Honeycomb-On Line

I wonder what New Year’s resolutions you have made this year and for how long will they last? Taking more exercise is one of my regulars and really January is not the ideal month for starting (or at least that’s my excuse most Februarys). This January, rather than making specific resolutions it might prove far more beneficial to step back and think about your priorities This story might help you think about that.

A philosophy professor stood before his class. He had some boxes on the desk in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly out of one box he picked up a very large and empty jar and proceeded to fill it to the brim with rocks from another box. The rocks were about two inches in diameter. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles of course rolled into the open areas between the rocks. He then asked the students again if they thought the jar was full. Hesitantly this time, they agreed it was.

The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up the tiny gaps between the pebbles. He then asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous yes.

The professor then produced a bottle of wine from the last box and proceeded to pour the entire contents into the jar. The wine effectively filled up the empty spaces between the sand grains. The students laughed.
“Now” said the professor, as the laugher subsided, “I want you to recognise that this jar represents you life. The rocks are the important things: your family, your partners, your health, your children, your faith, your friends. Things that, if everything else was lost and they only remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter, like your job, your house and maybe your car. The sand is everything else. It is the small stuff.

“If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued, “there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important for you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Spend time with your friends. Pray each day. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out dancing. Take care of the rocks first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the wine represented. The professor smiled. “I’m glad you asked. It just goes to show that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of glasses of wine (or bottles of beer)!”

The temptation is to remember that there is always room for the wine or the beer and to forget the serious point in the story. Each day requires serious choices about what matters to us. Everything is not equally important and the choices are hard. Sand gets everywhere and can be an irritant rubbing your skin demanding attention. It can be so demanding that, unless looked at closely, the sand can seem to be a rock. The rocks can be easy to ignore or walk around, after all they will be there tomorrow when you have more time for them (or will they?). Discerning the rocks from the pebbles or the sand can be difficult on your own. Outside help will often make it easier to see clearly. But where is the outside help that actually really cares for you and wants you to get your priorities right so that you and those you love lead contented lives? The most effective source is God. Let God help keep things in perspective. Let God help in the decisions. Let God help with discerning the rocks from the sand. Let God help you and so may 2011 be a good and contented one for you and all the rocks in your life.

Jan Brookshaw

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Saint of the Month

If your Christmas and New Year break included just too many people and even a bout of indigestion, then St Antony may be the saint for you. He was a hermit–monk with a reputation for making poorly people feel better. Antony was born in Coma (Upper Egypt) in 251, and at 20 became an ascetic. He settled down in the complete solitude of a deserted fort in Pispir, where he spent the next 20 years busy fighting the whole range of usual hermit temptations, such as having queenly devils approach you for marriage, and other hazards like that. In 306 Antony felt able to face the world again, and so he began visiting with some other hermits. One was Paul, and the story goes that the day they met, a raven provided lunch for them by dropping a loaf of bread nearby. Antony was a godly man, and would pray for people. Stories went round that those he prayed for were healed, and so he became known as a miracle–worker. He was certainly brave: when in 311 the Roman Emperor Maximinus was persecuting the Christians, Antony went to Alexandria to encourage the church there to stand firm. Years later he was stoutly defending the Christian faith in disputes with heretics. Antony died in 356, but even hundreds of years later he was not forgotten. A medical band of people adopted his name: The Order of Hospitallers of Saint Antony was founded (c.1100, in La Motte). It became a pilgrimage centre for those suffering from ergotism (called St Antony’s Fire – a serious form of fungi poisoning). Antony was a tremendously popular saint throughout the Middle Ages. By then he was seen as the patriarch of monks, and a healer of both men and animals. Antony even gave us the word ‘tantony’, a diminutive applied to the smallest pig in a litter.

