ALLOTMENT & GARDEN ASSOCIATION
General Work
When the ground is frozen so hard that it can't be dug, this is the ideal time to put on the manure, placing it in heaps for spreading when conditions improve. It is not wise to dig soil immediately after a thaw nor during or immediately after a heavy fall of snow, for then it is too wet on the surface to break up properly. The clods will lie in the bottom of the trenches and gradually harden into brickbats especially if the ground is of a clay nature. But whenever the soil is soft enough to be dug, and yet not so wet that it sticks to the space badly, digging can proceed and it is an axiom of gardening that the early digger gets the crops.
Vegetable Garden
Burn rubbish and vegetable stumps, protect artichokes from frost, put in a few broad beans for early supply, sow cauliflowers in frame. Examine stored potatoes , parsnips, carrots, etc. 
Flower & Fruit Garden
Prune fruit trees and top dress round about them. Protect roses with bunches of straw or bracken. When the weather is favorable spray all outdoor fruit trees and bushes with tar oil wash or something similar: this will kill any insect eggs. Also protect then from birds by putting black thread from twig to twig or if bush fruit make up a cage.


DANCES HELD IN THE VILLAGE HALL, 
Music by live groups. 
January 17th
February 14th
March 13th
April 3rd
May 8th
October 2nd
October 30th
November 20th
December 4th 
Contact Shirley 01582 4I2 506


BROWNIES

We still have some vacant places, so if you are over 6½ years old, get mummy to call me if you would like to join in with us. We do lots of different and interesting things, we play games and sing songs and go out and about from time to time. My number is 01582 723109.
On Wednesday February 11th we shall be doing our Sponsored Silence in aid of the McMillan Cancer Relief organization, at the Luton and Dunstable Hospital. The limit is (only) 30 minutes, so if you wish to donate towards this great cause drop your contribution to 9 Markyate Road or 60 Summer Street.


KENNETH JACK SHARP
Born May 22nd 1920. Died December 31st 2003. 
“Tossy”, as he was known to many of us, was born in Woodside and attended Slip End School, those days in Front Street. His greatest love was football and he would travel far to play for the Robin Hoods, our local team, and the Luton Boys Club. He did National Service in the Army, serving abroad, and then he went back to Vauxhall Motors as a machine setter. He drove the very last army truck to come off the production line there.
But he still pursued his love of football, winning many trophies, shields and medals; he also loved cricket.
For many years Tossy served on the committee of the Slip End & District Association and even after he gave up he would still come up every Thursday from his home in Luton to play Bingo in the Village Hall, being a caller there and at the Boys Club.
He would also give a hand in the kitchen and when we had our Car Boot Sales he would help Barbara burn the toast, much to Michael’s delight; he loves burnt toast!
We will greatly miss his jokes and cheerfulness on those Thursday evenings.
Gil Plummer


CRAFT FAYRES
March 6th
June 12th
September 18th
November 28th
For a stall call Gillian on 01582 723109.

Proceeds go to Local Charities (Please note: this is not connected with the Brownies.)


EDITORS PAGE
Firstly, it’s kind of good to be back and thank you David K for holding the fort. I’d forgotten what problems we have to face when trying to reach the deadline for ‘printing’ and have already had several tense moments with getting this edition ready. Mind you I’ve not been entirely idle and have still been lending a hand with the typing etc. It would help greatly if some of the hand-written entries were typed for us if that could be possible. Thank you.
I hope you enjoyed the colour issue in December. It certainly makes a difference and you can appreciate the photos – it just doesn’t look the same in black & white! Hopefully we will be having some more colour issues this year.
I have been having lots of problems with my e-mail and have been getting swamped with lots of obscene and rubbish mail so hope to be changing the e-mail address in the near future. I usually get several hundred ‘illicit’ messages for just one valid message. If anyone has the answer for this, please contact me.
No news from the Parish Council this month or Muriel, likewise the school, cubs, playgroup and toddlers. Don’t forget, the Parish News is for all of you and its good to hear what you have been up to or what you are planning for the future.

Finally, a poem for the season by Christina Rossetti and with the awful weather of late let us look forward to an early Spring.
Take Care, Sue Cowell, Editor.


