Previous front cover of The Scene Photo by Ron Weir

Unfortunately I appear to have ruffled one or two people's feathers with what I wrote about the carnival in the last issue. To those people I apologise If I did, but let me assure you that your understanding of what I wrote are certainly at odds with what I intended. I was trying in some small way to arouse some enthusiasm and help from the village people who were doing nothing, not upset the ones who were contributing to the event.

I have now lived in the village for a little over twenty years. I joined the, now defunct, Community Association within a few weeks of arriving, and went on the committee within months. During the next ten years I helped to organize, and attended even if I didn't want to, carnivals, dances, race nights, firework displays, shows, pantomimes, you name it. What I am saying is that, I have been there, done that and got a wardrobe full of T-shirts.  Now don't think that I'm just blowing my own trumpet because I'm not the only one, people have been doing this since 1945 in support of the Memorial Hall and the Recreation Ground.  At the crisis meeting held on the 16th of April there were no more than four or five new faces, and don't forget that the old faces that were there turned to and supported the Fete with ideas and labour. What you have to remember is that people grow older, get tired. They possibly consider that they have done their share, have run out of steam, may even consider that with the advancing years they are running out of time? The sad fact is that there are fewer and fewer people prepared to come forward and do what is needed to keep things like the Carnival going so I am hardly likely to try to upset those that are willing to take upthe cudgels.

Having gone through that little diatribe let me say that I thought that what was on the field was a damn good effort on the part of the people that did take the problem by the scruff of the neck and ring a success out of it. Yes I did hear a few moans by one or two people that none of the old stalls were running, but for the most part they came from the people who would never think of running one of the stalls anyway. So, hopefully I have put things straight on that score.

By the time you are reading this our girl Jo will have gone from being Miss Elers to being Mrs Mitchell. I hope that they had a wonderful day and that life treats them kindly.

Well that is it for this time and the next one is the Christmas one. HELP!!!!! Stop the world, I want to get off.

Jim Fieldsend

WANTED NEW EDITOR

Yes, I've decided to give it up.  After fifteen years (90 issues) I am handing over the reins. I will be 66 at Christmas and er-indoors and I want to do some travelling before I get too old to enjoy it.  So, if anyone wishes to have a go I would help and guide them through the first few issues and help them with the adverts next April when they are due. So there it is. If anyone fancies themselves as the Piers Morgan of the Parish, the situation will soon be vacant. We really need to know as soon as possible as, if no one is willing to take on the job, we have to have time to notify our advertisers. So my last issue will be the March - April one next year. Any applications for the job or enquiries for information please ring the usual number - 01440 820108. 

Jim Fieldsend

Youth Club starts back 3rd September

Anyone interested please come along on any Monday Night we take children from 9 years to 16 years.

£1 per session

Lots to do, football, hockey, computers, rounders, table tennis, snooker and lots more.

and doesn’t the tea tray look charmingly sweet

Since we last met we have had both good and bad experiences in our quest for the best afternoon tea.  Not one for beating about the bush, the bad news first.  We visited an establishment for our Christmas bash (whose name we had better not divulge).  It was probably the worst experience (afternoon tea wise) we have encountered; you name it, it happened, what with the dreadful music, poor quality food and service, it rated very low on our Richter scale, only managing 1 cup - and that was being kind!  We were both so upset that Binge put pen to paper and complained.  Lord Binge remarked that she was wasting her time but not one to be put off (or told what to do), she posted it and then waited, and waited for a reply ……. None was forthcoming so, dear aficionados, we recommend - stay away.

However, there were two pieces of good news.  The first was to see that Peacocks in Ely was awarded the title of Best Afternoon Tea-Room (we think in England).  Don't forget, you read it here in the Scene way back in January when we awarded it 4 Cups (top score) and thoroughly recommend a visit; in fact we will most likely be going again quite soon.  We don't want to blow our own trumpets but Binge and Hackett know their scones from their ……. Well scones.

