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Fête Nationale du 14 Juillet On July 14th the French celebrate their
‘National day’ or known by the British as Bastille day. Our commune of
about 200 people will celebrate the event with a repas (meal) on the football field or in the local village hall. This event is
paid for by the mayor with a traditional meal of sardines, bread, paté,
bayonne ham, cheese, wine, water and an ice-cream to finish off. As we come to our second anniversary here I remember the first time we
went to this event just two days after making our home here.
We were made very welcome, given glasses of Pineau des Charente
which is an aperitif made from cognac and grape juice and home produced by
almost everybody in this area. It varies in strength and can be quite
lethal. One of the conditions of the meal was to take your own knife and
fork which we had forgotten but they managed to find some spare cutlery.
The meal was plain and hearty but there was plenty to go around. After the meal I wanted a beer and went up to the empty bar area to buy
one but was told that all the drink, soft and alcoholic, was free. There
were no scrabbling hordes clamouring for it, it seems to be part of the
French culture not to binge drink. The evening started with a salvo from a cannon and ended with a dance and
a firework display, the flags fly on the war memorial and a good time is
had by all. We are hoping that this year we will be able to converse a bit
more with the locals as our French language skills have improved, albeit
slowly and we will be taking a bottle of Pineau (bought, not home
produced) with us to share with our new friends and neighbours. bonne journée John
& Jenny Unwin, Feuillade, France
All the Fun of the Fete
British Legion Women’s Section After
60 years forming the ladies’ section, owing to not getting any more
ladies to join, it was decided to close our branch. Our standard has been
put in church. Thanks to all concerned. A Boswell The Wednesday Club On April 26th, our leader, Lynne, had a stand at the
Sixfields car boot sale, which raised £93.95 for our funds, a very good
result. On May 21st, we had a very interesting talk given by Mrs Basford on the
work she does for the owl population around the county. Mrs Basford
brought two owls with her. The 14 year old male was very polite and slept
most of the time but the young female was restless and turned her back to
us. Very amusing. Three new members came today, Mrs Pat Archer, Mrs Ruby
Coles and Mrs Rene Alexander. A warm welcome to all three. On July 2nd, we welcomed new member Mrs Helen Gaskill. Mrs
D M French Ballroom and
Latin Dancing Lessons and social dancing
starts on Wednesday September 3rd at Bugbrooke Community Centre, 7–10pm.
For more details, ring Gill on
01604 878983 or see the website www.danceandfitness.co.uk
OAP Christmas Gift Scheme It was decided unanimously at our A.G.M. that the
scheme should continue after the death of our chairman, Bruce Piper. With
the support and encouragement of the committee, it was agreed that I
(Judith Piper), should become chairman. We have had our first fund raising event of the year, which was the
Trivial Pursuit Evening. Luckily, Bruce, being the meticulous person that
he was, had left all the rules and instructions of the game. It was a most
enjoyable evening, although his presence was greatly missed. We achieved a
profit of almost £240, which was remarkable for an in house event. We are now planning our Annual Wine Tasting Evening for Friday, 10th
October, at the Community Centre. This will be a tasting of wines from The
Wine Society – another legacy from Bruce! You will find in this copy of LINK, an application form for any resident
of Bugbrooke, over the age of 65 years, to apply for the £9 gift voucher
to be spent at local shops or pubs. Applications must be received by 31st
October 2008. They may be sent to the Post Office, Cherrenee, or to any
member of the committee whose name is on the application form. Judith Piper,
(Chairman)
Macmillan Cancer Support. Once again we will be having Cream Teas in the garden
at Orchard House. DATE Sunday 14th September. Put
the date in your diary and watch for posters. Veronica Chambers Carvery Luncheon Sunday, 10th August
12.30pm for 1pm Some years ago we used to host an annual summer party known as the
Carvery at The Byre in Church Lane. This year we are planning a revival on
Sunday, 10th August at Home Farm, Church Lane. While the event
traditionally serves a Conservative purpose, all are welcome to enjoy a
pleasant family occasion. In previous years we have been fortunate to
enjoy sunny weather and if our luck continues we would encourage you to
bring comfy seating to enjoy the sunshine. Tickets will be £12.50 and will include lunch and wine. Raffle tickets
will be on sale on the day. For tickets or more information on how to get involved contact Kaye Adams
on 01604 832850 or Graham Smith on 01327 340135. Cheques should be made
payable to DCCA Heyford Branch. Some car parking will be available in the paddock at the back of the
house. We look forward to seeing all those friends who
supported us before and many more new ones. Kaye Adams Bugbrooke Flower Society The Plant Sale was a busy afternoon, and a successful
