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Loci Pannum OCT 2012
“Comedy Snobbery”
“Forget stress and have a good laugh at quality comedy. Appreciate being part of a friendly comedy experience“
October 2012 - Issue 06 Well I guess that was it, the beginning of winter bypassing autumn, with no hope of an Indian summer in sight this year. Water shortages? are you serious? Can we really have areas that are short of water still? surely not after all of this rain. I still can’t believe that it didn’t rain for what seemed like all of the olympics, yet the minute it was over, I’m sure it started raining and hasn’t stopped for more than week since. my central heating isn’t turned off each year, but set to a really low setting and I was amazed a few weeks back to awake to find the radiators red hot. september? Less than 10 degrees? apparently, the cause for all these and I’m sure future wet summers is the increase in temperature over the atlantic. This has caused an increase in the amount of moisture being deposited over the uK. our poor local farmers have probably experienced the worst harvest for many years due to the bad weather and yields of most crops are well down due to the rain/cold spring that we experienced earlier in the year. out blackberry picking, it was obvious the effect of the earlier season’s bad weather had taken its toll on even the hardiest of plants. and as if we didn’t have enough water, last week my dog woke me up at 4am in the morning barking like crazy for me to go downstairs with her and let her out. Eventually after a few minutes I gave in and in true zombie fashion made my way downstairs. as I entered the kitchen she sat at the door as if not wanting to go out only for me to hear the tell-tale signs of water escaping from somewhere under the sink. on opening the cupboard doors, I was greeted by a jet of cold water that soon rid me of any leftover sleep. It transpires that in repairing a major water leak at the reservoir the day before, led to a (temporary) increase in our local water supply. This in turn coincided with the new and recently changed connectors and washers on our old water softener deciding they were not quite tight enough. Luckily, my good old dog must have woken me pretty soon after it started as there wasn’t more than 1/2” of water inside the cupboard. Guess who got a nice big “postmans leg”. until the next issue...
Chris &
Mike
Designed, produced and published by mike peates Chris Wright 3 holman Close Bramley hampshire rG26 5XD 01256 881452/881233 www.locipannum.co.uk editor@locipannum.co.uk Twitter @locipannum https://www.facebook.com/locipannum
Contents Page 3 “In The Garden - Tree Time” Jane Jordan Page 5
TREATZ Boutique Page 6 “Fixin’ to Get Y’all Pumpkin’ Chris Wright Page 9 Basingstoke and Deane - Neighbourhood Watch
printed by: Greenhouse Graphics Bramley 01256 880770 www.greenhousegraphics.co.uk
Page 9 “Chocolat Chez Moi” Competition Page 11 “GEMS Sherfield - Meet The Headmaster” Page 12 “Suduko Answers”
Contact us for all your advertising or editorial news: editor@locipannum.co.uk
Page 13 “The Laughter House”
In the garden.... Tree Time By Jane Jordan In a garden setting trees provide valuable vertical interest and a third dimension to even the smallest of spaces. The right tree in the right place contributes to the atmosphere of the whole garden and adds weight and a alfred Noyes, poet (1880-1958) sense of connection with past and future. a well-placed tree provides all sorts of practical benefits too; screening n 2010 the Woodland Trust launched its for privacy, shade, shelter, a habitat for ‘more Trees, more Good’ campaign, wildlife as well as beauty through which called for a massive increase in shape, flowers, berries and decorative tree planting across the uK. Not just largebark or leaf colour at different times of scale woodland planting but planting trees the year. in urban and suburban settings too. If you Choosing the right tree should be a take a typical neighbourhood and add up all big decision, and can involve a large the trees in all the streets and gardens, you financial investment. That said, it is will find an equivalent number of trees to one of the most unselfish gifts you can those in a traditional forest. These ‘urban give to future generations and nothing forests’ contribute hugely to the quality of beats the satisfaction of knowing you life aesthetically, socially and are leaving a living legacy. environmentally