February 2017

no shop,no post

office, notelephone

kiosk

... but it wasn’t red.

After a few years ofdiscussions with

Lincolnshire Highways theparish council has finallyestablished a place for thesecond grit bin, just by thevillage noticeboard.

grit binplaced

Falling gravestone

Fosdyke Parish Council areseeking anyone who may

have an interest in the grave ofSarah Anne Greenaway as theheadstone has become unsafe.

It is normal procedure in thesecases to lay the stone down. Ifanyone has any information pleasecontact the PC. Details on Page 9.

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There is however a lot ofuncertainty on what will happen tosupport payments and until Brexitactually happens the support fromthe Common Agricultural Policy(CAP) will remain and farmers willcontinue to receive basic paymentfor at least 2017 and 2018.

I think a big worry for 2017 willbe the continued rise in labourcosts especially in the fresh produceindustry which has beencompounded by the Brexitdecision. Free movement of labourcould affect the amount of overseas

workers which we heavily relyupon. The need for automation willbe greater than ever and thetechnology is already in the earlydevelopment stages.

For instance Broccoli will soonbe harvested by machine instead ofgangs of people harvesting byhand. The machine will scan theindividual broccoli heads by 3Dimaging and be able to tell the sizeand quality of the head. It will thendespatch a robotic arm to cut thehead with pin-point accuracyleaving any stalk and immature or

unsalable heads in the field whichmay sound very futuristic but itwon’t be long before we see themin the area.

Personally I am really lookingforward to a new challenge thisyear as I will be starting a new jobin February. After five years in mycurrent job it will be a sad daywhen I leave but I am equally asexcited about the new opportunity.I will be working for CN Seeds whoare a family business servingprofessional growers with a widerange of herb, vegetable and flowerseeds based near Ely inCambridgeshire. I will be workingas growing manager responsible forseed production, plant breeding,development trials and alsooverseeing a beef enterprise andwood chipping business.

BIRD FLUAs you will be aware from

recent news bulletins bird flu hasfound its way onto our shores fromEurope. My wife keeps IndianRunner ducks at home and they arenormally found wondering aroundthe garden, farmyard or going on amini adventure down the lane.They are very comical to watch asthey waddle around continuallyeating and foraging. They areequally as mischievous especiallywhen they are digging up my grassor doing things they shouldn’t inthe gravel.

Due to the outbreak of bird fluand the legal requirement to houseall poultry until the 28th Februaryour ducks are kept housed and lookfar from impressed. Every time my

Martin’sFarm

SOMETHINGNEW

As a new year begins farmers will be hoping for a productive andprofitable 2017. As nobody knows how the UK will fare from

Brexit in the long term the short term however looks positive withmany companies choosing to invest in the UK. The current weakpound is good news for farmers especially for those who exporttheir goods to overseas buyers. As the exchange rate between theeuro and the pound is the biggest determinant of UK farmprofitability then the weak pound is good news.

wife takes them their favouritesnack of garden peas to them theystart to quack wildly and starelongingly at the door to let themout. As cruel as this may seem it isat their best interest along with thebio security of commercial flocksthat they remain housed. Manybackyard poultry keepers don’trealise this lock down applies tothem and can result in a £5000 finefor those who choose to ignore it.

SUPPLYJanuary is generally a quiet

period for many farmers and I havepersonally enjoyed having a coupleof weeks off over Christmas tospend some quality time with thefamily.

We are still in the planning andpreparation stage for the nextseason, busy working out budgets,writing drilling programmes andordering seed. The first lot of plantshave been sown at the plant raiserswhich we will start to plant towardsthe end of February. As a bigsupplier to the major retailers wecontinue to supply saladsthroughout the winter by tradingproduct from Europe. This hasbeen very challenging lately due tothe horrendous weather conditionsthey have been experiencing.

Continual rain has meant manyfarmers in Spain, Italy and Greecehave been unable to drill or plantcrops which has caused massivegaps in continuity of supply. Someparts of Murcia in Spain has hadsome of the worst rain in thirtyyears receiving up to 250 litres ofrain per square meter. Crops thatwere in the ground have beendamaged and even some have beenwashed away. Then the weatherturned bitterly cold so that cropsthat were in the ground have notbeen growing.

