DEC 2020 / JAN 2021
broxburn
FEATURE:
West Lothian is the BEST place to call home
LOCAL ENVIRONMENT:
PARENTING:
A PupPy is f0r life, not just for
Christmas...
PLUS: PROPERTY MATTERS, Garden Project, and more LOCAL FEATURES inside!
THIS ISSUE
W
rap up, settle in: locked in or not, December’s going to be very different for most of us this year, but getting cosy in your Christmas jumper is definitely on the agenda. We’re wearing ours on the cover this month! Go ahead and top dress in yours for your vid calls – on Christmas Jumper Day on 11th December at least! As we end this year, as ever we focus on the upbeat and the positive, and the things to celebrate despite everything. A special version of the regular Property Matters column this month from Turpie & Co celebrates West Lothian as a great place to live and work. All our other regular columns are here My Christmas wish is for all our readers to stay strong and to be able to enjoy a safe and relaxing holiday period, whatever challenges it brings. Thanks for reading Konect and supporting local businesses and organisations this year.
P16 Feature: It’s official: West Lothian is THE BEST place to call home............................................................8 Garden Project: Bringing joy & comfort in midwinter............................................................................10 Local Environment: Welcome to the undergrowth.............................................................16 Health & Beauty / Life Coaching.......................18 Parenting: A puppy is for life... ..........................20 Film Review: Wolfwalkers.....................................21 Puzzles.......................................................................22
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West Lothian is the BEST place to call home West Lothian was recently named as the “most financially viable” area to live in Scotland.
The word may be getting out. Those of us lucky enough to live here already know that West Lothian is a great place to live. It’s an overlooked gem in many ways that our city-dwelling neighbours are largely unaware of. Now, some research recently carried out gives it a new label: the “most financially viable” place to live in Scotland. It’s an interesting label to add to the list of good reasons to live here. The research was carried out by finance company Moneybarn, which ranked nearly 400 locations across the UK using a range of financial indicators. West Lothian scored very highly on rent affordability, rates of pay and house prices, boosting its total score to the number one most financially viable place to live in Scotland. As we wrap up this gruelling year, we decided to take an uplifting look at why else living, buying, renting or investing in West Lothian has a rosy outlook.
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TOP OF THE CLASS
In The Times Scottish School League Tables published earlier this year, West Lothian has six schools in the 50 top performing secondary schools in Scotland. The six are Linlithgow Academy, West Calder High School, James Young High School, St Margaret’s Academy, Whitburn Academy and Inveralmond Community High School.
AND RELAX: GREEN SPACES AND SCENERY We don’t have the drama of Highland landscapes, but we do have plenty of open spaces and beauty spots. This year has highlighted more than ever the value of spending time in green spaces. Properties with access to green spaces, for both buyers and renters, are in very high demand - and West Lothian has plenty. You can have a some of everything here, with the Bathgate Hills, the country parks, Union Canal, woodlands...the possibilities are endless.
WORK / LIFE BALANCE
Nestled as we are between Edinburgh and Glasgow with excellent transport links, the cities are within very easy reach for both work and play. With many people
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now working from home too, and some who may never go fully back to the office, housing needs are changing. There is increased demand for properties with a study/home office or space to run a business, so there’s a lot of movement just now - and West Lothian is again a perfect destination to get the space to work from home but retain proximity to the cities. EVERY KIND OF SHOPPING
The Centre in Livingston is the third biggest retail centre in Scotland and there is virtually nothing you can’t get here. And there’s more: for different retail experiences, West Lothian’s smaller towns offer a variety of boutique and independent businesses, with a strong “shop local” ethos to support our independent traders and eateries. Widespread working from home may lead to a resurgence in demand for products and services in our town centres and local high streets, further developing and enhancing the character of our towns and villages. PLENTY OF CHARACTER
The character of our towns and villages is partly a result of an incredibly rich historical heritage. West Lothian has been the oil capital of the world in the shale oil heyday; the birthplace and playground of royalty; a religious headquarters, when the powerful Knights Hospitalier had their moment at the top. It’s been a commanding location for a long time! And fantasy history? Our characterful sites are frequently used as a filming locations, most recently for the hit TV series Outlander, which has boosted tourism to the area. So it’s not surprising that some of the best properties for sale or rent in the country are in West Lothian. And, as the most financially stable part of Scotland, you can buy, sell, invest and rent property here with more confidence than anywhere else.
This article was written in conjunction with Turpie & Co Estate & Letting Agents who have extensive knowledge of the West Lothian Property Market.
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Website: www.turpies.com
Tel: 01506 668448 Social Media:
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Bringing Joy and Comfort in Midwinter We all need some comfort and joy during these dark days. Lesley has a tactic for cheering us up: just remember that Spring will come, and they can’t take that away from us!
