West End Issue 55

Issue 55

April 2011 Your Personal Copy

Inside this issue History on your doorstep Motoring : 5 Big Cool French Cars Gardening : Spring Clean your garden

gazette Business 2 Business : The Power of Networking

Businesses wanted for the deeside gazette!

Be part of our new magazine, launching in May. (Ten Issues per year) Target audience - Cults-BieldsideMilltimber-CulterDrumoak-BanchoryAboyne-Ballater.

If this area is your key to better business call us to be in our launch issue : tel Sue/Liz : 318561 Disclaimer : Whilst we’d be flattered if you would like to borrow something from the gazette be polite and ask first!

Thank you. We try our hardest to ensure accuracy of editorial content but no responsibility can be taken for any errors and/ or omissions. The views expressed within the gazette are not necessarily those of the publisher or advertisers. When replying to offers, competitions and other correspondence, we would strongly recommend that you check published information with each organisation beforehand. We thank you for taking the time to read the small print. All artwork is accepted on strict condition that permission has been given for use in this publication.

Designed for Life Handcrafted quality jewellery Unit 1, East Mall, Union Square Tel : 590174 e.mail : lapisgold@mynet.com gcg : 2

Ad-hoc contributions from : Liz Henty; James Baggott; Lorraine Mace Advertising Sales : Sue Simpson : 01224 - 318561

Distribution - thanks to : Dougie; Anne; Mark; Donna; Sue,: Ashley; Carol; Caroline; Jenny; Alistair; Emma; Rachel; Steph, Jodie, Cameron, Kate, Sarah, Fraser.

Laura, David, Elise and Tom

www.thegranitecitygazette.co.uk

Hello and welcome back...

Another month. Another issue.

April kick’s off with the Easter holidays and follows on with the Royal Wedding. Are you planning anything special? I’ve heard there are a few street parties being organised - any in our area? Do let us know and send us some pictures if you’ve done anything a little different to celebrate William and Kate’s big day!

I’ve no holiday planned this Easter but will enjoy a break from the routine and hopefully get in and tackle the garden. Not forgetting those pots, which are looking rather sad. So I’m sure a trip to the garden centre will be on the cards.

On 20 April I’m heading off to Pittodrie Stadium to take part in the first FSB Business 2 Business trade fair and evening hustings. Do listen out on the radio for the exact timings about two weeks before the event. A great way for businesses to meet and greet.

(Unfortunately at time of going to print these were not confirmed) .

Bumps, Babies and Beyond is something for all expectant mum’s and those with babies and toddlers. It is at the Treetops Hotel (see pg 41). Last chance to get yourself booked in to the Bling Fling walk or the UCAN cycle...

The Rowett are looking for volunteers - aged 40 - 70 who are happy to take supplements see pg 49 for fuller details and contact telephone number.

There is plenty of reading in this April issue and lots of puzzles to keep you busy. So refill your cuppa and enjoy the rest of the magazine.

Until next time.

PS : There are some great Ranger Events happening this Easter for the children at Crathes Castle, Drum, Fyvie and Castle Fraser. Pre-booking is essential : 0844 493 2167

delivered to : 9800 West End Homes 200 City Businesses

thru the door at :

Airyhall Ashley

Braeside deadlines : Broomhill May - 15 Apr Countesswells June - 16 May Craigiebuckler Jul/Aug - 14 June Holburn September - 19 Aug Kepplestone Houses contact the gazette : 01224 - 318561

Mannofield Morningside Queens Cross Rubislaw Seafield Viewfield Woodland at Pitfodels Woodend

publisher : the granite city gazette

owner : Sue Simpson phone : 318561 mob : 07813 964 875

email : gazette@fsmail.net

thegranitecitygazette.co.uk

gcg : 3

Recipe of the month This quick and easy warm salad can be served as a main meal or simple starter. If you like strong flavoured blue cheeses choose Stilton or Roquefort, but if you prefer something a little milder pick Danish blue or creamy Dolcelatte.

Serves - 4 Ready in 15 minutes

Warm Pear, Walnut and Blue Cheese Salad 1 tbsp olive oil

1.

Heat the oil and butter in a large non-stick frying pan. Add the pear slices and fry gently for 2-3 minutes on each side until tender and light golden. Add the walnuts to pan for the last 2 minutes of cooking time.

2.

Divide the salad leaves between four serving plates. Top with the warm pear slices and walnuts and scatter over the blue cheese.

3.

Place all the dressing ingredients in a jug and whisk until thoroughly blended. Adjust the seasoning to taste and pour the dressing into the frying pan. Heat gently for about 1 minute then pour over the salads. Season with a little more ground black pepper and serve immediately.

Small knob of butter 2 large firm pears, halved, cored & thickly sliced 55g (2oz) walnut halves, roughly chopped 1 large bag mixed rocket salad 115g (4oz) blue cheese, diced or crumbled

Dressing 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 1 tsp Dijon mustard 1 tsp caster sugar 5 tbsp olive oil Salt & freshly ground black pepper

169 Bon-Accord Street Aberdeen AB11 6UA

Restaurant Maltroom bar Outdoor Area 01224 590 867 www.ferryhillhousehotel.co.uk

Hope to see you soon! try our

’’

Old Skene Road Kingswells Aberdeen AB15 8QA

Conference Room Restaurant

01224 740 318 www.fourmile.co.uk

‘little lunch’’

menu...

lunch for less Monday to Saturday

Health and Beauty

How To...

avoid getting ill

Nobody likes coming down with something, so here are our ten top tips to help you keep the bugs at bay!

1 2

6 7

3

8

4 5

9 10

Get plenty of sleep. Some quality shut-eye can do wonders when it comes to bolstering your immune system. You should be aiming for between 7-9 hours a night.

Clean up. Although bugs and viruses are often transmitted from person to person, germs lurk around things that we touch every day – door handles, light switches, taps, telephones and computers. Take steps to sanitise these objects and surfaces regularly.

Wash your hands properly. A quick rinse under the cold tap won’t do. We pick up bugs and viruses from things we touch, so make sure you give your hands the full soap and warm water treatment regularly - and especially before you eat.

Drink, drink, drink. Try and get through about 1.5 litres of water a day – keeping hydrated flushes toxins out of your system.

Eat right. Lots of lovely (washed) fruit and veg, and plenty of colours on your plate will help prevent illness. Give your body what it needs to fight off infection, including essential vitamins, minerals and nutrients.

What’s mine is mine. Don’t share drinks, make-up or cutlery with other people, even if they’re your best friend. It’s the easiest way to ‘pass it on’.

Hands off! Don’t touch your face - that includes rubbing your eyes, licking your fingers and fiddling with spots. Your face is the main entrance to your body for germs and bacteria, so keep your mitts off and keep them out!

Get some fresh air. Being outdoors and getting some exercise is a fantastic way to blow off the cobwebs and strengthen your immunity to colds and flu. Simple, gentle and regular exercise can make a big impact upon your health in general.

Avoid poorly people. If someone is sneezing and coughing all over you, move away. It’s easy enough to avoid exposure to people who are ill – just make sure you’re polite about it!

Choose a supplement.

Vitamin C, zinc and Echinacea are great for supporting your immune system. Do bear in mind that taking a multivitamin is not a replacement for a healthy diet.

Looking for a

Relaxed Atmosphere Personal Attention Wedding Speciality

Mon-Fri 9am-5pm Saturday 9am-1pm CLOSED THURSDAY

Tel : 322000 Devonair Hairstylists 2 Devonshire Road Aberdeen (off St Swithin St)

Fre e

Con

10 sultation %o + trea ff firs

tment

t

Jenny a former nurse and now a trained practitioner in advanced electrolysis, can treat facial thread veins, skin tags and milia (white heads) For more information/to book an appointment please contact

Jenny at 89 Gray Street, Aberdeen AB10 6JD t : 01224 594777 e: jenny@kumikobeauty.co.uk www.kumikobeauty.co.uk

Pictograms 3 words

OR OR O 2 words

2 words

JYO SURIRSEP AGENR SASDENS

20th Annual Animal Blessing Service Craigiebuckler Parish Church Hall Springfield Road, Aberdeen

12 June 2011 @ 3pm

L I B E R T Y

The Service will be conducted by the Revd Kenneth Petrie All animals with their human companions welcome

We would be particularly pleased to welcome back old friends, animal or human, who have attended previously

gcg : 8

www.thegranitecitygazette.co.uk

Health and Beauty

Self-tanning

The danger of sitting out in the sun is well documented and, in any case, the UK isn’t blessed with a steady supply of the natural option. But self-tanning options have really improved in recent years and from just a few £s you can gain a completely natural tan.

If you just need colour on a small area such as your face, a home self-tan is an ideal option. If you haven’t tried any of the available lotions recently then you won’t know how light or dark the results will be, so you should do a 24 hour patch test.

Choose a small area of skin that really won’t notice e.g. on your stomach and apply some of the product. Take care not to cover the area for the first hour or so otherwise the lotion will just rub off and give you a false ‘reading’. One of the key things to remember when doing home tanning is that it’s imperative to wash your hands post treatment – orange fingers really isn’t a good look.

While this is ideal for small body areas, if you want greater coverage – legs, arms, back – then using a salon is a must. Not only can they reach all those difficult areas, but the tan will be more even. With the right skin preparation and with someone else applying the tan (either a lotion or spray), not only will you have better results but it will last longer too.

Health and Beauty

Lily of the Valley å ÆÆÆ ÆÆÆ

- Convallaria majalis

Imagine being able to pick deliciously fragrant, beautiful flowers from your garden to put in a small vase where their scent will fill your home. If you grow Lily of the Valley it won’t be long before you can do just that.

This herbaceous perennial is perfect for creating ground cover in shady, woodland-type locations and in the right conditions spreads so easily that it could be considered a weed. Rhizomes reach out underground to create new plants.

The stems grow about 15cm tall with a cluster of dainty white bells hanging from the end. Depending on where you live, this plant could bloom as early as April or as late as June.

ÉĂ? ĂŽ ĂŻ Ă„ Ûÿ Ă° Ă“ ĂˆĂ‰Ă‹Ă‹Ă? Ă?Ă?Ă?ĂŽĂ’Ă’ Æ Ăž ÆĀ Æ

Looking for a Relaxed Atmosphere Personal Attention Wedding Speciality

Tel : 322000

Lily of the Valley really prefers to grow in alkaline soil; so unfortunately, those of you in acid soil areas may be wasting your money if you try to make a scented carpet of these flowers. Buy plants ready potted in spring to ensure they establish.

Sometimes dried crowns are available but these are notoriously tricky to grow.

Lily of the Valley is traditionally sold in France on 1st May as symbol of love and is the national flower of Finland.

Devonair Hairstylists

2 Devonshire Road Aberdeen

gcg : 10

(off St Swithin St)

www.thegranitecitygazette.co.uk

a

Hearing Problems It is estimated that there are around 9 million deaf or partially deaf people in the UK. Although many will acknowledge that they have hearing problems particularly those that are diagnosed when young or people who are very elderly and accept hearing loss as part of aging, there are a significant number of people who are in denial about their problems.

For example you may have no problems when speaking face to face with someone, but really struggle to make out what is being said on the phone, in a group or in a situation where there’s a lot of background noise. But for young or even early middle-aged people there’s a stigma around admitting that you can’t hear clearly, and it’s all too easy to blame the situation rather than acknowledging the problem.

Apart fm age, exposure to loud noise, illness, injury

medication or hereditary factors are all recognised causes of deafness.

If you suspect that your hearing isn’t as sharp as it could be, the first thing to do is to take a test. The Royal National Institute for Deaf (RNID) offer a completely free online test at www.rnid.org.uk or a very low cost telephone test on 0844 800 3838. Alternatively get in touch with a private hearing aid centre for a more comprehensive test which is also usually free.

Like all technology, hearing aids have become more powerful yet significantly smaller over the last 30 years. Your friends may not even be aware that you have any deafness, but only if you actually seek treatment.

You don’t have to go far to find the biggest and best selection of hot drinks in the North East. Enjoy yourself in our luxurious surroundings or enjoy the view al fresco.

12 loose leaf teas 10 herbal infusions 6 coffees made with one unique traditional Boquete coffee bean Served daily 11.30am - 4.00pm

239 Great Western Road, Aberdeen AB10 6PS

Tel: 587002 • Email: info@paulamcewen.com contact the gazette : 01224 - 318561

www.paulamcewen.com

gcg : 11

Health and Beauty Activity for Health When it comes to exercise are we doing enough to benefit our health?

Walking During the spring and summer time it’s lovely to go out for a walk and enjoy the good weather; it makes us feel good to exercise in the sunshine. But there is walking briskly and then there is strolling, are they both the same?

When being active it’s important to remember that activity can give us health benefits if we do things properly. When being active the heart rate needs to increase in order to make the heart more efficient at rest. So when we go out for a walk we need to move fast enough to feel the a little breathless and slightly sweating in order to know we are gaining health benefits and strengthening the heart, lowering blood pressure and utilising blood glucose in a more efficient way.

Gardening A fantastic past time as we can enjoy being active, along with the good weather and the pleasure of the garden at the end of it. How many people would warm up before gardening, cool down at the end of the work and complete the activity with stretches? This may sound a little extreme but consider how stiff you may feel the day following a spell in the garden. Perhaps a sore back or shoulders depending on the work completed.

By warming the body up with small movements it brings the fluid into the joints before you undertake the gardening and helps to alleviate the pain and stiffness the next day. This would be especially true if you suffer from arthritis. The joint fluid, as we get older, takes longer to enter the joint cavity, if we don’t take the time to allow the fluid to help the joint work we may experience soreness the following day.

health benefits by increasing bone density and aiding in balance to prevent falling. All exercise will give us confidence to complete daily tasks which as we get older may seem a little more challenging. You may find a class locally in your church or community hall or you may attend a Fitness club whereby they offer such classes on the studio time table.

Pilates is usually mat based, lying on the mat, with exercise to develop strength in the tummy and back, predominantly, in order to improve posture.

It improves strength balance and flexibility also.

It is important to know we can get up and down from the floor. This is not recommended for people with spinal osteoporosis.

Yoga can be standing postures and seated postures; it develops strength, balance and flexibility with a different range of exercises.

Both classes are for any fitness level or experience.

Doing any activity within a class gives you peace of mind that the instructor will advise you according to ability. It also brings mental benefits too, a happy feeling along with understanding of your body and its ability to do things, to be challenged in a safe environment.

