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The Greatham Beck

Parish of St John The Baptist, Greatham, Hartlepool

October 2020

£3.00 per annum Or 35p each

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From the Editors………

Autumn is upon us- the season of mists and mellow fruitful-

ness. The nights are closing in, the leaves are changing

their colours, and we all admit it’s finally okay to put the

heating on! (well, okay, for most of us!).

At the time of writing, we are still unable to print copies of

The Beck and continue to email to as many people as possi-

ble. With government restrictions changing on a regular ba-

sis and the increase in Covid cases it seems likely that

printing will not be possible anytime soon, but we continue to

explore options for providing copies to those who do not

have access to on line copies.

In the meantime we hope you enjoy our October edition.

Stay safe,

Linda and Justine

Parish Council Meetings

Please note any remaining meetings for this year will be held in Greatham Community Centre NOT The Heron Centre as previously

notified. Also meetings may be cancelled due to the Covid regulations in operation at the time.

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We would like to acknowledge the kind contribution made by the

Hospital of God Trust Greatham,

for their continuing support which allows for the printing of this magazine. We hope we will be able to print again

soon.

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A message from Philip……..

Love it or loathe it, “All Things Bright and Beautiful” is one of the best-known hymns in the English language. It was written in 1848 by Mrs Cecil Frances Alexan-der to help Sunday School children better understand the story of creation in Gen-esis when God created the World and everything in and on it. All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small, all things wise and wonderful, the Lord God made them all.

October 4th sees the start of Francistide in honour of St Francis of Assisi who fa-mously loved nature and all of God’s creatures. It is for this reason that the Church also celebrates Creationtide at this time when we are called to pay special atten-tion to the responsibility of humanity for the Earth and for all that lives upon it.

A few months ago my fifteen year old spaniel suffered a severe stroke and alt-hough he has thankfully made a remarkable recovery, our daily walk now is not what it used to be. Instead of him running everywhere, he now loiters and plods, stopping frequently to sniff and “catch up on the “wee mails”. At first I found this new pace quite frustrating but now I have got into the routine as well and notice far more around me than I did before. The beautiful views over the countryside around Greatham, the tiny perfectly formed flowers hiding in the hedgerows, the wildlife and the birdsong, the beautiful orange red sun appearing above the hori-zon at sunrise. The other day I watched in awe as a pod of about ten dolphins swam effortlessly across the bay, something I would not have even noticed before in our route march along the beach.

With the exceptionally low tide recently the very rare and extraordinary sight of the petrified forest at Seaton Carew became visible, dating from 2000BC and 5000BC before the great flood that created the North Sea when Britain was joined to mainland Europe in a single land mass.

2020 will be seen by future generations as a year when the World changed. I like to think that it will be a change for the better, when we realise what a beautiful but fragile and short thing life can be and what a precious world we have been given to care for. That the time has come to look around us and see the miracle of creation that surrounds us and change the way we view and treat the World before it is too late- and it is nearly too late.

“He gave us eyes to see them, and lips that we might tell how great is God Al-mighty, who has made all things well.”

Philip

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St John the Baptist, Greatham

Visit our website at: www.stjohnthebaptistgreatham.org.uk

We are pleased to announce that we are now able to hold a Sunday ser-vice in Church at 9.30am. Everyone is required to wear a face mask and provide contact details on entry. In addition we are still holding an online

prayer service via Zoom on Wednesday morning at 11.00am for a said service of worship and prayer. If you would like to join us please contact

Daniel David on: Dandavid60@hotmail.com

There is also a video of prayer on the website which can be accessed, if you so wish, by following the link below:

https://www.holytrinityseaton.org.uk/holytriniyandstjohnthebaptistnews

With thanks and best wishes, Philip

Why singing in church is the same as shouting at the pub

How dangerous is it to sing in church, when it comes to spreading coronavirus? About the same as it is to speak loudly in a pub.

So say researchers at the University of Bristol. They have found that speaking loudly and singing generate about the same amounts of aerosol droplet – tiny particles of liquid – which are thought to carry Covid-19

Of course, the louder you sing or speak, the more the aerosol droplets.

Bereavements: Pat Brotherton (nee Liver) 28th September 2020

Rest in peace.

