THE CROWN INN TEL. (01366)727317

CHR ISTMAS MENU AVAILABLE FROM 1 s t DEC

C H R I S T M A S D A Y B O O K I N G S O N L Y

SENIOR CITIZENS 3 COURSE CHRISTMAS LUNCH £10 wed 10th & 17th DEC

SATURDAY 14TH FEBRUARY SPECIAL VALENTINES MENU

enjoy a romantic meal with that someone special

ALL AVAILABLE BY BOOKING ON 01366 727317

O R C A L L I N T O T H E P U B

CHERYL AND DAVID WOULD LIKE TO WISH MERRYA

C H R I S T M A S T O A L L O U R C U S T O M E R S

Page 12

Little Normans Pre

School

Welcome to all the new children who

have joined the Pre-school this term.

Congratulations to Claire and Ed, who

are expecting a baby in June.

Thank you to everyone that attended

the Bingo Night on 21st November. A

great time was had by all and a total

£275.43 was raised. Thank you also

goes to everyone that bought raffle

tickets at the nativity play. We raised

£70 for the Pre-school.

On Saturday 14th February @ 7.00pm,

there will be a Family Valentine

Disco to raise funds for Pre-school /

Primary School, in the Sports &

Social Club. Family tickets are priced

at £5.00 & single tickets are £2.00.

Tickets can be purchased from Holly

@ Pre-school or Sheena @ School.

There will also be a raffle on the

night. If you have any prizes you

would like to donate please leave

them with the Pre-school / School by

Friday 13th February.

Pre-school are looking for new

committee members and you do not

have to have children at the Pre-

school. If you are interested and you

can commit, please speak to Angela

(members can only be approved,

subject to a CRB check).

If you have a child(ren) of Pre-School

age and are interested in the Little

Normans Pre-School, please call

Angela Wortley on 728804 and make

an appointment to look around.

Session Times:

Monday, Wednesday & Friday

9:00am – 12pm

Tuesday & Thursday 9:00am –

12pm & 12pm – 3:00pm

Karen Muir

Administrator

Suggestion for the

Future from Kirsten

May I suggest that Village Life has a

Box for "New Ideas" where villagers

can suggest something which might be

of benefit/interest to everybody!

I shall suggest the following:

Northwold's Clearing Clutter Day,

which a lso cou ld be ca l led

Northwold's Yard Sale Trail to take

place in late Spring

(maybe it could be an annual event)!

Also "A picture of the Month" from

Northwold and/or surroundings!

( Which could be made into a calender

later on, unless the WI are doing it

again).

If no ideas are coming in, the Box

should still be there, but just write

"empty"

Best regards,

Kirsten 57 School Lane

Sandra’s Cards

Handmade cards for any occasion Made to your personal specifications at

very competitive prices

Independent Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator Let me introduce you to, or enhance an existing hobby in

the comfort of your own home

with friends and family

Tel. 01366 728407 or 07806 616704

Issue February 2009 Copy date for the next issue is;

23rd February 2009 copy@northwold.net Tel. 01366 728233

O Christmas Tree – O Christmas Tree H o w l o v e l y a r e y o u r branches……….. This Christmas Carol could very well have been written for St. Andrews Church, where this year 28 decorated trees created a festive scene for the Christmas Celebrations. The trees were again decorated by local families and organisations. The village children had been busy making all sorts of seasonal items to hang on their trees. It was obvious that their store of paint, glitter, tinsel and shiny paper much have been very depleted by the end of term, but the efforts of the Tots and Toddlers, The Pre-school and the Norman school children – many of whom were also involved with the Youth Club tree – were much appreciated by all our visitors. Several organisations have been supporting us since we first held a Tree Festival and we are so very grateful to them for always making such a wonderful display for our church. Each year we also seem to attract one or two new entrants which is always a pleasure to see. Over the years we have seen had all kinds of themes and idea’s used, this year perhaps our most unusual tree was decorated with small dog biscuits and all other tiny ‘doggy’ things. Fortunately this was well out of the reach of our resident church dog Saffy, who did not discover it’s delights until the tree was dismantled. When all the trees are ready the lights are switched on for all the Christmas services. The first event this year was the traditional Christingle Service when parents, Grandparents and children all came to church to enjoy this celebration. St Andrews has held a Christingle service for over 30 years. It is lovely now to see parents – who themselves took part in the service many years previous – now bring their own children to this special start of the Christmas Season. Later that week came the Tots and Toddlers and pre-school children with the Toy Service. This is also becoming

a popular event with the children bringing toys and games for the local children’s hospice at Quidenham. The annual Candlelight Tree Festival was again a great success. The church looked fantastic with just the tree lights and the candles glowing in the darkness. The pews were full as everyone joined in to sing their favourite carols, listen to Christmas poems, stories songs and readings and this year enjoy watching a short performance of the Northwold version of ‘A Christmas Carol’ This was followed by mulled wine and mince pies, and for many villagers a good old Norfolk mardle. The pupils of the village school marked the last day of term with their special Christmas service. The children all took part with the singing, story telling and prayers, helped as always by all the staff of the school. Midnight Mass was also a candlelit service with the congregation given small lanterns to add to the atmosphere. Over 80 people braved the cold to join together at this very special time. On Christmas morning the church welcomed it’s congregation to celebrate the birth of Christ. The festive look of our ancient and dearly loved church can only add to the joyful feeling that is felt by all who attend this service. The trees are also lit for all the Sunday services in Advent so we do feel that it is well worth the effort that everyone puts in to make our church look so wonderful. We would like to say a very big Thank You to everyone who helps to prepare the church in order to make it look so amazing each year. T h e r e i s a tremendous amount o f w o r k a n d preparation involved

