Parish Magazine

Dear Readers

Advent is upon us and the card informing you about the Christmas services at St Michael & All Angels will soon be dropping through your letterbox. (Details also on our website). This year we are offering two family carol services as last year’s single one was a bit of a squash, both in Church and in the car park, for all those who came!

Christmas is a difficult time for so many in this troubled world and it is a time when the more fortunate think especially of charitable giving. All our collections over the Christmas period go to charity, and this year’s beneficiaries are set out in this magazine.

Before we move onto December however, we must make mention of events that took place in November. The Church was full on Remembrance Sunday morning to witness the moving Act of Remembrance, which included the reading out of the names of The Fallen of our parish, by a serving RAF officer, who spoke movingly of loss and hope. The fact that so many serving personnel live in our parish is a constant reminder, if one were needed, of the sacrifices of our armed forces and their families. Bryant’s Bottom, such a tiny hamlet within our parish, lost 6 residents to war, and their War Memorial was reinstated and blessed at their event on Remembrance Sunday morning, which was led by Licensed Lay Minister David Tester. The number of wreaths laid underline the truth and importance of the phrase ‘We will remember them’.

Another very special event took place in Church the same evening, which also filled the Church, when we celebrated the long service of Arthur Johnson - our recently retired verger and parish clerk. (See page 6)

But on to December and preparations for Christmas: I, for one, (as a long-time trifle-avoider) will be trying Julia’s delicious trifle recipe and attempting to improve our recycling efforts in line with the Eco-Group’s recommendations in their report.

However you are spending Christmas, the Editorial team at Outlook wish you a blessed, peaceful and secure season and a happy new year.

Christopher and Jane Tyrer

Editors

From the Vicarage

Have you heard the Good News? Christmas will soon be upon us! Does that thought make you smile, or perhaps to audibly groan?

Christmas is one of my favourite times of year. The lights, decorations, lots of parties and merriment and of course eating mince pies and singing Christmas carols.

We should always pace ourselves at Christmas. In glancing at my Facebook feed as I type these words in mid-November, some of my friends are already putting up their Christmas decorations, planning their baking schedules, organised family members are asking what I would like for Christmas, and the shelves of our shops are full of gift ideas.

When I was a child, I would write my Christmas list for Santa, post it, and be full of nervous excitement early (but not too early) on Christmas morn, as I unpacked my Christmas stocking and after a long wait for the rest of my family, the presents under our Christmas tree.

With age I have grown to appreciate that Christmas is more about the good intentions of those with whom we exchange greetings, cards and presents.

It is always such a joy to welcome so many different people through the doors of our Church at this festive season. I love exchanging compliments with others about their Christmas jumpers, seeing the wonder in the face of a young child as they light their Christingle, the excitement as young children are in a hurry to get home after our nativity service – because the sooner they go to sleep, the sooner it will be Christmas.

I love Christmas for all of these reasons. But most of all, I love Christmas because it is the season when we celebrate the birth of the Saviour of the World. Jesus, born in a stable, to loving young parents, he would grow up to start a worldwide movement followed by more than two billion people 2,000 years later.

Why not join us at Hughenden Church this Christmas to find out more?

Happy Christmas!  

Rev. Keith Johnson

Vicar

Home: 01494 257569

Mobile: 07772 642393

keith​the​vicar​@gmail​.com

Charities at Christmas

Christmas Service Collections

The collections from our Christmas services this year will go to three charities, as we seek to respond to needs in the troubled Middle East, in the UK, and in our local area. So, the causes we are supporting this year are:

Embrace the Middle East

As a Christian development charity, Embrace the Middle East partners with Christians across the Middle East as they work to transform lives and restore the dignity of the most excluded and marginalised communities. Its goal is to contribute to a culture of human flourishing in a troubled region. Where there is a need – for refuge, a home, for health care, for education, for justice and human rights – Embrace, with its partners, responds. It currently has 40 courageous, inspired, creative and skilled partners in the region. Conflict across the Middle East is now unfolding with relentless intensity, devastating the lives of millions. Even as they live through these dark times, Embrace’s partners in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon are working tirelessly to bring the light of Christ amidst the suffering. Donations to their Christmas appeal will support this work (see online embraceme.org/christmas-appeal).

Shelter

Shelter is a national charity combatting homelessness in all its forms. The charity believes that home is a human right, that home is an individual’s foundation, and that home is where people thrive. Yet, every day, millions of people are being devastated by the housing emergency. Shelter exists to defend the right to a safe home, because home is everything. Shelter offers local support services giving one-to-one, personalised help with housing issues and homelessness, as well as online and phoneline help services, and free legal advice and attendance at court to help people who’ve lost their homes or are facing eviction. For more, see online england.shelter.org.uk.

Wycombe Women’s Aid

(also known as Wycombe Women’s Refuge)

Wycombe Women’s Aid is one of the causes we regularly support as a church. It offers support to women and children who suffer domestic and sexual violence. Its services include not only the refuge (offering emergency, temporary and safe accommodation for women on their own and women with children who are escaping domestic violence), but also a helpline, a dedicated children’s and youth service, as well as outreach, counselling, and training services. Perhaps needless to say, Christmas and New Year can be a stressful time for families and demand for the charity’s help can increase over the holiday period. For more information, see online www.wycombewomensaid.org.uk.

Donations

Donations to our causes can be made:

• in cash or cheque into the retiring collection bowl or boxes. Please place in an envelope marked “Christmas collection”.

