Category: Miscellaneous

Various items that do not fit any particular category

V.E. Day Celebrations

 

 

VE Day 75 will be an international celebration of peace – a time to remember, reflect and pay tribute to the millions who played such a vital part in achieving it. This includes the Armed Forces personnel from many countries who gave their lives or were physically and mentally injured; the hard-working women and men who kept the factories, mines, shipyards and farms operating throughout the years of turmoil; the ARP wardens, police officers, doctors, nurses, firemen, local defence volunteers and many others who safeguarded the home front.

SSAFA the Armed Forces Charity – which has been supporting service personnel, veterans and their families since 1885 – is the charity partner for this series of VE Day 75 commemorative events.

Sir Andrew Gregory, chief executive of SSAFA, said “It is our duty to keep the events of the past alive in collective memory, including future generations – this is how we ensure that such a conflict never happens again. It is our hope that the nation takes a moment to reflect on the significance of this date, as a milestone that changed the course of history for the whole world.”

The planned national activities organised for the weekend and other ideas can be found by looking at the official website dedicated to this event: www.veday75.org

 

 

CHRISTMAS/NEW YEAR RECYCLING

 

CHRISTMAS/NEW YEAR RECYCLING

 

Up to and including Friday 10th January the restriction on 2 black bags per household does NOT apply. The 2 black bags restriction will resume from Monday 13th January 2020

You CAN recycle these items – be sure to put them in the correct containers for separated recycling.

  • Brown paper
  • Chocolate boxes (cardboard)
  • Chocolate boxes (plastic)
  • Chocolate box trays (transparent)
  • Foil trays (please clean)
  • Turkey bones (food waste)
  • Vegetable peelings (food waste)
  • Christmas crackers
  • Christmas cards (plain)
  • Real Christmas trees (see dates below)

 

Unfortunately, these items CANNOT be recycled, please place them in your black bag waste.

  • Wrapping paper – all types
  • Wrapping decorations e.g. ribbons and bows
  • Sellotape
  • Christmas cards (metallic/glitter)
  • Tissue paper
  • Chocolate box trays (black plastic)
  • Tinsel
  • Broken decorations
  • Fairy lights – can be taken to HWRC
  • Plastic trees – can be taken to HWRC

 

Christmas Tree Recycling

For the Wenvoe area it will be Friday 17th January 2020. Simply place your tree out for collection alongside your recycling before 7.00am.

You can also place any cut off branches and loose pine needles in your garden waste bags and place at the kerbside for collection.

Collections will be taking place throughout the day and early evening by a dedicated vehicle on your normal collection day.

If you miss your collection day, Christmas trees can also be taken to both our Household Waste Recycling Centres. (HWRC)

  • Only real trees are able to be collected for recycling
  • All decorations and soil will need to be removed
  • If longer than 6 foot, please cut down to this size
  • Trees need to be placed out for collection before 7.00am

 

 

QUIZ – TRUE OR FALSE???

TRUE OR FALSE???

Can you guess which of the following are true and which are false? No cheating – answer all the question first before looking up the answers.

  1. Apples, not caffeine, are more efficient at waking you up in the morning.
  2. Alfred Hitchcock didn’t have a belly button.
  3. A packet-a-day smoker will lose approximately 2 teeth every 10 years.
  4. People do not get sick from cold weather; it’s from being indoors a lot more.
  5. When you sneeze, all bodily functions stop, even your heart!
  6. Only 7 per cent of the population are lefties.
  7. Forty people are sent to the hospital for dog bites every minute.
  8. Babies are born without kneecaps. They don’t appear until they are 2-6 years old.
  9. The average person over 50 years old will have spent almost 5 years waiting in lines.
  10. The toothbrush was invented in 1498.
  11. The average housefly lives for one month.
  12. 40,000 Americans are injured by toilets each year.
  13. A coat hanger is 44 inches long when straightened.
  14. The average computer user blinks 7 times a minute.
  15. Your feet are bigger in the afternoon than any other time of day.
  16. Most of us have eaten a spider in our sleep.
  17. The REAL reason ostriches stick their head in the sand is to search for water.
  18. The only two animals that can see behind themselves without turning their heads are the rabbit and the parrot.
  19. John Travolta turned down the starring roles in ‘An Officer and a Gentleman’ and ‘Tootsie.’
  20. Michael Jackson owned the rights to the South Carolina State Anthem.
  21. In most television commercials advertising milk, a mixture of white paint and a little thinner is used in place of the milk.
  22. Prince Charles and Prince William NEVER travel on the same airplane, just in case there is a crash.
  23. The first Harley Davidson motorcycle, built in 1903, used a tomato can for a carburettor.
  24. Rats multiply so quickly that in 18 months, two rats could have over a million descendants.
  25. Humphrey Bogart was related to Princess Diana. They were 7th cousins.
  26. If colouring weren’t added to Coca-Cola, it would be green.

