February 2005 - Contents God brings healing out of natural tragedies Children's Easter Workshop Repton, Foremark and Newton Solney Parish Churches Sung Eucharist for Candlemas, Wednesday 2nd February at 8.00 pm Taizé Worship, Sunday 6th February at 6.30 pm Ash Wednesday Communion, Wednesday 9th February at 8.30 pm Services at St. Wystan's, Repton Services at St Saviour's, Foremark Services at St Mary's, Newton Solney Readers and Intercessors at St. Wystan's Altar Flowers at St. Wystan's Brasses at St. Wystan's Altar Flowers at St Saviour's United Reformed Church Services at the United Reformed Church Coffee Morning, Saturday 12th February, 10.30 - 11.30 am Shell The Women's World Day of Prayer, Friday 4th March Baptisms, Marriages, Funerals and Burial of Ashes Funerals and Burial of Ashes Winifred May Palmer Florence Lilian Leedham Charles Millidge St Wystan's News Saints Alive Repton Neighbourhood Help Corrymeela 'Bring a tin' for the Padley Centre Repton Open Gardens 2005 Mothers' Union Thank you from Rosalind Hudson Aid to Russia & the Republics St Saviour's News Foremark Church Annual Church Meeting St Mary's News St Mary's Churchyard Repton School Concerts Society, Thursday 8th February Conservatives Sausage, Mash & Bingo, Thursday 10th February Grand Table-Top Sale, Saturday 12th February Bones Apart, Saturday 12th March News of Kyran Farrell Repton Village and History Repton Council Jottings Repton Village Society Repton Village History Group Repton W.I. QE II Fund Milton & Foremark Village Matters Milton W.I. Newton Solney Village Matters Newton Solney W.I. Gardening Notes Old Reptonians Bob and Clare Short

God brings healing out of natural tragedies

Dear Friends,

Natural disasters on the scale of the recent tsunami challenge the believer's faith, for in the case of natural disaster there is no one else to blame but God. In our anguish we cry out: 'Why?' - just as everyone does who has lost a loved on prematurely. It is the natural, emotional and, in a way, irrational, response of grief. As Archbishop Rowan rightly said, we cannot begin to respond to the bereaved unless we too have lost someone close to us. For when we have, we know that many of the 'religious' answers are inadequate. There is little that can be said to relieve the feeling of grief.

Natural disasters raise questions about the sort of creation that an almighty and all-loving creator has created it to be. Genesis tells us that all that God creates is good. (We are not concerned here with the mess humanity makes of it.) But in the face of a tsunami, how can we hold such a belief? I certainly cannot make sense of the claims of Genesis if I read it as an historical account. But it is surely a theological affirmation of faith. 'In the beginning' does not mean 'at the start of time' but 'in principle' and 'for always'. If we believe Jesus, who said that his own healings on the Sabbath were evidence of God's continuing creativity, God's creative activity is not a done and dusted affair. The natural world as we know it is 'creation in progress.' God's creative activity is now. He is always and everywhere bringing healing out of the natural tragedies and human mess that form part of the unfinished business of creation.

As Christians we believe in a God who is both creator and healer. ('Redeemer' is the churchy word). The God of Jesus is not uninvolved with his creation. At the heart of our belief in Jesus is the conviction that, in his life, God has involved himself in the world he has made. He is involved, not as manipulator or controller, but as a vulnerable human being, subject to natural forces and human ill will. God in Jesus is painfully aware of the suffering of humanity. He does not offer a quick fix but the presence of his Son, whose aid comes especially through other human beings, not least the members of the aid agencies, whose work we support.

Interviewed on television, Brother Roger of the Taizé Community said, "The calamity that has occurred in several Asia countries has touched our hearts very deeply. These countries are so dear to us. In our Taizé Community, we have brothers from India and from Indonesia. Some of our brothers have shared in the life of the very poor in Asia for more than thirty years. It is good to remind ourselves these days that God does not will either calamities or wars. He never provokes fear or anxiety. God can only love, and he shares the sorrow of those passing through incomprehensible trials. He enables us to lighten the burdens of others. We ask God to console the peoples of Asia, in their immense distress. In communion with them, we say:

"God who loves us, pour out your compassion on all those in Asia who are experiencing deep distress. When we are disconcerted by human suffering, enable us, through our lives, to be humble witnesses of peace."