• by using the card machine (from midday on 24 Dec to midday on 27 Dec, all donations made through the machine will go to the Christmas collections)

• or by bank transfer to the church account (name “Hughenden PCC”, sort code 40-24-17, acct no 72155885, please mark your donation “Christmas collection”).

Mission Support Group

45 Years Well Celebrated

A very special evensong was held on the 10th of November, to celebrate the long service to the church and retirement of Arthur Johnson. Arthur chose the music for the service he enjoys so much: it was rendered with love by the choir (and congregation) and afterwards he pronounced it ‘perfect’.

The Church was full of present and past members of the congregation and other friends. The star of the show was presented with a crystal engraved clock, by Keith, on behalf of the St Michael & All Angels Church family, (with the mysterious promise of another present ‘when it was ready’). Ann Gee presented a gift of a cardigan from the Mothers’ Union (specially embroidered to show the MU link) and reflected upon all his help for that organisation and - not least - on his extensive bread making skills.

The usual abundant food and drink were provided by the congregation for all to tuck into after the service, and the evening was concluded after the ceremonial slicing of a very special cake made by Jan Jaycock.

Jane Tyrer

Friendship Group

Have you ever wondered what the Friendship Group is? It is for anybody, ladies and gentlemen, who are alone or feel lonely to join us at 10.30am on the third Thursday of the month in Church House for a pleasant, sociable morning.

We arrive to find the tables set out with cheese scones and various home-made cakes, while the helpers serve us with as much tea and coffee as we wish. Newcomers are made very welcome and will find us quite chatty.

But it’s not just for coffee and cake. This year we had a soup lunch in March and will be having a fish and chip lunch in November. Instead of our usual Ploughman’s Lunch in August, this year Michael invited us to the Officers Mess at RAF Naphill. We started with tea or coffee, then a very interesting tour of the Officers’ Mess – much larger than I expected. We finished with a sandwich lunch prepared by their chef.

We have also had an organ recital in church by Neil Brice and, another month, Alan Jaycock gave us a film show of his excellent wildlife photos. Finally, we will round off the year in December with carols and Christmas fayre.

For the past ten years, the group has been organised by Penny Austin who has worked tirelessly to ensure that we not only had an enjoyable time, but also arranged lifts when required. Penny now feels it’s time for her to step down so in October we thanked her for all her hard work and presented her with a ‘Tea for Two’ voucher and a basket arrangement of cyclamens. As her birthday happened to be on the following day, we all sang ‘Happy Birthday’ and she was given a lovely birthday cake, made by Sylvia Clark, which we later shared.

Helen Peters has kindly agreed to take over the organisation of the group, which I am sure she will do successfully. (Helen’s tel. no. 01494 716772.)

So don’t be shy – come and join us. You will be most welcome.

Catherine Wilkinson

Letter from America

I wonder if any of you listened to Alistair Cooke’s Letter from America, a weekly 15-minute programme on Radio 4 and before that on the Home Service. It was also broadcast around the world on the BBC World Service. The series ran from March 1946 to February 2004. Alistair Cooke was an English journalist who had spent most of his working life living in America, New York City specifically. I loved his voice. It was cultured, urbane and, importantly, it was measured. He never resorted to extremes of language or presentation. However egregious the subject matter he always remained calm, informed and as objective as it was possible to be. He was an outsider looking in but one who cared deeply about his adopted country and the goings on thereof.

We have recently spent a week visiting family on the Upper West Side of New York City, an area we now know pretty well and at such a crucial time in American politics I thought I would offer you my own ‘Letter from America’.

New York City is an exciting place to spend time and we were blessed with blue skies and sunshine and the leaf colours changing in Central Park and along the Hudson River. With our family we went to a New York Knicks basketball game at Madison Square Gardens (a stadium similar to Wembley.) It was much as we expected: hugely noisy, lots of music and the dancing of cheerleaders, cameras on the crowd and incredible amounts of food on sale. To allow the maximum time to purchase this food there were 4 intervals! In amongst all this the actual sport seemed almost incidental although I did notice that the Knicks won which pleased our granddaughter. It was interesting to see that this is very much family entertainment and people must have spent several hundred dollars for a couple of hours of fun. It was certainly an experience, but we won’t feel the need to go again!

We would, however, definitely repeat our evening at Birdland, a jazz club we have been to several times down in Midtown. Great staff, good food and drink and live music just a few feet in front of you. It is a relaxing evening in the privileged presence of some consummate musicians. All the group were good, but the clarinetist was amazing and had certainly conquered the skill of circular breathing.

We also visited the markets of Williamsburg in Brooklyn on Columbus Day (a public holiday), went to the theatre and the Guggenheim gallery, walked miles and miles and took our granddaughter to the Museum of Illusions and then to her favourite burger restaurant.

All this happened in early October and of course there was always the elephant in the room; the campaigning for the election. When we are in New York I put on CNN news when I get up, but it was only on this visit that I realised how biased this news channel was towards the Democratic Party. Conversely Fox News is almost like Donald Trump’s mouthpiece. There is no restriction on how they present events, what they say …or don’t say. In Britain there are broadcasting laws and the BBC is required to be unbiased and impartial, even if all political parties seem to accuse them of being otherwise.

Interestingly, today (I write on Wednesday 6th November) BBC Radio 3 declared a news free morning! I found this fascinating. Were they assuming the majority of their listeners would be upset by Trump winning the election and so decided not to go on and on about it in hourly news reports? Was it only this part of the BBC that took this approach?

