Moulsham Times April 2017

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Issue Number 52 - April 2017

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MT Welcome Hi readers Welcome to the April edition.

We are currently looking for a delivery person as Edwin is leaving.

Edwin has delivered for us for around 3 years or so now and we thank him for his hard work, come rain or shine!

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MT Therapy by Jenny Hartill Today I’m looking at some of the common thoughts that go through the mind of someone that wants to lose weight. These are the sort of thoughts that hold us back; some of the common things that clients convince themselves of or that they tell themselves, so that they never actually achieve their goal. These are usually stories or fantasies that clients have told themselves for so long that they actually believe them - but the issue here is that just because the client believes them doesn’t make them true! Here’s a quick run down: 1. I’ll start to address the weight issue on [date]. So on Monday/ after your birthday/after Christmas/after New Year or perhaps setting a very specific date. Usually these clients either ignore the date or then set a new date because [insert event/issue here] happened. They then end up constantly setting new dates to start their weight loss journey. Another common theme with this is that they think ‘I can eat as much as I like because I’m starting my new diet on [date]’ Guys, that is just an excuse to binge!

2. I don’t have time. This is rubbish. If you have time to eat and go shopping to buy food, then you have time to address what and when you eat. It’s that simple. You just have to actually make an effort and address your schedule. If you don’t want to do this, then you don’t want to change and you won’t lose weight. Fact.

3. I’ll feel hungry. This was my personal bug bear. When I actually started eating like a normal person something amazing happened. Because my blood sugar was at the normal level, I didn’t have an awful hunger like I was going to die if I didn’t eat right now. Feeling hunger is a good thing, it means your fuel tank is low and needs topping up. If you have an issue with hunger, perhaps you need to address why it bothers you so much.

4. My medication makes me fat. Eating too much of the wrong thing makes you fat. Some people do put on weight when on certain meds, but if you are overweight or obese I highly doubt any doctor is going to prescribe something that would put your health in jeopardy by putting you at risk of heart disease due to obesity for example. How many overweight or obese people do you know that say ‘I used to be really skinny all of my life and then this medication made me put on 20 stone...’? If you are worried your medication is causing you to gain weight so that your weight is now a health issue, speak to your doctor.

5. I have an underactive thyroid. So do slim people.

6. I don’t eat enough as it is. Nobody is fat in a famine. You need to look at what and when you snack. You need to be honest with yourself.

I’ve had many a client that tells me they don’t eat much and yet they’re overweight. Quite simply, people lie to themselves so they can carry on chomping. Some people don’t even realise they eat when they do.

I recommend you look up the TV series Secret Eaters.

7. I only had two biscuits - (when actually you had half the pack).

Clients believe what they tell themselves. I had a client once who told me she had a ‘mini cookie’ for a snack. I asked her to show me how

big this cookie was - it was about 1/2 the size of the palm of her hand. I asked her what make and brand this cookie was, then I looked it up and lo and behold this was not a mini cookie. In fact, anything but and when I showed her this she was shocked and said ‘I really didn’t think it was that big!’ Again, be honest with yourself. Are you telling yourself something that isn’t true?

8. Food is my friend. Nope. Your friends are your friends. Food cannot give you love - it is fuel. If you feel lonely and want to make more friends, get to know people; there are plenty of meet up groups around. If you have esteem issues and are scared of meeting people, perhaps go see a private therapist as this is likely to be linked to your weight issue also.

9. The cake was calling to me. If you are hearing voices this is just a little worrying! Food cannot call to you. Chances are, you wanted to eat it for an emotional reason.

10. If I eat when nobody’s there it doesn’t count. YOU are there and YOU count!

If any of these thoughts resonate with you, you are absolutely not alone. It can be extremely helpful to talk things over with a private therapist, maybe even try to find someone who specialises in weight loss. One of my supervisors is the number one weight loss therapist in the UK, she’s based up in the Midlands but does Skype sessions, so this is also an option.

If anyone is interested in seeing a therapist, I own and run Chelmsford Therapy Rooms. We have a range of therapists that can help with a multitude of issues. We offer many therapies from hypnotherapy to counselling to nutrition. Please see the website www.chelmsfordtherapyrooms.co.uk, or you can email info@ chelmsfordtherapyrooms.co.uk, or call 0330 100 5162.

BEFORE YOU GO! I have a favour to ask the readers: Us therapists as inundated with sales calls and one of the most popular ones is to sell us ads on the back of appointment cards. Personally I’ve never received an appointment card from my GP, but I’ve set up a survey to ask you lovely people to tell us whether you have received an appointment card and if so for which surgery. It’s anonymous so you won’t give out your name, and this is for research purposes only. I’ve plastered the survey all over social media, so you can go to our Facebook page for example, or just go to this link: www. surveymonkey.co.uk/r/D9CQVHV. Thanks!!!

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Record Store Day - April 22nd

Intense Records in Chelmsford will be taking part again in the massively popular National Record Store Day celebrating its 10th birthday on Saturday 22nd April 2017. This is the one day that all of the independent record stores celebrate vinyl and invite music lovers to come and get their hands on special releases made and released exclusively for the day.

This year’s list of hundreds of exclusive releases has been revealed, and there really is something for everyone across many genres, from hip hop, rock, pop to country, dance to everything in between.

Releases from Sia and Miley Cyrus will be enticing a younger generation of music fans whilst The Kinks and Pink Floyd help to rekindle the love of long time vinyl fans. Hip hop fans will be pleased to hear of releases from Busta Rhymes and Eminem, while Snoop Dogg features on Hollywood movie star Corey Feldman’s release.

Indie and rock artist releases include Super Furry Animals, Hawkwind, Pearl Jam, Jimmy Page, Bruce Springsteen and Motorhead among many more.

Dance music fans can look forward to special releases from Soulwax and the Future Sound of London. The novelty releases we have picked out this year include Dolly Parton’s Puppy Love on 7” vinyl, a

Run The Jewels Tote Bag, a Thomas the Tank Engine limited blue 10” vinyl and the Fawlty Towers soundtrack on picture disc.

You can check out all the releases now at www.recordstoreday.co.uk and to make sure Intense are stocking your favourites check out the new website, www.intenserecords.com, where you can register your interest and add releases to your very own wish list. Alternatively, email your list to enquiries@intenserecords.com.

Open from 9am-6pm, Intense Records will be holding a special instore event with live DJs, local bands and special guest appearances plus competitions, free giveaways, the Intense gourmet bbq, hot and cold refreshments and much more.

For those that can’t make it on the day, Intense will be opening up this Sunday as well from 10am-4pm. The exclusive releases will be available in store only for the following week, but any remaining stock will be made available online a week later on the 29th April at www. intenserecords.com.

For more info pop into Intense Records, 33/34 Viaduct Road, Chelmsford CM1 1TS (under the arches by the bus station).

Alternatively, call them on 01245 347 372 or check their website, www.intenserecords.com.

From County Hall by Cllr Dick Madden Spring is here, the clocks have gone forward, grass is being cut we dodged the winter white blanket again. Seriously, I still have, distributed around our housing estates, two tons of rock salt - at least we are well stocked for next winter. Oh let’s not discuss the cold, let’s look forward to a spring of growing and a summer of heat.

A bit of news from Essex County Council: We are in the final throws of purchasing the Moulsham Lodge Police Station from the Police Commissioner and then ensuring the Moulsham Lodge Community Trust have a long lease and are able to continue the excellent work being produced for many more years. It will establish stability and certainty for the trust, which through my experience the past years has been a pleasure and fun!

Chelmsford and a new cafe. It all sounds exciting and we wish them well with the Lottery bid.

I hope to be able to write my next column in April, but as I will be engaged in the County Council election on May 4th I may be prohibited. As I have indicated to you previously, I intend to stand again for our area of Chelmsford central which embraces the city centre, Old Moulsham and Moulsham Lodge. I wish all candidates in the election a fair and responsible period of debate and engagement with you all. Good luck to all, whatever your political persuasion.

BE SAFE Dick Madden

With regard to the old site of the Community Centre in Waltham Glen, plans are being progressed for a new housing scheme to be built on that site, and once proposed the plans will be shared at a public meeting in the new community building on a date to be confirmed.

On another matter regarding our communities, I have recently received a lot of communication from you regarding lack of visibility of the police and community officers in conjunction with what is described as openly dealing with drugs on our residential streets.

I am to meet the Chief of Chelmsford Police in the next few days to discuss this unacceptable criminal behaviour. What concerns me most is that when telephoning the police the general response has been that ‘we have not got enough resources, there is nothing we can do’. This is totally unacceptable, which I will also engage with the Chief Constable and Police Commissioner’s offices as well. In the meantime, if you witness such activities, stay calm and contact the police on 999 emergency or 101 and asked to be put through to Chelmsford Police and share your information. I will keep you informed.

Quick news flash: If you go onto Essex County Council website and link to Essex Highways there is a new improved reporting of highway defects - this includes potholes. Give it a go, good luck...

