Gaia Magazine Issue 4, October 2015

Issue 4 Issue Oct/Nov 15 4 Oct/Nov 15

for every woman for every woman

VV al al mcdermid mcdermid “I’m fascinated “I’m fascinated with the reasons with the reasons people do terrible people do terrible things to each things to each other” other”

Labels Labels are arefor for Luggage Luggage

not notpeople people

Rebecca Rebecca Root Root

The Theversatile versatile ‘boy meets ‘boy meetsgirl’ girl’ actress actress

Michelle Michelle Visage Visage

“I “I ww as an oddball as an oddballkid kid who never fitted in” who never fitted in”

“If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun.”

Katharine Hepburn

editors editor’s Letter

As I write this, the rain is tap dancing on the roof of Gaia HQ in Glasgow and the darker evenings are drawing in.

It’s at times like these that even the most universal of pick-me-ups; a bar of chocolate - too fattening, pounding the treadmill - too much like hard work, don't work. What will do the trick is this issue of the magazine, which we’ve packed with the brightest of subjects.

Val McDermid, our cover star this month, is charismatic in personality, but it is the dark, psychotic depth’s of man’s inhumanity to man which is the subject of her best selling novels. We explore her roots, what is important to her and delve into that wonderfully sharp mind of hers.

If you’re looking for something different this winter you could head to Winnipeg in Canada for some extraordinary dining experiences.

Our pages are unashamedly full of amazing women from Rebecca Root to Michelle Visage: real women who wouldn't ever consider themselves amazing. They battle with the alarm clock when it goes off early in the morning and they cant find their boarding pass at the security barrier without emptying the entire contents of their handbag. Sound familiar?

The one thing they all have in common, is to just get on and be who they were born to be - actress, filmmaker, writer, sister, daughter, mum.

And so, here is your new Gaia. I should point out that on each day we’ve issued the magazine so far, the sun has shone. Not that I’m necessarily suggesting a connection. But it does make you think, doesn't it?

AJ Alanna Jane Follow me on twitter at @AlannaJane1 Instagram GaiaWomen …….

Tweet us at @GaiaMagEditor Editor:Alanna Jane Cover photograph: Alan McCredie Contributors: Rebecca RootMary Photographs; Berger, Trudi TigerShepherd, Aspect Linda Moir, Mac, Horse McDonald, Contributors: Mary Berger, Trudi Shepherd, Linda Moir, Mac, Design: Horse McDonald, iDesign, Kris Kesiak Advertising: Design: iDesign, AlexKris Allen Kesiak Publishers: Randan Advertising: Alex Allen Publishing Ltd Company Number Publishers: Randan SC201978 Publishing Ltd Company Number SC201978

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© 2015

Whilst every care has been taken to ensure that the data in this publication is accurate, neither the publisher nor its editorial contributors can accept, and hereby disclaim, to any to that loss the or damage caused by errors or omissions resulting from negligence, accidents or any other cause. Gaia Whilst every careany has liability been taken to party ensure data in this publication is accurate, neither the publisher nor its editorial contributors can accept, and Magazine does not any advertising material caused included No part from of thisnegligence, publicationaccidents may be reproduced, any hereby disclaim, anyofficially liabilityendorse to any party to loss or damage bywithin errorsthis or publication. omissions resulting or any otherstored cause.inGaia retrieval or transmitted in any form - electronic,material mechanical, photocopying, recording orNo otherwise - without prior permission of the publisher.

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THIS ISSUE

FEATURE

Labels Are For Luggage THOUGHTS FROM ABROAD

This month from the USA with international TV host Michelle Visage WELLBEING

The greatest taboo - urinary incontinence ON THE COVER

Award-winning crime author, Val McDermid, talks about her roots, what’s important to her and her new book Splinter the Silence EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

We catch up with the versatile Boy Meets Girl actress Rebecca Root HUMOUR

Confessions of a cross stitcher SPORTS

Different strokes - open water swimming ARTISAN

Filmmaker - Deepthi Tadanki AGENDA

Events Calendar THE LAST WORD

Horse Whispers…

Regulars

Inbox Books . Music . Film Food & Drink Travel Issue 4 Oct/Nov 2015

COLLECTION 2015

COLLECTION 2015

OPINION

LABELS ARE FOR LUGGAGE

Are you gay or are you straight? Are you bisexual or are you a lesbian? Are you femme or are you butch? Are you fat or are you thin?

Why is it that we are so preoccupied with labels or ticking the right boxes, that we forget about the individual behind the tag? Just who are we?

I am a mum who has never given birth. A sibling to four other people, yet I am my parents only child. I am a salesperson with the soul of a poet. I am a wife, ex-wife, fiancĂŠe and ex girlfriend. I am all different things at the same time.

I have auburn curly hair, can cook to the standard of a Michelin star chef and am more happy chopping wood than most men. I've dated more men than women, but I will never date a man or woman again as I have found my soul mate.

So go ahead, label me!

Do we need to fit inside a box so badly, that we deny ourselves the other part of who we are, and who we can be? Are we parodies of ourselves? Do we secretly hate the burden of non-conformity thrust upon us by society, yet publicly revel in it?

I can only answer these questions honestly from one perspective - mine. I wouldn't dare to assume that I can answer on behalf of all LGBT people at large. We need to identify as a whole, that much is certain, as we require the political power ,only found in large numbers, to ensure generations that follow are not discriminated against or condemned.

But does being gay mean we are all the same? Do we still think of ourselves as 'queer' in the literal sense of the word?

I am so much more than the sum of my parts.. All of us are. I am conflicted, ironic, sarcastic and sometimes downright bloody difficult. I am a woman who loves women, but will never understand the female psyche any more than a man does.

Comfortable in my own skin I am just me. Slightly jaded I remain optimist, myI remain cup is always half full‌ Comfortable in my own skin I am justever me.the Slightly jaded ever the

optimist, my cup is always half full‌ I don't like to label what I refuse to define.

The truly amazing and delightful thing about people is their complexity, I don't like to label what I refuse to define. changeability and spontaneity the allure and mystery each one of us The truly amazing and delightful thing about people is their -complexity, has. changeability and spontaneity - the allure and mystery each one of us has.

You can't put a label on that!

You can't put a label on that!

INBOX your magazine, your thoughts….

ON THE EDGE It was fab to see singer Nadine Shah on the pages of GAIA. I have been following her music for a while now and am surprised that she doesn't get more media coverage. It’s refreshing to see something a little alternative on the music scene. I am liking your recommendations so far.

Nicola Reid, Glasgow

GREAT WORK Great to see that GAIA is going from strength to strength with each issue. For me no other magazine compares. The articles are interesting and stimulating, often inspiring me to explore further whatever subject is under discussion. Keep up the good work!

A WOMAN OF SUBSTANCE I have been following GAIA magazine closely with great interest. I can say that all the women featured are women of substance.Their vision, passion and dedication make each of them interesting to read about. Thank you for highlighting their achievements and bringing them to our attention.

Bette Carr, Hamburg

LIFE IS WHAT WE MAKE IT Having read the cover feature about VG Lee, Aug, all I want to say is ‘Val, I salute you.’ She is flying the flag for sixty-something ‘singletons’, but most importantly she is doing it with style. I, too, am embracing my independence and the choice I’ve made to live life on my terms.

Here’s to us and many more happy years ahead!

Fiona Barrett, Liverpool

LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THNK OF THE MAGAZINE - CONTACT US

EMAIL: info@randan.org

TWEET: @GaiaMagEditor

THOUGHTS FROM ABROAD Michelle Visage

“Fabulous comes from within.”

She’s the first lady of RuPaul’s Drag Race that’s always surrounded by passionate queens as she stands up for gay rights all across the world.

Internationally renowned television personality, radio show host and now author, Michelle Visage has made a name for herself in the entertainment industry for the past three decades. Collecting her ‘straight ally’ award at Scotland’s inaugural Icon Awards, we caught up with Michelle in Glasgow.

