryconley ch@rosemaryconleyy.com www.rosemaryconley.com

Tu uesday 7:15 - 8:30 pm Tuesday (Zumba GoldÂŽ) Wednesday 11 - 12:15 pm Wednesday (Zumba GoldÂŽ)

If you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need to lose weight you are very welcome to come ALONG JUST FOR THE EXERCISE

&OLLOW &OLLOW us on

Billingshurst Community Centre Way, Roman Way W ay, RH14 9QW Tu uesday 6:00 - 7:10 pm Tuesday (Slim & Fitness Pilates)

&RIDAY AM &RIDAY AM (Slim & Fitness Pilates) Shelley Primary School, 7ICKHURST ,ANE "ROADBRIDGE 7ICKHURST ,ANE "ROADBRIDGE (EATH 2( ,5 (EATH 2( ,5 -ONDAY PM -ONDAY PM (Slim & Aerobics)

JO JOIN IN FOR FREE* INCLUDES NCLUDES FREE P PACK! ACK! *When you pay ÂŁ25 for you first month. V Valid alid until 30/04/13. Please bring voucher to claim.

Editorial and advertising enquiries: 07762 767084, editor@villagetweet.co.uk

Community

Billingshurst Bowling Club

illingshurst Bowling Club was formed in 1932 at its present location, just off Station Road beyond the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;old cricket fieldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. The site was originally leased from Miss Puttock for a peppercorn rent of a shilling a year. The club was formed by a group of mainly local tradesmen, hence most matches in the early days were played on Wednesday afternoons â&#x20AC;&#x201C; early closing day. The green had only three rinks and the grass was cut with a hand-mower. Obtaining the services of a groundsman always proved difficult, the pay being low at sixpence per hour. The pavilion was very basic â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the only sanitation was a wood and corrugated metal affair with a bucket! Since the 1950â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s many improvements have been carried out â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the green extended to six rinks, installation of mains water and electricity, the original clubhouse enlarged to incorporate changing rooms, a kitchen, lounge area and flush toilets. A second pavilion has been erected to provide comfortable accommodation to enjoy tea

BILLINGSHURST BOWLING CLUB Off Station Road, behind â&#x20AC;&#x153;Old Cricket Fieldâ&#x20AC;? or via Myrtle Lane footpath and turn right

Why not try a new sport for ages 18 to 90+ New members welcome No experience necessary! Come and have a try â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Saturday 20th April from 2.00pm. Alternatively any Friday evening in May from 6.00pm Free tuition is given and all equipment available to use. For further details contact: Roy (01403) 754362, Barry (01403) 780330 or Keith (01403) 784599

and supper refreshments after matches. An automated watering system has been installed, a far cry from loaning a standpipe and long hose from the cricket club! For the Millennium, a new toilet block was built that included facilities for the disabled. In 2012 a new â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;disabled friendlyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; access was installed. Nowadays the club plays friendly mixed matches against many clubs in West Sussex and Surrey. Matches are played on weekdays and at weekends, both afternoons and evenings. In addition, there is a full range of club competitions and friendly sessions. Ladies and gents play together and everyone is encouraged to join in. All abilities are catered for, from beginners up to county standard. Newcomers are amazed at how quickly they pick up the game, although it is not quite as easy as it appears on television! Further information can be obtained from the club secretary, Beryl Barraclough: (01403) 784599.

Icebreakers

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Icebreakers The club that gets single people together Let us break the ice for you.

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Health and wellbeing

We are currently recruiting

Care Assistants We offer: Excellent rates of pay Full training up to diploma level 2 Flexible working hours For more information please call 01403 783582

Davis Foot Care Clinic Emma Davis

MCFHP/MAFHP

Foot Health Professional Visiting practice, providing nail and foot care treatment and advice Services provided include: Nail trimming (including finger nails), removal of calluses and corns Treatment of nail disorders: Thickened toe nails, ingrown toe nails, fungal toe nail infections Verrucae, treatment of the diabetic foot For an appointment please call:

07857 165456

Gozone Care, 53-55 High Street, Billingshurst

Billingshurst Osteopaths pinpoint the cause of your condition and offer detailed treatment plans for a range of skeletal and muscular conditions including:

Back, neck and/or shoulder pain Joint and muscle pain Headache or migraine Sports injuries Pain related to motor accidents Pregnancy related pain Arthritic concerns Postural problems Babies with persistent crying, irritability and poor sleeping

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Community / Health and wellbeing

Funtastic Maths with Johnny Ball

Johnny Ball, children’s TV presenter and mathematician, inspired Year 5 and 6 children from the Billingshurst locality of schools about maths and science at Billingshurst Primary School on 6th February. Children from St Mary’s Pulborough, Loxwood, Itchingfield, Slinfold, William Penn, Wisborough Green, Plaistow and Kirdford, Shipley, Rudgwick and Billingshurst Primary School were enthralled and inspired by Johnny as, for an hour and a half, he took them through a journey including the maths of the pyramids, binary numbers (and how they power computers), the link between square numbers and gravity as well as many amazing maths facts that helped children see maths in a whole new light. It was an exciting time for many of the adults at the school too who grew up watching Johnny Ball host such programmes as Playschool, Playaway and Think of a Number. They thrilled to

see him inspire a new generation. “The whole school was buzzing with excitement both before and after the event, and not just the children – a lot of adults were thrilled to get his autograph!” remarked Helen Williamson, Headteacher Billingshurst Primary School. “When the children returned to Itchingfield Primary school, they asked if they could learn more about binary numbers and parabolic curves,” said Simon Simmons, Headteacher. “We had a fabulous time,” enthused a child from William Penn School. “I learnt that for every job you need maths,” said Joshua Samain, Shipley Primary School. “All the children came back to school inspired by Johnny Ball’s knowledge and practical examples.” Sam Copus Deputy Headteacher St Mary’s, Pulborough. Bik-Kay Talbot, Chair of Billingshurst Primary School Community Association (BPSCA)

Sports Massage Therapy (Not just for sporty types!) “Most people work hard and spend their health trying to achieve wealth. Then they retire and spend their wealth trying to regain their health.” Don’t get caught in the trap – massage is an easy, enjoyable way to make a huge difference to your health and wellbeing right now. If you want to improve your mobility, flexibility, circulation, reduce stress and reduce risk of future injuries then book a massage with me. As a member of the International Institute of Sports Therapists (IIST) you know you will be in safe hands

Lesley Hawker BSc (Hons), Dip PT (Diploma in Personal Training) IIST

01403 753904 or 07957 003902 Email: lesley@lesleyhawker.co.uk www.lesleyhawker.co.uk

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Alexandra Theatre Bognor Regis Saturday April 6th Tickets £18.50 £17.50 ~ Box Office 01243 861010 (Featuring local Billingshurst guitarist Ritchy Rich)

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Kids of all ages

Village Tweet Spot the Difference

Beautiful painted Polish easter eggs - 11 differences - can you spot them all? Photo: Jaroslaw Pocztarski

Solution on page 42

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About the house

ERTUS

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Community / About the house

Kirdford Village Stores Wins Again!

e’ve only gone and done it again! – We are the South East Champions 2012, Daily Telegraph Village Shop, in the Countryside Alliance Awards! (In 2011 you may recall we were the winner of the Daily Telegraph’s Best Small Shops in Britain Award and also Winner of Countryside Alliance ‘Rural Oscars’ South East.) The Countryside Alliance has, in its short life, become the major British campaigning organisation on rural issues. These are hugely prestigious awards, where we are competing against private companies – not just community shops – so we are really proud and delighted. And it’s a great testimony to our amazing team: Craig, Dona, Jo, Isy, Christian, Calum and all the volunteers – thank you. And a humungous thank you to all you lovely people that voted for us, because

that is what first gets us noticed. After you all took the time to vote online or filled in the petition in the shop, we had to submit a written document which in our case is about the shop, its history, the social history of the village, what we sell, our relationship with suppliers, and the community involvement. And then at some point the secret shoppers came! Thanks to everyone for your support in this, it’s a great achievement. We go up to the House of Lords on 13th March for a winners reception, and to hear who has won the National Title! Sue Ransley Kirdford Village Stores So much more than just a village store… Russett Place, Kirdford, West Sussex RH14 0NQ Tel: (01403) 820815 www.kirdfordvillagestores.com

