Iden

LONG TO REIGN OVER US: The Queen is Britain’s longest serving monarch, and because of her longevity, she has been a part of most of our lives. She has managed to combine her own family life with her duty as our Queen. She has given us what amounts to unfailing consideration. She is to be seen knighting her subjects, or bestowing various orders upon them, but doesn’t court celebrity, which says to me that she values all her subjects, and not just those who are all- singing and all –dancing, or in the public eye. She is a wife, a mother, a grandmother and a Great-Grandmother. She handles all aspects of her life with great dignity, and is not one to air her emotions. I read somewhere that she still uses her trusty Tupperware containers on family picnics, which is easy to believe, because of her old –fashioned values, one of which seems to be frugality. I have I admit always taken her for granted, because she is always there, but I can’t imagine England without her.

TONIGHT IN IDEN VILLAGE HALL: Iden and District Natural History Society are holding a meeting tonight in Iden village hall, with a talk entitled ‘A Plant Man’s Paradise’, given by Colin Page. The meeting starts at 7.30pm. Visitors are welcome, and will be charged £3.

WHAT LARKS WE HAD!: On Saturday 20th February, Iden Bowls Club held an afternoon of tea and games. Tea consisted of dainty sandwiches, cakes and scones and jam. There were various fun, mind-searching competitions, including one in which members brought their own baby/child photographs, and we had to guess who the ‘beautiful baby’ was. Many thanks go to June Humphreys who organised the party, and compiled most of the games. [We are fortunate that June is a retired school teacher, because everything was very well organised, and she just managed to prevent the hilarity tipping over into something too raucous!] Thank you to the committee, and to everyone who baked, washed up, and helped to make it a special afternoon.

A SERVICE OF HOLY COMMUNION: There will be a service of Holy Communion in Iden Parish Church, at 9.30 am on Sunday.

BINGO: The next Bingo session will be on Thursday 3rd March, in Iden village hall. Doors open at 2pm, eyes down at 2.30pm. There is a flier, a jackpot, a raffle, and a light tea served at half time. Anyone from the Rye area is most welcome.

HAS ANYONE GOT ANY JUMBLE?: There will be a jumble sale on Saturday 5th March, at 1pm in Iden village hall. Any jumble [apart from electrical goods], will be gratefully received. Please ring Carol Bourne [telephone 01-797 280464] and she will advise where to leave jumble. The jumble sale is in aid of new washroom facilities in the village hall, so please come along and support it.

TICKETS FOR THE PANTOMIME: Tickets for ‘Cinderella’, the pantomime performed by Iden Players, on the weekend of March18th and 19th, will be on sale in Iden Stores from February 29th.

REMEMBERING SPECIAL AUNTIES: Thinking of the Queen, and her great dignity, reminds me of aunts I have had the privilege of knowing, who have had old-fashioned values, not in any Royal sense of course, but people who have sometimes in spite of hardship and disappointment kept an outward show of decorum. They were appreciative people, and their expectations were few, but they radiated something which money can’t buy, a kind of respectability and restraint. We have all known such friends or family members. It’s not about social standing, it’s about having a special kind of integrity.

CONTACT ME: If anyone would like to add anything to the Village Voice, please contact Gill Griffin [telephone 01-797 280311].

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