Braintree Life Issue 3 September 2014

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BL Welcome Hello and welcome to issue three of Braintree Life magazine.

We have made a slight change with distribution this month, we feel it will be better to deliver direct to homes in the Braintree area. Some would have received last month’s and many more will this month. If you are receiving this for the first time and wish to view previous editions please visit www.issuu.com/itsyourmedia.

If you do not wish to receive the magazine, no problem, let us know by emailing ads@itsyourmedia.co.uk advising us of your address and we will request our delivery people to not deliver to your address.

We hope you enjoy our third edition.

Paul & Nick

Advertising Editorial Nick Garner Paul Mclean 07970 206682 07595 949701 ads@itsyourmedia.co.uk editorial@itsyourmeida.co.uk Disclaimer: It’s Your Media Ltd publish Braintree Life. The opinion expressed in each article is the opinion of its author and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of It’s Your Media Ltd. No part may be reproduced without the prior written permission of It’s Your Media Ltd, 15 Hayes Close, Chelmsford, CM2 0RN. Registered Company number 9154871. Printed by www.graphic-impressionsco.uk.

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Art in Print

Art in Print: Designs from the Warner Textile Archive Saturday 27th September until Saturday 1st November 2014 at Braintree Library. : From inspiring paper designs to intricately printed textiles, the individual pieces held by the Warner Textile Archive in Braintree, Essex, are works of art in their own right.

Exhibition: Art in Print: Designs from the Warner Textile Archive.

Dates: Saturday 27th September until Saturday 1st November 2014.

Venue: Dome Gallery, Braintree Library, Fairfield Road, Braintree CM7 3YL.

Launching at Braintree Library this autumn with the exhibition Art in Print, the Warner Textile Archive’s new range of prints celebrates the exceptional skill of Warner & Sons’ design team from the 1800s through 30 carefullyselected items from the Archive Collection.

From captivating designs inspired by the intrigue of The Orient, to dainty and romantic florals, documents have been faithfully reproduced to retain their original individual charm and character.

They illustrate Warner & Sons’ eye for compelling design and communicate the strength and longevity of this internationallyimportant heritage resource.

The Warner Textile Archive is a unique design resource highlighting the successes and innovation of Warner & Sons, one of the nation’s great textile companies, from the late 1800s. All commercial projects support the continued conservation of the Archive Collection.

Art in Print: Designs from the Warner Textile Archive.

Art in Print will feature designs from local artists such as Edward Bawden and Edmund Hunter, as well as renowned designers including Vanessa Bell and William Morris. Each work of art in print in itself reflects the creativity and dynamism of Warner & Sons, with the Exhibition coming together to portray the company and Braintree as a leading force in the British textile industry.

Cllr. Jo Beavis, Braintree District Council Cabinet Member for People and Participation says: “the unique collection held by the Warner Textile Archive is a real asset to the people of the Braintree District and beyond. The designs produced by Warner & Sons were ahead of their time and enjoy great relevance today, so it is hardly surprising that global interest is gravitating around the collection. Art in Print provides another opportunity to showcase the very best of the Warner Textile Archive and as both a member of Braintree District Council and a local resident, I look forward to visiting the Exhibition at Braintree Library.”

Each design on display in the Library’s Dome Gallery will be available to order for prices between £12.50 and £40 (unframed). Each art print is digitally printed in the UK on 180gsm nonwoven substrate using water-based inks.

Kate Wigley, archivist and commercial manager at the Warner Textile Archive says: “we are thrilled to be celebrating the district’s important cultural heritage alongside Braintree Library, especially as we continue to mark the 10th anniversary of the Warner Textile Archive in Braintree. Art in Print Summer Belles (1970) Hand-painted paper design provides an excellent opportunity for us to celebrate the wealth of innovative design held in the Archive Collection, and I hope the designs on display will provide inspiration to the local community, including the area’s budding young designers.”

Young visitors to the Exhibition will have the opportunity to create their own work of art, inspired by the designs on display, as part of the Printing the Future competition. Winning entrants will have their design professionally printed and framed, and hung in Braintree Library’s Dome Gallery later in the year.

Susan Capon, Senior Customer Services Assistant at Braintree Library says: “we are really enthused to be working in partnership with the Warner Textile Archive on the Art in Print project. This is an excellent opportunity to bring art and local history to the community of Braintree. The Library’s Dome Gallery will be a focal point for the Art in Print exhibition and we will be encouraging children of all ages to take part in the forthcoming competition to create their own design taking inspiration from the Warner Textile Archive collections.”

Opening times: 9am – 5pm, Monday to Saturday.

Tickets: Free entry.

Rotary Asked to Help Out at the Last Minute There is nothing new under the sun or so they say, but nevertheless I am constantly being told about new Rotary events and projects. Just a few days ago I was approached by The Tom Bowdidge Foundation to see if Rotary clubs could assist with a tractor ride on behalf of the charity which supports young people with cancer. It is all being arranged at very short notice and the foundation realised that Rotary with its connections throughout the country - and in fact in Europe, as well - would be the organisation that would help, if anyone could.

The UK journey starts at John O’Groats and goes down through Britain until it ends at Lands End. It then meanders through Belgium and Scandinavia before doing the return trip from Lands End to John O’Groats. A total of 8000 miles. In each town that the tractor stops for an overnight, rest Rotarians will meet the driver, making him welcome and also try to assist with raising money for the charity by publicising the ride. With only a week to organise anything at all, leaders of Rotary clubs in Britain were notified of the route and they gave their assurances that they would do their best to help in any way possible. A friendly face en-route certainly makes the journey easier for driver Peter and that’s what Rotary provides every day of the year – a friendly face and a helping hand.

Something else Rotarians have been up to recently is joining in a carnival to raise money for the local community. They came up with the idea of dressing the float in the style of Dad’s Army, bearing in mind the commemorations that are going on at the moment for the Second World War and World War One. The club was delighted to learn that they won first prize for their carnival float. And well deserved it was.

So whilst it may be true that is nothing completely new, there are variations on a theme - helping another charity, sharing in the fun, having fun yourself. That’s what Rotary is all about. If you would like to find out more about joining a club, or helping in occasional projects, then visit www.chelmsfordrotary1240.org, or call me on 01245 260349 (office hours). Stan Keller

The God’s Jukebox top ten of everything – Lip tremblers: Songs to make you sob Richard Wilson, singer with Sound Mirrors and DJ for God’s Jukebox, gives us the lowdown on his very personal top tens of everything he can think of.

6. Will You Love Me Tomorrow? Carol King. Stripped of the optimism of the Shirelle’s original, King’s 70s re-boot of her own tune lays bare the fears of a woman’s decision to place her trust in a man.

“Sad songs say so much,” said Elton. A top of the range weepy can be a friend, who understands; it can be that cathartic scream to help you belt out your pain; and it can be a moment of woe-is-me indulgence. Tissues at the ready; here come ten of my favourite tear jerkers.

7. Ne Me Quitte Pas, Jaques Brel. As dramatic as it is heart breaking.

Also just a beautiful in the hands of Scott Walker and Dusty Springfield.

