Allhallows Parish Council - Villagers' Life

This magazine is printed and published by and under the ultimate control of the two Parish Councils and views expressed may not necessarily be those of the Parish Councils.

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2007 ISSUE - DEADLINE 10th JANUARY 2007
To submit an article or advert please contact your editor:

Cleo Beckey, 5 Forge Cottages, Fenn Street, St Mary Hoo, Rochester, Kent ME3 8QT

Telephone: 01634 272804 email: cleob@madasafish.com

PARISH COUNCIL MEETINGS

Allhallows Parish Council meets 2nd Tuesday of month except August,

Allhallows Primary School, Avery Way, 6.45pm.

Dates of St Mary Hoo Parish Council meetings at the Fenn Bell function room are posted on the Parish Council notice boards.

For local parish news visit:

www.allhallows-pc.gov.uk & www.stmaryhooparishcouncil.org.uk

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Councillors’ Surgeries

These are now 10.30 - 11.30

on the first Saturday of the month

bi-monthly from November 2006

next one 6 January 2007

Venue: Allhallows Village Hall

Cheer is not what you'd expect from Christmas:
Headaches are more like it, lack of sleep,
Raw nerves, rough words, waits to make you weep,
Irritable hours, days, intense, relentless.
So much money, time, so many dreams
Tied to one quick wanton winter's morning,
More an orgy than a merry dawning,
A ritual divorced from what it means.
Still, each year the love within it gleams.

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£20 - 104 D Green, 71 Kingsmead Park
£15 - 57 Mrs D Pugh, 47 Avery Way
£10 - 262 Paul Pemberton, 95 Kingsmead
£ 5 - 2 Mrs J Austin, 2 Avery Way

Congratulations to all winners and a warm welcome to all our new members!! Your support for the village hall is greatly appreciated.

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Allhallows Parish Council

MOTHERS & TODDLERS

The Parish Council is now running Mothers & Toddlers sessions on

Tuesdays in Allhallows village hall 1.30 ~ 3pm

£1 a session fathers and carers welcome

contact:

Cllr Yvonne Forrest on 270720

e-mail the Parish Clerk at clerk@allhallows-pc.gov.uk

This is part of the Parish Council’s Youth Committee commitment to help provide facilities for young people of the parish between the ages of 0-18 years.

What do monkeys sing at Christmas ?
Jungle Bells, Jungle bells.. !

Why are Christmas trees like bad knitters ?
They both drop their needles !

What's Christmas called in England ?
Yule Britannia !

What did the bald man say when he got a comb for Christmas ?
Thanks, I'll never part with it !

Why is a burning candle like being thirsty ?
Because a little water ends both of them !

What do you get if you cross an apple with a Christmas tree ?
A pineapple !

What do you give a train driver for Christmas ?
Platform shoes !

What did the big candle say to the little candle ?
I'm going out tonight !

What's happens to you at Christmas ?
Yule be happy !

How long does it take to burn a candle down ?
About a wick !

September was a very dry month until the last week. The total rainfall was 1.77” (45mm) of which over an inch fell in the last week. In fact three weeks were fine and sunny and the whole month was warm with above average temperatures.

The total rainfall this September was 1.77” compared to 1.49” last September

October

October, as seems to be the pattern this year was wetter than average with 2.93” (74mm). The rain fell almost every day, including 1.19” on the 23rd.

Because of the amount of rain October was very dull and dreary but not very cold.

The total rainfall for October was 2.93” compared to 2.63” in October 2005.

Silent Night

Silent night, holy night,
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child,
Holy Infant so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.

Silent night, holy night,
Shepherds quake at the sight,
Glories stream from heaven afar,
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia;
Christ the Saviour is born!
Christ the Saviour is born!

Silent night, holy night,
Son of God, love's pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face,
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus Lord at thy birth,
Jesus Lord at thy birth.

We would like wish you all in Allhallows and St Mary Hoo a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year

The Editor and the Villagers’ Life team, the Chairmen, Members and Clerks of Allhallows and St Mary Hoo Parish Councils

Sponsored by the Parish Councils of Allhallows, High Halstow, Stoke and St. James Isle of Grain

Many villages and small towns have a problem with vehicles that fail to reduce speed. On country routes, a 60mph zone may regularly become a 40mph zone as it passes through small communities.

Yet many drivers don't reduce their speed until they are well past the speed limit sign. And many only slow down by a small amount - not enough to be within the speed limit.

These drivers risk the safety of local residents and pedestrians - especially children.

