Moulsham Times February 2018 by Itsyourmedia

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Issue Number 60 - February 2018

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MT Welcome Hi readers, Welcome to the February edition. The daffodils will soon break through and the evenings are getting lighter - spring really must be on its way... Remember this month includes Valentine’s Day and Pancake Day! Enjoy your month! Regards Paul & Nick

Deadlines for the March edition: Articles - 14th February Print ready art work - 22nd February

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MT Therapy - by Chelmsford Therapy Rooms Readers, it would appear I have ruffled a few feathers a couple of articles back and would like to set things straight. A couple of articles ago I looked at some of the reasons people might not seek therapy in an attempt to encourage people to feel confident enough to seek help. Within this article I mentioned the NHS, the waiting lists, and gave an example of what can be experienced when seeking therapy through the NHS. My views may have come across as bias. Because I haven’t worked in the NHS I report only what has been reported to me through clients telling me their own experiences and fellow therapists that work within the NHS on a daily basis, as well as working private practice. Unfortunately, these reports have been negative - although it as not my intention to be seen as ‘bad mouthing the NHS’. Apparently when I said ‘this does not mean that NHS therapists are unethical’ I suggested that in fact they were unethical - and my psychological training should have told me that. So let me reword what I said: I am sure that NHS therapists are entirely ethical. It was categorically never my aim to construe anything other than the fact that the NHS, and the therapists within it, do the very best that they can. I would also like to clear something else up: of course there is more on offer than just CBT on the NHS - there are lots of therapies and types of therapists available and treatment depends on assessment and the individual case as well as the resources available in a particular area. I do appreciate feedback, and I try to get back to people when I can. One of my colleagues is a life coach and they told me: “if you don’t ruffle some feathers you’re not doing it right...” I’m a very straightforward person and I say what I see, but It is never my intent to offend or insult any person or institution with my articles. I believe we’re all unique individuals deserving of our own mindsets and opinions. Now on to this month’s article: Stress One of the most popular issues in the modern world today is stress. Many people don’t know the signs and symptoms of stress. Some are told to ‘just get on with it’ or ‘pull your socks up’. This kind of emotional invalidation can cause a person to feel under even more pressure and in time lead to further issues for example anxiety, low self esteem and low confidence. So, what is stress? When you feel like things are getting a little too much and you’re struggling to cope - you’re stressed. Recognising and acknowledging your stress is important because if you ignore it the stress might build up and then come out in other more severe emotional, behavioural and physical symptoms. When your body reacts to stress physically you’ll experience what we call ‘fight or flight’. This term refers to the fact your body has perceived the stressor and is getting ready either to fight it or to run away. Years ago when we had to kill our own dinner as opposed to get it from the supermarket, our ancestors had to know what they could handle in certain situations, our fight or flight response developed to keep us alive - do you kill and eat the animal for dinner or does it look angry enough to kill and eat you? If it does look angry, can you take it on and win or do you run for your life and find the nearest cave in which to hide until said angry animal has gone away?

with our brains so we still physically react the same way. Sometimes this can be a scary experience. For example, if you start having palpitations at your desk seemingly for no apparent reason, but previously your boss castigated you. Here, your boss is the proverbial ‘angry animal’ and you either have the fight instinct or want to run away. The three most common responses to stress are: • • •

Extroverted response: anger, agitated, heated, overly emotional, can’t sit still. Introverted response: withdrawn, depressed, shut down, spaced out, little energy or emotion. A mixture of both: tense, freeze under pressure, can’t do anything, look paralysed but very agitated underneath.

There is such a thing as positive stress. Positive stress is called eustress, it’s the kind of stress experienced, for example, if someone was to surprise you with a birthday party or when a sales person gets in a big deal. It’s amazing, fantastic, exciting - and the same physical response happens in your body as if you were suffering with negative stress. The only difference is your mindset. Your body cannot differentiate between positive and negative stress, it sees it as the same thing. You would feel as exhausted after an exciting night out partying to celebrate that big deal as you would sat at your desk wondering how on God’s green earth you’re going to hit that target and your boss is going to kill you. So, how do we deal with stress? The most important thing is to learn how to relax. Many people don’t even know what being relaxed is. A positive thing to do is to allow your mind to clear and your body to physically relax. For example, a nice warming bubble bath with candles and some soft soothing music. Meditating or using some visualisation techniques (imagine you’re on a beach relaxing) before you go to bed. Relaxation is an art that is individual to everyone, some people find it easy while others don’t. If you do find yourself thinking about things a lot and stressing over them or maybe obsessing on the same problem over and over, talk about it. Have a good old fashioned rant; it may be that you just need a different perspective and more information in order to solve the issue. If you’ve already told everyone that will listen and don’t want to bother them again, you could try writing it down. Seeing things in black and white really does help. This is especially the case when stressing over something constantly, as when you see just how much you think about it, it may be the catalyst you need to solve the issue. If anyone is interested in seeing a therapist, Chelmsford Therapy Rooms have a range of therapists that can help with a multitude of issues. We offer many therapies from hypnotherapy to counselling to nutrition. Please see the website at www.chelmsfordtherapyrooms. co.uk, or email info@chelmsfordtherapyrooms.co.uk, or call 0330 100 5162. Chelmsford Therapy Rooms is owned and run by Jenny Hartill, an integrative counsellor and hypnotherapist, who is happy to answer any questions.

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Vicky Ford the MP for Chelmsford

As I come to the end of my first six months as the Member of Parliament for Chelmsford, I thought it would be helpful to give you a short update and to look ahead to what’s coming up this year. Last summer I was delighted to be elected by my peers to serve on the House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee. This will be a special focus for the next 12 months, as 2018 is the Year of Engineering. Chelmsford is the ‘home of radio’ and has a proud tradition of being at the forefront of innovation. Nearly one hundred years ago Marconi chose to make the first radios in Chelmsford and that heritage continues today with many local experts in wireless technology. During 2017 I welcomed space and satellite companies from all over the UK to Chelmsford when they met at Teledyne e2v to discuss the Government’s future plans for our rapidly growing satellite sector. This month, we will see the Space Industry Bill come before the House of Commons. The bill establishes a framework for British companies to be able to launch the next generation of small satellites directly from the UK. This is a rapidly growing industrial sector and is key for jobs and future growth. During the Year of Engineering I will work with industry representatives and parliamentary colleagues and ministers to help encourage more people into careers in science and engineering especially women. This brings huge opportunities, as historically women who have studied maths or science A levels have earned on average 30 percent more than their peers. This autumn I also joined Chelmsford primary school pupils on a hugely exciting Science Day. Please do let me know if there are local events which I might be able to help support.

On Brexit, talks have now moved on to what our future relationship with the EU will be. During 2017 I’ve been working hard behind the scenes, meeting politicians and businesses in Ireland and Northern Ireland, and having meetings in Italy, Germany and the European Parliament to help achieve the best possible outcome for the UK. During the election, I promised the people of Chelmsford that I would work to make sure the UK/EU negotiations worked for all the people of Chelmsford. I will continue to monitor this closely. I am delighted that the Anglia Ruskin School of Medicine has been accepted by the General Medical Council onto its quality assurance programme and will be eligible to bid for places for September 2018 entry. As a region, the east of England faces significant NHS workforce pressures. Despite this, there is no pathway in Essex for the most able students in our schools to study at university to become doctors in Essex. I firmly believe that the new School of Medicine will prove crucial to both recruiting and retaining doctors in both the county and the wider region and I fully support their bid. Making sure we have infrastructure fit for the future is key. Later this month I will be meeting with representatives from the Department of Transport, Network Rail, Greater Anglia, Essex County Council and Chelmsford City Council to discuss updated proposals for Beaulieu Park Station and a Chelmsford North East Bypass. I will let you know how I get on. In the past 6 months, I have taken up over 1,000 cases covering more than 60 different policy areas on behalf of Chelmsford residents. This has included support on benefits, the NHS, policing, and many many more issues. There is much to be optimistic about in Chelmsford in 2018, but there are also challenges ahead. As always, I am keen to hear your views, please do not hesitate to contact me on vicky.ford.mp@parliament.uk.

