The Youth Club are going on an outing tonight to see the Lion King panto at the Watermill Theatre in Newbury.  Pete W and Tim S are in charge of the expedition and the  kids will have a great evening out.

Your webmaster has re-organised the navigation bar (the list of pages to the left of every page) so that it is now more logical.  It is now in alphabetical order, so hopefully you can find your way around more easily.

The webmaster has been very remiss in not reporting the power cut last week.  The entire village suffered a massive power cut in the early evening which lasted for hours, and was wonderful.  The pub was lit with candles and Davy lamps, and a fantastic evening was had by all.  And in the webmaster's household, there was no Playstation or TV (whoopee!), and the kids all sat down and played Monopoly by candlelight.  Fantastic!

It's been a rough time on the roads for deer between Chilton Foliat and the Ramsbury turning.  Yesterday there were two dead deer by the roadside, and yesterday evening, the webmaster was driving back from Ramsbury in the early evening, and a deer ran out in front of the car in front.  If you're squeamish, don't read the next bit.  There were piles of steaming guts on the road, and later on the Police brought a van to take away the remains from the middle of the road. Yes, there could be lots of puns here (like deer, deer, etc), but as this is a tasteful gossip column, the webmaster will refrain from writing them.

You might like to know that two Tree collection points have been confirmed so far in Ramsbury (New Surgery) and Marlborough (George Lane Car park). Please note that this is for your old Christmas trees, and not the trees in your garden that you don't like, which are subject to Tree Preservation Orders anyway since the village is a conservation area.  So if you were thinking of cutting down your tress, and recycling them in the council-provided amenity, just don't think about it! 

It's possible the school will be collecting old Christmas Cards in January too.  The webmaster would advise against this admirable exercise, since his computer was wiped in February, and he lost his entire Christmas Card list (it wasn't very big, mind you).  The only way he had of resuscitating addresses was to look at last year's (saved) Christmas cards.  Maybe you can give the year before last's Christmas cards to the collection.  This is what the webmaster will be doing.  

Speaking of Christmas, the webmaster forgot to mention that last week the village had snow. Not much. But it was real snow. The village looked gorgeous.  

And the pub's quiz night on Wednesdays seems to be increasingly popular. The webmaster does not join in (Bah! Humbug! - Ed.), but most of the rest of the village enjoys it immensely.

But off the soap-box, and back to village life. yesterday was certainly an animal and bird day in the village. But then, what day isn't? The Canada geese, swans, pheasant, red kites and deer make sure of that.  Not to mention the trout, but then they don't get much of a look-in above the water level.  But yesterday, there was mayhem when a young Alsatian (OK, German Shepherd, if you like) escaped from its new home in Stag Hill. It took 50 villagers and friends combing the village, and they finally found it today.  Your webmaster is just glad he did not come face to face with it when it was hungry. He's had some scary experiences with Alsatians in the past.

But then, to cap it all, Chilton Foliat gridlock happened almost opposite the pub later in the afternoon. A passing motorist stopped because she saw a cygnet (OK, a young swan) hanging about in the bus shelter.  Now, normally it's teenagers who do this, so she was taken aback.  Nothing wrong with teenagers doing it, by the way - it's probably more comfortable than the skateboard park.  Anyway, she took pity on the poor bird, obviously outside its accustomed surroundings, and stopped to rescue it. Mayhem ensued.  There were several near-misses as impatient motorists tried to squeeze through impossible gaps.  Just what is driving these crazy people, anyway? And the cygnet, having been shoo-ed into a neighbour's drive, decided the gravel was just so comfortable that it settled down with the apparent intention of staying.  The webmaster had to leave, and so was not privy to what happened then.  But either the cygnet was freed down to the river, or a certain village campanologist enjoyed a rather unexpected roast supper! The mystery thickens....

Last night, the first snow of the year came to the village, leaving a beautiful dusting of white everywhere.  Needless to say, it is very cold, and the webmaster has donned his thermals.

On Wednesday the pub had a quiz night, which was well attended by villagers. 

There's a new bulletin from Neighbourhood Watch. Click here to read it.

The first news to report is very sad.  Rosie Alcock died on Sunday night, aged 60.  Rosie had been ill for some time, and was surrounded by her family when she passed away.  Rosie was a lovely person, and a personal friend of the webmaster, and so the webmaster's condolences (and those of many other family friends and villagers) are heartfelt.  Rosie leaves behind her husband, Robert, and her three children, who will miss her and remember her with great fondness.

