Early on Saturday 21st September, the flower ladies gathered to decorate the church for Harvest. Cobwebs were dusted away, polish buffed up on the pews, flowers and greenery everywhere, beautiful. Thank you, Emma for your delicious and welcome refreshments. Harvest Service the following day was enjoyed by all and afterwards we were all treated to a delicious lunch in the village hall. Everywhere looked very inviting, the tables on stage full of savoury dishes, thank you to all who helped in any way to make this such an enjoyable event. Also, many thanks for the donations from you for the Foodbank. This raised 28.02kgs. and was gratefully received.
September came to a close with lovely Sally completing her amazing walk for Cancer Research UK. This was in memory of her very special friend, Sally. A great achievement, as what started as a, 30 mile challenge, progressed to 90 miles!! Then, what the heck, why not 100, which actually ended up at 101…A whopping £1,630.00 was raised, absolutely wonderful, fantastic, well done, Sally. To keep Sally company, Loki and Boris (Sally’s black labs) enjoyed most of the walking, rain or shine!
Friday October 4th was the much awaited, Race Night in the village hall. We all brought our own drinks and nibbles, which were put on our own tables of 6. Brilliant evening, great fun, lots of encouragement from us all as we watched our horse on screen, 8 races in total and not a penny changed hands! We competed individually, plus two teams red Gauteng Gijimaz, or blue Kwazula Royals, which we knew nothing about until the end. So, it made no difference whatsoever as to which horse you bet on. On paper only. Well done, Charlie, a great night had by all. Saturday 5th, the sun was shining, blue sky, perfect for the Ploughing Match at Folly Farm. Many from the village and surrounding areas were there, so great to keep bumping into familiar faces. Lots of families with young children, including Colin and Kate’s grandchildren, perfect. Fantastic atmosphere, stunning scenery you could see for miles. Fabulous old tractors and ploughs, with either 2 or 3 furrows, wonderful to watch along with the smell and sound of it all. There was one lad ploughing of only 13 years old. 39 competitors in total, mainly old tractors. Wonderful to see Folly Farm from such a different view point, thank you Colin & Kate.
Book group met at Rachel’s on Friday 11th A lovely glowing fire greeted us, along with handsome Griffin, as every seat was taken! Brilliant. Many thanks Rachel for hosting, delicious coffee, cakes, shortbread and flapjacks provided by lovely cake makers, we were very spoilt. After a short while, it was thought the time had come to discuss the book as it would take quite a while with so many of us. We need not have worried, as most of us thought the same. Brilliant, “The Salt Path” by Raynor Winn. This is a true story and is a beautifully written page-turner about a couple struggling to come to terms with their lives, who decide to go on a journey of self-regeneration by walking the South West Coastal Path. It scored 9. The Men’s Pop-up-Pub event was held in the village hall that evening. Enjoyed by all those that could make it. Lots of chatter over a few beers plus nibbles, a couple of games of darts. Just a very easy going, friendly boy’s night out, good to see Phil and his Dad. Thanks once again to Jeff.
Saturday 12th all change again in the village hall. With bunting and life-belts around the room, many singers arriving looking very nautical, including life jackets, southwester hats! lots of stripes, excellent. Sing to Save Lives with Steventon Singers. 200 years of Saving Lives. A fundraiser for the RNLI, coffee & cake morning. Tremendous to see so many, all of whom thoroughly enjoyed the morning, even joining in with the Sea Shanties! A super amount of £537 was raised in donations. A huge thank you to Jackie for communicating with the RNLI and providing a themed raffle prize. Also, big thank you to all the cake makers and all who helped in any way. A very special thank you has to be said to Paul & Marilyn, who over the weeks have encouraged us all, which made this special morning such an entertaining, extremely joyful, worthwhile event.
The United Benefice choir got together on Sunday 29th September at North Waltham and at Deane on 6th Oct for their Harvest Evensong. So lovely when there are so many voices, we even had Paul join the men at Deane, as Douglas always plays the organ. Thank you for providing refreshments afterwards. Lots to look forward to from now on with singing in all aspects! This year and next! Going forward to December on Sat. 7th 10-4 and Sun. 10-2 in the village hall an exhibition of paintings, mixed media work and prints by Rachel and Susie from Steventon. Free entry, art work for sale, will be a wonderful morning. Pop it on your calendar. Well, the fruit is soaking in brandy for the Christmas cake in readiness to be made at half term, sloes picked and ready for the gin!! the garden produce is coming to an end and a big tidy up will be due when the runner beans come down. The grass is still growing!! Forget-me-not seeds have produced masses of greenery and the birds are having a field day with the sunflower seeds, as is the hedgehog at night. Might just have to turn the heating on as it is feeling rather chilly at the moment, or maybe just have an early fire. Coffee is calling. Enjoy.