1. The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore, The Walker Brothers. If you’re hell bent on being a blubbering mess of angst and hopelessness you might as well do it with a choir, and orchestra and Scott Walker’s old before its time baritone. Don’t forget to play along by beating your fists on the bed and shouting, “Why! Why! Why!” 2. Love is a Losing Game, Amy Winehouse. Cut through all the torrid tabloid muck raking and what we’re left with is the story of a boy and girl and a love affair that destroyed one of the nation’s brightest talents.

3. Hope there’s Someone, Anthony & The Johnsons. The opening track to the Mercury Award winning, Am I A Bird Now, is jaw-on-thefloor beautiful with a terrific waling and gnashing of teeth outro.

4. The Lonely Sea, The Beach Boys. Only a stone could listen to Brian Wilson’s falsetto in this minor-key classic and not get a bit teary.

5. Strange Fruit, Billie Holiday. The fruit of which she sings are the bodies of black men, lynched by racist gangs hanging from bloody trees in the Deep South. Listening to this song is like having your heart taken out, filled with sorrow and knowledge and then put gently back inside. What record players were invented for.

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8. A Man Needs A Maid, Neil Young. I used to think this song was misogynist, but then a realised it was just a desperately sad fable about man’s inability to connect with others. Jack Nitzsche’s strings are also lush.

9. The Man Who Sold The World, Nirvana. Bowie’s pre-glam classic gains new resonances from complex character of Kurt Cobain.

10. I Wish It Would Rain, The Temptations. Thanks to Duncan Egleton on Facebook for this suggestion of a lesser know Temptations classic.

Nice.

Next issue’s top ten is “Songs about books” you can suggest a song and I’ll choose the best for my number ten spot. Continue the conversation @GodsJukeboxDJ and facebook.com/GodsJukebox

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CITYdiversions Festival Returns This Month - 27th September On Saturday 27 September, Chelmsford City Centre and Anglia Ruskin University host the annual festival of outdoor art and street diversions, CITYdiversions - the new name for an event that’s been unique to Essex for 12 years.

From 10.30am, a family day of activities at Chelmsford’s Anglia Ruskin University includes vintage fun fair rides, free live music, comedy, children’s shows, arts and crafts, storytelling, international street food, Bobby’s Girl Vintage Fair and more. All of this leads up to a mesmerising and energetic performance from Spark! Worldbeaters at 8.30pm featuring high-impact choreographed drumming and lights in a 40 minute show not to be missed.

using pyro effects as the sparkling power behind their outrageous flying attempts. This free spectacular will start soon after 8.30pm.

For further information on CITYdiversions Festival, please visit www. chelmsford.gov.uk/citydiversions , find CITYdiversions on Facebook or follow #CITYdiversions.

CITYdiversions Festival 2014 is kindly supported by Anglia Ruskin University, BBC Essex, Essex Chronicle, High Chelmer Shopping Centre, The Meadows Shopping Centre, Essex & Suffolk Water, The Printing Place, 1159 Productions, Sshhh Events, The City Times and SeaChange Arts.

Meanwhile, from 12noon until 5pm, Chelmsford High Street enjoys a variety of free shows from street bands and theatre companies from the UK and Europe. Promenade performances such as Carnage Productions (France), Mimbre (UK) and Mr Wilson’s Second Liners (UK) will pass through the High Street and also High Chelmer and Meadows Shopping Centres. Static shows from FIPA and Colchester’s Buffalo Tank can also be found in Bell Meadow.

Remember, after 5pm, the party continues at the University. It’s a short 10 minute walk and there’s also a vintage bus will be providing transport between the top of the High Street and the university campus.

Don’t forget that on Saturday 20th September, you are invited to witness a journey of flight as the Twilight Spectacle, Firebirds by Theatre Titanick from Germany, is performed in Saltcoats Park, South Woodham Ferrers. A promenade of four marvellous machines and their eccentric pilots will attempt to win the favour of the audience

Come Fly with Me by Simon Culleton I was reading a book on holiday statistics last week (I know, I have a wild life) and one questionnaire that I read had an alarming conclusion: people find going on holiday more stressful than child birth, moving house or being robbed. Having experienced at least two of those, I find that statistic completely believable especially where airports are concerned. I can recall endless hours of waiting in airports after countless delays. I’ve had my luggage lost and a plane go without me (not good for the ego) and generally been herded around the terminal with all the other bewildered cattle. Once, after a 7 hour delay at an airport in Houston, Texas we were told that we could not take off due to a technical problem, the cause of which I later found out, the pilot had gone home.

the door had to be hurriedly axed open in front of what I can only imagine were frantic passengers. Another passenger flight in Russia ended tragically in the Siberian mountains when the pilot gave the controls to his young daughter who he had sneaked into the cock pit: “daddy, look what I can do...” am assured that in these days of high security such mistakes would not happen. Flying is still the safest form of transport and 2012 saw aviation’s safest year.

Over two thirds of the UK will go on holiday this year and an increasing majority of those will be flying to get there, joining a 2.8 billion world wide passenger list. That’s a lot of suitcase packing, airport taxi runs, check in, going through security and being body searched (I always think of this as a free massage), finding your gate, then, finally boarding your flight and fastening your seat belt only to hear the pilot announce another delay. The flight itself, especially if it’s a cheap economy one - which most of mine are, can be rather squashed and sardine-like; The thought of which would be unbearable to those suffering from aerophobia: I don’t have a fear of flying, I rather enjoy it. It’s the fear of crashing that scares me.

Here in Braintree we are very lucky to have Stansted as our closest airport and an easy 15 minutes drive away. It’s still only the fourth busiest in the country and compared to Heathrow’s labyrinth of a confusing infrastructure, Stansted is a walk in the park. Technology is at the forefront of most airports with computerised check-in from your home and seat selection via your mobile. Last week I was at Stansted airport on a pick-up when I noticed that even the chauffeurs that stood around the arrival area waiting for their clients had discarded the traditional piece of cardboard with the name written on it and now held up iPads. Everything is changing in airports for the better in a continual strive for modernisation. Although one tradition seems to be holding strong… The flight I was waiting for was delayed.

Yet no matter how comfortable you may be with flying, it’s impossible not to feel vulnerable 40,000 feet in the air along with another 6,000 planes at any one time sharing your air space and only the calming voice of an over-worked pilot to keep your nerves from shattering. “This is your captain speaking. I’m tired, hungry and this is my nineteenth flight today, now please sit back and enjoy your flight.” I’m joking of course; pilots nowadays are of a very high spec with years of training behind them. I’m pleased to say that the horror stories that hit the headlines in past decades are behind us now i.e. In America both pilots left the cockpit of a Boeing DC9 and went back for a toilet break when turbulence caused the door to slam shut. As the plane flew on autopilot

simon@limepad.com

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Lifestyle - CJ’s Top Tips for Healthy Kids With summer holidays almost over and the new school year about to kick off, parents are no doubt prioritising the back to school to do list.

Of course new uniform, pencil cases and notebooks are essential, yet it is also important to remember to fuel your child with the right nutrition to help stay alert and focused all day.

