“Some sort of periodical is an essential life-line in village such as ours”

Welcome to West Farleigh’s own

LIFELINE
Distributed freely in September 2018 Edition no 503 Upcoming Events:
Editors: Stephen Norman, Helen Swan and Jacky Taylor See back page
Website: www.thefarleighs.co.uk Email: editor@thefarleighs.co.uk

Harvest Supper tickets are now on sale – don’t miss out

In this Lifeline
The Annual Harvest Supper will be on Saturday
29th September in West Farleigh Church at 7pm Pastoral newsletter……….. 2
for 7.30 pm. Church notices & events….3
Parish Council report..…… .4
As usual an excellent 2-course buffet supper will View from the Garden…… 5
be provided with music “from across the Farleigh Feathers…………. 6
decades” by Pete & Co. A ‘donations’ bar will
View from the Scoreboard..7
be serving wine and soft drinks etc.
Tickets £15 from Sue O’Donnell on 01622 727852 Organisations ………………. 7
or by email sueodonnell@talktalk.net. Events………………………. 8

Don’t forget to look at our

West Farleigh in Bloom
website for much more
Thank you to everyone in the village for their enthusiasm
information about our village
and support for our efforts so far, particularly the
www.thefarleighs.co.uk
sunflower competition which attracted lots of
entries. We want to keep up the momentum, and with
some money in our bank account now thanks to your Please contact the editors if you
generosity for the walk and refreshment stops on Fathers’ would like an article in Lifeline or
Day, we have lots of ideas for next year. Firstly, we are on the Website – Email
going to buy lots of daffodil bulbs to plant around the editor@thefarleighs.co.uk
village for next spring. We are having a planting day on
Sunday 7 October and are targeting specific areas but
also happy to supply bulbs for you to plant in your front Follow us on Facebook
gardens where they can be seen from the road. Watch this space for more
details…

Jackie is going to attend the South East in Bloom Results Day in Brighton on
14 September to see how we have fared in our first year, and to have a
sneaky peak at what our competitors are doing so we can be bigger and
better next year!
Do look at our website and
One of our projects this year was to have a bug hotel built. We are very
look at weekly activities.
excited to announce that the amazing bug hutch Tim Knowles has
constructed for us has been placed on the triangle at the top of Teston You will amazed what goes
Lane. It has been built to specs mainly supplied by the R.S.P.B. It is all up on.
cycled or reused material - bamboo tunnels to attract solitary bees and
wasps, plus two bird boxes, one either side and spaces for hedgehogs.

Your ideas to help enhance our beautiful village are always welcome.

Do contact us at editor@thefarleighs.co.uk

Deadline for October issue of LIFELINE: 20th September 2018

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Pastoral Newsletter

That’s not fair!

I hope you all had a lovely summer and that it is still ‘summery’ weather when you
read this letter. I had a day away at the coast on Sunday July 29 th the very day the
weather broke and it rained all day with horizontal rain, high wind and absolutely no
visibility at all. We stood at the mouth of Portsmouth harbour watching the Isle of
Wight ferries being blow in and fighting to get out as the sea broke over the bow
and also watched the roll of the boat as it turned to run down the cost before making the crossing. Where is
the fairness in life I thought as within a few days we were back into temperatures of 31 degrees and the sun
beating down? Was it because I took a Sunday off? But then hadn’t I learnt over the year that life isn’t about
fairness and anyway what is fairness?

We’d been down to Portsmouth to attend a Golden Wedding anniversary of a lifelong friend and taken the
opportunity to visit the mother of my son-in-law who was in Southampton hospital with cancer of the throat
waiting for an operation to remove her voice box and have reconstruction surgery to her throat. Where was
fairness that weekend? Is fairness about the reward for a life well spent or a life miss spent? Since a small lad I
had fairness drummed into me. Why did my sister, just a year and three days older than me always land at
the foot of the ladder and I on the tail of the snake? Why did she always land on Parkway and Mayfair first?
Why did she always get a shilling more on her birthday than I did three days later? Where is fairness? But
then look at it another way. Do we always get what we deserve? ‘No’ comes back the answer most of the
time. Have you never had a narrow escape or thought if I had....... the result might have been different.
Have you never thought how lucky you have been at times? If fairness is a judgement on what we do would
it be fairer?

The Christian faith reminds us that God judges us according to his love and that is the way we are judged
when we come in sorrow for the way we have behaved. St John reminds us that ‘God sent his son into the
world that those who believed in him might not perish’. And we all know what happened to God’s son! Was
that fair? For God sent his son into the world to give us life in all its fullness. Was that fair? Perhaps we need to
stop looking for the world’s fairness and start looking for God’s fairness. When we see that we see the world in
a different light.