DEMANDThis has meant certain crops are

very short in supply and crops likespinach are being air freighted fromthe USA or Australia at the hugeexpense of the supplier, not thesupermarkets.

3

I just think the world has gonemad when supermarkets demandwe have these types of products ontheir shelves 365 days a year evenwhen there is a crisis that makesupply almost impossible and alsoat the cost to the suppliers. It isespecially frustrating when up tofifty per cent of the product will bethrown in the bin once theconsumer has bought it.

There is a lot to be said forseasonal and local produce!

4

crossword

sudoku

PUZZLES PAGE

Churchwardens:Jon 01205 260672

Terry 01205 260408

AllSaints

Fosdyke

5

Sunday, 29 JanuaryGroup HolyCommunionService forCandlemass

10am

Sunday, 5 & 19 February

HolyCommunion

9.30am

Sunday, 5 March

HolyCommunionLed by the Bishop of

RichboroughTBA

Christmas

It is always good to see folks comealong and enjoy the Christmas

services of Carols and ‘Midnight’Mass. Both services were very wellattended indeed, and it was reallygood to see so many folks inchurch. A big thank you must go tothe decorating team who made AllSaints so beautiful for the season.

Pop-In

The next pop-in lunch will takeplace on 21 February– details

will be on notice board and areavailable by email – just contactmargarettofts@btinternet.comsoon.

Vicar situation

We said a sad goodbye toRevd. Paul Slater at

Christmas, as he leaves to go to apermanent post. His brief stay withus was a breath of fresh air, and hewill be sadly missed. I am sure weall wish him and his family the verybest for the future.

In the meantime adverts for anew vicar have gone out and weare hoping to interview at the endof February.

Candlemass

Candlemas is a Christian festivalcelebrated on February 2, or

the Sunday next to it. It celebratesthe presentation of the child Jesus;Jesus’ first entry into the temple; itcelebrates the Virgin Mary’spurification, and as the last, or 40th.day of the traditionalChristmas/epiphany season, itmarks the the entry of spring, and

Family News

We send our condolences andprayers to the families of

‘Nelson’ Nix and Edna Bryant, bothrecently passed away.

hope for the world. CandlemasBells, aka ‘Snowdrops’, symbolizehope according to Christian belief,and this is why churchyards such asours are planted out withsnowdrops.

Christians consider Jesus as the“light of the world” so it is fittingthat candles are blessed on this dayand that a candle-lit processionprecedes the mass. It is traditionalto eat crepes on Candlemas insome parts of Europe, such asFrance.

Iam writing this letter to you on acold and wintery January

afternoon. This year, the Church’scalendar gives a relatively long gapbetween Epiphany and thebeginning of Lent, and I have a realsense of being in an ‘in between’time.

Being ‘in between’ can be anuncertain and even challengingthing – we may be in between jobs,in between school and university,in between work and retirement, inbetween surgery and recovering tofull health. Our nation is also inbetween, as we wait for outworkingof last year’s vote to leave theEuropean Union.

Being in between one place andanother can be a time to rest andtake stock; but it can also be a timeof fear and disorientation as thehopes and dreams that havemotivated or even driven us thusfar – doing well in our last job,getting into university or safelythrough an operation – no longerapply. We can find ourselveswithout direction as we waitpassively for the next stage tobegin.

W.H. Auden, reflects on this inhis Christmas oratorio ‘For the timebeing’:

But, for the time being, herewe all are,

Back in the moderateAristotelian city

Of darning and the Eight-Fifteen, where Euclid’s geometry

And Newton’s mechanicswould account for our experience,

And the kitchen table existsbecause I scrub it…

The Time being is, in asense, the most trying time of all…

In the meantimeThere are bills to be paid,

machines to keep in repair,Irregular verbs to learn, the

Time Being to redeemFrom insignificance.

