Other Works- An Introduction
"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams
has only a brief entry for the Planet Earth, in fact only two words followed by
a rather final full stop- "Mostly harmless."
In search of more clues, I picked up my "Lonely Planet" guide to
Apparently Upton House and Farnborough Hall, both National Trust properties slightly north of Banbury, are also worth a visit for Old Masters and works of Art, and formal gardens with temples respectively- not to mention my own more DIY temple in Culworth with its finery!
South Bar in Banbury itself, near the cross, has B&B’s further up the hill, a fine fish and chip shop, The Forum Chinese Restaurant, and also Fast Eddie’s Pool and Snooker Hall. Recently this has become a regular haunt of mine, and for £5 an hour approximately there are eight pool tables and four snooker tables available to play on. To become a member ID with a photograph and date of birth is required, but you can borrow cues and chalk for free.
There are also a selection of night spots open till late in the centre of town...! Taxis home are fairly readily available- Castle Cars from the Railway Station for instance can be contacted on 01295 270 011.
A Jazz Night at Upton House –
Sept 2005
The Young Team... – Oct 2005
A Culworth Christmas –Dec 2006
Delightful Frippery goes “Hoolala”!
– Oct 2007
ONE STOP SHOP FOR HORSE AND RIDER!
–mar 2007
Harold's legacy to us in Culworth!
– Apr 2007
At St Peter's Gates – May 2007
SIXTEEN MEN BATTLE OVER AUNT SALLY!
–SEPT 2007
Culworth Art Exhibition – OCT 2007
Banbury Canalside Folk
Festival – OCT 2007
The Best of
Northamptonshire Open Studios – NOV 2007
No fish for sale at
this Fishmarket –
NOV 2007
Paris- New York- Milan-
Woodford Halse –
NOV 2007
A delightful evening was had by all in the grounds of Upton House on Saturday 23rd July this year. Amongst the picnics band “The Antique Six” put on a show of light jazz as the sun set, and fortunately the rain stayed at bay! One of the highlights of the night however was the umbrella dance with a display of all sorts of rainbow hues!
The gardens looked delightful with immaculate lawns dropping sharply away into the mirror pool and gardens, followed by sheep grazing peacefully up on the other side. Lanterns brought by the picnickers added a magical touch to the occasion as night fell, and the lead singer advised us that their CD was available for sale!
Upton House stages
events throughout most of the year, in connection with its Fine Art collection,
and seasonal “Pot to plate” sessions of gardening and cookery. It is found on
the A422 between Banbury and
Paul Cowley and Alana West have recently opened a Point-to-Point racing yard at Thorpe Mandeville near Banbury. With many successes under his belt including riding over fifty winners, Paul has spent time this year gathering the necessary information for his Trainer’s licence. This includes a four month portfolio to obtain a Level 3 NVQ in racehorse care and management, and three further one week courses in stable management, health and safety, and finance.
The yard is at the home of Derek Ancil, the only man to have ridden and trained a Hennessy Gold Cup winner. At the moment their stable consists of six point-to-pointers and hunter chasers, mostly young maidens, being three mares and three geldings between five and six years old.
The racing season starts with a meeting at Cottenham on 2nd January, and writing now in November the horses are qualifying for racing by appearing at least four times each out hunting with either the Grafton Hunt or Farmers Bloodhounds locally. Point-to-pointing stems originally from hunting and steeplechasing, and although it is becoming more professional the ingredients have not changed for decades. Training point-to-pointers is accessible to any follower in the hunting field provided a permit to ride and race is applied for, at a cost of approximately £150.
National Hunt racing also requires suitability from the Jockey Club, which together with medicals is not an easy business, nor cheap, as a Trainer’s licence costs £5000 to obtain. A qualified trainer must have eight horses in training, and at least £30,000 in the bank to prove that he or she can cover expenses, and pay costs such as the feed merchants etc! Paul and Alana are now looking to race most weekends during the season.
As a jockey alone
Alana West too has represented the
Jonathan Wain visits a local organic farm
Fulford Farm in Culworth is producing organic turkeys in time for Christmas. Last year, a few birds were reared for friends and family but, because of the enthusiastic response, 250 birds are being reared this year.
The farm changed hands in 2003 and immediately began the lengthy process of converting from conventional farming to organic farming techniques. This process is now completed with fully organic crops harvested this summer. 750 acres in total are farmed by three full time staff. All the livestock on the farm is fed by feed produced and milled on the farm. Crops include wheat, oats, barley, rye, peas and beans.
