Fairlight

MOPPs today and next Friday: Today, Friday, August 3, the entertainment will be Fipple Consort, the well-known and highly popular Hastings recorder ensemble. Nicola’s Age UK toenail cutting service will be available, too. Lunch today will be ham and egg salad, with lemon meringue pie to follow. Next Friday, August 10, there will be a produce sale, and bingo, with roast beef for lunch, and then gateaux.

The Hearing Bus: The Hearing Resource bus is a popular and well-patronised visitor to the village, and its next appearance here will be in the village hall car park on Thursday, August 30 from 10.30 am until 3.30 pm, which seems to be a longer stay than we have been accustomed to. We’ll remind you nearer the date about this visit, which includes the facility to have a hearing test in case you should be thinking you may be on the brink.

The Community Library: Have you got the Library habit yet? It’s really very easy, as the ‘new kid on the book’ is handily in a corner of the Post Office and General Stores, and it’s open every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon from 2 until 4 pm. Do give it a try!

Careful what you wish for…: Well, we all said, and kept on saying, we really needed some rain. But couldn’t all those silent, private prayers have included a contractual rider ‘but not to coincide with Fairfest?’ What a shame for Jennifer and her committee and the legions of helpers, performers and participants who were all so looking forward to a great day out, not to mention the literally thousands who usually make up the attendance over the ten-hour spread of this fun day out. The Ditto Diamonds Dog Display was great, their second showing coming in the already pouring rain. One imagines, too, that it’s rare to have a falconry display indoors. The Fun Dog Show kept calm and carried on, to the enjoyment of the dogs and owners. Somewhat less food and drink was consumed than anticipated, there being far fewer people around than is the norm. However, the live dancing and music acts, with an hour and a half of the specially re-formed Kytes at the top of the bill, all attracted near customary numbers to the security of a very large marquee. People recalled the last minute cancellation of the mid-term Summer Bash of, what was it, three years ago? This year was different, in that the weather forecasts didn’t turn really nasty until the last moment, and there was so much more planned and booked that postponement was out of the question. Never mind, we shall all keep the faith. Perhaps a mini-Fest next summer would slake the unquenched thirst from last Sunday…

The Royal British Legion commemorating in Belgium: As part of the conclusion of the events marking the end of the 100th anniversary year of the end of the Great War, the Royal British Legion will be conducting the 90th anniversary of their Great Pilgrimage of 1928, which saw 11,000 World War One veterans and war widows march through Ypres to the Menin Gate Memorial. Local Legion members Richard James Boulter and his mother Maggie Ann Boulter will be representing the Pett District branch, with Richard as Standard Bearer and Maggie as wreath layer. The main march will be on August 8, when our duo will be joined by more than 2,200 other Legion representatives and dignitaries, along with civic and military guests from the UK, the Commonwealth and Northern Europe.Richard has not long been a Standard Bearer for the RBL, and we shall be telling you more about his work for the Legion later on. Branch secretary of the Legion, the ubiquitous Margaret Pulfer would like to encourage members of the public to make the trip across to Ypres to fill the Market Square and watch the parade. If you’d like any more details of this important event, or the branch of the Legion generally, please call Margaret on 8148676

The Parish Council’s July Meeting: As is always the case, a multiplicity of items was dealt with without let or hindrance, though it was unfortunate that a couple of the more important subjects were badly affected by inaudibility. Perhaps participants could be reminded that they are at a meeting open to the public, not a tête-à-tête in a private banquette. Although all are notionally addressing the Chairman, there is a simple way of appearing to do this while, in fact, letting the entire ‘audience’ in on what is being said. Those who have been amateur actors or teachers demonstrate this facility comfortably.