Winter Rain by Christina Rossetti
Every valley drinks,
Every dell and hollow;
Where the kind rain sinks and sinks,
Green of spring will follow.
Yet a lapse of weeks
Buds will burst their edges,
Strip their wool-coats, glue-coats, streaks,
In the woods and hedges;
Weave a bower of love
For birds to meet each other,
Weave a canopy above
Nest and egg and mother
But for fattening rain
We should have no flowers,
Never a bud or leaf again
But for soaking showers;
Never a mated bird
In the rocking tree-tops,
Never indeed a flock or herd
To graze upon the lea-crops.
Lambs so woolly white,
Sheep the sun-bright leas on,
They could have no grass to bite
But for rain in season.
We should find no moss
In the shadiest places,
Find no waving meadow grass
Pied with broad-eyed daisies;
But miles of barren sand,
With never a son or daughter,
Not a lily on the land,
Or lily on the water.



SUICIDE BOMBERS – WHY DO THEY DO IT?

There are few things in the modern world more mystifying to Western eyes than the regular occurrence of suicide bombers, particularly from an Islamic background. Why do they do it? It seems quite contrary to the basic human instinct to preserve one’s own life. This was one of the questions that recently prompted me to go on a course on Islam in St Albans last year.
Many people assume a suicide bomber must be driven by despair; it is the act of someone who has no other hope because of poverty of lack of life chances. There must be an element of this. But many recent Muslim suicide bombers have been well educated, many of them graduates who have lived in the West. There must be another motivation.
I believe it stems from the type of so-called Islamic beliefs they hold. These beliefs have been widely propagated in the Islamic world by Saudi petro-dollars. They have three bases.

I need to say at the outset that most Muslims do not accept this third point of view. But it is increasingly being held by growing numbers of Islamic fanatics.
The Muslim View of Allah and Salvation
On the surface, Islam and Christianity have many beliefs in common; God, an eternal life after the death of this life, judgment by God which will determine whether we spend that eternal life in heaven or hell. But these apparent similarities can obscure fundamental differences.
The Allah of the Q’ran is not the God of the Christian bible. Allah is a distant god who acts as a perfect and righteous judge. He does not intervene in the affairs of human kind but stands back from them in order to judge them. Allah is merciful, but that mercy can appear random – there is no certainty at the judgement seat. Allah has echoes of the Old Testament God, but he is stricter and more distant than that.
In contrast, the Christian God is a loving God who cares for all His creation. Even in the Old Testament, God constantly intervenes to save His people Israel, whom he loves as His children. Christians believe that the love of God is even more all embracing than this. The God of the Old Testament has been tempered by our knowledge of His major (and final) intervention in the affairs of man when he sent His own Son, Jesus Christ, to save the whole of the human race from their sins.
We trust the historic accuracy of the New Testament when it says that Jesus died on the cross and rose again on the third day. And we trust the theological accuracy of the New Testament when it says that God allowed Jesus to do this so that we can be saved from our original disobedience to God through a belief in Jesus as our Saviour. God so loved the world that he gave His only Son so that whoever believes in him shall not die but receive eternal life. We cannot save ourselves from the punishment we deserve by our own efforts; only God can do that through Jesus if we have faith in Him.
By contrast, Muslims do not believe in the divinity of Jesus, although the Q’ran does acknowledge him as great prophet, arguably second only to Mohammed himself. Salvation in Islam comes from good deeds. On judgement day, the distant and aloof Allah will balance out all of our good works against all of our bad deeds. If the balance comes down on the side of the good – excellent. If it comes down on the other – tough. 
Many others share this concept of salvation by good works such as Jehovah’s Witnesses. I believe many secular westerners also believe it deep down, although they prefer not to trouble themselves too closely or too often with issues like that. The difference with this general, vague belief and Islam is that in Islam what constitutes a good work is carefully coded. This brings me to my second basis – the legalistic nature of Islam. I will consider this in more detail next month, together with the promise of instant salvation through Jihad.

Chris Barnes
Reader, St Andrews Woodside.
9 January 2004

LETTER TO THE EDITOR
In the last couple of months there has been increase in the amount of dog muck left on the pavements in the village. As parents of six children (including foster kids) ranging from 2 years to 11 years, apart from the health risks we are sick of cleaning shoes and pushchairs - we are not alone in this. We are not aware that there are packs of dogs roaming free so can only pets to foul the streets of our village. As dog owners ourselves we appreciate that it is not pleasant to carry a bag of muck home for safe disposal. However, not only is it our responsibility to clear up after our dog it is against the law in South Beds to leave your dog's faeces on the street and carries a maximum penalty of £1000.

We have contacted the council, on 01582 472222, and they are looking into provision of extra signs and dedicated bins. We would also ask anyone else who is fed up with the situation to do the same - ask for Street Cleansing 
- and maybe SBDC will act.
Finally I would appeal to the miscreants, please tidy up after your dog, people are looking out for you - can you afford the £1000 fine?
Regards
Nikki & Matt Ogier-Russell


MOTHER’S UNION
Another picture for "What is This?" This time, what is in these water bottles? 