and we could not manage without all the support we receive. Our special thanks to the volunteer who crawls around the pews and floor in order to provide the necessary plugs and switches so that the tree lights will work ( and to Coopers Electricians who always manage to find him that final piece of flex or switch needed to complete the job.) Next in is the Man with the Tractor and trailer - complete with sand, buckets and other necessary items ready for the team of men who take delivery of the trees from Didlington Nursery and trim, plant and position them, ready for the intrepid teams of decorators to work their individual magic on. To the ladies who make mountains of mince pies, to the men who provide gallons of mulled wine, to the folks who come early to light the 100 or more candles. To everyone who helps at all the services, those who help serve the wine and refreshments, those who take part in the services and those who organise the individual events, to the bell ringers and organist and the local clergy, to those who help clean and tidy the church when the trees arrive and when they finally leave, we would like to say a heartfelt Thank You (we will however be asking you all again next year !)

Jackie and Brenda

St Andrew's Players rehearsing "Scrooge" Photo by Harry Everett

Christmas at St Andrew's Church

cover

Church Services

Armageddon, Utopia or Dolally tap 2

Plough Monday 3

Youth Club

Bowls Club Draw

Produce Show

4

Art Group

Alms House

Spiritualists

5

Dr Nisbet

Dogs fouling 6

Community Information Point

The Grange open gardens 7

The Osborn Family

Village Hall A G M 8

Pog 9

Riverwatch

Coffee morning

Obituary Classifieds

10

Classified advertisements

11

Little Normans

Suggestions

12

Inside this issue:

Page 2

The Village Life Team

Editor Michael Parfitt

copy@northwold.net Tel. 728233

Deputy Editor Graeme Whiting

graeme@northwold.net Tel 727425

Advertising

ads@northwold.net

Circulation Manager Mark Elwes

circulation@northwold.net Tel. 728795

Committee

Chair Carol Sharp Tel. 728227

Secretary Position vacant

Treasurer Geoff Bartram

Tel. 728673

The views expressed in submitted items are not necessarily endorsed by Northwold & Whittington Village Life. Whilst we endeavour to ensure that all information contained in the newsletter is correct, we cannot be held responsible for errors. The Editor reserves the right to refuse or omit items without explanation.

Derek Johnson PROPERTY & LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE

Interior & exterior painting, wood or UPVC facia boards Guttering repaired, cleaned, replaced Roofing repairs, damaged tiles replaced

Chimney pots & cowlings fitted Chimney stacks and general re-pointing

Blocked drains & sinks cleared General plumbing & drainage

Roof, patio & driveway pressure washing Trees & conifers trimmed or removed Hedges, bushes and ivy trimmed

Fencing & decking, landscape maintenance

TELEPHONE 01842 810816

Armageddon, Utopia

or Dolally Tap Living in Hovell’s Lane we think we

have a happy and friendly

community. We know we are a cut

above the West End of Northwold but

we do not brag about it.

Imagine our horror and distress to find

we harbour one of those entities in our

wood pile not named in politically

correct atmosphere of today.

I refer , of course, to that damned spot,

and blot on the landscape, Ranter

Curmudgeon And his need of the

Dolally Tap.

Ex servicemen will know this

expression but I will explain for the

little ones.

In the days of the Raj there was a large

hospital at Deoally for the treatment of

mentally disturbed service personnel

and the Dolally Tap, by an index

finger on the temple with a flick of an

eyebrow, by one of the recipients of a

ranting tirade, indicated that the

speaker needed a ticket for the asylum.

We have love ly neighbours ,

particularly Kindly Ken and Perfect

Pauline, but if we can believe the no

win no fee advertisements on T.V they

will soon be Compensation Ken and

Prosperous Pauline. However, they

should act quickly before men in white

coats and a plain van remove

Curmudgeon to the local Deoalally.

Name and address supplied

This matter is now closed and no

further items regarding it will be

published Ed.

St Andrews Church

S e r v i c e s f o r

February and early

March 2009

February 1st 11am Holy Communion.

Rev Nicoll

8th 11am matins

Presentation of Christ

in the temple

Rev J Terry

15th 8 am Holy Communion

Rev A Nicoll

22nd 11am Matins

Rev R Blackall

March 2009

1st 11am Holy Communion

Rev A Nicoll

8th 11am Matins

Mr K Mcleod

Whos this that

s e e k s t h e

Dragons Blood

and calls so

angry and so

loud ??

St George !!!

St George!!

Ray Gribble

Antique Restoration & Traditional Upholstery

All aspects of antique furniture restoration including French

polishing, cabinet repairs and traditional upholstery

-------------------------------------------

Traditional Upholstered Furniture

Footstools, Sofas, Chairs made to commission

-------------------------------------------

Picture Framing & Mirrors

An extensive range of mouldings including hand painted

and gilded finishes

Antique and Reproduction Prints for sale

Vine House, Church Road, Wereham, King’s Lynn

01366-500387

www.raygribble.co.uk

Page 11

01366 385885

Local Runs Airports, etc.