The turkeys arrive on the farm as day old chicks during July and August. These delicate birds are kept in a stable for the first few weeks to allow them to grow their first full coat of feathers. They are then transferred to a larger barn with access to a paddock near the farm yard. At about two months old, by the time that they are used to the outside world, they are moved to a house in a field of pasture. Here they can roam freely over ten acres of red clover hunting for bugs and grubs. They also have access to the farm’s own secret recipe of milled cereals grown at Fulford Farm. Water is provided by the farm’s spring. Bed time is just before dark and it can take some time to round all the birds up into their luxury home but the threat of attack from Charlie the Fox is too great to allow them out at night! Organic Standards set high requirements for animal quality of life. Feed, pasture and housing are all checked regularly by the certification body – in Fulford Farm’s case the Soil Association. The agency allows a maximum of three birds per square metre in their overnight accommodation, a conventional farm would be a much higher stocking density and the birds would not necessarily be allowed outside at all. Fulford Farm takes the allowed stocking density and then ensures that their animals have even more space than this to bed down in. Julian Wood of Fulford Farm says, “It is the small details like housing density, fresh air and feed quality that make our birds so special – just look at them!” Indeed, as a layman, I have to say that they looked very happy and I’m looking forward to mine at Christmas.
A 20lb bird will feed a family of six with leftovers for curries and sandwiches for a couple of days. Working on a cooking speed of 20 minutes a pound, if it takes an hour to cook three pounds, a 20 pound bird will take nearly seven hours to cook! I recently heard of a family that puts the bird in a slow oven after Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve and then speeds things up in the morning and of another who over estimated the size of their oven and had to dis-member their turkey to get it in to cook!
Beside the turkeys, Fulford Farm also produces organic geese, duck & chickens. Limited amounts of rare breed pork and lamb are available to order. The turkeys will be available just before Christmas – fresh not frozen. By law they are sold by the kilo and Julian expects to be able to produce a broad range of sizes to suit your requirements. However, organic meat is not cheap – expect to pay about £7.50/kilo plus delivery for this premium product. Next year, Fulford intend to open a farm shop in the Banbury area and will be able to supply all the trimmings as well – indeed the farm team themselves are already pretty much self-sufficient.
Fulford Farm can be contacted on 01295 768639 or 07753 688588, or email jwood@fulfordfarm.com. Happy Christmas, Jonathan.
Delightful
Frippery goes “Hoolala”!
Local designer-maker Sam Gannaway-Jones is the inspiration behind the beautiful pieces created for the “Hoolala” brand range, sold direct and over the web, writes Jonathan Wain. Having successfully launched herself with her own website on the Internet, and its associated links, Sam sells a wide variety of pendants, necklaces, earrings, bracelets and charms, often chosen or custom made to suit a particular whim or fancy.
Whether it be images from Alice in Wonderland, or Vampires, or Jack the Ripper, or even the Texas Chainsaw Massacre(!), Sam has created jewellery for bizarre, sweet, gothic, or even sinister moods, together with more familiar themes such as love hearts and lockets using original photographs, capturing that special moment forever and giving it new life as a talking-piece accessory.
Sam
describes Hoolala as “Delightful Jewellery and Frippery Made in
That
essential English charm is still popular for its iconic nature, and even in
Sam works
in silver plate and also gold plate and sterling silver, and finds her delights
almost everywhere, from car boot sales to Antique shops and so on. Recently The
Sunday Times “Style” supplement featured photographs and a quote for a couple
of Sam’s pieces made to support her new season’s
Sam’s
story starts with a vintage photo album of great-grandparents, from which she
was particularly captivated by how her Russian great-grandfather appeared one
day in
Sam has used images from old books, and even single words and phrases, that are distilled to capture a moment and immortalised in her charms. Some of these quirky ideas can be as much inviting disaster as celebrating somthing humourous or noteworthy it seems, for instance with the more macabre appeal of the ever popular gothic imagery, Victorian fancy, or Alice psychedelia. Visit her boutique online at www.hoolala co.uk or email hello@hoolala.co.uk, and read the glowing testimonials from many a satisfied customer. Soon to come- Shakespeare plots!
Sam’s jewellery will also be exhibiting at The Mill in Banbury during October.
ONE STOP SHOP FOR HORSE AND RIDER!
Harley Equestrian have recently opened a new purpose built store as Northamptonshire's largest equestrian retail outlet, writes Jonathan Wain. This real Aladdin's Cave can be found on the way into Woodford Halse from Eydon, northeast from Banbury, where there is now a large showroom well signposted at Dairy Farm. The new premises have been open since November last year, although for the previous nine years the business was run from a shop in the High Street of Woodford Halse itself, well known to all those locally involved in equstrian pursuits.
