Last month’s article was about a personality this month’s article is about a place.
“The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew” Richmond, London.
The gardens plural began in 1759 with Princess Augusta, Mother to George III. Richmond Lodge was itself owned by Augusta then later added to the Gardens of Kew House next to Richmond Lodge. This amalgamation then meant the total of the gardens, were three hundred acres. The first Director, not in name but in fact was the Earl of Bute a botanist of some distinction and the Curator was one William Aiton, who served the gardens for 34 years. Bute was followed by the famous Sir Joseph Banks, under whose direction the collections were greatly augmented and the introduction of exotic plants was accelerate. For a period the gardens were neglected, but in 1841 the gardens and the parkland taken over by the state. Presented by Queen Victoria, with the proviso that they were to be maintained in their semi-wild state.
As a little girl in the last year of primary school I remember the various temples that give Kew its well known form. In the nineties when training as a florist I became conversant with the teaching aids in the gardens where the various plant types were in allotment strips for students to identify umbels and compound umbels being one example of this.
Right here in our village a dear lady that so many of us know, Rheinhild Raistrick has a long connection with Kew and this amazing place has been very much part of her botanical journey.
In early 2000 Rhinehild spent sometime working and recording the wild African Violet in the Tanzanian rainforest the monograph of this species was acquired by Kew and the whole set of 15 paintings are now housed as part of the permanent collection in the Library archives. Also of very
worthy note is the recently completed project of all the orchids Holy Island Lindisfarne. Kew have now acquired the 21 paintings to add to their archive collection. “My thanks to Rheinhild for letting me include these details in this article.”
Kew is internationally known, through out the World and to write about each section of their work would not really be possible in this article. It is a museum a library an archive used for educational in the world of horticulture. Trees, plants of every kind are to be found in gardens and green houses. It is a place to study, research and much much more. Do go and see all of this for yourselves a wonderful day or week out .
Opening hours are daily 10 am to 6pm last entry 5pm. There is a wonderful website to explore, try and learn more of this incredible place.
A special presentation took place at Montana Care Home, Great Barton on Tuesday, 3rd September. The Rt Rev Peter Collins, Bishop of East Anglia, awarded the community of Benedictine Sisters of Grace and Compassion the Diocesan Medal of Honour in recognition of their caring service at Montana Care Home. The Bishop presented the Diocesan Medal of Honour and the accompanying certificate to Sr Thaya Moses OSB, Registered Manager, Montana Care Home, during Holy Mass in Montana Convent Chapel. The Certificate certifies that the Benedictine Sisters of Grace and Compassion has been awarded the Diocesan Medal in grateful recognition of their generous service to the Church in the Diocese of East Anglia.
Awards and commendations are nothing new for the Care Home. In recent years Montana Care Home has been ranked among the top 20 care homes in the East of England. Two most recent inspections of the care home by Care Quality Commission (CQC) in September 2023 and in May 2018 resulted in the award of ‘Outstanding ‘grade on each occasion. During the Covid 19 pandemic in December 2020, H M Lord Lieutenant for Suffolk awarded a special Certificate of Merit to the Registered Manager, Sr Thaya Moses, for her contribution during the extraordinary and difficult circumstances caused by the Covid-19 crisis.
is finding something I had tucked away in a drawer, knowing I would be glad to see it again one day. Recently I found a Christmas note my Aunt Dot sent for Christmas 2007. Aunt Dot was two years older than my Mother, the second and third children respectively in a family of four girls. Her note reads:
"I had a visit from Mr. and Mrs. Memory early this year. They told me they are taking back my memories. I was so shaken, I didn't ask any questions.
I know they have been taking my memories, as now I can remember very little of the past. Isn't that sad?
I am so happy that you were a part of my good years."
My Aunt died in 2009. She was a very unusual woman. She really liked the company of men, including 3 husbands (or 4?) She divorced the first one, took some courses at the local collage, worked for years as a Medical Secretary, and raised her 5 children on her own. She had the happy knack of speaking to children as if they were older than their years; she was the Aunt who organised picnics, or day trips to the lake or swimming pool. She kept a scrapbook of all of my concerts, plays, ski meets, and County Fair Queen engagements, and gave it to me when I graduated High School.