Some good news about Oaklands Museum. Through a Heritage Lottery bid, the museum is into the next phase for nearly 1.5million pounds to develop an historic wing of the museum and strengthen its links in the park.

Plans have been developed to transform the former Oaklands House building to offer an improved visitor experience with newly designed displays, including a room by room journey through the history of

From The House by Sir Simon Burns - ARU School of Medicine For a number of years there has been a desire amongst many people in the local community for Anglia Ruskin University to open a School of Medicine at its campus in Chelmsford, and I was recently very pleased to learn that work is expected to get underway on making this vision a reality.

Work is scheduled to begin in May on the site off Alan Cherry Drive and it is hoped that the school will be open for September 2018. The school will include state of the art skills facilities, a specialist teaching space, a lecture theatre and a cadaveric anatomy suite.

The School of Medicine is an excellent initiative, not only for those students who will benefit from its opening, but also for the local health economy. Anglia Ruskin hopes to recruit 50 per cent of the students from the East of England. The University is working closely

with the NHS and primary care providers to secure placements for students, and to ensure graduates then have the opportunity to stay in the East of England once they have finished their studies.

The school will ensure that students will receive an education that enables them to respond to future service delivery needs by training a resilient workforce.

As the plans have come together over the past two years, Anglia Ruskin has worked with the local community and a broad range of partners from across the region to help make the project a reality.

Local NHS trusts, primary care providers, local authorities and charities have given their support, as have the local MPs who have received briefings on the proposal from the Vice Chancellor.

This initiative will strengthen Anglia Ruskin’s position as one of the largest providers of undergraduate and postgraduate education for healthcare in the East of England, building on their reputation for nursing, midwifery and allied health courses. Their passion and commitment to follow through with this project is to be commended.

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Quiz Time by John Theedom 1.

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Who was the Ugandan president who took power in 1974?

Who was the Nazi top brass who flew to Scotland in WWII? Who was president of France from 1959-69?

What is the Webb Ellis Trophy?

What was Trigger from Only Fools and Horses’ real name?

What is moonshine?

Who or what is Garfield?

What is the plastic object used to play a guitar with called?

What is the record weight for a shore caught cod (approximately)?

Where on your body is your septum?

If orient is east, what is west called?

When did man first go into space?

What are Anne Hegerty’s nicknames on The Chase?

What was the first name of the famous Mr Wedgwood?

What is the name for pasta in a spiral shape?

What is the name of the weapon used by the Gurkhas?

Who is the American actor/singer with the very low voice who sang Wand’rin’ Star?

How many sides to an octagon?

What is the birth sign for July 21st?

Which organisation do you associate with ecumenical?

Where in your body do corpuscles live?

In which orchestral group does the clarinet come?

What was the German musician Wagner’s first name?

Which animal, proverbially, cannot change It’s spots?

When is the next leap year?

What do the initials ERNIE represent?

Which plant’s leaves cure nettle stings?

What is the maximum break in snooker?

Was Rita Hayworth a blonde or a redhead?

What are dolly, dimmer, flick and rocker?

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MT Fitness posh person!

Help, My 6 Pack is Making me Lose my Libido and my Friends - By Matt Russell

Nowadays everybody seems to want to improve their appearance, not necessarily their health, but certainly their appearance. This is obvious when you consider the alarming regularity in which many women undergo cosmetic procedures. So much so, that boob jobs have become as common as a turned up collar on a

The male equivalent seems to be attaining the much fabled 6-pack.

For some men with large abdominal muscles and reasonably low body fat, this is not too difficult a task, however for others it can mean losing ridiculous amounts of body fat to reveal the abdominal muscles lying underneath. This, when taken to extreme levels, is known in gym circles as getting ‘shredded’ - and with so many ‘shredded’ models appearing on front covers and on social media everywhere, this look has become accepted as the new gold standard in healthy. But is it really? I’ll leave you to decide…

The Physical Downside To Low Body Fat Levels As well as constantly being cold and having energy levels lower than a sausage dog’s belly, extremely low body fat levels can cause your workouts to be rubbish. Not only that but your recovery between workouts can be poor as well. Low body fat levels go hand in hand with low levels of stored carbohydrate in the muscles and liver, and this stored carbohydrate is vital to help you recover from exercise.

This leads to almost no improvements in strength or hypertrophy and in all likelihood muscle mass and strength will be reduced.

As if this weren’t enough, low levels of the hormone leptin causes you to be constantly hungry all the time. And to add insult to injury extremely low levels of body fat can also lead to lower levels of testosterone which in turn can reduce your sperm count. In some cases the reproductive system begins shutting down, so you may end up like a novice boy scout attempting to put up a tent - struggling to get an erection!

alcohol! Heck, you may look ‘good’ but you also end up becoming a bit of a bore!

If this social isolation wasn’t enough to make you feel bad, the reduced levels of essential fatty acids in the brain will probably make you irritable and prone to severe mood swings anyway! It may also leave you less able to concentrate and suffer from general mental fatigue!

In Conclusion Extremely low levels of body fat combined with relatively large muscles may make for an impressive looking physique, however it’s not without its drawbacks. The dedicated few who can endure what is actually required to achieve this are only able to maintain it for a very short period before they break and return to somewhere near normal levels of body fat.

As for those who manage to maintain such well muscled, low fat physique all year round, they are one of two things: Either genetically gifted or, a real pain in the bum to live with!

To book your free trial session at my bootcamp class, or your free personal training session, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Also, if you enjoyed this please tell your friends, oh and follow me on social media too. matt@mlrpt.co.uk www.mlrpt.co.uk 07939 316 401 www.twitter.com/mlrpt www.facebook.com/mlrpt www.twitter.com/mlrpt

The Psychological Downside To Low Body Fat Levels If that wasn’t bad enough, the psychological drawbacks may be even worse. Achieving extremely low body fat levels whilst retaining a muscled physique requires some quite difficult lifestyle changes.

For most people it requires tracking every single calorie that passes your lips. Which may sound easy enough, but in reality it is much harder than you think (a bit like having to sit through a One Direction concert).

It often means spending endless hours preparing your own food and stressing over its exact macronutrient composition, almost never eating out with friends or family and almost certainly not drinking any www.moulshamtimes.com

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Come out of Hibernation Slowly to Prevent Back Pain Every day, as I walk around the plinth treating my patients, I look up through the window and see the tops of the trees.

Listening to my patients’ stories, learning from them and laughing with them and seeing the gradual change of the seasons outside, it makes me happy.

As I sit here writing this on a Monday morning, the tree closest to me has sprung to life with beautiful white blossom, which wasn’t there when I finished for the week on Saturday.

It’s such a vibrant and fast changing time of year and it gives us all a lift.

When the days get longer and the sun starts to shine, we get out in the garden, get back on our bikes, and dust off our running shoes.

This movement is good for our bodies and the fresh air is good for our soul.

However, I want you to have a little Chris sitting on your shoulder saying ‘be careful’!

This time of year is when we see a lot of injuries to the back caused by doing too much too soon.

We have been hibernating, snuggling into our wooly jumpers and nursing our hot chocolates (or nice winter ales if you’re anything like me!) for the last few months, and it takes the body a while to kick back into gear.

It doesn’t cross most peoples’ minds to warm up before say, doing the gardening, but it’s essential - especially for the first few times. Our muscles and joints stiffen when they’ve not been used much and our nervous system needs to be reminded of the movements it once did.

Spending a few minutes twisting, bending and reaching to loosen up will do you a huge favour. Be mindful and mentally check in with how your body feels and for the first few sessions take it easier than you think you need to. If you’re on the bike, take it slow. If you’re in the garden, take more breaks than you feel you need. If you’re doing the spring clean, rope in the family to help with the lifting.

This is always a time of year where my phone becomes very busy in the clinic, so to avoid being one of those callers, take a little bit of time to get your body ready for the task at hand. It doesn’t take much to make a big difference.

If you feel completely stuck and don’t know where to start when it comes to stretching, we put out lots of videos on our Facebook page giving you ideas, so check us out at facebook.com/ fortephysicalhealth - and as always we love to chat, so if you have any questions give us a call at 01245 522 360 and ask for Chris.

Have a healthy month!

MT Gardening

March is nearly through and Easter just round the corner... Gosh, it’s zipping past this year already! I’ve nearly ordered my chocolate eggs!

If you haven’t done so prune hard all of the following shrubs and a few climbers: • • • • • • • •

Buddleja davidii (the butterfly bush) Hydrangea paniculata Caryopteris ‘Kew Blue’ Mid to late summer flowering clematis such as C. viticella, C. jackmanii and C. tangutica Spiraea japonica Sambucus (elderberries) Salix (willow) Cornus alba (dogwood)

such as fish, blood and bone or Vitax Q4 at a rate of 35-50g/square metre, which equates to a good handful of feed.

Lightly rake in and then apply a thick, well rotted layer of organic matter to a depth of 10cm (4”). This will keep the ground moist, weed free and even add fertility at

When I say prune hard, I mean cut all of last year’s growth to just in front of the old stumps. For the likes of the butterfly bush and elderberries, this could be extended further by cutting down to stumps around 60-90cm (2-3ft). This will open up the plant and allow greater air flow through meaning less disease and possible pests.

