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Wednesday 9 November 2011

Milford Banned in China


We heard international news from one of our readers this week. Tom, who is working in China, went to visit milfordonsea.org, only to find that our website would not open, meaning that it may be on the banned website list.

I think the ban is likely to be because someone considers the contents such ridiculous nonsense that they did not want to submit their people to it.  Quite right too.

I have been banned from plenty of places before, but never anywhere as big as China! I hope this does not mean that Milford on Sea is now banned from receiving Chinese tourists, as they are more than welcome. As is a Chinese takeaway if someone would like open one in the village!

Hurst Castle launch Xmas Card


For the first time, the Friends of Hurst Castle have produced a Christmas card to help raise urgently needed funds for the preservation and enhancement of Castle. Measuring a handy 5in x 5in, the picture has been painted by local artist Shaun Stevens, whose paintings are often displayed at Hurst's Castle Café and shown in local exhibitions including Keyhaven Sea Scout Hut.

The cards are £3.50 for a pack of ten with matching envelopes, and available from Hurst Castle at weekends, and from Gwen's in Milford on Sea village High Street. The message reads "Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year".

This great idea will raise a few much needed funds, promote Hurst Castle and give your friends and family a unique greeting this Christmas.

If you would like to lend a hand by selling a few packs of Christmas cards please contact Jonathan:

Jonathan Goodall for the Friends of Hurst Castle

jonathangoodall@hotmail.com
01590 672068
07831 717770

www.hurstcastle.co.uk/friends.html

Friday 4 November 2011

Music Festival Meeting


The initial meeting for the Milford on Sea Arts & Music Festival takes place next Wednesday (9th November) at 6pm at the Community Centre.

If you would like to get involved, or would simply like to know what is going on, please just come along.

For more information please contact: Sean Reeves on 01590 644777 or 07966 449826.
sean@hwsolicitors.com

Deauville Diary – Week Five

The Gallic misadventures of a Milford village idiot abroad.

Friday (Evening): Matt & Kayleigh joined my wife & I razor clam hunting on the beach tonight. I of course pretended that this was something I did all of the time. After much screaming and squirming (& and the girls weren’t much better) a catch of several razor clams was made. The technique required quick hands to grab the tubular blighters before they disappeared back into the sand, and quick reflexes to move aside for when they spat at you. Evening catch secured, it was straight back to the kitchen, in the pan with white wine, chorizo & shallots, and we soon had an unusual starter before dinner. We reckon they tasted a bit like squid, but not as chewy.

Saturday: Popped to local Brocante Market in next village, and resisted buying a stuffed ferret & doll with hole in her head. Then we were all off to Deauville’s Wine & Food Festival at the local racecourse. Wine producers were there from every corner of the country, but how you taste them all and still stand up I am not sure, but we gave it a try. The French certainly love to dress up in ornate velour costumes. If anyone produces a regional cheese, sausage, or anything really, they will have a society of some sort with colourful robes, chunky regalia and hand embroidered flags, and where better to dress up than at events such as this. Bought some foie gras pate, only £17 for two tins!, and some macaroon biscuits from a guy who had come from Marseilles at the opposite end of the country. Occasional bouts of homesickness are not unusual for people who have emigrated, but our equilibrium was restored tonight as we tucked into the emergency curry supplies that Matthew had bought with him.

Sunday: Up and off to Trouville Market for the girls to urgently buy some desperately needed boots to go with their twenty or so other pairs. Then we moved on to the Fish Market to treat ourselves to an enormous Turbot for tonight’s dinner. As my wife used her best French to ask for the monster to be trimmed and cleaned, ‘Le monger de fish’ was struggling to understand, much effort later he suddenly gestured and pulled his finger across his throat, calling out; ‘Ah, Marie Antoinette!”. Yep, he had got the message.

Having again had a car pull straight out in front of us from a side turning, Kayleigh noticed how the French drivers take a certain pride in carrying numerous battle scars on their cars. A quick game of ‘I Spy The Dents’ revealed about two in three cars in France have had the pleasure of meeting a fellow driver at close quarters. The undamaged ones were always less than a year old and it was only a matter of time before they joined in the traditional ‘let’s have a crash’ game.

Monday: Matthew discovered one of the new tyres he had bought before coming to France was flatter than the turbot from the night before. A quick inspection revealed a nail in the tyre wall. Not great news, but an expedition to find a new tyre was our next mission. Having conveniently found a ‘Monsieur Le Qwik Fit Fitter’ who spoke no English, we showed him the tyre. After much head & hand waving we established that it could not be repaired. So, our new Gallic friend set about finding us a new one. Tyre successfully sourced, he returned saying: “Mercredi ou Jeudi”. (Ah, ha…. Wednesday or Thursday. Matt & Kayleigh were going home Wednesday afternoon, so Wednesday morning would be fine.) I confidently replied: “Mercredi matin s'il vous plait”. Non,Mercredi ou Jeudi” was my new friends repost. “Oui. Mercredi matin”. Non,Mercredi ou Jeudi”. “Oui. Mercredi matin”. Non,Mercredi ou Jeudi”……..our conversation repeated around twelve times until my tripe eating friend got bored. Out came his iPhone, and using a translator app he showed me the text: ‘Wednesday or Thursday’. “Oui. Mercredi matin” I replied, … again. Back to the iPhone, ‘It will be here Wednesday or Thursday’ the text now read. Ah, it was a statement, not an option. As we said our goodbyes, my new friend tried to resist my kisses, but he was too slow. As we returned to the car, Matthew looked relieved said: “Did you see how much the tyre was?”., “Nope”. “It was 325€, more than twice of the price at home!”. A couple more attempts in vain to find a tyre and then Matthew reluctantly accepted his flash BMW would be travelling home on a silly looking spacesaver wheel.