Starting the day with a nutritious breakfast will kick start them into action. Sending them off to school with a packed lunch box is a sure fire way to give yourself peace of mind that your child has the right balance of food throughout the day. Packed lunches do not need to be expensive or time consuming. They do, however, need to be interesting because if it doesn’t get eaten there will be no nutritional value provided!

Encourage your child to be involved. Let them choose from a range of healthy options. See the recommendations below for our pick of what to pack: • A good helping of fruit and vegetables - try apples, bananas, strawberries, raw carrot sticks, celery sticks, cherry tomatoes, pineapple or melon chunks.

• Complex carbohydrates such as wholegrain, wholemeal breads, rice or pasta to provide sustained energy.

• Protein - chicken, turkey, boiled eggs, ham or fish are great choices.

• Cheese sticks, milk or low fat yoghurt to provide calcium.

• Bottle of water - to keep your child hydrated all day. On hot days,

freeze bottle night before to keep the lunch box (and your child) nice and cool.

• Nutritious snacks such as rice cakes, nuts or unsalted/ unsweetened popcorn. Caramel rice cakes are a fantastic alternative for a sweet treat.

• Make healthy choices by reading food labels and choose products that are low in saturated fat, total fat, sugar and salt. Instead of using butter or margarine, why not try a little avocado, low fat mayonnaise, mustard or ricotta cheese instead?

Some tasty sandwich fillings to try could be: • Ham, spinach and avocado • Cottage cheese and tomato • Turkey and cranberry sauce • Classic egg mayo with cress Remember - it is ok to add treats like chocolate or chips but only occasionally, not every day.

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For more easy tips on healthy living, or for a personal nutrition and training plan check out cjfigureworks.com or email cj@cjfigureworks.com.

You can also follow me on Facebook - CJFigureworks.

Crafts - Wet Felting by Sam Conway As the kids go back to school, and you get some time back to yourselves, why not think about learning a new skill?

You really can be creative with wet felting and it is a great feeling to make something from scratch. The felt can then either be framed, or used to make something with. You could make the felt into slippers, a bag, hair accessories – the list is huge!

At Sconch we run a wide variety of classes, not just in knitting or crochet, but in wet felting and needle felting too. Last week saw me have a go at wet felting for the first time – something I’d been keen to try for a while.

If you would like to book onto one of our classes, then visit www.sconch.com/classes - or why not have a go yourself at home?

There are plenty of tutorials on Pinterest, and you can get going with very limited materials – some bubble wrap, washing up liquid, soap, water and the wool is really all you need!

The basic principle of wet felting is to rub the fibres, causing them to bond together – much the same as when you shrink your favourite wool jumper in the washing machine! I had tried needle felting before (where you stab the wool with a barbed needle repeatedly causing it to stiffen and form a shape), but never wet felting. The class was great fun, and was taught by one of our tutors, Lynne. We layered up wool tops, these are unspun fluffy balls of wool, which look a bit like cotton wool. We interspersed them with embellishments such as silk and wool beads and then began the long (but strangely therapeutic!) process of rubbing the soapy wet wool between bubble wrap to form our felt. In the three hour class, we all made a piece of felt to take home with us about the size of an A4 piece of paper. Mine wasn’t nearly as arty as the other ladies’ work; I had wanted mine to make a flower to go on a hair clip, so had gone for plain felt. I was blown away by the creations made by my fellow crafters, who had made mini pieces of art with their felt - an ice tundra and a volcanic mountain range were amongst some of the designs!

Next month: Halloween crafts – ideas for crafting with the kids!

History - The Sinking of ‘Braintree’s Ship’ HMS Kite in 1944 I am writing this article on 21st August 2014 on the 70th anniversary of the sinking of HMS Kite and the death of 217 of her crew.

This Second World War warship was adopted

by Braintree, and to honour those links a memorial was established in Braintree and Bocking Public Gardens in 2004. The Roll of Honour listing those who died. A memorial plaque is also on display in the museum. No Braintree men were on board, so how did this connection to Braintree come about?

In WWII the Admiralty ran ‘Warship Weeks’ during which they encouraged cities and towns to raise enough funds to adop a ship.

There was a sliding scale of money that had to be raised, with the largest amounts going towards battleships and aircraft carriers, smaller amounts towards cruisers or destroyers. On 7th March 1942 during one of these warship weeks Braintree and Bocking raised enough funds to adopt HMS Kite, a Royal Naval sloop, and the money raised was put towards her construction. A sloop was slightly smaller in size than a destroyer. The town received a plaque to honour their adoption, which is now on display in the museum. During the course of the war these ‘Warship Weeks’ raised just short of £1million for the war effort.

The Adoption plaque and a close up of the inscription.

HMS Kite entered service a year later on 1st March 1943 at a time when naval tensions were high. She became a founding member of the 2nd Escort Group – a group set up to protect Allied convoys from U-boats and enemy aircraft. Her first major operation was a patrol of the Bay of Biscay. Then in October 1943 she escorted a convoy across the Atlantic and played her part in D-Day in June 1944, escorting convoys across the English Channel.

Following D-Day she was turned to protecting convoys in the Arctic.

When Hitler declared war on his previous ally in June 1941, Stalinist Russia, Winston Churchill quickly sided with the Russians and offered to supply them with war materials. The chosen method for delivering these supplies was by naval convoy to the Russian ports of Archangel and Murmansk. This involved navigating the icy waters around Norway.

However, Norway had been occupied by Germany and the fjords were providing an ideal base for Germany’s navy. Norwegian airfields were also used by the Luftwaffe. In the summer, British convoys could avoid the area by taking a wider route around Iceland, but as the winter ice fields expanded, they had to move closer and closer to the Norwegian coast. When HMS Kite joined the Arctic runs the Luftwaffe no longer had air superiority and the danger of German surface ships had reduced. However the U-Boats remained a threat.

Convoy JW.59 was the first to set off on an Arctic trip post D-Day with HMS Kite as part of the group. On 21st August 1944 a German U-boat patrol came across the convoy off the coast of Greenland, and one U-Boat, U-344, fired torpedoes towards the British ships. HMS Kite was struck twice, and within 90 seconds she had sunk beneath the freezing sea. 217 of the crew died in the freezing waters. Some were rescued by friendly vessels but only 9 made it back to Britain alive.

The following day British plane Swordfish X torpedo bomber was flying over the sea heading back towards its convoy when the crew spotted a U-Boat. They released three depth-charges which exploded right alongside the U-boat. It is likely all the crew died instantly. One body appeared on the surface and the plane crew tried to lower a dinghy but it got hooked up in the plane’s wires and the attempt was aborted. The crew learnt after the war that the submarine was U-344.

No war is fought without losses on both sides, and it is important that we remember both sides of HMS Kite’s story.

In 2004 one of the nine survivors of HMS Kite, Mr Lionel Irish, came to Braintree on 21st August to unveil a memorial stone in the Braintree and Bocking public gardens. Mr Irish also donated to the museum a plaque in memory of his lost shipmates which is on display. Together with Ray Holden, Lionel founded the HMS Kite Association, taking her story forward in to the future.

