Old news items

2 August 2019 - Many and various

Dear all,

Some items for your consideration

Firstly the Chatty Craft Group. This coming Monday 5 August this cheerful and welcoming group will be meeting in the Mission Hall between 10am and noon, as, of course, they do every Monday morning. If you would like to try one of the many craft or other skills available, watch others 'at work', or even just enjoy the conversation and refreshment then do drop in and see them. No better way to start the week than meeting old friends or making new ones.

SPAM. The SPAM meeting dates have been changed to the first Tuesday in the month, I think that they discovered that I cannot attend on that evening due to other commitments, which may encourage you to go along as well. Anyway the gentlemen of Spam will now be gathering in the Springhead at 8pm on Tuesday, 6 August to enjoy a glass of the Springheads finest ale and put the world to rights. There's sure to be good company and great conversation in an excellent location.

The Sutton Poyntz Women's Institute. The SP WI will be meeting in the Mission Hall on Wednesday 7 August between 2pm and 4pm. This is their Garden Meeting, and don't forget to take something for the Bring and Buy stall. You are always sure of a warm welcome as a regular member or guest.

And last but by no means least, a big thank you to Tony Cristoph, who has cut the grass and cleared the area around the pond, all on his own without any prompting. It looks very tidy now, so well done Tony for an act which is typical of village life.

Regards

Chris

27 July 2019 - Village Vegetable Show

Dear all,

The annual Village Vegetable Show, organised with military precision by Jez Cunningham, is next Saturday, 3 August, at the Mission Hall.

At 09.30am competitors can enter any or all of the traditional categories (50p per entry, £2 for any number over 4) - Longest runner bean; Longest cucumber; Heaviest marrow; Selection of herbs; 3 carrots; 3 tomatoes; Single lettuce; 3 courgettes; 3 beans (any kind); 5 soft fruit (same or mixed); Anything grown in the greenhouse; Any vegetable not already listed; A bunch of flowers; A bunch of different leaves. There are also three new classes for 2019 - 3 members of the onion family (Allium; not sure what this means, it was on the note that Jez sent me); 3 eggs (one to be broken open to show the inside colour); Funny-shaped vegetable or fruit. N.B. Seriously shaped vegetables are not eligible.

The public voting starts at 10am (so competitors should make sure their entries are displayed by then) and finishes at 11.30am. For £3 you get a voting slip plus coffee and cake.

The legendary “spud in a tub” competition, for the heaviest quantity of potatoes grown in a tub, will be judged between 11am and 11.30am.

Presentations to the worthy winners, including the Des Evans trophy for the spuds and for the most popular Scarecrow, will begin at 11.45am.

See you there and good luck

Regards

Chris

26 July 2019 - Summer Coffee Morning

Dear all,

The next Summer Coffee Morning is this coming Friday 2 August, in the Mission Hall between 10.30 and 12.00. It only costs £3/person to get in, coffee and cake included, with the proceeds going to a local charity - I've probably been told which one but my memory isn't what it was. This time, in addition to the usual excellent refreshments and good conversation, there's more. At 12.00 there will a talk on Cyber Crime given by Chris Conroy - Cyber Crime Protect & Prevention Officer - who has been with Dorset Police for 4½ years. He specialises in open source research. This means using information people make readily available about themselves online to assist in identifying and arresting offenders. Whilst doing this it became clear how easily such information could be exploited for criminal purposes. Chris’s interest in cyber security grew from there, and he made the move into the Cyber Crime Unit in September 2018. He gives presentations and free, impartial cyber crime prevention advice to organisations and community groups around the county. His talk lasts for about 40 minutes so there will be plenty of time for questions before the conclusion at 1pm.

Regards

Chris

18 July 2019 - Ladies Lunches, Newsbite delivery problems, Cream Teas

Dear all,

Ladies Lunches

Maureen tells me that, due to a fall off in numbers, she feels that it is only fair to the Springhead to cancel the ladies lunches, which are booked for the second Wednesday in each month. It could just be that the ladies are doing other things in this good weather, so she hopes to resume on Wednesday 9 October at 12.30pm, but if there is still little interest she might have to cancel altogether.

Newsbite delivery problems

Some members have not been receiving Newsbites. Other organisations are finding the same problem of non-delivery. It could be because some email systems regard bulk distribution as spam e.g. recently Plusnet and TalkTalk, but there have been others.

Such bulk emails are EITHER: rejected completely by your incoming mail server, so you never knew that it had been sent. In this case, it should (?) bounce back to us and we can see that it was rejected OR: accepted by your mail server, but directed to your junk email folder. We only know about this if you tell us. So please regularly check your “spam” or “junk” email folders. For this it is best if you log on to your email through a web browser, rather than through desktop software like Microsoft Outlook. If you find a Newsbite there then “mark it as not junk” - systems vary as to how to do this - as well as moving it into your inbox. You might have to do this several times as email system are slow to learn, and are prone forget your instructions.