Dot's house was full of colour. She would whizz through her house with paint and brush every couple of years, and change everything. Beautiful, and just right for her. We certainly could never guess what she would say about anything - but that meant it was exciting to be with her. She also, along with my sister-in-law, cared for my Mother through several years of Cancer treatments.
She did make my early teenage years a bit painful by moaning about her inability to gain weight, and reported that her doctor had directed her to drink at least one milkshake a day. I was delighted when she began to gain weight years later during her "change". I didn't know what that was, but I was glad she had caught it!
When I was in my 30s, my sister Becky and I were both home for a visit. Aunt Dot surprised us with tickets to the theatre, then took us out for a drink after in a pricey hotel. A pianist was playing quietly, and one or two couples were dancing. There was a dapper man, about my Aunt's age, who was dancing with unaccompanied women. He came to our table and asked me to dance. I stammered, "Me? I can't dance." But he insisted, and learned that I could dance, but only on his feet. Then he asked Becky, and his toes fared much better. After he brought he back to the table, he asked Aunt dot to dance. She turned him down flat. Becky and I couldn't believe it - she loved to dance. But no, she wouldn't. We left soon after that. As my delightful Aunt pulled her big Cadillac out onto the road, the Dapper Dancing Man stepped off the curb. Dot hit the accelerator. Becky and I gasped. Dapper Dancing Man shot backwards our of reach. Dot snarled, "Huh, ask me third, will you?" and took us home.
Aunt Dot did loose her memories, but I've kept a lot of them safe for her. I hope my family will do the same for me.
is Happy Family gatherings. I have recently attended two such gatherings; they were delightful. One was an 80th birthday party. It was particularly happy as the birthday "girl" told us that she was born with a serious heart condition, and her life expectancy was 5-7 years. She had pioneering surgery and excellent care, hence the many years she has lived -- so far.
She and her husband invited the 60 close friends and family, she told us, to thank them for helping to make her life happy. Well, it made me tear up. I was not a even friend, but there as the after-dinner speaker. Well before the evening was over I was wishing I had been on the Friend List.
Everyone I talked to that night was full of praise for this lady, telling stories of her escapades. It was a wonderful occasion, and I drove home with a big smile on my face, but no fee. They had to "borrow" my pay envelope to pay the musicians, as someone had counted the monies incorrectly. I am still chuckling about that. I am certainly not worried that the money won't be paid. At 80, we should be allowed to make an occasional mistake, and not have it spoil anything.
The second celebration was for a 50th Wedding Anniversary. Again, delightful and very happy. This time I was honoured to be an Invited Friend. I knew many of the other guests and some of the family, as well. I moved around between groups of people, and chatted to many, catching up on news of those I had not seen for some time. We did not have assigned seats for our meal, so I sat at a large round table with a couple of friends. The other seats were taken by out-of-town family.
I truly enjoyed every minute of the next hour or so, listening to four cousins and their partners swapping stories of their growing up years. What could be better than that? The sheer joy and laughter was irresistible. They were very patient about answering my questions when I misunderstood a word or phrase, or got lost in the twists and turns of a tale. But I do think that my open admiration for their family upbringing egged them on more than a bit.
With glasses held high, we toasted our Hosts on their magnificent achievement. A Happy Family gathering indeed.
Our Electoral Roll is a list of the Holy Innocents community (subject to eligibility); inclusion gives us a right to vote in certain meetings and stand for elections. It is a way of being part of the church family. Any lay person who is baptised, over 16 years of age and residing within the Holy Innocents parish or who has worshipped with us here for more than six months, can join the Roll. Each year the Roll is updated and so those new to the Holy Innocents community and eligible are warmly invited and encouraged by the Vicar Rev’d Fr Benjamin Edwards to join. Notice is hereby given that the revision of the Holy Innocents Electoral Roll shall take place from 20th March to 31st March 2024. Application forms can be obtained from the Church Electoral Roll Officer. This year we are only revising the Roll again, so those already on it will remain on it, and they should not complete a new application form. (The six yearly full renewal took place in 2019). The revised Roll will be presented at the APCM on Tuesday 16th April 2024. Any questions to Peter Robinson, Electoral Roll Officer (admichurch64@gmail.com or 07814 946841).
Gardeners Notebook
Montana Care Home
St Peter’s Church Thurston
Holy Innocents Church Great Barton.