EastSheenMatters

Mike Smith continues from the post on 7 November.

Finally I agreed to go away. My mum and dad drove me to Bluntisham in Hertfordshire. They had a petrol allowance for the business. Not many people did. I went to stay with a couple of farmers also called Smith. Ethel and Alfred they were, but children never called adults by the Christian names back then. For me and the other two evacuees, they remained Mr and Mrs Smith. They were lovely.

The house was tiny, had no bathroom. The outdoor privy was stinking, squares of newspaper served as toilet paper; the night soil man came on Thursday to empty all the privies on his open cart. I had to share a bed with another evacuee.

But there was some peace, freedom, loads of fun and skating on the flooded fens in the winter. It was bliss. I stayed there for five years.

A dozen Sheen Artists are putting on an exhibition in The Studio at the Home Guard Club at 76a Richmond Park Road SW14 on Friday 28/Saturday 29 November if you’d like to drop by – Friday evening especially when all the artists will be in attendance. There’ll be a real variety of work being shown, from abstract to figurative, from oil paintings to photography.

Everyone is welcome, Friday 6.30pm-11pm and Saturday 12 noon – 7.30pm. And of course there’s a bar! Do drop by – you could find the perfect Christmas present!

And you could even pop in before or after the Home Guard AGM. Just don’t vote unless you’re a member!

@sheenartists
Sheenartists.com

Police forces issued 488,599 tickets in 2024 to drivers travelling at more than 20 mph in a 20 limit. This is an increase of two thirds from the previous year, according to data gathered from all 43 British police forces.

You can be caught for doing 24 mph on a major road, such as the South Circular in London near the Kew Retail Park, a wide road with little pedestrian use. In that area 20 mph feels too slow. It has its dangers too, when less patient drivers overtake a car they feel is travelling excessively slowly. If they know where the cameras are they will get away with it. And you are likely to be overtaken by cyclists to whom the limits do not apply.

There are obviously areas in towns where this limit is important. But it is equally obvious that the objectives elsewhere are anti-car and money making.

The 2025 figures are bound to increase. Just how many drivers will it take to be criminalised for a more discriminating policy to be considered?

A good review in Richmond Nub News of the current position and some history about the Mausoleum at St. Mary Magdalene’s Church on North Worple Way

https://richmond.nub.news/news/local-news/repair-of-mortlake-tomb-will-see-it-reopened-to-the-public-for-the-first-in-60-years-278750?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQKNjYyODU2ODM3OQABHkrn3B1_YbKc1KerKlKL90Uqjdgmtf2mgRfDKJpSnbns3umLmk-dkERT8km2_aem_TXWsyO7gi7e_z5mqz2uXkw

Friday 14th November – Motown & 60s Night with The Bluebird Belles. Doors 7pm.

Step back in time to the swinging sixties with The Bluebird Belles, the UK’s premier vintage vocal trio! Join us for an evening of all your favourite hits from an unforgettable era in music history. 

From The Supremes to The Ronettes, Dusty Springfield to The Beatles, The Bluebird Belles will take you on a nostalgic journey packed with wonderful harmonies and stunning costumes. With their charming stage presence, this glamorous trio bring the magic of the era to life in true vintage style.

Dust off your dancing shoes, grab your friends, and get ready to twist the night away!

At 76A Richmond Park Road.

November 13 – ABBA

Set List:

• Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)
• Waterloo
• Dancing Queen
• Mamma Mia
• Money Money Money
• The Winner Takes It All

Timings: 7-8:30pm (open mic), 8:30-9:30pm (jam), 9:30-10:30pm (open mic)

Location: The Home Guard Club House, 76a Richmond Park Road

Entrance: Members – Free, Guests £3

Thomas Coxhead, organist extraordinaire and Director of Music at Christ Church until September 2024 returns to give an evening organ recital. He will be travelling from his current posting at Newport Cathedral to East Sheen to see some familiar faces and entertain all present!

Basil Alter, Violin, and Julian Chan, Piano, will perform at Christ Church on Friday 21 November 2025 at 7pm, doors 630pm.