Redeeming the ‘time being frominsignificance’ is the challenge ofliving life in between: in betweenthe various stages and conditionsthat come our way; in between thelife, death and resurrection of Jesusand his coming again.

As Christians, we believe thatwe do not remain ‘in between’forever. We believe that in thefullness of time God calls eachperson, and in fact the whole ofcreation, into his Kingdom. Weredeem the ‘time being frominsignificance’ by asking God tomaintain and nourish us on ourjourney, and to provide us with allthat we need to take us on thejourney from being in between, tobeing with God in his Kingdom.

Rt Revd Christopher Lowson,Bishop of Lincoln

in between

greenhouse,clear out the stray autumn leavesand moss from the gutters,especially important if you’ve got awater butt attached.

Pruning

It’s the best time to cut largebranches from apple and pear

trees, as they will be fully dormantand the cut will have plenty of timeto dry and heal before the sap startsto flow in spring. But avoid pruningplum and cherry trees to preventthem becoming infected with silverleaf fungus. Large branches are bestremoved in stages, cutting off allthe twigs and branches to reduceweight. This will make it safer foryou and reduce the chances oftearing the bark. Remove theremaining stump of the branch byfirst cutting upwards on theunderside, then sawing down fromabove to meet this cut.

Digging

Dig over your beds for flowersand vegetables as long as

they’re empty of plants whose roots

It’s no surprise that with thecurrent pressure on the NHS,healthcare professionals are takingan interest in the benefits ofgardening. Not only is gardeningbeneficial for you physically, butalso, according to a recent report(King’s Fund report-gardening andhealth, available to downloadonline), can be good for yourmental health. I know from thework I do for a hospice in Bostonthat patients find the beauty andtranquillity of a garden can helpspeed recovery.

But what can you do in thegarden in February? As I’vementioned, the weather’s not great,but I always feel at this time of theyear there’s nothing ahead butimprovement. Snowdrops, aconitesand hellebores appear, blazing atrail for others to follow.

Greenhouses

At the first hint of warmth youcan open up the greenhouse or

cold frame for a while to avoidmollycoddling anything beyondgiving just enough protection tosurvive winter. For plants, ashumans, the new year air isinvigorating and the hardier theyare grown, the better able they’ll beto withstand any real cold weather.While you’re tinkering around the

6

February can be a cruel month, nothing much is going on in ourgardens, the weather is pretty miserable-even

the birds are shivering in the trees. However,sitting on the sofa will not make you feelbetter. You need to get the bloodflowing and what better way than abit of high-energy horticulture?Digging a border or raking a lawn forthirty minutes is as good for you aswalking or cycling.

Benefits ofgardening

might be damaged, and as long thesoil is neither waterlogged norfrozen. Dig to the depth of thespade and turn the soil right over toaerate and bury weeds and debris.

There are dangers to diggingover in the winter; it opens up thesoil allowing frost to penetratedown to the roots. Don’t forget thedamaging effect of treading on soil

during the winter. When soilparticles are “lubricated”

with moisture, you willcause considerablecompaction. You’llalso damage yourlawn by walking

on it in frostyweather, as the

blades will snapand be crushed by

ice particles.

Compost

Compost beds are bestleft alone and covered

in the winter to keep the heatin, but this is a good time to harvestthe fully rotted compost. Dig outthe compost and pass it through acourse sieve, put the lumps back inthe compost heap.

Other Jobs

There are always plenty of othersmaller jobs to keep you

occupied; particularly important issharpening and oiling your tools,cleaning and treating your outdoorfurniture as well, if you get a goodspell of weather. Don’t forget yourbird feeders and baths need to becleaned and filled regularly.

77

puzzlesolutions

8

Elizabeth Wallder’s

BookReview

The Secret Diary of Laura Palmerby Jennifer Lynch

The girl’s secret diary was foundhalf way through the first series andthis is that diary. Lynch got hisdaughter to write it at the time butI’ve only just read it.