GAIA: Last night you spoke about not fitting in and finally sticking up for yourself and others when a gay friend was being bullied at school. Can you tell me a little more about that…

MV: II was was an an oddball kid who never fitted in. I started considering myself MV: an ally aged 17, in my senior year of high school, when I stuck up for the only (obvious) gay boy in my school. He was not out and he was constantly getting picked on by the “cool kids”. One day in class I couldn’t sit by and watch any more so I stood up and got in the kid’s face and let him have it. Then I decided to embrace who I was. I didn’t care what anyone thought: I was going to dress and act the way I wanted and be me to the fullest, despite the crazy looks, and I did. When I first moved to NYC to go to university, I had no-one. I went to a club on my own the first weekend I lived in Manhattan and found some of the gayest, craziest and amazing people I’ve ever seen and they embraced me immediately. They became my family and I saw what they went through on a daily basis, simply walking down the street. I just knew I had to speak up for them.

GAIA: GAIA: The The hugely hugely successful successful RuPaul’s RuPaul’s Drag Drag Race, Race, it’s it’s not not just just a a competition competition to to the the contestants contestants but but a a journey.

Some of their stories are heart rendering… do you feel an empathy with the contestants journey. Some of their stories are heart rendering… do you feel an empathy with the contestants through through your your experiences? experiences?

MV: MV: It It brings brings families families together, together, people people don't don't see see that. that. It’s It’s not not just just about about finding finding the the next next America’s America’s Drag Superstar it’s about getting to know these kids, the dramas in their lives, what they've Drag Superstar it’s about getting to know these kids, the dramas in their lives, what they've been been through and how they work through it.

There are so many layers to our show.

It’s a life-changing show through and how they work through it. There are so many layers to our show. It’s a life-changing show about about rooting rooting for for the the underdogs. underdogs. We We are are all all humans humans and and it’s it’s a a human human right right to to have have equality. equality. It’s It’s not not gay gay rights.

It’s human rights. rights. It’s human rights.

GAIA: GAIA: Why Why do do you you think think the the show show continues continues to to be be such such a a success? success?

MV: It has a heart. It has a soul. It has integrity. People have opened up to the idea of drag being a MV: It has a heart. It has a soul. It has integrity. People have opened up to the idea of drag being a meaningful meaningful art art form. form. So So the the more more mainstream mainstream it it goes, goes, the the bigger bigger it it is is going going to to get get and and that that is is what what is is happening.

And Ru Paul is an icon, I think every kid who aspires to be something different and make happening. And Ru Paul is an icon, I think every kid who aspires to be something different and make a a name for themselves need only to look to Ru Paul. name for themselves need only to look to Ru Paul.

GAIA: Does the show receive any negativity?

GAIA: Does the show receive any negativity?

MV: Of course. I mean homosexuality is still not completely accepted in mainstream, you can’t always MV: Of course. I mean homosexuality is still not completely accepted in mainstream, you can’t always have things going your way and that’s fine. But the more we keep fighting for what we want the more have things going your way and that’s fine. But the more we keep fighting for what we want the more positive the outcome is going to be. positive the outcome is going to be.

GAIA: You have been on tour with Battle of the Seasons - do you enjoy being on the road?

MV: I love being on the road but naturally miss my husband and children, the loves of my life. I love the queens and spending time with them. I get to know them personally, on a different level. I love seeing fans and meeting lots of people but the biggest compliment I get when touring with these kids is when a mother comes up to me and says “thank you for helping me with my child.” Or “my child is trans or my child is a drag queen, thank you for helping me understand.” And I just say “thank you for loving your child unconditionally” because that’s what we need more of.

GAIA: What has been the response from UK audiences?

MV: We were in Manchester and London and I can't even put into words how incredible the response has been. I knew it would be big but didn't realise just how big it would be.

GAIA: How close are we to getting Drag Race UK? MV: I’d love to do it here in the UK, my other homeland. Jonathan Ross has been a big champion of making this happen. I know it’s going to happen, I know it in my heart, it’s just a matter of timing for that.

GAIA: How important do you think it is for younger people to see positive role models, from all walks of life, in the media?

MV: For me me silence silenceequals equalsdeath deathfor forany anycause, cause,whether whetherit it is is cancer cancer or or racism racism or or Whatever anything. theWhatever cause is, if someone the cause is,isifnot someone out there is not speaking out there about speaking it thenabout everyone it then forgets everyone aboutforgets it. So yeah, aboutwe it. need So yeah, visible we people. need visible people.

GAIA: We’ve got to talk about Big Brother. You were in one of the most explosive series ever – what was it really like in there?

MV: It was far worse than anything you saw, you have to remember it was 24 hours edited in to 44 minutes. You missed a ton of stuff because, well, it’s a one-hour show.

GAIA: So, what was your reason for taking part in the show?

MV: Part of my motive for going in to the house was for people to see how beautiful our world is and what drag drag isisallallabout. about.

Because Because people people don't don't know know whatwhat it’s about it’s about about, and andpeople peopledon't don't know know how amazing these kids are. Not just how they look but there is so much more to drag. There is so much heart in drag. This is the most ostracised part of the gay community. Transgender people and drag queens. Now they are finally getting the attention they deserve in a positive way. Drag is such a viable art form, it used to be such a niche, but it’s grown and grown.

GAIA: Did you want people to see another side to you?

MV: You see me at my work, on RuPaul’s Drag Race. I'm there to do a job. For me, the other side I wanted people to see is my truth. I was in there for the gay community. And not just the gays but for any kid who feels like they've never belonged to a group. All the freaks, all the weirdos, all the misfits who never felt like their life was worth it or have questioned if their life was worth it. I was in there for all of them.

GAIA: You’ve been so busy but have found the time to write a book: The Diva - Ditch Drama, Strength, and Your Way GAIA:Rules You’ve beenthe so busy butFind haveYour found the time to Sparkle write a book; The to the Top… Diva Of MV: Rules course.

- Ditch I mean the Drama, homosexuality Find Your is still Strength, not completely and Sparkle accepted Your Way in mainstream, you can’t always to thethings have Top…going your way and that’s fine. But the more we keep fighting for what we want the more MV: Yes,the it’soutcome out Nov is1st.

It’s to part positive going be.memoir, part self help and all things fabulous.

It’sout myNov stories about I did something, I failed.

Did MV: Yes, it’s 1st. It’s part how memoir, part self help and all things something, But I pulled myself Ussomething, women tend to put The our fabulous.

GAIA: You’ve It’sI failed. been my stories so busy about but have how found I up. did the time to write I afailed. book: Did children first, our the career then we up. forget WetoYour forget to something, Diva Rules - I Ditch failed.

But Drama, I first, pulled Find myself Your Strength, Us ourselves. women and Sparkle tend putWay our nurture our inner diva.

Fabulous is not always on the outside, fabulous children to the Top… first, our career first, then we forget ourselves. We forget to comes from nurture our within. inner diva. Fabulous is not always on the outside, fabulous comes MV: Yes, from it’s within. out Nov 1st. It’s part memoir, part self help and all things GAIA: Will we seeingabout more ofhow Michelle in the UK? fabulous. It’s being my stories I didVisage something, I failed. Did GAIA: Will we something, I failed. being seeing But I pulled more of myself Michelle up. Visage Us women in thetend UK? to put our MV: I’m not going sit here and say we I have this project lined upforget or thatto lined up but I’m working on a children first, our to career first, then forget ourselves.

We few I’mdiva. hoping to and get say off the ground here, I won’t talk about until are done.

MV: things nurture I’m our notthat going inner to sit Fabulous here is not I have always this on project theso outside, lined up or fabulous that linedthem up but I’mthey working on a But you’ve not seen the last of me here, that’s for sure. few things comes fromthat within.

I’m hoping to get off the ground here, so I won’t talk about them until they are done.

But you’ve not seen the last of me here, that’s for sure. www.michellevisage.com GAIA: Will we being seeing more of Michelle Visage in the UK? www.michellevisage.com MV: I’m not going to sit here and say I have this project lined up or that lined up but I’m working on a few things that I’m hoping to get off the ground here, so I won’t talk about them until they are done.

But you’ve not seen the last of me here, that’s for sure. www.michellevisage.com

WELLBEING WELLBEING

Urinary Incontinence Urinary Incontinence Ballroom dancer tackles strictly taboo topic Ballroom dancer tackles strictly taboo topic

The subject of incontinence is still off limits for millions of Brits even though it affects around a The subject of incontinence is still off limits for millions of Brits even though it affects around a third of women at some point in their lives. third of women at some point in their lives.