PAUL’S TAXI’S

Classified Ads

Greenway Interiors

Kitchens, Bathrooms, Plumbing,

Carpentry Plastering Decorating

54, Cromwell Road, Weeting.

Tel 01842 812567. Mobi le

07766013485. Phone today for a free

quote

We're not just a company - we

care

Graham Smith & Sons

Pest & Vermin Control for homes,

farms and businesses. 24hr/7-day

service. Local family business

(Clover Farm, Mundford)

Tel. 01842 879904, Mob. 07946

733188

D W Services

Gardening and T V Aerials. Grass

Cutting, Hedge trimming, Tree

pruning and general garden work.

Also Digital TV aerials fitted,

CCTV, Signal boosters etc

Tel. 01366 728403

Mobile 07752 587111

D.E.T. T.V. Service - Repairs to

TV’s, VCR’s and Microwaves. Fast

reliable service. John Clifford. 01842

878486.

Feeling Stressed? Why not treat

yourself (Or someone else) to a

relaxing massage by a fully qualified

The r ap i s t . Fu l l y BABTAC

recognised and insured. Gift

vouchers available. Body massage

£17.50 (1 hour), Back massage,

£12.50 (half hour). Contact Shelly

Farrow on 01366 328835 or 07881

904099.

E.G. Dack

Approved Electrician, 25 years

Experience. Small Jobs Electrical.

Tel . 01366 728118, Mobile

07766637077

Lose 2-5lbs a week using natural

products. Free telephone assessment

with an advisor.

Dietworks (0845) 1662157

Sale – 3 x carp fishing rods by K

Nash. 12 ft 2.25 Tc. £ 55. Phone

727018.

2 Spinning rods, 2 reels and lures

etc £ 55. Phone 727018

F E N L A N D G A R A G E D O O R S

The area’s largest range of manual & automatic doors.

Plus repairs to all doors, and spares.

Thetford 01842 880 008 Swaffham 01760 790 009 Or please phone our Southery SHOWROOM 01366 378481

www.fenlandgaragedoors.co.uk

Superb quality doors fitted by a professional, long standing company, with up to 10 years no quibble guarantee.

TPF P r o p e r t y Maintenance Services

Interior, Exterior Decorating, Carpentry, Wall & Floor Tiling, Wooden & Laminate

Flooring

Call Tim

01366 728 881

Advertising Rates

Classified ads

6p per word, minimum 20-words. To advertise, contact Michael Parfitt (details inside

front cover)

Commercial ads

1/8th page at £5 per month, 1/16th page at £3.10 per

month. 10 x issues of Village Life per year.

There is currently a short waiting list for commercial adverts, so

get your details on the list now - email your name and phone

number to ads@northwold.net, or post to 30 West End, Northwold, IP26 5LE.

Page 10

Classified Ads

The Man With The Power

Handyman – No Job too small

Woodwork, Metal work Iron work

Design/Technical drawing

Gardening work/Labour and

constructions i.e. Pergolas gazebos

and decking

House maintenance – Doors, locks

and painting

Phone David George on (01366)

727582

Ian Myers Bookkeeping Self employed? Small business? Fed-up with the hassle of keeping your own accounts? Let me handle them for you.

Qualified AICB. Fully insured.

Tel: 01366 727141

Mob: 07979 947787

Email: ian.myers@hotmail.com

Obituary It is with deep regret I write to

announce the death of Mr William

Tebbutt of Cross Lane on 11th January,

at Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

He only lived in the village since 1995

where he enjoyed the peace and quiet

of this lovely area. William achieved

the good age of 87 years and although

in poor health for the last months of

his life until then he had been

fortunate to lead an active life. He

particularly enjoyed tending his large

garden growing vegetables and

flowers.

William leaves a wife, son and

daughter, Four grandchildren and one

recent great grandchild.

Many residents will remember

Barbara, his daughter who ran the

village post office from 1990 to 1999.

John Tebbutt

River Watch

By Ivor Hook The North wind hammered away for

three whole days. Then it veered to

the East and became an unmistakeable

icy blast. Thus it continued until last

night whereupon everything is now

white. The perennial patchwork of

fields has disappeared and the gently

twisting river provides the only

contrast. All signs of wildlife have

gone but in truth our fur and feather

friends took shelter several days ago

as they enjoy far better weather

forecasting than ourselves.

Under the surface of the river all

closely mirrors the world above. The

water is cold and uninviting. There is

no sign of life. The giant choking

weed beds of summer have died and

their remains swept away long ago.

There is a void of everything familiar.

The sky is dark and overcast. A veil of

shadow hangs over the riverbank. The

water is a deceptive black. There is

little flow until the inevitable thaw

follows. Is the covering a blanket of

snow or just a thick crust of frost,

nobody knows or particularly cares.

To most it is just an unexpected

nuisance and the beauty cannot be

seen.

Then, down in the deeps, as if by

magic, a number of silver roach with

bright red fins appear. They defy the

low temperature. They are all big fish

and although their metabolism has

slowed them down for winter an area

of ground bait has tempted their

curiosity. The red maggots and

breadcrumb on the stark riverbed

stands out like an oasis in the desert.

Slowly and ritually the roach circle

the generous offering. Their fins

hardly move but they ably manoeuvre

until they are immediately above.