Any of these activities can give us health benefits; it helps to improve our breathing capacity, the strength to carry shopping, climb stairs, and play with the children/grandchildren. In addition to this exercising prevents Coronary Heart Disease, diabetes, strokes, cancer. Exercise will also help in living with osteoporosis or arthritis.

The next time someone asks you if you’d like to go and try a fitness Pilates and class give a Fitness Yoga classes thought to your Pilates at Mannofield Church: health. You may Monday 10:00am also find that Yoga at Mannofield Church: Thursday 9:45am you enjoy it too.

Please bring your own mat

Laura Walker

Yoga & Pilates What is Yoga and Pilates; they are the same sort of thing aren’t they? Well not really. Both of these kinds of exercise are delivered in a class situation and both are done at the speed of your breathing.

There is no jumping around but they still deliver

To book please contact: Laura Walker: 0777 302 1851 laura@laurawalkerlimited.co.uk www.laurawalkerlimited.co.uk

Community March Minutes - Meeting of Queens Cross/Harlaw Community Council Residents, Community Councillors and City Councillors have all expressed concern about the amounts of litter on the streets, particularly Fountainhall Road and environs. Cllr. Stewart has previously spoken to the manager of the Co-operative on Fountainhall Road as it is apparent that the majority of the litter is wholesale packaging from foodstuffs.

This tends to be discarded outside and not regularly cleaned up. The problem may be related to inadequate bin capacity. Cllr.

Stewart has recommended that residents take the matter up in person with the shop management but she will also approach the manager again to voice her and our discontent with the situation. She also noted that Environmental Health have spoken to the shop manager.

Inspector Hall expressed concern that residents are failing to heed repeated warnings, both in the press and our minutes, to ensure vehicles and property are secured. The level of priority crime has not reduced over the period with vehicle crime continuing to feature predominantly and 3 instances of theft by housebreaking.

Directed patrols by a number of police units resulted in a male being apprehended and reported for 5 thefts from vehicles and, since his initial apprehension, he has been detained again and reported for further crimes, 10 of which were within Queen’s Cross and Harlaw area. The forensics team is investigating these matters. A motor scooter was stolen and left damaged a short distance away. Inspector Hall’s continued advice is NOT to leave cars overnight in the lanes as this is where and when most of these crimes are occurring. The police have increased their patrols in the area of Harlaw

Academy, particularly at lunchtimes, and have spoken with the school regarding instances of vandalism. There were 6 Quality of Life incidents – 1 related to 2 youths on a motorcycle not wearing helmets. There was a call related to youths drinking within the grounds of Harlaw playing fields in the early hours. Other calls related to drunken males causing annoyance and another was in relation to school pupils misbehaving at lunchtime in a shop premises.

Mr Davie Henderson (City Warden) and his staff continue to patrol the schools and are concerned that parents have not responded to requests to observe parking restrictions, continuing to park dangerously in some cases.

The wardens are aware of the problems experienced by resident permit-holders who are not always able to find a parking space close to their home. Some leeway is exercised in respect of this so that a car parked nearby in an adjacent zone should not be ticketed.

There was much discussion about the ‘pay and display’ parking in the City centre for e.g. theatre patrons. Mr Henderson advised that people wishing to park between 8pm and 8am should pay a £1.50 charge in addition to charges incurred prior to that time.

Cllr. Stewart is on the Working Group to make recommendations to the Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure Committee with a remit to simplify the confusing nature of parking charges.

Next Meeting This will take place at 7:00 pm on Tuesday 12th April in the Raven Room, Rubislaw Parish Church Centre.

D.A.W.G.S Dog Action Working Group Scotland

If you can no longer take care of your dog, we can help!

D.A.W.G.S finds loving homes for dogs whose owners can no longer take care of them

For further information contact:DAWGS on 01224 208989 or visit www.dawgs.co.uk 6 Whitemyres Holdings, Lang Stracht, Aberdeen. gcg : 14

www.thegranitecitygazette.co.uk

Books To Raise A Smile April Fool’s day: a time for practical jokes and having a laugh at the expense of others. Luckily, there’s no need with our top ten humorous books - great for giving and guaranteed to tickle the funny bone (no itching powder or whoopee cushions required).

The Life of Fly by Magnus Muhr You may think that the life of a fly must be fairly dull, buzzing around and getting swatted all the time, but Swedish photographer Magnus Muhr has shown the world otherwise.

This collection captures what they really get up to: from sunbathing and sports to performing their own version of Riverdance.

Simon’s Cat by Simon Tofield For anyone who has a cat, Simon Tofield’s animations, based upon a mischievous cat’s antics pre-meal time, are hugely funny. From screen to page, nothing is lost in this collection of comic strip drawings, which will have feline fans everywhere grinning from ear to ear.

F In Exams: The Best Test Paper Blunders

by Richard Benson The clock is ticking and you haven’t got a clue what the right answer is. Either that, or you fancy blagging an A* with your hilarious wit. Here is a collection of wrong (but very amusing) answers taken from test papers on a number of subjects.

A Simples Life: The Life and Times of Alexandr Orlov by Aleksandr Orlov Herein lies the history of the nation’s favourite meerkat. From escaping the Kalahari desert and enduring a war with Mongis Khan, we learn of

contact the gazette : 01224 - 318561

how Aleksandr and his family made their name by finding ‘cheep insuranz deels’ for the people of Great Britain. Fully illustrated and hugely entertaining for any Compare the Meerkat fan.

The Tommy Cooper Joke Book compiled

by John Fisher Crammed full of tricks, one-liners, jokes and wit from the great comic, this book is a delightful and fun collection. Recounting the time Tommy’s friend drowned in a bowl of muesli (due to a particularly strong currant) and culinary advice such as how to prevent rice from sticking (cook each grain separately), this title is sure to have its readers in stitches.

The Book of Bunny Suicides by Andy Riley It’s a hard life being a rabbit, and the long, dark days result in a great many taking their own lives.

Always keen to come up with a more memorable way to end it all than their hundreds of siblings, here we see the methods favoured by the likes of Flopsy and Peter. Have tissues at the ready.

1000 Unforgettable Senior Moments by Tom Friedman Don’t be put off by the fact that the author only managed to remember 246, you still get value for money with this hilarious collection of anecdotes, from when Jimmy Carter left the codes he needed to launch a nuclear missile strike in his suit jacket pocket (at the dry cleaners) to the time Emerson forgot Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s name (at Longfellow’s funeral). It’s nice to know you’re not the only one, isn’t it?

NEW RELEASE 101 Things to Do Before You’re Five by Sally Norton Out now in paperback, this hilarious book captures all those disgusting and awful things we do when we’re small. A great gift for new parents, and indeed anyone who was ever young and stupid enough to share the dog’s dinner.

gcg : 15

History on your doorstep Did you know that a thousand years ago there were fourteen places where you could cross the river Dee between Banchory and the sea - and many more further up the river. But, not a bridge in sight ! Most of the crossing places were “fords” where you had to hitch up your kilt and wade across, or alternatively “ferries” where you hoped to be able to pay the ferryman a penny to take you across in his boat. Of course, if you were on horseback, it was easy to cross, but when the river was high, it was probably dangerous.

The “Brig o’ Dee” was not built until 1527.

One of the ford and ferry places was at Dalmaik, just South of Drum Castle, and this crossing was used two thousand years ago by the Roman armies on their way from their camp at Raedykes, just North of Stonehaven, to the camp at Normandykes near Peterculter, which was intended to protect the crossing place . These “Marching Camps” were set up at the end of a days’ march, and a deep ditch was dug and sometimes a wooden palisade was erected. There is some evidence that there may have been an even earlier Iron Age fort on the same hill, and on clear days they could signal from one to another using smoke.

Nearby was a spring of water called “St. Maikie’s Well” named after St. Mayota, who was one of a group of nine nuns who came over from Ireland to establish a convent at Abernethy. The names Dalmaik and

gcg : 16

Drumoak are said to derive from “the field of St. Mayota” and no doubt the spring provided liquid refreshment for the weary travellers who had trudged many miles over the moors from the North, or over the desolate stretch of “Drumthwacket Moor” from the South. In 1050 A.D. a little “Kirk” was built nearby, where the travellers could give thanks for their safe journey. It served as a Parish church for Drumoak for several centuries, and has memorials for 500 local farmers and their families dating from 1600’s into the 20th century.

Several local castles, like Braemar and Drum, appear to have been built to guard these crossing places, and in the case of Drum, to watch over the Royal Forest of Drum. Today, we think of a “forest” as a place thick with trees, but in those days it was a hunting place for the King and his friends, and mainly bare moorland.

It was on one of these hunting expeditions on 1st February 1323 that King Robert the Bruce (sometimes written as “de Bruys”) granted the care and protection of the Forest of Drum to William de Irewyne a loyal and trusted member of the royal court. The name has gradually changed to Irvine, and the family have owned Drum Castle until they handed it over to the National Trust for

www.thegranitecitygazette.co.uk

Local History Scotland in 1975.

Did you also know that there are more than 35 once- fortified sites along the valley of the River Dee between Aberdeen and Braemar ?

There are also one or two sites which are marked as “Pictish Hill Forts” which may date from before the time of the Romans but these are usually away from the river. Another early structure was a Crannog built on an island in Loch Kinord.

The next kind of fortified structure was the “Motte and Bailey” which consisted of an artificial mound of earth, often with a ditch around it, and a high wooden fence called a “palisade” around the top. One of these can still be seen at Inverury, and was more than 6 metres high. Another was beside the river at Pitfodels, and is now in the grounds of Norwood Hall Hotel; another was at Gilcomston; and a third was at Cunningar near the site of the present Midmar Castle.

Just as the Roman soldiers had to dig ditches and throw up earthen walls for their Marching Forts, so early Norman armies were able to build the earthworks of a Motte and Bailey fairly quickly, and sometimes build a wooden watch-tower above it. Many of these were later replaced by stone castles.

There is said to have been a Royal Palace in Aberdeen in the 11th Century, which was built for King Malcolm Canmore, just North of Union Street.

contact the gazette : 01224 - 318561

The next set of buildings were early stone castles built in the 11th, 12th and 13th Centuries. The early ones at Countesswells, Culter (12th century), Glenmillan, and Ferrar (11th century), have all been built over in the passing centuries, and several others still exist as ruins, such as Dores (or Durris) just South of the River Dee (13th C), Coull Castle near Aboyne (13th C.), Kindrochit (1390) was once a Royal Castle, just south of Braemar, while the site of Balmoral Castle was a Royal Hunting Lodge before 1390 when it was replaced by a stone castle.

The only castle dating back to those times which is still part of a habitable structure is Drum Castle. In the 16th and 17th centuries about 15 more castles were built along the Dee valley, by the various strong Scottish Clans; some were the scenes of battles between the Clans, and against English invaders, and their sites have now disappeared beneath more modern mansions. One of the finest surviving is Crathes Castle which was built in 16th century to replace an earlier one on an island in the now drained Loch of Leys frdlane@my-inbox.net

Both Drum and Crathes Castles are now in the care of the National Trust for Scotland, and are open to the public from April to October.

gcg : 17

Ride the North

2nd-4th June 2011

220 miles of supported cycling over three days.

A spectacular Tour of Scotland’s North East in support of UCAN and the fight against urological cancers.

For more details see www.ucan-ridethenorth.org UCAN is Recognised Scottish Charity SC036638 G.O.T is proud to show support for urological cancer care in the North of Scotland and to partner UCAN and its fundraisers on:

gcg : 18

www.thegranitecitygazette.co.uk

Spice of Life - Turmeric Turmeric comes from the root, or rhizome, of Curcuma domestica, a plant related to ginger. The roots are boiled and dried for over a week before being ground into the familiar bright yellow powdered spice.

A native of South East Asia, turmeric has been used from ancient times as dye and a condiment. As a dye it is used in a similar way to saffron but in culinary usage, the two shouldn’t be interchanged. As a natural dye it is used in Hindu rituals and to colour holy robes.

Warm, earthy and aromatic turmeric powder keeps its colouring properties for an indefinite period although its flavour reduces over time. It’s used in the East and Middle East for adding colour and flavour to many dishes, particularly lamb, vegetables and curries where it is one of the main ingredients to provide colour.

Medical uses are mainly for digestive problems. In some Asian countries turmeric is added to a cosmetic which is applied to impart a golden glow to the skin. In Malaysia it is made into an antiseptic ointment and studies have shown that a chemical component of turmeric is active against a form of infection called Staphlococcus aureus.

Looking for a gift?

Yankee Candle

Owen Barry

Pilgrim

Spaceform

39 St Swithin Street · Aberdeen · Tel: (01224) 209727

151 Holbur n Street · Aberdeen · Tel: (01224) 586000

gcg : 19

Five Big Cool Fre There’s something about big French cars that’s rather cool. They’re not usually huge sales hits in the UK, but a combination of quirky styling and laid back comfort make them attractive buys.

There are some things you’ll have to put up with though: Some have residual values that lose money faster than Greece, reliability can be slightly disappointing and some people will laugh at you.

But not us – we’ll salute you as you waft by with a whiff of diesel, floating along on a bed of air suspension. Here, we pick our five favourites.

Citroen DS

Renault Vel Satis

Citroen SM

Big French cars don’t get more iconic than the incredible DS. Citroen sold nearly 1.5m of them during its 20-year production run between 1955 and 1975. It was packed with futuristic technology such as selfleveling suspension and directional headlights, but it’s those stylish looks that make it really cool. A decent DS will cost you around £30k now.

The Vel Satis was an undeniable sales flop – even Renault’s top brass admit it (http://aol.it/eUQ9mt) – but that, in our eyes, makes it even more desirable. At launch its price put a lot of people off, but we think the unique design, spacious interior and silky diesel engine make it a worthwhile purchase. And the fact you can pick them up for just £2k now makes them very attractive!

Citroen has a habit of producing wacky cars, so when it teamed up with Maserati to build the SM in 1970, the result was always going to be bonkers. The SM didn’t only look amazing but was packed with tech, including speed-sensitive steering and directional headlights. Maserati took care of the engine, slotting a V6 unit under the bonnet, and the French firm sorted the styling – the collaboration resulted in the creation of a classic.

gcg : 20

www.thegranitecitygazette.co.uk

Motoring

ench Cars Renault Alpine A610

Citroen C6

Attempting to take on the Porsche 944 with a plastic-bodied Renault was, in hindsight, never going to be a success. But that doesn’t mean the Alpine A160, launched in 1991, isn’t cool. It’s got all the right ingredients – a 250bhp turbo-charged lump positioned in the back, rear-wheel drive and sleek looks.