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From County Hall - by Cllr Dick Madden Council Tax It’s the time of year at Essex County Council when we decide whether to increase council tax, so below I have set out some early information of our intentions. A record programme of more than £300 million will be invested in roads, schools, new homes and supporting the economy across Essex as part of the County Council’s budget proposals for 2018/19 - it will be put to the vote at Full Council on Tuesday 13th February. It sets out the council’s proposed investment and spending programme for the coming year. It also includes a continued commitment to innovation and digital technology, which is already having a positive impact on services such as adult social care, where tablet computers have more than halved the time it takes social workers to complete assessments. The continued reduction in central Government funding, which will disappear completely by 2020, combined with increasing demand for services, increases in inflation, business rates and National Living Wage payments, mean the council is proposing to increase council tax for only the third time in the last eight years. This will rise by 2% through the Government’s social care precept, which will be ring-fenced to fund adult social care. Whilst residents will also see a 2.99% increase to support the delivery of vital services such as highways, public transport, libraries and recycling centres. The proposed rise means a £1.12 per week increase for the average Band D property. I will keep you informed. Chelmsford Restaurant Festival On another matter, I love my food (as does my waistline). So watch out for the new Chelmsford Restaurant Festival, which is a new festival starting this year. Running from 1st - 10th March, the Chelmsford Restaurant Festival will be celebrating the diverse range of restaurants and food available in our community, while offering people an opportunity to try restaurants or cuisines that they may not normally consider trying, plus being able to experience special events. Organised by Chelmsford City Council’s award winning Events and Engagement Team, the festival is designed to not only showcase thriving well established restaurants, but also to encourage and provide support to lesser known and newer businesses. The festival will be made up of two parts: Festival Menus and Restaurant Experiences: Festival Menus Throughout the festival, participating restaurants will offer an exclusive, set price festival menu which will showcase certain elements of their restaurant and its cuisine. The menus are priced at £15 per person with either a two course or three course menu. It’s hoped this will encourage people to try new foods and restaurants that they haven’t tried before. Restaurant Experiences As well as the set price menus, many of the restaurants taking part will also hold special events throughout the festival including talks, cooking demonstrations, eating challenges and arts. For a full programme of events and to stay up-to-date with festival news, please visit www.chelmsford.gov.uk/ ChelmsfordRestaurantFestival or like the official Facebook page at www.moulshamtimes.com

www.facebook.com/ChelmsfordRestaurantFestival. Dog Watch, Anti Fouling Campaign Whether we are walking in the park or simply down the street, dog fouling is an issue that effects all of us. More needs to be done to encourage people to take responsibility for cleaning up after their pets. This is why I am very pleased that Chelmsford City Council has launched an anti-dog fouling campaign called Dog Watch. Dog Watch is all about helping to make Chelmsford tidier and is running until Monday 5th March. The campaign aims to reduce fouling in the city this winter, and sees City Council officers proactively patrolling hot spot areas and talking to residents and dog walkers to raise awareness of the initiative. The City Council also is encouraging residents to report incidents of dog fouling by phone or online. In November 2017, Chelmsford City Council introduced a councilwide Public Spaces Protection Order to help control dog fouling and reduce the number of incidents. Dog fouling is an offence and the fine for owners not cleaning up after their pets is £100 with further costs of up to £1,000 if the case is taken to the Magistrates Court. In cases where City Council officers witness an incident, enforcement action will be taken. Chelmsford City Council is also trying to tackle the behaviour of people leaving their dog waste bags hanging from trees throughout the parks and green spaces in Chelmsford. This is also an offence and if witnessed a £75 fined will be issued with a further fine of up to £2,500 if the case is taken to the Magistrates Court. To report an incident of dog fouling, please call 01245 606 606, or visit www.chelmsford.gov.uk/environment/dogs/report-dog-fouling. BE SAFE Dick

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MT Health

It’s Not Your Lower Back’s Fault!

When I was at school, I had a lovely maths teacher called Mrs Boyce. Unlike many of my classes, Mrs Boyce allowed us to sit where we liked. I’m sure the intention was that by giving us some autonomy she was hoping to be repaid with good behaviour. Unfortunately my best friend Kyle and I just couldn’t help ourselves from chattering. We were told so many times to be quiet that eventually we got split up and sat in opposite corners of the room.

I used to love maths class because it was an opportunity to do puzzles for an hour and I love puzzles! One day, the class was sitting quietly in concentration working through the exercises when there was a bang of a rubber hitting the wall above my best friend’s head. “Woah Chris!” he shouted. He pretended I had thrown it at him, when really, he had thrown it at the wall himself, bored, and wanting to cause me some trouble. Mrs Boyce shot me a glare and told me to stop throwing things at my friend “but…” - I knew it was a lost cause. “Ok, Mrs Boyce”. I got my head back into my workbook and a few minutes later, the same banging noise came but this time it was a pen hitting the wall followed by my friend shouting, “Chris! What are you doing?!”. Mrs Boyce was getting angry now and I got a proper telling off. I was stuck. You can’t grass your best friend up, but I didn’t want the consequences that were about to come from Mrs Boyce. My only hope was to get on with the maths problems and hope that my friend had had his fun for the day. Alas, five minutes later, when Mrs Boyce had her back to the class Kyle picked up his entire metal pencil case and lobbed it at the wall, pens, pencils and protractors scattering all over his corner of the room in an almighty bang. “Christopher!” Mrs Boyce screamed, “get out!”.

Spending some time stretching each week is the solution to preventing tight hips.

2. Weak Hips Our hips are our powerhouse of movement. If you’ve ever had a golf lesson, or learnt to throw a punch or hit a perfect backhand, what do the instructors say... ‘It’s all in the hips’. Strong glutes initiate a chain reaction that creates power in our movement, and if they are weak, the body will recruit more from their closest friends - the lower back muscles. The lower back isn’t designed to be as powerful as the hips, so again, asking too much from it will increase the risk of injury. Learning to squat, especially the ‘below parallel’ squat where your hips go below the level of your knees, is the best exercise to strengthen the glutes. If this seems too hard, simply doing repetitions of getting up and down from a chair would also be a good exercise for you. 3. Tight Thorax Too much sitting and desk work can be the culprit for tightening your upper back. If this area is tight, like when the hips are tight, your body will ask for motion from elsewhere when it’s needed. The lower back is a target because often the thorax and the hips are tight at the same time, so the lumbar region is getting overloaded from above and below. No rest for the wicked! If you suffer with lower back pain it’s super important to figure out which of the lower back’s friends are causing the problem. When in pain it’s human nature to focus on it, but that’s where an expert eye can help you solve the problem and fix the cause of it. For stretches and strengthening exercises to help with things like this, you can follow us on Facebook by searching ‘Forte Physical Health’, or drop us an email at info@fortephysicalhealth.co.uk. Have a healthy month!

Kyle had well and truly won that round. When I was standing outside in the hallway the headmaster happened to be doing the rounds, so not only did I get a telling off from dear Mrs Boyce, but also the headmaster, and that was no box of chocolates I can tell you. What is the point of this story? Well, sometimes it really isn’t your fault! This brings me on to your lower back. If you have lower back pain, I can guarantee it’s not your lower back’s fault. You see, the lower back has friends too. Its closest friends are the hips and the thoracic spine (your upper back, between the shoulder blades). There are many reasons why you may have lower back pain, but I am going to tell you three of them. 1. Tight Hips If you have restricted hips, when you perform a function like picking something up or twisting, rather than the movement coming from the hips, your body asks other areas to do the work so you can achieve the task. This can ask too much of your lower back and overload it, thus leading to injury. 8

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MT Gardening Pruning Shrubby Fruit For the first few years you’ll need to undertake formative pruning on a new plant, developing a framework to support future flowers and fruit. This process can be used for both red and white currants as well as gooseberries. Plant a one year old specimen that should have 3 to 5 evenly placed lateral shoots. In addition, bush gooseberries are grown on a ‘leg’ - a length of stem at the base of the plant that is kept free of shoots. The idea is to develop a vase shaped bush with an open centre to promote ripening and help prevent powdery mildew. For red and white currants a leg isn’t required. Routine Pruning Red and white currants plus gooseberries flower on the base of laterals produced that year. They are pruned once in summer to direct the plants’ energy into the developing fruit, and again in winter to maintain productive wood. Steps to Successful Shrub Fruit Growing Protect from frost. As most flower in April when there is a risk of frost, cover with horticultural fleece or sacking at night if frost is forecast. Check the stake on standards and loosen the tie as and when necessary. Keep the base of the shrub fruit weed free. In particular, gooseberries are shallow rooted so care must be taken not to damage roots near the surface as this may cause suckering.