They lower their heads, as if to feed,

only to then turn away to circle again.

So they come and go throughout the

morning.

To the fish the sky above is clearly

obvious even on this dull day. By

contrast when the sun is out it is

overpowering and the mood within

the river changes but such seems far

away today.

A primus stove with a saucepan of

bubbling soup taunts the anglers’ taste

buds. The air is fresh and hands are

freezing. Then to the surprise of

everyone, and everything, the alien

sun pops out. It has crept up unawares

and instantly the riverbank assumes a

hearty glow. All sparkles and glistens.

A new atmosphere takes over.

The brightness beams down through

the murky water and for the fish the

effect is immediate. Indecision

changes to desire and like proverbial

sheep one fish starts to feed to prompt

another and the remainder all follow.

Feeding time has begun with gusto!

The welcome sun remains to enjoy its

burst of pleasure. The newfound

warmth begins to soften the white

ground cover. The crispness underfoot

is no more. Nearby bushes and trees

start to drip. The pages of the picture

book now turn fast and a new world is

transforming as we watch. Seasonal

browns and greens will soon show and

become familiar again and the

memory of the morning will quickly

be forgotten.

Thus another day will soon be ending

alongside the dear old river Wissey -

but for the hardened men with rods,

the best hour is still to come!

Ivor

A Date For Your

Diary Why not come along to The Village

Hall on Tuesday 3rd March from 10

am until 12 noon and enjoy a Coffee

Morning along with the Volunteers

who man the Community Control

Point and enjoy refreshments. (see

Item on page 7)

With the closing of our last shop it

could well benefit people who have

no ready means of getting to the

shops for their groceries.

Come along and find out for yourself

as you may be able to benefit from

this facility

Page 3

BRIAN WATERS YOUR LOCAL MILKMAN

TEL : 01366 728024

DEPOT : 01284 754720

Northwold ~ Foulden

Feltwell ~ Methwold

Methwold Hythe

Mundford

MARK ROBERTS Plumbing & Heating

Plumbing & Heating • Boiler Replacement Central Heating Installation

Bathrooms/Showers • Water Softeners

ALL WORK & MATERIALS GUARANTEED REFERENCES AVAILABLE

Telephone 01366 727344 Mobile 07887 646587

Who Killed The

Dragon ? It was a dark and at times rainy

evening on Monday 12th January when

at around 7. 15 pm strange things

started to happen. People were slowly

moving in the direction of the Church

and they carried flaming torches on

sticks. Some were dressed in strange

apparel and their faces were

blackened, for to be recognised could

have resulted in, at the best

transportation to the colonies or at

worst, a Horrible lingering death.

They gathered around a plough and

then a Priest appeared which was of

some reassurance to everyone. And the

Priest blessed the plough so that our

crops would flourish and no one would

starve despite the recession.

Then the gaily dressed people began to

dance and the music played for these

jolly men called themselves Molly

Dancers from the Ouse Washes, and

Morris Dancers from Kings Lynn. And

everyone was merry and happy

until…. Suddenly from out of the

shadows of the graveyard there

appeared a sinister group of people.

They marched to the beat of the drum

and they struck terror into the hearts of

those good souls assembled.

A fearsome looking man claiming to

be from some foreign land declared

that he was ready to fight anyone and

asked Father Time to vouch for his

ferocity but Father time quickly passed

the buck on to The King of Egypt who

was learned in these things and knew

the very Man. He called for St George

and to much cheering and relief St

George appeared boldly bragging that

he could sort

anyone out, but

before he had time

to do very much A

dragon appeared

breathing fire and

attacked St George

which was not the

cleverest thing to

do as St George

promptly did him

in.

This would have

been the end of

matters had not

the stupid Father

Time not called

for a doctor, and

by chance there

was one there who claimed to cure

anything with a “cure all” which

brought the dragon back to life only to

get a second dose from St George

which finished him off.

Back came the Turkish Knight intent

on fighting St George. This was a

mistake as by this time St George had

got into his stride and gave him a right

going over before finishing him off

despite the efforts of father time and

the doctor.

And then to cap everything A giant

Appeared all five foot of him and

promptly set about St George. But by

this time St George was “On a Roll”

and killed the Giant although the death

seemed to go on for ever assisted by

The King of Egypt.

And so St George saved the world.

And they danced and played their

music and the dead came back to life

to repeat the performance in John

Haylocks Yard after a tour of the

Village.

Mulled wine was liberally quaffed and

mince pies eaten and everyone was

happy as they eventually made their

way to the Crown.

So now we know who killed the

Dragon It was St George in fact he

seemed to enjoy spreading carnage all

around. Who could it be? Nobody from

Northwold that’s for sure. No he must

have come from somewhere away.

Thanks to Andy for organising the

event, to John for his usual hospitality,

to all the people who helped in any

way and to Toni for knocking the

mummers into shape.

Pity about the weather. It was the first

rain we had had for over a fortnight.

It’s known as **ds Law in the trade.

A Mummer

The Dragon seconds before being Slain By St george

Page 4

The Woodland Inn Thetford Road, Northwold

Comfort Inn

New menu now available in our bar and

restaurant.

Why not try our traditional Sunday lunch

Only £6.95 for main course and coffee.

Look out for our flyers that give you free dessert

when you buy a main course Sunday lunch.

