Fibre update: Openreach have just informed me that they now have the funding completed, and that the central part of Stonham Aspal (78 houses) will have direct fibre (for free) to each house within the year. I am still awaiting the costs on covering the rest of the Village. East End lane is subject to funding by Suffolk County, and I am trying to get further information on this as well. If you are in Mill Green it is worth checking if you have it already, as much of that area does have Fibre now.
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Tennis Court Forms for 2021-2
See the Tennis Court page for details.
Saturday 13th March Notes from the Cart Track
Saturday 13th March Notes from the Cart Track
The recent spell of dry, calmer weather has allowed us to make a start on some of the spring land work. With quite a heavy workload ahead and some fairly soggy soil to deal with, it is a relief to be able to get going. The gales, hail and rain have stopped us again but the promise of more settled weather, to celebrate St. Patrick next week, gives cause for optimism.
We managed to spray the cover crops with glyphosate to start the decaying process on 23rd February. We are advised to leave these fields for 5 weeks before drilling into the untouched soils to reduce the quantity of plant material the drill has to cut through and also to apply a modest dose of liquid nitrogen and sulphur fertiliser to get the barley growing as quickly as possible. We have dug some trial patches with a spade to check on the state of the soil these cover crops have achieved and we are fairly optimistic. The thick growth of rye, common vetch and phacelia has left the soil very friable with no solid clods near the surface and a multitude of worms and roots in the top 30cm. the soil is quite moist but should dry with warmer dry weather as the green material dries off. We have fitted a different coulter arrangement to the Claydon Drill which has discs to cut through the plant material and sprung tines to sow the seed. A small amount of frustration occurred over this. Defra are keen to promote direct drilling and our use of cover and catching cropping is in their view desirable. This system of crop establishment is “greener” than the more traditional system of ploughing, power harrow and drill. Grants are available for the purchase of new machinery to achieve this but not for retro fitting direct drilling coulters to existing machines. So, if we invested £50,000 in a new version of our drill, we would get a sizable grant but spending £9000 on a conversion we get nothing!!
All the rape and wheat have had their first application of Nitrogen and Sulphur. Sam was very concerned at the muddy state of the tramlines through the crops, but the majority of the fields are bearable, and I suspect tramlines will remain muddy for quite a while this year.
We installed our new security gate last week and we are now thinking of becoming Broughton Scrubs! We have left a good wide pathway round the side for pushchairs, dogs, bicycles and walkers and would stress that footpath users are very welcome as before. The gate will be open for school parking at the beginning and end of the school day. Anyone that has been in the habit of leaving the car while they run or walk the dog may need one of us to let them out. It is unfortunate that criminal behaviour by the few impacts on all our lives in so many ways.
David Tydeman
Mickfield Evangelical Church March 2021
Friends of Debenham Library
See www.suffolklibraries.co.uk/coronavirus for the latest details
Libraries are now open again for “Select and Collect” service and reservations so that people can request and pick up items from their library.
There will be no rush to bring items back as loan periods will again be extended and charges suspended. Browsing inside libraries and the use of computers will remain unavailable for the time being. The mobile library services and home library service will also remain suspended for now.
As always our plans are dependent on any changes in infection rates or government guidance.
At Debenham the garden outside the library has been receiving attention, and we have planted primulas in the letters SRH cut in the grass beside the drive. We hope they will still be there when you visit, despite the snow and cold!
For free audiobooks, ebooks, films, newspapers/magazines and other online services, use your library card at www.suffolklibraries.co.uk. There are also podcasts and videos available on the YouTube channel www.youtube.com/user/SuffolkLibraries.
- Book ahead to use a computer: phone or email the library; or just turn up. Printing, faxing and photocopying are also available.
- We have reintroduced charges for overdue items. This will only apply to items borrowed on or after Monday 5 October which are due back on 2 November onwards. Library loan periods will remain at four weeks.
- We have also reintroduced charges for DVDs.
