Moulsham Times January 2018

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Issue Number 59 - January 2018

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MT Welcome Hi readers, Welcome to the January edition.

Firstly, a Happy New Year to you all!

We hope that you all had a good festive break and are suitably refreshed.

It is 5 years this month since the Moulsham Times was born, so here’s to the next 5 years!

Enjoy your month!

Regards Paul & Nick

Deadlines for the February edition: Articles - 16th January Print ready art work - 25th January

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Advertising Nick Garner 07970 206682 ads@itsyourmedia.co.uk

Editorial Paul Mclean 07595 949701 editorial@itsyourmedia.co.uk

Disclaimer: It’s Your Media Ltd publish the Moulsham Times. The opinion expressed in each article is the opinion of its author and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of It’s Your Media Ltd. No part may be reproduced without the prior written permission of It’s Your Media Ltd. Reg Co No. 09154871. Printed by Printwize.

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MT Therapy - by Chelmsford Therapy Rooms So, it’s the end of December/ beginning of January and it’s that time of year again - New Year’s Resolutions!

In this article I will look at some of the common resolutions people make and how the various therapies offered at Chelmsford Therapy Rooms can help with them.

I’ll Lose Weight!

This is probably one of the most common issues people present with in the New Year. I remember when I used to go to a slimming class and being told that on average people put on seven pounds (3.175kg) over the festive season! Clearly it’s not a good idea to go on a fad diet and end up harming yourself - the best thing to do is to lose the weight at your body’s own natural pace, and that’s where a nutritionist can help you. They will look at what you have been eating, take some further details about you and your lifestyle, what you want to achieve (etc) and then help you with a plan that will help you lose weight effectively and safely.

For those that have overindulged and then realised it’s rather more difficult to stop over indulging than they thought, sometimes a weight issue may be more than just the festive season taking its toll. There is also a lot of guilt that can present with this, so for clients feeling guilty about eating something ‘naughty’ or something they ‘didn’t need to eat’, January can feel like the longest month ever because of the merry-go-round of junk food versus guilt. Counselling and hypnotherapy can be absolutely great for helping clients tackle weight loss issues. We look at your mindset, your beliefs around food and look to use various coping techniques to not only help you take control but to tackle those underlying issues that have caused you to put the weight on in the first place. The festive season can be a real wake up call. Counselling and hypnotherapy can help you remain awake to your weight issue, deal with it and move on to a better, healthier you!

I’ll Get over My Anxiety/Depression/Stress I have put these three issues under the same section because they all usually go together - and definitely influence each other! For many people the festive season is less laughter and cheer and more stress and anxiety, leaving them feeling low and exhausted. By the end of the festive season some people have simply come to the end of their tether and decided they have to learn how to deal with their mindset so that they can relax. Over thinking is a common cause of anxiety, stress and depression. Whether it’s focusing on one or many things, clients often report that not only can they not stop thinking, but that their thoughts are negative, worrisome, random and even irrational.

Of course, the other problem that the festive season brings is that it can remind us of losses and of people who we wish were still with us.

Or it reminds us of what we haven’t achieved, as people boast about how great their year has been, or even the opposite where other people’s misery can also bring us down! The festive season brings out the best and worst in people. Counselling and hypnotherapy helps you deal with your anxiety, depression or stress using various methods and coping techniques so that you are better prepared for the future and can move on happier and more fulfilled. Hypnotherapy is also great for learning how to relax and reprogramming your mindset to be more positive!

I’ll Overcome My Phobias Another common New Year’s Resolution is to decide to get rid of a phobia. You can literally be phobic of anything, but however silly you think your fear is, we’ve probably treated it before and at the very least we will likely know of it! The festive season can often bring things to a head and cause people to decide once and for all they are not going through another experience where they feel embarrassed about their fear. Counselling helps you explore and overcome your

phobia. Hypnotherapy can also do this through hypnoanalysis, but we can also use suggestion therapy and other techniques to help you overcome your fears.