Mulch regularly with well rotted manure to conserve moisture and prevent weed growth. Fertilise using a balanced fertiliser such as Growmore at 100 g/m² or Blood, Fish and Bone at 70 g/m² in spring. As gooseberries have a high potassium requirement also apply a top dressing of potassium sulphate at 35 g/m² Irrigate when rain has not fallen at a rate of 20 l/m² weekly - the period after fruit set while the fruit is developing is particularly important. Ensure a regular supply of water, otherwise the fruit will burst. Thin the fruit of large fruiting cultivars to give individual fruit room to develop. Remove every second fruit for gooseberries and use the thinnings for cooking. Medium and small fruiting cultivars will not require thinning. Protect against birds. Draping netting or growing in fruit cages are the only way to ensure birds do not damage the fruit. For more information about fruit, visit this excellent site: www.rhs.org. uk/Advice/Grow-Your-Own. Good luck and happy gardening! For any gardening tips contact Tom Cole, Senior Horticultural Lecturer, Writtle College, Chelmsford, CM1 3RR by post (including a SAE) or by email at tom.cole@writtle.ac.uk.

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A New Local Plan Is Coming! Chelmsford continues to grow, and the City Council’s new Local Plan is your opportunity to help shape how Chelmsford should develop and improve to 2036 and beyond. Consultation on the pre-submission Local Plan document runs from 8.45am on 31st January until 4.45pm on 14th March. The Local Plan identifies how many houses, jobs and businesses are being planned for and their locations, along with facilities to support growth. Such as where children will go to school, where people will work, and how they will get around. It covers the whole of the City Council’s area. What Is Being Proposed for the City Centre? The council is committed to maximising the use of brownfield sites for development, regenerating empty or underused sites in well connected locations. About 2,200 new homes alongside commercial development could potentially be accommodated in Chelmsford’s city centre by 2036, with increased school and healthcare capacity, improved vehicle, public transport, walking and cycling routes, and enhanced public realm. How Do I Find out More? You can view and comment on the pre-submission Local Plan and its sustainability and habitats appraisals at www.chelmsford.gov.uk/ planningpolicyconsult. You can also read the consultation documents during normal opening hours at the City Council’s Customer Service Centre and in local libraries.

Flambard Williams Shake up the Property Market We are extremely excited to announce the launch of our local residential property arm. Flambard Williams have long been experts in the provision of Buy to Let properties to clients around the globe. We have processed tens of millions of pounds-worth of property over the last 5 years for both investors and residential clients. However, the question we get asked more than any other is whether we offer a residential sales side of our business to local clients. We have now decided to respond to client demand and are delighted to announce that we will be launching our local residential side as of 2018. We are not here to simply make up the numbers. At Flambard Williams, we feel that only a few agents deal with the majority of the property sales across Essex and many of these estate agents charge exuberant fees for doing very little. Flambard Williams offer the same service as any other estate agent we’ll just do it for a fraction of the price! Think about what an agent simply does; they take pictures, value your home, put it on the internet and wait for calls to come in. If you are lucky they will show potential buyers around - but seriously, should they be charging up to 3% for this? With the current average house price (at the time of print) being close to £400,000 in Chelmsford, fees can range from anywhere between £4,000 up to an eye watering £12,000. We are looking to charge a flat fee of just £995 to clients who wish to sell their home in the Essex area. So, if you are interested in selling your home, call us today on 01245 206 225.

Or visit a public drop-in event. For dates and venues and for more Local Plan information, please visit www.chelmsford.gov.uk/presubmission. All comments received will be sent with the Local Plan to the Planning Inspector holding an Independent Examination later in the year. Helpline: (01245) 606 330 Email: planning.policy@chelmsford.gov.uk

Life T M Hack

ne s i t n e l a V r Fo Day

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Music and Blues & Roots in the City - by Nick Garner Chelmsford Arts and Cultural Festival update, 23rd June to 1st July 2018 Since the last edition of this magazine, we have held two meetings in The Transition (by the Anne Knight building) that were attended by around seventy people who were all very enthused with our plans, with many also offering help and support. We are also thrilled to be in association with the Maldon Festival, a well established classical festival now in its 11th year which runs from the 23rd June to 7th July. It brings top classical artists from around the globe to play and they also have a fantastic jazz show and regularly feature a top world music concert as well - more on them to follow in the future.

The support that we have gained for the Chelmsford Arts and Cultural Festival from all over is amazing; from individuals to universities, colleges, schools, businesses of all types and the media - including our local BBC. As I am writing this, we are sorting and confirming venues and planning what will happen where and when. Two events that I can confirm will be on the last weekend along with the River Festival and the Dragon Boat Racing. The weekend will feature around these 2 events and there is also an event in Central Park called Sounds of Essex, which is a music event for five to eighteen year olds from schools taking part and will tie with what we are planning. We have a fantastic arts trail coming together and a wonderful dance program as well. There will be everything from industry to tai chi, yoga, spoken word, comedy, circus, music, food, drink and crafts as well as so much more. This festival is for all - we do not want to exclude anyone and we want this to grow to become one of the world’s leading festivals over the years and to help Chelmsford to achieve the status of UK city of culture in the not too distant future. You can currently contact us by emailing contact@chelmsfordaafc. org. We will soon have a phone number as well. We also have a Facebook page at www.facebook.com/chelmsfordaacf, and a Twitter page at @chelmsfordaacf. Our website is coming soon. We have so many meetings and still so much to do, so if you can offer any help in any way we would love to hear from you. We will be having more public meetings, so keep an eye on this magazine and the City Times for updates or go to the Facebook or Twitter pages. Music You can read all about recent gigs in the latest City Times. I am also now doing the bookings for the UB and I am trying to bring a host of new talent to the area along with some of our best locals acts. Keep an eye on the City Times each month in the What’s On pages, as all the shows will be listed there. Currently the UB is hosting Saturday Night Live and the Sunday Sessions every week and once a month Friday Night Special and a Sunday night story telling event. We have some other ideas that we are thinking about - a poetry night and a debating society for example. If either of these are of interest to you then please contact the UB via their Facebook page (www.facebook. com/theunitedbrethren) or email scott@pinupbeers.com, or call in and express your interest. If we get enough interest we will go ahead with pur plans, maybe on a Monday or Tuesday evening. At the Bassment we have a great up-and-coming blues band on Thursday 15th February called JFK Blue. Special guest will be Danny Boy Piper. On 10th March we have our annual Essex Delta Blues Day from noon to midnight with 18 acts playing two stages non-stop. They will all be playing for free with all the money going to CHESS the Chelmsford homeless charity. Full line-up and details will be in the City Times and the next Moulsham Times. Tickets will be £10 in advance and £12 on the day and available from me, The Hop Beer Shop and Intense Records as well as the Bassment. On Thursday 15th March we welcome the return of two great players in Guy Tortora and Ben Tyzak of the Spike Drivers. On Thursday 5th April we have Dave Kelly of the Blues Band and Denny Newman, formally of the Mick Taylor Band (Rolling Stones). Much more to be announced soon - and remember too the Blues Jam normally on the first Thursday of the 12

month. All are welcome to watch or play.

The Football Club Lined up so far at the football club (all tickets are on sale now) we have on February 23rd The Cureheads, probably the best tribute act to The Cure who are now in their 30th year. Special guests on the night are The White Gospel (see the advert in this publication for details). On the 16th March we have the legendary Pretty Things still with their original front man Phil May and guitarist Dick Taylor. This is quite a rare UK show for the band as they play mainly in Europe these days. Jamie Williams and the Roots Collective will be opening for The Pretty Things on the night as we are both on the same record label, 3M’s Music. We will be using this night to launch our first album for the label called Diff’rent Gravy - and we will play it in its entirety. There will also be a Round Tower of Chelmsford beer brewed specially for the album which will be on sale that evening, as will the album. On Wednesday April 25th we welcome back Albert Lee and his band, which I think might well be another sell out the way the tickets are already going. Then on May 18th we have top American blues man Larry Garner who has won countless awards. He will have the Norman Beaker Band with him and opening on the night will be Mississippi MacDonald and the Soul Diggers. On June 15th we have U2 Tribe, a top tribute to U2 including local lad Paul Stevens as the Edge. On 13th July we welcome back Zoot Money and his Big Roll Band. We miss out August and I am still negotiating with acts for September. On 12th October we have Fleetwood Bac, who are said to be the best tribute act to Fleetwood Mac. They are even endorsed by Mick Fleetwood and Peter Green! We are still working on November and will finish the year on 7th December with the welcome return of Limehouse Lizzy. It’s shaping up to be an exciting 2018 ahead of us. There’s plenty more going on in around Chelmsford, so where else would you need to go to? Do please try to come out and support the great live scene that we have in Essex. If you do not, we may lose it. For more information on all of the above and more see the links below and or pick up a copy of City Times and go to the What’s On feature to see what else in happening in your area. If you visit our Facebook pages, look at our ‘events’ tabs - 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: contact@chelmsfordaacf.org

Recent Art Exhibition Anglia Ruskin University took up the challenge to increase the city’s

arts profile with a new gallery called the Rivermead Gallery by its New Street car park entrance. The gallery housed a photography exhibition organised by Tracy Vine at the end of 2017, and re-opened with the painting, drawing and writing of John Power from 5th January until 26th.

