Issue 135 - the Pembury Village Website

EDITOR’S INTRODUCTIONHAVING LIVED in Pembury nearly allmy life, I appreciate the importance ofvillage life and community spirit.My name is Louise Fowlie, and I am the neweditor of the Pembury Village News. A keenlinguist, I studied French and Chinese atuniversity and have now returned toPembury.My interest in languages has developed mycuriosity of other cultures. After studyingFrench, Spanish and Japanese at school,I went on to university keen to explore everything.With some classmates, I co-founded aChinese Society for the university, aiming atbringing the Chinese foreign students andthose studying Chinese language togetherto practice their language skills and developfriendships. The time I spent with foreignstudents helped me to gain a better grasp ofother languages, and I studied Italian for ayear too. I think that it is this interest inother languages which has sharpened my eyefor detail.Whilst on a year abroad in Beijing, I mainlyspent my time studying Chinese at university,although I was also approached to teachEnglish and to help the Chinese students atthe university improve their spoken English.I found this to be quite challenging at times,and often found that they had a better graspof the English language than I did!Since returning to Pembury, I have designedand maintain a website for my parish church,learning new skills with each day. With somefriends, I also organised a very successfulquiz night,raising moneyfor the Hospicein the Weald.It’s true whatthey say – younever trulyappreciatesomething untilyou live withoutit. My time at university and my year abroadin Beijing have made me realise all the joysand pleasures of living in Kent. My timeaway has given me a new sense of enthusiasmfor life in Pembury, and I’m more eager thanever to embrace the wonderful things thathappen here throughout the year.I am ever so grateful to Alison Morton, formaking the hand-over period of such awonderful magazine as pain-free as possible.I’m really looking forward to bringing all thelatest happenings to you, so that we can allmake the most out of life in our village.I am always open to comments andsuggestions, so please e-mail me atpvn@pembury.org; I look forward to hearingwhat you have to say.Although the days may be getting shorter,and the temperature’s dropping once again,there’s still plenty to look forward to inPembury. Make sure you check out theFor Your Diary section on page 35 to ensureyou don’t miss a thing.Louise Fowlie, EditorCOPY FOR NEXT ISSUEAny news items or articles for possible inclusion in the next issueof this magazine must be forwarded tothe Parish Office, c/o 6 The Grove before1 November 2008.If you use a computer to type your article, it would be extremely helpfulif you could send it (and photos) in by e-mail to pvn@pembury.org3