I’ll Kick My Habits Common New Year’s Resolutions are ‘I’ll Quit Smoking!’, or ‘I won’t drink so much alcohol!’ - and then the next minute you’re freezing your butt off outside your local pub trying to light a cigarette whilst grasping a glass of wine in a frost bitten hand...

Before a therapist helps you tackle these types of habits, we will likely encourage you to look at why you’re prepared to freeze your butt off outside to have a cigarette, and why you feel the need to drink so much after all the booze consumed over the festive period. Both counselling and hypnotherapy can help in various ways with these, but one thing is for sure: if you don’t truly want to quit, you won’t.

These are not just habits, they’re self defeating behaviours and we need to figure out why you feel the need to indulge in them in the first place. There’s a pay-off. We need to identify it, deal with it and then you can move on. If you decide to see a nutritionist, please do be honest with them about how much you drink and smoke. A therapist is not there to judge you, just to help you.

I’ll Sort My Relationship Issues We receive many enquiries to do with relationships breaking down over, or just after, the festive period. Just as the divorce lawyers take sooo many enquiries in the New Year, so do us therapists. We deal with couples seeking counselling, or individuals who are unhappy in their relationships. We also see people who are single and just can’t seem to find someone suitable and they start to wonder if there is something wrong with them! No matter what it is, therapy can help.

We explore the issues in a safe, non-judgemental environment you may be shocked at what you find out about your relationship patterns!

In terms of couples counselling, it is common for us to see couples where one person wants to make a change more than the other. Do bear this in mind before contacting us. We will try to help you the best we can but we cannot persuade anyone not to end - or to end - a relationship! We also see an upturn in those wishing to become more healthy in the New Year, some after a break-up who wish to learn how to treat themselves kindly, some may be planning for the future (wedding, baby etc) and wish to get advice on nutrition. Either way, we have therapists available here to help.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from all of us at Chelmsford Therapy Rooms!

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

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

Read All About It! This school term, I have visited a number of primary schools in Chelmsford. Again and again I have been impressed by the hard work our youngest students put into their studies, especially reading. This week we learned the excellent news that pupils in England are amongst the top 10 in the world at reading. Performance has actually jumped; this year 81% of six year olds passed reading tests, compared to only 58% in 2012.

Good reading skills are crucial to our young people’s future, so this is a really important achievement. Part of the success is due to the changes made by the Government to make sure teaching by phonics has been embedded in the school curriculum. Another part of the success is due to teachers and parents, but a large part of the success has been the work of the children themselves. Well done to all!

Christmas Giving This week I visited Kids Inspire, who work with young people all across Essex who have suffered trauma. They have just won a huge £310,845 grant from the National Lottery which will enable them to give more mental health support to those in need. This year, Kids Inspire will give Christmas parcels of presents and food to 572

children. It’s not too late to donate to their Christmas campaign at www.kidsinspire.org.uk.

Moving on in Brexit Talks During the General Election campaign in Chelmsford, I promised that I would work to secure the best outcomes from the UK/EU negotiations for all the people of Chelmsford. It is important that we take the time to get this right, since many jobs depend on the outcome.

Over recent months, I have been working behind the scenes with Government ministers, and with MPs from across the UK and across Europe to help find agreement. I am delighted that sufficient progress has been made in the first phase of our negotiations to allow the talks to move on to trade and security.

The first stage has secured the rights of the three million EU citizens living here and the million British citizens living in the EU. This will provide welcome stability for these families in the run up to Christmas. The agreement also avoids a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, as well as keeping the UK united.

This is good news, but the next stage of negotiations will involve even more detail. I can see another busy year ahead.

From County Hall - by Cllr Dick Madden Happy New Year to all readers of the Moulsham Times and may it be a happy and prosperous one for you all.

