Moulsham Times - August 2019

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MoulshamTimes Covering: Old Moulsham, Moulsham Lodge, Tile Kiln and surrounding area

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MONDAY Millennium Community Centre, Recreation Ground, Baddow Road, Great Baddow CM2 9RL 9:00am, 11:00am,1:00pm, 5:00pm & 7:00pm Lucy 07801 433626 Springfield Bees Preschool, Perryfields School, Lawn Lane, CM1 7PP 5:00pm and 7:00pm Angie 07814 992628 Hatfield Peverel Infant School Church Road, Hatfield Peverel CM3 2RP 5:30pm and 7:30pm Marie 07988 426728 TUESDAY Broomfield Village Hall, 158 Main Road (behind Angel Pub), Broomfield CM1 7AH 3:00pm, 5:00pm and 7:00pm Victoria 07823 441198 Millennium Community Centre, Recreation Ground, Baddow Road, Great Baddow CM2 9RL 3:30pm, 5:30pm & 7:30pm Samantha 01245 266442 WEDNESDAY Church Of St Augustine Of Canterbury, St Augustines Way, Springfield CM1 6GQ 9:30am and 11:30am Emma 07887 692906

Issue Number 78 - August 2019

WEDNESDAY Writtle Community Association, Longmeads House, 12-14 Redwood Drive, Writtle CM1 3LY 3:00pm, 5:00pm and 7:00pm Jennifer 07792 516866

THURSDAY North Springfield Baptist Church, Havengore, off Pump Lane, Springfield CM1 6JP 5:30pm and 7:30pm Victoria 07823 441198

Life Church, Hall Street, off Moulsham Street, Chelmsford CM2 0HG 5:30pm and 7:30pm Angie 07814 992628

Newlands Spring Community Hall, Dickens Place, Chelmsford CM1 4UU 5:30pm and 7:30pm Jennifer 07792 516866

Boreham Village Hall, Main Road, Boreham CM3 3JD 5:30pm and 7:30pm Marie 07988 426728 Springfield Park Baptist Church, Springfield Park Road, Springfield CM2 6EB 5.30pm and 7:30pm Elise 07979 816486 St Michael's Church of England Junior School, Barnard Road, Galleywood CM2 8RR 7.30pm Lena 07939 675034 THURSDAY Millennium Community Centre, Recreation Ground, Baddow Road, Great Baddow CM2 9RL 9:30am Samantha 01245 266442

Moulsham High School, Brian Close, Chelmsford CM2 9ES 5:30pm and 7:30pm Marie 07988 426728 FRIDAY The Church Of Ascension, Maltese Road, Chelmsford CM1 2PB 9:15am and 11:15am Samantha 01245 266442 Fit n Fab Studio, Village Square (Near Asda), Chelmer Village CM2 6RF 5.30pm Emma 07887 692906 SATURDAY Springfield Park Baptist Church, Springfield Park Road, Springfield, CM2 6EB 8:30am and 10:30am Emma 07887 692906  



MT Welcome

Hi readers,

Welcome to the August edition of Moulsham Times. A bit of change here at the Moulsham Times; Nick has retired from the publication but will be continuing with the City Times, hence the change of company name below. Nick will still be writing his monthly column and from a reader point of view nothing will change at all - though advertisers will now have the joys of dealing with me instead of Nick! If you wish to advertise in this magazine and reach 9,000 local readers, please telephone or email me - details below. Remember too that you can also view our magazines online at www. issuu.com/itsyourmedia. Enjoy your month! Regards Paul

Advertising & Editorial Paul Mclean 01245 262082 / 07595 949701 paul@moulshamtimes.com

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MT Therapy - by Chelmsford Therapy Rooms Before I begin this month’s article, I have a fantastic announcement to make! I am delighted to inform all of you that since voting for the Healthcare & Pharmaceutical Awards 2019 went live on the Global Health & Pharma (GHP) website, Chelmsford Therapy Rooms has received a nomination! Only clients or colleagues can put a name forward for nomination, so I am extremely grateful for this amazing opportunity! I’ll announce the results nearer to the time they are published on the GHP website. The month of August is annual National Road Victim Month, which is held to remember people that have been killed or injured on our roads. As well as honouring people that have been lost and injured, it is also a great opportunity to raise awareness to make our roads safer. It is largely run by a charity called RoadPeace. RoadPeace is the UK’s leading charity supporting people who are bereaved or injured as the result of a road crash. The charity was founded in 1992 in response to a lack of support and information during the traumatic aftermath of road death and injury. It is a membership charity, with local groups, working closely with organisations campaigning on behalf of pedestrians, cyclists and sustainable travel. RoadPeace is a member of the European Federation of Road Traffic Victims (FEVR), an umbrella association of 25 national victim organisations with UN consultative status, through which it cooperates with the World Health Organisation and other international organisations working to reduce road danger. A road death is not a normal death but a sudden death that is violent and premature. The impact of such a traumatic event is often longterm - even for some, unending. Almost 4,000 people are killed and many hundreds of thousands injured on roads throughout the world every day. Many more have to cope with bereavement or the effects of injury and thus become part of the huge group of people affected by road accidents. The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims is in November and focuses on both the overall scale and the individual devastation caused by road deaths and injuries as well as the impact upon families and communities.

In my capacity as a therapist working for medical and insurance companies I have treated victims of road accidents. Often the client has ben left with extreme fear, feelings of vulnerability and even panic at the thought of crossing a road. Some even refuse to leave the safety of their home too afraid to go near the roads. Sometimes this is due to a fear that a vehicle will mount the road and kill them. Sometimes these thoughts aren’t even there, just a feeling of imminent death and therefore panic. There is also a growing trend of people coming to therapy who have known others who have been injured, or even killed, in a road traffic accident. This type of trauma can stay with someone for many years - even decades - and should they experience their own accident, this trauma can be unleashed and therefore make their psychological and emotional symptoms much worse.

The suddenness of a road traffic accident can be as bad as the injuries it inflicts. For those that lose their lives, sometimes their family and friends can be left in shock for a long time. It can be difficult to put into words how you’re feeling after such a tragedy, and this is why charities such as RoadPeace are so important. Their amazing work and campaigns allow people to come together and share experiences. To be of comfort to one another, just knowing that someone else out there has been through the same. As much as I will always advocate the importance of seeing a therapist, I really do believe that getting involved in charitable causes so that you can connect with others that share your experiences can be invaluable. If you have suffered a loss from a road traffic accident, it might be worth your while to look at a charity such as RoadPeace to find out more about their events, activities and fundraising. Jenny Hartill is a therapist and owner of Cloud9 Therapy and Chelmsford Therapy Rooms. She is a counsellor and hypnotherapist and can help with a multitude of issues. Please see the therapist list on the website at www.chelmsfordtherapyrooms.co.uk, or you can email info@chelmsfordtherapyrooms.co.uk or call 0330 100 5162 to enquire about an initial consultation. Alternatively, Jenny’s own company website is www.cloud9-therapy.co.uk, her email is info@ cloud9-therapy.co.uk and her telephone number is 07507 307 170.

The campaign for remembrance of victims of road accidents was created by RoadPeace as a response to road crash victims’ need for the same public recognition that is given to victims of other types of crime, disaster, or war. They commend the work of those involved in the aftermath of a crash - including fire, police and ambulance teams, doctors, nurses and counsellors. In the past, it has been left mainly to non-governmental victim organisations to offer assistance to fellow victims and to try and change attitudes by highlighting the extreme human suffering caused by road traffic crashes. An annual day and month of remembrance brings the devastating impact of road deaths and injuries and lack of support to the widest attention. 4 www.moulshamtimes.com


Izabella Puts Her Foot down at Hickstead

Chelmsford schoolgirl Izabella Rogers, 11, blazed her way to victory in the Equestrizone Winter 128cms Championship at the Longines Royal International Horse Show at Hickstead. Riding her 16-year-old pony Whinney Lass, Rogers sped into an unsurpassable lead - despite the fact that she doesn’t consider herself a natural fast rider. “I like keeping my ponies contained and calm, but if I have to, I’ll put my foot down” she says with a smile. Rogers’ methodical and mature approach comes in part from Essex trainer Rosie Holder, and her tutelage means that Rogers can now celebrate two consecutive wins in this class. This year though, the competition was even stiffer. “Last year I didn’t have to do the jump-off because I was the only clear. This year there was a few more people, so it was a lot harder” explains Rogers. “I was just watching every round thinking, ‘okay, so where do I go, what time do I have to beat?’ Going in, it was so tense, but she covers the ground a lot, so it was pretty easy.” Although Rogers hasn’t yet started secondary school, she’s certain that her future will involve showjumping. With six ponies of her own at home, and a plethora of yard duties to fit around her schoolwork, she’s certainly well set up for success. The Longines Royal International Horse Show took place at Hickstead in West Sussex (23rd - 28th July), with international showjumping being held alongside championship showing classes and national jumping competitions. The feature class of the show is the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ of Great Britain, which took place on Friday 26th July, in which the British showjumping team competed for honours.