Any omissions will be included next month

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Keep your distance! I never thought the comment, "I wouldn't touch you with a six-foot pole" would become national

policy, but here we are!

Just for Laughs...

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1. James Callaghan 2. Anthony Eden 3. Harold Wilson 4. Clement Attlee 5. Edward (Ted) Heath 6. Neville Chamberlain 7. Alec Douglas-Home 8. Stanley Baldwin 9. Harold Macmillan 10. (James) Ramsay MacDonald

1. Sylvia (from the song Sylvia's Mother, "please Mrs Avery I just wanna tell her goodbye") 2. El Condor Pasa 3. The Concert for Bangladesh 4. Gloria (Van Morrison, Them) 5. Four answers: a. Bruce Springsteen, b. Sting, c. Fleetwood Mac, d. Def Leppard 6. Jeff Wayne's 'War of the Worlds' 7. You're so vain (Carly Simon) 8. Killing Me Softly with His Song (Roberta Flack and The Fu-gees) 9. Five answers: a. Jesus Christ Superstar, b. Tommy, c. Quadrophenia, d. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, e. The Wall 10. The Flamingos

Answers to Music Quiz From page 30

Answers to Prime Minister Anagrams from page 31

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Church Bells

For hundreds of years the bells of this grade II listed church have rung out over the surrounding village and countryside, however in recent years they have fallen into disrepair and are in urgent need of aid both to sustain their majestic chorus but also to prevent serious structural damage to the bell tower.

The priority of the church has always been to serve the community and as such it does not have the financial reserves to provide this much needed res-

toration. Due to the current COVID-19 situation our usual methods of fundraising are not practical, as it would be unsafe to gather people for coffee mornings and fetes, it is also unsafe for our older congregation to raise money in the community. So with the help of the younger members of our congregation we have turned to social media and Just-Giving to help raise the funds necessary to sustain our church.

Restoration of the church bells is estimated to almost £30,000 of which the church has to contribute £20,000, however without our typical fundraising methods we are asking for your support to keep our church bells ringing!

Thank you for any help and support you could give during these tough times.

www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/greathamchurch

At the time of printing £360 has been donated.

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Historical Treasures Discovered by Accident

The Xian Terra Cotta Army In 1974, a group of Chinese farmers chanced upon the discovery of a lifetime: the tomb of the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty. The sev-en-man team was digging a well near the city of Xian when one of their shovels struck the

head of a buried statue. The men initially thought they had discovered a bronze bust or an ancient Buddha sculpture, but when archeologists con-ducted further excavations, they found it was one of some 8,000 life-sized terra cotta soldiers, horses and chariots constructed to guard the 3rd century B.C. Emperor Qin Shi Huang in the afterlife. The tomb and its highly detailed soldiers—each has its own unique face—are now regard-ed as some of the most important archeological treasures in all of China. The Venus de Milo Before it became one of world’s most beloved sculptures, the Venus de Milo spent several centuries buried on the Greek island of Melos. The armless statue was only recovered in 1820, when a peasant named Yorgos Kentrotas accidentally discov-ered its top half while trying to salvage marble building blocks from a pile of ancient ruins. The find immediately caught the attention of Olivier Voutier, a French naval officer who hap-pened to be digging for antiquities nearby. After bribing Kentrotas to help him, Voutier unearthed the bottom half containing the Venus’s draped legs. He later persuaded the French ambassador to the Ottoman Empire to purchase the statue, and in 1821 it was presented to King Louis XVIII and donated to the Louvre. Art historians have since speculated that the Venus is meant to represent the Greek goddess Aphrodite, yet to this day they remain uncertain about what it may have once held in its missing arms.

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British prime ministers Anagrams

Can you name these PM’s?

1. Mjsea aaallnhcg 2. Yotnnha need 3. Dlhoar slnowl 4. Eetcnlm teealt 5. Ddaewr hhate

6. Eellinv aailbhrencml 7. Cale auosdgl-eomh

8. Ytlneas iawbdln 9. Dlhoar llaainmmc

10. Mjsea yaasmr ddaalmnoc

Answers on page 32

Some miscellaneous observations on daily life and other people... He is not only dull himself, he is the cause of dullness in others. - Samuel Johnson He is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up. - Paul Keating The easiest way to find more time to do all the things you want to do is to turn off the TV. - O A Battista Following the lines of least resistance is what makes men and river crooked. – Napoleon Hill If you can hold your tongue, you can hold anything. E Stanley

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quiz

1. In a popular hit song, what is the first name of the young woman

with the surname Avery?

