TIPS FOR GARDENING

By Christina Uppenkamp - Home Instead

Welcome to the latest edition of Senior Snippets: the monthly advisory column with the older members of our community in mind, brought to you by Christina Uppenkamp, Director of Home Instead Dartford.

Gardening can be a great activity. It’s satisfying, productive and a very good way to stay active and get some fresh air. Age can make some tasks harder, but here are some top tips on how to make gardening a safe and fun activity no matter what your age is.

Build raised beds: Raised beds make gardening easier if you struggle to stretch or bend down to the plants. They are much easier to weed and maintain as you can perch on the side and use a trowel to plant and weed.

Try container gardening: This is essentially planting into a pot or a container of your choice. This is beneficial as you can place the garden virtually anywhere so that it’s easily accessible. Remember to use light weight containers for extra easy handling.

Pick your plants carefully: Choosing plants that are easy to maintain and able to withstand a variety of conditions is essential for an easy gardening experience. This ultimately makes gardening less strenuous overall. Onions and shallots are very low maintenance. Other easy to grow crops are spring onions, broad beans, and carrots. If your soil is poor, try growing hardy crops such as rosemary, sage, or thyme.

Path surfaces: Look at the surface of paths to check they don’t get slippery at any time of the year. Wood can also get slippery so keep an eye on decking, and algae and moss are dangers too. Use the right equipment: Long-handled tools such as forks and spades will mean less digging, and use tools that are lightweight to prevent arm, shoulder, and back injuries. You can also use a stool or chair to save your legs from having to squat or sit down.

Work with your limits and enjoy: Only take on what you can manage. If a whole plot is too much, go for half a plot. Make sure you stretch and swap around activities, for example a bit of digging, a bit of watering, a bit of pruning. Most importantly, have fun!

By following these top tips, you will be able to do your gardening safely and effectively.

I welcome any suggestions for future topics from you all. All you have to do is write to me at c.uppenkamp@dartford.homeinstead.co.uk or by post to St Fidelis House, St Fidelis Road, Erith, DA8 1AT.

In this month’s article we look at new electric SUVs and a new small electric car coming in 2025.

By Dhiren Ganesh

to start at around £52,500 when available from July 2023.

2023 Mercedes GLC Coupe – this is the new Mercedes GLC Coupé packed with new features to stand out against rivals. The rear has a sharper look and the front end to match the GLC SUV. The biggest new feature coming to the exterior is the optional “Digital Light with projection” headlight technology. The system allows the car to project warning symbols, guidelines and other useful information on to the road ahead. All petrol and diesel versions come with mildhybrid technology. There will be a small 23bhp electric motor for an extra efficiency boost with petrol and diesel versions coming in a 2.0 litre version. A plug-in hybrid (petrol & diesel) will also be available with power ranging up to 376 bhp combined, where the electric power will be 134 bhp. On this inside, the updated dashboard incorporates a 12.3in driver display and 11.9in infotainment screen operated by touch, by voice, or using controls on the steering wheel. Pricing for the new Mercedes GLC Coupé is likely

Volkswagen ID 2 electric – The new Volkswagen ID 2 small electric car will major on space and value, while offering a range of up to 280 miles. Using a shortened version of the ID 3’s underpinnings, the ID 2 will be available with two battery options. At the lower end of the spectrum is a 38kWh unit that’s good for a range of around 220 miles, while a larger, 56kWh battery will deliver an official range of up to 280 miles. As for charging speed, Volkswagen says a 10-80% top-up of the bigger battery will be possible in as little as 20 minutes at the car’s 125kW maximum charging speed. Inside, the interior of the concept is fairly minimalist, featuring a head-up display that projects key information onto the windscreen, plus a 10.9in digital driver’s display and a 12.9in infotainment screen. When it goes on sale in 2025, the ID 2 will cost from around £22,000 for the entry-level 38kWh model.