For bookings and info please call 01366 728888

Centre

No Hands Chair Massage

Great for the older person,

Pregnancy or Office Workers Easy to sit on Specially designed

chair, done through your clothing.

Great for relieving aches and

pains-especially in the neck,

shoulders back, hips and arms.

Great Price

Only £15

Ideal Xmas Gift

Vouchers Available for all treatments

42 Thetford Road, Brandon Tel. 01842814988

YOUTH CLUB

It seems so long ago that we were celebrating the festive season. Our last Youth Club meeting of 2008 was the Christmas Party – with a visit from Santa Claus (aka Dean Preston) – and disco/party games. It was great to see some of the “older” members who came to visit and join in the fun!

The New Year started with a Bingo evening for the Club members – ably called by Bernie Bartlett. At times you could hear a pin drop while they waited for Bernie to call, but bedlam at others when a “line” or “house” was completed!

A shout must go out to a number of people who have very kindly supported the Youth Club in different ways. Sandra Roberts showed some of our members how to make stunning Christmas Cards for their parents (and she’ll be back before Mothers Day ... but don’t tell Mum!!), and Charles Rutterford and Carol Sharp have donated an adult size table-tennis table. Thank you so much for your help – it really is appreciated.

We will be visited by Kate Davies (Kings Lynn’s Sports Development Officer) at our next meeting, when she will make the members go through their paces with fencing and other indoor sports.

New members continue to join the club. It seems that as soon as children reach the age of 7 they know they are eligible to come along, and this is without any advertising! We might well be crying out for more helpers soon! If you’re interested, just give Jane or Sharron a call on 728921 and 727675 respectively.

Steve Freemantle

Northwold Bowls Club 100

Club Draw for December

2008

Tom Fern £ 20

Ann Doughty £ 15

Peter Shaw £ 10

Sylvia

NORTHWOLD

PRODUCE SHOW

DATE FOR YOUR

DIARY!!

The Annual Meeting of the Produce

Show will be held in the Village Hall

on FRIDAY 20th FEBRUARY,

starting at 7:30 pm.

Matters for discussion will include:

Accounts for 2008/Show Schedule for

2009/Any Other Business.

Anyone is welcome to attend and join

the Committee, but if you cannot

make the date and have suggestions or

are willing to help on the day of the

Show itself, please contact either

Steve or Sharron Freemantle on

727675.

Steve Freemantle

Produce Show Chairman

Page 9

Well hear we go then, another dip into the prospective excitement of a new year, as seen through the reflections of yesteryear. God I almost sound like one of the characters from a play written by one of the great writers of old, maybe I’ll become seen as one of the great writers of today, in time. ZZZZZZzzzzzzzz Excuse me, I just nodded off for a minute. (what do you mean? It’s a pity I hadn’t just Sodded

Off altogether) They tell me that we’re loosing our Post Office / Shop in the village, that’s terribly sad for all concerned, for young Kevin of course, who was always most helpful when you called in and who took on the enterprise. Sad for him of course, but for our community as a whole. It serves as yet another reminder of what we once had here in years gone by. I have already written about some of those times, especially those that were prevalent in my childhood, when we actually had some Eight Shops on the go, not to mention the Five Pub’s that were on the scene, as well as the plethora of diverse businesses that flourished back then, Oh well, things change I suppose, but not always for the better it has to be said.. Our church is still well used, or at least it seems to be, for weddings and funerals at least. Then again we’ve long since lost both of our chapels, the Wesleyan and the Primitive Methodist, or at least the function that they proudly performed for us within the village.

We had our transport network, in the shape of stagecoaches of course, later to be replaced by George and Daisy Carters fleet of coaches housed down at Riverside. We also had a fleet of Eastern Counties busses by contrast, housed up on the Top Road. All these firms were important to us as what we didn’t have back then were cars for the most part, (we’ve certainly made up for that deficiency since ) However we did once have two Blacksmiths,( not especially good for travelling here and there) and that’s not to mention old Don Bales who certainly worked at his forge, but who preferred

to be known as a White-Smith, as he was a master in the use of all metals. We had Wheel-Writes, Harness makers and Horse-breakers, Drapers, at least 3 Butchers shops and 2 Bakers ovens. We had Cobblers, Millers and a Milliner’s as well as a Tea Importer amongst the rest. The village had a Cottage Hospital and a Children’s Home too as well as an Agricultural Engineer, who introduced Northwold to having it’s own petrol pump at West End, and later built our petrol filling station on the Top Road.

Along with a Sweet Shop and a Tobacconist, we also had some 20

farmers, (different to the 2 families we retain today) of course, plus a whole lot of people that worked on those farms. Many of the farmers kept cows, at least 2 of them in the village held good sized dairy herds which marched through the High Street ( cowpats and all ) twice a day. We were treated to weekly film shows, held in the village hall where I well remember some of the films we watched, like for instance the first time I saw 7 Brides for 7 Brothers with Howard Keel playing a part. For other memorable sights of the past you only have to look at the pitiful state of the old Manor House opposite the church, what an eyesore to behold. It’s hard to imagine that it was once the splendid building that it surely was when I was young. And of course it represents so much more than just a building, there were all the jobs and properties connected to it, through old Freddie Fendick when he was ‘Lord of the Manor’. This hadn’t been the only grand property to sport the name ‘Manor House’ of course, previously there had been Dageneys Manor, owned by Roger De-Akeney. This later was amalgamated with the much larger Havells Hanor that was perhaps the best known of the two. This was a fine moated estab l ishment owned originally by Sir Richard De Haville,

a close chum of the Earl Warren, who was the Son-In-Law of William the Conqueror. It was through old Sir Dick that the lane derived its present name, Hovells Lane.