I have got to firstly mention my enjoyment at the role of looking very similar to

Father Christmas at the recent Christmas breakfast for families - in particular children - at the Moulsham Community Centre on Moulsham Lodge. The committee of the centre were outstanding, well done to you all.

Alas, I could not support the committee on the second day of the event, as sadly my dear mother-in-law, Kathleen Barham at 86 years of age, passed away in Manor Lodge Home. Kathleen was well known in our local area, having been the owner of Barham and Moore Printers with her sons and daughters. She was also active in the local church and carried out voluntary work in a charity shop in Moulsham Street. My wife Kathryn and all our family have been overwhelmed by the kind words many of you have expressed about this strong woman - we thank you. May her soul and all the souls of the faithfully departed rest in peace.

So a New Year is upon us and our city centre is bustling with the January sales. A positive response shown by our police and city council officers has had an impact with the amount of aggressive beggars being reduced in the city. However, we cannot be complacent with those individuals who are genuinely homeless and this year we must do more to assist those persons in assisting turning their lives around and attaining a warm residence.

Throughout the past summer and this winter, residents have also regularly expressed their concerns regarding open drug dealing on our streets, frustrated by perceived lack of enforcement by law enforcement. I can state though that as a result of positive action, our local police have indeed been very busy and drug dealers displaying this anti-social behaviour have been arrested and are now relaxing at Her Majesty’s pleasure. Please though, if you do observe such undesirable action, contact the police or myself and all information will be treated confidentiality leading to more positive action.

So onwards and upwards into 2018. What are we looking forward to?

One thing is the football FIFA World Cup in the coming summer - our expectations will be high, but what will the future hold? In any case, do have a great year.

BE SAFE

Dick 6 www.moulshamtimes.com

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MT Health

The Year of the Habits

Happy New Year, Moulshamites! I hope you had a splendid festive season with oodles of fun. It comes and goes so quickly doesn’t it!?

I love the time with family and enjoy the well earned rest. I also use the time between Christmas and New Year to reflect on the year just gone and to make plans for the year to come.

I sit down with a huge piece of paper and think about the wins, the losses, and the lessons of the last twelve months. I then use another equally large piece of paper to make specific plans for the upcoming year, which I split into all the various parts of my life from health and hobbies to family and business.

The whole thing takes a good few hours, but it really clears my head and gets me ready for what’s to come.

say, looking back, 2017 was ‘The Year of the Habits’.

My reason for telling you this is that if there is one habit I want to motivate you to employ, just one, it’s the habit of movement.

Find time each day to do a little stretching, walk instead of drive, get up from your desk and have a big, cartoon-like yawn. Just move!

By doing little bits each day, you will be amazed at how you feel over time. Like any investment, it compounds. Things that feel difficult now will slowly become easy. You’ll notice that simple things like tying your shoelaces will become... easier.

Your body will slowly become yours again. You will own your movement and feel free and confident to do as you please.

I am constantly in awe as to the knock on effect this can have in one’s life; if you can move freely, your work, your hobbies and time with your family all become easier and more enjoyable.

So let’s make 2018 a year of movement together! If you need any inspiration, we post videos on the Book of Face; you can find us at facebook.com/fortephysicalhealth - or take a look at our website www.fortephysicalhealth.co.uk.

As always, if you feel pain is preventing you from starting your journey into movement, that’s where we can help with our expert team.

I wish you a great, healthy and happy start to the year and I hope that it’s a successful one for you.

If I were to summarise my 2017, I would call it: ‘The Year of the Habits’. I didn’t set out with the intention for it to be this way, but I started (and stuck to) many habits through the year.

I think it all started with getting into meditating using the app Headspace. Not only did meditating every day make me feel so much calmer, happier and more productive, but the app gives you a timeline of your meditations and I became completely addicted to it!

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I didn’t want to break the line of daily meditations and over time I saw immense benefits. Putting in ten minutes a day, every day, created huge results.

Parallel to this, I had been keeping a journal for the first time in my life.