On a happier note, Chilton Chicks has a new program, which is posted here.  Click here to see it. Anyone with toddlers should have a look at this - it's run by the very able Amanda Weller.

The minutes of the last Parish Council meeting are now up.  Click here to see them.  As are the minutes of the last village hall meeting. Click here.

The following has been received from a villager:

Over the last 4 weeks my wife and I have been subjected to a series of incidents involving Criminal Damage in this little village of Chilton Foliat. We live in a small mews (Kennet Place) My wife has had her car keyed at a repair cost of £300.00 plus. My car has also been keyed at a repair cost of £300.00. Last weekend we spent away in Lynmouth (yes a very nice weekend), and on our return to the village we found the headlight of my car kicked and broken, outside our house. The damage has all occurred outside our home, and yes, we do get the feeling of being victimised as no other damage is being caused. Anyone with any information please contact Marlborough Police. We would appear to have a vandal in the village.

The diary has been updated. Click here.

Chilton Foliat Village Hall Management Committee Urgently Need A Volunteer to become Maintenance Officer / Caretaker for The Village Hall.  The preferred person would be an able-bodied retired person and be a village resident, although this is not crucial. For full details what is required please come along to the village hall on Thursday 17th November 2005 at 8pm for an informal chat. Alternatively, contact the secretary on 01488 681334. Please remember this is your village hall and it needs looking after! Click here for more info.

I'm not sure if anyone has requested this but it might be a kind gesture to thank Nick and Tracey publicly for the huge effort made on their part since their takeover of the pub. Not only have they redecorated the place and given it a much needed face lift but they have also produced a pleasant, welcoming atmosphere that had been definitely lacking of late. It is great to see so many locals using the pub once again and I would also like to thank Nick for the purchase and installation of the smoke filters (at his own expense). The difference made has been immediate and remarkable.

May we wish them all the best for the future.

Keep this philosophy in mind the next time you either hear or are about to repeat a rumour first heard in the pub......

In ancient Greece, Socrates (469 - 399 BC) was widely lauded for his wisdom.  One day the great philosopher came upon an acquaintance who ran up to him excitedly and said "Socrates, do you know what I just heard about one of your students?". "Wait a moment," Socrates replied. "Before you tell me I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Triple Filter Test."

"Triple filter?"

"That's right," Socrates continued.

"Before you talk to me about my student let's take a moment to filter what you're going to say. The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?". "No," the man said, "actually I just heard about it."

"All right," said Socrates. "So you don't really know if it's true or not. Now let's try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my student something good?". "No, on the contrary .."

"So," Socrates continued, "you want to tell me something bad about him, even though you're not certain it's true?". The man shrugged, a little embarrassed. Socrates continued.

"You may still pass the test though, because there is a third filter - the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my student going to be useful to me?". "No, not really ..."

"Well," concluded Socrates , "if what you want to tell me is neither True nor Good nor even Useful, why tell it to me at all?"

The man was defeated and ashamed.

This is the reason Socrates was a great and held in such high esteem. It also explains why he never found out that Plato was shagging his wife!

What has the village hall sub sub sub committee got to do with the dead pheasants in the rec?  It's a parish council matter. But don't wait for them to do anything about it. Most of them snuffed it a long time ago. Ho ho ho!

It has been reported a customer of the local Somerfield store in our neighbouring town, Hungerford, has won a £3,000 holiday just by having his swipe card read whilst shopping.  Great news!  Which gives the webmaster an idea.  Why not set up a toll at either end of the village for non-residents, and issue swipe cards that represent a monthly fee (rather like the London Congestion Charge).  The village could then have a prize draw every month for swipe card holders, and give the lucky winner a £3,000 holiday.  This would bring many benefits, including traffic calming, providing much-needed revenue for the village, and going along with the government's apparent desire to flood the country with gambling.

Speed camera signs have appeared at the entrances to the village, in an effort to deter speeding through the village.  Of course, as any motorist knows, the trick is to spot exactly where the speed cameras are located.  Locals may have had difficulty spotting them, and may in fact be tempted to ask where they are, if indeed they exist.  The webmaster knows the answer, but, in the public interest, will not divulge it.  So, the message is, keep your speed down through the village, avoid a fine, and don't contribute to any sudden decline in the village's population!