It’s a good example of splendours from years long ago that have for ages

been forgotten. The ground bears no vis ib le t race o f i t ’s ea r l ie r magnificence now, to the extent in fact there are those that suppose the name to have referred to broken-down slum like dwellings, which could hardly be further from the truth. So having lost so much, why should we be upset at the loss of a single shop today? Well the shop itself holds no particular grand memories, other than it having been a Butchers shop at one time, and as far as I know, apart from that it holds no great claim to fame. Mr Fox ran that shop for Spinx the butchers and the only thing I know about them is that ‘Spink’ is the name we had for a chaffinch So in reality I think it may simply be a case of “how the mighty have fallen,” From when we were ‘all but ’ self contained and the community was practically self sufficient, to ‘the now’ when we’ve been led to suppose it necessary to have a host of unnecessary things that someone on the telly has persuaded us are the latest ‘must have’ devises, and worse, with little or no thought as to how we may going to pay for them. From the practical point of view, now we’ve all learned the hard truth behind the old saying, “Either Use it, or loose it” Well it seems that we just didn’t use that facility enough, and so those of us that just can’t get out any more, must pay the price for our whole communities neglect. So there we go my old sugars, who knows just were we’ll go from here. It simply a case of ‘let’s just wait and see‘ I suppose. The one thing that I can tell you is that you won’t have to wait too much longer for my next bit of squit to grace these illustrious pages. I hope that like me, you’ll be Looking

forward to Looking back at what once was in Northwold, not that long ago. Keep well together and keep you a’troshun Best wishes

Pog

Our Past

According To

Pog Aka Mike Coley

Page 8

Established over20 years

Full, free measuring and fitting service

Large range of unique designs

Call for Free Brochure & Price list on

EST 1992

Monarch Gates

Manufacturers and suppliers of quality timber entrance, field and gar-den gates

Mill House Farm, Thetford Road, Northwold

or email monarchgates@btinternet.com

(01366)727130

Ray

Sadly Ray was in

A d d e n b r o o k s

hospital on his 80th

birthday September

5th 2008 but would like to thank

everyone who sent him birthday and

get well cards.

Thankfully he has made good

progress and has moved into Necton

Grange Nursing Home where he has

settled in well. Special thanks to all

who visited him while in hospital and

continue to visit him at Necton – he

loves to see you and have chat with

you.

Popeye (Cecil)

The family would also like to thank

everyone for their kind messages of

sympathy at the sudden death of

“Popeye,” for all who attended his

funeral and for the donations given in

his memory which amounted to £476

for Heart research at Queen Elizabeth

Hospital.

Our grateful thanks

The Osborn Family

A Message From The Osborne Family

Sadly we have lost far too many of

the old Village Characters during the

past few years, and in this respect

School Lane has had more than it's

share.

People like Ray and Popeye cannot be

replaced they are an integral part of

the village life and what gives it it's

unique character.

We frequently get told how

Politically incorrect it is to call people

Nick names.. Not long ago half the

villagers were known only by these

names. So What? Ed

NORTHWOLD

VILLAGE HALL

The Annual General Meeting will be

held at the Village Hall on Tuesday,

17th February 2009 at 7.30p.m.

A G E N D A

1. Minutes of last A.G.M.

1a. Trustees confirmation of

willingness to serve.

2. Chairman’s Annual Report

3. Treasurer’s Report and Forecast

for 2009.

4. Bookings and Fees for 2009

5. Election of Officers for 2009.

Following the AGM if there is any

other business this will be discussed.

Jacob Bunyan N.D.H. Horticulturalist

Wildlife, traditional, heritage/restoration gardening. New complete gardens/refurbishment Organic options available Herbaceous perennial bor-ders All year interest plant schemes Tree surgery Problem areas

Problem solving Hedging/hedge laying Garden maintenance Garden clearance Environmentally friendly & correct waste disposal

Phone 01366 728229 Mobile 07724 040216 jacobbunyan@yahoo.com

Page 5

The Woodland Inn

Northwold Art

Group Our Art Group had a very enjoyable

trip to the National Exhibition

Centre in Birmingham in November.

It was the Art Material Live

Exhibition together with Crafts for

Christmas and other craft ideas. We

had a comfortable Harrods Coach

with plenty of room for all the

purchases that members of the Art

Group made.

On December 11th – our final

meeting of the year – we held our

Annual Christmas Party for

members and their guests. We

also invited past demonstrators

and their partners who are now

firm members of our Art Group

family. Members themselves

provided the food and what a

splendid spread it was too. After

an hour of eating and drinking

our surprise guest made his

appearance on stage. Mr Keith

Loades, the Norfolk Farmer,

entertained us for the rest of the

evening and kept us all well

amused. Everyone went home

happy.

AGM On Thursday 9 th January

Northwold Art Group held their

AGM. Patsy and Glenda

welcomed back all old members

and welcomed three new

members to the Group.

