The Grapevine May 2021 by sara-jane morley

GRAPEVINE MAGAZINE Nº325 - APRIL/MAY 2021

LEWKNOR SOUTH WESTON POSTCOMBE

In 1941, village school mistress Mrs Scott sells War Savings stamps to locomotive driver Bill Hopkins

GRAPEVINE MAGAZINE 2

FROM THE PARISH

ello from a new look Grapevine. I’m hoping that the make-over won’t cause too much friction in the neighbourhood, but I thought it was time for new year, new beginnings! This would normally be my third Grapevine of the year but with so little going on in the villages at the moment it seemed pointless to put out another mini edition...but spring is sprung and the light at the end of the tunnel isn’t an oncoming train! After some thought and a mini poll on Lewknor Life, it has been decided to bring the Horticultural Show forward and hold it on August Bank Holiday. This year won’t be quite so focused on money making and more as a celebration...and don’t we need that! It will be a combined street party and show and I hope everyone will get behind it to make this a great day for the village. The horticultural side will be as normal and the classes will be announced shortly so that everyone has enough time to plan and either get planting or get creating. As well as the show, we also have the circus coming to Lewknor! Lewknor Primary will be holding a fundraising event on 26th September, so please save the date. Ove r the lockdown many pe ople have thought about their futures and how they live their life and may have decided to start a new business. Over future editions I will be highlighting some of the small businesses in the parish, starting with Sean Thomas who runs Sin Azucar, a handmade organic chocloate company from Weston Road. If you run a small business and would like to be included and tell your story then please contact me at the Grapevine email address. Finally, we have a new plant stall in the village ! Emma who is a ne w Le wknorian is selling plants from a very lovely stall at 2 Weston Road, behind the pub. Emma was the owner of Recollections in Chinnor and also has a selection of dresses and accessories for sale...ideal for prom! Right...off back out into the garden before it snows again!

WATLINGTON SOLICITORS Stefanie O’Bryen

• Conveyancing • Family Matters • Probate • Wills

20 Shirburn Street Watlington, OX49 5BT Contact your local solicitor for a friendly and efficient service Telephone: 01491 614 700 Email: info@watlingtonsolicitors.co.uk Out of hours messages: 01491 614 357 Authorised and regulated by the Solicitors regulation Authority No 405842

parish diary may 2021 16 9.00am Holy Communion St Margaret, Lewknor

10.30am Morning Worship St Lawrence, South Weston

7.30pm Parish Council Meeting (via Zoom)

30 9.00am Holy Communion

St Lawrence, South Weston

june 2021

7.30pm Parish Council Meeting Jubilee Hall, Lewknor

20 9.00am Holy Communion

JACK GORDON DECORATING ALL TYPES OF DECORATING UNDERTAKEN INTERIOR OR EXTERIOR Ring or email for a free quote: info@jackgordondecorating.co.uk 07590 517 444 www.jackgordondecorating.co.uk

St Margaret, Lewknor

j u ly 2 0 2 1

7.30pm Parish Council Meeting Jubilee Hall, Lewknor

august 2021 30 TBC Horticultural Show Lewknor High Street

september 2021 26 TBC Happy’s Circus Jubilee Hall, Lewknor

FIX MY STREET REPORT, VIEW OR DISCUSS LOCAL PROBLEMS ON FIXMYSTREET.COM OR DOWNLOAD THE APP. HOW TO REPORT A PROBLEM

1. Enter a nearby UK postcode or streetname and area. 2. Locate the problem on a map of the area. 3. Enter details of the problem. 4. Sent to your council for action

Grapevine Magazine grapevinemagazine@hotmail.com

Search facebook.com for: LEWKNOR LIFE LEWKNOR LIST SOUTH WESTON, ADWELL AND POSTCOMBE (SWAP) POSTCOMBE PEOPLE

GRAPEVINE MAGAZINE 3

RECIPE

Healthy Spring recipe:

For Goodness Cake.

wanted to create a cake which was healthy and nutritious as well as being delicious. It’s packed with fresh fruit, nuts, carrots, seeds and spices. It contains only whole food ingredients, and a whopping amount of protein and fibre. It’s the ideal post exercise snack but it’s so healthy that you could have it for breakfast. Best stored in the fridge and eaten cold - it has a lovely moist, dense texture ;0) INGREDIENTS: 2 carrots (grated) 1 apple (grated) 1 ripe banana 1 cup of raspberries (I use frozen) 1 cup of blueberries (I use frozen) 1 orange (zest and juice) 1/2 cup cashew nuts 1/2 cup almonds 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds 2 tbsp peanut butter 3 eggs 1/2 cup of raisins 1 can of chickpeas (including 2tbsp of the liquid) 1/2 cup of brown self raising flour