Laura is a well-liked girl whocares about people, especiallyfriends, but we find out that there isa dark side to her life, which has

In the late 1980’s there was astrange TV show that I wasn’t

really allowed to watch, butmanaged to sneak episodesoccasionally, called Twin Peaks.It was by the brilliant directorDavid Lynch and I’ve watchedboth series through quite a fewtimes since and love it. It startswith a girls’ body being foundand then proceeds withweirdness, each episode makingeverything more and moreconfused.

fosdyrectoryfosdyrectoryfosdyrectoryfosdyrectoryfosdyrectory

Neighbourhood Policing Team01205 722002

PC Appleby - 07500 920446martin.appleby@lincs.pnn.police.uk

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PCSO Smythesther.smyth2@lincs.pnn.police.uk

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been going on for years, twistingand perverting her.

At night she is visited by an evilbeing called Bob and even thoughher parents are asleep in the nextroom they never seem to hear athing or realise that bad things arehappening to their only daughter.

We find out who Bob is halfwaythrough the second series, so thisbook doesn’t answer any questionslike that. But it gives Laura apreviously missing voice. It showshow it all went so wrong for such awell liked and cared for little girl.Some of the Bob scenes are reallydisturbing, especially as she tries toplay him at his own game andespecially as we know it doesn’twork.

For any fans it’s a must read, butfor anyone who’s never watchedthe weird and wonderful TwinPeaks, I’m not sure how muchyou’d actually get out of it. I’d saywatch the series if you missed it.

More exciting news is that thirtyyears later Lynch is making a thirdseries. I personally can’t wait.

9

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church retainsPC grant ... forone more year

The parish council voted at their January meeting to continuepaying the grants that they have paid over recent years, which

includes the grant to All St. Church. Good news for a church thatstill needs £10,000 to pay for a cracking wall.

Those residents who werepresent at the December meetingall understood that the grant wouldbe stopped this year, but it seemsthe parish councillors understooddifferently.

The December parish councilminutes say “It was suggested thatthe normal grant paid to the Churchwould not be paid in 2017/18 asthe Parish Council will now beresponsible for maintaining theChurchyard.” The residentsattending that meeting remember avote being taken on thatsuggestion, though no mention of avote appears in the minutes.

The next mobile library visitwill be outside the village

hall between 12 - 1pm onMonday, 13 February.

Mobile library

The suggested extention ofthe 30mph to the junction

of Mill Lane and WhitecrossGate near to Villa Farm wasbrought up again at the Januarymeeting of the parish council butnothing had been heard backfrom Lincolnshire Highways norwas it expected in the nearfuture.

The proposal had been broughtup at the previous meeting as asolution to reducing the dangerousdriving of some residents alongboth Mill Lane and Whitecross Gatewhere some people hadexperienced near misses.

30MPH extension

Thanks toParishCouncil

Fosdyke Magazine would liketo thank the parish council

for cheering up the village withtheir lighting of the tree outsidethe village hall, echoing thethanks of a resident whoattended the January parishcouncil meeting.

roundaboutdisruption

With work about to start onimproving the flow of

traffic at the Suttertonroundabout (three month’swork) it seems likely that therewill be an increase of traffic inthe village from people trying toavoid the inevitable congestion.

With that in mind we should allbe a little more vigilant if we are outwalking during the roadworks.

FOSDYKE PARISHCOUNCIL

http://parishes.lincolnshire.gov.uk/Fosdyke/Clerk to the Council, Mrs. W. DePear

Ferry House, Old Inn Lane, Fosdyke Bridge, Boston,

Lincs PE20 2DE 01205 260609

wdepear.clerk@btinternet.comCouncillor Martin PittTel. 01205 260378

Councillor Denis GlennTel. 01205 260615

Councillor John Cropley (Chairman)Councillor Chris Cropley

Tel. 01205 260226Councillor Terri WrightTel. 01205 260497

BOSTON BOROUGHCOUNCILLORS for FOSDYKE

Councillor Aaron SpencerTel. 01205 460394

Councillor Mike Cooper

LINCOLNSHIRE COUNTYCOUNCILLORfor FOSDYKE

Councillor Mike BrookesTel. 01205 820616

DIARY FOR PLANNEDMEETINGS OF

FOSDYKE PARISHCOUNCIL

All Tuesdays at 7.30pm inthe village hall committee

room7 February, 4 April, 2 May, 6June, 4 July, 5 September. 3

October, 7 November.5 December

Fosdyke FC

The social club is open for drinksduring and after Saturdayafternoon games.