Initially, I found it very hard to find the time to write in it each day, but after a few months it became immensely satisfying to flick through the many pages of text and see what I’d created.

Again, I didn’t want to break the run!

Once I’d started to see the power of habits, it infiltrated other parts of my life. After a particularly painful trip to the dentist, I thought: ‘I’ll show him, next time I’m going to have perfect teeth’ - so I have flossed every day since. I have never had such a religious flossing habit in my life and guess what, it works! Who’d have thought it, those dentists weren’t making it up after all!

Other habits included writing, stretching, weightlifting, decluttering and all sorts of other things. So, like I 8

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MT Gardening This is a perfect time of the year to get your fruit sorted out for the next growing season. It doesn’t matter if it’s cold, as this plant group of trees, shrubs, bushes, climbers and herbaceous perennials are very hardy… although their flowers may be damaged by frost if they are early flowering types. Have your horticultural fleece at the ready, or better still for restricted fruit trees, build a frame around the tree!

When I say ‘sorted’, I do mean pruning and training at this time of year. On no account should there be any feeding with products containing nitrogen, as this can cause lush sappy growth to emerge if we have a warmish day. If the weather turns bad again, new growth can be frosted and killed off. As a result of this there will be an impact on yield for the coming season. Feed from March onwards with feeds containing nitrogen products, eg.

Fish, Blood and Bone or Vitax Q4.

It’s also a time to plug any gaps on the allotment or fruit garden with new plants. It is preferable to purchase fruit trees or bushes from specialist nurseries and your good local garden centres. Why not try mail order? This is

still one of the best ways to purchase fruit trees and bushes.

Tree and bush fruit are generally available as bare root or containergrown specimens. Cane fruit are usually bought in bundles with the roots wrapped in polythene. It is wise to purchase young plants, as they tend to establish better.

Care of Fruit for This Time of the Year

Prune open grown/free standing apples and pears (but not those trained against walls) - shorten back by a third to an outward facing bud and leave side shoots to develop fruit buds for the following year.

Consider cutting out or reducing crossing branches to improve air flow and thereby reduce potential disease and thin out congested spurs - cut off those on the underside of branches, as they will be weaker and less productive.

Raspberries: Summer types, like Glen Ample AGM, need to have their fruited stems cut down to the ground and remaining vegetative canes tied into a framework roughly 10cm apart. leave the tips extended from the framework and arched over and tied in. Difficult or poorly spaced stems should also be cut out. Autumn types, such as Autumn Bliss AGM, all fruit on new growth, so cut all stems to the ground.

Blackberries: These tend to flower on previous season’s growth - a little like rambler roses! Remove fruited growth to the ground or to where there is a well positioned vegetative growth. Weave vegetative growths over top wire and lower wires of the support. Minimal tying-in is required. Take a look at this link for more information: www.rhs.org. uk/advice/grow-your-own/fruit/blackberries.

Strawberries: Clean through foliage for composting. Potentially harvest runners that have rooted and plant out. Do consider removing entire bed of strawberries if they have been in the area for at least three years. Reinvigorate soil by using a green manure and then replant next autumn. Check out this link on green manures, a great way of potentially improving soil fertility, reducing soil erosion and weeds: www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=373.

Lastly, don’t forget to keep harvesting leeks, parsnips, winter cabbage, sprouts and remaining root crops. Keep those covers on brassicas to keep the dreaded pigeon off!

I hope that you had a great Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all. Most of all, 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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Music and Blues & Roots in the City - by Nick Garner Chelmsford Arts and Cultural Festival Update The festival plans and support are coming together and we are now starting to put the meat on the bones with the planning. We have gained a lot of support from the universities, Chelmsford College, Aquila, Bond Street retailers, High Chelmer, Chelmsford Cathedral and Christ Church, with more coming on board all the time. The dates are now fixed and it will be from 23rd June to 1st July.