one yet again. Surplus plants were given to Heyford Village Fete,
Kislingbury Village Fayre and Bugbrooke Church Fete. On July 28th Jo Williams should have demonstrated "My Favourite
Things" at Nether Heyford Village Hall. Some years ago the Society applied for tickets to visit H.R.H. The Prince
of Wales garden at Highgrove. We have just received our invitation for
later this month, and at the June meeting a ballot of members was held, to
fill the very limited number of places. For details of future meeting see the Diary in LINK. Veronica
Chambers The Old Dairy Farm at Upper Stowe The Farm is home to a new yarn store – ‘The Naked
Sheep’. Natural yarns from local alpaca and sheep are a speciality but
there is also a range of commercial yarns and patterns available. New
summer designs from Sublime, Filatura di Crosa and Sirdar ranges are in
stock. Experienced knitters and learners are all welcome to come and
view the yarns and accessories and discuss projects with owner, Mia
Harrison. It is hoped to run workshops in the future and individual
tuition is already available. On Wednesday 2nd July a Knit and Natter
coffee morning took place between 10.30am and noon. Future meetings will
take place on the first Wednesday of the month. For more information contact Mia on 01327 342035
or Mary on 01327 352505. Mary Brind-Surch
Upper Nene Villages 3rd Age Group –
Bugbrooke U3A Please note there will not be a meeting in August Monday 15th September
– Anita Smith MBE, ‘Bansang Hospital, The Gambia’ Anita and her family spent a holiday in the Gambia in
1992 and were appalled by the inadequacies of the Gambian medical system.
Since that time she has founded the Bansang Hospital Appeal and has
worked tirelessly to help the Gambian people receive the medical
equipment, drugs, vaccinations, dressings etc (the list is endless) which
was and still is, so desperately needed. The Bansang Hospital is situated
deep in the African Bush and is responsible for the healthcare needs of
some 600,000 Gambians. Anita
visits the hosital four/five times a year. The amount of help and work Anita has performed for this hospital would
fill a book and, I have to say, reading the information on the website
takes ones' breath away. I am sure Anita will be an interesting speaker on
a subject which is so close to her heart.
Those who have access to the internet may like to visit the
Appeal's website: www.bansanghospitalappeal.com. Meetings are open to non-members and take place at Bugbrooke Community
Centre, Camp Hill, Bugbrooke on the 3rd Monday of each month at 2.30 p.m. Special Interest Groups: Appreciating
Poetry, Art Group, Literature Club, Book Exchange, Bridge,
Collectors Club, Cook and Eat, French (Intermediate), French Beginners,
Spanish Beginners, German (Intermediate), Music Appreciation + History of
Music, Scrabble, Snooker, Theatre, Writing Family History. For further
information contact Fay Maddern 01327 352401
Bugbrooke St Michael’s FC The AGM took place on May 14th at which a committee was
elected for the forthcoming year. This comprised of John Curtis
(president), Glen Moore (chairman), Bill Preston (vice-chairman), Sharon
McGowan (secretary), Willy Marriott (treasurer), Dave Sharp (general
manager), Teresa Garlick (premises manager) and Charlie Hawkey (child
protection officer). The committee then elected the senior managers for
next year’s teams. These were Adam Turnbull (first team), Neil McGowan
(reserves), Paul Field (A side), Kevin Gardner and John Bass (B side) and
Matthew Clark (under 18s). The exchange visit by Vöhl FC proceeded well between May 20th and 25th
and thanks to all those at the club who worked hard to ensure the visitors
had a good time. The club has been invited back to Germany next year and
suggestions were made by senior members of their group that, after 25
years of friendship, we ought to consider a twinning association with Vöhl. The club will be hosting a number of events during the summer in
conjunction with the Northants FA. There will be an under 8s day on June
14th and an under 18s county get together in July. On August Bank Holiday
weekend, the club will be hosting a youth and mini-soccer seven-a-side
tournament. Warm up matches begin at the end of July with UCL fixtures starting in
mid August and CNC fixtures at the end of August. Following last year’s
successful progress on the football front everyone is looking forward to
all senior teams pushing for promotion and top league positions. The youth teams will restart in September and will be looking forward to
another season of success and improvement. The club has been honoured by the United Counties League by being made
winners of their Fair Play award and Hospitality award. The club received
£500 for these achievements and they are a feather in the club’s cap.
They indicate the regard in which the club is held by the highest league
in the county and is a tribute to all the people at Bugbrooke St
Michael’s FC who work hard to maintain the traditions of the sport. A memorial game for former premises manager Trevor Horsley was held
between the A and B sides on May 17th. The trophy was presented by Jenny
Horsley and funds were given to charity. The trophy will be played for
annually on cup final day. John Curtis
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