Bexrose Bulletin

DECEMBER 2006

Published by the Bexleyheath & District Rose Society.

Patron:-                                  Dr. David G. Hessayon

President:-                             Mr. W. Skinner

Vice President:-                    Mr. J. Elliott

Chairman:-                             Mr. A. Nunn

Vice Chairman:-                    Mr. B. Rainsbury

Hon. Secretary:-                   Mrs. J.Newton

Hon Treasurer:-                    Mrs. Z.Neale

Show Secretary:-                  Mr. A. Neale

Membership Secretary:-      Mrs. M. Cornell

Miss V. Rochester

Other Committee members:- Mr. R. Jones, Mr. R. Pulling, Mrs. D. Carr, Mrs. D. Lemon,  Mrs. J. Dyer.

Web Site:-  www.bexrose.org.uk

Webmaster  Chris Newton  Email:-   postmaster@bexrose.org.uk

Next Meeting Tuesday  23rd January 2007

We meet once again at St. John Fisher Hall, Thanet Rd, Bexley where the hall will be open from 7-15pm for setting up. The meeting will start at 8pm until 10pm with a break at 9pm for refreshments and the raffle and of course a chance to chat to other members.This month we have our Christmas Quiz and munchies evening. Hopefully Gordon will have some more of his Quizzes for us to solve and give us an appetite for the food later in the evening. You may bring your own drink and table nibbles but Vanessa will be providing a buffet and tea and coffee later to round off the supper. As there is no meeting in December the Committee wish you all a very happy Christmas and a prosperous new year.

Welcome to new members

Ms. C. Lewis from Crayford

Ms. A. Harvey from Crayford.

The Rose Growers Calendar by kind permission of Don Charlton.

December

1.             In between Christmas Shopping and festivities, complete the planting of new rose bushes during good weather.

2.             Put all those garden tools you've always wanted on your Christmas wish list, and if you don't get them for Christmas consider buying them in the January sales.

The History of the Rose  The Miniature Rose.

Miniature roses were very popular with the Victorians, and would brighten up many a parlour with their tiny HT blooms. The plants ranged in size from 22 cm to 45cm tall with small blooms of 2.5cm to the largest blooms measuring 5cm. By the end of the 19th Century they had gone out of fashion but in 1918 a Major Roulet discovered a pot grown rose in Switzerland  and this became R. Rouletti. Soon the hybridises got to work and now we have a large selection of roses to choose from. Famous roses are "Angela Rippon," a double bloomed carmine pink, " Bush Baby" a compact miniature with double salmon petals, the rather garish "Stars & Stripes" with its red and white striped blooms and "Baby Masquerade" perhaps the most popular of the lot. Some plants such as Bush Baby have a better than average disease resistance but in general they are susceptible to pests and diseases such as mildew which is a big problem, black spot, die back and greenfly. They need a good feeding programme, little and often especially if in pots and must be kept well watered during dry summer months as their root systems are small.  They do well as front of border planting and if regularly dead headed will flower all summer.

The U.S.A. has taken the miniature to its heart as it fulfils the perfect role for the apartment dweller. Robert Wiseman told us in his lecture on roses that miniature roses are produced in their millions and not one would have been touched by human had from conception to the point of sale. In Britain however we tend to raise our miniatures on grafted rootstock which makes them hardier, faster growing and able to cope with drought conditions better. They also tend to be stronger more vigorous plants but perhaps loosing some of their tweeness. They tend to be quite pricey too compared to other full sized bushes such as HTs or Floribunda's, and of course they have massive competition from their larger but still compact sister the Patio Rose. Next month we will take a look at Climbers and Ramblers.  

Weekend trip to Rippon and the St. Nicholas Fayre in York.

Well, what a start, Bob was late. He blamed it on the traffic but we all knew he had overslept. It was just as well that the heavy rain of the night had cleared away and we were able to wait for him without getting drenched. Could this be an ill omen for the weekend ahead, particularly as Margaret said she had mislaid her handbag with all her medication in it. Fortunately the offending bag was found under her seat and we were able to move off to pick up all the others who were by now getting a bit anxious. We made good time to our breakfast stop and our 7 new travellers had settled down to enjoy the trip. Little did they know of the scrapes we get into on our travels!! This morning was quite a gentle initiation really. We made very good time to Doncaster and found the town a far cry from the Dreary old mining town it used to be. A brand new shopping mall and a Debenhams where we partook of a very nice lunch. After a bit of difficulty for some of us to get onto the coach, (the doors in the bus station seemed to work on a time lock system and would only open for a certain length of time when a bus turned up) we made a bee line for the nearest door that had just opened and piled through just in time. We arrived at the Ripon Spa Hotel in good time to unpack our cases and then walk down to the town to visit the Cathedral and look around the shops. We went and said hello to the man in the Gift shop by the Cathedral who we had made friends with last time we were here. He said business was very quiet at the moment so I think he was glad of a chat. Our evening meal at the hotel was delicious and the deserts were just as good as last time although the chap from Dartford who had made them had left and was now driving a fork lift truck. Rather a odd career move I thought.

