the vine villages - october / november 2014 - issue 15

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Vine FREE the October/November 2014 Issue 15 Connecting local people to local businesses • Pitstone • Ivinghoe Aston • Marsworth • Edlesborough • Eaton Bray • Totternhoe • Toddington • Harlington • Hockliffe • Stanbridge • Tilsworth • Eggington • Tebworth • Dagnall

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A free community magazine for villages in and around the Dunstable area of Bedfordshire. Packed with an engaging variety of articles, news, puzzles, competitions and local what's on guide. The Vine is also a local business directory, offering affordable and effective advertising to local businesses - "connecting local people to local businesses". 8,000 copies delivered to homes throughout Dunstable and the surrounding villages. www.thevinemagazine.com

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Page 1: The Vine Villages - October / November 2014 - Issue 15

VineFREEthe

October/November 2014 Issue 15

Connecting local people to local businesses

• Pitstone • Ivinghoe Aston • Marsworth• Edlesborough • Eaton Bray • Totternhoe • Toddington • Harlington• Hockliffe • Stanbridge • Tilsworth • Eggington • Tebworth • Dagnall

Page 2: The Vine Villages - October / November 2014 - Issue 15

Please mention the Vine when responding to adverts

Curry Garden RestaurantHigh Street, Eggington, LU7 9PD

Tel: (01525) 211814 (01525) 210796Email: [email protected] www.cgrestaurant.co.uk

Open 7 days a week including public holidaysMon - Sat: 5pm - 11pm Sun: 12 Noon - 10.30pm

~ SPECIAL GOURMET NIGHTS ~

Every Sunday, Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday(Excluding Bank Holidays)

4 Course meal and filter coffee £10.95 per person

~ SPECIAL SUNDAY BUFFET~Every Sunday, 12 Noon - 5pm

Eat as much as you like from our wide variety of excellent Indian dishes!

Adults £9.95 Children (under 10 yrs) £6.95

• Separate function room available for all types of parties including Christenings, Birthdays, Hen nights, Stag nights, Engagements, Weddings etc.

• 20% OFF collected orders over £15.00

• FREE home delivery orders over £15.00 (within a 5 mile radius)

• Ample Private car park

New Menu

New Dishes Curry Garden

Restaurant& Horseshoes Public House

(1 starter, 1 main course, 1 side dish, 1 rice/nan)

25% ALL FOOD

Thursday - Sunday 5pm - 7pmHAPPY HOURS!

OFF

BOOK NOWXmas Parties!

Also Open Boxing Day

Special Christmas Day

Menu5 Course Lunch

£24.95 - Adults£12.95 - Children (under 10)

• 10% OFF Bottled Beer & Wine (Collected orders only)

Page 3: The Vine Villages - October / November 2014 - Issue 15

3

THE WHITE LIONChalk Hill, Dunstable, LU6 1RSwww.whiteliondunstable.co.uk

01582 663366

Christmas at the white lion

FESTIVE MENU

PRIVILEGE CARD Deal September, October & November

Three Course menu & crackers included.

You can book for the festive menu for any number of

people, for lunch or dinner, every day of the week.

£25.00 Per Person

Come and visit us in September, October and November and receive Privilege card offers when you

present your PRIVILEGE CARD. Pick up your privilege card from the pub now!

To view our offers visit: www.whiteliondunstable.co.uk/whats-on/

Cheaper lunch options also available, pop in to pick up a brochure now!

PARTY NIGHTSThree course menu,

DJ Entertainment and crackers included.

These take place on Friday’s: 28th November, 5th December,

12th December & 19th December

£27.00 Per Person

Genuine Freehouse Nestled in the Countryside...

...Good Honest Freshly Prepared Food! ...& Free Wi-Fi! ...FOR FOOD & GIFTS WE LOVE!... 01582 872460

The Bell DUNSTABLE RD, Studham, BEDS. LU6 2QG.

10 MINUTES FROM DUNSTABLE, NEAR THE DUNSTABLE DOWNS

Email: [email protected] ...Let's Celebrate Xmas Together!www.thebellinstudham.co.uk 10% OFF FOOD WITH THIS ADVERT

Page 4: The Vine Villages - October / November 2014 - Issue 15

4 Please mention the Vine when responding to adverts

Editors:Scott NightingaleShelly Nesbitt

Editorial: 01525 22237907852 [email protected]

Whilst every care has been taken to ensure the content of advertising and articles published in this magazine are accurate, neither the publisher or its editorial contributors can accept and hereby disclaim any liability to any party to loss or damage caused by errors.Neither do they reflect the opinion of this publication. The Vine does not officially endorse any advertising mate-rial included within this publication.No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior permission.

Dagnall Community Choir 6 Town At Athe Crossroads 8Harlington Scouts 10Competition 12French Market 14Looking Up! 16What’s Best For You 18Consumer Clinic 20At Home 22In The Garden 24Auto-biographies 28The Hash House Harriers 32Health, Beauty & Wellbeing 36Dementia 38Why Children Should Play 40Puzzles 42Out & About 44

Advertising: Shelly Nesbitt01525 22237907852 [email protected]

This Month...

Copy deadline for our next issue - 15th November

Vinethe

LEATHER

CAR SEAT & FURNITURE REPAIRS

Most repairs can be undertaken

in your home by our qualified

leather technicians, or larger jobs

brought into our fully equipped

workshop.

• Rips • Cigarette Burns • Holes • Cat Scratches • Re-colouring• Colour Matching • Cleaning• Cracking • Stain Removal • Re-Padding • Spring Replacement.

Repairing leather is approximately 20% of the cost of re-upholstering

Before After Before After

RESTORATION SERVICE

Unit 26 Acacia Close, Cherrycourt Way, Leighton Buzzard, LU7 4QE

Luton:01582 380 750 Leighton Buzzard:01525 888 250

Website: www.furnitureclinic.co.uk

Blocked Gutters?We can clear them! Using our high power

long reach gutter vacuum . Our on board camera system ensures

your gutters are left

100% clear!

Tel: 01582 511226

Terraced house - £49 Semi detached - £59 Detached from - £65

Page 5: The Vine Villages - October / November 2014 - Issue 15

5www.thevinemagazine.comPlease mention the Vine when responding to adverts

Dagnall Community Choir 6 Town At Athe Crossroads 8Harlington Scouts 10Competition 12French Market 14Looking Up! 16What’s Best For You 18Consumer Clinic 20At Home 22In The Garden 24Auto-biographies 28The Hash House Harriers 32Health, Beauty & Wellbeing 36Dementia 38Why Children Should Play 40Puzzles 42Out & About 44

twitter.com/pchelpcentre

10% Discounton any product orservice when quotingthis reference: LOS

“pchelpcentreprovided a very good,

fast & professionalservice”

Bill Watts, Renault Trucks UK Ltd– IT Manager

Visit our store for a wide varietyof services to the home and business

user including:

• Laptop & Desktop Repairs• Virus Removal • Data Recovery

• Screen Repairs• Home / Office Visits

PC Help Centre

Page 6: The Vine Villages - October / November 2014 - Issue 15

6

TOWN FARM ART SHOW IN CHEDDINGTON

Festive art show in Cheddington: mulled wine, mince pies and Christmas cake, plus lots of exciting ideas for hand-crafted, high quality Christmas gifts.

Twelve talented artists showing paintings, illustration, ceramics, glass, woodcraft, woodcarving, stonecarving, printed textiles andjewellery.For photos & more info, see: www.townfarmartshow.blogspot.com.

ONE WEEKEND ONLYFriday 28 - Sunday 30 November, 10am – 5pm

6 Town Farm, Cheddington, Near Tring, LU7 0TTPlease park on High Street – not in Town Farm.

Free entry - Donations for refreshments in aid of Rennie Grove Hospice Care.

In a small village Church by the roundabout in Dagnall, every Monday evening, can be heard the sound of mainly beautiful music. Although it must be said that it sometimes sounds a little less beauti-ful when we are in the early stages of learning something new. This is the sound of Dagnall Com-munity Choir which was formed nearly 5 years ago. Two villagers, Geoff Ward and Val Lumley, taking inspiration from Gareth Malone's success with various Choirs, thought it a good idea to consider the formation of something similar for our village. It was mentioned in a local magazine with a date for the first tentative meeting. We hoped that we might attract about 20 or so aspiring singers. So imagine our surprise and delight when 58 people turned up including a very experienced musical director !They came from far and near and we have mem-bers from Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted, Luton, Dunstable, Stanbridge and Caddington as well as from our local villages. The vast majority of those who were there that first night are still with us. We are blessed with a highly accomplished musical director and accompanist, Michelle Garrard and Judy Smither respectively, and some top class singers and their tolerance and patience in helping those less musically gifted has seen continuing improvement in the overall quality of our sound.We practise every Monday evening, 7:45 to 9:45, and never fail to be delighted when approx. 40 dedicated and highly valued choristers, turn up, pay their £1 (including interval refreshments) and fill our little church with beautiful music ranging from The Beatles to Handel.

Our sound can be experienced at various concert appearances throughout the year, the next being our Autumn Showcase Concert at Eaton Bray Vil-lage Hall AT 7:30pm onsaturday October 11th. Tickets are on sale at £8 (or £5 for under 12). This price includes an interval drink, and can be bought via Jill Low on 07505 120097.We hope that you will be able to come along and share the enjoyment of an evening of popular music with us.

Dagnall Community Choir

Page 7: The Vine Villages - October / November 2014 - Issue 15

7www.thevinemagazine.com

Page 8: The Vine Villages - October / November 2014 - Issue 15

DunstableBy Paul Heley

As with Edward, she had been shown kindness by Catherine Parr and readmitted to Court to mix with her brother and half sister, Elizabeth. But upon Edward’s death in 1553, she felt that society was in need of swingeing religious change - and that she now had the power to do something about it. Her first requirement was to secure a Catholic dynasty so, in 1554, she married Philip 2nd of Spain - an equally fervent Catholic - and returned England to the bosom of the Church of Rome. The general panic and alarm caused by these moves only increased Mary’s paranoia together with a grim determi-nation to rid herself of her religious opponents. For start-ers, she imprisoned Elizabeth (a declared Protestant) in the Tower of London (but later released her following an oath of loyalty). Unfortunately for Mary, Philip showed little or no interest in this purely political marriage. But she was so obsessed with the idea of dynasty that, in 1555, she convinced herself that she was pregnant. It was obvious to everyone that she wasn’t but she persisted in her fantasy for well over a year before eventually facing the inevitable truth. As a result, her melancholy became even greater and was exacerbated by the fact that Parliament refused to recognise, or to crown, Philip as King of England. In her warped mind, she strongly believed that these personal setbacks were due to religious heresies left over from Edward’s reign and that the only way to rid herself and the country of this malaise was through the cleansing power of fire. The period 1555/6 is known as the time

of “The Marian Flames” during which some-thing like 300 Protestants were burnt at the stake. If Mary thought that, by these actions, people would see the error of their ways and come to their religious senses, she completely misread the tea leaves since the overwhelming resentment caused by these burnings heralded a renewed upsurge towards protestantism. One can only say that Mary was 400 years ahead of the National Coal Board when it urged us all to “come home to a good fire”!

After this terrible episode in our history, Mary’s continuing (and continual) bad health - due to stom-ach cancer - led to a grudging reconcilia-tion with Elizabeth. Mary died in 1558 after five tumultuous and disastous years to be succeeded by Elizabeth, ie by “Gloriana”, the Virgin Queen. Mary conjures up both a pitiful and an horrific picture: half Spanish and married to a Spaniard, it seems that she never really understood the English and/or their psyche at all.

Apart from occasional visits with her father as a child, Dunstable’s association with Mary is her gift of the ten finely carved Marian Pillars found in the Priory Church. The carvings show dif-ferent Christian motifs and the royal badges of England and Spain, but an obvious question is : why should she have given such carvings to the place where her mother was forcibly divorced and which represented the source of both her own and her mother’s unhappiness? Perhaps she hoped the gift might cause a change of heart and a return to what she saw as the true faith. It didn’t.

By Paul Heley

18 19Please mention The Vine when responding to adverts

Please mention The Vine when responding to adverts

To advertise call: 01525 222379 / 07988 131647

/ E-mail: [email protected] Please mention The Vine when responding to adverts

Please mention The Vine when responding to adverts

Please mention The Vine when responding to adverts

To advertise call: 01525 222379 / 07988 131647

/ E-mail: [email protected] Please mention The Vine when responding to adverts

As with Edward, she had been shown kindness by Catherine Parr and readmitted to Court to mix with her brother and half sister, Elizabeth. But upon Edward’s death in 1553, she felt that society was in need of swingeing religious change - and that she now had the power to do something about it. Her first requirement was to secure a Catholic dynasty so, in 1554, she married Philip 2nd of Spain - an equally fervent Catholic - and returned England to the bosom of the Church of Rome. The general panic and alarm caused by these moves only increased Mary’s paranoia together with a grim determination to rid herself of her religious opponents. For start-ers, she imprisoned Elizabeth (a declared Protestant) in the Tow-er of London (but later released her following an oath of loyalty). Unfortunately for Mary, Philip showed little or no interest in this purely political marriage. But she was so obsessed with the idea of dynasty that, in 1555, she convinced herself that she was pregnant. It was obvious to everyone that she wasn’t but she persisted in her fantasy for well over a year before eventually facing the inevitable truth. As a result, her melancholy became even greater and was exacerbated by the fact that Parliament refused to recognise, or to crown, Philip as King of England. In her warped mind, she strongly believed that these personal setbacks were due to religious heresies left over from Edward’s reign and that the only way to rid herself and the country of this malaise was through the cleansing power of fire. The period 1555/6 is known as the time of “The Marian Flames” during which something like 300 Protestants were burnt at the stake. If Mary thought

that, by these actions, people would see the error of their ways and come to their religious senses, she completely misread the tea leaves since the overwhelming resentment caused by these burnings heralded a renewed upsurge towards protestantism. One can only say that Mary was 400 years ahead of the National Coal Board when it urged us all to “come home to a good fire”!