Add the fact it had a habit of snapping like a breadstick on the limit and, in our eyes, it’s even more appealing.

Here’s a classic in the making. Well, at least that’s what we reckon. The C6 has all the hallmarks of a future appreciator: Mental looks, sublime comfort and the usual amount of specification marvels including double-glazing, head-up display and clever suspension. But what we really love about the C6 is the looks – the dramatic nose and unique rear mark it out against German rivals and makes buying one a real statement.

By James Baggott, editor of Car Dealer Magazine (CarDealerMag.co.uk)

Kippie Lodge Charity PRO-CEL-AM & Gala Dinner in partnership with

Pro-Cel-Am Golf Tournament & Gala Dinner at Kippie Lodge Saturday 30th July 2011 For details contact Catriona Allan (01224) 734747

Beneficiaries

contact the gazette : 01224 - 318561

gcg : 21

Spring Clean your With the flowers blooming and new leaves appearing on the trees, April is a time when most of us like to have a bit of a tidy-up and revitalise the garden for summertime. Whether you’re preparing for the growing season, or simply wanting to improve the look of your garden, we have some great ideas to give your green space a good spring clean.

Tools of the trade Before you tackle your garden, have a quick sort through your tools. Give them a clean, decide what needs to be replaced and scrub off any rust, before rubbing on a little vegetable oil to keep them in tip-top condition. Check your mower and hedge trimmer to see if any blades need sharpening or replacing and carefully dispose of any old chemicals cluttering up your shelves, which may even present a health risk.

Throw out the old plants Start by removing dead annuals or plants showing any sign of disease, and pull up invading weeds - but don’t add them to your compost bin. Any bulbs which have finished flowering will need deadheading, but don’t remove the leaves as they will provide the energy for next year’s growth. Some shrubby plants with woody stems, such as buddleia and lavender, will need to be pruned in order for new blooms to appear on the freshly-cut branches.

Clean your decking Barbeque season is just around the corner and if you are doing a bit of entertaining, you’ll want your decking to scrub up well. Start by picking a dry day and go over the wood with a stiff broom or multi-purpose pressure

gcg : 22

washer. Now that the deck is free from any clutter and dirt you can focus on cleaning the wood using a dedicated product, finishing with a good rinse to remove all traces of the chemicals. Allow the deck to dry completely before replacing the furniture and other items.

Patios, paths and rough edges A little touching up here can make the world of difference. Start by trimming overhanging grass from the edges of your patio, pathways and borders, and check to see if any stepping stones have sunk below ground height – if they have, raise them so that loose soil won’t cover them when it rains. Brush off any old leaves from your patio before giving it the once-over with a pressure washer. If you don’t mind a bit of graft, scrub with a specialist path and patio cleaner. Finally, pull out any invasive weeds from the gaps between the patio stones, and lift up encroaching moss.

Bring your grass up to scratch If all the trudging around in mud hasn’t done your garden any favours, it’s well worth investing in a lawn fertiliser, which will make your grass lovely, thick and green – as well as preventing weeds and moss from forming.

If you have a real problem with the latter, find a feeding product which incorporates

www.thegranitecitygazette.co.uk

Garden! weed-killer. At this time of year, aeration is also important: you don’t need any flashy equipment – by piercing holes with a pitchfork about 4 inches deep evenly across areas where the lawn is suffering, you’ll improve drainage which will do wonders for the grass.

Be house proud Don’t neglect the exterior of your house.

Wash your windows, and if they have wooden frames, you may want to give them a fresh lick of paint. Clear out dead leaves from the guttering and check that nothing is blocking the soakaways. Throw away any old children’s toys or clutter, and remove cobwebs.

Treat garden furniture To prolong the life of your garden furniture, it will need a yearly service to remove any rust spots and prevent against decay. Your wooden furniture will benefit from a good rub down and coating of varnish or teak oil.

To remove rust spots, scrape away with a steel wool pad, and use a dry paintbrush to remove particles left on the surface. Finally, apply a waterproof sealer, in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

Home and Garden Prepare the soil If you plan to grow some fruit and veg, purchase a soil-testing kit from your local garden centre. Once you know what kind of earth you’re dealing with, you can improve its quality by adding various nutrients. Beds and vegetable patches will benefit from the removal of stones, twigs and plant debris, a good dig, and the addition of some organic matter such as rotted-down horse manure and a layer of mulch.

Give your pond some life Start by getting rid of dead leaves, fallen branches and old plants, but don’t throw these – instead, try replanting in new soil.

Next, remove the pump, replace the filter and check everything still works properly. If you have any paving slabs, give them a bit of a scrub and tidy back any overhanging plants.

Note however that if you have fish, try not to cause too much of a disturbance as they are still in winter mode.

Get growing The weather is warming up and now is the ideal time to cultivate some seedlings.

Start off with some tomatoes, sunflowers, salad leaves and chillies, and place them somewhere warm, ready for the sun when summer comes. Clean all your old pots with a scrubbing brush, re-plant your window boxes and, finally, sit back and enjoy!

Local Gardener with Royal ConNection Whilst you keep up with your New Year’s Resolution to go to the gym - let us transform your garden. That way, both will look fantastic this summer!

We can help you with:* garden maintenance & tidy-ups * lawns treated & scarified * turf supplied & laid

10% off with this advert

* * * *

hedges supplied & cut trees & shrubs supplied & planted gravel supplied & laid slabbing & power washing

Anderson’s Groundcare Services 01224-735533 07923 976 494 15 Johnston Gardens West, Peterculter AB14 0LB

contact the gazette : 01224 - 318561

gcg : 23

Flooring When you choose new flooring take some time thinking and planning before you buy. Decide what fits your lifestyle and taste. The style of flooring you select depends on many considerations. There are so many different flooring options available that sometimes it can get a bit confusing. A floor covering you choose for a kitchen will not necessarily be suitable for the living room.

The most important aspect of your choice is what traffic does the area have? You need a floor covering that doesn’t show wear, will be comfortable and easy to maintain. Well-trodden areas such as hallways need a more durable flooring than, for example, a guest room carpet. The bathroom floor needs to be waterproof. Vinyl tiles or linoleum, warmed up with a rug or two, is ideal.

Wooden or laminate floors look stylish and are easy to clean, but can be slippery, and while stone tiles look attractive, they can be cold. Carpet is by far the most popular choice and gives an enormous range of textures, colours and styles. Unless you are skilled in doing so, don’t be tempted to lay the floor yourself. For a professional finish, it’s well worth paying someone to fit it.

• Domestic cleaning • Commercial cleaning* • Affordable rates • Flat cleans • House sitting** call today for a free quote

Tel : 01224 879 158 Mob: 07789 440 069

(*small offices) (**for utilities/repairs)

Are you Bent out of Shape, Under Stress or Looking for a New Challenge?

Yoga increases your flexibility & strength, boosts brain power to improve your focus & calms your nervous system to enhance your well-being!

EveningClasses@HolburnBar To reserve your place -

Call Marilene on 07972 693857

www.agelessyoga.co.uk gcg : 24

Quality ceramic wall and floor tilefixing by

Keith McKay Tel: 01224 645069 Mob: 07575 773367 keith.mckay1@hotmail.co.uk

Full bathroom conversions undertaken.

Free estimates

Colour Confidence

Katherine Sorrell

This season’s most fashionable colours for interiors are strong and bold: daring blacks and metallics, vivid citruses and a range of sorbet-like Fifties shades. Yet colour can be complicated: stray away from safe neutrals and who hasn’t ended up in a fog of indecision? Our guide to using colour will help you avoid clashes and select the shades that work best for you.

Asda’s spring range features citrus-coloured accessories for a fresh look in the living room (0500 100055; www.asda.co.uk)

gcg : 25

gcg : 26

colours for bathrooms are watery blues and greens, but there’s no reason why you shouldn’t opt for something completely different. Colours for living rooms should generally be chosen to work around the existing furnishings – you might pick a colour from a favourite cushion, vase or painting, for example; and the same goes for kitchens, where you’ll already have cabinets and worktops that will dominate a scheme. Finally, in children’s bedrooms and playrooms you’ll probably want to use a mix of fun, bright colours that are lively and stimulating.

Experimenting with paint colour is essential, as it can be difficult to get it right first time.

Always paint sheets of white card with your chosen samples and tape them up around a room, to observe in different lights (what looks like a lovely purple in daylight, for example, can become black after sunset). In a living room you’ll want the colours to work in both daylight and artificial light, whereas in bedrooms and dining rooms it is more important that they look attractive at night-time. Take care with colours that are on the edge between two different shades, as these change more than any others in different light conditions, and while this can be dramatic, it may not be quite what you expect. And be careful to buy the right undercoat – it really does affect the end result.

If the thought of colour everywhere just sounds a bit too much, there are several ways in which it can be introduced in more subtle ways. You could paint just one wall a strong shade, for example, with the others in co-ordinating neutrals. Or how about some beautiful wallpaper, an oversized stencilled motif or easyto-apply wall stickers? Alternatively, keep walls white or very pale and add colour elsewhere.

Changing a duvet cover or a tablecloth, for example, will instantly transform an otherwise neutral bedroom or dining room, while new cushions, vases and pictures will do the same for a living room. Get handy and paint a chest of drawers or a side table, or make a loose cover for a sofa or chair: think laterally and this is where, for not too much effort and expense, it’s possible to ring the changes and make colour work creatively for you. It’s as simple as black and white.

www.thegranitecitygazette.co.uk

Paints fm Kevin McCloud’s Elements of Colour range for Fired Earth (0845 366 0400; www.firedearth.com)

Colour is a hugely dynamic tool, affecting the way we feel in a powerful, albeit often subconscious, way. And we each have our own feelings about colour, so that one person’s warm and intimate room is another’s nightmare of brash, clashing shades. All of which makes using colour a rather daunting undertaking. But never fear: there are some simple guidelines to follow.

Painting a room a new colour is a quick, easy and inexpensive way to introduce a fresh look. If you’re not sure where to start, there’s a wealth of inspiration to be found in books or magazines, and the paint manufacturers themselves can be a great help, whether in the form of brochures showing their colours in action, a website with the facility to paint a virtual room or colour cards that demonstrate which colours work best together. If you’re wary of using too many different colours, but would nevertheless like to introduce some contrasts, a good rule of thumb is that darker and lighter shades of the same colour are always good together (simply look vertically up and down the paint charts).

So far so good. Then, to narrow your choices down, you’ll want to consider the colours of your existing furnishings, the practicalities of how you live (darkish colours are useful in a busy hallway which might suffer from knocks and mud splatters, for example) and the architecture of your property. The latter informs not just the suitability of certain colours – perhaps historic colours for older properties, for example – but also their shades, as you may be able to get away with bolder and/or darker colours in large and light rooms.

Another consideration is where to put which paint colours. Bear in mind that hallways, stairways and landings are linking areas; when you stand in them you may be able to see a number of different rooms, so you should consider how their colours will work together.

As a general guideline, restful colours, such as pale blues, lilacs and pinks, often work well in bedrooms, and bolder shades in dining rooms: red is a classic choice, in particular. In a hallway you could make a strong statement with a vibrant colour that introduces the house to visitors, or opt for something paler that will maximise the sense of space. Conventional

Do you want to lease your property with confidence?

We offer :

Very competitive rates, with additional discount for landlords with two or more properties.

Personal Attention Fast and efficient rent processing (if full factoring) Viewing times to accommodate tenants outwith office hours if requried.

24/7 Emergency contact (if full factoring) Extensive marketing on major websites With over 25 years in property leasing, we have the wealth of experience, support and contacts to offer you a first class service.

Please contact our office for full information on professional services provided.

Tel: 01224-209175 Mob: 07766377482 www.barbaraellisleasing.co.uk 13 Deeside Park, Aberdeen AB15 7PQ

contact the gazette : 01224 - 318561

gcg : 27

Prestige the Laundry has brought a fresh concept in laundry services to Aberdeen.

It prides itself on being environmentally responsible and uses hypoallergenic detergents, while offering a whole range of useful and unusual services.

Heading off for an Easter break? Then think about about a holiday wash. When you return from your holiday, simply hand over the contents of your suitcases to the girls at Prestige the Laundry and they will return your clothes washed, pressed and ready to hang in your wardrobe.

If anybody in your family is involved in team sports, it’s worth investigating Prestige the Laundry’s football or rugby kit service since you’ll know that it often takes an industrial strength washer to shift mud or grass stains.

And with spring just around the calendar, now is a good time to speak to Marilyn at Prestige the Laundry about curtain, rug or duvet cleaning to get your spring cleaning programme off to a flying start.

That’s all in addition to Prestige the Laundry’s regular services which include collection and drop off from home or office, an after hours collection facility, dry and fold laundry, and ironing.

• COLLECTION/ DELIVERY FOR HOME/OFFICE • LAUNDRY • DRY CLEANING • DUVETS • IRONING • HOLIDAY WASH • DRY CLEANING • CURTAINS • WORK-WEAR • ALTERATIONS • RUG CLEANING • LINENS • SPORTS KITS

Unit 3, 569 – 571 Great Western Road, Aberdeen, AB10 6PA Tel: 01224 326 091 Fax: 01224 326 573

www.prestigethelaundry.com

gcg : 28

www.thegranitecitygazette.co.uk

Treat yourself to a...