With prayers and best wishes,

Services at Foremark, Newton Solney
and Repton Churches

Sung Eucharist for Candlemas, Wednesday 2nd February at 8.00 pm

The feast of Candlemas, The Presentation of Christ in the Temple, is an important feast in the Church's calendar because it is the concluding feast of the Incarnation. It falls on Wednesday, 2nd February, and to mark it, there will be a service of Sung Eucharist at 8.00 pm. There are two special features in the service; one is a procession in which we sing the Nunc Dimittis, recalling Simeon's prayer in the Temple when he greets the Christ as a 40 day old baby; the other is the Dismissal, whose theme concludes the Christmas cycle and gives a hint of the darkness of the Passion and Resurrection that we embark on with Ash Wednesday.

Taizé Worship, Sunday 6th February at 6.30 pm

February sees the first occasion of Taizé worship at St Wystan's. The Taizé Community came into existence during the Second World War in the French province of Burgundy. Br. Roger, the son of a Swiss Reformed father and French Catholic mother, gave shelter to refugees fleeing south from the occupied north of France. At the beginning he was alone, but in 1944 he was joined by three other men who took a vow of life-long commitment to be a sign of reconciliation, hospitality and Christian community. From an early time the brothers sang their prayer, and a gifted member of the community set biblical phrases, mostly from the psalms and gospels, to memorable music.

In the 1960s younger people started to come as guests and share the life and worship of the community. They were attracted by the new Christian spirit and the revolutionary style of worship. Each week in the summer the Community is host to four or five thousand young people, mainly between the ages of 17 and 29, who now come from all over the world. They carry home with them a new vision of what the Church could be - a place of reconciliation and worship. The Community never intended to found a movement, and allows and encourages each person to follow their own journey of faith.

The worship is simple, using easily memorable chants, a reading, silence and simple prayers. You are most welcome to join us on 6th February at 6.30 pm for the short service of about 45 minutes, and to share fellowship over refreshments afterwards.

Ash Wednesday Communion, Wednesday 9th February at 8.30 pm

The Ash Wednesday service is to be held at St Wystan's church this year, at 8.30 pm on Wednesday 9th February. We welcome members of Repton School to join us on this occasion, and particularly the Rev'd Jeanette Gosney, the new Chaplain, who will give a short address.

St. Wystan's, Repton

St Saviour's, Foremark

St Mary's, Newton Solney

Readers and Intercessors at St. Wystan's

Altar Flowers

Brasses

Altar Flowers and Cleaning Rota at St Saviour's

The United Reformed Church

Coffee Morning, Saturday 12th February, 10.30 - 11.30 am

Another opportunity to have coffee and biscuits with friends, to treat yourself to home-made cakes and marmalade, and to play the children's game. You can buy cards and stationery at the Webb Ivory stall - lots of new lines! Everyone is very welcome.

Shell Group (age 7+)

... meets on Mondays from 6.30 to 7.30 pm. New members are always welcome.

The Women's World Day of Prayer

... in 2005 is on Friday 4th March. The service has been arranged by the Christian women of Poland, on the theme 'Let your light shine'. More details next month.

Funerals and Burial of Ashes

Winifred May Palmer of Ivy Close, Willington, died on 27th November 2004 aged 86. Winifred was born in Milton and spent most of her life in Repton. Her funeral was held at Bretby Crematorium on Friday 10th December.

Florence Lilian Leedham of Fisher Close, Repton, died on 9th December 2004 aged 80. Her funeral was held at St Wystan's Church on Thursday 16th December and was followed by interment at Monsom Lane cemetery.

Charles Millidge of Main Street, Repton, died aged 42 on 18th December 2004 after some months of illness. Charles came to teach English at Foremarke Hall in 1991. He became Head of English and then Director of Marketing. He left the school in the summer of 2003. His funeral was held at Plumtree, Nottingham on Thursday 30th December.

St Wystan's News

Saints Alive

For Lent this year, we will follow the course: 'Saints Alive'. This is a refresher course in Christian basics - God, Jesus, the Resurrection, the Holy Spirit, the Bible, Prayer and Holy Communion. It is a very successful course and particularly suitable for a world of rapid change; it is good for everyone, 'beginners', 'seasoned campaigners', 'searchers' and those of a strong faith.