First team:Saturday, 11 February, 2.15pm

v Fulbeck UnitedSaturday, 25 February, 2.15pm

v Horncastle Town ResReserves:

Saturday, 4 February, 1.45pmv Old Doningtonians Res

Boston Titans have pulled outof the league so Fosdyke Re-serves fixture for Saturday 25

February is off.

HOME FIXTURES

At the end of the seasonRailway will probably be

somewhere near the top soFosdyke set about their taskaway at the Railway - with anothing to lose attitude. Havinghad a number of first teamregulars drop out it wasn'tlooking great but from adversitythey managed to pull out aperformance that, although theyended up losing 5-1 against a farbetter team, had many positives.

The first half saw Fosdyke onthe back foot for most of the timeand it wasn't long before they went1-0 down to a long-range effort thatsailed over the keeper's head and asecond wasn't long coming.

Fosdyke were creating chancesgoing forward however and StuartBoswell was chasing downeverything on his first team debut.Unfortunately it was Railway whoextended their lead with a penaltyand a well taken fourth.

4-0 down at half time anddamage limitation was the order ofthe day for the second yet Fosdykewere really rather good in thesecond half, taking the game toRailway and the number of shots atgoal from the visitors slowly rose asthey went close a number of times,forcing saves from the homekeeper.

A fifth was added by the homeside but setting Fosdyke a target ofscoring saw reward when extangerine man Luke Smith hackeddown James Munn in the box. LeonMarsh belted the penalty home andgave Fosdyke something to cheerabout.

The second half was a reallyeven contest and Fosdyke heldtheir own with plenty of positives toreport: the back four were rocksolid, Leon was great in theunfamiliar position of centremidfield and team spirit was great -Fosdyke really could have had afew more ...

Man of the match? Marv Gadgielasted ninety minutes of headersand slide tackles, putting in aproper shift, but this week LeonMarsh takes the plaudits for a grittyperformance in the middle.

Adisappointing performanceand result. Fosdyke fell to a

2-0 defeat at home toSwineshead Reserves whoscored in the first and last minuteto bookend a dour game thatreally was nothing to write homeabout.

Short of a number of regularplayers Fosdyke made it difficultafter conceding a ridiculously earlygoal when the Swineshead strikerbustled everyone out of the wayand poked home. The game thensettled in to a tense and at timesbad tempered affair with a few rashchallenges flying in and very little interms of quality Football.

Stuart Boswell had the bestchance of the half for the home sidewhen a Marv Gadgie flick on was

Saturday, 17 DecemberRailway 5 - 1 Fosdyke

POSITIVES

Saturday, 14 JanuaryFosdyke 0 - 2 Swineshead Res

NO FINISH

latched on to by Leon Marsh whoplayed a clever ball to the forwardbut his finish was wide. That wasabout it from Fosdyke. Swinesheadcontinued to press but couldn't getbeyond Fosdyke’s defence andTristan Thomas Gilbert in goal,who put his body on the line on anumber of occasions to keep thescore down.

The second forty five wasn'tmuch better and Fosdykethreatened little at the Swinesheadend. The visitors were the betterteam by a long way and wereunlucky when a long range effortbounced back off the Fosdyke crossbar.

A red card for the visitingforward and a few yellows for thehome side were the main talkingpoints until a lob in the closingminutes drifted over the keeper todouble the visitors lead. With aminute on the clock Fosdyke finallycrafted a goal scoring opportunitywhen a glorious ball from SamMelson put Leon Marsh through ongoal but sadly his finish fell wide.Not a great start to 2017.

Man of the Match - TristanThomas Gilbert was great in goaltoday but the plaudits go to DanielFletcher who was an absolutewarrior in the back four and put usall to shame with his work ethic andtough tackling.