or your preferred flour 1 tbsp stevia or 2 tbsp maple syrup or honey 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp mixed spice 1/2 tsp ginger 1/2 tsp nutmeg Pinch of salt METHOD: Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius (fan oven). Line a cake tin with baking paper. Blitz nuts in food processor till finely chopped. Pour nuts in to a large dish. Pour the chickpeas in to the food processor along with 2 tbsp of the liquid from the can. Add the juice of an orange, the banana and 3 eggs. Blitz till smooth. Add the smooth mixture to the dish with the nuts, along with all of the other ingredients except for the flour. Stir everything well, then stir in the flour until well combined. The mixture will resemble the texture of cake batter. If it seems a little runny then add a little more flour.

Pour the mixture in to your lined cake tin and cook on the middle shelf for 40 minutes. Check to see that it’s cooked in the middle by pushing a skewer in to the cake and checking it comes out without mixture on it. If it isn’t quite cooked, return to the oven and keep checking it every five minutes till its cooked. Now here is the important bit! Once you have removed the cake from the oven, leave it in the cake tin for about 20 minutes to cool before removing to cool entirely. Put in the fridge and wait till it’s cold to enjoy it at its best. Stores well in the fridge for 4 days and the f lavour seems to get richer with each day! Enjoy ;0) Written by: Nicola Wilkinson, Lewknor based Holistic Health & Fitness Coach www.nicolawilkinsonfitness.com Email: Nicola.r.wilkinson@gmail. com Tel: 07793 021 155 ADVICE IF YOU’RE THINKING OF HAVING A BONFIRE COVID-19 update form SODC – we’re urging people not to light bonfires during the pandemic. This is because breathing in smoke can impair a person’s oxygen intake and, with more people remaining at home, lighting a bonfire could cause someone to experience breathing problems. Please consider doing one of these options instead: HOME COMPOSTING Use our garden waste collection service. Use our bulky house waste collection service. Bag it up and take it to your local waste recycling centre. IF ALL THE OPTIONS ABOVE ARE NOT POSSIBLE, PLEASE FOLLOW THIS ADVICE: Out of courtesy, please let your neighbours know before you light a fire Only burn dry/clean wood and garden waste PLEASE DO NOT: Burn damp material Burn rubbish, such as plastic, foam, paint or rubber Light the fire using engine oil, methylated spirits or petrol Light the fire in windy weather Leave it unattended, even if the fire is just smouldering

GRAPEVINE MAGAZINE 4

LOCALS

Sin Azucar: Handmade organic chocolate.

in Azucar Organic started way back in 2018 to make chocolate sourced from the right people and right places. Cafiesa is a cocoa cooperative in Ecuador that produces some of the world’s finest flavoured cocoa which is what I use to produce my handmade bars and brownies in Lewknor. I add to that the best organic ingredients from sour cherries and pumpkin seeds to smoked chipotle spice. The e thos is pure ingre die nts and pure flavour, I believe amazing cocoa deserves the best ingredients. After a few years of learning the hard way (self taught) I finally have a range of f lavours in the bars and brownies building up a great following and customer base at Oxfordshire food markets from East Oxford Community Market, North Parade Market, Thame Market, Cookham Metre Market and the great Wolvercote Sunday Market. My website is due to be up and running very soon but you can follow me on Instagram at: sinazucarorganicchocolate

GRAPEVINE MAGAZINE 5

IN MEMORIAM

Alan Houseman 1935-2021

would like to extend a big thank you to all the neighbours and friends who sent cards, flowers and messages of sympathy to the family after Alan passed away on 30th January 2021.

He had been in poor health over the last 5 years and died peacefully at home. We will miss him dreadfully. Jean Houseman

CROSSING THE BAR ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON Sunset and evening star, And one clear call for me! And may there be no moaning of the bar, When I put out to sea, But such a tide as moving seems asleep, Too full for sound and foam, When that which drew from out the boundless deep Turns again home. Twilight and evening bell, And after that the dark! And may there be no sadness of farewell, When I embark; For tho’ from out our bourne of Time and Place The flood may bear me far, I hope to see my Pilot face to face When I have crost the bar.

