April 2003 - Contents Julian retires in October Thought for March Repton, Foremark and Newton Solney Parish Churches Daily Prayers at St Wystan's Mothering Sunday - March 30th Passion Sunday - 6th April Palm Sunday - 13th April Maundy Thursday - 17th April Good Friday - 18th April Easter Day - 20th April Services Readers and Intercessors at St. Wystan's Altar Flowers at St. Wystan's Brasses at St. Wystan's United Reformed Church Services at the United Reformed Church Lent Course Maundy Thursday Coffee Morning Saturday 12th April, 10.30-11.30am Easter Day, Sunday 20th April at 11.00 and 6.30 Spring Cleaning Day Shell Junior Church Anniversary, Sunday 18th May Baptisms, Marriages, Funerals and Burial of Ashes St Wystan's Thanksgiving for the life of Rhoda Hemmings Ethiopian Escapade - Illustrated talk by Glenda Brewin A special and unusual wedding Bring at Tin during Lent for the Padley Centre Church Summer Fête, Saturday 14th June Repton Neighbourhood Help Scheme Mothers' Union Before we forget St Wystan's Repton Quiz night, 8th February Thanks from Jan and David Roberts St Mary's Church, Newton Solney St Mary's Church Flower Festival, May 3-June 5th Buffet Lunch, Sunday, May 4th Musical Events Repton School Subscription Concerts Society, Tuesday 29th April Repton School in Concert, St John's, Smith Square Charities Sophie Farrell's Gap Year Plans Repton Village and History Repton Council Jottings Repton Village Society Repton Primary School News Remembering Repton, 15th-16th February Repton WI Repton Casuals Gardening Notes War in Iraq - Have we been here before?

Julian to Retire

I have finally decided that the time to retire has arrived. After a meeting with the Churchwardens of Repton, Newton Solney and Foremark it was decided that, as stated at the church meetings in March, this should be at the end of October when I shall have been here for 21 years. As clergy are normally given ten days 'pre-retirement leave', my last Sunday will be on October 19th.

Thought for March

April is Easter time again. Resurrection time. The first day of the week is always resurrection day, for Sunday reminds us that it was on a Sunday when the resurrection of Jesus was first understood. The disciples were lost: they thought that Jesus was dead, and it took them some time to accept that he was risen. They looked for him in the wrong places, and failed to recognise him when he walked to Emmaus with some of their friends, failed to recognise him when he cooked breakfast for them on the beach as they were returning from a fishing trip.

They were looking for the Jesus they knew in their own histories, in their lives, that he had been part of for three years. Mary Magdalene, the first person to see the resurrected Jesus, did not recognise him at first. When he spoke to her, and she knew his voice, her first instinct was to embrace him, to cling to him. She did not want to let him go. But Jesus urged her not to cling to him, not to hold on to the past. He asked her to go and tell the disciples what she had seen and experienced, and not to pin him down. It came back to what I wrote at Christmas about putting God in a box.

The disciples wanted to put the resurrected Jesus in a box, to limit him to what he had been in his earthly life. Then his actions can to some extent be predicted; his limitations can be known. Jesus wanted them to be astonished at what they could accomplish when his spirit was in their hearts. He did not want them to measure their future achievements by what they had achieved in the past, but to amaze themselves by what they would achieve in the future.

The resurrection that we celebrate on Easter Day is more than an event in the past: it is a reality in out lives. We don't just remember the resurrection: we let the resurrected Jesus, through the power of his Spirit, be in our lives. Just as the disciples could not pin Jesus down when they saw him in his resurrected form, neither can we. He surprises and amazes us in where he is to be found, and what can be accomplished by his Spirit.

A boy at breakfast asked his father where Jesus was. 'Jesus is everywhere,' his father replied.
'Is he in this room?' asked the boy. The father agreed that Jesus was indeed in the room.
'Is he on this table?'
'Well, yes,' replied the father.
'Is he in this empty cup?' the boy asked.
'Well, in a way, yes, I suppose he is,' replied the exasperated father.
The boy clamped his hand over the top of the cup and exclaimed: 'Then I've got him. He's mine at last!'