Harley Equestrian offers a "head to toe" one stop shop for horse and rider, and is qualified by and registered with the Society of Master Saddlers. They keep over a hundred saddles in stock and are on hand to offer servicing or fitting and so on. Problems such as a horse with a high withers that requires a specialised saddle, broken stirrup leathers, or even loose girth straps can be dealt with directly at the store. Harley Equestrian has built up a book of clients from all over Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire and Warwickshire, and runs a delivery and mail order service that goes Nationwide.
Alongside the more obvious horseriding equipment, such as whips, bridle bits, boots, hats, gloves and jodhpurs, the showroom stocks an extensive range of popular equestrian, sporting and outdoor clothing created by names such as Weatherbeeta, Woofwear, Le Chameau, Ariat, Bates, Joules, Horseware, Pikeur, Wintec, Dublin, Harry Hall, and even The Cuddly Ponies Club! I Within Harley Equstrian they also stock shooting clothing and accessories, and a whole new selection of Spring season ranges and colours, even for rugs, is now available. Also very popular, especially with Young Farmers, are the official Polo shirts that bear the numbers One to Four for the members of a Polo team. There is all manner of grooming kit for your horse, and footwear to suit all types of walking and riding.
Riding is more popular now than ever before, and Harley
Equestrian caters for all disciplines from the recreational rider right up
to competition standard. They can be contacted on 01327 260 818, at Unit1,
Dairy Farm,
Harold's legacy to us in Culworth!
An article published in The Four Shires as "Harold's history of the countryside in the Red Lion" several years ago has become a continuing story, writes Jonathan Wain. Harold Aris' legacy of a fence maded up of welded farm equipment has been restructured within a gate frame, with huge bolts expertly placed by Dave, the landlord of the Red Lion pub in Culworth, hanging it off the adjoining walls between the pub car park and the garden. The welding work was carried out by Jez Lucas, himself a local, who lives just doors from the pub, providing a sense of continuity for those of us who fondly remember the pub from Harold's days. Dave and Jackie Stanton have been here for nearly two years, with a range of beers and a menu of freshly cooked locally sourced produce, from Mumfords the Butchers here in Culworth among others. Harold had already passed away by the time that they came to Culworth, but his piece of history was spared during renovation to enjoy a new life guarding the entrance to the garden.
Harold always used to say "If you can't mend it with a hammer it's broke!"
The huge spanner on the bottom left had to be shortened to fit the span of the gate, and Harold's welding had to be reinforced so that it would now hang as a pair of double gates. Jez, whose own father was involved in wrought ironwork, often sees himself building anything from field shelters for horses to display stands for advertising and promoting various products. He can turn his hand to anything mechanical and at one point was involved in building canal barges and long boats. His steel fabrication and even mobile welding skills can be seen at www.jrlucasfabrication.co.uk or by calling 07976 937 094. The Red Lion pub in High Street, Culworth can be contacted on 01295 760 381. Harold's widow has since moved to nearby Chacombe, but a keen observer will notice Harold's name inscribed on the reverse of a horseshoe at the back of the gate, left as a fitting memory to one of Culworth's most popular ( and regular!) customers.
Gazing into St Peter's Crystal Ball
In time-honoured tradition like the Beltane Feast, the Rites
of Spring, and jumping off
Drinks and Debate from
By coincidence, on the day that Tony Blair announced his
resignation, a group of St Peter's Alumni gathered for a think tank in
SIXTEEN MEN
As August drew to a close, The Three Conies pub at Thorpe Mandeville played host to The Horse and Jockey pub in Bodicote in another round of the hotly contested Banbury and District Aunt Sally League, sponsored by Hook Norton Ales, writes Jonathan Wain. After much talk I was at last invited to witness this strange scene of men gathering, in the dark, to throw sticks! Although this game dates back to the English Civil War, as someone said to me, "perhaps when they had the afternoon off!", it is now played under floodlights, bringing the past to technology.
Eight men in a team battle over three "legs", to explain the rules, scoring from a maximum of six hits with a "stick" at each turn. The target, a white wooden "doll", has to be knocked off its perch on a metal pivot, and a referee is at hand to ensure no foul play. The Aunt Sally "season" runs from April to early September, and during these six months any variety of leagues, knockouts pairs and team games are played. There is even an indoor winter league nowadays! Aunt Sally is popular throughout Oxfordshire, just as Skittles is particular to Northamptonshire. This league has been in existence for forty years indeed, comprising nine teams in each of six divisions.