But now a famous former ballroom dancer is hoping to change perceptions of this strictly taboo topic But now a famous former ballroom dancer is hoping tohow change perceptions of this by revealing the impact the condition had on her - and she found a solution. strictly taboo topic by revealing the impact the condition had on her and how she found a solution.

Once ranked number 24 in the world, Trudi Shepherd started to experience urinary problems after her Once rankedyears number in the world, Trudi leakage Shepherd started to experience urinary after her competitive and24 found she had urine after sneezing or coughing.

Theproblems physical demands competitive years and she hadmore urine noticeable leakage after sneezing orduring coughing.

The physical of dancing made her found the problem - particularly rigorous routinesdemands like the of dancing made the problem more noticeable particularly during rigorous routines like the quickstep. quickstep.

She says: "I started to feel really uncomfortable and didn't want to do certain steps when I was She says:with "I started feel really uncomfortable didn't want to do certain steps when that I was dancing Keith. Ifto I forgot to wear a panty linerand it was a nightmare because I was worried it dancing Keith.

If I forgot totowear a panty linerwho it was nightmare because worried it would runwith down my leg!

I talked a friend of mine is aanurse and she assuredI was me that therethat were would run down my leg!

I talked to a friend of mine who is a nurse and she assured me that there were things that could be done to sort it out." things that could be done to sort it out."

Trudi turned to Steve Foley, Consultant Urologist at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, who suggested Trudi to including Steve Foley, Consultant Urologist at the Royal Berkshire who suggested variousturned options injectable therapy - a less invasive treatment whichHospital, is an alternative to major various options including injectable therapy a less invasive treatment which is an alternative to major surgery and can be carried out under local or general anaesthetic. surgery and can be carried out under local or general anaesthetic.

During the procedure, a gel is injected into the urethra endoscopically to obtain a bulking effect, During the procedure, a gel leakage. is injected the procedure urethra endoscopically obtainofa small bulking effect, which helps to prevent urine Theinto simple consists of a to number injections which helps to prevent urine leakage.

The simple procedure consists of a number of small injections into the wall of the urethra close to the bladder neck. into the wall of the urethra close to the bladder neck.

A cystoscope is introduced into the urethra, then a needle is used to inject the gel into the urethral A cystoscope introducedorinto the urethra, thenprocess a needle is used to inject gel into the urethral wall to form a iscushioning bulking effect. This is then repeated as the required, usually two or wall to form a cushioning or bulking effect.

This process is then repeated as required, usually two or three times, to ensure regular filling around the bladder neck. three times, to ensure regular filling around the bladder neck.

The Bladder and Bowel Foundation says clinical trials confirm injectable therapies offer a safe, simple The Bowel Foundation says clinical in trials offer a safe, simple and Bladder effectiveand treatment and the improvements theconfirm quality injectable of life for therapies women are comparable with and effective treatment and the improvements in the quality of life for women are comparable with surgical benefits. The trials also show that the cure rate is excellent for the mild and moderate surgical benefits.

The trials also show that sufferers. the cure rate is excellent for mild and moderate incontinent incontinent and satisfactory for the severe

sufferers and satisfactory for the severe sufferers.

Enjoy dance all-you-want bladder leak protection

As the therapy is less invasive, women can even go back to work within 24-48 hours of having the procedure which procedure, which isis available available privately privately or or on the NHS NHS, and and isis often often suitable suitable for for those who are reluctant to have surgery, or who are planning to have more children.

Now 51, Trudi decided to sign up when Steve explained the benefits - and the fact that she would be in and out of hospital within a day. Just a week later, she was back on the dance floor.

She says: "The improvements to my quality of life are amazing. When I went back to work and danced again for the first time I didn't leak and couldn't believe what a difference it made."

In fact, Trudi was so impressed with the results that she made a video tackling the taboo which is still the number one issue Brits are reluctant to discuss with their doctor doctor.

Advising other women who are suffering in silence to find a solution, Trudi adds: "Get on and do something about it because it's amazing. You become more confident, more sure of yourself, you can get on and do things and get on with life."

What is urinary incontinence (UI)?

UI is also known as 'loss of bladder control' or 'urinary leakage.' UI is when urine leaks out before you can get to a bathroom. If you have UI, you are not alone. Millions of women have this problem, especially as they get older.

Some women may lose a few drops of urine when they cough or laugh. Others may feel a sudden urge to urinate and cannot control it. Urine loss can also occur during sexual activity and can cause great emotional distress.

Treatment: • • • • • • •

Bladder retraining and Kegal exercises Biofeedback Medicine Neuromodulation Vaginal devices Injections Catheterisation

For further information: www.nhs.uk/conditions/Incontinence-urinary

I

VAL McDermid photograph Alan McCredie

ON THE COVER

BY ALANNA ALANNA JANE JANE BY all all images images Alan Alan McCredie McCredie

award- winningauthor. author.

Val McDermid is one of the UK’s most well-known crime writers and a multi award-winning Her novels have been translated into 30 languages 10 million copies worldwide languages,and havehave soldsold overover 10 million copies worldwide and and were the basis of the ITV series Wire in the Blood. were the basis of the ITV series Wire in the Blood. veteran and in-demand star at theat the We meet in Charlotte Square, Edinburgh, where she is both a veteran and an in-demand star Edinburgh International Book Festival. We sit outside the Author’s Yurt, buoyed by early morning coffee on the decking.

You would think when meeting her that she may be a little scary, given the context of her writing.

Instead I am met by an enigmatic woman who is openly welcoming.

“I think people expect me to be more dark and twisted. Sometimes the audiences are taken by says. “with “Withaadark, dark,bitter, bitter,Scottish Scottishsense senseof ofhumour humour surprise because I’m quite a genial character,” she says, but I am quite a sunny character. If I don't make the audience laugh at least a couple of times I think it’s a bad night.”

Born into a working class family in Kirkcaldy on the east coast of Scotland, McDermid loved the written word from an early age.“Books were a rarity and expensive, so we didn't really have books in the house, but when I was six years old we moved house and moved opposite the central library and that really became my home from home where I went every night after school.”

She read her way though the library and "I used to go to jumble sales and second-hand bookshops just to find books.”

Spending time with her grandparents in East Wemyss, in what she describes as “an idyllic childhood,” was where she developed a taste for murder mysteries, as the only books in the house were a copy of the Bible and Agatha Christie’s Murder at the Vicarage.

In her last year at primary school she became part of a unique experiment. “Fife Education Committee had a slightly mad idea in the 1960’s, to take take the the top top two two or or three three kids kids from from each each primary primary school school and and 1960s, to advance them on to high school a year early,” she says. “It might have worked if they had dispersed us evenly throughout the year, but they kept us in a separate grouping, the E class. It was supposed to stand for ‘early’ but everyone else said it stood for ‘experiment’. And the teachers knew we were an E pupil, even after the third year. There was always a tremendous expectation. It was a harsh thing to do to people at that particular age.”

McDermid found it a pressurised environment. “It was a baptism of fire and a lot of people crashed and burned.”

After securing a place at St Hilda’s College Oxford, the first person from a Scottish state school to do so, how did she find it arriving as a 17-year-old?

“I took it in my stride. The other end of the experiment meant I was incredibly driven. It took me until I was about 50 to understand that I didn't have to be the best at everything. It felt very much like a place where you were judged on the quality of your mind.”

On graduation she worked as a reporter at the Sunday People “because I couldn't think of any other career that would suit me,” she smiles. “I’m not good with authority and was unable to bear the thought of a nine to five job.”

The time at the paper gave her a ferocious work ethic and, writing in her spare time she had her first book published, Report for Murder (1987), which featured the lesbian protagonist Lindsay Gordon.

Her books almost always feature gay characters and she explains, “I live my life in a landscape that’s populated with all sorts of people, and I write about that world, the world that I see. It is an important part of who I am. “ The changes that we have gone through in the last 25 years, socially and politically, they are embedded in my consciousness and awareness of who I am. But it’s not the only part of me. My Scottishness, for example, is very important to me. The political changes that have gone on in Scotland, and continue to do so, are an important part of me. Being a parent is an important part of me.”