The course lasts for nine weeks, the five weeks of Lent, and then, after a two-week break for Easter, for another four weeks. Nine weeks may raise an eyebrow or two, but this is a course that builds up considerable interest and strong personal relationships. We will offer two sessions each week, one on Monday evenings starting at 8.00 pm and the second on Thursday afternoons at 2.00 pm, both in the URC meeting room, beginning on 14th and 17th February respectively. Each session will last about one and a half hours. If you are unable to come to one, we hope that you will be able to make the other. It is preferable to come to the same session each week but not essential.

Letters of invitation are available at St Wystan's church and from George Johnson; also from Jennifer Haynes, Polly Faulkner and Gerald Gibbs for the members of their churches. Please return the tear-off slip to one of them by Sunday 6th February.

Repton Neighbourhood Help Scheme

After three weeks' absence, we were pleased to be back in the Community Centre, enjoying the luxury of a new kitchen and lavatory! We had very enjoyable Christmas festivities, welcoming our new Vicar and his wife to the lunch and carol-singing on 10th December, as well as Jim and Joy Ault, who were so helpful during all the disruption of the past months. A week later, our wonderful volunteers were thanked over tea and a concert. If you were unable to be there, please accept our heartfelt thanks for your support now.

We are very happy to say that Peter Paine has accepted the invitation to be our Chairman; we welcome him to the committee.

We reconvened in early January and are looking forward to being entertained by St Wystan's School in January and February. Making charity blankets and doing chair exercises, puzzles, quizzes, scrabble, dominoes and community singing keeps members very busy in the afternoons, not to mention the obligatory tea and chat! If you would welcome a bit of company and stimulation on Friday afternoons, you would be VERY welcome at the 'Drop-in' afternoon in the Community Centre from 1.45 - 3.45 pm. Transport can be provided; just telephone one of the numbers below. There is also space on the reserve list for luncheon.

Corrymeela

At their meeting in February, Peter will be telling the Mothers' Union something of the story of the Corrymeela Community of Northern Ireland. It is a community whose purpose, similar to that of the Taizé community, is to bring reconciliation and peace in that divided land. Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who has spent a lifetime seeking those ends in his own country, writes:

"Peace begins with each of us. The gospel calls us to be peacemakers, and peace-making begins with what we say and do to others. Our attitude and actions to each other can help build understanding and trust and help create a peaceful future.

"Since 1965 the Corrymeela Community has worked for peace and reconciliation in Ireland. Every year, thousands of people, Protestants and Catholic, come together at Corrymeela Centre to share their stories, listen to each other and build new relationships based on mutual respect, understanding and trust.

"The Corrymeela Community is a practical witness to the gospel of peacemaking in Northern Ireland. I invite you to join me as a 'Friend of Corrymeela' and give your support and encouragement to the Community's witness and work for peace."

Leaflets with details of becoming a 'friend' are available in St Wystan's church, and on 16th February at 2.15 pm, at the Community Room in Fisher Close.

'Bring a tin' 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. These are taken to the Padley Centre, a day centre in Derby which does tremendous work for the homeless, the mentally ill, people with learning disabilities and others in trouble. (A fuller summary of their work appeared in last month's magazine.)

As a small charity, they depend heavily on local support for all their work. They particularly request items that provide nourishing meals, especially packets of biscuits and pasta, tins of corned beef and tuna, tea-bags and packeted or tinned soup. If you are able to give your support, please leave packets and tins in St Wystan's Church or at the Post Office.

Repton Open Gardens 2005

Following the great success of last year's event - despite the atrocious weather that we had on the Saturday - Repton Open Gardens will again be a two-day event, on the weekend of the 18th - 19th June. This is always an enjoyable occasion, not least for the gardeners, who unfailingly comment on the friendliness of the visitors and the pleasure of showing them around. Almost all the gardens open last year will be opening again, but we are always looking for new blood. If you would like to open your garden or know someone who might like to be involved, please contact Tom Hyde, 703662, or Jan Roberts, 702159.

Mothers' Union

The Christmas Meeting, held at Fisher Close, consisted of Christmas carols interspersed with a miscellany of appropriate seasonal readings and poems. Many thanks to Ros Hudson who provided an excellent tea for us all at the conclusion of the meeting, and also to Morag Hill, who very kindly played the piano.