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About the house

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J O D B D O New local family run business Competitive prices Qualified MLA Locksmith Internal & External Decorating Minor Plumbing & Carpentry Electrics (Qualified Part P Domestic Installer 17th Edition)

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Community / About the house

Rock Docteurs Perform Musical Medical for Charity

isborough Green and Loxwood residents ‘rocked up’ for the launch of a new local charity, set up to raise funds for local children in need. The Magic Carpet Appeal’s first event held recently in Loxwood Hall, saw two local bands: The Greenbacks and Rock Docteurs perform to a capacity audience raising well over £2,000. Dr Al, lead singer of the Rock Docteurs, said, “What a great night for a wonderful cause. Everyone was ready to rock and had their dancing legs on. The Greenbacks really got the evening off to a flying start, and from the first note of our first set, we knew this was all a bit special.” The Appeal’s first objective is to help a 9-yearold local resident who lives with cerebral palsy. The charity hopes to raise enough funds to buy

her a ‘magic carpet’. These interactive projection systems provide an amazing learning experience through interactive play. One of the Appeal Fund’s organisers, Antonia Ogden Meade, said, “The magic carpet will truly be life-changing for her and her family.” She added, “It was an outstanding night and we were delighted by everyone’s generosity and the fantastic performances. We have more events planned this spring, including a bike ride, a family walk and other music events.” If you would like to know more about the Magic Carpet Appeal, the upcoming events or would like to support this cause, please email magiccarpetappeal@yahoo.co.uk. The Rock Docteurs and The Greenbacks can be contacted on Facebook.

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About the house

A place in the sun with Austen’s Home Hardware

ith warmer, sunnier days hopefully on the horizon, preparing the garden as a place to relax or entertain ultimately begins closest to the house, and that means giving the patio or decking a spot of routine maintenance. If your decking is looking a bit jaded after the winter it’s probably in need of little more than a good clean. This will be particularly apparent if the hardwood boards are slippery underfoot. The cause is a build-up of dirt and algae becoming entrapped in the microscopic ‘pores’ of the timber. Begin by clearing the decking and use a stiff broom to dislodge as much of the surface dirt as you can, particularly from the grooves in the boards. For a basic low-cost clean, try spraying warm water over the decking surface and sprinkling with soda crystals. Leave for a couple of hours while the crystals dissolve before brushing off with a stiff brush or deck scrub. For a deeper clean that will also tackle stains from spillages such as grease and red wine, rust marks from garden furniture, bird droppings and ingrained dirt from plant pots, you’ll need a dedicated cleaner. Here at Austen’s Home Hardware, Billingshurst you will find a range of products for decking and patio maintenance that are easy to use and will afford long-lasting protection. Over time timber loses its natural colour, becoming

bleached by ultra-violet sunlight. Simply cleaning the decking will not restore or protect the wood, but there is a huge range of deck oils as well as coloured and natural shade wood stains that can enhance and protect both deck boards and balustrades. Patios suffer many similar issues as decking, with the added problem of weed control. Nothing spoils the appearance of a patio more than weeds and moss sprouting between flagstones or paving blocks. This can be tackled with a spray-on weed killer. On block-paved patios use a dedicated stainless steel bristled patio brush to rout out stubborn moss and roots. Though patios may not become as slippery as decking they can discolour with algae and trodden-in dirt from the garden. As well as several proprietary cleaning products, one of the best (and easiest) solutions is a pressure washer. These are available to suit all budgets and requirements, but all will make short work of removing seasons of grime from all kinds of natural surfaces. A few hours spent this spring on reviving your outdoor living space will make for a better and safer experience this summer. So pop in to Austen’s Home Hardware and see our range of decking and patio maintenance products, and pick up some more useful tips from our helpful staff. David Lobley

Austens

High Street BILLINGSHURST 01403 782963 North Street MIDHURST 01730 815979

Algon

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Book reviews / About the house

A Good Read April’s selection from book reviewer Kath Bennett Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency – Douglas Adams When Douglas Adams’ novel was adapted for television, purists complained that the version shown bore little resemblance to the original. That may be true, but it is perfectly possible to enjoy both. The ‘detective’ element in the title is not entirely misleading – there is a detective story here, albeit one that doesn’t follow any of the usual patterns of the genre. As might be expected, Adams interweaves humour, science-fiction and a strong sense of the absurd, along with characters who are essentially believable and sympathetic, creating a novel which is much more than the sum of its parts. The plot is almost impossible to summarise. There is a horse stuck in the bathroom of a Cambridge college for a start. An Electric Monk is on the loose. And Samuel Taylor Coleridge is particularly important. Early in the story, electronics entrepreneur, Gordon Way, finds himself unexpectedly murdered and refuses to accept that death is indeed the end. His employee, Richard MacDuff, soon finds that the sofa stuck halfway up the staircase to his flat is the least of his problems – not least when his old university acquaintance, Dirk Gently, telephones him unexpectedly as he is in the

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middle of breaking into his girlfriend's flat… What follows is often complex, mostly impossible, but always funny. If nothing else, it will make you think about time in a completely different way. Winnie’s Dinosaur Day – Valerie Thomas and Korky Paul It is easy to see how Winnie the Witch has become such a favourite character for young readers everywhere. This is her thirteenth outing and, as always, things don’t go totally to plan. Accompanied by her faithful cat, Wilbur, Winnie loves to visit the museum. Not only are there buttons to press and levers to pull, there are dinosaurs! Not real ones sadly – just bones and skeletons. Winnie would love to see a real dinosaur but Wilbur is not so keen. So, when the museum runs a competition to draw or model a dinosaur, Winnie is determined to win… even if she needs some magic to help. Thomas and Paul work as a perfect team to bring Winnie and Wilbur to life. Valerie’s words are well judged and often understated, while Paul’s illustrations help to draw the reader in, giving depth and detail to the whole story. Winnie may not always get it right, but it is bound to work out in the end – and children will love returning to the story again and again and again.

April Fools’ Day / About the house

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Fooled You!

pril Fools’ Day is celebrated in many countries on 1st April every year. Sometimes referred to as All Fools’ Day, it is not a national holiday, but is widely recognised and celebrated as a day when people play practical jokes and hoaxes on each other. In France and Italy, for example, children and adults traditionally tack paper fishes on each other’s backs as a trick and shout ‘April fish!’ in their local languages (poisson d’avril! and pesce d’aprile! in French and Italian, respectively). It’s always fun to watch the news on April Fools’ Day, trying to spot the fake story. Sometimes it’s not that easy! Here is a reminder of some classic pranks from years gone by: The most memorable has got to be the BBC’s 1957 Panorama report on the bumper spaghetti crop. Huge numbers of viewers were fooled by the footage of Swiss peasants gathering long strands of pasta from the trees! Check it out on YouTube. In 1962, Swedish television viewers were duped into thinking that they could transform their black-and-white TV sets into colour by stretching a nylon stocking over the screen.