We have scheduled a public meeting to find out more at 8pm on 16th January 2018 at Transition, which is located behind the Railway Tavern and the Ale House by the railway station. We are setting up the social media pages and a website, and we now have an email address to use until we get set up - contact@chelmsfordaacf.org.

We are also registering as a charity so that all profits go back to help grow the festival for the future.

The hard work starts now with all the bookings and getting sponsorships and so much more and we welcome your suggestions as well. As I have said in the past, we hope to include everything from industry to arts trails, spoken word, dance, yoga, tai chi, circus, music and much more. We want this to be for everyone of all ages and ethnicity - we do not want to exclude anyone, as we see this as being for the betterment of Chelmsford and Essex. We hope you agree that this could really put us on the world map in time and help our bid to become UK City of Culture for 2025.

Music We are changing Blues and Roots in the City at the Bassment to encourage more people to come and enjoy the good music. We are reducing the entry fee for our monthly nights to between £5 and £7 in advance, and between £7 and £9 on the door. Tickets are available from the Hop Beer Shop, the Bassment or on our ticket hotline by texting 07508 496 411 - text your name, how many tickets and which show. You will then receive a text back to confirm and you pay the advance price on the door. You can see details for the next gig on 25th January in this edition of the magazine.

We have some great acts lined up so far for this year, including Dave Kelly of the Blues Band and Denny Newman (ex Mick Taylor). Our Essex Delta Blues day will be on Saturday 10th March from noon to midnight with 18 acts playing non-stop and for free, as we will be donating all the door money to CHESS - the Chelmsford homeless charity.

We have some great acts lined up at the football club as well for 2018, starting off with The Jam Project and Spencer M Taylor (formally of the Sandpilots) opening. In February we have The Cureheads, who are probably the best tribute act to The Cure - they have been doing this for almost 30 years now, March sees sixties legends The Pretty Things, who still feature Phil May fronting the band and Dick Taylor on guitar. Dick was also in the first line-up of The Rolling Stones. The Pretty Things have influenced so many bands from The Who to Led Zeppelin to the Sex Pistols and the Ramones.

They are still making great and fresh music to this day. Special guests on the night will be Jamie Williams and the Roots Collective, who will be playing their new album Diff’rent Gravy - their first for the record label 3Ms Music.

On Tuesday 25th April we welcome the return of Albert Lee and his band as part of their European tour. We are hoping that they will have the video that they filmed with us last year. Then on Friday 18th May we have the American blues giant and multi-award winning Larry Garner with the Norman Beaker Band. Not only is Larry a great guitarist and singer songwriter, but he is also very funny too. opening for him are Mississippi MacDonald and Soul Fixers.

On Friday 15th June we have U2 Tribe - a treat for all of you who are fans of U2. With Paul Stevens on guitar, they are almost as good (or even better) than the real thing...

We can also confirm the return of Limehouse Lizzy for Friday 7th December to end the year on high note.

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Gig Reviews Two shows to review now. At the football ground we welcomed back Who’s Next, who once again thrilled the audience playing all those great songs that The Who made famous - and they do it so very well.

On top of that they are all really nice people as are The Sharpeez who opened for them. Bill Mead writes great tunes and now with Loz Netto on lead and slide guitar, the band are on fire and again. They were very well received by everyone.

The last show for us in 2017 at the Bassment was a full on night

with a double headline show. We began with Jack Hutchinson and harmonica player Tom Brundage playing an acoustic set - and what a set it was, mixed with original material and some good covers and stories in between. As ever, the crown loved them as they did Dave Ferra with his Allstar Band. Dave has previously always played solo acoustic for us, but we wanted to see his band - and what a band with Dave playing electric guitar plus slide and harmonicas and on vocals.

