West End Issue 59 Sept 2011

Issue 59

September 2011 West End Edition Your Personal Copy

Inside this issue WIN Theatre Tickets - easy to enter competition Let’s look at Geocaching The Nissan Leaf - Electric heaven or hell?

NEOS : A must do this September

gazette Aberdeen’s only free quality lifestyle magazine

Welcome back...

Autumn is definitely my favourite season. I particularly enjoy the changing colours of the leaves on the trees and the longing for an Indian summer!

September also brings NEOS. Now into its eighth year it really is a must for your calendars. Pick up one of the free catalogues which are dotted about in shops, restaurants, hotels, and cafes across town. It is definitely a great way to try a new craft or even to watch the artists at work.

Our competition this month is to win tickets to the Theatre. We have a pair of tickets for Para Handy and a pair of tickets for End of the Rainbow. So don’t forget to send off your entry before 19 September.

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 : James Baggott; Pippa Greenwood, Fred Lane, Jane Robinson Advertising Sales : Sue Simpson : 01224 - 318561

Distribution - thanks to : Dougie; Anne; Mark; Sue,: Ashley; Carol; Caroline; Gregor; Alistair; Emma; Rachel; Steph, Jodie, Cameron, Kate, Sarah, Fraser. Freya, David, Elise,Tom, Maureen & Raymond

www.thegranitecitygazette.co.uk

To the Cults and Bieldside residents welcome! No you haven’t missed 51 issues of the Deeside gazette you are now getting the West End gazette and I hope that it may be more relevant to you and yours.

I extend a warm welcome to our new advertisers and to Braeside and Mannofield Community Council.

Our dining out pages are looking good this issue. There is a lovely feature about the new improvements at the Four Mile with the addition of the 4th Room. A wonderful spot for a pre-dinner or after dinner drink!

Without further ado, as always, go grab that cuppa and enjoy the September issue of the gazette.

Until the next time,

Sue x

Thanks to all who entered the July/Aug competitions.

Winner of the Glamping Voucher : Mrs E Smith from Bridge of Don Winners of AIYF Tickets : Mrs H Hayward - Banchory Ms A Hartley -- Countesswells

delivered to : 11800 West End Homes 200 City Businesses deadlines : October - 19 Sept November - 19 Oct Dec/Jan - 22 Nov

publisher : the granite city gazette owner : Sue Simpson tel : 318561 mob : 07813 964 875 email : gazette@fsmail.net thegranitecitygazette.co.uk

thru the door at : Airyhall, Ashley, Bieldside (NEW), Braeside, Broomhill, Countesswells, Craigiebuckler, Cults (NEW) Holburn, Kepplestone Houses, Mannofield, Morningside, Queens Cross, Rubislaw, Seafield, Viewfield, Woodland at Pitfodels, Woodend contact the gazette : 01224 - 318561

All eye examinations covered by NHS Optical Coherence Tomography for early diagnosis of Glaucoma, Macular Degeneration and Retinal Conditions.

Digital Retinal Photography Visual Field Analysis Large range of Designer frames and specialised spectacle lenses Accredited by RACH for Children’s Eye Examinations

Home Visits Free Car parking Open Late night Tuesday - 7pm & Saturday - 4pm Scott Gilmour BSc (Hons) MCOptom

5 The Courtyard, Cults, Aberdeen AB15 9SD

Telephone : 01224 - 863344 info@scottgilmouroptometrists.co.uk www.scottgilmouroptometrists.co.uk

gcg : 3

A Proverb Every evening, at around 6.30pm, my local supermarket helps me to save...I think. Those items nearing their ‘sell by date’ are reduced – drastically – in price. Nothing seems to be off limits: fresh salads, lamb chops, curries, scotch eggs (there’s always lots of scotch eggs – does no-one eat them anymore?), sandwiches, etc. Thus you can nab all sorts of bargains: if you’re in the right place at the right time.

Now remember that phrase: ‘Right place at the right time’.

By 6.30pm I’m in the supermarket, basket in hand and hovering. The ability to hover is crucial to the success of the operation.

If you fail to hover in the right place at the right time then you are doomed for failure. I normally hover around the low fat yogurts; you don’t often get interrupted by anyone wanting to buy one.

It’s also useful if you can appear to be engrossed in something whilst, in reality, your attention is elsewhere. For example, whilst I appear to be debating the merits of ‘low fat’ versus ‘no fat’, I am in reality waiting

for ‘The Door’ to open. It is through this door that ‘He’ will come, carrying with him a list of items to be reduced and a hand held computer loaded with bright yellow stickers.

‘He’ will then pick out those goods and place them in a trolley. It’s very important that he’s not interrupted at this stage. ‘He’ won’t start to make reductions until all the necessary items have been selected and is likely to disappear back through the door if you ask: “Oh, are you going to be reducing that?”

He (and it’s always a ‘he’ at my supermarket), will then wheel his trolley to that small empty spot in the fridges reserved for the ‘yellow sticker’ items.

Now, I find it useful at this stage to reposition to a more advantageous spot. By that, I mean a place where you can clearly see what ‘He’ is doing, while still managing to appear engrossed in some other items on offer. I always use this as an opportunity to peruse those little pots of olives and garlic that cost an absolute fortune; these never seem to be reduced.

Pilates - Mannofield Church Monday 10:00-11:00am £5 - Laura 07773021851

bial Life...

Look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves

Bargain Hunting

by A. O’Brien A crowd of fellow bargain hunters will now have begun to gather. At this point I always have to resist the urge to charge forward, elbow them out of the way and shout: “Get back, I was here first.” I don’t know what stops me really...one day I’ll have my moment of madness in the supermarket aisles. You’ll probably hear about it on the news: “Woman threatens shoppers with a French stick over a penny off.”

I share the soup with a young woman who has a toddler in tow. She graciously lets me have both pots of couscous and I allow her two egg salads. We leave the madras curry behind for someone else. I spot the reduced chicken breasts in a fellow shopper’s basket and resist the urge to grab them and run for the tills.

I’ve already saved a fortune...I think.

Items are now scanned, reductions made, stickers stuck and the ‘treasure’ is tossed in an untidy pile into the fridge. The crowd erupts into a scramble of clashing baskets, grabbing hands and hard elbows. I hold back: waiting for a pause, a gap, a chance to get something...anything!

Finally, the crowd parts, disperses, and I can see the end in sight. Two tubs of spicy couscous, two egg salads, a madras curry and several cartons of fresh soup. The chops, sandwiches, chicken breasts and cream Pilates and cakes have already been snapped up. No Fitness Yoga classes scotch eggs tonight.

Pilates at Inchgarth CC: Yoga at Mannofield Church and Peterculter Sport Centre Please bring your own mat

Yoga To book please contact: Laura Walker: 0777 302 1851

Mannofield Church

Alan D.

Cowie

Painter & Decorator Alan D. Cowie 68 Broomhill Avenue Aberdeen AB10 6JY Tel : 01224 313434 Mob : 07855 253218 Email : alan.cowie3@googlemail.com

T: 01224 313434 M: 07855 253218

E: alan.cowie3@googlemail.com W: www.alancowie.co.uk

Thursday 9:45-10:45am £5 - Laura 07773 021 851

I love this month, not least because it gives me carte blanche for thinking about something I adore: spring flowering bulbs such as daffodils and other narcissus.

Why? Because for best results the bulbs for these spring delights need to be planted in the autumn.

Planted from now onwards, they have a good chance to grow roots and start to build up energy for making a great display next spring.

Choose your daffodils carefully and you can have a display starting in late winter (from varieties such as ‘February Gold’) right through until mid-spring. When looking through the selection in catalogues or on garden centre shelves, just check flowering times which will be clearly indicated on the pack. Sometimes this will be as numerals rather than actual dates. For example, February to March could be indicated as 2-3 or sometimes even II-III. Spring flowering bulbs are generally completely hardy in our climate so unless hit by serious extremes of weather (such as prolonged flooding), they will keep coming year after year.

There should be planting depths written on the packs of bulbs you buy or order, but if not it is generally better to plant slightly too deep rather than too shallowly. As a guide, I would advise planting at roughly three times the height of the bulb. If planted too shallowly they don’t perform so well and are more likely to be accidentally dug up when you’re planting other things.

Buying larger quantities of bulbs usually makes them significantly cheaper per bulb and there are always multi-pack offers

Start plan

for a great display of Spr to be found, so shop about and choose carefully, but whatever you go for, unless you choose the very elite super-pricey bulbs, they’ll represent superb value for money. If you’re looking to plant a large expanse, perhaps a bank or the area along the sides of the drive, go for daffodils by the sack rather than by the bag.

I’m a real fan of crocus – choose from purple, lilac, striped, cream, yellow, orange or white. They’re very good value, but here’s a word of warning – I always find that the super-bargain priced mega-bags of crocus contain a lot of yellow and orange crocus which the sparrows love to shred. It’s better value to pay a little more for smaller single colour bags and avoid the yellows and oranges.

nting now

ring flowering.

Once established, spring bulbs multiply quite rapidly, so you should end up with more than you started with – this means it’s important to plant at the suggested distances apart, even if it may feel a little sparse for the first year or two. If you want a high-impact look from the start, then you can plant a little closer than suggested, but bear in mind the bulbs will become congested and need lifting and replanting all the sooner.

Spring flowering bulbs need little attention once established – just give them an occasional feed and once the clumps become congested, divide and replant them to give each bulb more space so it can fulfil its potential.

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Where to grow them: Try simple daffodils like ‘Carlton’, ‘King Alfred’ or English bluebells grown in random plantings, scattered and then planted where they fall, beneath trees in your garden. They’ll look great and often produce a really good display beneath the outer spread of trees where it may otherwise be difficult to encourage much else to grow.

Shrubs and even climbers can also be used for naturalised bulb plantings, but because they’re smaller, grow the more diminutive bulbs such as miniature Narcissus ‘Tete a Tete’, ‘Hawera’, ‘Peeping Tom’, rich blue grape hyacinths or delicate Chinodoxa.

On steep banks where gardening is difficult, why not grow masses of bulbs?

Planting on the near vertical may be tricky, but once there you can enjoy the display for years to come.

Pots or other good-looking containers make great homes for bulbs. If you’ve fallen for anything particularly small or expensive, pots can be the answer and will mean you can enjoy and not lose those tiny spring bulb jewels amongst their larger relatives.

Larger planters including tubs and window boxes are brilliant for bulbs too – try a host of golden daffodils in a smart blue pot, some delicate dwarf iris or Iris reticulata in a window box or pot on the front steps where you’ll be able to enjoy their good looks and their subtle perfume.

Whichever type of spring bulb you have in mind, and wherever you intend to grow them, start planning and buying now so that they can be in the ground promptly.

by Pippa Greenwood

You can get great Grow Your Own Veg results with Pippa’s unique ‘Grow Your Own with Pippa Greenwood’.

Order your veg plants from www.pippagreenwood.com and your garden-ready plants are delivered in May at a great time for planting.

What makes it unique is that Pippa will email you every week about what you’re growing – lots of tips and help, ensuring great results. It’s great value with various pack sizes available, eg up to 66 plants plus 6 packets of seed for just £39.00, plus that weekly advice.

Book a three issue Xmas Package

and supply us with your products and a description and we’ll include you in our Best of Local Shops section this Christmas...

October November December/January Three issues to let people know what you have in stock for Christmas 2011.

Book today : 01224 318561 email : gazette@fsmail.net

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

PROPERTY SERVICES

FACILITY MANAGERS

ROOFING DIVISION • Gutter & Downpipe Cleaning • Gutter & Downpipe Repairs & Installations • Fascias & Soffit Repairs & Installations • Pointing Repairs • Slate/Tile Repairs

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

Proserv (Scotland) Ltd Units 11/12 Blackburn Industrial Estate Woodburn Road, Blackburn, Aberdeen Tel: 01224 791 968 enquiries@proservuk.com

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

Health, Fitness and Beauty

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then call today and get your business noticed locally, faster!

Join our Health, Fitness and Beauty Section!