But he hadn't. And he wasn't. Jesus and his Holy Spirit is for everyone.

Services at Foremark, Newton Solney
and St. Wystan's Churches

Daily Prayers at St Wystan's

At 815 am every weekday during Lent there will be morning prayers at St Wystans using a booklet called 'Praying with Confidence'. They last for 15 minutes. Anyone who would like to join us will be most welcome.

Mothering Sunday - March 30th

If you get this in time so why not bring your children to Church on Mothering Sunday? At the 10 am Family Service at St Wystan's, Repton and at 10.30 am at St Mary's, Newton Solney, we shall be giving out bunches of flowers to all the children so that they have something to give to their mothers as a symbol of love and appreciation.

Passion Sunday - 6th April

Traditionally the 5th Sunday in Lent is known as 'Passion' Sunday because it marks the start of 'Passiontide', so called because worship focuses on the passion, (which means suffering), of Christ. At 6.30 pm at St Wystan's the Wystan Singers will lead us in a service of Music and Readings for the Passion.

Palm Sunday - 13th April

Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday, the day when Jesus arrived in Jerusalem for the last time in a triumphant procession with his disciples. Palm crosses are given to everyone at the 8 am and 10 am communion services at St Wystan's at 10 am Family Communion at Newton Solney and at 6.30 pm Evensong at Foremark.

At St Wystan's at 6.30 pm on Palm Sunday evening there will be a Dramatic Reading of the story of the crucifixion arranged by John Sentance, the Head of Drama at Repton School. If you'd like to take part, ring him on 559282.

Maundy Thursday - 17th April

On the night before he was arrested and crucified Jesus met for the last supper with his disciples. That was when he broke the bread, shared the cup and told them to "Do this in remembrance of me." We celebrate this at a special shared communion service in St Wystan's Church at 8 pm.

Good Friday - 18th April

There will be a special service for children at St Wystan's Repton on Good Friday morning at 10.30 am.

The 'Three Hours' service from 12 noon to 3 pm on Good Friday marks the hours when Jesus hung on the cross. This year for the first time the speaker will be a layman, Stephen Medcalf of Sussex University. In today's busy world, three hours may seem a long time to spend in quiet meditation and worship, but it is worth planning to spend at least some of this day in shared reflection on the event which is at the heart of the Christian faith. You are welcome to come and go during the service. The first two hours will be in half hour sections. The final hour, during which the Wystan Singers will be taking part, is a unity and you are encouraged to stay for it all if possible. Otherwise you are free to slip in or out at any time.

Easter Day - 20th April

There will be communion services at 8 am at Foremark, at 8 am and 10 am at St Wystan's, and at 10 am at Newton Solney. During the 10 am at St Wystan's there will be a crèche for very young children in the vestry. Children from 3 to 10 will be welcome to join the Sunday Club. They go out with the teachers early in the service and come back in time to go up for a blessing with their parents at the communion. Easter Day worship at St Wystan's finishes with Choral Evensong at 6.30 pm. (Canticles: Harwood in A flat. Anthem: Most glorious Lord of life - Armstrong-Gibbs.)

St. Wystan's

Foremark

Sunday 13th		Palm Sunday
	6.30 pm		Evensong

Sunday 20th		Easter Day
	8 am		Holy Communion		

Sunday 27th		2nd Sunday of Easter
	8 am		Holy Communion

Newton Solney

Sunday 6th		5th Sunday of Lent
	8 am		Holy Communion
	6.30 pm		Evensong
			
Sunday 13th		Palm Sunday
	10 am		Parish Communion	

Sunday 20th		Easter Day
	10 am		Parish Communion
	6.30 pm		Evensong

Sunday 27th		2nd Sunday of Easter
	10 am		Parish Communion

Readers and Intercessors at St. Wystan's

6th April
	1st lesson: Jeremiah 31:31-34: William Saunders
	2nd lesson: John 12:20-33: Eileen Saunders
13th April
	Epistle: Philippians 2:5-11: Graham Scott
	Offertory: Ken & Mary Vincent.
20th April
	Epistle: Acts 10:34-43:  Pam Smith
	Offertory: John & Evelyn Cawdron.
27th April
	Epistle: 1 John 1:1-2:1: Jenny May
	Offertory: Pat & Peter Court.