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Chelmsford - by Vicky Ford MP

The Police Minister, Nick Hurd, came to Chelmsford to meet with police officers and staff as part of the Front Line Review. This is a detailed piece of work looking at the pressures police face across the country. Another 73 new officers have just completed their training in Essex, which is great news. Officers told the Minister about their experiences in recent anti-drugs gang operations which led to the arrest of over 50 people across Essex, and I joined the Minister and police on a patrol through the city centre. Police in Chelmsford have been working with local schools and community organisations to raise awareness with young people of the risks of getting involved with gangs. Springfield Youth Group I joined Springfield Youth Group for a special self defence training session recently. They are a really enthusiastic group and it was very helpful for me to hear their concerns. Please do keep reporting any criminal activity you witness to the police. It does make a huge difference.

Mid Essex Clinical Commissioning Group The Mid Essex Clinical Commissioning Group, which is responsible for planning our NHS local health services including GP services, has received a ‘Good’ rating in a recent inspection. The Chief Executive of Mid Essex Hospitals has told me that they are moving ahead with improvements to specialist services. The first phase involves vascular, urology, radiology and orthopaedic services at Broomfield, Basildon and Southend Hospitals. Around 2,500 patients per year will benefit from improved access to care, less time waiting for treatment and fewer delays in accessing specialist emergency care. That means that 20 per cent of those patients who currently have to be admitted to hospital will be able to be treated in an outpatient specialist clinic instead. The hospitals have also recently completed recruiting 300 new nurses. Welcome!

Jeremy Hunt when he came to visit Chelmsford recently. He enjoyed meeting a huge number of residents, including medical students from Anglia Ruskin, and traders in the covered market - which is looking great after its refurbishment. The Time is Now Thank you to the Chelmsford residents who came to Westminster as part of the The Time is Now mass lobby about climate change and the environment. The UK is now the first major economy in the world to pass new laws to stop putting more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The so-called Net Zero law will involve significant changes to how we produce energy and how we use it. I have been working with colleagues on the Science and Technology Select Committee to look at the details of the changes that will be needed. As ever, please don’t hesitate to get in touch at Vicky.Ford.MP@ parliament.uk.

Deadlines for the September edition: Articles - 23rd August Print ready art work - 29th August

Libraries Libraries are a vital part of our local communities, so I am delighted that Essex County Council has announced that all of Chelmsford’s libraries will remain open. Thank you to all those who worked so hard on the campaign, especially to Springfield and Galleywood Parish Councils and Anthony McQuiggan and Susan Sullivan who chaired the Parish Councils through much of this period. Second Railway Station The project for our second railway station is now a strategic priority for the entire Great Eastern main line. The plans include a passing loop which will bring capacity for additional trains along the entire line from Liverpool Street to Norwich. The funding bid is currently being reviewed by the Government. The Roads Minister also came to Chelmsford for a road safety project and I made sure he saw the Army and Navy first-hand and briefed him on the Task Force. We have now identified eight possible options for the long-term solution and engineers are examining detailed forecasts on each option. Anglia Ruskin University I am very honoured to have been asked to join the Board of Anglia Ruskin University which has been doing an exceptional job in Chelmsford. The state of the art new Medical School opened last September and is already training 100 students to become doctors. It specialises in training GPs and mental health doctors who are so much needed in our area. I am asking ministers to increase the number of doctor training posts. Anglia Ruskin University is also the third largest provider of degree apprenticeships in the country. The board member role is unpaid. Jeremy Hunt Thank you to everyone who stopped to talk to the Foreign Secretary 6 www.moulshamtimes.com


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Our House Is On Fire Chelmsford Declares Climate Emergency A climate and ecology emergency has been declared in Chelmsford at a council meeting on 16th July. The move comes as a growing number of UK councils have formally recognised the urgent need to reduce global temperature increases if we are to avert major disaster. “Act as if our house is on fire - because it is” Lib Dem Cllr Rose Moore proposed the motion, saying, “this is not a drill; we hear reports daily, hourly, of the huge damage being done to our environment.” Cllr Moore went on to quote from a speech by climate campaigner Greta Thunberg who said: “Adults keep saying: ‘We owe it to the young people to give them hope.’ But I don’t want your hope. I don’t want you to be hopeful. I want you to panic. I want you to feel the fear I feel every day. And then I want you to act. I want you to act as you would in a crisis. I want you to act as if our house is on fire. Because it is.”

Chelmsford Museum Now Fully Open to the Public We’re delighted to announce that the newly refurbished Chelmsford Museum is now fully open to the public. The Victorian wing has had a total revamp, with new exhibits and new experiences taking visitors through Chelmsford across many, many centuries. It’s a brilliant asset right in the heart of Moulsham & Central and feedback from people www.issuu.com/itsyourmedia

who have already visited it has been excellent. If you haven’t already been, please do have a look, then stop into the fabulous Hive Café for refreshments afterwards. Cllr Jeremy Lager Completes Tour De France Stage On Sunday 21st July, Cllr Jeremy Lager completed the sports ride ‘du Tour, which took place over the course of Stage 20 of the Tour de France - a real test of endurance. Around 16,000 amateur riders registered to race, of which 12,760 made it to the start line in Albertville in the Savoie region of the French Alps. After 85 miles and nearly 16,000 feet, just 10,134 actually finished - a drop-out rate of nearly 20%. Cllr Lager finished after 10 hours 29 minutes in position 9,316. “With temperatures reaching 41°C, I was just glad to actually finish and not have to retire, or fail to make one of the cuts,” said Cllr Lager. “There were several points along the way where I didn’t think I was going to make the next cut-off time, and to manage to reach the last one took a huge sustained effort over a few miles when I was already on my last legs.” So far he has raised £650 of his £1,000 target for Helping Hands Essex. Helping Hands Essex promote recovery from alcohol abuse, to the benefit of the individual, family and friends and the wider community. There is still time to give your support by visiting his JustGiving page at www.justgiving.com/campaign/TDF - thank you!

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MT Health

What Question is your Pain Trying to Answer? by Chris at Forté Physical Health When I was at school, Year 9 I think, so about 14 years old, I really liked maths. The way I saw it was that each class was just an hour of doing puzzles - and I like puzzles.

My teacher, Mrs Boyce, was strict but fair. She was great at getting the lesson across and it only added to my joy of the subject. We weren’t allocated seats, but as creatures of habit, every student sat in the same chair every class, and I sat next to my best bud, right in the centre of the room. One day, the room was deep in concentrated silence, trying to let our new algebra skills sink in, one problem at a time. I was deep in a trance, writing in my squared notebook when I felt an elbow nudge me in my side. It was followed by a whisper: “Branchy, whatever you do, don’t laugh.” “Huh?” I replied. My mate looked at me, deep in the eye, without a glimmer of emotion on his face. “Don’t... laugh” he repeated, and he turned his head slowly back to his notebook. For a moment, I thought he was going crazy, until I felt him lean away and emit the loudest noise I have ever heard come from someone’s bottom, still to this day. The girls around us drew back in disgust. The boys chuckled. My friend remained perfectly still, head down, emotionless. I, on the other hand, was a crumpled heap of giggles, tears streaming down my face. Mrs Boyce turned around from the whiteboard, took one look at me and screamed: “Christopher! Get OUT!”. I was banished from the room, which in a way was lucky because it gave me time to compose myself. The tears of laughter kept flowing for a few minutes. The bad luck came when the headmaster walked past. “Mr Branch, why have you been sent out?”. I scanned through the possible answers in my mind and realised the truth wasn’t one of them. Solemnly, I replied, “Sorry sir, I farted.” Looking through the window of the classroom door, my friend saw this and, finally, a wry smile passed across his face. He’d won this round. You see, sometimes, it really isn’t our fault! When we have pain, it is easy to blame the part of the body that hurts. If you have low back pain, you might be thinking you have a weak back, or that there’s ‘wear and tear’. If you have shoulder pain or hip pain, you might be blaming previous sporting injuries or thinking, ‘it’s just my age’. But I like to look at it a different way. What if your pain was just your body’s way of solving a problem? Our body is an incredibly complex system which is constantly adapting to the stimuli it is exposed to. Let’s take a fairly common modern set of problems as a stereotypical example:

levels increase. You get tired so you start to choose easier, faster, more processed food options. Responsibility increases and the problems compound.

The answer to these stimuli might be that your upper back, chest and hip flexors become tighter to become really good at the thing they do the most; sit at a desk. Your tissues become less supple in response to the processed foods they are fed. Your immune system may create higher levels of inflammation than is necessary due to the lack of movement, poor food choices and stress. Slowly, your system ends up in a downward spiral of health. There are many possible outcomes in this situation, but I’ll take a common one that I see a lot. Someone may do something fairly innocuous, like bend down and pick up a light object from the floor and feel their lower back ‘go’. It’s easy to blame the reaching down to the floor as the onset of injury, but actually, it’s due to the way the body has changed over time that led to the pain. With tighter hip flexors and a restricted upper back, more force gets driven into the lower back when bending and reaching. With the reduced health in the tissues, the back is less able to cope with this force, so injury strikes. The solution? Give the body a new set of questions to answer. As quickly as possible, test your body with movement. Seeing a health professional like an osteopath can help you with this so that you are doing the right movements for your injury. Then, when you are out of pain, think of your injury as a ‘teacher’ - it has shown you that your lifestyle is impacting your health. Consider making some changes like getting up from sitting every 25 minutes, choose a form of exercise that gets you flexible and strong and shift back to cooking fresh, ‘real’ food. Over time, your body will adapt to these stimuli and will have a lower risk of injury and you will have a better overall sense of well-being. If you have pain, it is important to take a global view of your health. We call it the 30,000ft View. Step out of the problem and look down over your life. You will see that there are some simple changes you can make which will create a profound and positive impact. And if you need help in doing this, you can get in touch with our team of osteopaths at Forté Physical Health. It is our passion to help you along this journey. www.fortephysicalhealth.co.uk

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After years of being sporty and fit in your youth, you get into the workplace. You find yourself sitting more than you used to. Stress 8

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What Can We Do About Anxious Children?