GRAPEVINE MAGAZINE 6

BOOK CLUB

The Tatooist Of Auschwitz & Flight:

ne thing or another prevented the Bookclub meeting this year. This introduces the last two books that we read last year. Because the chances to discuss these books were limited the opinions offered might seem a little one sided. We read The Tatooist of Auschwitz before Christmas. This book was published in 2018. It is the debut novel of New Zealand author Heather Morris. She started to research the story of Lale Sokolov with the intention of producing a screenplay and there is still the feel of screenplay about it. The book is referred to as a novel and though it purports to be based on facts it is very much a novelisation of fact even though there is a photo section of Sokolov and family in later life in the back of the book. Sokolov, a 25-year old Slovakian Jew, was sent to Auschwitz in 1942. A stroke of good fortune made him assistant and then successor to the tattooist. All prisoners were so marked. He sees a young woman in the queue to be tattooed and falls in love. The rest of the book tells how they survive the life in the camp and a short description of their life when freed. Some of us were apprehensive about reading what might prove to be a harrowing account of the dreadful life in the camp but the style was too lightweight for the subject matter. We learn little of his life before his imprisonment but that little sketches a young man on the make charming his way round the lady customers of the store where he works. In Auschwitz

he proves himself a survivor, bribing guards and civilian workers with jewellery and cash found for him in the piles of clothes taken from the incoming prisoners. His position as the tatooist gives him access to places and contacts unavailable to other inmates and he makes the most of them. After a while we got the impression that the story Sokolov had told Heather Morris had been a collection of incidents and tales, as if he was remembering everything that happened to him and all he had ever heard about life in the camps. Apparently he took so many risks that it seemed amazing that he survived. Though he used his ingenuity and cunning to help others the impression left by the book was of a wide boy determined to survive who had, perhaps, always been on the edge of crime. The book was a best seller but has been criticised for historical inaccuracies and for a sanitised version of life in Auschwitz. Over Christmas we had Flight by Isabel Ashdown, published in 2015. When I read the library’s synopsis of this book I thought the story was going to be spread rather thinly over 320 pages. The ‘flight’ in the book is Wren Irving’s abandonment of her husband and six month old daughter. It turned out to be a more complicated story, the story of the lives of three students and their great friendship. The friends are Wren, Laura and Rob. In 1994 when the Lottery starts Wren is married to Rob, a teacher climbing the career ladder, and they

have a six month old daughter Phoebe. Wren buys a ticket for the first ever draw and her numbers come up. She hasn’t told anyone about buying the ticket and she has opted for anonymity. She has had enough of family life, she packs her bags and disappears. In the present, twenty years later, Wren is officially dead, Rob has married Laura and they have brought up Phoebe together. So far so good but a journalist who plans to write an article about the first winners gets in contact with Laura and this unsettles everything. The story of what happens next is interwoven with the story of their friendship since college. Each section is told in the voice of one of the characters. There are further complications. Phoebe is pregnant and a young woman contacts Rob claiming to be his daughter. He had been out of control fo a while after Wren left and was quite ready to believe that he had a spare child but couldn’t be sure who was the mother. Like a fable or a Shakespeare play all the relationships work out. You might not be convinced by the feel good ending. It was an easy book to read but I thought it too long. Wren and Laura were the dominant characters. Rob appeared an unsympathetic husband for 1994. Wren had all my sympathy. If you are interested in coming along to a meeting with no obligation to join contact Luarena Durston on 07791 442209. Jo Blenkinsop

GRAPEVINE MAGAZINE 7

Need to de-stress and relax?

STARTING IN LEWKNOR VILLAGE HALL THIS MAY

Breathwork, Meditation & Yoga Class Date: Wednesdays 1800-1900hrs; starting May 19th 2021 Suitable for everybody, this class uses breath work, meditation and gentle Yoga stretches to relax the body and restore a sense of calm to the mind. A wonderful class for those who need to de-stress and relax. ONLY 3 SPACES REMAINING Please note that booking is essential. For more information contact Nicola on 07793021155 or email nicola.r.wilkinson@gmail.com www.nicolawilkinsonfitness.com

GRAPEVINE MAGAZINE 8

LEWKNOR PARISH COUNCIL PLANNING APPLICATIONS AS OF 13TH APRIL 2021

i) Appeal: APP/Q3115/W/20/3257335 Moorcourt Barn, Weston Road, Lewknor 1. Demolition of existing green barn, closure of access to footpath track 2. Erection of 1 dwelling with new access, garage, outbuilding, and associated works 3. Provision of additional parking/car storage area to adjoining commercial unit (at The Barn/Str8six) ALLOWED ii) P20/S1615/FUL The Manor House, Weston Road, Lewknor Shed to store mowers ALLOWED iii) Appeal: APP/Q3115/W/20/3254292 Land at Salt Lane, Postcombe Proposed 4 bedroom house & double garage APPEAL DISMISSED

