Category: Missed a ThameNews story?

By Nicholas Newman Editor www.oxfordprospect.co.uk
WHAT are they?
To those considering buying an MP3 player, here are a few hard facts about this new gadget. Well, MP3 players are mini hard drives designed to store and play audio, visual and data files. You can download such files direct from your PC or purchase them via the internet. At present there are three popular types of MP3 player on the market – pocket sized devices, those fitted into mobile phones and CD players that can play MP3 formatted CDs.

Software
Downloading MP3 files

The advantage is you can carry your music collection in your pocket by converting all your recordings into MP3 file format. MP3 formatted files compress traditional recordings to a twelfth of the space used on a traditional CD. This means an MP3 player with a 1 GB memory size can store some 250 songs or the equivalent of listening to a 12 CD Version of a Harry Potter audio book ? so plenty to listen to when out jogging.

Problems over compatibility
Currently there is no agreed standard between manufacturers and recording providers for MP3. This means that if you purchase a song from Apple?s I-Tunes, you will be able to listen to it on an Apple I-Pod, but not on a Sony MP3 player. To check if the recordings you plan to download will play on your player, check out CNET?s Music Compatibility Wizard

What else can you listen to?
The BBC is now making available for you to download free, its plays, music and programs, to play at a time convenient to you. For listeners to audio books, you can now purchase or rent specially formatted MP3 CDs, which means you only need to carry around one MP3 disk.

Hardware
Pocket MP3 Players
Currently there are two main types of pocket MP3 player on the market, those designed for the occasional listener, with a recording storage capacity of 1 GB or less, and those with a memory of 2 GB or more for the music professional. Some are no bigger than a broach, while others are the size of a pack of post it notes.

All the ones I looked at were powered by rechargeable batteries and were quick and easy to download, so – the main problem was making a decision which song or audio book to record and listen to.

1 GB or less MP3 Pocket Players

Apple I-Pod Shuffle comes in two versions:
? 512 MB stores 125 songs price

DON’T look now but there?s something very spooky creeping up on you?.and its called October 31st.
Devotees will soon be congregating outside Woolworth?s, gathered around their cauldron; witches and ghouls planning their evening. It will be a night of spooky tales, ghosts and trick-or-treaters, or as shoppers to Woolworth may call it, ? Pic?n?Mix?!! We seem to have seriously adopted the Halloween tradition from the US. We certainly didn?t celebrate like this when I was a child, but what we would do was tell a good ghost story.
Now, we know that Thame is an old town so I expected that it would be jam-packed with ghosts. I mean, you don?t find buildings as old as many of ours here in Thame, in just any old place. So you can imagine that I was bitterly disappointed to only be able to rustle up a hand full. Any way, settle down on this cold, grisly night but make sure your windows are locked because here we go???
The next time you drive to Aylesbury from Thame on the A418, at night, beware when you approach the village of Gibralta. Try not to be alone as it is at this spot that the ghost of a Thame man, known as the Noble Edden who apparently appears to warn travelers about the danger ahead. What danger you may ask? Well, it was here that Noble Edden was murdered, and he wants to make sure it doesn?t happen to anyone else!
Around St Mary?s Church, in Thame, stories of the lady in grey have been rife for many years. The story goes that a lady in grey appeared to the vicar of St Mary?s just before the turn of the last century. As he approached a lady dressed in Elizabethan costume who was kneeling at the alter rail, she vanished right before his very eyes. During World War II, members of the Home Guard often claimed to have seen her while climbing to their lookouts on the church tower.
Interestingly, whilst doing this research, I noticed that Long Crendon also boasts a lady in grey whose ghost haunts their church. Could it be the same lady? Did she perhaps marry her true love at Thame only to loose him and see him buried at Long Crendon, and now her unhappy spirit walks them both in grief? It could be, or maybe someone local knows the true story of our lady in grey? Please do get in touch and let us know.
The last story that I?m going to tell is from the very lovely Bird Cage. Its one of the oldest and most well known buildings in Thame and there are many accounts of strange happenings. With moving objects and strange knocking sounds, it all sounds a bit creepy! More so when you?re told that the ghost is that of a leper that was once imprisoned there.
Legend has it that he met a horrible end, being stoned to death by the local people of Thame! And I thought we were such nice people! Apparently there is a secret underground passage that runs from the Bird Cage to St Mary?s Church and it was along here that his battered, bruised and broken body was carried for the last time.
I?m sure there?s a lot more spooky history that I just have not had the time to come across, but for now I?ll leave you with these to ponder.
Right now I?m just about to double-check that I did actually lock that door??