Programmes for the first three

months have now been produced

with a wide variety of

demonstrations, workshops and

topics for all to enjoy. Members

voted unanimously that Patsy and

Glenda continue organizing the

Group.

However, the Group has become

a victim of its own success. We

now have so many members that,

even with the newly purchased

extra tables, we are running out of

space for more to join. Therefore

a waiting list will be drawn up.

Any current members who do not

attend for a period of six weeks

(unless special circumstances

prevail) will be asked if they wish

to continue with the Club and if

not, a new member will be

allowed to join. Extra faces are

a l w a y s w e l c o m e f o r

demonstrations however, as space

will not be needed for working

materials for anyone but the

demonstrator.

Glenda produced a Financial

Report, which showed the Group

to have a healthy opening balance

for the year of nearly £500.

During the year finance generated

by attendance provided a range of

demonstrators, workshops with

food and wine, trips out and the

Christmas Party (again with wine

provided by the Group, and

entertainment). We also have the

cost of Hall Hire and Insurance.

It was agreed that the fees would

remain at £3 per person per week.

However it was also agreed that

in future anyone wishing to take

part in Workshops or Coach

Trips would pay a deposit on

putting their name on the list with

the balance being paid before the

due date.

The meeting finished at 7.20 and

the evening continued with

members painting and drawing.

Refreshments were made and

served, as usual, by Mr Booty.

Vacant Almshouse The Northwold Charities Trustees

have one Almshouse in School Lane

available for rent. If you would like

information regarding eligibility for

an almshouse, or details of costs

involved, please contact - Beryl

Quilter, Clerk to the Northwold

Charities on

01366 727472

Northwold Spiritualist

Group Northwold Spiritualists services

and events for February 2009 Friday 13th Ashley George

Friday 27th Nick Brown

Saturday 21st Clairvoyance evening

Pat and Mark Smith

Friday 13th March David Taylor

Enquiries call Eileen on 01366728289

Page 6

WHAT DOES THE

DOCTOR THINK THIS

MONTH?

TWO POOR AMBULANCE

MEN.

PREAMBLE: As I write this

article, rushing to complete it one day

after the deadline, I am full of

Morphine, Codeine and Valium, so

my brain could be addled and the

article could well turn testicular.

“Nothing new there, then” I hear you

shout! Anyway, please read on and

we’ll see how we go. My befuddled

situation has nothing to do with trying

to find out how those patients who

resort to chemical enhancement get

through life and everything to do with

the state of my lumbar spine.

WHAT HAPPENED? Our

daughter, Charlotte, became engaged

on Christmas Day and management

and I were summoned to Birmingham

to look at 5 venues for the wedding.

Great excitement and anticipation

prevailed. When we arrived, my back

had been troublesome for a few days

but I am well used to that and took no

notice. At midnight, while I was sound

asleep, someone exploded a hand

grenade in my lumbar spine and

rendered me paralysed and numb from

the waist down, drenched in

perspiration from the excruciating

pain. As a GP, I am aware that this

situation can be very dangerous and

that an urgent admission for MRI was

necessary. We dialled 999 for an

ambulance and gave all the details.

After 30 minutes, we were telephoned

by NHS Direct who informed us that

my condition had been declared non

life-threatening (we were, of course,

mightily reassured by this) and that I

should give them more details. Their

major concern was to determine the

name of our daughter’s GP so they

could make me a temporary patient of

his and clobber his budget.

Eventually, the lady was persuaded

that I was in real trouble and promised

to pass me on to the GP out of hours

service. After another half hour, a

receptionist telephoned and needed all

the details again, including names,

addresses, daughter’s GP and so on.

The clinical situation was well down

the list. 20 minutes later, a very nice

GP rang, I told him the symptoms and

he agreed that immediate admission for

MRI was necessary. He then suggested

that, to arrange this, I should dial 999 to

obtain an ambulance! Through gritted

teeth, I told him that we had started at

that point two hours previously. He had

the good grace to be surprised at the

tortuous course we had followed and

promised to send an ambulance.

Charlotte’s house is a typical

Birmingham terraced house with a very

steep, tortuous staircase, lots of tight

bends and a bedroom where the bed

fills 80% of the room. The ambulance

crew, Barry and Nigel, both of slight

build, came into the room, looked at the

state of me, and went pale. “You’re

long, aren’t you?” exclaimed Barry,

graciously failing to mention my lack of

slimness. Any attempt at movement

completely wiped me out, gas and air

made no difference and Barry and Nigel

eventually came to the conclusion that

admission was unavoidable. A

conference ensued and they sent for

another ambulance whose crew, they

knew, were built like gorillas. Two big

blokes turned up and also went pale.

However, they bit the bullet, used a

scoop stretcher to slide under me and

then they strapped me to it very tightly.

Over the end of the bed we went, the

stretcher was stood vertical and twisted

to get me out of the door and vertical

again to turn onto the stairs. Downstairs

I went, flat on my back, only to be

stood vertical again to negotiate the 90

degree bend for the last step. We made

it to the ambulance at minus 7 degrees

and thence to City Hospital where the

attention was excellent. I saw 5 doctors

within an hour, each one of whom

insisted on performing a rectal

examination, and spent the afternoon in

a very noisy ward; two nurses had to fill

in an eight page admission booklet

containing questions like “What

moisturiser do you use?” and “Would

you like to see a social worker?” When

asked my race, I said Caucasian; the

Indian nurse had never heard of the

word but the Philippino nurse knew that

it meant “white English”.