In the UK, recent research suggests that as many as 1 in 6 young people will experience an anxiety condition at some point in their lives, this means that up to 5 young people in one classroom may be living with anxiety. So what can we do about it? Part of anxiety stems from the body’s ‘fight of flight’ reaction; this happens when we are faced with something that feels scary to us. Our body goes into protection mode and starts up fight or flight - a biological reaction in the body. This can make us feel sick, sweaty, panicky, out of breath, hot and shakey to name just a few symptoms. These days, children are exposed to a lot of fast paced and ever changing demands via social media and peer groups. This makes them far more likely to often be switching into fight or flight. When supporting a child with anxiety, try to find ways for them to relax. Constantly being in fight or flight mode makes it difficult to relax and for the body to decompress. Finding ways to reduce stimuli and relax the body can help shift the body out of fight or flight and into the relaxation response. When children are relaxed, they release neurotransmitters that help them fight the anxiety response. Finding some progressive body relaxations on YouTube can be a great start. Also, read up about fight or flight… The more you understand the response, the better equipped you may feel to do something about it. Good luck and watch out for more monthly tips on managing anxiety for both adults and children! Anna is a therapist, specializing in anxiety in adults and children. www.bloomproject.co.uk anna@bloomproject.co.uk

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MT Gardening Take care everyone - it’s a hot one! When the weather’s like it has been, the key is to water carefully and strategically. There’s no point in doing it in the height of a sunny day - best to do so early or later in the day. Personally, I’ve had better results from watering later in the day; the compost is fully soaked in preparation for the next day and all the plants seem to thrive. With beds and borders, once well wetted, ‘mulch’ to at least 6” with any well rotted compost. This’ll reduce evaporation from the soil surface, cutting your watering down and keeping the weeds at bay. Aside from watering, here are a few other jobs for the next few weeks: •

• •

Weed whenever you can. This hot dry weather is perfect for removing annuals like chickweed and hairy bittercress, severing the foliage from the root system means the plant just dries out. Remember to do this before the plant flowers using a draw hoe Continue to nip out the tendrils of sweet peas and tie in securely - you’ll be rewarded with more flowers. Keep well watered to keep powdery mildew down. Don’t forget to keep removing those side shoots from cordon tomatoes, twisting the main stem around the support string or cane. Remove the tip of the plant once it reaches the top of the greenhouse roof, or when it’s got roughly 6-8 trusses. Keep on feeding. Avoid mowing lawns too closely at this time of year. Remove no more than a third to a half at any one time - and take care of applying granular feeds; these must be watered in well to avoid scorching the grass blades. Better still, use a liquid lawn feed. Most importantly, relax and enjoy all the results of your hard earned labour this year. I feel a G&T coming on shortly...

Lastly, if you want to further your knowledge and understanding of these or other gardening jobs, please do consider one of the following courses at Writtle University College: For RHS Level 2 Certificate in the Principles of Horticulture (1 year, day release on Thursdays), RHS Level 2 Certificate in the Principles of Plant Growth, Propagation & Development (September - February on Thursdays), and for RHS Level 2 and 3 Certificates in Practical Horticulture, email tom.cole@writtle.ac.uk for information on availability of days and times. If you’ve got more time, we also offer full time Level 2 & 3 programmes and apprenticeship schemes. New for this September we’ll be offering part time garden design programmes. Contact ben. wincott@writtle. ac.uk for more information.

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If you’d like a shorter programme for say 1 or 2 days, then give our Short Courses team a call. We’ve got courses on construction (erecting fences, paving and brickwork), general garden tasks such as pruning, propagation, container gardening, successful care of lawns and growing fruit and veg. For the professional, we have a whole load of competence based certificates covering arboriculture, pesticide application and use of various machinery and equipment. Happy gardening For any gardening tips please contact Tom Cole, Horticultural Lecturer, Writtle College, Chelmsford, CM1 3RR by post (including a SAE) or by email at tom.cole@writtle.ac.uk.

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Music and Blues and Roots in the City - by Nick Garner Sadly, I must firstly report that I have now retired from the Moulsham Times - not as a contributor, but as a business partner. Paul Mclean has taken it on completely. After just over six years, having been involved since the very first edition, I had to make a difficult decision as I had to free up some space in my life as I have so much going on all of the time. Something had to give and I decided that one magazine was enough for me to do. I know that I can entrust Paul with the Moulsham Times and as I said, I am still going to writing for it monthly and I am still doing the City Times. I want to thank you all for supporting the magazine over the years and I very much hope that you will continue to support Paul in the future as I will be. Chelmsford Arts & Cultural Festival We are still in the midst of meetings, but we hope we will have some exciting news very shortly regarding the 2020 festival. We have a stall at the Oaklands Park Museum for the Culture in the Park Day on 31st August from 11am, so please do come along and say hi and find out what we are up to and how you may be able to get involved if you wish. Music & Ramblings Since the last edition quite a lot of exciting things have happened and I have written about most of it in the last edition of the City Times which is out now. A highlight for me in the last month had to be going to Wembley Stadium with Connor Selby and his band to see them open for The Who. I was the doing my old job as guitar tech for the day. It has been many years since I was last on such a big stage, but it was fantastic, as was the whole day for everyone. Connor and the boys played a stunning set and went down really well - the whole day was incredible, The Who closed played with a full orchestra behind them and they were as good as ever. I have just returned from Kent and our friend’s boutique festival Chickenstock, which is a more of a folk festival in an orchard for around 500 people. It was fab - except on the Friday night when the heavens opened; I have not seen rain like it, in fact it was more like a waterfall out of the sky with thunder and lightning! I was running the second stage with my PA and the next day I was worried after the rain as to what state the site (and my stage) would be in. I need not have worried as we were on a slope and the ground was well drained and my stage and equipment were fine (thankfully). I did the sound for many acts over the three days and have to say there were some truly great acts, some who I hope to bring to Chelmsford to play at the UB. This is a festival to look out for, as it is very friendly and good for the whole family - and not too expensive either. August Bank Holiday is fast approaching and in Old Moulsham I know the Woolpack will be having their summer beer festival with live music, and of course it is the third UB Fest weekend too. We are just finalising the last couple of acts, and this year it will run over four days starting on Friday night with the Ugly Guys playing, then on the Saturday - our big music day - starting at 2pm in the garden (weather 12

permitting), we have all acts playing for one hour. So far confirmed are Lady J the Troublemaker, Rich Young, The One Tree Hillbillies, The Hardy Perennials, and Playlister who will close the day playing from 10 to midnight. On the Sunday, Rubber Soul will take over spinning the discs you love. On Monday, Wet Dreams Records and JAR Records are teaming up to bring you another exciting day of live music and discs. As well as all that, there will be the outside bar and some fine catering for you to enjoy. To find out what is going on at the UB see the City Times or go to the Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ theunitedbrethren. Just as this edition of the Moulsham Times goes to print Jamie Williams & the Roots Collective will have just completed a mini tour having played in Berkhamsted, Cropredy near Banbury, then in Devizes, and ending up at the 100 Club in Oxford Street. We will have been joined by Connor Selby and Joe Anderton at the 100 Club opening the night. You can see the pair of them at the UB on Saturday 10th August playing the whole night from 9pm. August is a busy month for me with festivals and the like. In Maldon it is the third Smoke and Fire Festival from Friday 16th to Sunday 18th. This is a big food fest, where you can find out all you want about barbeques and smoking food. There will be lots of traders and street food vendors, plus a beer and cider fest as well as lots of live music. It all starts on the Friday with Dr & the Medics. We are playing on the Sunday on the Americana stage from 2.30pm with a stripped back set. You can find out all about this festival by going online to www. smokeandfirefestival.com. If you are putting on, or know of, any events that Moulsham Times should know about and might be able to help publicise, then please email editorial@itsyourmedia.co.uk. For more information on all of the above, see the links below and pick up a copy of the City Times and go to the What’s On pages to see what else in happening in your area. If you go to our Facebook pages look at the ‘Events’ tabs where you can see who is playing and preview the up-and-coming acts. www.bluesinthecity.co.uk www.facebook.com/bluesinthecitychelmsford Twitter: @BluesintheCity1 www.itsyourmusic.co.uk www.facebook.com/itsyourmusic Twitter: @itsyourmusic The Arts and Cultural email: hello@che lmsfordfestival.org www.chelmsfordfestival.org facebook.com/chelmsfordfestival twitter: @chelmsfordaacf

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m a h s l u o M

YARD Saturday September 28th 10-4 SALE d l O

One persons trash is anothers treasure! Do you have unwanted items to sell?

The aim is to have multiple homes selling unwanted items all on the same day with a map for buyers to wander around the area to buy from the driveways or gardens!! Register by August 21st to be included subject to enough people wishing to take part

ÂŁ5 per stall proceeds to email paul@moulshamtimes.com to book www.moulshamtimes.com 13


Quiz Time - by John Theedom 1. 2 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20.