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Health, Fitness and Beauty

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gcg : 11

Health, Fitness and Beauty ‘It’s Like Climbing Everest 14 times’: Outdoor Enthusiast Prepares for Record-Breaking Munro Challenge

rickshaw rider and also an outdoor instructor in Norfolk and Cumbria where he previously lived for four years.

The mammoth task that lies ahead of him will total 1700 miles in distance and a 420,000 foot ascent which is approximate to climbing Mount Everest 14 and a half times.

To date only two people have completed all the Munros in one winter - Martin Moran in 1984/85 and Steve Perry in 2005/06. This will be the first time that the trip will ever be attempted using only kayaks, bikes and feet to complete the round.

Looking ahead to his challenge, Ben said: “I am under no illusions that this is going to be anything other than the most demanding four months of my life. But there is also a simplicity in waking up and having nothing but a destination to focus on which really appeals to me.

When Ben Hunter was laid low with a bout of swine flu whilst living in Australia last year, he had a lot of time to think about his life.

Through his week-long illness he formulated a plan that, once recovered, would see him return to his Scottish homeland and undertake a huge outdoor challenge.

Now back in his home town of Aberdeen, he is in training to climb all 283 Scottish Munros in only four months during the winter period. If successfully completed, Ben will become the first person to have achieved the challenge entirely under his own steam.

Ben (25), who originally grew up in the Broomhill area, recently returned from a 12 month trip to Australia where he lived for the majority of the time in Byron bay on the country’s east coast. The former Aberdeen Grammar student has worked in many physically challenging jobs over the years that have instilled within him a keen enthusiasm for the outdoors including a sea kayak guide,

“I’ve been fortunate enough to travel a lot and have seen some spectacular places around the world. However, I still believe that Scotland is one of the most ruggedly beautiful places I have been and this expedition is going to immerse me in some of the most remote and unspoiled places in the British Isles.”

Ben is currently building his stamina and upper body strength at Robert Gordon University’s sport facility, RGU: SPORT, which houses a bouldering room and 11 metre climbing wall.

“My expedition will involve fairly low effort expenditure but over a four-month period, so endurance is the most important thing to me,” explained Ben. “RGU: SPORT is a perfect place for me to train. The fact that there is an entire room dedicated to bouldering is fantastic as it is something a lot of other climbing facilities simply don’t have.”

RGU: SPORT climbing coordinator, Ally Flett, has helped Ben design an appropriate training regime that will help prepare him for his challenge.

Health, Fitness and Beauty

He said: “Ben is a keen and dedicated climber looking to embark on a mental and physical challenge that the majority of us would have shied away from. Providing Ben with free and unrestricted access to our bouldering room allows him to climb by himself and build up his strength and stamina which will be essential for his expedition. We at RGU: SPORT are providing Ben with our full backing and my colleagues and I wish him great success in his challenge.”

(Photographs Courtesy of Martin Parker from RGU)

Ben will begin his Munro challenge on the 1 December. He is currently seeking sponsorship and through his expedition aims to raise awareness and funds for Amnesty International.

To track his progress in the run up and during the expedition visit www.outdoorsmagic.com.

Definition : Munro A Munro is a mountain that is over 3000ft in height (914.4 metres). The highest Munro is Ben Nevis, at an altitude of 4,409 feet (1,344 metres).

Garthdee Choi Kwang-Do what our students say…….

“a great activity for my Duke of Edinburgh award”

“really building my daughter’s confidence”

“something we can all do as a family”

“helping me get back in shape after having my baby”

“a great stressbuster after a hectic day at work – feel so much fitter!”

“recently retired and was looking for a new challenge”

“my son is doing much better at school, his focus and concentration are much improved”

“fun, friendly and welcoming”

Heathryburn Primary School – Mondays 6-8pm Inchgarth Community Centre – Thursdays 6-7pm For more info and to book your free introductory lesson call us on 746778

www.garthdeeckd.co.uk

Health, Fitness and Beauty Group Exercise

It’s September. 9 months since you made that New Year’s resolution to get fit. How’s that going anyway? Just can’t find the time or the motivation? You’re not alone. But rather than criticise ourselves, and set ourselves up for another disappointment in 2012, let’s consider what’s getting in the way. Could it be the extra hours at work, the broken washing machine, the caveman costume you’re asked to produce for school with 48 hours notice, the huge pile of washing? After a hectic day or week, it’s hardly surprising that we simply switch off in front of the TV rather than working on our life goals. There’s only so much gas in the tank.

to plan a workout then carry it out by yourself at home or in the gym. Joining a fitness class places the responsibility for planning and motivation with the instructor. Another tactic is to make it a social event. Either get a friend to go with you, or soak up the enthusiasm and enjoyment of others at the class. You are much more likely to keep finding opportunities for activities you enjoy, than those which wear you down.

See you in class!

So what can we do to try to make life easier on ourselves, and make this the year we finally shed those excess pounds or muscle up? One simple step is to reduce the number of decisions you need to make about your fitness routine. It’s hard to motivate yourself

Want to lose weight or get fitter?

Fitness Classes

Brazillian Jiu Jitsu (Juniors S1-S6) Monday & Thursday 1700-1800 HIIT Circuits Class Monday - 1800-1900 Abs Class Thursday - 1800-1830 Kettlebells - For weightloss and conditioning Mon 1900-2000 Tues 1830-1930 All Classes have limited spaces, contact us for a discount block booking to secure yours.

Kettlebell class is a six week block (available as 1 or 2 sessions a week)

Classes held at Cults Sports Complex Cults Academy Community Wing, Quarry Rd

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Personal Training

Weight loss and nutritional advice.

Young or old, male or female.

Home and outdoors training.

Personalised programme.

Individual and small groups.

Sports specific training.

No gym, no problem.

FreeformFMA – Personal Fitness Training Colin Stewart, REPs Level 3 Certified Trainer

www.freeformFMA.co.uk FreeformFMA@gmail.com 07751 818 602

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Health, Fitness and Beauty

Postnatal Illness

Caring for your long-awaited baby should be the most wonderful experience, but for many mums, at some time in the first few days, weeks or months, it simply is not.

Baby blues Around 50-80% of new mums get the ‘baby blues’ when they feel, not surprisingly, exhausted, anxious and weepy during the first few days after the birth. This usually disappears without the need for treatment about 10 days after the birth.

Postnatal depression (PND) Around 10-15% of women will suffer more severe postnatal depression, sometimes weeks or months after the birth of their baby.

About half of cases occur within the first three months, and 75% of cases by six months.

These mums experience more powerful and prolonged symptoms of depression such as: • constant weepiness • anxiety, tension • difficulty in bonding with the baby • loss of libido • sleep disturbances, restlessness • exhaustion • feeling isolated or living in a ‘bubble’ • feelings of guilt and resentment Many women do not realise they are suffering from postnatal depression and battle on without getting the help they need. It is often women who have high expectations of themselves and of motherhood that find the reality of caring for a new baby hard to cope with.

If you feel depressed, it’s important to let family and friends know how you feel so that you can get support. Your GP can discuss treatment options with you, such as counselling and anti-depressants and direct you to local mothers’ groups which can be of enormous support to new mums.

Puerperal psychosis A very small percentage of women (between one and three in every 1,000), suffer from puerperal psychosis, which causes severe mental breakdown and may include symptoms such as manic behaviour and hallucinations.

Treatment options include hospitalisation, drugs and counselling.

Getting support Being at home with a new baby that seems to need constant feeding and changing, who takes all your attention and leaves you feeling exhausted, can be an isolating experience. Take up any offers of help and support from friends and family. If you feel you are not coping, always talk to your GP or health visitor.

It’s normal to feel emotional and exhausted after having a baby, but symptoms of PND include constant crying, feeling cut off from everyone else, an inability to sleep, feeling anxious and tense and unable to bond with your baby.

If you feel low or depressed, don’t try to cope on your own and don’t be afraid to ask for help – all new mums need the support of family and friends. Don’t put yourself under pressure to keep the house clean or prepare big meals – rest when your baby sleeps.

If you feel you are not coping, talk to your health visitor or GP – and don’t feel embarrassed or ashamed that you’re not handling motherhood as well as other mums seem to be. Talk to other mums – you’ll find they’re probably feeling just as overwhelmed as you are.

Despite greater awareness of PND, it’s thought that only about half of mothers who need help are getting it. So don’t keep your feelings to yourself – the sooner you talk about it, the quicker you can get support and, if needed, treatment.

contact the gazette : 01224 - 318561

gcg : 15

Health, Fitness and Beauty Now that the long, hot days of summer have faded to memory and the crisp nip in the air has marked the arrival of autumn, the low maintenance, casual and laidback beauty styles that have seen us through last season are in much need of updating.

Guaranteed

Glamour

The light covering of tinted moisturiser and sweep of mascara that seemed so effortless yet effective when paired with beach tanned skin, becomes totally redundant when competing with a weather-beaten face.

Although the dark nights take a little getting used to, it’s not all doom and gloom, as this time of year provides the perfect opportunity to expand your make-up bag, commit to a skin care regime and experiment with some brand new beauty looks.

And we’ve certainly seen some exciting trends hitting the catwalk for this season.

All of the top designers have showcased clothing collections full of sumptuous, indulgent fabrics that epitomise winter chic. But these collections would not have been half as effective if not combined with styled make-up and hair that, of course, is crucial in completing the look.

The top make-up trends for this season have been established, so all that’s left is for us to take style inspiration and exchange our usual staid beauty routine for a truly inspired new look.

Sporting ‘swinging sixties’ style, Anna Sui focused all attention on the eyes, with thick black lines of liquid liner and superbly volumised lashes, teamed with nude lips and natural hair.

In contrast, Oscar de la Renta chose striking blusher shades, heavily defined brows and a prominent pink pout, with hair swept off the face in a classic ponytail; whilst Donna Karan used autumnal shades of orange, tangerine and rust to create striking eyeshadow hues.

The nineties were revisited by Vera Wang. Grunge style was re-created with smudgy black liner, roughly applied metallic shadow and frosty pink lips finished with mussed-up hair - in true ‘rock chick’ style.

But the trend that really seems to stand out is classic Hollywood glamour. Adopted by Diane von Furstenberg the look combines ravishing red lips, flawless foundation, a light smoky eye, curled and subtly mascara’d lashes and, of course, immaculately blow dried hair.

It’s a return to full on glamour that pays homage to a bygone era. The vampish style is undeniably sexy and the vintage edge makes it unquestionably chic. It’s sophisticated, classy, refined and totally feminine.

As a high maintenance trend you might think that it’s all a bit too much trouble, but it’s amazing what a difference embracing even just one element can make - it is well worth a try.

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Health, Fitness and Beauty

To create the look you need the right tools...

A flawless base is essential.

Begin by using a light moisturiser and add a creamy matt foundation to even out skin tone.

(1. All About Face foundation, Ivory, £1.49 ).

Brows must be tamed so use a brush to create a sweeping arch, pluck unwanted stray hairs and set in place with a gel.

Combine a mixture of smoky shades on eyes and add a flick of black eyeliner, curl lashes and finish with mascara. (2. Body Shop eyeshadow £16, 3. Next black kohl pencil £3, 4.

Body Shop ‘big and curvy’ waterproof mascara £10).

Sweep a soft shade of blusher onto cheeks (5. Next blusher £4) and then concentrate on the all important pout.

Find a red lipstick that compliments your skin tone (6. Body Shop lipsticks, various shades).