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All in the Month of January

500 years ago:	on 1st Jan 1511 that King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon’s first child was born. Baby Henry survived for only two months.
350 years ago:	on 30th Jan 1661 that Oliver Cromwell, former Lord Protector of England, was formally executed (more than two years after his death!)
150 years ago:	on 9th Jan 1861 that the first shots were exchanged between the Union and Confederate forces in the American Civil War.
125 years ago:	on 29 Jan 1886 that the first practical car to be powered by an internal combustion engine was patented by Karl Benz.
100 years ago:	on 21st Jan 1911 that the first Monte Carlo rally was held.
90 years ago:	on 28th Jan 1921 that The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was installed beneath the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, honouring unidentified soldiers who fell in WW1.
75 years ago:	on 18th Jan 1936 that Rudyard Kipling, British writer (‘The Jungle Book’, ‘Kim’) and poet died.
70 years ago:	on 2nd Jan 1941 that Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff was badly damaged by German bombing.
65 years ago:	on 3rd Jan 1946 that William Joyce, ‘Lord Haw–Haw’, British fascist politician who broadcast Nazi propaganda from Germany during WW2 was executed.
60 years ago:	on 4th Jan 1951 that North Korean and Chinese forces captured Seoul, the South Korean capital.
50 years ago:	on 20th Jan 1961 that John F Kennedy was inaugurated as the 35th President of the United States.
40 years ago:	on 25th Jan 1971 that Idi Amin deposed the President of Uganda, Milton Obote, and declared himself President on 2nd Feb.
30 years ago:	on 20th Jan 1981 that 52 American hostages were released from the US embassy in Tehran, Iran, after being held for 444 days by followers of Ayatollah Khomeini.
25 years ago:	on 28th Jan 1986 that the American space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after lift–off from Cape Canaveral, killing 7 astronauts.
20 years ago:	on 16th Jan 1991 that the Gulf War’s Operation Desert Storm was underway. US–led forces began bombing Iraq.
15 years ago:	on 2nd Jan 1996 that the first convoy of American peacekeeping troops arrived in Northern Bosnia following the end of the Bosnian War. This was the USA’s first military involvement in Europe since WW11.
10 years ago:	on 31st Jan 2001 that a Scottish court convicted Abdelbaset Ali al–Megrahi from Libya of carrying out the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.

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Could you help fight the cholera outbreak in Haiti?

Christian doctors and nurses are urgently needed to help Samaritan’s Purse respond to the deadly cholera outbreak in Haiti. By the end of last year, more than 1,100 people had died and over 18,000 had been hospitalized. UN officials fear that as many as 200,000 people may be affected in the weeks to come. And so Samaritan’s Purse has mounted an emergency medical response. Hundreds of lives have already been saved at its three Cholera Treatment Centres, but more nurses and doctors are desperately needed. Can you help? For more details, contact: Ruth Sanders at ruth.sanders@samaritan.org, call 020 8559 2044 ext. 208

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Kimbolton Flower Club

Following an excellent Christmas demonstration in November and a pleasant social and workshop evening in December, our next meeting will take place in the Mandeville Hall, Kimbolton, on Tuesday, the 18th January at 7.30 pm. There will be a demonstration by Mrs Barbara Collins with the encouraging title “ Brighter Days are Coming”. Visitors are most welcome.Admission for non– members is £5.

Many thanks,
Sue Fawcett

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The New Stodden Open Classes

The New Stodden Open Classes
Dean & Shelton Flower Show
10th September 2011

How does your garden grow? Or more particularly, what do you grow? Do you grow giant runner beans, perfect parsnips and correct carrots? Are you competitive, would you like to show off your potentially award winning veg? For the first time, as a separate competition, we will be opening some growing classes to the four other Stodden villages. We have selected the items that have proved most popular in Dean and Shelton and hope that you will want to take part.

Certificates will be awarded to prize winners in each class and a rosette presented to the overall winner of the Stodden Open Classes which will be judged separately from Dean and Shelton.