Anyway, people I chatted to in our granddaughter’s playground might be peculiarly relieved today. None of these young parents wanted Trump as President but they were quite scared of the civil unrest that might result if he didn’t win. Somehow, that feels like turning democracy on its head. There were protests and demonstrations outside Trump Towers as we walked along the edge of Central Park, but it was hard to see what was really going on.

In the Guggenheim Gallery as I bought a few postcards, the cashier heard my English accent and wanted to engage me in conversation. ‘How is your economy now?’ he queried. I wasn’t quite sure if he was referring to the shenanigans of the (few) days of Liz Truss or more recent problems with fuel prices and the cost of living. In non-committal fashion I said something about it would depend on who you talked to, but then he cut to the chase. ‘What do you in England think about Donald Trump?’ Oh my goodness, did he have time for a break and several cups of coffee?! ‘Well,’ I began, ‘most of the people I know cannot understand the attraction that he obviously has.’

The guy nodded sagely and said: ‘I used to think it was only in Europe that fascist leaders were elected but we are about to do the same.’ I headed to the cafe after that heartfelt exchange. I wonder how he feels today.

America is a strange place and a very foreign one despite our pretence that we speak the same language.

Sitting in the departure lounge waiting for our flight home, an announcement came over the loudspeakers: ‘Please ensure that you have no firearms in your hand luggage.’ I don’t quite know what to say about that. What a crazy country.

Having remarked about the elephant in the room, it seems appropriate to give you a pachyderm picture to accompany my Letter from America. These life size and life like elephant models were marching through the Meat Packing District of the city. They were beautiful. I loved them. They were part of some Indian/ American charity project that was touring the States. We were fortunate to catch them in New York. It was totally surreal to see them in amongst these 19th century warehouses.

Susan Brice

Supporting Chosen at Christmas

Chosen, the local charity working to support women in High Wycombe who have been trafficked and forced to work in the sex trade, was brought strikingly to our attention by the CEO, Richard Lodge, at the end of September. Richard spoke passionately and movingly about the work of the charity at our morning services. He emphasised how firmly their work is founded in prayer and has been particularly inspired by Romans 12:21: Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.

Many of us have felt encouraged to do what we can to support Chosen, especially as the weather grows colder and as Christmas approaches. Richard is very appreciative of the encouragement and support he received from St Michael & All Angels and has offered some suggestions.

Chosen plans to provide a Christmas meal for the women they support, complete with crackers, decorations and a gift bag, in the week before Christmas. First of all, Richard would like people to pray that it will be a wonderful occasion and in particular that the women remember to come, that they enjoy the meal and the company of the Chosen team, that they experience God’s presence and that the event is free from disruption and interference throughout.

Secondly, if people would like to make a donation towards the meal (which they estimate will cost about £20 a head), they can make one-off gifts on the Chosen website. Any gifts in excess of what is spent on the meal will be used to support the women in other ways, such as providing toiletries or clothes, or making the facility at the King’s Centre more homely to better meet the needs of the women they serve.

To find out more about Chosen, to sign up for their regular prayer emails, or to make a donation, visit chosenhighwycombe.org

Mission Support Group

Bryant’s Bottom War Memorial

On Remembrance Sunday this year, I had the privilege of leading a short service of commemoration and dedication at Bryant’s Bottom as the village war memorial was unveiled … again. What, you say, you didn’t know Bryant’s Bottom had a war memorial? Read on!

Back in the First World War, Bryant’s Bottom consisted of only a handful of cottages, “The Gate” pub, and the Methodist Chapel, which also doubled as a school. So, the loss of six “old boys” in that conflict was a huge blow to such a small community. In their memory, a memorial marble tablet was erected in the chapel, the heart of the community back then, almost certainly in the expectation that it would be there in perpetuity.

Fast forward to the late 20th Century and with declining membership the chapel was sold off and is now a private house. The memorial was entrusted by the Church into the care of Wycombe Museum, where it would probably have remained, had it not been part of an exhibition in 2014. There it caught the eye of one of our congregation, Frank Ridgley, who realised that the Charles Ridgley recorded thereon was his uncle, a gunner in the Royal Garrison Artillery killed in the Ypres salient in early 1917.

Frank Ridgely with the Memorial

Frank enlisted the help of his nephew, Glenn, a serving major in the British Army, with a vision that the memorial might be restored to the centre of the community. To cut a long story short, it has taken several years and a considerable effort enlisting the support and approval of Hughenden Parish Council, Buckinghamshire Council, the Methodist Church, Wycombe Museum, and of course the residents of Bryant’s Bottom, but the memorial is now emplaced in a splendid brick and flint structure on the grass area on the left as you drive up through the village away from Hughenden Valley. Special mention must be made of both Frank and Glenn Ridgley, as well as John Hatt of Prestwood Property Ltd, without whom none of this could have happened. Yes, the keen-eyed will spot that there is an Alfred Hatt on the memorial too.

Remembrance Sunday was a very moving occasion, and very well attended: we thought there might be 20-30 there, but in the event around 70 or more turned up. Glenn introduced the history of the monument, had Frank unveil it and then read the names and war histories of the men who died. Laurence Binyon’s poem “For the Fallen” with its evocative ending, “They shall not grow old as we that are left grow old …” was read, the Last Post sounded, and two minutes silence observed. Following the Reveille, Hamish (serving in the Royal Navy) played a bagpipe lament as wreaths were laid by the community and by local organisations, including the local Royal Artillery Association of former gunners, there in support of Frank. I then led prayers of remembrance, of dedication, and of commitment to peace, before we repaired to The Gate for refreshment and to shake off the effects of a grey, damp November day.

