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  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. This is our last planned post until 2022 unless anything important comes up.  Many thanks for taking the time to follow us this year, and to all the Facebook Admins who have allowed us to post, particularly Luke and Meryn in Selsey and Emma in Bracklesham: please accept our gratitude and our festive thoughts and best wishes.  One of Donna's festive treats is The Snowman . She grew up in Hove, which is (Actually) next to Brighton, some of whose landmarks , I found out this week, provided the backdrop for the film.  Christmas is about giving. We were therefore pleased when Thrive Selsey got in touch to ask us to let you know that they are opening their cafe on Christmas day for a few hours, Inviting anyone who may be alone to come and join them for a free drink, snacks and a few games. The festive season is also a time for good news. We were all really pleased to read that someone we know has become a real inspiration to runners...

  As Christmas and the end of the year approach, we tend to think back over the last twelve months or even further. If you are interested in our local history, you may find this article an interesting read because it reveals a little more about our lost and abandoned villages .  Several generations ago, my father's side of my family grew up near the village of Pulborough - his parents also chose to spend nearly all their married life there too. Last Sunday, Donna and I drove eastwards and ended up in Pulborough for a late lunch. It was a bit of a trip down memory lane for me. I was not surprised a couple of days later to learn that Pulborough has been named as one of the most coveted villages in the UK .  Staying in the past for just a little longer, if you miss Woolies, you may be intrigued by this article about the lost shops most wished for at this time of year . In happier retail-related news, the Cathedral is seeking a catering partner in the hope that the Clois...

Are you going to see the Field of Blooms in the Cathedral or Christmas at Cowdray ? Even though Storm Arwen led to the cancellation of many events last weekend, Christmas is definitely coming with lights on, festive markets and lots of opportunities to shop . Perhaps, therefore, the question I should ask is, have you got your presents yet? Much as we like them at this time of year, we don't need festive decorations to see the beauty around us as this article demonstrates (and this one too .) That is why it is good news that organisations owning a third of England's land have signed a pact to boost biodiversity in the hope it will better protect our green spaces. There is much debate about the impact on them of current housing targets so I thought this article about a different approach might interest you, whether you feel it has merit or not. Incidentally, Chichester has been named in the top five UK cities to raise a family , which may be about to have some interes...

Are you part of the big debate? We all value the NHS and may quite rightly wonder what this winter will or will not bring - as COVID-19 continues, and it faces the return of its normal winter burden, the question of whether a return to restrictions will be necessary, and if so when, remains a common talking point. The other big talking point at the moment is on a happier note as we approach the Festive season. You may already have seen lights turn on, put up decorations, been to a market, or have plans to do some or all of these things. (Val and Donna have been working with groups of local people to stage a couple of events this weekend.) Seasonal events, or advertisements for them, are all around us so I suspect your Christmas plans are taking shape.  This is the budget season for Councils and things are very tight because other income streams are still negatively impacted. The smallest part of our Council Tax bills will probably be decided soon by our City, Town or Parish Council...