Cool skin tones suit pink undertones, warm complexions are complemented by orangey reds and by choosing blue undertones in red lipstick, teeth will appear noticeably whiter.

by Helen Jane Taylor

contact the gazette : 01224 - 318561

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Health, Fitness and Beauty NUMBER CRUNCHER 1

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Across 1. Seven cubed (3) 4. 5 Down plus 14 Down plus 35 (3) 6. 28 Across multiplied by 96.5 (5) 9. Double 2 Down (2) 11. 27 Down multiplied by five (3) 12. Weeks in one year (2) 13. Six squared (2) 15. Cube root of 1728 (2)

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27 29 ŠPuzzlepress.co.uk

16. 3 Down plus 4 Down + 22 Down (4) 17. 15 Across plus 56 squared (4) 18. One fifteenth of 11 Across (2) 20. Square root of 1936 (2) 21. 22 Down minus 25 (2) 22. 9 Across plus 1 Down (3) 24. Square root of 324 (2) 26. 6 Across + 19 Down plus 1789 (5) 28. One ninth of 19 Down (3) 29. 1 Across minus 109 (3) Down 1. 1 Across plus four (3) 2. 13 Across plus two (2) 3. 4 Across multiplied by four (4) 4. Months in seven years (2) 5. Ounces in seven pounds (3) 7. 4 Down minus one (2) 8. One quarter of 11 Across (2) 10. 12 Down plus 10982 (5) 12. 21 Down squared (5) 14. 1 Down + 11 Across minus one quarter of 12 Across (3) 15. 2 Down multiplied by three (3) 19. 13 Across multiplied by 21 Down (4) 21. 24 Across plus 15 Down + 26 Down plus one (3) 22. Months in four years (2) 23. Pints in four gallons (2) 25. 13 Across multiplied by 18 Across (3) 26. Double 22 Down (2) 27. Months in six years (2)

Are you suffering in silence with problem skin?

Then help is at hand...

Temple Aesthetics now run a problem skin clinic for teenagers and adults with acne, rosacea or associated scarring.

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Omnilux Blue Light Treatment has been shown to be more effective than antibiotics at killing the bacteria responsible for acne. Omnilux Revive and Omnilux Plus Phototherapy is also available which heps to minimise the redness of acne lesions and promote healthier skin due to the anti-inflammatory properties. The other benefit is improving skin tone and elasticity.

An individual programme is offered using prescription medicines and pharmaceutical skin care products in tandem with other skin care treatments.

Visit us at 9 The Coutyard, North Deeside Road, Cults, Aberdeen AB15 9SD Phone for more details : 01224 869997

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Health, Fitness and Beauty

Beauty Treatments: Uncovered As I promised to start pampering myself more often I popped along to try out a new technique being offered at Kumiko. Vitalift - a non invasive facit lift treatment.

It started off with a very nice face clean! (Not my usual soap and water!) Then Jenny placed little red and black electrodes on the key areas of my face. Jenny was excellent at explaining exactly what was happening with every step of the way.

We then did a test run! No, I didn’t jump off the table; it was a very gentle increase in power to the point of almost not feeling anything at all. At any time I could ask for the pressure to be reduced or increased.

It is a little tingling feeling – I suppose a bit like a massage chair – if you’ve used one of them. Where the pressure starts off small and when it hits the right spot it intensifies. Once I got used to the lighter touch we increased the power and you could feel

it a little more but it wasn’t in any way unpleasant.

I had a lovely hand and arm massage whilst the electrodes were doing their stuff which was equally as good! It was a shame when it finished as I did enjoy it. Of course I had to have a good look in the mirror when all was done. And the two lines that are quite deep on my forehead were remarkably reduced, almost invisible!

Like most things a one off does a temporary fix. If you were looking to have a longer lasting effect then a session of ten with a follow up each month would keep you looking as youthful as ever. I was also pleased to hear that Jenny can also work wonders on the rest of the body.

So if you suffer from the effects of time, sun exposure and stress or you feel your skin is dull, or your cheeks and eyelids are drooping, and a few wrinkles are appearing then this might just be the answer to your prayers!

NEW ‘Vitalift’ - Non Invasive Face Lift Treatment Electrical stimulation making it possible to re-educate the facial muscles and perform electrolifting, restoring firmness and tone, re-model the facial oval and re-juvenate the face without scars or bruising from surgery or injecting.

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

contact the gazette : 01224 - 318561

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f a e L n a s s Ni What is it?

Nissan would have you believe it’s revolutionary.

It’s the first five-seater, allelectric car in production, producing zero emissions and costing just £2 to ‘fill up’.

The benefits don’t end there either. Buyers enjoy zero road tax and company car drivers won’t be clobbered by any Benefit in Kind. That means someone driving a 1.6-litre diesel Ford Focus, paying £4,000 company car tax per year, would see that amount back in their pay packets.

What’s under the bonnet?

A big fat electric motor. Flip the catch, show any non petrol-head the unit and most will be convinced it’s a standard engine – to the

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uninitiated it certainly looks that way. It’s the fat power cables that give the game away. That motor produces 108bhp but it’s the big dollop of 280Nm of torque, available immediately, which really makes the difference. That’s equivalent to a Porsche Boxster and certainly makes the Leaf feel sprightly enough.

What’s the spec like?

Nissan made little noise about spec on the launch, concentrating more on the technology, but customers will be pleased to hear there’s lots to entertain.

Headliners include sat nav and reversing camera as standard, as well as central locking, alloys, climate control, a CD player

and electric windows and mirrors. The only option is a solar panel on the spoiler that tops up the 12v battery.

That costs £250.

What’s it like to drive?

Nissan says the Leaf’s range is 109 miles and has calculated 95 per cent of daily car travel is less than 25 miles and the average journey is 8.5 miles. There are two power modes, a normal and an eco. In eco, power is seriously reduced but the range improved and in normal the Leaf is surprisingly swift. What’s immediately apparent is how quiet the car is and how well it rides over bumps – you forget very quickly you’re driving an electric car.

www.thegranitecitygazette.co.uk

Ro

ad

Model: Nissan Leaf Price: £25,990 (including £5,000 government grant) Engine: electric motor

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Power: 107bhp, 280Nm Max speed: 90mph 0-60mph: 11.9s MPG: 109 mile range Emissions: 0g/km Residual values (three years): 37 per cent

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What does the press think of it?

Autoblog said the Leaf could possibly be the most impressive car it has driven all year. The Green Car Website loved it and said owners would claw back the higher purchase price with lower running costs. Autocar also said that despite the ‘real world range’ being only about 80 miles it was ‘easy to see its huge potential as a comfortable and practical school run car’.

What do we think of it?

We like it a lot, but the 26 dealers currently selling it will need to heed the maker’s advice and ensure the right buyers are snapping them up. It’s true that at £25,990, with the government’s £5,000 grant thrown in, the Leaf looks expensive but we’d liken it to a new Apple Mac: It might do the same thing as a normal computer, but knowing you’re at the forefront of technology and slightly wacky-cool for owning it, will make that extra cash worth spending.

Selling Points 1. £1 will take you 73 miles – in a Focus diesel £1 is good for 11 miles 2. On a PCP (most popular buying method) it costs £399 per month 3. Company car drivers will pay no Benefit in Kind Deal Clincher You can fuel it at home for just £2 a fill up!

It’s the first five-seater mass-produced electric car, but James Baggott finds out the Leaf isn’t for everybody

PROPERTY SERVICES

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FACILITY MANAGERS

ELECTRICAL DIVISION • Residential Electrical Services • Commercial Electrical Services • Periodic Inspections & Testing • PAT Testing & Certification Proserv (Scotland) Ltd Units 11/12 Blackburn Industrial Estate Woodburn Road, Blackburn, Aberdeen Tel: 01224 791 968 enquiries@proservuk.com

www.proservuk.com

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

contact the gazette : 01224 - 318561

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www.thegranitecitygazette.co.uk

Steiner Education – an alternative approach The priority of the Steiner ethos is to provide an unhurried and creative learning environment where children can find the joy in learning and experience the richness of childhood. The curriculum itself is founded on Steiner’s principles which take account of the whole child. It gives equal attention to the physical, emotional, intellectual, cultural and spiritual needs of each pupil and is designed to work in harmony with the different phases of the child’s development. The core subjects of the curriculum are taught in thematic blocks and all lessons include a balance of artistic, practical and intellectual content.

Whole class, mixed ability teaching is the norm.

“The Aberdeen Waldorf School delivers the Steiner method of education in a way which really does bring out the strengths of every child. The school currently covers the age 3 -16. As a parent I very much hope that in the next few years the school’s vision to educate up to 18 years comes to fruition.

As Chairperson of Aberdeen Waldorf School Parents & Friends Committee, I am delighted to be able to invite you to join us for North East Open Studios. This event is a great opportunity to find out more about Waldorf education.”

Jane Ronie Aberdeen Waldorf School Craigton Road Cults Aberdeen AB15 9QD Tel: 01224 868366

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Pushing Out The Boat at North East Open Studios [NEOS] North-East Scotland’s magazine of new writing and the visual arts is very excited about it’s current partnership with NEOS, an organisation who share our passion for promoting creativity in this unique area.

You can read all about NEOS 2011 PROPERTY SERVICES

FACILITY MANAGERS

PAINTING DIVISION elsewhere in this edition of the Gazette; and several NEOS artists will be selling Issue 10 of Pushing Out the Boat at their studios. Also, for the first time at NEOS, POTB are presenting stories and poetry for the ‘younger audience’ at the Aberdeen Waldorf School events on the afternoons of Sunday 11 and Saturday 17 September.

So why not come along – with or without your kids!

• Exterior Painters • Interior Painters & Decorators • Ames Tapers • Industrial Painters

Proserv (Scotland) Ltd Units 11/12 Blackburn Industrial Estate Woodburn Road, Blackburn, Aberdeen Tel: 01224 791 968 enquiries@proservuk.com

www.proservuk.com

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North East Open Studios 10 - 18th September, 2011 Open daily : 11am – 6pm

Come and enjoy the beautiful artwork of our children and get an insight into Steiner education. We are also exhibiting the work of our 10 guest artists who offer a wide variety of media such as photography, painting, jewellery, decoupage and textiles.

Our exhibition is open for the full 9 days of NEOS. In addition, during the weekends you can relax in our cafe and take in our full programme of live music, story reading by literary group Pushing Out The Boat, art demonstrations and much, much more .....

Aberdeen Waldorf School Craigton Road Cults Aberdeen AB15 9QD Tel: 01224 868366 Aberdeen Waldorf School Ltd Registration No. 62287 Approved Charity No. SC012895

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Fancy a fun-filled activity all the Family can enjoy? Then give Geocaching a try.

“Why don’t you switch off your TV set and go and do something less boring instead?” was the irritatingly catchy theme-tune from popular children’s television show “Why Don’t You?” Nowadays, “TV” would have to be replaced with Games-console/Laptop/ Mobile phone or the latest must-have electronic gadget we can’t live without.

Geocaching But there is a way to convince the whole family out of the house with an electronic device whilst enjoying a good walk or bike ride in the countryside: Geocaching.

This involves tracking down hidden items, or caches, with a GPS device and recording your find.

You log-on to the Internet to find the coordinates of the cache, and then use your eyes to locate its exact whereabouts – like a good old-fashioned treasure hunt. Look online and you’ll find videos of cleverly hidden caches – inside sawn-up logs in forests, stuck-up pipes by rivers and even stuffed in plastic bricks as part of the wall of a disused building. They’re usually made up of a logbook sealed in a plastic box or ammocase, along with small trinkets to keep or swap for something of similar value, and are always found outdoors. And if you’re really lucky, you might come across a “trackable” – a numbered coin or dogtag that’s moved from cache to cache. Each time it is moved, its serial number is logged on-line so it can be tracked. Bought online for a couple of pounds, some have been known to travel more

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The GPS Treasure Hunt than 10,000 miles over 3 continents.

Geocaching started in the US after early GPSenthusiast Dave Ulmer planted a bucket filled with videos, books, software and a slingshot, together with a logbook and pencil, in woods near his house. After posting the coordinates online on May 3rd 2000, his package was found twice within two days after word spread rapidly among the online community. The official Geocaching website launched in September 2000 with the coordinates for 75 caches across the world listed on it. The craze soon took-off and today there are over 1.3m caches hidden in over 100 countries across the globe, with 5 million registered users.

And it’s really simple to start Geocaching – just create a free membership on www. geocaching.com, type in your postcode to find caches near you, invest in a GPS device or mobile phone with GPS capability and that’s it, you’re ready.

