Bourne End on Horseback: Laura reflects on our glorious summer and looks forward to events coming up in the village

After my recent success at The Bourne End Village Show (winner of the Rose Bowl since you ask), I’m finding it hard to step off my High Horse and sit down and write this column.  As my husband Mark won a prize for his Dahlias, it’s difficult to fit the big heads into our house!  I hasten to add, if you had asked us before 2016 (when we went flower crazy for my stepdaughter’s wedding) we wouldn’t have known our Dahlia’s from our Daisies;  so get planting Bourne End and come and take us on next year!!

I’m afraid the High Horse is the only horse that I have been riding regularly lately, because my search for the new horse goes on.  Perhaps Father Christmas has got something stashed away?   One can dream.

Back to reality….So the summer of 2018 is over, and what a summer it has been.  After the coldest winter in history, anything would have felt balmy, and yet this summer kicked the summer of 76 into touch, and will now be that summer that we will all remember.  I know many people found it too hot, but I LOVED it, and am so sad that it’s over.  I’m slowly kissing my flip flops farewell for the winter, and eyeing up the wellies and the socks and gloves again.

There are some lovely interesting things coming up in Bourne End to take our mind off the approaching Autumn, so let me remind you of the following: the Halloween Party (Saturday 27th October) a perfect opportunity to let your hair down unrecognised!!!  (costumes are optional but sometimes useful!).

The World War 1 Memorial Weekend.  Perhaps you can help us with this event?  Do you perhaps have friends or relatives who lived in the village in the last few generations???  Your local church is hosting a World War One Memorial weekend (10th and 11th November) and it promises to be excellent.  This is to commemorate the end of the First World War which was declared at 11am on 11th November 1918. The church will be open 10am to 4pm on both days and there will be an exhibition of information about everyone on the Roll of Honour from our village and other WW1 memorabilia.  If anyone has ANY items or photographs or stories themselves we would love to hear from them.  Also, as usual, there will be the Sunday service at 10am – 10.30 at the church and then we meet at the war memorial in Bourne End at 11am to honour those who gave their lives for us.  Afterwards the Anchor kindly hosts coffee for the Village, and it’s always a lovely way to start a Sunday.  There!  I’ve filled your diary!  I hope to see you at all or any of these events where we can discuss my Rose Bowl…..oops sorry that just popped out !

Laura Frey