3 Course Lunch including Tea or Coffee £16.95 3 Course Dinner including Tea or Coffee £19.95 Evening a la Carte menu also available Available Tuesday - Saturday Book online or call 587002

239 Great Western Road, Aberdeen AB10 6PS Tel: 587002 • Email: info@paulamcewen.com

www.paulamcewen.com

Cryptic Crossword Across

1

1. Reversed a couple of drinks, say (6)

9

4. Loses car over a game (8) 9. Girl hurt in two ways (6) 10. Excellent club in West Sussex (8) 12. Convert with blue refuse (4,4) 13. Glass ruler for Harold? (6) 15. Girl and boy expired (4) 16. Rock group in Wiltshire (10) 19. Flower power exploiter? (5-5) 20. Tabloid article about jelly (4) 23. Opening act Ivy rewrote (6) 25. Silly stud Jade corrected (8) 27. Riotous bar a lord left (8) 28. Boxed English produce (6) 29. Tools dated during strikes (8) 30. Odd space-time feature (6)

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

10 11

12

13 14

15

16

17

18 19

20

21

22 23

24

25 26

27

28

29

30

Down

little (7)

1. Red item poorly rated (7)

14. Hip nurses making plans (7)

2. Frequent rhenium flow (9)

17. German hit about horror (9)

3. Flips nude pages ruined (6)

18. Speeches having no limits (8)

5. Star returning to the cosmetics company (4)

19. Burner down in Ireland (7)

6. One may stop on a road (3,5) 7. Play kind about parking (5) 8. Seer Don turned back (7) 11. Nervous wife wearing

21. Foodstuff termed a stew (3,4) 22. Defenders of rug ads (6) 24. Some clever-dick composer (5) 26. Flapper reading in awe (4)

Local charity urges careful thought before buying a dog as a surprise gift A local pet re-homing charity is urging anyone thinking about giving a puppy as a surprise gift to think twice before they make their decision.

DAWGS helps find loving new homes throughout the North East for dogs whose owners can no longer take care of them .

According to the charity, giving a pet as a surprise gift can lead to heartache.

DAWGS Chairman David Hekelaar said: “We are often asked by a very distressed new owner to find a home for a dog that was given to them as an unexpected gift.

Although the owner may love the dog dearly, they just cannot cope and would not have chosen to go out and get a puppy.

They now also have the terrible feeling of guilt at having to give the dog up for rehoming.”

According to David, prospective new owners should ask themselves some searching questions: “Will you be happy to pass up on social events to give your new puppy the company it needs? To stand outside - even in the rain - every hour housetraining? Will the children mind their toys being chewed by the new pup? Looking ahead, do you have the time and commitment to train your pup so he becomes the longed for pet and are you happy to brave the elements twice a day every day for the next 10 years walking your dog?”

While the charity knows that a dog can be a great joy for their owner and add so much to

their lives, it also appreciates the only way for a dog to give happiness is for the dog to be happy. Potential owners need to think about what they can give their new dog as well as what they hope to get from it.

Anyone interested can contact DAWGS to find out more or visit their website www.dawgs.co.uk

DAWGS have two fundraising events coming up – a Bingo Night at the Ashvale Fish Restaurant on Great Western Road on Friday 1st April and a Jumble Sale at Craigiebuckler Church on Saturday 16th April from 10am -12noon. Details of both are on their website.

For Further Information Contact: DAWGS, The DAWG House, Lang Stracht Aberdeen Tel 01224 208989

D.A.W.G.S Dog Action Working Group Scotland

If you can no longer take care of your dog, we can help!

D.A.W.G.S finds loving homes for dogs whose owners can no longer take care of them

For further information contact:DAWGS on 01224 208989 or visit www.dawgs.co.uk 6 Whitemyres Holdings, Lang Stracht, Aberdeen.

The Power o Networking Hundreds of people get up at the crack of dawn in the morning to do it, others wait until lunchtime while yet more people do it in the evening or online. What is it? Networking. From business breakfasts to wine bar soirées, people all over the country are networking together, making new contacts and expanding the contents of their address books.

You’ll know a great networker when you meet one. They are the first people to shout “I do!” when they overhear someone asking “does anyone know of a good plumber?”, or asking for a great painter and decorator or a good restaurant to take their elderly parents to. Good networkers listen and they learn, making a mental note of people who they like and who they would like to stay in touch with. They are the Cilla Blacks of the business world, connecting people who may be able to help each other or who they think may have a common interest or bond.

From plumbers to printers, solicitors to accountants good networking benefits people in every sector and in every size of company. Done effectively it’s not just about randomly passing out your business cards, rather it’s about face to face contact, about actively listening and about asking the right questions about another person’s business.

Effective networking offers you exposure to people from all walks of life, to all sorts of businesses and it gets your name out into the business community.

Organised networking groups exist all over the country and offer their members benefits on many levels. Going along to visit a group can be a great way for people to dip their toes in the water of meeting and greeting new people. Existing members will usually watch out for new faces and step in to help anyone who is standing by themselves with introductions to other members of the group. Networking doesn’t come naturally to some people and a structured environment can help with any first time nerves.

For home based businesses the opportunity to get out of the office once a week and meet with other people can be a source of huge support; for others membership can offer a co-operative where the other members

of g

Business 2 Business act almost like a larger company behind each individual member. Sole traders and self employed members especially can call upon the services of the members of their groups and find themselves with, for example, a design department, an accounts department, an IT department and a marketing department whose work they understand and trust because they meet the same people each week. Highly successful and lucrative groups tend to work very well when members from particular sectors join and work together, for example when a printer passes work to a designer, a builder to a plumber,

decorator and carpet fitter.

In recent years networking has moved beyond the breakfast table or the wine bar to the online world with sites like LinkedIn and Twitter spreading the word of individual businesses far beyond the confines of town and county. The basis of this virtual networking is based upon the same principles as face-to-face meetings: it’s about finding people with whom you have things in common, about shared interests or bonds and adding them to your network of contacts. Networking - it’s not what you know, but who.

Trade Fair and evening “Hustings” event Wednesday, 20th April Richard Donald Suite, Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen The FSB is combining forces with The Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise North East Trust and the SCDI (Scottish Council for Development and Industry) All Day Event with Evening Hustings Put the date in your diary – The Trade Fair will be a great opportunity to walk round, make new local contacts and promote your business to potential clients and suppliers.

Come, meet and greet over 50 ‘local’ businesses. (the gazette will be there!)

NB : Timings will be announced on Original 106 fm

Working from home Shoes by Ted Bruning

I have done it. I have taken the plunge. I have gone out and bought a new pair of slippers.

Some time ago, you may remember, I wrote of my horror at finding that I still had my slippers on at lunchtime. At the time I saw it as an ominous portent of decline, a herald of the day when, having no-one to impress, I would stop bothering even to change out of my pyjamas. I formed a resolution then always to get fully dressed – which to me includes shod – before sitting down to work. I have rigorously maintained my self-imposed dress code ever since. But now we have a white carpet...

gcg : 34

Anyway, the grim winter had a profound effect on our white carpet. No matter how hard I wiped my feet, a fair bit of leaf-litter, mud, and other substances were transferred from my shoes to the carpet. The effect was compounded by the dog’s negligent habit of not wiping its feet at all. Everybody else, including visitors, takes their shoes off when they come in, so the blame was entirely mine and Flossie’s. And I had to concede that we

fixed price quotations - no VAT 19 Craigiebuckler Place

tel : 316898 mob : 07711 120 217

Wednesday

1.30-2.00 2.00-2.30 Thursday

Kingswells Community Centre

Airyhall Community Centre

Sums 10 25 15 22 Riddle A Hole

Pre School Football

Anagrams : Bonnet Basket Bunny Spring Flowers Sunday Chocolate

1. Watership Down 2. A Tale Of Two Cities 3. Oliver Twist

Novel Pictograms

Sport the Difference 1. Clouds 2. Butterfly changed colour 3. Bird changed direction 4. Rabbit's eyes 5. Crease under rabbit's right eye 6. Easter egg lost a spot 7. Easter egg missing 8. Mark missing fm bear's tunny 9. Rabbit's tail 10. Bear's teeth

Great art picks up where nature ends. Marc Chagall

I would never buy a white carpet myself, and I was surprised to find one in the front room of the house

we rented last August. Traditionally, landlords bought patterned carpets, often in swirly autumn shades, to hide the dirt. The suspicion is natural, if yet unproven, that the white carpet is an opportunity for a bit of profiteering, and that the cost of cleaning it that will inevitably be deducted from our deposit when we leave would actually clean a carpet ten times its size. Perhaps I’m being too cynical, but you can understand where I’m coming from.

Monday

1.30-2.00 Friday

9.30-10 1.30-2.00 1.30-2.00 2.00-2.30 To book place contact Alison McLeod on 314669

www.aberdeenfootballfun.co.uk www.thegranitecitygazette.co.uk

Business 2 Business hadn’t half made a mess. My old slippers having long ago resolved themselves into their constituent parts, I trotted off to get a new pair and, although there’s not much we can do about the dog, at least I have now joined the ranks of the blameless and shall henceforth only wear slippers, not shoes, indoors.

This does not, I have promised myself, presage that slow decline into working-from-home slobbishness I fear so much. It does, though, raise a question in my mind. I still have a horror of taking my shoes off in other people’s houses. Why? It’s a perfectly reasonable request now that everyone on the planet seems to have fitted carpets that are at least biscuit-coloured if not actually white. But somewhere deep in my psyche there is a commandment that will not be denied, and it says: Thou Shalt Not Take Thy Shoes Off, Even In Other People’s Houses. Our friends seem to be resigned to my being their only shod visitor; in strangers’ houses I make no move to remove, and no-one has challenged me yet, thank God.

send-it

fulfilment solutions

New Parcel Collection Service Collection: We collect parcels within Aberdeen City from 10am to 3.30pm Monday to Friday

Next Day Delivery: anywhere on UK mainland (excluding Channel Islands and Highlands and Islands)

Perhaps it’s a class thing. I am resolutely middle-class: I have a sitting room not a lounge, and a loo not a toilet. My dad, who would be 103 if he were alive, was even more middle-class than me: upper middle-class, if you like. I cannot begin to imagine his amazement if anyone had asked him to take his shoes off before coming indoors! And would you insist on Prince Charles slipping off his 500-guinea loafers if, for some reason, he turned up at your door? Or David Cameron? Well, maybe David Cameron; and indeed it’s such a part of modern etiquette that he might do it without being asked. Which makes me a real pariah!

I shall, I have decided, only start taking off my shoes unasked when I see the Sweeney breaking down some villain’s door to be greeted by a wife not screaming hysterically, in accordance with cop show protocol: “Leavehimalonehesdonenuffinkwrongyouslags”, but calmly ordering Jack and George: “Shoes off please, lads – new carpet in the lounge”.

And not before.

the Oven Valet Oven Cleaners

Doing the jobs you hate!

Bringing the sparkle back to your oven using non toxic, non caustic products in your home.

01330 823079

07920 483 233

www.theovenvalet.com info@theovenvalet.com

Fixed Price per Parcel: To Aberdeen City –

Home Visiting Practice

up to 5kg £5.50 incl VAT 5-10kg £7.50 incl VAT

To UK Mainland – up to 5kg £8.50 incl VAT 5-10kg £10.00 incl VAT

Routine and Preventative Foot Care Corns/Hard Skin Verrucae Toenail Cutting

Parcels must be labelled and insurance costs extra.

Contact: Send-it Fulfilment Solutions Ltd, 12 John Street, Aberdeen, AB25 1BT

T : 01224 618450 F : 01224 618451 E : info@send-it.org Recognised as a Scottish Charity, No.SC032742

www.send-it.org contact the gazette : 01224 - 318561

Trudi C Deans DipCFHP MPSPract

Foot Health Care Practitioner

T : 07598 382 597

gcg : 35

Sing Along with Jo Jingles!

Fun Music, Singing & Movement Classes for children aged 3 months to 5 years Develop your child’s • Co-ordination • Confidence • Listening Skills • Imagination • Social Skills • Language Children’s Parties & Nursery Sessions also available NO JOINING FEE!

For details on classes in Broomhill, Ferryhill, Bridge of Don & City Centre Call Leanne on 01224 877544 leanne.jojingles@tiscali.co.uk www.jojingles.com/aberdeen

Spot the Differences

gcg : 36

www.thegranitecitygazette.co.uk



Baking

Easy Easter Cup Cakes Simple to make and children love them.

Why not let them join in with the decorating?

contact the gazette : 01224 - 318561

gcg : 37



Easy Easter Cup Cakes Ingredients For the cakes

Method For the cakes

150 g butter, softened

Preheat the oven to 180C/ 160C fan/ gas 4.

150 g sugar

Cream together the butter and sugar until light, fluffy and pale.

Gradually beat in the egg, adding a little flour if the mixture looks like it might curdle.

3 eggs, beaten 150 g self-raising flour, sifted 1 tsp vanilla extract

Beat in the vanilla extract and milk.

1 tbsp milk For the icing

Place 12 paper cupcake cases into a cake tin and divide the mixture between them.

75 g butter, at room temperature 150 g icing sugar

Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden and springy to the touch.

1 tbsp milk 1 tsp vanilla extract a selection of pretty food colourings.

Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

For the icing

In a mixing bowl beat the butter with a wooden spoon or in a mixer until smooth, then sift in the icing sugar, beating regularly.

Add the vanilla extract and milk and beat for five minutes. The frosting should be really light and fluffy.

Mix your chosen food colouring colours into the icing to give an even colour. You can use one colour or split the icing and use several.

When the cupcakes are totally cool, spoon or pipe the icing on top.

Finish with your chosen decorations...

To decorate

A selection of - Sweets - mini eggs look particularly nice Sugar flowers Sprinkles

gcg : 38

www.thegranitecitygazette.co.uk

Recession!

We chose to save money by cutting back on advertising

Currently things are quiet, so we will probably advertise when things pick up.

contact the gazette : 01224 - 318561

gcg : 39

� n� P�� �, � � d e �y�� W ���.” � �r�� S���� R s�i � �i �� � h��� �� �r � � W� ��i� �� �h� ��� � � n � � � P s� �e ! a � �, “I ��e� �n� �� � d Ka��. � t � �� � � d � � � e � ��� r � �e S� � �� ��� c �e� m� Wi�� � ��’ �� of� t� N�� ��

s Royal Funnie

crowne d? que e ns ge t d an gs in k o Q . W he re d ad.

