Netherfield

Netherfield Village Hall Library Service: The refurbishment of the interior of the Hall is finished so the Library was once again open on Wednesday of this week. As usual there is a great choice of titles on offer and these are there just waiting for you, our customers, to come along and borrow and read at your leisure. Tell your friends too. It costs you nothing, as it is our free service we offer to our community to replace the mobile unit that was axed to save money. You can browse, sit, relax and read and enjoy a cup of tea at the same time. What could be better?

Pass & Move at the Netherfield Village Hall Playing Field: The first Pass & Move match took place at the Netherfield Village Hall Playing Field on Sunday 30 September. At the time of the deadline for this blog, I have no details of the match, which was against a team from Worthing. I am therefore unable to offer any report or even the score. However, early indications are that it went very well. Hopefully, I can update everyone in next week’s column. All I do know is that the grass was cut across the entire field prior to the match and the facilities have begun to meet the standards that are normally associated with events like this. Well done to everyone for all the effort they have expended to get the Village Hall back into full use..

Claverham Monday Badminton Club: I would hate people to think that my column, and this particular report, was cliche-ridden and that every week my work was considered full of stereotypical phrases such as brilliant and therefore not worthy of perusal by my seven readers, but the matches this week were spectacularly brilliant. They were full of tension, drama, imagination and last but not least, badminton. There was also the return of Lyn another of our lady members who has returned to the fold after a summer of other sports out in the open.

The twelve players who arrived to pit their skills against each other filled the courts with laughter and grumbles. Well if you make a bad shot, the last thing you do is give yourself a medal for good play. We even had the return of our resident Marco Polo who has been sailing around the globe on his voyages of discovery, or as he calls them, holidays. Mind you, unlike his namesake, Ben does not write about his travels and is not a merchant. However, he will tell you about his escapades if you ask, which is why people don’t talk to him.

Remember, if you are interested in coming along to enjoy the companionship, the sport and the opportunity to get fit, we are operational on a Monday night from 8 – 10pm. It costs £5, or £2.50 per hour and for that you get it all thrown in, that is, court fees and shuttlecocks. Just arrive at reception and ask Andy for Roy or Maurice. That is three names you have learned already. What could be better?

Reflections on a garden: It has been a very busy past week. Preparing the car park and part of the playing fields at the Village Hall has taken a good deal of my time and that of my lady wife. This has meant that parts of the garden have had to be lightly trimmed to give an image of attention rather than being given the careful regard they actually need. We had friends to stay over the weekend so wanted our pride and joy to look the part. However, repair work on the mower and fitting in our other obligations curtailed the time we could spend cutting, pruning and harvesting. We still have apples to pick from our trees. Time seems to be at a premium at the moment.

Mind you, there was one faux pas I perpetrated in my haste to tie and trim. Our Virginia creeper, or Parthenocissus quinquefolia as it is more commonly known (you are supposed to laugh at this point – well you try and make it funny every week) has long, red-tinged strands hanging down from the pergola, which sits alongside our garage. This plant is one side of the walkway and a hop is the other. They both looked a bit wayward and straggly.

So armed with string, a short set of steps and a pair of clippers I set about tidying their waywardness, with a snip here and there and a tie to the main stem for the hanging bits. This, in my view, made them neat and normal.

Having finished my good works and beaming all over my face for making the uncontrollability of the plant vanish, I entered the portals of our humble abode to present my accomplishments to my good lady. I thought, hey, hey, brownie points are on their way (poetry as well this week). I thought vitriol only came as an oil,.in the colours of blue, green or white. It seems my ministrations were not consistent with the ethereal beauty one associates with pendulous Virginia Creeper. With steps and only scissors at this point, I returned to the scene of the crime and redressed my illegal activity.

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]. Call 01424838410 and ask for Maurice or text 07957588172