Along with his (always very funny) jokes and stories. Gary Smith-Lyons was on drums, and what a feel he has. Dougie Woodison was on sax; one of the best players I have seen and I have seen many of the greats. Mickey Pierce was on bass and vocals. Dave said to me that he is their ‘secret weapon’, because when he steps up to sing, wow, what a voice - he sounds like he has been eating glass or swallowed a box of razor blades, but the delivery of the songs is perfect. It was a fantastic and fitting end to 2017 for Blues and Roots in the City, and we are looking forward to a great 2018.

As ever, please do try to come out and support the great live scene that we have in Essex, because if you do not we may lose it. For more information on all of the above and more see the links below or pick up a copy of the City Times and go to the What’s On page to see what else in happening in your area.

If you go to 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 Arts and Cultural Festival email: contact@chelmsfordaacf.org

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MT Baking - by Bev Matthews Firstly let me introduce myself. I’m Beverley Matthews, a selfconfessed foodie, keen cook and owner of a local catering and events business called Perfect Day Caterers.

After years of sharing my love of food with friends and family, I now spend my days creating delicious dishes for all types of occasions, including private dinner parties, birthdays, BBQs, corporate events and even weddings!

Over the coming months I’ll be sharing with you some of my favourite recipes, both savoury and sweet. So, if you love entertaining and are looking for fresh ideas to impress your guests, I’m sure there’ll be something here to whet your appetite!

With Burns Night fast approaching on the 25th January, I thought it would be a fantastic opportunity to focus on a Scottish inspired recipe - a trio of Scotch eggs with black pudding, haggis and smoked salmon.

Cooking the perfect Scotch egg, which is crispy on the outside with a runny yolk in the middle, is one the most satisfying things to accomplish in the kitchen, well I think so anyway! So in honour of Burns Night, here are 3 variations of the traditional Scotch egg for the perfect Burns Night starter or party snack.

This recipe will make 6 eggs in total (enough for 4 people as a starter).

Method 1. Place the eggs in a pan of cold water and then place on the hob.

The trick to cooking the eggs perfectly is to wait for the water to boil and as soon as it does take the pan off the heat, cover it with cling film and leave for 4 minutes exactly. The eggs will cook gently in the hot water without over cooking. After 4 minutes take the eggs out of the hot water and place in ice cold water to cool them down quickly. TIP: Start with eggs that have been chilled in the fridge.

Now prepare each of the mixtures to coat the eggs in...

For the Haggis Scotch Egg: 2. Mix half of the sausage meat with the haggis.

For the Black Pudding Scotch Egg: 3. Chop up the black pudding into small dice and mix with the remaining sausage meat.

For the Smoked Salmon Scotch Egg: 4. Place half of the cold smoked salmon, half of the hot smoked salmon and the double cream into a blender and blitz for a short time just to bring it together.

5. Chop the remaining salmon and dill and mix into the creamed salmon mix along with some salt, pepper and lemon juice. Taste to check the seasoning.

6. Now the eggs are cool, peel them and then coat each one in the mixtures you have created in step 2. The best way to do this is to lay each mixture out flat on a piece of clingfilm, lightly dust the egg in flour and then place the egg on top of the mixture. Lift the cling film up around the egg. You can then smooth it around and fill in any gaps.

7. To coat each egg in breadcrumbs, dust with flour, then coat in beaten egg and finally finish with a coating of breadcrumbs.

8. Use a deep fat fryer if you have one, otherwise heat vegetable or rape seed oil in a pan to 180C - you’ll need enough oil to completely cover the eggs. Cook the eggs for 3 minutes, until they are golden brown and crispy on the outside. TIP: Use a sugar thermometer to monitor the temperature of the oil.

9. Remove from the pan and drain on some kitchen paper. To serve, slice each egg in half and season with sea salt.

If you’d like to sample some more Burns Night inspired recipes, come along to our pop-up restaurant at The UB for our Burns Night Food and Wine evening on Thursday 25th January. Email beverley@ perfectdaycaterers.co.uk to find out more.

For more information about Perfect Day Caterers and to see more recipes, visit www.perfectdaycaterers. co.uk, or email beverley@ perfectdaycaterers.co.uk.