Australians were confused in 1975 when they were told they were converting to metric time, with 100 seconds to the minute, 100 minutes to the hour and 20-hour days. More recently in 2008, we were stunned to see a BBC film of Adélie penguins flying across the Antarctic on their way to spend the winter in the rainforests of South America. This became one of the most viewed videos on YouTube. And finally, do you remember the whistling carrot? Tesco published an advert in 2002 publicising the genetically modified vegetable. The advert said it had air holes in the side and that it whistled when it was fully cooked! Alex Brown

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Community / About the house

Gateway to Spring Fair Saturday 4th May, 10am - 1pm St Nicolas Churchyard & Church, Itchingfield, RH13 0NX The Parish Church of St Nicolas is a Grade 2 listed building of 12th Century origin, set in the Conservation Area of Itchingfield. With its unusual wooden bell tower, mediaeval Priest’s House and beautiful churchyard, the church is a much-loved and much-visited local landmark. Age, however, has caught up with the church and we now need to raise a further £30,000 to meet the overall cost of £225,000 of repairs to its fabric. Please come and join us, have some fun and help us to maintain this lovely old local building for generations to come. Our Bellringers will be ringing. The belfry will be open to visitors and anyone wishing to ring a bell. Our Organist will be playing. Visitors welcome to come and try their hand on the electronic organ. A Children’s Conjuror will be with us to entertain the children. A Garden Plant Stall will be well stocked in time for spring planting. St Nicolas Tabletop Shop will be open. All stock is donated by the local villagers. On sale are books, vintage and modern bric-a-brac, toys, household, small furniture, jewellery, etc, situated in the Priest’s House adjacent to the church. Well worth exploring. Also: Stained Glass & Jewellery Stall, with a demonstration. Raffle – Cake Stall – Refreshments

Please contact pip@mcbean.me.uk (01403) 738477

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About the house

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Brazier Building Solutions has been a family run business since the early ’70s and continues to provide a high quality local service. We can provide for you with the experience, labour and materials for any building project, whether a full home refurbishment or simple renovation, from kitchen and bathroom fitting, to house extension or loft conversions and traditional restoration. We pride ourselves on an immaculate finish and attention to detail at a competitive price, whilst providing a smooth and friendly service. Please visit our website for examples of our work: www.brazierbuilding.co.uk

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Little Tweeters!

Neighbours from Hell Once upon a time on a small farm near Billingshurst …

ily was sick to death of her neighbours next door. All she wanted to do was rest quietly in the nursery and look after her new baby, Uno, a lovely little ram lamb. She loved the nursery. The other mums and their lambs were close by to chat with and there was no rain (bliss!) and all the babies got on well together. She and Welsh Witch had had to look after Stroppy Moppy’s two orphan lambs when she suddenly died one morning. But Lily didn’t mind any of that. All she wanted was peace and quiet. And her neighbours certainly weren’t giving her that! It wasn’t just the state of their pig-pen, deep in mud. It was them. Humphrey and Dottie were just, well, noisy. In fact they were very, very noisy especially at night when everyone else was trying to sleep. It had started soon after Sally had brought the ewes up to the shelter for their lambing. Tan Face had already lambed early and Sally wanted to make sure everyone else was alright because of the wet and the cold. One night after everyone had arrived, Humphrey and Dottie started. They grunted and snorted. They bumped and thumped. Humphrey would chase Dottie; Dottie would run away growling at Humphrey. Humphrey would rub his face against her face and she told him to go away and leave her alone. He wouldn’t. He gave that girl no peace. They argued and argued. All though that night and many nights after, all that Lily could hear until just before dawn were bangs, crashes and thumps as each of them tried to get the best position in their ark. And then, just before dawn, they went to sleep and snored and snored as loud as Nanny. They wouldn’t even wake up when Bill brought their breakfast. Just as Lily thought she might give them a piece

of her mind, they changed tactics. Or at least Humphrey did. At the other end of the pig-pen was a small ark which the piglets had used the previous year. Humphrey got his nose under it and heaved. He lifted it with all his strength and the ark slurped out of the mud and tipped onto its side. He got all excited and shouted for Dottie to come over. It took a lot of persuading, with grunts snorts, growls and squeals. Finally she slopped her way through the mud to inspect his handiwork. She seemed to think it was adequate because they slept there together in the sun, and stayed there in the night. The next day Sally, laughing, gave them some straw to use and they tossed that around to make a cosy bed, even though it was still cold and they were out in the weather. The tipped over ark stopped the wind though. Lily breathed a sigh of relief. At last they were a little further away so she got some peace and quiet. For about a week… Despite the relative calm Lily still worried about what would happen if it rained. She didn’t have too long to wait. As soon as there was the tiniest drop of rain, Humphrey squelched his way over to the ark and stood at the entrance. He called Dottie to follow but she would not listen. Lily didn’t blame her; Humphrey was such a bossy boar. After plaintively calling her and Dottie ignoring him for the morning, he went back to join Dottie in their new bed in the open. Lily breathed a sigh of relief. Peace for a bit longer she thought and looked forward to the day when they would be allowed to go out into the paddock again, away from their neighbours from hell. Yvonne Fleece

Noisy neighbours Dottie (left) and Humphrey have become inseparable not only from each other but also the mud! Photo: Grahame Pearson

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About the house

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Little Tweeters!

Kindly mention Village Tweet when responding to advertisements Pop in to fun, friendly nursery on Open Day

Bobtails Montessori is opening the doors of its friendly nursery on Wednesday 22nd May from 1-3pm. Parents and children are invited to pop in and have a look around, take part in some Montessori activities and meet the Bobtails children and staff. Established for over 20 years, Bobtails provides daily Montessori childcare to 2-5 year olds during term-time. Our ethos is “Happy, Healthy & Safe” and all our staff at the nursery are fully qualified and trained to make sure all Bobtails children enjoy, learn and grow from their childcare experience. To register your interest, for more information or to arrange a private viewing, please contact the Montessori Principal, Pat West, on 01489 565368 or the nursery direct on 01403 786176 PLUS PUBLISHING SER and speak to any of our staff. You can also visit the website on www.bobtailsmontessori.co.uk. Bobtails is located in Adversane Hall, Adversane ADVERTISEMENT Lane, Adversane, Nr Billingshurst, West Sussex PROO PLEASE RH14 9JN CHECK YOUR ADVERTISEMENT BEFORE W Please note: There will be some variation between the colours shown here and the final

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Equine

Paddock maintenance

ith the winter we have just had being one of the wettest on record it is not surprising that many horse fields and paddocks have taken such a battering that they have ended up resembling the Somme battlefield. With spring here, now is the time to take them in hand and start to put right the damage. The first thing to do is to have a proper look at all fencing and gates; the wet ground may have loosened fence posts making them wobbly creating weak areas in the fence. Any such posts will need to be banged back in to ensure they are secure. You may also need to replace any wooden rails that have become damaged over the winter months. Check any fields shelters as well, they may have damaged panels or leaking roofs which will need repair. If you have sufficient grazing it would be best to move the horses off the winter grazing so it can start to rest and recover. Then you can have a good look and decide what action is needed to get the paddock into good condition again. If grazing is limited try to section off the most badly damaged areas with electric fencing and work on each area in turn to restore it. Once the ground is dry enough it will need rolling to ensure that the holes created by the horse’s hooves on wet ground will be flattened out so the pasture doesn’t dry out rutted and dangerous. Rolling is ideally best carried out around mid-March if the ground conditions are right. Although it goes without saying that water supply should be checked daily all year round now is the time to empty and scrub all troughs, check any pipework for minor leaks and damage and repair as necessary. Any badly poached areas that have become bare will need reseeding; in small paddocks it is possible to do this by hand but for larger paddocks it may be wise to employ a contractor with specialist machinery to do the work for you. You may also want to take soil samples to have analysed to see if fertilizer is needed to improve your grazing. Harrowing the pasture will help to hook out any rough and dead grasses and weeds, it will also aerate the soil and help to promote healthy grass growth.

