We had a good turn-out for our talk from Brian Winsley on Mushrooms, Toadstools and Pixies. He had some great pictures of weird and wonderful examples of ‘safe’ and ‘not so safe’ fungi. I think I’ll just stick to Sainsbury’s mushrooms and not bother foraging!!

Our next talk is: Wednesday 2^nd April at 7.30pm in the Vale Room, Blewbury Village Hall.

Speaker is: Mr Russell Cherry talking about The Oldest Road – The Ridgeway Explored.

We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible as it is, apparently, a very interesting talk.

You should all have had a copy of the VPA 2014 programme in your Blewbury Bulletin. Please note that we have a coach trip to RHS Gardens, Wisley on Saturday 10^th May setting off at 09:00am from pick-up points in Upton and Blewbury. Full details will be available in Blewbury Post Office – if you are interested please put your name down on the list, or give me a call on 01235 510095.

Well – it looks as though the weather is now beginning to behave itself so we can get gardening. Still very sticky, but, a bit of a turnover to dry it out and a wiz up and down with the rotovator in a couple of weeks should do the trick on the allotment. Potatoes are chitting well. Thanks to Savages for having such a wide variety of potatoes and glad to see the Pink Fir Apple which I love.

Good News!! Our Schedule for the Annual Show on Saturday 12^th July is now available at Blewbury Post Office. We would love to have a bumper number of entrants this year and we have some really good classes in all the different categories. An early start will give you plenty of time to take your photos, do a bit of handicraft and practice the designated recipe for a Victoria Sponge Cake – I know someone who has tried it and it’s great! If you want a copy of the Schedule e-mailed to you, please contact me on VPA.in.bl.up@gmail.com I will be telling you more about the special events at the Annual Show in future Bulletins. Don’t forget, if you have any very old tools I could borrow for the Show, please use VPA e-mail address or ring me on 01235 510095.

DID YOU KNOW?

In days gone by, it was not uncommon in springtime to see a farmer drop his trousers and pants and sit down on the soil. If the soil was not too cold, the farmer knew it was time to sow his crop. If you want to avoid misunderstandings with your neighbours, you are better off trying this old trick with your bare elbow!!

Happy gardening

Eileen

What a blow!! Our first meeting was beaten by the weather. Torrential rain, high winds and closed roads, caused by flooding, forced us to cancel our speaker. Fortunately we have been able to re-schedule the February talk. Please note the date and venue of our March meeting is:

WEDNESDAY 12^th March at BLEWBURY SCHOOL – 7.30pm.

Mushrooms. Toadstools and Pixies with Mr Brian Winsley

Our Programme for 2014 is now available and you will find a copy inside your Blewbury Bulletin. There will also be copies in the Blewbury Post Office. Maggie and Austin Maytham will also have copies available in Upton. Residents of Upton will find the Programme in the Upton News.

Has anyone managed to get into the garden or on the allotments? I have a mini lake at the end of my veggie plot and the fruit plot isn’t much better. I called into Savages last week and their seed potatoes will be in the shop around the middle of February. The good thing is being able to buy just the number of potatoes needed, rather than bags from the garden centres and ending up with too many.

Our Schedule for the Annual Show to be held on the 12^th July is almost ready. I hope to give you lots of news about the show, which will have some special events, in the next issue of the Blewbury Bulletin. I’ve had a good response to my request for old gardening tools to display at our Annual Show – if you have any old or unusual gardening or DIY tools you would be willing to loan, don’t forget to call me on 01235 510095 or e-mail me on the VPA number: VPA.in.Bl.Up@gmail.com

Did you know?

Onions have been used to treat gunshot wounds since the 16^th century. During the American Civil War, General Grant refused to move his Union troops without supplies of onions.

Happy gardening

Eileen

Blewbury and Upton Village Produce Association

Well, here we are in 2014 – it’s going to be a busy year for the VPA! Can I just take this opportunity to thank those of you who helped and supported various events throughout last year and wish everyone in Blewbury and Upton a healthy and happy New Year.

Has anyone managed to work off those festive pounds put on over Christmas by exercising in the garden or on the allotment? I guess not. We should be grateful that we haven’t had any serious floods or spent too much time without electricity in both villages over the last few weeks.

Our Programme for 2014 is being finalised and will be available shortly.

The first meeting is on WEDNESDAY 5^th FEBRUARY (Vale Room, Blewbury Village Hall) at 7.30pm. Mr Brian Winsley is giving a talk on Mushrooms and Toadstools (and Pixies).

We expect it to be unusual and interesting!

Don’t forget – a date for your diary: SATURDAY 10^th MAY 2014 – COACH TRIP TO WISLEY.