Schedules will be available on line from 1st February at Dean and Shelton Parish Council, Honeycomb Website, or by request from Rosemary Hallworth, John Cordell, Paula Hall or Jackie Ashby.

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BBC’s Bible marathon

BBC Radio 4 is going to broadcast a day of readings from the Bible this month in order to mark the 400th anniversary of the publication of the King James Bible. On Sunday 9th January BBC Radio 4 will broadcast 28 readings of 15 minutes each, lasting a total of seven hours. Prior to the Sunday 9th, there is also a series of three documentary programmes presented by Jim Naughtie – these are going out on 3rd, 4th and 5th January from 09:00am – 09:45am on BBC Radio 4 and are entitled The Story of the King James Bible.

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A best–seller for 400 years

When James VI of Scotland ascended the English throne as James I, his priority was to unite the country after decades of bloody religious strife. The King himself invited 54 leading scholars in Westminster, Oxford and Cambridge to build on the existing translations and create a new version that could be used in churches and homes throughout the land. Tyndale’s vision of every ploughboy being able to read the Bible would become a reality. This was to be a huge, complicated and controversial task which took years to complete. 2011 will be the 400th anniversary of its publication.

One of the scholars was Francis Dillingham, whose family is recorded as living in Dean in about 1440. When restoring Francis House, built c1550 – 1600, we found evidence of an earlier dwelling on the site. The family prospered under the Tudors, the house was extended and several cottages built, including one opposite the old farmhouse, a cottage which is now the kitchen of Dean House. Francis owned the house and farm, but lived at Christ’s College, Cambridge, where he was a hard–working scholar of Hebrew and Greek.

As a member of the 1st Cambridge group, he was involved in the preparation of the books of Job, Psalms and Proverbs, amongst others. Oxford scholars worked on the Gospels, Acts and Isaiah.

The fortunes of the King James Bible rose with the extension of British power throughout the world, and its global influence is beyond question. There will be much of interest to take part in this year, in the meantime you could add Derek Wilson’s “The People’s Bible” to your ‘must read’ list. Then as now, you couldn’t control your printer, who had as the 7th commandment “Thou shalt commit adultery”.

Joan May, Sue and David Butter

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Melchbourne and Yelden Parish Council

Chairman:    Mrs Judy Stewart      Tel: 01234 708 629
Clerk:       Mrs Garry Telling Tel: 01480 860 439
www.melchbourneandyeldenpc.org.uk

At the meeting held in Melchbourne Village Hall on Wednesday, 24th Nov, 2010. Seven councillors were present.

There were 1 members of the public in attendance.
Judy Stewart was in the chair.
The following discussions took place and decisions were made:–

•	The councillors are hoping for grants to – mend the bus shelter in Yelden and – clear out the pond.
•	There were still concerns about speeding traffic in Knotting Road.
•	A letter had been sent objecting to the latest application for Chelveston.
•	Grants for the upkeep of the churchyards, for the village halls and for Honeycomb were discussed.
•	The Parish precept for 2011/12 will be decided at the January meeting.
•	Councillor Helen Bone [HB] reported on the road works which should take place.
•	She also said that Knotting Road would be gritted if there were” prolonged periods of sub zero temperatures”
•	The request for a salt bin at the entrance to Trailly Close, Yelden, was again put to the Beds Borough Council [BBC].
•	Again there are problems with drains in Melchbourne and again a request is to be sent to Highways to clear them thoroughly.
•	There were complaints about loud grinding noise all through the night. There have been complaints sent to BBC but the clerk agreed to contact the company concerned.
•	Unsolicited vendors have again been knocking on doors in Yelden. The police, when called, arrived very quickly, but in the form of a PCSO who had powers neither to search nor to arrest. The matter will be brought by one of the councillors to the police meeting [JAG] in December