FIRST let me dazzle you with some facts. Alcohol related injuries and illnesses cost the NHS an impressive

EVERYBODY who lives here will know that Thame has its fair share of public houses and inns that are steeped in history.
The Bird Cage public house situated on Cornmarket is the oldest inn in Thame. Built around 1300, it still features many of the elm beams that were once covered in ancient plaster but it does not retain its original name!
The pub itself can be traced back to the early 16th century when it was knowN as just ?The Cage? and then later as ?The Bird in the Cage?. This interested me somewhat and was the start of a lot of research into the history of Thames pub names. Why I wondered was The Cage so called? The only link I could come up with was that during the Napoleonic wars the Bird Cage housed French prisoners (according to The Bird Cage own web site it was these prisoners that founded the local Masons!) It has also been documented as having been used as a holding house for just about every sort of petty criminal around and even lepers!! I wonder if the locals of Thame gave The Cage its name because of this? However this goes slightly off course when it?s renamed The Bird in the Cage!!!! Perhaps we have a local historian that would like to email Thamenews.net to see whether I?m on the right track or not!
Many of the other pub names in Thame are far easier to trace back to their origins.
There were 20 or so pubs in Thame in the 16th Century, this figure is now estimated at 45 -60 so there is absolutely no excuse to be caught thirsty in Thame! Indeed beer was claimed to have provided the locals with a healthier alternative to the local drinking water although I stress this is no longer the case!!
The Old Nags Head on 43 Upper High St was originally called The Kings Head, which is pretty self-explanatory so I popped into The Old Nags Head (it?s a tough job!) and over a swift half asked the landlord, Gary, if he had any idea why the name was changed and when.
?Well yes I do know that it was originally The Kings Head? He smiled ?But I?m afraid I have no idea why it was changed in the late 1800?s to The Nags Head and then in more recent years The Old Nags Head?
It seems after all my thirsty work I?d come up against brick wall! Off to another I boldly strolled right into to the Swan Hotel on the opposite side of the road at 9 Upper High St. Now here was a public house that must have an abundance of history propping it up. You can almost smell it as you walk through the wobbly doorway, but why is it called The Swan? Within its sixteenth century beams and wonky walls I tried to interrogate the landlord as to the pubs history only to learn he took over just 8 weeks ago!
This was turning into a bit of a disaster so it was back to the drawing board where at last I found out that the Swan Inn was built by Sir John Clerke whose family crest was?yes 3 swans! No doubt this was how The Swan Inn Hotel originally got its name.
The Rising Sun on Lower High St may also be named from a family crest as it was a popular symbol used dating back to Edward IV however it has been documented that it was more likely given this name to mark the start of a new venture in the 1800?s.
Why the Abingdon Arms is so called has always been a bit of a mystery to me, we are after all in Thame not Abingdon! Then I stumbled upon the fact that the Abingdon Arms was originally called Chequers and changed its name in 1832, probably in honour of a certain Montague, the fifth Earl of Abingdon, who apparently was the owner of a large amount of land in Thame at the time.
There was a Fighting Cocks inn on the spot where Woolworth now stands and one of the most interesting bits of information I came across whilst writing this was that there was a Red Lion where Lightfoot’s is now situated. This in itself is not so riveting as the Red Lion is the most common name for an inn in this country, named for the ?red lion rampant? of many heraldic devices. However our Red Lion was one of the most important inns in Thame during Tudor times when it is claimed Henry VIII himself, along with Catherine of Aragon and the then lady in waiting Anne Boleyn, stayed in 1530.
As I stood outside Lightfoots building I tried to picture Thame of old. The very many inns that stood to cater for its people, the market and passing travellers. I looked up and down the high street and realised I?d worked up quite a thirst. Now?? hmm which inn to chose??

I WAS listening to the radio the other day and heard them talking about the new digital news and sports stations that have been launched. Part of me thought ?Why do I need one?? But my curiosity got the better of me and I decided to pop round to my local electronics store to see what?s available

“You will get loads more stations with a DAB radio,” the salesman said.