Speaking of lunatic motorists, your webmaster was nearly an ex-webmaster on Tuesday evening at 6.20pm.  Driving sedately along in his ancient Merc estate (the kids hate it and desperately want him to get a new one - his view is there's nothing wrong with the old one, and besides, are they going to pay for the new one?), he had just turned the Littlecote turning goign towards Hungerford, to see 3 pairs of headlights coming towards him at speed.  Two of them did not alarm him, as they were on the correct side of the road, but the third one did.  It was on his side of the road, coming straight at him at probably about 80mph. Not wishing to end up as roadkill, his only option was to drive up the kerb to avoid the idiot trying to kill him.  This tactic worked, but his front tyre did not appreciate it. The impact blew the tyre, meaning that his little trip into Hungerford for petrol had to be postponed. The webmaster is getting a bit uncomfortable about driving now, especially since the following day, taking one of his kids to school in Ramsbury, he turned the corner just before the Ramsbury turning, to see a large BMW coming straight at him, at speed, on his side.  Again.  This potential accident was avoided by some very quick braking, as was the next incident on his way back when someone was overtaking a tractor coming at him.  This is understandable in the country, and we all expect it, but the overtaking car must have had no engine, as the driver was hardly going faster than the tractor, forcing the webmaster to brake hard yet again.  Three near head-ons in less than 24 hours must be something of a record.  Unfortunately for all readers of this column, the webmaster survived to write yet more drivel!

Littlecote House was the host to celeb Paul Burrell, who stayed for the weekend, entertaining guests with his tales of close contact with royalty. Of course, this made the tabloids, with the Sun newspaper criticising the event as exploitative (no, they probably did not use that word - it has more than one syllable). Apparently Mr Burrell refused to be photographed by our esteemed local organ, the Newbury Weekly News, but was happy to be photographed with guests for £5 a pop.  It seems a pity that the NWN could not run to a fiver to snap Mr B, but then again, as we all know, expenses are tight these days. And it also seems strange that a noted celeb like Mr B was not willing to get some more press coverage by having his mug-shot snapped.  After all, this seems to be how he has promoted his book extensively to date.  What's he got against the NWN?  But you'll be pleased to know that the management at Littlecote has not been put off by criticism in the Sun. Ms Leah Grayson (referred to as the spokesman in the NWN - mishtaken gender, shurely - ed),  said that Littlecote plans to hold a similar weekend next year with Mr B, or someone with a "similar personality". What constitutes a similar personality, we're not quite sure, but there must be plenty of locals who would be pleased to appear for a small fee, especially after a few pints of beer. Step forward Pete F!

There was great consternation that a red-tailed hawk had escaped from Littlecote, where it is one of the birds of prey housed there. It was lost on 9th October, and a notice was posted on this web site asking villagers to keep their eyes peeled. It was found by a couple of Littlecote residents on the 20th October, but it had been out of captivity for too long, and died of a heart attack overnight.  Attempts were made to revive it, but sadly they failed. The webmaster has to add that giving mouth to mouth resuscitation to a red-tailed hawk (or any hawk for that matter) sounds extremely hazardous!

The geese appear to have gone back to Canada for the winter, as there are none to be seen anymore on the river. This is great news for villagers living near the river, as they will now be able to get a bit of sleep.  Those red eyes some of us have noticed were nothing to do with long sessions in the pub, but were caused by the geese making so much noise and disturbing sleep.  There is a theory that the geese learnt to read and found out about the proposition posted here to arm the Youth Club with catapults and have a cull.

The pub has been much livelier recently, and this has coincided with the arrival of our new landlords, Nick and Racey (AKA Tracey). It's brighter, and has a very pleasant atmosphere.  A number of villagers who had not been seen in the pub for so long that they could have been considered extinct, have been spotted there, quite a few more than once. New smoke extractors have been fitted in the bar response to popular demand, and this has certainly had a beneficial effect on the atmosphere.  In fact, one of them is directly above where the webmaster normally sits.  Could this be strategic positioning?  However, there is one potential downfall with the smoke extractors. Because the ceiling is low (as one would expect), the extractors could pose a hazard to innocent toupee wearers who visit. Perhaps the Parish Council could post a warning to such people that their top-knots could end up being flung over the other side of the village by the extractors.  And the Recreation Ground committee should probably post a warning that stray toupees might pose a health hazard at the Rec. Still, they could be used to fill a few rabbit holes and make the cricket pitch a bit more even.