(question from December’s Parish News)
The bottles which have been kept in my freezer since I went to Israel contain water from the River Jordan in one and water from the Dead Sea in the other!!
from Sue Cowell (Editor)
Our first meeting of the New Year, will be on Wednesday 11 February, when we will be celebrating “Valentines & Pancakes”! So to find out just how we do it, come along at 8pm at Sue Taylerson’s home. (15 Markyate Road) We hope to be making up small activity bags so if folks are able could they kindly bring any of the following:
Old MU magazines, small pads of activity paper and puzzles, small hand held games and packs of cards, crayons, colouring pencils, sharpeners and rubbers
Saturday 20th March at 10.30a.m. – Flowers for Mothers Day – We shall be making the posies. Meet at the Church.
Saturday 1st May – Return visit to Kew
The London Walk is on Saturday 24th April this year.
The members of St Andrew’s MU extend a warm welcome to anyone who would like to come and join our meetings. Please contact Mary Barker on 738435. 
Mary Barker.
(Thank you, Mary & MU, for making up the beautifully decorated tree for the Caddington Christmas Tree event)


Host a Tea & help pensioners isolation
Do you have a large teapot and a few hours to spare to play host just once a year?

Contact the Elderly’s Luton group have been softening the loneliness felt by older people in Luton for nearly 30 years! They are looking for volunteer hosts willing to hold a tea party in their home just once a year.
Hosts are asked to invite the group of 

about ten elderly people and their drivers just once a year on a Sunday afternoon, for a simple tea. Only special requirements are easy access, a downstairs loo and that big teapot! 

For information about hosting a tea please call 
FREEPHONE 0800 716543 or www.contact-the-elderly.org


QUIZ NIGHT

With thanks to Quizmasters Chris & Hilary Barnes, St Andrew’s are holding another one of our popular Quiz Nights in the Peter Edwards Hall, starting at 7.30pm on Saturday 6th March. 
Tickets are now available at just £6.50 per person (including supper) from David Kingston 01582 416138 or davidgoodmankingston@hotmail.com. Bring your own cutlery, glasses and cold drinks, we’ll provide tea and coffee. Come as a team (maximum 8 persons) or as an individual and join a team on the night. All welcome!




OPEN GARDENS 2004

Dear Gardener

Slip End hosted their first ‘Open Gardens’ day in 2002. This proved to be very popular and was enjoyed by over 100 visitors. This year we are planning a similar event on Saturday, 3rd July. We are looking for about 12 gardens, big or small, with enthusiastic owners. Your garden does not have to be anything special, and this is not a competition. Any money raised will be used for local needs. If you are also able to provide cream teas, BBQ lunches or sell garden produce this would be very welcome. Last time they were much appreciated and great fun.

As in 2002, we plan to have a separate ‘Hanging Baskets’ competition, but with the judging taking place a couple of weeks after the Open Gardens event. 

If you live in the Parish and would be interested in taking part in either of these events, or need further information, please fill in the accompanying form and return it to me, Val Church, by the end of February. Several people expressed an interest in ‘opening’ their gardens after the last event. So come on, I look forward to hearing from you.

OPEN GARDENS 2004 – ENTRY FORM
If you would be prepared to ‘open your garden’ on Saturday, 3rd July, 2004, and/or enter the hanging basket competition, please complete the form below and return by the end of February, 

to: Valerie Church, The Old Bakery, 2 Summer Street, Slip End, or e-mail to valchurch@slipend.fsworld.co.uk 

I would be prepared to open my garden on 3rd July, 2004 q

I would like to enter the hanging basket competition   
I need more information

Name

Address

Telephone Number 

E-mail Address





Name………………………………
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Address…………………………………

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Telephone number
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e-mail address ………………………………………………………..




Our pages are also published on www.slipend.co.uk, reaching a far wider community than our local area. If you have not been on line yet, take a look; as well as local news there are bulletin boards, forums, pictures and more, all of local interest.
PLEASE NOTE – ALL CONTRIBUTORS
Articles for the March issue of Parish News should be passed, by 15th February or earlier please, to David Kingston 
7 Crawley Close, 416138 or Sue Cowell 83 The Crescent, Caddington, 733507
e-mail: davidgoodmankingston@hotmail.com 
Parish News distribution queries? 
Please contact Brian Church on 01 582 458443



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