Most GPS devices take you within 6-20 feet of the object so be prepared to spend a while looking for the cache when you arrive there - this is the bit that the kids always love the best.

And remember to always respect the countryside where the cache is found – don’t leave litter or damage the environment.

So for a fantastic family day out that doesn’t cost a fortune, often set in stunning countryside, why don’t you give Geocaching a go? It’s certainly less boring than watching TV. Be careful of Muggles near a cache though – Muggles are non-geocachers who are sometimes near caches, such as people innocently walking their dog. Cachers try not to reveal what they’re doing to Muggles!

www.thegranitecitygazette.co.uk

The present

Ban B cho a us s ry, vailab ervic Ello e l n & e from Inv eru rie

The future

Open Morning Saturday 1st October, 10.00am-12.30pm For further details contact the admissions office on 01224 595189

www.st-margaret.aberdeen.sch.uk Registered charity with OSCR (Reg. SC016265)

contact the gazette : 01224 - 318561

17 Albyn Place Aberdeen AB10 1RU

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Some of the best

Short stories

Want to read more but never seem able to find the time? Our collection of fantastic short story books features something for everyone – the perfect way to become involved in a high-impact or touching tale, when all you have is twenty minutes.

Collected Short Stories by Roald Dahl A complete collection of dark, twisted and fantastically written short stories, this is perfect for teenagers and adults. With over fifty lingering tales, this book contains favourites such as ‘Lamb to the Slaughter’, where a guilty wife attempts to conceal the murder of her husband by feeding the only evidence to the police.

Genius!

Sleep by Roddy Doyle For an introduction to this charming Irish writer, Sleep is a lovely text, in which a husband admires his sleeping wife and reflects upon his life with her. Despite the brevity of the tale, Doyle develops strong characters, combining context with emotion to create a softness and affection which is

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incredible touching.

The Heart of Darkness

by Joseph Conrad Although this is more of a novella, it is one of the greatest short stories: dark, captivating and with a torrent of hidden meaning flowing beneath the surface.

Beautifully written and darkly magical, it’s a must-read.

The Metamorphosis

by Franz Kafka This wonderful story tells the tale of Gregor Samsa, who one day wakes up to find that he has turned into an insect. Exploring the themes of man and the natural world, alienation and morality, this tale is darkly funny and brilliantly written.

The Bottle Imp by Robert Louis Stevenson The Bottle Imp can grant any

wish, but with a chilling caveat: die with it in your possession and your soul will burn in hell for eternity (not a happy thought) - and the bottle can only be sold for less than the purchase price. When Keawe finds himself in desperate need of the bottle, he discovers it only to realise it has a sinister value of just one cent. This is suspense story-telling at its best.

The Yellow Wallpaper

by Charlotte Perkins Gilman This is the brilliantly written account of postnatal depression in the Victorian era, recounting the decline of a young woman’s mental health and the lack of understanding from her family as she is imprisoned in a room of her house. Both sinister and desperately sad, this will grip any reader until the very last line.

Oscar Wilde’s Stories for all Ages

by Oscar Wilde and Stephen Fry This wonderful collection combines some of the best tales of Oscar Wilde, presented in a beautifully illustrated book, featuring a foreword and introduction to each story by his biggest fan, Stephen Fry. For first time visitors to Wilde’s work, ‘The Selfish Giant’ is a must-read, telling the enchanting story of a giant who lives perpetually in Winter, until he allows children into his castle and his heart.

Margaret Waite Tel no: 07764 168 873 margaret@mwaitemortgages.com

June Hodge Tel no 07715 454 165 junehodge@btinternet.com

INDEPENDENT MORTGAGE ADVICE Moving Home First Time Buyer Remortgage Buy to let Mortgage

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With a combined career of over 30 years in Financial Services we have a wealth of experience in advising and meeting the needs of our clients We can source a mortgage for you from the Whole of the Market together with exclusive deals offered to brokers like ourselves through our association with Legal & General Mortgage Club. We will recommend the most suitable mortgage once we have assessed your needs and affordability, it will be the one that best fits your individual circumstances. We can also advise on and arrange protection for your mortgage. For insurance business we arrange policies exclusively from Legal & General.

Our main aim is to provide a flexible and personal service with evening and weekend appointments if required.

Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up the repayments on your mortgage We usually charge ÂŁ250 for arranging a mortgage, the actual amount payable will depend upon your circumstances.

Please call or email to arrange a mutually convenient time to meet.

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travel

Cambodia’s beguiling capital

Phnom Penh

by Solange Hando

Sizzling in the sun or drenched in monsoon rain, Phnom Penh takes you by surprise. Chaotic and relaxed all in one, with bustling lanes and tree-lined boulevards, Buddhist temples, exotic markets and three rivers, the Mekong, the Bassac and the Sap, meeting within sight of the Royal Palace.

The Mekong is the stuff of legends but it is the Sap which flows closest to the city and gives it a particular charm.

There are fishing craft painted like rainbows, houseboats, fast ferries to Angkor Wat, cargo vessels, sampans and frail tourist boats bobbing at anchor. Sail down to the Mekong and you discover bamboo houses along the shore and floating villages where children dive in brown waters and fishermen haul in their nets in the setting sun. The city roofs glow coppery gold across the water and when the cool evening breeze sweeps along the promenade, locals come down to the river, friends holding hands, families sharing a picnic, hawkers selling incense and lotus bloom for the shrines. Flags from many nations fly high above it all and across Sisowath Quay, outdoor cafés with plush cushions and rattan chairs add a whiff of colonial days.

Phnom Penh’s main attractions are conveniently close to the waterfront. Built during the French protectorate, the Royal Palace is a delightful oasis of lawns and trees, dotted with colonnades, spires and overlapping roofs. You find a pavilion donated by Napoleon III, an ‘Emerald Buddha’ made of crystal and a Pagoda claiming 5000 silver tiles, mostly tucked under a carpet. Visiting monks pose for photographs among the bougainvillea and marvel at the lofty flourishes of Khmer architecture. Others head for the nearby National Museum and its fabulous treasures displayed in a maze of lotus ponds and open galleries.

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Today, Buddhism is back after the dark Pol Pot years and spirit houses and temples pop up all over town. Most popular is Wat Phnom, perched on the only hill around. On this spot some 600 years ago, Lady Penh found sacred Buddha images, thus giving the city its name, the hill (Phnom) of Penh. City folk climb up the steps, past mythological lions and snakes, to burn incense and make a wish. Fortune tellers make a brisk trade, monkeys scamper on the slopes and the resident elephant waits for his next ride around the park.

Phnom Penh is easy to explore on foot, as long as you don’t cross too many roads. Streets are on a grid pattern, enclosed

by Parisian-style boulevards fragrant with frangipani. You find gold shops and shoe-shine boys, tailors and printers working on the pavements, smoke-filled barbecues and honking traffic ready to pounce at countdown lights. Rickshaws and bicycles weave through it all, laden with multicoloured balloons or household goods, orange-robed monks carry alms bowls and umbrellas and now and then a wedding party files through an entrance draped in lilies and silver bananas. What looks like bottles of squash at the roadside is motorbike fuel. The old French Quarter is worth a peep for its leafy lanes and stylish mansions but for local colour, the markets are a must, whether you are looking for fresh fruit or fried spiders, bags, books, clocks, silk, fake designer goods or stone carvings. Bargaining is hard work but there is always time to relax at the end of the day and watch the sunset over the Mekong.

Dine Out Locally with

the gazette magazines

Would you like to be part of our dine out locally pages?

Whether it be a free lineage, a small display advert or a double page feature, give us a call today and get your restaurant/hotel/cafe noticed by local residents starting October!

Quote : House 1 for ÂŁ10 discount Tel : 01224 318561 or send us your details via the website - www.thegranitecitygazette.co.uk gcg : 31

The 4th Room @ The Four Mile House

By Jane Robinson

It’s always refreshing to hear of somewhere new, a place to eat where you might not have been before, a different venue to interact with friends or colleagues. I don’t know how many years I have been passing the Fourmile House at Kingswells, knowing it was there, but never seeking it out and paying it a visit. Well, now that I’ve been there and seen the splendid facilities on offer, not only in the restaurant but the excellent new Conference Room and the refurbished bar known as The 4th Room, it’s well established on my radar from now on.

The Fourmile has several strings to its bow, none of which I was aware of until now.

Three years ago it was taken over by Julie and George Lyon, who have also owned Aberdeen’s Ferryhill House Hotel for the last decade. This is very much a family business in which a dedicated team of staff have played a part for many years, helping to produce the friendly, personal atmosphere that is so important to the Lyons.

Over the last three years, the restaurant has been upgraded, resulting in a welcoming and relaxing place to eat. Whether you are seeking lunch, dinner, or simply just a coffee, the varied menu offers something for everyone, whatever your age. As a familyorientated restaurant, it is ideal for a casual meal. On the other hand, it often caters for larger parties, birthday meals, specific dinners and other events.

Now however, the latest upgrade has offered more scope. The 4th Room has been carefully and tastefully refurbished to provide a delightful bar, a lovely space to sit and enjoy a sociable drink. A row of pegs with an assortment of unusual coats and hats adds a quirky note, demonstrating the sense of fun Julie and George have brought to their new room. With a welcoming fireplace, comfortable chairs, classy curtains made from Harris Tweed, and clever decorative details, this is a homely place where anyone can unwind with friends.

However, the new bar is not the only part of the story. A door leads through to a multimedia Conference Room. This smart, light room can accommodate up to 24 delegates in a boardroom or 40 people ‘theatre style’. With a digital projector, wireless internet, conference phones and much more, there are other goodies included in the overall hire charge. Depending on the time of day, delegates can enjoy bacon rolls at breakfast time, cookies and muffins, soup and sandwiches for lunch, and scones, jam and cream for tea.....all of which must surely help to ‘oil the wheels’.

For details, call 01224 740 318 or visit www.fourmile.co.uk

Dining In

Perfect for a Sunday lunch this lamb roast has a delicious stuffing made with fresh mint, dried apricots and pine nuts. Simply serve with boiled and buttered new potatoes, steamed green beans and a spoonful of tangy redcurrant sauce.

Se Tak rves 4 es 30 m1 hour ins

Roast Stuffed Lamb Fillet with Honeyed Shallots Ingredients

25 g (1oz) butter 1 small onion, finely chopped 1 garlic clove, crushed 75 g (3 oz) fresh white breadcrumbs 25 g (1oz) pine nuts 8 no-need-to-soak dried apricots, chopped

2 tbsp beaten egg 2 tbsp fresh chopped mint Salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 large lamb fillets 2 tbsp light olive oil 8 shallots, halved 1 ½ tbsp honey, warmed

Method

Meals in Minutes

Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas Mark 5. Heat the butter in a frying pan and gently fry the onion for 10 minutes until very soft, adding the garlic after 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the breadcrumbs, pine nuts and apricots. Leave to cool. Stir the egg and mint into the cooled mixture and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Place the lamb fillets on a chopping board and, using a sharp knife, make a deep cut along the length of each fillet (taking care not to cut all the way through). Open each fillet out and flatten slightly with a meat mallet or rolling pin.

Spoon the stuffing down the centre of one fillet then place the second fillet on top to enclose the stuffing. Tie together at intervals with fine string. Heat half the oil in a large frying pan and quickly fry the stuffed lamb over a high heat until just browned all over.

Place in a shallow roasting tin.

Cook the shallots for 1 minute in a pan of lightly salted boiling water. Drain well then place in the roasting tin around the lamb. Pour the remaining oil over the shallots.

Roast the lamb and shallots for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and drizzle the warmed honey over the shallots. Roast for a further 10-15 minutes until the lamb is cooked to your liking. Cover the lamb and leave to rest in a warm place for 20 minutes before carving.