By this point of course the ladies were bored, so we had to agree to go shopping (again!). One home accessories store and four supermarket visits later, we returned home for lunch, ladened with cases of wine, some housy stuff and assorted French food to continue the Francophile experience.

Tuesday: Yet another sunny day, and the town and beach is teaming with people, as tomorrow is a public holiday for All Saints' Day we reckon everyone has taken a long weekend to get in our way. Hard to believe the amount of people on the beach on a November day. We decided a crepe was in order, but we hadn’t accounted for the slowness of a French queue. Nearly giving up on several occasions, we showed the British stiff upper lip and demonstrated our endurance on behalf of the English people and eventually, (& with a slice of our lives’ missing), we all enjoyed hot crepe wandering along the seafront.

Made it to the casino at last tonight, after two aborted efforts. First time we had forgotten our passports, second time the casino was full of the ladies on slot machines and what looked like a school outing losing pots of daddy’s money on the gaming tables. It seems the young of Deauville use the casino as a meeting place on Sundays, rather than the more popular street corners used by kids in the UK. Ironically, on our third attempt, I wished we had forgotten our passports again, as this time we managed to get on the table and they took all my money. Kayleigh won a few quid though, so she was voted to buy the pizza for dinner!

Wednesday: We were all nearly killed this afternoon. To explain, as we wandered along the town centre pavement, two drivers heading towards each other from different directions decided their cars were insufficiently battle scarred to be truly French. There was an almighty crash, one car mounted the pavement right next to us and we only just escaped being hit by the debris, which included a large lump of alloy wheel. Why Matthew automatically took the stance of a ‘Ninja’ we are still not sure. As we stood with a mouth full of dust from the collision, we waited for the almighty shouting and arm waving session to follow. However, the drivers simply got out, admired the substantial mutual damage, shrugged and started chatting like old friends. Perhaps they were? In circumstances like this there was only one thing to do, act as a true Frenchman like myself would, .....so we went to lunch. Why the profiteroles did not come with a health warning I have no idea. It was literally the first time I have ever had a sweet that was served with a knife, fork and spoon! My wife got a migraine just looking at the chocolate and cream mountain of loveliness. (He, he..... worth every calorie). (See picture) Two hours later it was time to bid Matthew & Kayleigh a bon journeé back to the UK. It had been great having them around for a week, and we were really sad to see them go, thankfully, the skinny spacesaver wheel on the back of Matt’s car did raise an involuntary titter or two to lift my spirits.

Thursday: We were all strolling to the café for a ‘chocolat chaud’ when we past ‘La Mairie’ and I realised that I was still yet to meet the mayor. If he knew I was still in Deauville he would of course be thrilled to meet me, but as yet he did not know I was here. I knew he would be excited about my plans for Milford on Sea to twin with Deauville (and to have a big ceremony when dumping Cowes, their current ‘twin’.) if only I got the chance to explain to him. Before I could even reach to the door of La Mairie I heard a loud clash of metal as the door was firmly shut and bolted. A small voice could be heard calling: “Ferme, la grand anglais porc, ferme”. “Ahh, that’s nice” I said to my wife, “I think the mayor has asked to see me later for tea and some sausage rolls.” She just shrugged and just said something like; “Why me?”

As we once again rode the ‘Boulevard of Death’ back to our house, every turning had the opportunity for a random car to pull straight out to give us the dented bodywork of a traditional French car. Not to be disappointed, out came a white car with no warning straight in front of me. “Right, I’ve had enough, I’m going to stop him and tell him how to drive properly.” My wife just grinned as only she can, and said: “I can’t wait to see this.” “Why?”, “That is a police car” she smirked.

Friday: Early start to the day with yet another long dog walk on the beach. As each tide regresses about 150m, areas of beach are always full of thousands of empty ‘razor clam’ shells, and at low tide local fishermen can be seen catching what we think are either shrimps or mussels with their nets most evenings. Early morning and evening the racehorses train along the surfs edge, sometimes as many as a dozen or more at a time. There are also WW2 bunkers half sunken into the sands at the end of the beach, which must be at least a couple of miles long. The pill boxes are still in some of the gardens of the ornate beach front houses, and have been disguised and decorated to just become part of the landscape.

Another friend, Viv, arriving tonight. As she is a cheese fiend, we were off to the supermarket to restock, plenty of red wine and port would also be necessary. I then had a ‘baguette’ moment, firstly wondering how we ever lived without having at least one baguette every day, and then realised that ‘baguette’ was yet another words the French do not have their own word for.

www.deauville.org/en

Thursday 3 November 2011

Scam Warning

We have received the warning below from one of our readers, always worth being aware:

I have today received a call from a company, purporting to be an accredited Microsoft Support Company, explaining that there were currently problems with my computer that Microsoft had asked them to correct – free of charge. This is a scam.