(PHOTO)

iv) P20/S4347/RM 12, Weston Road, Lewknor Reserved matters application following Outline Approval P19/S2262/Ofor details of the access, appearance, landscaping, layout and scale. Outline planning application for demolition of existing workshop and erection of a detached two storey dwelling DECISION AWAITED v) P20/S4634/HH Field House, Salt Lane, Postcombe Proposed first floor side roof extension and dormer window APPROVED vi) P20/S4734/HH Toby Cottage, 18A Weston Road, Lewknor

Non repelis sin re solori erorum am verum harum doluptia Singledelit storey rearditiae extension ium exerae. Nam everfero blatur simus essitius re, con presci omnis APPROVED sa sundio oditati blaborectur repudi il imolum, conse volenda ndicit, qui a nulpa esto es doluptae invelen daerfero dolore laboribusa etume vii) P21/S0416/HH P21/S0418/LB Home Farm, near Lewknor ipicte sam undi&solorep eratur sequi aut volo iusHill est, Road conet qui solorias Rear singlenonseri storey osantia substantially glazed extension lengthening delliqui pro quam quam fugia dus and veliquam qui alis of qui offici dollorem velignam nosae. Seditionsedis eturita internal voluptas ipit existing extension and addition on of a side porch and minor alterations aces essequid maxim ex esto quam, te acipsum laccabo repelendit, DECISION AWAITED andebist inum quodipsaerum adis expe seque nonsequias et est possunt ipsam quibus, nos vel enis as ad qui doluptat et, corro im sit.

viii) P21/S1198/HH 4 Manor Close, Lewknor Erection of a detached garage DECISION AWAITED

To view the full planning register, go to: www.southoxon.gov.uk/services-and-advice/planning-and-building/find-application/ planning-application-register

GRAPEVINE MAGAZINE 9

LEWKNOR PRIMARY

COOL-HEADED ZOFIA SHOWS HOW NOT TO GET INTO A FLAP WITH HER BIRD RESCUE

e have been having some problems with a family of jackdaws that have set up home (or nest!) in the chimney of the Upper Juniors class at Lewknor Church of England Primary. For some reason the jackdaws keep falling down the chimney flue. The class teacher Miss Lawes and I have come to school some days to find a jackdaw flying round the classroom. Once the blinds have been pulled down and the doors open, the jackdaws are able to make an escape and fly out of the classroom. However, a few days ago we discovered one jackdaw had become stuck in the flue and that is when Zofia, a pupil in Year 6, came to the rescue. Zofia is well-known at Tiggywinkles because she is always rescuing stricken animals at home and so Miss Lawes asked her if she could stick her hand up the flue and coax the jackdaw out. And that is exactly what she did! Zofia placed the terrified bird in a tea towel and took it to a quiet place in the churchyard to release it. But then

we discovered bird number two had also come down the flue and was sitting on a cushion by the fireplace. Zofia again wrapped the bird up snuggly and released it in the school garden. Zofia, who lives in Lewknor, once rescued a gosling that she discovered in the middle of a road. There were no other goslings around so she and her dad Marcin took the gosling home where they fed it boiled eggs, oatmeal and rice. Zofia said the gosling would follow her around the house and liked to sleep on her mother’s slippers. After about three weeks, the family took the gosling to a nearby pond and released it. The gosling joined a family of geese and started swimming with them. Headteacher Mrs Cole said: ‘I think Zofia showed a lot of bravery as well as kindness. And for that she deserves a headteacher’s award. Well done, Zofia.’

GRAPEVINE MAGAZINE 10

TUESDAY NIGHT YOGA AT 7-8.30 PM CONTACT VICKI ON 07947 149 675 WEDNESDAY NIGHT (FROM MAY 19) BREATHWORK AND MEDITATION AT 6.00PM CONTACT NICOLA ON 07793021155 THURSDAY NIGHT PILATES AT 5.25PM & 6.30PM CONTACT NICOLA ON 07793021155

(SUBJECT TO COVID REGULATIONS)

INTERIOR

AND EXTERIOR DECORATOR

LEWKNOR BLUE CROSS LONDON ROAD (A40), LEWKNOR, OX49 5RY 0300 777 1500

GRAPEVINE MAGAZINE 14 Lewknor Bridge Halt station opened in 1906 to encourage passengers to use the train instead of the buses. The halt was closed in 1957 when the iniative failed and passenger traffic dwindled. Watlington station, which was actually in Pyrton and not in Watlington itself, closed in 1961.

FA B R I C F I E L D S h A n D m A D E C u RtA I n S, S o F t F u R n I S h I n g S & u p h o L S t E Ry 018 4 4 35 0 35 0

High Street Lewknor Oxfordshire OX49 5TN 01844 350 350 info@fabricfields.co.uk Tues-Fri 9.30am-4.30pm Sat 9.30am-1.30pm