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www.thegranitecitygazette.co.uk

Dining Out

Spice of Life - Caraway Caraway seeds are one of the oldest cultivated spices. The caraway plant is easy to grow and the leaves and roots are also edible. Julius Caesar’s army made bread from the ground roots of the caraway plant, which look like parsnips. The small, brown, ridged caraway seeds look very similar to cumin but their flavours are very different. Caraway seeds have an aniseed taste and are used in many European dishes including sauerkraut, rye bread, sausages, various cheeses and the delicious British seedcake. The seeds keep their flavour for a long time if stored in an airtight container in a dark place.

Due to its long history, caraway has a number of intriguing beliefs attached to it.

Ancient Egyptians put the seeds into tombs with their dead to protect against evil spirits. Other cultures made it into a love potion. Another belief was that it prevented theft and voluntary straying. Anything from possessions, people and livestock would have been rubbed with caraway.

Medical applications of caraway are mainly as a digestive. It has been recommended for curing colic and for settling nausea. Seeds are also chewed to freshen breath and flavours mouthwash, toothpaste and chewing gum.

contact the gazette : 01224 - 318561

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Discovering Loose Leaf Tea

Bollywood Dreams Chai Tea Our Bollywood Dreams Chai tea is intense and spicy and will take your senses on a journey to the heart of Bengal. The intensity is due to the careful blending of quality black tea, aniseed, cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, cloves and chicory roots.

To Enjoy: Use 1 tsp per cup, add freshly boiled water and brew for 3-5 mins. Serve immediately or remove leaves so you don’t ruin all your hard work.

Best served with milk.

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www.thegranitecitygazette.co.uk

Dining Out

4

The

TH

ROOM @

The Doors are Open to the 4th Room

Come and make yourself at Home...

Open 4 Drinks

Mon- Fri from 5pm, Sat- Sun from 2pm

follow us on facebook

.....................................................................................................................................................................................

4

The

ROOM

HAVE AN AFTER DINNER COFFEE ON US! Valid: For coffees served in the 4th Room after an evening meal in our Restaurant.

contact the gazette : 01224 - 318561

Code: AG

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Puzzles Occupations

Accountant Actor Baker Banker Butcher Chef Dentist Doctor Driver Farmer Hairdresser Jockey Locksmith Nurse Optician Pilot

Plumber Publican Sailor Soldier Teacher Valet

Find these names of occupations in the grid and the remaining letters will spell out a related phrase

CODEWORD Each letter in this puzzle is represented by a different number between 1 and 26.

The codes for three letters are shown. Once you have filled these throughout the grid you can start guessing words and reveal other letters. As you find the letters enter them in the box below.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

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12

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15

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8 17

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12 16

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22 2

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23 8

23 10

www.thegranitecitygazette.co.uk

2

Dining Out Step into the Amalfi Coast with the fresh taste of Italian cuisine at Ciao Napoli.

Open for lunch Mon-Sat 12-2.30pm Open for Dinner Mon-Sat 5.30-10.30pm

Freshly prepared produce Selection of fine Neapolitan & Italian wines Daily specials Private/corporate dining facilities Special Saturday lunch for shoppers

10 Bon Accord Crescent, Aberdeen Tel : 01224 213223

www.ciaonapoli.co.uk

Christmas 2011 at

Kippie Lodge

North Deeside Road, Milltimber, Aberdeen

The warm, relaxing & friendly ambience of Kippie Lodge will create a memorable night for you and your guests.

Bring a Party dates Saturday 10th, Friday 16th, Saturday 17th & Thursday 22nd December

Contact our events team on (01224) 734747 www’kippielodge.co.uk www.kippielodge.co.uk

contact the gazette : 01224 - 318561

gcg : 39

a pair of tickets to Peter Quilter’s new play End of the Rainbow, Wednesday, 26 October at 7.30pm AND/OR Win a pair of tickets to Eden Court Theatre and Open Book Productions stage version of Neil Munro’s Para Handy tales, Wednesday, 28 September at 7.30pm

Olivier award-winning Tracie Bennett has taken the West End by storm as Judy Garland in Peter Quilter’s new play End Of The Rainbow.

Eden Court Theatre, Inverness and Open Book Productions are delighted to present a major new stage version of Neil Munro’s Para Handy tales.

London, December 1968, and Judy Garland is about to make her comeback... again.

Determined to reclaim her crown as the greatest talent of her generation, she battles with a tornado of drugs and alcohol and a gruelling schedule of exhausting concerts at The Talk Of The Town.

The irrepressible captain of The Vital Spark and his ramshackle crew have become some of Scotland’s best-loved characters since they first appeared in 1906.

Despite a series of failed marriages, Judy has her latest and youngest husband-to-be by her side, a man as determined as she that, at any cost, these concerts will mark the revival of her battered career.

With a cast lead by Inverness’ very own, Jimmy Chisholm as the eponymous captain and fantastic, and with a foottapping live score, Para Handy’s journeys are as engaging and entertaining in 2011 as they were more than 100 years ago.

This breathtaking 21st century take on the adventures of Para Handy, his mate Dougie, engineer Macphail and cabin-boy Sunny Jim travels from Clydeside breakers yard to the lochs of the Highlands.

Tracie Bennett’s remarkable portrayal of this tough, talented, compelling woman has been rewarded with standing ovations throughout its sell-out West End run.

This extraordinary production - thrilling, hilarious, moving and tragic - is directed

by Tony and Olivier-award winner Terry Johnson, featuring a six-piece onstage band and includes Garland’s most memorable songs - The Man That Got Away, Come Rain Or Come Shine, The Trolley Song and - of course Somewhere Over The Rainbow.

Win a pair of tickets

Monday 24 – Saturday 29 October ABERDEEN His Majesty’s Theatre Box Office 01224 641122 www.boxofficeaberdeen.com

To enter go to page 61 and complete the coupon.

Jimmy Chisholm is one of the treasures of Scottish Theatre. From Jimmy Blair to Braveheart, from Thomas Telford to Taggart, he is easily one of the most recognised and respected actors in the country.

Loved by audiences across Scotland and currently appearing in panto in his hometown of Inverness, Jimmy is as much a master of his craft as Para Handy is of the Vital Spark.

Jimmy’s Highland roots make him the ideal choice to play Para Handy, the craftiest Highland skipper ‘in the tred…’

Win a pair of tickets

Win

Music Theatre Live Entertainment Monday to Saturday, September 5 to 10: Following the huge success of The Hollow, The Unexpected Guest, And Then There Were None, Spider’s Web and Witness for the Prosecution, the Agatha Christie Theatre company present the riveting and compelling drama Verdict, starring Susan Penhaligon, Robert Duncan and Mark Wynter in His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen, at 7.30pm, with 2pm Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees. Tickets from boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 01224 641122 Thursday, September 8: Lemon Tree Writers present One Night Stand, in The Lemon Tree Studio, West North Street, Aberdeen, at 7pm. Tickets from boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 01224 641122 Friday, September 9: Free Friday Live session, in The Lemon Tree Lounge, Aberdeen, from 1pm. Tables booked by calling 01224 337688 Saturday, September 9: Supported

by Aberdeen rock heroes, three piece The X-Certs, Scots young punk/pop/ rock band Young Guns in The Lemon Tree Lounge, West North Street, Aberdeen, doors at 7.30pm. Tickets from boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 01224 641122 Saturday, September 10: One-hour behind the scenes tour at Aberdeen’s iconic Edwardian landmark, His Majesty’s Theatre, in HMT at 10.30am.

Tickets from boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 01224 641122 Saturday, September 10: Free SC&TURDAY LIVE session with Scottish Cultures and Traditions’ (SC&T), in the Lemon Tree Lounge, Aberdeen, from 12.30pm. Tables booked by calling 01224 337688 Saturday, September 10: David Leddy and Fire Exit present a serene and elegant meditative drama set in Venice by one of Scotland’s leading theatre-makers, Untitled Love Story, in The Lemon Tree Studio, West North Street, Aberdeen at 7pm. Tickets from boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 01224 641122

Sunday, September 11: Free Belhaven Sunday Jazz session, featuring Aberdeen Jazz Orchestra, in The Lemon Tree Lounge, Aberdeen, from 12pm. Tables booked by calling 01224 337688 Monday, September 12: An isolated Appalachian band of acoustic musicians Hayseed Dixie who were once gifted some old black vinyls and set about interpreting this strange music in their own bluegrass style, are set to share the four key elements common to any good mountain song and rock - drinking, cheating, killing and going to hell –in The Lemon Tree Lounge, West North Street, Aberdeen, doors at 7.30pm.

Tickets from boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 01224 641122 Monday to Saturday, September 12 to 17: Following critical acclaim in the West End, David Grindley’s international multi-award winning production of R C Sherriff’s masterpiece Journey’s End, in His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen, at 7.30pm, with 2pm Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees. Tickets from boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 01224 641122 Friday, September 16: Free Friday Live session, in The Lemon Tree Lounge, Aberdeen, from 1pm. Tables booked by calling 01224 337688 Friday, September 16: With guests artistes including Fifth Dimension, The Aberdeen Chorus of Sweet Adelines present an evening of superb closeharmony singing, in the Music Hall, Aberdeen, at 7.30pm. Tickets from boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 01224 641122 Friday and Saturday, September 16 and 17: Theatre Tours International present George Orwell’s classic satire Animal Farm, a magnificent solo performance by Gary Shelford that has to be seen to be believed, in The Lemon Tree Studio, West North Street, Aberdeen at 7pm. Tickets from boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 01224 641122

contact the gazette : 01224 - 318561

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Music Theatre Live Entertainment Saturday, September 17: Onehour behind the scenes tour at Aberdeen’s iconic Edwardian landmark, His Majesty’s Theatre, in HMT at 10.30am.

Tickets from boxofficeaberdeen. com or tel 01224 641122 Saturday, September 17: Free SC&TURDAY LIVE session with Scottish Cultures and Traditions’ (SC&T), in the Lemon Tree Lounge, Aberdeen, from 12.30pm. Tables booked by calling 01224 337688 Saturday, September 17: The annual traditional Scots spectacular, Saturday Night at the Auld meal Mill, with North Sea Gas, accordionist Craig Paton, Marlene Lowe Dancers, Turriff & District Pipe Band and compere Robert Lovie, in the Music Hall, Aberdeen, at 7.30pm.

Tickets from boxofficeaberdeen. com or tel 01224 641122 Saturday, September 17: With the award-winning blues singer Ian Siegal and his band, the phenomenal guitarist and founding member of Dr. Feelgood, Wilko Johnson, in The Lemon Tree Lounge, West North Street, Aberdeen, doors at 8pm. Tickets from boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 01224 641122 Sunday, September 18: Free Belhaven Sunday Jazz session, featuring Hyldie Grinstead, in The Lemon Tree Lounge, Aberdeen, from 12pm. Tables booked by calling 01224 337688 Sunday, September 18: British singer-songwriter David Ford, who first achieved prominence with the indie rock group Easyworld, in The Lemon Tree Lounge, West North Street, Aberdeen, doors at 7pm. Tickets from boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 01224 641122

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Thursday and Wednesday, September 20 and 21: European Chamber Opera and Bangkok Opera present Grand Opera Gala, journeying through some of opera’s greatest and best-loved hits in His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen, at 7.30pm..

Tickets from boxofficeaberdeen. com or tel 01224 641122 Thursday, September 22: Singer-songwriter Emmy the Great showcases tracks from her new album, Virtue, in The Lemon Tree Lounge, West North Street, Aberdeen, doors at 8pm. Tickets from boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 01224 641122 Thursday to Saturday, September 22 to 24: For the very first time Children’s TV’s favourite, Cbeebies Numberjacks™ comes to the stage in His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen, at 1.30pm on Thursday and 11am and 1.30pm on Friday and Saturday. Tickets from boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 01224 641122 Thursday to Saturday, September 22 to 24: Aberdeen Performing Arts’ Young Persons Company present Eight, a series of monologues by firsttime writer Ella Hickson which look at what has happened to a generation that have grown up in a world where everything has become acceptable, in The Lemon Tree Studio, West North Street, Aberdeen, at 7pm. Tickets from boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 01224 641122 Friday, September 23: Free Friday Live session, in The Lemon Tree Lounge, Aberdeen, from 1pm. Tables booked by calling 01224 337688

Friday, September 23: Celebrated concert show Thank You for the Music – The Ultimate Tribute to Abba and the Bee Gees, in the Music Hall, Aberdeen, at 7.30pm. Tickets from boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 01224 641122 Friday, September 23: Aberdeen-based popular 90s phenomenon The Bloody Marys, who played to crowds of up to 2000 throughout Scotland before their sell-out farewell gig in 1999, return to The Lemon Tree Lounge, West North Street, Aberdeen, doors at 7.30pm.