The complete minutes, including planning information and financial matters, will be available on the Parish Council web site, www.melchbourneandyeldenpc.org.uk and on the notice boards. Agenda for the next meeting will be posted likewise at least a week before the next meeting.
The next meeting will be on Wed, 19th January, 2011, in Yelden Village Hall.
THIS IS AN OPEN MEETING AND EVERYONE IS WELCOME TO ATTEND

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Men seek more comfort

If the man in your family falls ill this month, chances are that everyone in the house will be reminded of it – several times over. For a recent survey has found that men really do crave maximum sympathy when afflicted by a bug or virus. Half of the men questioned admitted that they tend to exaggerate their symptoms when ill, describing a common cold as ‘flu’ and a bad headache as ‘migraine’. They welcome the loving care of breakfast in bed, a hot bath run for them, and various trips to the chemist made on their behalf.

But outside the home men continue to be stoical. Although, when poorly, 57% of them engage in attention–seeking behaviour at home, with 65% of them ‘constantly moaning’ at their partner, still 76% of them carry on working anyway. The survey carried out by Engage Mutual Assurance.

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When the snow falls.... do’s and don’ts to clearing it

Given the weather we had in November and December this seems a bit late but better late than never I suppose. A detailed government guide to coping with heavy snowfall, including advice to clear a path, use table salt and how to get the sun to help you, is now available at www.diret.gov.uk/en/N11/Newsroom/DG_191868, or just click on this link Snow Code. http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Nl1/Newsroom/DG_191868 The guide reassures people that if they clear the path outside their house in a responsible way, they will not be sued if someone slips. The guide advises people to shovel the snow off BEFORE it gets impacted by heavy feet. It is stressed that you should NOT use hot water to clear the snow – it will only melt and then refreeze into black ice – thus increasing the risk of injury.

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How hard cash can help your New Year diet

Here’s a diet with a novel twist: use cash, not credit cards, next time you go food shopping. It seems that because cash payments are more psychologically painful than card payments, you will find it easier to buy what you really need, and resist junk food. One analysis of shopping baskets over six months found that credit card users succumbed more easily to impulsive and unhealthy food items.

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Over £1000 for Preserve

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Operation Christmas Child

Once again we breathed a sigh of relief as the huge lorry began its journey to Romania filled with 5,694 Christmas shoeboxes from the Bedford area. Relief because this was the climax of a couple of months hard graft but satisfaction because these boxes will reach children who have very little and would certainly not have received a present without the generosity of local people.

So we look back on a successful campaign once again spearheaded by our own Belinda Kenny from Swineshead. Her energy and enthusiasm are infectious and she keeps us going when we start to flag. Belinda’s is no easy task as she finds warehouse space, organises presentations in schools and churches, arrange drivers to collect the boxes and trains and supervises those who check, seal and carton the boxes ready for their final journey. All this on a budget of zero!
So our thanks go to Belinda for taking on this massive task and all those who helped in any way. This has enabled us to send love in a box to some of the world’s most deprived children.

Mike & Lesley Pond.

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Yelden

Correspondent- Sue Taylor

Tom Carpenter
Tom Carpenter came to Yelden with his parents in the 1960s. As a young man he ran Carpenter’s Kennels with his mother. Later he became successful in the earth moving business. He also had interests in flying, sailing and some international concerns. Following early retirement he concentrated on restoring old buildings by traditional methods. Willow Cottage in the High Street was one such property where he lived with his wife, Janet. Sadly, in the last nine years he was unwell so they moved to Hunstanton for his health. In spite of his illness he recently took up croquet, becoming so proficient that in September he won the Hunstanton Green Shoots Trophy.
Many of his friends attended the funeral and as he had wished was buried in St Mary’s churchyard.

