June 2023

18 Buckden Roundabout June 2023 Village News Buckden WI At our May Meeting we enjoyed a talk by Liz Dive a self – con- fessed Shakespeare Groupie. Liz spoke about “ William Shake- speare ’ s Life. She wears an em- broidered coat for talks and thea- tre outings which she calls her Theatre Coat. Liz spoke about Shakespeare ’ s life. He was born 23rd April in 1564 and died on his birthday in 1616. He had three brothers, Gilbert, Richard, and Edmund, and two sisters: Anne, who died at seven, and Joan. His Dad was a glovemaker. Shakespeare went to Stratford school at 11 and only spoke Latin. He didn ’ t go to university. When he was 18, he had a special licence to marry Anne Hathaway. She was pregnant with a girl called Su- sannah. In early 1585, the couple had twins, Judith and Ham- net, completing the family. In the years ahead, Anne and the children lived in Stratford while Shakespeare worked in Lon- don, although Shakespeare ’ s only son, Hamnet, died in 1596 at the age of 11. Liz told us about the Globe, an Elizabethan playhouse for which William Shakespeare wrote his plays, in the London Borough of Southwark. The Globe, which opened in 1599, became the playhouse where audiences first saw some of Shakespeare's best - known plays. In 1613, it burned to the ground when the thatched roof caught fire during a performance of Shake- speare's Henry VIII. A new, second Globe was quickly built on the same site, opening in 1614. Liz gave us large photographs of the Globe and then described parts of it using a model which we were able to imagine. This was a real asset. The Stage Roof is held up by Two Tree Trunks. The ceiling is known as “ The Heavens ” and the under stage “ Hell ”. On the ground were hazelnut shells which were noisy when trodden on, but they soaked up the mud and water. The worst seats cost a penny and the people who bought them were known as Groundlings. The best seats cost more money but were the least stinky. Liz enthused about Shakespeare saying he is the most fa- mous playwright in the world with Hamlet being very popular. People still go to theatres to see plays performed. Liz is one of these people as she absolutely adores Shakespeare and always pays for a cushion for £2 as the seats are hard. Liz has watched up to 3 plays in a day and some in different languages. Liz kept the audience enthralled as she is a very good lively speaker. Her talk was informative, and interesting. We all en- joyed the evening and hope to invite Liz back again. Our next meeting will be on Tuesday 6th June at 7:30pm in the Millard Suite and the speaker will be from Cambridgeshire Po- lice talking about “ Fraud and Cybercrime prevention. ” The Competition will be a “ a favourite crime novel ”. We warmly welcome new members and visitors so if you would like more information please contact: Emma Spencer Competition 07960 018412 Judith Armitage – 01480 811717 Swifts in Buckden By now the most aerial of our summer migrant birds, swifts, should be well into their breeding season. These are remarkable birds on many counts. Having left their nests in Britain in late July or early August the young birds will not land again for the best part of two years, spending their entire time on the wing. They feed on insects and spiders caught on the wing, sleep on the wing and when the time comes, mate and collect the few feathers they need for their nests on the wing. They spend a short time in Britain, from late April to late July, where they nest in holes in old buildings and in roofs. Sadly however these nest sites are disappearing and with them per- haps the most charismatic of our summer visitors. This year however, in a bid to increase the number of available nest sites, ten nestboxes have been erected in the village. These are equipped with a “ swift caller ”, a small device that makes swift calls and alerts the birds to the new nest site. This is an experimental project which may take a year or two to bear fruit but if successful will help to increase the swift popu- lation locally. Keep an eye out for swifts during the summer months as they scream around rooftops. If you think they maybe nesting please go to swiftmapper.org.uk to record where they were seen. Swifts are very site faithful and will try to nest in the same place every year. Knowledge of where the birds are nesting will help to site more boxes in future in places which have the greatest chance of success.