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Wanted!! Students with an Interest in Dance, Gymnastics, Martial Arts, Parkour, Cheerleading or Ice Skating Writtle University College is launching a Sports Science with Aerial Performance Foundation Degree due to start in September 2018. The specialised sports science course enables students to develop skills in aerial performance alongside an applied academic and scientific understanding of sport. Course tutor Dr Diana Entwistle from Roxwell was a triple gold gymnast, Cecchetti ballerina and gold level dancer before developing innovative aerial acts above the ice. During her professional career she has performed at London Fashion Week, modelled for Vogue Russia, appeared in television adverts for Dancing on Ice and performed in numerous galas and ice shows, as well as on cruise ships and in cabarets. She has produced, choreographed and directed several shows, gained a PhD through research into figure skating, has a HNC in Sport Science, Diploma in Biological Science and a BSc (Hons) in Sport and Exercise Science, as well as being a qualified sports therapist, skating coach, pilates instructor and yoga teacher. Diana runs her own business called Little Starts Circus in Chelmsford (www. littlestarscircus.co.uk), which teaches aerial hoop, silks, trapeze and aerial yoga to both adults and children. Commenting on the new course, she said: “Having been a performer for the last ten years, I can see that a lot of people come to the end of their performing life and do not have any other skills. The Foundation Degree provides a great backup plan and lays foundations to support performers after their performance career. “Writtle University College has experience of delivering specialist programmes, including the Cycling Performance Foundation Degree.

The FdSc Sports Science with Aerial Performance works in the same way - it gives students the opportunity to study core health sciences such as anatomy, physiology, nutrition and biomechanics alongside specialist modules that develop them as an aerial acrobatic performer, coach or event manager. “The result is a specialised programme that gives them the highlevel practical experience and skills to be a performer, but also wider opportunities in the varied sports industry, so they could go on to do more training and become a PE teacher or physiotherapist for example.” To find out more and to apply: www.writtle.ac.uk/Foundation-Degree-(FdSc)-Sports-Science-withAerial-Performance Email admissions@writtle.ac.uk or Gregory.deacon@writtle.ac.uk Photo credit: Dan Pluck Photography

MT Baking - by Bev Matthews

Raspberry and Lemon Cheesecake I hope you enjoyed last month’s recipe, it would be great to hear how you got on and see any photos of your creations. if you visit us on Facebook (facebook.com/Perfectdaycaterers) or Instagram (@ perfectdaycateringevents) you can share your photos with us. Moving on to this month’s recipe, I have chosen to help make your Valentine’s Day sweet and delicious. Whether you love or hate Valentine’s Day, it’s a great excuse to enjoy a special meal. As the saying goes, we eat with our eyes, which is especially true with desserts. But, presenting a beautiful dish doesn’t need to difficult or complicated. So, if you want to treat your loved one this Valentine’s Day, make this incredibly simple but impressive dessert - just don’t tell them how easy it was to make! Method 1. Your first job is to make the crunchy base for the cheesecake. Pre-heat the oven to 180C. Spread the porridge oats on the baking tray and squeeze over some honey to coat the oats. Mix them up so they are evenly coated in honey. Place in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes until they are golden and crunchy. 2. Place the macadamia nuts in a food processor and blitz until they are broken into small pieces. It’s fine if there are some larger bits as this creates texture in the final dish. Put the nuts in a frying pan on the hob and toast until they are golden brown. This will only take a few minutes. Tip: Keep an eye on them so they don’t burn! 3. Mix the toasted oats and nuts together and leave to one side until you are ready to plate up. 4. Whisk the mascarpone and caster sugar together in a mixing bowl with an electric whisk (or by hand if you don’t have an electric whisk). 5. Add the zest and juice of 1 lemon and keep whisking until you have a beautifully smooth and thick creamy mixture. Taste the mixture to check the flavour, add more sugar or lemon juice if needed. 6. Once you are happy with the mixture, put it in a piping bag and place in the fridge until you are ready to plate up. 7. Now for the sauce… Put 6-8 raspberries to one side as you’ll need these for plating. Put the rest of the raspberries in a small pan with the icing sugar and the water and heat over a medium heat for around 10 minutes. The raspberries will completely break down and you’ll end up with a fairly thick mixture.

8. Strain the mixture so that you are left with a smooth seedless sauce. Put the sauce into a piping bag and place in the fridge until you are ready to plate up. 9. Now for plating… Feel free to use your own creative licence! My version of the dish has a line of the crunchy oats and nuts on the plate topped with piped dots of the mascarpone cheese mixture and the raspberry sauce, finished with fresh raspberries filled with the mascarpone cheese mixture. Tip: Save some of the raspberry sauce for step 10! 10. Finally, make the perfect drink to serve with your dessert. Mix the saved raspberry sauce with Prosecco (or even better with Champagne!). Garnish with a fresh raspberry and enjoy with the one you love! To find out more about me or Perfect Day Caterers, visit www.perfectdaycaterers.co.uk, or email me at beverley@ perfectdaycaterers.co.uk - I’d love to hear from you!

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Christ Church

We all know Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, but do you know who St Valentine was? There have been several Christian martyrs named Valentine, but none of them have been specifically connected with love. The brief bit of research I’ve done turned up 10 different St Valentines! The legends about this mysterious saint are inconsistent, as is the identy of the actual man. Are all the stories about him about just one man, or did the work of different Valentine’s get muddled up? Whoever he was it is widely agreed that he was martyred for his Christian faith. So, what do we know? St Valentine lived in the 3rd Century Rome under the rule of Emperor Claudius II. We know he tried to convert people to Christianity, and amongst the stories about him I hope this one is true. The Emperor decreed that young men would not be allowed to marry as it affected their ability to be good soldiers. The Valentine of this story however, disobeyed the order by helping Christian couples to marry in secret. Maybe this is the foundation for associating St Valentine’s Day with love, although this connection didn’t occur until the 14th century. Under Emperor Claudius’ rule, Christians were being persecuted and Valentine did what he could to help his fellow Christians. In fact most of his activities were considered serious crimes. Finally, the Emperor lost patience with Valentine and offered him a stark choice: renounce Christianity or face being beaten with clubs and beheaded. Valentine refused to abandon his faith and was executed on a February 14th, although the exact year is unclear. It is thought that the first St Valentine’s Day was celebrated in 496AD but didn’t become associated with love until about 900

years later. Although the exact origin of St Valentine’s Day cannot be agreed upon, it is widely recognised as a day of love and romance. Valentine’s Day is now celebrated on 14th February every year across the world. Once a largely a western tradition, the day is now celebrated in many other countries such as South Korea, China, Brazil and the Philippines. This Valentine’s Day however, let us also remember those who are lonely. Can we visit somebody or invite them round for a meal? Let’s make it a day when everybody feels valued. Follow what is happening at Christ Church URC on our website www. christchurchchelmsfordurc.org.uk, or on Facebook and Twitter. On Valentine’s Day we will be posting a message on social media - why not take a look and tell us what you think?

Quiz Time

Music, Film & TV Answers on page 30. Round 1: Music 1. Which Beatles song was about John Lennon’s mother? (one word) 2. Which English band has had a record 36 top ten albums in the US charts? 3. Grand Wizard Theodore is credited with the invention of which vinyl technique? 4. Which solo artist also had UK top ten hits with Queen, Mick Jagger and Bing Crosby? 5. Who partnered Annie Lennox in the Eurythmics? 6. Who was Elvis Presley’s manager? 7. How is singer Paul Hewson better known? 8. Who was the lead singer with Bronski Beat and the Communards? 9. Which group took its name from two characters in The Adventures of Tintin? 10. Which record company did George Michael take to court to try and terminate his contract with them? Round 2: Film - name the pop stars who starred in the following: 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20.

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Desperately Seeking Susan The Delinquents Summer Holiday The Bodyguard The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas Caveman Brimstone and Treacle Silver Dream Racer Mad Max Beyond the Thunderdome The Wedding Planner

Round 3: TV - in which TV series would you find the following characters? 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30.