2. Which song, written in 1913, was a number one hit in Australia and

all over Europe for Simon and Garfunkel?

3. What was the name of the first large benefit concert organised by

George Harrison and Ravi Shankar in 1971?

4. In song, what is the name of the woman who is "just about five feet

four"?

5. Who released the following UK number one albums in 1987? a.

Tunnel Of Love, b. Nothing Like The Sun, c. Tango In The Night, d.

Hysteria

6. The fictional ship HMS Thunderchild is depicted on the cover of

which 1978 concept album?

7. Using the song title, complete the following lyrics. "I had some

dreams they were clouds in my coffee, clouds in my coffee, and ...."

8.Which song, a major hit in both the 1970s and 1990s, was about lis-

tening to a Don McLean song in concert?

9. Name the Rock Opera or Concept Album in which each of the fol-

lowing songs appear. a. What's the buzz, b. Cousin Kevin, c. 5. 15, d.

Five Years, e. Goodbye Blue Sky

10. Which vocal group with a bird name are credited with establishing

the 'doo-wop' sound?

Answers on page 32

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Multiply

Noah opened up the ark and let all the animals out, telling them to "Go forth and multiply!" He began to close the great doors of the ark when he noticed that there were two snakes still sitting in a dark corner. Concerned, he said to them: "Didn't you hear me? You can go now. Go forth and multiply."

Historical Treasures Discovered by Accident Contd. The Dead Sea Scrolls A part of the Isaiah Scroll, one of the Dead Sea Scrolls, is seen inside the vault of the Shrine of the Book building at the Israel Museum. (Credit: Lior Mizrahi/Getty Images) The Dead Sea Scrolls contain some of the earliest known pieces of the Bible, but they might never have been found if not for a group of Arab teenagers. In 1947, a band of young Bedouin goat and sheepherders were tending their flock near the ancient city of Jericho. While looking for a lost goat, one of the boys tossed a stone into a nearby cave and was shocked to hear what sounded like a shattering clay pot. When he went in the cave to investigate, he found several jars containing a col-lection of ancient papyrus scrolls. Tiny scraps of the scrolls would later sell for millions, but the Bedouins were unaware of their value and sold the entire lot to a Bethlehem antiquities dealer for less than $50. Schol-ars eventually confirmed the texts’ importance, sparking a frenzy of rel-ic hunting that led to the recovery of several thousand other bits of pa-pyrus from nearby caves. Taken together, these artifacts are now con-sidered to be among the most significant archeological discoveries of the 20th century.

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Greatham Post Office Update Richie’s Village Shop

Richard is undergoing treatment at the Freeman Hospital on a regular basis. It will not be possible for him to re-open the shop. However, we are doing

all we can to make sure the post office service is not lost in Greatham. Look-ing forward to more settled times. Stay safe all.

Anita (Richard’s mum)

I am sure we along with all our readers and Greatham residents have

Richie and his family in our thoughts and prayers as he continues with

his ongoing treatment. We also would like to take this opportunity to

thank Richie and his family for the service they have provided to the

village. Our best wishes to you all.

Linda & Justine

Greatham Residents Association www.greathamvillage.co.uk

We have been unable to meet since February for obvious reasons and planning for the future is still uncertain. As a result, there will be no

Christmas Market this year. However, we hope things will get back to normal as soon as possible.

We currently have £1400 in our bank account, most of which came from last years’ Christmas market and we hope to put this to good use in the

near future.

We have a selection of Christmas cards from last year which will be avail-able at a reduced price from Whitfield’s General dealers in the coming

weeks.