so anyone with a bit of so here are the essentials to green space should consider planting a consider in choosing the right tree for tree. your garden: Acer griseum (paperbark maple), a small tree grown for its Ultimate size: Trees are stunning cinnamon-coloured peeling bark and suitable for described as ‘small’ (5-10m high), smaller gardens ‘medium’ (10-20m high) and ‘Large’ from season to season, and provide a solid (20m+ high). Different trees grow at block of greenery, while deciduous trees different rates so some trees can take tend to have a looser shape, especially in 50 years to reach maturity, whereas summer and let more light through in others get there a lot quicker. how big winter once they have lost their leaves. a tree can your garden cope with? Interest varies from season to season Spread: how wide will the tree through the production of flowers, berries, become? upright (‘fastigate’) trees seed pods, fruits, nuts or cones. take up less room and can be useful for Shape and Leaf Colour: trees come in small spaces but others need room to all shapes – columnar, upright, conical, expand. domed, rounded and weeping. Leaf shape Soil, Moisture and Aspect: next and colour also have to be considered – for you must match the tree with the example, golden foliage warms up a garden growing conditions of your site. for even on dull days, silver and grey leaves example, a beech tree likes a garden reflect the light and give a mediterranean with chalky soil and will struggle in one feel, while purple foliage absorbs light and with light sandy soil. Very wet, dry or can feel dull unless positioned carefully as a exposed sites also require careful foil for lighter plants. selection, as do acid soils. fortunately there is a tree for almost every for more information about creating situation. views or vistas or for any other advice on Evergreen or deciduous: Liriodendron tulipifer (Tulip Tree). although this looks the getting the best from your garden contact perfect size, it is a large and fast-growing tree. however, the evergreen trees have a more definite Jane Jordan on 07879 606714 or go to magnificent tulip-shaped flowers can take 25 years to appear outline shape, don’t change that much www.janejordangarden-design.com
“Plant here, for other eyes that kingly tree, Whose reign we shall not see. Choose well that spot, that other eyes may bless, its natural loveliness”.
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Fixing to Get Y’all Pumpkin Chris Wright
’m afraid it’s a left over legacy from my three years of living in fort Worth Texas back in 2001 that I’m now addicted to my yearly fix of pumpkin. Living north of fort Worth, we were ‘almost’ in the country and you only had to travel 5-10 minutes up the interstate before you would reach a plot of land the size of Bramley, filled to the brim with the biggest pumpkins you had every laid your eyes on. It was just as well “I had myself a truck” as you didn’t buy these things in ones or twos. oh no, everything is big in Texas, including the pumpkins! originally the plan was to have all of the local kids around for a halloween party and they would all get to carve their own ghastly creations. I was however lucky enough to live next door to the ex-head Chef of the Texas motor speedway. “surely you can’t be thinking of getting rid of all that pumpkin ‘meat’”, queries my neighbour (It was so hard not to say neighbor just then). “Erm, what else would I do with it ?” I ask. Not actually realising that you could actually eat “that stuff” that in the uK we threw onto the compost heap. so here I am, having been given a lesson in how to prepare, cook and devour pumpkin many thanks to my 100% pure all american Texan. Well actually, he was from mexico. There weren’t actually any Texans in my street (or should I say neighbourhood). four British families, two Californians, some okies (from oklahoma), and a mix from North Carolina, Illinois, Kansas, maryland (merry..land), minnesota, Louisiana and a Brazilian. I wouldn’t be surprised if each family had a minimum of ten pumpkins each. Traditionally eaten for Thanksgiving in the us, trust me, it felt like it carried on throughout the whole year. With the increase in the “americanisation” of our holiday periods in the uK and halloween fast approaching, our good old British pumpkin now rivals our “mutual” us friends in the good old us of a and can be found in plentiful supply at your local market/superstore.