Secondly, the pinnacle of our search has to be the Ritz; what an experience as Jill Rundle's poem says;
I'm feeling sublime
For I've passed back in time
Surrounded by glamour and glitz
As I sip my Earl Grey
All life's cares pass away
For I'm having tea at the Ritz.

We arrived dressed in all our finery, clutching our Fortnum and Mason's bags (nothing like a bit of competition!) as we had decided to do a bit of retail therapy shopping to get us ready for our gastronomic experience.

The ladies' lavatories beckoned first, decorated in pink marble with a sitting area to relax and read the paper!  Or you could even indulge in a glass of mineral water.  After checking our make-up, we were ready, onwards and upwards to the Palm Court Restaurant.  A charming maitre d' (dressed as if he had just stepped out of an Edwardian melodrama) greeted us and escorted us to our table, which happened to be the best in the room.  We sat with our backs to the fountain, so we could view our fellow diners and admire the décor of our famous surroundings, enthralled by the various languages and nationalities of those who all seemed as mesmerized as we were.

Hackett suddenly exclaimed we've forgotten our cameras; not to worry, our waiter knew where we could buy a disposable one!  So off she went; whilst away, Binge (who likes a bit of bubbly) decided to order a couple of glasses for them both to enjoy with the sandwiches which comprised Smoked-salmon, egg mayonnaise with cress, ham, chicken and mayonnaise, cucumber with cream cheese.  When Hackett returned we managed to consume all of them plus copious amounts of Earl Grey.  Next came the cakes, small and delicate, filled with cream and fruit, freshly baked raisin and apple scones with clotted cream and strawberry conserve, all served on exquisite china.  To finish, we were served a compote of fruits of the forest with English cream - so delicate on the palate.

The time had flown, Hackett looked at her watch, it was the end of a perfect afternoon, unfortunately; we had to leave, the train back to sleepy Suffolk was waiting.  It might have been expensive but the Ritz certainly knows how to do it and as you will have guessed by now it was awarded our top score and 4 cups.

If, dear readers, you fancy a treat, give the Ritz a try.  If, on the other hand, funds won't stretch that far, try Peacocks - you will be pleasantly surprised.
Until we meet again.

Letters

WHO REALLY PAYS?
In the Village Hall Report in the July/August Scene it was said that the MSC carries the full cost of maintenance of the Recreation Ground and the facilities thereon. This cost being met entirely by users of the hall and three sports clubs and that "most people don't pay a penny towards the upkeep of these facilities". Is this really the case?

The cost of maintenance of the Recreation Ground, mowing and hedging, even mowing of the grassed areas immediately adjacent to the Hall, is met by the Parish Council, in other words all Council Tax payers in the village. Also the cost of maintaining the Children's Playground and the Teen Project, although the latter is currently met from money raised as part of the original fundraising for the Project by volunteers. Figures included in the Parish Council's Financial Statement for 2006/7 indicate that the annual cost for the Recreation Ground was about £2,000 and maintenance and future replacement of the Playground equipment about £600.

The Report made no reference to the fact that many users of the car park do so for access to the recycling containers the income from which, over £1,400 in 2006/7, goes directly to the MSC.

It should also be remembered that the MSC has benefited considerably from grants, in particular RAFT, for improvements to the village recreational facilities. Without these the Bowls Green and Tennis Courts, for example, would probably not exist so the MSC would not benefit from the income from these clubs. Most of these grants were available because the MSC Hall and the Recreation Ground were seen as of benefit to the whole village and also to surrounding villages not lucky enough or with space enough for such facilities.

Reading the Hall Report it is easy to get the impression that the MSC is a privately run facility rather than one that belongs to the village and which is managed by trustees on behalf of the community.
Peter Miller
(Past Parish Clerk and MSC Booking Manager) 

According to the ‘Hall’ article in the last edition of the Scene everytime someone walks or parks on the MSC property it costs the MSC money. Does this mean that if we don’t use the MSC property, they will have more money to spend on the hall?

The maintenace carried out so far seems to be mainly cosmetic.

