More information regarding Shalstone HERE
June’s pet service was a Labrador-only event this year, of all colours, and in July, the Reading Room coffee morning raised £249 for ongoing maintenance and upkeep. Many thanks to all supporters, cake-makers etc. On 8 August, the church bells rang out for the wedding of Sophie Godfrey, daughter of Kathy and Nigel, and her fiancé Ryan Clabon. Many congratulations to the happy couple.
By the time this is in print, we also hope everyone will have enjoyed the village afternoon tea-party on Saturday 29 August, rounding off the summer holiday season.
Finally, apart from some much-wanted rain, we look forward to regular Harvest and Christmas village gatherings over the next few months; please see dates below.
Shalstone Church services and events
- Sunday 6 Sept – 10.30am Family Communion
- Friday 2 October – Harvest Supper 7.00pm Reading Room
- Sunday 4 Oct – 10.30am Harvest Service
- Sunday 1 Nov – 10.30am Family Communion
- Sunday 29 Nov – 10.30am Benefice Family Communion (Advent)
- Sunday 6 Dec – 9.00am Family Communion
- Sunday 20 Dec – 6.00pm Carol Service
- Friday 25 Dec – 10.30am Benefice Christmas Morning Service
Church cleaning
September - Elspeth and Trisha
October - Amanda and Kathy
November – Fiona and Janet
Cogitations…The Old Codger aka GPP
The Shop
When I came here in 1954 the proprietor of the shop, now Thatch End, was about to retire.
Rent for house and business was £100 p.a. The Post Office was separate but part of the deal. Somehow Mr & Mrs Houston became tenants. He had been a Port of Calcutta Pilot – 24 on – 24 off – and had become accustomed to the life. The couple had a pair of teenage daughters and they wanted them to be at school in England. The shop also ran a taxi for the village if needed and was always popping into Buckingham for supplies and this and that.
During his absence, Mrs Houston would hold the fort and only do stamps in the Post Office. She considered it to be beneath her dignity to serve in the shop after India. At that time people in the village would take a packed lunch to work and one of the items sold was a Scribona cake – a dryish Madeira affair, which cut into convenient slices. It lived under a plastic lid with Scribona written on it before plastic became well known.
In the flats there was an American woman who went down to the shop and, while waiting to be served, she saw that there were ants under the lid so she drew Mrs Houston’s attention to it…“Gee Mrs Houston, you’ve got ants under that lid!” – She had a look down the end of her nose and said “We had far bigger ants in India!”