Abbotsbury

CONGRATULATIONS to Mrs Pat Sales who was 90 on Tuesday, 18 January

The spring sunshine made the day extra special for her.

Pat, our sprightly next-door neighbour, who has lived in the village for 23 years, told me that there was thick snow on the day that she was born.

I hope that I am as vital when I am 90.

THE village play area has been open for five months now.

There are a few additions, a new picnic area and a sunshade.

Magna Housing has donated a bin for dog mess, which is cleared on a weekly basis and dog walkers are politely asked to make use of it.

There are still some irresponsible owners who do not clear up after their pets risking health problems to other users of the community space.

Plans are afoot for a Biodiversity area alongside the playground and seating will eventually be installed in this region.

Villagers are encouraged to join the committee every Friday – weather permitting - to help clear the space.

They will have to bring their own gardening tools and maybe a picnic.

Several fund raising events are to take place in the future.

The first is ‘Learn to make a willow Tepee. More about this later.

ON Friday, 21 January our village’s school will host a community pantomime at Portesham school.

M&M productions, a professional touring group of players, will be staging Beauty and the Beast.

Tickets can be obtained from the school office – 01305 871283 - £3 for adults,£1 for children.

How forlorn and peculiar the Mill Pond at the Tithe Barn looks now that it has been drained

For some time now all that can be seen is deep silt with a stream running around the little island.

The willows have also been cut down.

Talking to this morning Debbie from the Children’s Farm, which is located there, I was reminded that it has been 7 years since the pond was last drained.

Then nothing happened and it was refilled.

At that time there were two streams running through it. Now the deep course by the far wall has completely silted up.

Hopefully sometime in March the millpond will have remedial treatment.

I wonder what treasurers will be found during the dredging.