Saturday, 7 JanuarySpalding Harriers 6 -

0 Fosdyke Res

Saturday, 14 JanuaryBoston College Res 9 -

2 Fosdyke Res

Saturday, 17 DecemberFosdyke Res 3 -

5 Old Doningtonians Reserves

10

11

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Thursday, 9 February

openmic

free Live musicOpens 8pm - music 8.30pm

Second Thursday of every month.Hosted by Phatt Knappii

Saturday, 4 February

whistdrive

8pmCash prize to winners

FosdykeSocial Club

Saturday, 11 February

Dartsdrawn pairs

8pm

Saturday, 25 February

quiz8 pm Chicken/fish/scampi

and chips supper.Popular event so please bookMembers £5.50, guests £6

Saturday, 18 February

free LIVEMusicfeaturing Phatt Knappii

from 9pm (doors open 8pm)

GOOD NEWSFOR FOSDYKE

RESIDENTSFor less than the cost of a“COSTA” cup of coffee,

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Added to this, we do collect cash that day,which together, affects our delivery time.

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07776 010488

After last year’s residency atThe Ship and the

introduction of a bigger sound,Phatt Knappii will be playing afree one-off gig at FosdykeSocial Club on Saturday, 18February, with the possibility ofmaking it a regular monthlyevent if there is enough interest.

Music will start at 9pm throughto 11pm with doors and baropening at 8pm. If you like seeinglive bands this is a great opportunityon your doorstep. Take a walk tothe social club (or drive if you’re notdrinking alcohol) and enjoy thelocal band’s mix of 80s covers -with little deviations either side ofthat decade - and original self-penned songs

Drinks aren’t too expensive with£2.80 for real ale, £3 for lager anda sparkling flavoured water is just£1, so you’ll not break the bank.

live musicWe’re sad to have to say that

we’ve noticed an increasein dog poo in the village again.

While some argue that it’s nodifferent than an animal’s it’s still afineable offence to leave dog poowithin a zone under 40mph. Otherthan being unsightly it’s also ahealth hazard, particulary tochildren. Please pick it up and binit.

dog poo rearsits ugly head

12

“What’s wrong, Gould?” Catriona asked.

He was staring at the photo of Major Moulson; thefirst thing he’d seen when opening the Manila folderthat she’d pushed across the kitchen table.

“That’s Sam.” Gould pointed at the photo as if itdidn’t belong in the folder. “He lives next door.”

“Here? Oh my god,” she exclaimed. “He was theleader.”

“The leader of what?”“The Cyborg Project.” Her shoulders dropped in

exasperation. “Haven’t been looking at the file?”“I obviously haven’t got to that bit yet.”Catriona rolled her eyes. “It was a top secret

experiment to produce biomechanical soldiers. Myuncle found out that King’s original … err … products,were a byproduct of the project but King got greedyand started bumping people off.”

“You’ve certainly got a way with words,” Gould saidabsently as he flipped through the file. Catriona gavehim a glare.

“The project closed shortly after King and hiscronies were jailed for their body parts business, Ithink, because the top brass were afraid that someonemight look into this a little deeper.”

Gould stopped looking at the file for a minute. As ifthe penny’s journey had finally ended. “You meanthere was a military project to create soldiers that werehalf human half machine.”

“That’s about it.”“Come on! That’s science fiction. Robocop and all

that.” He went back to studying the file. Mainly thepages on Major Sam Moulson.

“Most science fiction is based on ‘what ifs’. Andwhat if I told you that the project had had somesuccess before it was closed down.”

“I’d say show me the proof.”“For f … fudge sake! What’s that in front of you?”“Give me a chance. Make another tea and be quiet

for more than a minute so I can look at this withoutyou interrupting.”

While she banged about with the kettle and

the Fenney Mysteries

chapter 7revelations

prepared the cups Gould couldn’t concentrate on thefile. Eventually she carefully, rather too carefully Gouldrealised, placed the cup of tea beside the folder.

He held his hand up. “Okay. Sorry. But if you wantmy help I need a little peace.”