‘Moke’ is a common name for which animal? From which wood are cricket bats traditionally made? On July 31st 2019, which city hosted the Miss England contest? What is the SI unit of electrical resistance? Which nationality is Kerry Packer? What was the foreign disease that affected a lot of our trees a few years ago? On the ITV programme The Chase, what is the nickname of Mark Labbett? Who were the 3 astronauts on the Apollo 11 programme? Coldplay went to number 1 with their debut album, what was it called? What is a metronome used for? Apart from a bird, what is a hawk? What is the capital of Nigeria? What is the job of a thane? Threnody is a term for what? Besides ‘to stop doing’, what is a refrain? Which German bank has just axed 18,000 jobs? Where was Michael Flatley born? When exactly did Apollo 11 take off to go to the moon? To be pastinaceous is to be like what? In 2019, how old is the racing driver Sir Jackie Stewart?

21. What was the name of the first president of the Royal Acadamy? 22. The Scientology group was formed by who? 23. What year did Baden-Powell start the Scout Movement? 24. Which meat is used in Weiner Schnitzel? 25. Who is the Greek god of the sea? 26. In which 1960s film did Audrey Hepburn sing the song Moon River? 27. Besides a bird, what is an eagle? 28. ‘Kayak’ and ‘Level’ are what type of words? 29. Which surname is shared by Cat and Shakin’? 30. What colour is Riesling wine? 31. How many sides are there on an Octagon? 32. What are the loops you put your feet in when riding a horse? 33. The RIBA is what? 34. Who met a pieman going to the fair? 35. What do you do with a bullace? 36. What was the nickname given to the Model ‘T’ Ford car? 37. What happened to Victor Meldrew in the final episode of One Foot in the Grave? 38. What is the only anagram of ACHES? 39. What is the popular name for the Antirrhinum flower? 40. How many edges are there on a 20p coin?

Answers on page 31 14 www.moulshamtimes.com


Personal Finance Clinic: Are You Insuring Your Pet, but Not Your Own Life? It’s the school holidays so, if you have children, it’s an expensive time of year as the little people in your home demand to be entertained with holidays, console games and mobile phone data.

Today, kids arguably receive more of their pocket money as online purchases and phone credit than they do in cash. For previous generations, money was tangible. It had weight, a distinctive smell and could be endlessly counted and saved into jars and piggy banks. It’s essential children get to grips with how to budget and save; failure to adequately understand personal finances could have a negative impact on their relationships and mental health as they head to work, college or university later on. Moreover, this is a generation that will have to cope with student loan repayments, astronomical rent and property prices, and the widespread withdrawal of final salary pensions. Teaching them about saving and investing is a great way to get them involved and encourage them to direct some of their pocket money or birthday money into saving for their own futures. Junior ISAs Contribute up to £4,368 a year and open either a Cash Junior ISA or Stocks & Shares Junior ISA. Look out for the best interest rates for Cash ISAs and remember to shop around every year, as often the better introductory interest rates will end after a year. Investing into a Stocks & Shares ISA offers the potential for better long-term returns, but at a risk to the capital as the money is invested and investments can go down as well as up. With Stocks & Shares ISAs, also be aware of the fees that are charged for the account and the funds that you purchase within it.

who haven’t owned property before.

Contributions receive a government top up of 25%, with the maximum annual subscription of £4,000 becoming £5,000 after the top up. If maximum contributions continue for 10 years, the account would be worth £50,000 before factoring in any interest on a Cash Lifetime ISA or any investment returns on a Stocks & Shares Lifetime ISA. If the Lifetime ISA is not used to purchase property, the account holder can either delay accessing the account until they are 60 or they can access the account earlier than this, but doing so would mean that they lose all of the government top ups. It’s also worth noting that there are additional rules around how the account can be used, such as that it can only be used for a maximum property value of £450,000. Even if you can only save or invest small amounts, the trick is to get started. The balance will soon grow and encourage your child to take better control of their financial future. Lauren Peters, Senior Financial Adviser at Fiducia Wealth Management, is a Chartered Financial Planner. She also holds the Pensions Specialist and Later Life Specialist qualifications. Fiducia Wealth Management has offices at Saxon House, 27 Duke Street, Chelmsford CM1 1HT (01245 950 922) and at Dedham Hall Business Centre, Brook Street, Dedham, Colchester CO7 6AD (01206 321 045). You can contact Lauren directly via lauren@fiduciawealth.co.uk. www.fiduciawealth.co.uk

Based in Moulsham Lodge

For both Cash and Stocks & Shares ISAs, any interest or returns generated within the account are tax-free and so are any withdrawals, although be aware that an interest rate on a Cash ISA may be lost if you withdraw money during a ‘lock in’ period. If your child has a Child Trust Fund, you can still contribute to this, but you can’t open a new account. You may want to consider transferring any existing Child Trust Funds over to Junior ISAs, but seek advice if you are unsure and make sure the transfer is completed via the Child Trust Fund and Junior ISA managers. Kids’ Pensions Few people know that you can set up pensions for children. In fact, you can do this as early as their birth and your child or grandchild will also be awarded tax relief on their contributions from the government, even when they are not paying tax. Contribute up to £2,880 per year into a pension for your child and they will receive up to £720 of tax relief (free money!) added to the account. Just like ISAs, there is no tax to pay on any interest or investment returns that are generated within the account. It could be 60 or even 70 years before they access the account, so the money should be invested in relatively high risk funds, but remember, there is no way to get the money out for a really long time, so only invest what you don’t need back and don’t invest money that was intended for university or to help them onto the property ladder.

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Lifetime ISAs To save for a deposit on a property, the Lifetime ISA is the most advantageous account out there and is available for 18-39 year olds Remember to tell our advertisers you saw their advert in the MT

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The Singing Chef Happy August everyone. This month is all about the quick summer fix of tasty goodness. Make this with fresh well researched ingredients if you like, or use up food stuffs in your freezer and fridge and clear some space in there - if your freezer is like mine I have to squash stuff down and disregard boxes to fit everything in! We had a bad fire at our house at the beginning of July and the 3 children and I have been between homes ever since (huge thanks to the very beautiful homes of Nancy and Chris McGovern and Jo Lodge and co!). I have, with lots of help from some very genrous friends and strangers, been working hard to get the house back to a liveable state which have meant time and finances have been more stretched than we have ever had to experience previously. I would like to publicly thank everyone who has helped us in getting the house back straight (nearly there)! There’s going to be quite a few of you out there with a lot less time on their hands over the next 6 weeks with the school holidays well upon us. This ‘cheat recipe’ can be spiced up with red onion and Siracha and dulled down with coconut milk or mayonnaise. This is basically a Thai style stir fry that can be eaten hot or cold. My very beautiful sister, Kathleen Chow raided the Chinese supermarket on Moulsham Street for some food to please the children and me - and it’s a winner! Just add noodles and whatever vegetables and/or proteins your heart desires (or fridge dictates). One thing that is an absolute must is a bag of crispy fried onions!

Here is the authentic Thai recipe ingredients below - and my version that we have had this week. Ingredients Pad Thai stir fry sauce Noodles (you choose, even super noodles suffice) Dried shrimp or fresh/frozen prawns I egg Garnish Roasted peanuts Lime wedges Chives Chili flakes and fish sauce My Version I had just noodles and sauce The 3 children had prawns and a Co-op bag of reduced stir fried vegetables. It was delicious! We had bottled lime and salted nuts. It was perfect. Believe me when I say the crispy, fried onions absolutely make this. Method • Soak noodles fro 30 mins in cold water. • Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a wok or fying pan. • Add shrimps and egg to the pan and stir vigorously for a minuite. • Add beansprouts and chives and serve. PLEASE NOTE: • If your prawns/shrimps are frozen, please follow the instructions on the packet. • This MIX DOES CONTAIN PEANUTS. Sorry if this ‘cheat recipe’ offends or short-changes anyone, but this really is worth a taste! I promise to bring something much more seasonal and substantial to next month’s edition... Sarah is a singer and vocal coach based in Chelmsford and offers singing lessons to people of all ages and abilities. You can email Sarah at sarahmtfood@gmail.com or search for Sarah Beth Vocal Coaching on Facebook.

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OWENCLEAN

Have a Great Holiday!

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Now that the schools have broken up, we’re all into the Great British Holiday Season. What are you doing this August? Seeking the sun in the Mediterranean? Going further afield to California, or Bali? Maybe something more exotic, such as travelling the Silk Road, exploring Iceland or backpacking through the Andes? Or something nearer to home: touring Scotland, Wales or the West Country, even a ‘staycation’; planning days out to visit local beaches, beauty spots or National Trust houses. I travelled a great deal all over the world when I was younger, but nowadays I am something of a homebird. I usually take my holidays in the UK and the last time I went abroad was only as far as Paris. Sadly, there are many who cannot afford to take any kind of holiday in this spend-money-and-get-away-from-it-all sense, but do we have to go on holiday to have a holiday? If I am talking round in circles, I make no apology. The original meaning - and derivation - of holiday is (obviously) holy-day. For Americans, this is still the literal meaning of the word; what we know as a ‘holiday’ they call a ‘vacation’. We can celebrate and have holidays, even if we can’t for whatever reason actually go on holiday. Most religious traditions have their holy-days. In Christianity the best-known are Christmas and Easter, and perhaps Pentecost. These are often called the Major Festivals (sometimes the Octave Festivals, since they are celebrated over eight days, from the Sunday on which the festival falls right through to the Sunday following). They are usually associated with secular holiday periods too, sometimes extended holidays. The idea of extended holidays existed in Bible times too. Our term ‘jubilee’ used to describe an extended holiday, comes from the ancient Hebrew practice ‘Jubel’ - declaring one year in every fifty (the year after ‘seven Sabbaths of years’ ie 49 years) as a ‘Sabbath year’. This was a year’s holiday that you could spend with your family and do as little work as possible; additionally debts were written off, interest cancelled, study encouraged and many other restrictions eased. Read all about it in Leviticus chapter 25! The practice of a ‘Sabbath year off’ persists to this day: when someone takes a ‘sabbatical’ they are taking a year away from their work to study or just have an extended break.