14 www.moulshamtimes.com

A W203 Basically - by Simon Inglis A few years ago a luxury car had electric windows, mirrors, maybe some leather and a decent 4-speaker sound system. Cruise control was a nice extra as were airbags and ABS. Beyond that, well a car was a car. Any Mercedes was a luxury car and the SUV craze just didn’t exist.

Admittedly I still struggle with the changes, mostly technology for technology’s sake over the past 25 years. I still don’t see a need for keyless entry, TFT screens, and ‘electric everything.’ I’m not a complete neanderthal though, as I find driver aids of some use - the use of radar, stability programs, passive safety technology and so on. Yet until there’s an ‘autopilot’ button on my dashboard, many so called advances don’t seriously impress me. I’ve certainly never desired electric windows in my house as an example!

So, to the uncelebrated C180 W203 C Class I’m devoting this article to. This most basic of Mercedes models has one flaw; to me, it is indeed raspy throated and underpowered. It lacks any real pick up when merging into a fast road. And that is its Achilles’ heel.

The W203 photographed was snapped up for small change as you’d expect; a gamble given this model’s reputation for electronic gremlins. It’s a car most unlikely to be seen as desirable in years to come, thus it’s run as a family hack - a hack with 8 airbags, ABS and ESP, electric windows all round and electric mirrors and seats.

It has cruise control, remote locking, a decent stereo and of course the supportive seating you’d expect of any Mercedes model over long distance driving. I admit I’m a fan of the half moon adjustable instrument cluster and I struggle to understand in what manner the facelifted dials appear more modern. Cheaply built perhaps, but still

attractive to look at for me!

The car sits on standard 15-inch wheels. Given the intent of the C180 in the maker’s pecking order that seems fine, although 16s would ride better. The 5-speed gearbox was certainly modern enough in 2002 and ignoring the option to manually shift, changes are smooth once warmed up. 5-speed isn’t exactly lacking versus many modern auto’ boxes anyhow.

For the money, what really is wrong with a well looked after base model modern Mercedes? Shortcomings yes, but the W203 has copped a lot of unfair criticism in my opinion over the years! The W203 was a terrific seller in Australia with the downsized S Class really placing its maker in the line of vision for many Australians over the more upmarket Japanese and Koreans.

It helped that I struck a cared for car - two previous owners and not only a stamped book, but receipts for a lot of money spent in the key areas a used buyer would worry about. For example, a new SAM installed by a Mercedes Benz dealership in 2015 and a lot of bills for suspension work since 2011. This (as the shabby plastic wheel covers indicate) was not a pristine car, but it was certainly overserviced, if there is such a thing, for many years. I’m about to fit some nicer wheel covers which will complete the car in my opinion. It’s not a Merc to overdo with fake AMG decals that’s for sure!

I noticed this car one lazy evening online back in July. At the time our quick family estate car was awaiting some work and we’d signed on the dotted line to move to our new home in western Victoria, so we’d finally have room for at least three cars. I approached the whole purchase as an adventure. After countless photos, a vehicle security report and copies of servicing and repairs photographed and emailed, I sent $100 as a holding deposit. I’d never spend so-called serious money on a sight unseen purchase, yet at under $2,000, at worst I imagined I’d just have to sell the car on. With my son at that precious age in which train travel is humanity’s greatest invention, we set off on some 500 miles together on a rural journey terminating in the city of Adelaide and a local hotel.

Yet another first for me was in signing vehicle documents in a hotel lobby, yet after parting with about £1,000 in exchange for a polished W203, at least I knew the paperwork had been verified, mileage accurate and the various receipts and history were not forged. I didn’t have a good opportunity to inspect the car properly until the gloomy July winter light the next morning. Added with a test drive around city traffic and the car seemed to be exactly what it was said to have been on the tin.