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Deep fried Apple Pies/Turnovers

This recipe is a copy cat of the Apple pies which are available at a well known quick food chain and is ideal for using the glut of apples currently available in gardens

and allotments. Ingredients: 25g butter 4 apples (peeled and chopped) 30g sugar 1tsp cinnamon Puff pastry sheet Method: 1. Mix the butter, apple sugar and cinnamon in a saucepan and let it bubble and caramelise. 2. Roll the puff pastry out and cut into strips, about the size of a pasty, depending on how big you want each turnover. 3. Spoon the apple mixture on one half of each piece of pastry, don’t

overfill as the pastry needs to be folded in half. 4. Use a fork to crimp the sides together and stop the apple seeping out. 5. Fry them in a deep fat fryer for a few minutes or for a healthier option bake in the oven. We would love to hear about your favourite recipes so that we can pass on to others to enjoy. Get in touch at greathambeck@gmail.com

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Pumpkin and Pineapple Muffins

A moist and delicious muffin recipe to use up your pumpkins this month, and they don’t taste at all like pumpkin! (makes 11-12.)

Ingredients: 7oz/ 200g Pumpkin, peeled and finely grated 4fl oz/120ml well drained, crushed pineapple (or 4 slices, chopped) 9oz/250g plain flour* 1tsp/5ml baking powder 1tsp/5ml bicarbonate of soda 1/2tsp/ 2.5ml salt 2 tsp/10ml ground cinnamon 1 egg 4oz/110g white granulated sugar or soft brown sugar 3-4 fl oz/90-120ml milk or water (amount can vary depending on how much juice is left in pineapple) 4fl oz/120ml vegetable oil or corn oil Icing: 2oz/60g cream cheese, at room temperature 4oz/110g icing sugar 1/4tsp/1.2ml vanilla essence

Method: 1. Prepare muffin tins. Preheat oven to 190-200C. 2. Prepare grated pumpkin and crushed pineapple. Set aside. 3. In a large bowl, sift together: flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of so-

da , salt and cinnamon. 4. In a medium sized bowl, beat egg with a fork. Add sugar, milk/water,

and oil. Stir in grated pumpkin and crushed pineapple. 5. Pour all of wet ingredients into dry. Stir until fully combined. 6. Spoon into muffin cups. Bake for 20-25 mins, until tops feel quite firm.

Allow to cool before icing. 7. For icing, use the back of a spoon to blend together softened cream

cheese, icing sugar and vanilla until smooth. (add 1/2 tsp milk if need-ed.) spread on cooled muffins.

*If using self-raising flour, omit baking powder. Do not omit bicarbonate of soda.

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Roydon

Hi Folks, An interesting update for those of you who are interested in astronomy. Some time ago I informed you that the largest known star was one called UY Scuti, which if placed where our sun is it’s atmosphere would reach the orbit of Jupiter. I have now learnt that a new star has been discovered whose atmosphere would reach the orbit of Saturn, it’s called Stephenson 2-18 and lies in the constellation of Scutum. Stephenson 2-18 has a radius 2,150 times greater than our sun and is classified as a ‘supergiant’. One can only imagine that in the millions of galaxies that make up the universe there will be even larger ones we will never discover. Interestingly the Bible mentions the constellations of the zodiac (Mazzaroth) a number of times, in Job 38 v 31-32 (the Pleiades in Tauras, Orion, Mazzaroth, the Bear), in Job 9 v 9 (the Bear, Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations of the south). So, astronomy is not a modern science but rather stretches back to ancient times. I’m sure that at some time you must have experienced seeing the stars so bright and bountiful in the night sky that you felt you could almost reach out and touch them, I experienced this during a holiday in Roth-bury and at other times. One is faced with only 2 possibilities, either one believes in the so called Big Bang ( that something came from nothing ) or that there was a Creator who made it all. Most people to-day opt for the scientific explanation, which makes no demands on them, but if the creationist explanation is accepted then this invariably demands further investigation as it opens up numerous additional is-sues that need to be faced. In the Book of Genesis we read that God created all the heavens and the earth, in Psalm 147 verse 4 we read, “ He ( God ) has decided the number of the stars and calls each one by name.” In Matthew 10 vers-es 29 & 30 we read that not even a sparrow falls to the ground that God does not know about and He knows even the number of hairs on your head!

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What’s the history behind some of the sayings we use everyday?

The third degree There are several tales about the origin of “the third degree,” a saying common-ly used for long or arduous interrogations. One theory argues the phrase relates to the various degrees of murder in the criminal code; yet another credits it to Thomas F. Byrnes, a 19th-century New York City policeman who used the pun “Third Degree Byrnes” when describing his hardnosed questioning style. In truth, the saying is most likely derived from the Freemasons, a centuries-old fraternal organization whose members undergo rigorous questioning and exam-inations before becoming “third degree” members, or “master masons.”