For the coloured stems of willows and dogwoods, cut down growth to one bud in front of the old stems. You could keep the pruning to weave through any supports you’re creating or you could even use them as hardwood cuttings. Go to www.rhs.org.uk or type into any search engine the word ‘hardwood’ followed by’RHS’ and this will whisk you straight to the correct page. A cheap and easy method ideal for extending plant numbers - and it’s free!

Regarding the summer clematis listed above, cut last year’s growth down to 1-2 pairs of opposite growth buds. This is hard pruning but ideal for these types as they flower on new growth.

Once pruning has been completed, apply a general purpose feed

sound point to the soil.

Good luck with this coming month. Keep up with any weeding and watch out for pest and diseases.

For any gardening tips contact Tom Cole, Senior Horticultural Lecturer, Writtle College, Chelmsford, CM1 3RR by post (including a SAE) or by email at tom.cole@writtle.ac.uk.

WE WILL BEAT ANY WRITTEN QUOTE

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Music and Blues in the City by Nick Garner We had four shows in March, two at the football club (Albert Lee plus Fresh Cream who will be reviewed in the April edition of the City Times) and two at the Bassment (Elles Bailey and Dave Ferra). We also had the 3rd Essex Delta Blues Day with eighteen acts playing on two stages over twelve hours non-stop - and we managed to keep to schedule throughout, raising just over £1,300 for CHESS the Chelmsford homeless charity, which was £300 over our target.

The month started with the great Albert Lee, who I wrote about in the latest edition of the City Times which you can still get. We then had Dave Ferra, who is a favourite of ours, at the Bassment - and he never fails to please the audience. Next we had Elles Bailey and her band who played our festival last year and wowed all who saw her. Since then she has gone from strength to strength and is rapidly going to the top. She a great singer and songwriter and is a very accomplished keyboard player while also being a really nice person. She has a fantastic band supporting her, definitely a name to watch out for.

There is a list of what’s on and where in the City Times, and if you know of anything going on that is open to the public - whatever it is - then we want to know about it so we can list it for you. So please send an email to editorial@itsyourmedia.co.uk.

As ever, please do try to come out and support the great live music scene that we have in Essex, because if you do not we may lose it.

www.bluesinthecity.co.uk www.facebook.com/bluesinthecitychelmsford Twitter: @BluesintheCity1 www.itsyourmusic.co.uk www.facebook.com/itsyourmusic Twitter: @itsyourmusic

On Saturday 18th March we held the 3rd Essex Delta Blues Day with the acts playing non-stop from noon to midnight with many acts playing Chelmsford for the first time, like the Baroness and the Bear, plus Connor Selby and Joe Anderton playing a stunning acoustic set together - they were magic.

We had locals Fist Full of Dirt with Anna Davies on vocals - we want to see and hear more of them. There are too many acts to be able to talk about them all here, but I must say they were all great. Our headliners on both stages were amazing. We had the Delta Ladies on the acoustic stage with Danny on percussion, and that just made it for me.

On the electric stage we had a special treat with Bill Liesegang and Barry Fitzgerald, who both played with the late Jack Bruce from Cream at our festival in 2012. They put a band together for us with Tony Muschamp on bass who amazed us all, as did the whole band, and John Antoni on vocals, it was the perfect end to a perfect day.

Coming up in April we have Danny Boy Piper Taylor for Blues in the City on his resonator guitar opening up for the Troy Redfern Band, who are getting rave reviews everywhere they play. Then at the football club we have local band Party at Your House who are opening for The Hot Red Chili Peppers, who are said to be one of the world’s top tribute acts to the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Details for all the shows can be found in this magazine.

There is as ever a lot going on this month, including the 10th Panic Awards at the Civic on Thursday 13th April. It’s just £6 to get in and a fun night with all the money going to charity.

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MT Baking by Alison Motley

Following on from last month’s article on spices, a very kind Moulsham Times reader generously gave me some saffron. I had a charity cake sale to bake for this month so I thought it was the perfect excuse to use some of the saffron to make some cheerful Easter fruited traybakes.

Traybakes are great for charity cake sales as they are a cinch to make and can be easily sliced into individual portions to sell. I often bake brownies for cake sales as they are quick to make and always seem to be a guaranteed seller, but this traybake is nice if you want to offer something a little bit different.

Having said that, genuine saffron is very expensive - the most expensive spice in the world, but this cake needs literally just a pinch to add a lovely semi-sweet floral flavour and a bright and sunny cream cheese frosting. I say ‘genuine’ because when you see huge piles of ‘saffron’ for sale in some markets around the world at what seem like ridiculously cheap prices, it’s likely to be adulterated with turmeric, beetroot, paprika - or something worse! If you are going to buy saffron it’s worth purchasing from a reputable supplier and paying a bit more - and a little really does go a long way, both in flavour and colour.

Iran currently grows most the world’s saffron, but back in the 16th and 17th centuries England was the world’s biggest producer, and a lot of that saffron was grown in Saffron Walden in the north of Essex, which is how the town got its name. Saffron threads are the stigmas harvested from the purple autumn flowering Crocus sativus or Saffron Crocus. The crocus was said to have been brought to England by returning crusaders from Greece and Turkey and was well suited to the area’s climate and soil. It was widely used in medicines, perfumes and as a wool and fabric dye. Sadly, as alternative dyes became more popular, the growing of saffron in the area was replaced with malt and barley.

However, there has been a mini revival of artisan English saffron producers lately, at least one of which is in Saffron Walden, although I believe the actual location is a closely guarded secret due to the value of the crop. When you realise that it takes half a million crocus stamens to make a kilo of dried saffron you can understand why it is so valuable!

Saffron is often used in savoury dishes like paella and bouillabaisse, but there is a long history of using saffron in baking, particularly Swedish lussekatter (or saffron buns) and Cornish saffron cake, a yeasted fruit bread.

The threads need to be well soaked in liquid before use, otherwise you don’t get the full flavour and colour from each expensive strand and grinding them first means you get every little bit of that flavour and colour in your finished dish. The flavour is quite unique and difficult to describe - in savoury dishes it is musky and nutty and pairs well with fish and seafood. In baking, it takes on honey and floral tones and goes well with pears, citrus and dried fruit.

This traybake keeps well for a few days thanks to the ground almonds, so you could bake it the day before you need it and keep it un-iced in an airtight container. The frosting too can be made the day before and kept in the fridge. Just bring it to room temperature on the day and give it a good stir before you ice and decorate the traybake.

Oh, and make sure to save yourself a slice before giving it to the cake sale - baker’s prerogative!

Happy baking!

Easter Saffron Traybake Saffron and Fruit Cake Pinch of dried saffron.

Grated zest of 1 large orange.

2 tablespoons orange juice from the zested orange.

225g unsalted butter or baking spread, softened.

225g caster sugar.

4 medium eggs.

275g mixed dried fruit.

225g self-raising flour.

50g ground almonds.

2 teaspoons baking powder.

Saffron and Cream Cheese Frosting 125g unsalted butter, softened.

100g icing sugar, sieved.

280g full fat cream cheese.

Mini Easter eggs, to decorate.

1. Grind the saffron to a powder and leave to soak in a small bowl with the orange juice for at least 30 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 180C/Fan 160C/Gas 4. Grease and base line a 30 x 23cm traybake tin.

3. Put the remaining cake ingredients and one and a half tablespoons of the orange juice and saffron mixture into a large bowl and beat well for approximately 2 minutes until well combined.

4. Transfer the cake batter to the prepared tin and gently level the top.

5. Bake for approximately 35-40 minutes until risen and golden and shrinking from the sides of the tin.

6. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes then run a knife around the edges and turn out to cool onto a wire rack.

7. To make the frosting beat the butter and icing sugar together until smooth, then beat in the cream cheese and remaining ½ tablespoon orange juice and saffron mixture.

8. Smooth the frosting over the cooled cake and decorate with the mini eggs.

I would love to hear from readers with anything baking related. Drop me an email at motleybakes@aol.com, or visit www.motleybakes. co.uk.

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Travellers Tales - Thailand by John Power Thailand has become a popular holiday destination for many in the 21st century, but we were rather lucky in that a friend from Chelmsford, who had left teaching and who had been a regular visitor to Thailand, had decided to move there and open a bar.

Clint had also married a Thai girl, Nat, and they became business partners of the Jolly Frog in Kanchanuburi about 150km from the capital of Bangkok. So this was not part of the standard tourist trail and we decided it would be a good winter sun break. Brenda had been before and confirmed this.

The country had of course grown as a base for US soldiers in the Vietnam War and had benefitted after the war with financial support from the US. It was also where the soldiers went to play and retained a growing reputation as a sex trade destination. This is mainly in the tourist centres but liberal attitudes prevail in most of the country.

Kanchanuburi is comparitively rural and better known for the museums dedicated to - and cemetaries of - the allied troops that were used by the occupying Japanese as slave labour to build the infamous ‘death railway’ to Burma, which gained its name from the conditions soldiers were kept under and how they were treated as an expendable resource.