After this terrible episode in our history, Mary’s con-tinuing (and continual) bad health - due to stomach can-cer - led to a grudging rec-onciliation with Elizabeth. Mary died in 1558 after five tumultuous and disastous years to be succeeded by Elizabeth, ie by “Gloriana”, the Virgin Queen. Mary conjures up both a pit-iful and an horrific picture: half Spanish and married to a Spaniard, it seems that she never really understood the English and/or their psyche at all. Apart from occasional visits with her father as a child, Dunstable’s association with Mary is her gift of the

ten finely carved Marian Pillars found in the Priory Church. The carvings show different Christian mo-tifs and the royal badges of England and Spain, but an obvious question is : why should she have given such carvings to the place where her mother was forcibly divorced and which represented the source of both her own and her mother’s unhappiness? Perhaps she hoped the gift might cause a change of heart and a return to what she saw as the true faith. It didn’t.

8

The Town At The Crossroads - Part XVDunstable

By Paul Heley

Following the death of Henry 8th in 1547, England now entered an even more tur-bulent time - religiously speaking. The bitterness between Protestants and Cath-

olics reached new heights and, as usual, much blood was spilt by these two warring - but sup-posedly Christian! - factions. As the historian John O’Farrel has said “Religious dogma has killed more people in Europe than did the Black Death. Yet it seems blindingly obvious that if people are capable of believing different certainties, then no version can be reliably considered to be the absolute truth”. Following Henry, England was plunged into eleven years of religious extremism: first with Edward 6th

and then with Mary 1st - the children of Jane Seymour and

Catherine of Aragon respec-tively. Edward succeeded his father in 1547 as a rather sickly nine year old boy having had only nurses to care for him from birth, and it was not until Catherine Parr came on the scene, when he was six, that he had any kind of real mother. This lack of motherly love as an infant might explain his

sour-puss nature towards anything or anyone. How-

ever, he was very bright and his carefully planned

education consisted of foreign languages, classics, scrip-ture, pholosophy and the liberal sciences. As usual with medieval boy-kings, he was to be guided by a Council - nominally until he was eighteen. But don’t let it be thought that Edward was a puppet in any sense: he was older than his years and was already staunchly Protestant. When only 13 years old, he disbanded the Council having decided he could do very well without them, thank you very much. During his short reign, he initiated a severe clamp-down on all things Catholic, eg wide-spread iconoclasm of monuments, statues, over decorative wall paintings: in fact, anything re-motely “papist”. Gradually, he became increas-ingly fanatical and might be thought of as an embryonic Oliver Cromwell !!

When only 15, it became clear that he was very ill and not long for this world. This prompted the realisation that his equally fanatical (but Catho-lic) half sister, Mary, was next in line and so an attempt was made to establish Lady Jane Grey (a Protestant who had nothing to do with tea) as potential queen. But this extremely devious plot never really came to anything since, although there was a nominal Queen Jane, she only “reigned” for nine days and was never crowned. So Mary succeeded Edward in 1553 after his death due to tuberculosis when aged only 16. Not surprisingly, Jane didn’t live into ripe old age and was executed whilst also only 16. The milk of human kindness was never Mary’s strong card. One lasting legacy of Edward’s reign, however, is that, unlike his father, he did manage to set up grammar schools across the country and, even to this day, King Edward schools are to be found scattered here and there with some noteworthy former scholars, eg a certain William Shake-speare attended the grammar school at Stratford upon Avon in the 1570s. Mary was much older than Edward having

been born in 1516 so by 1553, she was already 37 years old. Her life had never been happy since she was de-voted to the memory of her mother, Catherine of Aragon and, like her, was a fervent Catholic. But one can easily extend the word “fervent” into

“obsessive” or “fanatical” or even “maniacal”. Although Edward was a fierce Protestant, Mary’s catholicism bordered on the mentally unstable. She fostered a bitter hatred against Anne Boleyn whom she saw as the engine of her mother’s misery and death; and the fact that Anne flirted openly with protestantism made her even more strongly Catholic.

Town At The Crossroads ~ Part XV By Paul Heley

18 19Please mention The Vine when responding to adverts

Please mention The Vine when responding to adverts

To advertise call: 01525 222379 / 07988 131647

/ E-mail: [email protected] Please mention The Vine when responding to adverts

Following the death of Henry 8th in 1547, England now entered an even more turbulent time - religiously speaking. The bitterness between Protestants and Catholics reached new heights and, as usual, much

blood was spilt by these two warring - but sup-posedly Christian! - factions. As the historian John O’Farrel has said “Religious dogma has killed more people in Europe than did the Black Death. Yet it seems blindingly obvious that if people are capable of believing different certainties, then no version can be reliably considered to be the absolute truth”. Follow-ing Henry, England was plunged into eleven years of religious extremism: first with Edward 6th and then

with Mary 1st - the children of Jane Seymour and Catherine of

Aragon respectively.

Edward succeeded his father in 1547 as a

rather sickly nine year old boy having had only nurs-es to care for him from birth, and it was not until Catherine Parr came on the scene, when he was six, that he had any kind of real mother. This lack of motherly love as an

infant might explain his sour-puss nature towards

anything or anyone. How-ever, he was very bright and

his carefully planned education consisted of foreign languages, classics, scripture, pholosophy and the liberal sciences. As usual with medieval boy-kings, he was to be guided by a Council - nominally until he was eighteen. But don’t let it be thought that Edward was a puppet in any sense: he was older than his years and was already staunchly Protestant. When only 13 years old, he disbanded the Council having decided he could do very well without them, thank you very much. During his short reign, he initiated a severe clamp-down on all things Catholic, eg widespread icono-clasm of monuments, statues, over decorative wall paintings: in fact, anything remotely “papist”. Gradu-

ally, he became increasingly fanatical and might be thought of as an embryonic Oliver Cromwell !! When only 15, it became clear that he was very ill and not long for this world. This prompted the realisation that his equally fanatical (but Catholic) half sister, Mary, was next in line and so an attempt was made to establish Lady Jane Grey (a Protestant who had nothing to do with tea) as potential queen. But this extremely devious plot never really came to anything since, although there was a nominal Queen Jane, she only “reigned” for nine days and was never crowned. So Mary succeeded Edward in 1553 after his death due to tuberculosis when aged only 16. Not surprisingly, Jane didn’t live into ripe old age and was executed whilst also only 16. The milk of human kindness was never Mary’s strong card. One lasting legacy of Edward’s reign, however, is that, unlike his father, he did manage to set up gram-mar schools across the country and, even to this day, King Edward schools are to be found scattered here and there with some noteworthy former scholars, eg a certain William Shakespeare attended the grammar school at Stratford upon Avon in the 1570s.

Mary was much older than Edward having

been born in 1516 so by 1553, she was

already 37 years old. Her life had never been happy since she was devoted to the memory of her mother, Catherine of Aragon and, like her, was a fervent Catholic. But one can easily extend the word “fervent” into “obsessive” or “fanatical” or even “maniacal”. Although Edward

was a fierce Protestant, Mary’s catholicism bordered on the mentally unstable. She fostered a bitter hatred against Anne Boleyn whom she saw as the engine of her mother’s misery and death; and the fact that Anne flirted openly with protestantism made her even more strongly Catholic.

Town At The Crossroads ~ Part XV By Paul Heley

18 19Please mention The Vine when responding to adverts

Please mention The Vine when responding to adverts

To advertise call: 01525 222379 / 07988 131647

/ E-mail: [email protected] Please mention The Vine when responding to adverts

Following the death of Henry 8th in 1547, England now entered an even more turbulent time - religiously speaking. The bitterness between Protestants and Catholics reached new heights and, as usual, much

blood was spilt by these two warring - but sup-posedly Christian! - factions. As the historian John O’Farrel has said “Religious dogma has killed more people in Europe than did the Black Death. Yet it seems blindingly obvious that if people are capable of believing different certainties, then no version can be reliably considered to be the absolute truth”. Follow-ing Henry, England was plunged into eleven years of religious extremism: first with Edward 6th and then

with Mary 1st - the children of Jane Seymour and Catherine of

Aragon respectively.

Edward succeeded his father in 1547 as a

rather sickly nine year old boy having had only nurs-es to care for him from birth, and it was not until Catherine Parr came on the scene, when he was six, that he had any kind of real mother. This lack of motherly love as an

infant might explain his sour-puss nature towards

anything or anyone. How-ever, he was very bright and

his carefully planned education consisted of foreign languages, classics, scripture, pholosophy and the liberal sciences. As usual with medieval boy-kings, he was to be guided by a Council - nominally until he was eighteen. But don’t let it be thought that Edward was a puppet in any sense: he was older than his years and was already staunchly Protestant. When only 13 years old, he disbanded the Council having decided he could do very well without them, thank you very much. During his short reign, he initiated a severe clamp-down on all things Catholic, eg widespread icono-clasm of monuments, statues, over decorative wall paintings: in fact, anything remotely “papist”. Gradu-

ally, he became increasingly fanatical and might be thought of as an embryonic Oliver Cromwell !! When only 15, it became clear that he was very ill and not long for this world. This prompted the realisation that his equally fanatical (but Catholic) half sister, Mary, was next in line and so an attempt was made to establish Lady Jane Grey (a Protestant who had nothing to do with tea) as potential queen. But this extremely devious plot never really came to anything since, although there was a nominal Queen Jane, she only “reigned” for nine days and was never crowned. So Mary succeeded Edward in 1553 after his death due to tuberculosis when aged only 16. Not surprisingly, Jane didn’t live into ripe old age and was executed whilst also only 16. The milk of human kindness was never Mary’s strong card. One lasting legacy of Edward’s reign, however, is that, unlike his father, he did manage to set up gram-mar schools across the country and, even to this day, King Edward schools are to be found scattered here and there with some noteworthy former scholars, eg a certain William Shakespeare attended the grammar school at Stratford upon Avon in the 1570s.

Mary was much older than Edward having

been born in 1516 so by 1553, she was

already 37 years old. Her life had never been happy since she was devoted to the memory of her mother, Catherine of Aragon and, like her, was a fervent Catholic. But one can easily extend the word “fervent” into “obsessive” or “fanatical” or even “maniacal”. Although Edward

was a fierce Protestant, Mary’s catholicism bordered on the mentally unstable. She fostered a bitter hatred against Anne Boleyn whom she saw as the engine of her mother’s misery and death; and the fact that Anne flirted openly with protestantism made her even more strongly Catholic.

Page 9: The Vine Villages - October / November 2014 - Issue 15

DunstableBy Paul Heley

As with Edward, she had been shown kindness by Catherine Parr and readmitted to Court to mix with her brother and half sister, Elizabeth. But upon Edward’s death in 1553, she felt that society was in need of swingeing religious change - and that she now had the power to do something about it. Her first requirement was to secure a Catholic dynasty so, in 1554, she married Philip 2nd of Spain - an equally fervent Catholic - and returned England to the bosom of the Church of Rome. The general panic and alarm caused by these moves only increased Mary’s paranoia together with a grim determi-nation to rid herself of her religious opponents. For start-ers, she imprisoned Elizabeth (a declared Protestant) in the Tower of London (but later released her following an oath of loyalty). Unfortunately for Mary, Philip showed little or no interest in this purely political marriage. But she was so obsessed with the idea of dynasty that, in 1555, she convinced herself that she was pregnant. It was obvious to everyone that she wasn’t but she persisted in her fantasy for well over a year before eventually facing the inevitable truth. As a result, her melancholy became even greater and was exacerbated by the fact that Parliament refused to recognise, or to crown, Philip as King of England. In her warped mind, she strongly believed that these personal setbacks were due to religious heresies left over from Edward’s reign and that the only way to rid herself and the country of this malaise was through the cleansing power of fire. The period 1555/6 is known as the time

of “The Marian Flames” during which some-thing like 300 Protestants were burnt at the stake. If Mary thought that, by these actions, people would see the error of their ways and come to their religious senses, she completely misread the tea leaves since the overwhelming resentment caused by these burnings heralded a renewed upsurge towards protestantism. One can only say that Mary was 400 years ahead of the National Coal Board when it urged us all to “come home to a good fire”!

After this terrible episode in our history, Mary’s continuing (and continual) bad health - due to stom-ach cancer - led to a grudging reconcilia-tion with Elizabeth. Mary died in 1558 after five tumultuous and disastous years to be succeeded by Elizabeth, ie by “Gloriana”, the Virgin Queen. Mary conjures up both a pitiful and an horrific picture: half Spanish and married to a Spaniard, it seems that she never really understood the English and/or their psyche at all.

Apart from occasional visits with her father as a child, Dunstable’s association with Mary is her gift of the ten finely carved Marian Pillars found in the Priory Church. The carvings show dif-ferent Christian motifs and the royal badges of England and Spain, but an obvious question is : why should she have given such carvings to the place where her mother was forcibly divorced and which represented the source of both her own and her mother’s unhappiness? Perhaps she hoped the gift might cause a change of heart and a return to what she saw as the true faith. It didn’t.

By Paul Heley

18 19Please mention The Vine when responding to adverts

Please mention The Vine when responding to adverts

To advertise call: 01525 222379 / 07988 131647

/ E-mail: [email protected] Please mention The Vine when responding to adverts

Please mention The Vine when responding to adverts

Please mention The Vine when responding to adverts

To advertise call: 01525 222379 / 07988 131647

/ E-mail: [email protected] Please mention The Vine when responding to adverts

As with Edward, she had been shown kindness by Catherine Parr and readmitted to Court to mix with her brother and half sister, Elizabeth. But upon Edward’s death in 1553, she felt that society was in need of swingeing religious change - and that she now had the power to do something about it. Her first requirement was to secure a Catholic dynasty so, in 1554, she married Philip 2nd of Spain - an equally fervent Catholic - and returned England to the bosom of the Church of Rome. The general panic and alarm caused by these moves only increased Mary’s paranoia together with a grim determination to rid herself of her religious opponents. For start-ers, she imprisoned Elizabeth (a declared Protestant) in the Tow-er of London (but later released her following an oath of loyalty). Unfortunately for Mary, Philip showed little or no interest in this purely political marriage. But she was so obsessed with the idea of dynasty that, in 1555, she convinced herself that she was pregnant. It was obvious to everyone that she wasn’t but she persisted in her fantasy for well over a year before eventually facing the inevitable truth. As a result, her melancholy became even greater and was exacerbated by the fact that Parliament refused to recognise, or to crown, Philip as King of England. In her warped mind, she strongly believed that these personal setbacks were due to religious heresies left over from Edward’s reign and that the only way to rid herself and the country of this malaise was through the cleansing power of fire. The period 1555/6 is known as the time of “The Marian Flames” during which something like 300 Protestants were burnt at the stake. If Mary thought

that, by these actions, people would see the error of their ways and come to their religious senses, she completely misread the tea leaves since the overwhelming resentment caused by these burnings heralded a renewed upsurge towards protestantism. One can only say that Mary was 400 years ahead of the National Coal Board when it urged us all to “come home to a good fire”!

