Cotswold Link (North Cotswolds) Jan-Feb 2023

Welcome to the January - February issue

In this issue we welcome in 2023 and look forward to the year with a look at how to make your garden a success for next winter (p12) We also have an exciting theory about possible life on Mars (p6), as well as how to keep young people safe regarding social media (p10) We’ve also got exciting news here at Cotswold Link, as we launch our new website, it’s full of great content and ways to promote your business online. Please visit p14 and www.cotswoldlink.co.uk for details.

The Cotswold Sky

Did Mars support life before Earth?

This is not hot off the press news but readers may be interested to know that researchers at the University of Copenhagen, The Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, University of Bern Physics and The Institute of Geochemistry and Petrology Zurich have suggested that Mars may have been the first planet in our Solar System to support life.

Mars they believe was; just like Earth; bombarded with asteroids that carried water and organic molecules including amino acids which are the building blocks of life.

Oceans on Mars were formed to depths of at least 300 metres during the first 100 million years of the planets formation. Unfortunately the existence of plate tectonics on Earth have destroyed any similar evidence of this occurring in the Earth’s first 500 million years of existence.

Further detailed information can be obtained from: ww.earthsky.org/space/mars-water-asteroids-deep-ocean-1st-life-in-solarsystem/?

Diary

Mercury: Observable in the pre-dawn sky during the last 2 weeks of January and the first few days of February.

Venus: Spectacular viewing in the south west at dusk during January and February. Note on 22nd January at around 17.00 hours how close it is to Saturn. One month later on 22nd February it will be close to Jupiter and a crescent shaped Moon well worth viewing.

Mars: A brilliant evening object throughout January but shows signs of fading later in February. Notice the red planet working its way across the sky starting in the south east.

Jupiter: Can be observed in the early evening throughout the 2 months of January and February but by the end of January can only be observed for a little over 1 hour before setting. Well worth noting its closeness to Venus and the Moon on 22nd February between 18.00 and 19.00 hours.

Saturn: Low in the south west at dusk, notice its closeness to Venus on 22nd January. By February Saturn is in conjunction with the Sun and unobservable.

May I wish all our readers A Happy Healthy 2023. Stay Safe – John Harris

The Impact of Social Media on Young People

This is not the first occasion I have written about the effects of Social Media on young people and sadly I know it will not be the last.

What is meant by “Social Media?”

Academics have obtained degrees by answering this question therefore I will keep the definition as simple as possible to: “A means of communicating with other people via the use of computers and mobile telephones”. You will notice in my definition that Social Media can include communication with applications of games through which one can directly communicate with other people. Unfortunately many people including adults become addicted to using it to their disadvantage.

We must not forget that when properly controlled by the individual and provider there are multi-numerous advantages to communicating with other people via the internet.

The dangers of “Social Media”

There have been widely publicised reports of youngsters being over influenced by others when using the internet to the extent of committing suicide, theft and meeting strangers. To give the reader an idea to the size of the problem, one 14year old who took her own life received 16,000 destructive posts of self-harm, anxiety and suicide in the six months leading up to her death.

A child; and for that matter an adult; can become addicted without realising the damage they are causing to themselves and their families leading to mental health issues.

What to do if concerned about your youngster and the social media

There are many courses of action. The straight forward one is to do what the film star Kate Winslet did to her children and that was to refuse them access to a mobile phone. This does not work for everyone so the next step is to ask for help and advice. If you believe your young one is suffering from mental health illness obviously refer them to a doctor and speak to the school.

There are numerous web sites which offer suggestions such as: www.gov.uk/government/speeches/ social-media-young-

people-and-mental-health www.awp.nhs.uk/about-us/news/socialmedia-channels www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/ www.mediasmart.uk.com/ www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/ digital/5-a-day/

John Harris: May I take this opportunity of wishing all of our readers A Happy Healthy 2023

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Winter Scent

I love a garden planted for winter. There are so many plants with wonderful shape and interesting evergreen foliage. But the thing that draws me out into any garden is scent, and fragrance is particularly uplifting in the depths of winter.

Getting outdoors into natural daylight, even on a cold, dank day is a mood booster. If you need an excuse to don woolly hat and gloves then what better than winter-flowering shrubs. Even better if you can cut a few sprigs to take back indoors. Chimonanthus praecox, known as Wintersweet is the type of shrub that looks rather unexciting in spring and summer, but in winter once established (which may take a couple of years) the bare branches erupt with lovely waxy yellow flowers which have an intense sweet and spicy scent.#

For a little spot near the front or back

door, think about Daphne bholua, a shade-loving, tiny, evergreen shrub which produces delicate pink or white blooms that look like they are made from fondant icing. They have a rich floral, old-fashioned scent.

If space is limited you also try Sarcococca hookeriana. This is also a shade-lover and produced a very powerful jasminelike scent which carries well on the breeze.