Let your garden bring comfort and joy to you during the winter, we don’t even have to wait for Spring to be delighted by flowers, leaves and fragrance. Our patio doors look out onto this Oriental Hellebore and it started flowering at the beginning of November and will continue to produce its glorious and hardy flowers into March. There are many different varieties available with a great range of colours and they are very easy to grow. They prefer a little shade from the full rays of the summer sun. A few evergreen shrubs in pots arranged
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Oriental Hellebore where you can see them from inside can work wonders for our happiness in the winter. We have a top 10 evergreen plants for pots on our purple piglet project for ‘bringing the outdoors indoors’ by looking outdoors to your patio from the cosiness of indoors. Choose plants like Pieris, Viburnum, Skimmia, Variegated grasses and Golden Choisya. Pick up the leaflet on your next visit and get some good cheer! The gardening project is contributed by Dougal Philip, New Hopetoun Gardens. Inspiring, informing and entertaining, for more than 40 years.
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LOCAL ENVIRONMENT
Welcome to the undergrowth As I write this, the weekend is nearly over and there’s only one word to describe it - dreich (surely, it’s the best Scottish word). The mist has hung heavy making the air feel thick and the drizzle soaked us to the bone. It’s not all bad news though, as the colours of autumn fade and we await the first snowfall there is still plenty for us to admire thanks to mother nature. During a cycle I was so dis-tracted by the way the cobwebs were weaving through the gorse bushes I cut it short near Armadale, returned home and promptly went out with the camera. The work undertaken by the spiders was mesmerising and incredibly varied. The mist didn’t burn off like I’d hoped but somehow it seemed to make the cobwebs even more beautiful. On top of that, I heard the high-pitched call of the long tailed tit as they bounced through the air followed by the goldcrest - what a discovery! The smallest bird in the UK was flit-ting between trees looking for insects but sadly evaded me for any 16 | BROXBURN
decent pictures. The cycle path between Bathgate and Blackridge is an excellent place for bird watching, es-pecially as those who inhabit the territory will be used to people passing so frequently. Next month we can’t wait to bring you a picture of the bohemian waxwings which have now made landfall in Scotland for winter. They’re just a wee bit too far north for us at the moment!
This column is contributed by Clare Harte and Kate Stevenson, who grew up in Edinburgh and now live in West Lothian. Together they run Scottish Sisters Photography and travel around the country to watch and photograph amazing wildlife and scenic landscapes. Follow them on Facebook @ScottishSistersPhotography @KonectMagazines
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LIFE COACHING
TIME FOR CHANGE
After a challenging year it is without doubt December is going to be slightly different from the usual social festivities and Christmas markets. As we gladly welcome in 2021 there is always a huge surge of ‘change’ in the salon. Transformations, makeovers and a need to overhaul style seems to fall in line with the opportunities the start of a new year brings. With that in mind, I think there are some really simple ways of changing things up. Why wait till January? I think we all need a bit of change and injecting some colour into your hair just became a lot easier. Colour fresh masks have arrived in Wonderland, with a vibrant array of tones from golden, caramel and copper right through to the bolder statement shades like mint, deep blue, and rose blaze. If your hair is light you can experiment with the brighter vivids. If it is darker opt for adding a caramel glaze or chocolate hue. They are colour depositing treatments and so work very much like a deep conditioner, and only take ten minutes with no mixing to do. With colourful packaging and a huge range to choose from they make an ideal stocking filler for those who like to have fun, or are also a brilliant idea for maintaining colour in between appointments or if you can’t get out to visit a hairdresser. Time to embrace change, Merry Christmas and here’s to a colourful 2021.
The Hair column is contributed by Sophie Laidlaw. Sophie is Director @wonderland Livingston. www.wonderlandlivingston.co.uk 18 | BROXBURN
Even Christmas can CHANGE We have all been confronted with so much uncertainty this year and many of us are feeling stressed and tired and just want life to return to something we recognise as ‘normal’. But, if Covid has given us anything, it is the knowledge that there is no ‘normal’. Change happens to all of us and, this year, has reminded us that we have far less control than we ever realised. There is no doubt that 2020 has been a challenging year and our Christmas celebrations certainly won’t look the same. There will be no office parties, no seasonal markets and no large gatherings. But, we are being given a golden opportunity to rethink our priorities and do things differently. We can still spend time with our loved ones and, who knows, we may even enjoy the toned down celebrations so much that we make them a permanent feature of the festive season for years to come. Traditionally, Christmas is followed by a headlong dash to make those life-changing resolutions. Year after year, we declare that we will give up chocolate, go to the gym, take up running or write that novel. This year, we can still do our Vision Boards but, alongside those career and social goals, we could include positive images of friendship, love and contentment to draw those positive things into our lives. Along with the challenges it brought, 2020 has shown us all just what we are capable of. Let’s celebrate that and take that new- found confidence forward into a healthy and happy new year. The Life Coaching column is contributed by Francine Orr, NLP coach, hypnotherapist & reiki practitioner. Francine is based within Linlithgow Chiropractic on Wednesday afternoons and is also available online. See www.orrganise.co.uk @KonectMagazines
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PARENTING
A puppy is for life, not just for Christmas...