Flower & Cleaning Plan 2nd January Sue / Lorna
16th “ Jenny / Stephanie
30th “ Theresa / Lesley

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Pertenhall

Correspondent- Chloe Reid

Pertenhall and Swineshead Quality Parish Council Meeting

A meeting was held in Pertenhall Village Hall, on Wednesday, 17th Nov, at 7.30. It was attended by six Parish Councillors, Ian Clifton the Borough Councillor and 3 members of the public. Michael Whitlock was in the chair. The following points were considered to be important:

The Broadband speed in the area is unsatisfactory. Users were asked to ‘vote’ in the Race to Infinity, and to be aware of other communications on the subject.

There will be Parish Council elections in May 2011.

The condition of the roads in the parishes is very poor. The clerk will write to the mayor, who is helpful in rural communities.Perhaps residents would also like to write to him.

There have been concerns about the Music Services in Bedford Borough but the councillors were informed that there are no plans to make cuts.

In Pertenhall the kissing gate on the footpath at Wood End House has now been fitted.

Full minutes of this meeting are on the above web site and posted in the village notice boards.Agenda, and occasionally urgent items of special interest to local residents, are emailed to those who have let the clerk have their email addresses. Please inform her if you would like to be added to this list. (gtelling@gefh.ndo.co.uk) The next meeting will be in Pertenhall Village Hall at 7.30 on Wednesday, 12th January, 2011. This is an open meeting and everyone is welcome to attend.


The Snow Code

There is no law stopping you from clearing ice and snow on the pavement outside your home or from public spaces. It is unlikely you will be sued or held legally responsible for any injuries on the path if you have cleared it carefully. Follow the Snow Code when clearing snow and ice safely.

If you clear ice and snow yourself be careful – don’t make the paths more dangerous by causing them to refreeze. DO NOT USE WATER.
It’s easier to clear fresh, loose snow, so remove the ice and snow in the morning. Let any sunshine during the day melt the ice beneath. Cover the path with salt to stop it refreezing overnight.
Use salt or sand
You can use table salt or dish washer salt – a tablespoon for each square metre you have cleared.
Take care where you put the snow you have moved.
Offer to clear your neighbours’ paths if they will have difficulty getting in and out of their home.
For more details go to www.direct.gov.uk and search for Snow Code, or click on this link Snow Code.
Cars stolen while left unattended to defrost
www.direct.gov.uk/Snow Code

A Ringmaster message from the Bedfordshire police

– some extracts picked out by Pertenhall and Swineshead Quality Parish Council

Three vehicles locally have been reported stolen whilst defrosting. They were in Lindslade, Keysoe Road, Thurleigh and Stoneley. The vehicles had been left unattended while defrosting. Please note the following

It is an offence to leave a vehicle running with no driver in the driving seat.
Many insurance companies may not pay if the vehicle is left insecure with the keys inside
Bedfordshire police remind owners to leave sufficient time to stay with the vehicle while it is defrosting.

Pertenhall 100 Club November Draw
No.86 Mrs S Hampson £20.00
No.17 Mr M Packer £10.00
No.47 Mr S Reynolds £7.00
No.39 Mr P Knightley £5.00
No.107 Mrs S Sutton £5.00
No.33 Mrs B Pawson £5.00

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Dean

Correspondent- Annette Brooks

Porch Sale

Despite the inclement weather the Porch Sale was a great success. Many thanks to everyone who supported us and helped to raise £900 which will be equally split between the Chapel Window Fund and the All Hallows Curtain Raiser Fund.

Chapel Services

Sundays 16th and 30th January and13th February
At 2.30pm.
Please note that the service on 2nd January has been cancelled.

Wynn Howard A lovely service was held as usual on 5th December of Holy Communion but with over 20 people present because it was also a Service of Dedication and Thanksgiving for Wynn Howard who had died suddenly on holiday in Cornwall with her daughter Penny. Many relatives who had lived in Dean or Hargrave together with friends, especially those who had worked with Wynn for the many years she had worked at the Dean school and also the Eileen Wade as it was named after moving from up the lane, reminisced over tea after the service. Her ashes are resting in the Chapel graveyard.