 

(Answers to come later)

 

 

Village Hall Raffle Results

 

The Village Hall Management Committee would like to thank everyone who kindly donated prizes to this raffle and to the people who support us by the buying and selling of the tickets. All money raised through the raffle contributes to the on-going insurance, maintenance and daily running costs of the Hall which is primarily for the use of the villagers.

We thank you all and wish you Good Health and a Happy and Prosperous New Year

 

RHS tips for January

 

RHS tips for January

  1. Shred your Christmas tree to use as mulch.
  2. Check on dahlia tubers and begonia corms for rot.

3, Brush off the worm casts on lawns.

  1. Start forcing rhubarb.
  2. Prune apple and pear trees.

Environment team tips

  1. If you need some company and exercise join the Wenvoe wildlife group, environment team or turn up for one of the many walks. More information in the columns of What’s On.
  2. Make sure you wear those scarves and gloves you were given at Christmas.
  3. This year try to label all those seeds you’re going to plant.
  4. Clean out the bird feeders regularly, which will help keep disease at bay.
  5. Loads of bargains in garden centres at the moment as they get rid of the seasonal stock. Blue diamond at St Mellons is worth a look.

Sow sweet peas now and those that you planted in the Autumn can be repotted but try not to disturb the roots too much. If you have a heated greenhouse or warm window sill you can sow begonia, lobelia and salvia to give you early plants. Cut off some of the older leaves of helebores to give the flowers a better chance.

Most people prune their roses at the beginning of March. Some gardeners advise that this job is done in January. The lady and gentleman who live at Belgrave house, had advised their gardeners to cut the roses in the west garden down to just above ground level. This was completed last autumn and could well be the way forward. The roses at Vennwood will be pruned, half now and the rest in March to compare. If we get snow, don’t let it linger on your hedges and shrubs as the weight will put them out of shape and could break branches off. Have just read that being heavy handed in breaking the ice especially on shallow ponds can send shockwaves through the water and kill off some fish. They recommend resting a pan of boiling water on the ice to melt it.

Summer bulbs, seed potatoes and onion sets will be available by the middle of the month .

On the vegetable patch, It’s time to to lay fleece down to warm up the ground for early planting. When forcing rhubarb with a large up turned pot, putting straw inside the pot will help to bring it on. The jury’s out on whether its worth chitting potatoes. When working at Mr Phillips market garden the potatoes were not chitted but still gave good yields.

Happy New Year to all. Have a great gardening year.

Take care and happy gardening.

 

Are You Making A New Year’s Resolution?

Are You Making A New Year’s Resolution?

The tradition of New Year’s Resolutions has a long history, with people from many cultures across the globe making promises at the start of each year. Babylonians made promises to their gods that they would return borrowed objects and pay their debts. The Romans began each year by making promises to the god Janus, for whom the month of January is named. In the medieval era, the knights took the “peacock vow” at the end of the Christmas season to re-affirm their commitment to chivalry.

If you are thinking of joining in, here are some ideas based on the top 10 most common New Year’s Resolutions:

  • Exercise More
  • Lose Weight
  • Get organised
  • Learn a new skill or hobby
  • Live life to the fullest
  • Save more money
  • Quit smoking or drink less
  • Spend more time with family/friends.

 

If you need more inspiration for this year, how about this advice from Billy Connolly ‘Before you judge a man, walk a mile in his shoes. After that, who cares … He’s a mile away and you’ve got his shoes.’

Interestingly, your enthusiasm for New Year’s resolutions may depend on your age. Recent research suggests young Brits are by far the most likely to make them, with more than a third of 18 to 24 year olds intending to do so, while only 15% of those over 65 will bother. On the plus side research shows that Americans are more likely to give up on their resolutions than we are.

So how likely are you to be successful with your resolutions?

A study of 3,000 people by Richard Wiseman from the University of Bristol showed that 88% of those who set New Year resolutions fail! People apparently have more success with small and measurable goals like ‘lose a certain amount of weight in a week’ rather than a more general resolution to lose weight. Pauline Wallin, PhD, psychologist and author of ‘Taming Your Inner Brat’ advises people to develop a realistic plan, build in imperfections and focus on small victories along the way. But beware! Recent research has discovered that the second Friday in January is the day when we are most likely to falter. So this year if you do make a New Year’s Resolution be wary of ‘Quitter’s Day’ Friday 10th January

 

 

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