If you are passing through Bryant’s Bottom, do stop to admire the memorial and to offer a prayer. Above all, may it inspire you to acts of peaceful service in our community and in our world, so that those six men’s sacrifice may not have been in vain.

David Tester

Mothers’ Union

Researching an Artist

Reading that title on our MU programme, I must confess to thinking – well, that will be a boring afternoon! How wrong I was! It was absolutely fascinating! Carole Willat, our speaker, gave an extremely lively and amusing presentation. She is a great believer in researching whatever project she decides to take on and she researches with great enthusiasm and, as a result, travels to many parts of the UK and beyond.

To quote Carole, she said she was ‘sometimes like a bull in a china shop’! Research can take a lot of time and often, a lot of money. She showed us pictures of various artists, most of whom we had never heard. Giovanni Boldini was the first one. He painted beautiful general scenes as well as attractive women. As a result, he was in great demand as ladies who were ‘well rounded’ were depicted by him to be very beautiful and have sylph-like figures!

William Etty who, so we were told, was a very small, rather ugly man, was famous for his history paintings which invariably included nude figures. He later turned to portraiture and constantly fell in love with his models and proposed to them but was always turned down!

John Hamilton Mortimer was very successful and one of his paintings, ‘St Paul Preaching to the Ancient Druids in Britain’ was reputed be in the Guildhall in High Wycombe. Carole went in search of it and eventually found it on a wall in a side room. No-one seemed to know that they had a famous painting in the building! Mortimer was also involved in painting the saloon in Brocket Hall, Hertfordshire, a building used many times in recent years for the filming of TV dramas. He often stayed in Little Missenden with his friend Dr Bates, a subject of notoriety due to his links with the Hellfire Club in West Wycombe. Whilst in Little Missenden Mortimer painted Sir Francis Drake’s family - they lived at nearby Shardeloes House.

'St Paul Preaching to the Ancient Druids in Britain’ - John Hamilton Mortimer

Carole showed us pictures of the works of a number of artists, including Hans Gude, Laura Knight, Sir Alfred Munnings, some famous, but others relatively unknown and she reiterated the importance of research. ‘With research’, she said, ‘things turn up. Books are not always right so don’t rely on them for research.’

The afternoon was extremely entertaining and will, I am sure, make us look more closely at paintings to learn more about the artists.

Sylvia Clark

On 3rd December we will be celebrating our Advent Communion Service in church at 2.00 pm, followed by festive refreshments in Church House. There is no MU meeting in January (members attend the Epiphany Service in church) and the Mothers’ Union AGM will be held on Tuesday, 4th February 2025 at 2.00 pm in Church House.

Something To Look Forward To

December. What do you think is my first thought? No marks if you said the C word (Christmas, of course)! Full marks if you said Advent. Advent’s significant for me as the start of a new Christian year, when I should make new resolutions about my Christian life. It’s also when the lectionary changes. The Church runs on a three-year cycle of bible readings, where for most of the year the Gospel reading comes from one specific book. 2024-25 will be Year C, and we’ll work through Luke’s Gospel.

Key themes are:

• Poverty versus possessions.

• Women - who appear more frequently and in a wider range of roles than in the other Gospels.

• Mission and the margins – showing Jesus working with and through the poor, the disadvantaged, the sick, women and non-Jews alike.

• Politics and empire – and the contrast between Roman power, and behaviour of both Jewish and Roman high officials, together with Jesus’ criticisms of ‘how it was’ and ‘how it should be’.

• Passion and atonement – referring back to Isaiah, to show how Jesus fits as the suffering servant who gives himself for others.

Compare Luke’s writing style with the other Evangelists. Matthew concentrates on Jesus’ Jewish heritage while John gives prominence to signs, and to Jesus’ ‘I am’ sayings. Mark’s Gospel is thought to be the first to be written down – and I can believe this. His style is very much “cut to the chase – don’t mess with babies and childhood”, and starts with the baptism of Jesus. Mark is desperate to ensure that you know about Jesus’ ministry.

Luke, though, seems to have thought a bit more about it. He gives us pointers to pin down events to specific times. He takes time to dwell on important events and adds fascinating detail about Jewish ritual. He makes much of Jesus’ concern for the poor, the outsider and the Gentile. And watch out for mentions of women!

In his introduction, Luke says “… since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account …” (Luke 1:3), and that’s what he has done.

Chapter 1 starts “in the time of Herod, King of Judea” (Luke 1:5) and Chapter 2 highlights Caesar Augustus’ decree calling for a census, with an aside that Quirinius was governor of Syria (Luke 2:1-2), so rooting Jesus’ story in an identifiable time period.

Luke’s pacing is irregular from one scene to the next. Two chapters take us from Gabriel’s appearance to Zechariah, foretelling the birth of John the Baptist, to eight days after Jesus’ birth. He then fast-forwards twelve years (Luke 2:.41) to Jesus’ visit to Jerusalem with his parents when he was left behind because he was in the Temple, listening to the teachers.

Luke gives careful attention to things he considers important in Jesus’ life and ministry, and so devotes two chapters (Luke 22 & 23) to the period from the last supper to Jesus’ death and burial – a matter of two days. Compare this with the twelve-year span over three verses in Chapter 2 (39-41).

Luke gives a lot of detail. The presentation of Jesus at the Temple explains ‘as it is written in the Law …’ (Luke 2:23), and the need to offer doves or pigeons. We meet Simeon. It’s not enough to know he was a devout man; we also learn that he was old (Luke 2:25) and we hear his paean of praise (Luke 2:29-32). We also get a pen portrait of Anna, a prophetess (and woe betide you if you think women shouldn’t hold responsible positions in the Church!).