Cost £18 per person. If interested, please register at Blewbury Post Office or with Maggie & Austin Maytham in Upton (01235 850126). Pick-up arrangements to be advised.

As you know, I’m looking for old gardening tools to display at our Annual Show which is taking place in July. If you have any old or unusual gardening or DIY tools (nothing too heavy please) which you would be willing to loan, could you give me a call on 01235 510095 or e-mail me on the VPA number: VPA.in.Bl.Up@gmail.com

Well, even if we can’t get out into the garden or allotment, at least we can start preparing our seeds for the early vegetables and flowers.

Did you know?

Edwin Budding, the English inventor of the lawnmower, said of his brainchild: “Country gentlemen may find in using the machine themselves, an amusing, useful and healthy exercise.”

Happy gardening

Eileen

Well, the VPA concluded 2013 with its annual Xmas Social on the 7^th December at Upton Village Hall with a supper and fun & games. Maggie Maytham outshone everyone in the yoyo game by declaring on 70 ‘up & downs’.

Plans are now in full swing for the production of the 2014 VPA programme, which begins in February. I gather our Committee has booked some interesting speakers for the coming year. A copy of the programme will be available in the Blewbury Bulletin and printed in the Upton News in the New Year.

A date for your diary – 10^th MAY 2014 – VPA COACH TRIP TO WISLEY.

Don’t forget to register with our dedicated e-mail address: VPA.in.Bl.Up@gmail.com This will give us the opportunity to let you have up to date information and news concerning the activities of the Village Produce Association. Don’t worry – it won’t be e-mails every day – just important information.

As you know, 2014 is the 100^th anniversary of WW1 and I’m looking for old gardening tools from around that era to display at our Annual Show which is taking place in July. If you have any old and unusual tools, please give me a call on 01235 510095.

Our Annual Show is going to be a really special one this year – so keep an eye out for the Show Schedule which should be ready in a couple of months. We’ve even found a recipe for a Victoria Sponge in the Cookery Section which is from the Home Cookery and Comforts Magazine 1915.

Season’s Greetings to everyone from the VPA for 2014 and we look forward to seeing you at our forthcoming monthly meetings.

Eileen Bracken

Another year has flown by and the VPA is now getting ready for its XMAS SOCIAL which is being held on SATURDAY 7^th DECEMBER at UPTON VILLAGE HALL. The event is an evening of hot food and wine together with our fun quiz and games!! We also have a Cracker Competition – make and decorate a cracker with a little surprise inside bring it with you and perhaps win a special prize!

TICKETS ARE £4 PER HEAD AND THE WHOLE FAMILY IS WELCOME.

Please buy a ticket at the Post Office in Blewbury or contact Maggie Maytham in Upton on 01235 850126 or give me (Eileen Bracken) a call on 01235 510095.

Great news – we are now in the 21^st century – the VPA has a dedicated e-mail address from which we will be able to send up-to-date news and information on our activities. If you are interested in joining, there are details in the Blewbury Bulletin and Upton News on how to register, or you can e-mail straight away to join up. Send your name and address and the e-mail address you want registered.

The address is: vpa.in.Bl.Up@gmail.com

Our programme for 2014 is being prepared – it will include details of our monthly talks, together with events and activities throughout the coming year.

In the meantime, I hope everyone is managing to put their gardens to bed for the winter between the showers! My nerines are looking pretty good despite a few batterings from the rain.

What’s happened to Karen you are asking??? Well, Karen is taking a break from the publicity for the VPA and is now Chair of the Association. I’ve taken over the VPA news and hope I can do as good a job as Karen.

Look forward to seeing you at the Xmas Social.

Eileen

I am looking out at my garden this afternoon, it has rained all morning the sun has now come out, and everything looks delightful. I have lots of roses back in flower (typical, as I had none for the show in September!) the Asters are waving in the breeze, and my apples are ready to be harvested! But I have very few leaves on the lawn, a few Virginia Creeper, everything else seems to be hanging on, they are going to wait, I am sure, and will all come down overnight!

You are all very welcome at our AGM on Wednesday 6th November, 7.30 pm in the Vale Room, where Eileen will give her Chairman’s report on the year, the Presidents cup will be presented to the exhibitor with the most points over all sections in the show, (I wonder who that could possibly be), Austin will give a short talk on reading clouds and meteorological weather patterns, and Maggie will have bought some great cheese and wine for us to have afterwards! We would welcome some new committee members, so if you can help, just turn up on the night, and let us know! (we have approx 4/5 committee meetings a year, so not a lot of work)

We will be selling tickets for our Christmas Social evening, on Saturday 7th December at Upton Village Hall, supper, wine, juice, a few silly games, and a competition for the best Xmas Cracker! Tickets are available from the Post Office or Maggie & Austin in Upton. (I can’t remember the cost, but think its about £5!)