Our arrival began in Bangkok looking for lodgings for the night in the backpacker centre of Khaosan Road, which was full in most instances, so we wound up agreeing to accept a room above a pretty run down bar. With my usual reaction to jet lag I slept much of the afternoon and missed one of the epic oriental rainstorms, so heavy a downpour that the bar downstairs flooded to a depth of a metre, while Brenda sampled the local drinks, feet up on a stool to avoid the displaced rats swimming past. The locals took it in their stride, while upstairs I slept through it!

We spent the following day exploring the capital, walking alongside the river Chao Phraya looking at temples and the university building, quaint little shopping centres, multi-lane roads that were a nightmare to cross and the Royal Palace complex with several sub temples and buildings covered in shining stones and gold leaf. Thai temples are round in plan with tall central spires. Huge sculpted guardian figures were everywhere and also similar sized Buddhas. One jade Buddha, although not the largest by a long way, was certainly the rarest and a held place of honour owing to a history of having been covered in plaster and paint to disguise its true worth from invading forces. The royal quarters were off limits to visitors. The King and Queen were well loved by their subjects, though the King has sadly since died in 2016. In the evening we wandered to where all the bars were and could have enjoyed any pleasure we desired, but settled for a meal and cocktails.

The following day we set off further up river for Ayutthaya, an old city and trade centre of a bygone era which had been trashed by the Burmese in 1767 and left to the jungle to reclaim it, but which was being re-discovered by archeologists. So after a more civilised night of rest we investigated the ruins. It was interesting to see the brick armatures of reclining Buddhas and other sculptures partly or wholly robbed of their facing stone. The heat and jet lag again proved too much and we had to retreat to the shade of our riverside hotel with its scenic river views. The following day we found the bus station and managed, with sign language and pointing at maps, to show that we wanted to travel to Kanchanubri about an hour and a half away, where we walked into the Jolly Frog and Nat greeted us. When Clint arrived, after some chit-chat, he took us to book into at a hotel called Pong Pen with some great views over the River Kwai and the Burmese mountains in the distance.

Kanchanubri is the name of both the town and district. The town has a reasonably strong Chinese presence with pagodas and their own version of temples. It was amusing to see the opposite of the decaying statues of Ayuttaya, as a large Buddha statue was under construction and we are used to seeing them whole. Restaurants and bars are plentiful, often pick-up joints for local girls. Old war memorabila from the Vietnam era is a popular decoration, one

including large bomb shells, and, oddly, a family of ostriches.

There are some very up-market hotels near the Kwai bridge which attract many tourists, especially desendents of the war dead. The bridge itself is of iron girders, as was the one destroyed in the war, not timber like the one in the highly fictionalised film. Nor was it destroyed by commandos, but by aerial bombing. We took a few cycling excursions out towards the Burmese border and to a cave temple that was used to house WWII prisoners and which has been returned to its pre-war use as a multi faith temple, Wat (temple) Thom Kampoon, and was visited by Guru Mahendranth when studying Thai witchcraft. We visited a huge cave temple with a dragon modelled as the exit, and another big, more formal, temple with Clint and Nat. Nat joined the devotees in adding gold leaf to the Buddha statue. We saw their new house being built and learned of the trade in second hand hardwood timbers, now illegal to log, that have to be sourced for such projects. No westerner can own property in the country, so there is a strong incentive to remain married to protect capital. We also visited an animal rehabilitation sanctuary, mainly for monkeys who had been used for entertainment in clubs and often drugged as a means of control.

We traditionally ended our tours of exploration with a beach chillout, so went finally to Bau Pong station to leave Kantchanuburi to travel south along the eastern coast of the Gulf of Thailand to a resort called Hua Hin, which is an old royal retreat, which has at one end a Hilton Hotel skycraper and and gambling night club. We found very pleasant and ornate rooms at the fisherman’s pier end of the once fishing village, and settled in for a few days of sunbathing and reading by the beach bars as hawkers strolled up plying their wares.

The train then took us back to Bangkok where we spent a day in a hotel with a roof pool and a last night of the bars before the airport and home.

The Second Trip to Ko Samui When we returned from our first trip we added up our costs and were totally amazed how little we had spent, and as we had friends who often went to more popular resorts, we didn’t hesitate to arrange to meet up with one friend a couple of years after the first trip to escape the February of a British winter. It turned out that such an island tourist resort as Ko Samui was quite the opposite to our previous trip, and an exercise in discovering about expensive tourist rip offs.

Once at at Bangkok airport, we had to transfer to a small plane line which held a monopoly of interior flights to resorts and that included Ko Samui. It was expensive, so we just bought single tickets. We flew over a giant Buddha on a nearby hill and arrived at the picturesque mini airport where a minibus took us south to Lamai where we had arranged to meet our friend Ian and booked into a hotel with inland views of other buildings.

The next day we met Ian and he recommended a better one at the southern end of the town, which wasn’t terribly expensive, so we booked for the rest of our stay. Again we experienced the obligatory torrential rainstorm, but from a comfortable vantage point. The town had extensive bars and restaurants with all the tourist attractions of local girls and the famous transexual ‘lady boys’ with no hips but plenty of makeup. The young girls outnumbered the rest of the population by more than two to one. They were in effect a crop that came in from the villages, made loads of money and took back to support the families.

There was a market behind the town. Pathways between tourist bungelows led to an extensive beach with the familiar bamboo bars and restaurants, candle lit at night to good effect. Fishing boats worked out of one end of the beach and rocks marked the other end, including a phallic stone and matching female rock, called the Grandfather and Grandmother Stones. That was about it; no culture apart from painted canvasses for tourists which were very adept, but otherwise is was an endless cycle of beach, books, bars, town, bars and restaurants. Walks of any interest were explored quite early on.

The real fun began when it was time to leave. When we tried to book a boat and train two days before leaving all seats were already sold - to others wishing to avoid the exhorbitant plane fare no doubt. So we had no choice but to book the flight instead, and we got the last two seats there too.

We got to Bangkok airport late evening and couldn’t embark on a hotel search, so had to ask around the airport, where there were vultures waiting. We ended up accepting a long taxi ride to a concrete complex with all the charm of a prison, right next to a flyover for a main multi-lane road. It was called SP Lodge, and was run by a Chinese power company. The bed that Brenda chose actually had little insects between the sheets! I said I’d complain to the desk, but she said not to bother and would sleep in a chair as the whole place gave her the creeps. Not the decision I would have made.

We paid the rip-off bill straight after breakfast and had to call another taxi to get back to the airport where, with luggage in tow, we spent the whole day until an evening flight, rather than remain at the ‘prison’ hotel. Thus ended a dull winter sun break that cost about four times what our previous interesting adventure had cost.

So if you’re thinking of a Thai visit, avoid the resorts and island entrapment and you’ll have a more interesting and less costly trip.

When enquiring please quote "M&S VOUCHER”

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Moulsham Schools

Thanks to the dedication of our staff and a number of external providers, we are proud to be able to offer a great variety of clubs to the children of Moulsham Junior School. Examples of these clubs are choir, zumba, performing arts and cross country. One of our popular clubs, run by Toby Pugh our maths subject leader, is chess. Recently Moulsham Junior School hosted a tournament and the report below was prepared by two of our team members, Alexander and Theo.

“One month ago Moulsham Junior School took part in a chess tournament held at our school. We entered four teams who all performed amazingly well during the day.

“Before we started, we were given a pep talk by Mr Pugh which really boosted our confidence. After this, Round 1 started and everyone was silent. You could tell everyone was on point. In between the games we went outside and played football - even against the other schools! All day there was something to do around school between games.

“At the end it was announced who got through to the finals at Camber Sands. It was amazing that two of our teams got through!

Altogether it was a great day!

“We are now looking forward to hearing how our teams are getting on in the finals at Camber Sands and wish them every success”.

Alexander and Theo considering their next moves!

Marie Staley, Headteacher

At Moulsham Infant School we are very proud of our creative curriculum.

We have so many talented and hardworking children and thanks to our supportive staff and dedicated parents it really has been a term full of events, experiences and competitions.

In January we ran a British Week and participated in a range of activities in order to learn more about being British! Freya in Year 1 said: “We had lots of fun learning about being British.” Thursday afternoon was competition time as Strictly Come Dancing took over Moulsham Infant School. The school hall became a ballroom filled with glitter, colour, microphones, disco balls, our very own Tess and Claudia and a super judging panel made up of our class council members and special guest - The Mayor, Councillor Patricia Hughes!

“When we had the Bake Off I felt excited because we were going to make some yummy food and try to win!” There was an anxious but exciting wait to find out which classes were our star bakers. The winners were: EYFS - Cherry class, Year 1 - Chestnut class and Year 2 - Willow class.

Lorraine Cannon, Headteacher This month I would like to introduce you to our school council. Children in Years 1 and 2 (five to seven year olds) are invited to stand for election. In order to stand, children must prepare a short speech to be presented in front of their classmates giving an outline of why they would be a good representative on the council and what improvements they will be proposing. We try to discourage unfounded promises of swimming pools, rollercoasters and daily doughnuts, but if anyone knows the value of a populist message, it is children!