2023 Kia

SUV - New range-topping Kia EV9 electric SUV will have a range of more than 300 miles and can seat seven people. The production-ready EV9 keeps the sharp angles of the concept, including its bluff front and rear end and tall, boxy stature. Not much of the inside information is available, however, it will have two 12.3in touchscreen displays for infotainment, alongside a third 5in display that acts as a digital instrument cluster. The EV9 can be had in six and seven-seat forms, one of the few which will be in the market. The EV9’s technical details are yet to be confirmed, but power is expected to come from a 100kWh battery, providing a maximum range of 337 miles between charges. When available from late 2023 prices are expected to start from around £55,000.

Colour Dash 2023

25th June Jeskyns Park, Gravesend DA12 3AN

9th July Swanley Park BR8 7PW

Fun For All The Family, walk, jog, toddle or run the 5K route! Fully inclusive and wheelchair accessible Wear white and finish the colour of a rainbow!

£15 Adult ~£12 Child 12-17yrs ~£6 Child under 11 yrs

£38 Family (2 AD & 2 CH)

All proceeds go towards supporting disabled children and their families www.wearebeams.org.uk or scan to enter

Jeskyns Park Swanley Park

Multi Award Winning Comedian

He is a powerhouse of a headliner who honed his skills in Los Angeles, New York City and London.

His International experience includes tours for the UN troops in Afghanistan, performing at the American University in Cairo during the Egyptian revolution and the Edinburgh fringe in Scotland, where he received three 4 star reviews from International press, immediately followed by being featured on Seth Rogen’s Hilarity for Charity event with Todd Glass and Hannibal Buress, winning The World Series of Comedy, Comedy Knockout on try TV, ‘Best of Fest’ at Big Pine Comedy Festival and three weeks later winning The Portland Comedy Festival.

He has TV & Radio credits on BBC and Sky TV in the UK as well as in the United States on Fox, HULU, Netflix, Amazon and truTV.

In 2021 he joined the writing staff of the soon to be released animated series ‘Tantrum Jesus’ as Writer/Producer.

As always there’s a great supporting line-up direct from the London Comedy Circuit.

Book Early - Limited Availability!

For more information visit https://www.houseofstandup.co.uk/dartford/

Ticket prices are £15.00 each, £12.50 for a group of 4 and just £10.00 each for a group of six adults.

by Bhavesh Ganesh

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, of football giants AC Milan, became the oldest scorer in the Italian top flight’s history.

Ibrahimovic, 41, scored his first goal since returning from a serious knee injury in the summer, after he helped Milan win the Serie A title last season.

The remarkable feat is a testament to the man - his self-belief and physical conditioning. Where most, if not all his peers have retired or nearly retired, Zlatan seems to be going strong at the highest level and age is just a number to him! Wow! Love him or hate him (and he is a marmite personality), you have to salute his achievement, particularly these days where the game is played at a very fast pace. Zlatan is a role model to young professionals across sports everywhere.

Upcoming events in April include:

2: Formula 1 - Australian Grand Prix, Melbourne

4-9: Swimming - British Championships, Sheffield

6-9: Golf - Masters, Augusta National, Georgia

15: Horse racing - Grand National, Aintree Racecourse, Liverpool

15: Rugby Union - Women’s Six Nations: Wales v England, Italy v Ireland

15 Apr-1 May: Snooker - World Championship, Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

16: Football - Women’s FA Cup semi-finals

22-23: Football - FA Cup semi-finals

23: Athletics - London Marathon

30: Formula 1 - Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Baku

By Maria Kingsford

Local people from ‘Dartford painted rocks’ on Facebook have been busy this month painting and hiding them around the town. The rocks can be exchanged at Stephen Oliver: Studio and Gallery located at the Orchards Shopping Centre .

are some of the photos of their latest painted rocks.

SLEEP: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW - PART 2

By Dr Julie Taylor

Having problems with sleep can effect your physical and mental wellbeing. Both the amount of sleep you get and the quality of this sleep is important. Getting a good night’s sleep is about developing good habits to help you to get to sleep.

Improve your sleep hygiene

Ensure you have the right atmosphere to help you sleep. Your mattress and pillows should be supportive and comfortable. Minimise disruptions from light and sound, and ensure the temperature is right in your bedroom (15.6-19.4C is recommended by the scientists).