After this terrible episode in our history, Mary’s con-tinuing (and continual) bad health - due to stomach can-cer - led to a grudging rec-onciliation with Elizabeth. Mary died in 1558 after five tumultuous and disastous years to be succeeded by Elizabeth, ie by “Gloriana”, the Virgin Queen. Mary conjures up both a pit-iful and an horrific picture: half Spanish and married to a Spaniard, it seems that she never really understood the English and/or their psyche at all. Apart from occasional visits with her father as a child, Dunstable’s association with Mary is her gift of the

ten finely carved Marian Pillars found in the Priory Church. The carvings show different Christian mo-tifs and the royal badges of England and Spain, but an obvious question is : why should she have given such carvings to the place where her mother was forcibly divorced and which represented the source of both her own and her mother’s unhappiness? Perhaps she hoped the gift might cause a change of heart and a return to what she saw as the true faith. It didn’t.

9

Page 10: The Vine Villages - October / November 2014 - Issue 15

10

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We are now well into Autumn, and we are looking forward to another year in Harlington Scouts. Over the last few months our numbers have been dwindling and so, its time to start looking for new recruits to join our adventure. After a very wet start, 2014 has given us some pretty good weather. Not that we let the weather interfere with us. In March the weather was looking pretty bad, but we went ahead with a night hike from Harlington to the top of Sharpenhoe Clappers, down to Sharpen-hoe and back to the Scout hut, where we spent the night. The Scouts left in the morning after they had cooked breakfast. Earlier this year we also had an outing to the Shuttleworth collection, where we were given a very interesting tour, which really focussed on early and first world war aircraft. Shuttleworth has really good collection, and workshop where the Scouts could see a spitfire stripped back to basic components. At the time of writing this article we are plan-ning a camp at Milton Bryan for October. Perhaps a little late in the year, but often the weather can be kind in the shoulder months.

Harlington Scouts

__________

__________

Page 11: The Vine Villages - October / November 2014 - Issue 15

1110

During this camp we are intending to chal-lenge the scouts to build a structure from pioneering poles, so let’s see what they can achieve. Pioneering is a traditional Scout-ing skill, and one which gets them building simple things with rope and poles. So, enough of the past, and what of the future, for the Autumn term we are planning some back to basic survival skills, a couple of hikes, some chemistry, some fitness training, a trip to Big Rock and a Christmas party. So, if you child is aged between 10 and 14, and would like to join our Scouting adventure, they would be very welcome to come along on a Tuesday evening from 7pm to 8:30pm.If you would like more information please contact Barry on 01525 630824 or by email: [email protected] finally, adults are also welcome. If you would like to join in occasionally, or become a Leader a little extra help is always wel-come.John Cousins, Andy Ingram, and Pat Nippard, Harlington Scouts__________

__________

wildlifebcn

Houghton Regis Chalk Pit a journey through t imeA Yesteryear Presentation on Houghton Regis Quarry and other local landmarks by John Buckledee

(Chairman of Dunstable and District Local History Society)

A fascinating talk with images from the past and present

on Wednesday, 26th Novemberat 7.30pm

at Dunstable Community Fire Station Lecture TheatreBrewers Hill Road, Dunstable LU6 1AA

Entry by donationTo reserve seats ring 07706 131942 or email [email protected]

www.wildlifebcn.org Registered charity number 1000412

Page 12: The Vine Villages - October / November 2014 - Issue 15

The marvellous Charlie Landsborough hits the road again this Autumn

playing 22 dates across the country arriving at Grove Theatre, Dunstable

on Friday 24th October.

We have 2 pairs of tickets to see Charlie at The Grove Theatre to give away. To win a pair simply complete the title of Charlie’s first big hit? Was it...

What Colour is

A. The wind B. The sea C. The grass

Win Tickets!

It’s been 20 years since Charlie Landsborough first shot to fame with ‘What Colour Is The Wind’ and the song still gets played on national radio.But the story doesn’t end there. Over the years Charlie has released some 27 albums and a plethora of singles going on to win fans across the globe .His melodic, lyrical brand of Americana and finely honed ballads have touched the hearts of people all over the world while the stories that intersperse his live performance are alone worth the price of admission. Charlie and his band always deliver a great night out and this Autumn they take to the road again to play a series of major shows across the UK.The dates come as the sequel to Charlie’s success-ful 2013 Autumn Tour with its Amateur Choir Challenge. (Certain gigs played host to a local choir, all set up by Charlie and all in aid of Chil-dren In Need.)The new dates see Charlie playing tracks from his latest CD ‘Here There and Everywhere’, a col-lection of Beatles’ songs, as well as much loved favourites from the past and previous albums.He is joined by his regular band for what prom-ises to be an exceptional evening of music, good humour and inspirational playing.Indeed, as BBC TV’s Gerry Anderson so aptly put it, "Charlie's like good wine, he matures quietly over a long period of time, when the cork was popped it was well worth the wait"!

On The Road

Like our facebook page - The Vine Magazine, Dunstable - and post your answer to our wall. See Facebook for full terms & conditions.

Totternhoe Quarry Volunteer work parties

www.wildlifebcn.org

The Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire Registered Office: The Wildlife Trust, The Manor House, Broad Street, Great Cambourne, Cambridge CB23 6DH

Registered in England 2534145. Registered Charity No: 1000412

Would you like to spend a day working in the

fresh air & help to look after this nature reserve?

If so please come along on.

Thursday 25th September– Scrub Clearance Meet at the entrance to Knolls View, Totternhoe.

Friday 3rd October– Scrub clearance. Meet at 10am at the end Knolls View, Totternhoe.

Sat 1st November- Scrub clearance. Meet at 10am at the end Knolls View, Totternhoe.

Fri 5th December- Scrub clearance. Meet at 10am at the end Knolls View, Totternhoe.

Tues 16th December-Scrub clearance. Meet at 10am at the end Knolls View, Totternhoe.

All tools & safety equipment are provided,

however stout footwear or wellies are recommended, plus waterproofs.

Tea & coffee are provided but please bring your own lunch & cold drinks.

For more information or to confirm your attendance please contact

Richard knock on 07872 418279 or [email protected] or the

Page 13: The Vine Villages - October / November 2014 - Issue 15

13www.thevinemagazine.com

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Page 14: The Vine Villages - October / November 2014 - Issue 15

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France At Home, At Home In Dunstable!

France at Home will now also be on The Square on Friday 24 October 2014 so you will have two whole days to decide which lovely goods to keep or to give away as Christmas presents!For the first time France at Home will be running a genuine French Market on Friday 24 AND Satur-day 25 October in Dunstable, on The Square from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm.

French Traders, coming from Normandy, will be selling a wide range of authentic produce from France including bread and patisserie, pancakes, French cheeses and wines, leather handbags, olives from Provence, paté and saucisson from Normandy, wooden toys, basketwork and French music.There will be many fantastic products that you will want to try. Bakery, biscuits and crepes: This is something that the French do best. The variety and styles of breads is truly amazing. You will cer-tainly have to watch your waistline when you are tempted by the delicious crepes and cakes !Cheese and Sausages: These are just two of the variety of foodstuffs available. There is a full range of cooked meats and a delightful range of delicious crepes, biscuits and much more.Music: A treasure trove of vintage music from the 20s to the 50s. You will find amongst others, CDs of the great Chansons Francaises from Edith Piaf and Charles Trenet to Jacques Brel and George Brassens, accordion music, swing from the likes of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli, Dixieland from New Orleans, Jazz, Blues and much more.Hats, Scarves, Bags - Try on a French chapeau or choose a leather hand crafted bag to go with your outfit. Then further accessorise it with a Paris styled scarf - but be warned there is such a huge choice it could take some time.Come and say Bonjour to Dunstable’s French Market!

FRENCH MARKET

Page 15: The Vine Villages - October / November 2014 - Issue 15

www.thevinemagazine.com15

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Page 16: The Vine Villages - October / November 2014 - Issue 15

By Seb Jay

Dark Sky Telescope Hire www.darkskytelescopehire.co.uk

[email protected]

Scetch of Mars through a telescope.

See the International Space Station Sail Overhead: October sees the International Space Station (ISS) sail through Bedfordshire’s evening sky. The action begins on Saturday 11th October at 7:18pm with a 7-minute passage of the ISS. Look for a constant bright white light with your naked eye moving steadily across the sky on a roughly west to east trajectory. If you miss it don’t worry. The space station will be making at least one appearance every evening until Tuesday 28th October.

Is it an Owl or a Bat? It’s a question I ask every-one on my stargazing tours when we turn the tel-escope to a distant star cluster catalogued as NGC 457. This tight-knit collection of more than a hun-

dred stars nestled in the constellation of Cassiopeia is visible every clear night in autumn, and makes a real impression when viewed in a telescope. Some see it as an Owl with two beady eyes glowing out of the darkness. Others see the shape of an alien, a skier or a bat. What might you see?

Discover the November Leonids: Mid-No-vember this year is a great time to catch a falling star. Cast your eyes to the east after midnight on November 17th to 21st, and look out for bright flashes of light shooting up across the sky from the eastern horizon. The November Leonids typically produce 15 – 20 shooting stars per hour. Some years however see much higher rates of activity.

Bedfordshire’s Night Sky Looking Up!

October & November 2014Image courtesy of NASA

16

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Page 17: The Vine Villages - October / November 2014 - Issue 15

17www.thevinemagazine.com

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Page 18: The Vine Villages - October / November 2014 - Issue 15

18

What ’s Best For You By Martin Lewis

Martin LEWIS Tackle your bills

Winter is coming. Don’t wait until you’re knee-deep in the white stuff to sort your bills. Here, prevention truly beats cure – tackling your bills now means you can take the financial bite out of winter chills…

Free loft insulation and even boilers (for some). While the loft insulation free-for-all's ended, some will still be entitled to some serious free energy-saving measures. Most of the big six energy firms offer free boilers, typically worth £2,000, and free insulation, usually worth about £300. Crucially, you don't need to be with the energy provider to get it, but you do generally need an income under £16,000, and to be on income-related benefits or pension credit. I can’t definitely say you’ll qualify, but it is worth checking. Alternatively, the well-meaning but stuttering Green Deal initiative is designed to let you pay for things like underfloor heating, double glazing and solid wall insulation, from the 'savings' you make on energy bills. Deciding whether it’s right for you is complex, so for full help read www.moneysavingexpert.com/greendeal

Save £100s and beat the hikes. Rather surprisingly, fixing energy, where you lock in a set rate, is now cheaper than a normal switch. Five of the big six energy providers have now announced hikes, and their best new prices are costlier than the cheapest fixed tariffs. So right now you can get the very cheapest deals available, and it comes with no-hike certainty. The only exception to this is a variable (ie, subject to hikes) tariff from minnow Spark Energy – though it hasn't hiked (yet?), needs paying upfront, and feedback ain't great, so I’m ignoring it.

The cheapest fix comes from E.on for a year, but slightly longer and only a touch more are deals from EDF or Npower. Crucially, these two have no exit penalties. So on the off-chance the Prime Minister delivers the price cuts he’s promised, and the even more unlikely event that they’ll be so substantial that other tariffs elsewhere are cheaper, you'll be free to leave.

However, always do the numbers for your own circumstances. To check if you can save (you may be on an older, cheaper deal), and who your winner is, you can use my Cheap Energy Club top fixes comparison at www.cheapenergyclub.com, or do a standard

comparison on any Ofgem-approved comparison site – just search for The Confidence Code at www.ofgem.gov.uk to see the full list. If you're not online, use a comparison with a phone service, such as Energyhelpline on 0800 074 0745, or uSwitch on 0800 051 5493.

Paying energy bills by monthly direct debit’s up to 6% cheaper. If you can, do, as it’ll usually mean discounted bills of up to 6% less, so contact your provider to check. Though always do regular meter readings for accuracy, as your bill is estimated. If it’s too high, you have a right to ask for it to be lowered.

Got electricity only? You can still save. With electricity only, you can still get a cheap fix to save - just follow the info above. For those on Economy 7, assessing is trickier. It’s only really a boon for those who use at least 40% of their energy at night. If not – don’t bother. Full help to decide at www.mse.me/eco7

Can you find your stopcock? No sniggering - winter frozen pipe bursts can create an average £7,000 of damage, often worsened as many scrabble round searching for their stopcock - the mains water off switch - for ages as their home floods.

Take the time to find it now – mine is under the kitchen sink. Others find theirs in the bathroom or inside a cupboard. If yours isn’t working, you may want to call a plumber now, before it’s a problem.

Choosing between heating and eating? If you're seriously behind, or in general financial hardship - as far too many are after the hikes - you may be eligible for special help. Call the Home Heat Helpline on 0800 33 66 99 to check. Plus if anyone in your home was born on or before 5 January 1952, you're due up to £300 in tax-free winter fuel payments. Payments should be made automatically, but if you’ve never had it before then you may need to register - see www.gov.uk.

Plus anyone on specific income support, jobseekers' allowances or pension credit gets £25 in cold weather payments for every 7 days it's sub-0 C.