She adds that “all of these things feed in to what I write.”

McDermid tells me that one of a writer’s least attractive characteristics is, “that thing where someone is telling you something really dreadful, and the human being in you, the friend in you, means it sincerely when you say ‘I’m there for you.’ “But also the voice in the back of your head is saying ‘that’s really good I can use that, can you say that again, I didn't quite catch that,” she continues, her eyes full of mischief.

Fascinated with the reasons people do terrible things to each other, McDermid can’t understand why people are so shocked that women can write horrific crime well. “One of the issues concerning women writing about violence, is that when we do it, we can do it more scarily than men and that, I think, is the way in which we were brought up from childhood.

“As little girls we are told that the world is a dangerous place. All through our lives we have to live with the potential of awful things happening to us as women. We could be raped or murdered, so every time you’re on the streets on your own, late at night, you’re thinking is that a footstep behind me, am I going to be killed?

“When men write that kind of scene, because they’ve not grown up with it, they’re not trained to think of themselves as victims, even though the reality is they are the victims as often as women, they don’t think of themselves that way so they write about it much more from outside themselves. Almost as a spectator. When women write about it, it’s terrifying!”

As the mother of a teenage son McDermid has been made “more aware of our fragility as human beings. It’s made me more aware of my own mortality. When you have a child you're always thinking in terms of your relationship to them, and their future, and you become aware of things that can go horribly wrong. All the things that can damage or destroy that.”

If there’s one thing she could wish for her son it would be “a sense of purpose. I think it’s really hard for his generation. My generation were the golden ones, we had free education, free university education, when we came out we had a choice of jobs.”

“I wish for anyone to find that passion, that sense of direction, to care about something. It doesn't matter what it is,” she adds.

Now 60, McDermid has returned to her native Scotland. “I think it’s been in the back of my mind for quite a while. I kept coming further north in stages. When the chance came to move back I grabbed it with both hands. I know I have come home.” She gives the impression of not having ever left her roots.

One of the highlights of her year is chairing the New Blood Panel at the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival because “it gives me the chance to read lots of new novels and see what the next wave of writers are thinking about, see what things concern them, and that in turn rubs off on me,” she enthuses. “It gives me ideas and what new avenues to explore and I can keep an eye on the competition.”

McDermid feels there is a genuine sense of community in the crime writing world, where people respect each other’s work,”I think there is no sense of competitiveness because of the voracious appetite of most crime readers. Most crime readers read a lot of books. If I say to someone, you should read another writer, I don’t think they are then going to stop reading me, it’s not a competition… and we’re known to like a party too!”

She likes the fact that she can travel on book tours to a lot of places you wouldn't ordinarily go to.

“You see them through the eyes of the people that actually live there.” One thing she is adamant about though, is she will not go to a country where they have a policy of oppressing gay and lesbian minorities. “I feel very strongly about that. I won’t go to festivals, where if I was a native of that country, I could not be me, live the life I do and speak openly. I’d be living a half life in the shadows, frightened of what could happen.”

Her latest novel, Splinter the Silence, sees the return of psychological profiler Tony Hill and ex-DCI Carol Jordan. Given that it deals with a subject that has dominated the news headlines, the relentless misogynistic trolling of women online, I wonder if McDermid ever gets angry about this topic?

She shakes her head. “I find it profoundly depressing. The vileness of the abuse is quite astonishing. It makes you wonder, who are these people? The internet gives them a platform to voice their feelings anonymously.”

Subtly interwoven through the book is a little piece of feminist history. Pages from books by Anne Sexton, Sylvia Plath and Virginia Woolf, all of whom took their own lives, are found next to the bodies of the women who the trolls have seemingly driven to suicide. McDermid wanted, she says, to show that there is a “long tale of women feeling that their lives are impossible and quite intolerable”.

McDermid has been lauded by critics and has been awarded the CWA Diamond Dagger Award for outstanding achievement, but says in professional terms “the thing I’m most proud of is my honorary fellowship from St.Hilda’s.”

After so many novels and so many years, is there anything McDermid hasn’t done that she has a yen to write?

Her answer, naturally, is in keeping with her nature: “The next novel!”

www.valmcdermid.com

BOOKS

FIND A WAY Diana Nyad

A celebrated endurance swimmer’s account of her life in the water and the attempts that led to her successful 2013 swim from Cuba to Florida.

Nyad’s future as a swimming star seemed fated.Nyad’s On herfuture as a swimming star seemed fated. On her fifth birthday, her stepfather revealed that the fifth last birthday, her stepfather revealed that the last name he had given her not only meant water name nymph, he had given her not only meant water nymph, but also champion swimmer. Four years later, but her also champion swimmer. Four years later, her mother pointed across the Straits of Florida mother and pointed across the Straits of Florida and observed that the island that produced theobserved culture that the island that produced the culture Nyad had fallen in love with was so close “you Nyad could had fallen in love with was so close “you could almost swim there.” She began training at agealmost 10 andswim there.” She began training at age 10 and was soon competing at national championships.was soon competing at national championships.

As much as she loved swimming for the highsAsit much gave as she loved swimming for the highs it gave her, it was also an activity that helped her overcome the trauma of sexual abuse she faced from both her father and, later, a trusted swimming coach. By the time she had graduated high school, Nyad was a world-class swimmer, but she missed qualifying for the 1968 Olympics. She turned to open water marathon swimming in her early 20s.

Fascinated by the idea of crossing from Florida to Cuba, she made one unsuccessful attempt to navigate the dangerous waters between Cuba and Key West in 1978; two years later, she ended her swimming marathon career to become a sports broadcaster and journalist. In 2010, at age 60, she began the first of four more attempts to swim between Cuba and Florida. Three years later, wearing a special protective suit and mask to protect against jellyfish stings, she managed the crossing in 53 hours. What makes Nyad’s story so remarkable, beyond the harrowing trials she faced at sea— unpredictable currents and weather, deadly sea animals—is the strength of a resolve that would not admit defeat and knew no boundaries.

“Whatever your Other Shore is,” she writes, “whatever you must do… you will find a way.” Inspiring reading for anyone who has ever dared to dream the impossible.

ISBN-13: 9780385353618 Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group Available from: www.amazon.com

FILM 52 Tuesdays Awards including Best Director - Sundance Crystal Bear - Berlinale What do you get by combining a cast of unprofessional actors, one of which (the lead, we might add) is actually a circus performer by trade, a story of a mother becoming a father, and a structure that basically shows the viewers one year's worth of Tuesday afternoons? How about one of the least conventional flicks to emerge from Australia in some time?

And that's certainly saying something, given the country in question has a reputation for delivering what could be described, with some understatement, as movies that exist left of the middle ground.

Indeed, to say 52 Tuesdays is quite the unique piece of work would be putting it mildly, and whilst there are faults that could be highlighted, there are plenty more merits, hence it being so well received when it went on limited festival-release earlier this year (the judges at Sundance, for example, were particularly favourable).

Enough hyperbole, let's proceed with some kind of synopsis. Put simply, then, director Sophie Hyde's innovative picture focuses on 16-year-old girl Billie (Tilda Cobham-Hervey, a name that, if this is much to go by, you need to remember), whose mum (played by Del Herbert-Jane) decides she would actually prefer to be a man. A somewhat awkward moment when the teenager finds her maternal parent in the bathroom, dressed as a bloke, leads to the 'outing' of these plans, and the dad, Tom (Beau Travis Williams), who used to have limited visitation rights, assumes full time care of Billie.

This means Billie will now spend every Tuesday with her transgender mother, and the film itself becomes a kind of micro-Boyhood, being shot over the course of one year, and only on a Tuesday. As such we actually get to see the characters change during this 52-week odyssey, which is particularly noticeable in younger members of the cast.