Reduce daytime naps, even if you are tired. Short power naps can help but sleeping for longer periods during the day can confuse your body clock and make it harder to fall asleep at night. Try to distract yourself by keeping physically or mentally active rather than napping. If you can get out into natural light, even better. This helps the body’s circadian rhythm and has been proven to improve the ability to get to sleep and the quality of sleep.

Having good habits around bedtime can help. Stick to the same sleep schedule every day, including weekends. Try to avoid consuming alcohol or caffeine in the hours before bed. Having a relaxing pre-bed routine will make it easier to fall asleep. Disconnecting from phones, tablets, laptops and TVs at least 30 minutes before you go to sleep, as the blue light will confuse your circadian rhythm. Try to relax and wind down as you move towards bedtime. A relaxing bath or shower can help – even just bathing your feet in hot water can help you relax and improve sleep. Reading and listening to music can help, although you need to select the book and music carefully so that it isn’t stimulating. You can also try simple relaxation exercises, such as breathing exercises, visualization techniques or progressive muscle relaxation.

Sleeping tablets

Sleeping tablets are not usually a solution for sleep problems. They may work in the short term but in the long term you become dependent, can’t sleep without them and may need to increase the dose to get the same benefit. Even in the short term, they can leave you drowsy or with balance difficulties the following day and can increase your risks of falling if you get up at night.

Alcohol

Some people think having a night cap can help. However, alcohol can disrupt sleep patterns and worsening snoring and sleep apnoea (when you stop breathing for short periods during the night).

What about children?

The same good sleep habits apply to children and teenagers. Infants may benefit from a room temperature slightly warmer than older children and adults (up to 20.5oC), but a room that is too warm increases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome.

When to see a doctor

Doctors are reluctant to prescribe sleeping tablets as we know these can be detrimental and cause dependence in the long term. However, if you have tried the advice above but are still struggling with sleep or feeling tired when you wake, it might be worth ruling out sleep apnoea or another medical condition that may be interfering with your sleep. People who suffer from sleep apnoea often snore loudly and bed fellows may notice that this stops before they gasp and then start snoring again. Other things such as getting up in the night to pass water, restless legs, joint pains and hot flushes can interfere with sleep and are worth discussing with your doctor.

Sindhi Tairi

By Asha Harjwani

Sindhi Tairi is a sweet rice dish. It is a famous sweet dish on the Sindhi food menu.

Servings/portions - 4 people

Ingredients -

• Rice - 400gm

• Jaggery/Sugar - 200gm/150gm

• Salt - ½ teaspoon

• Cardamom - 2 cloves

• Fennel seeds - 1 teaspoon

• Orange food color - 1 pinch

• Oil/ghee - 50gm

• Water - 3 medium glass

• Dry fruits (any of your choice) - ½ small bowl

Preparation

Soak rice for 15 minutes and clean it thrice with fresh water

Crush cardamom

Grate jaggery finely

Chop dry fruits into small pieces

Method

Step - 1

In a pan, heat 50gm oil or ghee on a medium flame. Add cardamom and sauté them for 1 minute. Add water, jaggery/sugar, salt, orange food color, and fennel seeds. The water level should be at least 2 inches above the rice. Mix them well and let the water boil a bit.

Step - 2

Add rice and remix it. Half cover the pan with a lid. Cook it for 5 minutes. Once it soaks most of the water, garnish it with dry fruits. Cover it entirely and cook it on a small flame for a few minutes. Turn off the gas. Serve - It adds more taste with masala chickpeas, spicy potatoes, and Sindhi sai bhaji.

Store - It can be stored freshly for 24 hours. For more such recipes, look up the book “My Kitchen: Treasure of Indian recipes“ on Amazon. The book is available in Kindle and Paperback format.

The book is free with a Kindle Unlimited account and new users get the 1st month for free. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BKRX8KXJ

Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story

The Orchard Theatre, Dartford

TUE 16 - SAT 20 MAY | 2.30PM, 7.30PM

Win a pair of tickets to see Buddy, The Buddy Holly story at The Orchard Theatre.

SEEN BY OVER 22 MILLION PEOPLE WORLDWIDE

This sensational multi award-winning West End show first opened in 1989 and has been thrilling audiences around the world ever since. Now it triumphantly returns to Dartford as part of its 2023 UK Tour.