The memorial inscription reads: “Presented by Lionel Irish Survivor of HMS Kite In Memory of His Lost Shipmates”.

Lionel Irish’s Plaque

I would like to acknowledge C.J. Thompson’s booklet on HMS Kite titled ‘The Price of Admiralty’ published by Braintree District Museum in 2001 and on sale in the museum shop. Much of the information in this article has come from this source.

The Roll of Honour on display in the museum which lists the 217 names of those who perished.

Jennifer Brown, Collections and Interpretation Officer at Braintree District Museum.

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Gardening

Even the smallest garden can be transformed into a haven for wildflowers and animals with a minimal amount of sympathetic management. Such natural oases can form vital habitats providing food, shelter and breeding sites for animals. They also link rural and urban areas together and act as wildlife highways and stop-off points.

Less than 1% of Britain’s 22,400 species of insects are garden pests, and many are beneficial pollinators and predators or parasites of garden pests.

out our huge range of courses on offer at Writtle College: www. writtle.ac.uk from this September.

Good luck and happy gardening!

Ways to Encourage Wildlife in the Garden When planning and managing a garden for wildlife a few simple guidelines should be followed: 1. Turn over as large an area as possible to wildlife. The bigger the wildlife garden, the more balanced and stable it will be as a habitat.

2. Provide a variety of habitats to increase the range of animals and plants that can be found in the garden. Many animals require more than one habitat to complete their life cycle. For example, many butterflies will feed on nectar plants in the garden but will only be passing visitors unless you provide a food plant for the caterpillars such as a patch of young stinging nettles in full sun. Birds may require berries and seeds for food as well as nesting and roosting sites such as a hedgerow or a clump of mature tree ivy.

3. Provide cover and protection for your wildlife. Lightly clipped hedges, lush pond side vegetation, ground cover and log piles will all provide shelter.

For any gardening tips why not contact Tom Cole, Head of Faculty for Land & Environment, Writtle College, Chelmsford, CM1 3RR by post (including a SAE) or by email at tom.cole@writtle.ac.uk.

4. Link habitats together and provide wildlife corridors. Often shy animals will not risk being exposed and end up being trapped in one area of the garden. For example, frogs will not venture out onto a close cut lawn. By planting up the back of the pond with a lush bog area frogs will come out of the pond to feed on slugs and insects and if the bog garden then leads to the vegetable plot or herbaceous border, they can help with natural pest control there too. Hedges can act as wildlife corridors connecting the garden to other wildlife oases and highways outside the garden such as canals, woodlands and railway embankments ensuring a steady flow of animals through your garden.

5. Avoid excessive tidiness. Allow plants to seed to provide food for seed-eating birds. Leave vegetation and dead wood stacked in a shady spot to provide over-wintering sites for insects and amphibians.

Where safety and disease considerations allow, dead branches may be left as insect habitats and nesting sites for birds and bats.

6. Reduce the use of fertilisers and pesticides and be tolerant of some disease and pest damage. Where available use biological controls and/or short persistence or selective pesticides. Strive to achieve a natural balance and recycle garden waste, thereby completing the nutrient cycle.

7. Use local plant stock where available. Often native plants sold by your garden centre or seed merchant have been grown from seed from the continent and could well be European subspecies which differ genetically from our own indigenous plants. Wild flowers are protected by law and should not be collected.

Gardening is all about balance and if you could just do one of the suggestions above you’ll be adding much needed diversity - good luck!

Lastly, if you’re looking to develop a new garden skill this year or want to move into horticulture as a career, please check

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VW Show Suffolk Showground - Friday 26th - Sunday 28th September

We are just a normal couple who love the whole VW scene, we have a Camper Van which we converted ourselves on a budget and we are at the moment painstakingly re-building a 1967 beetle.

We had an idea approximately 12 months ago about putting on a show at the beautiful Suffolk Showground for like-minded enthusiasts and their families. We, at that point, had never had a Facebook account and Twitter was just what birds do! With a little help from friends and family the show is all set for the last weekend of September! It has grown from a day event into a whole weekend of Camper Vans and tents and all manner of other things which clever people have turned into little homes.!

The financial side of things has been tough as we both hold down full-time normal jobs but we’ve managed to, we think, create what we hope will be a really great weekend for the local community , with bands, and trade stalls, a funfair for the kiddies and of course a show ‘n’ shine competition for the VW enthusiasts with a chance to win trophies for all their hard work. We’ve kept the entry prices to an absolute minimum, the public can either camp one night or two or if they want even three. Day tickets are also available on the Saturday and Sunday which can be purchased on the gate. We are not charging at all for children under 16. Dogs are also welcome, as are picnics. Gates open at 12 noon on Friday 26th September. Everyone is welcome!

Thankyou for taking the time to read this, if you have any questions please feel free to contact us.

Ian and Donna www.retrodub-suffolk.co.uk

Pet Corner - Millennium Veterinary Practice

Gregory showing off his incisor teeth! The incisor teeth are easily examined by gently lifting your hamster’s lips or carefully holding him in your hands and tilting him back slightly.

Hamsters are lovely little creatures and make great pets. But like all pets, owning a hamster comes with its own set of owner responsibilities. It is important they are fed the correct food, have plenty to do when they are awake, are handled every day to make sure they are fit and well and are kept away from other pets such as cats and dogs. Hamsters are generally nocturnal animals but when awake can be very active, they can run up to 5 miles a day! There are a number of different breeds, various sizes, coat types, colours and temperaments, so it is important to research your chosen pet before purchase. Owning and caring for a hamster can be very rewarding, but it is also a big responsibility and a long-term commitment in terms of care as they often live for over 2 years.

Hamsters need a comfy, dry, clean environment. Their cage should be placed in a quiet place so they can be undisturbed when asleep.

Hamsters in the wild live in deep burrows and will escape easily from poorly constructed cages. A solid cage floor covered by a suitable litter material is best. They will need a house with suitable hamster bedding and nesting material. Hamsters are sensitive to bright sunlight and if their cage is left in a sunny spot or near a window they can get hot very quickly.

Hamsters need space to exercise and have plenty of things to do.

A bored hamster is not a happy hamster. A deep layer of litter will encourage it to dig and construct a burrow and a running wheel will give them an opportunity to exercise – choose a good quality wheel with a large diameter. It should be a solid structure, axel free and have a non-slip surface to keep them safe.

Apart from constant access to fresh water they need a good quality hamster food which provides them with the correct nutrients. They gnaw their food which helps keep their teeth short. For variety, small quantities of greens, cleaned root vegetables or pieces of fruit such as apples can be given to supplement their diet, but avoid grapes or rhubarb as these can be poisonous to rodents.

Hamsters’ teeth grow continually throughout their lives and they gnaw objects to keep their teeth sharp and regularly worn down. Dental problems, typically over grown incisors. can develop if suitable gnawable items are not provided. You can easily check their teeth on a regular basis, by simply parting their lips to expose their teeth. If you think they are over-grown, don’t try and cut them at home. Hamsters’ mouths are very delicate and this should be done by your vet.