January's meeting began with the AGM. The branch leader expressed thanks to the committee, and in particular to secretary, Audrey Morris, and treasurer, Ros Hudson, who presented the financial statement, which was adopted. The secretary then gave her report containing a resumé of the year's events.

Mrs Ros Hudson, who is proposing to leave Repton in the near future, resigned as branch treasurer. She was thanked for her many years of devotion and loyalty to Repton Mothers' Union and was presented with a plant. Mrs Pamela Clifford has valiantly offered to take over the job of treasurer, and the branch leader proposed that she be co-opted onto the committee.

The speaker, Mr Neil Cummings, gave a most interesting talk on a visit with his wife to Japan, where his son is a teacher of English, telling us of some of the problems which they encountered; the lack of any sort of notice in the English language, the cash machine which expelled an endless flow of yen, and the lack of comfort in some hotels when obliged to sleep on the floor, as is the Japanese custom.

The Rev'd Peter Paine will speak at the meeting on 16th February. His subject will be The Corrymeela Community. It is hoped that the two new members, Mrs Heather Rothera and Mrs Hazel Cook, will be admitted to the MU. Tea Hostesses: Mrs Brenda Cowley and Mrs Audrey Morris. There will be a raffle for branch funds.



Many thanks to the members of the Mothers' Union for the lovely plant arrangement you gave me at the January meeting. When I move, I shall be able to take it with me to my flat in Axminster.

Aid to Russia & the Republics

Very many thanks to all who supported our sales of preserves during the past year. A new record of £1,663.39 was raised, which has helped various projects involving orphanages, residential homes, hospitals and street children. Grateful thanks, too, to the folk who donated fruit from their gardens for me to work with; this is an enormous help and makes more money for the Fund.

Aid to Russia & the Republics or ARRC (pronounced ARK) is a Christian Charity founded in 1973 to help those in the USSR who were being persecuted for their faith. Initially, food parcels and literature were sent to prisoners and their families. However, from the early '90s, with greater freedom for religious groups, ARRC has concentrated on humanitarian aid and development projects in the former Soviet Union, especially projects to alleviate the suffering of children and the more vulnerable members of society. ARRC is notable for its activities in the more remote corners of the region, such as Siberia and the Far East.

We have been involved with ARRC now for five years, and in that time have raised funds for the following projects:-

• The Bethel Nursing Home in Georgia
• A mobile soup kitchen for street children in Chita, Siberia, where the temperature can be as low as -50°C. These children live in sewers or derelict buildings - anywhere where they can huddle together for warmth.
• Equipment for a car repair workshop, opened in an orphanage, to train teenage lads preparing for life on their own after the age of 18.
• 'Sponsor a Chick' for a farm run by a girls' hostel.
• Flower bed and basketball hoop for the Isle of Hope project, a home for young people with learning disabilities.
• Underground vegetable storage.

Our project partner, Nina Dzemeshkevich, Director of the Hope and Life Foundation in Irkutsk, Siberia, explains that, although religious and political freedom has arrived in Russia, the system of social protection has been destroyed, and people are still having to learn how to survive by themselves.

We hope that you will feel that this is a worthy cause which deserves your support!

St Saviour's News

Foremark Church Annual Church Meeting

The Annual Parochial Church Meeting of St Saviour's Church, Foremark, will be held at Hall Cottage, Foremark, by kind invitation of the Headmaster, at 2.00 pm on Wednesday 23rd February. The meeting will take place in the new extension on the right of Hall Cottage, which is at the end of a cul-de-sac, approached on turning immediately left by the main classroom block. Anyone who comes to St Saviour's Church, or who lives in Foremark, Milton or Ingleby, is welcome to join us.

A meeting of Foremark P.C.C. will take place immediately after the A.G.M.

St Mary's News

St Mary's Churchyard

As the snowdrops emerge, we extend our very warm thanks to Bernard and Jim Collier for their regular maintenance of St Mary's Churchyard. Week by week, according to the seasons, they mow the grass, trim the hedges, tidy the graves and clean the memorial stones of those whose families are unable to do this themselves. Visitors frequently comment on how beautifully the place is kept, while those of us who are resident in the village are especially grateful for their dedication. Thank you both for your hard work on our behalf.