Father Francis Mulcahy Frank Black Paulie Walnuts Major Roger Healy Na’Toth Alexander Waverly Rupert Giles Mingo Whipper Cone Chin Ho Kelly

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Moulsham Schools

School trips are always a very exciting part of the year and recently our Year 3 classes enjoyed a fantastic visit to Colchester Castle as part of their topic learning all about the Romans. The visit took place over two days earlier this month with 60 children visiting on one day and 90 on the second day plus members of school staff and willing volunteers who braved the cold and rain!

guide, Martin, told us lots of interesting things about the Romans. “After lunch, we went into the dungeons at the bottom of the castle. The arches were really low and 2,000 years ago a temple was built. Martin told us lots of stories and one of them was about an army of 10,000 Roman gladiators which defeated an army of 120,000 Celts because they came up with a really good plan. We watched a video that told us even more about the Romans and the Celts. There were activities too and one was to build a Roman villa, an arch and a Celtic roundhouse. We had a really fun day!”

Everyone had a great time and came back full of new and interesting facts about the castle and its history. Esme and Dexter, two of our Year 3 pupils, wrote the following account of their visit: “We had to find objects with school trails on them and answer questions. Mrs Scorer’s (Head of Year 3) group got the most questions right and won a prize. We learnt a lot, for example did you know that Boudicca was the Queen of the Iceni tribe? We saw a doctor’s grave and lots of the tools doctors would have used. Our

Does Your Child Enjoy Playing Football and Having a Great Time? One of our many success stories are the Football Fun Weeks that we run for Boys and Girls aged from 5 to 12 during the Easter and summer holidays. We entertained 223 youngsters of all abilities last year and they loved the fun football and activities that we provide. In 2018, the Football Fun Weeks will be held during the weeks commencing 9th April, 30th July and 13th August. If your youngster would like to join in the fun, application forms with full details are available to download from www. moulshamhigh.org/200/football-funweeks.

World Music Drumming Workshop

Moulsham Infant School was visited for 2 days by Jim Bernadin from World Music Workshops. It was launched with a whole school assembly showcasing a range of drumming from a variety of countries. This was followed with individual workshops for every class, where all pupils were able to play an instrument and learn about

drumming around the world. Jim’s enthusiasm and talent ensured children enjoyed an amazing start to the new term, with one child saying “it was the best day ever!” The workshop was funded by SMILE the school’s PTA as a gift from Santa. Our motto at Moulsham Infants is Where Learning Is Fun and we look forward to the fun continuing in 2018!

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New Venture - Activitots

Activitots is an exciting new venture started up by two sisters passionate about giving toddlers and young children an active start. With over ten years’ combined experience, the duo have designed a toddler class that is as varied and engaging as it is rewarding. Activitots works on a rotation of different sports and activities to provide exposure to a full range of sports, harbouring and developing new skills and confidence along the way.

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Activitots not only enables little ones to try their hand at a range of sports, but also encourages the advancement of gross motor skills, with birth to aged five widely recognised as a crucial window for these to develop. This is why the diverse classes also include balance exercises, colour games and counting activities. Now entering its second year, Activitots has grown from just a few initial classes on one day a week, to twelve classes a week across eight different venues. With more being added all the time, the sisters are enjoying both the exciting growth of their venture and also the wealth of positive feedback from the parents. Keeping active toddlers on their toes, watching them develop and flourish and witnessing the untold growth in social confidence in their participants, has been more rewarding than they could ever have imagined. Come along and see for yourself with a free trial. Make some special memories having fun and being active together. www.activitots.net

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How Lucky Are You? - by Mark Roberts Have you ever thought about how lucky you are, or maybe considered the impact that luck has had on your life and current circumstances? Do you consider yourself to be lucky, or do you feel you have been dogged with bad luck?

it. Similar versions are also used when trying to explain a personal failure, such as, ‘I just got unlucky’. This response allows you to distance yourself from the failure, or lack of skills, by blaming random events.

Alternatively, do you believe that luck has played no part in your life, because you think that waiting for good luck is hopeless wishful thinking and gets in the way of making the most of what you already have?

This last one is popular amongst people who have achieved their own success. The Roman general, Lucius Annaeus Seneca (5BC - 65AD) has been credited with the following quote that supports this view.

The concept of luck can give rise to serious debate by some and offhanded dismissal by others. It invites as many different viewpoints as there are people to ask. Your views are likely to be influenced by life experiences, upbringing and culture. Some may live your lives depending on it. Say for example if you are a serious gambler banking on the next winning streak, whilst others of you may blame your diminished circumstances on bad luck. Despite the variance of opinions, it is still a subject worthy of consideration, because whether you believe in luck or not, it may still have an impact on your life. Before I get into that, it’s worth considering what the dictionary says about it: a quick online search came up with the following definition:

Seneca seems to be implying that benefitting from luck is more than mere chance. This position relies on the precondition that you have already taken sufficient action and preparation to recognise an opportunity when it comes along and are ready to take it. On the other side of the coin it is not uncommon to consign a lack of success to bad luck, when the truth is that the failure may be summed up by the adage: ‘fail to prepare, prepare to fail’.

“Luck: Success or failure apparently brought about by chance rather than through one’s own actions”

Many great sports personalities have spoken about the impact of luck on their careers and variations of the following quote have been credited to a few them. The earliest record I can find was attributed to Thomas Jefferson who said: “I am a great believer in luck and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.”

I am not claiming this as textbook, but it probably represents popular opinion and provides a starting point to work from. It implies a degree of random success, or good fortune, just when you need it. On the other hand, it asserts you can equally be dealt bad luck, which doesn’t sound so good. Importantly, it describes luck as the outcome of ‘chance’ irrespective of personal actions. But is this true? Because If luck is more than chance, then the possibility exists that it can be turned to personal advantage. Let’s explore a bit more… I am guessing you have experienced what you may describe as good, or bad luck and you will be familiar with the following usages: ‘I usually have good luck’ ‘I never seem to have any luck’ The above comments are typical in situations when attempting to provide an explanation for good, or bad, apparently random events.

“You create your own luck”

“Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity”

Ralph Waldo Emerson quoted in a similar vein to Seneca when he said: “Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause and effect.”

Once again, Jefferson seemed to be reinforcing the view that luck has more to do with hard work, practice and preparation than just random chance. Ok, maybe I have gone over the top on quotes here, but have hopefully made the point there may be more to being lucky than just random chance. It has been my experience that working towards and achieving success generates more of the same. If you examine your own life experiences, you will undoubtedly find examples of where you have generated your own good luck through hard work, dedication and practice. The more you practiced, the better you got and the more you achieved. You will also have found that successful experiences enabled you to spot other similar opportunities. The more you succeeded, the luckier you felt! The same reasoning of course, can also be applied in the negative if you adopt the view that whatever you try goes wrong. With that frame of mind you may be unlikely to work towards success, may fail to achieve and may see yourself as being generally unlucky. You can probably see here that I favour the view that luck, good, or bad is mostly self-generated. Anything positive that is selfcreated comes with a huge, life enhancing buzz, which can only will encourage you to achieve more. What’s to lose?

“He/she seems to get all the luck” “He/she just got lucky”

Yes, I do believe that random good luck does occasionally come along. Call it what you want; serendipity or just being in the right place at the right time, but when it comes along don’t question it or attempt to analyse it. Accept it for what it is and enjoy it. The thing is, you still have to recognise it when it comes along!

These statements are often used in jealousy when attributing luck to somebody who you believe may not deserve

In closing, I leave you with one final quote by the Dalai Lama XIV: “Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck” Go create… For more about Mark Roberts, visit his Facebook page at www.facebook.com/intelligentlifestrategies.

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Wine Corner Hi everyone, I hope you are not suffering too much from the cold damp weather. Christmas and New Year are out of the way and Easter eggs are in the shops, so it must surely be at least March already... how time flies! I don’t know about you, but I always end up with odd bottles of alcohol that I don’t normally drink. Not wine of course, it would have to be really dreadful for me not to drink that. I have decided that I should look on the internet to see what cocktails I can make with sherry, port, fruit cider and Tia Maria. Might need some lemonade or tonic to go with that, though. Following the article last month, by coincidence, I was given a bottle of Sauvignon blanc from a vineyard in Devon. I’ll tell you what, it was absolutely lovely. Very light fruity taste. I have mentioned before that me and technology do not get on, and yet another reminder of that came in the form of a coffee machine I was trying to use recently. I had to wait for a car key to be programmed, and they explained that I could wait and have a coffee or tea if I wanted. Why not? Over I go to the machine, nice and clear, all options listed on the little screen on the top. Cappuccino, ah good, I’ll try one of those. Button pressed, I wait. Nothing. Then I see another button which I apparently have to press, and a little flap opens on the front, and the screen asks me to select my drink from a rack containing little pouches. There you go, I put it into the opening and press a button. After a couple of seconds, I take the cup out and there it is, the unopened pouch in my cup. Something not quite right. The assistant comes over to explain that I had put the pouch in the wrong way up, so l rectify this, press the button again... but I had not put the cup back in the machine. I was quite impressed with my reactions, I managed to get the cup in and collect my drink. Great, there in the cup is a lovely hot chocolate. Not for me, though. Needless to say I was pleased when my keys arrived and I did not have to drink the chocolate. I should have stuck to the cold water dispenser! On the journey home, I was driving along the A130, where there are road works and a 50 mph limit. Almost everybody else was flying past me, so I slowed right down at the next limit sign because, I assumed, that there was a little footnote on it saying ‘only applies if your name is Jonny!’ I’ve been browsing the internet, yeah, get me! Apparently that’s what they call it when you’re looking at the screen. I was looking for the most common myths about wine. Is expensive wine better than cheaper alternatives? Well, some seemed to support my view that image is key. Generally speaking, I guess expensive wine can be better, but the price may be due to its availability rather than its quality. Wine from boutique (that’s small to you and me) can be more expensive because of low production, not necessarily because it is better. So, as I’ve always said, drink what you enjoy and what you can afford. I would never pay a high price for a bottle of wine. I might drink someone else’s though!