There was a funeral a couple of Thursdays ago in the village church.  Unfortunately the webmaster does not know the lady's name, but does know that she lived in the charming Square in the village.

The antiques evening on 7th October was most enjoyable.  Mark Law of Law Fine Art presided over a very well thought-out quiz.  Attendees has to guess the age, country of origin, and value of a number of pieces brought along by Mark.  The answers, when read out, were fascinating, and the webmaster was way out in most of his valuations.  For instance, he had no idea that the Staffordshire coffee pot (one of the exhibits) was worth a staggering £12,000!  In fact, he was in the majority, because nobody guessed the value of this item.  All present brought along a couple of items that Mark valued, and there was an interesting and very varied selection of items.  The webmaster was ticked off by a certain lady of the village for photographing various items without the owners' permission.  He was nonplussed by this criticism and was going to publish (here) and be damned anyway.  But unfortunately his cunning plan backfired as he erased all the pictures from his camera in error.  There was a reasonable turnout of villagers (many more than the normal two or three who come along to these events), and everyone had a lovely evening accompanied by a huge amount of cheese and wine.

Vicky and Stuart's wedding photos are finally here - not their fault, but the delay is down to the wonders of modern technology and communication.  The wedding was held at the lovely Bedwyn church, with a reception at Littlecote house.  It all looks fabulous! Click here to see the pictures. 

Next on the agenda was a discussion about what went right and what went wrong in this year's fete.  Nobody complained about a thing, and many people were very complimentary about all aspects of the fete.  There were lots of good suggestions for next year's fete (on June 3rd 2006), which will be published on this site in due course.  

The posts of chair and treasurer both came up for review and, despite their attempts to coerce other volunteers to do the jobs, the existing chair and treasurer were unanimously re-elected.  As for last year, the committee is very small, with the chair and treasurer being joined by the very capable Amanda Weller, who also runs Chilton Chicks (the toddler group). There was an attempt to have a larger committee, but a) nobody volunteered and b) the chair threatened to resign forthwith if he had to attend any boring committee meetings. So the committee is made up of three people - an increase of 50% on last year's committee! If anyone wants to help on an unofficial basis, please contact the chair. As many hands as possible are needed on the day!

New Neighbourhood Watch info for everyone to read. Click here.

The next event which promises to be fun is the antiques valuation evening at 7pm on 7th October at the village hall.  Once again, Mark Law is presiding, and you're invited to come along with your antiques, and have them valued for free whilst enjoying a glass of wine and cheese.  See you there!

Things are certainly moving on in the village. From furious rehearsal activity by performers in the forthcoming pantomime, to the webmaster being spotted languishing in pubs in Newbury. The former doesn’t not warrant further comment at this stage whilst however, the latter does. Albeit, it was for a short period of time last Saturday evening before realizing that he did not have a late pass from his good lady back home and also that he had forgotten his key to the main gates to the village enabling him to open them and sneak back in at some un-earthly hour of Saturday morning. This was not the case with some other village members who managed it quite easily.

The Youth Club it due to kick-off again in the Hall with the emergence of a new helper, namely Tim P, who has been willing to offer his services to help manage the odd evening. He was told to make sure that he had taken his Prozac before attending. (This doesn’t stop the YC members from being any less boisterous but it stops him from caring about it)

On another point, someone big and brave needs to tell Alan R that black socks do not really go with shorts and loafers and to adjust his dress accordingly. (white socks at least or none at all will do). This being said he does support Man U !!!

Whilst in the pub on Sunday evening to wish our out-going landlord and landlady all the best, it seems that they disappeared when it was time for some members of the public to go home. If Nick and Lynn are reading this at some point in the future then we are sorry we missed you on Sunday but we wish you well nevertheless.

Can the YC committee also purchase another golf kit bag as the current one is rapidly falling into a state of dis-repair. They’re not expensive.

On a safety note, it seems that the number of cars parked on the left just over the brow of the hill has risen and is causing drivers' views to be obstructed when heading Northwards. Could the owners try and be a bit more careful as it doesn’t seem that all the cars parked there are owned and driven the house-holders in The Groves – at least one of them should be in Whitelocks Piece. At the last count there were 11 parked there.

Name and address of contributor withheld for fear of reprisals.