News of Kyran Farrell

May I convey my thanks for all the cards, practical help and good wishes following urgent surgery on my neck to relieve a disc that paralysed my left hand in a rather abrupt and painful way on 27th December. The DRI was first-rate all round, bank holiday notwithstanding. Longer term, I have no plans to hang up my stethoscope, and by the time you read this I hope to be a lot better, if only at one-handed typing! By the way, while neck problems are common, such complications are extremely rare even for specialists to see.



Unfortunately, Kyran is now back in hospital with a hidden, rare complication of his operation. (The chances of this are equivalent to the odds of winning the national lottery three times in a lifetime.) This means he will be a little longer before he returns to work. Once again, thank you to everyone for your kind wishes and cards.

Repton Village & History

Repton Council Jottings

Only a few items to report from Parish Council meetings held in December and January:

• The Christmas lights outside the village hall were judged to be a success, and thanks are due to Repton School for their kind assistance in putting them in the trees. It proved to be a more difficult task than anticipated, so, subject to the agreement of the Village Hall Management, it is proposed that one or two more suitable trees be planted in the verge for use in future years.



• Many residents are concerned that a large and vigorously growing yew tree in the churchyard will soon completely obstruct the view of the parish clock. A few months ago, a planning application to prune it was turned down on the recommendation of the Tree Protection Officer from SDDC. The Parish Council believes that pruning is necessary, and it is looking into what action would be needed to have the decision overturned.



• Eight planning applications have been received in the last couple of months with only one drawing adverse comment:

  
  

  Conversion of outbuildings at Cockey Farm, Burton Road, to make a dwelling for a dependant relative. An objection has been lodged as this constitutes a separate residence in the countryside, far outside the village envelope.



• Efforts are still being made to progress the next phase of traffic calming for Repton, which will include a review of parking arrangements in High Street. If County Council officials at Matlock were to reply to letters, or could be persuaded to agree to a meeting to take things forward, it would be a start.

Tailpiece. A reminder that any local planning application can be viewed at the Parish Office in The Dales on either Monday or Wednesday afternoons.

The next Parish Council meeting will be on Monday 14th February at 7.30 pm in the Village Hall.

Repton Village Society

At our next meeting, John Jamieson will talk on 'The Role of the Police Helicopter'. He is involved in running it, so we should get a first-hand account! The meeting will start at 7.30 pm on Thursday 3rd February in Repton Village Hall. The following meeting will be on 3rd March, again at 7.30 pm in the Village Hall. We will first have our AGM, which will be followed by Alan Gifford from Willington talking on 'Heage Windmill', a subject he is very involved in. We look forward to learning about a local landmark.

For those who have not yet renewed their membership, due in January, Wendy Bateman would like to see the colour of your money. We have maintained the subscriptions at £3.00 for single membership and £6.00 for families.

I would like to thank all those who took part in our December Coffee Morning, particularly those displaying their hobbies. There was a wide range of hobbies on display, together with a good display of old photographs and information about the parish from the History Group. The tea, coffee and mince pies all helped to make the time enjoyable, with a full house talking, reminiscing and socialising at a very successful RVS event.

Repton Village History Group

We started off the year in splendid form, with a slide show and commentary by one of our founder members, David Guest. He brought along about 100 slides of old Repton, and a full Village Hall was reminded of how things have changed in the village over the years, especially within living memory. It was a truly excellent presentation which, judging by the reaction of the audience brought back many memories and was much appreciated.

Our next meetings, all commencing at 7.30 pm in the Village Hall, are:

Tuesday 1st February: This will be an evening when we display more of our extensive archives, projects and the results of the research which our group is currently engaged in. It will also be an opportunity for YOU to bring along for display any items you think might be of interest to the group. This could be photographs, documents, newspaper cuttings or other memorabilia. We are particularly interested in old photographs of village school classes, sports teams and items relating to World War II. If you have anything to show us, please bring it along.

Tuesday 1st March: A talk by Alan Hiley entitled "How to start researching your Family Tree - basic steps". This will be an opportunity both for beginners and for people who have already started researching their family history to develop their skills in this fascinating hobby. Alan has a lot of experience and will be able to give good advice on the subject.

Further information about the group and its activities is to be found at www.reptonvillage.org.uk.

Repton W.I.

The January speaker cheered everyone up with the story of his family firm, Laver Holidays. We learnt about the problems of planning door to door coach holidays and cruises, especially the latter with their changing price structures and occasional sales! We also learnt more about the problems of obtaining single rooms without large supplements. There were some lovely holiday photos on display for the members' competition.