@MoneySavingExpert

Train ticket prices are to logic what reindeer are to scrabble. In other words, they’ve nothing in common. If you want to save

money on the train, take the logic book and throw it out of the window.  While travelling by train can be cheap, efficient and easy, the pricing system is a mess. So to really hone down the

cheapest priced tickets you need to understand and combine first the simple tips, then the bizarre…

Train Prices

Book 12 Weeks Early For Cheaper Fares Most people know if you book early you’ll get cheaper advance train tickets. Yet it’s important to understand these are generally sold in tranches, in other words there’s a set number of each type, so the aim is to buy them before they go. The key time to look is around 12 weeks before you want to travel, as that’s when the timetable is set so most operators launch their advance tickets then or within a couple of weeks giving you maximum choice. So if you know you’ve got something pencilled in you need to travel to, diarise so you can be ready to pounce.

Grab A (Discounted) Railcard There are more national railcards available than there used to be. These normally cost £30 (though often there are codes to discount this check on www.mse.me/train-deals) and reduce all fares by a third. Therefore if you’re likely to spend over £90 even on a one-off trip it’s worth it. The Main Cards Are… Family & Friends Railcard. Two people can be named on this, and then a named person and up to three other adults can travel and get 30% off the fare, providing you’re travelling with between one and four kids, who get 60% off. Two Together Railcard. This one’s relatively new. It gives two named people on the card providing they’re

travelling together a third off. If you often travel with different people, you could be named on more than one card to cover the combinations. Senior Railcard. This gets over 60’s a third off. 16-25 Railcard. Also a third off, though it’s often cheapest to buy the 3 years card (and worth remember-ing to do it before your 24th birth-day to give you maximum time).

Get Advance Discounts Late Never assume that you’re too close to travel to book an advance or discounted fare. Walk on fares are often far costlier than those even booked a day or so in advance. Always check via the rail compa-nies own site. Check via sites like www.redspottedhanky.com, www.takethetrain.co.uk, www.eastcoast.co.uk and www.nationalrail.co.uk.

Singles Can Beat Returns Lots of top deals are only available on one-way fares and cheaper fares are often available for two single tickets, but not the return. Do a quick search for both options and work out the difference in price before you finalise your booking.

Split Tickets, Not The Journey Now it’s time to really throw the log-ic book out of the window to make some really big savings. Instead of buying tickets for the whole journey, instead bizarrely buying tickets for its constituent parts separately can slash the price – even though you're travelling on exactly the same train,

at the same time, possibly in the same seat. It's perfectly allowed within the National Rail Conditions of Carriage and the only rule is that the train must call at the stations you buy tickets for. I’ve built a tool www.mse.me/ticketysplit that searches for variants for you to see if you can save. One of the best ever examples I’ve seen of this was on a direct London to Durham return when the cheap-est ticket was £301. Yet buying four singles for the same journey: Lon-don to York, which was one of the stops, York to Durham, and then in reverse, was £82 for the same train at the same time - possibly even the same seats. However, it’s important to understand that this is an example - the savings vary train by train. Even an hour later the same split may not work, so you need to check each time or use the various web tools available to find your split.

Look For Hidden Promos Lots of train companies have hidden promotions buried on their websites – which you won’t find if you’re going through a ticket booking web-site, such as TheTrainline.com or Redspottedhanky.com. For example, at the time of writing East Coast has 10% off some advance online fares and 50% off selected super off-peak tickets to London, while on South-eastern up to four kids can travel for £1 off-peak with an adult. For a full list of hidden promos go to www.mse.me/traindeals.

What ’s Best For You

Buy Rail Tickets When Not Travelling By Train To Get Discounts This sneaky trick sounds bizarre but it works. National Rail offers 2for1 discounts on a host of attractions across the UK – you just download and print out a voucher and present it with a train ticket. Attractions include Ascot Race-course, Alton Towers and Madame Tussauds. For example, if you wanted two tickets to Lon-don Zoo, as an adult ticket costs £24, providing the train ticket is less, it’s worth buying one even if you won’t actually go by train (just pop to a station on the way). Though of course it’s an even better saving if you’re actually using it.

Know Your Train Refund Rights You may be entitled to money back for delays over 30 minutes, every operator has different rules. Technically the delay or cancellation needs be the operators fault, such as train or signal failures. Yet even when not, such as weather, strikes or maintenance work, some firms will pay out if you claim (as for a claim form when you arrive). More help in www.mse.me/traindelays.

Page 19: The Vine Villages - October / November 2014 - Issue 15

19www.thevinemagazine.com

What ’s Best For You By Martin Lewis

Martin LEWIS Tackle your bills

Winter is coming. Don’t wait until you’re knee-deep in the white stuff to sort your bills. Here, prevention truly beats cure – tackling your bills now means you can take the financial bite out of winter chills…

Free loft insulation and even boilers (for some). While the loft insulation free-for-all's ended, some will still be entitled to some serious free energy-saving measures. Most of the big six energy firms offer free boilers, typically worth £2,000, and free insulation, usually worth about £300. Crucially, you don't need to be with the energy provider to get it, but you do generally need an income under £16,000, and to be on income-related benefits or pension credit. I can’t definitely say you’ll qualify, but it is worth checking. Alternatively, the well-meaning but stuttering Green Deal initiative is designed to let you pay for things like underfloor heating, double glazing and solid wall insulation, from the 'savings' you make on energy bills. Deciding whether it’s right for you is complex, so for full help read www.moneysavingexpert.com/greendeal

Save £100s and beat the hikes. Rather surprisingly, fixing energy, where you lock in a set rate, is now cheaper than a normal switch. Five of the big six energy providers have now announced hikes, and their best new prices are costlier than the cheapest fixed tariffs. So right now you can get the very cheapest deals available, and it comes with no-hike certainty. The only exception to this is a variable (ie, subject to hikes) tariff from minnow Spark Energy – though it hasn't hiked (yet?), needs paying upfront, and feedback ain't great, so I’m ignoring it.

The cheapest fix comes from E.on for a year, but slightly longer and only a touch more are deals from EDF or Npower. Crucially, these two have no exit penalties. So on the off-chance the Prime Minister delivers the price cuts he’s promised, and the even more unlikely event that they’ll be so substantial that other tariffs elsewhere are cheaper, you'll be free to leave.

However, always do the numbers for your own circumstances. To check if you can save (you may be on an older, cheaper deal), and who your winner is, you can use my Cheap Energy Club top fixes comparison at www.cheapenergyclub.com, or do a standard

comparison on any Ofgem-approved comparison site – just search for The Confidence Code at www.ofgem.gov.uk to see the full list. If you're not online, use a comparison with a phone service, such as Energyhelpline on 0800 074 0745, or uSwitch on 0800 051 5493.

Paying energy bills by monthly direct debit’s up to 6% cheaper. If you can, do, as it’ll usually mean discounted bills of up to 6% less, so contact your provider to check. Though always do regular meter readings for accuracy, as your bill is estimated. If it’s too high, you have a right to ask for it to be lowered.

Got electricity only? You can still save. With electricity only, you can still get a cheap fix to save - just follow the info above. For those on Economy 7, assessing is trickier. It’s only really a boon for those who use at least 40% of their energy at night. If not – don’t bother. Full help to decide at www.mse.me/eco7

Can you find your stopcock? No sniggering - winter frozen pipe bursts can create an average £7,000 of damage, often worsened as many scrabble round searching for their stopcock - the mains water off switch - for ages as their home floods.

Take the time to find it now – mine is under the kitchen sink. Others find theirs in the bathroom or inside a cupboard. If yours isn’t working, you may want to call a plumber now, before it’s a problem.

Choosing between heating and eating? If you're seriously behind, or in general financial hardship - as far too many are after the hikes - you may be eligible for special help. Call the Home Heat Helpline on 0800 33 66 99 to check. Plus if anyone in your home was born on or before 5 January 1952, you're due up to £300 in tax-free winter fuel payments. Payments should be made automatically, but if you’ve never had it before then you may need to register - see www.gov.uk.

Plus anyone on specific income support, jobseekers' allowances or pension credit gets £25 in cold weather payments for every 7 days it's sub-0 C.

@MoneySavingExpert

Train ticket prices are to logic what reindeer are to scrabble. In other words, they’ve nothing in common. If you want to save

money on the train, take the logic book and throw it out of the window.  While travelling by train can be cheap, efficient and easy, the pricing system is a mess. So to really hone down the

cheapest priced tickets you need to understand and combine first the simple tips, then the bizarre…

Train Prices

Book 12 Weeks Early For Cheaper Fares Most people know if you book early you’ll get cheaper advance train tickets. Yet it’s important to understand these are generally sold in tranches, in other words there’s a set number of each type, so the aim is to buy them before they go. The key time to look is around 12 weeks before you want to travel, as that’s when the timetable is set so most operators launch their advance tickets then or within a couple of weeks giving you maximum choice. So if you know you’ve got something pencilled in you need to travel to, diarise so you can be ready to pounce.

Grab A (Discounted) Railcard There are more national railcards available than there used to be. These normally cost £30 (though often there are codes to discount this check on www.mse.me/train-deals) and reduce all fares by a third. Therefore if you’re likely to spend over £90 even on a one-off trip it’s worth it. The Main Cards Are… Family & Friends Railcard. Two people can be named on this, and then a named person and up to three other adults can travel and get 30% off the fare, providing you’re travelling with between one and four kids, who get 60% off. Two Together Railcard. This one’s relatively new. It gives two named people on the card providing they’re

travelling together a third off. If you often travel with different people, you could be named on more than one card to cover the combinations. Senior Railcard. This gets over 60’s a third off. 16-25 Railcard. Also a third off, though it’s often cheapest to buy the 3 years card (and worth remember-ing to do it before your 24th birth-day to give you maximum time).

Get Advance Discounts Late Never assume that you’re too close to travel to book an advance or discounted fare. Walk on fares are often far costlier than those even booked a day or so in advance. Always check via the rail compa-nies own site. Check via sites like www.redspottedhanky.com, www.takethetrain.co.uk, www.eastcoast.co.uk and www.nationalrail.co.uk.

Singles Can Beat Returns Lots of top deals are only available on one-way fares and cheaper fares are often available for two single tickets, but not the return. Do a quick search for both options and work out the difference in price before you finalise your booking.

Split Tickets, Not The Journey Now it’s time to really throw the log-ic book out of the window to make some really big savings. Instead of buying tickets for the whole journey, instead bizarrely buying tickets for its constituent parts separately can slash the price – even though you're travelling on exactly the same train,

at the same time, possibly in the same seat. It's perfectly allowed within the National Rail Conditions of Carriage and the only rule is that the train must call at the stations you buy tickets for. I’ve built a tool www.mse.me/ticketysplit that searches for variants for you to see if you can save. One of the best ever examples I’ve seen of this was on a direct London to Durham return when the cheap-est ticket was £301. Yet buying four singles for the same journey: Lon-don to York, which was one of the stops, York to Durham, and then in reverse, was £82 for the same train at the same time - possibly even the same seats. However, it’s important to understand that this is an example - the savings vary train by train. Even an hour later the same split may not work, so you need to check each time or use the various web tools available to find your split.

Look For Hidden Promos Lots of train companies have hidden promotions buried on their websites – which you won’t find if you’re going through a ticket booking web-site, such as TheTrainline.com or Redspottedhanky.com. For example, at the time of writing East Coast has 10% off some advance online fares and 50% off selected super off-peak tickets to London, while on South-eastern up to four kids can travel for £1 off-peak with an adult. For a full list of hidden promos go to www.mse.me/traindeals.

What ’s Best For You

Buy Rail Tickets When Not Travelling By Train To Get Discounts This sneaky trick sounds bizarre but it works. National Rail offers 2for1 discounts on a host of attractions across the UK – you just download and print out a voucher and present it with a train ticket. Attractions include Ascot Race-course, Alton Towers and Madame Tussauds. For example, if you wanted two tickets to Lon-don Zoo, as an adult ticket costs £24, providing the train ticket is less, it’s worth buying one even if you won’t actually go by train (just pop to a station on the way). Though of course it’s an even better saving if you’re actually using it.

Know Your Train Refund Rights You may be entitled to money back for delays over 30 minutes, every operator has different rules. Technically the delay or cancellation needs be the operators fault, such as train or signal failures. Yet even when not, such as weather, strikes or maintenance work, some firms will pay out if you claim (as for a claim form when you arrive). More help in www.mse.me/traindelays.

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Page 20: The Vine Villages - October / November 2014 - Issue 15

20

By Jonathan Vernon-Smith

Should You Bother With Loyalty Cards?

You can listen to The JVS Show every weekday morning from 9am on BBC Three Counties Radio

Consumer Clinic

From the Tesco Clubcard to the Boots Advantage Card. The Mor-rison’s miles card to the Sainsbury’s Nectar card. All the big companies are doing it – encouraging us to be LOYAL to them and not to stray elsewhere. But which of these schemes should we bother with, and which should we completely ignore? The first thing you need to under-stand about loyalty schemes is that they’re NOT giving you anything for free. The shops that offer rewards for your loyalty, build the cost into their schemes. Ultimately their customers pay for it, but indi-rectly. Therefore it’s up to you to be a savvy consumer to maximise the benefit. They’ll be furious at me for telling you this, but DO NOT LET THE LOYALTY CARDS MAKE LOYAL! Just because you get points for shopping at a certain supermarket doesn’t mean you’re getting the best deal on your groceries. Keep your eyes open and be prepared to shop around, and maybe even do your shopping at a company that doesn’t reward you in any way. When you empty the bags in your kitchen, you may still end up better off than you would have done with all your so called ‘loyalty’ points. Remember you can use cash in more shops than you can points! If

you’ve saved cash, it means more. That said, it’s still worth having them. You’ll notice I said ‘them’. I did so deliberately. My advice is to get THEM ALL! Either online or in-store, you should apply for ALL the (free) loyalty schemes in the shops you frequent. That way you can benefit both in price and in points. If you’ve researched and found the best price for a product you want to buy AND you benefit from getting loyalty points (that can eventu-ally be redeemed for something meaningful), then you really have earned the right to consider yourself a ‘SAVVY’ consumer. Some energy providers now pro-vide points for certain loyalty cards. For example if you have your gas or electricity with E-On, you can link your account with your Tesco Club-card and earn points every time you switch a light on. If you're already with E-On and feel they offer you the best price, then this is an added benefit, but as I mentioned earlier, these loyalty incentives are rarely enough to switch supplier based on loyalty points alone. Most petrol stations now provide a loyalty scheme for fuel. For exam-ple you can earn Nectar points by filling up at a BP garage. That's fine if you were going to fill up at a BP station anyway, but please remem-

ber that it's still more important to shop around for the best price on fuel, rather than choosing a garage based on the loyalty points you can earn. In the end you're saving may be worth much more than the points are worth. It’s also worth noting that many credit cards offer a ‘points’ system to keep customers loyal to them. This can be very beneficial. I recently had a statement telling me that I have used my credit card so much in the last year that I’m en-titled to 24 bottles of Pinot Grigio! Considering I practically bathe in the stuff, this made me do a little dance in my kitchen. I would have purchased the items anyway, but by ensuring I paid for them on my credit card (whilst paying off the balance in full), I have earned my-self a little treat!! Always do your research before you get a credit card. Make sure you look at the loyalty scheme they operate and ensure they reward buying things in shops you use the most. Finally don’t forget to use them and ensure you have a big purse or wal-let. If you follow the advice above, you’ll need one!