After leaving Littlecote, many of the guests retired to the pub, where Nick and Lynne had a BBQ to mark their departure from the village. A fun time was had by all, and the webmaster's can't quite remember what time the last guests left!

Correction. Apparently, the incoming pub managers' child is 5, not 8, as previously stated. Apologies all round (Shouldn't that be drinks all round? Ed.).

The Youth Club had its final evening cricket game of the season last night at the Rec.  Bad light finally stopped play at about 8.20pm, because not only could the Youth Club chairman no longer see the ball, but it was so dark he had difficulty seeing the children. He called a halt because he was worried about a cricket ball he could not see colliding with a child he could not see either. 

The Hall is having its new heating system installed, and this will make a considerable difference both to users (who will be more comfortable) as well as the fabric of the building, which will now be kept properly dry.  

The webmaster had a weird experience this morning.  If you go into forum, you'll see that a randomly produced security code is generated, which changes every time you post a comment.  The one assigned to the webmaster the last time he posted a comment was CF666. If you can't work out why that is spooky, post your comment on the forum, and all will be explained.

A goose cull has been proposed by certain degenerate elements in the village.  No fewer than 200 Canada Geese were counted just yesterday on the river.  And the noise they make is astounding.  In addition, they gorge themselves on the grain in the fields, and are classified as a pest anyway. Now, the village has nothing against Canada.  Apparently it's a lovely country.  But it would be great if the Canadians could keep their geese.  On the plus side, a local roofer says that the meat is delicious, but that they're not easy to dress (or undress for those not versed in this terminology). 

Brian and Eileen Keen have lived in the village for well over 20 years, probably more like 27 years, and have put their house on the market. They intend to go in December sometime, and will be moving to the Isle of Wigit (as Brian calls it), the home of Eileen's family. Brian and Eileen have done a tremendous amount in the village during their time here, including significant contributions to the Parish Council and the Village Hall. All of it unpaid.  They will leave a major gap in the village.

Nick and Lynne at the Wheatsheaf are also off, and will be taking a break from the 24/7 business of running a pub.  We're sure we will see them back here from time to time.

Pete W hit some spectacular 6s, and Tim S, Charlie and Stu hit some very good balls.  There was some excellent batting, despite the wicket's best attempts to throw the ball in just about every direction possible.  The webmaster disgraced himself by not only scoring the lowest number of runs, but also by being bowled out twice by one of his sons, Louis, and dropping a catch (his excuse was that it was coming at a pace from about 40 feet up, and there was no way he was arguing with that). Some of the bowlers bowled very good spins, and others were helped considerably by an old molehill on the off-side. Amazingly, nobody was crippled by twisting their ankles on one of the many mole and rabbit holes.

The final scores, after two innings, were: Pete W, 47; Tim S, 45; Charlie, 33; Stu, 28; Louis, 19; Pete H, 13; Glen, 10; Tim P, 9; Graeme, 6; Nick, 1.

There are calls for another game on Saturday, so watch this space.

Welcome to the village Lisa and Oliver, who moved in yesterday. They bring with them two cats (upping the village's total by one in net terms - see below), and their two goldfish.  Lisa is expecting a child in March, so they are already doing their bit to increase the village's population. We wish them well.

Sad news to report.  One of the webmaster's son's (Felix's) cat died this morning, completely unexpectedly.  She was only 4, and was found dead on one of the beds in the house.  A small burial service was held, and flowers placed on her body.  RIP Marissa.

Correction. In the entry about the WI being on telly, I was fed some slightly incorrect information.  The program is actually called 'Jerusalem, anthem for England', and not 'Jerusalem a Theme for England' as previously stated.  Apparently the Chilton Foliat WI was specially selected by the BBC.

Further to yesterday's entry, it should be recorded that the funeral referred to was that of the much-loved and well-known Harry Dodson, who died aged 85 on 26 July 2005.  Harry was the head gardener at Chilton Park, owned by the Ward family, for many years.  He featured in the very popular television series, The Victorian Kitchen Garden, filmed in the walled garden and Chilton Park.  If you'd like to read a very good resumé of Harry's life, click here.

An excellent and very lengthy history of our village is available by clicking here.  Thanks to Nick F for finding this one. If you want to know anything about the village's history, this is the place to go.  Very thorough and well-researched. When you learn that the body text alone contains over 16,000 words, you'll have an idea of how much information can be found there. It's well worth a look, so click here to see it all.