Altar Flowers

20th April		Margaret Bromage  
27th April		Wendy Mair

Brasses

6th & 13th April	Melanie Finch
20th & 27th April	Aileen Gillespie

The United Reformed Church

Sunday 1st
	11 am	Holy Communion for Advent

Sunday 6th
	11 am	Rev'd Patrick Lidgett: Holy Communion
	6pm	Service at Fisher Close Community Lounge

Sunday 13th	Palm Sunday
	11am	Gerald Gibbs
	6pm	Holy Communion

Sunday 20th	Easter Day 
	11am	Family Service
	6.30pm	Gerald Gibbs

Sunday 27th
	11am	Gerald Gibbs
	6.30pm	Gerald Gibbs

Lent Course

Tuesdays 1st & 8th April at 8pm

Maundy Thursday

Joint Communion Service at St Wystan's Church, 8pm.

Coffee Morning Saturday 12th April, 10.30-11.30am

A coffee morning with an Easter theme. Come and have a cup of coffee, join in the children's Easter Egg game, treat yourself to home made cakes and marmalade, and browse at the Webb Ivory stall.

Easter Day, Sunday 20th April at 11.00 and 6.30

Share with the children as we celebrate Easter and the resurrection of Jesus in an all-age Communion Service. A service of thanksgiving and praise will begin at 6.30pm.

Spring Cleaning Day

On Saturday April 5th we are going to Spring clean the church and hall. Volunteers are most welcome - if you don't want to clean you could serve refreshments to the cleaners!

Shell

Shell (age 7+) meets on Monday 7th and Monday 14th April from 6.30 to 7.30pm. Shell meet again on Monday 12th May, after the Easter and May Day holidays.

For your diary

Junior Church Anniversary, Sunday 18th May at 11am and 6.30pm. The children and young people will be leading both services.

Baptisms

Sophie Sarah Erin, daughter of Robert and Carolyn Jacobs of 23 Pinfold Lane, Repton was baptised at St Wystan's on Sunday 16th March.

Funerals and Burial of Ashes

Gregory Compton of 6 The Ridge, Newton Solney, died in Papworth Hospital, near Cambridge on Saturday 8th March at the age of 55. His funeral was held at St Mary's Church, Newton Solney on Monday 17th March and was followed by cremation at Bretby.

Arthur Frederick Warwick of 11 Fisher Close, Repton died on Wednesday 12th March at The Queen's Hospital, Burton-on-Trent. He was aged 88. His funeral was held at Bretby Crematorium on Friday 21st March.

We offer our sympathy to their families and friends.

Thanksgiving for the life of Rhoda Hemmings

The family of Rhoda Hemmings wish to convey their thanks to all her friends who helped to make her life so happy and rewarding.

We should like to give special thanks for the impromptu bell ringing at the Service of Thanksgiving for her life; for the various eulogies included in the service; to the Burton Mail, staff of the Repton Parish Magazine and the Perse Girls' School Magazine; for including Miss Hemmings in the displays of photographs related to 'Repton and Milton Remembered.' Rhoda originated from Milton but spent most of her life in Repton; we are sure that she would have been pleased and honoured to be included in the event.

St Wystan's

A special and unusual wedding

On Sunday May 6th at St Wystan's there will be a special and unusual wedding. All weddings are special, but this one is also unusual because it will take place during the Sunday morning Parish Communion.