David Jones

Services at All Saints

Sunday 2nd September 8.00 am Holy Communion (Traditional)

Sunday 9th September 9.30 am Morning Prayer (Modern)
Sunday 23rd September 9.30 am Harvest Festival
Sunday 30th September 10.30 am BENEFICE SERVICE *(see below)

*Remembering Vera Smith

There is a United Benefice service at All Saints on Sunday 30th September commencing at 10.30 am. During
this service the life of Vera Smith, who lived in the village for many years, will be remembered and Vera’s ashes
will be interred in the churchyard, immediately after the Benefice service at approximately 12 noon .

Our Ministry Team

Rev Peter Callway, Rector: 01622 747570 Call for Baptisms, Weddings & Funerals, not Fridays
Rev David Jones, Hon. Associate Rector 01622 741474. Not Fridays
Rev Eileen Doyle, Associate Rector 01622 204241. Not Mondays and Tuesdays
Becky Parnham, Children and Families Worker 07949 646885

Little Angels return on 7th September

Are you looking after a baby or and under 5? Are you about on Friday lunchtime from1pm - 2.30 pm? Come
on down to All Saints Church and meet other mums and toddlers. Mums, Dads, Grans, Grandads, carers – you
will all be warmly welcomed. For more information contact Becky on 07949 646865

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West Farleigh Church events and notices

Help Needed

Are you young and energetic? Do you need to do some voluntary community service for D of E or Explorer
Scouts?

West Farleigh Church would be pleased if you would be able to help to keep the church clean and tidy. It
would involve dusting, hoovering and brass cleaning. Contact Sue O’Donnell 01622 727852 or
sueodonnell@talktalk.net

Ride and Stride

Ride and Stride this year takes place on Saturday 8th September. Walkers and riders from all over Kent visit as
many churches as they can to raise funds for their local church and for others in Kent.  Last year’s 3-man team
is looking for new members, young and old! It’s a fun day out and you get offered a lot of cake. Please or
email Sue O’Donnell on 01622 727852 or  sueodonnell@talktalk.net for a sponsorship form.  Or perhaps you
could spare an hour or two on the day to sit at the church signing the riders and striders in and offering them
refreshments?  Again Sue would love to hear from you.

Former Lifeline Editor has book published

Tim Hill, former West Farleigh resident and long-serving editor of Lifeline has recently written a book about the
Lubricants Industry.

Tim says “I wrote the book after a career (such as it was) in the oil industry, mostly concerned with lubricating
oils. While it may have seemed that I was doing nothing during those years after early retirement in West
Farleigh, I was in fact researching and writing this quite long book. Some of it is based on personal memories
and anecdote – but not much!”

British Lubricants Industry by Timothy J. Hill

Merton Priory Press is pleased to announce the publication on 12 July 2018 of the
first ever academic history of a vital but little regarded branch of British
manufacturing industry. Without lubricants not a single piece of machinery would
move, and yet until now no-one has traced the history of lubricants, which remain an
important downstream branch of the oil industry both in Britain and worldwide.

This new book is a full-scale academic history of the industry, in which the author
spent his entire working life. Covering the whole period from the Industrial
Revolution to the present day, it will appeal to economic and business historians,
others interested in industrial history, and those engaged in the lubricants industry
today.
The text is fully referenced with footnotes and bibliography, and appendices
contain a large amount of newly assembled statistical data for the industry, as
well as lists of constituent companies at different dates.
Hardback, 527 pages, 3 black and white illustrations. IBSN 978-1-898937-81-4 £50.00
Order post free from Merton Priory Press Ltd 9 Owen Falls Avenue, Chesterfield S41 OFR, UK

Litter Pick: YOU can make a difference!

The monthly litter pick will take place on Sunday 2nd Sept.

Meet on the Green at 9 am. Equipment provided. A sociable activity with coffee and bacon
sandwiches. More information from Terry Baines 815267 or Brian Cushing 812341.

Page 3 of 8
Parish Council Report

At the last meeting on 16th July, a villager pointed out that the new white line on Teston Lane was too far
back, if you stop at the line you cannot see what is coming! Also, visibility is obscured by vegetation on the
Teston side. The Parish Council will see what can be done and encourage Teston Parish council to get the
foliage cut back.

Concerned was raised regarding HGVs using Ewell Lane. KCC does not see a problem as it is a B road the
same as Hunton Hill. There have numerous incidents in the lane with big vehicles trying to pass.
Mags Zak has started organising Speedwatch sessions with equipment borrowed from Coxheath. Further sites
need to be approved.

