We hope you are all well, fully recovered from surfeits of shopping and Christmas cheer, and over your nasty coughs and colds.

I expect the sight of a little snow last week immediately turned your minds to Misbourne working parties.  Never fear! – there will be one for you on Saturday 31st January commencing 10.00 a.m.  We aim to spend an energising and relatively dry couple of hours clearing MRA debris accumulated over two years from beside the river between pond and church bridge at CSG and having a bonfire, clearing a few fences and other blockages and continuing the bank tidying at CStP.  We hope to be joined by a contingent from CSG Youth club.  Please let me know if you can join us.

I was very sorry indeed to read today of the death of Bill Warren, Chair of CSG Parish Council.  Bill worked tirelessly for the community and helped us when he could and was intending to encourage more councillors and residents in CSG to join our activities.

The enigma that is the Misbourne continues.  As you have probably noticed, flow through the Chalfonts is as good as one could hope for. However, as normal, the winterborne effect has brought the top of the river well down from its spring feed point at Mobwell pond.   Groundwater levels are quite high at the top of the river and at CSP but historically below average for January at Quarrendon Mill.  Rainfall totals for the 3 and 6 months to end December were fairly normal but the highs of last winter have sustained the 12 month totals. The back stream at CSP is still not flowing.  Every time you think you can see a pattern, something else contradicts it.  Any way let’s maximise and enjoy it while we can!

You can browse and interrogate the figures to your heart’s content on the website.  But, speaking of enjoying things, we had a lovely, fun evening of good food and company at our dinner in December.  Sorry to those, quite a few, who said they genuinely would have wished to come but had a prior engagement.  To avoid the same this year, let’s float a date for 2015 now! How about Monday 14th December? – RSVP.  

While feeling all jolly and sociable, I also think it might be nice to have a riverside picnic and, maybe a bit of a treasure hunt or game of rounders or something for the children, in the summer.  Any enthusiasm out there?

Our first not-a-meeting of 2015 will be at The Greyhound next Thursday, 29th, at 7.45.  Come along, enjoy their real log fire, and let me know your views on what you think we might do this year as well as catching up on local news, views and gossip.