We are absolutely delighted that Colin and Chris Clark have invited us to use their shop for a week commencing on the evening of 29th November, the night of the Odiham Extravanganza.

This shop at 74 High Street, Odiham (next to the Dress Agency) will provide an excellent opportunity to pick up a bargain in time for Christmas. We will be selling bric-a-brac, gifts, books, electrical items including a Yamaha electronic piano, small pieces of furniture and just a few items of clothing. There will also be a lucky dip and raffle.

Don’t miss out on this one-off occasion!

Pay us a visit between 10.00 am and 4.00 pm.
Funds raised during the week will be split 50/50 between the Neurofibromatosis Association and OCHRE.
If you have any enquiries please contact Tricia Stephens, NfATricia@aol.com, 01256 702197 or Helen Smith, HelenSmith204@aol.com , 01256 702885.

Garden Birds 1

Colin Ryall’s talk on the 23rd was very well attended and proved to be most interesting. There were some lovely photographs, some from the BTO and some of Colin’s own and Colin answered those tricky questions like ‘Where do all the garden birds go in the autumn?’ (to the countryside where natural food is plentiful) and ‘Should I feed the birds in the summer?’ (yes, it gives the juvenile birds a good start). He also had his own theory as to why waxwings, a winter visitor, often frequent supermarket car parks (they are less shy than other birds who avoid these busy areas). If you would like to contribute to the BTO’s Garden Birdwatch, you can get more details from their website – www.bto.org. Thank you to all who were able to come.

Garden Birds 2

All it takes is a cold spell to bring those birds back into the garden. I have noticed far more numerous blue tits, great tits, goldfinches and chaffinches, but the real surprise was a pair of goldcrest – a first for my garden. They weren’t actually on the bird feeders but were hopping about on the apple tree and seemed totally unaware of my presence just a few feet away. Another surprise was a nuthatch and I haven’t seen one of those in my garden for a few years. It really is rewarding feeding the birds and you can now get bird food locally – the hardware shop in Fountains Mall now has supplies.

If you would like come and watch these birds from my sofa, armed with a cup of coffee and a biscuit, please let me know and I will arrange another session. Obviously, it will have to be a last minute event, dependent on the weather, so let me have your telephone number if you’re not on e-mail.

Winter Bird Walk Sunday 30th November

Peter Hutchins has kindly agreed to lead a walk for us around Butter Wood. We will meet in the car park (please park in the field) of the Fox and Goose at Greywell – which will be open for our custom when we return. We aim to start at 10.30 finishing about 12.30. Please wear warm clothes and suitable footwear. Cost £1.

Palace Gate Pond

Peter Fountain has told me that Hart District Council has agreed to do the work to restore the pond. Perhaps someone who lives close by can keep me updated on this?

Sad Paw-note

It was whilst walking Heidi – a West Highland terrier of mature years I inherited from my mother four years ago – that the idea of the Odiham Biodiversity Group was born. Walking with her led me onto footpaths that I never knew existed and made me really appreciate the countryside around us and notice the plants, birds, butterflies and changing seasons. Sadly, Heidi died this week and I miss her terribly, but really there is nothing like a dog to get you out into the countryside. The only time I have seen a kingfisher on the canal was a really horrible, murky day and I was only there because Heidi wanted to go out for a walk.

Tree Trail Leaflet

Don’t forget, the first Tree Trail leaflet is now available as a pdf attachment. We are also having a few printed, so if you would like one of these for a small donation please let me know. Now that the leaves are dropping – finding the trees will be even more of a challenge!

Surveys and Observations – what’s it all for?

A couple of Saturdays ago I went on a Mapmate course at the Hampshire Biodiversity Information Centre (HBIC). Mapmate is software for biological recording and is the preferred method for groups or individuals to submit records and observations to the county/national database. It is these records and more importantly the trends they indicate, that tell us what is going on in the countryside and the health of the environment we live in. The decline of the otter is a classic example – a direct result of pollution in our waterways. Clean up the rivers and the otters come back.

December Newsletter

A Christmas Competition, another Cross Barn talk and another winter walk – details of all of these happenings will be in the December Newsletter due out at the end of November. If you do not subscribe by e-mail nor have a hand delivered newsletter (i.e. you live on my route from Colt Hill to the Coop), they are available in the Library and the Post Office.