Sheila Henry, who has been much involved in the life of the church here for many years, is to marry Michael Bates, who sings with the Wystan Singers and has often stood in as reserve organist. Sheila's first husband Michael was Churchwarden at Repton from 1983-1987 and died tragically during a trekking holiday in Nepal in 1994.

'Bring at Tin' during Lent for the Padley Centre

As usual, we are asking people to 'bring a tin' when they come to church at St Wystan's during Lent. They'll go to the Padley Centre in Derby which is a day centre for the homeless, the mentally ill and other people in trouble.

Church Summer Fête, Saturday 14th June

Please make a note of this date and help us to make what will be the Vicar's last Summer Fête a great success. There will be the usual stalls and side shows and Prize Draw tickets will be on sale shortly. There will be a children's fancy dress competition and a decorated wheelbarrow parade. START PLANNING NOW! More details in next month's Magazine.

Repton Neighbourhood Help Scheme

The Annual Meeting of the above was held on March 11th 2003, with Julian Barker in the chair. For the first time a Vice-Chairman was appointed; Angela Mayger has kindly agreed to take on this role, which will ensure a smooth changeover when the Vicar retires.

The Luncheon Club, which offers a midday meal and company for elderly people, has a full attendance of 18 people each Friday, with 9 on the waiting list. Our funds are healthy, and we thank John Perks for his help with our accounts. We are very grateful for the continued support of all the drivers, cooks, servers and washer-uppers and visitors to the housebound and those in care homes, without whom we could not operate. Special thanks are due to Jean Outhwaite, Dorothy Adams and Angela Mayger for all their cheerful help each week, and, of course, a huge thank you to Pam Smith for all her faithful hard work over the years, both in setting up the scheme and ensuring its continued success. A hard act to follow! In addition to the Luncheon Club, we operate a Drop-in Centre, also at the Community Room in Fisher Close, from 13.45 - 15.45 each Friday, to which we extend a warm welcome to all older people.

Rosemary Russian has for many years operated the Transport Scheme for the village and we owe her a big debt of gratitude. We are delighted that this will continue with the help of Jim and Joy Ault, who worked so hard for the club when it was first formed. Apparently they are in need of voluntary day drivers, particularly for Thursdays; if you are able to help, please telephone them on 704760.

I am grateful for the offers of help that have come in since the Parish AGM If anyone else wishes to aid us in any way, do telephone me on 212652, or Angela on 702660.

Mothers' Union

Unfortunately Mrs Anna Venables was indisposed and unable to be at the meeting held on February 19th. However we were very fortunate and grateful to our secretary, Mrs Audrey Morris who stepped in at short notice and gave a very interesting and comprehensive talk on the origin and progress of the Women's World Day of Prayer from its inception in 1887 by an American Presbyterian lady. Members were asked to consider a branch outing in the summer and to bring ideas of where they would like to go.

The Revd Julian Barker will speak at the Lent meeting on March 19th. Tea hostesses: Mrs A Mayger and Mrs R Hudson.

Before we forget

Here in Repton we are very privileged to have in our lovely churchyard a small area dedicated to 16 young men who lost their lives during World War II, who were pilots in the Royal Air Force stationed at Burnaston Aerodrome, where now the Toyota factory stands. Their passing goes unnoticed by the majority of people for whom they gave their lives. The graves of my parents, grandparents and the ashes of my late husband are near this Commonwealth Graves Area so I am very aware of the fate of these lost sons, husbands and brothers. My late husband learnt to fly at Burnaston in 1941 and I have many happy memories of the jolly young men who were stationed there and had everything to live for. Many were billeted at the Mitre House at Repton School.

If this secluded part of the churchyard were known to more people, they might like to visit it and remember the sacrifice these young men made.