I was surprised to be contacted on my home number as all our professional computer work is done through our office in Lymington on another number, but they were very convincing stating that I was the named Licensee for the computer I was using, even giving my Milford on Sea address.

I played along for a while as they talked me through the process of getting further into my computer. At this point I was able to stop them by saying I would call them back as I had another call coming in.

It is likely that other people in the Milford area will receive such calls. Please warn them about these calls – they are a SCAM. The idea of the scam company is to infiltrate your computer and to download software to help effect the ‘supposed’ repairs. This downloaded software may also contain malware (virouses). Having identified all sorts of problems they will charge you through your credit card for carrying out repairs.

I have reported this call to Action Fraud (www.actionfraud.org.uk) 0300 123 2040 with the name and telephone number of the offending company. Action Fraud will now follow it through. Anyone who has already received a call of this nature should do the same thing. Also contact a reputable computer company to check their computer and remove any problems left as a result of this exercise.


Zozulenka Ukrainian Concert

Have you even seen Ukrainian dancing?, nope, me neither. Well you will get your chance on Saturday the 19th November in All Saints’ Church Hall in Milford on Sea. An ensemble of young people from the Ukraine School of Arts will be giving people an experience of Ukrainian culture through song and dance.  Entry is free and donations are welcome.

The concert by Zozulenka has been organised in conjunction with Hope Now, which is a charity based in Southampton with connections to Milford on Sea. The charities projects for this year include a feeding programme for the poor and a puppet ministry to visit schools and orphanages. Hope Now was founded in 1985 by Vic Jackopson. On his retirement last year, Jon Budgell, who lives in Milford on sea, took over and he will be travelling with the young performers on this UK tour between 11th Nov and 1st December. The members of Zozulenka will be staying with local families in and around the village, so if you bump into any of them why not say “Pryvit”. (Hello)

http://www.milfordonseacalendar.org/
http://www.hopenow.org.uk/

Tuesday 1 November 2011

The Raft Launch Party

Milford on Sea's exciting new Bistro opens its doors for a Launch Party this Friday, 4th November 2011. The Raft will then open fully on the 11th November, when a few finishing touches are completed.

Formerly Belle Epoque Wine Bar, the new venue has now been refurbished and restyled, and Deny & Jan are looking forward to meeting you.

Come along from 6pm to see the transformation that has taken place behind the covered windows over the past few weeks, and please arrrive early to enjoy a complimentary welcome drink and some tasters from the new menu.

Everyone in Milford welcome.

----------------------------------
The Raft: 11 High Street, Milford on Sea, SO41 0QF | 01590 645300
theraftmos@yahoo.co.uk

Support Our Pre-School

Our local Milford on Sea Pre-School is, as always, looking to raise some much needed funds. On 19th November, 11am to 2pm, they will be holding a Christmas Fair in All Saints’ Church Hall, where they hope to raise funds for up to four balance bikes & helmets.

The Fair will feature 16 local crafts people offering wooden toys, books and pickles, to jewelry, handbags and bath products. The children will also be making various soups using vegetables from our own growing garden and the mum’s will be making lots of yummy cakes for the home cooked refreshments! There will also be children’s workshops, a raffle and an early visit from Father Christmas.

So, if you can find the time, I know they would love your support by going along.

http://www.milfordonseacalendar.org/

Saturday 29 October 2011

Enfants dans le Besoin Day


England is soon to once again get involved with people doing worthy and silly things for ‘Children in Need’. Chatting to French friend, well I say ‘friend’, actually he was one of the dustmen that come every morning (I think, he thinks, I am Australian), I asked if they had ‘Children in Need’. “That’s run by the BBC vous Aussie imbecilé”; he said in poor French.

This gave me an idea, I would have an ‘Enfants dans le Besoin Day’. So next Friday, I am offering my new local community: Cricket Lessons, a talk on ‘Why it is Good to Eat Indian Food & Marmite’, and a Master Class on ‘How to Read Road Signs & Not Just Pull Out in Front of Me.’

I hear that back in the UK, Christina from Bon Appetit’s daughter, Maja, is raising funds for Children in Need. On Friday next, 4th November from 10.30am she will be on the village Green having a 'Bake a Difference Cake Sale’ until all her cakes have sold out! If you fancy popping along to either I am sure you will have a good time.

Friday 28 October 2011

Deauville Diary – Week Four


The Gallic misadventures of a Milford village idiot abroad.

Saturday: Another lovely sunny day, blue skies and the only chill in the air was my latent fear of when I would next upset my wife. Went to a charming brocante (antiques market) today, then lunch outside in a street-side café opposite the church. Bought a rather fetching new chair for the lounge. (See picture) On the way back we stopped on the beach to visit what had become our favourite ‘ice cream parlor’. I had my usual two ‘boules’, banane et café, my wife then took both me, and mon ami le ice cream seller, by surprise when she ordered a cone with two boules. Whether she had forgotten her sensible ‘you are what you eat’ head, or she was getting into the holiday spirit, who knows. Our evening meal involved a stroll up the beach to enjoy a French style tapas as we watched the sun go down over the expansive golden sands. Earned plenty of brownie points today, planning how to use them up right now.

