Netherfield

1. St. John the Baptist Church, Netherfield - On March 24th – Eucharist at Netherfield, 10 a.m, and March 31st – Mothering Sunday at Netherfield, 10 a.m.

2. Brightling – On March 3rd - Morning Worship at Brightling 10 a.m. On 10th March – Eucharist at Brightling, 10 a.m.

3. Mountfield – On March 6th - Ash Wednesday at Mountfield, 11 a.m. On 17th March – Eucharist at Mountfield, 10 a.m.

Netherfield Village Hall Library Service: The library is continuing its progress towards fully engaging with the community across Netherfield. On Wednesday of last week we were visited by seven of our local residents. This is the highest number recorded in one afternoon so far and gives a good indication that this is a valued service. In fact at one time there were four people sitting around one of the tables having a free cup of tea and a chat. That is the ethos we are trying to promote as well as lending the books of your choice. It is your service so please use it.

Netherfield Village Hall Future Events: Netherfield Village Hall & Playing Fields have a Jumble Sale on Saturday 6th April from 10am-11.30am at Netherfield Village Hall, Netherfield Road, TN33 9QB. The items are flooding in - Clothing, bric a brac, toys, books and much more - and will be on sale to everyone at bargain prices. 50p admission for adults, children free. Make a date in your diary!

Robertsbridge & District Motor Enthusiasts Club: The Club is holding their inaugural meeting on Tuesday 12th March at The Ostrich, Station Road, Robertsbridge commencing at 8.00pm. The Ostrich pub is directly opposite the rail station next to the level crossing. All motor car enthusiasts are welcome to attend. If you don’t own a Vintage or Classic motor car, but have an interest, then please come along and see what we are proposing.

So all you Netherfield Vintage, normal or Classic Car owners, here is your chance to get involved.

Claverham Monday Badminton Club: It had been a glorious day on this Monday past, with record temperatures making everyone, who had the opportunity, take full advantage of their garden. As such, with the need to get out and do, the strength levels, when it came to badminton, were sadly depleted in my case. It showed in the speed of smashes and the ability to finesse the perfect shot. Only three games out of the total played by me, could be remotely rated as wins. The rest were a combination of missed shots, net captures and comments of what on earth was that meant to be as I tried to return the shuttle from the opposition. With my energy levels at a low ebb, engaging with fit, healthy opponents, is probably not a good thing to do on a Monday..

What was great this week was the inclusion of Andy, the Centre Manager, as part of the line-up, when he finished his shift. He hasn’t played for a while, as I understand it, and so getting back into the swing of it can be a bit daunting, well it would be for me. Needless to say his first game back on the courts, when he needed to have a win to boost his confidence, he was lucky enough to get me as a partner. Yes, we lost. I reckon it was his lack of match-fitness that cost us, but he would probably tell you he was playing with a doughnut. I believe he fared better throughout the rest of the evening.

More next week.......

Reflections on a garden: Structures in the garden have a habit, over many years, of being ravaged by the insect population in a way which is not overtly apparent to the naked eye when one gives them a cursory glance on a daily or weekly basis. Woodworm, rot and residences by spiders and woodlice are generally only discovered when a repair is undertaken or a replacement, due to age, is effected. Our old shed was ancient when we moved in 21 years ago and it has lasted all that time, well most of it anyway.

Apart from the initial problems of wondering who on earth it was that put that many screws in the shed to hold it together, didn’t regularly grease the bolts that pull all the sides and floor securely and forgot to sort the myriad of nails, staples, nuts and assorted tools that invade, what can sometimes be classed euphemistically as a man-cave, one should remember it is not a task that should be undertaken on a regular basis. For example, in this situation, when you move a bench, you suddenly find a tool that you thought you had lost all those years ago. Age and damp conditions have now given it a rusty hue, but hey, at least you have found it.

As you can tell, I am replacing a shed. Slightly bigger and instead of a conventional roof, one with a slanting front to back configuration, but still a shed. Unfortunately, the slightly bigger bit is the one that causes the most problems. It doesn’t fit on the old concrete base. Therefore, cement needs to be mixed and laid. Without mechanical means, that task poses all sorts of problems on its own. To lay that grey mass the old shed and all its detritus has to be moved. To where you ask? You can’t leave it out, to be ravaged by the elements so the obvious choice is the garage. The trouble is where do you put the car that lives in the garage when not in use, protected from the elements and safe and secure. You put it outside. It is amazing, when you haven’t got shelves to put stuff on that you have extracted from the shed, or man-cave as it is sometimes termed, how much room it takes up when put all this “rubbish” on the floor of the garage.

I hope you are still awake as I am struggling with sleep just writing this stuff. You suddenly realise too, that being slightly bigger, passageways, carefully measured and considered for the old shed, do not work with the new one. Paths that allowed items to be maneuvered in and out of the old structure will not facilitate the same ease of access under the new one. The door that used to be at the front now needs to be at the back. Now you have no concrete path leading up to the entrance as there was with the old one.

I have decided to go back to bed and rest my weary head.

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