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So holidays do not have to be elaborate vacations. They can simply be times when we take time away from our regular duties to do other things. As the old saying has it, ‘a change is as good as a rest’. Have a very relaxing August!

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Gareth Bennett, Music Minister, Christ Church URC Christ Church can be found at 164

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It was like arriving in a post apocalyptic world, deep pot holed roads, buildings in disrepair, wild dogs running into the road barking at me. Nobody was smiling. A few hundred miles away was Finland, with one of the highest standards of living in the world. Don’t tell me borders, power, ideology and politics aren’t relevant to everyday life! One of the fascinating differences between Russia and home is that often the exterior of a building gives an indication of what’s inside. Forget that in Russia, as upon entering what feels like a war torn building, there can be the most modern, beautiful, clean interior. A culture shock! Over the next weeks I would get accustomed to this. A month later and I’m in Romania, 2,000 miles south, having explored the wilderness of northwest Russia, stayed with friends in beautiful St Petersburg, ventured back into Finland, crossed the Baltic Sea into Estonia, spent five days with my girlfriend in Kyiv, Ukraine and travelled down through many countries to another completely different part of the world. The weather is hot (it’s only going to get hotter) and the people look different, although the roads are still full of potholes! I don’t ride every day, I roughly ride about half of the time exploring diverse landscapes, the remainder is spent engaging with people, exploring villages, cities, eating the local food and indulging in the culture. As a good friend said to me before my last adventure: ‘Travel and feed your soul Dan’.

The last month has been incredible, diverse and generally positive. Having arrived at the Arctic Circle, my challenge was to get to the ‘top of Europe’ (Nordkapp, Norway), before turning around and heading south, to the ‘bottom of Africa’ (Cape Agulhas, South Africa). North Cape to South Cape - One Cool Ride would be underway! Garth, a friend from Seattle in the USA, has been riding with me since London; it has been a great transition for me, easing myself into what will be solo riding when I get to Africa. The whole of the western coast of Norway is beautiful, and arriving at Nordkapp really felt like the culmination of a great adventure. The reality though is that it was no more than getting to the start line.

A couple of days ago I was in Chisinau, the capital of Moldova, I was sitting with some men drinking coffee and one asked, “why do you travel solo?” I said it gets complicated when other people are involved. I choose what I do and when I do it. I explained that if I was with other people I would have probably left an hour earlier. I loved sitting outside the café with these men, talking, smiling, eating local snacks. Chisinau is beautiful and clean and every road is tree lined (for shade), the people smile and are doing what people do all over the world on a Tuesday morning; off to school, work, shopping - and sitting outside cafés enjoying life. I normally set off before nine in

As I looked out north, I knew the North Pole was just over the horizon. I turned around, looked south and pondered on what experiences would transpire and what challenges would need overcoming as I spent the coming six months heading south. Day 1. It was only 5 miles south of Nordkapp that I had to slam the brakes on as a heard of reindeer ran across the road in front of me was this penance for having sautéed reindeer the night before!? The following day an emergency arose for Garth and he had to fly home. I was in the far north of Europe, hundreds of miles above the Arctic Circle, solo riding arrived sooner than expected. I prefer to keep off the main roads where possible and found myself crossing a remote border from Finland into Russia. The road there was through dense forest and deserted. 1 minute getting through the Finish border, across ‘no man’s land’ and I was in a very different world! Virtually no English was spoken, no smiles and lots of paperwork to complete. An hour later and I was in. The weather had been perfect for the previous three weeks, now, dark clouds and heavy rain were making the 100 mile journey horrible. The road was awful, potholes filled with rain which were hard to see, only one or two cars, no buildings or people at all. I was alone in the wilderness of northwest Russia, Murmansk region. After two hours I arrived, wet and feeling low, at a main road, a little more traffic and a petrol station. I needed fuel but had no local currency as the border post had none of the usual facilities we are used to. There was a town, Kandalaksha, not far away, so soaking wet and cold, I rode on, not that I had an option!

the morning when I’m riding. It was gone midday when I left, the conversation, food and weather was just too good. Not every day is great, the one thing I find about solo overland adventure is that it heightens my emotions, they are more frequent and extreme, and riding a motorbike gives me hours, days, weeks and months to contemplate life. How very cathartic. Over the next week I ride to Athens, where I hope to ship my motorbike to Israel. The thought of Africa makes my emotions go into overdrive. Bring it on... danskeates.com

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Hitting the Ground Running I wrote in last month’s Moulsham Times about the change of leadership in Rotary clubs from the 1st July and the ambitions of the new Chelmsford President, Francis Whitbread, for the coming year. Well, Francis has hardly had time to catch his breath before dealing with the day to day running of the club and getting projects off the ground. His chosen charity for the year is Families in Focus, and Rachel Ellis, its CEO, visited the club in July to tell us of the progress being made and to emphasise the difference that the pledged support of Rotary will make. Families in Focus is based in Mildmay Road so very much helping local people between the ages of 0-25 with any kind of disability. This would include physical and sensory impairments, learning difficulties, mental health issues and emotional or behavioural problems. They offer practical advice and support to the whole family where there is a young person suffering problems, as often the siblings and parents also have difficulty in coping. Besides financial support Chelmsford Rotary has a hands-on connection with members helping out on a voluntary basis with their accounts and dressing up as Father Christmas! It is rewarding helping in practical ways and I always make the point that Rotary is not just about fundraising. Chelmsford Rotary looks at any project, near and far, to see if it can help, and as one of its members often visits Pakistan, the club has partnered with a club over there in a number of projects to improve schools and educational facilities - basic things that we take for granted in Britain such as sanitary provision, toilets and desks to sit at. In Sahiwal, the latest collaboration involved the installation of water filtration plants in two colonies. 20

Rotarian Mo Sadiq, on his return from a recent trip, told us that it was very satisfying to note that both sites were not only fully operational 24/7, but that the demand for clean water often exceeded plants currently installed capacity. He was further informed that the installations are being well maintained and Sahiwal Rotary club members keep in close liaison with the plants’ respective maintenance teams. One of the key requirements of any money given to a project is that it must be sustainable. There’s no point in donating money to see it wasted as the equipment is allowed to go into disrepair after a short time, so it is encouraging that all seven joint schemes are running well and have made a huge benefit to the children. Mr Mumtaz Ahmed of Rotary club of Sahiwal is well known to our Chelmsford club Rotarians due to several visits to our club over the past years, and he has become a good friend and partner. He has received awards for his exceptional services as, indeed, has our own Mo Sadiq and we congratulate them both for their achievements. Near or far, Rotary is always willing to lend a helping hand. To continue the work of Rotary we are looking for new members of any age, male or female - anyone who would like to make a difference and anyone who has a project in mind to support. Give me a call to talk through any ideas you have, we are ready to listen and then think about becoming a Rotarian, People of Action. Stan Keller 01245 260 349 communications@rotary1240.org Photo: Mo Sadiq from the Rotary Club of Chelmsford supervising the Water Filtration Plant in Sahiwal, Pakistan.

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Hi all! Well, since our holiday when, if you remember, we had rain every day, it has hardly rained. Maybe we took the wrong two weeks.

an Indian takeaway was embarking on an efficiency drive and were trying to reduce the preparation time of their chicken korma.

I see that after the initial meet, the engagement, the wedding, baby announcement and the birth, we now have the christening. However, it seems that the couple have got a bit shy with very few pictures of Archie and then the cloak and dagger situation with the godparents. I can see another story coming up. Alongside revalations of Russian spy confessions and other sensational discoveries, someone will reveal that they are Archie’s godparent.

I was sat in the car the other day, just dreaming as you do, and I realised that every car I have owned in the last twenty years has had at least one cup holder. Some had more, with extra ones for back seat passengers. Now, I don’t know about you, but I never use them to hold cups. Am I one of a few people who uses them to store pound coins for shopping trolleys, pens, mints and other items but never cups? Is this an accessory that is passing me by?

Talk about crazy news. In the papers and on the TV were pictures of the Queen following a duck along a track. Apparently this duck likes to go for walkies every day and has been known to hop (do ducks hop?) onto a bus. This happened, apparently, on the Queen’s visit, but she declined to follow the duck onto the bus as she had forgotten her bus pass. Quackers!

Oh joy, one of the Sunday papers this week has a 12-page pullout of Prince George and the family. Apparently he is six years old. I have to ask again, who is really interested in all this? Surely apart from being part of a very rich family, he is just a normal child.