Sunday: Watched my adoptive homeland narrowly lose in the Rugby World Cup Final, then was off to ‘Fete de la Coquille’ which is a festival celebrating Coquille St Jaques (Scallops) & fruits de mer, only the French eh! The event in Villers Sur Mer was enormous, with what must have been a couple of hundred stalls selling every food imaginable, people walking a miniature pig on a lead and scores of people wearing traditional dress and the regalia of their own particular food speciality. Got to meet ‘Claude the King of Scallops’, after we bumped into each other and I helped picked up his basket of shellfish delights. We had a nice chat about molluscs and I established that he did not know the Mayor of Deauville, or indeed speak any of my type of French. Crevettes, French bread and a bottle of Saint-Emilion Grand Cru (Just €7!) for tea, delicious, - life is good. (Note to self: Give up smoking, packets are around €7 each and similar to home, could get lots of cases of Saint-Emilion for that.)

Monday: Called into ‘La Mairie’ again to see if I could arrange to meet the mayor today. This time it initially appeared that the receptionist spoke fluent French, however when she misunderstood my request that ‘I would like to talk to the mayor”, thinking I has said; “I would like to stalk the mayor” it became clear her French was not as good I thought. As she looked slightly panicked and was reaching for the phone, I felt like it might be a good time to leave.

Back on the seafront again for our daily evening walk on the beach with the dogs. (In fact the dogs are getting four beach walks a day, I think they are beginning to feel like camels, spending so much time on the sand.) Each early morning and early evening we can see stable lads in trotting racing carriages, and on thoroughbred racehorses from the local stables, training on the beach and running in the shallow lapping sea, quite a sight.

Later we took the dogs for a MacDonald’s. I know, - sacrilege! I do appreciate that the French like to dress their dogs, but I think my wife took it a bit too far this time.

Tuesday: Walking the dogs on the beach yet again, sun is shining and harmony is in the air. As we passed the beach bar we decided to take a seat on the beach veranda for a hot chocolate. “Do you fancy a crepé”; I lovingly asked my wife. “No thanks”; came the reply. Soon moi garcon was delivering our drinks and my ‘Crepé avec buerre caramel’. “That looks nice” my wife said. “Do you want one?”; “No thanks”. Two delicious bites into my crepé and I heard, “Can I have a bite”. Arrrgh!! For such a petite head, my wife has a massive mouth when eating my food. Why is it that when asked the answer is ‘No, I don’t want one”, - and then it is fine to just expect to eat mine! Why not just say “I won’t order one for myself, but I am more than happy to wind you up by eating most of yours - dear”. If I had wanted a fraction of a crepé, I would have ordered exactly that. Perhaps the calories don’t count if you do not order for yourself, or there is some sort of depraved satisfaction is seeing my devastating loss. Either way I end up with half of the crepé I was looking forward to. “I am going to order two next time”; I said. “That’s just greedy”; came the angelic reply.

Became a national hero this afternoon. To explain, I was waiting in the Hyper U Supermarket car park for my wife, (Yes, we were back at the supermarket again), who was now looking for a desperately needed hat and scarf (Yes, I know it was sunny) Anyway, I was approached by a harassed looking man, at first I did not understand what he was saying, then I realise he was talking in English. I should have immediately known he was English, as he & I were the only people wearing shorts in Northern France. It transpired that he had been shopping in the supermarket, leaving his wife and kids in the car. They in turn had put all the car lights on, played with the radio and other gadgets, leaving the battery totally flat. The man was in a foreign land needing a jump start, and your hero came to the rescue. After unsuccessfully searching around for a lot longer than necessary, my wife gave a huff, as only she can, and showed me in exaggerated movements how to open our car bonnet. Once the cars were aligned, we soon had his car fired up. Before he left, I asked him to call the mayor to let him know of my heroic actions. A quick treble French kiss and he was on his way ever grateful to have met such a noble fellow countryman. (When I say ‘French kiss’, I don’t mean ‘French kiss’ as the English know it, I mean ‘French kiss’ in the terms of on the cheeks. Face, that is.)

Wednesday: Went to Honfleur market this morning, ‘Are you sure it is on”; my wife asked. “Of course”; my confident reply. Naturally, it was not on today, so we sat outside a café and had hot chocolate and pastries, so got away with that one, apart from the ‘imbecilé’ comment under her breath of course. Beach busy this afternoon, as quite warm and it seems that it is half term for the kids. Why is it, if French people have a dog it has to fit in a handbag, or even better a small pocket. We would struggle to get our two in a set of extra large Louis Vuitton suitcases. The miniature chiens are really confusing our pair, they are convinced they are cats and just want to eat them. On returning to the seafront from our daily trip to le supermarché, I spotted about 100 people splashing in the sea further along the beach, ‘I get the urge to go and investigate what they are doing” I said. My wife was not so enthused; “I get the urge to insert this baguette where the sun doesn’t shine” she reposted. Charming. Anyway we have curry tonight so nothing can dampen my spirit. The French have of course never heard of Indian food, so we have had to improvise. We bought curry paste & mango chutney with us (learnt this from when we last emigrated), fortunately they do sell chicken breast, and pitta bread make a surprisingly good substitute for naan bread. Hoping for an *encore of another curry later in the week. (*There you go, another one the French don’t have their own word for.)
 