Catriona watched him closely as he read throughsome pages, discarded others. He had changed a lotsince last time she had seen him. From acomparatively handsome middle aged man with aslight paunch he’d become a rather fit looking thirtysomething. Late thirties but definitely not over fortyand certainly not anywhere near the fifty that he mustbe creeping up to in a year or two. She’d not expectedthat. Not expected to have any feelings towards himother than business. But she realised she’d beenfooling herself. Even as an overweight forty somethingshe’d still felt an attraction to him. Now? If she hadn’tassumed he’d just spent a night with Scully she mighthave jumped on him straight away. It wasn’t that shewas jealous, or didn’t fancy sleeping with a guy afterhe’d just been with another woman. It was that she hada paranoid suspicion Scully was a product of theCyborg Project. She doubted that her own staminacould match that of a half robot, or that Gould wouldaccept the woman he had just slept with wasn’t onehundred percent human. She hoped the file wouldbring that home to Gould. Catriona wasn’t known forbeing a patient woman. Now though she sipped hertea quietly waiting for Gould to read the bit about thered book. The book that supposedly listed all thecyborg enhanced personnel. The book her uncle hadbelieved was kept by Major Samuel Moulson.

* * *There was no way Tanya Teggly could see ofcircumventing the security that surrounded Gould’sneighbour. CCTV cameras were not just fitted on thehouse but on poles in the front and back garden andalso on the locked gates at the entrance to the drive.Given some thick ripstop clothing and padding shewas confident she could find some access through thedefensive shrubbery that was almost worse thanbarbed wire. She didn’t know the name of the plantbut she’d found out the hard way it’s prickly properties.She needed a legitimate way of gaining access to thehouse and had been watching the place. In fact shekept an eye on all the families in Fenney, looking outfor opportunities, and while she wasn’t much good atschool - she hated school - she had an excellentmemory. On Tuesdays the Major had a cleaner in. Ifshe could somehow trade places with the woman shecould look for the red book that the man she’d met inBurger King wanted. She had no doubts that the manintended to carry out his threats if she didn’t deliver.

* * *

A QuestionOf Doubt

by Jack Hard

13

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents areeither a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any

resemblance to actual people living or dead, events or locales isentirely coincidental. © Jack Hard 2017

It had been easier than she thought in the end. Thecleaning woman had a habit of visiting the Burger Kingfor her breakfast before cleaning the Major’s house.She always had her tablet with her and read the news,well that’s what it looked like to Tanya, though shewasn’t certain what the language was, while she ateher meal. This morning it was porridge and breakfastplatter. While a woman of habit in visiting the fast foodchain she always varied her meal. Luckily the womanfound a quiet corner away from the window so wasoblivious when Tanya drove her van out of the carpark with the orange air freshener dangling citrusflavours into the air. A half hour was all Tanya had.

* * *Scully yawned. Blake stretched. While stakeouts werepart and parcel of their job and the Lexus was one ofthe most comfortable cars you could do it in they werestill sitting for long periods, and that wasn’t good forthe body. Blake was too familiar with Scully’s methodsto ask her how she managed to plant sixteen bugs andthree cameras in Gould’s house. Not that it had provedmuch use in the end. About an hour after Scully hadjoined him in the car a bright yellow Mini, a propersixties Mini, had pulled up outside Goulds house andthe two agents had looked at each other inexasperation. They knew the big man who hadsomehow managed to squeeze into the tiny car andwho now extracted himself in a surprising show ofagility. Opening the boot he removed a small flightcase which just about fitted in the space. His name wasClancy Jones. An American by birth and probably oneof the best sweepers in the Western world.

They’d been so busy watching him that when thecleaning woman drove up almost at the same time andwas let into the Major’s property they didn’t see thatthe driver wasn’t the usual cleaner.

* * *“Pretty good job,” Jones said as Catriona poured hima black coffee from the percolator. “Can’t see whythey’d put three cameras in the bedroom though.” Helaughed. A big meaty laugh that came all the way upfrom his enormous stomach.

Gould ignored the implications. “I really didn’texpect you to turn up yourself. You’re looking wellthough.”