On the subject of birds, a team of experts (yes them again) have been researching the way birds can move to music. It seems that a sulphur-crested cockatoo called Snowball has been filmed dancing and is an Internet sensation. My imagination runs riot now, and I picture the bird listening to country music and line dancing on his perch. A few steps to the left, a quick kick with his foot, a clap of his wings and the return to the other end. Now, that would be a sensation. I watch a few bits on television, and in lots of films or episodes - they call them seasons now for some reason - there are a few things that stretch credibility of what is happening. One good policeman defeating ten baddies, for example. But recently, I have seen the most incredible thing. A woman in one of the episodes of a US series got a roll of sellotape out of a drawer and, without even looking, found the end of the tape on the roll straight away. I can honestly say, I have never experienced that or seen it happen in real life! I have been looking at the Internet for strange news stories, and one that attracted my attention was about a bloke in America who is learning to play the saxophone. Apparently he has played songs to his dog and members of his family, but now he goes out into the countryside to play songs to cows, who come over for a closer look and I guess, listen. He is probably playing Cattle Be the Day, moo’ves like Jagger and perhaps Little White Bull, do you think? In another news story, what was thought to be a rare orange seagull turned out to be an ordinary one coated with curry powder. After discovering the truth, the RSPCA got involved. They were afraid that

As I write this, it has been announced that Boris is now Prime Minister. Apparently, one of his first requests was a wire ride in the back garden so that he can get better at some of his publicity stunts. He is also planning to get training in tug of war, It has also been said that when he opened the wardrobe in the master bedroom, he found a couple of pairs of brown leather trousers. In the lounge, he found a book on rhythmic dancing. According to the Internet, between 30 and 50 per cent of inventions are discovered accidentally. Take the good old match: A pharmacist was cleaning one of his mixing bowls and left his mixing stick next to the bowl. Next morning, he was rubbing the hard mixture with a metal rod and it produced a flame. He immediately developed cardboard matches. We’re in the middle of a heatwave. Temperatures over thirty degrees, melting roads, crowded beaches... It wasn’t that long ago that we were moaning about the cold weather, frozen roads and floods. You cannot beat this country for its weather. It would be a bit boring if the weather was the same each day - and think of how many weather presenters would be out of work. Bin end chuckles: I’ve just had a survey done on my home. 6 out of 10 people said they liked it. Red sky at night, shepherd’s delight. Blue sky at night, day.

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Spot 10 Differences... (answers on page 31)

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Neighbourhood Watch Feeling HOT HOT HOT... Hi all, your friendly neighbourhood Ayman here! We’ve had some very hot days recently and it’s natural to have windows and doors open, but we should be conscious about what that means and what that could open us up to. Recently we’ve had an opportunist thief in the neighbourhood who stole a purse from a coordinator’s kitchen. All credit to her as she moved fast looking at her statements and tracked the places where he shopped and retrieved images from the camera footage. The pictures were shared on the Neighbourhood Watch Facebook group and the thief was identified and the details were shared with the police. The next step was a waiting game for everyone to be vigilant and hoping the police would find him before he struck again. We are now aware of two more incidents before he was arrested in our neighbourhood. Sadly, those neighbours weren’t aware of the previous burglaries. It is difficult to protect yourself from all situations but there are some steps we can take to reduce the odds. Be Objective on Your Home We need to look at our home objectively and see how easy is it to get to into our garden through the side door. Think like a thief. • • • • • • • • • • • •

Are there any vulnerable spots? Is the garden gate locked? Is it noisy when we open it - will it alert someone? Are they any obstacles that make it difficult to get into the back? Can anyone see us moving around the property? Is anything of value near the windows? Are there any cameras on the property? Will we be able to see if someone comes round the back and if they do, where are our belongings? Are they out and easy to get hold of? Do you have any cameras on your property that alert you when someone comes to the front or back of your property? Do you have door or window sensors that can alert someone when opened? Do you have have any obvious signs on the doors, windows or gate warning people of alarms or dogs?

in working as a team to get this implemented and to have more of us connected and hopefully improve our battle in tackling crime. That’s it for now. Hope you have a great summer! PS: Don’t tell everyone on social media you’re going on holiday - you never know who’s watching. Stay safe.

Moulsham Infant School What a busy end to the year! We had an exciting health and fitness week where we got to try lots of different sports including volleyball, football and cricket, as well as Bollywood dancing. We held a Big Scoot event where the children loved bringing in their scooters from home, and Sports Day on a glorious sunny Thursday, and we performed a whole school Bollywood dance to our grown ups on the playground. Chelmsford City Football Club came and taught us some new football skills, Oaklands Infant School visited Year 2 for an inter-school fitness morning and to finish the week a real firefighter called Rob from Firefighter Fit Kids taught us fire safety through rigorous exercise activities. During the past few weeks, every year group has held an end of term fun day. In Reception the children brought in their favourite teddies from home, prepared a picnic and went to Oaklands Park to enjoy a fun filled Teddy Bears picnic. In Year 1 the children enjoyed a beach themed day. They brought in their beach wear, made kites, created beach treats and enjoyed the water activities all day. In Year 2 the children were treated to a Minibeast Madness Day. The children came in dressed up as minibeasts, completed 8 challenges in the morning, including finding minibeasts hidden in slime, soil and jelly and finished the day by making bug biscuits and enjoying an Ugly Bug Ball. We hope that everyone enjoys a relaxing and sunny summer holiday and that the children come back refreshed and ready for a new fun year! Happy holidays, see you in September.

Get Connected A few weeks ago Project Legacy held a drug awareness evening for all neighbours. Project Legacy was born when a few of the NhW coordinators got together after the stabbing at Oaklands Park a few months ago. I’ll be dedicating next month’s slot to Project Legacy. During the presentation we had Gavin McKenna an ex-gang member educate us on drugs and gangs. Among the numerous messages was about how we as a community are stronger when we are connected. Suburban areas tend to not talk to their neighbours. Various reasons can be cited related to lack of time, work, family commitments - the list goes on. The downside to this is we aren’t aware of the incidents around us, which means we are less prepared. Joining the Facebook group and your NhW group for your road via WhatsApp means you become better connected. Police and NhW Groups The police and the NhW areas coordinators across Chelmsford have started a pilot scheme to help improve the connectivity between the police and residents. This is a huge breakthrough and I commend Essex Police in finding a way to implement this using a US-style infrastructure. The NhW area coordinators have also done a great job 24 www.moulshamtimes.com


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Mersey Beat - by John Power When we hear the term ‘Merseybeat’ we usually think of the early sixties, but in reality it was an extension of the rock ‘n’ roll development of the fifties. The Beatles story is well known, but was actually part of a much wider phenomenon that grew out of skiffle and the emergence of electric rock. Fifties’ rock had been mainly London-centric, but it did not fail to reach other urban centres and create its own evolution. Like London, Liverpool and Glasgow were both port cities and foremost of the west facing ones at the time after World War II, when trade with the US was important as Europe rebuilt itself and came to terms with newly emerging political patterns. Employment was predominantly heavy duty dock or building work and entertainment not a high priority, so open to those wishing to make their mark in that field. Naturally, there remained great gratitude that the US had joined and brought about the end of the war. The emerging favourite musical fashions for the young that was being imported were black rhythm and blues and rock ‘n’ roll from the States. The young of the port towns had the best access to records being brought over by American seamen that found there way into record shops or even just used as friendly barter. Guitars were not easy to come by, especially the emerging electric ones or the sound systems to go with them, but the early trickle from seamen to later shop sales gradually built up at such venues as Brian Epstein’s NEMS Enterprises. Like skifflers everywhere in the country, the origins were do-it-yourself instruments: tea chest bass, washboard percussion - and guitars if you could get them - to try to cover American songs. By the end of the ‘60s when all had gone electric, it has been estimated there were, or had been, over 150 groups active in and around Liverpool. It is amazing to see how group members supported one another and chopped and changed in bands. It would have made a good Rock Family Trees chapter if Peter Frame had enlarged his research further, but he concentrated on later ‘60s groups and some American ones, so gave less attention to the earlier Mersey bands. The port status of the town also gave access to European - especially German - towns where aspiring artists could hone their skills in clubs like those of Hamburg. The Beatles story is so well known there is no point in repeating it here, but their interactions with other local musicians of the city and their less well know origins before the emergence of the well known foursome is worth looking at, and it reaches back well into the 1950s skiffle era: The Quarrymen 1956 and On: John Lennon, raised by his aunt Mimi after his mum’s liason with a sailor before going on to start another family, first started a skiffle group influenced by Lonnie Donegan with friends they called the Blackjacks, but they never performed. A second attempt with friends Eric Griffiths, Pete Shotton and Bill Smith became The Quarrymen named after their school, Quarry Bank High School. John’s mum never deserted him but taught him banjo at first, and then him and Eric Griffiths how to tune guitars. She was soon after killed in a road accident, leaving John distraught. Later changes to The Quarrymen brought in Nigel Walley, Ivan Vaughn, Len Garry, Colin Hanton on drums and Rod Davis. The various line-ups played parties, school dances and entered skiffle contests before the better known later members joined. Paul McCartney joined in October 1957, George Harrison, who Paul knew from the Liverpool Institute, joined them in early 1958. By the time they went electric there was only John, Paul and George left and they called themselves Johnny and the Moondogs, then Japage, after their initial letters J, P, and G. They then went back to The Quarrymen, then the Silver Beatles while in Hamburg, before shortening it to the version which stuck. They first played at The Cavern, then a jazz club, in ’57. The songwriting skills that set them apart from the many other groups emerged early on. John wrote Hello 28