School corner, Debenham IP14 6PL (next to the Primary School). Opening hours:
Tuesday: 0930 am – 1300 pm Wednesday : 1500 – 1930 pm
Saturday: 0900 am – 1300 pm Sunday: 1200 – 1600 pm
Tel: 01728 861940 www.suffolklibraries.co.uk/visit/locations-and-times/debenham-library
Facebook: @DebenhamLibraryFriends Email: debenham.library@suffolklibraries.co.uk
Notes from The Cart Track February 13th 2021
What a selection of weather conditions we have had over the last three weeks, floods, gales, brilliant sun, fog and snowfall, which has turned the Suffolk Lowlands into something much more exotic. I am very glad that after four decades of being tied to pigs’ tails I do not have to worry about thawing out water pipes and pig drinkers each morning. I am not looking forward to the result of 15 cm of snow melting onto already saturated land but perhaps we will get some drying winds to sort it all out.
We are part of Suffolk highways conscripted snow clearance contractors who get called upon to clear snow drifts on the minor roads in the area. We use our telescopic loader and JCB digger to assist doing A roads first, B roads second and the smaller roads last. People watching from the cab is a fascinating experience. Adverse weather really does bring out the best and worse in drivers. Clearing single track roads which are impassable is the best experience because nothing can get past so progress can be rapid. A roads which are partially blocked can be exciting because it is legal to travel at 60mph even when it is icy! B roads on which one track has been cleared are the worst because drivers coming up behind
Can see a way through and expect the snow clearing vehicle to get out of their way instantly. Some of my fellow contractors employed a crafty method where they created a snow drift behind and in front of the genuine one to allow them to work without interruption for a while. Probably not officially allowed but very effective and much easier on the nerves. I begin to have sympathy with the road closure signs which annoy us all so much! There is an expectation that road users should be able to go wherever they want at any hour of the day or night and in any weather conditions. I suppose that swearing at a digger driver who is clearing a snow drift on the road has to be expected in this world of instant gratification.
This years snow clearance has been the best organised ever in my experience. We were put on standby 48 hours ahead of the snow and given a mobile number to ring if conditions got bad. We were not allowed out in the dark but were called at 6.30am and told which roads we were responsible for and given a priority list. At the end of each day we were contacted for a progress report and hours worked. The highways get a lot of stick over potholes, verges and road surfacing, but I cannot fault the way they dealt with the snow.
Did any of you do the RSPB garden bird watch at the end of January? We had 15 species this year with Jay, great spotted woodpecker and song thrush being the favourites. The first morning’s snow brought 11 chaffinches, presumably shifted off our field of bird seed because of the wind. Our bird feeders have been a great experience during this last year’s confinement
David Tydeman
From The Rectory – March 2021 – Dawn
Picture the scene for a moment. It’s early morning and dawn is breaking. Alone in the garden you watch as the first shadowy trees emerge, silhouetted against the dawn sky. It will be a warm spring morning. Soon, in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the city, this will be a place of peaceful refuge, but for the moment all is quiet, all is still. At this hour the city still sleeps and you are alone.
Except, not everyone is sleeping. By a fresh grave stands a young woman. She is weeping. She has come here mourning for a friend; a man she loved; a man who had given her a sense of dignity and purpose. She had joined him on a journey, full of hope and expectation. Now he lies dead; murdered. Now she has come to mourn his passing and as she does, she mourns for herself too. She stands and weeps. The grave is as empty as her heart; where have they taken him, why couldn’t they just leave his body in peace?
The woman at the graveside is Mary Magdalene, it’s Easter morning and the grave she has come to is Jesus’. [It feels strange to be writing about Easter before we have even started Lent. But this is a story for our time.]
Now is a season of mourning. As we mourn for those who have died; we also mourn a wider loss: jobs, businesses, friendships and family connections; education and the many joys and challenges for young people just branching out into the world; plans for retirement and closing years; above all, perhaps, a sense of a loss of freedom. We mourn as if the life we know has been stolen from us.