Page 21: The Vine Villages - October / November 2014 - Issue 15

21

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Page 22: The Vine Villages - October / November 2014 - Issue 15

22

At Home&In The Garden

To make a small room seem biggerIf you want to make a small space look larger the obvious recommendation is to paint it in a light, bright, colour. This reason this works is because your eye isn’t drawn to anything in particular and the colour is light reflective. This helps to make the space feel more spacious and airy, and distributes the natural light well. Painting all surfaces the same colour also has the effect of space. Try using a darker colour on the floor and keeping the walls light.

To make a floor space appear largerA way to make your floor space appear larger is to paint your skirting in a dark colour to match a flooring. This gives the illusion of the floor travelling up the walls so tricks your eye into thinking it’s a bigger space than it really is. A way to do this with walls to make them appear taller is to continue the wall colour up onto the coving.

Help a long narrow room look widerYou can make a long narrow room ap-pear wider by painting the end wall in an advancing colour. Examples of advancing colours are reds, oranges, yellows, ma-roons and pinks. They help to bring your eye to the colour, which gives a widening effect to the rest of the room.

These are just some basic tricks to using colour to your advantage when decorat-ing. Give them a try and see the difference a little colour can make!

by Sarah Akwisombe. www.sarahakwisombe.com

Paint Your Perfect RoomColour creates subtle feelings and moods that you may not even notice. Walking into a space that’s painted all Red can make you feel warm and passionate. Orange; fresh and perhaps hungry! Blue; calm and tranquil. But aside from just changing your mood, you can also use colour to draw attention to, or away from certain areas of a room or accentuate a feature. It’s a trick interior designers have been using for years and with a little understanding of how colour works, you can too!

Page 23: The Vine Villages - October / November 2014 - Issue 15

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Page 24: The Vine Villages - October / November 2014 - Issue 15

In The Garden

Hedge-ing Into Winter

A beginners guide to...

RhubarbRhubarb originates from the colder parts of China and its popularity is fairly recent in historical terms, becom-ing more widely eaten as sugar became less expensive. The leaves are toxic and so too are the stems later on in the year, because the toxic acids move down the stems from the leaves and into the crown as the winter temperatures cool.October is the perfect time to plant rhubarb if you haven’t got any at the moment and would like a patch of your own. It’s quite un-fussy and will grow in sun or part shade as long as the soil is moisture retentive. Add well-rotted manure to the planting hole and mulch the plant with a ‘doughnut’ shape of manure about 50cm deep in spring. Give the plant a feed with ‘blood, fish and bone’ in March and watch it grow! It’s an easy perennial plant, which produces giant leaves and is pretty resistant to pests, although hungry mammals might feast on the crowns in early spring when food is scarce.Early rhubarb can be ‘forced’ inside up-turned dust bins, but only do this with established plants. Place a black bin (or terracotta rhubarb forcing jar if you’re a pro) over the plant in early spring, and then enjoy the small, tender and sweet stems as they develop and

search for the light. Grown commercially in large dark sheds in the Yorkshire rhubarb triangle - be-tween Wakefield, Leeds and Morley - this wonderful vegetable (classed as a fruit for tax reasons) can also be divided up this month if you have a large overgrown patch.Rhubarb freezes very well, and lasts for around a year, in fact I made a crumble in April this year using last years frozen harvest. Chopped into 1cm pieces, it can be placed directly into freezer bags, but to retain its colour should be blanched for around 1 minute in boiling water. Allow to cool and dry before freezing. To revive, boil in a little fresh orange juice, a teaspoon of cinnamon powder and sugar to taste before allow-ing to cool. It’s a versatile crop and makes great jam, compote and crumble, and tastes delicious when made as above and served with crème fraîche.

November is the perfect time for planting new hedges, and at this time of year it's a very

safe bet. Prior to the use of contain-erised plants (which can be planted at almost any time of the year) plant-ing between November and March was a gardeners only option, and as far as the plants are concerned it's still the best by far. When plants are dormant (asleep) they will hardly even notice being moved, and by spring when their new leaves emerge their roots will have already pushed through the sur-rounding soil in their new home. Hedges are often thought of as hard work, time consuming and have been at the centre of heated neigh-bourly debates (whether it's cutting them too low or letting them grow too high). They are great for blocking out unsightly views, adding privacy, and also make a wonderful place for wildlife to live, rest and nest. For the past 3 years we've had a variety of birds nesting in our Yew hedge and the addition of extra life in the garden

always pleases me. If you're looking for a quick solution to a green screen, then you have two options, either instant (such as a 2m high instant hedge, pre grown, trained and clipped, perfect for the impatient gardener), or Leylandii conifers. As I write this I can hear the screams, but it really is the best op-tion for speed and it's cost-effective. Do be aware that legally, as of a cou-ple of years ago, you have to keep its growth contained to 2m high if on a boundary (this does not apply to any other species). For the more patient gardener, try the classic evergreen Yew hedging. Like most beautiful things in life, it's more expensive to buy. It's also slower growing (15-30cm per year), but does only require cutting once per year in September, and will provide you with the most beautiful hedge. I also favour the evergreen Portuguese laurel, which has a smaller leaf than the more common cherry laurel, or Beech if it doesn't need to be evergreen.

For a smaller hedge it has to be Box, but alternatives include Lavender, Berberis, Lonicera, and for the perfect no-cut low hedge go for a small Hebe, (simply choose a variety which only grows to the height you actually want the hedge to grow to).Whichever hedge you choose, the ground preparation should be the same. For containerised, bare-root or root-balled hedges, dig out a trench which follows the line of the proposed hedge, this should be at least one and a half times wider and deeper than the rootball. Fork over the base of the trench and return some of the soil, so that when you plant the hedge it sits at the same level as previously planted (i.e. not too deep). Backfill with the removed soil, add a handful of bonemeal per plant, and dig in. Firm with your boot then water well before mulch-ing with 5cm of compost, manure or bark clippings.

Page 25: The Vine Villages - October / November 2014 - Issue 15

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Page 26: The Vine Villages - October / November 2014 - Issue 15

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Page 27: The Vine Villages - October / November 2014 - Issue 15

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Page 28: The Vine Villages - October / November 2014 - Issue 15

28

auto Biographies

Max speed: 132 mph 0-62 mph: 8.4 secs Combined mpg: 48.7Engine: 1598cc 4 cylinder 16 valve petrol Max. power (bhp): 156 at 6000 rpm Max. torque (lb/ft): 180 at 1400 rpm CO2: 134 g/km Price: £21,345 on the road

FAST FACTS

PROS & CONS Classy √ Attractive √ Safe √Responsive √Rear legroom X

By Tim Barnes-Claywww.carwriteups.co.uk

Peugeot must have sprin-kled fairy dust over its designers, because there are now some attractive motors in its automotive stable, including the 308.

It’s no secret that the French firm hasn’t always produced beautiful motors – yet, conversely, Peugeot has created some of the most popular cars on the road.

To bring more of a balance to the automaker’s looks department, the brand is moving up-market. It’s an initiative started several years ago and seen most recently with the 208 and 2008.

The initial design brief of the New 308 had the highest levels of quality at its heart and that has been more than noticed already. Crowned 2014 European Car of the Year, at the Geneva Motor Show, the suave Peugeot offers a touch of technology, comfort and practicality. The new 308 is the fourth Peugeot model to be distinguished by the ‘Car of the Year’ accolade; it comes after the 307 (2002), 405 (1988) and 504 (1969).The appearance of the Pug is more akin to the latest Mercedes Benz A-Class than anything else. The front of the car is dominated by a ‘floating’ front grille and by a strong lighting signature. Slim full-LED headlamps glitter like dia-monds and the striking illumina-tion continues at the rear, with the three Peugeot lion ‘claws’ drawn by piercing red LED lamps. Inside, the 308 includes a touch-screen panel on the dashboard for added indulgence. It also has a practical purpose; it brings together many of the infotainment controls in one place, for ease of use and to create a contemporary and uncluttered cabin. Everything is arranged for an experience that is intuitive and relaxing so that you can focus entirely on the road ahead.The head-up instrument layout means that information can be clearly read easily and safely, looking over rather than through the wheel. The Peugeot also has a com-pact steering wheel and newly

developed electric power steering, resulting in a responsive and controlled driving experience. My 1.6, 156bhp petrol powered ‘Feline’ model certainly impressed me with its ability to stick to the road and hug bends - even when pushed hard. The car is stuffed to the brim with safety packages too. As well as multiple airbags it has an ‘Emer-gency Collision Alert System’, which gives out an audible warn-ing should you get too close to the backside of someone else – or if you’ve just not braked in time. The 308 is also furnished with an ‘Emergency Collision Braking System’. This is a clever bit of gadgetry where, in the event of a possible crash, automatic braking is triggered to prevent the impact or reduce the consequences.What’s more, the five door car offers great fuel economy, without compromising too much on space. There’s plenty of room for luggage and shopping, as well as for you and your front seat pas-senger. Rear-seat travellers don’t have quite so much legroom, but headroom is fine and rest of the car is cosseting enough to provide a soothing ride.The new 308 is seriously worth considering if you’re after a medium sized family motor. The fact that the model will also be manufactured and sold in China indicates just how much belief there is in this car.

auto BIOGRAPHIES New Pegeot 308 (Feline THP 156)

By Tim Barnes-Clay, Motoring Writer www.carwriteups.co.uk @carwriteups

Peugeot must have sprinkled fairy dust over its designers, because there are now some attractive motors in its automotive stable, including the 308. It’s no secret that the French firm hasn’t always produced beautiful motors – yet, conversely, Peugeot has created some of the most popular cars on the road. To bring more of a balance to the automaker’s looks department, the brand is moving up-market. It’s an initiative started several years ago and seen most recently with the 208 and 2008. The initial design brief of the New 308 had the highest levels of quality at its heart and that has been more than noticed already. Crowned 2014 European Car of the Year, at the Geneva Motor Show, the suave Peugeot offers a touch of technology, comfort and practicality. The new 308 is the fourth Peugeot model to be distinguished by the ‘Car of the Year’ accolade; it comes after the 307 (2002), 405 (1988) and 504 (1969). The appearance of the Pug is more akin to the latest Mercedes Benz A-Class than anything else. The front of the car is dominated by a ‘floating’ front grille and by a strong lighting signature. Slim full-LED headlamps glitter like diamonds and the striking illumination continues at the rear, with the three Peugeot lion ‘claws’ drawn by piercing red LED lamps. Inside, the 308 includes a touch-screen panel on the dashboard for added indulgence. It also has a practical purpose; it brings together many of the infotainment controls in one place, for ease of use and to create a contemporary and uncluttered cabin. Everything is arranged for an experience that is intuitive and relaxing so that you can focus entirely on the road ahead.

The head-up instrument layout means that information can be clearly read easily and safely, looking over rather than through the wheel. The Peugeot also has a compact steering wheel and newly developed electric power steering, resulting in a responsive and controlled driving experience. My 1.6, 156bhp petrol powered ‘Feline’ model certainly impressed me with its ability to stick to the road and hug bends - even when pushed hard. The car is stuffed to the brim with safety packages too. As well as multiple airbags it has an ‘Emergency Collision Alert System’, which gives out an audible warning should you get too close to the backside of someone else – or if you’ve just not braked in time. The 308 is also furnished with an ‘Emergency Collision Braking System’. This is a clever bit of gadgetry where, in the event of a possible crash, automatic braking is triggered to prevent the impact or reduce the consequences. What’s more, the five door car offers great fuel economy, without compromising too much on space. There’s plenty of room for luggage and shopping, as well as for you and your front seat passenger. Rear-seat travellers don’t have quite so much legroom, but headroom is fine and rest of the car is cosseting enough to provide a soothing ride. The new 308 is seriously worth considering if you’re after a medium sized family motor. The fact that the model will also be manufactured and sold in China indicates just how much belief there is in this car.

FAST FACTS Max speed: 132mph

0-62 mph: 8.4 secs

Combined mpg: 48.7

Engine: 1598cc 4 cylinder 16 valve petrol

Max. power (bhp): 156 at 6000 rpm

Max. torque (Ib/ft): 180 at 1400 rpm

CO2: 134 g/km

Price: £21,345 on the road

PROS ‘N’ CONS

Classy √ Attractive √

Safe √ Responsive √

Rear legroom X

New Pegeot 308 Feline THP 156

Page 29: The Vine Villages - October / November 2014 - Issue 15

30 years

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Page 30: The Vine Villages - October / November 2014 - Issue 15

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Reduce your food waste. Use your freezer.

Bread – Wrap well and store somewhere it won’t get squashed. Defrost over night for the best results.

Garlic – chop and place in ice-cube trays. Cover and freeze. Keeps it fresh and stops it stinking out the fridge.

Cheese – Either freeze in a block or grate it first. Defrost thoroughly before return-ing to the fridge or it will become dry and crumbly.

Onions – pre-chop lots and freeze them in bags ready for use from frozen when-ever you need them!

Fresh Herbs – Bags of fresh herbs often go to waste. Chop and mix with butter then freeze in small pats or cubes. Or chop and place in ice cube trays, cover with water and freeze, ready to put straight into soups and casseroles.

Eggs - You can crack them and freeze in bags for cakes or scrambled eggs. Defrost thoroughly before use. They’ll keep for up to a year.