of cork rises - through availability. There are also plastic corks of course, but I think these were just a way for the vineyards to reduce their cork usage. I often find that these are dense and sometimes difficult to open. Nothing worse that having a bottle of wine only to fins that the cork (or should be it the plastic) will not come out. It is always better to drink aged wine? Well some wines, those from Bordeaux for example, do improve with age while others like Beaujolais are normally consumed young - and famously the Nouveau is best drunk as soon as it is bottled. If you are new to wine then you are better off starting with a sweet wine. Well a lot of people do, hence the popularity of the German and Alsace hocks, and I can understand why. I found after a very short time that the dry whites and reds are much better and seem to compliment the food better, but that’s just me. Then there’s the old thing about temperature. Most wine experts agree that white wine should not be kept in the fridge and some say that if you do, you should take it out about an hour before opening. Remember, white wine should be consumed between ten and twelve degrees. The average domestic fridge is generally about 3 to 5. Red can be served at ‘room temperature’ which is not clear at all. Like everything else to do with wine, try a few different temperatures and use those. What do these experts know? I notice that wine prices are creeping up again. Some of it of course is the duty increase in the last budget, but the average price must be well over £7.00. Bargains are available, of course - supermarkets have 25% off 6 bottles on quite a regular basis. A discount well worth having. There is a really good programme on Channel 5 at the moment. It’s called The Wine Show and involves two actors who have limited knowledge of wine choosing wines and tasting lots with the help of a wine expert. They visit vineyards in various locations - this week they were in Provence tasting the famous rosé wines and also in California. They tasted the old favourites, Merlot, Pinot noir and others. The Pinot noir from California tends to be a much deeper red than in France for example. The same goes for the ones from South America. Lovely. We are just planning our main holiday for this year. A few days near Harrogate and about ten days in Northumberland. Not much on the wine producing front, but we are looking forward to it. A few supermarket visits will ensure we have ample stocks! Bin end chuckles: Don’t you get annoyed when someone answers their own questions? I do! I woke up the other day and could not remember which side the sun rises from, then it dawned on me. Keep calm, and keep drinking, in moderation.

The old question of cork versus screw cap: The screw caps are becoming more prevalent, and I think this will continue - as the cost 22

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Attitudes have changed dramatically in Nigeria because tribal chiefs have come to realise that the vaccination programme was to help their children and not part of a western plot. The leaders, therefore, came on board and encouraged their people to assist with the preventative measures and so Nigeria is once again on the edge of being classed non-endemic having gone a further eighteen months polio-free.

Polo Immunisers Murdered in Pakistan Rotary has been at the forefront of the campaign to eradicate polio since 1985 when there were 1,000 new cases every single day throughout the world. It was, therefore, deeply upsetting to read recently that a mother and her teenage daughter were killed in Quetta in Pakistan whilst carrying out immunisations against the deadly disease. There are just three countries in the world which are officially polio endemic: Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria. The first two share a long border and there is opposition to allowing vaccination teams into the area. Two reasons are put forward; the first that it is a western plot to sterilise Pakistani and Afghanistani children, and secondly that the people carrying out the immunisations are actually spies. They proffer the theory that Osama Bin Laden was found because of information these health workers passed onto western governments.

Twenty one cases worldwide does not sound very many. After all, more than that number die from flu in this country every year. However, this doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t tell the full story. Polio is a disease affecting mainly children which cripples them, causing paralysis, deformity and death. As it is a virus, unless completely eradicated, because of its virulent nature, it will catch hold and spread back around the globe. The estimate from WHO is that unless these final 21 polio cases are reduced to zero there will be 200,000 new cases in less than ten years. One warning slogan used is â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;polio is only a plane journey awayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. There is so much travel these days to all corners of the earth and we can see how Ebola was brought to Britain a few years back. There have also been cases of tuberculosis as well as different strains of flu. The task is very clear for Rotary. It must press on with its EndPolioNow campaign until the very last case is seen, thereby making it only the second disease after smallpox to be completely eradicated. To Rotarians this means more money, more volunteer hours and more lobbying governments to ensure this occurs. As a side issue, when there was the Ebola outbreak in West Africa between 2013 and 2016, it was curtailed largely because of the lessons learnt in dealing with polio. Despite the fact that 11,310 died, a world catastrophe was averted. Remember the figure I quoted above for polio cases in 1985 - 1,000 a day, 365,000 new cases in just one year. How much more would it be now had it not been for Rotary stepping in? Polio is the largest project Rotary has ever embarked upon in terms of money raised and donated, volunteer hours and the sheer number of clubs involved. However, it is by no means the only one and in fact, as we see the end in sight, new challenges will be addressed. If you would like to find more about them and how you can be a part, then a Rotary club is on your doorstep. Visit www.rotary1240.org, or call me on 01245 260 349. We are always looking for men and women to join us. Stan Keller

This may seem incredible to us here, but both proclamations have severely hampered progress in the eradication process. Having said that, in 2017 there were only 8 new cases in Pakistan and 13 in Afghanistan. In Nigeria there were none at all, so only 21 cases of polio anywhere in the world in total - and this is to a large part down to the efforts of Rotarians, many of whom volunteer their services to be part of National Immunisation Days (NIDS) in Asia at their own expense. For a country to be considered non-endemic by the World Health Organisation, it needs to have gone three years without a single new case. Nigeria is interesting because in September 2015 it had fulfilled that criterion, but unfortunately in August 2016 there was an outbreak of four new cases and Nigeria lost its status. 24 www.moulshamtimes.com

Travellers Tales: Gary Snyder and the Rucksack Revolution - by John Power This story is not one of my own travels but rather of an epoch changing one by American author from the 1950s beat generation, Gary Snyder. Gary was born in San Francisco in 1930, but spent his early years from 1942 in the farming community of Portland Oregon with his mother and sister after they moved there to become smallholders of livestock following his parents divorce. Alongside his later academic achievements, it was this rural background that marked him out as an environmentalist cult figure of the hippie movement of the 1960s. The local Salish Indians inspired him with their ability to live in harmony with nature rather than by exploiting it. His interest in literature began at an earlier age after an accident at the age of seven and the enforced period of recuperation. So the poetic and backwoodsman strands became intertwined in his life. Mountaineering became another important part of his outdoor activities as he became a camp counsellor for his local high school.

that really set the stereotype for the mystical journeymen of the next few decades. The rucksack revolution predicted by Snyder (as the character Japhy Ryder) in Dharma Bums was about to begin.

1947 saw him begin a college education back in the San Francisco area where he was to become a leading figure in the ‘San Francisco Renaissance’. At Reed College he met Phillip Whalen and Lew Welch, who were to share in his development of interest in things oriental, especially Zen Buddhist poetry to create what became known as Beat Zen: part of the literature and counterculture of the generation who found themselves ‘beat’ by the US military machine and a draconian government.

Gary went mostly to the institute himself, but as the domestic role wore thin for Joanne, increasingly she accompanied him to practice Zen sitting. Outside, they mixed with the American ex-pat community. Joanne read Greek liberated author Sapho and learned Japanese so that she could teach English as a foreign language. Despite Gary’s liberated views she thought he still tried to assert himself in the prevalent male chauvanistic manner of the time, and she regretted the enforced marriage. Gary’s old pastime of mountain climbing gave Gary a chance to reinstate itself when he decided to climb Mount Fuji.