OTHER ORGANISATIONS EVENTS

Hampshire Wildlife Trust
Fungus Foray on Hook Common 10.30 am Saturday 1st November. £2. More details – Audrey Moss-Bradnam 01256 780074.

Scrub bashing on Velmead Common

Sunday 16th November. More details – Elliott Fairs 01256 381190.

Make a wreath at Bartley Heath

Sunday 30th November. £2. More details – Rachel 01256 381190.

RSPB

Basingstoke RSPB are visiting Keyhaven Marshes on the 16th November. More details from Peter Hutchins on 01256 770831.

For more information about the Odiham Biodiversity Group please contact Sheila Bates on 01256 701187.

A few memories of the day from Blues And Blues in the Bury 2008 and the RAF Odiham Heroes Parade. You can also find photo's from the day on Bob Longs Website

Or click here to see the Thames Valley News Report on the day.

A few memories from the RAF Odiham Heroes Parade, June 2008.

The Day started with a Chinook flypast along the High Street.

It's not every day you get a tank rolling through the village...

... Or an armoured car!

The Band

On Parade in The Bury.

The Odiham page is now up and running for anyone and everyone who wants to use it.

A BIG EVENT FOR ODIHAM

BLUES & BOOZE IN THE BURY 14 JUNE 2008, 12 MIDDAY – 6pm

This year Blues & Booze in The Bury will be an event not to be missed. Preceded by an RAF Heroes Parade finishing with a short ceremony in The Bury, there will be something for the whole community. The music will attract blues lovers from far and wide whilst the food and drink on offer will satisfy every taste.

The Neurofibromatosis Association, last year’s co-organisers, will be raising funds for their cause
as will All Saints Church and LeapFrogs Pre-school. Between them, the charities will be putting on a balloon race, face painting, lucky dip, tombola, raffle, parachuting teddy bears, teas, coffees and ice cream and more. There will also be a walking entertainer present for the whole afternoon.

This will be a memorable day in the life of Odiham, so make a note of the date and join in the fun! As Peter Fountain said, “We will not have seen so many people in Odiham since July the 15th 1953 when the Queen was driven up the High street to the RAF Base for the Royal Review”.

For enquiries about...

MUSIC: Bob Long, long.boblong@gmail.com,

THE EVENT: Peter Fountain, PtrFount@aol.com

The Neurofibromatosis Association: Tricia Stephens, NfATricia@aol.com

All Saints Church: Tim Paton, tim.paton@tiscali.co.uk

LeapFrogs Pre-School:Nicola Trubridge, nicolatrubridge@hotmail.com

Do you have mistletoe in your garden?

On his visits to Odiham, Tony Mundell (the north Hampshire Flora recorder) has been impressed with the amount of mistletoe that he has seen and the different species of tree that it appears on. On Odiham Common mistletoe grows on ash trees and this is rather unusual.

To investigate this and add to Tony’s county records, we have decided to do a survey. Now the leaves have fallen it’s much easier to see the mistletoe but less easy to identify the host. Please let us know if you have mistletoe in your garden. We need to know the species of the tree that it grows on and a grid reference for your garden or your post code will suffice. Any other records in the wider countryside, if you can supply the same information would also add to the picture.

Churchyard Small Mammal Survey

On the 8th and 9th of November with the help of Amanda Bassett from the Hampshire Wildlife Trust we carried out a small mammal survey of the Churchyard. Eight traps were set and next morning we found that three were occupied. All three occupants were wood mice – 2 males and a female. Not much of a variety but at least we know that there is life there!

Churchyard and Cemetery Surveys

We are now coming to the end of the surveys and would like to thank all the people who have helped over the last year, particularly Wendy, Carol, Liz and Julie who have been doing the bird surveys. We are now collating our findings and will write our reports which we will submit to the Churchwardens and The Parish Council in due course. It has been a fascinating year for discovering what lives in these special places – from Red-legged partridges in the Cemetery to the Fiddle dock in the Churchyard! The numbers of cowslips, primroses, ox-eye daisies, scabious and knapweed on the south side of the Cemetery were particularly stunning.