Thursday: Having the physique of Adonis, the voice of an angel and the irresistible charm of his father, Matthew, my son arrived today, along with Kayleigh, his girlfriend, who of course further enhances the brains and beauty of this duo. My wife often comments how alike we are. (Me and Matthew that is, not me & Kayleigh.) On our little afternoon guided tour we visited La Planche, and wandered amongst the beach huts with names of famous films stars on the fences. Deauville holds an annual Film Festival and records the names of featured actors for perpetuity, however I am not sure what film ‘Buzz Aldrin’ starred in. As Kayleigh read the names, a look of horror covered her face a split second after she said; “Why aren’t their names written in French.” “Please don’t put that in your blog”; she pleaded.” “Of course not”; I lied. Lobster again tonight, looks like it is going to be a good week.

Friday: Early start for visit to the D-Day Landing Beaches today. Pegasus Bridge, Juno, Sword, Gold, Omaha Beaches, Arromanches Mulberry Harbour, Long sur Mer Battery and the magnificent and serene American Cemetery. I don’t know how those guys did it, but what I do know is that I believe that every school child should be taken to the D-Day Beaches to get a true understanding of what happened to many from their grandfathers generation.

www.deauville.org/en


Wednesday 26 October 2011

Aliens invaded Milford on Sea



Whilst meandering through the web I came across an article on the ‘Milford Science Fiction Writers Conference’. This annual writers' workshop was founded in 1956, and held in Milford, Pennsylvania, where several Si-Fi writers – including one of its founders, Damon Knight had lived at various times. The success of Milford event was directly responsible for the setting up of the ‘Science Fiction Writers of America’. The conference group had a balance between beginner writers and more experienced professionals and they earned the nickname ‘Milford Mafia’.

Now this is where it gets interesting, founder member James Blish and his wife, J A Lawrence, moved to the UK, where they set up a UK ‘Milford Science Fiction Writers Conference’ in 1972, coincidentally the year in which the 'US Milford' was officially pronounced dead. The ‘Milford Science Fiction Writers Conference’ was then held until 1988, out of terminological nostalgia, at Milford on Sea in Hampshire each autumn. Thereafter it was held at Cheltenham (1989-1990) and Margate (1991 onwards).

If you see anything strange in the night skies, it may be a leftover from the eighties.

http://www.sfwa.org/

Cats & Cakes


The Lymington Cat & Kitten Rescue charity shop, opposite The Smugglers Inn in 59 High Street, Milford on Sea has been open quite some time now, so it seemed a good time to find out a bit more about them.

The charity’s modest beginnings started in 1980 when founder Janette Frankland took in an odd moggy at her semi-detached home. “At first there were just one or two strays to look after and rehome,” Janette recalls. “Next there was a feral colony to trap near the Lymington ferry terminal – and it’s just grown and grown from there.” Today, Lymington Cat & Kitten Rescue is a major welfare mission whose remit extends across the New Forest and far beyond - in fact the unofficial catchment area is increasing all the time as other animal rescues and charities fall victim to recession or, sad to say, simply pass the buck.

The hub of the charity’s operations is the shelter, licensed for 50 cats, which has all but taken over Janette’s back garden. Over the years virtually every square foot has given way to immaculately-kept pens, runs and stores. Record numbers of cats and kittens have been brought in and cared for at the Lymington rescue - so much so that the shelter has been running at capacity for many months. The situation has become so acute that a number of helpers have been providing temporary accommodation for emergency cases in sheds, garages and even bedrooms until loving new homes can be found for these unfortunate felines.

Lymington Cat & Kitten Rescue gained formal charitable status in the 1990s and opened a shop in Pennington nine years ago. Last year, however, the need to generate extra revenue became acute and a second shop was opened in Milford at the premises formerly trading as Curtleas Fashions, opposite the Smugglers Inn. This shop has now been in business for nearly 15 months, and the staff - led, inevitably, by the indefatigable Janette - have been thrilled with the response from villagers and holidaymakers alike. The shop opens 10am-4pm daily except Wednesdays and Sundays and donations of good quality clothes, books and bric-a-brac are always gratefully received.

More immediately, donations of suitable items to sell at the Christmas Bazaar would be particularly welcomed - call Tonia on 01590 642921 and she will be pleased to arrange collection if necessary.

The charity certainly needs every penny it can raise as it approaches the end of the busiest and most challenging 12 months in its 31-year history.

The raise much needed funds volunteers for the charity are holding their Christmas Bazaar at Milford on Sea Community Centre on Saturday 12 November (10.30am-12.30pm). Organiser Tonia Williams and her team are promising a host of seasonal delights and bargains - from books and bric-a-brac to gifts and goodies. Home-made cakes, toys, jewellery and much more besides will be available, not forgetting a well-stocked tombola table and a raffle with some excellent prizes.

