CLEARING up a few things to start, I wish you all a happy new year.

An acute inner ear infection for a couple of weeks, immediately followed by a dose of the severe cough that’s laying many residents low recently, meant that I just couldn’t manage to write in the last couple of issues before Christmas. However, I hope you have remembered to save those used stamps from your cards to help raise some funds for the Air Ambulance – ask at the PO counter for the box in which to place them.

As for my own Christmas dinner, I needed to pull out of joining family members away from the valley, and had the unusual experience of eating in a restaurant – Da Luca was open and served a very palatable and inventive variation on the traditional English turkey, even including an Italianate preparation of sprouts. A Charlie’s taxi there and back enabled me to support local businesses while enjoying some glasses of wine.

SADLY, there is some bad news for a few of you at the start of 2015.

The trial Saturday bus service, connecting Marlow, Marlow Bottom and Little Marlow, that was funded for the past year by a consortium of SW Chilterns and Marlow Local Area Forum and Chepping Wye Valley Local Community Partnership, has proven to be financially non-viable. The number of passengers (figures provided by the bus company) using the bus on Saturday mornings simply does not justify its continuation. The provision of a subsidy from the county would not have met BCC criteria.

The service will operate for the last time on Saturday, January 31. The weekday service will continue as normal.

If you have any questions please contact either Marlow Town Council, Marlow Bottom Parish Council or Little Marlow Parish Council.

PERHAPS to offer the opportunity of raising your fitness to walk to Marlow after the bus retires, there is the potential of a new activity for veterans – that means anyone above the age of 35, apparently – to join in a five-a-side football session on Wednesday evenings at the Redgrave Sports Centre between 8 and 10pm.

Games will be refereed and will last 24 minutes each way with a two-minute break for half-time. There is a charge of £35 per team per match, and you are urged to sign up soon to ensure the scheme can go ahead. Application forms, for teams or individuals are available online at www.vetsfootballleague.com and you can get further information from there from www.facebook.com/wycombevets football or email kirsty.feasey@wycombe.gov.uk There are two similar sites being organised, thereby enabling league competitions with cups and prizes.

RECENTLY, there have been several press reports and reflections on the best places to live for longevity. While Marlow Bottom may not compete with that Italian mountain village where they all live on wild rocket and olive oil until they're 110, it must be fairly high up on the list of desirable domiciles. This column has celebrated two centenarians in recent years, and now I can happily report that tomorrow is the great celebration for another of our residents.

Ruby Green (I seem to recall she was one of the generations of her family who baked rather tasty cakes to sell on a roadside stall for Children in Need) should be receiving her telegram from the Queen in tomorrow morning’s post.

It was the Valley WI who alerted me so, from them and all valley readers, many congratulations to Ruby.

DURING November and December there were still some disturbing statistics on speeding in the valley. Of the 750 or so vehicles a day that passed the Hill Farm Road junction in 24 days, well over a third were travelling at 35mph or more (a handful were doing around 60!).

That figure of 35mph, I am told, is almost certain to result in the driver being stopped by the police and receiving a severe warning or prosecution. Even a warning could result in an annotation that might be used in any unrelated later incident.

The following gentle aide-memoire from TVP might prove refreshing comment.

“Community volunteers work alongside Thames Valley officers to identify vehicles which break the speed limit.

“Registration numbers are entered onto a database which produces a letter informing the registered owner that their vehicle has been noted to have exceeded the speed limit and asking them not to do so in the future.

“If the same registration number is logged in another Speedwatch anywhere within Thames Valley, the owner will receive another letter advising them that if they are caught a third time, the information will be passed onto Roads Policing, who may take further action.”

I think that is offered as friendly PC yuletide speak for ‘three strikes and you’re in!’ VALLEY Fish Bar is inviting your support in this year’s National Chip Week (February 16 to 22).

Marlow Town Mayor will be there on February 17 at 12noon to add emphasis to the event and help the chip shop to retain its title of ‘Best Chips in Buckinghamshire’.

NOTICING that TV property programmes highlight ‘pioneering’ ideas of interior design, I’ve got my own ecologically friendly and creative contribution to modern decoration. I’ve collected enough pizza leaflets to paper the dining room and only need a couple more taxi cards to complete an exciting contrasting dado rail frieze.