The candidates are encouraged to make posters and drum up support from their peers with badges and stickers, so it is an exciting few days in the run up to the elections. The elected then form the school council and vote amongst themselves to decide on positions of responsibility including chair, vice chair and secretary. The current school council will soon be joined by representatives from our reception classes (four and five year olds) in the summer term.

School council have this term guided choices of the charities the children would like to support (Cats Protection League and Farleigh Hospice) and have been instrumental in contributing pupil voice across issues including safeguarding and playground designs. The council give us real feedback on our initiatives - no matter how well we think we have put something into place, if the children can’t tell us about it, chances are it isn’t working! Following on from last month’s article, summarising the work we have been doing on developing growth mindset, we asked school council to tell us something about perseverance. I think the responses speak for themselves: “If you persevere you realise you can do things.” - Tom “If you find something hard, keep trying your best.” - Lily “You may think you can’t do it but if you try and try, then you will be able to do it.” - Mira “You might need to keep practising over and over for a long time.” - George “I understand that anyone can persevere. Don’t give up, keep trying. Give your heart to it. If it goes wrong again, keep trying. It will be easy in the end - hopefully.” - Lilly Children’s work in the spring term was rooted in a transport topic, and we were very pleased to welcome Edwin Knight, an Old Moulsham resident, to the school to show the children a few examples from his amazing antique bicycle collection. The children were suitably wowed and burst into rapturous applause as Edwin rode the penny farthing and the bone shaker around the playground.

Such experiences are so important to bring children’s learning to life, and thanks to Edwin’s generosity of time and his willingness to share his passion, we notched up another memorable day.

Edwin informed us that 2017 is the 200th anniversary of the first bicycle and to celebrate this, he has arranged a special event in Good Easter on July 15th and 16th. All sorts of bikes will be being ridden and raced, including a number of penny farthings; a fun family event, which we will certainly be supporting in return do join us!

Every class tried their best and performed some truly stunning dances, but the overall winners were Oak class in EYFS, Hawthorn class in Year 1 and Hazel class in Year 2. These children were very excited and proud to receive their medals! For Esme in Year 2, this was her favourite part of the week and she said: “It was the best because we had a disco ball in the hall and everybody danced really well”.

The week ended with a show stopper: Our very own Moulsham Bake Off judged by our governors and school cook. All morning the children were busy making a soup and bread starter in EYFS, a vegetable casserole and dumpling main in Year 1 and scones filled with clotted cream and jam for dessert in Year 2. Billy in Year 1 said:

Cheryl Allard, Headteacher

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There are no Shortcuts by Mark Roberts You may have noticed that the world of personal development has become a growth industry and it rakes in billions of pounds worldwide every year. The market has a broad scope covering areas such as weight loss, dietary needs, health and fitness, yoga, meditation, motivational speaking and personal coaching to name just a few. It is growing rapidly with new ideas, methods and techniques being added at an exponential rate.

I am a very small part of that market and proud to be involved, but I do have concerns about some of the claims being made in certain areas of the market. Through my own email account and social networking, I find myself bombarded with unrealistic offers daily. You know the type of thing I am referring to, the ‘get rich quick’ schemes, or ‘how to achieve instant success’, or ‘how I can change my life in a week - well, the list goes on.

Now I wouldn’t say outright that the claims being made are false, but I would say that some of them border on the edge of ‘being unlikely to provide long term success’. The real winners will generally be the industry providers and despite ironclad money back guarantees, very few will exercise their rights to claim, with many putting their losses down to experience.

The personal development industry is massive because it taps in to a market that is constantly seeking perfection, preying on the vanities and insecurities of western culture.

When I say there are no shortcuts, I am referring here to the achievement and sustenance of long term goals. Most practitioners operating in the personal development industry will usually employ techniques designed to help their clients move forward when they become stuck at a particular stage of their journey. There are many techniques used by NLP practitioners that are useful in helping clients to overcome personal fears or phobias and other tools that can help clients to anchor feelings of confidence and high self esteem. These techniques can be very helpful and when practised over time and can assist in sustaining long term change.

This is where personal coaching can be helpful to a client. A coach will help a client to develop their personal awareness, enabling them to have a better understanding of their thought processes and how these could be fuelling habitual, negative patterns of behaviour. The coach will provide motivational support designed specifically for each client. They will hold the client to account for their goals and the actions they agreed to take, keeping them on track.

A coach will open the client’s eyes to the fact that they always have a choice, no matter the circumstances. Most importantly, a coach will ensure the client maintains focus on where they want to be in the future, helping them to achieve long term, sustainable change and the success they desire.

To your success…

For more about Mark Roberts, visit his Facebook page at www.facebook.com/intelligentlifestrategies.

Coming from a personal coach, you may think that I am shooting myself in the foot somewhat by slightly disrespecting some areas of the market, but I don’t see it that way. What I am really saying is that despite the hype around the claims being made, there are no real shortcuts. The greatest path to success lies in identifying clear goals; having an understanding of the current situation and knowing what needs to be done to reach the target. All of this, plus good research, planning and a degree of perseverance.

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You may be thinking, why do I need help from a coach, diet expert, or other kind of guru anyway? There isn’t an easy answer to that question, but it would be fair to say that some people may like, or need, a bit of help along the way, because not everybody knows how to unlock their inner resources or find the grit to succeed.

Take for example the diet and slimming industry. Millions of people receive help every day of the week through memberships that offer weekly meetings. It is usual at these meetings for members to be offered advice on the latest dietary methods, exercise and how to maintain weight loss. There will typically be a weekly weigh in, where successes will be praised and support offered to those who have not done so well that week. The guidance and support offered at these meetings goes a long way to keep members motivated.

There are many areas of the diet industry that are doing some very worthy work and helping people to succeed, but there is also a lot of hype out there with many people losing weight then piling on the pounds again soon afterwards. I have never coached in this market, but I do know many people who appear to be serial yo-yo dieters. The constant cycle of weight loss and weight gain indicates to me that there is often more to their weight difficulties than can be solved by dieting alone. For me, this is a classic example that supports my theory that shortcuts or quick fixes don’t usually last.

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All dry cleaning MT

MT

MT

My point is this: When something is being offered that seems too good to be true, it usually is too good to be true. The short term successes invariably don’t equal long term gains. There can also be some unhappy side-affects attached to the constant success/ failure cycle which can lead to feelings of low self esteem - or worse, depression.

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Keene Crafter’s Corner How are you all this month? Enjoying the warmer sunnier weather I hope and that is exactly what I did last Thursday - I sat in The Ideas Hub in town and joined the Crochet and Chatter table.

Crochet is one of those crafts that if you have been taught how to do it but haven’t actually crocheted for a while, you tend to forget how the stitches are exactly done. So this Crochet and Chatter is the perfect group to join as the people here will show you what to do if you get stuck.

The Crochet and Chatter group meet every Thursday for an hour between 11am until noon. It’s £3 for the hour and this includes a hot drink. You can take your crochet project with you and just crochet with like-minded people and if you are stuck or would like some guidance, there will always be someone there to help or show you that stitch you are stuck on. They also have some magazines with ideas and patterns that you could use if you are unsure of where to start.

You can make all sorts of things if you can crochet; animals, bowls, blankets and even jewellery… Have a look on the Internet and join this lovely social group at The Ideas Hub in front of the market.

If you have a particular craft you enjoy, or know of a group who meet, please do get in touch by emailing me at head-over-heels-bydlm@hotmail.com.

Until next time… Carry on crafting!

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Wine Corner

Hi there everyone, spring has just sprung at last. We are having pleasant weather and the shorts drawer is nearer to being raided not quite yet though.

I have travelled to France on several occasions over the years and really enjoy popping to wineries, especially those in the countryside, and tasting a few of their wines. It is nice to talk to the wine makers and to understand how different vineyards produce the wine. Most of these times though, I am driving so cannot really indulge. So this month I thought I would take a look at wine tours. It would suit me to be driven to various locations and be able to taste a nice variety of products without worrying about how to get home again afterwards.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I visited websites for the tours.

One of them advertised tours from £129, but that turned out to be a one day event, although you are chauffeured about (well, minibused actually) round three vineyards tasting fine wines in Saint Emilion, including Cabernet Sauvignon and the always popular Merlot.

What about the Loire Valley? A three day tour of the eastern Loire tasting lovely wines (especially Poilly Fume and Sancerre) and staying in a chateau will set you back about £900. Champagne? Pick up a Eurotunnel in London, wizz down to Reims in northern France. Lots of tasting and high class food and a visit to wineries and the city for about £1,800.

Or spend a little more time; eleven days in the Loire Valley with lots of tastings for about £1,600. That sounds like good value to me, so time to start saving the pounds. I must remember to exchange the pound coins for the new ones later in the year though.