“The people of Milford are marvelous supporters of our charity shop at and we hope they will also turn out in numbers for our bazaar, our biggest single fundraising event of the year,” says Tonia.

http://www.lymicat.org/
http://www.milfordonseacalendar.org/

Early Christmas in New Milton


The New Milton Town Partnership launched a new event this year; The New Milton Crafts 2011 Series. The previous two fairs have been attended by an average of 1400 Visitors. Organise Alan Watson said “An indication of the success of events can be gauged by the demand for space by the Stallholders. The demand has far outstripped the capacity of The New Milton Memorial Centre in Whitefield Road which has over 70 Stalls, that we have had to add an additional venue. The second venue is the New Milton Community Association in Osborne Road, New Milton and over 60 Stalls will be located in that venue which is only 200 yards from the Memorial Centre.”

The final Event in the series; The Christmas Crafts and Gift Fair 2011 Fair is on Saturday 5th November opening at 10:30 am and close at 4:30 pm – so there should be ample time for you to get the Christmas Shopping underway well before the festive season. Refreshments will be available including Hot & Cold Snacks and Drinks. As well as plenty of ideas for Christmas Gifts, there will be Stalls offering Christmas decorations, bespoke house signs, objects made from driftwood collected along the coast, stained glass, household furnishings and pottery and wood gifts.

ww.newmiltoncrafts2011.co.uk

Friday 21 October 2011

Cash Machines & Suits


When HSBC decided they could no longer be bothered to provide a local bank branch in Milford on Sea some months ago, we always knew the ATM cash machine would only stay for a while after they left . Well it is still here, but for how much longer?

Ever enterprising, the Co-op now have a cash machine installed in the rear of their store, and Mark at The Village News, applied to have a 24 hour ATM cash machine installed in the front of his shop. All sounded a reasonable replacement for the anticipated lost cash dispensing service, and more importantly these actions would ensure that locals and visitors alike could easily get cash to spend in the village.

All was going well, Mark had surveyors call from HSBC bank to check his security and to look at structural reinforcement for the area around the intended cash machine. All was agreed and a planning application was then submitted.

Guess what, the suits have now scuppered the plan. Apparently, the planning application for the cash machine in The Village News has been rejected by the NFDC on the grounds that it offends the aesthetics of the shop front and village. Not being rude, but have you seen the front of Mark's shop, and the sixties style shop front gloriously painted with the dye from over 10,000 bananas. It is simply a newsagents shop, a fine type of newsagents shop indeed, but and a far as my research could tell neither Christopher Wren, nor Norman Foster had a hand in the architectural design. It was also considered the cash machine location would be dangerous due to the footpath width, the concern being that people would dive directly in front of oncoming traffic should someone be using it.

Firstly, if there was a cash machine outside HSBC, how can effectively moving the service 50 yards affect the village aesthetics any differently? Also, do they have any comprehension the impact of not being able to get hold of cash will have on our village economy. Our Parish Council recommended permission and confirmed the village needs an ATM. Unfortunately their comment that they “do have concerns that the cash machine may not look very attractive’ may have inadvertently given the council support for their refusal.

Of course the Coop's effort is to be applauded and it does provide an useful in-store mini cash facility for us all The only problem is, it is only available during opening hours and being small, it is likely to run out of cash in times of high usage, with refilling taking a day or two.

On reading the Planning Application refusal on the NFDC website I was comforted to discover that; “In coming to this recommendation, consideration has been given to the rights set out in Article 8 (Right to respect for private and family life) and Article 1 of the First Protocol (Right to peaceful enjoyment of possessions) of the European Convention on Human Rights.” That’s good then. A bit of a shame that one of the NFDC’s planning criteria isn’t ‘Will this help struggling small village businesses in a difficult economic time’.

Ironically, this is the same planning department who approved the irrelevant monster signs on the seafront, and at some stage thought approving change of use from shops to housing was a good idea. As a result we now have a High Street split in two.

Mark is now speaking to HSBC to see if anything can be done under appeal. Things get quite confusing at my age, as it was only a few months ago that I was lambasting HSBC for leaving, and now I am on their side in getting the ATM into The Village News. Life’s twists and turns always keep me amused.

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If you have any views you would like to express, please feel free to post a comment below.

Deauville Diary – Week Three


The Gallic misadventures of a Milford village idiot abroad.

Sunday: After the gang arrived the night before we all slowly arose with mild hangovers. Bouncing down the stairs, Joy told me that she had baked one of her famous Victoria Sponges for my wife and I, just as I was about to say ‘thank you’, she exclaimed; “But we’ve eaten it, it looked nicer than what was available in the motorway services.”

Mum, Pete, my brother & Nic, moi sister in law and two good friends, Gary & Joy fancied seeing a French Market today, so off we set in a two car convoy to the adjoining town, Trouville. Being awash with people and cars, I got out to look for a space as our UK convoy queued for the car park. On my return, no convoy. Easy, I thought, I will call them - No phone. I’ll go and have a coffee then - No wallet. Half an hour later a bemused Englishman called Gary arrived saying; “I didn’t realise you had got out of the car.”