Later that day, I was transferred to

another hospital for a 45 minute MRI

scan which informed us that one of the

lumbar discs had ruptured upwards into

the bony body of the vertebra above,

causing extreme pain and crashing

muscle spasms. Happily, no surgery

was required and they knocked me out

with drugs while the pain began to

settle. We shall skate over the

problems I had trying to eat and drink

lying flat, especially when the food

and water were left out of my reach,

and the cleaning Deannie had to do to

make the room safe for me.

Eventually, the pain started to subside

and they arranged an ambulance to

bring me back to Feltwell – the

journey, at 2 hours, was faster than I

have ever managed in a car and the

crew were utterly amazed by the size

of Lakenheath base and the Feltwell

golf balls.

Best wishes to you all.

Ian Nisbet

The Old Dog

Complaint Yet Again Dog Owners

Could we implore those dog owners

new to our Village to please, please

pick up after their dogs, especially

when walking round the residential

lanes and roads of the Village.

Over Christmas our grandchildren

came to stay and went over to the

playing field. When a vehicle came

along the narrow lanes the children

had to jump onto the verge and it is not

very pleasant for them to jump into

dog mess. We ourselves have cleared

it up on at least two occasions and we

should not have to do this. Please

respect our Village and help to keep it

clean.

The Editor says: Reading this letter

it is obvious that the complainant is

aware of the identity of the offender.

In other words "You are being

watched".

Not only is this an offensive thing to

do but it can on rare occasions cause

blindness in children.

The Parish has provided red bins for

this purpose so there is really no

excuse for anyone not to clear up

after their dog. I personally have

had to clear my bank up after these

people.

Page 7

DIDLINGTON NURSERIES

For all your fruit and ornamental trees, shrubs and perennials -Aquatic Plants and much more

Seed potatoes, Onion sets Cut Flowers available

Don't forget to order your Valentines Day Flowers.

Hedging Available

Primroses, polyanthus etc

Free range eggs

Tel. (01842) 878288

Prime Quality Barley Beef which has been matured for a minimum of 3 weeks. Dingley Dell Pork which has been reared outside in a natural

environment. Best British lamb also reared in open fields. All meat is direct from local farms Norfolk /Suffolk) and prepared to the

highest standard cut to each individual customers requirements All our St Georges poultry is also local and RSPCA inspected

Home made pork sausages and chipolatas, flavoured sausages and beef sausages. Home made 100% Beef burgers, Pork and Apple, Lamb

Deli Counter with traditional cooked meats, cooked on the premises Large variety of cheeses both British and Continental.

Dry-cure bacon smoked & unsmoked Our policy is to buy as much locally as possible

We also offer an extensive range of preserves, spices and pickles. Range of home cooked pastries, fresh bread and fruit and veg. daily, freezer orders taken.

Opening times

Tues, Thurs, Fri, 8am - 1pm and 2pm - 5.30pm

Mon 8.30am - 1pm

Sat 7.30am - 1pm

Est. 1962

GARY BOYCE Traditional Quality

Butcher and Delicatessen

25a High Street

Methwold

(next to Fire Station)

Telephone 01366728512

From Carole Hood at

the Grange We are opening the gardens at The

Grange on Sunday 9th August for the

last time.

We would like to go out with a

“Bang” and to try to make it different

from last year.

We would be looking to have some

local market stalls. Any club or person

selling home made produce would be

very welcome.

To help with the parking, Robin and I

wondered if any person with a field

appropriate to car parking would let us

have it for the day. An old “Green

Line” bus could ferry to and from the

gardens for free and it hopefully would

free up the village streets.

Since we opened last year we have

been busy in the garden and have made

several major changes.

If anyone is interested please ring me

on 01366728761.

We will be open from noon until 5 pm.

We raised £ 3,000 last year and would

like to perhaps reach £5,000. Every

penny taken goes to kidney research.

Thank you to everyone for their kind

support

Carole

On The Mend.

I would like to thank everybody who sent cards and best wishes to me during my

recent stay in hospital. It was very much appreciated.

I am home now and making good progress

Brenda Palmer

Community Information Point ...

...That’s the formal name for the computer that is being provided by King’s Lynn Borough Council in the Village Hall.

Those that have already been to the “CIP” know that there is a lot on offer:-

You can get basic information on how to access the internet and

The chance to try out different web-sites (eg for the Post Office, Family History research, Google Earth – the list is endless)

You can gain access to the Council’s web site to find out about their services and/or tell them about issues such as fly-tipping, waste disposal etc

Fo l lowing the closure of the Village Shop, the Borough Council have specifically given Northwold Villagers without t r a n s po r t a n d internet access the opportunity to order t h e i r g r o c e r y

shopping via the internet for home d e l i v e r y ( e g f r om T e s c o s and Sainsbury’s).

A date for your diaries! Why not come and meet the volunteers on the scheme and find out just what is possible during a community coffee morning at the Village Hall on Tuesday, 3rd March. See you there!

In the meantime, if you want further information please feel free to pop in t o t h e “ C I P ” o r c a l l Sharron Freemantle on 727675.

The Community Information Point is at the Village Hall on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon.

Pam Eyles tries out the facility watched by Rosemary Crisp and Ann Howarth