How about safety? On the exterior wall to the bar an electric cable has been hanging out of its conduit for at least three years, and it has been reported on several occasions.

Twice recently I have had to call young boys off the roof over the kitchen. Apparently they have been looking for a football and had climbed onto the waste bin to get up and through the wire. When I reported this to a committee member the answer he gave me was ‘where else can we put the bin?’ Would it not be far simpler to replace the wire, after all it isn’t rocket science (or is it).

Many times the public have been asked to report any damage to the building, but why should we bother. People are far more interested in planting bushes than they are in worrying about safety.
Mr Oy

Ladies Night

Saturday 20th October - Wickhambrook Memorial Social Centre - Doors open 7 - 7.30pm

Two Dancers and Drag Queen

£10 Tickets / Bar / Raffle / Competitions

Call Roz on 01440 820757 / Dee on 01440 820394

Over 18s Only

The Wickhambrook Charity Fundraisers, invites you to our Charity Dance

Our Charity Dance is being held on September 7th 2007, at Wickhambrook Memorial Hall, 7.30pm till Midnight and is featuring the group Union Gap. We have a disco, raffle and buffet. Tickets are on sale NOW. £13 including buffet, so if you feel like dancing the night away please contact:

Lyn Newell on 01440 820155
Roz Clarry on 01440 820757
Jan King on 01440 820481

Limited number of tickets available so please give us a ring. We all hope everybody comes and supports our good causes. All proceeds to St Nicholas Hospice, Bury St Edmunds.

Look What’s coming next
We have just booked up another Charity Dance on Friday March 28th 2008. We have invited The Dreamers to come and perform. They are a brilliant group, and to this day there are two of them who used to sing and play with Fredddie Garrity who sadly passed away a few months ago. Tickets will be on sale for this dance around the beginning of February 2008. More info to follow about this dance after the Christmas Festivities.

The Wickhambrook Charity Fundraisers Lyn Newell, Roz Clarry, Jan King, Marise Morling.

Spoilt by no choice

Anyone of a certain age will remember how we tended to think of foreigners in clichés : perhaps some of us still do. Americans chewed gum, lived on hamburgers and bragged a lot. Germans ate sausages and sauerkraut, loved wearing uniforms and had no sense of humour. And so to France, a land we tend to love while patronising its people. We believed our unfortunate neighbours survived on a diet of frogs' legs, snails, garlic and funny bread, which wouldn't fit into a toaster. They seldom washed, and possessed unspeakable plumbing. Naturally, foreigners created their own stereotypes. The French were convinced that all middle-class Englishmen went to work in a bowler hat, carrying a rolled umbrella, having eaten a breakfast of porridge, bacon and eggs, toast and marmalade, washed down with a pint of tea.

One's first meeting with a true native, better still a visit to the country, exposed these caricatures for the fictions they were. Yet some early notions we gained proved to be rooted in fact, or were, at least, an approximation to reality. Long before I made my first visit to France, I heard, or, more likely, read that the nation was littered with little bistros and small inns, where the food was excellent and cheap, but there was no choice. One simply took la fortune du pot - pot luck. So it was that on an early visit I found myself at lunchtime in a small Breton village. The only place to eat was a plain-looking house in the main street. There was nothing to indicate it was a restaurant, a bistro, a café, a bar; no menu outside, no sign, no name that I could see. The pokey dining room was open to the pavement. Madame motioned me to a table and proceeded to serve an excellent, extremely cheap lunch. I can't remember the details,  except the main course, skate with beurre noir sauce; something I had never eaten before. I swear I can still smell the dish and hear the sizzle as Madame poured the foaming mixture of butter, vinegar and capers straight from the pan over the fish. I have eaten the recipe many times since, but never, I fondly think, with such enjoyment as I did that day in Brittany.

Such serendipitous experiences are becoming all too rare. We are multiple choice people, astute consumers who demand to know what we are going to eat and to be offered as many options as possible. Our obsession with variety can lead to what I call 'eating the menu', where the eyes, not the taste buds, select the food. It was exciting then, when we arrived back in Orgnac, to learn our Swiss friends (reliable gourmets) had discovered a new place where one can only eat 'what mama provides'. 'It's advisable to book and we'll drive you otherwise you might not find it.'