If you get a Newsbite and know that another SP Society member hasn’t received it, please tell us about it, and ask them to check their junk/spam email folders.

We also have some other problems which are not email system specific, and I am working on these. Please bear with me as the causes of these are difficult to pinpoint.

And last but not least, don't forget the Cream teas this coming Saturday, 20 July, in the Mission Hall between 2.30pm and 5 pm. £3.50 for the cream tea - the conversation and sunshine (hopefully) are free.

Regards

Chris

15 July 2019 - Cream Teas, Scarecrows and Straceys

Dear all,

Two more exciting events this coming weekend, both on Saturday 20 July.

The first is the Cream Teas in the Mission Hall garden between 2.30pm and 5 pm. For £3.50 you get scone, jam and cream (which I do hope you will apply to the scone in the correct Dorset manner) plus all the conversation you can manage. No booking necessary, so drop in anytime and enjoy this quintessentially English afternoon.

And the second event of note that day - and it continues for the following fortnight - is the emergence of the Scarecrows in Sutton Poyntz gardens. Though be warned, this is not for the faint hearted, especially at dusk. Drop in to the Springhead and collect - it's only £1 - a map of where the scarecrows can be found and a voting slip for you to select your favourite. Voting finishes on Friday 2 August and the winner will be announced at the Village Vegetable Show the following day. I'm afraid that no postal votes are allowed.

Last but not least, did you know that Straceys Fish and Chip shop alongside the Spice Ship gives a 10% discount to local residents? Well you do now! Pop in with some proof of your address and they will be happy to serve you.

Regards

Chris

29 June 2019 - Summer Coffee Morning; Flower Festival

Dear all,

Don't forget the Summer Coffee Morning this Friday, 5 July in the Mission Hall between 10.30 and 12.00. It only costs £3/person to get in - see, I did remember this time - with the proceeds going to the charity 'Homestart'. In addition to the usual excellent refreshments and good craic, a representative of Homestart will explain what the charity does. Then circa 12.00 there will be a defibrillator / CPR refresher training given by our local first responder Alan Hale. Lots to enjoy and learn, so hope to see you there.

The St Andrew's Church Flower Festival will be taking place this coming weekend - that's Saturday 6 July between 10.00 to 17.00 and Sunday 7 July between 13.30 and 17.00. The theme is in the title of the Festival "Pretty as a Picture", for each flower arrangement will depict a work by a talented local artist. All the proceeds will go to the Shelter Bus for the homeless, Horses for Courses helping those with mental health issues and St Andrew's Church restoration. Refreshments and an art exhibition will be available in the Church Rooms and the event concludes with a Festival Songs of Praise on the Sunday at 17.30. Do try and support this event; they will be delighted to see you at any time during the weekend.

Regards

Chris

27 June 2019 - Scarecrows

Dear all,

Lots of you will have been sitting in darkened rooms feverishly generating ideas for a magnificent scarecrow which is bound to win this year's Scarecrow Competition (20 July to 4 August). But before you start to put your ideas into practice you need to return your entry form to Liz Balfe at Little Acorns in Puddledock Lane or Caroline Crisp at Bellamy Cottage, so that they can put your entry on the map and voting slip. No point in having the most wonderful creation in the village if nobody knows it is there! So fill in the entry form and get it to Liz or Caroline as soon as possible. You have to be in it to win it, and think of the status that would bring - and all proceeds from the voting slips will be go to West Dorset Home Start, a charity that works in the home with parents and pre-school children, which is a worthwhile cause indeed.

Apologies if you have received multiple copies of some recent Newsbites (or none at all) but I have been having some problems with distribution. This is a good thing and a bad thing. Good because it means that the members email list has reached record proportions. Bad because the Web Site cannot handle so many addresses in one go. Bill Egerton found the answer in his usual rapid and efficient manner, and suggested some tweeks which should make the difficulties disappear and your Newsbites reappear. Thanks Bill.

Best regards

Chris

24 June 2019 - Village Fete

Dear all,

The Village Garden party will be held this coming Saturday, 29 June, in the Rectory Gardens (turn down the lane past the Scutt Hall and it's on the right) between 11am and 3pm. In past years this was called the Four Halls Fete, because the proceeds are shared between our four local halls - St Andrew's Church Rooms, the Scutt Hall, the Mission Hall and the Preston Village Hall. Very much a traditional event, it has fun for all the family - stalls, entertainment throughout the day including music from the 'Dorset for Singing' choir, BBQ and refreshments. There will also be an Art and Crafts Gallery in the Scutt Hall. Entry is very reasonably set at £1 for adults with children under 16 free. Perhaps time to shave my beard off in hope of passing for 14? Do drop in and give them your support, for in doing so you will be helping to maintain our local amenities and have a good time into the bargain.

Regards

Chris

N.B. There were distribution problems with this Newsbite, which was sent several times, and was sent again the next day, with some slight variations to the text, but still with uncertain distribution.

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