Sofa birdwatching

We were lucky with the weather – a cold sunny morning and the birds duly obliged. Blue tits, Great tits, a Robin, Chaffinches and Goldfinches all appeared on the feeders.

Winter Birds

Many people have noticed the Fieldfares and Redwings that have now arrived. These are winter visitors to our shores and are members of the thrush family. Redwings are slightly smaller than a Song thrush and have distinctive red colouring under their wings, whilst Fieldfares are a little larger with a grey crown. Both have the thrushes’ speckled breast. Mistle thrushes are also making their presence felt – or rather heard – they have a very distinctive call like a football rattle, as they defend a favourite berry-laden shrub.

We are arranging a winter bird walk with Peter Hutchins in January – more details in next month’s newsletter.

Paul’s Talk

I think that all those who attended would agree with me that Paul’s talk was quite fascinating and we now know that Ratty no longer lives in the canal (except maybe in the western section), the shrub with distinctive pink berries and orange seeds is the Spindle and the cygnets once grown are driven away by their parents and probably end up on Tundry Pond. Thanks to all who came to this very successful evening and we now have our insurance money for next year!

Tree Trails

Following our tree trail walks we are now producing two leaflets – one concentrating on the Churchyard and Chamberlain Gardens and the other on the Cemetery, King Street and Buryfields. More details next month.

Buryfields

On 6th November Paul Hope, the canal ranger, and Carol Gibbons visited Buryfields infant school to talk to the children about the canal and local animals . Paul explained the need for managing the trees by the canal and dressed up volunteers in his safety gear to illustrate his work. He then showed everyone the skulls of a badger, fox and deer: animals many of the children had seen in the area. The audience was enthusiastic and asked interesting questions and Carol and Paul had a very enjoyable morning.

OTHER ORGANISATIONS EVENTS

Hampshire Wildlife Trust Walk at The Vyne Sunday 9th December

Ruth Cairns will lead a walk around the fascinating and beautiful grounds of this National Trust property, keeping an eye open for wildlife along the way. Meet at 10.00 am and park at The Vyne car park, Morgaston Road, Sherborne St. John (Map ref. SU 637 576). For further details, please contact Ruth on 01256 326364.

Hampshire County Council Guided walks

Hampshire County Council produce a little booklet (free) of guided walks in Hampshire. They range from weekly 1 hour ‘health’ walks in and around Basingstoke to a 12 _ mile walk on the 27th December around Greywell via Tunworth, Mapledurwell and Upton Grey. There are many other walks throughout the county including some on the coast.

The booklet is available from Odiham library – as are the Parish Council’s footpath maps.

For more information about the group please contact Sheila Bates on 01256 701187 or e-mail at smbates@btinternet.com

The Extravaganza 2007 was certainly blessed with excellent weather and the largest turnout to date for this event.

Reports from the retail sector have been good and they all deserve praise for putting in a great deal of effort and time. As a community we should be very proud of our friendliness and ability to attract all ages to join our party.

Particular thanks to RAF Odiham, lighting and stewarding led by Mick Smith and Justin Wall (Max), Hampshire Constabulary who volunteered their time, Sgt Paul McGuiness, PC Martin Bowman, PC Nick Sexton and SPC Iain Tunstell, (to assist with extreme traffic control requirements, and rude and arrogant drivers some of which live in Odiham and denied knowing anything about the event) and of course our own very stewards, Gerry Kimber, Phil Turrell, Paul Turrell, Chris Heeps and Andrew Harrison. Also a big thank you to the Odiham Retained Fireman who turn up year after year which is much appreciated, thanks to Mick Paul.

A special mention for Jo Kelsey for suppling extra Christmas lights for Odiham and to YOU the public for making the scenery come to life and Hart District Council for clearing up the rubbish.

To the little oinks that vandalised the gentlemens' loo, why ?

These fantastic aerial views of Odiham are from a hot air balloon flown by Adventure Balloons. What better way to see the area? For more great ballooning pictures of Odiham and the surrounding areas taken by passengers on balloon flights visit their website - www.adventureballoons.co.uk. A great gift for birthdays and Christmas!

Ballooning over the Bikers pub the Lord Derby in North Warnborough. Hundreds of motorcycles meet there once a month. They also serve good food too during the rest of the month!

The builders are in at King Johns Castle Odiham on the Basingstoke Canal.