Eventually, we all parked and went to explore Trouville’s large riverside market. An explosion of colour and sound with a traditional carousel, clothes stalls and food galore greeted us. Sausages and cold meats of every description, most I suspect filled with gizzards, tripe or random offal, all things that the French seem to delight in devouring. There was even a stall selling live hermit crabs with multicoloured hand-painted shells. (See picture) Cider and Calvados was of course plentiful and a trip to the crepe and ‘fondante au pomme’ stall was delicious.

Trouville is also famous for its Fish Market so we decided to have fresh fish for dinner. Crevettes Rose cocktail for a starter, followed by a double fish course of sole and gurnard wrapped in Parma ham, all served with sautéed potatoes, shallots and fresh vegetables. Peter cooked, as he has skills in the kitchen that would suit a fine restaurant. His nickname of ‘Perfect Pete’ is irritatingly well founded.

We rounded off the evening by once again drinking too much. It was during this time that I made a fateful mistake in informing everyone that the French do not have their own word for ‘carousel’. I then gave some other examples; ‘boutique’, ‘café’, ‘baguette’ etc. Little did I know how this would haunt me over the coming days! I then suggested we turn on the ‘French language only’ TV we have, but no-one seemed enthusiastic about my offer to translate each programme for them. At one stage someone did mention Peter’s guitar, but fortunately I moved swiftly enough to change the subject, - drinking seemed the correct and main objective of the night.

Monday: Up early, I wanted to greet everyone with ‘Good Morning’ in French, but they do not have such a saying. So, it was simply, bonjour, then French stuff for breakfast, before a whistle-stop tour of the towns sites. This was followed by a hot chocolate whilst people watching outside a café in the town square. The weather was perfect as I guided my entourage to the Deauville-La Touques Racecourse for an afternoon of horse racing. On arriving, everything seemed a bit quiet, and once inside there was not a horse in sight. Ah, wrong racecourse. With all of the composure of ‘Brendan from Coach Trip’ I gathered my un-amused group and redirected them a mile or so down the road. Entry was free to Deauville Clairefontaine Racecourse and there were actually horses there. The course is famed for its flowers and even in October the quaint buildings and beds were bedecked with triumphant colour. We did consider betting, but even this was too confusing for a Francophile such as myself. No worries, the afternoon’s ambience was perfect entertainment alone.

Tonight was Gary’s turn to cook, and being a retired fireman he prepared enough tasty food for a watch of twenty hulking firefighters. As the evening got late we were catching up with stories about family, distant relatives and long-time friends, which if overheard would have sounded more like an episode of the Jeremy Kyle Show. Mum then grinned and told a story about a school friend we had, that none of us could remember, who had been abducted by the Moonies. As the drink flowed, life became even more surreal, when our guests then decided to play a game of ‘Words the French don’t have their own word for’. The resulting sentence; “We watched the Grand prix, then went to the boutique to buy some lingerie and a basque which will be ideal for using for burlesque, oh la la! As we entered the restaurant, run by a local entrepreneur, and just down the boulevard in a cul de sac, the sommelier offered us champagne and the hors d'oeuvres and amuse-bouche were accompanied by a linen serviette. We were then given the la carte menu which had desserts like; meringue, eclairs, gateaux or flambé bananas, with petit fours followed by liqueur. The maitre d, whose name was Philippe Flop, was wearing a cravat and was from Bordeaux. He had previously worked in a bistro next to a menagerie, which had specialised in croissant with mayonnaise, vol-au-vents, and quiche with mange tout. Philippe proved to be a bit of a raconteur, as he told how his sister had once had a liaison in a hairdressing salon with Danny La Rue……...”, I simply stood on the balcony and threatened to jump unless they stopped! As things returned to a sort of normal, in turn, each of our party swivelled to looked at the framed object in the room. My brother then said; “I wonder what the French call a French Door, … or a French kiss,… or a French letter.” I was soon on the balcony again.

Tuesday: Empty house again after guest departed following breakfast, - spent rest of day recovering.

Wednesday: Called to introduce myself to the Mayor, but receptionist at ‘La Mairie’ pretended she did not understand my French. I decided to come back when someone who spoke proper French was on duty.

Thursday: On one of our many daily beach strolls whilst walking the dogs, we today met a couple walking a fine Newfoundland. As the dogs greeted each other, in a way only dogs can, I stopped and chatted to the owners. “Le bon chien, et le grande chien” I commented. ‘Oui, merci monsieur” they replied. Obviously they wanted to chat with a fellow French person, so we then went on to have more in-depth conversation. I was a bit surprised to find out they had not heard of Charles Aznavour. Even when I sang the first four verses of ‘She’, it did not shift their memory. As they left, they wished us both ‘au revoir’, mounted their Newfoundland and rode off into the sunset, only pausing to give my wife a sympathetic smile. Meandering our way across the sand my wife told me how impressed she was with me. Sometimes she gets the words ‘embarrassed’ and ‘impressed’ mixed up, but I knew she was right this time. “What do you think you said at the end?” my wife sweetly enquired, ‘I told them our dinner was in the oven.” “You do realise” she growled; “You actually just told that couple something like ‘We must go now as I have locked my grandmother in the fridge’.” One deft kick of my heals with a pair of size 5 ladies walking boots and my face was flat in the sand.