Luke carefully details Jesus’ ministry, particularly among non-Jews and the disadvantaged. For example, Luke’s is the only Gospel telling the story of the ten lepers who asked Jesus to heal them. In New Testament times, lepers were outcasts because of their disease and condemned to a life of begging. We might expect Jesus to heal them, but Luke adds that one of them was a Samaritan. Samaritans were disliked and distrusted, so the Samaritan being the only one to thank Jesus for his healing would have been unexpected. Those who witnessed this incident may well have heard an echo of the words in Isa 35. & Isa 42.6-7.

Through Luke’s writing we come to realise that Jesus is for everyone, not just for the wealthy and the privileged. Luke shows Jesus engaging with people who were considered the dregs of society – a Samaritan leper, a sinful woman, a tax-collector, a Pharisee – and drawing them to him.

Follow Luke’s Gospel through Year C - it’s a fascinating journey. Go with Mary and Joseph from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Follow Jesus and hear him teaching in Galilee. See healing and miracles, and take the ultimate journey to Jerusalem, the Passion, the Cross and the Resurrection. You’ll go beyond that too, to Emmaus and then to Bethany for the Ascension when the earthly Jesus leaves us. That’s not the end though because Luke’s Gospel has a second volume. Instead of finishing with the Ascension, perhaps it should end “to be continued – in Acts”, which is something we’ll be doing as this Lectionary year goes on.

Lin Smit

Nature Quest

“What's in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet”, says Juliet to Romeo.

Indeed, does it matter what name we put to plants, or animals, or even humans? You and I have multiple names (Christian name, nickname, Grandad, username, etc) and even small children soon understand those all refer to the same person. Plants and animals all have a scientific name, usually two or more bits all in Latin, but their common names are what most people know.

Araucaria: Araucana probably doesn’t mean much to most of you, but you’d know a monkey puzzle tree anywhere. Silybum marianum is perhaps more memorable than milk thistle! Taxodium distichum is my favourite tree: but bald cypress or swamp cypress just doesn’t do it justice: it has soft feathery needles and the trunk always grows straight and tall. At this time of year, the green turns to autumn shades and soon it will be “bald” until springtime.

taxodium distichum …

… and in its autumn glory.

This week I’ve soaked our limp and dried-up Christmas cactus, which should cause it to perk up and sprout beautiful crimson flowers, but I fear it’s going to be a bit late for Christmas. On a Christmas theme, the turkeys are still smiling, little knowing why they’re being fed so generously! They share their name with the country of Turkey, which is not where they originated (probably from Ethiopia), but where traders had taken them and then re-exported.

In a recent Outlook Mike Bevan wrote about the turkey oak trees, of which there are a couple in our churchyard. Why that name? Originally turkeyfoot oak because the leaves are in the shape of a turkey’s foot. Probably your Christmas turkey will not include its feet, so how would you know what shape a turkey’s foot is? More helpful is our brown turkey fig tree. The fruits grow plump and brown and delicious, looking just like miniature Christmas turkeys. Or at least they would have done if they had ripened earlier: shortage of autumn sunshine meant they all stayed green. So much for global warming!

Returning to Juliet’s rose that would smell as sweet by any other name: yes, that’s true, but some roses and especially some modern hybrids do not have any or much scent, regardless of name. The sweet peas which we grow each year have wonderful scent, but our perennial sweet peas have virtually none! Perhaps they should be re-named as unsweet peas!

A beautiful plant with no scent is the dahlia (and if you try to sniff them too close, beware the earwigs!). Dahlias are named after Swedish botanist Andreas Dahl. Dahlias were brought from Mexico to the Botanical Gardens in Madrid towards the end of the eighteenth century and were named by Abbe Cavanille in honour of Andreas Dahl, but why a Swede in Spain I do not know.

My parents grew lovely white double daisies called (I thought) estereeds. Many years later I discovered that these were a variety of leucanthemum called Esther Read (she was the daughter of Norfolk nurseryman Horace Read).

A few years back my wife Gwen was delighted to be given a streptocarpus called Gwen, with pale blue and white flowers. A lovely healthy specimen (the plant, I mean!). Since then we have taken many leaf cuttings and enjoyed lots of Gwens. I wonder, do you have any plants with your name? I have to make do with Michaelmas daisies!

streptocarpus Gwen

Sansevieria trifasciata

Sansevieria trifasciata, more recently reclassified as Dracaena trifasciata, is sometimes called snake plant but with its tall pointed leaves, I prefer mother-in-law's tongue. My father carved one out of an old wooden chair leg. We thought it a bit risky but Grandma didn’t seem to mind!

In Genesis 2 verses 19 and 20, God asked Adam to name all the animals and birds, and that’s how they got their names, but it doesn’t mention plant names and Latin hadn’t been invented!

Mike Hill

nature@​hughenden​parish​church.org.uk

Nature Note

‘And though a tenth remains in the land, it will again be laid waste. But as the terebinth and oak leave stumps when they are cut down, so the holy seed will be the stump in the land’

Isaiah 6:13

Isaiah uses a powerful allegory to show the power of God moving history towards Jesus, and as we look forward to His birth let’s look at Isaiah’s image.