Next Meeting: Tuesday 8th February at 7.15 pm in the Village Hall. "Cut, Colour and Care" by the Steven Paul Salon, Breaston. Members are asked to bring items for the Scents Stall.

QE II Fund

The Annual General Meeting of the QE II Fund Committee will be held in The Den, Mitre Drive at 7.30 pm on Tuesday 8th March. All Repton village organisations are entitled to send a representative. Please contact Andy Austen (702448) for an agenda or to give apologies.

The fund has been built up over some years and is intended to be used primarily to provide start-up loans for village activities. It started when we wanted to run a village bonfire night but needed to pay for fireworks and insurance 'up front'. We persuaded the Parish Council to underwrite a loss of up to £500 but in fact made a profit of about £300. This was mainly because we were the only people to brave the elements in that particularly wet November. This pot of money has been available to underwrite subsequent years' fireworks or any other events - providing they have a good chance of putting the money back into the pot at the end of the event. When the Queen's Jubilee celebrations were being planned, the fund provided money to prime the pump, and we were successful in getting a grant as well. A small charge was made for the events and the profits added to the fund, which ended up at about £3,000. A committee was formed from representatives of interested Repton village organisations. It is formally constituted and completely independent of any other organisation.

In fact, we have not used the money for anything except fireworks, although a couple of tentative approaches have been made. Most organisations have their own financial resources to fall back on, so the fund is most likely to be used for ad-hoc village celebrations; one currently under consideration is the 200th anniversary of Trafalgar in October this year. No collateral is required - just a reasonable 'business plan'.

Milton & Foremark Village Matters

Milton W.I.

Ladies and gentlemen interested in hearing more about SKY VAULT, the future Landmark of the East Midlands, are invited to join us at our February meeting in the Village Hall at 8 o'clock on Wednesday 16th February. Visitors will be most welcome. The speakers, members of the design team which won the Great East Midlands Competition 2001, will talk about their work on the structure and its progress to date.

Newton Solney Village Matters

Newton Solney W.I.

In the last quarter of 2004, our meetings included a talk about the National Arboretum at Alrewas, a visit by 'Oliver Cromwell' for our annual history lecture evening and an enjoyable Christmas Party. We visited the Brewhouse and enjoyed 'Oklahoma', had monthly luncheons at the Mulberry Rooms at Burton College, and our birthday luncheon at the Red Lion. Before Christmas, Newton Solney hosted the Mercia Group Carol Service in the beautifully decorated St Mary's Church - enjoyed by all.

Our next meeting is on 8th February at 7.30 pm in the Village Hall, when we look forward to a talk by Bertel Hutchinson on 'Elgar - the man behind the music'. We would be pleased to welcome any new members.

On Saturday 12th March at 2 pm, we shall be holding a Rummage Sale in the Village Hall.

Gardening Notes

Milder winters tempt us to sow seeds earlier and to start other tasks that we used to leave until March or later. In many cases, provided the weather and soil conditions are suitable, it is safe to do so. Until recently, January and February were regarded as rest times for most plants, but even now, deciduous shrubs and climbers are showing open buds, so any major tree pruning should be done as soon as possible, before the sap begins to rise. A start could probably be made on pruning roses, mop-head hydrangeas and hydrangea grandiflora. Buddleia too can be pruned back hard.

Cover rhubarb with large pots to force it for early use. Plant onion sets on a fine day. Sow sweet peas under cover in a cold frame or cool greenhouse, where broad beans can also be started. Seed of summer cabbage and cauliflowers, lettuce and carrots can also be sown in a cool greenhouse, but tomato seed for early greenhouse tomatoes needs a little heat. Start early potatoes into growth in trays in a frost-proof, light place.

Cover areas of the vegetable plot with plastic or cloches for two or three weeks before sowing. The plastic should be in close contact with the soil. Clear plastic is good but does allow weeds to germinate, which black plastic inhibits. Temperatures near the surface of the soil fluctuate, but the warmth accumulates lower down and will accelerate germination. Hardy crops such as carrots and beetroot need a temperature of around 8°C (46°F) to germinate. Sweet corn and French beans need a higher temperature of 12°C (54°F).