Happy gardening

Karen Brooks

Well, we had a very strange autumn show, lots of fruit, vegetables & a few flowers, but even fewer handicraft or photographs, never mind, we all had a lovely afternoon anyway, and the winners of the trophies were all very pleased, I even managed to win one or two!

There seems to be an awful lot to do in the garden at the moment, the welcome rain has caused a surge in late beans, my tomatoes are ripening nicely, (at the moment) I am sure they will be soon inside on the windowsill! My peppers and chillies are growing well on the same windowsill; I will have a good crop of those too! I am looking forward to a few good days, when I can get the shredder out, and do some much needed chopping and pruning!

Our talk for October is on 9^th October; is “Where Did Our Woods Come From”, at 7.30pm in the Vale Room, this sounds a fascinating talk, I am guessing that they are a throw back to when our countryside was covered in trees, but maybe they are a lot more recent than that! I shall be intrigued to find out!

Our annual “Plant & Cake” sale is on Saturday 12^th October, at “Abners” Church Road, Blewbury, at 2.30pm, (until 4 ish) come along and browse a large array of splendid garden plants, all “good do’ers” to coin a “Norma” phrase, as all have been grown in the villages, and buy home made cakes, pies, chutney, jam & preserves. Alternatively; bring along any plants you have split/propagated, and watch them find new homes! There may even be some cups of tea about too! Brilliant!

Happy gardening

Karen Brooks.

I hope you have all managed to keep your gardens & allotments’ going through this weird spring & summer, my water butt was almost empty, then it was overflowing, now its running out again, everything speeded up in the hot weather, now it’s cool and flowers seem to be more scarce, some are prolific, others not so!

Our next meeting is in the Blewbury Village Hall Vale Room on September 4th at 7.30. Our guest speaker is Ken Betteridge talking about Rare Plants of West Oxfordshire.

The annual show is on Saturday 14^th September, get your written entries in asap, (by Weds 11^th, 6pm) and simply bring your entries in between 8.30am & 11 am, come back at 2, to see how you have done, collect winnings & trophies at 4pm, if you have any queries, email me or pop into the Post Office!

Show schedules’ available for the show, held in Blewbury Village Hall, are now available in the Post Office, or email me, karencbrooks@gmail.com and I will email one to you.

Happy gardening

Karen Brooks.

The warm weather has sent my garden into a growing frenzy, the later spring shrubs are finally flowering, along with the early summer ones, the roses are also finally in flower and I have a few narcissi out too! The perennials’ are also growing well, and some are flowering already, whilst others seem to be held back a bit by the cold start!

The veg plot is taking shape, with beans already halfway up their canes, courgettes, tomatoes and squashes are also flowering, and the lettuces, sweet corn, carrots, parsnips’ & peas are coming along nicely!

Our July talk will be held on Wednesday 3^rd, 7.30pm in the Vale Room, with Janet Keene, showing us how to “Create a Nature Reserve”, let me know if you need a lift! We have no meeting in August, and we return on Wednesday 4^th September, for “Rare Plants in West Oxfordshire” with Ken Betteridge.

The annual show on the 14^th September is shaping up well, we are having a “squash” festival this year, with many varieties being grown by village gardeners, and mine are growing in the compost bin, and coming along very nicely thank you!

Show schedules’ available for the show, held in Blewbury Village Hall, are now available in the Post Office, or email me, karencbrooks@gmail.com and I will email one to you.

The trip to the Whitchurch Silk Mill and Cottismore garden centre has been postponed.

Happy gardening

Karen Brooks.

After a few days of glorious sunshine, I have planted out the last of the perennials’ I bought last year and had tucked away in a corner and promptly forgot about! The grass is growing too fast, (and the dratted dandelions), I am now in that lovely state of mind, where all the seedlings are awaiting potting on, or planting out, the beans have popped up, everything is green & lush, the spring flowers are bountiful, the birdies are singing, and the promise that summer is just around the corner!

We don’t have a talk on Wednesday 5th June, but we are going to visit the Adwell estate, I visited in March to see the daffodils, which had been hit badly by the bad weather, but I am sure that the June gardens will be spectacular, please ring if you would like to come, I don’t have the final details of where we are meeting up yet, but see me in the Post Office, call 851777 during the day, or email me!

Show schedules’ available for the show on 14^th September, are now available in the Post Office, or email me, karencbrooks@gmail.com and I will email one to you!

We also have a plant stall on the family day at the festival, and are running the tea stall, with homemade scones & jam! Offers of help greatly appreciated, and donations of plants too!

We also have a trip to the Whitchurch Silk Mill on Saturday 6^th July; please contact me to be put on the list or for more details!

Happy gardening

Karen Brooks.