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Pumpkin Pie IngrEdIEntS 1 large pie pumpkin (not all pumpkins are equal). The smaller varieties are often called “cheese” or “sugar” pumpkins in the us and are much smaller than the ones supplied for ‘lanterns’. our uK varieties should be fine for cooking with and are much sweeter and less grainy that their us cousins. 3 cups of cooked pumpkin (from the large pumpkin above) 1 cup (200g) caster sugar 1.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground cloves 1 teaspoon ground allspice 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon salt 4 large eggs 1.5 cans of evaporated milk (You need 550g so you can use one 400/397g and a 170g tin). PrEPArIng thE PUMPkIn You could of course cheat and use tinned pre-cooked pumpkin but using fresh pumpkin is so much better. The downside is that you first have to prepare the pumpkin which isn’t as bad as you first may think. Cut the pumpkin in half using a large serrated knife (I had a brand new wood saw they were that big in the us!). scoop out the insides removing as much of the stringy material as you can. a sturdy ice cream scoop is a useful tool.
CookIng thE PUMPkIn place the pumpkin cut side down in a (deep) open proof dish and cover with foil. place in a pre-heated oven at 170C. Depending on the size and water content of the pumpkin, cooking times can vary from between 40-90minutes. after the first 40mins, test by sticking a fork into the pumpkin and removing when the flesh is soft. (No need to turn it over, the flesh should ‘give’ and collapse when cooked. PrEPArE thE CookEd PUMPkIn once cooled, using a large tablespoon, gently scoop out the pumpkin flesh from the skin. It should come away quite easily if the pumpkin is cooked sufficiently. puree the pumpkin with a blender or food processor until smooth. PrEPArE thE PIE CASE These days, pre-made dessert pastry is almost as good as the homemade variety and much quicker. roll the pasty to the thickness of a pound coin. Line a 8”/22cm tart tin with the pastry and bake blind for 20 minutes at 200 C, allowing to cool completely once cooked. MAkIng thE PIE FILLIng hopefully you will have at least 3 cups of cooked and pureed pumpkin and you can safely freeze any leftovers. Take your 3 cups of pumpkin mix and place into a large mixing bowl. simply add all the remaining ingredients and mix well (with a hand mixer or blender). CookIng thE PIE pour the mixture into the pie case. Transfer to a pre-heated oven at 180 C and bake for 45-55 minutes. after 45 minutes, test the pie by using a clean knife which when inserted into the centre, should come out clean. Enjoy whilst warm, chilled, with whipped cream, double cream or even ice cream.
Pumpkin Soup IngrEdIEntS 1 large pumpkin 125g unsalted butter 1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped. 1 cinnamon stick or 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon freshly grated nutmeg (or ground nutmeg if desperate) sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 1.7 litres of chick stock (or use vegetable stock if vegetarian). 3 tablespoons sherry PrEPArAtIon Cut the pumpkin into manageable chunks and peel, de-seed and remove any fibres (usually quartering the pumpkin works well). roughly chop the pumpkin chunks into smaller 1-2” chunks. melt the butter in a large heavy pan with a lid over a low heat, not allowing the butter to brown. Cook the onions on a gentle heat for 10-15mins until softened and beginning to colour. add the pumpkin chunks, cinnamon, nutmeg and season to taste with salt and pepper. Increase the heat to a gentle simmer, cover with the lid. Cook for 40-45mins stirring occasionally to prevent burning until the pumpkin is cooked through. add the stock and bring to the boil. remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. once cooled, use a hand blender or transfer in batches to a food processor. Blend until smooth. return the soup to the pan and bring to a low simmer for a further 30minutes. The soup is now ready to eat! You can allow to cool and reheat just before serving. SErvIng Just prior to serving, bring back to temperature if allowed to cool, remove from heat and add the sherry stirring well. Test for seasoning and adjust if required. serve with fresh warm bread and add a swirl of double cream for an extra luxury.
