Spring is certainly here!
We’re even having a few dare I say it much needed April showers. But don’t let these put you off heading out for a walk, cycle or ride.
It’s amazing how pleasurable a walk in the rain can be. The whole walk can be transformed into a glorious experience, as long as you’re dressed for it & you don’t get cold.
Firstly the smell of rain on spring flowers, hedges & grasses is a delight, not to mention the sensation of it landing on your face & hands.
I was out in the rain this week & a kind lady in a car pulled up beside me & asked me if I needed a lift. She was surprised when I said I was enjoying a leg stretch in the rain!
Don’t get into the habit that you only do things when the weather is fine & sunny & to dismiss the rain or dull chilly weather as bad! This is very easily slipped into & the problem is we miss out on so much that is going on around us in our lovely countryside.
So go on, get out there & experience all weathers. It’s so exhilarating & really makes you feel alive & brings you into the present moment.
Things to look out for : Birds building nests & looking for worms, swallows newly returned from far away & dancing in our skies. Skylarks above your head singing. Cowslips, May blossom,bees working the blossoms. Cows turned out to summer grazing. Horses enjoying the spring grass, perhaps without their winter rugs & lots & lots more.
Enjoy!
Rachel
After months of rain and snow, the Environment Agency is counting down the days until spring with a photography competition open to everyone in the east of England.
Environmental enthusiasts have been urged to get their thinking caps on and their lens caps off to capture an image that reflects the upcoming season.
To celebrate the Spring Equinox on Wednesday, March 20, one photograph submitted for the contest will be selected to serve as the banner photograph on their regional Twitter account (@EnvAgencyAnglia) during the season.
The only rules for entry are that the image must be a landscape photograph and it must have been taken in the east of England (from North Lincolnshire to Essex, and as far west as Northampton).
Regan Harris, the Environment Agency’s digital engagement advisor, said:
We know there are a lot of great photographers in our region who love taking pictures of the environment. We also know people are looking forward to the spring, especially after the autumn and winter floods, so we thought a photography competition would be a good way to count down to the new season. Almost 3,000 people follow our Twitter account @EnvAgencyAnglia, so the winning entry will get a lot of exposure when it serves as our account’s banner image. The photograph can be of anything from blooming flowers to sun-kissed rivers, so get creative and think of what you think represents the spring in the east of England.
Anybody who wants to enter can submit their photographs by sending them with the hashtag #springcountdown on Twitter or email them to angliandigital@environment-agency.gov.uk.
Visit www.cambsacre.org.uk
Polio is a terrible crippling disease. It was once the major cause of disability. Before 1988 there were over 350,000 cases reported per year worldwide. Now it is down to about a 1,000 cases per year. India use to have more cases than anywhere else. Now it has reported only one single case in the last 18 months.
This is down to 25 years of hard work on the part of Rotary International and other agencies. For years the programme has depended on charitable giving and the precious time of individuals prepared to go out and help, at their own expense, in vaccination clinics. At last we are on the brink. One final push is needed to get rid of this dreadful disease once and for all. If we don’t make that effort now and leave off it will come back. That final effort will cost money. Bill Gates has generously contributed $355 million but there is still a need to raise a further $200 million world wide to see it through.
During national immunisation days in India, as many as 65 million children are immunised. Volunteers hold these days every six weeks, visiting remote villages and slum areas to deliver the life-saving vaccine. Although polio is nearly wiped out, work has to continue through this next generation of children to be sure to eradicate the disease for good. Booths are set up in major cities, attracting school children and families, who will travel for miles to protect their children. After vaccination each child has a finger dipped in purple dye for control purposes.
In order to bring your attention to the vaccination programme purple crocuses have been planted all over the UK. It is hoped that the 500 bulbs planted in front of the church last autumn will eventually multiply to make a magnificent springtime display. When you look at them please think about all the children walking around with purple “pinkies” who will now have a better chance in life. It will be wonderful when the day comes when no one else will ever have to suffer from polio. This can be a real success story! Will you please help?
Donations to the “Rotary Club of Kimbolton Castle” can be handed to Tony Scott, 15 Mill Road, Great Gidding or to Jed and Aruna at the village shop.