His first published poetry emerged at this time. Gary also undertook folklore research at Warm Springs Indian Reservation. In 1948 he spent time as a merchant seaman. A short marriage to Alison Gass lasted from 1950 to 1952, while involved with ‘Buddhist Anarchism’, which practised civil disobedience, pacifism, the use of cannabis and peyote, polygamy and polyandry all in reaction to the social norms promoted by Christian movements. At the university of Indiana he studied anthropology and inspired by the cultures he has experienced in the navy, he taught himself Zen meditation. Further woodsman activities came during student vacations when he was a fire lookout in the North Cascades: a pursuit he recommended also to Jack Kerouac. He was also involved in logging at Warm Springs. When sharing a flat with Phillip Whalen, Gary had encountered the writings of Zen monk DT Suzuki, which further inspired him into studying Asian cultures. He enlisted at Berkeley University to study these and associated languages. He also took up Chinese ink brush painting. In 1955 and 1956 he encouraged Jack Kerouac to join in firewatching as a good retreat for writing, but the solitary life did not suit Jack as well as Gary. He also studied with oriental scholar Alan Watts at the Academy of Asian Studies, and began writing Mountains and Rivers Without End, which he never actually finished for another 40 years. He translated Han Shan’s Cold Mountain, published alongside his own forest memoirs, Rip Rap. Kenneth Rexroth recommended that he also meet up with fellow poet Allen Ginsberg, and it was that which led to the meeting with Kerouac, as both these leading lights of the beat generation shared an interest in orientalism, but perhaps not to the extent that Gary did, who practised what he espoused, while they cross fertilised such ideas with more contemporary jazz era ones that caused the birth of Beat Zen. Gary read at the famous Gallery 1955 Poetry Reading for City Lights Books, that also saw the public reading of Ginsberg’s Howl with its victorious obscenity trial that followed, and which led to the ‘San Francisco (Cultural) Renaissance’. Jack Kerouac’s first published novel On the Road was soon to follow, and if not a convincing mystic, he was certainly a gifted chronicler of the characters of the jazz age. Whereas Neal Cassady was the central figure of On the Road, Gary Snyder was the heroic figure to be drawn by Jack as he flirted with Gary’s Zen outlook in Dharma Bums which chronicles their joint adventures and Jack’s obvious admiration. But whereas these novels would lead to media celebrity, or maybe infamy, for those it portrayed, Gary would escape immediate notice as he slid away for the epoch changing journey to Japan, India and beyond,

The year was 1960 and Gary was about to demonstrate that his Zen was not just a passing fad, and with his partner Joanne Kyger, who was 26 at the time, boarded a steamer bound across the Pacific to Kyoto in Japan. The Japanese people of the Zen Institute there were not as liberal in their attitudes as Americans and in order to stay at the institute, Gary and Joanne were forced to take a marriage of convenience at the American Consulate in Kobe, the port town of Kyoto. The role of wife was not one that Joanne felt comfortable with, but to some extent she adapted to it for the stay in the country. Their practice also took on an Indian dialect in the mutual yab-yum asana that entered English literature in Kerouacs’s Dharma Bums.

Towards the end of 1961 they decided to take their Asian exploration further with the hope of meeting up with Allen Ginsberg who was travelling to India. They took a French ship around the coast, first to Saigon, where they had three days to look around, then on to Colombo in Ceylon, then by train to Kandy where they got the ferry to Madurai in Tamil Nadu, southern India, at the beginning of 1962. By train to Pondicherry they found themselves at the Sri Auribindu Ashram, run by Auribindu’s wife, known as Mother since his death. A bus took them to Tirvannamalai at the Southern tip of India where they stopped with an ex-pat family who were followers of Ramana Maharishi, who’s ashram is by the hill of Arunachala, where the saint had kept a lonely vigil of meditation. A bullock cart then took them to Madras. Other stops in the area were Mahabalipurum, Bhubaneswar and Konarak, visiting temples and taking rubbings of relief carvings, before travelling on to Calcutta, where they found a letter from Allen Ginsberg suggesting a rendezvous at the end of February. In the meantime, they bussed to Bodh Gaya, a buddhist shrine that attracted many Tibetan refugees. From there by boat up the River Ganges, and then by train, they continued to Nepal and its capital Kathmandu. It was by plane that they flew back to Patna for Benares on the Ganges and where they stayed at the Sarnath Mahabodhi Society. Benares has the famous burning ghats when dead Hindus like to be reduced to ashes and scattered on the Ganges. Other travels in the north took them to Gwailor hillfort, the Red Fort, Taj Mahal and Mathura for its museum. They kept their rendezvous with Ginsberg and Peter Orlovsky at the end of February to find them high on morphine, but bearing a letter from Kerouac. The enlarged party eventually set of for Rishikesh back on the Ganges where they all stopped at Swarg Ashram, a centre for wandering holy men. There they received mail with reviews of some of Ginsberg’s poetry and Timothy Leary’s writings on the hallucinogen mescaline. They next headed for Hardwar with Ginsberg and Orlovsky still high on morphine. From there to Almora, then a hill resort by bus (where Allen and Peter visited an opium den) before arriving at Jaipur for the festival of Holi where coloured powders are thrown around liberally as part of the celebrations. They got to meet the Dalai Lama, who Ginsberg, somewhat naively, offered LSD to and asked how long he meditated for. He replied that he didn’t need to and declined the drug experience.

Next on to Sanchi and other temples in the area before returning to Almora and a letter from Lawrence Ferlingetti of City Lights Bookshop in San Francisco. Joanne was not impressed with Ginsberg’s dirty unkempt demeanor, nor his and Peter’s drug use - which they claimed helped them meditate, but she thought made them frauds. Weighed down with souvenirs, she and Gary took an overnight train to Bombay and in late April they climbed aboard the ship Cambridge for their trip back to Japan.

interests in buddhism and travel and was also a naturalist. She died of cancer in 2006, age 59.

The route took them through Singapore, Saigon and Hong Kong back to the ex-pat community for some westernised partying on marijuana cookies and mescaline that Tim Leary had sent. Gary returned to Zazen practice and Joanne too to a lesser extent. Gary also undertook translations of Zen texts. By March they took a train to Kyoto and Allen caught up for a poetry reading. In September Alan Watts turned up and took LSD with Joanne and three others. In January 1964 Joanne left to return to the US via the Phillipines but Gary stayed on a while longer. The precedent had been set for the hippie trails to India that Gary had predicted as the ‘Rucksack Revolution’. His journals of the Asian trip were published in the mid sixties as Passage Through India. Ingatestone author and beat generation specialist Dr Chris Challis caught up with a red-eyed, jet lagged Snyder in San Francisco on his own travels around the US for the book that became Quest for Kerouac in 1984. The occasion was the first gathering of the counterculture at the Golden Gates Park since the legendary ‘love ins’ took place there in the 1960s, but which had subsided after the Haight Ashbury area had slid into becoming a casualty zone for homeless drug takers attracted by the positive publicity it had received at first. The renewed occasion included a parade and free concert in the park. Gary was speaking at an anti-vivisection rally nearby outside a laboratory. The event also yielded many other meetings for Chris with legendary beat writers and hippies, such as poet Michael McClure (pal of the The Doors’ Jim Morrison), author Richard Braugtigan, Joe MacDonald of Country Joe and the Fish, Wavy Gravy, aka Hugh Romney, who started the Hog Farm commune and who compèred and opened the Woodstock Festival, and Dennis McNally who was one of Jack Kerouac’s ‘Desolation Angels’ in the book of the same name, all amongst a crowd composed of ageing hippies, bikers, ‘nam veterans, burnouts, and Earth Mothers. Gary had a longer career than such a meeting could do justice to. After his return from Japan and India, Gary became a cult figure for the counterculture, especially in regard to environmental issues, as the beats morphed into hippies, but also as an award winning author too. He set up part of his family home as an proto back-to-the-land commune called Kit Kitdizze with Allen Ginsberg as a neighbour on an adjoining plot he named Bedrock Mortar, then married again to a Japanese lady called Masa Yehera and moved to the foothills of the Sierra Nevada in Northern California where they had two sons, whilst involved in eco-building projects. He continued to write poetry and do translation works.

In the 1980s and 1990s he continued to write with environmental issues taking centre stage. In 1996 The Complete Mountains and Rivers Without End was published. It had been begun 40 years earlier. 2004 saw Danger on Peaks with some of his first new poetry for 20 years. In 1986 he was awarded the Levinson Prize for Journal Poetry and in 1987 he was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 1997 he received the Bollingen Prize for Poetry and John May Award for Nature Writing. In 1998 he became the first American to receive the Buddhism Transmission Award from a Japanese foundation for Social and Ecological Activism. In 1998 he was named one of the worlds 100 visionaries by Utne Reader. In 2010 he was the subject of a film, The Practice of the Wild, which included dialogue with him as well as archival photos and film of his life. Age 87 in 2017 he is still going strong thanks to a lifestyle that was at variance to most of the beat generation writers.

