There was an element of jeopardy for this month’s meeting; would our replacement speaker turn up or not? All concerns were immediately dispelled when Andy Rhind-Tutt, not only arrived on time, with his wife, but also turned out to be one of our best speakers ever. Andy is a very busy man and is passionate about the history of his beloved country and home town of Amesbury.
Andy had always wondered why Stonehenge was located where it was, no-one had really been able to answer this, but it was during his term of office as Mayor of Amesbury in 2011/2012 that answers started appearing. Acting upon a hunch, David Jacques extended his excavations in the area and dug some new trenches in the grounds of Amesbury Abbey on the site of the Blick Mead spring. This is a spring that keeps on giving as a record number of flints, tools and animal bones (including frogs legs!) dating back, in some instances, to more than 7000 years BC have been found. Andy was kind enough to bring along several exhibits and our members were fortunate to have the opportunity to literally touch history – including a slice of the bluestone used at Stonehenge. It really was amazing.
Andy is a natural speaker and could have entertained us all evening; he told an amusing story as to how he eventually met the Queen in 2012 – after writing several letters to Buckingham Palace detailing the progress being made and the incredible finds being uncovered. Amesbury Abbey was also, incidentally, the final home of Eleanor of Provence, the 20 times Great Grandmother of HM the Queen – but this is a completely different story in itself!
Unfortunately, the weather put paid to our plans to walk this month, but instead our eager walkers (or should it be talkers?) held an impromptu coffee morning, followed by lunch at the Garden Centre. The Supper Club turned Italian and went to The Woodfire at Stockbridge. It was pizzas all rounds – probably because they came on that evening with a free glass of delicious house wine. Heather Girvan kindly hosted the official coffee morning, but no lunch club this month.
03 December – Reading Group
04 December – Supper Club
11 December – Monthly Meeting 7.30 p.m. in The Village Hall –
A Sprinkle of White Christmas – Trisha Lewis
16 December – Odeon Cinema, Andover – Ballet: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
08 January – Post-Christmas Dinner
Sharon King