Friday: Went to get more baguettes, now eating three two footers a day.

Thursday 20 October 2011

Fred Dine(age)s at Verveine


A little bird spotted Fred Dineage (MBE) and his lovely wife dining at Verveine last Saturday lunchtime. Fred is of course one of the longest-serving broadcasters on ITV.  He was the front man for the coverage of two Olympic Games, and today of course is the main host of Meridian Tonight.

Many of us will remember Fred from when he presented 'HOW?', the longest- running children's programme on TV.  Fred was a host from 1966 to 1981, and responsible for me learning numerous, and mostly useless facts, during my childhood.

Quick Quiz: Do you remember the names of the other hosts on ‘HOW?’ (Answers below)

My guess is Fred was attracted to Milford on Sea, on hearing that Verveine Fishmarket Restaurant was the winner of both the Hampshire Life ‘Restaurant of the Year’, and by David Wykes being the ‘Chef of the Year.’

Ironically, last weekend David had a bit of a drama and was rushed into hospital with a septic hernia. Following his operation I sent Dave a text; "Septic Hernia?  Didn't I see you reading a recipe for that last week."  Sadly, I am unable to print his reply.  During David's recupperation, Stacey had to step in to head up the kitchen for a number of sittings, and she still managed to get a five star rating from a diner on Trip Advisor.

Anyway, back to Fred. I wonder if when Jackie told him that Verveine make their own corned beef, wouldn’t it have been lovely if Fred had simply replied: “HOW?”

http://www.verveine.co.uk/
www.itv.com/meridian-west/meettheteam

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Quick Quiz Answer: Jack Hargreaves, Bunty James, Jon Miller & Fred Dineage.

All change at Belle Epoque


As you may have spotted, changes are afoot at Belle Epoque in Milford on Sea. The old wine bar is currently undergoing a transformation into a Bistro which we understand will include pizza as part of the menu. We are currently contacting the new restaurateurs to get the full the inside story.

The new Milford on Sea eatery we are guessing will be called The Raft, and plans to open in the next couple of weeks. They are looking for a chef and waiting/bar staff, so if you or anyone you know are interested please give Clemie a call on: 01590 645300 or 07837 630020.

When Mike originally opened Belle Epoque a couple of years ago it was immediately clear that Mike was certainly going to do things his own way. Mike’s quirky wine bar soon became popular, and the eclectic mix of furniture and decoration was an experience in itself. Added to this, the extraordinary wine and food prices were another example of Mike’s maverick approach. We suspect the business was never about making money, but just having a good time. A visit to Belle Epoque was certainly always an experience, and we are looking forward to a new experience when the doors reopen under new management soon. We are not sure what Mike’s future plans are, but whatever he chooses, we wish him well.

This new addition to the dining scene in Milford on Sea, is yet another step towards our village becoming the hottest ‘Foodie Destination’ on the coast. Let’s keep eating I say!

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One of our readers & Belle Epqoue customer, Marguerite Willcox, sent in this little ditty (I think we may have our very own Milford on Sea Poet Laureate here)

So farewell then, Belle Epoque!
Your guv'nor was whacky
But he kept a decent stock.
You were a good place to go
For a sup and a talk
And you were fondly known as
Belly Pork.......

New website for Bon Appetit


Our local Milford on Sea village creperie, Bon Appetit, has launched a new website. Being almost French now, I am able to fully appreciated the delight of the sweet or savoury crepes that Christina offers. The tasty filled baguettes could be from a fine Deauville boulangerie and the fresh English breakfasts and homemade British cakes are worth a visit alone.

In my travel’s I have discovered that the French do not have their own word for ‘creperie’, strange that.

If you would like to take a look at Bon Appetit’s new website, here is the link:
http://www.bonappetit-milford-on-sea.co.uk/

Parishioner support in difficult times


If you, or a member of your family, a friend or neighbour or someone you know in the parish needs financial help to get through a difficulty then you may wish to contact Milford United Charities. They are able to offer financial support on a once-off basis to those people who live within the ecclesiastical parish of Milford on Sea, and who need financial help to further their education or training or who face an unexpected financial demand to respond to a personal emergency.

This village charity has supported the development of individuals within the parish of Milford on Sea for over one hundred years. (Since 1906). The Welfare State has in many cases now stepped in to replace their endeavours, however there remain a number of exceptional circumstances in which they are still able to play a positive role.

In recent years they have contributed towards educational and vocational course fees, travel costs to college and exceptional costs to visit sick relatives.

If you feel that your, or anyone you knows circumstances may be helped by support from Milford United Charities please contact one of the Trustees below:

Christopher Beeton: 01590 644609
Rev Dominic Furness: 01590 643289
David Newnham: 01590 674288
Christopher Sanders: 01590 644844

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Milford United Charities (Charity Commission Registered Number 234709)

Queen's Diamond Jubilee Celebrations


The Milford on Sea Village Community Committee are in the process of planning village celebrations for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee on Saturday 2nd June 2012.

The Village Hall and Green have already been booked, and a Children’s Tea Party is the first event to have been penciled in. Plenty more information on the celebrations will follow, but for now it might be worth putting the 2nd June in your diary for a fun day out.