Little Girl in ‘57 and McCartney’s I Lost My Little Girl came later that year. George had been playing rhythm guitar in a jazz combo called the Les Stewart Quartet. When they broke up in ‘59 he remained with John and Paul thereafter, but brought Ken Brown from the Quartet with him for a while. Lennon brought his mate Stuart Sutcliffe from art school in on bass to replace Brown. After they played a gig at the Casbah Coffee Club in Aug ‘58 as The Quarrymen, they got to know the owner’s son, Pete Best. Pete played the drums and in 1960 he also joined the band. They played around Liverpool and Hamburg, where Sutcliffe died as the result of head injuries inflicted earlier by some jealous Liverpool dockers. There, the remaining four polished their skills until 1962 when Brian Epstein saw them perform at The Cavern and offered to manage them and eventually got them a recording contract with Parlophone Records. Ringo, who had played with Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, replaced Pete Best on drums not a popular decision with fans at first. Epstein replaced the band’s leather jackets with mod suits and they followed the fashion to wash out their greasy quiff hairstyles in favour of fringes. From rock music, the transformed image of Merseybeat was created. John wrote One After 909 that year but it didn’t appear on an album until some time later. The Beatles’ first album mixed cover songs with a few self-penned songs, but the emphasis was due to change. Since 1997, members of early Quarrymen line-ups have reformed for odd nostalgia gigs, often to mark John Lennon’s birthday. Kingsize Taylor and the Dominoes ‘57-’64 At 6’5’’ tall, its not difficult to see how Ted Taylor got his nickname. The group are thought to be the first electric rock group in Liverpool, although their origins go back to their schooldays, when Ted, as singer and guitarist, started a skiffle group influenced by Lonnie Donegan with Bobby Thompson, also on guitar and A Statue of of Cilla Black Outside the Original vocals, and Cavern Club, where she was cloakroom assistant George James on percussion. They called themselves the James Boys and later The Sinners before seeing the film Rock Around the Clock in 1957 and so changing their name again to Bobby Bell and the Rockers. Ted became lead singer, Bobby Thompson changed to bass and Pete Best - before he joined The Beatles - was on drums. The final name change came as The Dominoes, long before Eric Clapton used the name in a way not connected to these scousers. The line-up then varied between four and seven members - including two sax players, unlike most later guitar groups in the area. A spin-off group was called Ian and the Zodiacs. In 1960 Kingsize (Ted) Taylor’s name came upfront. Carl Perkins and Chuck Berry were their US inspirations. The band first played at the Cavern in ‘61 backing Cilla Black (Priscilla White) who worked in the cloakroom at the club. After that, she often guested on numbers with the band. The Deltones, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, the Eyes, the Foremost and Merseybeats all grew out of the Dominoes. The Dominoes were voted one of the top five bands in Liverpool in the early ‘60s. In the summer of ‘62 they went to Hamburg and started a three month residence at the Star Club and signed for Philips Records in the same year: Never in 100 Years was

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released in the UK and Germany. They backed other artists on the Polydor label under an alias, and also Alex Harvey on an album. They also cut an album of their own on the Star Club’s own label. Although they generally prospered in Germany, it did mean that the time spent there caused them to miss out on the talent scouts searching their home town in the wake of The Beatles and Merseybeat explosion. Ringo Starr (Richard Starkey) had been offered a job in the band but turned it down to join The Beatles in place of Pete Best. The saxophone didn’t fit the beat group image either, so they rather lost out despite their talent. Members left to join Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers in ‘64, while Kingsize stayed

in Germany with members of the Remo Four and German musicians in their place. In 1966 he cut solo albums with the German Polydor and English Decca labels, but quit music in 1967 to work as a butcher when the music world went psychedelic. Recordings of The Beatles that Ted had recorded in Hamburg’s Star Club in 1962 were released in 1977 after legal wrangles, but the quality was poor and they were a curiosity rather that a commercial success. In 1999 Kingsize and the Dominoes’ German catalogue of their recordings was released by Bear Family Records.

A Feast of Free Events Are Returning to Chelmsford This September • •

• • • •

Tours of the Non-Conformist Cemetery. Uncover the uncommon story of Galleywood Common - a walk from the Galleywood Heritage Centre. History tour of Stock Village. Historical walking tours of Marconi Ponds Nature Reserve. Looking out for Grave Stories in Danbury. Special access to the Sandford Mill Nature Reserve.

Yes, Heritage Open Days is back between 13th and 22nd September with another great selection of free venues, tours and talks. This year, the national theme is People Power, so we have a number of local talks to reflect this: • • • • • • •

Representing the Ladies of Greenham Common - a talk by Elizabeth WoodCraft. The Great British Woodstock: The Incredible Story of the Weeley Festival 1971 by Ray Clark (BBC Essex). The Woman’s Land Army - a talk by Dr Viv Numan at Anglia Ruskin University. 1381 - How the Peasants Revolt Affected the Village and the Church of West Hanningfield. The WW2 Heroines of the British Waterways - An illustrated People Power talk. Stock, Buttsbury and People Power - a talk by Peter Brierley, local resident for 70 years. Early Photographic History - talk, Writtle University College.

Amongst the properties that will be open for free are Hylands House, Guy Harlings, Sandford Mill and Pleshey Castle. There will be many more interesting venues, some that have previously not been available. In all there will be over thirty events and here are some highlights: • • • • • • • •

Visit the Mayoral Parlour and meet the Mayor of Chelmsford. Behind the scenes tours of the Civic theatres. Historical tours of Chelmsford Cathedral. Open days at the Essex Police Museum. Access permitted to Essex County Council Chamber with its magnificent art work. Guided tours of the secret mansion, now The Chelmsford Club. Anglia Ruskin University a special guided tour. Guided tours of the Salvation Army building.

A number of churches and other religious buildings in the area will also be open. All events are free, but most of the talks and tours are bookable - visit www. chelmsfordcivicsociety.co.uk. There are also a number of walking tours taking place: • • •

Marconi History Walking Tour - finishing inside the 1912 factory building. Chelmsford City’s Secret Waterways. The Peculiar Heritage Walk.

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The Chelmsford Heritage Open Days events are coordinated by the Chelmsford Civic Society and sponsored by Chelmsford City Council and the National Trust.

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All About Moulsham Lodge Moulsham Lodge Community Trust The future of John Shennan has now moved another step forward as a decision was made by Chelmsford City Council at Full Council on 16th July 2019 to remove the site from the draft plan. This decision has to be formally approved by the Planning Inspector, which we are confident will happen, and the proposal to build dwellings on the land will not go ahead.

and we are pleased to report it was a great success. There were a select number of attendees, but the evening was enjoyed by all. It is now hoped that bingo nights will become a more common feature of the trust’s calendar and that they will be able to be held all year round once the coffee shop space is available in the building and the marquee is removed for the winter months.

This does however mean that in order to prevent a further application being made at another time in the future that something has to be done with the site. A group called John Shennan Playing Field has been set up so that consultation can take place with all local residents to see what YOU want to happen to the site. Currently a questionnaire is being prepared and will be distributed to every property on Moulsham Lodge, and hopefully Tile Kiln too, to seek your views. The group want to know who uses the site at the moment, how you use it and how often and to then ask what would need to be there for you to use it if you don’t already. Would you like to see an improved playground, toilets, café, outdoor gym trail, petanque club and so many other choices? If the site can be improved and become more widely used, the chances of a planning application ever being made again will be very remote. Please keep an eye open during the early part of August for the questionnaire. It is hoped that the group can set up an option for the form to be completed online and there will be a number of delivery points made available. This will hopefully allow you all help decide the future of the only green space that’s available on Moulsham Lodge. The results of the questionnaire will help to bring together the most popular ideas and help provide the way forward for the site. An open day on John Shennan is also being planned for Sunday 8th September between 10am and 2pm. During this time members of the group and local councillors will be available, so you can talk over your thoughts, find out what others are thinking - and to return those all important questionnaires. On another note, MLCT have just held their first ever bingo night

Hope to see some of you soon. www.mlct.org.uk enquiries@mlct.org.uk 07411 808 731 A Also, search for us on Facebook and Twitter

Cllr Mark Springett - Moulsham Lodge Ward Great news; if you have read the article above, you will now know that on Tuesday 9th July at Full Council, John Shennan Playing Field was removed in its entirety from the Local Plan. Along with some other modifications, this will now go to the next stage which is the consultation.

The final and modified plan now goes out for consultation - the City Council is publishing the Schedule of Proposed Main Modifications to the Chelmsford

Draft Local Plan and accompanying documents for an extended consultation period from 8.45am on Thursday 1st August 2019 to 4.45pm on Thursday 19th September 2019.

Following the consultation and any last minute tweaks, the plan will be adopted later this year. Here are some more details: bit.ly/ JohnShennan. The illustration left was produced as part of a bigger picture which artist Rebbeca Osborne recorded for the Climate Emergency Chelmsford City Council declared at Full Council. Three of our residents who spoke at the meeting from the public gallery are now immortalised in this illustration. Thanks for your support, Cllr Mark Springett. Friends of John Shennan Playing Field are now planning a public consultation, an Open Day on Sunday the 8th of September and a questionnaire/survey - see Moulsham Lodge’s article above for details. We want to know what you think should be done with the playing field. mark.springett@chelmsfordlibdems.org.uk 07411 808731 www.markspringett.co.uk/blog Twitter: @markspringett (and also on Facebook)

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Tile Kiln Corner - by Linda Mascot Volunteers - Your community needs you!

Jenny Brown from the Moulsham Lodge and Tile Kiln Voluntary Community Care Group sends out an impassioned plea:

Would you be prepared to help?