Tickets from boxofficeaberdeen. com or tel 01224 641122.

Saturday, September 24: Free SC&TURDAY LIVE session with Scottish Cultures and Traditions’ (SC&T), in the Lemon Tree Lounge, Aberdeen, from 12.30pm. Tables booked by calling 01224 337688 Saturday, September 24: Celebrating 25 years on the road playing some of the finest traditional Scots music ever heard, Aly Bain and Phil Cunningham – The Silver Year, in the Music Hall, Aberdeen, at 7.30pm. Tickets from boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 01224 641122 Saturday, September 24: Heralded as one of the most influential guitar players to come out of the British Blues Rock scene, Robin Trower was tagged by the press as The White Hendrix back in the 70s and now returns to The Lemon Tree Lounge, West North Street, Aberdeen, doors at 7.30pm.

Tickets from boxofficeaberdeen. com or tel 01224 641122 Sunday, September 25: Free Belhaven Sunday Jazz session, featuring Mary May, in The Lemon Tree Lounge, Aberdeen, from 12pm. Tables booked by calling 01224 337688

www.thegranitecitygazette.co.uk

Music Theatre Live Entertainment Sunday, September 25: With their biggest and most talented cast of singers, dancers and musicians Essence of Ireland – Bigger and Better, in the Music Hall, Aberdeen, at 7.30pm. Tickets from boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 01224 641122 Tuesday, September 27 to Saturday, October 1: Eden Court Theatre and Open Book present Para Handy – a Voyage Round the Stories of Neil Munro, directed by John Bett and starring Jimmy Chisholm, in His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen, at 7.30pm, with 2pm Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees. Tickets from boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 01224 641122 Wednesday, September 28: Britain’s favourite diva and Loose Women star Jane McDonald brings her fabulous new show to the Music Hall, Aberdeen, at 7.30pm. Tickets from boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 01224 641122 Wednesday, September 28: Red Rag Theatre, in association with Aberdeen Performing Arts, presents Mike Gibb’s Doorways in Drumorty, inspired by and based on the writings of North-east novelist Lorna Moon, in The Lemon Tree Studio, West North Street, Aberdeen at 7pm.

Tickets from boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 01224 641122 Thursday, September 29: The Jam may have Beat Surrendered in 1982, but the excitement can be relived with all the energy and power of a real live show with dynamic Jam tribute The Jamm, in The Lemon Tree Lounge, West North Street, Aberdeen, doors at 8pm. Tickets from boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 01224 641122

Thursday and Friday, September 29 and 30: APA Youth Theatre (for 12-18 year olds) and Theatre Serendipity (over 55s group) present Spend A Minute With Us, exploring the stereotypes and misconceptions about age within our society, in The Lemon Tree Studio, West North Street, Aberdeen, at 7pm. Tickets from boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 01224 641122 Friday, September 30: Free Friday Live session, featuring Odi, in The Lemon Tree Lounge, Aberdeen, from 1pm. Tables booked by calling 01224 337688 Friday, September 30: With soprano Michaela Kaune and conductor Donald Runnicles, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra present Strauss’s Four Last Songs, with a programme which includes Beethoven Overture: Egmont (c.9’), Richard Strauss Four Last Songs (c.22’) and Elgar Symphony No.2 (c.56’) in the Music Hall, Aberdeen, at 7.30pm. Tickets from boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 01224 641122 Friday, September 30: Continuing Aberdeen’s tradition of large and horny soul and funk tribute bands, Funk Connection are a 10-piece outfit established in 2004 with personnel from a long line of local funk, soul and R&B bands, playing in The Lemon Tree Lounge, West North Street, Aberdeen, doors at 7.30pm.

Tickets from boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel 01224 641122

Tickets from boxofficeaberdeen.com or tel : 01224 641122 Every Saturday: Creative Kids, sponsored

by Argus Care, in the Lemon Tree Lounge, Aberdeen, doors open 12pm, activities from 12.30pm to 2.30pm.

contact the gazette : 01224 - 318561

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Homes and Interiors A conservatory extends summer through to winter and creates the perfect link between the house and the garden. But how do you ensure that this is a truly versatile room, one that’s useable all year round and that suits your look and your lifestyle?

Katherine Sorrell looks at ways to make your conservatory a space that’s functional, beautiful and great to be in.

Building a conservatory is one of the most popular home improvements. But aside from the question of whether it will add value to your property, will it add value to your life? A good place to start is with the overall colour scheme. By painting the walls the same colour as the adjacent room, you’ll ensure that the conservatory really feels like part of your home, rather than a last-minute addition. Use the floor, too, as a bridge between the conservatory and the house. Tiled, slate, stone and terracotta floors are beautiful but tend to be rather cold and hard underfoot, so it would be a great idea to scatter one or two rugs to add instant warmth and character, perhaps in a colour used in the next room so as to create a visual link.

With the background colours, textures and patterns established, it’s time to consider the key pieces of furniture – probably a comfortable sofa and some armchairs, perhaps a dining table and chairs – and soft furnishings. Many people choose rattan furniture for a conservatory, and it can look fabulous, adding a touch of exotic, Far Eastern style to the room. To emphasise this look, accessorise with wooden boxes with large brass handles (handy for coffee tables), woven baskets, carved-stone buddhas or elephants, paper lanterns and carved-wood mirrors. For blinds, cushions and throws, choose fabrics in sand, mustard, deep red, orange and earthy brown. Alternatively, you could aim for a cool, New England look by teaming white-painted rattan with cottons and linens in plains and checks, tongueand-groove cabinetry and simple floor and table lamps Pleated Conservatory Blinds in Calming Blue, from £750, Thomas Sanderson, 0800 051 54 04; www.thomas-sanderson.co.uk

Decorati

Homes and Interiors

ing a conservatory

Homes and Interiors with pale fabric shades. Or go for a soft, English country look by adding chintzy cushions, painted ceramics, botanical prints, delicate chandeliers and vases of informally arranged flowers.

Another favourite in a conservatory is metal furniture, though it’s best to avoid chairs and tables specifically designed for the garden, as they can look unsophisticated and clumsy; instead, opt for curly, decorative metalwork, which looks really pretty, especially painted in a soft pastel colour. Team with toile de Jouy fabrics, old metal café signs, oversized chocolate mugs, painted wall clocks and enamelware with French lettering for a conservatory à la Francais.

PROPERTY SERVICES

FACILITY MANAGERS

PROPERTY MAINTENANCE DIVISION • Joiners • Electricians • Plumbers • Cleaners • Gardeners • Painters & Decorators Proserv (Scotland) Ltd Units 11/12 Blackburn Industrial Estate Woodburn Road, Blackburn, Aberdeen Tel: 01224 791 968 enquiries@proservuk.com

www.proservuk.com

For a more contemporary effect, faux wicker furniture (for both inside and out) now comes in all sorts of vivid colours and surprisingly sculptural shapes, while hightech fabrics, which resist staining and fading and are waterresistant, allow you to include upholstered furniture – so you could go for long and lean sofas, or Europeaninspired, modular forms. The finishing touches for this look should be sleek, chic and minimal – an oversized floor lamp, perhaps; a piece or two in acrylic (maybe a curved coffee table or a dining chair), a modern chandelier and maybe some framed black-and-white photographs. And there you have it: glamorous or laid back, traditional or modern, the decoration of your conservatory can reflect your personal style and really make this room an integral part of your home.

Use your conservatory all year round Heating is essential if you plan to use your conservatory in winter, and this is something that’s ideally considered at the planning stage – though a retrofit is always possible. The options are simply to extend your current central heating to the conservatory, placing radiators against the dwarf walls, or to fit underfloor heating, in the form of either warm-water pipes or electric cables. Some systems use convectors, set under the perimeter of the floor and covered with decorative grilles.

John Lewis Nomad conservatory furniture, 08456 049 049; www.johnlewis.com

Kenyon-Roberts Upholstery Breathing new life into your old chairs

In the summer months, your main consideration will be to keep the conservatory cool enough to be pleasant to sit in. As well as opening windows and vents, you can provide a cool waft of air with a central ceiling fan, and block dazzling sunlight with blinds, which will control the heat in the summer and insulate in the winter. Choose from pleated, roller or roman blinds, vertical and Venetians, wood-weave or simple calico, in colours to suit your décor.

by Katherine Sorrell

Don’t throw out that old chair, I can transform it into a stylish bespoke piece of furniture for you. ∗ Full

www.kenyon-robertsupholstery.co.uk Tel: 07900963241

contact the gazette : 01224 - 318561

re-upholstery service or a simple recover ∗ Antique & Modern ∗ Based in the West End ∗ Free Quotes ∗ No job too small

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Homes and Interiors

PROPERTY SERVICES

FACILITY MANAGERS

BUILDING DIVISION • Patios & Driveways Wall Repairs & Installations • Minor Building Work • All Trades Supplied

Proserv (Scotland) Ltd

fixed price quotations - no VAT 19 Craigiebuckler Place

Units 11/12 Blackburn Industrial Estate Woodburn Road, Blackburn, Aberdeen Tel: 01224 791 968 enquiries@proservuk.com

www.proservuk.com

tel : 316898 mob : 07711 120 217

Design Tips Double Glazing / Window Replacement Many people believe that a house loses most of its heat through the roof. However, windows are actually the main cause of heat loss.

Replacing your windows is a big and expensive job, but you will reap the dividends by having a warmer house and reduced heating bills. If you are thinking about replacing your windows, you should consider installing double glazing at the same time. As well as its heat saving and draught-proofing properties, double glazing provides better security for your home too. And it also reduces noise pollution from outside.

Do your homework before shopping around for the best price and service. Consider the type of frame you want; UPVC, wood, aluminium or metal. Always replace your windows with a style that’s in keeping with your property. Don’t forget that windows can be an escape route in case of fire, so you need to be able to open them fully. A small window at the top will allow you to open it to provide extra ventilation in the summer.

Before choosing an installation company ask for recommendations from your neighbours and friends.

Obtain at least three quotes and inspect the guarantee that should come with the new windows.

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www.thegranitecitygazette.co.uk

TECH SPEC

Home phones don’t get the same attention as smartphones, but they’re often smarter buys: cutting-edge telephones won’t cost you several hundred pounds or tie you into a two-year contract that takes £40 per month from your bank account. So how do you choose the one that’s right for you?

How to choose the perfect home phone

Home is where the handset is The first thing to consider is how smart you want your home phone to be. Many manufacturers offer phones that can send SMS text messages, or have colour screens, or can use the Skype internet chat service, but unless you think you’re actually going to use those features then there isn’t much point in paying extra for them and in the case of SMS messages, your mobile phone contract probably includes a bundle of free SMS messages, whereas ones you send from your home phone will cost money per text.

With the exception of the very cheapest telephones, home phones these days tend to be cordless. Most systems have a main base station, which plugs into your telephone line, and any supplemental handsets then connect to that base station so you don’t need to run extension cables around your house or get BT to stick in new sockets. If you opt for an answering machine version, this will be built into the main base station.

The key technology to look for in a cordless phone is DECT (pictured here), which is short for Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications. This

ensures reasonable call quality and enables multiple handsets to share a single phone socket, but take manufacturers’ claims about handset range with an enormous pinch of salt: like wireless computer networks, those “100m range” claims are only achievable in ideal conditions where there aren’t walls, radiators and other obstacles to obstruct the signal.