As spring gives way to summer you need to think about weed control. Ragwort is the weed in the forefront of most horse owners’ minds and this should be pulled and burnt. If there is a large amount the weed may be sprayed with a suitable herbicide but horses must be removed from the pasture in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. All dead ragwort must also be thoroughly removed from the pasture as it becomes more palatable once dry. Docks and thistles are also invasive weeds and need to be controlled otherwise they can take over the pasture and leave very little grass; these too can be controlled with a good broadleaf herbicide. Removal of muck is another important job in summer, more so in small or overstocked pasture. As well as making the paddocks look nicer, muck removal will aid in the control of the worm population. Horses are fussy grazers and will not eat from areas where they toilet so eventually you will end up with many very dirty areas surrounded by long rough grass and other areas that are over-grazed. Topping (cutting the grass) is also a part of good paddock maintenance. Topping will encourage new, leafy growth. If just left, the grass will grow up quickly, flower, seed and then die, wilting on the ground and not allowing any new growth of grass. Topping prevents this from happening and keeps the grass sweet and nutritious for longer. It should be carried out throughout the summer as required. As summer turns to autumn, start to think about preparing your paddocks for the winter. Spray any weeds that may have had a late flush, check fencing and water supply and if at all possible create a sacrifice paddock for the winter ry ahead. And keep your fingers crossed it le d won’t be as wet and miserable as the d y, sa ha one we have just had! , k ly ge Jeannette Douglas. SQP, Qualified ac pp illa t e , u Horse Adviser. SPR Centre. ol n s ct V lac o a p www.sprcentre.co.uk a h c t l is sc or on wil th e c g in op se e sid nd rid sh lea y. W ng e a es a g a o r i n in p d al ca er ru th etc t to ad se g s o u l , e r r n yo r c od we u ho ridi If o fo T yo

Equine / Secretarial / Little Tweeters!

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Olympic Tractor joins the team at Fishers! There’s a new tractor in town! Fishers Adventure Farm Park in Wisborough Green will be launching their brand new ‘Big Red Tractor Ride’ this week, featuring a beautiful sparkly Massey Fergusson 5440. But… the thing that’s making us all bubble with excitement, is that it’s THE tractor which was used in the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic games! The staff at Fishers were delighted to welcome this new addition to the farm, and now can’t wait to let all of you lucky visitors have a ride! Fishers Adventure Farm Park Wisborough Green RH14 0EG fishersfarmpark.co.uk 01403 700063

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Garden Tweet!

Can You Dig It?

oil, mud, dirt or muck, call it what you will, but is yours any good and can you dig it? One of the most common ‘moans’ I get from gardeners is that “my soil is rubbish”. We’ll presume they mean it’s not great quality (and not that it’s full of litter), but I’m never quite sure what people expect from their soil. Probably a soft, stone-free, sifted loam or maybe a dark, rich organic compost such as that found in a growbag. The reality is that soil, like man, is never perfect. Sometimes too wet, too squidgy, too crumbly, or too firm, and, just like humans, the perfect soil takes hard work to maintain. Now, I realise that some people were just born perfect, just as some loamy soils are too. But if you’re not one of the lucky ones, and your soil is more armpit than Brad Pitt, here’s what to do about it… Like all things in life, there are extremes. I (being a horticultural extremist) had to go the whole hog and excavate the clay from my borders, replacing it with 40cm of topsoil, but unless you’re starting a garden from scratch, and have access to a digger, I’d recommend working with what you already have. I’ve only ever come across one soil type which I didn’t think possible to improve due to its shallow nature, so we just added soil on top to make it

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Garden View

deeper. Whether you have easyto-dig sandy soil or moisture retentive clay, the addition of a few ingredients will help create a beautiful growing medium. If you are a novice gardener it’s simple, just add wellrotted (not smelly) manure, weed-free and lots of it. For those with clay soil, and more stamina, add horticultural grit to the soil and dig in well, then dig in manure and top off with a 5cm layer of manure to act as mulch. And for those who really can’t be bothered with digging, just add a layer of manure to the soil surface after feeding with a pelleted fertilizer. It’s not ideal, but the worms will drag it down into the soil, and it’s much better than nothing at all. You’ll also have more success in the future if you choose the right types of plants for your soil’s pH. Testing kits are available online and in garden centres. If you want to grow acid loving plants in a strongly alkaline soil, you can try the addition of sulphur chips, coffee grinds, pine based composts, or planting in tubs of ericaceous compost, but failing that, my advice is to move house! Lee Bestall www.inspiredgardens.net Photo: Nate Swart

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Community / Garden Tweet!

Diary of a ‘Commuter’ Smallholder The continuing diary of Michaela Giles, a Billingshurst smallholder

ur January-born Saddleback piglets are the reluctant decision to send her to cull. now huge and adapting to life without Sally our Middle-white gave birth to nine cute mum. Apart from a few piglets. Sadly she squashed we are keeping to show they two but the remaining seven have all been sold and all the are getting quite podgy now so litters have been mixed together we know she has good milk. so they will all be best friends by They are such time-wasters the time of sale. We keep them and we can all too easily for at least two weeks after spend an hour just watching weaning to make sure all is well them do not much! We have and they’re eating and drinking also been experimenting with properly. The potential show charcuterie with a local chap ones have been ear-notched so using our rare breed meat. I Middle-white piglets are sooooo cute! we know who is who and don’t have been quite excited trying sell them by accident. We had to wait to put the our delicious chorizo, salami, pancetta, and sows back to the boar until 8th March as we Parma-style ham. It is quite expensive to have breed to the showing calendar, but I hate putting made but it does give people a real alternative to them back too soon anyway, feels a bit factory! the low-welfare products currently available. We have another couple of Saddleback sows Our flock of sheep were very obliging and only due, so tiny trotters will be upon us once again. started to lamb once we had some vacant We had to make another tough decision this stables, how lucky was that? Considering our month on Hubby’s favourite sow, Spot. She ram lives with them all year round it could have hadn’t had a litter for 18 months and although been at any time. Housing crisis diverted. she was conceiving according to our ultrasound Michaela Giles www.tedfoldcottagefarm.co.uk scanner she kept slipping the litter, so we made

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Community

When the cat got the cream John Nash is a retired, well sort of retired, fruit farm manager in Kirdford who enjoys scribbling about life on the farm from the now to days gone by.

t is with great sadness that I wish to discuss with you good folk the demise of one of nature’s great wonders, a delight to bring a smile to anyone of a certain age… the cream off the top of the milk bottle. Remember it? A thick yellow line marking the separation of the milk’s fats from the whey. On a Channel Island Gold Top it could be a good third of the bottle that boasted the rich offering. Open the bottle and turn it upside down and the contents would refuse to leave unless encouraged by a blow to the base like a ketchup bottle. Spooned over your cornflakes it was a gift of nature to those who like the taste of sublime luxury. As a child the bottle would usually be shaken hard so that all the family could share the bounty… but let it settle and once again the lighter cream would float to the surface. Collect a couple of bottle tops’ worth and you could even shake your own butter into existence. Not anymore. Now we have pasteurisation, heating to kill all pathogens, and homogenisation, blasting the liquid through small outlets to emulsify the fats so they cannot settle out, resulting in a whiter liquid that has a much longer shelf life. Drink milk straight from the cow? Yuk! All those germs and diseases. Back in the days of handmilking it was quite amazing how much ‘other stuff’ could descend into the milking bucket as you nestled into the cow’s warm flank. Hair from the cow, naturally. The odd flake of mud that had stuck to her coat, of course. And the occasional flick from her tail would deposit its own share to the foaming contents. The farm’s cats would congregate at your feet and await a quick squirt of the warm liquid and then spend a pleasant half hour washing the sticky liquid from their fur where it had missed their open mouths. Sometimes, if the beast was a particularly feisty old girl, her rear hoof could be found standing in the bucket as well, this the finishing result of a sly swipe at the milker with her fetlock. It was amazing how often this happened near the end of milking when the bucket was at its fullest.