The restaurant is in the small village of St. André de Cruxieres in the foothills of the Cevennes.  Perhaps you have visited this wild region or read Robert Louis Stevenson's delightful book, 'Travels with a donkey', an account of his trek through the Cevennes in the 1870s. The mountains, which cover an area, I suppose, as big as East Anglia, are ruggedly beautiful and resemble the Highlands of Scotland, though more densely wooded. The area is one of the most sparsely populated in Western Europe and in times gone by life there was hard. Most of the inhabitants lived in the Cevennes not from choice but necessity. Many were Protestants fleeing the persecution of the French Wars of Religion, a piece of history which so fascinated Stevenson. People raised goats, a few cattle on the mountain pastures, and pigs, wonderful, free-range pigs, which roamed the forests eating anything and everything, especially the abundant sweet chestnuts and acorns. Rearing livestock is still the main farming occupation today: however, tourism will have become the biggest money earner.

Pig meat from the Cevennes is some of the best, and the pig products are renowned. Elizabeth David, that doyenne of cookery writers, rated the charcuterie of the Cevennes the best in France. In the old days, the mountain folk brought their cheeses, wild mushrooms and, above all, their dried sausages and hams, down into the villages of the plain, such as St André , to trade for wheat, wine and olive oil. This ancient barter is no longer practised, but St André still produces a significant quantity of olive oil.

Penny was right. We would have had difficulty finding the restaurant. There was no sign anywhere, no menu on display. The village farmhouse did have a small plaque on the door. 'The Chevaliers de St André ' - very posh-sounding. The dining room is a converted cellar with a high vaulted roof and simple furnishings. We entered via a tiny garden full of locals drinking their aperitifs and smoking. (The French non-smoking laws seem to be working -here and there!) We were shown our table and the room gradually filled up. I counted over sixty diners.    

A large bowl of salad, a basket of bread and a jug of water were brought. There was no menu. We were given a (short) wine list, and ordered our, very cheap, aperitifs. Normally something arrives with one's pre-meal drink; a few olives, croutons with a little bit of tapenade, that sort of thing. We got nothing, and I nibbled on a piece of bread while I sipped my pastis, trying to look like a genuine Provencal. Madame pounced. 'Stop eating the bread,' she hissed, 'You'll have no room for the food.' She was right.

The first course was home-made pâté, or rather pâtés since there were four, large dishes, each containing a different recipe. Guests helped themselves, the dishes then being passed around the room until everyone was served. We ate the delicious pâtés with our salad. The next course turned out to be three-in-one. First came an oval dish of frogs' legs, and very good they were too, cooked in a sauce of butter, garlic and fresh parsley. For those of you who've never tried them, they taste rather like chicken. While we were still hopping about with our frogs' legs, a large round bowl of mussels was placed on the table. The mussels, on the shell of course, were prepared with a cream, wine and onion sauce and were tender and perfect. To round off the 'fish' course, we were served with a dish of crayfish, the little creatures looking like miniature lobsters in their small sea of piquant sauce. Crayfish are messy to eat, but I'm a bit of a dab hand with crustacea and polished off the sea lion's share!

The meat course was veal stew. Sounds ordinary but the taste wasn't, tender pieces of veal with fresh herbs, olives and wild mushrooms. It was accompanied by a dish of chard ribs, cooked just right in a good white sauce made with stock. The cheese course followed. There were twelve, several goats' cheeses, a fromage de brebis, that's made from ewes' milk, and blue cows milk cheeses from the mountains. There was a dessert but we were too stuffed to eat it. This banquet was washed down with jugs of the local wine - good and costing next to nothing. Ah, yes! The price?  Well, the meal, excluding drinks and coffee, was fifteen euros a head, that's a bit over £10, or less than you would pay for a main course in an English ghastlypub, whoops! gastropub. We shall return.