Running amok “Running amok” is commonly used to describe wild or erratic behavior, but the phrase actually began its life as a medical term. The saying was popularized in the 18th and 19th centuries, when European visitors to Malaysia learned of a peculiar mental afflic-tion that caused otherwise normal tribesmen to go on brutal and seemingly random killing sprees. Amok—derived from the “Amuco,” a band of Javanese and Malay warri-ors who were known for their penchant for indiscriminate violence—was initially a source of morbid fascination for Westerners. Writing in 1772, the famed explorer Cap-tain James Cook noted that “to run amok is to … sally forth from the house, kill the per-son or persons supposed to have injured the Amock, and any other person that attempts to impede his passage.” Once thought to be the result of possession by evil spirits, the phenomenon later found its way into psychiatric manuals. It remains a diag-nosable mental condition to this day.

By and large Many everyday phrases are nautical in origin— “taken aback,” “loose cannon” and “high and dry” all originated at sea—but perhaps the most surprising exam-ple is the common saying “by and large.” As far back as the 16th century, the word “large” was used to mean that a ship was sailing with the wind at its back. Meanwhile, the much less desirable “by,” or “full and by,” meant the vessel was traveling into the wind. Thus, for mariners, “by and large” referred to trawling the seas in any and all directions relative to the wind. Today, sailors and land-lubbers alike now use the phrase as a synonym for “all things considered” or “for the most part.”

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All plants using cutting methods should be ideally placed in a propagator but if you don’t have one, all is not lost. Place three small sticks in the pot with your cuttings and place a clear poly-thene bag over the top of the pot and fasten with an elastic band or tape and place on a windowsill. Hope you find these tips useful! Happy Gardening! P.S: Don’t forget our usual Charity Pumpkin Fest at the nursery from mid-late October. More details can be found during Octo-ber on our Facebook page: Grove House Plants.

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Autumn has arrived! Most plants are dying back in the garden and now is a good time to lift and divide some of them while the soil is moist and not too wet. Division not only increases your stock but also reinvigor-ates the original plant at the same time. Tubers such as Dahlias, can be lifted and dried before boxing up and storing in a frost-free environ-ment. The same can be done with Chrysanthemums. Both will pro-duce cutting material in the spring. A dusting with sulphur powder will help minimise fungal infection. Bulbs and corms can be lifted and small bulblets removed and potted on whilst the main bulb or corm can be replanted. A general fertiliser such as Fish, Blood & Bone will help to re-establish them. Some perennials can be propagated by planting sections of fleshy root, including Oriental Poppy, Phlox, Geranium and Hoytunnia. Use 1 - 2inch pieces and place vertically in a pot using good quality seed and cutting compost. Water well and be patient. New growth will differ depending on variety.

You can still take stem tip cuttings of between 2 - 4 inches. Cut just be-fore a leaf joint and remove the bottom leaves. Dip in hormone rooting powder and place 6 cuttings in a 5 inch pot. A heel cutting can be used on woody-stemmed plants. This entails pull-ing off plant shoot with the heel of the old stem attached. This method is more difficult to master but can be used on plants that are more ma-ture.

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Average debt fell by £2,000 during lockdown

Covid-19 has brought one good thing to some of us: the aver-age amount of personal debt has reduced by nearly £2,000, according to a recent study by Experian. It recently stood at £9,681 (without mortgage), as opposed to £11,615 (without mortgage) in March.

As a spokesman for the credit-checking agency explained: “For some people, a reduction in spending on living costs and commuting have enabled the repayment of existing bor-rowing.” And he urged that as the UK returns to something like normal, people should try and continue with the good financial habits picked up during lockdown.

But Dame Gillian Guy, chief executive of Citizen’s Advice, said that while some people have been able to pay off some of their debts in the pandemic, many others have not. Instead, they “are behind on essential bills, building up arrears they may struggle to ever pay back.”