However, unlike earlier cordless phones, UK DECT devices shouldn’t interfere with or suffer interference from wireless networks, baby monitors and other wireless devices.

There are other issues to consider.

Handsets with 150-name memories sound great, but if those numbers aren’t shared with your other handsets - something BT Stratus phones don’t do - then that selling point soon becomes an annoyance. Watch out for answering machines with tiny recording times, too: 5 minutes of recording sounds reasonable, but a few wordy messages when you’re on holiday will quickly fill all the available memory.

Remember too that unlike traditional corded phones, cordless models don’t work in the event of a power cut.

contact the gazette : 01224 - 318561

Remember too that some services cost money, so for example Caller ID and Caller Display require you to sign up to a particular service, which may incur an extra charge.

Some phones offer additional technologies, such as Voice over IP, or VoIP for short.

This routes calls over the internet, and the Skype internet calling system is probably the most famous example of VoIP in action. Firms such as Gigaset do a nice line of Skype-compatible VoIP phones, but they need to be connected to your broadband line to make VoIP calls - and if you’ve got broadband, that probably means you’ve already got a Skypecapable computer, smartphone or tablet.

When it comes to actually spending money, we’ve got two pieces of advice: look online for reviews and never pay the RRP. User reviews on retailers’ websites will tell you whether the speakerphone is actually audible and whether the LCD display is legible, and using price checking sites such as Kelkoo.co.uk soon demonstrates that discounts of nearly 50% are widely available on many models.

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APB

Jaguar

Oatcake Records (CD mini-album and MP3 download)

Release Date: September 2011

“A marriage made in heaven. If David Bowie got together with Cameo in an Aberdeen loft this might be on the agenda.” (Kevin Pearce)

They supported James Brown as well as The Clash and The Jam. They inspired The Red Hot Chilli Peppers. The New York Tri-State Area adopted them as their own.

All of this from some country dwelling kids from Scotland.

APB were one of the early post-punk funk acts to make headway in the UK and USA – where their early 45s were often played at such legendary pre-House boom clubs as The Danceteria and The Mudd Club. For the uninitiated they sounded like a more mainstream contemporary to Gang Of Four. There were plenty of plays on Radio 1 with John Peel being a huge advocate and fan, as well as the group having a number of appearances on the burgeoning youth shows on TV. APB visited America 12 times and gained fans as converse as Joey Ramone and Arthur Baker.

After a lengthy break, the post-punk/funk pioneers are back with a new seven-track mini-LP on Oatcake Records. Remerging in 2006 the original three-piece, which formed in the small rural town of Elton in 1979, have looked back to the source material that so inspired them as teenagers. George Cheyne, drums; Glenn Roberts, guitar and Iain Slater, bass and vocals (with The Jasmine Minks’ Jim Shepherd singing lead vocals on ‘Jaguar’ and capturing the essence of the gold lame suit clad white man soul of Bowie) sound as exciting as ever in 2011. Iain Slater’s vocals have the edgy phrasing of APB’s earliest outings circa ‘Chain Reaction’ or ‘Shoot You Down’, the time when the punk of The Buzzcocks and Clash was colliding with the steely experiments of Eno and The Talking Heads. What goes around comes around, you could say, as ‘You Give Me Pain’s’ socially critical lyrics, the cutting guitar, punchy bass and offbeat drumming could quite easily be from the pen of Alex Turner.

Considering acts like APB, Wire and Gang Of Four’s stylistic is so hugely influential it’s a real pleasure to hear one of the founding bands return with a clutch of new material that makes it seem as if very little has really changed in 21 years.

Please contact behappydadda@yahoo.co.uk or jonathan@no-other-publicity.co.uk for further enquiries and promos. www.oatcakerecords.co.uk http://apbtheband.com/

Teach your baby to swim with Water Babies, the UK’s leading baby swim school

3 Fully qualified, world class instructors 3 Award-winning programme teaches babies from birth

3 Teaching you to teach your baby to swim

3 Saving lives through water confidence and safety skills

classes held weekly at...

Doubletree (by Hilton Beach Boulevard) Aberdeen AB24 5EF

to join in the fun call

gcg : 50

01382 690 425

waterbabies.co.uk

www.thegranitecitygazette.co.uk

ECEF A5DS FLYer

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

8/10/10

13:24

Page 1

23-27th Nov 2011

AAWinter at at Crathes Castle, Banchory 23-27th November 2011••5pm-10pm 5pm-10pm WinterWonderland Wonderland Crathes Castle, Banchory 10/11/12 December Experience an enchanting evening in beautiful Royal Deeside featuring a display of light and sound installations and trails at one of Scotland’s most popular visitor attractions. Crathes Castle, its award winning walled garden and estate will be transformed for three nights only into a winter wonderland with cutting edge light and sound technology creating stunning choreographed effects, moods and backdrops that will appeal to all age groups.

This evening walk will be combined with a host of enchanted themed attractions and events.

Tickets can be purchased in advance only from Aberdeen Box Office tel 01224 641122 or www.aberdeenboxoffice.com Ticket prices: Adult £9 plus bf Conc.

Child 16) £4 plus bf Under 5’s free www.t he e£7 ncplus ha ntbfe dc a s t(under le.info The event organisers, GM Events Ltd, recognise and appreciate the support from the following organisations

. .O P.T

contact the gazette : 01224 - 318561

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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 HolburnWest Mothers &Toddlers Meet on aWed fm 0930 & Fri fm 9.45am Parent andToddler 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 HolburnWest Playgroup Meet on aWed 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 13.00- 15.30. Funded places available. Tel. 07542 256703 www. midstocketplaygroup.co.uk Rubislaw Playgroup Rubislaw Church Centre. Mon - Fri: 0915-1145.

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 2’s group: 2-3yrs.

Tues andThurs 0930-1100,Tel: 379626

Kids Crew Playgroup.2yrs 8mnths. Mon, Wed, Fri mornings 9.30am12pm. 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’,HolburnStMon-Thurs9.15-11.15.fm2 yrs 6 mnths. £3.50 per session - includes healthy snack. Call 572211 NCTWaddling -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 www.nct.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.

SingingTots 6mths - 3 yrs Mon 945-1015 & 1045 -1115 Rubislaw Church Centre Tel : Liesl 580317 or 07541 309617 ToddlerTime Wed 09:15 – 11:15 term time. Friendly, welcominggroupforparents&childrenaged0-4.

Cost 50 pence, inc snacks & refreshments New Life International Church, Leadside Road, AB25 1TW Michelle - 07808 932 907 RuthriestonWest ChurchTwos 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 aTuesday 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, EveryThurs 2-4pm, Adult and Child group; children fm babies up to the age of 3 are all welcome. Costs £8 per month, with lots of fun activities, crafts and healthy snacks provided for the children. For more information, please email the123group@yahoo.com, or call 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.

After School Football - Session 2011-2012

Places can now be booked for Session 2011-12 starting in August.

Kingswells Community Centre Monday 1.30-2.00 2.00-2.30 3.30-4.15

Tuesday 3.30-4.15 4.15-5.00

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Pre School Tiny Tots P1/2 P1/2 P1/2

Friday

9.30-10.00 10.00-10.30 1.30-2.00 2.00-2.45

Airyhall Community Centre Pre School Tiny Tots Pre School Pre School +

Wednesday 1.30-2.15 3.30-4.15 4.15-5.00

Thursday Pre School + P1/2 P1/2

www.aberdeenfootballfun.co.uk Contact Alison McLeod : 01224 - 314669

9.30-10.00 1.30-2.00 2.00-2.30 3.30-4.15 4.15-5.00 5.00-5.45

Pre School Pre School Pre School P1/2 P1/2 P3/4

www.thegranitecitygazette.co.uk

kids groups

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 : tel : 01224 644400 for your nearest group 17th Aberdeen Cub Scouts :

1830-2000h Scout Centre, Pitstruan Terr Choi Kwang Do : Inchgarth Community Centre Garthdee Mond 4.45-5.45 Thurs 6-7pm Tel Claire - 746778 After School Bridge classes : Wed at The Bridge Club 14 Rubislaw Terrace P6-7 - Anytime fm 3.00-4.30.

S1-6 - Anytime fm 3.00-5.30 , 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 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 Is your child interested in starting a new hobby, Highland Classes are available at Craigiebuckler Church and Danscentre through Carolanne Sinclair . Open to all levels of experience, with beginners classes starting at aged 5 & over. Contact Carolanne directly on 07972104774 or by email at sinclair_carolanne@yahoo.com New class after the summer at Mannofield Church on Wed nesday afternoons.

www.kidspartiesaberdeen.co.uk Kids parties or Laura 07773 021 851

Classes Mon-Sat at

Craigiebuckler Church Hall, Mannofield Church, Airyhall Community Centre & Albyn School.

For more information : call Judy on 01224 647695 or Kay on 01224 772589

www.jazzerciseaberdeen.co.uk aberdeen@jazzercisemail.co.uk

Qualified Teacher Dr. Bill Mann

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

(m) 07570 827 171

SOOYANG DO is a modern martial art which has a core syllabus designed to enable young people to experience the benefits of improved self esteem, self discipline and self confidence.

Our instructors are trained individuals, who maintain discipline by positive reinforcement as opposed to negative types of ‘punishment’

CLASS TIME AND LOCATION

FIRST 2 CLASSES FREE WEDNESDAY

JUNIORS

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT MRS GORDON TEL: 07853312677 OR VISIT

contact the gazette : 01224 - 318561

6.15 pm – 7.15 pm

AIRYHALL PRIMARY COUNTESSWELLS ROAD ABERDEEN www.sooyangdo.com

www.sooyangdo.com

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the one stop business shop ...

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.

BONDING WITH BABY Contact: Laura Henderson 07426 456 810

Infant Massage & Rhythm Kids® courses in Aberdeen £40 per 6 week course bondingwithbaby@yahoo.co.uk www.iaimbabymassage.co.uk/laurahenderson

Christie Wood Joinery

H : 311342

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

All trades supplied.

Compu-Care

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

gcg : 54

Philip Garden Painter & Decorator Tel : 735341 Mob : 07902178825

Rona’s Mobile Hairdressing

House : 01224 323774 Mobile : 07905 927 101

Free Quotes No VAT

Have your hair done in the comfort of your own home.

Reasonable rates.

George Cormack Painter & Decorator T: 01224 827081 M: 07840 650 853

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

40yrs experience, free estimates, no job to small and no vat.

e:

gcormack@talktalk.net

Fully Qualified and Experienced : • Grade 8 Distinction • DIP.MUS.ED. R.S.A.M.D.

• Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama

Beginners : all ages and stages welcome.

Why not refresh your bygone skills.

• Exams optional : Associated Board, Piano and Theory Grades 1-8

Reasonable rates Aberdeen City

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

Piano Tuition

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

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

Granite City Power Washing Services Call Pete on 07835 263882

gazette magazines Tel : 01224 - 318561 gazette@fsmail.net

Using a chemical-free restoration process Footpaths * driveways * patios * decking * slabs *concrete Free quotations and demonstrations - reasonable rates Friendly local service, 7 days a week 20% discount with this advert

T : 01224 - 316978

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Attract local customers for your local business.

Book this space for as little as £17 plus vat ... Whole year £150 plus vat Display adverts start fm : £35+vat

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SOLUTION

PROPERTY SERVICES

FACILITY MANAGERS

CLEANING DIVISION • Domestic Cleaning • Commercial Cleaning • Carpet Cleaning • Window Cleaning

Proserv (Scotland) Ltd Units 11/12 Blackburn Industrial Estate Woodburn Road, Blackburn, Aberdeen Tel: 01224 791 968 enquiries@proservuk.com

Copy Deadline : 19 Sept for October issue

www.proservuk.com

CUMMING FIRE & SECURITY Ltd 20 AQUITHIE ROAD, KEMNAY. Tel: 01467-643917

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Email cfs.ltd@dial.pipex.com

Free Advice & Quotations. Evening Surveys Available Gas Detection Intruder Alarm Systems, Wired or Wireless Fire Alarm Systems, Wired or Wireless Fire Extinguishers & Blankets - Supply Only or Supply & Fit Electrical Wiring & Re-wiring Smoke & Heat Detectors - Supply Only or Supply & Fit Carbon Monoxide Detectors - Supply Only or Supply & Fit Portable Appliance Testing CCTV Door Entry Systems Window & Door Lock Replacement.

