Just a bit of personal news today. I am the webmaster for this site and, for those who don't know, I now manage the site from France, having moved here just before Xmas 2006.

When I was living in South Zeal it was quite easy for me to get local information and photos for the site but now I have to rely on submissions sent to me by email or the Cloud.

If you have looked on this page lately, you will have seen that there are very few submitted news items. For me, it means less work but it does make the site less interesting for the local community.

If you look on the Events page and wish to publicise something yourself, please feel free to send me details. I need to know - Date(s), Time, Details, Cost and Contact info

together with any graphic (photos, posters, etc) publicity material you have.

When I moved here, I moved a rather large PC containing lots of website data (this site and others) among other things, which I installed in a sort of office upstairs. However, I found that,

as our bedroom is downstairs and we only used upstairs when we had visiting family and so didn't heat upstairs, it was far too cold in the winter (despite people thinking France is warm our

winters are far colder than in Devon) so I started using a laptop downstairs instead.

Well, just before Xmas, my laptop died and I have had to buy a new one. I thought I had been wise by using some software to save a copy of the data partition of my disk onto another disk

on my network but had never got round to making a complete image of the whole disk including all the programs etc. It has taken me the best part of a month to get a new machine

and to replace all my programs as well as copy my data back onto it.

If you do not keep a fairly frequently updated disk image file (on another disk) then do be aware of some things you can do to help yourself, if your machine dies. Programs fall into 2 categories

- those paid for and those free. The paid for ones need activating with a code and if you have not saved these codes you can be in trouble.

Browsers are free and use bookmarks that you have saved. Don't forget to save (export) a copy of these reasonably frequently. Email programs use your address book(s). Again export these

now and again. If you want to keep old emails, save these as files on the backup disk.

This is not a comprehensive list of things to save, everyone's machine contents are unique. But remember. My wife kept telling me to buy a new machine as my other was creaking along. I didn't listen!

• I would like to remind residents particularly in rural locations to keep sheds & outbuildings secure and check that lighting is working and that boundary fences/gates are also in good order. Please be vigilant as the better weather approaches and ensure that garden equipment especially petrol operated items are secure after usage. Most items can be security marked or tagged now and this helps to drastically reduce the appeal to potential thieves. Please contact local police on 101 for advice.
• Currently the annual “Moorwatch” scheme is being operated by Police whereby local beauty spots and rural car parks that may get targeted by criminals are patrolled and security signs are on display to visitors, in conjunction with security reminder leaflets distributed on cars. Do not leave keys in cars or appealing items on display when you are leaving your vehicle unattended or whilst parked in beauty spots.

• Currently Devon & Cornwall Police Officers and staff are working in line with an enforcement theme for policing the roads during June 2014 which is ‘Drink Drive enforcement’

Do you know any budding Authors, Songwriters or Poets?

The website for smartphone users, Mobile-Story, which publishes one song, one story and one poem every week, has now been running for 45 weeks

and is looking for new material to publish. The site can be viewed on tablet, laptop or PC but is sized for best viewing on smartphones.

To check it out look at www.mobile-story.com and if you think you know any individual or group who may like to contribute, please pass on the link.

Church House
Calendar of events for 2013

Check out the site - Saint Andrew's Church at Risk to see how important it is to try to save the structure of our local historic building.

Church House News  

The Silent Auction on November 10th turned out to be a great success. A steady stream of prospective purchasers viewed the 100+ items on offer throughout the day - and the final half hour saw a positive frenzy of bidding as the crowds packed into the upstairs hall and sought to secure lots.
Many thanks to all those who contributed to the success of the event – whether delivering leaflets, receiving and displaying goods on the Friday afternoon, providing refreshments, stewarding or helping with the aftermath of the event on the Saturday evening and Sunday.
At the time of writing, a handful of purchasers are still to collect and pay for their lots, but Church House, which is run by a management committee independent of the church, will be presenting the Church Roof Appeal with a cheque for approximately £1,170 – a magnificent sum. A big thank you is in order to all those who offered goods for sale, purchased lots and made donations.

Attention now turns to the next Church House event – the Christmas Market. This will take place on Saturday December 8th from 10.00 a.m. – 1.00 p.m. 
In addition to the regular stallholders selling prints and paintings, cards, jewellery, eggs, sewn crafts, preserves, cakes and garden products there will be a host of new faces at the market including:

Rob O’Bryen: offering Christmas trees grown in Sticklepath for purchase or order
Felicity Drew of Fizzy Florals: providing seasonal floral arrangements and wreaths
Richard Penney: selling quality knitted toys, photographs and pickles and chutneys.

At the time of going to press we are waiting for confirmation of attendance from other traders. If you would like a stall, please contact Mark Freeman (e-mail: townbarton@gmail.com, tel: 01837 840085) although we will be restricted by the number who can be accommodated within the building.

Starting May 2013, the public opening on Wednesdays will be discontinued due to the greatly increased demand for group lettings during the week.

The opening times for public visits will now be from May to October inclusive -
Sundays: 11 am - 5.00 pm. Entrance free. Cream Teas.

South Tawton Market  and Village Square Update

The May market saw sunshine, an increase in the number of stalls selling produce and crafts – and, unfortunately, a reduction in the number of purchasers. It is hoped that, at the next market in July, we will succeed in having the balance of vendors and customers to stimulate trade and make the market sustainable.
If you would like to have a stall yourself (or share one with a friend), please contact Mark Freeman (e-mail: townbarton@gmail.com, tel: 01837 840085).
One wet and blustery Sunday afternoon in April a group of villagers weeded between the setts and the slabs around the square. Many thanks to Peter, Pat, David, Nick, Kate, Di and Jeremy for their sterling efforts. Dave Sampson has done a magnificent job restoring the bench and Kate Norman has stripped and oiled it so that it should do several more years of service. All we need now is some sunshine to enable people to use it!
Alan Wright has come up with one of those bright ideas which none of us wrestling with the problem of the area in front of the notice board had thought of. The answer is simple really – move the board! The plan is to place the board to the right of the grit bin so that people no longer have to tread in the mud to get to it. The dog waste bin can go at the left hand side of the flower bed and a litter bin to the right of the bench.
We are going to plant creeping thyme and a low growing plant called rupturewart between the setts and the slabs to see whether they will take and reduce the amount of weeding required for the future.
We would like some more geraniums or other plants which might thrive in the difficult conditions underneath the oak tree to continue to make the village centre attractive once the tulips have stopped flowering. If you are splitting any plants which you can let us have, please leave them with Mark or Susan Freeman at 2 Town Barton.
Remember that there is no Saturday morning market on June 9th because of the Medieval Fayre in the afternoon, so…
NEXT MARKET: SATURDAY JULY 14TH

From: Paul Pickering
To: David Youle
Sent: Wednesday, March 28, 2012 8:22 PM
Subject: thank you

Dear David,
Thank you so very much for all the information and the lovely welcome you gave me and my group at Church House today.
My group is a very disparate group but all of them truly enjoyed our visit and have said to me how it was the highlight of the day.
We all enjoyed the privilege of being able to visit the wonderful building and hear of the details of the work undertaken.
Please pass on our thanks to Mike Bailey and to the very kind lady who gave us the lovely tea. It all made a perfect climax to our day.
I undertake several of my "excursions" each year and today's has been one of the best. Thank you so very much for your very
civilized approach to the work you all do for the Church House and for the welcome you extended to us.
I think that your village is fortunate in having people like you and mike in the community.
Again with sincere thanks,
Paul
Paul E Pickering