August in the Year of the Lord Jesus Christ 2010

Dear Friends

Not being one for sunbathing around the pool with the latest bestseller and despite Factor 50, it came as a bit of a shock that I recently had to see the Consultant at the Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead. After an anxious trip to my GP and a short wait for the appointment I had my head examined by the Consultant under his giant magnifying glass. Nothing to worry about he proclaimed but there has been some skin damage. “Use this prescription cream for three months and, and this is the important advice always wear a hat!

Nature Notes

August is the time for Lammas growth, when trees defoliated by larval insects sprout new leaves.  New adult insects will be laying eggs for a new generation, swifts that have eaten their fill of insects, and raised a family of one to three young, will fly back to Africa.  Swallows and house martins (hirundines), however, may raise a second brood before they return.  Swifts are long lived, and does not need to raise multiple broods yearly to be sure of replacing themselves.  Hirundines are quite short lived, and need to take every opportunity to breed.

All the above mentioned birds are insectivores, eating large numbers of insects in flight.  Surprising numbers of spiders also fly and are eaten by these birds.  However, the spiders do not have wings, but fly using gossamer threads as a kind of paraglider.  So why are all these mini-beasts up in the sky?  There are several reasons; many, like aphids and flies, are simply dispersing to new areas.  Others are on their nuptial flights, such as the many ants bees and wasps; these are within a group known as Hymenoptera (membrane wings).  The birds trawl the sky collecting vast numbers.  During cool or windy weather, they fly lower, especially over water collecting insects emerging from their aquatic juvenile forms such as mayflies, stoneflies and caddis flies.

Church Clock Restoration

Festival of Christmas Trees 2009

A Festival of Christmas Trees was held in the Church over the period Friday 18^th, Saturday 19^th and Sunday 20^th December (the week before Christmas).

The Church was filled with 58 trees illuminated and decorated, and sponsored by the local community, including Primary Schools, UCTC, businesses and voluntary organisations. The Reflections and the Church Choir entertained visitors on the Saturday and Sunday afternoons to a wide variety of music, which included both traditional and modern Carols, Jazz and Blue Grass.

Each day morning coffee, lunches and afternoon teas were available in the adjacent Belmont Centre.

Despite the bitter winter conditions the Festival was well attended and hopefully £1700.00 has been raised for Church funds.   The 2010 Festival will be held Friday 10th December to Sunday 12th December.

View the photos in the Photo Gallery.

The Bells

All the bells were purchased from the Whitechapel foundry of William Mears and bear the company’s name, the date 1779, and inscriptions.

In 1779 the original six bells were installed with two treble bells added in 1785.