Netherfield

It will be situated on a field which adjoins the top end of the Darvel Down estate . In accordance with Government rules on housing the development will incorporate a certain number of social houses among the other saleable homes. Rother District Council and Amicus Horizon are part of the consortium which are putting forward this initiative. This has caused concern among the residents who believe this may put too much added weight onto acceptance rather than checking to see that it meets the requirements of the Rother Core Strategy.

Mountfield Village Hall Cinema Club: “A United Kingdom” starring David Oyelowo and Rosamund Pike is the latest blockbuster to be shown at the Mountfield Village Hall on Friday 19 May 2017. A beautifully dramatised true story of a love that shook an empire. This is the final film showing for this season so don’t miss. As usual a £5 donation is asked towards the upkeep of the hall per person and complimentary refreshments are available.

The next season starts in October and the Hall Committee wish everyone a happy and healthy summer and thank you all for your support.

Reflections on a garden: The summer is beginning to take hold. You could say it always does at this time of year. Touche! Shrubs such as weigela begin to bloom and make the garden a picture of pinks and subtle reds. Their tube-like flowers cover the bush in a density that defies belief as it enriches a corner of our garden which is exposed to the view of passers by. Whilst I am enthusiastic about our garden, my knowledge of how it works is sadly lacking. Perhaps that is one of the joys. For instance, I did not know that you prune weigela immediately after they flower and cut a third off the length of the flowering stem. The flowers from this plant only bloom on old growth not new. That doesn’t seem to work with my receding hairline. But I digress. That just shows why it is worth reading this column as it is better than school. At least you haven’t got a teacher in front of you holding a cane.

As a fan of acers, I am always thrilled when the leaves on these magnificent plants reach that first point in their life when they adorn the branches with colour, spectacle and froth. Everything, as you look at them, tells you that this is nature at its finest. Each leaf seems to be in perfect symmetry with its neighbour, and on those where the leaves are like strands of hair, like an ostrich feather umbrella. Having purchased a further two at the end of last season we now have a total of six in one bed. It almost hurts your eyes to look at them. The wind as it blows at odd times, makes the movement of these vivacious trees almost ethereal.

More next week...

Contact: If you have any stories or articles of interest that will give our readership a reason to buy the paper please contact me on email at [email protected]. New number 07766606611.

Don’t miss out on all the latest breaking news where you live.

Here are four ways you can be sure you’ll be amongst the first to know what’s going on.

1) Make our website your homepage at www.ryeandbattleobserver.co.uk/

2) Like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/RyeandBattleObserver

3) Follow us on Twitter @BattleObs

4) Register with us by clicking on ‘sign in’ (top right corner). You can then receive our daily newsletter AND add your point of view to stories that you read here.

And do share with your family and friends - so they don’t miss out!

The Rye and Battle Observer - always the first with your local news.

Be part of it.