Tidy up the flower border. Give paeonies and delphiniums a feed of general fertiliser, and protect delphinium shoots from slugs. Plant lilies as soon as possible, and make sure, when buying them, that they have not dried out. Large-flowered clematis fall into two groups. Those that flower before mid-summer flower on last year's growth and should be pruned lightly or not at all, only removing dead or weak wood down to a healthy pair of buds. Those that flower after mid-summer should be pruned to three feet from the ground, as should all viticella and texensis varieties; otherwise the flowers will soon be so high up you will not see them. At this stage, do not prune the spring-flowering C. montana, C. alpina, C. macropetala or C. armandii; if they have grown too big, they can be pruned after flowering.

Hellebore orientalis, the Lenten rose, should be flowering well in February. It tolerates a wide range of conditions but basically requires a moist, fertile, humus-rich soil. It does best in light shade and should be mulched annually after flowering. Divide plants in late spring if necessary. Cut off old leaves, especially if they have black spots on them indicating a common virus infection. If the infection is severe, it may help to spray the new, young growth with Roseclear. Hellebores self-seed readily, but collected seed should be sown in pots in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe. Cultivars do not come true from seed. H. orientalis is now available in a wide range of colours; some flowers are double. H. niger, the Christmas rose, H. foetidus, the stinking hellebore (but only when crushed), and H. corsicus are also widely grown. The last two have green flowers. H. sternii is a cross between H. corsicus and H. lividus, another green flower, and grows up to three feet tall with creamy, green flowers with pink edging.

In our garden, the birds visiting the feeders increased greatly with the colder weather before Christmas, and they are now coming in profusion. Great tits, blue, coal and long-tailed tits and greenfinches are the most regular, but also goldfinches, collared doves, nuthatches and occasionally a greater spotted woodpecker. Once again a sparrow hawk has panicked a pigeon, which flew into a window and was concussed. The sparrow hawk then devoured it completely except for a pile of feathers. Robins and blackbirds have been less numerous than in other winters, and we have had a few dunnocks but no house sparrows or starlings.

Birds lose weight in the night trying to keep warm, and small birds can lose 30 40% of their bodyweight overnight, so in cold weather it is important to provide them with food early in the morning. Fats, bread crumbs and grated cheese may provide energy quicker then seed and nuts.

Old Reptonians

Bob and Clare Short

Dear friends at Repton,

Happy New Year to you all, and many thanks to everyone who sent us Christmas cards, letters and emails! We always love hearing from friends. Well, we are hoping for a quieter year in 2005 after the pace of 2004!

We have been here 5 months now and are feeling more and more at home having been given a great welcome. The heat and busyness of summer and the 'season' has given way to the cold weather and quiet roads of winter. Even in winter we often have blue sky and sunshine; however, the temperatures do drop and because there is no central heating we have been surprised how much of an issue keeping warm has been! We are about to experience for the first time the 'snow' of Ibiza as the almond trees blossom.

Our first few months we were settling in and into bureaucracy as we applied for our residence papers and health cards, which entailed endless queueing at the local police station. In November we flew to Bolivia for Christy's wedding to Andres Rosas. This was a wonderful occasion with family and friends flying in from the UK, Spain, Ibiza and Mexico. Christy and Andres are now living in Nottingham. Hannah returned from her Gap travels in South America in September, spent a week here seeing her new home, and then started her physiotherapy course in Newcastle upon Tyne. It was lovely to have her with us for 3 weeks over her Christmas holiday, and Nick joined us for 4 days over Christmas and is now back working in the language academy near Granada.

Bob has managed to find various sporting outlets. He has joined the cricket club (the season began in September) and is looking forward to the Balearic Cup in Mallorca in April. A recent write-up in the island magazine IbizaNow quoted someone as saying "Ibiza probably has the worst cricket team, but indisputably the most sociable"! Bob has also found the only squash club and managed the semi finals in the island's Squash Tournament. He also sometimes plays football with the San Antonio guys.

We had three Christmas Carol services which were well attended, and our weekly Bible study groups are studying The Purpose Driven Life course. An Alpha course begins again in 10 days. Couples' wedding interviews, hospital visiting, baptism preparation and pastoral care make for an interesting life! Every second Sunday (and for extra services at Christmas and Easter) we travel over on the ferry to the smaller island of Formentera .

Come and see us if you are over in the summer! Love,



Apartado 54707820 San Antonio, Ibiza, Baleares, Spain. Tel. 0034-971-343-383