?You mean more pop stations, ?I said. ?No-not just that,? the salesman reassured me. ? There are many more new BBC and commercial stations, including the new comedy and drama station BBC 7, and for sport there is BBC 5 for music there is Classic FM and Jazz FM plus all your usual stations.” The salesman went on to praise DAB radio broadcasts for its improved sound quality and reception, which is allegedly better than with traditional radios.

I was shown round a wide range of radios from pocket radios for commuters and sports fans to tabletop radios for listening to in the kitchen or by your bed. The trouble is mAny of the radios reminded me of the first mobile phones; they looked like bricks and were just as hard to use. It would appear that designers never learn. Many of these radios are packed with functions that look impressive, but you are likely never to use, just like today?s mobile phones.

Most Digital Audio Broadcast (DAB) radios have as standard a scrolling text display screen, station preset and PausePlus. Scrolling text provides current programme information, while station preset enables you to program in your favourite stations whilst PausePlus helps you to record up to 20 minutes of a live broadcast whilst you are interrupted by a phone call.

Digital Audio Broadcasts can only be received in some 85% of the country, reception is usually better in urban areas than in the countryside. However most DAB radios are designed to receive only British digital stations, which mean that they are of little use for listening to continental digital broadcasters.

Currently there are two main types of portable radios on the market, there are those for the house known as tabletop radios and those to put in your pocket was traveling around. The ones I looked at all have a LCD display for scrolling text and FM tuner in case digital reception is bad in your area.

Tabletop Radios
Tabletop radios typically weigh more than two bags of sugar (2000g) and come with the option of mains and battery powered. For radios costing

WHAT does a girl from an Oxfordshire market town do when she gets an invitation to take tea at the Ritz?
Find a classy hairdresser and a beauty specialist to give her a complete make-over, polish up her vowels and go for it!
First call on the Monday morning of my trip, a visit to Louise Dockery at Eclipse, a new salon nestling in a tucked away corner of the Cornmarket, Thame, to get the unruly, red ?barnet? tamed and looking respectable.
Walking through the door, I?m surprised to find myself in a deceptively spacious hair salon, obviously designed with customers in mind. The relaxing, vibrating shiatsu wash massage chairs have apparently have already sent several clients to asleep. Chatting to Lousie, I discover that the extensive choice of refreshments includes healthy herbal teas and de-caffeinated coffee but there is wine, or beer for the men or the less health conscious – I opted for a strong, black coffee.
The characterful beams and charm of the old building somehow combine with a light and airy feel to give a totally contemporary and inviting ambience to the place; what an amazing start to a busy working week after a weekend of spiritual and bodily neglect!

Louise has a wealth of experience in the industry but Eclipse Hair Design is her first very own salon. She prides herself on customer service and knows clients expect more than just a great haircut. She says: ?Having frequented many salons over the years, it can be intimidating at the best of times, so we at Eclipse like customers to feel relaxed when they come in, to enjoy the experience and looking forward to their next visit?.

After a thorough hair wash and conditioning with the salon?s Redken products, while the shiatsu wash chair gently eased away the tension in my back and legs, Louise set to and lightened some of the heavier layers in my locks before setting it in a flattering and manageable style, helpfully explaining all the while how I could achieve similar results myself at home.

Next, I was off to Karen Case?s beauty clinic, Monera, in North Street, Thame, for their challenge of the day ? to transform this ruddy-faced country girl into a glamorous girl-about-town in one hour.
Using products from the ID range, Beautician, Laura Morris applied a granula foundation that toned down my rosy tones, softening some of the wear-and-tear that age and cycling have inflicted. Then she applied a clever combination of colours to my somewhat hooded eyelids that amazingly made my eyes seem larger and brighter. Wow – I was beginning to like this new me. The first manicure my chipped and gardening-damaged nails had ever had in their life (well, apparently nails are actually dead as my pedantic biologist friend tells me, but you know what I mean) completed the treatment.
Had I more time to spare, I would have gone the whole hog and tried more of Monera?s specialities, which include facials, waxing (for men too!), pedicures and particularly, Stone massage. Go along to their Open Day on November 7, and experience some for yourself ? I can highly recommend the wonderful pampering and feel-good result on one?s confidence and ego that the whole beauty salon thing gives.
All I had to do was to go home and change into my brown linen trousers and brown and cream lacy top, (which I had brought the week before from a charity shop), and the transformation was complete.