How many immediate neighbours do you know? Were you aware that you have 5,000+ neighbours, many needing help from time to time? Those questions may have been asked 30 years ago when six members of the Methodist Church saw then a need to develop a village type network in our community. Even now the mission of the group is to be there for the residents of Moulsham Lodge and Tile Kiln estates in time of need.

Who do we serve? Anyone who resides on Moulsham Lodge or Tile Kiln estates. The youngest we have helped is a 6-month-old baby taken to a London hospital because the parents had no transport and it wasn’t offered by the hospital. Can you imagine being in that situation? Who do you turn to? Thankfully, we were able to provide the much needed help at a very worrying time. Today in 2019 the majority of the calls are for transport to various hospitals. As the estates have aged so have the residents, but like any village there always will be need from YOUR community. We have a specific area that we cover because there are 10 other groups all operating differently to ours within Chelmsford city. What Do We Do? Our purpose remains the same as set out 30 years ago. Practical support; eg, shopping, collecting prescriptions, supporting after hospital discharge and transport to hospital, opticians, dentists and even the hairdressers. Whatever causes the client to worry. Funding Our services are invaluable and are entirely funded by voluntary donations from the users. Over the many years we have had very generous donations. We have in the past carried out fundraising, but with so few volunteers it has become impractical. We keep our outgoings to the minimum. We do have a Co-op Community card. The Co-op is very community minded and will give 50% extra on all points earned. When it’s a holiday, furniture or any large purchase, this makes a considerable difference. What Can You Do? In these days of health and safety consciousness and DBS checks (disclosure and barring service) etc, you have to be over 18 years to be able to volunteer. There is no commitment to regular work; we have people who work shifts and of course, have their own commitments. How Does It Work? The group has a co-ordinator who takes the initial call and she will ascertain what is required. Various H&S questions have to be asked www.issuu.com/itsyourmedia

to comply with our insurance, then the job of finding a volunteer who may be available. No one should feel guilty for saying no - I think we have only failed once (considering we can do 300+ jobs per year). Once a volunteer is found, the client is given the necessary information - ie, pick up time, who will be calling and contact number. Expenses Our outgoings are minimal. We have an annual third party insurance policy - this protects the drivers, volunteers and users. The other outlay is driver expenses paid twice a year. Car parking permits are provided, so no driver should be out of pocket. Friendships do spring up, as some of these people have no immediate family and can be very lonely, even now in 2019. How Can You Help? We are always looking for willing and able volunteers, but more importantly at the moment, a secretary to take minutes of the very rare meetings. If you can help your community in any way, please contact Jenny at jennymbrown@tiscali.co.uk. The helpline number is 01245 631 154. Mascotlinda@gmail.com Twitter: @lindamascot 0791 6594 123

Work & Rest

It’s August! And we’re into the slowness and rest that the rhythm of the academic calendar dictates. Here’s to the slower month ahead, here’s to holidays, here’s to resting. Holidays, of course, started life as holy days - a focus not just on rest, but on God. A break from the normal, day-by-day routine of work, with a desire to be grateful for the provision of work and food and rest and family and friends. A quick Internet search will reveal much research into the necessity of rest. From getting good sleep, to having regular breaks, to the detrimental effect of checking work emails whilst on holiday. There’s wisdom to stopping for a while, slowing down - and, for most, August provides us with just this opportunity. It’s not rest for the sake of rest. It’s not holiday for the sake of holiday. Actually, the world has a built-in natural rhythm of work and rest that Christians believe God gave it - the seasons give testimony to this as does the working week. Humans are created to work, and work hard. But they are also created to rest, and to rest well. But it’s not always that easy. There should be deep satisfaction for a good, hard day’s work. That’s not something that is easy to come by. There should also be deep satisfaction in resting from that work. But we’re not that good at proper rest, either. We can be deceived into the excesses of both work and rest - binge working, followed by binge resting (which might look like not resting at all!). Perhaps I can suggest that the solution is to gratitude - be grateful for work, but not letting it rule over life. Grateful for rest, for holidays, but also keeping it in the right place. Whatever your circumstances, I hope you get to rest, and rest well, over August. Tim Goodall tim.goodall@tilekilnchurch.org.uk

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The Older Car Versus Big Brother; the Arguments Are Strong! - by Simon Inglis Ok ok, I know I can’t quite give up on this theme but jeepers, the authorities are creeping forward. Downunder, the New South Wales police (that means all of Sydney to foreigners) are starting to use smart technology monitoring in car mobile phone usage - and yes, police forces, or rather bureaucrats, around the world are very interested in the results.

On a very serious note, I can see how technology can work in saving lives. Yet how can sensitive steering wheels help unless they stop people actually driving? The ‘governors’ recording our speeds as legislated by the EU still allow us to press on, albeit with a dangerous

Add to that, this smarty-pants tech is set to monitor exactly what you are using your phone for. In-car GPS is apparently quite acceptable, as may be syncing data with in car Apple or Android Play. Yet, we understand ‘it may not be ok’, it simply depends how these new laws tie over until the incoming Big Brother stuff actually works - in firstly, Volvos. Now this is where it gets nice, if you work in traffic law especially! Volvo and other car manufacturers are ready to delight the EU, of which Australia is desperate to follow as pointed out last month! Indeed here in the Antipodes, anything the EU does we can go one step further... anyhow back to 1984... I mean, steering wheels for goodness sake! If you aren’t aware of this new engineering delight you soon will be. Sensors in the steering wheel rim will soon be able to detect alcohol via your skin. Add a few more sensors on your eyes and your car will know that you’re tanked. Well it sounds quite good if you cannot start your car after too many drinks. Less fatalities, less accidents, and no penalties - besides a taxi fare. Well no, not really. For a start England allows a blood alcohol rating of 0.08%. Here in Australia it is 0.05%. In some countries it’s 0.02% or just plain zero. Nothing. Nada.

nanosecond’s hesitation it seems? And monitoring our phones introduces a very unpleasant issue of privacy. Are sensitive texts also monitored? Is an offender online to their bank? Who is reading all of this? You see, there is just no way that governments will simply forgo this cashcow, the revenue is too valuable. Just as electricity for EV charging is being priced right now no so-called advance in technology is going to be coming for free. It is all a bit too convenient in my - and others’ - opinions. Soon our cars will be uploading and/or recording data on us. The laws are vague, as is understandable at this early stage. Yet are we honestly being sold safety? Volvo likely thinks so and that company has an excellent - no, an impeccable - safety culture. Yet our political masters and their directives to the police? I think we ‘plebs’ should be taking this very seriously. As a solicitor I’d argue an errant moment stuck on the M25 checking your Barclays is very different to hurtling along at 80 on the M40 while sending photos to your girlfriend. In any case, who has this information and how will it be distributed?

So the manufacturers can’t just kill that ignition. What is a criminal offence in Sydney may not be so in London. So, the plan is to simply record your breath, eyes or skin analysis in your vehicle’s black box. If you make it home without harm all is good! Yet, if you have an accident while over the limit, your car will have all your analysed data on-board. Excellent for the prosecution. Not so excellent for the other people. For the likes of me, I’m finding this new technology both frightening and useless. Sure, with speed governors and our cars uploading selected data to the dreaded cloud, there will be far less reason for actual traffic police. Yet, what honestly slows us down and even makes the village vicar feel guilty? Why, a real life police car! It’s the most effective form of regulating behaviour. Even in the nanniest of states (Australia) the police car is frankly, an excellent sight. Where I live they cruise the ridiculously limited motorways at about 110 kilometres per hour. That’s a $200 to $400 ticket from a camera thank you. Yet as I’ve written previously I’ve never met a police officer that would issue a ticket for say, 108 in a 100kph zone. I think I’m digressing, so...

An old car, with a good cruise control function, a switched off phone and all, may just be very well in the world. In an old car you’re just as comfy, you have enough luxury without false alerts from dodgy sensors, you travel just as fast and pay much less to fix your motor because any bush garage will be able to fully service while understanding your car. For Brits, buy a private plate or just be a true hipster... because as we all know hipsters do not buy new cars! Yet my plan to buy a 1998 Saab or Mercedes W126 (the huge lastof-era 9000s or a cool old S Class) has holes. I’m here in supposedly sun-blessed Australia, yet I’m really scratching to find a nice old car. Don’t get me wrong, I’m keeping the newer car, but I really am impressed by some old cars and what they offer. As I write I’ve found a fantastic old Saab 9000 hatchback - these were huge cars with highly economical low pressure turbochargers. I’ve found just one (among some 18 million registered cars in this country) in Tasmania, a 400-kilometre drive plus an overnight ferry. Perhaps it is going to be too difficult to go and get it. So with this lack of supply, honestly, why aren’t we all in the streets hollering against the vocal minority who really do detest us, our cars and thus our greatest freedoms? It is time we don yellow vests whether here in Australia or frankly, um, anywhere! Viva le old car... or ‘whatever.’

30 www.moulshamtimes.com


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Donkey Willow Newcastle Ohm Australian Dutch Elm The Beast Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins Parachutes For beat, or the tempo of music A tool used by plasterers to hold their material Abuja Clan chief A song of lamentation for the dead Song or music Deutsche Bank America July 16th 1969 A parsnip 80 Joshua Reynolds Mr L Hubbard 1907 Veal cutlets Poseidon Breakfast at Tiffany’s A score in golf

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