What is the Speed Watch scheme?

Speed Watch is a scheme that gives parish councils a chance to record the speed of vehicles travelling through their area.

A speed indication device is set up to measure how fast vehicles are moving within the lower speed limit. This is a sign that shows the driver their speed - but only if the vehicle is over the speed limit. The registration numbers of vehicles found to be speeding are then logged.

If a driver is found to be speeding twice within a twelve-month period, the registered owner receives a warning letter from the police. If the same vehicle is caught three times, there is a further warning, and possibly follow-up action by police officers.

What is the aim of the scheme?

The scheme has two aims:

The Speed Watch scheme is run by Kent Police in partnership with Medway Council and Kent County Council

How can Residents Help?

If you feel that there is a constant problem with cars failing to slow down as they enter a lower speed limit area, please let us know by filling in and returning the questionnaire below to the Post Office in Allhallows

Residents of St Mary Hoo are welcome to complete the questionnaire and volunteer if they wish.

DANISH CHRISTMAS MENU

Since the Editor has Danish ancestry (as well as English, Icelandic, Scottish and French) I thought you might like to try a Danish Christmas meal. In Denmark Christmas is celebrated on 24th December so you don’t have to miss out on the turkey and sprouts – treat yourselves and enjoy both!

The Danish Christmas pudding, riz à l’amande, was originally eaten as a starter, much in the same way as Yorkshire pudding used to be, so that people filled up on it first and the meat went further. Today as a sweet it is definitely eaten last. So for a starter I have chosen mayonnaise ring. This is followed by goose, red cabbage and caramel potatoes. Goose is expensive and if you are going to celebrate English style the following day as well, I find that roast pork makes an excellent substitute. The riz à l’amande contains one whole almond - whoever finds it wins a prize, usually a box of chocolates. After pudding you can serve marzipan petit fours with coffee and schnapps, chased by lager made by a well known Danish brewer, C….g. Or you can persuade the prizewinner to share their box of chocs!

Two of these recipes use sheet gelatine. This isn’t always easy to find – try delicatessens. I have also sometimes found it in large supermarkets and if I see it I always stock up. If you’re going on a booze cruise you could look for it in the hypermarkets too. Of course you can substitute powdered gelatine but the quantity to use is difficult to determine. If your dish doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped, you can put the blame on this!

4 sheets gelatine	lemon juice
5 fl oz chicken or vegetable stock	pinch salt
6 chopped hard boiled eggs	1 cup mayonnaise

Dissolve the gelatine in the stock. Add the chopped eggs and salt and lemon juice to taste. Add mayonnaise. Rinse a ring mould with cold water, pour in mixture. Set in refrigerator for about 5-6 hours.

Turn out onto a bed of lettuce leaves and serve with a cold garnish in centre of ring: chicken with mushrooms, mild curry, mixed vegetables, prawns, Waldorf salad – or invent something of your own!

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RED CABBAGE

1 red cabbage	nutmeg
1 red onion	thyme
1 cooking apple	seasoning
soft dark brown sugar	1 tablespoon cider vinegar
butter	1 dessertspoon calvados
juice and zest of an orange	¼ pint cider
cinnamon

The first three ingredients should be in proportion to one another – if the cabbage is large, double the amount of onion and apple and you will also need more vinegar and cider.

Soften the sliced onion in butter in a frying pan and add the sliced cabbage. After a few minutes take off the heat and place into a casserole dish in alternate layers with the sliced apple. Sprinkle some sugar, orange zest, cinnamon, thyme and seasoning and grate some nutmeg over each double layer. Finish with a layer of the onion and cabbage. Pour over the orange juice, vinegar, calvados and cider. Simmer in the bottom of the oven while the meat is cooking.

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CARAMEL POTATOES

Boil baby new potatoes. When cooked, toss in a pan of light caramel syrup and serve immediately. You will need to do this between courses.

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RIZ A L’AMANDE

1 litre full fat milk	4 leaves gelatine
100g round grain (pudding) rice	40g flaked or chopped almonds
Vanilla pod or vanilla essence	½ pint whipping cream
100g caster sugar	1 whole almond

Cook the rice and milk together with a vanilla pod in a large pan, stirring constantly until of a porridge consistency. If Remove the vanilla pod and add the sugar and flaked or chopped almonds. If you didn’t have a vanilla pod, add some vanilla essence at this point. Soften the gelatine in a bowl of cold water, squeeze out and add to the mixture. Stir thoroughly until the sugar and gelatine have melted. Remove from the heat and leave to cool, stirring occasionally. When cooled, whip the cream and fold in. Pour into a serving dish. Shut your eyes and throw in the whole almond. Leave to set. Serve with hot cherry sauce - I usually add a slug of kirsch to a tin of black cherries and heat through for long enough to dispel the alcohol if there are children at the meal.