After a relaxing bus ride to Marble Arch via the Oxford Tube from Lewknor, I strolled in the sunshine up Park Lane to my world-famous destination, with the words and melody of the old 1940?s number, Putting On The Ritz, buzzing around in my brain. (A friendly, cockney ?doing the knowledge? before qualifying as a London cabbie, had pointed me in the right direction).
Then, just past Green Park Station, there it was ? the hotel of the rich and famous, opitimising style, sophistication and elegance, looking like a French chateau.

Going in past the doorman with his gold-braided shoulders and top hat, I negotiated the large, wooden revolving door like a Ritz regular and, trying not to look too much like an awe-struck ?towny?, confidently strolled along the long, vaulted gallery hung with sumptuous chandeliers that runs the whole length of the building.
Suddenly, the jacket that I was carrying over my shoulder bag, began to slip to the floor; my cover was blown; but almost before it had reached the ground, one of the uniformed attendants standing attentively at the ready, deftly stepped to my side and picked it up before handing it to me with a respectful: ?Madame?? and a slight bow.
Having restored my composure, I found the Marie Antoinette suite, one of the elegant public rooms that lead off the gallery on either side, where I had been invited to a Press Launch of an intriguing new beauty treatment called Chromo-Science, currently all the rage in up-market beauty salons and spas throughout the UK.
Collin UK claims to offer ?a one hour and 30 minute retreat from the hustle and bustle of your life and stresses, offering a complete rebalancing of your energy centres (Chakras)”. The treatment incorporates colour therapy, relaxation and meditation along with brand new active ingredients, promising a “re-programming session for your skin?s cells, to stimulate them to function in the way that they did in your younger years.??..hmmmm thought the sceptic in me.
And yet, I pride myself on being open minded and so, with a wonderful plate of elegantly cut, crustless sandwiches in front of me, a silver pot of Green tea and a shiny three-tiered cake stand of little fancy cakes, I watched as the lights were lowered and a slim, toned and attractive 40 something (well, she might have been a 50 something that had received the Chromo-Science for herself for all I knew) began the demonstration. Gently she massaged seven different coloured serums to match each Chakra into the skin of a brave volunteer, each for a specific need of the skin, i.e. energy, oxygenation, protection or hydration, all of them smelling absolutely gorgeous. All the while a soothing voice-over CD drew us and the brave guinea pig from our ranks, into a world of Mediterranean villages of golden sunshine, blue waters and friendly church bells, culminating in the Fountain of Harmony serum.

Interestingly, my favourite smell of all the samples brought round for the gathered journalists to sniff, was the green, Fountain of Tone for protection, green being my favourite colour.
We were all given a goody bag containing the 28 day ?cell re-programming cure? and a voucher to have the 90 minute massage treatment at our nearest participating salon, which I shall certainly be using in the near future. (The nearest salons to us in Thame are The Orchid Rooms, in Olney, or The Beauty Studio at Appletrees, Chesham, both in Bucks).

After meeting my eldest son, whose response at seeing his new-look mum was: ?You look sort of ???.different,? for a quick drink in the Portebello Road, only four tube stops away from the Ritz, I practically floated home on the Oxford Tube.

Back in Thame, I went into the News Agents to top up my mobile phone, and thinking that I could get used to this ?Putting On Ritz? lark, I bought a lottery ticket.
Oh well, a country girl can dream can?t she?

FACT FILE:
Eclipe Hair Design, 1a Cornmarket, Thame, OX9 3DX ? 01844 260062
Monera, 62-63 North Street, Thame, OX9 3BH ?
01844 260454
Collin (UK), Beeston Grange, Sandy, SG19 1PG ?
01767 682288 ? www.collin.ltd.uk

RECENTLY, I had a most interesting day. For the last couple of months it has been increasingly difficult to find, in Oxford, my favourite brand of tea.
I contacted the supplier, who said they would love to help, but their factory had just burnt down the day before! I thought that the fates were against me. But luck was in hand for they suggested that the nearest store likely to have this brand of tea was in the Chiltern town of Thame, home to the Midsommer Murders detective series.