The weather did not look very promising on Friday morning but we fortified ourselves with a substantial breakfast and set off for our day at York and the St. Nicholas Fayre. We were all rather disgruntled at having to pay £4 to look round the Minster so tacked on to one of the free guided tours which we found difficult as the gentleman didn't speak very loudly and several times didn't seem to know why things were called what the were or why they had come about. We braved the rain to go find the Fayre which was quite small, down the centre of one of the streets. There were a few food stalls and Mulled wine and Chestnuts and some craft stalls.  We eventually took refuge in an Antique centre and had a good lunch there. We had a wander up and down the Shambles and in and out of the market and then went to the Barley Hall where there was a Medieval Fayre. The crafts being done there were glass making, weaving, shoe making and there were lots of bits and bobs made of wood and leather. Up stairs we went into the room with the bed and at the bottom of it was a babies cradle with a real live medieval baby fast asleep . He looked so cute with his little rough woollen hat and his felt jerkin and covered with a felt blanket, he was so peaceful, babies havn't changed at all through the centuries. We were very glad when it was time to get back on the coach as we had been walking round most of the day and were rather tired. Still we had another good meal waiting for us and a cup of coffee and some good company afterwards in the lounge with a roaring log fire.      

Saturday we were booked into Harewood House which was being specially opened for us and we were split into three groups for a guided tour which lasted 2 hours as the ladies were very enthusiastic about their subject. We met the Chef who told us about the dining room and about the birthday meal he was preparing for Lady Harewood that evening as it was her 80th birthday. He had the birthday cake on display which her ladyship didn't know about and had taken him 3 months to make with beautiful icing sugar white roses to match the table decorations. By the way the Butler at Harewood house is a young lady who we saw beginning to prepare the tables. After this we went down to the servants dining room where two ladies and a man dressed in period costume, performed a little play for us and made us join in with some of the songs. It was all very jolly. We then had to make our way to the craft, food and wine festival which was in a marquee in a field. The only problem was that the field was sodden with all the rain and cars had been bogged down in it so there was plenty of mud about. Poor Doreen Richards lost her shoes in the mud and nearly sat down backwards but we managed to rescue her. She spent the rest of the day squelching around. There was a cookery demonstration while we ate a not very appetising lunch and later some school children sang Christmas carols. I think we have been spoilt with the large craft fairs that are held at Penshurst Place, this one was quite small and we didn't really see anything we wanted to buy. The toy dogs that breathed were a bit disconcerting and we resisted the temptation to purchase. We went to see the church in the grounds, this had a leaky roof and although still commissioned was not used for services. We had to wait quite a time for some of our group to return to the coach as they were waiting for the estate cars to take people back to their vehicles. It was impossible for some of them to manage the walk over that muddy field twice. Bob put paper down in the coach for us to walk on but it didn't do much good he still had a big job to do to get the coach clean for the next day. A grand clean up of feet and shoes was the order of the day when we arrived back at the hotel but we spent the evening coffee time having a good laugh about it. Another Bexrose moment.

Sunday came and we had to make our way home again. Several of the staff waved us off and we made very good time down to Peterborough. After a bite to eat we made our way to the Cathedral where we didn't have to pay so enjoyed even more the lovely ceilings and the Choir while a young man played the organ. Back on the coach we held a raffle in aid of the Woodlands Farm Trust, Wendy Reeves won the first prize of matching Ladies and Gents watches, Betty Bridges won the second prize of a perfume bottle and Eileen Westrop won a chocolate selection. Next came the home made mince pies and a plastic beaker of Sherry, you can tell we do everything in style! Everyone was quite warm and jolly by the time we reached Bexleyheath. Our grateful thanks to all those who made the trip so enjoyable and particularly Bob for his good driving. We have run four very successful holidays this year which everyone says they have thoroughly enjoyed, we even picked up a new member at Torquay, lets hope that next year will be as good.

Results of the Floral Art Table Show for November

1st   Olive Brookes   77 coins             2nd   Rosemary Youell  38 coins        3rd  Edie Purnell  25 coins

4th   D.  Lesley  19 coins     5th   Dora Lemon  14 coins

Total cash raised for the Woodlands Farm Trust  £5-27p

Many thanks to Jim Sweet for bringing along quite a few large marrows and squashes to sell on the trading table.

Festive Thoughts  By Yvonne Beadle

1.             What do they do in heaven                               2.             Do they drink the wine

                Now that Christmas is here,                                               With their fish on toast,

                Do they pull a cracker                                                         Or do they still

                And give a big cheer.                                                          Have their Turkey Roast.