This called for careful removal before the bucket and its contents were sent cascading down the shed’s length. If removal was successful the contents would still find its way to the dairy. Waste not, want not. Then it was strained through a large filter and poured over the cooler and into the churn. If the dairy was really ‘modern’ there could be an ‘in churn cooler’ that would rotate iced water through pipes that slowly rotated inside the standing churns. It was at this point that on a hot summer day we would most enjoy the bounty of the cows’ efforts – a large glass of this ice cold largess would be downed in one and then a further glass sipped as the sounds of the dairy clanged around our ears. It was hard work obtaining this bounty. There were 30 odd milkers and only three of us to do the work. Each of us had one day off a week, so that often meant 15 cows each to milk twice a day. Start of the day was at 6.30am and the close of the day would be around 5.30pm although in winter when the stock was kept housed, one of us would have a last look around at 10pm to make sure all was well. That’s providing there was no calving in progress, when it could be an all-night job. In the winter, snuggled into the cow’s warm body, the job was a delight, although the fact that we spent many hours each day with our legs tightly bent holding the bucket still and the threatening leg at bay often led to severe calf cramp in the middle of the night. This was usually cured by hopping round the bedroom muttering assorted and colourful profanities in loud tones. A skill that I still use to this day by the way. So how did I survive. Why am I not removed from this mortal coil? Luck, or just a cast iron constitution? (They used to say we had to eat a peck of dirt to stay healthy.) Whatever the reason, I still remember those days, and the tastes that seem now to be lacking from so many everyday foods. Perhaps it’s old age, taste buds shot to hell, who knows, but I still do miss that cream off the top of the bottle… So there! John Nash Illustration: milking in the 13th century

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Garden Tweet!

Community garden will thrive thanks to Southern Water Southern Water has installed a water supply in the newlycreated Station Road Gardens in Billingshurst. The gardens, on the site of former sports fields, is in the process of being transformed into a community space by volunteers. Winding paths, a stream crossed by bridges, a vegetable plot and plants are among the ambitious plans for the open space, along with a play area, ball court and youth shelter. The water supply help came from Southern Water’s Community Chest grants scheme which supports charities and good causes with donations towards projects. Keith Brown, Chairman of the Friends of Station Road Gardens volunteers, said, “We applied to Southern Water for some help with the water supply and the company installed a connection, meter and tap for free. We made a donation to the WaterAid charity, which Southern Water supports, in return.

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“We are incredibly grateful to Southern Water for its support. As a charity we rely on donations and with a plot as big as we have, we’ll certainly need some water.” Sustainability is high on the agenda at Station Road, with Keith planning on installing a rainwater harvesting system on the roofs of the garden’s buildings. Kevin Buck, who co-ordinates the Community Chest programme, said, “Creating a community garden is not easy, especially on the huge scale of the plans in Billingshurst so we are delighted to be able to help. It’s encouraging to hear that the garden will also make use of rainwater harvesting too as it’s the best way to conserve water and put our often wet British weather to good use all year round.” The Friends are still looking for donations and support. Please email friendsofstationroad@hotmail.co.uk

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Pets / Cycles

Living with Laika – Laika and the lawn!

’ve never been a keen gardener, suffice to say that I am prepared to mow the lawn, remove weeds and prune where necessary. I formerly grew vegetables and had ‘growbags’ full of tomatoes arrayed along the rear of the house to catch the afternoon sun – Mrs M had become adept at making the most delicious chutney of which only a small number of jars of the 2011 vintage remain. 2012 was an agricultural washout for the family and I can’t blame the poor summer! The lawn was the first to suffer as Laika began to recognise that this was a more suitable place to do ‘her business’ than the tiled and carpeted floors of our home. I hadn’t considered the impact of dog pee on my turf and in no time at all, the luxuriant, fine-textured expanse of grass appeared to have been subjected to an Agent Orange attack as brown dried scars began to predominate. Apparently, it’s all down to the high concentration of nitrogen in the urine and the fact that bitches tend to urinate in one spot whereas dogs mark many spots, clearly at a higher level! Of course, it is necessary to exploit the wide open spaces of West Sussex and the verdant margins of our roads for the general purpose of toileting assuming you are armed with poo bags and ready to ‘Bag it, Tie it and Bin it’. The early morning rush-hour

for motorists is nothing compared to the frenzied, urgent movement of dogs and owners to some grassy patch ‘that is forever England’. Dog walkers almost collide with each other as they seek to negotiate the highways and by-ways for ‘traffic-free’ dog-waste bins before the humdrum business of work. But naturally gardens become the toilet repository and therein lies the problem – a nice garden or dogs, never both! When Laika wasn’t carting 25kg bags of soil conditioner, ericaceous compost and organic farmyard manure about, she would be engaged in lugging the grow bags to the nether parts of the garden or extracting our Dwarf French Bean Tendergreen and Courgette Greenbush seedlings from the soil. I tried the various old deterrent tricks with grapefruit peelings, zest of orange, scatterings of cayenne pepper, and even strategically placed mothballs around the precious veg. I added a dash of vinegar to her drinking water to dilute the nitrates and tried putting in half a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda to achieve the same effect. I finally tried adding expensive lumps of volcanic rock imported from Australia called ‘Dog Rocks’ before finally giving up. At least I wouldn’t have to put up with the neighbour’s cat any longer! Ron Myal

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St George’s Day / Motoring

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St George’s Day

e’s most famous for slaying a dragon, but how much do we know about St George, the patron saint of England? For starters, he wasn’t actually English! Born in Eastern Turkey in AD 270 to Christian parents, George later moved to Palestine where he became a soldier in the Roman army. He subsequently rebelled against the Roman Emperor for his persecution of Christians. Imprisonment and torture followed, but George refused to denounce his Christian faith. Enraged at this, the Emperor had George dragged through the streets, and beheaded him on 23rd April AD 303. George’s alleged encounter with the dragon occurred in Libya. The dragon is said to have built its nest by a

fresh water spring and was offered sheep by townsfolk to distract him while collecting water. With all the sheep gone, they decided to offer a maiden instead. The lot fell on the poor crown princess, but at the moment of offering, George supposedly came by on his white stallion, dismounted and slew the beast with his sword. George is identified with English ideals of charity, chivalry and courage, and thus symbolises the very essence of ‘Englishness’. Campaigners are currently working to get St George’s Day recognised as a national holiday, but for now, it is traditionally celebrated by flying the English flag, wearing a red rose and singing ‘Jerusalem’ on the Sunday nearest the 23rd April! Debbie Singh-Bhatti

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Computing and IT

Windows 8 Tips (Part 2) More sound computer and IT advice from Simon Thomas

f Windows 8 search and navigation tools still leave you pining for the regular Start menu, installing ViStart (www.lee-soft.com) will replace it with something very similar. Download the program and install it, carefully – it’s free, but the Setup program will install the trial of a commercial Registry cleaner unless you explicitly tell it otherwise. But once that’s out the way, your old Start button will return in its regular place, and clicking it (or pressing the Windows key) will bring back the usual Start menu complete with search box and all the usual menus. There’s also Start8 from Windows customisation veterans Stardock. It provides similar functionality to ViStart but with a more upto-date look (www.stardock.com/products/start8). Windows 8 includes an excellent File History feature, which can regularly and automatically back up your libraries, desktop, contacts and favourites to a second drive (even a USB flash drive – just connect it, and choose ‘Configure this drive for backup using File History’ from the menu). To set this up, go to Control Panel > System and Security > File History. Click Exclude Folders to help define what you’re saving, Advanced Settings to choose the backup frequency, Change