Many trees will resprout from their stump when cut down, a fact well known to our own woodsmen who have ‘coppiced’ (cutting a tree to the ground to stimulate the production of strong regrowth)) many species for thousands of years. So he saw that through seeming destruction comes vigorous life, ultimately the Son of God, the ‘holy seed’

Last month we looked at the oak species that we can find around us here at Hughenden. In biblical hebrew the word elah confuses modern scholars, this could mean oak or terebinth, because that strange word refers to a tree- a common tree species found all around the mediterranean. A tough, slow growing tree favouring hillsides, uplands and arid desert regions, unlike its close cousin the mastic which favours lowlands and coastal regions. They are both members of the pistachio family, pistachia terebinthus and pistachia lentiscus. Their vernacular names are turpentine and mastic respectively: both having a highly valued resin which seals wounds on their trunks and branches but stimulated for human use by ‘tapping’ the trees in a similar fashion to rubber extraction.

My terebinth

My mastic tree

The Oaks of Mamre (Genesis 13 v 18) are more correctly thought to have been terebinthus and were already ancient when Abram met the three angels there. It’s even reputed that the last of those particular trees died in the last two hundred years or so. Joseph, some claim, is buried beside them and several other important meetings took place there.

The mastic could be referred to by the term bakha (Bacca Valley) since the root of the word means to weep and mastic resin forms in ‘tears’ on its branches. It’s interesting that the names of both trees refer to modern equivalents derived from these plants’ names, used for their respective resins from ancient times.

Both were used for culinary flavourings for food and drink, in cosmetics and for wood preparations (polishes and varnishes) and of course as spices for burials or anointings. The berries are sometimes used to roast, grind and make ‘coffees’.

Both are also used as decorative plants by gardeners worldwide for different purposes. Terebinths are deciduous slow growing trees and can reach 12m height or so if given room and depth of soil, mastics are evergreen and can eventually reach 8-9m. They both carry small flowers in large inflorescences, although they are both dioecious (individual trees are male or female, like our holly).

Bird watchers are busy at the moment, the Scilly Season (note the spelling!) will just be finished by the time you read this - spent hurricanes travel eastward towards us from North America sometimes bringing migrant birds trying to travel north-south in the Americas but getting caught up by the weather. They arrive exhausted along our west coast, most often Ireland or the Scillies. And of course one of their number hit the headlines by reaching Yorkshire, a scarlet tanager, in this case either a youngster or female which is definitely not scarlet!

Winter visitors are arriving in growing numbers: redwings, fieldfares, bramblings, hawfinch and a lone whooper swan (long neck, yellow and black bill) on Spade Oak Gravel Pit. Then, for locals, a bombshell, a booted eagle was spotted hanging around with some local red kites. Initially the spotter thought ‘buzzard’ but on closer inspection saw that it had a long square cut tail, more angular wings and was definitely smaller, plus different pale plumage. After deliberation (all of two seconds) he called correctly. The bird roosted and flew with kites and could still be in the area. It’s a spring and summer visitor to southern Europe but is strongly migratory wintering south of the Sahara.

By the way, researching terebinthus I found that it is frost hardy and sold by some specialist uk nurseries, I now own both terebinthus and lentiscus, tiny wee trees - a new adventure begins!

So now I hope that you will read terebinthus with some knowledge of the wonderful plant that the Lord gave us, and the way it not only gives us so much physical delight but was destined to be used by Isaiah to prophesy the advent of the first Christmas.

Happy Christmas.

Mike Bevan

Bookends

Florence: Ordeal by Water - Kathrine Kressmann Taylor

Daunts Bookshop sends me an email each week with their top book choices. Usually, I can refrain but occasionally I press the buttons, as happened this time. This year anything with Florence in the title was going to attract me as I was fortunate enough to visit the ‘Flowering City’ in June. The beautifully designed cover, however, was rather ominous and it became clear that the book was concerned with the appalling flood that totally devastated the city in November 1966.

The author, Kathrine Kressmann Taylor, was an American university teacher who, widowed and retired, decided to move to Florence. She was 63 years old. She lived in the kind of pensione that we are familiar with from the film ‘Room with a View.’ Sadly, on the whole, this sort of accommodation has for the most part disappeared, being replaced by apartments and small hotels. Kathrine’s rooms were on the Lungarno, maybe embankment is the best translation here, and so she looked straight out onto the River Arno.

This book is her diary of the events from early November 1966 stretching into the few months ahead. It is the work of an outsider looking in but one who is educated, concerned and who wants to feel at one with the population of Florence.

On Friday 4th November 1966 the Arno broke its banks and turned from a benign, green, smooth stretch of water to a brown, raging torrent carrying trees, cars and copious cans of oil before it, crashing into ancient bridges and flooding deep into the city. Some parts of the city lie well below the level of the Arno and were obviously the worst hit. Visiting the Santa Croce and queuing for tickets last June we noticed the mark on the outside wall, about 16 feet high, that showed where the water reached when the flood happened. It was quite difficult to believe.

I don’t remember much of that event of 1966 being a little too young to be interested in the news and of course communications were not what they are today. However, as I read this book, that is written with great compassion, I had the strange experience of seeing it visually portrayed on the television today. Of course, I am talking of the devastating flood in Valencia in Spain. The parallels are many: the inhabitants complaining of lack of warning and of insufficient help from the authorities, the events taking place at exactly the same time of year and the amazing hordes of young people who arrived and lined up to help in whatever way they could.

In Florence these young people were called the mud angels and on the whole they were employed in the museums, churches and galleries clearing up, moving and cleaning works of art, mainly renaissance works of art. They came, eventually, from all over the world but mainly America, Britain and Germany. Those people who still had accommodation to offer gave these students a bed and if they could also a hot meal. Some stayed for months.