Such developments are mirrored in the plot, which soon switches from the change in sex of the mother as a focal point, to the sexual awakening of the daughter, who starts filling her time filming make-out sessions with two of her friends; a couple named Josh (Sam Althuizen) and Jasmin (Imogen Archer), to be specific. An intriguing switch in priorities that arguably is to the detriment of the movie itself (we'd have preferred things to stay centred on the impact of the sex change), nevertheless 52 Tuesdays is a hugely important work both in terms of LGBT filmmaking, and mainstream cinema, addressing discourses within gender rights and asking plenty of questions about the human ability to adapt.

52 Tuesdays Vendetta Films on digital & DVD

Grainne Hunt

By Mac

MUSIC Firing Pin

released on Grainne Hunt Music 23rd October

I met this fellow Celt at a boutique women’s festival in Wales. We introduced ourselves backstage and had a natter. Grainne Hunt was born in a small border town in southern Ireland called Carrickmacross, County Monaghan. She is knitting - her speciality, bobble hats! She told me that she had only recently started writing and performing her own material, but has sung backing vocals for numerous other people such as Mark Geary, Nicole Maguire and Glen Hansard. I sneaked around to the back of the tent to watch a bit of her set, not quite sure of what to expect and was blown away. Not only does she possess a rich, warm inviting voice, but she knows what to do with it. A real bonus is that she has a way with the audience - something that can usually take years to feel comfortable with or master... but there’s something about this girl!

So, in only a few short years, I get a link to a Dropbox, which has only been shared with a handful of people. Here were five or six tracks, lovingly made by Grainne and co writer James Cramer (of Tupelo), produced by Joe Chester. It was recorded in the Living Room @ The Cauldron. She's joined on the album by James and Joe, along with Graham Hopkins, Lorcán O’Dwyer and Vyvienne Long.

What I love about this music is that it is so simply produced - no clever clogs programming - all about the words, the songs. This is where all ‘folk’ music originates. The telling of stories, of lives, of passions. Nothing gets in the way of her voice and her words. You could compare her to a Natalie Merchant or a Mary Black (in her pure, wise way) with a just a pinch of Tracy Chapman’s sadness.

However, instantly, Grainne is her own unique voice and absolutely blooming.

The track ‘Lilacs’, is a beauty of a song. Theres something raw and desperately sad about it - a dark landscape, brewing clouds. ‘The words of it all’ reflecting on the impact someone has in a moment, the longing and how utterly affecting it is. All of these songs on this, her debut, are infused with universal life experiences, evocative and haunting. Grainne Hunt is someone who glows like an ancient candle belying her years and her warmth is infectious.

James Cramer has a major musical part in all of this with the writing and musicality and should take credit for giving Grainne such a glorious board to spring from. Joe Chester’s production is glowing. The only disappointment is the amount of tracks on this, but it is quality over quantity.

Listen to: ‘Lilacs’ ( the single, available now), ‘The words of it all’ Live: Sun 18th October – Songlines, Sweeney’s, Dublin Thur 22nd October – Awards Ceremony – Clasac Centre, Dublin Tues 27th October – The Loft, Maynooth, Co. Kildare Wed 28th October – The Zodiac Sessions, Dublin **Album Launch** Fri 30th October – The Chocolate Factory - With special guests and support by Dermot Kennedy Sun 1st November – The Loft, Carlingford Fri 20th November – The Cellar Sessions, Gorey, Co. Wexford Buy grainnehunt.bandcamp.com/releases www.grainnehunt.com www.twitter.com/grainnehunt www.facebook.com/GrainneHuntMusic

Rebecca Root

Exclusive Interview AJ chats to the versatile actress from ‘Boy Meets Girl’

The first thing I notice when I meet Rebecca Root is her smile. Warm, open and friendly, it lights up the room. We meet at Fringe Central 1, in Edinburgh, where she is at the end of her run playing Eden in the award-winning show Trans Scripts. It is not the lightest of topics for a fringe show, but the verbatim piece about the life experiences of transgender women, are the key ingredients to one of the most educational and thought provoking shows at this year’s festival.

Her character in Trans Scripts, Eden, is very complex and quite aggressive, whereas Root is engaged and open. It’s as draining a part as anything she’s ever done but exhilarating too, in front of a live audience for a month with her fellow actors, baring their souls day in day out. She says: “The first couple of weeks of the run I had to find a way to negotiate a path in and out of Eden, so to speak, so my prep and my getting out of character has become less stressful as the time has gone on.”

Eden is both tough and independent but damaged and vulnerable. Having witnessed the performance of Trans Scripts and watched the screening for BBC2’s new comedy Boy Meets Girl, where Root plays the loveable Judy, her versatility as an actress is astonishing. “I’m pleased that you've seen both sides of Rebecca Root because I think few people will get to see that,” she adds.

Sitting next to Root, on the low sofa, we chat at length about her groundbreaking role in the first mainstream UK sitcom to cast a transgender actor in a leading transgender role, and her hopes for the show. So what is her part and why does she love it so much? “Judy is adorable, funny, warm, she’s a bit inept at times but she’s just charming, I’m not saying she’s without her complexities but her heart is in the right place.”

Judy is a transgender woman in her 40s who meets a younger man, Leo (played by Harry Hepple), in a bar and they hit it off. The couple are on their first date at a restaurant when Judy utters the words: "I was born with a penis.” Written by Trans Comedy Award script writer, Elliott Kerrigan, Boy Meets Girl is simply a love story. The fact that Judy is transgender is only one element in a funny and touching romance.

Unlike her character, Root shies away from dating, for self-preservation “who puts themselves in the line of fire of heartbreak.” But that’s not to say she wouldn't like to. “One day perhaps I will meet someone.”

Root grew up in a middle-class, loving family in Surrey. Her parents and two sisters supported her in her desire to act but she found there was no one she could really talk to about how she was feeling at the time. Acting in school plays gave her a way to be female, if only for a short time. “Suddenly I had this creative outlet, I had something that I loved, and something that I could aspire to.”

It is clear to see the passion that Root shows for her work, “I care so much I can’t tell you, I am so passionate about my craft! I take my craft and my profession very seriously and I do classes and read books and talk to a lot of actors and I watch their performances. I scrutinise what they do and wonder how they do it , I’m like a child again.”

Her transition began in 2000 and she recalls that probably the hardest part was making the decision to do it, “I knew what I had to do but I wasn’t sure how I could do it. It took me a long time of conversations with doctors and specialists.” Root is still very close to her family now.

She would advise any young person who is struggling with their identity today “to be brave, breathe deep, look at yourself in the mirror and smile. I taught myself to look in the mirror and smile once a day and that way I am guaranteed one smile. But that smile buffers me against all the frowns, glances and the ‘what the…’ that I still even now occasionally get.”

Articulate and informed it is hard to imagine a better ambassador than Root for the transgender community. Does she feel a sense of responsibility? “In life if you're given an opportunity to share a perspective on life, or society or humanity, it would be churlish not to accept that role, and to try and do good with that.”

She adds,“I do workshops now with youth transgender groups, the NHS and I’m a mentor for young people. I don't necessarily promote myself but if anyone can benefit from it then I will do it.”

She is looking forward to see how the public reacts to Boy Meets Girl but feels that “it’s funny because I’m in a bit of a bubble at the moment, although it is very exciting I’m realistic in that I’ll believe it when I see it.

“This is not just my moment, it’s Elliott’s moment, it’s the rest of the superb cast’s moment. It is very much an ensemble. But it’s also the trans community’s moment. I have been contacted on social media by a lot of trans women saying ‘I have seen the trailer , it looks great, fingers crossed, thanks for all you are doing’. That means a lot.”

With a supporting cast that includes Denise Welch, Lizzie Roper and Nigel Betts, this may just simply be a funny tale of boy meets girl. www.rebeccaroot.com www.rebeccaroot.co.uk

TRAVEL

‘Winter in Canada’ Offering extraordinary dining experiences.

By Remy Scalza The five-course dinner menu is exquisite: from the bison tartare starter and maple-glazed sable fish to the house-made lucuma and cacao ice-cream dessert. The setting, however, is somewhat unusual: a tent perched atop a frozen river in the heart of downtown Winnipeg, MB, where winter temperatures plunge to -20 degrees C (-4 degrees F).