Tumours are not uncommon in hamsters, especially along the underside of the abdomen. In some cases they can be surgically removed, but your vet can advise you.

An uninteresting environment, Registered veterinary nurse Hannah Bourn with Gregory, a playful little stress, frustration and/or a lack of mental stimulation can hamster that was recently rescued. lead to hamsters developing repetitive behaviours such as gnawing the bars of their cage for long periods of time.

If your pet shows any signs of illness, don’t delay in seeking advice and take them to the vet. If you do have to transport your hamster, keep them in their cage wherever possible. This provides them with their familiar environment and reduces stress. Pop a cover over the cage but make sure there is still ventilation. They should have access to their food and water all the time. It is important to note that they are very sensitive to high frequency sounds which we cannot hear, and can find this stressful. They need their whiskers for exploring their environment as their sight is very poor. In the wild hamsters hibernate but this is usually suppressed by the artificial lights, warmer temperatures and noise of the household.

Millennium Veterinary Practice Open Day Sunday 19th October 1-4pm Everyone welcome!

Meet our staff and take a tour of our facilities to see first-hand how we look after your pets.

If you are interacting with your hamster on a daily basis you will soon get to know what is normal behaviour for him.

Hamsters have a high metabolic rate and can lose condition very quickly if they are not well. They are also good at concealing outward signs of pain, and may be suffering greatly before you realise.

Hamsters can be affected by many diseases. They can become infected by contaminated food, water or litter material.

Hamsters that are stressed are particularly likely to become ill. It is important to monitor their food and drinking habits and if food consumption becomes less than normal, faeces become moist or its hind-quarters become soiled your hamster needs to see a vet. Wet tail is a fatal contagious bacterial infection that can affect hamsters and make them ill really quickly. This causes diarrhoea but there are other causes too, so veterinary advice is important.

12

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The Curse of the Mobile Phone or Do You Live With a DIC? by Andew Ing We are faced with a new disease in this century which is in danger of becoming an epidemic. It is evident in all sections of society appearing to affect all ages - with particular emphasis on young women. However, it seems less severe in those approaching, or in, retirement.

This epidemic seems to have taken off in proportion to the apparent decline in the use of babies rattles.

of a rattle as a baby!

Are you a sufferer? Perhaps you were deprived

If you were the chances, are you are a compulsive user of a Device for Interactive Communication, or DIC.

You cannot have failed to notice the number of people, apparently from the age of 5 upwards, who cannot function without a DIC welded to the side of their head.

These people are oblivious to those around them as they chatter inanely to themselves usually with a stream of monosyllabic rubbish.

These are sufferers of a disease known as mobilitis and are frequently the cause of noise pollution to those in close proximity.

Gone are the days when a phone call was a private and softly spoken event. Now it seems these people insist on wanting us to hear every word. They are even oblivious to those in whose company they are.

The compulsion seem to strike without warning - most it seems in restaurants where these devices should be banned! You are enjoying an evening and on the next three tables, as if by design, phones go simultaneously.

Why don’t people turn the damn things off? They are not only an intrusion to those around them but surly an insult to those they are with.

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“Sorry darling but my phone call is more important to me than you are!“, is what they are in fact saying. How rude is that.

I remember an occasion where a young woman having ordered her meal went to the doorway to make a call. By the time she came back her partner had actually finished his meal. He must have felt really wanted.

Then there is the story of the man on a train - who was pretending to be an important executive talking big deals etc - much to the annoyance of fellow passengers. Someone had a heart attack in the carriage and he was asked to phone ahead to the next station. He then admitted that the phone was a dummy and he was just posing!

Don’t forget the urban cowboy with a phone on his belt posed like a six gun. Who does he think he is, John Wayne? I saw a guy the other day with one on each side. How sad.

Young women are a special case - often needing a third hand. The other two are in use - one holding a DIC while the other is trying not to show her knickers because her wrap around skirt keeps flying open.

Young men are of course prone to boasting about size so I was greatly amused on overhearing two men in a wine bar comparing their DICs: “No” said one ,”mine is definitely smaller than yours;” Perhaps that is why they have to keep them permanently in their hands instead of putting them in their pockets.

Clearly they are useful at times and essential in an emergency, but they are a trespass on the space of others in their vicinity when in use. One pub I know fines people £5.00 every time a DIC rings.

Result - a glass or three is not turned sour by the curse of the ring or the following inane chatter.

14

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BL What’s On September 12th Eddie & The Hot Rods - Jardins Country ‘n’ Western - The Pub Twenty Somethings in the Arts 13th Open Day - Zinc Arts Essex at War - Hylands House Knit Bomb - George Yard Solar 9 - The Pub 14th Essex at War - Hylands House 16th Afternoon Social - The Pub 18th Bingo 1pm & 8pm - The Pub 19th Skamite - Jardins 20th Lord Toffingham - The Pub Witham International Puppet Festival 21st Live Blues Band - The Pub 22nd Remus Horse Sanctuary - George Yard 23rd Afternoon Social - The Pub 25th Bingo 1pm & 8pm - The Pub 26th Barn Reunion -Jardins Sax and the Voice - The Pub 27th Celebrating All Things Polish - George Yard Itchy Fingers - The Pub 28th Pub Quiz - The Pub 30th Afternoon Social - The Pub

Please send us your events!

We love to list events.

Music events Charity events Reading clubs Jumble sales Boot sales Open Gardens Local theatre Please send in to editorial@itsyourmedia.co.uk

October 2nd Bingo 1pm & 8pm - The Pub 7th Afternoon Social - The Pub 11th Chalk Walk - George Yard

Braintree Museum ‘HAMERSMA: CAPTURING THE WORLD THROUGH ART’ 4TH APRIL – 27TH SEPTEMBER 2014 This temporary exhibition showcases a few inspirational pieces from a collection of over 700 works by local artist Cyril Hamersma. From local scenes to the development of the ‘Squircle’, this display highlights the development of Hamersma’s different styles and offers the chance to compare them side-by-side.

15

Baking by Lucy Norwood Well, it’s been another crazy month at Little Lucy’s Bakery. From weddings to iPhones to princesses, I’ve had it all! Luckily the hot weather has subsided, which makes things a lot easier and a lot less messy. Wedding season has been in full swing, and I’ve got to visit some of Essex’s best Wedding venues. I am very excited to get going on this months cakes and see what more crazy requests people have!

The Great British Bake Off has returned to our screens! Bakers old and young, amateur to professional are all glued to the TV screen on a Wednesday night waiting to see amazing creations and epic fails.

I was gutted to hear that lovely Diana has pulled out after the Baked Alaska meltdown involving bearded baker Iain. I’ve been amazed by the cookie creations, technical bakes and showstopper rounds.

I’ve heard lots of people have their favourites, but mine has to be Nancy, who reminds me of my mum and the way she likes to bake.

Traditional, yet loves to try new things and take risks. I like to think I get these qualities in the kitchen from her. I also love Martha - a young baker who is very talented at a very young age.

I have been busy planning our own Bake Off over the last few weeks.