So – I rang the Waitrose Store in Thame, and they managed to find the last few packets of my favourite brand. I told them to hold it for me for collection. Such was my desperate need for my addiction; I went off to Thame at once. At Thame I made my way past fine old Georgian buildings to the Waitrose Store. Their friendly Waitrose staff produced rather crumpled packets of the last of my favourite tea left in Oxfordshire. I was so cheered up to see the tea I had been for so long missing; I began to think how I could enjoy a decent cup of tea, as soon as possible. As luck would have it in this town, famed for being the location of ?Midsommer Murders?, some of my friends lived only a few streets away.

On my mobile I rang them and said since it was midday, could I join them for lunch and celebrate my finding of my favourite beverage with them. They agreed, but asked would I mind buying some sandwiches for us all. I was rather taken aback, that I was the one providing the picnic lunch. I purchased some freshly made delicious beef and venison sandwiches at a nearby store.

Arriving at their Georgian Manor House, I found them in the garden awaiting the provisions, but they did provide some fine wine. During lunch, I noticed what I took to be vultures, flying high above; in fact they were Kites waiting to scavenge for our delicious sandwiches.

Over tea, made from one of the packets I purchased that day, we discussed what else was in the heart of Midsommer Murders country, apart from our favourite detectives. We all agreed that the tea was excellent. My detective work had paid off. Mission accomplished ?Case solved!

Read more from Nicholas by visiting the Oxford Prospects website

POTENTIALLY one of the most crucial ways in which you may become involved with the court system is as a witness.
If you see or hear a crime happening then you could be called upon to give evidence in court about it.
Many people feel frightened by the thought of this. Often people find the courtroom a bewildering and intimidating place, and feel terrified at the thought of taking the stand and facing cross-examination.

However the Witness Service exists to smooth the process and make it less of an ordeal. Trained volunteers will provide information about the procedure of the court, offer emotional support to the witness and even accompany them into the courtroom. All these services are free. We do not, however, discuss the evidence or give legal advice.

The Witness Service is there not just to help and reassure witnesses of crime, but also to offer support to victims of crime and their friends and family who are attending court. The Witness Service supports all prosecution and defense witnesses, but not defendants in their particular case.

Witness Service and is currently looking for more volunteers to develop and strengthen the service in Oxfordshire Magistrates Courts. Volunteers can be young or old and from all backgrounds. You don?t need any prior experience of the criminal justice system as this will be covered in the comprehensive training that all volunteers must undertake. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer please ring Lucy Humpris on 01993 708 147 or email witness-service.oxford@uk.uumail.com

Could you be a friend to a lonely, older person?
Age Concern Oxfordshire is looking for volunteers for our Personal Home Visit service for lonely, housebound and isolated people, aged 60 and over, living in and around Thame. All it takes is an hour or two a week to pop in and have a chat, play board games or just have a cup of tea. So little of your time can make a real difference to their lives.

We are also looking for volunteers to help with its Hospital Aftercare Support scheme operating in South Oxfordshire. When a patient is discharged from hospital, we provide a volunteer to meet that patient at their home for a friendly chat and to help with shopping, banking, collection prescriptions etc, for a period of five days. We urgently need volunteers for this crucial service. Would you like to help give older people the confidence to make it on their own?

Age Concern Oxfordshire needs your help. A little bit of effort can go a very long way. To find out what you can do to help with one or both of the services, please contact Alex Ivey on 01235 849 400 or 07906 352 113.

AS part of the VE Day 60th Anniversary celebrations weekend, May 6-8, Fothergills Brasserie at Thame’s Spread Eagle Hotel, has come up with a special menu celebrating war-time recipes.
General Manager, Mark Baxter and Assistant Manager, Graham Cockell, have compiled a menu using references to The Stork War Time Cookery Book, The Ration Book Diet, various internet sites “The much valued memories of Fothergills’ Regular Clientele.”
One regular, Jessie Elks, has loaned her own original Ration Book, her Identity Card and a letter from the King that all school children received at the time. The menus will be on offer for lunch and dinner on May 6,7 and 8; reservations are essential.
The dishes on offer include Steamed Bacon Clangor with Oxford sauce, Lord Wolton’s Pie, Spam fritters, Rice pudding and Spiced apple dumplings.
Authentic music from the period will fill the air and all Fothergill’s staff have been issued with their own ID card!