Winter in Canada offers some extraordinary dining experiences. Canadian cuisine combines with uniquely Canadian settings—from frozen rivers to icy peaks and remote, snowbound provincial parks —to make for meals to remember. You may never think of “frozen food” quite the same way again.

For nearly three weeks every winter, the ice-bound fork of Winnipeg’s Red and Assiniboine rivers becomes home to RAW: Almond, a pop-up restaurant on ice. While the wind howls outside, diners clad in heavy-duty parkas, fur caps and insulated boots gather inside a heated tent, laid out in past years with a long wooden table and stumps for seats.

While the setting may be rustic, the food is gourmet. Chef Mandel Hitzer from Winnipeg’s trendy Deer + Almond restaurant partners with the city’s top chefs to devise hearty multi-course menus that show off the best of prairie cuisine. The surrounding scenery, meanwhile, is unforgettable. Just outside, the Red River Mutual Trail—a winter highway for skaters and walkers—winds for six and a half enchanted kilometres (4 mi) through the city.

Diners hoping to work up an appetite before a wintry meal can look further west to Vancouver. Atop Grouse Mountain, a unique tour offers guests the chance to experience alpine scenery before enjoying a dinner to remember. Diners don snowshoes and headlamps for a one-hour guided trek into Grouse’s snowbound forests and meadows. After venturing through the winter wonderland and admiring the twinkling city lights far below, adventurers converge on the mountaintop lodge for fondue, an après-ski staple.

The three-course meal starts with a classic cheese fondue, served with fresh-baked organic baguettes.

Next comes a hearty broth fondue, paired with a selection of prime cuts, including wild BC salmon, chicken, beef, scallops and pork loin. The meal concludes with a traditional chocolate fondue. Fresh fruit and cinnamon puff pastry are dipped in rich chocolate sauce, optionally spiked with Baileys or another liqueur to ward off winter’s chill.

Meanwhile, Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario is home to a one-of-a-kind weekend excursion that has guys’ weekend written all over it. The Stew and Brew Winter Culinary Adventure takes culinary explorers to a remote log cabin deep inside the 7,600-sq-km (3,000-sq-mi.) park. While the snow falls outside, diners feast on rich winter favourites prepared by cabin cooks, from cassoulet to wild-game gumbo and black-beer Irish stew. Meals are paired with a selection of winter craft beers, such as La Fin du Monde, Leffe Brown and London Porter.

To work off those calories, groups set out on guided snowshoeing and backcountry skiing in the highlands of Algonquin Provincial Park. Other consummately Canadian excursions at the retreat include ice fishing, snowmobiling and dog sledding. And no winter weekend would be complete without an invigorating ice plunge and sauna and a game or two of broomball, a regional hockey variant played with brooms instead of sticks.

For further information visit: www.destinationcanada.com

The Pilgrims Ferry The Pilgrims Ferry

TRAVEL

SAIL AWAY The Forth Ferry, launched by Seafari Adventures and the Scottish Seabird Centre, has taken its maiden voyage. It will enable locals and visitors to venture between the two stunning seaside towns of North Berwick and Anstruther in around 45 minutes, rather than the usual two-hour drive time. The new excursion has roots in a long and rich history, with boat trips between North Berwick and Fife dating back to at least 950AD. ‘Pilgrims Ferry’ transported religious worshipers across the Forth to visit the relics of Scotland’s patron saint at St Andrews. At its height, some 10,000 pilgrims made the crossing every year.

Now the journey on offer is quite a different experience with passengers able to travel on the custombuilt, 55-seat, Seafari Explorer.

Full details of all boat trips available at www.seabird.org.

www.visitscotland.com

FOOD AND DRINK Full-flavoured, hearty, and comforting traditional Scottish dish

Cullen Skink

This rich, tasty soup hails from the town of Cullen in Moray, on the north-east coast of Scotland.

Ingredients Serves: 4 1 tbsp olive or vegetable oil 1 leek, well-rinsed, chopped and cut into rough 2cm cubes 1 litre fish stock 200g waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into roughly 2cm cubes 300g undyed smoked Scottish haddock fillet 1 bay leaf Freshly ground pepper 2 tbsp whipping cream Chives, roughly chopped Method Warm the oil in a pan. Add the chopped leek, cover and gently cook for a few minutes until soft. Add the stock, bay leaf, potato and haddock. Season lightly with black pepper. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes.

Remove the haddock from the pan with a slotted spoon. When the fish is cool enough to handle, remove any skin and bones, then flake the haddock back into the pan.

Blend a ladle full of the soup in a liquidiser and return to the pan. Stir in the double cream and simmer for another 2-3 minutes. Add more black pepper if necessary, then sprinkle with the chopped chives and serve.

Serve with chunks of fresh wholemeal or granary bread.

FOOD AND DRINK

The Steamie

1024 Argyle Street, Glasgow G3 8LX

The Steamie opened its doors in 2014, and since then those doors have barely stopped swinging from early until late. This is Finnieston's newest addition, and being a coffee shop it's bringing something a little different to the area - which has mostly restaurants and bars.

It's a cosy place to sit in, shabby chic with a variety of mismatched chairs and tables to choose from.

The tables are very snugly arranged but it all adds to the busy, friendly buzz. An old school woodwork bench offers a great selection of homemade cakes from chocolate cherry brownies to sticky toffee loaf.

As well as great coffee, with the beans being ground on demand, they also do a good selection of loose leaf teas, as well a plethora of tasty panninis or a bowl of steaming hot soup.

Seeking a new coffee-spot where the beans are fresh and the milk is perfectly steamed? Then look no further than The Steamie where the staff are warm, the espresso is exceptional and you’ll never want to leave.

Mon-Fri 8am-6pm Sat 9am-5pm Sun 12pm-5pm www.thesteamie.co.uk

SPORT

OPEN WATER SWIMMING

By Linda Moir

Two pioneering swimmers who were the first to cross one of the most dangerous stretches of water, the Bristol Channel in the late 1920s, were the women Kathleen Thomas (aged 21) and Edith Parnell (aged 16).

Over the years I have discovered other like minded women who shared my love of water and introduced me to a wider swimming world and to swimmers such as Annette Kellerman, Alison Streeter and more recently Keri-Anne Payne and Diana Nyad. I then realised that it was not just a few crazy people who loved open water, it was people from all walks of life and in particular, women.

The great thing about open water swimming is it's very accessible to a range of people and you don't have to be an athlete to do it, you just need a sense of adventure. The transition from indoor to outdoor isn't difficult - swimming is swimming whether it is outdoors or indoors.

By definition, open water swimming, means swimming in any naturally occurring body of water – in lakes, rivers or the sea and more recently, that may also include many man- made lakes and waterways.

It could include a social dip with friends, entering your first open water triathlon event or even swimming the Channel.

Most enthusiasts will affirm to the thrill of swimming outdoors; there is no feeling like it and the sense of exploration and challenge continue to attract people and the feelings of excitement and euphoria last long after you have left the water.

SPORT

The first step is to decide why you want to swim outside. Do you want to relax in a scenic location, seek the buzz that comes from immersion in cold water, take on a long-distance challenge or compete in a mass-participation open water swimming event? There’s no one, ‘right’ way to enjoy open water.

Whichever route you pursue, you will find plenty of like-minded souls.

First Strokes

Open water swimmers are a fantastically diverse bunch. Some are content to take an occasional dip at a local beauty spot on a hot day. Others seek progression by swimming faster, further, in more remote locations or in colder water. If you are new to the sport, confidence may be an issue. You might not know how you’ll cope with the water temperature, or how you’ll react when your foot brushes against an unknown hidden object or sinks into the mud. Will it bother you not being able to see under the water or not having a wall to hang onto every 25m or so? Perhaps start by swimming at a lido. As your confidence grows, you can seek out wilder places.

There are, however, other creatures in the water!

There will be fish. There will be vegetation. There will be insects. If you’re like most swimmers, the thought of the critters in the water will send you into a mild panic. Relax. You’ll probably never come in contact with any of these — the mass start of an open-water swim typically scares fish off and clears the area of floating sticks & weeds.

If you’re still scared, just remember — you’re the giant invading their home. Most fish aren’t going to attack you — they’d rather hide in the fishy panic room until you leave.