St Wystan's Repton Quiz night, 8th February

Twenty five tables took part in the Quiz Night in the Village Hall. There were several new faces and we hope that all who attended had an enjoyable night. With the church badly in need of funds the attendance was gratifying to say the least. Generosity was as high as ever and gross takings exceeded £400 with net profit being £342.92 after expenses. Thanks, as usual, to all the helpers on the night, but especially to Tom Hyde for selling the 'stand up bingo' tickets and logo sheets, Jan Gillham for co-ordinating the food provided by her willing army.

Now to the Quiz. The final placing were: Joint 3rd place: Empty Nesters and Galloping Maygers (85 points); 2nd place: Sack (88 points);1st place: Chapter & verse (92 points)

The winners were one of two 'out of town' teams sent along by Terry Bennett, organist at St Wystan's, so next time the challenge is clearly issued to Reptonians. We hope to see you all again. Other new teams, especially those covered by the circulation of this magazine, will be most welcome at future events. Just form a team of four with friends or relations and come along for a fun night.

Thanks from Jan and David Roberts

We would like to thank all those who joined us to celebrate our 60th birthdays for helping to make it such a happy occasion, and for contributing so generously to our collection for charity. We have sent cheques for £451 each to the National Heart Research Fund and the Magic Million derby Cancer Appeal. Thank you!

St Mary's Church

St Mary's Church Flower Festival, May 3-June 5th

Sincere thanks to those who have already made contributions towards the flowers, but more sponsors are needed to ensure that this will be a successful event. If you would like to make a donation in memory of a loved one, or for a special occasion, this would be acknowledged by the display in Church. (Cheques payable to St Mary's Church, Newton Solney) Helpers, too, would be much appreciated. Please contact Hazel Ward, 21 Blacksmith's Lane, Tel 701244

Musical Events

Charities

Sophie Farrell's Gap Year Plans

Thanks to the people who shared their Gap Year experiences at a 'Join and Share supper' organised by St Wystan's Church last year, I was given the impetus to apply to a charity called 'Project Trust' to spend 12 months working as a volunteer abroad before going to university. Last October I went on a selection course on the Isle of Coll in the Hebrides and was selected to spend 12 months working as an English Language Assistant in Morocco. This means that I am expected to raise £3550 in order to cover the costs of the year. Many people have been extremely generous in helping me, which I am very grateful for. As a result, I have now raised a total of £2000, which I am hoping to augment through an evening called, 'Dance to Morocco.' This will be a display of Irish music and dancing on the 22nd March at the Evershed building of Abbot Beyne School (the Mill Hill Lane site.) Tickets are £3 (£2 concessions.) If you are interested in coming, please ring 701832 or contact 1 Main Street, Repton for details. I would like to thank you in advance for your support.

Repton Village & History

Repton Parish Council Jottings

Some issues discussed at meetings held on 10 February and 10 March.

¢ Sections of footpaths from Monsom Lane to Milton Road, Pinfold Lane to Matthew's Jitty, and The Pastures to Chestnut Way, are being improved by surfacing with stone. Following work to the footbridge in Matthew's Jitty the deck is uneven and there is a danger of tripping. Though the County Council have inspected it and declared its condition to be acceptable, they are being asked to reconsider the situation taking into account the proximity of Fisher Close, and the hazard the surface presents to more elderly parishioners.

¢ Many public toilets in South Derbyshire were closed a couple of years ago as a cost-cutting measure, however some parishes succeeded in keeping toilets open, or negotiated a partnership agreement with SDDC for their upkeep. Press reports indicate that the ones in Willington are being reopened at an annual cost to the Parish of some £1500 for cleaning. The subject has been debated a number of times, and Repton PC maintains that the provision of such facilities is the responsibility of SDDC, so the toilets here remain closed. In the Village Design Survey carried out last year this topic was the most frequently mentioned issue.

¢ A contribution of £900 has been agreed towards the cost of replacing rotting windows and improving security in the Scouting Den.

