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18 The Parish Magazine — December 2024 Please mention The Parish Magazine when responding to advertisements The Window Cleaner The Hicks Group Hicks Developments Ltd Property Developers Tel: Reading 0118 969 0595 • Interior & exterior • All windows, frames, sills & doors • Conservatory cleaning • Fully insured We provide a reliable, professional service, ensuring that your home will sparkle. For a free quote call or email 07967 004426 thewindowcleaner1@googlemail.com Hicks MOT and Service Centre We offer a complete, well equipped, modern workshop for all your vehicle servicing or repair needs WHILE YOU WAIT MOT TEST AND SERVICE CENTRE WATER WATER SOFTENER SOFTENER SALT SALT • Private & Commercial Vehicle Repairs • Air Conditioning Service Tel: 0118 944 1808 Open 7.30am - 5.30pm (Weekdays) 15 Headley Road, Woodley RG5 4JB Block Salt From Block £6.00* Salt From £6.00* 5 Tablet Salt from Tablet £13.00* Salt from £13.00* Winter Gritting Winter Salt Gritting from £7.00* Salt from £7.00* FREE LOCAL FREE LOCAL DELIVERY DELIVERY Email: Martyncollins@portmanpm.com Email: Martyncollins@portmanpm.com FOR OFFERS & FOR PRICES OFFERS ORDER & PRICES ON LINE ORDER AT ON LINE AT www.salt-deliveries-online.com www.salt-deliveries-online.com Tel: 0778 577 2263 Tel: 0778 or 0118 577959 2263 1796 or 0118 959 1796 Unit 2, 6 Portman Unit Road 2, 6 Portman Reading RG30 Road 1EA Reading RG30 1EA *Prices subject to *Prices change subject - please to check change our - please website check our website 135 DECEMBER 2O24.indd 18 13/11/2024 10:15:14
feature — 2 Christmas pudding and boneless turkey — Claude recalls Christmas past Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat Please put a penny in the old man’s hat! If you haven’t got a penny, a ha’penny will do, If you haven’t got a ha’penny then God bless you! Well, we didn’t have a goose but, for a couple of years during the war, my mother used to fatten a chicken, writes Claude Masters. I don’t remember where it came from but the neighbours would leave us scraps in exchange for eggs. I used to go to the bottom of the garden, where the chicken was kept in a wire cage, and feed it the scraps and left overs; I sometimes collected the eggs. It didn’t produce all the time but we had some fresh eggs when it did. My grandfather, who lived with us, would slaughter it and I helped him. I remember chopping off the head, after it was dead, and helping him to pluck and prepare it. We ate it on Christmas Day along with fresh vegetables from the garden, grown by my dad. A POUND NOTE Before Christmas every year, my grandfather entrusted me with a pound note to take to school where I would buy eight half crown savings stamps, one for each of his grandchildren, for Christmas. The stamps were stuck onto a card and you could eventually redeem them. I wasn’t very good at saving and can’t remember what I would have bought. Desperate Dan — one of Claude's heroes However I used to enjoy reading comics, so perhaps I would have bought one of those. My favourites were the Beano and the Dandy. During the war, they were published fortnightly so you could buy the Dandy one week and the Beano the next. I particularly enjoyed reading about the exploits of Desperate Dan! CHRISTMAS My grandfather wasn’t a great drinker but he always bought a five gallon (20 pint) beer keg at Christmas. It was about the same size as the one I used when making my own beer. I don’t really remember much about Christmas time in the war, although I do remember one year looking forward to it so much that I hoped I wouldn’t die before Christmas came. However, I do remember that, on Christmas Eve, I put labels on the bedroom doors, one for my mum and dad’s bedroom, one for Grandad’s, and one for mine! DC Thomson en.wikipedia.org The Parish Magazine — December 2024 19 Claude and his wife, Barbara — and his favourite Christmas waistcoat! I wanted Father Christmas to know exactly where to come! I also put out a special sock but didn’t get very much. I expect that it had holly at the top to prickle my fingers before finding any gifts, as that’s what happened to my own children! When our children were younger, my mother-in-law cooked the Christmas pudding. Just before it came to the table, my father-in-law would slide silver sixpence coins into it — one for each person. They were all of different dates and each date related to a specific amount of money that he would pay to buy them back. Probably not very hygienic, but a favourite family tradition! Many years later, when I was church warden for St Bart’s and at St Luke’s, we invited members of the congregations — often foreign university students or older people who would have been on their own — to join us for Christmas lunch. For some years, I prepared the turkey by cutting out all the bones and then stuffed it into shape with sausage meat so it still looked like a turkey. A friend who taught cookery was so impressed that she asked me to show her how I did it! It was so much easier to cut and less messy on the day! Although I am less active now, I still look forward to Christmas with my children and grandchildren. 135 DECEMBER 2O24.indd 19 13/11/2024 10:15:18
Page 1 and 2: The Parish Magazine Magazine Parish
Page 3 and 4: Serving the communities of Charvil,
Page 5 and 6: The Parish Magazine — December 20
Page 7 and 8: the parish noticeboard — 1 Advent
Page 9 and 10: Lights shining in the dark! Corinne
Page 11 and 12: the parish noticeboard — 4 SHARIN
Page 13 and 14: parish noticeboard — 5 Father who
Page 15 and 16: parish noticeboard — 6 Nothing is
Page 17: feature — 1 Three Christmas quest
Page 21 and 22: feature — 4 At the beginning of t
Page 23 and 24: CHILDREN'S is welcome to we celebra
Page 25 and 26: around the villages — 1 arounD th
Page 27 and 28: around the villages — 1 around th
Page 29 and 30: HOME AND Garden — 2 Robin facts a
Page 31 and 32: THE SCIENCES The Parish Magazine
Page 33 and 34: CHRISTMAS christmas quiz David Pick
Page 35 and 36: THE ARTS — 1 Rev Michael Burgess
Page 37 and 38: THE ARTS — 2 Book Reviews — 2 D
Page 39 and 40: PUZZLE PAGE — 2 CROSSWORD 1 2 3 4
Page 41 and 42: CHILDREN'S PAGE The Parish Magazine
Page 43 and 44: Please mention The Parish Magazine

The Parish Magazine December 2024

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The Parish Magazine December 2024

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