Safes and Cabinets Electrical Cabling & Accessories Safety Signs & Equipment

For Peace of Mind At Work or Home

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the Oven Valet

• Domestic cleaning • Commercial cleaning* • Affordable rates • Flat cleans • House sitting**

Oven Cleaners

Doing the jobs you hate!

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

call today for a free quote

Tel : 01224 879 158 Mob: 07789 440 069

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

www.theovenvalet.com info@theovenvalet.com

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• All Aspects of Joinery • Fencing & Decking • Window Repairs & Installations • Repairs & Alterations

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BRAESIDE & MANNOFIELD COMMUNITY COUNCIL (“BMCC”) NEWS New Chairman: Seumas Macinnes has been elected as Chair of BMCC. The Community Council meets on the fourth Wednesday of every month at 7.00pm at the Airyhall Community Centre (excluding July and December) and residents in the area are encouraged to attend these meetings.

Minutes of the meetings can be found on the Community Council notice board.

If anyone has any issues which they wish to bring to the Community Council’s attention, they can place a note in the Suggestion Box which is in the Community Centre / Airyhall Library.

At the Community Council meeting on 25 May a report was presented by a member of the police force. Points highlighted were:•

With people spending more time in their back gardens, householders should ensure that they lock front doors to avoid providing opportunities for thieves. And also important to lock your car at all times.

•

Any incident that members of the public become aware of should be reported to the police so that resources can be appropriately allocated.

•

Work is ongoing to re-activate various Neighbourhood Watch areas. Anyone who is interested in assisting should contact the Neighbourhood Watch office on 01224-646353 or email watch@absafe.org.uk

•

Grampian police have launched a new recruitment campaign to attract volunteers to become Special Constables. If you are interested, contact 0845-600-5700.

contact the gazette : 01224 - 318561

Residents in the BMCC area may be aware of the Local Development Plan proposals to permit building on the site formerly occupied

by Braeside Infant School AND the adjacent play park. This would remove one of the few remaining available areas of green space where children can play. When we know more we shall alert residents to courses of action.

Bin collection arrangements for 2011/12:due to the “cut-backs”, information on bin collections will not be disseminated by the Council. The relevant information can be obtained by watching your neighbours, going on the website (www.aberdeencity. gov.uk/wasteaware) or calling the Council on 08456-08-09-19.

Aberdeen City Council will be opening its new Customer Service Centre this summer in Marischal College offering an opportunity to obtain information on available services.

Next Meeting : Wednesday 28 September Airyhall Community Centre at 7.00pm 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 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

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Scottish Country Dancing Scottish Country Dancing Introductory classes commence on Tuesday 20th September 7:30 - 9:00 at St Margaret’s School - everyone welcome! Other Adult classes commence the same week - please contact 01224 636128 01224 636128 for more information.

Children’s classes are also running at various locations - please also contact 01224 636128 01224 636128 for further information.

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 Kilt Kickers American Square Dance Club Meets at WRI Hall, Cults Beginners from September 7.30 - 9.00pm £2.50 per night Fred Gibb, Tel 486665

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

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!

Bon Accord branch – Sugarcraft Guild Meets at Rubislaw - 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 Aberdeen Humanist Group Skene House Hotel, 6 Union Grove Monthly meetings for those with a secular life-stance. Interesting speakers and topics for discussion.

Tel : M Richardson - 01888-562237

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Northern Arts Club 8 Bon Accord Square, Aberdeen Come along to draw and paint on Wednesdays 10-12.30pm. Tutor session 1st Wed. of every month.

Contact Jacqueline 586928 Life Drawing Class 8 Bon Accord Square, Aberdeen Saturday morning 10-1pm Please contact Ian 484040 Bridge Tuition Beginner and intermediate Thursday evening, call Margaret 868230 Room/s for hire 8 Bon Accord Square, Aberdeen Do you need a new venue for your book club/ chess club/choir/art & craft club, then contact Jacqueline 586928 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 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 Weekly on a Wed at 6.15pm for .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.

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 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 .

Rubislaw Church Centre Fountainhall Road/Beaconsfield Place Open Monday - Friday morning for teas, coffees etc Full access and facilities for those with disabilities Rooms available for hire - contact 645477 www.rubislawchurch.org.uk

Jog Scotland Meets at RGU Sport Garthdee Road Thurs 6pm Contact Mandy 322158 www.bkwsu.org/uk/aberdeen 01224639105 Jog Scotland - Airyhall Meets outside Airyhall Community Centre Tuesday 7pm. Contact Julie 323830 or www.jogscotland-airyhall.co.uk Rotary club of Aberdeen St. Nicholas.

At present we are canvassing for new members,we are a very friendly club who meet for lunch,friendship and business every Monday 12.45 for1.00 pm at the Northern Hotel.If you are interested you are welcome to join us any Monday lunch time.

If you would like to find out more click on to rotary 1010.co.uk select clubs and go to Aberdeen St. Nicholas or telephone Ernie on 641299/312493.

Airyhall CommCentre badminton group meets weekly on Mondays 8pm to 10pm new session starts 5/9/11 New members welcome.Annual sub to join centre is £6 plus nightly fee of £1.00. Phone David Campbell 321301 or e mail david@david143.doo.co.uk

Mannofield Church Monday 11:00-11:45am £4 - Laura 07773021851

The next meeting will be on Tuesday, 13 September at 7pm in St Joseph’s RC School, Queen’s Road. contact the gazette : 01224 - 318561

gcg : 59

Art Festival at C allow visitors to appreciate Wilson’s magnificent art.

Craigiebuckler Parish Church in Aberdeen is holding an Art Festival on the weekend of 1st and 2nd October 2011 to celebrate a very special fiftieth anniversary. The Festival commemorates the unique suite of twelve stained glass windows by the noted Scottish artist, William Wilson, OBE, RSA, which were installed between 1961 and 1971. During the Festival, the Church will be open to

Craigiebuckler Church’s Minister, the Rev Kenneth Petrie said “This anniversary has been an ideal opportunity for the Church to work in partnership with the wider community. We are delighted to be working with the pupils and staff of our local schools. We are also very grateful to Craigiebuckler and Seafield Community Council for their enthusiastic support of our Art Festival.”

The Art Festival will include: • An Art Competition to showcase the talent from Hazlehead Primary School and Academy and the Church’s youth

Is it time to learn to use less fuel?

Step 1: Make your car more efficient You could see big improvements by making minor tweaks to your vehicle. It’s estimated someone who averages 35 miles per gallon, or mpg (in old money) could reach 40 mpg by driving better, a near 15% saving. Thanks to the RAC for help with the efficiency improvement data.

Step 2: Drive more efficiently It’s possible to drive the same distance in the same time, yet use considerably less fuel. You can chop up to 60% OFF your fuel costs without cutting your top speed. It’s simply about driving more smoothly to boost your fuel efficiency.

Step 3: Accelerate gradually without over-revving.

Step 4: Drive in the correct gear.

Always drive in the highest gear possible without labouring the engine.

gcg : 60

Step 5: Slow naturally.

Rather than brake all the time, let your car slow naturally and use its stored momentum.

Step 6: Think about road position.

To do all this takes road awareness, so the more alert you are, the better you can plan ahead and move gradually.

Step 7: Speed up smoothly; when you press harder on the pedal more fuel flows, but you could get to the same speed using much less power – a good rule is to stay under 3,000 revs.

In many ways this all comes down to one little rule of thumb ...

Every time you put your foot on the accelerator, remember the harder you press, the more fuel you spend.

Just being conscious of this, and your road position, should massively increase how far you can drive on a tank of petrol. www.thegranitecitygazette.co.uk

Craigiebuckler groups (Saturday 11am to 4pm and Sunday 2pm to 4pm) • An Exhibition by Aberdeen-based artists Julie Beynon and Jane Bayliss (Saturday 2pm to 4pm) • A Craft Fair to provide an outlet for local craft workers (Saturday 11am to 4pm) • Art-based activities for young people (Saturday 11am to 4pm and Sunday 2pm to 4pm) • Stories by local story-teller Grace Banks (Sunday 2pm to 4pm) • A special Service of Celebration (Sunday 11am)

Further information: Church office on 01224 315649 or office@craigiebuckler.org.co.uk.

Craigiebuckler Church’s website is at www.craigiebuckler.org.uk.

Theatre Ticket Entry Form

Pair of Tickets to Para Handy or Pair of Tickets to End of the Rainbow Where are the above named shows being held : ..............................................

Theatre Comp, gazette magazines, 4 Kenfield Crescent, Aberdeen AB15 7UQ Name : ________________________________ Tel :____________________ ADDRESS : ______________________________________________________

Closing date for entries is 19 September 2011 Please circle your preferred show

How long do you keep your copy of the gazette?

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

A pg 54 pg 5 pg 52 pg 63

Adair and McIntosh Alan D Cowie Painter Allie McLeod After School Football Aquatic Soul Bathrooms

B pg 48 pg 54

Blue Flame Heating Bonding with Baby

C pg 54 pg 13 pg 39 pg 54 pg 47 pg 55

Christie Wood Joinery Choi Kwang Do Ciao Napoli Compucare Colin Thompson Architects Cumming Fire and Security

D pg 9 pg 63

DAWGS Devonair Hairstylists

F pg 33-34 pg 37 pg 64 pg 54 pg 14

4th Room @ Four Mile House Four Mile House - Ferryhill Hotel Finnies the Jeweller Fiona Carter - Piano Tutor Freeform FMA Fitness Training

G pg 51 pg 54 pg 54

GM Events George Cormack Painter Granite City Powerwashing

J pg 54 pg 53 pg 61

Jane Crofts Gibb Jazzercise Junction Art and Gifts

K pg 48 pg 47 pg 29 pg 39

Kenny Davidson - Painter Kenyon Upholstery Kingsgate Law Kumiko Beauty

L pg 2 pg 53 pg 4 pg 5 pg 59

Lapis Gold Laura Walker - Kids Parties Laura Walker - Pilates Laura Walker - Yoga Laura Walker Zumba

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M pg 53 pg 54

Mannofield Music Mrs Charles - Piano Tuition

N pg 54 Neil Angus - IT pg 9,24,25 NEOS O pg 56

Oven Valet

P pg 35&36 Paula McEwen Restaurant pg 54 Philip Garden - Painter pg 48 Proserv - Building Division pg 55 Proserv - Cleaning Division pg 21 Proserv - Electrical Division pg 7 Proserv - Grounds Division pg 56 Proserv - Joinery Division pg 24 Proserv - Painting Division pg 46 Proserv - Property Maintenance pg 9 Proserv - Roofing Q pg 59

Queens Cross Community Council

R pg 54 pg17 pg 63

Rona’s Mobile Hairdressing Scottesque at Rosehip and Tutu Rosemount Joinery

S pg 2 Scott Gilmour Optometrist pg17 Scottesque pg 53 Soo Yang Do pg 56 Spik n’ Span pg 27 St Margarets School for Girls T pg 18

Temple Aesthetics

W pg 23&25 Waldorf School pg 50 Waterbabies

Book space with the gazette today 19 Sept is the deadline for the October issue Tel : 01224-318561

email : gazette@fsmail.net www.thegranitecitygazette.co.uk

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Design

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

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Step into the pages of the gazette and get yourself noticed locally ...

Are you looking for a Relaxed Atmosphere Personal Attention Wedding Speciality

Tel : 322000

Devonair Hairstylists

2 Devonshire Road Aberdeen

(off St Swithin St)

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

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For life.

George Street, Aberdeen. Tel 01224 636632 Open: Mon/Fri/Sat: 9am-5.30pm. Tues: 9.30am-5.30pm.

Wed: 9am-1pm. Thurs: 9am-7pm.

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