For me, 'Silent Night' is perhaps the most evocative of all the Christmas Carols.  There are others of course, but they are mostly 'busy' carols, echoing the world as it runs helter skelter through the festive season. And those bright and busy carols are the ones that we will have heard a hundred times in shops and in the media in the run up to Christmas Day - along with the Christmas songs that today's children often confuse with carols. I like 'Silent Night' because it grounds us - it brings us back to the truth of what Christmas Day is all about.

A reminder that it is not too late to order a copy of "The Pilgrim's Guide To Devon's Churches", a book outlining the Church of England churches in Devon, all 627 of them. It is due to be published in late October. It will cost £7.99. St Mary's will be having a supply available on publication, and if you would like to reserve a copy (or two or three) then please contact the PCC secretary.

The parish church of St Mary's was filled when the village joined together to commemorate Remembrance Sunday. Led by the church choir and uniformed youth groups and villagers walked from the Parish Hall to the church where the service was conducted by Reader David Palmer.

Free roaming dogs are thought to be to blame for the increasing amounts of faeces being found on the village sports complex, especially the football pitch. This represents a health hazard to players and referees are ordering that a clean sweep of the pitch be made before play can commence. Owners are asked to keep their dogs on leads whilst in the area and clean up the mess.

Hemyock has always enjoyed a low crime rate, but of late the number of acts of vandalism and anti-social behaviour are on the increase.