September 2022

16 Buckden Roundabout September 2022 Pre - School News from the Knot Garden The hot weather and lack of rain has not affected the lavender, box or santolina so the gardeners have been able to continue with cutting the hedges. It ’ s a task that seems to take longer during the hot months. The wall germander in the lamb bed is in full flower and covered in bees. The germander will not be cut until nearly all the flowers have died in the autumn. Keeping the walkways clear is a mammoth task, the vines are enjoying the weather as is the hop and the clematis. Some of the roses are managing a second bloom, we ’ re leaving many of the old heads so that the hips can develop for the birds to eat during the winter. We ’ re already planning activities in the Knot Garden for Sep- tember 25 th , the Artisan Market & FoBT Open Day. There will be wool dyeing using plants from the dye bed, children ’ s weav- ing and bracelet making activities and an opportunity to make your own dried herb sachets. There will be no fixed charge for these but we hope that you will make a donation towards our costs. A new school year is rapidly approaching, and we ’ re looking forward to welcoming our new starters and their families! As usual, activities in our first few weeks will focus on settling them in, getting to know them, and helping them form bonds with staff and other children. We also can ’ t wait to hear how our leavers get on at big school. Coming up this term, we ’ re hoping to do a joint sponsored walk with the early years classes at Buckden Primary School in the autumn, helping to strengthen our links with them and reunite friends! To mark World First Aid Day on 10 th Septem- ber, we will spend the week after doing first aid themed activi- ties. We will be having two nurses in to talk to the children about first aid and hope to have an ambulance and paramedic visiting too. We are also hoping to arrange visits from the den- tist and local firefighters at some point too. As always, we are very grateful for any support we receive. Buckfest has kindly pledged us a new craft table, so we are looking forward to that, and we ’ re also still recruiting new committee members. While we welcome interest from anyone with skills or time to spare—even if it ’ s just the odd hour or task here and there!—we do need a certain number of parent members. So please consider contacting our chairperson, Hel- en Lumb, to find out what ’ s involved. The committee is friendly and sociable, and we won ’ t ask you to do anything you can ’ t manage. We are also looking for a new manager. If you ’ re in- terested in the role, please contact Helen using the contact details below. It only remains for us to wish everyone a Happy New Academic Year! We can ’ t wait to get started. For committee enquiries, please contact our Acting Chair, Hel- en Lumb, at buckdenpreschoolcommittee@gmail.com . To arrange a visit or apply for a place, please call 01480 810600 or email us at buckdenpreschool@yahoo.co.uk. For more infor- mation, visit www.buckdenpreschool.co.uk or read our up- dates on https://www.facebook.com/www.buckdenpreschool.co.uk/ Buckden Learning Group Update During the Summer term, BLG ran two courses. Firstly, a 5 week course on Zoom with a long - distanced tutor who specialises in courses about the history of science. The course was called ‘ How Victorian England reacted to Darwin's “ unsettling ” news ’ . 27 members learnt about Darwin ’ s studies, both on and off the Beagle, and how he developed his ideas but avoided publishing them for many years. Eventually Darwin published and his ideas were sensationally received by the intellectual world, by the church, and by the British public. In June we returned to Buckden Towers for a short course about the Russian Revolution with a local tutor. 32 members learnt about the revolution that led to the deposing of the final Tsar and the early steps towards the Russia that exists today. At the time of writing (July 31) we have opened up enrolment for two Autumn courses. Firstly, a 2 week course, on Zoom with a tutor based in Yorkshire, about ‘ Impressionist Women Artists ’ (Berthe Morisot, Marie Bracquemond and Eva Gonza- lez). This will be followed by our return to Buckden Towers for a 10 week geology course entitled ‘ How the British Isles Formed ’ (see advert on page 9 for details). These will be followed by further courses, mostly face - to - face, that have been planned through to Christmas 2024. As usual, our courses have been interspersed with some indi- vidual discussion sessions on Zoom; this is expected to contin- ue. Although hopeful about the future, we recognise that new restrictions could be imposed at any time, but continue to look forward optimistically.