¢ Planning Issues:
~ Retention of Outbuilding, Bramcote Lodge, Milton. This appears to be a retrospective application. If the intended use is stabling and / or the building is of timber construction, the Council objects on the grounds that it is too close to a neighbouring dwelling.
~ Stable Block, Main Street, Repton. Planning permission has been granted by SDDC subject to a number of conditions, many of which relate to highway safety, environmental and amenity issues. Importantly, no commercial use shall be allowed.
~ Refusal of Planning Permission, New House, Well Lane. The Planning Inspectorate in Bristol recently dismissed an appeal against this planning refusal last April. A stated major consideration was that the development would have an unacceptable impact on the form and rural setting of the village.

¢ Forest Enterprise, a Forestry Commission agency, is producing a 10-year commercial production and design plan for Repton Shrubs that will include an increased proportion of broadleaf trees, more open space, and some wildlife habitats. It seeks the views of local people. Further details are available from the Parish Office in The Dales if you are interested.

The next Parish Council meeting will be on 14 April at 7.30pm in Milton Village Hall. Please note the change of venue.

Repton Village Society

We would like to thank the many people who attended the Remembering Repton and Milton exhibitions in both the Village Hall and the Church that made it into such a memorable event. The large attendance repaid all the efforts that went into staging the exhibitions and in running them over the weekend. A final acknowledgement must be made to Sharpe's Pottery who provided the major grant to the Repton Village History Group that enabled the weekend to take place and to the Magic Attic who did the scanning for us at the event. Around 40 members of the RVS visited the Sharpe's Pottery Museum at Swadlincote on Thursday 6th March. Mr John Oake, Chairman of the Sharpe's Pottery Heritage and Arts Trust that runs museum, gave an illustrated talk on the history of the pottery and the restoration of the site as a museum. This talk was followed by a visit round the museum and also the Magic Attic that is also sited in the museum. The Magic Attic holds lots of local information and papers that are available for the public to view. Many members were fascinated by the stories contained in the old newspapers and it was difficult to prise them away at the end of the visit!

The next meeting is on Thursday 10th April at 7 30pm in Repton Village Hall. The meeting will start with the AGM, followed by an illustrated talk on 'Its clear and bright at Port Sunlight', a new town built by Lord Leverhulme to house his workers. The talk precedes our visit to Port Sunlight on Saturday 12th April that will include a visit to the Lady Lever Art Gallery and the Heritage centre. The bus will leave at 8.30am. There are a few seats left so if you want to joins us contact Alan Webster on 701838 (Members £9, Non Members £11).

Repton Primary School News

Japanese student Aki, who has been working with the children of Repton Primary School, is returning to Japan at Easter. She has been showing the children how to cook rice balls and seaweed and surprisingly many of them have enjoyed eating the seaweed. After Easter a new Japanese student, Junko, will be working with the children.

The Primary School PTA are organising the annual 'Duck Derby' which is to be held on Sunday 11th May at 2pm, starting at Pinfold Lane bridge and finishing at Brook End.

Remembering Repton, 15th-16th February

The 'Remembering Repton' weekend was in every sense memorable. A huge amount of work went into collecting the material and mounting the displays, both in the Village Hall and the Church. The publicity paid off and on both days the venues were crowded. The village is fortunate to have people who are willing to put so much effort and time into such an event and we owe them our gratitude.

Cliff & Jo Mountney write: We get very little these days for 'free' but this exhibition held jointly in the Village Hall and St Wystan's Church gave us just that. We are both still mere village novices but found the memorabilia on display fascinating and were aware of a buzz of interest at both venues.

Both days were very well attended so on behalf of the hundreds of visitors who had such an interesting and enjoyable time, congratulations to all concerned. It was obvious that a great deal of planning and hard work went into providing and manning an exhibition to remember.

Repton WI

WI members can now answer questions on the life and mating habits of the mute swan, thanks to their March speaker who brought along some beautiful slides. Plans were made at the meeting for glass painting classes and for a trip to the cinema to see Chicago.