It was felt that the South East in Bloom initiative had improved the look of the village. It was agreed that a
grant cannot be given to the group, but if a councillor bought something for them they could be reimbursed.
A contractor has been appointed to clear the growth of brambles, nettles etc along the wall in Charlton
Lane.
The next Village Coffee morning will be on 20th October in the Good Intent conservatory.
The next Parish Council meeting will be on Monday 17th September 7.30 in the Good Intent.

Recipe: Apple and Blackberry Cobbler, great for using home-grown apples and foraged
blackberries
Ingredients For the Cobbler

1kg cooking apples, peeled, cored 150g self-raising flour

and cut into 2cm dice 50g cold butter, cubed, plus extra for greasing
200g blackberries 50g caster sugar
100g demerara sugar 1 egg beaten
Icing sugar for dusting 4 tbsp milk
Pinch of Cinnamon if desired

1. You will need a 20 cm round ovenproof dish, greased with butter

2. Pre-heat oven to 200/180 fan
3. Place apples, blackberries and demerara sugar in the prepared dish and
gently mix together
4. To make the Cobbler, measure the flour and butter into a food processor and
whiz until thea mixture is like breadcrumbs (alternatively place in a mixing bowl
and rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips).
5. Add the caster sugar, egg and milk and mix again until combined. It should
be like a wet scone mix.
6. Spoon blobs of the cobbler mixture over the fruit in the dish (don’t worry if
there are a few gaps)
7. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes until golden brown and the fruit is soft and
bubbling.
8. Dust with icing sugar and serve

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View from the Garden by Jon Fenlon

September is that time of year when the days start to get noticeably shorter
and the winds and rain will generally increase. With this in mind and with
the soil still being warm from the summer it’s a great time to plant trees,
perennials and bulbs. Trees will put down a better rooting system this time
of year and a small amount of wind can actually make them stronger as it
helps to get a better footing.
Keep up with the dead heading around the
garden to prolong the flowering period.
Don't forget hanging baskets and planters
will carry on until the first frost if kept dead
headed and well fed.

September to October is the best time I find to do lawn work such as

scarifying, re-seeding, edge repairs or even laying a new lawn (more
detail on this in last year’s blog post).

We have grown melons for the

first time and cucamelons (like
a small grape sized cucumber).
Also the chillies in the glass
house are all doing pretty well.
The zinnia from our picking
garden are also looking great
at the moment.

See Jon’s blog in full colour on www.thefarleighs.com

43, Stockett Lane, Coxheath,

ME17 4PT established 1993

Telephone number 01622

745178

Offering a range of complementary therapies to ease your aches and

pains and soothe away the stress and strain of life:

McTimoney Chiropractic Massage Reflexology

Physiotherapy Health, Wellbeing & Money
Coach Autogenic Training
Psychology, Psychotherapy & Counselling Sports Injury
Therapy

For full details please visit:

www.coxheathchiropractic.co.uk Page 5 of 8
Farleigh Feathers by Ray Morris
Seasonal changes for The Farleighs’ birds

The warm moist weather we have been experiencing (enjoying?) since the
heat wave finished can bring mixed blessings for our garden birds.

Ground feeders like blackbirds and thrushes benefit from soft soil from which
to extract worms. The soil is easier to probe and much sought-after insects
aren’t buried deep to avoid drying up in the heat.

Wild fruits such as blackberries and elderberries are swollen and ripe, and
are an excellent, sugar-rich food to help migrant birds like blackcaps lay
down layers of fat ready for a long migratory flight to the Mediterranean or
Africa.
And, even if they are staying here, if you look carefully at
young starlings the brown faces of many are stained
purple with juice, such is the fruits’ attraction. With its
orchards and marshy coastline, Kent in general is a good
stop-off place for birds from as far north as Greenland
and the Arctic tundra on their southbound migration, so
almost any species could turn up along the Medway
valley.

Across the northern hemisphere the numbers of birds will

be at their peak, as many of the summer visitors and
their young are still here to add to the myriad offspring of our resident species.

Sadly it’s not necessarily all good news for garden birds; the
warm, damp conditions are ideal for the spread of disease. So
make sure feeding areas and containers are kept clear of old,
rotting food and bird droppings

If possible, move the feeders around the

garden to prevent parasites and bacteria
building up in the soil beneath them. If you
suspect you have a sick bird – it might
appear lethargic and not fly away as you
approach, or it may be fluffed up and
have food stuck around its bill – stop feeding completely for a couple of weeks so the birds disperse.

At this time of year there is plenty of natural food around so they won’t miss the free handout you are
providing – even though you may miss seeing them in your garden.