3.             Will there be a party                                            4.             If they are really lazy

                With a big crowd,                                                                Or cooking they don't know

                Or do they dine all alone                                                     Do they send for a takeaway

                On their own little cloud.                                                    From that place down below.

5.             Here on earth we wonder

                What they do at this time,

                Then drink a toast to them

                For Auld Lang Syne.

Secretary's Report on the November meeting.

We had a large audience once again for a lecture on Kent by Bob Ogley. Bob was the editor of the local newspaper in Sevenoaks when the Hurricane hit our area and changed his life for ever. He wrote a book about it, illustrated with some wonderful photographs and after great difficulty trying to find a publisher it proved to be a best seller nationally and was in the top ten list for eight weeks. This led him on to greater things and he has now completed a boxed set of kentish history of the 20th Century.

Bob told us that the first person in the country to own a car lived in Tunbridge Wells, and the first aviation flights took place on the Isle of Sheppey and in Bexley. A chap called Maxim had built a flying contraption in the grounds of Bexley Hospital and managed to fly it for about 100 yards. He realised he needed a bigger but lighter engine so he joined forces with another local chap named Vickers. They were just piped at crossing the channel by a Frenchman named Bleriot. Kent has been a setting off point for the forces of both world wars and it is estimated that 10 million men have passed through the Kent sea ports.

Many famous people lived in Kent. Edith Nesbitt lived at Dymchurch where she wrote "The Railway Children" after watching miners tunnelling whilst laying the railway lines through the Kent countryside in her childhood. Rupert Bear was conceived in Canterbury, Billy Bunter was a Kentish lad and Just William came from Beckenham where Richmore Crompton lived. Noel Coward lived on Romney Marsh, Ian Flemming at St. Margarets Bay where he used to catch the number 007 bus to Canterbury for drinking sessions with his chums. Baden -Powell, Arthur Conan Doyle and WG Grace all lived in Kent. Enid Blyton created Noddy and Big Ears at Bromley and Sir Malcolm Campbell lived at Chislehurst. Sidney Woodison (still alive and in his 90s ) was the fastest man on two legs until Roger Bannister, he was a member of Blackheath Harriers. Neville Duke also still alive achieved the first sonic boom at a air show just after a terrible air crash in which several people died. The organisers didn't want people to leave the event so sent him up to do his display with spectacular results.

Kent has more motorway miles than any other county. Kent also has the record for the hottest summer day ever recorded  which was over 100 degrees at Gravesend. The weather in our county is definitely getting warmer and we are now planting many vineyards which rival those of France which have similar soil. The sad thing is that the hops are not picked by the merry band of East End hop pickers who used to invade the countryside by coach, lorry and train every season. Its all done by machinery now.

Bob told us that he was taking a gap year at the moment but he was planning a sequel to the Hurricane book as next year will be the 20th anniversary. He hopes to show many of the photographs that were not included in the original book. He will also be including many of the stories that he has been told since about the night of the storm. He also will include photographs of areas that were devastated but have either been replanted or have regrown or just left because the new view is better than the old one.  Bob said that a miraculous thing had taken place in Kent. Many of the wood lands where trees were blown down were cleared and re planted but many areas were just left to their own devises. These areas grew thick undergrowth and brambles and then saplings seeded themselves. As the canopy has grown the undergrowth has thinned out and we now have natural woods with new species of wild life as it would have been in ancient times.  Nature always corrects itself where it can, left to its own devices.

It was a very entertaining and informative evening, Bob is always a good speaker and members thoroughly enjoyed his talk.

 If there are members who took a charity box for the Childrens Society and would like them emptied would you please contact Janet who can get them to Joan Newell.

Summer Show.

I know it is a long way off at present but next month your Committee will be going through the schedule for the Summer Show.  If any members have any ideas for new classes do let your Chairman know and we can look into its viability. We would also like you to mull over, during the lazy Christmas period, what classes you think you could enter and then spend spring and early summer preparing your garden and plants to that aim. We would like to make a really big effort next year. Entry numbers have been dwindling, not helped by the very hot weather which affects the blooms. Also we have sadly lost several very good competitors over the past few years. If all the active members could put just one entry into a class it would make a great deal of difference. Remember your blooms don't have to be perfect, very few ever are, just have a go and you may surprise yourself.  We have also found that visitors through the door on the day are dwindling too so we need you to tell all your friends and neighbours about our show and how lovely it is to spend an afternoon browsing round tables full of beautiful roses and then partake of a cream tea or a cuppa and a slice of home made cake.

Society AGM  February Meeting.

If any member would be interested in joining the Committee or proposing another member please contact Alec Nunn our Chairman. There will be at least one place available, if not two, so if you think you have something to offer particularly in the hard work and bright ideas departments come and join us.

Happy Christmas!!!