If you have more space and would like something more robust then plant Viburnum x bodnantense. It produces pom-poms of flowers in pastel pink or white which smell of warm vanilla and lilac. It also has an extremely long flowering season, starting in mid-autumn and going right through until early spring.

All of the above flowers can be cut, and will last for several days in a vase in the

house. But January is also the perfect time to enjoy gardening indoors. My teenage son collects cacti and was gifted a striking, ornamental cactus with funky foliage a couple of years ago, called Epiphyllum anguliger. The wavy-edge leaves which oscillate along the stem give rise to its more common name, the Fishbone Cactus. As well as looking handsome all year round it has the delightful bonus of producing large creamy white flowers in winter which emit a wonderful scent in the evening, just one bloom can fill a room with a sweet fragrance.

You don’t have to be deprived of scent in the winter months. Make a New Year’s resolution to bring some fragrance into your garden, and your home.

Happy gardening.

By Rachael Leverton

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I Ndex

Architecture

Insight Planning Services: p5

Bathrooms

Country Bathrooms: p7

HPR Services: p6

Builders & Contractors

Calarel Developments: p5

Country Roofing & Building: p15

DTN Oxford: p13

Mitre Oak: p16

North Cotswold Builder: p12

Rooflight Company: p3 Phil Dadge: p9

Thomas Contracting: p13

Children’s Services

Cotswold Tutor: p10

Walkers Day Nursery: p1

Clearances

Coln Clearances: p13

Oxfordshire Clearances: p2

Education

Cotswold Tutor: p10

Elderly Services

Hearing & Mobility Store: p11

Windrush Care: p10

Electrical Services

P Wheeler Electrical: p2

Flooring

Country Tiles and Flooring: p7

Framing Witney Framing: p9

Fuel

Cotswold Petrolium: p15

Furniture

Amanda Hanley By Design: p1

Graham Lane Furniture: p9 Hilltop Joinery: p6

Hooper Joinery: p12

Phil Dadge: p9

Gardening & Outdoors

A R Lewis Tree Care: p13

Coln Clearances: p13

DTN Oxford: p13

English Resin: p16

Stockwell Davies Tree Contractors: p13

Thomas Contracting: p13

Tom Negus Tree Care: p13

Gifts

Christine 01609 777401 07742 595747

Locksmiths

Next issues

West Oxfordshire March - April

North Cotswolds March - April Copy: 1st February Dist: w/c 27th February North Cotswolds 17,000 homes & businesses

Alain Rouveure Galleries: p9

SOTA Gallery: p9 Witney Framing: p9

Healthcare & Wellbeing

Bourton Podiatry Clinic: p11

Cotswold Deep Tissue Massage: p11

Cotswolds Foot Clinic: p11 Kate Bishop Trainer: p8

Paul Brookes Foot Health: p11 Runnerbean: p8

Hearing Aids

Hearing & Mobility Store: p11

Home & Interiors

Alain Rouveure Galleries: p9

Amanda Hanley By Design: p1

Country Bathrooms: p7

Country House Curtains: p4

Country Tiles and Flooring: p7 Hilltop Joinery: p6

Paul Dadge: p7

Rooflight Company: p3 SOTA Gallery: p9 Witney Framing: p9

Just Carpentry & Locks: p2

Motoring

Cotswold Garage: p15

Painters & Decorators

Cotswold Wallpaper Hanging & Decor: p4 Paul Dadge: p7 Phil Dadge: p9

WB Property Maintenance: p13

Pet Services

My Best Friend Professional Grooming: p8

Plumbers

HPR Services: p6

Property Maintenance

Coln Clearances: p13

Country Roofing & Building: p15 Dovecote Property: p6 DTN Oxford: p13 Hilltop Joinery: p6 Hooper Joinery: p12

Just Carpentry & Locks: p2 Just Glaze: p1 MJ Harris Domestic Repairs: p2 Mossinator: p5 Phil Dadge: p9

WB Property Maintenance: p13

Recruitment

Burford Garden Company: p3

Removals

Coln Clearances: p13

Oxfordshire Clearances: p2 WB Property Maintenance: p13

Repairs

MJ Harris Domestic Repairs: p2

Sports & Leisure

Cotswold Riding: p8 Runnerbean: p8

Tree Surgery

A R Lewis Tree Care: p13

Stockwell Davies Tree Contractors: p13

Tom Negus Tree Care: p13

Tuition

Cotswold Tutor: p10

Windows Just Glaze: p1

RJB Window Restoration: p15 Rooflight Company: p3

Cotswoldlink new website

Get Your Business Listed DOn’T MISS OUT!

If

you’ve

already

can view

here - www.cotswold-link.myshopify. com/collections/cotswolds-businessdirectories-list

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If you have any questions or feedback please feel free to get in touch. You can contact me on 01609 777401, 07742 595747, or by email: christine@cotswoldlink. co.uk