This heartwarming event, finding something good in an otherwise ghastly situation makes the book worth reading. The author focuses on the resilience and courage of the Florentine people and the help that neighbours offered to each other. Eventually of course help and assistance did come from all parts of Italy and from a combined Anglo-American group formed by the consulates of those countries. The author writes that, as an American, she was frequently asked by artisans who had lost absolutely everything, particularly in that low lying Santa Croce area: ‘Will the tourists come back? Will they ever come back?’ She tells them that the visitors will return and of course she was right. I don’t know how many years it took for there to be some sort of normality but most people in that ticket queue I was in were totally unaware of that watermark on the church wall and I suspect would be amazed to hear of the events of November 1966. Of course, there is one huge difference between the events of Florence and Valencia: in 1966 nobody would have been blaming climate change or even using the phrase.

I bought this book from Daunts but reading the colophon I wish I had bought it straight from the publishing house. The Manderley Press is small, based in south London and came into being just a few years ago. How encouraging and affirming to see a new venture brought to life in the wake of the pandemic years. It is named for the house in du Maurier’s Rebecca and focuses on out-of-print or forgotten books that were inspired by a city, building or landmark. The cover artwork is obviously seen as important and the quality of the paper is luxurious.

This would make a delightful Christmas gift for anyone interested in Italy, particularly so for a recent visitor to this most beautiful Tuscan city.

I wish you all a Christmas stocking full of great reading, Very best wishes.

Susan Brice

December Recipe

Caramelized Orange Trifle

When I am writing this it is still not quite the middle of November, but as my granddaughter spotted Christmas trees in the shops she excitedly pointed out ‘look it is nearly Christmas”! Out come the usual Christmas recipes and if you are like me, I am always trying to do something different. In our family a Christmas trifle is a tradition with the typical sherry and raspberries or lacking alcohol for the children.

This recipe is from the original Delia Christmas book. I have made it before and is a nice change and quite easy- particularly if you use custard from a supermarket which are very good now, and I notice even some of the well-known cookery writers suggest it (although I very much doubt Delia would do this). Do make your own custard if you are used to doing this and replace the alcohol with orange juice if you don’t want it alcoholic.

Julia Grant

Church Environmental Lifestyle Survey

In May and June 2024, the Eco-Church Group at St Michael & All Angels distributed 80 copies of their ‘Lifestyle Survey’ amongst the wider church family here. 34 helpful souls completed the questionnaire, anonymously as requested - thank you for your effort. The reason for the survey was to demonstrate to what extent the members of the congregation were aware of, and followed, generally accepted ways of eco-friendly living and how this was underpinned by their faith and the messages promoted by the Church.

The exercise also contributes to the A Rocha award scheme under which we recently received the silver level plaque. A Rocha (meaning ‘The Rock’ in Portuguese) is an international and inter-denominational organisation, endorsed by the Church of England, and engaged in the promotion of the protection of God’s earth. Our Lifestyle Survey questions reflected the lifestyle information available on their website: ecochurch.arocha.org.uk

Brief Summary of Results

Highest scoring of all the results was, “I limit my waste by adhering to the principles of reduce, re-use, recycle”; closely followed by, “My home is insulated and has double- or triple-glazing”. Next, there was strong agreement that ‘an ethical lifestyle’ was part of their Christian faith. The need to save power in the home also had a high score.

There was a disappointingly low score for the ownership of “solar panels and, or storage batteries (to maximize the use of energy and make use of off-peak electricity”. Otherwise, the most significant low-scoring questions related to travel which showed a reluctance to reduce air and car-travel, to give others lifts to church, cycle or walk to church. The semi-rural nature of the area, relative affluence and older age range may be contributory factors to this response.

One question nobody answered was about their personal carbon footprint and we plan to set out how this audit can be carried out. It could include ways to offset our carbon impact where it is not practical to reach the ideal, at least in the short term. For example, the ‘green’ ideal is not to fly as there is no sustainable fuel available on a commercial basis but many of us love our foreign holidays or need to fly for business purposes.

The overall conclusion of the ‘Environmental Lifestyle Survey’ is that those who come to St Michael & All Angels and completed the survey are not only eco-aware but practise many of the actions highlighted by the questions in their daily lives. However, there is always more that we all can do.

(Details of the full scoring and analysis of the results is available - contact Pauline at stranraer.wilkinson@btinternet.com.)

To arrive at a more rounded picture, the Eco-Church Group urge more people to complete our next ‘Lifestyle Survey’, even if you don’t feel you are able to do much. It may prick your conscience as well, but the main purpose is to be aware of what is possible, even in small ways, and to share our knowledge and experiences. If we, as individuals, households and a church, take responsibility for the things within our control, we can accomplish a great deal. Look out for tips, articles and activities on the Church Website, Facebook, Instagram and ‘Outlook’ Magazine before next year’s Survey.

1. Please remember to pray for the environment, as specifically as you can by being aware of the most pressing issues which affect the planet.

2. Seek out ethical banks and when investing, try to ensure that you are not contributing to companies which harm the environment or the lives of the world’s population

3. Unless you live in a ‘Listed Building’ or ‘Conservation Area’, consider installing solar panels which have become much cheaper in recent years, to reduce electricity bills, especially if you have a south-facing roof.

4. Electric cars are still expensive with no Government incentives to buy at present but if you are worried about buying one because of ‘range anxiety’, opportunities for charging are increasing all the time.