suduko
Puzzle 1 (Medium, difficulty)
Puzzle 2 (Medium, difficulty)
Basingstoke & Deane Neighbourhood Watch Committee
september 2012 prEss rELEasE
as part of a desire to ensure more inclusivity of the wider community, the BDNW Committee is seeking comments and suggestions on the following initiatives. annual General meeting – april 2013 We would like to improve the attendance at, and the relevance of, the BDNW annual General meeting. To that end we are inviting suggestions for topics and speakers for the 2013 aGm. With such a diverse community across rural and urban areas we believe that there is a risk of overlooking some genuine concerns. anti social behaviour and domestic violence are two of the Borough’s major problems but we would also like to cover topics that are particularly relevant to the rural communities, for example, fuel theft and excessive speeding. We would appreciate if you could advise us of any topics or issues of concern for discussion that you feel are particularly relevant to your community. The committee is there for the benefit of the whole of the Borough and we can only do this with your support. To enable us to respond and seek the best speakers we would need to hear from you by the end of November 2012.
BDNW Web site: www.bdnw.org.uk
We are particularly fortunate in having IT experts sitting on the committee and they have spent a huge amount of effort to generate a completely new and updated website. The committee invites you to visit our new website and make use of the great resource that has been created. There is a great deal of news, views, pictures and topics with twitter feeds from the local police. forthcoming events and local safety initiatives are regularly updated and there are a number of useful links to the county force and especially the new crime mapping website. on a postcode basis you can not only see where and what types of crime are being committed but what the response, action and outcome has been. please send your comments or suggestions by e-mail to: Brian adams - police Volunteerbrian.adams@hampshire.pnn.police.uk cc Tony Tuck – Chair cpttuck@btinternet.com or by letter to: Brian adams, Basingstoke police station, London road, Basingstoke rG21 4aD
Chocolate Quiz over at Chocolat Chez moi,they know a thing or two about Chocolate, but do you? t Chocolate Chez moi, they make bespoke hand made chocolates to order. all of the chocolate they use are sourced through Barry Callebaut, the worlds leading manufacturer of high quality cocoa and chocolate products. Whether it be something unique for that family member you can never find just the right present for, or you simply want to say “I love you” to that special person close to you, Chocolate Chez moi can create a personal gift tailored for any individual. If you are organising a special event such as a wedding, christening or birthday party then look no further for customised chocolate flavours which can even be colourmatched and personalised for your event.
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another great idea is to have fun creating your own pops! (as shown below - which are a couple of their fun creations for halloween). If you want something different for your childrens party or you want to bring some fun to your own grown-up chocolate party of your own, pop parties will come to you. providing an assortment of goodies we will demonstrate how to make your own Cookie and mallow pops before letting you loose to create your own themes and flavour combinations. Best of all – you get to keep (and eat) everything you make! for more information visit their site at http://chocolatchezmoi.com
for your chance to win a special selection of hand made chocolates from Chocolat Chez moi, answer the following question. how many golden tickets were there in the Willy Wonka & Chocolate f a c t o r y movie?. send your answer along with your name and email address to: quizzes@locipannum.co.uk Competition closes midnight 26th october 2012
Meet The Headmaster
Dick Jaine Dick Jaine joined GEms sherfield in september and we took the opportunity to talk with him. Q. Where did you go school?
Q. Did any individuals make a lasting impact on you?
Q. Did you always want to go into teaching?
a. my father was in the army so my early schooling was in the military schools of Germany and hong Kong. Then to the Blue Coat school in Liverpool, another army posting.
a. I was fortunate that a new head master, mr arnold-Craft, arrived at the Blue Coat just after I started; he introduced fencing. I enjoyed sport and played all the usual things one plays at school. I joined the first fencing class and loved it, lots of competitions and great coaching ended up with me representing Great Britain. I travelled the world with the team for a number of years. To have experienced Eastern Europe firsthand when it was part of the ussr is, with hindsight, something very special.
a. Early thoughts of being a fighter pilot with raf soon gave way to realising that teaching was something that I enjoyed. I'm delighted to say that I have never regretted the decision and still love what I do.