St John (John 20:11-18) tells us that as Mary wept a man appeared behind her. “Why are you weeping? For whom are you looking?” he asked. Slowly the penny drops. Jesus is alive. The tomb is empty because he no longer needs it. “Do not hold on to me” he says. Now, seeing him before her once more, she has to let him go again, but now she knows she is letting go, not into death but into new life. As we watch them both go, Mary back to the city, Jesus to his father, a new day has dawned. Where will that day take us?
Rev Philip
Church News February 2021
St Mary and St Lambert,
Stonham Aspal and Mickfield
ALTHOUGH THE CHURCH IS CLOSED FOR PUBLIC WORSHIP, IT IS STILL ALIVE AND BUSY.
If we can help you in any way please contact any one of us:
RECTOR: Rev Philip Payne Tel: 01449 711684 revphilippayne@btinternet.com
ASSISTANT PRIEST: Revd. Helen Norris, Tel: 01449 761867 h.norris1@hotmail.co.uk
Churchwardens and Lay Elders:
David Tydeman 01449 711124 djtydeman@gmail.com
Alex Pratt 01449 711393 alexjenkinson@btopenworld.com
Lay Elders:
Mary Payne 01449711684 pjma_payne@hotmail.com
Liz Ince 01449 711365 lizandjohnince@gmail.com
THE CHURCH IS OPEN FOR PRIVATE PRAYER ON SUNDAYS: 10am – 4pm
ALL THE SERVICES ARE BENEFICE SERVICES ON ZOOM.
YOU ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND ANY SERVICE.
Contact: reader@ruthdennigan@gmail.com for the link
There may be changes to services due to Covid 19 regulations. More up to date information can be found on the weekly Pew Sheet. If you would like to be added to the email circulation please send your email address to lizandjohnince@gmail.com
ZOOM SERVICES
Sundays | 9.30am | Morning Worship |
Wednesdays | 9.00am | Morning Prayer |
Fridays Friday 5 March Sunday 14 March Sunday 28 March | 6.30pm 6.30pm 9.30am 9.30am | Compline World Day of Prayer Mothering Sunday Worship Palm Sunday Worship |
LENT IN A BAG
Activities for children during Lent have been delivered to families around the parish. The activities began with the launch of the Bishops’ Kagera Lent Appeal on Ash Wednesday and follow with more for all the weeks during Lent, including World Day of Prayer, Mothering Sunday, Palm Sunday and Easter.
WORLD DAY OF PRAYER
This year the day of prayer has been prepared by the Christian Women of Vanuatu which is just over 1,100 miles east of Australia in the Pacific Ocean. To find out more about Vanuatu and to join in this world wide ecumenical day of prayer contact Ruth for the link. The service will be held on Zoom at 6.30pm on 5 March.
MOTHERING SUNDAY
The service at 9.30am on Sunday 14 March on Zoom will celebrate ‘mothering’ in all its diverse forms, and remember how young women in service in the past would make the journey home to their ‘Mother Church’ mid-way through Lent.
PALM SUNDAY
As I write this we are still in lockdown and are not expecting that much will change before Easter, so our usual walk with a donkey will once again be impossible. We will celebrate Palm Sunday in a different way, on Zoom at 9.30am on 28 March, remembering Christ’s final journey into Jerusalem.
200 CLUB WINNERS
We have some pennies to give out, congratulations to all those who have been lucky in the January and February draw. Thank you to all those who continue to support this village hall and church fundraiser. A donation of £12 gives one number which is included in the draw each month of the year, with prize money being doubled up for December. If you are not already in the draw and would like to take part, please contact me on 711393 or alexjenkinson@btopenworld.com
Once again thank you again for supporting this fundraiser during these challenging times, it is very much appreciated. Alex
January Winners
1st prize £50 No 18 H Fuller
2nd prize £20 No 61 L Power
=3rd prize £15 No 213 J Mitchel
=3rd prize £15 No 47 M Greaves
February Winners
1st prize £50 No 7 G Kinsey
2nd prize £20 No 73 J Wright
=3rd prize £15 No 103 R Boulton
=3rd prize £15 No 213 J Mitchel