Citrus fruit – Don’t waste the whole fruit when a recipe calls for zest. Pop the rest of the fruit in a poly bag and into the freezer. Defrost as required. Citrus fruits will keep for up to six months.

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Page 31: The Vine Villages - October / November 2014 - Issue 15

31

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Page 32: The Vine Villages - October / November 2014 - Issue 15

32

The Hash House Harriers Cross-country Jogging and Social Clubs

An Introduction to our healthy, outdoor pursuit.Whilst walking our wonderful Chiltern countryside footpaths during the weekends and holidays, have you ever seen small blobs of a white or blue powder dotted along the footpaths, and then seen circles, crosses, tees and other strange signs where footpaths intersect? Or, indeed, seen similar chalk marks along roadsides? You might have even come across us on Sunday mornings, or Monday evenings running in all weathers, and thought to yourself; “Who are these mixed bunch of nutters?” as we disappear into the distance with runners in the front calling; “On On!”If you have, then we are the ones responsible! The strange marks are what we use to set our cross-coun-try trails. So, they are not illicit marks to target property, they are flour and so bio-degradable, and certainly not poisonous to pets, wildlife or livestock.Our hobby is a healthy, outdoor pursuit, that takes the form of a paper chase, with a ‘Hare’ respon-sible for laying a cunning trail with

the objective to test the ‘Hounds’ ability in seeking out the correct route.We follow the Countryside Code, and use the latest versions of OS Maps and local Parish footpath maps toplan our trails, including making reconnaisance visits prior to the run date. Responsibility lays with the ‘Hare’ to ensure that the trail is clearly defined, informing farmers, dog walkers and others met en-route, of what she or he is doing. In the majority of instances, trails are laid from and finish at a public house, at other times trails can be laid from car parks at local beauty spots. However, due the continuing closure ofvillage pubs, the former is becoming a necessity.The actual marking of the trail is laid either on the Saturday afternoon before a Sunday morning run, and on the Sunday afternoon before a Monday evening run, so it is essential that the marks must stay in place for a maximum of one and half days. Most times, the marks remain untampered with, except for a few being snuffled out by wild animals and livestock on open ground. However, it is becoming more evident that due

to the perceived threat of potential theft or vandalism, we are find-ing that our trail marks are now frequently being ‘removed’.This ingenuous removal, has the potential for us to trespass, or cause unnecessary disturbance to livestock which we don’t want to do, as we look for further marks to identify the correct route to take.So, please don’t ‘remove’ our marks.Our pursuit is known to the Bedfordshire CC Footpaths Com-mission, and to the local Police, but frequent changes in Parish Councils means the ‘people in the know’ leave, and we are back to square one again.If you see these marks, and you are concerned, you have three courses of action to check their validity:· Visit our website: Websites of other Hashing clubs that run in the Chilterns, Beds, Bucks and Herts areas are also available.· Check with the local pub Landlord.· Come along, and enjoy the fun and camaraderie!Fat Controller. On behalf of the Hare & Hounds Hash House Harriers. Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire.

Page 33: The Vine Villages - October / November 2014 - Issue 15

33

CO

NTEM

PO

RA

RY

FREN

CH

CU

ISINE

26 Church Street, Dunstable, Beds. LU5 4RU

Tel: 01582 603310Email: [email protected]: www.chezjerome.co.uk

New Years Eve£64.95 / £29.95 (under 12 years)

Four Courses plus coffee

Entrée Glass Champagne & Amuse Bouche

1st Course

Terrine of foie gras with red onions Jam & Vintage balsamic

Home cured Salmon Gravlax with a celeriac remoulade

(v) Goats cheese soufflé with sun blushed dressing, chess of carrot& white radish

Steamed Lobster & Royal Prawns wrapped on a green cabbage,coral beurre blanc

Smoked duck & chicken salad with pine nuts, orange& Grand Marnier dressing

2nd Course

Lobster bisque

3rd Course

Roasted filet of line caught turbot with Langoustines, pommechateau & baby vegetables

Pithivier of lamb filet (cooked medium) with tarragon garlic sauce,vegetables & noisette potatoes

(v) Winter wild mushrooms and black truffle risotto, Parmesan froth

Seared Guinea Fowl with white & red grape jus, dauphinoisepotatoes & vegetables

Tournedos of beef filet with smooth cheese Portobello mushroommousse, vintage Porto sauce, dauphinoise & spinach

4th Course

French cheeses from the trolley

Jerome’s Assiette (gateau chocolat, Fruit cheese cake & vanillaCrème Brule)

Coffee & Mints

Festive Novelties

Jerome, Lina and the team

would like to thank you for

your custom during the

past year, we appreciate

your continued support

for the coming year

and wish you a

Merry Christmas

and all the best

for 2010!

Make it aChristmasto remember ...

Chez Jerome

CO

NTEM

PO

RA

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FREN

CH

CU

ISINE

26 Church Street, Dunstable, Beds. LU5 4RU

Tel: 01582 603310Email: [email protected]: www.chezjerome.co.uk

New Years Eve£64.95 / £29.95 (under 12 years)

Four Courses plus coffee

Entrée Glass Champagne & Amuse Bouche

1st Course

Terrine of foie gras with red onions Jam & Vintage balsamic

Home cured Salmon Gravlax with a celeriac remoulade

(v) Goats cheese soufflé with sun blushed dressing, chess of carrot& white radish

Steamed Lobster & Royal Prawns wrapped on a green cabbage,coral beurre blanc

Smoked duck & chicken salad with pine nuts, orange& Grand Marnier dressing

2nd Course

Lobster bisque

3rd Course

Roasted filet of line caught turbot with Langoustines, pommechateau & baby vegetables

Pithivier of lamb filet (cooked medium) with tarragon garlic sauce,vegetables & noisette potatoes

(v) Winter wild mushrooms and black truffle risotto, Parmesan froth

Seared Guinea Fowl with white & red grape jus, dauphinoisepotatoes & vegetables

Tournedos of beef filet with smooth cheese Portobello mushroommousse, vintage Porto sauce, dauphinoise & spinach

4th Course

French cheeses from the trolley

Jerome’s Assiette (gateau chocolat, Fruit cheese cake & vanillaCrème Brule)

Coffee & Mints

Festive Novelties

Jerome, Lina and the team

would like to thank you for

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your continued support

for the coming year

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Tel: 01582 603310

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Christmas Lunch Menu1 Course £10.95 - 2 Courses £14.95

or 3 Courses £17.95

StartersCarrot & Parsnip soup with cream fraiche (v)

Smoked salmon rose on a prawn cocktail, salad leaves Rose Marie sauceChicken liver & Port pate, pear chutney, toasted bread

Warm carpaccio beetroot with goats cheese crumble, rocket salad, glazed with balsamic (v)

Smoked chicken breast, salad, orange & pine nut saladChilled melon with Porto sauce (v)

Main courseCod with paprika hollandaise sauce, mash potatoes & vegetables

Roast Turkey breast with cranberry sauce, all trimmings, sauté potatoes & vegetables

Beef Bourguignon, mash potatoes & vegetablesDuck leg confit with orange Grand Marnier sauce,

sauté potatoes & vegetablesPumpkin Ravioli with butter sage, rocket leaves

& parmesan shavings (v)Grilled Sirloin steak with brandy peppercorn sauce,

sauté potatoes & vegetables (sup £3.00)

DessertsVanilla cream Brulee

Xmas PuddingAssorted ice cream & sorbet

Cheese & biscuitsChocolate mousse

Raspberry jelly with fresh fruitsCoffee/tea

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3 Courses £21.95 Mon-Thurs (Fri-Sat £26.95)

StartersCarrot & Parsnip soup with cream fraiche (v)

Roulade of Smoked salmon & prawns, salad leaves Rose Marie sauceChicken liver & Port pate, pear chutney, toasted bread

Warm carpaccio beetroot with goats cheese crumble, rocket salad, glazed with balsamic (v)

Smoked chicken breast, salad, orange & pine nut saladChilled melon with Porto sauce (v)

Main courseBraised Lamb shank, rosemary wine sauce, potatoes & vegetables

Duo platter of Cod & Salmon with paprika hollandaise sauce, mash potatoes & vegetables

Roast Turkey breast with cranberry sauce, all trimmings, sauté potatoes & vegetables

Duck leg confit & Toulouse sausage with onions wine sauce, sauté potatoes & vegetables

Pumpkin Ravioli with butter sage, rocket leaves & parmesan shavings (v)

Grilled Sirloin steak with brandy peppercorn sauce, sauté potatoes & vegetables

DessertsVanilla cream Brulee

Xmas PuddingAssorted ice-cream & sorbet

Cheese & biscuitsChocolate mousse

Raspberry jelly with fresh fruitsCoffee/Tea

* * * * * * *

* * * * * * *

* * *

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Boxing Day 3 Courses £20.95

Page 34: The Vine Villages - October / November 2014 - Issue 15

34

Mabel’s News

from Appledown

Hello again! I am Mabel the resident dog at Appledown Rescue and Rehoming Kennels in Eaton Bray.

This is Bella! She is a medium sized crossbreed aged about one year. She is a very active and intelligent dog and will need to be fully involved in family life. She has a lovely temperament with people and other dogs. Bella came to us because of destructive behaviour but we have crate-trained her, so she will be able to be left for a couple of hours once she has settled. If you feel you could offer Bella, or any of our other dogs, a loving and secure home please call in at the kennels any day between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Our staff will be happy to offer advice and information. Please note that we have restrictions on rehoming dogs to families with children under seven, so please ask for details.

Rock ‘N Roll Night! Saturday 15th November

Dust off your blue suede shoes and join us for our Rock ‘N Roll Night! Saturday 15th November,

7.30 p.m. at the British Legion Club, Heath & Reach, Leighton Buzzard.Tickets £10 (including light supper)

available from Appledown.

Appledown Rescue and Rehoming Kennels, Harling Road, Eaton Bray, Beds LU6 1QY

Call 01525 220383 . E-mail [email protected].

(Reg. Charity No. 1116848)

Appledown Rescue and Rehoming Kennels

I need a home!

This is Bella! She is a medium sized crossbreed aged about one year. She is a very active and intelligent dog and will need to be fully involved in family life. She has a lovely temperament with people and other dogs. Bella came to us because of destructive behaviour but we have crate-trained her, so she will be able to be left for a couple of hours once she has settled. If you feel you could offer Bella, or any of our other dogs, a loving and secure home please call in at the kennels any day between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Our staff will be happy to offer advice and information. Please note that we have restrictions on rehoming dogs to families with

children under seven, so please ask for details.

Date for your Diary – Dust off your blue suede shoes and join us for our Rock ‘N Roll Night! Saturday 15th November, 7.30 p.m. at the British Legion Club, Heath & Reach, Leighton Buzzard. Tickets £10 (including light supper) available from Appledown. Appledown Rescue and Rehoming Kennels, Harling Road, Eaton Bray, Beds LU6 1QY

Call: 01525 220383 Visit our Website: www.appledownrescue.co.uk E-mail: [email protected] Follow us on Facebook!

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Page 35: The Vine Villages - October / November 2014 - Issue 15

35www.thevinemagazine.com34

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Page 36: The Vine Villages - October / November 2014 - Issue 15

Health Beauty Wellbeing&

Funny things, weddings. They seem to have the power to change lives, and not just the lives of the happy couple.Mary was mother of the bride, the wedding was twelve weeks away and she didn’t want to buy her special outfit in size 20-22. Sue had a very glamor-ous do coming up with cool guests in a cutting edge location and she was dreading being captured for all time in the photos as the chubby frump on the end.What’s more, Sue was borderline diabetic and her doctor was concerned. Then there’s Kate, due to be a bridesmaid next spring in a swanky ceremony on a tropical island. But Kate’s really piled on the pounds over the last few years and she can’t face stumbling up the aisle to the pitying glances of surprised guests.Yet thanks to the galvanising power of a wedding date, Mary and Sue shed two stone, Sue’s blood sug-ar levels plummeted and Kate’s lost a stone in three weeks and is on course to becoming the slender bridesmaid she wants to be. And they’ve achieved all this not through conventional dieting or calorie counting but by a revolutionary technique called the Virtual Gastric Band.The VGB works on the same principles as the surgi-cal gastric band, only without the surgery, without a real band and without the huge price tag if you can’t get it on the NHS! Instead of surgery, an imaginary ‘virtual’ band is ‘fitted’ round the stomach with the aid of hypnotherapy and this helps the client feel full on smaller amounts of food.‘The strange thing is I know I haven’t really had an operation,’ says Mary,‘but I don’t feel hungry at all. It’s been so easy.’While Kate’s friends are astonished. ‘We went out for our usual slap up breakfast the other day, ‘says Kate, ‘and I genuinely could not manage all the food. It was no hardship to leave some on the plate, I just

didn’t want it.’Strangely enough, though hypnosis has been around for hundreds of years, no one really knows exactly how it works. It seems to provide a way to give deep level instructions to the subconscious (sometimes also known as the unconscious) mind which are then acted upon auto-matically in day to day life.

Recently researches in the USA discovered that the subconscious mind can process 11 million pieces of information a second, while the conscious mind can only handle 40. How they discovered this I can’t imagine but if it’s true, it illustrates the truly awesome abilities of our subconscious minds. Other research-ers studying the brain have found that although we believe we reach decisions by means of logical, analytical thought, in fact, our subconscious mind lights up with the answer, several seconds before our conscious minds are aware of it.The surgical gastric band doesn’t work for everyone of course. Recently the press carried a story of a young man who’s put on 7 stone and rising, after dramatically losing weight with a gastric band and surgery costing £30,000. He was so determined to beat the restriction round his stomach, he started liquidising kebabs and deep fried Mars bars.Similarly, hypnotherapy isn’t for everyone. For most people it works well but for an unfortunate few it seems to have little effect. On the other hand, unlike surgery, if you opt for a hypnotherapy operation, the worst thing that can happen is that nothing happens!

Linda Dearsley is a Virtual Gastric Band therapist.Find out more call 07852 237011 or email ladears@gmail.