For an extended and illustrated version visit www.thefarleighs.co.uk

Page 6 of 8
View from the Scoreboard by Terry Baines
FOOTBALL We have had a good pre-season build-up and on Saturday 25th August our 1st
XI started their season in the Kent League. Meanwhile our 2 nd XI had to wait a week and
began on 1st September in the Sevenoaks League. Good luck to both our teams.

CRICKET Congratulations to our 1st XI who have won promotion with two games in hand
and if results go our way we could be champions! Our fantastic run of results last month were
all victories over Betsham, St Lawrence and Sissinghurst. Fingers crossed for the next two weeks!
Whilst our 2nd XI have not had the victories of the first XI they two have had an excellent and
competitive season although last month we narrowly lost of Eynsford and Bearsted. We must
have had one of the bet games in the League this season chasing 246 against Speldhurst. We
made it to 246 thus tieing the game.

Ringstedt Tour: Another great football tour to Germany was had at the end of July. 34 Tourists went and as
far as I know 34 returned! As always our friends in Ringstedt were great hosts as we were never far from food
and another beer. For the record we also enjoyed success on the field as our 1st XI won 3-0 and our Vets also
won but I can’t remember the score (too much beer Tel?) Thanks to all concerned for another memorable trip
and we look forward to seeing all our friends in West Farleigh next year.

TON UP WINNERS Jason Butler - £30 Ian Prideaux - £20 Lydia Payne - £10

Yours in sport,
Tel (815267)

You never know what is going to happen at the meetings and this month was no
exception. Unfortunately, our Speaker for the evening was unable to come and
within only hours to spare one of our members offered to come with her dolls. She
gave a very interesting, informative and fun talk about her hobby in making the
dolls. We also had a quiz for the members which everyone enjoyed and then the
members also had time to socialise. We have a cream tea booked for this month at the Great Comp
Gardens, a trip to London to visit Parliament for a tour regarding the voice and vote in
Parliament. There is still our Craft, Art groups and keep fit for all members to join. We have a
MacMillan Coffee morning on Thursday 27th September 12.30 to 2pm EVERYBODY IS WELCOME to help
raise money for this worthy cause. IF you would like to come and join us you would be very
welcome. The Farleighs WI Hall, Forge Lane, East Farleigh ME15 or ring Pam 01622 726337 .

Evergreens

The Evergreens met in the church for afternoon tea. We entertained ourselves with a quiz
put together by Mags Zak. Film stars from the 50’s and 60’s. It was amazing how many of
the members recognised the photos. Sign of a misspent youth!! Back row of the cinema!

On the off chance I asked Bob Caudwell if he would be available to play for us. He had to decline as he was
off on holiday to Cyprus with his lady friend. 90’s are the new 60’s!!!
The Evergreens will be meeting in the WI Hall on Tuesday 11th September at 2.30. It is hoped that Ian Pearce, a
local fireman, will be coming along to talk to us about fire safety.
We will be meeting on Tuesday 25th September for a ploughman’s lunch at 12.30.

If you would like to join us ring Helen 814445 or Terry 814561. we are able to provide transport if required.
If you have a few hours to spare on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday and would like to help with Evergreens, we would
be pleased to hear from you. We especially need people who are prepared to collect members from their
homes. We are a jolly bunch!

Page 7 of 8
Village Events

Sat 8th September Ride and Stride – See page 3 for more information
9.00 am -18.00 pm

Sat 8th September Village Quiz - Have you got your team together for the village quiz on Saturday 8th
19.30 pm onwards September at All Saints Church (7.00pm for 7.30 pm start). Pete Hards will be your
Quiz Master with Den O’Donnell, his glamorous assistant! Pete’s quizzes are always
entertaining and with a fish suppler (good for the brain), great company and a
couple of drinks the evening should prove to be a great evening. Tickets cost £10
and are available from Sue O’Donnell on 01622 727852

Mon 17th September Parish Council Meeting – The Parish Council Meeting will be held in the Good Intent.
19.30 pm onwards All villagers are welcome an have an opportunity to speak at the beginning of the
meeting.
Councillors welcome you input and will be pleased to see you.

Sun 7th October West Farleigh in Bloom - Bulb Planting – The team would like there to be a mass
9.00am – 16.00 pm bulb planting. Daffodils bluebells, crocuses etc in gardens and in various nooks and
crannies around the village. Do join in – contact editor@thefarleighs.co.uk

Sat 20th October Barn Dance Dancing to the Hatted Hens in West Farleigh Church
19.30 pm onwards Don’t worry if you can’t or don’t want to dance, the band will entertain you.
However you will be encouraged to ‘have a go’

Sun 16th December Carol Service will be held at West Farleigh Church. Holly, candlelight and all the
18.30 Onwards traditional Carols. Including The Fareighs Choir

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