In the last few months during the cold weather, I have watched quite a few of what they call ‘box sets’ on satellite television. Now, lots of these involve complicated plots that test my reasoning ability, but what does amuse me is the far-fetched antics of the leading cast. Why is it that, in a gunfight, the bad guys who have automatic weapons capable of firing at incredible speed, always miss the good guys who have hand guns and always seem to win? Amazing. Also, when the good guy walks into a group of villains in a dark alley, the bad guys only attack him one at time, sort of taking it in turns. Then, when the good guys do get shot, they always have the forethought to wear body armour. The bad guys never seem to have it. But, the most unbelievable thing of all is that when they drive into cities like London and New York, they can always find a parking space right outside the place they want to visit! I do not believe it!

I see that the Queen has started selling a sparkling wine, unfortunately by the time it was reported in the newspaper, it had all been sold, so I guess we are not going to see it in the supermarkets just yet. I wonder who got to buy it? Friends and family maybe?

Important people in public life? I fear that most of the 3,000 bottles bought will be kept by people hoping that they can sell it on later for a profit. They should be aware, however, that it is recommended that it is consumed before 2025! A second batch is said to be available in the autumn at about £35 per bottle, which doesn’t seem so bad to me for a prestigious product.

Sales of English and Welsh wines continue to grow and wine tours are also available in the south of England. As you would expect, these are a bit less expensive and a bit more convenient. For £350 you can spend 3 nights in a hotel with wine tasting events and a visit to a nearby vineyard. You can always just visit for the day on your own and taste the lovely wines and get a tour round the vines. Worth considering - ideally with a nominated nondrinking driver.

A Look at the USA The country covers about 9.8 million square kilometres (the United Kingdom covers about 0.24 million and would easily fit into California!) and is home to nearly 320 million people.

There are nearly 3,000 vineyards in the USA and every one of the 50 states in the US produces wine. Yes, even Alaska has wineries, but they mainly make wine with fruit other than grapes, I guess it’s a bit cold up there, and about 0.7 million people live there.

The US has been producing wine for over 300 years and are the fourth largest producer in the world. The original grapes were imported by European settlers (what, no monks!?) but they have developed many local grapes in the years since and the first commercially viable vineyard was in Ohio.

Now there are six wine regions stretching right across the country.

California is by far the biggest producer with an annual output of about 668 million gallons (sounds a lot, doesn’t it?). The state is large, almost three quarters the size of France, and if it were a country, its wine production would be 33% higher than that of Australia. It surprised me to discover that New York state was second with just 26 million. Washington state on the west coast (yes, I said west, you maybe like me assumed that Washington DC is in that state, but no, it is on the other side of the country) is just south of the Canadian border. It produces a wide variety of wines including Malbec (Argentina being the most famous at the moment) and Semillion (well known as the produce of Australia). The regions include Columbia Valley, Horse Haven Hills and Wahluke Slope. All quite memorable, I think.

Something I have never thought about is that prohibition affected wine growers. In 1917 Washington state went dry and that had a great impact on the vineyards there and all over the USA. When they did start producing again, it was mainly fortified wines and it was not until the middle of the 20th century that the wine industry started to flourish again. Now, of course, it produces some of the most popular wines in the world.

The wines from California are freely available in supermarkets, but wine from other states is also available, mostly from the bigger producing ones like Washington.

Bin end chuckles: If someone was buried in the wrong plot, would that be a grave error?

Keep calm and carry on drinking (In moderation).

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Rotary Turns the City Purple

All over the country Rotary clubs have been thinking up ideas to use the colour purple to highlight the latest drive to eliminate polio, and in one way or another the five clubs located in Chelmsford have made contributions.

In the late autumn of last year, members and friends of Rivermead Rotary Club planted 4,000 purple crocus corms in the grounds of Anglia Ruskin University, Chelmsford. A few days later, an intrepid seven members of the team (the Magnificent Seven) planted another 1,000 corms at Manor Lodge Care Home in the Moulsham area of Chelmsford, managed by Juliana Miles. The purple corms were planted in the lovely extensive gardens and trough planters, to the delight of residents and staff.

Rivermead Rotary Club hoped that the springtime blooming of these beautiful flowers would bring pleasure to students and staff at the University and all those at Manor Lodge Care Home - and so it has proved.

I am also pleased to tell you that the 30,000 crocuses planted at Hyde Hall are also showing their heads above ground and are proving to be an impressive display. I have written previously about the End Polio Campaign, but it is such an important subject that news of progress is always welcome. From 1,000 cases every single week when Rotary started out on this seemingly impossible task, so far in the three months of 2017 there have been just 4 new cases worldwide, so we are now extremely close to fulfilling the promise that not a single child in the world would ever have to suffer paralysis or death from this crippling disease.

Our latest initiative to raise awareness and cash for polio was the Jam Jar tea parties held in Chelmsford and further afield. Thanks to the generosity of Wilkins and Son Ltd of Tiptree who donated 52,000 jars of jam with Rotary’s name on them, cream teas were organized with the additional idea of making a donation for the jam and then filling the empty jars with coins. Some tea parties are still to be arranged so don’t despair if you would like to be part of the scheme.

In fact, why not volunteer to hold a tea party yourself and donate the proceeds to the campaign? It can be a big event or simply a few friends round for tea. Every little helps, as one major supermarket keeps telling us.

There are around 34,000 Rotary clubs in Great Britain and Ireland, so a target has been set to raise £1,000,000. If you see a Rotary polio jam jar please stick some loose change in it.

The Rotary polio bears have also been much in evidence being carried to all corners of the world. Some of us are quite envious of the exotic locations Chelmsford bears have visited, such as Australia, New Zealand, the Maldives, India and many more.

They have been invited to perform

important duties such as turning on the Chelmsford Christmas lights and even helping to pilot a passenger plane by sitting in the cockpit of a Boeing 747. At the end of the day it is all in a good cause and that’s why we are so close to eradication of polio.

Eradicating polio is just one, albeit a very important one, of countless Rotary projects and we are always on the lookout for new members who would like to put something back into the community whilst also having a great social life with new found friends. To find out how you can be involved, visit www.chelmsfordrotary1240.org, or call me on 01245 260 349.

Stan Keller

The Gospel According to Caroline In the lead up to Easter, those of us who are practicing Christians observe Lent.

This calls for a time of sacrifice by giving up one or more of our favourite things, as well as reflecting on what Jesus was to give up for us.

Some people and Church congregations give up something of themselves, whether that be in financial terms or by giving our time to help others.

God gave up his Son, Jesus Christ, so that we would be forgiven our sins.

you are unable to say it to the person, say it in your prayers.

The sense of freedom you will find will be well worth your sacrifice.

To find out what we exciting things are happening at Christ Church visit our website: www.christchurchchelmsforedurc.org.uk, our Facebook page: Christ Church URC Chelmsford or our partner church St Johns’ at: www.stjohnsmoulsham.org.uk.

Caroline Brown, Church Family and Community Worker, Christ Church United Reformed Church

The Bible gives us a definition of what sin is: Going against the standards that God has given us to live by. I think not many of us will have escaped sin, either by unkind word or deed towards another, or by having someone sin against us.

But in Jesus dying on the cross, we have forgiveness for all our sins, so why do we have such a problem in forgiving those around us?

Giving forgiveness is such a powerful emotion that can realise us of the pain and hurt that we may feel.

So perhaps this Easter do not just give Easter Eggs, give forgiveness and if

Are you barking mad?

Have you always liked the idea of having a dog but felt you couldn’t afford the time or money you would need to own one? A company in Chelmsford is giving people the chance to dog sit while their owners are on holiday.

Emma launched Barking Mad in the Chelmsford area just a year ago and it has gone from strength to strength with 5 star Trust Pilot and Google reviews from both hosts and dog owners. There are two sides to Barking Mad: Dog owners who need their dog to be looked after and those who wish to ‘host’ dogs.

Dog Owners Emma visits owners and their dogs and makes a detailed profile so that she can perfectly match the dog to the most suitable host family. A sleep over is arranged before any trip, so owners can rest easy knowing their dog will be content and well looked after while they’re away.

Hosts Becoming a host is organized by Emma. She will take this often informal arrangement and make it safe, insured and easy to be involved without costing a penny. As a host you provide a loving environment where your visitor relaxes and feels at home. Regular exercise and companionship is your part of the deal and the cost, administration and transport is taken care of by Emma - there is no paperwork to worry about. To become a host, all you need to do is chat things through with Emma and agree together the type of dogs that will suit your lifestyle and when you are available to look after them.

If you would like to use either of Emma’s services, call her today on 07703 388 009, or visit www.barkingmad.uk.com and search for Chelmsford. Alternatively, search Facebook for ‘Barking Mad Dog Care Chelmsford’.

01245 330463/07703 388009

Julie Chandler - 10 Years at the Helm of Chandler’s Chandler’s family business has grown from strength to strength over the decades, with record breaking growth over the last 6 years.

The company continues to work hard towards 2017 being another successful year of supporting and supplying hundreds of local builders with quality building materials.

Originally established as RW Chandler & Son (Builders) Ltd, the business has over 60 years of trading under its belt.