The Great Notley Bake Off will take place on Sunday 2nd November and will be a great opportunity to showcase all our local baking talent! There are six categories to choose from: Cookies, Cupcakes, Chocolate Cake, Traybake, Bread and Under 12s. Entries are just £2.

Anyone and everyone is welcome to enter – whether you’re the next Mary Berry or if you simply love baking.

There will also be an array of stalls to browse through on the day baking related and craft stalls. It is being held at the Oaklands Inn pub in Great Notley. The categories will be judged by myself and my mum, as well as a special guest judge. We are only taking entries up until the 26th of October, so get in quick!

the Facebook page specifically for this event: www.facebook.com/notleybakeoff.

Below is a recipe that I love and is so easy! Why not give it a go and have a practice for the Bake Off!? Baking brings me so much happiness and I love to try new recipes, so why not do the same and share what you’ve made with other people!?

Banochocolate Cookies (Makes 12) 1 large banana 100g /3 ½ oz unsalted butter 100g /3 ½ oz soft light brown sugar 1 medium egg 100g /3 ½ oz plain flour ½ tsp baking powder 50g /2 oz porridge oats 100g /3 ½ oz plain chocolate Method 1. Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas Mark 4. Grease 2 baking sheets and line with greaseproof paper.

2. Peel the banana a slice roughly and place in a food processor.

Dice up the butter and add to the banana, along with the sugar and beaten egg. Beat until smooth.

3. Add the flour (no need to sieve), baking powder and oats and mix slowly until well combined.

4. Transfer our cookie mixture into a bowl. Chop up the chocolate roughly – you want some big chunks and some little chunks. Add to the cookie dough and stir.

5. With a dessert spoon, take scoops of the mix and place onto the baking tray, leaving a little space between each one as they will spread while cooking.

Unlike the TV show, you will be able to bake your goodies in the comfort of your own home. You just bring them along on the day and wait to see if you’ve won a prize!

6. Bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes until lightly golden. Leave to cool on the tray for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

To enter, please email info@littlelucysbakery.co.uk, or you can go to

7. Enjoy your cookies!

We Now Deliver Through Doors We now deliver through 5500 doors in Braintree rather than have pick up points in the supermarkets. The other 1500 copies are delivered to businesses throughout Braintree and the surrounding villages with copies going to pubs and locations such as Quadrant for readers to pick up. You can of course read online at www.issuu.com/itsyourmedia along with our other publications.

If you do not wish to receive the magazine through your door for any reason please email ads@itsyourmedia.co.uk stating your address and we will remove from our delivery list.

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October at the Gardens of Easton Lodge Sunday 19th October is our last open day of 2014 & we look forward to welcoming visitors to the gardens to enjoy the autumn colours.

There will be craft & nature activities available for our younger visitors as well as some Spooky Halloween Fun to keep them busy. There are guided tours at 1.00pm & 3.00pm which cover all aspects of the garden’s history and weather permitting the Italian Garden will also be open to visitors over 16.

Hot food will be on sale until 2pm including bacon rolls and homemade soup; hot and cold drinks and homemade cakes will be available until 4.30pm Gates open at 11.30am and the gardens close at 5pm with last entry at 4pm. Entrance is only £3.50 for adults and children come in free of charge; dogs are more than welcome as long as they are kept on a lead.

Our 2015 calendar at £5.00 and the new edition of “The History of Easton Lodge” at £3.00 will be on sale both at the open day and via the website. The calendars are stunning and make ideal Christmas presents and the book is a brilliant little history of the mansion and its gardens. It takes the reader on a journey from the 16th century, through to when Brian and Diana Creasey started to restore the gardens in the 1970s after their children discovered the remains of the Italian Garden buried in a wood, right up to the splendour being revealed today.

Gardening sessions will continue over the closed season and we always welcome new recruits – usually with a hot drink and piece of homemade cake! We also need to more volunteers to help on open days if that sounds more like your thing. If you are interested and would like more details about anything to do with the gardens or volunteering either look on the website www.eastonlodge.co.uk, get in touch on 01371 876979 (recorded information but you can leave a message) or email enquiries@eastonlodge.co.uk.

Background: the gardens, in Little Easton near Great Dunmow, Essex, were one of the most important creations of the Edwardian designer Harold Peto. His commission in 1902 came from “Darling Daisy”, the Countess of Warwick, who regularly entertained society guests there including the Prince of Wales before he acceded to the throne as Edward VII. Designed in Italianate style around Warwick House which is set in the grounds, the gardens were maintained until 1950, after which time nature took over. Tantalising glimpses of those designs have been resurfacing since 1993, when the restoration project began. Today’s visitors can see Peto’s Italian Sunken Garden and the herringbone and cobble courtyard, plus other examples of his work.

The Gardens of Easton Lodge Preservation Trust is a company limited by guarantee Registered in England No.4638621, Registered Charity No.1101442

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Each month Sarah Brockwell will give us her top ten tips on a variety of subjects. www.sarahbeemarketing.com (T) 01371 859104 (M) 07955 132149

Charity of the Month - RSPCA Danaher Animal Home In April this year the Danaher Animal Home opened a charity shop at 48-48A Trent Road, Melbourne Park, Chelmsford CM7 3HF to help support its animal rescue home just outside Wethersfield, on the road to Sible Hedingham near to Braintree. All the profits from the shop go towards the running costs of the home.

The shop is open to all customers whether on two legs or four - and our staff and volunteers are always happy to welcome the four legged ones with a drink of water particularly on the hot days.

Donations of good, clean goods which the shop will put up for sale are always needed: including ladies, men’s and children’s clothes, toys for all ages, books, DVDs, CDs, small electrical goods. furniture, bric a brac, jewellery, china, games, sports equipment and household goods etc. Danaher operates a gift aid scheme by which they can claim (if you pay Income or capital gains tax) 25% of the sale price of the goods from the Inland Revenue (the shop staff have full details) at no cost to you.

Thanks to the donations Danaher receives from supporters, their shops offer a very wide range of good quality goods at very competitive prices. More donations are always needed however – just take them along to the shop and do not forget to gift aid the resulting proceeds if you are eligible. Parking is easy near the to the shop so come along to browse and bring in donations of goods.

Apart from the manager, all the staff are unpaid volunteers who are the key to the success of the shop. Anyone who would like to help should ask the shop manager for details. All volunteers and staff share a passion for animals and want to support them by giving their time.

Some of the animals have been badly treated or neglected and have been rescued by the RSPCA (often being subject to cruelty cases), some are strays whose owners have not claimed them, others had owners who died or who were just not well enough to look after them any more, whilst others are just not wanted. Sadly for every animal rehomed there is another waiting to come in.

The Danaher Animal Home (named after the couple who first donated the site in 1990) is open from 11.00am until 3.00pm every day except Wednesday. Visitors are very welcome to look round.

Danaher’s aim is to rehome the animals that come mainly from Essex and the surrounding areas as soon as they are fit and healthy enough, so they can go to a loving home where they may spend the rest of their lives. Staff and volunteers try to give each dog a walk everyday whilst cats are groomed and socialised. However in both cases it can be quite stressful for them to be locked away so long.