Gatric Band Weight Loss Could it all be in the mind? by Linda Dearsley

‘butI don’t feel

hungry at all. It’s been so

easy.’

36

Page 37: The Vine Villages - October / November 2014 - Issue 15

36 37www.thevinemagazine.com36 37

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The Nutrition Coach

Is Dairy Good?The Problems with Dairy… Lactose Intolerance:A lot of studies have shown that humans can’t tolerate lactose (milk sugar) after the age of 4. This means that many of us lose the ability to digest dairy products properly. If you come from a herding culture when milk/dairy has been consumed for thousands of years then you may be a bit more tolerant to dairy. Most of us however, can’t really handle that much milk or dairy. The problem is that when we get bloated or suffer from diarrhoea, we tend to reach for the pills and tablets instead of looking for nutritional reasons why. Dairy and in particular lactose, could be the culprit.

Casein Intolerance:Casein is the protein found in milk and dairy. Casein has some simi-larities to gluten. Gluten (protein and wheat) is linked to leaky gut or eroding of the intestinal wall. In the book “The China Study” Casein heavily linked to cancer development. The following is taken from the Live Strong website “Casein is thick, coarse and often used to form the strongest glue known to man. It’s also a strong mucus-forming substance. There is 300% more Casein in cow’s milk than in human milk. Due to this high amount of Casein in the diet, the human respira-tory system can become clogged and irritated.

Dairy and Skin ProblemsIn the “Paleo Diet” Dr Loren Cordain is quite damming of dairy. In one particular blog, he quotes five studies that link excess milk and whey protein to acne. While there doesn’t seem to be anything concrete here, I would recommend cutting dairy out for a few weeks if you do have skin problems.

It’s the calcium, stupid!Hang on, they scream! Doesn’t dairy and milk provide us with vita-mins such as calcium? This is a very questionable point and the chal-lenge is that we barely absorb the calcium from cow’s milk, particular-ly if it has been pasteurized. The other paradox is that milk is actually very acidic, which actually erodes bones. This happens because the body uses the calcium from the bones to neutralize the acidic effect of the milk and dairy. It does make you think, doesn’t it?Consumption of dairy products, particularly at the age of 20 years, was associated with an increased risk of hip fracture in old age. “Case-Control Study of Risk Factors for Hip Fractures in the Elderly” (American Journal of Epidemiology. Vol. 139, No. 5, 1994)

ConclusionIf we look at modern milk and dairy consumption, it isn’t linked to health. The truth is that we ‘re not very healthy. If we look at cultures like the native Swiss who, by all accounts drank a lot of raw milk, the difference in health from these populations and modern society is huge. Read “Weston A Price” for further information). The native Swiss drank milk that was milked by hand. The cows ate grass and weren’t injected with hormones and antibiotics like modern day cattle are.

If I may start by quoting Voltaire, he said “Common sense is not that common”. I believe this is the key when it comes to dairy and milk consumption. If we think about dairy logically, why would we drink another animal’s milk? The other question is why would we drink any kind of milk after weaning? The answer simply put, is that we don’t need to drink another animal’s milk and we certainly don’t need to drink milk after breast feeding. Eyebrows tend to be raised when I say something like this because we have been made to believe that dairy is a staple for humans. The fact is that dairy is not neces-sary for human beings although breast milk on the other hand is important for babies to grow.

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Page 38: The Vine Villages - October / November 2014 - Issue 15

38

Around 800,000 people in the UK have de-mentia. The word dementia describes a set of symp-toms which include memory loss, and dif-ficulty with thinking, problem solving and language. These symptoms can sometimes be caused by other things however, so it’s important to get a diagnosis as soon as pos-sible. Your GP may refer you to a specialist consultant. Assessments are likely to include conversations with you and your loved ones, a physical examination, memory tests and/or a brain scan. Dementia is caused when the brain is dam-aged by diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease or a series of strokes. Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia, affecting 62 per cent of those diagnosed. Other types include vascular dementia affecting 17 per cent, and mixed dementia which affects 10 per cent of those diagnosed.Those with dementia may be given medi-cines to help with symptoms and slow down progression, but as yet there is no cure. Some sufferers also attend day centres and support groups. Carers can get help from local Carers Groups, Social Services and Dementia UK’s Admiral Nurses. These nurses specialise in dementia and provide practical and emotional support as well as information to families, friends and professionals. Dementia UK is a charity. In addition to Admi-ral Nurses it also provides a national helpline and email service.One of the other major organisations in this

field is the Alzheimer’s Society. This is a membership organisation which provides local support services, including day care and home care and befriending and support for families and partners of those with dementia. They also provide fact sheets and publications and have a helpline and an online forum called talking point. In addition, the Alzheimer’s Society fund research, provide training and develop-ment and campaign to raise awareness. One of their recent initiatives is Dementia Friends. You may have seen the television adverts for this which included lots of celeb-rity support. Anyone can become a Dementia Friend. I did in just over 10 minutes! This campaign is all about increasing un-derstanding about dementia, and educating people so that they can help those with the condition. Dementia Friends learn a little bit about what it’s like to have dementia and then turn this understanding into action. This could include helping someone get on the correct bus, or being patient if someone with dementia is taking a long time to find the right change when paying for their goods at a till. To become a friend you watch a short video on the website then register or attend a local information session.

Dementia UK: www.dementiauk.org Helpline: Call 0845 257 9406 or email [email protected] Alzheimer’s Society: www.alzheimers.org.ukHelpline: Call 0300 222 1122Dementia Friends: www.dementiafriends.org.uk

Page 39: The Vine Villages - October / November 2014 - Issue 15

39www.thevinemagazine.com38

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Shampoo, Conditioner & TreatmentsThese are the foundations of your hair styl-ing so you should definitely splurge here. You most definitely get what you pay for – we’ve recently launched a luxury range, Couture Hair, and the ingredients are far superior and have more scientific listing of ingredients. You’ll find more expensive ranges that you won’t need to use as much as they are concentrated so they last longer, often they are multi-tasking too. With an intensive conditioning masque you will only use this once or twice a week so it’s a treat and should leave your hair feeling renewed and rejuvenated so you should definitely splurge on this.

Pastes/GelsYou’re looking for texture and hold with these types of styling products and quite of-ten you’ll find that a cheaper brand perform just as well. You’re using just small amounts so as long as you’re not overloading your hair, you can look at saving on these.

VolumisersNearly all women love volume – you want that natural feel without it feeling weighed down, sticky or too heavy so definitely look at splurging here too. I prefer a spritz style volumiser as you can target specific areas.

HairdryerThis is another splurge I’m afraid! It really does pay to invest in a professional hairdryer – I’m loving the new Collexia that includes a keratin or protein treatment so it’s actually treating your hair as you dry it. Professional hairdryers are initially more expensive but you do cut your drying time down signifi-cantly and this is only a good thing for the condition of your hair.

3938 www.thevinemagazine.co.uk

01582 521430

Around 800,000 people in the UK have de-mentia. The word dementia describes a set of symp-toms which include memory loss, and dif-ficulty with thinking, problem solving and language. These symptoms can sometimes be caused by other things however, so it’s important to get a diagnosis as soon as pos-sible. Your GP may refer you to a specialist consultant. Assessments are likely to include conversations with you and your loved ones, a physical examination, memory tests and/or a brain scan. Dementia is caused when the brain is dam-aged by diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease or a series of strokes. Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia, affecting 62 per cent of those diagnosed. Other types include vascular dementia affecting 17 per cent, and mixed dementia which affects 10 per cent of those diagnosed.Those with dementia may be given medi-cines to help with symptoms and slow down progression, but as yet there is no cure. Some sufferers also attend day centres and support groups. Carers can get help from local Carers Groups, Social Services and Dementia UK’s Admiral Nurses. These nurses specialise in dementia and provide practical and emotional support as well as information to families, friends and professionals. Dementia UK is a charity. In addition to Admi-ral Nurses it also provides a national helpline and email service.One of the other major organisations in this

field is the Alzheimer’s Society. This is a membership organisation which provides local support services, including day care and home care and befriending and support for families and partners of those with dementia. They also provide fact sheets and publications and have a helpline and an online forum called talking point. In addition, the Alzheimer’s Society fund research, provide training and develop-ment and campaign to raise awareness. One of their recent initiatives is Dementia Friends. You may have seen the television adverts for this which included lots of celeb-rity support. Anyone can become a Dementia Friend. I did in just over 10 minutes! This campaign is all about increasing un-derstanding about dementia, and educating people so that they can help those with the condition. Dementia Friends learn a little bit about what it’s like to have dementia and then turn this understanding into action. This could include helping someone get on the correct bus, or being patient if someone with dementia is taking a long time to find the right change when paying for their goods at a till. To become a friend you watch a short video on the website then register or attend a local information session.

Dementia UK: www.dementiauk.org Helpline: Call 0845 257 9406 or email [email protected] Alzheimer’s Society: www.alzheimers.org.ukHelpline: Call 0300 222 1122Dementia Friends: www.dementiafriends.org.uk

Page 40: The Vine Villages - October / November 2014 - Issue 15

40

Music is an important part of life – nearly everyone enjoys listening to it. Yet

relatively few of us have the ability to create it. Scientists say that children who play an instrument do better academically than those who don’t. It can benefit their read-ing age because it enhances comprehension skills. Learning to understand beat, rhythm and scales improves their maths skills as children learn how to divide, create fractions and recognise patterns. Listening to pitch, rhythm and tempo helps to sharpen their concentration and using mnemonic devices to learn musical patterns can improve memory.Co-ordination and motor skills are also developed as a child learns to convert written notes to movement of hands, arms and feet. This improved co-or-dination and timing can benefit children in other hobbies such as dance and sports.

Children who learn as part of a group cultivate social skills as they interact with other class members. They learn to wait patiently for their turn, and show respect for others. It’s also a chance to make friends, especially if they play in a band or orchestra.Mastering an instrument and achieving goals takes months or even years. Perseverance and patience are useful qualities developed along the way, as is self-confidence which grows further if they go on to perform in public. Caring for their instrument teaches a child responsibility, while managing their time to ensure that practice is done regularly helps them develop organisational skills. Finally, learning about and playing a musical instrument can help children discover the role of music in other cultures, and this familiarity from an early age helps foster open-mindedness about worlds and

traditions beyond the ones they know.If your child shows an interest in learning an instrument, be sure to choose one that excites them (my daughter was horri-fied to be presented with a cello when what she coveted was a clarinet). Select an instru-ment that suits their ability and temperament, and make sure it produces a sound that you can tolerate for hours as you listen to them practise (I have memories of my mum banish-ing me to the furthest corner of the house because she couldn’t bear the sound of me screech-ing on the violin!).I was nine when my parents found me a piano teacher, and even though the road has not always been smooth, I am forever grateful to them for tak-ing this decision, as I consider myself amongst the privileged few who have had the opportu-nity to learn an instrument and enjoy the benefits this brings.

Why Children Should PlayA Musical Instrument

Page 41: The Vine Villages - October / November 2014 - Issue 15

41www.thevinemagazine.com40

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Page 42: The Vine Villages - October / November 2014 - Issue 15

PuzzlesPuzzlesPuzzles

Across

1. Zooming, dashing (6) 4. Pallid, milky (5) 8. Ivory horns (5) 9. Crepe (7)10. Witty, pithy saying (7)11. Rubber wheel-cover (4)12. Ocean (3)14. Broad smile (4)15. Connects head and body! (4)18. Space (3)21. Rant, rage (4)23. Soothing baby-song (7)25. Where the Pope lives (7)26. Spanish gentleman (5)27. Sweetie on a stick (5)28. Frank (6)

Down

1. Putrid, rancid (6) 2. Till-operator (7) 3. Facial jewellery (8) 4. Magic stick (4) 5. Country famed for pasta (5) 6. One more than ten (6) 7. Sends annoying emails (5)13. Island near Wales (8)16. Tethered (7)17. Trek, tour (6)19. Aircraft (5)20. Cross-breed, half-blood (6)22. Necessary (5)24. Disgusting (4)

Crossword

PuzzlesPuzzlesPuzzles

PuzzlesPuzzlesPuzzles

PuzzlesPuzzlesPuzzles

SPOT THE ADVERTWhat advert

Is This? >>>>

1 26

3 9 7 62 8

4 3 7 2 93

9 2 8 54 6

6 3 7

Sudoku 数独

Each row, column and 3x3 box must contain the numbers 1 to 9 just once. This can be done by applying logic -you don’t have to guess!

DOVES

NOTES

42

Answers on page 46

Rocklane Riding CentreRiding Lessons from 4 years old

Tel. 01525 222402Ivinghoe Aston, LU7 9DL

"Own a Pony" Days in school holidays

Pony Rentalwww.rocklaneridingcentre.co.uk

Page 43: The Vine Villages - October / November 2014 - Issue 15

PuzzlesPuzzlesPuzzles

Across

1. Zooming, dashing (6) 4. Pallid, milky (5) 8. Ivory horns (5) 9. Crepe (7)10. Witty, pithy saying (7)11. Rubber wheel-cover (4)12. Ocean (3)14. Broad smile (4)15. Connects head and body! (4)18. Space (3)21. Rant, rage (4)23. Soothing baby-song (7)25. Where the Pope lives (7)26. Spanish gentleman (5)27. Sweetie on a stick (5)28. Frank (6)

Down

1. Putrid, rancid (6) 2. Till-operator (7) 3. Facial jewellery (8) 4. Magic stick (4) 5. Country famed for pasta (5) 6. One more than ten (6) 7. Sends annoying emails (5)13. Island near Wales (8)16. Tethered (7)17. Trek, tour (6)19. Aircraft (5)20. Cross-breed, half-blood (6)22. Necessary (5)24. Disgusting (4)

Crossword

PuzzlesPuzzlesPuzzles

PuzzlesPuzzlesPuzzles

PuzzlesPuzzlesPuzzles

SPOT THE ADVERTWhat advert

Is This? >>>>

1 26

3 9 7 62 8

4 3 7 2 93

9 2 8 54 6

6 3 7

Sudoku 数独

Each row, column and 3x3 box must contain the numbers 1 to 9 just once. This can be done by applying logic -you don’t have to guess!