A 3rd generation owned family builders merchant, with 4th generation staff now working there, they still hold traditional family values at the heart of their working culture. But how do you stand out in an ever competitive market? Chandlers prides itself on going the ‘extra mile’ to help customers when needed. That, together with fantastic product knowledge, stock reliability and approachable staff, sets the company apart from other suppliers.

Introducing Julie Chandler, Managing Director of Chandler Material Supplies, as she celebrates 10 years at the helm of the family run business.

You’ve been MD of the company for 10 years, but your career at Chandlers started much earlier. How long have you been with the company for?

“I’ve worked at Chandlers for over 35 years. I started work as a Saturday desk and floor polisher in grandad’s office when I was 13. At 15 uncle Pete ‘interviewed’ me: ‘The company’s growing and we’ll need a typist in the office...’ he said. I started full time work the following summer and was enrolled on an evening typing course.”

What memories do you have of your early years at the company?

“I remember adding up columns and columns of numbers in the VAT ledgers on an adding machine and being budgeted for my use of typing correction fluid. And overwhelmingly, the thrill of working in an industry of wonderful people who created living spaces out of bricks, blocks and timber! The customer who would order his bricks, sand and cement for delivery in the morning, half an hour later add the timber and roof tiles and then that afternoon the plasterboards… by the end of the day his order had built up to be a full load.

“I remember Ray who was our driver and Billy, our yard boy. He’s now known as Bill our Office Manager, with an extremely keen eye for architect’s plans and all things brick and building related. With his amazing memory perhaps you should interview him next!?

“In the early years, access to our yard was through a café carpark.

One of my jobs was to pop down to the café to ask the lorry drivers to please move their trucks so our vehicles could get in!”

Was Chandlers similar then as to what it is now?

Yes and no. The café was demolished to make way for the roundabout onto which we now have direct access. It’s a good job I learned new skills otherwise I’d have been made redundant!

We’ve grown in size to 42 staff now instead of 4, built more efficient storage buildings, extended our product ranges and embraced technology, but overall, we’ve been true to our ethos that the customer always comes first and we’re still known for our extremely high levels of customer service. In today’s ever changing market place that is as important as it was then. It’s what sets us apart from our competitors.”

early enough and the next generation, when taking over, have really struggled - sometimes having to close the business. That wasn’t something I was prepared to let happen. I remember waking up on my first day as the boss, swallowing hard and thinking that I was from that day on responsible for the livelihood of 25 people; their families were relying on it so we had to not get it wrong.”

In the last 10 years, what would you say are the biggest things that have changed at Chandlers?

“We’ve increased the capacity we have for selling more materials to more customers and staffing levels have changed to reflect our management and customer needs. Back then, handwriting and calculator skills were as important as product knowledge, but we’re now fully computerised meaning our customers no longer struggle to understand their invoices.

“Cousin Ben (Chandler) agreed to join us nearly 5 years ago, meaning that we now have a team of 4 dedicated directors working heart and soul for our company, each bringing their specialist skills to the table whilst working harmoniously towards the end goal, excellent customer service.”

The rules and regulations for building are ever changing. How do you ensure the products you provide for your customers meet the specifications they need for the job?

Our sales teams are excellent at researching the products and their specifications to ensure what we sell is current and compliant. Our industry, whilst ever changing, is excellent at providing the right information when and where it’s needed, as well as embracing new products and technology. We buy from brand leaders ensuring that the quality of our goods matches the ability to meet the specifications.”

Chelmsford is an ever expanding city. What challenges does that bring to Chandlers and how do you go about staying on top of them?

“As we evolve our systems we take into consideration the needs and challenges of our city. The road infrastructure impacts on the vehicles we use and the customers who buy from us. We need to have the goods in stock so that if the customer wants them today he can get them today, or tomorrow, or whenever he wants them from us. That takes careful planning and good communication.

“We’ve recently relaunched our website (www.chandlermaterials. co.uk) where customers can now access a huge amount of information on the products we sell. They can also get a quote for pricing a job, or place an order at a time that suits them, such as from home in the evening.

Was it an easy transition to go from working for the boss to being the boss?

“As the city grows, new homes being built means more building materials are needed. New homeowners mean adding an extension, changing a bathroom, updating a patio or driveway or refelting a shed. These are all areas in which we have the products and the staff who know about them ready to consult, advise and provide.”

“I had a 25 year apprenticeship! Since day one uncle Pete instilled a value that everything I did, every action I took, would be remembered in the future. That was such an important base to start from and the transition, whilst challenging, was definitely easier than it could have been. I’ve seen companies whose bosses haven’t eased the reins

As a local independent family run business, Chandlers has always ensured its managers remain close to the shop floor. You’ll often find Julie serving at the counter and other directors serving in the yard.

Feel free to say hello and ask any questions you may have about Chandlers, the products, or service.

A new Local Plan is coming!

Chelmsford continues to grow and the City Council’s new Local Plan is your opportunity to help shape how Chelmsford should develop and improve up to 2036 and beyond.

Consultation on the Local Plan - Preferred Options document runs from 8.45am on 30th March until 4.45pm on 11th May. This Local Plan consultation identifies how many houses, jobs and businesses are being planned for and their locations, along with facilities to support growth, such as where children will go to school, where people will work, and how they will get around.

What Is Being Proposed for the City Centre?

The council is committed to maximising the use of brownfield sites for development, regenerating empty or under used sites in well connected locations.

About 2,000 new homes alongside commercial development could potentially be accommodated in Chelmsford’s city centre by 2036, with increased school and healthcare capacity and improved vehicle, public transport, walking and cycling routes, and enhanced public realm.

How Do I Find out More?

You can view and comment on the Local Plan - Preferred Options, and its sustainability and habitats appraisals at www.chelmsford. gov.uk/planningpolicyconsult (from 8.45am on 30th March). You can also read the consultation documents during normal opening hours at the City Council’s Customer Service Centre and in local libraries. Or visit a public drop-in event for dates and venues.

For more Local Plan information please visit www.chelmsford.gov. uk/new-local-plan.

Tel: 01245 606 330 Email: planning.policy@chelmsford.gov.uk.

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27

All About Moulsham Lodge & Tile Kiln

Moulsham Lodge Community Trust

Correction: Our regular coffee mornings are on a Tuesday morning between 10am and 12 noon, not 10am and 1pm. We are sorry if this caused any confusion.

Work Day: On Saturday the 6th May we have a work day. We have various maintenance jobs, from painting to weeding, sweeping to washing and probably a few less energetic tasks that the less mobile could manage as well. So if you would like to help us out with our annual Spring Clean, please get in touch so we can plan for the day.

More details next month.

email below. We hope to have a photo display on the fun day and long term, create a coffee table book that people can buy.

Last month the original foundation stone laid by Cllr King was returned back from storage to MLCT (see photo). We’re not sure where to put it at the moment, but our ambition would be to included it somewhere in a new facility when and if this becomes a reality. enquiries@mlct.org.uk 07411 808 731 www.mlct.org.uk Twitter: @MLCTStation

Annual Family Fun Day: The 17th June we will be hosting our Annual Fun Day. This will start with a Fathers’ Day Breakfast where you can bring dad or grandad along for a cooked breakfast and some fun activities. Details next month, but it will be ticket only as we will have limited places like the recent Breakfast with Santa event.

The fun day will have a traditional village fête theme with fun and games for all the family as well as a range of food to enjoy throughout the day. We will be delivering a newsletter in the coming weeks so watch out for this where it will give you all the details of the event.

Can you volunteer on the day? If so, please get in touch.

Old photos: We would like lots and lots of old Moulsham Lodge and Tile Kiln photos, especially any that involve the old community centre and the fundraising activities that took place to raise funds for the building. We can scan your originals or you can send them to the

Cllr Mark Springett - Moulsham Lodge Ward Correction from last month: My telephone number should be 07411 808 731.

Waltham Glen - Community Centre Site Development: The proposed development on the old community centre site in Waltham Glen is a bitter-sweet pill for the local community. When the community centre opened in 1972 the community had already invested 25% of its hard earned cash into the building, which gave residents a sense of ownership in the community, if not the building itself. My own journey unknowingly of becoming a councillor had begun when my wife and I attended a public meeting on the 3rd of January 2009. Around 300 people turned up to attend a public meeting called by the late Cllr Philip Firth. We both signed up to join the Action Group that night not knowing what the future would hold, but with no expectations of success. The history is long and complicated but at least the community has a new home at the old police station opposite the shops on Gloucester Avenue. Moulsham Lodge Community Trust does have plans to improve and increase its capacity, but for now are busy establishing a presence at what is now called the Community Station.

The proposed development is for just under 30 one and two bedroomed apartments. The plans do look quite attractive and I know planners have had to deal with some very specific planning obstacles like various underground services as well as some wildlife considerations, which have meant some elements having to be redesigned. However, as one of the very local residents (I live in Waltham Glen) I also have some concerns about access and traffic. Whilst there appears to be sufficient parking spaces, we are worried about the additional traffic that will be generated from this development and the potential parking problems as a result of more visitors than there are spaces.