Gary’s mid life writing included Earth House Hold (1969), Regarding Wave (1970 - back-to-the-land poetry poems), Turtle Island (1974 - a Native American name for North America) which won him the Pullitzer Prize, and The Old Ways (1977). In 1986 he was made Professor in Writing at the University of California and later Professor Emeritus of English. His marriage to Masa Uehara lasted 22 years until 1989, after which he married for a third time to Carole-Lynn Koda, a Japanese-American who shared his www.moulshamtimes.com

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All About Moulsham Lodge & Tile Kiln Moulsham Lodge Community Trust Dates for your diary: Every Tuesday morning 10am to 12pm: The Copper Pot’s coffee morning - all welcome!

the possibility of holding some football competitions on the day.

Saturday 24th February - Quiz Night: Open to all; please get in touch if you’d like a ticket (£10) which includes fish/chicken and chip supper. Teams of up to 8 people.

Saturday 15th December: Choir Christmas Concert.

Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd December: Breakfast with Santa.

Saturday 24th March - Wildlife Day: Following on from the success of the one we held in 2016. Sunday 25th March - Work Day and Volunteer Drive: All welcome. We will be providing refreshments - lots of odd jobs to do. Sunday 22nd April: Table top sale. May (date tbc) - Titanic Exhibition: We are very excited with the prospect of holding this exhibition, which will have memorabilia on display as well as individuals available to chat about the history of the Titanic. Saturday 30th June - Summer Fun Day: Details of this event are not yet finalised, but we will probably be having a World Cup Theme with

MLCT Updates In the last few weeks we have been working on the second toilet in the Community Station. Installation of the toilet and storage cupboards is now complete (see above). We’ve also been converting the old shower room into a treatment room which is available for hire. If you’re interested in hiring the treatment room please get in touch. enquiries@mlct.org.uk.

Cllr Mark Springett - Moulsham Lodge Ward I bring you two bits of good news: Firstly, as the CEO of MLCT, I can now confirm we have negotiated and received a 99 year lease on the Community Station. This is very significant, as combined with our charity status this will allow us to apply for more grants and apply for loans should we need to when upgrading our facilities. We do hope to make some internal changes to the Community Station to allow a bigger community café (called the Copper Pot) to be created and the removal of a wall between two rooms to create a larger conference room to cater for about 20 people.

campaign ‘Don’t Choke Chelmsford’, only now have the authorities been inclined to take action - too little, too late? mark.springett@chelmsford.gov.uk 0741 808 731 @markspringett Councillor’s Surgery on the first Saturday of every month at St Luke’s between 1am and 12 noon.

The second bit of good news is that the old community site has finally started its redevelopment into 26 apartments, I say ‘good news’ as it will no longer be derelict and unsightly AND the community will benefit from the developers contribution to the tune of a few thousand pounds. This means we (Moulsham Lodge and Tile Kiln) have a budget which the public can suggest projects to spend the money on. I’ll give more details in next month’s Moulsham Times. You can see an artist’s impression of the development above. It is a sad day though, as at one point we had agreed to redevelop the old site, but at a cost of £2million this was unachievable, so we had no alternative but to give it up. But with the future secure, we can build on our plans to maximise what we deliver to the community. In Other News By the time you read this, the public meeting organised by residents of Great Baddow to oppose the proposed Baddow Bus Gate will have taken place. The scheme, which Essex County Council have proposed, will make Baddow Road one way from the Beehive Pub to the Army & Navy at certain times of the day. I’ve made my views known and I am not in support of the scheme ECC is suggesting. Chelmsford is just too congested and needs more than just a few tweaks to the roads in and around the city centre. The Liberal Democrats in Chelmsford have for many years been promoting our 28

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Tile Kiln Corner by Linda Mascot

If you happened to drive along Goshawk Drive on October 31st last year, you couldn’t fail to have noticeed a huge balloon scarecrow towering over one of the gardens along with a large themed balloon arch framing the entrance to the house. These creations were made by talented Heydi Alvarado for her own Halloween display and she explained how her business has grown making balloon displays:

“Six years ago a friend in Venezuela sent me a link for some incredible balloon art and I was inspired to recreate the designs for my daughter’s party. She sent me links to YouTube tutorials so I learnt what materials and equipment I needed to make my own designs. When my friends saw what I had done they asked me to make decorations and balloon arches for their parties and it has spiralled from there.” Heydi was originally born in Hendon but her parents returned to their native Venezuela when she was 2. As Heydi had a British passport, she returned to England at the age of 22 to study English and found a job working in a hotel in Epping. Heydi became a chef, working at Farleigh Hospice for 6 years, and when she met husband Rupert 17 years ago, they moved to Tile Kiln to be near Rupert’s family. Their children Francesca 12 and Orianna 9, both go to local schools.

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Heydi works part time at a Sandwich shop in Chelmsford but has reduced her hours as her party commissions have become more ambitious and time consuming. Originally her business encompassed all party decorations, but now she concentrates on larger balloon displays since going on training courses and using specialist high quality Qualatax balloons. The latest courses have taught Heydi how to construct large balloon walls and organic arches using different sizes of balloons, including personalised numbers, names and themes. “At the moment the trends are for unicorn, flamingo and pineapple themes with new chrome balloons coming onto the market. I have made Union flag themed balloon displays for Mildmay Junior School’s celebrations for the Queen’s 90th birthday, Mildmay Schools’ 50th Anniversary and Hawaiian displays for the Year 6 leavers’ party last year. I now receive commissions from local businesses and am in the process of doing a large organic arch for a large party at Eaton House Studio in Tiptree, as well as continuing to do local celebration displays.

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“I’m very excited to be attending a World Balloon Convention in San Diego this March - it’ll be incredible to see balloons on such a grand scale and after a 4-day seminar I’m sure I’ll come home with lots of new ideas for bigger and better creations!” To contact Heydi, visit her website at heydipartydecorations.co.uk, or email info@heydipartydecorations.co.uk, or ring 07940 477 338. www.moulshamtimes.com

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Stroke Exercise Group

Have you had a stroke or do you know of someone who has? Would you like to join our Stroke Exercise Group to assist your mobility? Would you like to meet other stroke survivors who enjoy the exercises which gives them confidence? In 2000 doctors from the Primary Care Trust (as it was then) decided a group should be formed to provide after care to stroke survivors. The group was set up by an area representative of the Stroke Association. A one-off grant of ÂŁ1,400 was provided by the PCT and the group was born, using the social hall at St Johns Hospital. Unfortunately, when the hospital was sold off we had to find alternative accommodation. In 2008 we received a certificate from Essex County Council Millennium Fund in recognition of services to the local community. We received a grant from the Government via the council which helped considerably to keep the group afloat. The group is run by two Stroke Association volunteers, Alan Chapman (Chairman/Treasurer) and myself, Janice Parker (secretary). We are not a charity in our own right - we come under the jurisdiction of Disability Essex. We appreciate how difficult it is for a stroke survivor to pluck up courage and join a group. A stroke can be so debilitating and shatters any confidence the survivor may have previously had. We have a weekly meeting on a Wednesday afternoon from 1.30pm to 2.30pm followed by tea, biscuits and a chat. There is no meeting on the last Wednesday of each month. Our professional trainer, who has experience with stroke survivors, is the only person receiving payment for services, plus we pay a monthly rental to Widford Village Hall Committee for use of their facilities. We charge a monthly subscription to each member to cover the above costs and 50p each session for tea and biscuits. The group have a democratic vote on any issue that may arise. Alan and I are there merely to carry out the practicalities of the group that may be required. We are now in a position where we have spaces for new members.

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We meet in Widford Village Hall next door to The Sir Evelyn Wood public house in Widford Road where there is ample parking. We can also accommodate wheelchairs. If transport is a problem, then Community Transport is always an option. Partners are welcome to stay for the session at no extra charge.

Janice Parker

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If you feel this could be for you then please contact Janice on 01245 250 822 who will be happy to assist you with any enquiries.

Quiz Answers 1. Julia 2. The Rolling Stones 3. Scratching 4. David Bowie 5. Dave Stewart 6. Colonel Tom Parker 7. Bono 8. Jimmy Sommerville 9. The Thompson Twins 10. Sony 11. Madonna 12. Kylie Minogue 13. Cliff Richard

14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26.

Whitney Houston Dolly Parton Ringo Starr Sting David Essex Tina Turner Jennifer Lopez MASH Millenium Sopranos I Dream of Jeannie Babylon 5 The Man From UNCLE

27. 28. 29. 30.

Buffy the Vampire Killer Daniel Boone (was a man) Ally McBeal Hawaii 5-0

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