Glœdelig Jul! – and Enjoy!

LIVE FIRING AT YANTLET DEMOLITION RANGE

Please be advised that the Yantlet Range will be used for live firing on the

following dates and times stated below.

5,6,12,14,18,20 DECEMBER 2006

All 8am - 5pm

For JANUARY please check the notice boards

or phone Brompton Barracks

COMPLAINTS ABOUT YANTLET RANGE:

HQ RSME Brompton Barracks 01634 822840

Christmas cards

The custom of sending Christmas cards started in Britain in 1840 when the first 'Penny Post' public postal deliveries began. (Helped by the new railway system, the public postal service was the 19th century's communication revolution, just as email is for us today.) As printing methods improved, Christmas cards were produced in large numbers from about 1860. They became even more popular in Britain when a card could be posted in an unsealed envelope for one half-penny - half the price of an ordinary letter.

Traditionally, Christmas cards showed religious pictures - Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus, or other parts of the Christmas story. Today, pictures are often jokes, winter pictures, Father Christmas, or romantic scenes of life in past times.

Boxing Day

In English-speaking countries, the day following Christmas Day is called 'Boxing Day'. This word comes from the custom which started in the Middle Ages around 800 years ago: churches would open their 'alms boxe' (boxes in which people had placed gifts of money) and distribute the contents to poor people in the neighbourhood on the day after Christmas. The tradition continues today - small gifts are often given to delivery workers such as postal staff and children who deliver newspapers.

Who was he?

Father Christmas is based on a real person, St. Nicholas, which explains his other name 'Santa Claus' which comes from the Dutch 'Sinterklaas'. Nicholas was a Christian leader from Myra (in modern-day Turkey) in the 4th century AD. He was very shy, and wanted to give money to poor people without them knowing about it. It is said that one day, he climbed the roof of a house and dropped a purse of money down the chimney. It landed in the stocking which a girl had put to dry by the fire! This may explain the belief that Father Christmas comes down the chimney and places gifts in children's stockings.

The Gardening Year -- Winter

With darker evenings and colder weather our interests will be turning to curling up on the sofa in a warm lounge. Outside the garden is resting too but now is the ideal time to give it a good work out and get it trim for another year.

LAWNS- Cut the grass only if needed and on a high setting during mild winters. Clear all fallen leaves and rake through the sward to remove moss and thatch. Avoid walking on frosted or waterlogged lawns.

TREES- Plant bare rooted trees and shrubs into prepared soil. Stake and tie new or young trees. Complete winter thinning and pruning.

ROSES- Finish pruning tall tea roses to remove old flower stems and any dead or diseased wood. Reduce top growth on standards but leave full pruning until early spring.

CLIMBERS- Prune wisteria side shoots back to 1” or 2 buds from branches. Tie up all climbers to supports to prevent wind damage.

BORDERS- Cut dormant perennial flowers down to near soil level and remove debris as it provides a home for slugs, snails and pests. Fork between plants to aerate the soil placing bark or straw over tender crowns and at the base of shrubs to protect from frost.

NEW VEG GARDENS- Double dig soil for spring planting or turfing. Improve drainage with sharp sand.

PROJECTS- Now is the best time to carry out garden design work such as borders, ornamental areas, rockeries, pergolars, patios and paths. Remove moss and slime from paths and steps.

EXTERIOR WOODWORK- Carry out building and repairs of fences and sheds, treat external timber posts, trellis, sheds furniture and fences with preservative.

PONDS- Do not break ice on the water throughout winter or use hot water from a kettle to melt small areas if necessary.

WILDLIFE- Please don’t forget our friends. Feed the birds and provide fresh water. Non hibernating animals need help with food and shelter during winter months.

WISHING YOU A GREAT CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR

Wayne ~ Grass Roots

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Dramarama’s next production will be the spectacular pantomime “Captain Hooks Revenge”

Performances will take place in the Recreation hall, High Halstow on;-

Please have your say	Agree	Disagree
I feel that Speed Watch is a positive step towards increasing road safety in our village
I would be prepared to assist with the Speed Watch project for 1 or 2 hours a month.
Other comment
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