Q. What is my earliest school memory? a. Travelling to school in hong Kong in an army truck and being taught unarmed combat, not bad for a primary school!
Q. What subject did you enjoy most at school? a. Geography has always fascinated me. It has always struck me that just about everything seems to come under the subject heading. Geology and meteorology have remained lifelong interests. history also caught my imagination and still does. I have a great interest in the World Wars, perhaps the result of those early days growing up in a military family.
Q. What did your school report say? a. They mainly urged greater attention in the subjects I didn't enjoy. I can see now that was good advice; it doesn't feel like work when you are absorbed by things you love doing.
Q. how long have you been at your school? a. something of a trick question. I start at sherfield in september and have been the surmaster and latterly acting high master of st paul's school in London. I am keen to develop all the good things that sherfield already has to offer, but also to add some special opportunities by forming partnerships with various outstanding local organisations. We will be launching a golf programme with sherfield oaks Golf Club to start in 2013. our aim is to provide a very high quality integrated programme of study and golf for those pupils who want to take their sport to the highest level. We will run a similar programme for horse riding. our partner will be the very highly regarded Wellington riding school. With a further performing arts partnership we hope to attract boys and girls at 11yrs, 13yrs and at 16yrs who are eager to experience new opportunities within a strong academic framework.
Q. What do you enjoy most about your job? a. Working with good staff, coming up with new ideas and seeing the pupils thrive when we get things right.
Q. Least? a. The inevitable bureaucracy that goes with working with young people; it nearly takes the fun out of it!
Q. You are Education secretary for the day. What changes would you make? a. streamline the paperwork and place a greater emphasis on schools to develop new ideas and opportunities.
Q. Who was your childhood hero? a. Close call between D'artagnan and Zorro!
Q. Tell us about the interesting people who have attended your school? a. I prefer to think about the interesting people we are nurturing at the moment. perhaps I can have another go at this in five or so years?
suduko - answers Below are the answers to the suduko quiz from Issue 5. If you would like to see a number of dierent types of quizzes within the magazine, please email me your suggestions to quizzes@locipannum.co.uk. how many of you prefer a crossword over a word search or would you prefer something a bit more challenging? please do send your feedback to us at the above email address, or editor@locipannum.co.uk.
t may surprise some people to know there’s a comedy club nestling in the heart of Basingstoke – and in october 2012 it celebrated its fifth birthday. Jan Jack’s Laughter-house is based at the red Lion hotel and usually runs on the first Thursday of the month. We caught up with founder and promoter Jan Jack, to ask her some questions about the little club with the big atmosphere and how it all started. “I started stand-up comedy in 2006” Jan explains. “I performed in some really dire places in London, and got fed up with travelling up there to perform to three people and a dog. Then I realised that we were starved of comedy in Basingstoke, and considered running my own event. so I went into the red Lion hotel to discuss it, and it all kicked off from there.” That sounds like quite a challenge. “The opening night was extremely stressful” says Jan. “my headline act pulled out a few hours before. I spent hours on the phone, desperately trying to find a replacement. I was lucky; eventually andi osho headlined for us, as I’d gigged with her a few weeks before.” five years later on the little club is thriving. What makes it successful? “We’ve a passion for good comedy” says Jan. “I’m not interested in stag or hen groups coming in to get trolleyed; I encourage customers who want to forget their stress and have a good laugh at quality comedy. our customers appreciate being part of a friendly comedy experience and the atmosphere is wonderful.” “have there been any disasters?” we ask her. “of course” Jan laughs “But thankfully very few. We had to throw someone out in our first year. he was completely blotto and