Next month: Tuesday, April 8th, Mrs Delia Brough: "The life of Delia". Visitors always welcome. Just come to the Village Hall at 7.15pm

Repton Casuals Football Club

There will be no Ball Skills sessions on Saturdays 12th and 19th April. Sessions will resume on Saturday 26th April at 10.00am. Newcomers are always welcome from age five years upwards. For further information contact Bob Errington, tel 701183.

Gardening Notes

April is a busy time both in the vegetable and the flower garden, not forgetting the greenhouse. Carters 'Blue Book' of tested seeds, their catalogue of thirty or forty years ago, used to quote times from sowing to cropping for some vegetables. I think peas varied from 60 to 90 days but, in fact, early and main crop peas do not vary that much and so are best planted t 2 to 3 week intervals for succession. Broad beans, likewise, can be sown at similar intervals. Carrot seed should be sown thinly to avoid thinning out later which attracts the carrot fly by its scent from the bruised leaves. A covering of horticultural fleece will keep the fly off. Alternatively, avoid sowing till after June when the fly's life cycle has finished. Regular sowings of lettuce can be made now at 2 to 3 week intervals until the end of July. It is also time to sow beetroot, spinach beet, leek, spring onion and many brassicas. Runner and French beans and marrows are best left till next month as thy should not be planted out till after all danger of frost is past. Deadhead all bulbs after flowering. Plan for summer containers but do not put them out till the end of May unless under cover. Watch out for slugs on young hosta growth. Tie in fresh clematis growth. Plant dormant dahlia tubers and gladioli bulbs. Paeonies benefit from lavish feeding with well rotted manure but do not cover the emerging buds which could then rot. Paeonies should never be planted with the crown below the point at which it was originally.

Sempervivums (houseleeks) and levistas like the free draining conditions of gaps in garden walls and rockeries. Echeverias do well there too but are not hardy.

Feed grass with a high nitrogen lawn feed with added moss and weed killer if needed. Keep hoeing to control annual weeds. For deeper rooted, perennial weeds, I am told one should use a spray of a contact translocated herbicide. In ordinary language that means Roundup. Keep picking out seedlings under glass and move into cooler conditions to acclimatise whilst ensuring freedom from frost.

April is a good time for planting evergreen trees and shrubs. Check ties on newly planted trees. Trees can be killed by flooding or water saturation of the soil depriving the tree roots of oxygen. This does not do too much when the soil is cold and no root growth is taking place but when the soil warms up and root growth restarts trees may die, as they may if stressed from drought later in the season.

Trees in containers can still be planted but will need careful staking as they will have restricted root growth. This applies particularly to the larger trees that are available nowadays and need a crane to lift them. I was interested in how to age trees without cutting them down and counting the rings but of course growth rate varies with the local conditions and the type of tree. Most coniferous or broad leaved trees will grow about an inch a year in girth. So a girth of sixteen feet would mean the tree was nearly 200 years old. Some trees grow much quicker, the London plane tree may increase its girth by 2 or 3 inches a year whilst horse chestnuts and Scots pine are slower and yew is very much slower.

Have we been here before?

Frank Johnson finds an intriguing parallel to Iraq We are either at Munich, 1938, or Suez, 1956. Depending on whether we are for or against this coming war, one or the other is the favoured comparison.

President Bush and Mr Blair, even more so Mr Rumsfeld, would have us believe that we are at Munich. Mr Bush, Mr Blair and, even more so, Mr Rumsfeld each thinks that he is the Churchill. Opponents of the war have equally little difficulty in placing us at Suez, 1956. Mr Bush is Eden. Saddam is Nasser, except that Saddam has not seized anyone's canal. Mr Bush becomes convinced that he must destroy the dictator. Otherwise British/American influence in the Middle East, and in the world at large, will be gone. He is encouraged in this belief by ministers with stronger personalities. He goes to war.

As analogies to Iraq 2003, both Munich and Suez have their weak and strong points. But another comparison can be offered for consideration. We are neither in 1938 nor in 1956, but 1914. Not that we are about to see a world war, but we are seeing the difficulty that a great power can have in wanting the world to think the worst of a small country, to see it as a threat.