Forget feel good, Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story is FEEL GREAT! Experience the drama, passion and excitement as a multi-talented cast of actor-musicians tell Buddy Holly’s story, from his Texas rockabilly beginnings to international stardom and his legendary final performance at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, before his tragic death at the age of just 22.

Featuring two terrific hours of the greatest songs ever written, including That’ll Be The Day, Oh Boy, Rave On, La Bamba, Chantilly Lace, Johnny B. Goode, Raining In My Heart, Everyday, Shout and many many more, this show is just Peggy Sue-perb!

To be in with a chance of winning two tickets to this production just answer the following question.

Which one of these isn’t a Buddy Holly song?

A: Heartbeat

B: That’ll Be The Day

C: That Thing You Do

Email competition@dartfordliving.com by the 20th April to be in with a chance of winning.

RULES: 1. The winner(s) will be the first correct entry/entries drawn. 2. The judge’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. 3. Prizes are as stated and no cash in lieu or an alternative prize will be offered.. 4. Winners will be notified by telephone or email by the Orchard, within 5 working days of the competition being drawn. 5. Employees and the immediate families of participating companies are ineligible to enter. 6. Closing date for the competition is stated above. 7.. All entries will be added to the Dartford Living mailing list to receive a copy of the magazine by email once a month. Please state when you enter the competition if you don’t wish to be added

Cinnamon Buns

By Debbie Dickinson

Although they need time to rise, these delicious buns are surprisingly really easy to make. Try changing them up a little by adding dried fruit to the filling mixture. Delious eaten warm or cold, these are definitely worth the effort!!!

You will need:

360g Strong Bread Flour

175ml Warm Milk

2.5 Tsp Fast Acting Yeast

1 Egg, plus 1 Egg Yolk

50g Granulated Sugar

60g Melted Butter

For the filling:

125g Brown Sugar

1.5 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon

60g Softened Butter

For the icing:

100g Icing Sugar

Cold water

You will also need:

9 inch square cake tin/brownie tin

What to do:

To heat the Milk, pop into a microwave safe bowl and heat for 30-60 second until just warm.

Pour the milk into a large mixing bowl and sprinkle the Yeast onto the surface. Add the Sugar, Melted Butter, Egg and Egg Yolk and mix to combine.

Add the Flour and stir until it becomes a dough.

Transfer the dough on to a floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes until it forms a smooth ball.

Use kitchen roll to wipe a bowl with a little oil to put the dough in and cover with clingfilm. Leave to rise for 1.5 hours until doubled in size.

Once it has risen, transfer onto a floured surface and roll out to a rectangle – about 9 inches by 15 inches and spread the Softened Butter over the dough. Mix the Cinnamon and the Sugar together and distribute over the butter. Use the back of the spoon to help spread and press the mixture down a little.

Roll the dough up to make a 9 inch long ‘sausage roll’.

Cut into 9 slices of about an inch each.

Line your cake tin with greaseproof paper and lay the slices in (with the spiral side up- most). Cover with clingfilm and leave to rise again for about 45 minutes.

Bake at 180° C for 20-25 minutes until just golden brown on the top of the rolls. The sugary mixture will look like it’s all escaped and be bubbling amongst the buns, but that’s OK.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool for about 10 mins.

To make the icing, mix the Icing Sugar with a little Cold Water at a time until you get a smooth paste. Spoon onto the centre of each bun and, using the spoon, spread out over the top slightly.

Enjoy!

they see, hear, touch, taste and smell

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Most babies learn best when they see hear touch, taste and smell Our multi-award winning classes will introduce you and your baby (or babies) to a world of sensory delights, where you can relax, spend quality time with each other and enjoy meeting other new parents

Specifically designed from birth to aid your child s development, the programme is packed with an incredible variety of sound, smells, sights, textures, music, dance, signing and massage - and you ll never experience the same class twice!

WOW Centre Greenhithe

Monday, Thursday & Friday

Old Gravesendians RFC Wednesday

Contact:

07952579044 nwkent@babysensory co uk w babysensory com