Get the Right Gear

Invest in a good wetsuit (make sure it’s not too restrictive on the shoulders), swimming cap and goggles with good peripheral vision – these will help you enjoy the experience more and swim more efficiently. Wetsuits make you more buoyant in the water (as well as keeping you warm) so are excellent for your confidence as you head outside. It may feel a little restrictive at first, but try to relax and you’ll get used to the feeling.

But isn’t it Dangerous?

Not if you know where you’re going and what to expect. The website www.wildswim.com lists places around the UK and notes advice from local swimmers.

So come on in, the water might be chilly – but it’s an adventure worth sharing!

SPORT

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HUMOUR CONFESSIONS OF A CROSS STITCHER

By Mary Berger

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn't work on my cross stitch in the car," I wanted to know. My partner and I were preparing to leave on a short trip.

He shot a look of disbelief my way. "You're driving, remember?"

"Oh, right." He had a point.

Lately, it seemed my cross stitch hobby had gone from pastime to obsession. I knew things were getting out of hand when I brought my sewing to bed one night and worked on it under the covers, guided by a flashlight.

After a few minor cross stitch successes, it was clear that I had become addicted. I'd use any tactic, no matter how devious, to work in a few more stitches. Once, while entertaining guests, visiting became a chore. They wanted to debate politics and pollution; I wanted to discuss fabric and floss.

With dinner in the oven, I excused myself. "Better check that roast," I said, caught up in a sudden urge to create via needle and floss. In the kitchen, tucked beneath the blender, was a floral bookmark, my latest project. Chuckling deviously, I finished one of the rose petals.

All at once, I panicked, when my charred pot roast set off the smoke alarm! Looking sheepish, I suggested maybe we should all go out to dinner that night.

Even when I'm bowling, cross stitch wins out. In a hot and heavy duel for first place, fellow bowlers were cheering each other on. But my mind became blurred by my latest sewing project, an autumn scene.

The score was tied.

Our team's last chance for victory rested with my score.

Spurred on by my fellow team members, I approached the lane, bowling ball firmly planted in hand. In mid-delivery, however, visions of unfinished orange and rust leaves jogged my memory. To everyone's surprise, I put the ball back in the rack.

"Just one more stitch," I pleaded, dragging out my sewing.

They asked me to become a substitute bowler. What sore losers!

My obsession with cross stitch has had its effect on my family, too. Often they're tolerant, but sometimes they just don't seem to understand. "What's for supper?" one of them complained one night.

"Cornflakes," I muttered in an absentminded, Christmas-red, double backstitch daze. Then I noticed the ten o'clock news was coming on, and it brought me back to reality. Supper was a little late that night, like midnight.

To show how wrapped up in this sewing hobby we can get, I once had a friend who confessed she'd hit rock bottom with her love for cross stitch. When her husband returned from a business trip, she was so preoccupied with her needlework, she forgot to pick him up at the airport . . . twenty miles away.

I'd never do anything that scatterbrained.

And yet, we're attending a wedding next month. Maybe I could sneak in a few stitches somewhere between "do you take" and "I now pronounce."

Think anyone would notice?

Deepthi Tadanki Filmmaker

Š Deepthi Tadanki

ARTISAN Recognising women with exceptional skills in many art forms

Filmmaker Deepthi Tadanki has worked on documentaries in various roles including as an Assistant Director with TV shows like MTV Webbed and MTV Haunted Weekends. She has also worked under many successful Directors for Corporate Videos in Mumbai. She came back to Hyderabad to extend her love for the city and also pursue her passion in Film Making.

How did you get started in filmmaking?

First of all, any creative individual wants an audience. We like telling stories. Even better when the story can have a voice and make a difference. Indie films give you that freedom where you can focus all your energy on the content rather than a star or a formula. As a director, I can completely address my script in a way that I think is right. I can tell my story in the most engaging and entertaining manner yet stay true to the core idea.

What draws you to a particular subject?

The need to tell the truth although this film is a work of fiction and not a documentary. The primal focus of making this film is to let the audience understand that lesbianism is not a disease that needs to be cured; it is as natural as heterosexuality.

How did your latest film about corrective rape, Satyavati,come about?

.I stumbled upon an article while browsing the web on a rape that took place in South Africa, the atrocities of which left a deep impact on me . After reading the article I decided to delve deeper in the practice of corrective rape and I came to realise that India is no exception to this heinous practice. I tried to reach out to quite a few member of the LGBT communities of different states in India, through which I came to realise that the horrific crime is committed by none other than the family members of the victims . During my research I came to realise that the rapes and crimes committed against the victims in South Africa were done mostly by outsiders as their whole society has approved of this practice, whereas in India, what is worse, is that the crime is committed by the very own family of the victims so as to suppress the issue. People are more private about it to avoid tarnishing of the family name which is held very high in Indian society, within the orthodox walls of a society which is constructed by our very own.

What research did you do for the film?

When I was researching on this subject for my film, I came across two gut wrenching stories of corrective rape — one, where a gay girl was raped by her cousin so that she could be ‘cured’ of homosexuality, and another, where family members forced a gay boy to have sex with his mother, in a bid to turn him straight.

While trying to speak to victims about the issue, I was also able to communicate with only two such victims who went through the ordeal and were ready to speak up, but not entirely share the horrors of the crime they were victim to, as the scars were still fresh in their minds and I did not want to make them relive those painful moments for my selfish reasons .

I spoke to many people from the LGBT community in Hyderabad, Bombay and Bangalore personally and people from other places through emails and over the phone.

How did you shoot the film?

We are using canon 1DC camera and the entire footage will be chronicled on live sound recording & thereafter the editing shall follow.

Do you think educating the mass is a solution to the way gay women and men are treated in society?

I want to shed light on this issue and let people know about the atrocities faced by the LGBT community. Basically, create a support system for them in society, open minds, and create an easier and more comfortable environment for them to live in. Rape is rape and is not justifiable. It is a crime and should be addressed.

Indian cinema remains male-dominated and gender prejudiced. What were the challenges that you faced while making this film?

I cannot comment on the gender based and male dominated aspect of our cinema, as we are still going through with post production. As the time will come to approach the censor board and other such bodies, only then will I be able to speak about this.

Where do you mostly get the funding for your documentaries?

For this film the LGBT community has been very supportive and helped raise awareness, yet the financial aspect was not addressed and has been overlooked completely. Through my own contacts 30% of production costs has been met and I started a crowdfunding campaign for the rest.

What kind of reaction are you looking forward to receiving in India?

The biggest triumph for me would be the censor board approving of my film for a theatrical release in India.

Any advice to people doing their first documentary or film?

Get a lot of help. I am learning a lot every day. It has been a hard fought journey ensuring my film gets made. Don’t try to do everything yourself. Get people to help you with research and planning and organisation. It will be rewarding in the end.

FEATURE

ULTIMATE SACRIFICE When Abbie met her partner Caris, she knew she had found her soul mate - but ultimately it would leave her childless.

Abbie shared her poignant story with me: Growing up on the south coast in Bournemouth as one of three children, Abbie had a happy childhood and always assumed that she would marry and have children, just as her mother and grandmother before her did. That all changed when in January 1986, she met Caris at a party.

'She was slim, blonde and extremely beautiful, the old clichĂŠ. She took my breath away. I had never dated a woman before and within two weeks we were inseparable.

After six months Caris wasn't just my partner and lover but my best friend and we felt as if though we were embarking on an incredible journey together.

Only one thing marred my happiness, Caris was adamant that she didn't want children. No discussion.

My initial reaction was one of surprise, then acute disappointment, but I thought she would eventually come round. It's every woman's primal instinct to want a family - right?

Everything else in our lives was perfect and we worked hard, played hard and travelled the world together. While Caris was focusing on her publishing career my thoughts continuously drifted to having children and how they would fit in to this perfect picture.

But whenever I raised the subject, Caris made it clear that if I wanted to be with her then that wasn't part of the deal. No compromise. I tried hard to accept her decision she had been honest with me from the start - but at other times - I found myself bitterly resenting her.

