July 2023

18 Buckden Roundabout July 2023 Village News Knot Garden News The gardeners managed to finish laying the last of the slate chippings ready for the Plant Sale and decided to leave the Santolina plants in pots so that they can be shaped during the summer. At the other end of the garden the white flowers on the med- lar tree in the Herb bed are attracting the bees. Every Tudor household would have grown herbs for use in their own homes, not only for cooking but as insect repellents and to treat minor ailments. Many of the herbs had more than one use and could be used as the base for infusions or salves. Some aromatic herbs would have been used to strew on the floor to mop up spillages and to act as a deterrent to pests like mice and fleas. Wall Germander, Sweet Woodruff and Rose- mary were frequently used. Infusions of Rosemary leaves, Sage, Lovage or Tarragon were used as antiseptics for cuts and grazes. The leaves of Costmary were used to make a salve to treat burns and insect stings. Thyme leaves were used to make a tea to gargle to ease a sore throat or infected gums and if the patient developed a cough and cold a tea of Jerusalem Sage leaves might have helped. Feverfew tea was taken for headaches and to lower a fever. For those finding difficulty sleeping herbs pillows were made from a combination of dried herbs. Lavender, Santolina, Lemon Balm could be mixed with rose petals, hops and Chamomile flowers. These remedies were popular with Tudor families but please don ’ t try them at home! 1 st Southoe & Buckden Scout Group Beer and Gin Festival Friday 8th & Saturday 9th September 2023 Scout Hut – Lucks Lane, Buckden Please support us raising money for Beaver, Cub, Scout and Explorer activities At our June meeting we welcomed Rachel from the Cambridgeshire Constabulary Fraud and Cybercrime Prevention Team to help us recognise cyber crimes and advise us as to what to do should we be a victim of such crime. Due to the rising incidents of cyber crimes she is now one of four who deal specifically with this subject. In Cambridgeshire alone last year £1,027,000.00 was lost dur- ing May and in June £2,500,000.00 lost due to fraud and cyber crimes. Text messaging to gain personal information is far easier and more difficult to trace than burglary and many of these crimes are carried out from abroad, often from countries with no ex- tradition agreements. Tips on how to avoid scams include having a strong password, up - dating with good anti virus protection and backing up infor- mation. A good word to remember is "UNDERPANTS" – change regular- ly and don't pass around!! If you suspect a fraud has been committed dial 159 which will immediately get you through to your bank. Don't feel rushed or panicked and never invest more than you can afford to lose. Remember: if it sounds too good to be true then it probably is. Our thanks to Rachel for explaining how these scams are per- petrated and pointing out strategies for avoiding them. Hopefully, we're all now better equipped at detecting them although we possibly had a sleepless night mulling it all over! Our next meeting is on Tuesday, July 4th and is an evening gar- den party to be held at 37 Park Road, Buckden. All are most welcome and for further information please con- tact: Emma Spencer – 07960 018412 or Judith Armitage – 01480 811717