I did not try 'the facilities. The ladies did and came back smiling. 'Usual French problem,' said Penny, by which we all knew she meant the water wouldn't stop running in the loo. Cheap bar or five star hotel, it makes no difference, the French have difficulties with their ballcocks!

By the way, on our way back to England, we stayed the night as usual in the Aube, and ate snails. No we really shouldn't stereotype foreigners, then again we did eat snails and frogs' legs, and the plumbing wasn't entirely reliable, and we still can't get a baguette in the toaster…………Au revoir!
Tony Bowers

Health Walks

This programme of longer walks continues with visits to Hawkedon on 21st August, Clare on September 26th and Wickhambrook on 25th October.  For more information contact Sharon Jarrett, Health Improvement Manager on 01394 444697 or 07768145657 or Roger Medley on 01440 820551

There have been several requests for 'beginner' level walks, gentle strolls that last for 30 to 45 minutes, avoid obstacles such as stiles, hills and uneven ground yet still include local interest.  Two have been planned for the coming months. 

• Clare Country Park on Thursday 6th September (If there are several folks interested, we could co-operate on transport)
• Wickhambrook on Wednesday 3rd October

Sally and Linda, the Practice Nurses, have details, or contact Roger Medley on 820551.

Regional Venue Re-opens

Rural tour of Beowulf announced for re-opening seasoning.

On 11 September 2007 the Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds will re-open after two years of closure. The Theatre will be showing a wide array of drama, music and dance as well as a second rural tour of Suffolk.
Members of the public can see the restored Georgian Theatre free of charge at two open days on 15-16 September, with places available for a free Punch and Judy show at the Theatre on Saturday 22 September.

The theatre will be re-opening with two weeks of celebrations, focused around a recreation of the Georgian melodrama ‘Black Eyed Susan’. The play will have Georgian sets and costumes, showing the Theatre in the trappings it would have had 200 years ago.

Annuities
An annuity is simply an income provided by an insurance company in exchange for a pension fund or any other lump sum. Effectively you give the annuity provider the lump sum and in return they give you an income until death (lifetime annuity) or for a fixed term (temporary annuity).

The most common type of annuity is a pension annuity, where an accumulated pension fund buys a retirement income. The actual annuity rate, or income from a given lump sum, depends primarily on your age and health, and current interest rates. In general, this means that the older you are the higher the rate is likely to be.

For long term care plans it is assumed that life expectancy is less than for healthy individuals, so better annuity rates are available. This also generally applies to all annuities for smokers and others who have serious health conditions.

The way the income is paid may also affect the actual income received. For example, an annuity can be level or escalating. The latter provides increasing income to counter inflation but suffers a much lower initial annuity rate than the level option. Pension annuities are often set up so that a spouse/civil partner receives a proportion of the income when their husband/wife/partner dies, and include a guaranteed payment period. Each of these options will reduce the initial level of income.

Taxation of annuities
The income from pension annuities is taxable, as the pension fund received tax relief when it was accumulating. For non-pension annuities, however, part of the income is deemed to be repayment of the invested capital and so not all of the income is taxable.

When an annuity is used solely to fund long term care, providing that the income is paid directly to the care organisation, all the income is free of income tax.

Tips for planning your pension annuity

• When you retire don’t accept your pension provider’s offer without first checking whether a better annuity rate could be obtained elsewhere.
• If you have suffered a serious illness or you smoke, check if there are any providers that will give you an enhanced annuity.
• Don’t assume it is always best to take 25% tax-free cash from your pension as you may be giving up a favourable annuity rate.
• For larger sized pension funds it may be worthwhile delaying your annuity purchase and taking an income directly from the fund for a time.
• If you need a guaranteed income and want to delay committing all your fund to an annuity, one of the newer schemes that invest part of the fund, using only the remainder to buy an annuity, should be considered.

Further information
Please contact me (details as per BV Services advert) or take a look at www.bv-ifa.co.uk.
Please note this article contains general information only and should not be viewed as specific advice.
John Bramwell
BV Services is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority