life! Saturday, March 14, 2009 The Gazette in association with
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INTERVIEW: Page 5
FASHION: Page 15 SEVENDAYS PLUS: Your full seven- Facing up to fears day TV & radio listings
Your complete guide the week’s televis to ion
CURIOUS CASE:
Mma Ramotswe
(Jill Scott), Mma
I
t sometimes seems feelgood Sunday as though with the Darling evening TV peaked been downhill Buds of May, and it’s ever since. But The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency (BBC1, looks set to change tomorrow, 9pm) Anthony Minghella’s all that. Certainly one-off episode aired last year that was one of the best things
YOURVIEW e-mail life@blackpo
Makutsi (Anika
Noni Rose), JLB
on the box in ages. as Mma Ramotswe, Now Jill Scott returns Botswana’s top detective, for lady more new, six-part series mystery-solving in a based on McCall Smith’s internationally Alexander novels. best-selling
As the series begins, Mma Ramotswe is finding business a little slow. Together with her trusted secretary, Mma
olgazette.co.uk
Matekoni (Lucian
Msamati)
Makutsi, she takes matters into her hands and produces own some leaflets advertising her won’t be long services, in the hope that it until the clients in. start flooding
The pair enlist Wellington, as the help of a young boy, they wait for thetheir distributor and, while Ramotswe busiesinflux of clients, Mma herself with a favour for
her dear friend, mechanic JLB Matekoni. JLB’s niece suspects the Nigerian she works for, Dr Komoti, is having dentist mental breakdown. a Some days brilliant dentist and others he’s he’s a terrible. Mma Ramotswe fears and book is forced to face her an appointment “definitely disturbed with the dentist”.
Saturday, March
14, 2009
life! 25
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THRILLER ON THE BILL
Michael Jackson tribute at The Grand
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15
,
THEMOVIES
CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC (12A)
View all the latest movie trailers at www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk
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GRAN TORINO (15)
MARLEY & ME (PG)
✔ life!
In probably his final appearance in front of a camera, Clint Eastwood delivers one of his finest performances as a xenophobic war veteran in this timely humanist drama, which he also directs. Haunted by his experiences in the Korean War and consumed by grief over his wife’s death, Walt Kowalski (Eastwood) has become bitter. But when a gang scraps with his neighbour’s son, Walt intervenes and soon warms to them in typical Dirty Harry style. Rating: Grand swansong
Newlyweds John and Jenny choice Grogan (Jennifer Aniston, Owen Wilson) move from Michigan to Florida to pursue careers as journalists and put down roots, building a home together. As a child substitute they buy a yellow Labrador pup called Marley but the tiny bundle of fun soon grows into 100 pounds of uncontrollable energy, chewing up anything and everything in the home . But as the Grogans raise three sons, they realise “the world’s worst dog’’ is a vital part of family life. Rating: Four legged friends
THE INTERNATIONAL (15)
SURVEILLANCE (18)
WATCHMEN (18)
THE YOUNG VICTORIA (15)
THE UNBORN (15)
Based on Sophie Kinsella’s novels. Rebecca Bloomwood (Isla Fisher) is a 25 year old who lives cheap with her best friend Suze (Krysten Ritter) in a trendy part of town. Rebecca has low paid job with a financial magazine but an expensive shopping addiction. Her bills are piling up when she discovers a story that she is truly invested in. Exposing the story gets the attention of a colleague that she hasn't quite figured out yet. Drama ensues as she snags the guy, and she attempts to pay off her evergrowing debt. Rating: Overdrawn
Clive Owen continues his quest to be the toughest man on the big screen – but comes closer to heading straight to DVD. When a fellow agent is murdered, Euro cop Louis Salinger (Owen) and New York district attorney Eleanor Whitman (Naomi Watts) ignore the fact they are both named after American literary giants and join forces to entrap one of the world’s largest banks. Crossing the globe they learn the full extent of its corruption. These days they’d only need to buy a morning newspaper to find out much the same! Rating: Clive’s credit’s crunched
From the makers of Gosford Park and The Departed comes the story of Queen Victoria’s early rise to power. From an object of a royal power-struggle to her romantic courtship and legendary marriage to Prince Albert, Emily Blunt (Devil Wears Prada) gives an excellent performance as The Young Victoria. Packed with drama, romance, political intrigue, breath-taking cinematography and featuring an outstanding British cast including Jim Broadbent, Mark Strong, Paul Bettany and Miranda Richardson and Rupert Friend (Pride & Prejudice) it’s faithful but lacks excitement. Rating: Time piece
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Director Jennifer Lynch returns with her second feature (remember that her first one was the controversial Boxing Helena) – a thriller of murder and deception set predominantly on one of those never-ending highways loved by her father, the even whackier David Lynch. FBI agents, dodgy cops, serial killer and survivors – can anyone be trusted? Explosions of graphic violence and moribund humour prove that she has definitely inherited his appreciation for a world teetering on the brink of insanity, but the histrionics of the final act skirt perilously close to laughable. Rating: Lynch party
We all know that children can quite a handful but the cinema has the notion off to a fine art. From The Children of the Corn to Village of the Damned and Lord of the Flies – beware. So when Casey Beldon (Odette Yustman) starts dreaming of a terrifying young child you just know there may be trouble ahead. Her investigations reveal that the twin brother she absorbed when they were in the womb is now a restless demon named a dybbuk and has taken repossession of its mind. Rating: Omen revisited
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Set in an alternate 1985 America in which costumed superheroes are part of everyday society. Masked vigilante Rorschach uncovers a plot to kill and discredit all past and present superheroes. As he reconnects with a ragtag group of retired superheroes, only one of whom has true powers – Rorschach glimpses a wideranging and disturbing conspiracy with links to their shared past and catastrophic consequences for the future. Rating: Watch it
NEW IN TOWN (12A)
Lucy Hill (Renee Zellweger) is a high achiever who takes an assignment to restructure one of her company’s small manufacturing plants in Minnesota. From Miami’s warm highlife to bitter cold, snow, and icy roads which must be endured to succeed. Lucy is treated as an outsider when she arrives but is a fighter and wants to win. Meeting union representative Ted Mitchell (Harry Connick, Jr.) helps, so when told to close the plant she comes up with an idea to save everybody's job – and, of course, falls in love. Rating: Renee for President?
STARINTERVIEW
5MINUTES WITH Letitia Dean
L
etitia Dean was born in 1967, and shot to fame at the age of 18 when she was cast as Sharon in EastEnders. Her other credits include the TV series The Hello Girls and Strictly Come Dancing, and she recently appeared in the stage version of High School Musical.
Emily Blunt talks about stepping into the role of young Queen Victoria
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mily Blunt had no time for playing princesses when she was a little girl, but she was prepared to do anything to portray Queen Victoria in her latest film. “I just thought she was such a remarkable girl and wanted to play her very much,’’ the 26-year-old actress admits. “It is rare that I make a plea for a part and I did really want this one. It’s probably the only part I’ve ever really gone down on my hands and knees for.’’ Emily, who shot to fame in The Devil Wears Prada, relished the chance to portray the longest reigning monarch in British history in The Young Victoria. “I had a perception of her. I had the opinion that she was old, in mourning, sour-faced and repressed, and when I started to read about her, I fell in love with her. “I was blown away by how remarkable she was and she seemed like a very modern character, a very 21st century sort of woman. She was in a job where she was in way over her head – I saw that must have been an incredibly pressured and difficult environment to be in, particularly after reading about the childhood that she had that was lonely and oppressive, so I was amazed and full of admiration at her resilience to have the knowledge that she would be good to be so absolute in knowing that she would be great and that she deserved this position. “It appealed that it was an opportunity to play someone who is a contradiction to people’s preconception of what she was like. Everyone knows her as the mourning Queen who was wheeled around in black with a hanky on her head, but she was just
FACTFILE
■ Emily Olivia Leah Blunt was born in Roehampton on February 23, 1983. ■ She kick-started her career in theatre at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival before moving into TV. ■ Emily won a Golden Globe in 2007 for her part in the BBC TV drama Gideon’s Daughter. ■ The petite actress had to
Regal role for tomboy the polar opposite when she was younger. That was exciting to me, that I could change people’s opinion of what Victoria was like.’’ While she was keen to play the famous queen, London-born Emily admits that she wasn’t always so fond of royalty. “Definitely not. I was never the girl who dreamt of being a princess, and I’ve never dreamt about my wedding day,’’ she says. “I hated pink and I hated fairies. I remember throwing a tantrum if my mum tried to dress me in pink. I wasn’t particularly a girly girl. I only liked hanging out with boys, which is worrying, isn’t it? ‘’ Even so, Emily says she felt a real connection with the her character. But playing the young queen did have its downsides – especially when it came to dressing the part. “The corset and the gloves! I don’t like gloves,’’ Emily explains. “I just have a weird thing about gloves. I never wear gloves. I had to be wearing gloves when we had the waltz – it wasn’t historically accurate without
lose weight for her role as caustic assistant Emily in The Devil Wears Prada: “It was the only thing I’ve ever done where they wanted me to lose weight.’’ ■ She is currently dating US actor John Krasinski, following a three-year relationship with Canadian crooner Michael Buble.
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them. It was awful. The corset, which I had to wear all the way through, wasn’t fun to wear. Sandy Powell, the costume designer, was quite merciless with my corset because I think she thought I wore it too loose.” Victoria’s crown posed further problems. “The crown was very heavy and it left dents on my forehead when I took it off. It was heavier than I imagined – I had to move very slowly with it.’’ Filming took place in some of the country’s most historic locations, including Blenheim Palace, Hampton Court Palace and Belvoir Castle, to remain as historically authentic as possible. The movie has some royal standing – it was co-produced by Sarah, Duchess of York, and her eldest daughter Princess Beatrice has a cameo as a lady-in-waiting. “She was very friendly and carried my train, which was very nice and ironic. She’s very good-natured, patient and a very nice girl. People think that she is in the film a lot because I get asked that all the time, but she’s only in one scene,’’ Emily says. Playing a Queen of England has won awards for Dame Judi Dench, Cate Blanchett and Dame Helen Mirren, but Emily refuses to be drawn into the debate. “To follow in their footsteps is very tricky, because they are all people that I admire,’’ she says. “I don’t know if there should be a cachet to playing the Queen of England because it could lead to an award. It’s such a meat market all of that, I just don’t want to go into it.’’ ■ The Young Victoria is currently on release in cinemas nationwide.
If you had to be stuck in a lift with someone, who would it be? My dog. I love him and he’d be great fun to be stuck in a lift with. What is your biggest fear? Flying. I used to be fine when I was younger, but as I’ve got older I’ve found I don’t like it so much. Do you have any superstitions? I wouldn’t walk under ladders, for some reason. My only real pre-show ritual is to go over my lines too many times. Before I go on stage for my first scene, I would probably go over it about 20 times in my head, so I’d feel like I’d done the play 20 times before I’d even started. That’s quite annoying. If you could have only one song on your iPod, what would it be? Don’t Rain on My Parade, by Barbra Streisand. I’m such a big fan. What’s the most expensive thing you’ve bought, not including property? Probably a coat I bought from Joseph years ago. I’ve worn it a lot though, so I’ve certainly got my money’s worth out of it. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given? Be nice to be people on your way up, because you’re sure as hell going to meet them on your way back down. It’s something I got taught at Sylvia Young Theatre School, and it’s stood me in good stead. I just think you need to respect everyone’s job and position in life. When was the last time you cried and why? I was watching Goodbye Mr Chips over Christmas, and that made me cry. I love that film – it’s beautiful. I can be a bit of a softie. What’s your indulgence? I love shopping for make-up. I’ve got about four trunks of it and I never wear half of it. How environmentally friendly are you? I’m pretty good. I try to do my bit, and I’m quite good with recycling things and stuff like that. I could probably do better, but I’m certainly trying hard. What item could you not live without? My false eyelashes! I do love my TV too, to be honest. I’ve just finished a pantomime, so I didn’t get much chance to watch it over Christmas, but I tend to watch it quite a lot. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? My patience. I can be a bit impatient sometimes, just on menial things. I think it is getting better as I’m getting older though.
YOURVIEW CLAIM TO FAME
I met Tom Baker in a restaurant in Gloucestershire. He was absolutely charming, looked wonderfully eccentric and I got his autograph. – Mary Whatmough, 60, who lives in Blackpool Have you ever got up close to someone famous. If so who and where? Let us have your claim to fame. e-mail life@ blackpoolgazette.co.uk
Saturday, March 14, 2009
life!
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WHAT’SON Hit comedy film comes to stage
DUE to public demand, the box office hit Calendar Girls returns to The Lowry at Salford Quays next week starring Lynda Bellingham, Patricia Hodge, Sian Phillips, Gaynor Faye, Brigit Forsyth, Julia Hills and Elaine C Smith (pictured). A group of extraordinary women, members of a very ordinary Yorkshire WI, persuade one another to pose for a charity calendar with a difference. Puzzling their husbands, mortifying their children and riding the wrath of an outraged WI, they inadvertently spark a global phenomenon. As interest in the calendar snowballs, the ladies find themselves revealing more than they’d ever planned. Tim Firth has adapted the screenplay of his smash hit film for the stage. The movie, released in 2003, was an instant hit at the box office, becoming the number one grossing film in the UK on its release. ■ Calendar Girls. Monday to Saturday, The Lowry, Salford Quays, Greater Manchester. Times: Evenings 7.30pm, Wednesday matinee 2.30pm, Saturday matinee 3pm. Box office: (0870) 787 5793 or www.thelowry.com
Medium rare talent from an ex-barber
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he man claimed to be Britain’s most accurate medium makes his debut at Blackpool Grand Theatre tomorrow. Gordon Smith is one of the top psychic mediums and spiritual teachers in the UK. Having spent 15 years balancing his work as a medium with his day job as a barber in his native Glasgow, Gordon now conducts mediumship workshops and events around the world. His Celtic charm and lively demonstrations provide his audience with an opportunity to experience the fascinating phenomenon of mediumship, which he delivers with a mix of humour, passion and empathy to others. Gordon has also appeared on TV’s Richard and Judy and This Morning and presented Living TV’s most successful show Most Haunted. He is also a regular columnist for Best magazine and The Daily Record. Gordon is the proverbial seventh
son of a seventh son – he has three sisters (one of whom died before he was born) and three brothers. From early childhood he had the ability to see, sense and hear spirit people. As a young boy his ability often unnerved those around him and so he learned to close his mind to these experiences. It wasn’t until he was 24, when a friend’s brother appeared at his bedside in the middle of the night that these gifts were re-awakened. He later learned that the brother had died that night in a tragic fire. Gordon went with his friend to a spiritualist church, and during the service he was told that he would one day be speaking from the “platform”. ■ An Evening of Mediumship with Gordon Smith is at the Grand Theatre on Sunday March 15 at 7.30pm. All tickets are priced £20 and are on sale now from the Grand Theatre box office on (01253) 290190 or book online at www.blackpoolgrand.co.uk
TOP SPIRITUALIST: Gordon Smith
Big names in Coward classic TWO of the country’s leading classical actors, Peter Egan and Belinda Lang, star in a sparkling new production of A Song At Twilight, one of Noel Coward’s funniest plays, which has its only North West date at Preston Charter Theatre from Monday to Saturday. A Song At Twilight follows the life and loves of world famous author Sir Hugo Latymer. Settled in a luxurious hotel in Switzerland, Sir Hugo and his wife invite actress Carlotta Gray to dine, with unexpected consequences. Sir Hugo is haughty, self-righteous, witty and sharp, but he has met his match. As the evening progresses it becomes clear that Carlotta is not quite the silly actress Sir Hugo cruelly portrayed her to be in his memoirs. In fact she has information in her possession that would completely ruin him. The stage is set for a classic Coward glittering battle of egos.
Staged by the producers of last year’s critically acclaimed production of The Hound of the Baskervilles this is Coward at its best, combining razor sharp wit with sumptuous settings and compelling and poignant story telling. Peter Egan, still best known for Ever Decreasing Circles, but more recently the comedy Home Again, plays Sir Hugo Latymer. Belinda Lang, a Coward connoisseur who played alongside Dame Judi Dench in the West End production of Hay Fever, stars as Carlotta Gray. They are joined by Kerry Peers (The Bill, Brookside) and newcomer Daniel Bayle. For more information or to book online, visit www. prestonguildhall.com or call the box office on (01772) 258858. ■ A Song at Twilight: Charter Theatre, Preston. Monday to Saturday, 7.30pm. Matinees Wednesday and Saturday, 2.30pm).
ROUND&ABOUT ●
Lily Allen and her band launch their UK tour this weekend with a Glasgow opening tonight and a Manchester Academy visit tomorrow. Remaining tickets details – Credit card hotline: 08444 999 990, www.gigsandtours.com and www.myspace.com/lilymusic An Irish céilidh to celebrate St Patrick’s Day is being held on Tuesday at 53 Degrees in Preston. Features top Preston based band Hot Punch, drink bargains with Guinness at £1.50 a pint and Jameson’s Whiskey
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at £1, and a free homemade hot pot supper. ■ St Pat’s Craic’in Céilidh – 53 Degrees, Brook Street, Preston. 7.30pm-12am. 18+. Tickets available from Students’ Union Reception, Fylde Road, Preston (01772 893 000) or online from www.53degrees.net and www.lancashiretickets. comwhatson One of Britain’s most distinguished directors, Peter Hall, returns to The Lowry at Salford Quays with English Touring Theatres’s production of the comic masterpiece, Where There’s A Will, from Tuesday.
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DUKE’S Magic show stars Mickey Mouse DIARY IN a never-before-seen combination, favourite Disney characters and professional illusionists come together live on stage in a performance that will excite and delight children of all ages. Disney Live! presents Mickey’s Magic Show comes to the Echo Arena Liverpool from Friday to Sunday next week. The show features the special magic from legendary Disney films, performed right before your eyes: Cinderella’s rags turn
into a beautiful ballgown in a split second; Aladdin’s Princess Jasmine levitates into the air; and the enchanted dancing brooms in Fantasia help sweep Minnie off her feet. The Master Magician himself – Mickey Mouse – performs astonishing illusions along with Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother, Alice in Wonderland’s Mad Hatter, and professional illusionists Brad Ross and Fred Moore. The magic is complemented by
appearances from Disney princesses Belle and Snow White and Mickey’s pals from Toontown – Minnie, Donald, Daisy and Goofy.
To book tickets log on to www.accliverpool. com or call the Echo Arena Box Office on 0844 8000 400. ■ Performance times - Friday, 6pm; Saturday – 11.30am, 3pm and 6pm; Sunday 11.30am and 3pm.
Thriller show moonwalks into town ...
T
he smash-hit show celebrating the music of Michael Jackson and the Jackson Five rocks with you into Blackpool Grand Theatre next week. The spectacular Thriller Live moonwalks into town from Thursday to Sunday to celebrate the career of the world famous entertainer and King of Pop – Michael Jackson. Thriller Live features a West End cast of singers, dancers and a live band to bring the magic of Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5 to life. To recreate the ground-breaking videos, dazzling dance moves and distinctive sound of Jackson’s greatest hits live on stage, the show includes eyepopping multi-media effects and choreography by the awardwinning director Gary Lloyd (who has previously worked with artists including Leona Lewis,
Will Young, Robbie Williams, and Girls Aloud), plus additional choreography by five time MTV award-winning LaVelle Smith Jnr. Thriller Live is also packed with more than two hours of hit songs including I’ll Be There, I Want You Back, Can You Feel It, She’s Out Of My Life, Billie Jean, Earth Song and many more. Performances are Thursday at 8pm, Friday to Sunday at 7.30pm and a Saturday matinee at 2pm. Tickets are are on sale now from the Grand Theatre box office on (01253 290190), book
■ Where There’s a Will. The Lowry, Salford Quays, Greater Manchester. Times: Evenings 8pm, Wednesday matinee 2pm, Saturday matinee 3pm. Box office: 0870 787 5793 or www.thelowry.com
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Hot on the heels of the phenomenally successful production of Sabbat at The Dukes comes Jamaica House, opening on Thursday. Directed by Gwenda Hughes, Jamaica House is a life-affirming drama set on the
online at ww.blackpoolgrand. co.uk or visit the new Grand Theatre information sales point in the Houndshill Shopping Centre for bookings and further information.. Concessions, group rates and Friends of the Grand discount available. Student Stampede – £5 for first 50 seats from 10am on Thursday March 19. Just show your student card at the box office to book on a first come, first served basis for best available seats – mature students welcome. Subject to availability. Don’t forget – parking is available at a discounted rate at the secure West Street Car Park. Book your parking ticket when you book your show tickets from the box office and you can have parking from 5.30pm until 12.30am for £2.50.
12th floor of a tower block rigged to explode. ■ Jamaica House runs until Saturday April 11. Tickets are available from The Dukes box office on (01524) 598500 or www.dukes-lancaster.org Fans of the hard working blues and rock band The Hamsters will be travelling to Morecambe tonight to catch their first appearance in two years at The Platform. Although primarily performing their own
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LIVE HITS: Tribute to Michael Jackson and (far left) the Jackson Five at The Grand
brand of material, they are also widely regarded as our leading interpreters of the music of Jimi Hendrix and more recently ZZ Top. The regional premiere of Frank McGuinness’ touching drama Gates of Gold runs at the Library Theatre in Manchester from Friday until Saturday April 11. ■ Monday to Thursday 7.30pm, Friday and Saturday 8pm. Various matinees, 3pm. Box office: (0161) 236 7110.
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Memories of a flawed superhero
think I’ve probably always wanted to be a superhero. I blame some of it on being a lifelong fan of what we used to call comics but these days have to refer to as graphic novels because that way people don’t poke so much fun at you. Somewhere at home I’ve still got a pile of DC Comics and Marvel Comics tucked away. They’re not worth enough to set them loose on eBay but they’re worth too much (in memories mainly) to throw away or recycle. Anyway I’m Pisces so I don’t “do” throwing away very well. When I was young (all right, all right – a long time ago!) it was always so exciting waiting for the new editions to reach the newsagents. There was never much logic about when they’d be there – importing from the USA hadn’t been tuned to the fine art it is today. So sometimes April preceded May as you’d expect but at other times it didn’t – and anyway they seemed to print them months ahead of the calendar. It all added to the excitement and anticipation – as did the fact that I got most of them at a cut price rate from my friend Ronald Palfreyman who got his free of charge – because he was the classroom’s best shoplifter. How he never got caught I’ll never know but he ended up in the police force, moved to London and worked at Scotland Yard so the experience clearly didn’t do him any harm. Anyway back to the superhero. It’s the film Watchmen that’s brought it all back. It’s taken 20 years to transfer from its comic/book original to the current cinema blockbuster. Because of that I’ve not yet got round to seeing it. Well, if they can take 20 years, what’s a few weeks more to wait? I’m not as bad as Mother Dearest who recently made her first cinema trip in almost 30 years to see Mamma Mia. “Well, there’d not been much on that I fancied seeing,” she said – but must have been surprised to see it was in colour without any piano accompaniment at the front. Superheroes? I don’t think being called Robin helped my cause much. If I’d a £1 for every time I’ve patiently lived through a Batman joke I’d probably still be broke because I’d have only invested it in some now worthless shares. It wasn’t too bad at school because everyone there was always addressed by their surname but once out of those gates ... and it didn’t help that I was hidden behind glasses I could have lent to Superman’s alter ego Clark Kent. Anyway I didn’t want to be someone’s sidekick, I wanted to be Green Lantern. He wasn’t the strongest of the superheroes – though he was a member of the Justice League of America. He was tougher than Aquaman (no water meant no strength), more adaptable than Flash (all speed, not much else) and more versatile than whoever that one who shot arrows everywhere was called. But I think I liked the fact that Green Lantern was flawed. He wore a pretty good looking superhero ring that shot stuff out at villains – but was rendered pretty helpless against anything yellow. It taught me that crooks and criminals must be pretty stupid not to see through that one. I think Ronald Palfreyman must have known that too. robin.duke@blackpoolgazette.co.uk
Saturday, March 14, 2009
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FOOD&DRINK LIQUIDNEWS
Tea with a hint of zesty lemon HAMBLEDEN Herbs Organic Black Tea and Lemon Verbena is billed as a herbal tea for people who don’t drink herbal tea. The zesty lemon verbena lightens the tea, producing a similar effect to black tea with a slice of lemon. It’s all completely organic and Soil Association-approved – which is good, because these things are often important to people who drink herbal tea! Hambleden Herbs Organic Black Tea and Lemon Verbena is available from Tree Of Life stores and independent health stores nationwide, RRP £1.69 for 20 bags.
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Try this recipe for a traditional English rum punch, made using Myers’ premium Jamaican dark rum: Pour a bottle of dry red wine into a saucepan and heat with two cups of black tea and a quarter cup of lemon juice. Slowly stir in half a bottle of Myers’ Dark Rum and one cup of sugar, then serve warm with fresh orange slices to garnish. Serves 10 to 15 people, none of whom should be driving anywhere afterwards! Myers’s Dark Rum is available from www.thedrinksshop.com, RRP £17.79.
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EATINGIN with Marco
INGREDIENTS
SCRAMBLEDEGG ANDSMOKEDSALMON
ith just a week to go until Mother’s Day, there’s time to stock up on the ingredients for a luxurious lunch for mum, or if you are taking her out, maybe you should try this dish for an indulgent breakfast treat! A heart-shaped cutter for the wholemeal and black treacle toast will show her how much you care! 2 eggs (beaten) 2 fl oz milk or cream 2 oz smoked salmon strips 1-2 oz butter
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Calle-Catalayud of Kwizeen, Blackpool
METHOD
1. Place the butter in a warm saucepan
and melt without colouring. 2.Now add the beaten egg with the milk and a pinch of salt. 3. Using a wooden spoon stir continuously and you will see the egg start to scramble. 4 Just before you think it is ready, remove from the pan onto your hot toast and serve, as the scrambled egg will continue cooking. To follow: Fillet of beef wellington, chunky chips, veal jus To finish: Boozy trifle To drink: Bucks fizz To book: (01253) 290045
FOOD&DRINK
EATINGOUT
WINECORNER
by Jacqueline Morley
Birley Arms, Warton
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J
OIN the jet set at historic Birley Arms. The country pub has long been a lunchtime favourite with Fylde planemakers, who regularly set a short and simple course along the Wrea Green road, directly leading from the main gates of the giant BAE Systems base. But having been extensively refurbished with a contemporary new look and a new menu in time for a preChristmas relaunch, the Birley is now hoping many new arrivals will land on their doorstep for food and drink. The Birley, believed to be more than 500 years old, stands in a countryside area, originally called Kellamergh, that was mentioned in the Doomsday Book. The pub owes its names to an 18th century Kirkham family dynasty. For in the days when ships from the Wyre and the Lune traded with the West Indies, John Birley was a wealthy West India merchant, responsible for some of the town’s prominent properties including Milbanke House and the Hillside. It’s hard to image any grizzly goings on here, but the pub also has a nickname, the Red Heart, from a macabre 17th century incident when Cromwellian troops from the Battle of Preston crossed the Ribble at Freckleton – and the heart of an unfortunate opponent was nailed to the inn door. Today you cannot fail to find the roadside Birley which is bright, white and many times expanded. Rival pubs may also boast a conservatory and even a marquee able to cater for fairs and functions, but they are unlikely to have their own hotel extension. Mine hosts Trish and Ian Benson, who took over the tired, run-down hostelry little more than 12 months ago, have transformed The Birley into a warm, welcoming venue with a refit which has included all 14 bedrooms. The relaxing bar area with its lofty ceiling and old beams remain the true heart of the Birley, with open-plan dining areas scattered throughout from which to take your choice, including a number of cosy corners with new fireplace, wood-burning stove and bookshelves. Food is served seven days a week and everything is home-cooked using fresh produce sourced from local farms. If you are a high-flyer or just happen to be pushed for time, the Birley also offers a service where you can ring ahead and your meal will be ready on your arrival. Starters to be found on the menu and on a specials blackboard include some familiar pub grub favourites with some more unusual offerings. Alongside prawn cocktail (£4.50) and soup of the day (£2.95) was half a rack of BBQ ribs (£4.50) plus a foot of onion rings presented on a pole (£4.50). We satisfied our hunger pangs with a combo for two (£7.50) a plentiful platter of spicy chicken wings, onion rings, breaded
FRESH PRODUCE: The Birley Arms at Warton sources from local farms
FACTFILE Address: Bryning Lane Warton Telephone: 01772 679988 Open: Food 11.30am-2.30pm Mon to Fri/Sat 12-9pm/ Sun 12-8pm Booking: Not necessary Parking: Ample Cards: Most Vegetarian: Yes Children: Welcome Disabled Access: Yes Value for money: 8/10 Life! rating: 8/10 mushrooms, garlic bread and potato dipping sticks, which, to our surprise turned out to be chips! Enough for three, let alone two. Main courses ranged from lasagne (£6.95) to Gloucestershire Old Spot sausages and mash (£7.95), to five-week matured steaks (8 oz sirloin 11.95 and 10oz rump £10.95) surf and turf (£12.95) and a Desperate Dansized mixed grill (£14.00). Particularly eyecatching were the traditional dishes include cheese and onion pie (£6.95), Lancashire hot pot and fish pie (£7.50) Seafood lovers can take their pick from scampi (£7.95), cod (£7.95) and a Seafood Medley (£8.45) of calamari, goujons of scampi, king prawns and scallops. Alternatively there are burgers (£6.75£7.25), speciality sandwiches (£6.95) and a selection of lightbites dishes (£3.95).
YOURVIEW e-mail life@blackpoolgazette.co.uk
I was more than happy with a sizeable individual steak and kidney pudding with chips and marrowfat, rather than the listed mushy peas (£6.95). The suet was excellent, full of unmistakably home-made flavour and the plateful came with an excellent dark, rich gravy. Across the table, liver and onions (£6.95) proved to just as popular, a heaped serving of liver on a bed of mash with carrots and plenty of onions. Clean plates said it all. There was just enough room for desserts – a warming jam roly poly (£3.20) came in a deep dish drowned in a piping hot custard, while across the table there was a hefty slice of heavenly chocolate fudge cake (£3.20) Alternatives included apple pie and custard (£2.95), sticky toffee pudding (£4.50), apple and caramel pancake stack (£3.20) and a Lancashire cheeseboard (£4.50). Service throughout was good from numerous waitresses. There is a a good variety of wines, starting from a Chardonnay and Merlot (£11.95 a bottle). Sunday lunches are popular – either one course ( £6.95), two course (£9.95) or three (£12.95). There are also good deals for senior citizens – £4 for twocourses Monday to Friday. Our hearty three course meal for two, with a pint of Guinness and a large glass of house wine, came to £34.94
Steve Singleton
ine Rack is racking up some excellent exclusives to suit all budgets. Let’s start with a deliciously fruity Cava rosé, Grand Nador, with berry-scented notes, and refreshing palate, ideal served as an aperitif, or with canapes, such as smoked salmon blinis with sour cream. We fell for this for Valentine’s Day when it was on half price offer but frankly it’s worth the usual £9.99. If you’re looking for a rather special red for the Sunday roast, try the power packed 02 Amarone Fabiano, with its rich ripe fruits, soft tannins, and smooth lingering finish, fabulous with herb-infused rack of lamb or rare beef, and while it’s a top tipple, you can bag it for £19.33 when you buy three bottles (otherwise £28.99). RED NOSES: Booths hopes to uncork cash for charity by selling Red Nose Red and White, an 08 Pinotage Shiraz , hearty and full bodied, brimming with bramble fruit, and an 08 Chenin Blanc, tangy, with rich concentrated fruit. Both have been created especially for the Red Nose appeal, by SAAM Mountain Vineyards, South Africa, and are endorsed by masters of wine Jancis Robinson and Tim Atkins. A hefty £1 of each £4.99 sale will go to Comic Relief. The eye catching labels feature artwork by Damien Hirst. MOTHER’S DAY: Women finally have a Port to call their own in the form of a curvy shaped bottle of Croft Pink, an innovative rosé created with women in mind, served chilled, on the rocks, or topped up with soda. It’s a little more brazen than the heavy after dinner offerings of old: cherry pink, with enticing raspberry aromas, and nuances of honey and citrus. Sainsbury, Asda, Morrisons, Costcutter, £9.99. PRICE PLEASERS: Booths (which also sells wine online via booths-wine.co.uk and helped pioneer www.everywine.co.uk which is a virtual retailer for every wine available in the UK) has the following on offer until March 23: Half price deals include Lindemans red and white, from South Africa, at £3.99. and Spain’s Finca Moncloa, at £6.99 (really worth trying at this price). Smaller savings include £1.50 off America’s Beringer Sauvignon/ Zinfandel, at £4.49, there’s £2 off Aussie favourite, Nottage Hill red and white, and Deakin Shiraz, at £4.99. Tesco also weighs in with some half price offers until March 24 on South Africa’s Kumala Eternal Red, White and Rose, all at £3.99 each. WHAT’S NEW: If you want a very special holiday, the École du Vin de Bordeaux has courses, in the heart of Bordeaux city, taught in English by local wine experts. Prices start at 350 Euros but do NOT include flights or accommodation. Visit http://ecole.vinsbordeaux.fr/.
TOP TIPPLE
Still with Mother’s Day in mind, drop into Wine Rack for one of the best bubbly deals around, the elegant Radcliffe de Brissar Vintage 2000 champagne,with classic style and depth, on offer at half price, £15.98, until March 24. Don’t miss it!
Don’t forget to send your booze news, clubs, favourite finds, swigs and tips to jacqui.morley@blackpoolgazette. co.uk
Saturday, March 14, 2009
life!
9
TIMEOUT
BOOKS
NEW FICTION A DAY AND A NIGHT AND A DAY Glen Duncan
Terrorist, Augustus Rose, is being interrogated. Or to avoid euphemisms, tortured. As the henchmen get to work, their leader, the chillingly calm and plausible Harper, delivers an analysis of the state of the nations to his captive audience – as much for his own satisfaction as to drag information from his victim. While praying for the end, Augustus recalls his Manhattan youth and the great love of his life, damaged rich girl Selina. But his thoughts also wind forwards towards his future. In his post-imprisonment life, Augustus is trying to make a life for himself, of sorts, on a remote Scottish isle, while coming to terms with the betrayals through which he survived. A nightmare vision of a world where fundamentalist terrorists are as terrified of life’s emptiness as affluent Westerners are bored by it, Glen Duncan’s latest is another of his brave examinations of the darkness in the human soul. Simon & Schuster, £14.99
NEW NON-FICTION GENERATION KILL Evan Wright
Originally published in 2004, Generation Kill is a frank and hard-hitting account of Rolling Stone journalist Evan Wright’s time with the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion of the US Marine Corps during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Unsurprisingly, given Wright’s knack for vivid storytelling and characterisation of the soldiers he encountered, it’s been adapted into a seven-part TV series by creators of highly acclaimed show The Wire, David Simon and Ed Burns. The small-screen version is also the reason for this updated reissue, which adds a chapter on where members of the First Recon are now. It’s a welcome amendment as by the end of the novel you will care passionately about what happens to the likes of Sgt Brad ‘Iceman’ Colbert and Cpl Josh Person. Corgi, £6.99
CHILDREN’S CHOICE THE SECRET OF THE BLACK MOON MOTH John Fardell
The third children’s book from Edinburgh-based cartoonist and
YOURVIEW
illustrator John Fardell is an ambitious one. While it’s one thing illustrating children’s books, it’s quite another writing them. But Fardell manages to pull this off – just. The action starts in Italy, where a masked intruder wrestles a mysterious book from a man, stabbing him in the process. After this violent opening, we’re transported to a boring lecture hall, where we meet a bunch of professors and five children who will carry the bulk of the story. A shy old man approaches the group, proposing an expedition to a farflung island where he discovered a strange human-like skull decades ago. No sooner have they landed, than the adults are conveniently drugged by a bogus archaeologist. The children manage to escape and soon discover they’re not the only species of human on the island. Unfortunately, the children’s characters are only partially explored. Fardell also makes his environmental messages far too obvious. Faber and Faber, £6.99
PAPERBACK CHOICE THIN WHITE LINE Andy Cave
The sequel to Learning to Breathe, Cave’s best-selling debut, charts another journey by this extreme mountaineer. Traumatised by his last climbing trip to the Himalayas, where he lost his best friend and climbing partner, Cave faces his fears in Patagonia, Norway and Alaska. Arrow Books, £8.99
NEWDVDs EAGLE EYE
J
erry Shaw (Shia LaBeouf) and single mother Rachel Holloman (Michelle Monaghan) have never
met. He is grieving the death of his twin, she is concerned about her young son Sam (Boyce), who is travelling to Washington for an important musical recital. Both receive similar telephone calls informing them to follow explicit instructions or pay a terrible price. When the mastermind behind the devious scheme reveals her ultimate goal – for Jerry and Rachel to commit murder – the would-be assassins find themselves on the run from FBI special agents Thomas Morgan (Billy Thornton) and Toby Grant (Ethan Embry), and Air Force special agent Zoe Perez (Rosario Dawson). The people who could save Jerry and Rachel from their 21st century nightmare are now the very same people who want them dead. Ludicrously overblown yet undeniably thrilling, Eagle Eye barely pauses for breath between slam-bang set pieces, intercutting the reluctant heroes’ mission with the efforts of authorities to second guess the next move of these two alleged terrorists. LaBeouf and Monaghan puff and pant for all their worth in the midst of eye-popping pyrotechnics, generating sparks
MUSIC
Couple in a fight for survival of sexual tension that only ignite in the film’s mawkish epilogue. Thornton brings a spiky charm to his pursuer. DJ Caruso delivers a series of spectacular set pieces that begins with the arm of a construction crane scything through the side of a building. Viewers will have to play as dumb as the beleaguered heroes. As soon as you question the film’s twisted logic, you realise that survival relies too heavily on luck and coincidence. (Cert 12, 112 mins, Paramount Home Entertainment, Action/Thriller, DVD £19.99/Bluray £24.99)
ON THE RUN: Shia LaBeouf as Jerry Shaw
BOOKCLUB CHOICE THE CONSEQUENCES OF LOVE Sulaiman Addonia
Relationships between unmarried men and women are strictly controlled under the Wahhibism of Saudi state rule. But when Nasar receives a love note from a women whose face he has never seen, and voice he has only heard, he can’t help but follow his heart. Vintage, £7.99
THE LAST DVD I WATCHED
Vanilla Sky. It was my fourth attempt at watching it, and I finally understand everything about it. It’s quite complicated – Jack Johnson from the Lancashire Fire Service IT department Tell us about your favourite book or DVD. e-mail life@blackpoolgazette.co.uk
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FINE FASCINATION
MUM ROCKS
PEBBLE TO A PEARL
They’re not deep, they’re not choice meaningful but they were recruited by frontman Richard Frenneaux to come up with a huge album and they’ve achieved that ambition in one fell swoop. Musically the band is somewhere between “no wave/nu wave” Americana catchiness and the comical commercial flimsiness of The Darkness. And the Frenneaux voice? Pretentiously perfect. Lavolta
She probably does rock but perhaps she’s expecting flowers and chocolates on March 22 rather than a double CD seemingly thrown together to include all those tracks which have been missed off earlier collections. Obviously, like all such compilations it opens with a Queen track (You’re My Best Friend) then launches into the likes of the Dandy Warhols (Bohemian Like You) and Billy Idol (White Wedding). Later, Republica and Toploader, vie for mum’s unlikely attention. EMI TV
It’s been hours since the latest soulful female singer and songwriter has been tipped for great things – but there’s presumably always room for another. Latest from the traps is legendary producer Don Costa’s daughter. She has actually taken her time establishing a live reputation before consolidating her style on what looks like being her breakthrough album. Backed by the funkiest of bands and with more than a nod to the sound of Sly Stone it’s impressively retro. Go Funk Yourself/Stax
Red Light Company
✔
life!
Various
Nikki Costa
TIMEOUT
GAMESGEAR
THE DVD RENTAL TOP 10
THRILLING CHASE: Shia LaBeouf as Jerry Shaw and Michelle Monaghan as Rachel in Eagle Eye
1 (-) Eagle Eye 2 (4) Taken 3 (-) Burn After Reading 4 (-) Women, The 5 (6) Tropic Thunder 6 (2) Ghost Town 7 (1) Saw V 8 (-) Pineapple Express 9 (5) You Don’t Mess With The Zohan 10 (9) The Dark Knight ■ Chart supplied by www.block buster.co.uk
Sidney Young (Simon Pegg), the snide editor of Post Modern Review, a sardonic rebuke to celebrity culture, is stunned when renowned American magazine editor Clayton Harding (Jeff Bridges) offers him a correspondent’s position on New York lifestyle bible Sharps. Abandoning London for the hustle and bustle of the Big
From a first person perspective, Halo looked pretty darn good, so what’s it like when you pull back for a wider look? Well, with the creators of Age of Empires taking the helm, the franchise is in safe hands. Halo Wars does a fab job of putting you in charge of the human UNSC armies as you play out their first deadly encounters with the Covenant. Set before Halo 1, you lead the crew through initial skirmishes to an all-out war against the evil beggars in what has to be said is a well designed, slickplaying RTS title, Halo or no Halo. The game buzzes off the pressure that comes from carrying the Halo name and feels like a whole new experience for the franchise. Die hard Halo fans must have it.. 4/5 £49.99
FAMILY SKI AND SNOWBOARD
OTHERDVDS HOW TO LOSE FRIENDS & ALIENATE PEOPLE
HALO WARS
Xbox 360
Wii
Apple, Sidney quickly realises his finely honed sarcasm doesn’t wash with the locals. (Cert 15, 105 mins, Paramount Home Entertainment, Comedy/Romance, DVD £19.99/Blu-ray £24.99)
THE WOMEN
Mary Haines (Meg Ryan) is a successful, part-time fashion designer with a handsome Wall Street husband Stephen, a 12year-old daughter Molly (India Ennenga) and a coterie of loyal
friends. When the pals learn from a motor mouth manicurist that Stephen is having an affair with a gold-digging salesgirl. Mary follows the advice of her mother and doesn’t confront her husband, preferring to lick her wounds at a summer cottage retreat in Maine. (Cert 12, 109 mins, Entertainment In Video, Comedy/Romance, also available to buy DVD £19.99/Blu-ray £24.99)
Winter sports are notoriously dangerous. The adrenalin rush of speeding down the slopes on skis or a snowboard could just as quickly transform into a lengthy spell at accident and emergency on the Alps. Fortunately, this snowbound sports entertainment is all played out in the relative safety of your living room, using the Wii balance board. Plenty of events and courses – all available from the start – give you loads to get your teeth into. Once you’ve mastered the motion-sensing controls, things like the slalom and trick competitions add an extra layer of difficulty to the game, which will be welcomed by competent gamers. 4/5 £34.99
MARIO POWER TENNIS Wii
BETTER TIMES WILL COME Diana Jones
It may have taken a couple of 1990s albums to start her out but it was My Remembrance of You in 2006 which shone the spotlight on what is continuing to be a formidable talent. Her distinctively throaty voice and an ear for the sounds of old time Appalachia have seen her lauded by Richard Thompson and Mary Gauthier whilst Joan Baez and Gretchen Peters are included here. A quiet revelation. Proper Records
EASY COME EASY GO Marianne Faithfull
This 22nd album by the always interesting singer will perhaps fare better from a distance when the hype has died down. The once sweet sounding chanteuse now has a voice like bourbon swigged through broken glass but still commands guest appearances by luminaries such as Keith Richards, Antony Hegarty, Rufus Wainwright, Jarvis Cocker and Nick Cave. The material is similarly impressive – Dolly Parton, Morrissey, Bessie Smith, Randy Newman and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. But her voice? Dramatico
YOURVIEW e-mail life@blackpoolgazette.co.uk
UNDER DIAMOND SKIES Navaro
Having first quietly crept out last year this debut album from the self style “singers collective” has been dusted down with a modicum of ballyhoo to try its luck again. Navaro are Beth Navaro (last heard on 2007’s solo Sanctuary) and singer/ songwriters Pete White and Steve Austin. Together they have come up with a hard to categorise fusion of folk, country, roots and straightforward pop melodies. Despite their name it’s an ensemble offering. Halo
As a Gamecube title five years ago, Mario Power Tennis was great fun, so the prospect of bringing it up-todate on Wii, with those motion controls we know so well, seems pretty exciting. Sadly, what gamers get is an identical port of the original which is now, understandably, showing its age. The motion controls should be breathing new life into the title, but in reality they act as a hindrance. They’re nowhere near as slick as those already displayed on Wii Sports. It’s a shame, because the Mario factor injects more
FANS’ FAVOURITE: Halo Wars excitement than might normally come with a tennis title. 3/5 £29.99
SPECTROBES: BEYOND THE PORTALS
Nintendo DS
Rallen and Jeena, those interplanetary patrol officers who discover, excavate, awaken and train fossilised creatures known as Spectrobes, are back for more, this time investigating the origins of the mysterious portals that lead to distant dimensions. Beyond the Portals does improve upon the original in most areas, and the excellent 3D graphics combined with meaty combat make this a great little title for DS gamers looking for a fast, light RPG fix. It’s got something of the Pokemon about it, so will also appeal to fans of that monster training sub-genre. The inclusion of DGamer, where you can customise a unique 3D avatar, earn exclusive Disney content, and chat with friends though the DS’s wifi connection, adds an extra layer of entertainment. 4/5 £29.99
CHRONO TRIGGER Nintendo DS
Some games are best left untouched. To attempt a radical overhaul of Chrono Trigger would have been not only a dangerous task but a snub to granting it another flourish on Nintendo DS. Bar a few script edits here and there, it’s presented as it was and still holds up against the test of time and technological advancement. For those seeking a spot of nostalgia, or willing to unearth a real retro RPG gem, this is just the job. 4/5 £29.99
WEBSITE
The Prado museum in Madrid, Spain, is home to some of the finest works of art in the world including masterpieces by Rembrandt and Velasquez. Google recently decided to conduct an experiment there. It took highresolution photos of some of the museum’s most treasured works, and hooked them up to its Google Earth and Google Maps services. Now you can zoom in from space, across Spain, into the Prado building and peer at the paintings in extreme close-up. It’s astonishing to see and incredibly cool. Start at www.google.com/intl/en/landing/prado/.
BROWSING AROUND
■ The Met Office knows it all www.metoffice.gov.uk ■ Probably the cutest cat in the world bit.ly/cutecat
Saturday, March 14, 2009
life! 11
WELLBEING EATING WELL
One of the biggest myths of pregnancy is that it gives you carte blanche to “eat for two”. Many women spend the first months feeling too vile to eat anything, while others struggle to cope with the long list of banned foods, such as shellfish, soft cheeses and rare meat. What makes it even more confusing is that on average, pregnant women actually only require an additional 200-300 calories per day – and that’s only during the final three months of pregnancy. Thankfully, nutritionist and mother of one Helena Bingham has some sensible advice. “The most important things to remember are to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water and to eat foods that are full of freshness and goodness,’’ she says. “In pregnancy it’s not about eating for two quantity-wise, it is about doubling the nutrients and goodness, making each mouthful that you do eat really count!’’ Bingham’s top three “must-haves” for mumsto-be and new mums are flax seeds, which contain essential omega 3 oils; brown rice, which helps rehydrate the body; and ironrich leafy greens. She says drinking plenty of water, getting lots of rest and making sure you get regular, gentle exercise, is key to good health both before and after the baby is born. Bingham, who works with Hertfordshirebased company MamaBabyBliss, offers oneon-one telephone consultations for pregnant women and new mothers. Consultations cost £40 and are based on each woman’s specific circumstances, including their medical background, food preferences and whether they’re breastfeeding. Bingham then prepares a practical, personalised nutrition programme that they can follow. To order a consultation or find out more, visit www.mamababybliss.com.
SLEEPING WELL
Pregnancy and tiredness go hand in hand – so it seems cruel in the extreme that many mothers-to-be find it incredibly hard to sleep. It might be good preparation for the sleepless nights ahead, but trying to manoeuvre a sizeable bump into a comfortable position – without disturbing your partner or banishing them to the sofa – is easier said than done. The fact that women are advised to avoid sleeping on their backs after about 25 weeks – sleeping on the left side allows for optimum blood flow to the baby, uterus and kidneys – makes it harder still. After much tossing and turning, not to mention sighing from my husband, I decided it was time to introduce a third party to our bed. The Maternity/Body Pillow (£24.99 at www.welovesleep.co.uk) has been a revelation. This SENSIBLE long, soft pillow is fantastic ADVICE: for Helena
Bingham
FRUIT AND NUTS: Diet is important for mums-to-be
A healthy pregnancy Our guide to getting the most out of life turns its attention to mums-to-be cushioning your bump and easing pressure on your hips, knees and ankles in bed. It’s also good back support when you’re having some much-needed rest while watching TV. James Wilson, managing director of www.welovesleep.co.uk, says the company sells lots of pillows online at 2am, as desperate pregnant women search for something to improve their shut-eye. If your bed is on the small side things may seem a bit crowded once you get two people and a lengthy pillow in it. If that’s the case, there’s only one thing for it – send your other half to the spare room!
PREPARING WELL
As the big day approaches, even the most relaxed of mums-to-be start feeling fearful thanks to the endless horror stories from women who have gone before us. The lists we make of things that must be done mount up and there’s a feeling of losing control even before we have the little darling. Hypnotherapy is not everyone’s cup of tea but Natal Hypnotherapy’s range of selfhypnosis CDs have proved extremely helpful for this mum-in-waiting. British clinical hypnotherapist Maggie Howell’s honey-smooth voice, set against panpipe new age music, is deliciously relaxing. The basic message from the award-winning CDs is that if you are mentally calm you will be able to cope with anything. The Effective Birth Preparation CD lulls you into a wonderful calm before Howell
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convinces you that you can manage the pain when it comes to birth and that the act of giving birth strengthens your bond with your baby. Calmly, she takes you through the labour process, reinforcing the fact that you need these sensations to make your body release the baby. She encourages you to welcome and respond to each part of the labour process instinctively. The Natal Hypnotherapy CD range (£16 each CD or £50 for four) is available from the National Childbirth Trust, Babyworld, Foyles and the NutriCentre as well as directly from Natal Hypnotherapy (01428 712 615/ www.natalhypnotherapy.co.uk). Two-day natal hypnotherapy courses are also held across the country, priced from £140.
will gently exercise your pelvic muscles, increase mobility and help you to naturally develop good posture. Sitting on the ball can also help your baby settle into the “optimal foetal position” – enabling the baby’s head to roll into the curve of your belly and encouraging the head to engage. It’s also handy for helping you recover your pre-pregnancy shape – especially for doing those all-important pelvic floor exercises. Check out the Miracle Box Pregnancy Gym/Birth Ball Set (includes an anti-burst birthing/exercise ball and pump, and three exercise wall-charts, including pregnancy and post-natal exercises with baby), now £19.99 from www.bloomingmarvellous.co.uk.
EXERCISING WELL
Everyone needs a little treat now and then, and pregnant women are no different! Ease dry, itchy skin with Kamillosan Stretch Mark & C-Section Souffle Cream. This gorgeously scented cream is paraben-free and contains high levels of cocoa and shea butter to help reduce the appearance of stretch marks. It’s available from larger Boots stores, RRP £11.49.
Two friends of mine recently gave birth for the first time. One had a 36-hour epic labour, the other sailed through a seven-hour stint with ease. The latter attributes her relatively easy experience to using a birthing ball – a giant exercise ball that allowed her to roll around in comfort during labour. Midwives are big fans of these balls and many hospitals now have them in labour wards. But it’s probably best to have your own at home – not least because they are great for exercising in pregnancy. Even sitting and moving around on the ball while you are at your desk or watching TV
PAMPERING WELL
in association with Soul Hair
HEALTH&BEAUTY
The eyes have it T
he eyes are the focus of the face so you have to make the most of them. Carefully applied colour and super long lashes will make sure that your man will only have eyes for you! Up the volume: Make your gaze twice as glam with Bourjois Volume Glamour Ultra Curl mascara, which promises to add intensity and depth in a single coat! In black, £7.99. For stockists call 0800 269 836
Brow how: Define those pale brows with Brow Definer in brown, from the Body Shop. £7.50
Colour collection: Want a customised palette bursting with all your favourite colours? Look to Prescriptives new U-Pick (left), a colourful collection of eye and cheek colours that fit into a refillable compact. Palettes start from £3.91, and colours, from £8.81 each.
EXPERTVIEW BEAUTY TIP Reduce caffeine, salt, sugar and fats. These foods can cause bloating and stress – Blackpool-based beauty expert Sue Simpson Let us have your beauty tip. e-mail life@blackpoolgazette.co.uk
SHAPINGUP
Emma Harris, Gazette health writer and qualified gym instructor, with her weekly look at staying healthy THE BIG QUESTION DUE to the nature of my job, which involves lifting and carrying, I have quite a strong upper body, but I want to improve my leg strength. How can I do this? Most aerobic physical activity, such as walking, running or cycling, involves using the legs and working the leg muscles. It also helps work the heart and lungs because they are such big muscle group, the heart has to pump harder to get the blood and oxygen to those muscles. So something like jogging is a good basis from which to start. You could run outside, on the treadmill or use the cross-trainer, rower or exercise bike in the gym. You could target the legs with specific strength exercises – either using resistance machines in the gym such as the leg press, leg extension, or leg curl machines, or using freeweights and performing exercises like calf raises, squats, lunges and deadlifts. Spin classes are good, as using the resistance on the bike helps develop leg strength and muscle tone. Perhaps try Body Pump, or a similar class – weights set to music – which contains exercises such as squats, deadlifts, clean and press, and lunges. Swimming is also good as you have to fight against the resistance of the water to kick your legs and move.
SERIOUS DIETING
The website caloriesperhour.com is a useful tool for those very serious about losing weight. It has calories-burned calculators, where you enter an activity and your weight and find out how many calories you burn an hour doing it. But it isn’t just limited to sports – there are literally hundreds of activities to choose from, from playing accordion to yoga, via applying make-up and feeding the dog. There are also hundreds of useful tips and articles for the dedicated dieter.
GREEN TEA
Green sheen: Make your friends green with envy on Paddy’s Day (March 17) with Technic Whipped Eyeshadow Mousse (above). This light-as-air eyeshadow glides on effortlessly, creating eyes that promise to get you noticed! Its long lasting formula means it will last all day or night and the vibrant forever green colour will create stunning eyes reminiscent of the Emerald Isles. £2.75. From www.lovethymakeup.com
YOURVIEW e-mail life@blackpoolgazette.co.uk
If you’re exercising hard in a bid to shift a few unwanted pounds, sipping green tea could help. Researchers found that people who drank four cups of decaffeinated green tea every day burned 17 per cent more calories through exercise.
TOMATO POWER
Tomatoes contain a powerful antioxidant called lycopene, which helps skin protect itself against harmful UV rays by neutralising the molecules that damage the skin’s structure. They also have a good anti-inflammatory response to sunburn. Scientists found people who ate a tomato rich diet over 12 weeks upped their UV defences by 33 per cent.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
life! 13
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FASHION&STYLE
Dressing up: Black and beige ruffle dress, £59, has a dramatic flair. By Betty Jackson at Debenhams.
Take a bow: A big bow hat, £45, is the perfect partner for this simple black draped jersey, £18. Both by Sophie Gray at Bhs
Looks for love L
ove is in the air as the dawn of spring heralds the start of the busiest time of year for weddings. And every wedding guest needs something special to wear, so today we put the focus on formal.
Classic chic: A figure-hugging dress in stretch taffeta. Unusual gathering, an asymmetrical neckline and the brooch as an extra highlight. By Vera Mont, £360. www.veramont.co.uk
Floaty floral: Simply stylish floral dress, £130, from CC
Flirty fascinator: Cute pink net fascinator, £20, tops off this outfit -jazz print dress £38, elastic ruffle belt, £8, plaited belt, £8, heart straw bag, £12, bracelets, £8, statement ring £9, all from www.asos.com.
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ORANGE FUTURE: Actress Sienna Miller (above) is the face of new female fragrance, Boss Orange which launches in the UK this summer with a huge tv and print advertising campaign. Hugo Boss global marketing director Thomas Burkhardt said: “Sienna truly embodies the spirit of the brand. She exudes a modern femininity which she expresses through her own unique, personal vision. She is a liberated soul – light-hearted, spontaneous and passionate – and she quite simply wears her heart on her sleeve, which captures the spirit of this new fragrance perfectly.”
GOODBUYS
Enjoy window shopping with life! in our weekly guide to tempting offers GO WALKIES: Doggie devotees looking for a cute-as-anything pair of shoes will be barking up the right tree with these cuties. The new Sweet Alison foldable flat Mary Janes from CocoRose London come in a divine dalmatian print that contrasts with a delicate red strap supporting a fabulous, red butterfly bow. To make them irresistible, they are folded in a matching black leather-style purse, with a matching red butterfly bow on the front panel, plus a silver heart on the zip. They can easily be worn as the number one shoe choice, though their purpose is to replace high heeled-shoes once pain and blisters start to make their presence felt – as with all CocoRose London shoes. Sweet Alison shoes, complete with their own purse, come in three sizes (petite 3-4, regular 5-6 and grande 78) and are £35 at www.cocoroselondon.com KNUCKLE DUSTERS: This season bling cocktail rings should figure highly in your jewellery box. Evans’ brand new jewellery line Daisy & Eve have some fabulous finger candy for the taking. The colourful range is aimed at plus-size women and includes larger bangle, necklace and ring sizes to fit, with prices starting from £4. For stockists call 01277 844 143 or visit www.evans.co.uk.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
life! 15
FAMILIES TRIPTIPS KARL Marx, the Peterloo Massacre and The Smiths will be debated at Manchester’s first history festival. Famous figures and events which have shaped the history of the world’s first industrial city will be celebrated at the event. The Manchester Histories Festival is the idea of historian Prof John Pickstone, who felt that many of the city’s engineers, scientists, writers and musicians were not getting the recognition they deserve. Among the speakers will be TV historian Tristram Hunt, who will discuss Engels and Marx and their links to Greater Manchester. Former Hacienda nightclub DJ Dave Haslam will talk about the pop music explosion of the 1980s. Other topics will include the impact of the Peterloo Massacre, the Suffragette movement and famous writers. The festival at Manchester Town Hall next Saturday, March 21. It will also feature stalls, performances of traditional songs, archive films and historical walks.
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Vintage steam trains are to return to Lancashire in the summer. From July, a summer steam service will operate on the SettleCarlisle line, picking up passengers at Lancaster, Bamber Bridge, Blackburn and Clitheroe. Carriages dating back to the 1950s and ’60s will be pulled by vintage steam engines. The service, called The Fellsman, will provide a 260-mile return trip along the line every Wednesday from July 29 to September 2. There will be standard or first-class seating with a buffet car and an opportunity to dine in style. For more information log on to www.northernrail.org
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Fancy a gallop on the beach? Enjoy freedom and fresh air horse riding on the golden sands and shallow waters of peaceful Silecroft Beach, Murthwaite. Green Trekking Centre is a family run horse riding centre offering beach rides for all abilities, from complete beginners to experienced riders. Two of you can enjoy an hour of horse riding on the tranquil sands for just £20 each. www.murthwaitegreen.co.uk
FREEFUN
AN exhibition dedicated to the Lancaster Canal is taking place in Preston this summer. It is to be shown at the Museum of Lancashire from May 30 to September 12. Call (01772) 534075 for details.
YOURVIEW
MY FAVOURITE DAY OUT I love going to Manchester. They have some brilliant alternative record shops there, and, as a big music fan, I love rooting around – BAE worker Brian Charlesworth, who lives in St Annes Let us have your top day out destination. e-mail life@blackpoolgazette.co.uk
Walk the wall to help heart charity THE British Heart Foundation (BHF) is calling on people in Lancashire to pull on their hiking boots and take part in its 10-mile challenge hike across the famous landmark of Hadrian’s Wall (right). Registration is now open for the event on Sunday April 26 and the BHF hopes more than 250 people will take part smashing its target of £25,000. Heart and circulatory disease is the UK’s biggest killer, claiming the lives of around 200,000 people each year in the UK.
Every six minutes someone dies from a heart attack and in Lancashire the BHF estimates that 599 people died prematurely from heart disease in 2008, 35 of them from the Fylde coast. By taking part in the event, not only are you helping save the lives of others, you are helping keep your own heart healthy. The route, from Walltown Crags in Northumberland to Housesteads, is a challenging mix of rural walking and
offers spectacular views of the famous landmark, historic landscape and archaeological sites. The hike takes approximately 5-6 hours and all hikers will receive a meal in a cosy pub afterwards. BHF Regional Event Organiser Helen Whiteley said: “This is always a really popular event in a stunning setting and offers a great personal challenge to anyone taking part. We rely on money raised from events like this to be able to continue our life-saving work.” Visit bhf.org.uk/hadrians or contact 0800 825 2280 or email northevents@bhf.org.uk. Entry is £15 but the event is not suitable for under 16s.
Watch lambs being born M
yerscough College’s Lee Farm is open today and tomorrow for the first of its ever popular spring Lambing Weekends. Following on from the tremendous success of last year’s events, Myerscough College is holding two open weekends - the second being Saturday and Sunday, March 21-22. Visitors can get the chance to watch lambs being born, hold them and learn about how they are looked after at Myerscough College’s Lee Farm in Bilsborrow, near Garstang. There will also be children’s arts and craft activities in the barn on each day.
SO CUTE: New spring lambs at Myerscough College
DAYOUT
Katy Pallas, Myerscough College’s schools manager, said: “These weekends are always popular and provide a fun day out for all the family. “The children love to see the lambs and, as always, there will be plenty of activities for them to do. “The weekends are normal working days
for the farm so it is a great chance to see the daily shepherd duties and learn about farm life.” The farm is open to the public on all four days from 10.30am till 3.30pm (Last entry at 3pm). Admission is just £2.50 per adult and £1.00 per child including refreshments (Under 5s free). For further information about the Lambing Weekends at Lee Farm call (01995) 642222, e-mail enquiries@myerscough. ac.uk or visit www.myerscough.ac.uk.
Concorde’s home AFTER almost touching space, Concorde has landed in a £1m space of her own at Manchester Airport. The supersonic airliner is the star attraction in a special hangar and visitor centre - protected from the elements and saved for future generations. A flypast by an RAF Typhoon fighter marked the official opening of the new hangar at the Aviation Viewing Park. Concorde G-BOAC, which made her maiden flight in 1975, first went on display in the open air after arriving at
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Manchester in October 2003 on her final flight from Heathrow. She had spent almost three decades transporting VIPs and royalty across the Atlantic at twice the speed of sound. She also earned a place in the record books when she flew at 1,488mph, the fastest commercial airliner of all time.
The new aviation centre includes a corporate hospitality suite, an education centre for schools and a glass-walled restaurant alongside Concorde, with views of the airfield, although some internal work has still to be completed.
FAMILIES
PLAYTIME
Now Barbie is turning green
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FASCINATED: Children at the Imperial War Museum North and (below) the futuristic bridge leading to the Lowry and its mall
Brill for a break
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nner city Salford may not be the first place you’d consider for a family day out – but you’d be wrong. A massive transformation has taken place at the Quays dockland, making it not only a good place for a day out but also fantastic for a weekend break. With our two young daughters, we stayed one Saturday night at the Old Trafford Lodge at Lancashire County Cricket Club, within easy walking distance of all the Quays’ attractions and of course, Manchester United Football Club. What a lot we were able to cram in – The Lowry theatre and art gallery (right), the Imperial War Museum North and the Lowry Outlet Mall, plus a thrilling firework display at the cricket club. It’s all child friendly, all clean, all reasonably priced and despite its position in the Manchester metropolis, it’s all surprisingly relaxing. For me, the Imperial War Museum North was the highlight as probably the best museum I’ve ever visited. Tanks, warplanes, armoured vehicles and other large military items catch the eye, but for me, the most memorable was a genuine nuclear bomb, a dummy used in training our deterrent forces, complete with the wide ranging-effects it would have had over the entire North West had it been exploded over Manchester. Frightening. During your visit, the museum will darken and the main exhibition hall becomes a
DAYOUT cinema, with graphic short films projected on to most walls on aspects of war such as weapons or the role of children. You grab a seat and watch on whichever wall you choose, and it’s gripping stuff. As well plenty for adults, there’s always something for children, whether it’s a Horrible Histories exhibition or a story teller relating tales of famous wartime animals to youngsters gathered on the floor. Plus there’s a bookshop and cafe which are a cut above the norm. Then there’s the Lowry. It’s got two theatres, with high quality productions, the art gallery featuring the Salford artist himself and much more on in events and activities. At the time of our stay, there were displays where the children could draw and paint, and our six-year-old and eightyear-old literally had to be dragged away protesting that they wanted to stay longer –
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what a tribute to the centre’s ingenuity. Activities at the various centres vary from week to week so you’ll need to check out the websites to find out what’s on. One afternoon, I was on child watch duty while my wife crossed the square to browse for bargains through the outlet mall, yet another strong draw with more than 80 stores with up to 50 per cent off high street prices, from Marks and Spencer to Black and Decker. There are lots of places to eat, including a large Pizza Express where where we enjoyed a pleasant, reasonably priced meal before our trip to the theatre. My wife lingered in the shops a little longer than agreed, but that didn’t matter for we were able to while away the time wandering round the canals and dock fronts, watching the rowers and gazing at the high rise and low-rise flats. The architecture is stunning, and it’s all kept very clean and tidy. And if that’s not enough for a weekend, there was plenty we did not fit in – the United ground itself, nearby Ordsall Hall and a sail on the Mersey Ferry, for instance. The Old Trafford Lodge was a comfortable, reasonably priced place to stay. Spend a night there, enjoy the sights and you may come away like our youngest daughter said, feeling like you’ve been on holiday in deepest Salford!
Peter Ward
ooking for something fun and different to do with the kids this spring? Take some tips from TV wildlife expert and adventurer Ellie Harrison (above), who has teamed up with Barbie to show mums how to create a wildlife oasis in your back garden. It's all inspired by the new animated DVD movie Barbie Thumbelina, released on March 16, which gives a fresh green perspective to the story of Thumbelina, teaching girls about the environment in a fun way. Your daughters will love the range of dolls that will let them act out favourite scenes from the movie, including the Barbie Thumbelina doll (right), with pink fluttering wings. Use these fun tips to get your kids playing in the garden and spotting amazing animals. WHERE TO LOOK Old stone walls: These have a warmer sunnier side, a darker, damper side and lots of nooks and crannies which means there’s lots of different mini-habitats for animals to live in. Look for toads, spiders, woodlice, millipedes, centipedes, slow worms and voles or birds. Brambles: The berries will attract beautiful insects like hoverflies, bees and lacewings and the thick branches mean that birds like robins and blackbirds can nest inside. Compost heaps: Under piles of stones, bits of wood, bark... any nooks and crannies. MEETING MORE ANIMALS Feeding is a brilliant way of bringing even more animals into your garden. Don't put food out all the time because they may become too dependent on your food and stop searching naturally. This is what you can feed them: Wet cat or dog food – great for mammals like badgers, foxes and hedgehogs. Fruit (especially rotten fruit) – great for butterflies (rotten bananas will bring in red admirals), moths, birds and badgers. Mixed unsalted nuts – great for birds, mice, shrews, voles, squirrels and badgers. Fat balls – mix together lard with kitchen scraps and put out for the birds in winter. Water – just putting out a shallow tub of water will bring in all kinds of animals.
WINWIN
Life! has five Thumbelina dolls to win. To enter answer this question: What colour are Thumbelina’s wings? Answers with your name, age and address to: Thumbelina Competition, Life!, The Gazette, Avroe Crescent, Blackpool, FY4 2DP by March 21.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
life! 17
OUTDOORS WEEKEND CHORES ● Finish off planting bareroot plants into the soil, along with any bare-root hedging plants. ● Relocate evergreen shrubs, digging out as large a rootball as you can when transferring the plant. ● Lift and divide overgrown clumps of summer-flowering herbaceous perennials, just as growth gets under way. ● Begin sowing hardy annuals outside if weather permits, but if you are in a cold area wait until early April. ● Prepare seedbeds for sowing in the kitchen garden. ● Plant onion sets around 10-15cm (4-6in) apart in rows the same distance apart. ● Divide overcrowded clumps of chives, which serve as an attractive edging for beds and can be replanted in small clumps. ● Clear netting from ponds before emerging marginal plants become tangled up in it. ● Water plants very sparingly in the greenhouse. ● Plant spring bedding, rock plants and compact perennials. ● Hand-pollinate peaches and apricots, protecting early blossom with horticultural fleece. ● Order biological control nematodes to control vine weevil in the greenhouse. ● Remove weeds and moss from gravel paths, using a hoe.
GOODENOUGH TOEAT Fruit garden clean-up
WHILE your vegetable patch may already be seeing some early activity, fruit bushes may still be dormant, so now’s a good time to clean it up. Weed and mulch fruit trees, bushes and canes, weeding and mulching everything with organic matter, but don’t feed your fruit bushes until April. Strawberry plants will also need tidying up, so remove weeds, dead leaves and loosen compacted soil carefully with a small fork. Take care when weeding, as strawberry plants have extremely shallow roots and you don’t want to dig them up as well. Don’t feed, as new growth may be hampered by late frost. If you have fruit trees growing against walls or in pots, start watering them if the weather is persistently dry and give those against walls a good mulch with organic matter to retain any existing moisture.
in association with The Alpine Centre and the Plant Place
T
here’s a plethora of new gardening books out this spring, providing inspiration on everything from design and hard landscaping to practical planting advice for both budding and experienced gardeners. TV garden gurus Alan Titchmarsh, Toby Buckland and Joe Swift all have new books coming out, while the famous Dr D.G. Hessayon, author of the popular Expert series, is spreading the ‘green’ word. If you’re looking for Mother’s Day or Easter gifts and beyond, here are a selection of books providing inspiration and offering advice to both budding and experienced gardeners:
1,000 GARDEN IDEAS
By Stafford Cliff This is the book for anyone who has trouble visualising ideas and needs some pictures for inspiration. Each category, ranging from tiles, paths and paving, to garden benches, pots, gates, edging and topiary, is illustrated with masses of small photographs to show what effect can be achieved by using particular materials and styles, from modern to traditional. Author and designer Stafford Cliff, who has visited thousands of gardens on his travels, has recorded the cleverest solutions. (Quadrille, April 6, £14.99)
RHS WILDLIFE GARDEN
By Martyn Cox Instead of an Easter egg for the kids, splash out on this gem of a book to encourage your children to get into the garden and explore, as well as do their bit for the environment. There are many fun projects including making a stag beetle bucket, growing sunflowers, keeping a nature diary and making a bird house from a flowerpot. The book is full of child-friendly pictures of how to go about the tasks and features simple information about all manner of wildlife and its importance, from frogs and toads to hedgehogs, birds and bugs. Dorling Kindersley, £9.99)
HOW TO MAKE YOUR GARDEN GROW
By Toby Buckland This book for beginners, brought to us by the new presenter of BBC Gardeners’ World, focuses largely on specific plants
DIARYDATES
Dig into spring books INTHEGARDEN which are easy to grow and can make a real impact, including allium, lavender, lilies and other bulbs, as well as cottage garden favourites such as roses, delphiniums and hollyhocks. This is a book to get you started, with basic advice on the tools you need and how to enrich your soil, as well as seed-sowing, watering and looking for pests. (Mitchell Beazley, April 6, £12.99)
THE GREEN GARDEN EXPERT By Dr D.G. Hessayon Dr Hessayon has had a massive influence on gardening in the last 50 years and now a new version of his original Garden Expert rings the changes as it’s written with the environment in mind. It shows how to care for wildlife, the environment and your own well-being, whether you decide on a totally organic approach
Send dates to life! magazine, The Gazette, Avroe Crescent, Blackpool, FY4 4AU or e-mail life@blackpoolgazette.co.uk
Monday, March 16 Over Wyre Gardening Club, Jacqueline Iddon - Arranging The Garden - Knott End Methodist Church hall, Lancaster Road, Knott End, 7.30pm. Saturday, March 21 Kirkham & District Horticultural Society’s 31st Spring Flower Show and Craft Exhibiton, New Community Centre, Mill Street, Kirkham. Judging 10.30am, Open 14.30pm, presentations 4.30pm.
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Wednesday, March 25 Blackpool Flower Club. Zena Stone - “Into Springtime”. Staining Village Hall, Staining. 7.30pm. Thursday, April 2 Kirkham and District Horticultural Society. Andrew and Dorothy Richards. National Garden Scheme & Its Yellow Book, Kirkham Grammar School (6th Form Lounge), Ribby Road, Kirkham, 7.30pm.
with Hannah Stephenson or prefer to take a few steps along the ecofriendly road. (Expert Books, £7.99)
THE BOOK OF WEEDS
By Ken Thompson Anyone who despairs of all those plant invaders who pop up just where you don’t want them should bag a copy of this little gem, which features witty, downto-earth advice on how to stop them taking over your garden. A ‘rogue’s gallery’ will help you identify whether the weeds you have are just annual or if they are hardened perennials such as the dreaded bindweed and ground elder and how to best eradicate them. (Dorling Kindersley, April 1, £13)
BESTOFTHEBUNCH THESE vigorous, spreading, tuberous perennials with daisy-like flowers give a welcome splash of colour in spring in a range of colours, although they are mainly blue. The first to flower is A. blanda, producing narrow-petalled blue, white or pink blooms, which can be planted in full sun or dappled shade, growing to around 15cm (6in). They look lovely in rockeries or in drifts in grassland. Good varieties include A. blanda
Anemone ‘Violet Star’, which produces clear amethyst flowers with a white reverse to the petals, or A. blanda ‘White Splendour’, which spreads successfully into drifts. Another type, A. apennina, blooms a bit later and also looks good in rockeries or as ground cover under shrubs. A. blanda corms should be soaked for 24 hours before planting 6cm deep and 3cm apart in groups of 10-20 corms. They like well-drained, humus-rich soil.
OUTDOORS
THEWALK
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ancaster is a place that deserves to be visited in its own right. No one should be denied the opportunity of being locked in one of the dungeons of its ancient castle. But if it’s an escape to the countryside you are after, that is quickly managed, as is demonstrated by this walk to Conder Green and back.
1. Lancaster City Centre to Conder Green, 9k, 5.5 miles, 2 - 3 hours Start: The railway station, easily accessed by public transport. If arriving by car, take the M6 to exits 33 or 34 and follow signs for the city centre. From the station forecourt on the ticket office side, turn left following the signs for the castle. At the castle, keep ahead to pass the ancient priory church on your right. A footpath will soon lead you steeply downhill towards the River Lune and its Millennium Bridge. Keep ahead until you reach the riverside on St George’s Quay. Turn left. You will quickly pass the customs house, built in neoclassical style. It is now the maritime museum. Beyond the railway viaduct buildings seem to be falling into dereliction - this is not Lancaster’s most attractive side. 20 minutes after reaching the river, the Lancashire Coastal Way and the National Cycle Network Route 6 briefly part company. Following the Coastal Way has the merit of taking you out on Aldcliffe Marsh without too much extra effort. A raised embankment will bring you back to the cyclepath after 2.5k 1.5m. Now part of the National Cycle Network (Route 6), the path follows the line of the Lancaster-Glasson Dock Railway opened in 1887 and finally closed in 1964. On this stretch further direction is superfluous – just keep going for the next 4.5k/2.5 miles. Ahead you’ll see the wide sweep of the Lune estuary as the river meets Morecambe Bay near Glasson Dock. On reaching the car park keep to the left and follow the lane past Conder Green Farm to the Stork – if you have timed it right, a good place for refreshment. 2. Conder Green to Lancaster, 8k 5 miles, 2 – 2 ½ hours From the Stork, turn right on to A588 and then left on to a lane before a stone bridge. As the lane bends to right on a junction, take the footpath opposite. Cross the stile and walk up the field with buildings on right. Keep straight and go through wooden gate. With the hedge on your right, aim towards the copse before you. In the corner you will find a stile. Cross this and the stone footbridge beyond it. With the copse on your left pass through a squeeze stile. Over gently rising ground, cross a metal ladder stile. Keep straight with the hedge on left. Ahead a large farm complex comes into view. After crossing a stone stile, pass
From city to country
ATTRACTIVE: The walk takes in a lovely wooded stretch of the Lancaster Canal
FACTFILE Summary: Distance 17k, 11m Time: 3 ½ - 4 ½ hours Terrain: This is a long but easy walk for the most part on cycle track or canal towpath. From Conder Green to the canal the route crosses farmland which will be muddy after wet weather. Map: OS Explorer
between two buildings reaching a stony track beyond a metal gate. Keep aiming for an electricity pylon with the hedge on your right. When the track swings right, follow it through a metal gate into the adjoining field about 100m before the pylon. Turn immediately left and drop to a wooden stile crossing a wire fence. The way begins to rise between two hedges, reaching a metal ladder stile. Cross this and with the hedge on your
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left climb the next rise. Ahead you’ll see the University of Lancaster – in the foreground a wood – Forerigg Wood in fact. Cross a wooden stile to enter it and another to exit it 100m ahead. The path turns right skirting the edge of the wood. Ahead you will see another stile bringing you onto the Lancaster Canal. Turn left for Lancaster. This stretch of the canal is particularly attractive, especially the wooded section of Deep Cutting close
to Ashton Road (A588) Bridge. Enjoy it as you amble back to the city. On reaching Aldcliffe Road pass beneath the railway bridge before turning left into Brook Street. This leads onto Dallas Road. Keep on Dallas Road to its junction with Meeting House Lane. Here turn left for the station. ● Walk by John Griffiths and Bob Clare. Hit www.lancashirewalks.com for more walks exploring the diversity of the Lancashire countryside.
WALKONTHE WYRESIDE with Len Blacow
The rooks are building in the trees They build there every spring Caw caw is all they say For none of them can sing (Jane Euphemia Browne)
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n interesting rhyme but here in the Fylde we are blessed with a good number of rookeries and some of them are easy to observe. One at Mellings Wood at the St Annes of Queensway is a good example. I recently visited one my favourite rookeries at Churchtown next to the A585 which is easily watched from the road. The birds were busy building new nests as they do every spring. Unlike the roofed fortress built by magpies, rook nests are rather flimsy, only lasting one season. Watch quietly and listen to the range of calls uttered by the birds - some conversational, others angry, as birds attempt to steal twigs from neighbouring nests. Rooks have been recorded singing a starling-like song. Pick a quiet, still morning visit your local rookery and listen to the rooks. Wyre’s Coast and Countryside Service has a range of walks and conservation activities planned this month. Learn about pond conservation on Sunday, March 22. Try orienteering on Saturday, March 14, or birdwatching on Saturday, March 28. And brush off your walking boots ready for the Garstang Walking Festival which runs from May 9 -17 May where you can enjoy a week of springtime walks, cycle rides and family fun exploring the North West’s best-kept secrets. Cycle rides, health walks, family beach sports, dancing, festivals, conservation activities – all this and much more is included in this year's Active Wyre programme. Brought together in one free and very useful guide for 2009, the activities take people all over the borough, making full use of natural countryside, parks and waterfront through to leisure and cultural facilities. Active Wyre has been put together by Wyre Borough Council with support from Sport England, NHS North Lancashire and other key partners. Copies of the guide are available from leisure, community and tourist information centres throughout the borough. Details of individual events are also available on the website at www.wyrebc.gov.uk/Find/Walks_and_Countrysi de_Events. Alternatively call 01995 602125 or 01253 887379 for more details.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
life! 19
TRAVEL&HOLIDAYS
Here’s a selection of Gazette Travel offers... in association with Liverpool John Lennon Airport THE OPEN
July 17, three days from £329.95
Enjoy all the thrills and excitement of the world’s top golfing on this great value, coach inclusive break. The Open is at Turnberry in Western Scotland for all the thrills and spills that links golf has to offer. Includes return coach travel, two nights hotel accommodation in a twin or double bedded room with private facilities, dinner of Friday and Saturday evening and full English breakfast on Saturday and Sunday, two days admission to The Open an coach transfers from the hotel to the course and return. Organised by Omega ABTA V4782.
LONDON AND PARIS
Aug 8 or 15, seven days from £499.95
See London and Paris on this interest packed seven day summertime break. With three nights in London and three nights in Paris, it offers you lots of free time in these two top capital cities. The price includes rail travel, standard class Eurostar from St Pancras to Gare du Nord, Paris and return, all coach travel in France as detailed in the brochure, three nights at the Tower Guoman Hotel, London and three nights at the Mercure Eiffel Suffren Hotel in Paris, continental breakfasts, a sightseeing coach tour of London and Paris and a coach visit toe Versailles (palace admission not included). Organised by Omega ABTA V4782.
CADBURY WORLD BUY ONE GET ONE FREE
July 25, two days from only £139
Cadbury World in Bourneville, Birmingham is choc full of fun for all ages. That’s why half a million chocolate lovers visit each year, to discover the history, making and magic of Cadbury chocolate. You can be there too when you join this fantastic weekend. What is more 2 people can travel for the price of 1. You will also visit Stratford upon Avon, the home of the Bard William Shakespeare. Includes coach travel, hotel accommodation, cooked breakfast, a visit to Stratford upon Avon and entrance to Cadbury World. Organised by Diamond Holidays ABTA W0052.
D
iscover Albania on a seven-night Gazette Reader Travel holiday.Your first night is on the beautiful island of Corfu, nicknamed the green island. The next day you take the short ferry crossing to a different world, Albania. Known as the land of sun and hospitality, with its incredibly beautiful landscapes and wealth of historical sites should be one of the great European tourist destinations. The reason it is not, at least for the time being, is due to its political isolation in the last half of the 20th century. Things have changed and this is your chance to see just how beautiful and hospitable this country really is. It’s only six miles across the Ionian Sea from Corfu to Albania, but in the 1990s it may just as well been six thousand. After the downfall of hardline communist rule Albania’s borders were fully opened for the first time since 1939. Early visitors would have found a country in a time warp where ownership of cars or anything else had been forbidden, as was religion. But Albania has always been different. Although a race that has been ruled by others for much of its history, Albania has always had its own distinct ethnicity and language. But what about modern Albania? It is a stunningly beautiful country in the south on the Albanian Riviera and in Saranda you would think you were in Greece. In the mountains of the interior between Gjirokastra and Tirana you could be in Turkey and the northern coast and parts of Tirana have an Italian feel. Saranda is the nearest port to Corfu. The seafront promenade is especially pleasant in the evenings. It is a holiday destination on its own right with plenty of shops and restaurants. Nearby is Butrint, an ancient city in an idyllic national park setting with eucalyptus trees and water on three sides. On the same site you will see ruins from several periods going back 2,500 years. You will travel a fascinating journey from Sandara to Tirana. In Albania distances are measured in time rather than in distance. This is because it depends on how many kilometres of nostalgia, as the locals call it, are on your route. Roads are being improved at a fast rate, but average speeds along nostalgia sections are significantly reduced. But you will also see that the lack of development in the interior means that Albania, self sufficient for so long, is the one truly organic country in Europe, no pesticides, manual farming and an undisturbed ecology where you can still see tortoises crossing the road. Gjirokastra is a museum city which was granted UNESCO World Heritage status in 2005. Its distinctive stone houses earned the city the nickname Town of the Stones. Interesting to visit are the Castle, The Museum of Weapons, Albanians have been known for weapon making since the middle ages and were a major manufacturer of Kalashnikovs, and The Ethnographic Museum, which is in the house where Enver Hoxha was
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LANDSCAPES: The spectacular coastline of Albania
Albanian Adventure CONTACTNUMBERS Call our 24-hour brochure hotline: 01772 838080 Other inquiries: Telephone as above or www.gazettetravel.co.uk
born. Another famous son of Gjirokastra is Ismail Kadare, the outstanding novelist. There are several sites to see in the interesting city of Tirana. The Albanians, a mosaic on the face of the National Historical Museum, the statue of Skanderberg at the top of the avenue which was once called Stalin Boulevard, Et’hem Bey mosque, the Clock Tower, Church of St Paul, the Orthodox Church of St Prokop, the monument to Mother
Albania, the International Cultural Centre and many more. You will also see signs of the influence of Tirana’s colourful mayor, Edi Rama, who decorated many of the stark communist apartment blocks with children’s designs. Another way of seeing just how much Tirana has changed is to stroll around the Bloc, no go area under communism as it housed the party’s apartchiks but is now where the trendy wine bars and night clubs are to be found. The town of Berat is renowned for its historic architecture and scenic beauty and is known as the Town of a Thousand Windows, due to the many large windows of the old decorated houses. This eight-day holiday departs on Oct 2, 2009 and costs from £989. The price includes return flight, seven nights half board hotel accommodation five nights in Albania and two in Corfu and two lunches in Albania. For a brochure please telephone our brochureline. Organised by Preferred Travel ATOL 5537
YOURVIEW e-mail life@blackpoolgazette.co.uk
Saturday, March 14, 2009
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SOCIETYDIARY
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lackpool Civic Trust members held their annual dinner at The White Tower Restaurant, Blackpool Pleasure Beach. Chairman Elaine Smith welcomed Blackpool Mayor Coun Mary Smith and Mayoress Ms Julia Massey.
YOUR STARS
With Cassandra Nye
For the week starting March 16 PISCES (20 Feb - 20 Mar) Stay flexible and refuse to be drawn into any hot discussions or cool receptionsk. Keeping to your own business and concerns seems quite enough without having to solve the problems of others. This is especially annoying when you see that overindulgence or sloppiness have led them to where they are. ARIES (21 Mar - 20 Apr) The sun comes into your own sign this week, heralding spring and making it a truly interesting and inspiring time. Some brilliant ideas pop into your head. You will need to find practical ways to develop some of them. That is where Mercury and Saturn can help, offering the questions and answers. TAURUS (21 Apr - 21 May) There is a fast start to a week in which you are much in demand. Where work is concerned, it seems there are problems to be solved and furrowed brows to soothe. A practical approach needs mixing with a little imagination to fire the creative process. Take a fresh look at situations, perhaps even going back to basics. GEMINI (22 May - 21 June) This week’s planetary action can make the most stable of situations shaky. It is hard to keep a hold on long-term plans as smaller problems surface. These need immediate attention, and guess who is expected to come up with the answers? Keep things going one step at a time. CANCER (22 June - 23 July) A feeling of restlessness often comes at this time of the year as the seasons begin to take effect. It doesn’t matter what the weather is doing, there is spring in your heart and mind. Wanting to move things forward is natural, although this week others don’t seem helpful. LEO (24 July - 23 Aug) A slow but demanding start to the week could find you wondering why you are taking so much trouble over certain things and people. Expecting work to be perfect is a bit unrealistic, as you realise, but emotions also seem to be running high at home. VIRGO (24 Aug - 23 Sept) Sparks could fly if you do not take care of both words and actions. You need to be aware of the building emotions around you. Colleagues could easily be upset if you go above or do not consult them. Likewise, loved ones may get the wrong message if you do not bother to talk to them about what you are feeling. LIBRA (24 Sept - 23 Oct) You wonder why others expect you to sort out their problems. They see in you a kind spirit, but it seems that you have enough to sort out for yourself this week as others become demandingl. Let your optimism keep flowing. There are no instant solutions but by sharing your thoughts, a way forward will be found. SCORPIO (24 Oct - 22 Nov) It’s a difficult few days but having to deal with something immediately is great for concentrating the mind. You come up with some of your most inspiring ideas when under some pressure. Mars and Pluto lift you away from any doubts about your abilities. SAGITTARIUS (23 Nov - 21 Dec) It is one of those weeks when you can’t decide if changes are for the better or worse. There is a lot of muddled thinking all around you and emotions are running high. Impatience can take over. If others get snappy don’t take it personally. CAPRICORN (22 Dec - 20 Jan) Stay flexible in both mind and spirit. In difficult times others may try to be super-conventional, which is not always helpful. Going down this route for too long can stifle creativity. New ideas may be hard to progress . AQUARIUS (21 Jan - 19 Feb) Liking to keep things on an even keel whenever possible, this is an awkward week. There could be too much going on around for your comfort. You can’t just bury your head in the sand and pretend nothing is happening, so what are you to do?
Leslie Melville, Yvonne Glass, Adrian Catch and Eileen Moore
David Owen, chairman Elaine Smith, Carl Carrington, Mayor and Mayoress of Blackpool Coun Mary Smith and Julia Massey, and president Barry Shaw
John Baxter, Betty Bradford and Philip Dunne
Marian Cochran, May Hogarth, Marjorie Densley, Beryl Radcliffe, Wynne Booker and Keith Radcliffe
■ To order any of the photographs on this page, please contact our photo sales department on 01253 361867
Sharon Metcalfe, Flt Lt Paul O'Brien and Debra Skelton Lauren Boon, Martin Walsh, Cheryl Boon and Maureen Dowling
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Flt Lt Andrew Nickson (Squadron commanding officer), Julie Nickson, Air Commodore Steven Abbott and Colin Williamson
Neal Bedford, Gail Bedford, June Catterall and John Catterall
24 life! LOGON www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk
he 177 Blackpool Airport Squadron Air Training Corps held their 69th anniversary dinner in the Washington Suite of the Imperial Hotel, Blackpool. Guest of honour was Air Commodore Steve Abbott RAF Regiment, Commandant General.
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