A. O n the he que e n doe s ing a k ing or th t rs fi e th Q . W hat is rone ? me to the th co y e whe n th down.

A. The y sit

C A F L A G S H H C C P I U T O E R R N O Z H L E O O P X G R I R W W L N N O D S D N I A C N A B S K I O Q E Y E N I F Y Q U E

e words linked Can you find all th dding? we l to the roya

Word Search Solution Royal Quiz Answers F L A G S H C 1. Corgis C P I U T O H 2. 1982 R N O Z H L E 3. Air Stewardess O P X G R I E 4. Princess Diana W L N N O D R N I A C N A S K I O Q E Y B I F Y Q U E E

A C R O W D S N

gcg: 40

arch Wedding Word Se

cheers crowds crown f lags

ho lid ay king queen thro ne R

oy al Q Test yo ui z ur kno wledge 1.Wha of the t breed Royal of keep a Family s pets? dog does th e Que en 2. In w hat ye a r w a 3. Wha s Princ t high-f e Willia lying jo m born dleton b did K ’s moth ? ate Mid e r o n c 4. The e do? e William ngagem ent rin g anothe ave to Kate w g which Prin ce r f am o as onc us roy e worn al. Wh by o was she? www.thegranitecitygazette.co.uk

family

ÂŁ5

contact the gazette : 01224 - 318561

gcg : 41

kids groups

parent and toddler groups

community clubs & groups Mannofield Mother & Toddlers 10am - 1130am Wed for children aged 0-3. & 10am-11.30am Fris for children aged 0-3. Mannofield Church, Gt Western Rd All welcome - friendly, sociable groups Holburn West Mothers & Toddlers Meet on a Wed fm 0930 & Fri fm 9.45am Parent and Toddler Group Wed (not school hols) fm 9.45 - 11.15 Rubislaw church centre, beaconsfield pl NCT Bumps and Babies Queens Cross Church,Thurs fm 2 - 4pm ‘Toots’ Playgroup Airyhall Community centre 2’s Group 1 ½ to 2 ½ - Tues & Thurs 9.30 to 11.30 Playgroup – 2 ½ onwards – Mon,Wed & Fri 9.30 – 11.30am Holburn West Playgroup Meet on a Wed fm 930am Babies andToddlers Mon 0945-1200 Crown Terr Methodist Church Friendly group for parents/ carers of children aged 0-3 Cost £1 incl refreshments. 861209/733276 or 01330 823480 e-mail: babiesand toddlers@ aberdeenmethodist.org.uk Midstocket Playgroup, Midstocket Parish Church, Harcourt Rd. 2.5 - 5 year olds. Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri 09.15 - 11.45, Mon,Tues,Thurs 13.0015.30. Funded places available. Tel. 07542 256703 www.midstocketplaygroup.co.uk Rubislaw Playgroup Rubislaw Church Centre. Mon - Fri: 09151145. Fm 2yrs 10 months to school age.

Funded places available. Tel: 594345 Toddlers and 2’s Rubislaw Church Centre. Enjoy play, craft, singing and snack.

Toddlers: up to 2yrs.

Wed and Fri - 0930-1100 Girls Brigade : Meet Tues in Queens Cross Church Hall Explorers P1-3 : 5pm-6.30pm Juniors P4-7 : 6pm-7.30pm Brigaders S1-6 : 6pm-8pm Morag Pirie - 01358-742621 Girls Brigade : Are you in P1-P3? Looking for some fun? Then come and join us we meet every Thurs @ South Holburn Church, Holburn St. Tel : Lesley Bills 01224-596596 Rainbows, Brownies, Guides tel : 01224 638685 for your nearest group Beavers, Cubs, Scouts : tel : 01224 208426 for your nearest group Boys Brigade HQ :

gcg : 42

2’s group: 2-3yrs.

Tues and Thurs 0930-1100, Tel: 379626 Kids Crew Playgroup.2yrs 8mnths. Mon, Wed, Fri mornings 9.30am-12pm. Funded Places available. + Two’s Group.Wed, Thurs 9.30-11am. Both groups at Ferryhill Community Centre, Albury Road, Ferryhill. Tel : 584118.

Playgroup @ Ruthrieston Comm Centre ‘Playshed’, Holburn St Mon-Thurs 9.1511.15. fm 2 yrs 6 mnths. £3.50 per session - includes healthy snack. Call 572211 NCT Waddling - Toddling Mon @ St Francis of Assisi Church, Deeside Dr, Mannofield 10-11.30, drop in group for mums to be, parents & carers of babies & toddlers birth - preschool w w w. n c t. org.uk/in-your-area/aberdeen/W2T

Queen’s Cross Parent & Toddler Group Queens Cross Church Mon 9.30-11.30 Children 0-4 & their grown-ups are very welcome. £1.50 Gaelic Parent & Child Group Gilcomstoun Primary School Mon, Wed & Fri 9.15-11.30. You don’t have to speak Gaelic to attend. Mairi Morley 07900 337122, e : gaelic@aberdeencity.gov.uk.

Singing Tots 6mths - 3 yrs Mon 945-1015 & 1045 -1115 Rubislaw Church Centre Tel : Liesl 580317 or 07541 309617 Toddler Time Wed 09:15 – 11:15 term time. Friendly, welcoming group for parents & children aged 0-4. Cost 50 pence, inc snacks & refreshments New Life International Church, Leadside Road, AB25 1TW Michelle - 07808 932 907

tel : 01224 644400 for your nearest group 17th Aberdeen Cub Scouts : 1830-2000h Scout Centre, PitstruanTerr Choi Kwang Do : Inchgarth Community Centre Garthdee Mond 4.45-5.45 Thurs 6-7pm Tel Claire - 746778 After School Bridge classes : Wed atThe Bridge Club 14 RubislawTerrace P6-7 -Anytimefm3.00-4.30. S1-6-Anytimefm 3.005.30 , Sally Reid : 01224 - 322719 Fun Kids Yoga Airyhall Community Centre Tues 4-4.30pm (4-7 yrs) & 4.30-5pm (8-13 yrs) Call 07967 647 220 or go to www.louisayoga.co.uk ATC 107 Squadron

Ruthrieston West Church Twos Group Fri 9.45 - 11.00 ( During term time) Age 1year 10 months + £2.50 per child per session. For more information phone Lynne on 01224 314692 Children’s Football Tel Alison - 314669 Football for children fm age 21/2 up to P3.

Held at Kingswells and Airyhall. www.aberdeenfootballfun.co.uk Teeny Beats Fun singalong with musical instruments.

Meets on a Tuesday 2pm - 3pm during term time at Rubislaw Church Centre.

For children aged 0 to 5 years. £2 per session discounted rate for additional children. For further information contact Margaret 587144 or Caroline 566141 The 123 Group, Craigiebuckler Church Hall Every Thurs 2-4pm, Adult and Child group; children fm babies up to the age of 3 are all welcome. Costs £4 per month, with lots of fun activities, crafts and healthy snacks provided for the children. For more info, email the123group@yahoo.com, or call Elaine (07872 595015) or Pauline (07793 325278) Messy Play Rubislaw Church Centre. Enjoy messy play for ages 2 - 5. Wed & Fri 1.15 - 3pm.

Fees payable per term. Contact Leigh on 07792 265273.

Aberdeen Dolphin Swimming Club Swim School for children fm 4 years old.

Lessons at Hazlehead & Hazlewood Pools.

Coaching for children who would like to train and swim competitively.

Contact Louise Lindsay (membership secretary) on 596709 for more info.

Open to new members, male & female aged 13 – 16. Also looking for enthusiastic adult staff, male & female to join the team., Prince Charles Cadet Centre, Albury Road, Ferryhill, Aberdeen Mon &Weds 19.00 - 21.30.Tel. 01224 590679 www.107aircadets.org.

Highland Dancing Classes If your child is interested in starting a new hobby, Highland Classes are available at Craigiebuckler Church and Danscentre through Carolanne Sinclair and are open to all levels of experience, with beginners classes starting at aged 5 & over. Carolanne can be contacted directly on 07972104774 or by email at sinclair_carolanne@yahoo.com

www.thegranitecitygazette.co.uk

Prams

Choose the right one for your baby!

Pram shopping was not one of our parenting high-points. We were overwhelmed by the sheer number of options. Three or four wheels?

Fixed wheel or articulated? With or without car seat? Did we want a foot muffler, rain cover, parasol? The list was endless.

And the cost?! Please, it’s a device for pushing a baby down the street, not a luxury sports car. Yet we were seduced by a top of the range eggshell- blue, all singing, all dancing travel system, which proved to be the biggest white elephant ever!

We realised our mistake early on. Everything about it was wrong for us. Jack didn’t like being laid flat so hated the pram and preferred a sling carrier. The pushchair was too bulky for me to load in and out of the car easily, and took up too much room once it was in. We live in the countryside and love to walk, but the little articulated wheels, so perfect for negotiating town shopping malls, were useless over rough ground - and so on.

We ended up buying a three wheeler with thick, aerated tyres and great suspension, plus a lightweight buggy for trips to town.

In order to save you the pain of repeating our mistake I have put together some hints on choosing the perfect pushchair.

From the baby’s point of view the primary concerns are comfort and safety. Either you will need a pram / carrycot attachment, so that they can lie flat, or a pushchair which can be adjusted to full lie-back position. Some pushchairs can’t be used before baby is six months old.

Well-padded seating and weather-proof material make for a more comfortable travel experience, and a comfy baby is a happy one.

You really don’t want to push an unhappy one!

Consider buying a system where your baby

contact the gazette : 01224 - 318561

family Baby Scan Studio Perth

3D

4D

Aberdonian doctor offers preferential rates to Aberdeen clients for 2D/3D/4D Pregnancy Scans.

Early Pregnancy Scans start at £25.

See our website for full details of preferential offers.

Tel: 01738 472007

/ 01738 472007

www.babyscanstudioperth.com can face you. All the scientific evidence suggests that babies benefit from face to face interaction with the person doing the pushing.

Many modern systems can be adjusted to be both forward and rear facing.

Then consider your lifestyle. Do you walk to friends, or to the shops? In which case a sturdy, articulated-wheel model would be perfect, with foot muff for the winter and parasol for the summer. Do you live in a more isolated area and have to take the car to town? If so, consider a compact model, where your car seat can be removed and clipped on to the pushchair frame. That way you don’t risk waking the baby when you arrive at your destination. Do you rely on public transport? In that case a model which is lightweight and can be folded easily (and preferably with one hand) is vital.

Also think about your height, and your partner’s. Adjustable handles make life a whole lot easier if one partner is tiny and the other a strapping six-footer.

With your list of musthave features you’re far more likely to get what you really need.

And our ‘mistake’? We gave it to my brother and his wife when they were expecting...it was perfect for their city life.

gcg : 43

The Musical Food Chain All men are not created equal. Everybody knows this. But nowhere is the sting of society’s inequality felt more savagely than in the cut-throat world of rock ‘n’ roll.

I think it’s pretty well-established that guitar players sit at the top of The Musical Food Chain. You only need to walk into any music shop, anywhere in the world, to be presented with stark visual evidence of the fact that being the guitarist makes you automatically Much More Important Than The Rest Of The Band. It is nothing less than cast-iron scientific fact that 92% of the space in any given music shop will be dedicated to guitars. Thousands of them, all lined up in shining rows, attended to by at least fifteen eager salesmen waiting to satisfy a guitarist’s every whim and fancy. ‘Would you like that double-necked twelve-string guitar in a slightly paler shade of sunburst orange, sir? No problem. We have every possible permutation of this model in stock.’

Chris Russell

Here’s a challenge for you though. Walk into your local instrument store sometime and see if you can find the keyboard section. Seriously, try it. It’s hilarious. It’s like looking for the salad bar in McDonalds.

Below is a transcript of a conversation I had in one of London’s leading music stores some years back. Whilst my guitarist was upstairs indulging in a fantastically chirpy exchange with a sales clerk and merrily churning out Dire Straits riffs, I had been trying to locate the keyboard section. When I eventually found it (and after having waited long enough for service that I could actually feel algae growing on the soles of my feet), I was reluctantly approached by a very bored-looking employee, whom for convenience we shall name Dirk: CHRIS: Can I speak to your keyboard specialist?

DIRK: Sorry, what?

CHRIS: Is there someone here who knows about keyboards?

DIRK: Not really.

CHRIS: Oh. Right. Well, I’m interested in the M-Audio Keystation.

DIRK: And? CHRIS: I’ve spotted that you have one over there and was wondering if I could try it out?

DIRK: No, you can’t. It’s not set up.

CHRIS: That’s not a problem - I can wait while you set it up.

DIRK: Oh, no. We don’t do that.

CHRIS: How am I supposed to know it’s the right model for me then?

DIRK: Dunno.

CHRIS: But you’re a music shop. I am a music consumer. I want to try out a keyboard and then, if all goes according to plan, give you money for it and take away the goods in return. That’s basic capitalism.

DIRK: Can’t you tell just by looking at it?

[I look at the keyboard for a couple of seconds.]

CHRIS: OK, fine. I’ll just go ahead and buy it then.

DIRK: No mate, you can’t. We don’t have any left.

CHRIS: But I’m looking at one right now! See how my hands touch it!

DIRK: Nah, that one’s not for sale.

This went on for a little while until, presently, I battered him to death.

So you see, discrimination and prejudice exist in all walks of life and, amongst the world’s many minority groups, it is perhaps keyboard players who feel this most acutely. There are myriad possible explanations for why things have turned out like this but, whichever way you look at it, keyboardists are at the bottom of The Musical Food Chain. The plankton of rock ‘n’ roll. And please do pity us because, if things go on like this, we could one day become extinct.

Dave Ledingham L.G.S.M.

Electronic Keyboard Tution

Lessons Designed For Your Specific Needs All Levels And Ages Welcome Free Initial Consultation - All Lessons 1-1

Tel : 01224 - 329328

22 Pinewood Road, Aberdeen AB15 8NA

Qualified Teacher Dr. Bill Mann

www.MannofieldMusic.com Beginners Welcome * No Upper Age * See Website For Details

(m) 07570 827 171

Stuck with

Maybe I should contact the World Wildlife Fund.

your advertising campaign?

Chris plays piano in South London power-pop band The Lightyears.

The Lightyears, voted the UK’s BEST POP/ROCK ACT at the Indy Awards, have played Wembley Stadium, toured across four continents, worked with Sting’s producer and starred in a T-Mobile advert. Chris is currently working on his first novel, “Mockstars”. Read more of Chris’ blogs and tour diaries at www.TheLightyears.com.

tel : 318561 gazette@fsmail.net www.thegranitecitygazette.co.uk

Don’t Be!

Tues, March 29 to Sat, Apr 9: The West End’s favourite musical comedy and the ultimate feel-good show, Hairspray, starring Michael Starke and Micky Dolenz, in His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen, at 7.30pm, with 2pm Tues and Thurs (first week only) and 2.30pm Sat matinees. Tickets fm boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 641122

and Scottish Chamber Orchestra present Fauré’s Requiem, plus Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll and Schreker’s Chamber Symphony, in MH, at 7.30pm. Tickets fm boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 641122

Fri, Apr 1: Free Fri Live session, featuring Dave Manning, in LT Lounge, fm 1pm. Tables booked by calling 447688

Sun, Apr 3: With some of the hottest contemporary fiddle players fm the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, Blazin’ Fiddles captures the excitement, passion and sensitivity of Scottish music like no other band, in MH, at 7.30pm. Tickets fm boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 641122

Fri, Apr 1: Television comedian, programme presenter and standup Jason Manford Live, in MH, at 7.30pm.