There is some subtlety to the game, as each team has to provide their own sticks, which can come in a variety of different weights, and opinions vary about the best way in which to throw- it must be "underarm", but would you hold the stick by one end or the other, or closer to its middle? The name "Aunt Sally" is slang for "An easy target for criticism", much as the "doll" is supposedly easy to hit! This league covers a ten-mile radius around Banbury, and its details appear in The Banbury Guardian's Sports pages, or at www.geocities.com/banburyasl, where all the local news and rules can be downloaded.
After the teams have played their three legs, the "Beer Round" follows, where the losing team player must buy his opposite number a drink! The black target as shown in the photograph acts as a guide for aiming at the doll, and with eight men having six goes three times each, the maximum team score could be 144. Although Hook Norton Breweries sponsor the league as a whole, The Three Conies team is also sponsored by local Nick Tyler of www.tubeandbracket.com, who supplies the official baseball hats. Naturally as a league some teams get promoted and some too get relegated, with trophies fought for over all disciplines of the game, let alone the ladies knockout!
In this instance Thorpe Mandeville won 8-7, 13-11, 10-8, with the Horse and Jockey's landlord muttering about it being the worst ever, the end of the season, and blaming the wind!
Banbury Canalside Folk Festival
"Sibling
Rivals" Danny and Dean Stanton opened the show for a weekend of Folk Music
in Banbury at the Miller's Bar, upstairs in the Mill Theatre, at the start of
the Banbury Canalside Folk Festival, on the Friday evening at 7pm, writes
Jonathan Wain. This venue was showcasing the
Taking a
wander further into town mid evening, I chanced upon a Ceilidh in full swing at
the Town Hall, and then was fortunate to catch a rendition of "My old
man's a dustman" by Tommy Purkiss on his ukelele at The Reindeer! There
was much to see and amuse, and with events going on right through until
The Best of Northamptonshire Open Studios
Six of the
best entries from Northamptonshire Open Studios were invited to exhibit at the J
Gallery in Moulton,
Beatrice Hoffman, with her sometimes alien, often distorted, and multiple heads are described by her as "a potent symbol of psychological states, and feelings engendered in human relationships". She has been mentioned in this magazine before and often exhibits locally, for instance at the Heseltine Gallery in Chenderit School in Middleton Cheney, and as part of the Oxfordshire Artweeks organisation that takes place in May each year, that she shares with her students. Examples of her work can be found at www.beatricehoffman.co.uk.
The six
succesful entrants were allowed to display three of their best pieces each at
the gallery. Linda
The other runners-up also used a variety of mixed media and influences. Sue Moss exhibited some parchment-like paper designs and a very dreamy display based on shades of blue. Linda Sgoluppi showed three similar looking splatter-like paintings of vivid colour and busy-ness reminding one of the world in motion. Heather Wharam had textile images of a couple lying next to each other with their thoughts and concerns stitched onto the canvas in words around them, and as well as two paintings Kelly Gardner had a very clever illuminated installation of three dresses hanging on a line created from what seemed to be small books and poignant words, keys, crystals and photos to create an aura of this girl's life.
Sue Brooks
of the J Gallery can be contacted at
"No fish for sale at this Fishmarket!"
On the corner of
Sam and Sam
first met at a trade fair last year, and the idea for a shop in
Quite
prominent are the Union Jack flags and bunting, and "For England and Saint
George" describe themselves as "Beautiful handmade goods from from
all around the
Paris- New York- Milan- Woodford Halse!
Models of all ages from young kids to adults graced the catwalk for a fashion show at Harley Equestrian recently, writes Jonathan Wain! An exclusive crowd of invited guests were given a sneak preview of next season's essential outdoor wear and countryside pursuits clothing all available at the store. Labels such as Ariat, Joules and Millie Fox were on display and paraded before the eager shoppers. Models Gill, Megan, Becky, Gemma, Molly, Marcia, Louise, Andrea, and Theresa for the girls, and Mitch, George, Jason, and Ben for the boys appeared and reappeared in a multitude of different outfits and styles to suit all weather, admirably compered by Martin Ledger as they strutted their stuff! The show went off with some finesse, and certainly some humour, in front of a packed house, Three for the girls, Four for the boys, some vision for the horsey set! Not unsurprisingly there was a mad dash after the show to grab the latest must-have items and colours, from muted browns and greens to bright pinks and blues, stripey tops, and spotty wellies! Beyond the more obvious riding gear for horse and rider, Harley Equestrian sell all-purpose rugby shirts and polo shirts, denim britches and the like, but curiously there were no tight white jodhpurs in evidence at this show! Harley Equestrian can be contacted at Dairy Farm, Eydon Road, Woodford Halse, Northamptonshire NN11 3RG, call 01327 260 818, or email harleyequestrian@btconnect.com.