There are a lot of animals at Danaher that are desperate to find a new loving home and if you feel you can help by adopting one of these please, either look at the details of the animals that are available for rehoming on Danaher’s web site: www.rspcaessex.org.uk, or contact reception either by ringing 0300 111 4321 or by emailing reception@rspcaessex.org.uk. You might even see one you like on the many posters we display outside our Chelmsford shop. Visits can be arranged for you to meet the animal in question. You are, of course, welcome to just turn up and look around if that is what you would prefer.

The shop is in the same parade of shops in Trent Road as a local Chelmsford Star Co-op and Danaher has formed a partnership with the Co-op to raise funds. The Co-op has given Danaher some Community Cards for their supporters. These cards are used when the supporters make a purchase from any Chelmsford Star shop and accumulate points for us (with a few exceptions that include petrol, tobacco products, lottery tickets and postage stamps). These points translate into cash donations by the Co-op. Cards are available from the shop or by emailing danaher.fundraising@rspcaessex.org.uk.

The animal home relies vey much on the income it receives from its charity shops and could not operate without them. Danaher now has shops in Braintree, Witham, Dunmow and Sudbury as well as Chelmsford in an effort to cover all its costs. Whilst it is affiliated to the RSPCA, it is a separate independent charity which is totally responsible for its own funding. The cost of running the home is increasing every year and there is more and more demand for its services.

Danaher provides a temporary refuge for up to 84 dogs, 43 cats and a variety of small animals. Here they are assessed, seen by a vet, treated and nursed by staff and volunteers and then the vast majority rehomed.

Please email us at editorial@itsyourmedia.co.uk if you would like to be featured as the charity of the month.

Cooking by John Jacobs I scoffed. A loud derisive supercilious thong drenching scoff. I was trawling through the TV listings looking for anything without the word ‘celebrity’ in the title when I settled on a TV chef telling me that in these times of global rumpus and financial brouhaha we could substitute the haunch of venison for wild boar. Sage advice. Ever since the recession I’ve replaced the decorative gold leaf on my black truffle in champagne aspic for automobile spray paint though truthfully fish fingers don’t cut it in my caviar sandwiches.

Many years ago when I first entered the workplace fresh faced and idealistic, it mattered not that I was being paid less than a moderately successful child chimney sweep, just that I had enough to pay the motor insurance for an elderly Dagenham dustbin and for the room I rented from the unconscientiously clad earth mother who insisted on reading me self penned poems about the tragedy of autumn or some other Mcgonagallesque rubbish. I shopped for groceries at my local Sainsburys and once a week filled a basket with the muted colour of its own brand trusting in the apocryphal that it was all probably made in the same place. It never occurred to me that there might be stigma attached to supermarket own brands. I recall standing in line at the checkout whereupon a kindly lady peered in my basket, looked me square in the eyes and gave me the kind of compassionate stare one would reserve for an orphaned puppy with a limb missing.

Twenty years on and having given up a career in pettifogging for the hot stoves of cheffery, I still regularly go back to basics. This month I set myself a challenge, to create a dish of restaurant quality food just using ingredients from one of the big four’s cheap and cheerful range. The biggest surprise was the breadth of available ingredients on offer, from feta cheese to thin cut salami, apples and oranges to Parmesan and pears. I busily filled my basket with varied foodstuffs that looked fine aiming to figure it all out in a Ready Stead Cook style cook-off all the while genuinely becoming more and more surprised at the quality of ingredients available at a fraction of the price I would normally pay.

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As ever, thank you for your kind e-mails and recipe ideas. All contributions are gratefully received at john@perfectlysimplecookery. co.uk or get in touch via the website perfectlysimplecookery.co.uk - happy eatery Chelmsfordians.

Roasted Stuffed leg of pork with char grilled peppers, aubergine and apple jus.

All ingredients are from Sainsbury’s Basics range and feeds up to 5.

Total cost of ingredients - £9.21 Cost per head - £1.84 Ingredients: 1 pack smoked backed bacon 1 boneless leg of pork 1 tin new potatoes 1 punnet mushrooms 1 bag mixed peppers 3 loose apples Method Place the rashers of bacon on a chopping board so they make a rectangle that the leg of pork can sit on. Open up the leg of pork, score the inside butterfly style and season with black pepper. Don’t be tempted to add salt as we’re leaving this overnight in the fridge and don’t want the meat to dry out. In a pan heat some olive oil and fry off strips of mixed peppers. Once cooled, line them inside the pork leg in strips. Place the pork onto the rashers and roll back into shape so that the peppers are on the inside and bacon holding it closed on the outside. Wrap the whole thing tightly with cling film and pop into the fridge overnight to hold its shape.

When ready to cook, remove the cling film put the pork on a preheating wrack and into a warm oven at about 150 degrees. Cover with foil and slow cook for 3-4 hours.

About 20 minutes before serving, drain of the potatoes, season and deposit into the oven with the pork. In a hot griddle pan fry off slices of aubergine until nicely coloured with fancy stripes and put to one side. Put the mushrooms into the same pan and sauté with a little additional butter.

Once you’ve done this, take the foil off the pork and leave in the oven to crisp up the bacon.

Apple Jus Peal 3 of the apples and chop into smallish cubes. Gently cook these off in a pan with a little salted butter and water until they start to break down. Add the puree to the juices from the pork and stir until the consistency of gravy. If you need a little more liquid, just add water.

Cut the pork into healthy doorstep sized slices. Your potatoes should be nicely browned by now and ready to be dished up with all the other yummy ingredients. Of course, you don’t have to dress the plate like I’ve done but hopefully will give you some inspiration.

John is a former overweight lawyer and now the owner of The Perfectly Simple Cookery School and author of Meze, Misery & Moussaka (available by mail order).

Cricket by Simon Inglis

For my second column I feel the need to write about the current Test series between England and India.

As an Australian I’ll say straight out that I feel this is, if anything, a ‘false dawn’ for the England team. As much as I admire Alistair Cook the player he is (as many others are) carrying too much mental baggage to expect success in a leadership role in the 2015 World Cup or Ashes return series. In addition India, England and Australia’s national sporting characteristics are on display right now like never before.

Watching the Indian team target the alleged antics of James Anderson made my head turn and wonder if I was watching Australia versus India. Indeed I lived in Perth a few years ago when the Indian team threatened to quit the tour over ‘sledging’ and other behavioural tactics of the Australian team. So it’s my blunt opinion that India will never realise their true potential until they play the game rather than the man or cricketing politics. I would never doubt their entourage of gifted players, but as I’ve seen over the years they are not a ‘team’ – and a good team will always beat a great group of ‘players’: witness Australia’s recent return to the top rankings and the fact that Sachin Tendulkar never enjoyed a series win in Australia despite his amazing career. I’ll reluctantly admit the English can lay claim to that glory!