Tickets fm boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 641122 Fri Apr 1: In a reschedule gig following December’s snow storms, internationally-acclaimed Letz Zep considered by many as the number 1 tribute to the music of the greatest rock band in the world ever Led Zeppelin, in LT doors at 7.30pm. Tickets fm boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 641122 Sat, Apr 2: Free SC&TURDAY LIVE session with Scottish Cultures and Traditions’ (SC&T), in LT - Lounge, fm 12.30pm. Tables booked by calling 447688 Sat, Apr 2: Creative Kids, sponsored by Argus Care, in LT - Lounge, doors open 12pm, activities fm 12.30pm to 2.30pm.

Sat, Apr 2: Catherine Wheels Theatre present Caged, a new take on the Beauty and the Beast classic - he licks his hands, stands on the toilet and runs through the woods and she carries a hankie, never gets mud on her shoes and always remembers to send a thank you note – this is a story about two people trapped together, and finding more freedom than they ever imagined, recommended for all beauties and beasts aged 8 and over, in LT - Studio at 3pm. Tickets fm boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 641122 Sat, Apr 2: Conductor Robin Ticciati, soprano Carolyn Sampson, bass baritone Neal Davies, the SCO Chorus

Sun, Apr 3: Free Belhaven Sun Jazz session, featuring Four in a Bar, in LT - Lounge, fm 12pm. Tables booked by calling 447688

Tues, Apr 5: As part of the Puppet Animation Festival, Mousetale Puppets present Oscar & the Highland Castle, when Oscar teams up with Incy Wincy Spider in 1307 to defeat the English and restore Scotland’s independence, in LT - Studio at 2pm. Ages 4+, tickets fm boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 641122 Tues, Apr 5: Renowned for his super-high energy performance, An Audience with Imran Yusuf is positive, uplifting comedy at its best, in LT - Lounge doors at 7.30pm.

Age restriction 16+, tickets fm boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 641122 Tues, Apr 5: A whirlwind of destruction and great tunes, The View - vocalist/ guitarist Kyle Falconer, guitarist Pete Reilly, vocalist and bass player Keiren Webster and drummer Steve Morrison - embody all that is vital about rock ‘n’ roll, in MH, doors at 7.30pm. Tickets fm boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 641122 Wed, Apr 6: Star of Live at the Apollo, Mock the Week, and if.comedy Best Newcomer, Sarah Millican extends her hugely popular debut tour in LT - Lounge doors at 7.30pm. Tickets fm boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 641122 Thurs, Apr 7: On her second UK tour, the Scottish Sun’s internationally-acclaimed medium and clairvoyant Joan Charles and the Scottish Sun’s Angel Whisperer Kyle Gray, in The Oracle, in MH, at

contact the gazette : 01224 - 318561

7.30pm. Tickets fm boxofficeaberdeen. com or tel 641122 Thurs, Apr 7: As part of the Puppet Animation Festival, Folding Theatre presents, The Snow Queen, when little Gerda sets out on an epic adventure to save her playmate Kai, in LT - Studio at 2pm. Ages 5-11, tickets fm boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 641122 Thurs, Apr 7: Brutal, shambolic, savage and unpredictable, American comedian Doug Stanhope, who has been on the road for 21 years and is widely regarded as carrying the torch for American stand-up that was once held by Lenny Bruce and Bill Hicks, in LT - Lounge doors at 7.30pm. Tickets fm boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 641122 Fri, Apr 8: Free Fri Live session, in LT - Lounge, fm 1pm. Tables booked by calling 447688 Fri, Apr 8: Exploding onstage for their soul, rhythm and blues musical extravaganza is the Blues Brothers’ tribute show Jake and Elwood, in MH, at 7.30pm. Tickets fm boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 641122 Fri, Apr 8: GP, writer, broadcaster and possibly the only comedian to have appeared at a public inquiry, Dr Phil Hammond in Dr Phil’s Rude Health Show, where he is rude about everything (politicians, doctors, death, drugs, sex), in LT - Studio doors at 7.30pm. Tickets fm boxofficeaberdeen. com or tel 641122 Sat, Apr 9: One-hour behind the scenes tour at Aberdeen’s iconic Edwardian landmark, His Majesty’s Theatre, in HMT at 10.30am. Tickets fm boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 641122 Sat, Apr 9: Free SC&TURDAY LIVE session with Scottish Cultures and Traditions’ (SC&T), in LT - Lounge, fm 12.30pm. Tables booked by calling 447688 Sat, Apr 9: Creative Kids, sponsored by Argus Care, in LT - Lounge, doors open 12pm, activities fm 12.30pm to 2.30pm.

gcg : 47

Sat, Apr 9: Images and stories fm the wilderness with John Beatty, Wild Visions, in LT - Lounge doors at 7.30pm.

Tickets fm boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 641122 Sat, Apr 9: As part of the Puppet Animation Festival, Tortoise in a Nutshell presents The Last Miner, the story of a man who has lived underground for years and faces the choice to stay down below or return to the world he left so long ago, in LT - Studio at 2pm. Ages 7+, tickets fm boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 641122 Sun, Apr 10: Free Belhaven Sun Jazz session, featuring 2-Bit Hip, in LT Lounge, fm 12pm. Tables booked by calling 447688 Tues, Apr 12: As part of the Puppet Animation Festival, Storybox Theatre presents Jack, in which internationalacclaimed storyteller and puppeteer Rod Burnett weaves a tall tale of high adventure, in LT - Studio at 2pm. Ages 4-11, tickets fm boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 641122 Wed, Apr 13: Star of Live at the Apollo, Mock the Week, and if.comedy Best Newcomer, Sarah Millican extends her hugely popular debut tour in LT - Lounge doors at 7.30pm. Tickets fm boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 641122 Wed to Sat, Apr 13 to 16: Fierce, Fresh and Fabulous, Scott School of Dancing celebrated their 30th anniversary last year and this year, founder and school principal Sandra McIntosh is proud to be back with her 14th , in His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen, at 7pm. Tickets fm boxofficeaberdeen. com or tel 641122 Thurs, Apr 14: A feel good, fantasy concert, 80s Mania celebrates over 35 smash hits fm the heroes of the 1980s in MH, at 7.30pm. Tickets fm boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 641122 Thurs, Apr 14: As part of the Puppet Animation Festival, Garlic Theatre presents Little Red Robin Hood, a merry mix up in the forest involving glove puppets, false teeth and a frying

gcg : 48

pan, in LT - Studio at 2pm. Ages 4+, tickets fm boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 641122 Thurs and Fri, Apr 14 and 15: Awardwinning comedian Mark Thomas, Extreme Rambling (Walking the Wall) on his walk along the Israeli Separation Barrier crossing between Israel and Palestine in LT Lounge doors at 7.30pm. Tickets fm boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 641122 Fri, Apr 15: Free Fri Live session, featuring Al Hughes, in LT - Lounge, fm 1pm. Tables booked by calling 447688 Fri, Apr 15: Conductor Donald Runnicles, American cellist Lynn Harrell and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra present Ravel’s Ma Mère L’Oye and Bolero, Dutilleux’ Cello Concerto: Tout un Mond Iointain and Debussy’s Images (Gigues and Ibéria), in MH, at 7.30pm. Tickets fm boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 641122 Sat, Apr 16: One-hour behind the scenes tour at Aberdeen’s iconic Edwardian landmark, His Majesty’s Theatre, in HMT at 10.30am. Tickets fm boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 641122 Sat, Apr 16: Free SC&TURDAY LIVE session with Scottish Cultures and Traditions’ (SC&T), in LT - Lounge, fm 12.30pm. Tables booked by calling 447688 Sat, Apr 16: Creative Kids, sponsored

by Argus Care, in LT - Lounge, doors open 12pm, activities fm 12.30pm to 2.30pm.

Sat, Apr 16: Adapted fm August Strindberg’s play by Patrick Marber, London Classic Theatre presents After Miss Julie, a story of seduction, passion and obsession set in 1945, in LT - Studio at 7pm. Tickets fm boxofficeaberdeen. com or tel 641122 Sat, Apr 16: Not many bands can count among their fans Radiohead, Portishead, Robert Wyatt, Ben Folds, Elvis Costello, Damon Albarn, Ewan McGregor and Nick Hornby, but The Unthanks occupy a unique place in music where polar opposites like

staunch traditionalism and sonic adventure are easy bedfellows in their gentle hands, in LT - Lounge doors at 7.30pm. Tickets fm boxofficeaberdeen. com or tel 641122 Sun, Apr 17: Free Belhaven Sun Jazz session, featuring Hyldie Grinsted, in LT - Lounge, fm 12pm. Tables booked by calling 337688 Sun, Apr 17: Formed to innovate the modern day brass quintet, providing an individual approach to performing Brass Spectrum, in LT Lounge doors at 7.30pm. Tickets fm boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 641122 Tues, Apr 19: Fresh fm his awardwinning role of Othello, actor and comedian Lenny Henry returns to his roots with his brand new one-man show, Cradle to Rave, a funky, funny and touching show about the role music has played in his life, in MH, at 7.30pm. Tickets fm boxofficeaberdeen. com or tel 641122 Wed, Apr 20: King of the one-liner and star of BBC1’s Live at the Apollo and Not Going Out, Tim Vine, The JokeAmotive, in MH, doors at 7.30pm.

Tickets fm boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 641122 Wed, Apr 20: Recreating the music with reverence, excitement and a new stage show, The Ultimate Eagles in LT Lounge doors at 7.30pm. Tickets £15 fm boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 641122 Wed to Fri, Apr 20 to 22: Present Tense Theatre presents Roaring Trade, a tale of cut-throat competitiveness and corporate greed, in LT - Studio at 7pm.

Tickets fm boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 641122 Wed to Sat, Apr 20 to 23: Proving the course of love doesn’t run smoothly, Aberdeen Students’ Charities Campaign present this year’s student show, Sleepless in Seaton, which tackles the issue of love and all the problems that come with it, in His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen, at 7.30pm Wed, Thurs and Sat, and 5pm and 8.30pm on Fri with a 2.30pm Sat matinee. Tickets fm

www.thegranitecitygazette.co.uk

boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 641122

by calling 337688

booked by calling 337688

Thurs, Apr 21: Hugely talented Canadian émigré Tom Stade in his eagerly awaited debut nationwide tour, having established a reputation as one of the most sought after performers on the UK and international circuit, in LT - Lounge doors at 7.30pm. Tickets fm boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 641122

Tues, Apr 26: One of this country’s bestloved, enduring and most acclaimed musicians, rock ‘n roll legend Joe Brown in Concert in MH, at 7.30pm.

Tickets fm boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 641122

Sat, Apr 30: One-hour behind the scenes tour at Aberdeen’s iconic Edwardian landmark, His Majesty’s Theatre, in HMT at 10.30am. Tickets fm boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 641122

Fri, Apr 22: Free Fri Live session, featuring John Hinshelwood, in LT - Lounge, fm 1pm. Tables booked by calling 337688 Fri, Apr 22: After spending the last four years touring the globe alongside her incredible live band, Sandi Thom returns to take in a tour of some of the UK’s most loved intimate venues, in LT - Lounge doors at 7.30pm. Tickets fm boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 641122 Sat, Apr 23: One-hour behind the scenes tour at Aberdeen’s iconic Edwardian landmark, His Majesty’s Theatre, in HMT at 10.30am. Tickets £5 (£3 concession) fm boxofficeaberdeen. com or tel 641122 Sat, Apr 23: Free SC&TURDAY LIVE session with Scottish Cultures and Traditions’ (SC&T), in LT - Lounge, fm 12.30pm. Tables booked by calling 337688 Sat, Apr 23: Creative Kids, sponsored

by Argus Care, in LT - Lounge, doors open 12pm, activities fm 12.30pm to 2.30pm.

Sat, Apr 23: Regular Music presents Glasvegas, plus special guests,, in MH, doors at 7pm. Tickets £16 fm boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 641122 Sat, Apr 23: Having spent most of the last year on the road, perfecting his new show, Sean Hughes brings it to Aberdeen for one night only, in The Lemon Tree Lounge, West North Street, doors at 7.30pm. Tickets fm boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 641122 Sun, Apr 24: Free Belhaven Sun Jazz session, featuring Andrea Turner, in LT - Lounge, fm 12pm. Tables booked

Tues to Sat, Apr 26 to 30: Scottish Theatres Consortium, which includes Aberdeen Performing Arts, presents a startling new production of Tom McGrath’s classic play, The Hard Man, starring Alex Fern and telling the story of gangster Byrne and his journey through the ganglands of Glasgow, fm teenage truant to convicted killer, in His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen, at 7.30pm, with 2pm Thurs and 2.30pm Sat matinees. Tickets fm boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 641122 Thurs, Apr 28: Conductor Stéphane Denève, mezzo-soprano Kelley O’Connor and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra present Spanish Rhapsodies, performing Ravel’s Alborada del Gracioso and Rapsodie Espagnole alongside Lieberson’s Neruda Songs and de Falla’s Suites Nos 1 and 2 fm The Three-Cornered Hat, in MH, at 7.30pm. Tickets fm boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 641122

Sat, Apr 30: Free SC&TURDAY LIVE session with Scottish Cultures and Traditions’ (SC&T), in LT - Lounge, fm 12.30pm. Tables booked by calling 337688 Sat, Apr 30: Creative Kids, sponsored

by Argus Care, in LT - Lounge, doors open 12pm, activities fm 12.30pm to 2.30pm.