“Just happened to be in the area. First time inLincolnshire. Bit like driving through Kansas.” AndGould knew that’s where this six-foot four AfricanAmerican was from. “As for my health I’ve just beendiagnosed with type two diabetes and a warning that Icould end up with type one.”

“Sorry to hear that,” Gould said.“I need to lose about six stone.” Jone’s bright white

eyes surveyed Gould. “Now you do look well.”“And feel good too. But I have to work at it.”“You must be working bloody hard then.” The belly

laugh rumbled through the kitchen again. Gould wasn’tsure if Jones was laughing at his statement or the facthe’d used the very British expletive. “Seriously thoughthose bugs are state of the art. Current market value’sabout ten thousand dollars.”

“Christ, S O One have suddenly got a big budget.”

“Hey, these aren’t government issue. They’ve onlybeen on the market these last three months. It takes alot longer than that for any civil service department totender a contract.”

“But they are S O One,” Gould said gesturing withhis thumb over his shoulder in the general directionof the Lexus they knew was parked along the street.

Jones shrugged, the kitchen chair protested, “Justgiving you the facts.”

“I’m sure they are SO1,” Gould said, frowning. “Butit seems they have another paymaster.”

* * *She had it! She had the little red book.

“Leaving already?” Tanya’s heart stopped, then started again in an

attempt to catch up with the beats it had missed. Hermind however was as quick as ever.

“Maria didn’t put the vacuum cleaner in the van. I’llbe back in about fifteen minutes.” Her hurried glanceback along the hall seemed to assure the Major whostepped back into his office. A good job MarijaPrialgauskaite had left her ID on the dashboard.

CONTINUED NEXT MONTH

Spalding Hart MarlerSunday pool league

after four gamesFosdyke 4 22 7Draymans B 3 19 6Royal Mail Cart A. 3 18 6Holbeach 4 16 6Draymans A 4 19 5Fishermans 4 18 5Royal Mail Cart C 4 11 2Horse groom 4 8 1Swan B 3 10 0Swan A 3 8 0Pinchbeck 4 3 0

If your children are fans of the popular CBBCshow Art Ninja they’ll already know that the

new series start date is Saturday, 21 January.They’ll also know that local artist, writer and

musician, Terry Martin, plays the starring actor’s fatherand will be appearing in six of the ten episodes. Watchout for Day Of The Spy. It’s a cracker!

date for your tv diaries

171 Mrs A K Barrand Spalding £10224 Mr S Andrew Donington £1066 Mrs J Thompson Bicker £1052 Mrs M Lindley Kirkby Sleaford £10176 Mrs J Pritchett Fosdyke £15

218 Mr R Johnson c/o Fosdyke £20141 Mr D Simpson Doningtom £25213 Mrs K Lineham Fosdyke £250Next draw: Monday 13 February at the Village Hall Bingo Night

Fosdyke Village Hall Lottery 250 Draw - Latest Winners

We’d still like to find onemore volunteer to cover

one of the eight rounds thatmake up the delivery of FosdykeMagazine to the residents of theparish.

If you would like to be a part ofthe Fosdyke Magazine deliveryteam please let Terry know on260275 of email him atterry@fosdyke.org.uk.

volunteersstill needed

Fosdyke Magazine isdelivered monthly by

volunteers to more than 250homes and businesses in and

aroundFosdyke and is available fromthe village hall. The MooringsCafe, The Ship and Fosdyke

Social Club.If you would like to advertisein Fosdyke Magazine pleasecontact Terry at terry@fos-dyke.org.uk or on 01205

260275.

Copy DeadlineIf something has happened to youor a friend, or is going to happen,we want to hear about it. So,contact Terry - preferably via email: terry@fosdyke.org.ukor phone: 01205 260275or knock on the door or post yourinfo through the letter box6 Whitecross Gate

no later than 15 February

After their success openingFramfest last year Phatt

Knappii have been asked by thesame organisers to playStumpfest, the bigger new two-day event at Princess RoyalSports Arena, still affectionately(or otherwise) known as Dabsi,in Boston, on the August bankholiday weekend.

Knappiinail it

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