Drive to choose the backup destination, and Turn On to enable the feature with your settings. Once it’s been running for a while, you can check on the history for any file in Explorer by selecting it, choosing the Home tab and clicking History. If your Windows 8 system seems sluggish, the revamped Task Manager may be able to offer some clues. Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to take a look. Click ‘More Details’. The simplified Processes tab then reveals what’s currently using your CPU time, RAM, hard drive and network bandwidth. (The more in-depth data available in previous Task Manager versions is now accessible via the Details tab.) The Performance tab gives you a graphical view of resource use over the last few seconds, while the App History dialog looks back over days or more to reveal which app is the most resource-hungry. Is your boot time slow? Click the new Startup tab to see programs your system is launching when Windows boots. The ‘Startup impact’ now shows how much of an effect each of these has on your boot time; if you spot high impact programs you’re sure you don’t need, rightclicking them and selecting ‘Disable’ will ensure they’re not loaded next time. Simon Thomas (techgeek@tech-geek.co.uk)

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New laptops from £299 Refurbished Laptops from £199 Desktop PC`s from £39 39 Ink Cartridges from £10 Printing paper £3.99 Printers £59.95 Speakers £9.95 Wireless Mice Microsoft £19.95 Mice with tails £9.95 Logitech Keyboards £12.95 Screen cleaners £4.95 Mini RC Helicopters £29.95 Logitech Web Camera £24.95 Headphones from £7.95 HDMI Cables from £4.95 Norton 2012 anti-virus £39.95 Video to DVD from £19.95 Cine film to DVD from £39.95

Tim & Luke in Billingshurst 01403 784144 Alan & Rodger in Upper Beeding 01903 816116

Editorial and advertising enquiries: 07762 767084, editor@villagetweet.co.uk

Kids of all ages / Tuition / Private hire

Spot the Difference – Solution

Puzzle on page 16

Mothering Sunday Village Tweet would like to apologise for an error in last month’s Editorial. Reference was made to Mothering Sunday starting in America in 1914 but that should have read ‘Mother’s Day’. In contrast, ‘Mothering Sunday’ has been in existence for hundreds of years in England, originally being a religious occasion to encourage people to ‘Go a Mothering’ – to attend the church where they were baptized, their Mother Church. Later, youngsters walking home from church would pick wild flowers as a gift for their mothers. The error was noticed after the March issue had gone to press by which time I could do nothing other than kick myself! I am also grateful to two readers who subsequently contacted me. Grahame Pearson, Editor

Ray Deefholts Guitar and Bass Tuition Tel: 01403 782745 Mob: 07792 871630 Email: ray@raydeefholts.co.uk Hazel Cottage, Lower Station Road Billingshurst, West Sussex RH14 9SX

Mac’s Private Hire 24 hours a day – 7 days a week

01403 701 842 07917 850 746 Airports - Social & Business - Lady Driver Available Wisborough Green Based

Do you teach violin, drums, guitar, piano, flute, etc? An ad in Village Tweet reaches over 8,000 budding musicians! Call: 07762 767084 or email: editor@villagetweet.co.uk

Centre

A Macmillan Film:

Song for Marion on Friday the 19th of April Films will also be shown on the 10th of May & the 14th of June All films begin at 7.30pm Tickets £6 on sale at Mansell McTaggart, online at www.TouringCinema.com and at the Centre on the night.

Following their brilliant show last July, The Starrlite Beatles return on

Saturday the 4th of May “When I closed my eyes it was like listening to the real thing. When I opened them again it was pretty close, too.”

Tickets will be on sale from mid-March

Back for their 3rd brilliant year in Billingshurst:

Ultimate Genesis – Los Endos Saturday the 1st of June Tickets £15, on sale from mid-April

We also have excellent party facilities and host a staggering weekly activities. In addition to – amongst others – Rosemary Conley, Zumba Dance, Karate, Table Tennis, Badminton, Short Mat Bowls, Ballroom Dancing, Pilate and Yoga, new to the Centre are Gymnastics, Kick Boxing and Martial Arts for children of 4+ Details of all our activities and facilities are on our website – see below. Alternatively, give us a call on 787690 to find out not only what excellent facilities we have, but also how very reasonable we are, too! (Oh, and we promise not to ask you to “…Press 1 for a real person, 2 for further options, 3 for something else…. zzzz”! )

billingshurstcentre.com

01403 787690

reception@billingshurst.gov.uk

www.facebook.com/BillingshurstCentre

Editorial and advertising enquiries: 07762 767084, editor@villagetweet.co.uk

What’s On near you

What’s On – April and beyond Every Mon Coffee Shop in Plaistow Church. 9-11.30am. Real coffee and a selection of cakes. Why not drop in with your friends after you’ve dropped your children off at school? Every Mon Wisborough Green Short Mat Bowls Club. Village Hall. Mons 2.30-4.30pm, Weds 7-9pm. New & Weds Members and Visitors welcome. £2.50 per session (includes Tea/Coffee & biscuits). Trial session free for newcomers. Further information from www.wisboroughgreen.org or contact Keith Carter on 01403 700502 Every Mon Careful Hands – Day Club for people with Dementia. Dial Post Village Hall, 10am-3.30pm. & Thurs Jenny Jupp, 07951 652788 Every Tues Short mat bowls. Billingshurst Community & Conference Centre (formerly Village Hall). 2-4pm. £2.50. Come and try a game. It’s great fun with friendly people in a small club. Further details Gerry (01403) 265873 or John (01403) 783477 Every Tues Help and Company’s Day Care Centre for the elderly. Billingshurst Community & Conference & Thurs Centre, 10am-3.30pm. To reserve your place and book your home-cooked two-course lunch please phone (01403) 788080 Every Weds Horsham Accordion Band. Practises in Slinfold Chapel from 7.30-9.30pm. Varied repertoire. Band Leader Mags Fisher tel: (01403) 790717 or email: magsfisher@btinternet.com Last Thurs Social evening for the villagers of Ifold, Plaistow and Kirdford. Monthly, Foxbridge Golf Club, Ifold, from 7pm. Meet other local people and enjoy a nice social event. Janice: socialifold@hotmail.co.uk Every Thurs Wildlife walkabouts. RSPB Pulborough Brooks Nature Reserve, Wiggonholt, RH20 2EL. 10am-12 noon. These gentle rambles are an ideal introduction to the reserve and its varied habitats and wildlife, taking in the seasonal delights on the brooks or on our heathland trail. £5 per person (£2.50 for RSPB members). (01798) 875851. www.rspb.org.uk/pulboroughbrooks Every Thurs HDC Health Walk. Billingshurst. Meet Library car-park, Billingshurst, 2¼ miles, flat, easy. Free, just turn up at 11am. Jean (01403) 786201 Every Sat Indoor table top sale and market. Ansell’s Yard, Kirdford Road, Wisborough Green, RH14 0DD. 10am-2pm. No entrance fee. Tables £5 (must be pre-booked). Tel: (01403) 700633 or 07798 941940 29 Mar to 1 Apr 29 Mar to 7 Apr 29 Mar to 14 Apr 29 Mar to 14 Apr 31 Mar