Sat, Apr 30: Having seen over 9000 days of ukulele action, playing for one 40th of a millennium The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain comes to MH, doors at 7.30pm. Tickets fm boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 641122 Sat, Apr 30: An alternative rock band fm Glasgow, Twin Atlantic - Sam McTrusty (vocals, guitar), Barry McKenna (guitar, backing vocals), Ross McNae (bass, backing vocals), and Craig Kneale (drums) – in LT - Lounge doors at 7.30pm. Tickets fm boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 641122

Thurs and Fri, Apr 28 and 29: Va Va Voom presents Rowie City, the tale of two lonely We are looking for healthy volunteers for souls as they try the CLASS study to study the potential to rediscover love by taking the health effects of conjugated linoleic acids, midnight train whic h are unique fatty acids present in to anywhere, dairy products in LT - Studio at 7pm. Tickets fm If you are aged 40-70 years, and happy to boxofficeaberdeen. take food supplements and provide a com or tel 641122 Fri, Apr 29: Free Fri Live session, featuring Hedgehog Pie, in LT - Lounge, fm 1pm. Tables

contact the gazette : 01224 - 318561

number of blood samples in a human intervention study, please get in touch!

Eva Bachm air (Row ett Institute) Tel: 01224 716693 E-mail: e.bachmair@abdn.ac.uk

gcg : 49

Sunset on Everest

Sunset on Everest from Kalapatar

You have to earn your first view of the mighty Everest range. From the Lukla airstrip, a short flight from Kathmandu, it takes a day and a half, trekking through pine forests, past lodges framed in dahlias and rhododendrons, across dizzying bridges and up the long steep spur of the Namche Hill.

Now and then, you flatten yourself against the cliff face to let pack animals and porters scrape past. Far below, the foaming waters of the Bhote Kosi roar through an invisible gorge.

At last, the pretty Sherpa town of Namche Bazaar appears, clinging to the very edge of the precipice, all pastel roofs and frilly awnings, prayer flags wavering like giant plumes and stepped alleyways where men carve Buddhist scriptures on the boulders and trekkers bargain for turquoise and Tibetan rugs. At 3340 metres, in the

gcg : 50

Everest National Park, Namche is the place to acclimatise for a day or two and enjoy glorious mountain views, here the holy summit of Khumbila, there the fluted walls of Thamserku or the snowfields of Kongde and on the horizon, the dark windswept cone of Everest. Spring is the best time for rhododendrons, autumn for clear views.

From Namche, Bazaar, it is a fairly easy stretch to Tengboche, the most sacred monastery in the Khumbu region, perched all alone on a wooded ridge. Boy monks scrub their laundry at the gate, chanting drifts from the temple, punctuated by cymbals and drums, and the twin peaks of Ama Dablam rise hauntingly, so close you could almost touch them. Beyond, the land is bleak and you pass only a few hamlets with tiny potato fields and yak dung drying for fuel on stone walls. Sometimes, wild

www.thegranitecitygazette.co.uk

contact the gazette : 01224 - 318561

but Everest remains stubbornly out of sight, hidden by a lower but closer ridge.

So, to set eyes on the panorama of a lifetime, you have to climb even higher and tackle the seemingly easy but breath-taking, kneejerking Kalapatar, the Black Rock above Gorak Shep, towering at 5623 metres. Slowly, Everest appears above Nuptse, rising higher and higher, and when the sun dips in the west, the whole mountain rumbles and groans as huge blocks of ice crash down the slopes. All around the peaks come to life, shimmering pink and gold in the dying light.

Suddenly, sharp as a knife, darkness falls right across the land but for a long time, on the roof of the world, Everest continues to glow, a lonely beacon in a starlit sky.

By Solange Hando

travel

Himalayan goats bound on the slopes and pheasants in iridescent rainbow colours peck on the edge of the trail.

Onto the forlorn village of Dingboche then Lobuche, past myriad stone chortens lined up on the pass, each one a shrine to someone who died in these parts. Now it is high time to eat garlic soup to thin the blood and fill up on energy food, pancakes, potato bread, vegetable rolls the size of a family pie. After a week of toiling up and down slopes and one last scramble over a moraine, anyone reasonably fit can reach Gorak Shep, the original base camp at over 5000 metres, now with a few lodges, tucked in a moonscape of tortured land and ice with gaping crevasses and the great cascade of the Khumbu Icefall. Lhotse, Nuptse, Pumori, Choyu, mountains rise in a magnificent amphitheatre across the Tibetan border,

gcg : 51

NUMBER CRUNCHER

1

2

3

4

5

6

8

7 9

10

11

12

13 14 16 18

21

19

Across 1 25 Across plus 3 Down plus 41 (4) 4 16 Across multiplied by three (4) 7 Seven squared (2) 8 Feet in six yards (2) 9 8 Across plus 14 Across plus 18 Across minus one (5) 12 7 Across multiplied by five (3) 13 One sixth of 6 Down (3) 14 Seconds in seven hours (5) 15 Years in eleven decades (3) 16 15 Across plus 20 Down (3) 18 14 Across minus 22 (5) 21 One seventh of 12 Across (2) 23 Two fifths of 21 Across (2) 24 74 squared plus half of 3 Down (4) 25 24 Across minus 16 (4)

gcg : 52

20

22

24

17

23 25

Špuzzlepress.co.uk

15

Down 1 17 cubed plus 19 Down minus seven (4) 2 7 Across plus 5 Down minus one (2) 3 Inches in five yards (3) 4 12 Across plus 22 Down minus one (3) 5 8 Across plus 23 Across minus one (2) 6 20 Down multiplied by eight (4) 9 235 squared minus 23 (5) 10 185 squared plus 1066 (5) 11 243 squared plus 39 (5) 15 12 cubed plus seven (4) 17 One fifth of 14 Across (4) 19 One eleventh of 24 Across (3) 20 7 Across multiplied by 23 Down (3) 22 Half of 15 Across (2) 23 Three sevenths of 21 Across (2)

www.thegranitecitygazette.co.uk

Muriel’s Puzzle Pages CODEWORD Each letter in this puzzle is represented by a number between 1 and 26. The codes for three letters are shown. As you find the letters enter them in the box below.

26

14

4 8

21

14 4

4 22

13

21

21 26

2 14

7

3

25

17

2

4 4

14

12

3

2

23

4

contact the gazette : 01224 - 318561

26

14

I

15

8

8

4

9

14

3

21

26

4

8

17

10

2

17

4

15

25 25

7

3

2

4

21

4

16 22

3

8

4

21

4

8 2 15

22 22

4

17

7

17

14

4 8

21 4

21 25

7 12

4 1

5 19

21 4

4

8

11

T

22

4

23

4

6

25

4

7

15 18

4

2

17

15 4

24 2

6

13

3

S

24

25 7

23

14

14 26

26 17

20

15

17 4

3

9

gcg : 53

the one stop business shop ...

Piano Teacher M: 078901 48059 E: fionapianotutor@live.co.uk

Home Tuition Tel : 433163

all subjects, all levels fm qualified and trained tutors. All tutors have Enhanced Disclosures. Please call Tutors’ Alliance on 01224 433163 or see tutorsalliance.co.uk

ClaraCleaningCompany Tel : 07929 262 144 Domestic cleaning Fully insured References available Competitive rates One off cleans or regular slots available now.

Residential Care Home Tel : 315121 (Christine Fraser) Tel : 314508 (Alistair Reid)

end2endfootball

Compu-Care

Andy - Mob: 07725 944 462 6-a-side football leagues.

Venue artificial pitch at Garthdee Ski Centre. Tuesday league begins late April/early May. Sunday league also available. www.end2endfootball.com

Call Neil 07929 860 721 PC Repairs and Upgrades Aberdeen based. No call out fee. Collect and return service. New systems available. £15 ph standard pc repairs. £25ph networking/internet

Christie Wood Joinery

Piano Tuition

M : 07850 086241 All types of joinery work undertaken, Bathroom and Kitchen installation, Windows, doors, flooring and property maintenance.

All trades supplied.

Piano Teacher West End Well established piano teacher has a few vacancies

Jane Crofts Gibb Private Tutor Tel. 323671 Mob: 07717 717 913

By qualified,experienced tutor Beginners & adults,all levels Exams optional. I also offer Associated Board Theory Exams Grades 1-8 I am available to accompany instruments & voice Reasonable rates Aberdeen City & District

Queens Cross Church House provides accommodation for elderly persons in the West End of Aberdeen.

Safe, quiet peaceful rooms.

Residential housekeeper provides all meals.

H : 311342

VIP Bin Cleaning Tel : 0800 558 448 Professionally cleaned bins once every four weeks leaving it smelling of fresh cherries and that’s guaranteed.

Only costs £3.50 per clean! gcg : 54

T : 01224 - 316978

Adair & McIntosh Ltd

Tel : 210687

M : 07847 110 985 www.adairandmcintosh.co.uk Ex British Gas Engineers with over 20 years experience.

Full installations, boiler replacements, servicing, breakdowns, landlords certificates, power flushing.

French and German, English (as foreign language). Expert tuition: 1-1 or groups. Beginners to advanced for exam help or conversation. Reasonable rates.

E:jcroftsg@yahoo.co.uk

Philip Garden Painter & Decorator Tel : 735341 Mob : 07902178825

Free Quotes No VAT

www.thegranitecitygazette.co.uk

the gazette Tel : 01224 - 318561 gazette@fsmail.net www.thegranitecitygazette.co.uk

Attract local customers for your local business. Book this space for as little as £17 plus vat ... Whole year £123 plus vat Display adverts fm : £30+vat

Calcudoku Each row and column should contain the numbers 1-6. The numbers placed in a heavily outlined set of squares may be repeated, but must produce the calculation in the top right corner, using the mathematical symbol provided. So, for example, when multiplied, the numbers 3 and 4 total 12: Any block of one square will x12 contain the number in the top 4 3 right corner. ×36

+12

+7 ×15

−4 ×60 ×96

−2 ⁄4

×72

2 1

−4

⁄3 −2

Recession!

We chose to save money by advertising locally with the gazette.

We have successfully raised our profile within a tightly targeted area and people appreciate how great our business is.

Result : more work, more

profit - and people are talking Just compare us to any other local publication! www.thegranitecitygazette.co.uk e : gazette@fsmail.net t : 01224 - 318561 contact the gazette : 01224 - 318561

gcg : 55

Emergency Only 999 or 112

Albyn hospital Tel : 577426 albyn medical practice

Police Fire Brigade Ambulance Coastguard

Tel : 586829 Holburn Medical Group Tel : 400800 The Great Western Medical Practice Tel : 0845 337 0540

Police non emergency

0845 600 5 700

schools

rubislaw place medical group

Tel : 641968

garthdee medical group

Tel : 208312 Carden Medical Centre Tel : 0845 337 6330 Ferryhill Medical Practice Tel : 587484

tel : 01224 - 318561

need a dentist?

gcg : 56

the granite city gazette

useful numbers

useful numbers

need a doctor?

Albyn dental practice tel : 209286 Carden Place Dental Practice tel : 621350 Dentawhite Ltd 01506 206148 Fergus and Glover tel : 644876 Henderson & Hardy tel : 640764 Mark Palmer & Associates tel : 641778 Queens Cross Dental tel : 638889 Ross McLelland tel : 625090 The Dentist, skene street tel : 643622 The Orthodontic Clinic tel : 611633 Waverley Dental Health Practice tel : 625090

Aberdeen Grammar tel : 642299 Ashley Road Primary tel : 588732 Albyn School tel : 322408 Broomhill Primary tel : 315487 Gilcomstoun School tel : 642722 Harlaw Academy tel : 589251 Kaimhill Primary tel : 316356 Robert Gordon’s College tel : 646346 St Margaret’s School tel : 584466 St Joseph’s School tel : 322730 The Hamilton School Tel : 317295

Transport aberdeen airport

tel : 0870 040 0006

first aberdeen

tel : 650000 rail enquiries

tel : 0845 748 4950 aa breakdown

tel : 0800 88 77 66 rac breakdown

tel : 0800 82 82 82

www.thegranitecitygazette.co.uk

           



   



 

            

 

  

 

contact the gazette : 01224 - 318561

gcg : 57

community clubs & groups adult groups

Adult Choi Kwang Do Inchgarth Community Centre Garthdee - Wed 8pm-9pm Tel Claire : 746778 Indoor Bowling @ Holburn West Church 2pm on a Mon Bon Accord MBC Hockey tel : 01224 572075 www.bonaccordmbc.net email : info@bonaccordmbc.net Seafield Bowling Club Cromwell Gdns : A Leaper, Treasurer Tel 319985 If you are interested in an outdoor pursuit among friends?

Rubislaw Tennis Club Cromwell Gardens Offers friendly and competitive tennis for all ages.

Membership info David Stead (Sec) Tel: 07811 748512 Tues Coffee Holburn West Church - Coffee & biscuits every Tues 10:30 - 11:30 All welcome.

Aberdeen Choral Society Mike Longhurst tel : 861629 @ Queens Cross Church Hall 7.30-9.30pm The Bridge Club : tel : 01224 322719 (Sally Reid) 14 Rubislaw Terrace Granite City WRI Ruthrieston Community Centre, 536 Holburn Street, Meets 4th Wed of the month, Sept to Jun. 7pm – 9pm. All welcome: Tel 571131 or 316266 University of Third Age (U3A): tel 702836 Marion. Informal learning for the retired & semi-retired.

Monday Club : tel : 01224-322946 Queen’s Cross Church Hall - Mon’s 2-4pm. Friendly games of bridge & scrabble - beginners welcome - All Ages Royal Horticultural Society Abdn tel : 781171 1st Tues in Mar @ 7.30pm Girl’s Brigade Hall, 19a Victoria St The Learig Orchestra Tel : 322617 Brian Priestley Welcomes string, brass & woodwind players of all standards to its rehearsals at Woodend Hospital on Tues at 7.30pm

gcg : 58

Scottish Country Dancing Summer Socials commence on Wednesday 4th May and run until the end of August. Every Wednesday 7:309:45 at the Boys Brigade Hall on Crimon Place Aberdeen. Everyone welcome (not suitable for complete beginners).

For more information please call 01224 646128 or www.aberdeenrscds.co.uk.

Aberdeen Chorus - Sweet Adelines Int’ Britannia Hotel, Bucksburn, Mon 7.30 10pm Tel: Debbie 07967629272 Silver City Blues - Swimming Club Hazlehead Pool Mon 8.30 - 10pm, Kincorth Pool Tues 9 - 10 pm or Kincorth Pool Thurs 830 - 10pm.

Contact Bill Reid on 745244 or 07796 248961 Senior Citizens Group Tues (2-4pm) Airyhall Community Centre. New members always welcome Interested, contact 318698 (sec) The City of Aberdeen Probus A Club for retired businessmen & professionals. Meet on Wed am’s twice monthly (Sept - Jun), (Aberdeenshire Cricket Club) A wide range of talks on many topics fm interesting speakers.