Yet on England and the all-important 2015. Like many commentators I think Captain Cook should go back to his batting – he is an elegant and fine stroke-maker capable of occupying the crease from The Oval or the Gabba if he puts his mind to it. England needs him desperately to have any chance against the Aussies in 2015. Can England find a way to win? In my opinion yes, but it will, as I’ve hinted, mean a cultural change to management and team selection.

Darren Lehmann reinvigorated the Aussies, Dennis Lillee worked on

a mentally fragile Mitchell Johnson – it took larrikins as such to start the Aussie transformation and there was never any intention to win last year’s Ashes in England. Yet the change was apparent by the 4th Test and then by the time England arrived down-under with silly diet sheets and a tragic number of laptops the Gabba Test was already lost – in the mind that is.

I don’t have the magic bullet but there are talented people in English cricket who think outside the box – and only that can work after such a thrashing. The alternative is more pain – a disastrous potential series loss versus a now cocky Australian team at home and a World Cup disaster.

So what I am suggesting is, in fact the current Indian series is pointless in regards to predicting England’s future. Seaming wickets and cloudy skies are a far cry from what the sub-continent offers so an England win should be expected (as should be an Australian win against India this winter). However the traditional green start to the Gabba Test, the turn of Adelaide and Sydney plus the usually expected pace and bounce of Perth should be something England can cope with yet again. Melbourne will probably always be unpredictable but spin is always key.

In my humble opinion Sri Lanka played an England lacking confidence, India likewise in the opening Test got distracted. 2015 may not, see a home World Cup win for the Aussies (though if not they’ll come close) but the English players and those on the fringes can be coached to deal with the conditions, crowds and time away from home. A back-to-basics approach worked for Australia and I believe it would work for England – drop the silly diets, get key players focused on their jobs and The Ashes of 2015 could be one of the tightest yet. The World Cup will give England many opportunities – in New Zealand the conditions will be familiar and in Australia not so dissimilar (in reality, perhaps mostly the day-time temperatures).

Australia is vulnerable but confident. 2015 will be decided between the ears, of that I have no doubt!

Fitness by Shoes: What are you wearing to the Gym? How seriously do you take your workouts? We’re interested to find out what you are wearing on your feet at the gym. Are you one of those people who just slip on an old pair of trainers or do you make sure you keep up with the fashion trends of bright colour running shoes?

Until recently, many serious gym goers were raving about the Five Finger shoes, the closest thing you’ll get to running bare foot without actually running bare. After doing some research I’ve found out that these shoes actually have caused some nasty injuries over the past few years and the tide has changed from runners wearing less to wearing more, as is the case with the thick soled running shoes.

So what is it with thicker sole running shoes?

The idea is that the thick sole might aid a runner who is suffering from joint or tendon pain as the thick sole will cushion you as you as you run, well that’s the theory anyway. There haven’t been any studies yet which give conclusive evidence for either for or against thick soled running shoes; however some people are saying that with the increase in cushion allows them to run further although others have stated that they are uncomfortable to wear, make of that what you will.

something that ultimately is comfy for you, you won’t care what it looks like when you’re heaped over in pain because they’re uncomfortable! If you’re into your fitness or want to take up running, go to your local sports store and ask for a gait analysis, this will determine what shoes are best for you and your feet, as well as a whole list of other things about your feet and posture. A good pair of trainers may not be cheap, but it’ll be much cheaper than the time you may need to have off work for aches and pains which may come with the lack of support that a cheap pair of trainers will give.

It’s extremely important to keep an eye on your trainers. As soon as they start to look a little worn, consider changing them. We see people all too often waltz into a session with trainers that look like they’ve done 12 rounds with Mike Tyson and we let them know that you’ll actually be doing yourself harm wearing them. Ideally you should be replacing your running shoes every six months or every 500 miles, whichever comes first.

If you wish to write for us please email editorial@itsyourmedia.co.uk

What we would suggest is that you shouldn’t choose a pair of running shoes on how they look or because they’re ‘fashionable’, go for 20

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Wine Corner

Hello everyone, I hope you are enjoying the summer, Make the best of it with some lovely wines from around the world.

With the German holiday seeming a long time ago now, it’s back to the old routine.

This month I will start with Italy. There are wine areas throughout the country from Sangiovese in Lombardy in the north to Syrah on the island of Sicily in the south. About 60% of Italian departments produce wine. Italy is generally the largest, (or sometimes second largest) wine producer in the world, producing about 33% of the global production exchanging places with France every now and again, depending on yields.

The appellation system has four levels: Vini – wines that can be produced anywhere in the EU and must not show the grape variety or vineyard on the label, just the colour of the wine, unless they come in very odd shades. I don’t think we really need that.

You will almost always see Sauvignon Blanc amongst the white choices and good old Merlot in the reds. Both reliable and tasty, but take the chance to try the slightly different tastes dependent on the country they are from.

Bin end chuckles.

I walked into my local the other day and asked the bar tender if they had helicopter flavoured crisps. He said “sorry, we only have plain”.

Whilst I was there, a hamburger and a chip walked into the bar, the bar tender said “sorry we are not serving food today”.

Keep calm and carry on drinking, in moderation.

Vine Varietali – these are wines made from one of the EU’s authorised international grapes (these include Merlot Cabernet Franc amongst others). The grape(s) and the vintage can be shown on the label.

Vini IGP wines with Protected Geographical Indication (IGT in Italy).

These are wines from a specific territory, where specific regulations are in place.

Vini DOP – wines with Protected Designation of Origin. This is the top level of classification.

Talking of classic, you often see the word Classico on Italian wine labels, the grapes in these wines having come from the oldest part of the territory. If the wine is labelled Superiore, the abv will be at least 0.5% higher than the regular DOP wine. Riserva is a wine that has been aged (kept in the barrel) for a specified minimum period.

Italy is at about the same latitude as the USA, which, I must say, I was surprised to learn, but I guess the wines from both countries are similar in some respects.

By the way, when I was shopping recently, not in the wine aisle as usual, I was looking at a range of crisps. On the bag it said that they were hand cooked! Now, I don’t know where the ‘elf and safety people are in that factory, but I bet they get loads of injuries to deal with. It must be almost impossible to dip the raw crisps into a vat of scolding oil without burning fingers! It must take ages to cook the crisps. Whilst in the same shop, I looked at a tin of cooked ham, you know the one with the funny shaped tin and the little key to open it (which incidentally, I can never open without getting in a tangle of metal strip). The label claimed that the product was hand selected.

What is that all about? Does someone go out to the farm and say, I want that one in this tin, that one in this other tin.....

Back to the wine, I know I’ve talked about Chile before, but I continue to be impressed by their produce. I have found a lovely Sauvignon Blanc from that country. Personally I prefer this wine to those from other countries, perhaps with the exception of the Loire Valley in France. Although it originates from Bordeaux, it is now found all around the wine world. Those from California are sometimes called Fume Blanc. The taste varies, dependent on the climate of the area, with the famous Malborough from New Zealand particularly easy to identify from its individual taste. Very much appreciated in recent years by many wine drinkers.

It is best suited to warm climates, rather than hot ones, as the grapes bud early, but ripen late in the season. You can usually identify the most popular wines by looking at wine lists in pubs and restaurants.

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