5. The proportion of renewable energy distributed by electricity supply companies is also continuing to increase, use the ‘Switch’ scheme to choose the best ones using ‘home grown energy’ and those that provide cheaper overnight electricity.

6. Use your Smart Meter remote display unit to keep tabs on how much power different appliances use and use cheap overnight electricity to run appropriate machines, also for re-charging electric cars.

7. Garden organically without using herbicides and pesticides to foster natural ecosystems and for your own health and that of the planet; start a compost heap and/or a wormery; feed the birds and provide safe nesting places for them; create an insect hotel; grow herbs, vegetables and fruit to eat, even in pots and window boxes, and benefit from their maximum healthful nutrient content.

8. Remember the LOAF principle when buying food: Locally grown - Organic - Animal-friendly - Fairtrade.

9. When eating and preparing food: eat less meat, eat a greater variety of seasonal plants of more colours (“eat the rainbow”), avoid ultra-processed foods; cook from scratch where possible, use cooking methods which preserve nutrients.

10. Reduce the use of plastic packaging and clothing; make use of re-cycled plastic goods and clothes,

Why not start with Christmas recycling and then make New Year resolutions to carry out a few extra things?

Pauline Wilkinson

St Michael & All Angels Eco-Church Group

Have you ever visited …

… Bradenham?

The Disraeli connection between Bradenham and Hughenden is well known. Isaac, father of Benjamin, lived in Bradenham Manor, between 1829 and 1848, where he died aged 82. His tomb is in St Botolph’s church, next to the Manor. There is a pleasant walk from a footpath at the lower end of Hughenden Park, through Common Wood to Downley Common and from thence across Naphill Common, to Bradenham.

There are three attractions in Bradenham village itself – the Manor House, St Botolph’s Church and the Red Lion Tea Room.

The name “Bradenham” means “broad enclosure”, which is a good description of the village. Its records date back to the Domesday Book. The whole village now is owned by the National Trust who lease out buildings and features. The centre is dominated by the village green and the Cricket Club is an active organisation. Visitors can relax and watch cricket matches; indeed, in the days of Hilary Farrar-Hockley, a team from St Michael & All Angels under the captaincy of James Godfrey played Bradenham. With the deaths of both Hilary and James the fixture ceased, with honours even between the two sides.

The Manor House and the Parish Church of St Botolph are side by side. The House was the property of the Earl of Warwick in the 13th century and was visited by Queen Elizabeth I in 1566. In the same century, Sir Edmund Pye substantially rebuilt and improved it and it is much the same now as then. It was another Pye, a Poet Laureate, who introduced Isaac Disraeli to Bradenham. Today The Manor is owned by the National Trust and leased out. The last tenants were Grant Thornton, the accountants, who used it as a training centre. The lease is currently being offered by Savills.

Bradenham Manor

Separated by a brick wall, St Botolph’s is the only part not owned by the National Trust but, of course, by the Church of England. St Botolph was a saint who built a monastery near Boston in Lincolnshire. Boston is a shortened form of Botolph’s Town. Bradenham church became dedicated to St Botolph because the area, which is now the Diocese of Oxford, was then in the Diocese of Lincoln, as is Boston. There was a church of some kind after the Conquest because the Domesday Book makes reference to Christians living there, but without a parson. There is a list of incumbents in the church, dating from 1212. Ben Brice, from our choir, is the organist there.

St Botolph’s, Bradenham

The structure was Norman until 1863, when G E Street removed it and replaced it with the present Gothic. The Tower is 15th century, the nave being the oldest part. There are wall paintings depicting the life of Christ in the Nave. The church is well worth a visit, but the opening times are hard to find.

The Red Lion, formerly a public house, is now an excellent tearoom and well worth the time spent there. Offering breakfast, lunch and tea, it was awarded the Best Café/Tea Room of the Year at the Buckinghamshire Food and Drinks Awards. It’s opening hours are Tuesday to Sunday, between 10.00 am and 4.00 pm.

Christopher Tyrer

The Rotary Club of Princes Risborough

As always at this time of year the Club is very active. Our Christmas efforts include supporting the Bucks Young Carers Party, the Princes Risborough Youth Club, the Princes Centre, a free lunch for over 75s living alone in the town, a toy boxes initiative for children in domestic abuse refuges across the UK, meals for 300 children in a school in Africa, goodies for those in a local family refuge, the “Tree of Light” (providing the opportunity to honour, remember or celebrate the life of someone special who has passed away) and the Town’s Christmas lights switch-on. For us to do this we need to fundraise and one way that we do this, as we approach Christmas, is to hold street collections in the Town.

We are able to achieve all this through the efforts of our Club members who raise over £30,000 each year and get actively involved in bringing our projects to fruition. We have been very fortunate to be able to continue increasing our numbers, we now have 65 members. We meet on Monday evenings at the Whiteleaf Golf Club for a meal and various forms of entertainment. We are a lively, fun-loving group focussed on giving back to the community whilst having a good time. Apart from our regular meetings we have a number of additional activity groups including cycling, walking, curry outings, a breakfast gathering, ten pin bowling, snooker, quiz and film nights and regular “away day visits”. If you would like to think about joining us and helping us contribute locally and internationally, visit our website and consider coming to one of our meetings to see if it might interest you. Also, if you know of causes that would benefit from our support, or you would like to donate to our Charity Account, please use the contact details below. A happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year to you all.

You can contact us at: rcpr.org.uk or call David White on 07787 750889, or email: david@dhwhite.plus.com