DOVES

NOTES

www.thevinemagazine.com 43

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Page 44: The Vine Villages - October / November 2014 - Issue 15

44

DUNSTABLE FIREWORKS DISPLAYWednesday 5th November

Creasey Park Community Football Centre

Large fireworks display chreographed to music with food and funfair.

CHRISTMAS TORCHLIGHT AND CAROL PROCESSIONFriday 5th DecemberAshton Square 7pm

Involved the massed choirs of Dunstable. A ttorchlight procession through Priory House Gardens and

carol service in Ashton Square.

EXHIBITION & SALE OF ART & CRAFT

Saturday 18th October. 10.30 - 5.00Village Hall, Sundon Road, HarlingtonExhibits include: Fancy Goods, Greetings Cards, Jewellery, Fabric Handbags, Paintings, Needlecraft, Photography, Thread’s From the Shed (Beautiful Handmade Children’s Clothes), Pottery, Wood Turning etc.Guest Artist - Lesley Longworth.Adults 50p. Children under 12 free

DUNSTABLE LADIES CHOIRLadies - new members are wel-come to join our choir. If you enjoy singing why not come to a Tuesday evening rehearsal from 7.30-9.30pm at Houghton Regis Baptist Church, Hammersmith Gardens LU5 5RG and give us a try. No audition neces-sary. We also have a lively social life including meals out, get-togethers and trips to concerts and shows. Dunstable Ladies Choir Spring Do join us for the Dunstable Ladies Choir Christmas Concert7.30 pm on Saturday 6th December at St Augustine’s Church, Mayfield Road, DunstableTickets £8 on the door including homemade refreshmentsFurther details from Pat Jackson 01582 520302.

HOUGHTON REGIS BOWLS CLUBOpen day on the 4th may from 11am to around 4pm The only thing needed is flat soled

shoes. All ages and abilities are welcome. Children over 12 years must be ac-companied by a parent please.Light refreshments will be available.Please come and have a go, look forward seeing you all, any enquiries please ring me on 01582518645

DUNSTABLE BRIDGE CLUB

We meet every Monday (except bank holidays) in Chews House in High Street South, Dunstable, from 1pm to 5pm. We would welcome new mem-bers of all standards and you do not need a partner. If anyone is interested please call: 01582 664485

TODDINGTON HELPING HANDSWe are a group of about 30 volunteers who provide lifts to the doctors, dentists, hospitals, hairdressers etc for the residents of Toddington, Chalgrave, Wingfield and Tebworth.We also carry out the delivery of prescriptions, shopping and general errand running to those who are not able to do so themselves.During the last quarter we com-pleted in excess of 400 jobs in the local community.We urgently need more volunteer drivers. Tel: 01525 633660

DUNSTABLE PROBUS CLUBDunstable PROBUS Club meets on the second Monday of the month and membership is open to retired or semi-retired professional and business men. The Club’s main object is the promotion of good fellowship. Members enjoy a variety of social activities and organized visits throughout the year and at their regular monthly meetings they are entertained by after-lunch speakers. If you are interested in joining the Club, please contact the Secretary Malcolm Partridge 01525 222711

LANGDALE CHURCH‘HATTERS TEA’- informal neighbour-hood group meets monthly on a Wednesday pm. Free tea/coffee & home-made cakes, quiz and raffle.Friends and Neighbours- monthly on a Thursday pm. Speakers and free

tea/coffee. At Langdale Church.Other groups- table tennis, walking group and drawing for beginnersMake the most of our community activities and meet new people in our community. Tel Colin, Community Worker01582602980

BREAKOUT SOCIAL CLUBWe are a club for the over forty fives, not a singles club but a social club for people who enjoy going out but are on their own, where they can meet like-minded people, with a varied monthly programme covering Disco’s, Pub lunch’s, walks, parties and much, much more, we meet once a week in the front bar at the Conservative Club, High street North DunstableFor more information please contact Sandy on 07813 262556

DUNSTABLE SENIOR CITIZENSWhat age would you like to live to?Would you like to live it withDignity, Financial peace of mind, With a voice We are a local group fighting the fight for the over 50’sInterested in finding out more?Come to a meetingWe meet the last Thursday of each month at 2pmIn the Social club of The Catholic Church in West Street DunstableOr call for more information on01582 534357

THE BOGTROTTERSThe Bogtrotters (Dunstable and District Walking and Hostelling Group) are a group of about 90 walkers, hikers and hostellers. We run a surprisingly diverse range of activities, including half and full day walks, hostelling trips, meals and evening activities.New members are always welcome. Prospective members are invited to get in touch via the website, give us a ring or just turn up to an event or walk.Enquiries@dunstablebogtrotters.co.ukwww.dunstablebogtrotters.co.uk01582 865966 Sue or Julian

THE DUNSTABLE ORBIT CLUB Out About&• Clubs • Groups • Events• Community

Page 45: The Vine Villages - October / November 2014 - Issue 15

45www.thevinemagazine.com

PRIORY HOUSE Tel: 01582 891420

GHOST WALKSHallowe’en Ghost Walks,

Friday 31 October 5 pm

(Family Ghost Walk in costume), 6.30 pm and 8 pm

Christmas Ghost Walks, Saturday, 13 December

4pm (Family Ghost Walk) Friday, 19 December at 7.30 pm

All ghost walks start at Priory Church car park. Family ghost walks are suitable for children over 8 yrs old: on these walks children must be accompanied by adults. A torch and warm clothes are recommended and the ghost walk route is unsuitable for wheelchair users. Tickets cost £5 and need to be booked in advance.

A HAUNTING EXPERIENCESaturday 1 November 8pm-1am

Paranormal Investigators come to Priory House, Dunstable - Shadow on the stairs“APIS (Anglia Paranormal Investiga-tion Society) member PW had taken some photographs up there (in the attic area) in the dark, and when they were developed a shadow could be seen on the back stairs leading to the attic, it is a small silhouette, and it could just be that of a little child…”The above is an exert taken from “Ghostly Bedfordshire… Reinves-tigated by APIS founder Damien O’Dell, and Damien along with other members of APIS are holding an Investigation Evening at Priory House.Would you like to join them? Are you brave enough? Do you fancy taking part in a real ghost hunt?Visit the parts of Priory House that are normally closed off to the public.Tickets: £25,

TEA TIME TALESTalks of local and nationalinterest with tea or coffee

and a pastry.Alternate Thursday afternoons

2.30 - 4.00pm £4.75 per personOctober 2nd

India’s Golden Triangle Jean Yates, Town Guide

October 16thRosary Beads, Prayer Beads, Worry

Beads and Abacus Helen Walker Sygrove, Priory House

Manager October 30th

Last of the Mohicans; Colonial Fortifications in C18 Seven Years’

War between the rivalries of Britain and

France on American soil Dick Pilkington, Local Historian

November 13th Intelligence Services Part II

Bryony Norburn, Town Guide November 27th

Entertainment & Sport in Dunstable Tony Woodhouse, Town Guide

THE HEALING TRUSTArdley Hill School, Lowther Rd, Each Thursday evening 7.30 - 9pm. No charge, donations accepted. NFSH T: Pam Hill on 01582 606182Come for interest or healing.

BREATHEASYDo you suffer from a lung condition? Then why not come and join our local Support group - breatheasy - Part of the British lung foundation. We meet on the 2nd Thursday of the month at peter newton pavilion (Behind tesco) 2 - 4pm carers also welcomeAs well as supporting each other we have a variety of speakers and also arrange day trips out.New members most welcomeMore info phone michael on 01582 602348

DUNSTABLE & DISTRICT ORBIT CLUB

Since its inception over 25 years ago, Orbit has raised nearly £60,000 for local charities. We also give our time to help organisations and people in the community.Orbit offers an active social calen-dar, with wide-ranging events to suit all budgets and tastes. Annual membership is just £15.We meet on the first and third Tues-day of the month at Dunstablians Rugby Club, Bidwell Park, Bedford Road, Houghton Regis, LU5 6JW from 8 pm. You’ll be guaranteed a warm welcome.For more information please visit www.orbitclub.org.uk/dunstable or contact Mark on 01582 539379 or Julie on 01582 535761.

CHILTERN GATEWAY CENTREChilterns Gateway Centre Shop,

01582 500925

Halloween creepy crafts27th - 29th October

11am - 3pm £2Visit Dunstable Downs this Hallow-een to have some creepy creative fun.Make a spooky mask, witches hat or a spider; the scarier the better and then take your creations into the woods to create some goblins dens and see if you can discover some scary beasts

Pumpkin carving, Spooky Guided Walk

30th - 31st October 4,30 - 6pm £8 (inc supper)

Find out what goes bump in the night on Dunstable Downs this Halloween.It may be an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty but at night you may get spooked. Give yourself a fright this Halloween and join the team on a ghostly guided walk across the Downs. Get creative carving a frightening pumpkin lantern, enjoy a warming supper and then brave a scary stroll across the Downs when the darkness descends. Please bring your own pumpkin to carve.

Make a bird feeder2nd November 2-3.30pm £7

Help our feathered friends get through the chilly winterHelp our feathered friends get through the chilly winter by creating a wooden peanut bird feeder or cosy nest box. The countryside team will be on hand to help you build.

Stir Up Sunday23rd November 11am - 3pm

FreeMake a Christmas wish as you dis-cover more about an old Christmas tradition.Make a Christmas wish as you stir the giant Christmas pudding. Pudding tastings and treats to take home.

• Clubs • Groups • Events• Community

Page 46: The Vine Villages - October / November 2014 - Issue 15

SPOT THE ADVERT

Step On ItDOVESDOMESCOMESCODESNODESNOTES

Answers

46

Rocklane Riding CentrePage 26 Rocklane Riding CentreRiding Lessons from 4 years old

Tel. 01525 222402Ivinghoe Aston, LU7 9DL

"Own a Pony" Days in school holidaysPony Rental

www.rocklaneridingcentre.co.uk

19www.thevinemagazine.com18

By Seb Jay

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Scetch of Mars through a telescope.

Make a Date with the August Supermoon: Sunday 10 August sees a giant full moon rise over Bedfordshire. Our silver-faced celestial neighbour pulls closer to the Earth that evening than at any other point in 2014. Watch the ‘su-permoon’ rise in the east from 8pm onwards. It’ll make for a spectacular sight and photo opportu-nity no matter where you are across the county.

Catch the Perseids Shooting Star Bonanza:Have you ever seen a shooting star? If not then the night of Tuesday 12 August to Wednesday 13 August is the perfect time to look for them. Cast your eyes high up to the north-east from 11pm onwards. Be patient and you might catch

some bright streaks of light lasting no more than a second or two as Earth crosses the path of the Perseids meteor shower.

Go Hunting for Star Clusters: The summer Milky Way stretches high overhead during August and September. Embedded within its faint glow are numerous star clusters of blue, white and orange stars. You’ll need high-pow-ered binoculars or a telescope to see the clusters, and you’ll need to choose somewhere dark away from streetlights on a night when the Moon is not visible. A location like the Chilterns between 20 August and 30 August or from 15 September to 28 September will be ideal.

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Perfect for a simple lunch or a dinner party with friends, this main course is an easy crowd pleaser, looks great on the plate and is a wonderful dish to serve with vegetables or salad alike.

Ingredients : 4 skinned fillets sea bass, washed under running water 3 unwaxed lemons 4 cloves garlic Small bunch of washed fresh parsley 25g butter 30g wholemeal bread 50ml extra virgin olive oil Salt & pepper

Equipment: Small processor or mortar and pestle Oven: Gas Mark 5, 190°c Method: Brush undersides with olive oil and season fish all over with salt and pepper. Zest one of the lemons and squeeze juice. Wedge the other lemon for garnish. Whizz garlic with lemon juice and zest. Once no more large pieces can be seen, add the parsley, bread and butter to the processor. Quite quickly you should produce a moist and very tasty breadcrumb mixture. Press this mixture firmly onto the upper side of the fillets. Roast for approximately 20 minutes, or until the crust is brown. Serve with whatever takes your fancy!

Diane Johnson

Preserve & Jam

You can get lots of advice from your local cook shop on what’s required, but some basics are: a large heavy based saucepan, spoons and funnels, a sugar thermometer, containers and jars, lids and labels.

The concept of preserving foods has been around since the earliest humans. To survive, ancient man had to harness nature. In frozen climates he froze seal meat on the ice. In tropical climates he dried foods in the sun. Food by its nature begins to spoil the moment it is harvested. So the ability to preserve food enabled ancient man to make roots, and live in one place and form a community.

Preservation with the use of honey or sugar was well known to the earliest cultures. It was com-monplace for fruits to be kept in honey. In ancient Greece quince was mixed with honey, dried and packed tightly into jars. The Romans cooked the quince and honey producing a solid texture. As there’s not enough sunlight in Northern climates to successfully dry fruits, housewives learned to make preserves, heating the fruit with sugar, and this is the method we know today.

Whilst there is no longer a pressing survival reason for preserving, it can be very rewarding. As well as providing delightful food and drink for you

to consume, you could also make your preserved fruits into lovely Christmas gifts. There are many possibilities including jams and marmalades, chutneys and pickles, and beverages such as sloe gin. Many establishments run evening classes which can help you create these and many other fabulous recipes, such as fruit butter or fruit cheese.

When preserving, you should use fruits that are sun ripened, as the process will not improve green tasteless fruit. Using fruit that has a high acid content is recommended, as it less likely to harbour bacteria. When filling jars, you should ensure they are hot as temperature drops will increase the likelihood of bacteria forming. For the same reason, always cover your jars straight away and when the jars are cooled, you should recheck the seals and tighten lids to prevent any air entering and causing mould to form. Or you could use a waxed disc of paper and cellophane to act as a cover.

Keep your preserves in a cool, dark, dry place. Chutneys and pickles can last for around a year, and fruit liqueurs and fruits in alcohol up to two years. Once opened, store in the fridge and use quickly.

Autumn is the perfect time to start preserving. You can use home grown fruits or those you’ve foraged amongst the hedgerows. Preserving is relatively easy. Once the fruit has been picked, washed and prepared, you just need some simple equipment to turn it into marvellous produce.

Page 47: The Vine Villages - October / November 2014 - Issue 15

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