As I said last month, there will be public consultation where you can offer your comments.

28

We have also secured a local display of the plans, with representatives from Bidwells planning advisers and the architects Saunders Boston being available to answer questions on Friday 7th April between 10am and 1pm. The display will be also be available Saturday 8th from 10am to 1pm and Monday 10th through to Thursday 13th from 4pm to 6pm where feedback forms will still be available for comments. I’ll post the planning reference on my blog and social media when it becomes available.

Council Responsibilities: Looking for a builder etc? Essex County Council look after Trading Standards. They operate the Buy With Confidence scheme which enables consumers to identify approved traders who readily demonstrate commitment to high working standards, high levels of customer care and a fair trading policy. Look for approved traders here: www.buywithconfidence.gov.uk.

Chelmsford City Council: They are the lead authority in the South Essex Parking Partnership who are responsible for on street parking enforcement and resident parking schemes across South Essex.

Residents parking is becoming more and more of an option when parking in residential streets starts to become a problem - like commuters looking for free daytime parking. Applying for residential parking is straightforward and they even ask residents how they think the problem could be solved. Ideally you need support from your local councillor plus support through a petition of residents affected by the problem. This doesn’t guarantee you will get a scheme in your road and it could take some time to develop and agree a scheme, but it’s worth asking.

School Crossing Patrol: Do you know anyone that would like to take on this part-time job on Gloucester Avenue mornings and afternoons?

If you do, please get in touch. mark.springett@chelmsford.gov.uk 07411 808 731 (or text) www.markspringett.com (my blog) Please also search for me on Twitter and Facebook.

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Tile Kiln Corner

by Linda Mascot

I was pleased to discover that the Ideas Hub in Market Square, High Chelmer run a monthly Repair Cafe in Chelmsford where local volunteers and enthusiasts provide checks, advice and show you how to repair your small electrical items and make fabric alterations.

Edith Miller, Hub Manager, initially set up the event in conjunction with the support of Essex County Council Recycling Department last October and recruited local electrician Rob Worley through Transition Chelmsford. Both have a shared interest in preventing waste going into landfill or unnecessary recycling.

Rob explained: “It’s often better to fix something than to buy a modern equivalent, especially as new products are not designed to be user-serviceable.

“Another aspect that fits in with transition principles is wanting to share skills and pass on knowledge. Aside from that, it’s a great social event as you get to make new contacts within the community.

“The items I’ve helped repair include a Panini press, numerous heaters, power adapters, stereo equipment and lamps.

The most rewarding clients have been those where we’re able to help people take further steps with their own projects such as repairing valued tools, downloading cherished video from a broken PVR and diagnosing faults with an expensive steam cleaner.

“We’re looking for someone handy with a soldering iron to coach electronics repairs. It doesn’t require a great deal of time commitment, just three hours a month. If you’re a tinkerer it’s great fun figuring out how items are put together and effecting a repair.”

As well as the Ideas Hub, Chelmsford Library is being trialled as a venue with volunteers always welcome, particularly if you can offer IT skills, or have a passion for bike repair. If you can offer your services or want further information, please contact Edith on 07549 693 438.

The next Repair Cafe will be on Saturday 29th April. mascotlinda@gmail.com Twitter: @lindamascot

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29

World’s Best Roads, maybe...?

By Simon Inglis The Top Gear trio (now The Grand Tour of course) have spent many episodes trying to ‘discover’ the world’s best driving roads. I think it’s a no-brainer; here in Australia there is, well, literally everything to offer the enthusiast motorist - in theory.

I’ll keep it simple to avoid writing in encyclopedic length. We all know Australia is a continent, about the same size as the USA, heavily populated in large cities and towns but not really anywhere else.

Australia has its kangaroos and outback, it’s ridiculous heat and it’s yobbo culture. Yet regarding the latter, doesn’t every nation?

However, Australia has phenomenal distances and much of it is decorated with majestic scenery. There are literally thousands of miles of greener-than-England fields (honestly, and do check if you wish), roads encircling and climbing mountain ranges, cosy villages, deserted colonial churches and yards... It is also a country that receives significantly more snow than Switzerland, and to prove it there is even summer snow forecast as I write in the deep south of the country (this is the hottest month - February)! Contrary to PR lunacy and the usual idiotic stereotyping, you don’t see too many nasty spiders or snakes unless you go somewhere utterly silly, you can live a life without seeing a kangaroo (as Clive James said, “I saw my first kangaroo in London Zoo!”) and shark bites usually occur - when they very rarely do bite a human - in areas no-one sensible travels to. In essence, you can freeze in the Australian Alps today, then tomorrow you can bake in the outback - whatever that really is...

Due to, rather than instead of, these extremes there are absurdly great driving roads. Try the Great Ocean Road, by any account a staggeringly beautiful drive and a potentially exciting challenge for any car or motorcycle. Or tottle from Melbourne to Canberra via lush valleys and undulating hills, pick autumn or spring and neither you or your car will bake or freeze.

Yet however much I praise, there is a ‘but’ - and by strewth it’s a tremendously unpleasant ‘but.’ Cameras. Everywhere. Every tiny town has one, even with a population of just 2 sheep, then add police with cameras armed with number plate recognition. There are the most staggering road blitzes unseen now in England - imagine an entire motorway stopped as police analyse everything from drug tests to your car’s roadworthiness, then performing passport and visa checks. These are very serious blitzes in every sense of the word that can impede your journey however innocent (a 400 car stop while you wait in a queue anyone?).

Speed limits themselves vary, yet only parts of the US are more silly.

100-110kmh (62-68mph) is the norm and yes it is policed vigorously.

You will get caught. In some states there is a 3kph tolerance, so sensible advice is to calibrate your speedometer! The average speed cameras are often placed before and after tiny towns or roadworks.

30kph in a 25kph designated ‘men/’women’ at work’ zone? $3-400 thank you - even if your demerits don’t yet transfer to Blighty; yes, governments here in Australia are working on that one!

The nastiest is the new concept of tracking your phone. A recent trial involved picking up your idle mobile laying in a cupholder. The signal can be traced point to point. If this does come in to effect it’ll mean disabling your GPS to save your money or your licence. Is it truly so zealous? When limits change from 110kmh to 100kph you can almost bet there’s a camera!

Sadly the unrepentant maniacs are not the ones being caught. As always it’s those of us who have allowed these stupid (I have no other word but ‘stupid’) laws to pass, mostly unnoticed. The police?

They get a dreadful reputation by enforcing laws few agree with. Ask any Aussie copper privately what they think and most are quite okay with the oft debated 130kph limit on these magnificent and sparsely populated roads I’m referring to.

As you start to grow drowsy, your car effectively idling at a cruise controlled 95kph to be safe from the dreaded camera curse, suddenly you may see an enormous ‘speed kills’ or the most laughable of all ‘fatigue kills, take a rest if drowsy’ sign. These government sponsored billboards do little to deter the motorist who actually needs to be somewhere, and they do nothing for the road toll. Thus sadly the Australian police are often regarded as tax collectors for second rate provincial politicians.

I suppose this sounds familiar. It’s pretty much the same in most of Blighty these days. Motorways with reduced lanes and limits, rounding a corner into a pretty village when ‘snap’ - a photo is taken and your wallet is hit via a penalty, your insurance premium and your trip results in misery and unexpected expense. Australia however was a convict settlement. It is now, in almost every aspect of daily life, most likely the most over zealously policed state in the so called free world. Under Tony Blair I understand some 22 new laws were legislated each month during his premiership alone. In Australia there are federal, individual state and council or shire laws passed daily. My question involves not just the motorist but all of us - why do we tolerate this!?

I for one would like to drive safely now that I’ve finally ‘grown up’, I wish to see this great land but I do not enjoy driving with my eye on my speedometer rather than the expansive tarmac and the even more expansive grand scenery!

The author wrote this a week after being due in Adelaide for business, a 737km drive. No he did not break any posted limits but did consumed 670 litres of coffee!

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A very rare chance to acquire this substantial 1920s built five bedroom fully detached family home, with many original character features, giving scope for extension. The property occupies a prominent corner plot in one of Chelmsford's most sought after residential roads, in the popular area of Old Moulsham, within walking distance of Chelmsford City Centre and mainline railway station, and close to some highly regarded local schools. Features include: central entrance hall with Oak staircase 30'5 x 8'7, ground floor cloakroom, lounge with feature fireplace 18' maximum x 15'4, separate dining room 17'2 x 15'1 with feature fireplace, study 11'8 x 11'5 with feature fireplace, kitchen/breakfast room 18'8 x 11'5, utility room 11'6 x 5'6, galleried landing, master bedroom with feature fireplace17'5 x 15'5, bedroom two 17'3 X 15'3, bedroom three 13'4 maximum x 11'7, bedroom four 11'6 x 11', bedroom five 9'5 x 8'8, first floor family bathroom, separate w.c., large corner plot, off street parking and detached garage, gas radiator central heating. Scope to extend subject to planning permission.

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