We live our present lives according to our experience. There seems to be something in our natures which makes us look into the past to understand the present. The Munich and Suez analogies, which have been in the newspapers and in politicians' mouths for months, are not flights of ignorance on the part of those of us who are not professional historians. They are inevitable attempts to make sense of the present crisis by resort to the only guides available to us, and the guides which we prefer: the crises of the past. Except, as I suggest, both sides might at present be looking back to the wrong crisis.

The United States of the situation is Austria-Hungary. The Iraq is Serbia. The Twin Towers? There are none. But there is something which bears a resemblance, and is the event that precipitates the crisis. The nearest we have to the Twin Towers is the assassination of the Archduke Franz-Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914. This, like the attack on the Twin Towers, is an act of terrorism carried out by mortal enemies of the Austro-Hungarian empire, and on the empire's soil. That is, in the province of Bosnia, which so many Serbians believe should be part of Serbia since its population is Serb.

The Emperor Franz Josef is Mr Bush. He is affable and reasonable, and prefers a quiet life, preferably as much of it as possible on his estates/ranch. But the somewhat passive head of state is surrounded by ideologues and nationalists willing him to be strong and convincing him that dangers beset the empire. There is the Mr Rumsfeld figure: the chief of the general staff, Hoetzendorf. He is in league with the vice-president Cheney figure: the foreign minister Berchtold. But there is also the Colin Powell figure. He is the prime minister of Hungary, Tisza - the empire in 1914 being a dual monarchy in which Hungary has almost a power of veto over anything that Vienna does which might be unpopular in Budapest.

Here we come to an aspect of my thesis which mockers of historical comparisons do not take into account. The comparisons are as interesting for the personalities as for the events. History, we concede, does not repeat itself, but human nature does. Among the rulers and politicians involved in any crisis, there are always doves, hawks, and a majority hovering between the two and hoping to end up on the side that wins. That is what is happening in Washington and Westminster now, just as in Vienna in the summer of 1914.

So Serbian terrorists are immediately discovered to have committed the outrage. The equivalent of al-Qa'eda is the nationalist Serbian terrorist organisation, the Black Hand, to which the terrorists belong. But is the Serbian government behind the Black Hand? Did the Serbian government know about the assassination or even order it?

Austro-Hungary/United States seeks to convince the world that Serbia/Iraq is directly involved in Franz-Ferdinand's assassination/September 11. But Washington/Vienna knows that the link is hard to prove. Why do they want so much to prove it? Because Hoetzendorf/Rumsfeld and Berchtold/Cheney believe that Serbia/Iraq poses a 'long-term threat'. It is now or never. September 11/the assassination is the last, best chance. Delay, and Iraq/Serbia will be too strong - Iraq because it will have nuclear weapons, Serbia because it will have made an alliance with an ever more powerful Russia. Austro-Hungary tries to convince the closest thing to the UN: 'the Powers' - the combined authority of Britain, France, Germany and Russia. But the Powers are divided. Each has its own interests and alliances. Vienna demands that Belgrade allow it to conduct its own investigations on Serbian territory into the assassination - the equivalent of the UN weapons inspections. Serbia feels it has no alternative but to agree. Vienna sends Serbia an ultimatum demanding all manner of apologies and obeisances, and assumes that there will be at least one which Belgrade cannot accept. But Belgrade accepts nearly all, and stalls for time. Belgrade's sticking point is the participation of Austro-Hungarian officials on Serbian soil in Belgrade's judicial inquiry into the conspiracy. No sovereign state can agree to that. Vienna now has the excuse for war.

Washington will soon have its excuse, or, as it would prefer to put it, just cause. Unlike Vienna in 1914, it will not drag the Powers to world war. But much that is short of a world war can also be bad for the world. Let us hope that Washington does not drag us to that.

This article appeared in The Spectator, March 1st and is reproduced, slightly abridged, by permission.