Smile Amazon.co.uk

Now that more and more households are making on line purchases it’s a great opportunity to support our local charities. When pur-chasing goods from Amazon simply log into smileamazon.co.uk

instead of the usual Amazon and all purchases will benefit a local charity. You can chose from the list of charities which are partici-

pating such as Hartlepool Hospice. There is no cost to the consum-er, it’s the same products, same prices and same service. To date

£4.6 million has already been donated to charity via this site.

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Oppressed Christians struggling under Covid-19

Oppression and discrimination against Christians has increased dur-ing Covid, says Release International, which has launched an appeal to help Christians suffering during the pandemic. Many Christians have been denied food and relief aid and excluded from support systems during lockdown. They have been abandoned by families because of their faith and refused re-lief by governments and NGOs. At the same time, several countries have stepped up persecution against Christians. One of the worst offenders is China, where Christians have been arrested for simply holding prayer meetings online. “The situation has got much worse for many Christians during lock-down,” says Release International CEO Paul Robinson. “Covid-19 is having a devastating impact on the lives of many poor Christians. In places hostile to the faith Christians are experiencing increased hardship. “Food is now in short supply. They are unable to work and can’t earn, and support is being withheld because of their faith. Their cries for help are being ignored by local charities who are distrib-uting food packages only to families of other faiths. We can’t afford to delay. These Christians need our help.” In Algeria, many Christians have had to stop work because of the lockdown, and so lost their income. They have been rejected by society and their families as a result of their faith. There is no social security in the country or government support. Eritrean Christians fleeing persecution have been barred from refu-gee camps and are unable to get support from UNHCR. And they refuse to resort to crime to get the money and supplies they need.

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9 –11am

Put it this way… ~ A man's home is his castle, in a manor of speaking. ~ A pessimist's blood type is always b-negative. ~ My wife really likes to make pottery, but to me it's just kiln time. ~ A Freudian slip is when you say one thing but mean your mother. ~ I used to work in a blanket factory, but it folded. ~ Marriage is the mourning after the knot before. ~ Sea captains don't like crew cuts.

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Answers to Last month’s Sudoku

Please send us anything you would like included in The Beck, ideally 250 words or less.

We aim to have The Beck delivered by 1st

of each month, and the cut off date for the next issue is:

15th of October Please use this address for all contributions

greathambeck@gmail.com

Alternatively take your article into Whitfield’s General Store We reserve the right to refuse or alter any item submitted for

inclusion.

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Oppressed Christians struggling under Covid-19 contd.

In Pakistan the situation is especially hard for converts from a Muslim background. The only form of social security is family support, and Muslim families often withdraw support for family members who change their religion.

Paul Robinson of Release International says: “Right now, it’s up to us in the family of faith to give them our support.” Partners of Release International are providing food parcels to impoverished Christians in Algeria, Ethiopia, Egypt, Nige-ria, Pakistan and Turkey. If you can help, go to: www.releaseinternational.org/covid

In several countries, lockdown has led to an increase in per-secution.

In Upper Egypt, where Christians face discrimination for their faith, some organisations are allegedly refusing food and support to Christian families. Release partners report: “The authorities are helping Muslims but not Christians. And churches that try to help are being closed by police order.”

In China, Release partners say the government is using the pandemic to step up its crackdown against Christians. They have accelerated campaigns such as the forced demolition of crosses. Pastors have been rounded up for sharing the gos-pel and distributing facemasks on the street. The authorities have “totally prohibited” online church services and prayer meetings, as “nothing constituting a religious service is al-lowed.”

In Nigeria, the lockdown deepened the insecurity facing many Christian villagers, who face attacks by Fulani militia.

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31st October: All Hallows Eve – or Holy Evening Modern Halloween celebrations have their roots with the Celtic peoples of pre-Christian times. In those long-ago days, on the last night of October, the Celts celebrated the Festival of Samhain, or ‘Summer’s End’. The priests, or Druids, performed ceremonies to thank and honour the sun. For there was a very dark side to all this: Samhain also signalled the onset of winter, a time when it was feared that unfriendly ghosts, nature-spirits, and witches roamed the earth, creating mischief. So the Druid priests lit great bonfires and performed magic rites to ward off or appease these dark supernatu-ral powers. Then the Romans arrived, and brought their Harvest Fes-tival which honoured the Goddess Pomona with gifts of apples and nuts. The two festivals slowly merged. When Christianity arrived still later, it began to replace the Roman and Druid religions. 1st November - All Saints’ Day - was dedicated to all Christian Martyrs and Saints who had died. It was called ‘All Hallows’ Day’. The evening before became an evening of prayer and prepa-ration and was called ‘All Hallows’ Eve’, The Holy Even-ing, later shortened to ‘Halloween’.