…or at least that’s what they used to say. But 2020 has brought fears of a new puppy crisis, meaning Christmas might not be the biggest problem.
I put my hand up and happily say that we are one of those families who have welcomed a new arrival this year. But ours was by no means a pandemic puppy. On the contrary it was a long time coming. After careful consideration we decided the time was right. Who could have known the right time would turn out to be so wrong in so many other ways.
I have no doubt that there are many out there who have jumped into puppy parenthood without enough thought about night-time walks in the rain and picking up poop for the next however many years. And of course, about what to do when life and work returns to something more “normal”. But that doesn’t mean all new puppy parents have jumped into it without forethought. We spent weeks and months thinking and researching before finding our breeder. Of course, there was still lots to learn when our new arrival finally came. Not the least of which was finding out where to go to get all the things they need like food, toys and advice.
One gem of a place we’d never had need of until now is Scott’s Pet Supplies in Pumpherston. We popped in just the other day in search of the perfect puppy advent calendar.
While there we couldn’t resist
picking up some treats from what can only be described as a puppy pick ‘n mix. And we were lucky to get useful tips about run free fields and training treats as well. The kids were busy spying dog toys– safe to say the dog will be getting more presents under the Christmas tree than me this year!
Turns out having a puppy is more like having a baby than I ever could have imagined. Sleepless nights, trouble with feeding, constantly worrying if you are doing the right thing…only they reach the terrible twos a lot quicker than kids and when it comes to teething, they are already the proud owners of a set of razor-sharp puppy teeth. But we wouldn’t be without our fur baby now. Like with kids I can hardly remember what life was like before. And I certainly don’t take any small amount of joy for granted this year. So to new puppy parents I’d give the same advice as to new parents…if you are worrying about it that probably means you are doing a great job, it does get easier and in the meantime don’t hesitate to ask for help when you need it. To prospective puppy parents…don’t rush into it, good things come to those who wait. Have a pawsome Christmas everyone!
The parenting column is contributed by Laura Archibald. Laura lives in West Lothian with her family and their campervan Hank. She is mummy, wife, blogger and full-time personal assistant to her two girlie girls.
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Right off the bat, I have to make this clear. Wolfwalkers based solely on its animation is absolutely breath taking. Every frame of this film is just like a work of art and in my opinion is a type of animation I feel is missing from modern kid’s films because they are mostly made by Disney or Pixar. However, where a lot of my issues come from are its story and characters. The main character is very rebellious. We are told that no-one is allowed into the woods, yet mere two seconds later she ignores this advice. This leads to a character who is more frustrating than relatable. Sadly, this rebellious mindset from the beginning lessens the impact of scenes later on. Due to this issue, I felt it hard to engage with the story as the main character’s actions drives the plot forward. For most people these issues will mean nothing.
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However, since I critically look at films, the story and the characters for the first 45 minutes didn’t click with me; but at the same time the last 45 minutes are just simple enthralling. The characters and the story kick into high gear and I see its true potential as being a masterpiece of animation. I honestly loved the last 45 minutes and I wish the whole film was like that. Wolfwalkers is a really good film that could have been fantastic, but for kids it’s a must-see. It’s a high recommendation from me for family watch. The Film Review is contributed by Robert Ewing. Robert is passionate about film as an art form, and shining a light on films that may not be on people’s radar. Robert is from Kirknewton.
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PUZZLES
CROSSWORD
Solution in the February edition of Konect ACROSS: 1. Used for measuring (4), 3. Goes before (8), 9. Against (7), 10. Removes sensation (5), 11. Immediate environment (12), 14. Uncooked (3), 16. Edition (5), 17. To colour (3), 18. Very keen (12), 21. Not dead (5), 22. European country (7), 23. Simultaneously (8), 24. Happy (4). DOWN: 1. Item of clothing (8), 2. Writing material (5), 4. Stick, cane (3), 5. Significant (12), 6. Broken (7), 7. Type of window (4), 8. Amazement (12), 12. Birds dwellings (5), 13. Received gladly (8), 15. Not losing (7), 19. Spin around (5), 20. Sour (4), 22. Farewell (3).
Solution in the February edition of Konect
SUDOKU
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