Mothers Union The January meeting will be held in Pertenhall Village Hall on 19th January 2011 at 2.30p.m. when Mrs Linda Simister of Riseley will talk of a life that has led into many spheres and how relationships of various sorts have helped in Service to the Lord and to others.

Please don’t feel embarrassed to come to our meetings, they are not closed ones. We usually have at least one attendee who is not a member. However we were pleased to welcome a new member from Melchbourne after a service of admission at the November meeting.

Copies of our programme for the year can be obtained from Gillian Aylott. 01234–708174. 14th and15th MAY 2011.(Part 2)

King James 1st of England and Scotland asked the then Archbishop to organise a translation of the whole Bible into English. 47 scholars from Oxford and Cambridge were chosen and grouped into 5 groups, one group being known as the Westminster group although a mixture of Cambridge and Oxford. One of the 47 was our “son of the village” Francis Dillingham, hence our celebrations later this year.They did know of the part translations of the Bible read in church by the Clergy but the intention was to make the Bible available to any Englishmen able to read, hence the Authorise Bible of King James.

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MELCHBOURNE

Correspondent- Philip Pahl

melchcomb@aol.com
Village web site – http://mmmatmelchbourne.yolasite.com/

Church News By the time you read this Melchbourne church’s new pew runners will be in place, in the nave and choir stalls at least. Designed to give the congregation, shall we say, a more comfortable seat, the runners were the generous gift of an American lady whose husband was stationed here during WWII and who wished to commemorate the affection he had for our village. She has also provided funds for a new altar cloth which will be made by a highly skilled seamstress in the village.

The sad news is that the two magnificent Sycamore trees that stand either side of the gate to the church will have to be felled. The trees, which must have been planted more than 100 years ago, are extensively rotten inside and sadly will not last too much longer before they come down of their own accord. Were that to happen considerable damage would be caused to our fine church. They will be replaced with one of the following trees recommended as suitable by the Bedford BC tree officer – Field Maple, Hornbeam or Small Leaved Lime. If you live in Melchbourne and have a preference, please let Robin (709464) know!

Christmas Bazaar Once again this event raised a substantial amount – £500 – for the church.  A big thank you to everyone who helped to make this a success, with special thanks to Audrey for organising the Bazaar and to ‘Father Christmas’ for finding time in his busy schedule to visit us!

Quiz Night 11th December

Once again Malcolm and Joy worked exceptionally hard to put on a brilliant evening, with many challenging questions! Seventy people from Melchbourne and the surrounding villages took part and many congratulations to the winners. A big thank you to everyone who helped make this evening such a success and particularly of course to Malcolm and Joy.

Church Cleaning and Flowers Rota There is a regular church cleaning rota and volunteers are always welcome. Anyone wishing to be included on the rota should contact Audrey on 01234 708728.

January 9th Malcolm & Joy/flowers Joy
January 23rd Pam & Sarah/flowers Sarah

Village dates for your diary:

Saturday 22nd January 2011 Burns Night (see poster in this issue)
Sunday 10th July 2010 747th Melchbourne Feast Day (since the Royal Charter).

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Swineshead

Correspondent- Jenny Leishman

100 CLUB December Draw Winners Friday 3rd Bar Night

£20 Tony Dawe (19)
£10 Jenny Leishman (9)
£ 5 Eric Brown (25)
£ 5 Pat Tate (Alice) (16)

St Nicholas Church

	Church Cleaning	Flowers
9 January	Pauline, Clarissa, Diana, Frances	Julie
6 February	Emma, Jan, Anne L	Pauline
20 February	Edna, Margaret, James	Carolyn

Swineshead Poppy Appeal

Thank you to everyone in the village who bought poppies in aid of The British Royal Legion. The funds raised by the Poppy Appeal go towards the Legion’s charity work, and this year raised £182.38. Many thanks to Josie Thompson and Dorothy Whitlock for undertaking the collection.