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was shouting anglo saxon words at the stage. he was evicted to the sound of cheers from the rest of the audience. We do try to clamp down hard on bad behaviour”. What other problems does Jan face as a promoter? “Well, we’re still in a recession” she says “so sometimes it’s hard to encourage people to have a night out. and of course, there’s the comedy snobbery.” “Comedy snobbery?” “some people’s perception is that because we’re not part of a huge chain we can’t be any good. It’s ironic, as many of our acts have appeared on TV. some of our comedians have appeared on Live at the apollo and michael mcIntyre’s roadshow. a review of some of Jan’s acts certainly confirms this. Laughter-house line ups have included, among others, milton Jones, simon Evans, adam Boom, andi osho, Bob mills, mike Gunn and ava Vidal. how does Jan coax such comedy giants into her small club? “I’m proud to say we have a cracking reputation with them” she says. “adam Bloom describes us as ‘the perfect size room, stuffed with people who love comedy. and that’s absolutely true. Comedians don’t like performing to a big room that’s full of people who want to get drunk and chat. They need to engage with the audience so they tend to love an appreciative comedy audience in a friendly intimate venue. To see a good comedian engaging with an appreciate audience is so enjoyable.” What does Jan love the most about running Laughter-house? “Nothing beats the feeling of being at your own event, watching a room full of people laughing their socks off” she says, “It sure beats working in an office.” The next Laughter-house show is at the red Lion hotel on Thursday 1st November 2012 Tickets are available by calling into the red Lion hotel or online via “We Got Tickets” through the Laughter-house website. www.laughter-house.co.uk
photos supplied by michael palmer www.michaelpalmer.com
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Joint Ownership Of Property Considerations when buying property with a spouse, partner or friend any people buy a house or flat jointly with a spouse, partner or friend. But too often with the excitement and pressure of buying a property, not enough attention is paid to the terms of this joint ownership and what may happen in the future. It is extremely important to record, preferably at the time of purchase, what will happen to the property, and the sale proceeds, at a future date. There are many cases that go to an expensive court hearing because the matter of “who gets what” was not recorded. There are two main ways a property can be owned jointly :JoInt tEnAntS If you own the property as joint tenants this will mean:(a) That you jointly own the property and on the death of one of you the property will automatically transfer to the surviving owner(s). This will happen, regardless of what you may have specified in your Will. (b) If the property is sold, you will be presumed to own the property equally regardless of whether one of you paid more towards the purchase price of the property or running costs (e.g. mortgage) This can be overridden by the Court only in a few cases, e.g. divorce proceedings or where there are dependent children.
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married couples or those in a civil partnership commonly buy as joint tenants because on the death of the first person, the property automatically transfers to the survivor. tEnAntS In CoMMon If you own the property as tenants in common this will mean :(a) You can own different “shares” in the house. This may be appropriate if one of you has contributed more to the purchase price or running costs of the house, and wishes that to be taken into account on a future sale, or of course where you wish to leave your share in the property to other people or into a trust. (b) Your share in the property does not automatically pass to your surviving coowner(s) on your death. rather, your share will pass according to the terms of your Will, or if you do not have a Will, then under the laws of intestacy (which specify what happens to your property and assets if you die without making a Will). Disputes concerning sale proceeds are not uncommon and you should give careful consideration to buying as tenants in common if one of you has contributed more to the purchase price of the property and would expect to get that extra contribution back on a future sale of the property, or if you have
children from a previous relationship and wish to protect their eventual inheritance (in conjunction with a Will). We do not recommend that you just rely on a verbal agreement. dECLArAtIon oF trUSt For
tEnAntS In CoMMon Where you own the property as tenants in common, not only should you make a Will, but we would advise you to have a written agreement (called a “Declaration of Trust”) with your co-owner(s) setting out not only what shares or percentages each owns in the property, but other matters such as who can live in the house, who pays outgoings, and in what proportion, when the property must be sold etc. We can deal with this for you, if requested, and such an agreement can be prepared at any time – it does not need to be at the time of the purchase. The matter of joint ownership, Wills and related matters can be complicated and if you are in any doubt, you should speak to us about the matter. This article is only an abbreviated summary of a complicated area, and does not amount to advice in respect of any specific matter.