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24 Easy Self Care Ideas 1. Give yourself a pedicure or a manicure. 2. Read a book or magazine for an hour. 3. Take a bubble bath—complete with candles and calming music. 4. Pick or buy a bouquet of fresh flowers. 5. Take a leisurely walk without a goal. 6. Take a nap. 7. Do something crafty: colouring, knitting, sewing. 8. Look at the stars. 9. Have a dance party to your favourite music. 10. Sing at the top of your lungs. Preferably in the car and with the

windows down. 11. Go for a drive—no destination required. 12. Have a 20 minute stretching session. 13. Go to the park and play on the playground. Be a kid again! 14. Wear an outfit that makes you feel great. Even if you have no rea-

son to (YOU ARE the reason!). 15. Declutter a spot in your house that’s been bugging you. 16. Write a list of “annoying tasks” that have been weighing on you

and knock them out in an hour. 17. Watch the sun rise or set. Don’t take any pictures or post about it

on social media. Just watch. 18. Go to bed early or sleep in late. 19. Edit who you follow on social media (if they don’t bring joy, they

gotta go—no matter how nice, inspiring, or cool they are). 20. Spend time out in the garden. 21. Take the time to do your hair and makeup, for no other reason

than it makes you feel put together. 22. Write a list of 10 things you are grateful for and why. 23. Write a letter (or an email) to an old friend. 24. Say “no” to someone.

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One in five of us suffer depression We can certainly say that 2020 has been eventful! This year has been full of up-heaval, and stress for everyone, the pandemic has doubled our rates of depres-sion. Now one in five adults are struggling with the symptoms. And yet the peak of the Covid-19 mental health crisis is ‘yet to come’, according to NHS bosses.

In June the Office for National Statistics released data showing that 19.2 percent of adults were experiencing some form of depression. This figure had almost doubled, from around one in 10 (9.7 per cent), before the pandemic. But NHS bosses warn that up to half a million more patients are expected to enter the system in coming months.

Those most vulnerable to depression are women aged 16 to 29 who are unable to afford an unexpected expense, or who are disabled.

A spokeswoman for Mind, the mental health charity, says, “It’s crucial that men-tal health is put at the centre of the government’s ongoing recovery plans.”

A report from the NHS Confederation echoes this, saying that mental health bod-ies will need “intensive support and investment.”

If you are feeling that your emotional health or wellbeing are suffering, you should seek professional help. Go to www.NHS.UK/mental health and well being for advice.

But there are things we can do to help us get through those tough mental health days. The term “Self Care” is commonly used to describe individuals taking charge of their own health. This includes making healthy lifestyle choices, and taking time to make sure our own needs are met. This can mean nourishing your social life, making time for therapeutic activities or looking after your physical health. On the next page, we’ve put together a list of easy self care ideas that you can choose from to fit into each day. Why not make your own list and do something just for you today?

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For many centuries, however, fear of the supernatural remained strong. During the Middle Ages, animal cos-tumes and frightening masks were worn to ward off the evil spirits of darkness on Halloween. Magic words and charms were used to keep away bad luck, and every-body believed that witches ride about on broomsticks. Fortune telling was popular, and predicting the future by the use of nuts and apples was so popular that Hallow-een is still sometimes known as Nutcrack Night or Snap-Apple Night. Today, Christians have learned to turn to prayer instead of charms to overcome the powers of darkness. And the deeper, true meaning of All Hallows’ Eve, should not be forgotten. As Christians, we all draw closer to Christ when we remember and give thanks for our loved ones

Greatham Feast

Unfortunately, due to Covid, the

Halloween Feast Disco

is cancelled this year.

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A teenage boy had just passed his driving test …

... and asked his father as to when they could discuss his use of the car.

His father said he'd make a deal with his son, "You bring your grades up from a C to a B average, study your Bible a little and get your hair cut. Then we'll talk about the car" The boy thought about that for a moment, decided he'd settle for the offer and they agreed on it.