2-29 Apr 3 Apr 6 Apr

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11 Apr 11 Apr

Easter Bunny Trips on the Wey & Arun Canal. All your favourite Easter characters will be here to entertain you. www.weyandarun.co.uk or tel: (01403) 752403. See Village Tweet March, page 8 Bunny in a Bag. Petworth House. Ever wished you could be the Easter Bunny? Well stop rabbiting on about it and hop over to Petworth House! Pick up a bunny bag and follow a trail of woodland creatures that will help you build your very own bunny ears, tail and whiskers, then you can enjoy your chocolate treat! £3.50 per child. More info: (01798) 342207. www.nationaltrust.org.uk/petworth Fishers Farm ‘Easter Egg-stravaganza’. Fishers Farm Park, Newpound Lane, Wisborough Green, RH14 0EG. Unwrap a delicious selection of egg-citing activities at Fishers this Half Term! Details (01403) 700063 or www.fishersfarmpark.co.uk Lambing Season at Fishers Farm. Fishers Farm Park, Newpound Lane, Wisborough Green, RH14 0EG. Spring over to Fishers and enjoy bottle feeding the newborn lambs! Lucky visitors may even get chance to see a baby lamb being born! Details (01403) 700063 or www.fishersfarmpark.co.uk Mad Hatters Tea Party & Egg Hunt. Sumners Ponds Fishery & Campsite. From 12pm. Tractor rides, boat train rides & other attractions. Adult picnic options available as well as full Lunch & Dinner Menu. New Shetland Ponies on site. Featuring the Mad Hatter himself and of course the Easter Bunny. Enquiries and to book for the Tea Party: (01403) 732539 or email info@sumnersponds.co.uk The ART WALL at Kirdford Village Stores presents an exhibition by Brenda Shaw. Pastels of animals and landscapes. Sue Ransley, tel: (01403) 820360 or the artist at walter110@btinternet.com Billingshurst Horticultural Society Meeting: talk ‘Orchids – care & cultivation’ by Lawrence Hobbs. Women’s Hall, Billingshurst. 8pm. Visitors welcome. Raffle & refreshments Wild families – pondemonium! RSPB Pulborough Brooks Nature Reserve, Wiggonholt, Pulborough RH20 2EL. 11am-1pm. Come and meet some of the wonderful creatures who lurk in the watery depths of our ponds (with the help of a net!). £3 per child (£1.50 for Wildlife Explorer members); adults pay normal nature trail entry fee. (01798) 875851. www.rspb.org.uk/pulboroughbrooks Indoor Antiques Market & Collectors Sale. Ansell’s Yard, Kirdford Road, Wisborough Green, RH14 0DD. 10am-2pm. No entrance fee. Tables available £8 (must be pre-booked). Telephone (01403) 700633 or 07798 941940 Wisborough Green Horticultural Society Meeting. Talk: ‘Preparing Flowers and Veg for the Show’ by Peter Collett. Village Hall, 8pm, £2 non-members, £1 members Cranleigh Womens Institute meeting. St Nicolas Church Rooms, Cranleigh, 7.45pm. Our meetings (2nd Tues of the month) are fun and informative with a wide range of speakers. Additional groups for walks. Quizzes, coffee and lunches. Outings to the theatre, cinema and gardens. We welcome new members who can visit at any time. Gill and Brenda (Joint Presidents), tel: (01483) 272337/548535 Loxwood Jazz & Blues Club. Village Hall. With candlelit tables and a licensed bar, it has a very intimate atmosphere with international standard jazz and blues. All profits go towards the renovation Loxwood Village Hall. Tickets are priced at the amazing price of £10 each, available from Loxwood Village Stores or Anita Bates on (01403) 752954 Wild families – wild in the woods. RSPB Pulborough Brooks Nature Reserve, Wiggonholt, Pulborough RH20 2EL. 10.30am-1pm. Kick through the leaves and help us build a woodland den as we go ‘wild in the woods’! Woodland treasure hunt. £3 per child (£1.50 for Wildlife Explorer members); adults pay normal nature trail entry fee. (01798) 875851. www.rspb.org.uk/pulboroughbrooks ‘Southdown Buses’ – a talk by Mr Stevenson. Do you remember journeys with this company (now part of Stagecoach) which was formed in 1915? Billingshurst Community & Conference Centre. 7.30pm. Billingshurst Local History Society. Gillian Knight (01403) 784101 Regular bingo evening in aid of the Mary How Trust for Cancer Prevention. 2nd Thursday of every month. Storrington Village Hall, 59 West Street, Storrington, RH20 4DZ. Doors open 7pm, play starts at 7.30pm. Only 50p entry. Great prizes; raffle & refreshments. Fun for everyone! NEW! Jackpot Game £50 for 55 calls. www.maryhowtrust.org, click on ‘News & Events’

What’s On near you 11 Apr 11 Apr 12 Apr

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27 Apr 28 Apr 29 Apr 1 May 4 May 4 May 5 May