As I approached 38 years, I slowly became reconciled to the idea that children were never going to be part of our lives and losing what I had with Caris frightened me more than never having a family of our own. I could have walked away but Caris was the woman for me and not having children was the price that I paid for her love. Plus, we had an enviable lifestyle, beautiful house and great friends.

Then in October 2006, my world came crashing down around me. Shortly after we returned from safari in Kenya, Caris complained of a crushing headache, but put off seeing our GP. She got up for work as usual on Monday morning with a bad head, collapsed on the bedroom floor, and that was it.

She was gone.

No time to say goodbye. It was a brain aneurysm and could have happened at any time.

In the days that followed, I experienced an anger which I had never known before. I was angry at Caris that she had left me all alone at 44 years without children to give me a reason to carry on. I was angry at the world and felt an unbearable loneliness and could see no point in living.

These days I look back with love not regret.

I had a wonderful 20 year relationship with a fantastic woman which is more than a lot of people ever have. When I look back and wonder would I have swapped Caris for someone who could have given me children - the answer is a definite no.

It was a high price to pay for love, but I know that every precious moment we shared was worth the sacrifice.’ Life is very short, live for the moment.

EVENTS EVENTS

Nicole Kidman Photograph Nicole Kidman - 51

Noel Coward Theatre, London Photograph 51

Sep - 21Theatre, Nov 2015 Noel 5Coward London 5 Sep - 21 Nov 2015 Nicole Kidman makes her much anticipated return to Kidman the stage in the role ofanticipated Rosalind Franklin, Nicole makes her much return to the the ‘secret the of life’, in thewho UK stagewoman in the who role discovered of Rosalindthe Franklin, woman premiere Anna of Ziegler’s play. discovered theof ‘secret life’, in award-winning the UK premiere of Anna Ziegler’s award-winning play. www.noelcowardtheatre.co. www.noelcowardtheatre.co.

Sarah Millican Sarah Millican OUTSIDER TOUR OUTSIDER St George’s Hall,TOUR Bradford St George’s Hall, 25 - 26 Nov 2105 Bradford 25 - 26 Nov 2105 The show, Outsider, will keep her on the road for 11 The show, Outsider, on the for 11 months from October.will Its keep themeher is how sheroad has surprised months October. is how life, she despite has herself byfrom embracing the Its joystheme of the outdoor surprised herself by who embracing the joyscomforts. of the outdoor being a 'home bird' likes domestic life, despite being a 'home bird' who likes domestic comforts.

Sarah has completed three sell-out national tours. Her fourth tour show is currently bring scribbled in notebooks Sarah haschewed completed three sell-out national tours. Her fourth tour show is currently bring via a well purple biro. scribbled in notebooks via a well chewed purple biro. www.sarahmillican.co.uk www.sarahmillican.co.uk

Electric Gardens Glasgow Botanic Gardens , 730 Great Western Rd, Glasgow, G12 0UEGardens Electric

13 Nov - 6 Dec 2015

Glasgow Botanic Gardens , 730 Great Western Rd, Glasgow's Botanic Gardens will transform Glasgow, G12 0UE

into a magical winter wonderland as a 13 Nov - 6 Dec 2015 spectacular festival of light and sound is confirmed to return.Gardens will transform Glasgow's Botanic into a magical winter wonderland as a A hugely popular festival, the Electric spectacular festival for of light Gardens opened the and first sound time isin confirmed return.

January thistoyear, adorning the west end venue in twinkling lights, colour and music.

A hugely popular festival, the Electric Gardens opened for the first time in January this year, adorning the west end venue in twinkling lights, colour and music. www.westendfestival.co.uk

Les BonnesAmies Club

Guest speakers and performers Les BonnesAmies Club With

Horse, Sandra MacBeth, The Coaltown Daisies

A Womens supper 2014 With Guest

celebration of Scottish womens poetry & Music 3 course meal

speakers and performers

Horse, Sandra MacBeth, Saturday 25t h January Beveridge park Hotel, The Coaltown Daisies 6 Abbotshall Road,Kirkcaldy, Fife KY2 5PQ

Tickets hotel reception or gaiatravel@mail.com £25.00

A Womens supper 2014

gaia

celebration of Scottish womens poetry & Music 3 course meal

Gaia Women’s Burns Supper 29 Jan 2016

Saturday 25th January

TM Beveridge park Hotel, 6 Abbotshall Road,Kirkcaldy,Boutique, Fife KY2 5PQ Pop-Up Womens Events Tickets hotel reception or gaiatravel@mail.com £25.00

gaia

www.gaiadestinations.org

Glasgow Gaia Women’s Burns Supper an annual event, Horse 29A Jantoast 2016 to the lassies from the lassies. In what is becoming www.gaiadestinations.org McDonald will host Glasgow the charity supper that will celebrate Burns’ love of women.

A toast to the lassies from the lassies. In what is becoming an annual event, Horse The eventwill includes a three-course meal fun Scottish entertainment.

McDonald host the charity supper thatand will some celebrate Burns’ love of women.

TM

Boutique, Pop-Up Womens Events

www.gaiawomen.com/events The event includes a three-course meal and some fun Scottish entertainment. www.gaiawomen.com/events

Horse whispers...

Horse whispers

“How did it get so late so soon?” Dr Seuss. It feels at times like I get buried under ‘stuff’. ‘Stuff’ like paperwork, organisation and admin, projects I’m working on, emails and calls I have to return. When I go out on the road I had better have everything organised that isn't ‘music’ as my entire focus is getting on the stage at the end of each journey - a bit like ‘baby brain’ but this baby is music! I’m currently in a mix of both, having just finished one part of my UK tour and heading towards the next.

The bane of my life is getting a cold when I have to sing. Now I am thinking that Michael Jackson wasn't so absurd wearing a mask and gloves to avoid germs. This first part was four in a row, second show in, my cold really kicked in. I try not to panic but you know the symptoms, you know you cannot run, you cannot hide, it’s literally a spiral downwards. Barocca, Ibuprofen, Paracetamol, Soothers and most importantly steam - I did it all, but I could feel it wrapped around my chords like a deadly vine.

Fortunately, I know my voice, I tried to gently warm it up and when singing worked around the rough bits in falsetto sometimes - it was quite precarious - tiptoeing and weaving around, jumping up or down to the safer bits - a bit like a free runner looking for a place to land! It’s the strangest thing having an instrument in your body, one you physically can’t touch but have to deftly manoeuvre and control by thought. By the time I got to the last show in the run I was exhausted but mentally almost on a high as I knew it was the last one before a good rest. I sang through it like I was bringing the nose up out of a dive. Joyous!

I’ve attended a couple of big gala events in the last month. The European Diversity Awards at the Natural History Museum in London, where I was so proud to support my wife who was shortlisted for an award for journalism and the LGBTI Equality Awards at the Central Hotel Glasgow where I did a duet with Karen Dunbar - one of the highlights of my year, right there - she is such fun! Also I got the chance to say in person to Nicola Sturgeon and Ruth Davidson, who attended that night, what a difference they and the rest of our Parliament have made not only in my life but many, many people by finally passing civil partnerships followed by the equal marriage act. Now, that, has to be one of my top moments, I find it incredibly moving to see this in my lifetime.

The change in the season from summer to autumn always makes me feel very positive. I have no idea why that is. Maybe it’s because I am a winter baby, (November). I do always feel excited about touring and that always seems to be in the winter months, likewise with other great things that have happened for me, like record and publishing deals, Christmas, my birthday, getting married! One thing that stands out for my senses at this time are the aromas ... I was hit by the smell of rhododendrons and damp soil out walking yesterday and I was thrust backwards into a memory of out walking in the countryside with my mum - the image so strong she could have been standing there next to me - bittersweet.

Not always so positive are the feelings of loss for me surrounding this part of the year - both my parents died within these months, its been 8 years now. The feelings aren't so piercing and jarring now, possibly like heavy weights rooted in my heart or a deep bruise to the bone. Like in the changing of the seasons, all living, growing things ‘die back’ and death is very much a part of life. To truly live life, one has to accept the changing in our own personal seasons and not take for granted the time we may or may not have. Do not put off until tomorrow what you can do today. With Love, Horse x

"It took me quite a long time to develop a voice, and now that I have it, I am not going to be silent."

Madeleine Albright

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