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Your letters
To the Editor:Reina Free wrote in your excellent May Newsletter that our cottage was having a new thatched roof. In fact the work carried out was the renewal of the various ridges and aprons.
The original thatched coat of the cottage was covered in Norfolk reed, is now over 35 years old and still in excellent condition. One can for example pick out a single reed and except for the first inch or so the rest is still in the same honey-coloured condition as when it was laid in the 1970s.
To get this work done we first had to source a reliable thatcher. They are difficult to find, but playing golf one day at Whiteleaf I noticed an excellent example of new ridge work that had recently been carried out to the cottage that sits proudly above the ninth green, and by making enquires I secured the services of a very experienced thatcher who lives and works mostly in the Cotswolds.
There are differences of opinion in thatching circles as to the best material to use for the renewal of ridges, which normally is required every 12-15 years. I previously used sedge, which is a grass that grows alongside reeds in the waterbeds where reeds are harvested. However sedge is no longer available in reliable quantities as the reed beds of Norfolk for example are now severely affected by pollution.
‘Combed wheat’ (specially-prepared straw) is now regarded as a far more stable product for ridge work. It becomes malleable when lightly dampened and rolled carefully over a tightly-bound straw ridge bar and fixed in position by twisted hazel spars.
We will all be watching in 12 years’ time to see how it all holds up, but one thing is for sure: it is a privilege living under thatch. It is snug in the winter and cool in the summer, and even the little furry visitors that join us in the loft for their winter hibernation seem to enjoy their stay.
John Andrews
Hunts Green
To the Editor:
On behalf of the local children and their families we would like to thank Giles Knowles for all his hard work so far with regards to the Lee Common Playground. We really appreciate the effort he has put into fund-raising, sourcing the new equipment and overseeing its installation.
The children have had great fun playing on the climbing frame and are looking forward to the arrival of the roundabout and ‘springies’. They also greatly enjoy playing ‘house’ in Gill Chudley’s fantastic willow dome.
Lee Common Methodist Church Toddlers’ Group
(on behalf of local children)
The Toddlers’ Group meets every Wednesday between 10 am – 11:30 am and caters for small children aged up to 3 years. Contact Marian Tomkins on 837479 for further details. Also to get the latest on the playground read Giles’s report at 'Play-ground': Ed.
To the Editor:
How’s this for a sight guaranteed to slow down traffic in The Lee?Whilst out on a long weekend looking at large farm estates, village farmers Peter Bunce and David Page were amazed by the size of this extremely huge tyre. If only this was working across The Lee fields, work would be finished before it had started.
This Michelin 59/80R63 x DR radial tyre is four metres tall and one-and-a-half metres wide and weighs the same as an African elephant. It was designed for the giant haul trucks that are used in the mining industry to carry loads as big as 400 tonnes.
Guess where? It’s the Eden Project in Cornwall – a peaceful and beautiful place to visit.
Margaret Bunce
King’s Ash