11 May

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Wisborough Green Farmers’ and Village Market. Village Hall, 9am-12.30pm. Up to 30 stalls selling a variety of locally produced foods and crafts. Contact: Mary Lindfield (01403) 700624 Billingshurst WI Meeting. Talk by Carole Sorrell: ‘Hearing Dogs for the Deaf.’ St Mary’s Room. 2.15pm. Garden visits, produce stall, sales table and groups for Bookchat, Mah Jong, Knitting (for SANDS). Visitors welcome (£1.50). Secretary: (01403) 784175 Wild families – pondemonium! RSPB Pulborough Brooks Nature Reserve, Wiggonholt, Pulborough RH20 2EL. 2-4pmCome and meet some of the wonderful creatures who lurk in the watery depths of our ponds (with the help of a net!). £3 per child (£1.50 for Wildlife Explorer members); adults pay normal nature trail entry fee. (01798) 875851. www.rspb.org.uk/pulboroughbrooks Optics Weekend. RSPB Pulborough Brooks Nature Reserve, Wiggonholt, Pulborough RH20 2EL. 10am-4pm. Get expert advice on choosing the right binoculars, telescopes and accessories. We stock a wide range. No charge. (01798) 875851. www.rspb.org.uk/pulboroughbrooks St Mary’s Guild Meeting. Talk: ‘Changing Decorative Styles of the 20th Century’ by Hilda Burden. St Mary’s Room, East Street, Billingshurst. 8pm. Visitors welcome. Beryl Peacock (01403) 782835 Barns Green & Itchingfield Women’s Institute Meeting. Barns Green Village Hall. 2.30pm. Meetings 3rd Thurs of the month. Louise Taylor (01903) 743499 or Daphne Lindfield (01403) 791258 Billingshurst Village Market. Library car-park, Billingshurst. 9am-2pm. Info: Anita Burdfield, (01403) 784445, anita@burdfield.co.uk Barns Green Village Hall Film Night: ‘Song for Marion’. Doors open 7.30pm, film at 8pm. Tickets £6. www.barnsgreen.com or (01403) 734408 Quiz & Chips on the Wey & Arun Canal. Test your general knowledge and enjoy a fish and chip supper on the canal. Details www.weyandarun.co.uk or tel: (01403) 752403 Six of the Best – a concert in aid of the Mary How Trust. Champs Hill Music Room, Coldwaltham by kind permission of Mr and Mrs David Bowerman and sponsored by The Bowerman Charitable Trust. The close harmony vocal group, Six of the Best, is drawn from the ranks of Tenebrae, the awardwinning choral ensemble. Pre-concert champagne and canapés at 6.45pm, and the concert starts at 7.30pm. Tickets £20 from the Mary How Trust ticket line: (01798) 877646 and www.maryhowtrust.org Macmillan Film night. ‘Song for Marion’. Billingshurst Conference & Community Centre. 7.30pm. Tickets £6 from Mansell McTaggart or on the door on the night An Evening of Light Entertainment (sketches, music, magic, etc), presented by ‘Castaways’. Kelsey Hall, Chalk Road, Ifold. 7pm for 7.30pm start. Tickets £10 from Oak Tree Stores from beginning of April. Includes Ploughman’s Supper, tea/coffee and cakes. Please provide your own drinks and glasses as there will be NO licenced bar Beautiful Vintage Fair: ‘Sussex Country Brocante’. Wisborough Green Village Hall. 11-4pm. Over 25 stalls selling decorative antiques, vintage homeware, pretty clothes & jewellery, gifts and artisan crafts. Entrance £1. More info on Facebook Love Lane Vintage or call Lucy on 07821 720758. Stall enquiries: lovelanevintage@me.com Macmillan Film night. ‘Song for Marion’. Pulborough Village Hall. 7.30pm. Tickets £6 from Four Seasons or on the door on the night Cranleigh Decorative & Fine Arts Society illustrated talk: ‘Rick Mather Museums: Light & Space’. Cranleigh Arts Centre. 2pm & 7.30pm. Guests very welcome. (£5 voluntary donation). More info at: www.cranleighdfas.org Country Fair and Antiques. Loxwood Village Hall. 10am-4pm. Decorative antiques & furniture, vintage clothing & collectibles, jewellery, plants, handmade gifts, locally produced food and much more. £1 to include tea or coffee. Country Café serving tea, coffee, soups & cakes. Stall info: Emma 07939 171815 or e-mail countryfairandantiques@gmail.com, Facebook.com/countryfairandantiques Date with Nature – Nightingale Festival. RSPB Pulborough Brooks Nature Reserve, Wiggonholt, Pulborough RH20 2EL. 6.30-9.30pm. Catch a glimpse of a nightingale and you might wonder what all the fuss is about, but catch just a snatch of the song and you’ll be hooked. The shop will be open late, and the cafe serving warm drinks. £5 per person (£2 for RSPB members) (01798) 875851. www.rspb.org.uk/pulboroughbrooks Spring Craft Fair. Alfold Village Hall. 10am-3pm. Great variety of quality local crafts plus bake sale, ploughman’s lunch, face painting and raffle. All proceeds to Cherry Tree Respite Home. Free entry and parking. Enquiries Lisa 07533 948803 or Emily 07717 731041 Spring Concert by The North Singers. North Hall, Loxwood. 3.30pm. Varied selection including Fats Waller, Karl Jenkins, Simon & Garfunkel and John Rutter. Refreshements, raffle. £5 (£1 under 16s) on the door or from choir members or Jean Spira, tel: (01403) 752534 Macmillan Film night. ‘Song for Marion’. Rudgwick Village Hall. 7.30pm. Tickets £6 from Four Seasons or on the door on the night Billingshurst Horticultural Society Meeting: talk ‘Plant hunters’ by Francis Farrer-Brown. Women’s Hall, Billingshurst. 8pm. Visitors welcome. Raffle & refreshments Wisborough Green Horticultural Society Plant Sale. On the Little Green (near The Cricketers pub), 2.30pm. Free. Teas available Gateway to Spring Fair. St Nicolas Churchyard & Church. 10am-1pm. Help raise much needed money to repair this beautiful Grade 2 listed church. Activities, raffle, refreshments. Contact Pip tel: (01403) 738477 or e-mail: pip@mcbean.me.uk. See page 24 Fishers Farm ‘Tractor Day’ – Grandparents go FREE! Fishers Farm Park, Newpound Lane, Wisborough Green, RH14 0EG. All seniors are being welcomed at Fishers on Sunday 5th May for an exciting day of family fun – from ‘serene’ to ‘extreme’… there’s an experience for everyone! Special ‘Tractor Display’, plus the Saddle Rooms Restaurant will be delivering some delicious home-cooked meals. Details (01403) 700063 or www.fishersfarmpark.co.uk UK Premiere: Requiem – for the victims of Nazi persecution by Ståle Kleiberg. All Saints Church, Hove. 7.30pm. Sinfonia of Arun. Ticket info email www.brightonfringe.org or call Brighton Fringe Box Office: (01273) 917272

Village Tweet will publish details of local events in the What’s On section. Please email brief details to editor@villagetweet.co.uk together with contact or website details

Editorial and advertising enquiries: 07762 767084, editor@villagetweet.co.uk

Food and drink / Advertisers Index

thai restaurant

by thanapaisit

Delicious Thai cuisine prepared with finest locally sourced ingredients

Please view our menu online: www.thechefthaicuisine.co.uk Eat in or take-away

Lunch 12.00am - 2.30pm

Dinner 6.00pm -10.30pm

TEL: 01403 786128 MOBILE: 07825 517439 9 JENGERS MEAD, BILLINGSHURST, WEST SUSSEX RH14 9PB

ADVERTISERS INDEX April 2013 A-Team Mechanics............................39 ADC Appliances ................................18 All About Kitchens.............................25 AM Beauty Clinic.................................9 Andrew Gale Tree Surgery................33 Apex Aerials ......................................19 Appaloosa Upholstery.......................18 AR Garden & Tree Care....................35 ATG Property Solutions.....................18 Austens Home Hardware ..................21 Bax Computers .................................40 Billingshurst Bowling Club.................12 Billingshurst Community & Conference Centre........................43 Billingshurst Osteopaths ...................13 Bobtails Montessori Nursery.............29 Brazier Building Solutions .................25 British Airwaves Productions, Jimmy Jemain (Cliff Richard) and The Fabulous Shadows.................15 Care Comfort Company ......................8 Catherine’s Pet Services...................38 Clayton-Turner Trees & Gardens.......35 Cleansing Service Group ..................19 Cracknell Pit-Draffen, Estate Agent .........................................OBC Davis Foot Care ................................13 Delta Decor .......................................25 DI Garden Services...........................32

Euroll UK, roller garage doors...........27 Fishers Farm Park.............................31 Fowlers, Estate Agent .........................3 GJ Coles, Builder ..............................20 Goring Road Carpet Centre..............23 Gozone Care.....................................13 Greenleas Homeopathy ....................10 Hallam Trim, Window Cleaning .........25 Hamilton Cole TV & Satellite Equipment .....................................20 Holly Boilers ......................................25 Icebreakers, singles dining club........12 Jef Wilson, Decorator........................17 John Potter Garden Work..................35 Jonathan Carter Tree Surgery...........34 KB Private Hire....................................6 Kelmscott Farm, riding instructor & equine agent..............................31 Lesley Hawker Sports Massage Therapy .........................................14 Little Russets Nursery.......................29 LRG Carpentry & Building Services ........................................18 Mac’s Private Hire .............................42 Mark Hedges Garden Services.........37 Meraki Hairdressing ............................8 Miss Mop Domestic Cleaning ...........19 Monsoon Indian Restaurant................7 Odd Job.............................................19

One Stop Computer Store ................41 Oven Rescue ....................................27 Oven Revival Company.....................24 Pest B Off..........................................20 Pest Man ...........................................22 Peter Ireland Landscapes .................37 Piggin Good, Hog Roasts ...................6 Queens Head Pub ..............................5 Ray Deefholts Guitar Tuition .............42 REM Landscapes..............................35 Re-Nu Kitchens .................................17 Rosemary Conley Dieting .................11 Solar Flare Yoga classes.....................8 Southwater Cycles ............................38 Sumners Ponds...............................IBC Sussex & Surrey Tree Services.........37 Sussex Towing Brackets....................39 TechGeek, IT & Computers...............40 The Chef Thai Restaurant.................46 The Hungry Guest Café......................4 Tip Top Tutors....................................29 Vertus Building Management ............17 Village Nurseries...............................34 Virtual PA/Secretary ..........................31 West Sussex Interiors .......................17 Willows Cattery .................................38 Wisborough Green Farmers’ & Village Market .................................6

We will not be beaten on fee & customer service standards so please call now for advice on moving.

Scan this QR Code using your smart phone app to link straight to our website for more information.

01403 780300 info@cracknellpitt-draffen.com www.cracknellpitt-draffen.com