After about six weeks his father said, "Son, you've brought your grades up and I've observed that you have been studying your Bible, but I'm disappointed you haven't had your hair cut."

The boy said, "You know, Dad, I've been thinking about that, and I've noticed in my studies of the Bible that Samson had long hair, John the Baptist had long hair, Mo-ses had long hair, and there's even strong evidence that Jesus had long hair.”

The father responded, "Did you also notice that they all walked everywhere they went?"

Why didn’t Noah ever go fishing? He only had 2 worms

Did Eve ever have a date with Adam?

No; just an apple.

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Edith Cavell, continued

Sadly, in 1915, when the Germans began their occupation of Brussels, they took a dim view of Edith’s work. But they would have been even more unhappy had they known she was help-ing to smuggle 200 British soldiers across the border into the Netherlands!

Finally, the Germans arrested Edith in August 1915, and put her into solitary confinement. They tricked her into confessing to a charge which carried the death penalty. But Edith refused to show either regret at what she had done, or any fear or bitterness towards her captors.

After the war her body was exhumed and buried in Norwich Cathedral. Her memorial service in Westminster Abbey attracted thousands. A commemorative statue of her stands near Trafalgar Square.

On 11th October 1915, the night before her execution, Edith was visited by the Anglican chaplain to Brussels, the Revd Stir-ling Gahan. Together they said the words of Abide with Me, and Edith received her last Holy Communion.

She told Gahan: “I am thankful to have had these ten weeks of quiet to get ready. Now I have had them and have been kindly treated here. I expected my sentence and I believe it was just. Standing, as I do, in view of God and eternity, I realise that patriotism is not enough. I must have no hatred or bitterness to anyone.”

Edith was shot by a firing squad next day, on 12th October 1915.

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Edith Cavell - 4 December 1865 – 12 October

1915

Edith Cavell is a good saint for NHS workers this year: she cared for the sick despite the danger to her own safety.

Edith was a vicar’s daughter from Swardeston in Norfolk, where she was born in 1865. She became a governess, but her heart was for nursing, so she went on to train at the London Hospital, before nursing in various hospitals such as St Pancras and Man-chester.

When Edith was 42, she decided to go abroad, and was ap-pointed matron of a large training centre for nurses in Brussels. She was still there seven years later, when the First World War broke out and German troops invaded Belgium on their way to Paris and the Channel Ports.

Edith’s nursing school became a Red Cross hospital, and she turned down the opportunity to return to the safety of England. Instead, her nurses tended wounded soldiers from both Ger-man and Allied armies.

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Fly Tipping

One good thing about coronavirus has been the re-duction of litter on the roads. When the burger shops were shut, people did not buy a snack, eat it on the way home and then throw the plastic container and the milkshake mug and straw out the car window.

What possesses people to do this? For another type of anti-social behaviour has increased: fly-tipping. Council tips have been closed, so irresponsible people have decided to turn a field en-trance or a pathway into another tip. Fly-tipping costs money to deal with and it is also dangerous to people and wildlife.

The government is tackling this problem and there are heavy fines and even imprisonment for the offenders. Quite right, but it is not only the tipper who is responsible. You have an old settee and some bags of rubbish and need someone to dump it. A man with a van offers to do it for £20 in cash. A week later you get an email from the council to say that you are going to be investigated for fly-tipping as the man simply dumped your stuff on a roadside, and someone recognised the sofa and there were letters to your home address in the bags.

Or here is another scenario: you are going on holiday and decide to leave some rubbish at the back of your house. You phone a mate to come and collect it, but they forget. Both of these scenarios could re-sult in a heavy fine.

In the 2018/19 year, local authorities in England dealt with over one million fly-tipping incidents, nearly two thirds of which involved house-hold waste. But fly-tipping is a criminal offence punishable by a fine of up to £50,000, or 12 months imprisonment if convicted in a Magis-trates’ Court. The offence can attract an unlimited fine and up to five years imprisonment if convicted in a Crown Court.

What can we do as responsible people? We can report fly-tipping to the local authority and if there is a serious problem, we can ask our local and parish councillors what is being done about it.

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Sudoku Puzzle Answers next month