Other activities incl occasional lunches, trips, bowling & golf competitions. New members welcome. Chris Blunt, Tel. 317298 Airyhall Community Centre Bowling Section Meets Mon/Wed/Fri 10-12 – Fri pm 2-4 £6 for session £4 to join community centre Limited spare bowls if you don’t have your own.

Tel : 318103 (Bill Setter) Granite City Speakers Club Meet every two weeks on Friday nights at 8.0pm in Aberdeen Arts Centre, Secretary: Fred Stewart, tel 723937 Our club offers a warm friendly atmosphere, advice and support. New members & visitors welcome.

Aberdeen Kiltkickers American Square Dance Club Beginners - Mon 7.30 - 9.30 pm Sandra Allen, Tel. 715181

Aberdeen Gaelic Club Brings together Gaelic speakers and individuals interested in Gaelic language and culture. Gaelic language evening classes & weekend courses plus social activities. tel 0777 939 8289, e clubgaidhlig@googlemail.com or http://aberdeengaelic.wordpress.com.

Holburn West Church Tennis 12a Ashley Park South Open Apr - Oct Annual Subs & Family Membership at Bargain Prices New members always welcome Small friendly Club Sally Davis (sec) Tel. 326111 Aberdeen Bowling Club Come and join us for a game of bowls at 50 Carlton Place.

Tel.643233 Woodburn Walkers Enjoy the countryside, meet new friends, keep fit – join the Woodburn Walkers.

Age: 55+. Transport: Hire Bus. Fortnightly: Tues Start Point: Hazlehead Park. Time: 9am for 9.15am. Average Distance: 7 miles Tel: 317197/319741 Yoga Teacher : Florence Wed 1030-1130, Broomhill Activity Centre 050 t : 316278 £2 per class It’s wonderful!

Walking for 50+ Kaimhill Strollers now meet in Community Wing Airyhall School. Thurs fm 10a.m. 4 - 8 miles; use of minibus; cost £3. Tel: 316775. Friendly and welcoming group!

Bon Accord branch – Sugarcraft Guild Meets at Airyhall Com Centre - Last Mon of month, 7-9pm Learn lots through demos and workshops £5 per meeting (incl. refreshments) – friendly & informal group, enjoyable at all skill levels. Call Madeleine Fraser 591672 for a programme Viking Hiking (Nordic Walking) One hour sessions each Thurs, Fri, Sat and Sun at 10am, Meet at Hazlehead main car park (behind the Park Restaurant). Info fm John Greig Tel. 321088

www.thegranitecitygazette.co.uk

Aberdeen Humanist Group Skene House Hotel, 6 Union Grove Monthly meetings for those with a secular lifestance. Interesting speakers and topics for discussion.

Northern Arts Club 8 Bon Accord Square, Aberdeen Interested in Art? then grab your brushes and get painting on Wed. mornings 10.00-12.30pm. Art Tutor Wed 6 April. Please contact 312389 Aberdeen Tai Chi Chuan ‘88 Authentic tai chi, thorough tuition.

Cults Church Hall, 6.30pm Wed £3.50. First class free. Tel: Don Wells 310904 Badminton Rubislaw West Church Hall Monday - 7.30pm - Tel : 315491 Old Time Dance Classes Dunbar St Hall, Old Aberdeen - 7.45pm 10pm 1st & 3rd Tues each month £4.00 per night Tel : James Watson : 314953

Tango Aberdeen Argentine tango dance classes Wed & Sun evenings fm 7.30pm £6 (Conc £4) Discover the passion & elegance of Argentine Tango www.tangoaberdeen.com Rotary Club of Aberdeen Deeside We meet weekly on a Wed at 6.15pm for 6.45pm in Cults Hotel. Rotary is a Service Organisation for community and international needs where we put Service Before Self”. Take a look www. aberdeendeesiderotary.org.uk we look forward to seeing you.

Woodend Bowling Club 285 King’s Gate, A. McCulloch Secretary Tel. 317317 Friendly and relaxing outdoor activity: new members welcome.

Iyengar Yoga Classes ; Tues noon - 1pm & 1pm - 2pm at citymoves dancespace, opp art gallery.

Tues 7.30 - 9.30 pm & Wed 7.15 - 9.15 at South Holburn Parish Church. All classes run

by Fiona Bochel, registered Iyengar teacher since 1995. Cost is £5 an hour, tel 861347

Aberdeen’s Oldest Festivals Links Forged TWO Aberdeen festivals are linking up for the first time in their combined 150-year history.

The 101-year-old Aberdeen Music Festival and Aberdeen International Youth Festival (AIYF), which started in the 1960s, are working together this year, with prizes up for grabs at the June Festival which can be used at the August international event.

Says AIYF director Stewart Aitken: “We have invited up to five competitors from the singing classes at the Music Festival the opportunity to participate in the AIYF 2011 Opera Residency with the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama under their Mary Garden Opera Placement Scheme.

“The selection of the singers aged 16 to 26 will be done by the vocal adjudicator, Aberdeen’s own Patricia MacMahon, in partnership with Tim Dean, Director of the RSAMD Opera School.”

Mary Rasmussen, chairman of the Music Festival, says: “Both festivals have been running side by side for years, each promoting young talent in the north-east and neither of us have worked together before.

contact the gazette : 01224 - 318561

Like walking?

Then why not join the “Seafield Walking Group”. It’s a great way of keeping fit, socialising and getting out into the countryside! For further information contact Elinor Tel. 314609.

Keep Fit Class, the Swedish Way! Day: Monday Time: 5.30pm Fitness, flexibility and strength, “all round exercise to great music”. No need to book, just turn up and have fun while working out!

For more info : contact Sue 07766218880 Mannofield Church Hill Walking Club Monthly trips to the Cairngorms. New members welcome. Contact Peter Stewart for a programme. 313721 or p.stewart1@btinternet.com .

List your classes here for free.. Name of class, Time - Day - Cost Brief description Email to :- gazette@fsmail.net tel : 01224 318561

The chance to take part in the Mary Garden event, named after Aberdeen’s opera singer, is a great opportunity for our competitors, and an ideal way to bring their talents to a wider audience.”

From the Instrumental Classes of the Festival, winners of Chamber Group will also be invited to present their own 50-minute concert as part of the AIYF 2011 Up Close and Musical series.

As well as the prizes up for grabs, all competitors in the Aberdeen Music Festival, no matter what their age, will also receive a 2 for 1 ticket offer voucher for AIYF, as long as one of the people benefiting is under 26.

Says Mrs Rasmussen: “We are delighted to link up with the AIYF and hope that it gives all Aberdeen and the North-east’s talented youngsters the opportunity to strive for a place in the city’s international showcase.”

Aberdeen and North-east Music Festival takes place from 6th to 10th June. www.aberdeenmusicfestival.com Enquiries are at enquiries@aberdeenmusicfestival.com Or at the Festival office on 01224 210259

gcg : 59

The Royal Wedding

It’s a mug’s game!

Unless you’ve been living as a hermit it can’t have escaped your notice that a significant event takes place this month. Yes we all have an extra day’s holiday to look forward to. Oh, and there’s a nice young couple getting married too.

Royal weddings have always been significant events in the history of our country. As I type shop shelves are groaning under the weight of commemorative mugs, while TV adverts exhort us to send off for decorative gold coins. I’d always assumed that Royal souvenirs were a relatively modern invention, but in fact they have been a popular way of marking weddings and Jubilees for the last three centuries.

The earliest known English commemorative items date from the Restoration of Charles II, in 1660. They must have been a hit because more followed for his Coronation in 1661 and wedding in 1662! At first such items were purchased only by the wealthy, but as new manufacturing methods developed the ordinary general public was able to buy a little piece of Royal history too.

What they bought hasn’t changed a great deal over the years: the most popular items are and have always been coins, stamps and ceramics, especially mugs. Oh we Brits do love a Royal mug. I wonder if that’s related to our love of tea!

Special issue coins were first used to mark the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887. The majority of jubilee coins are issued in ‘crown’ size. This has nothing to do with a royal crown but is in fact the size of an old crown coin, which was equal in value to 5 shillings. The reason for this is that the large size of the coin allows for more detail.

These special coins are not intended for

gcg : 60

general use and are almost always collected in uncirculated mint condition.

The first stamps associated with a Royal event were those issued in 1887, the year of Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee.

Interestingly they were not intended as commemorative issues and were never released as a set. Specific Jubilee sets of stamps were first issued in 1935 for George V's Jubilee.

Ceramics have always been popular Royal souvenirs. Commemorative jugs, vases, mugs, and plates survive in significant

numbers from the reign of George III onwards.

But it seems the imaginations of the souvenir producers know no limits.

Everything from wallpaper to underwear has been given some sort of a Royal twist in times past. This time it’s train tickets, with William and Kate gracing the Oyster cards of commuters in the capital.

Because most souvenirs are now mass produced they have little commercial value long term, but they’re fun and colourful and a nice little piece of history to pass on to our children. I still have my Silver Jubilee coin, given to me when I was a child and my seven-year-old son thinks it’s real Royal treasure. I won’t disillusion him just yet.

www.thegranitecitygazette.co.uk

Bling It On

Girls For Charity Event

Organisers of the latest Bling Fling Charity event are delighted with the response so far and hope that this years’ event will attract even more participants.

The Bling Fling Tiaras and Trainers Charity walk combines a 5 or a 10k sponsored walk - in trainers and tiaras - along the Deeside Railway Line from the Duthie Park - followed by a glittering party filled with entertainments and therapies at the Winter Gardens afterwards.

All the money raised is being donated to help create an exciting new support centre at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary for women diagnosed with breast cancer and Archway, a local charity that supports children, young people and adults with learning disabilities.

* Authentic French Polishing done by an experienced polisher of 28 years. * Floors sanded and sealed, waxed or polished. * All repairs, new wood blended, hearth removal and repairs to parquet, plank and block floors. * Wall panelling, staircases, doors - all stripped, polished and/or waxed in traditional style. * All types of furniture old and new repaired and restored. * Floors sanded, restored to lined effect if requested. * Insurance work welcome. * Commercial, hotel and bar work undertaken. * Kitchen unit doors refinished to required colour and finish * Fire mantles stripped and restored * Choice of colours, sample work done FREE for any interior house work.

Contact : Graham Russell Tel : 07729 493 445

floorsand@googlemail.com www.aberdeenfrenchpolishing.co.uk contact the gazette : 01224 - 318561

Already almost 200 people have signed up to take part in the event, which takes place on the 15th May, and a glittering array of entertainment and therapies have been organized for the evening.

The last two events have already raised more than £120,000 and organisers hope this years event will add even more. “ When we started Bling Fling we had no idea how popular it would be” said Janine Davies, who has been involved in Bling Fling from the start. “ I think it’s because while Bling Fling raises money for such worthwhile causes that touch so many lives, it is also about getting together with friends, supporting each other and having fun and that is really important too.”.

If you want to take part in the Bling Fling on the 15th May, log onto the website www.blingfling. org, send an e-mail to enquiries@blingfling.org, or call the Archway office on 01224 643327.

Beaver Scouts Age between 6 and 8

Cub Scouts

Age between 8 and 10 ½

Places now available There are now places available for Girls and Boys in Beaver Scouts and Cub Scouts at the 17th Pitstruan Scout Group. Currently meeting at the Scout District Head Quarters at Ruthrie Terrace on Thursdays 6pm – 7pm.

Great fun for all!

If interested please contact Jacqui Duncan mob. 07703435251 Or email jacqui4bs@hotmail.co.uk

gcg : 61

Who’s Advertising and Where to Find Them ...

A

pg 63 pg 61 pg 57 pg 54 pg13 pg 34 pg 21 pg 63

B

pg 43 pg 27 pg 64 pg 41

C

pg 7 pg 54 pg 54 pg 54

Aberden Academy Performing Arts Aberdeen Restorations Aberdeen Squash Racquets Club Adair and McIntosh Ageless Yoga Allie McLeod After School Football Anderson’s Groundcare Ltd Aquatic Soul Bathrooms

Babyscan Studio Barbara Ellis Property Leasing Bling Fling Bumps, Babies and Beyond

Cake Creations by Homewood Christie Wood Joinery Clara Cleaning Compucare

F

pg 5 pg 54

G

pg 19

J

pg 54 pg 36 pg 10 pg 39

K

pg 24 pg 34 pg 21 pg 7

M

pg 45 pg 54

N

O

pg 35

End2Endfootball

Ferryhill House Hotel Fiona Carter - Piano Tutor

Gift Room Too

Jane Crofts Gibb Jo Jingles John Park Jeweller Junction Art and Gifts

Keith McKay - Tiler Kenny Davidson - Painter Kippie Lodge Kumiko Beauty

gcg : 62

Lapis Gold Laura Walker Ltd

Mannofield Music Mrs Charles - Piano Tuition

Neil Angus - IT

Oven Valet

P

pg 53 Paul Mackie Photography pg 11&29 Paula McEwen Restaurant pg 54 Philip Garden - Painter pg 28 Prestige the Laundry

Q

pg 10

pg 14&31 DAWGS pg 45 Dave Ledingham - Keyboard pg 7&10 Devonair Hairstylists

pg 54

pg 2 pg 12

pg 54

D E

L

R

pg 63 pg 49

S

pg 34 pg 24

T

pg 9 pg 45 pg 35 pg 54

U

pg 18

V

pg 54

Y

pg 24

Queens Cross Community Council

Rosemount Joinery Rowett Institute

Send It Fulfilment Solutions Spik n’ Span

Temple Aesthetics The Reel McCoy Trudi Deans Tutors Alliance

UCAN

VIP Bin Cleaning

Yoga Therapy

www.thegranitecitygazette.co.uk

Design

Supply

Installation

Competitive Prices We Take Pride In a Quality Finish Showroom By Appointment Only

www.aquaticsoul.co.uk Tel : 01224 733402

Everything From A Cat flap To An Extension Small jobs a speciality uPvc Windows and Doors Flooring Bathrooms Kitchens

Proprietor : Kenny Laird, 36 Lerwick Road, Aberdeen AB16 6RF

Tel : 01224 - 682072

contact the gazette : 01224 - 318561

Mob : 07974 288 982

gcg : 63