If you'd like to meet your local Bobby (the webmaster promises you he's a very nice chap), be at the village hall at 7pm-8pm on 13th September, where he's holding a police surgery.  you're welcome to discuss any concerns, or any other matter, at the meeting.  Do come along.

A very positive meeting was held last night of the Recreation Ground Committee, a sub-committee of the parish council chaired by Jim Hynes. It addressed various issues surrounding the Rec, and everything was apparently resolved to everyone's satisfaction.  The webmaster was particularly intrigued to learn that recent legislation has ruled that rabbit holes could constitute a danger to Rec users, and so a sign will be erected saying that the Rec contains uneven ground.  The webmaster was under the impression that we all live in the country, as do rabbits, and one of the things rabbits do is dig holes.  It could have been suggested that the Rec committee has a word with the rabbits, and asks them to mend their ways.  But, in the webmaster's humble opinion, the rabbits are an unruly bunch and are unlikely to listen to such advice.  Oh well, it's a sign of the times we live in that signs have to be erected to warn people about rabbits and their everyday activities.

Another comment further to yesterday's entry.  The pub has sadly had to cancel the Turnip Prize. Even though he can't stand turnips, the webmaster thought it was a great idea, and hopefully it will be revived at some point in the future.

There's talk of a kids versus adults football match later on in the year.  With a difference.  The kids will be wearing standard football kit, but the adults will be handicapped by wearing skirts, welly boots, and even floppy women's' hats.  Will anyone who wants to take part in this very silly event please email the webmaster?

Anyone interested in web stats may like to know that traffic peaked in June with an average of 67 people a day visiting our web site.  July was slightly less, with 59 a day on average.  August has dropped sharply to just 35 a day.  This is a combination of people being on holiday, and probably because the webmaster has not bothered to update anything since mid-July. We'll keep you posted on the final August figure, as well as future ones. (Yawn. That's enough - Ed).

So what's happened in the village since 20 July?  Well, it's obvious that the long-awaited Vulcan Bomber has still not appeared. The webmaster is still 50, and, contrary to many reports, is still alive.

Well-known local, Terry 'The Pipe', his long-lost daughter and grandson made it to the front page of our local paper, the Newbury Weekly News, last week. It's a moving story, and remember, you read it here first!

A local resident thought they'd lost their dustbin, but then found it again in exactly the same place that it was left. Shame on you, Mr O. 

There have been 2 weddings and a funeral in the village since the last diary entries.  And two well-known villagers, Vicky H and Stuart R, had a wonderful wedding over in Bedwyn, followed by a fantastic-sounding honeymoon in the Far East and the Maldives.  Hopefully pics will be available soon (of the wedding, that is, not the honeymoon - this is a family website). There was some debate on the surname.  Would it be Henderson-Rolfe, Rolfe-Henderson, or Henderson and Rolfe.  Apparently it's been settled in the traditional way as the happy couple being known as Mr & Mrs Rolfe. We wish them well for a long and happy marriage. As the vicar might have been overheard saying: "Do you take this man/woman to be your wedded husband/wife for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health, watching football on the telly or not, in the pub or at home, winning the meat draw or losing it?".  We're fairly certain what the answers would have been, but you can make your own guesses!

The Wheatsheaf Pub is hosting The Turnip Prize (think Turner Prize) for weird and wonderful artistic endeavours on August 29th.  Sounds great fun - go on, put your entry in!  Hopefully there'll be a good turnout.  The webmaster's thinking about what he can enter - apart from himself. He might, of course, enter his portakabin.  For more details of how to enter, click here.

Local WI ladies will be on the telly on September 8th on BBC 4 at 9pm and will be repeated on Saturday 10th September at 10 or 10:30pm following the last night of the proms. Apparently, the program is called 'Jerusalem a Theme for England'. Should be worth watching to see their outfits and hats, and to hear them sing. 

Some newcomers are arriving soon in the village, Lisa and Oliver Bond, along with their cats and, so we're assured, their 2 goldfish.  It's unlikely that they'll be taking their goldfish for walks to join the dog-owners twice a day, but you never know!  They sound very outgoing, and so we all look forward to being bought a drink in the pub by them - after all, that is the tradition.  Isn't it? Like the rest of us, they'll need a drink after living here for a while!

If recent