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drivers to ‘Black ice below 4C’ and of controlled and further reduced limits in thick fog. Summers are brutal, 30 degrees plus inland with little in the way of relief until likely late March. Four true seasons and thick vegetation among some of the world’s best farming country gives drivers experience under many different weather systems!

For that, my fragile factory lowered estate car isn’t to be overused.

Too much can go wrong and its all terribly expensive to fix. I’ve not caught the SUV bug and at my age I’m now unlikely to do so. A proper 4WD perhaps but no Qashqai lookalikes interest me. So the potential longevity of a well packaged old C Class suits me very well indeed.

The C180 keeps up with city or town traffic and isn’t overly economical nor uneconomical. I’d got what I wanted; a Mercedes runabout that just doesn’t appeal to young kids with a few thousand to spend - the flat four indeed nothing special.

Debadged it could be any W203, yet I first felt the lethargy in the motor as my son and I climbed out of Adelaide in the slow and steep freeway lane, up through the long run into the hills and countryside at a 10-15% angle. The old Merc struggled, revving hard to keep up with modern traffic. This is 0-100kph (62mph) timing in the 11 to 12 second mark. Yet, so what? Sure I still miss the ease of overtaking compared to our turbocharged cars, lack of midrange boost and effortless power as in so many modern cars, but the C180 will very capably travel at listed speeds all day long. Or more! And I honestly like the ergonomics - a huge selling point in any car for me as that is the environment in which we spend our time. Since that gloomy winter, we’ve added some 5,000km without a hitch. The car still looks modern in my eyes versus the moretraditional W204, and while in time may be exchanged for an E Class for now its doing its job. It gets a huge workout as that is exactly what basic Mercs are for. In my town there’s an array of machinery you’d never expect, from new Alfas, old Saab 9-5s... I see one current shape S500 at the station almost daily as well as the usual infestation of anonymous SUVs and traddies trucks. Yet I compare my 15 year old to the most interesting Mercs to my eyes - beside stored classics that is!

Those old W124 diesels I also see almost daily. There are truly a lot about still as the rot worm is only now eating them away down under; a slower process than in the UK thanks to the notorious habit of salting roads.

Yesterday a W124 300D sat next to me at the local Aldi, its body now blistering, yet a glance inside the cabin was greeted with an odometer reading of 657,000 - kilometres.

Petrol versions around here see an easy 400,000km on rural roads.

This part of Australia has a brutal climate.

Winters go a full six months or more, they are cold with near constant sub zero nights, with ice and frosts and occasional snow.

Roads are not salted and rather strict - in fact ridiculously strict - limits are enforced by a staggering array of cameras.

Roads are now better maintained than in much of the UK, a proliferation of cat’s eyes, huge warning billboards alerting

The high mileage older cars I’ve seen give me confidence that with gentle driving and thoughtful care, my currently unloved W203 will do exactly what the once disliked W202, or even the once derided W201s, have proven to be - reliable workhorses. Time shall tell and a few long trips await over summer, meanwhile I grow fonder of my little C every day!

The ugly duckling is due for its time in the sun, and if I’m right I’ve got in on the act long before others.

That E Class may just have to wait!

Moulsham Schools

For the first time last year, the school appointed a head girl and head boy - the children were invited to apply for the roles in writing. The applicants were then shortlisted and the remaining candidates took part in a presentation and interview process before the final selections were made. Maariya Bhula and Nicolas Ostaszewski were fantastic ambassadors for our school and carried out their tasks with great enthusiasm and diligence.

This year we have appointed Rose Kettle-Williams and Freddie Smith, pictured below, as Head Girl and Head Boy respectively. They have each written brief introductions about themselves, and we wish them every success with their duties this year!

“Hello my name is Freddie and I am Head Boy of Moulsham Junior School. Along with Head Girl Rose, we will make this awesome school even better. We both love the range of before and after school clubs, for example I do karate club; it’s awesome! After school, I play rugby for Chelmsford, this helped me to get into the tag rugby team at

PE at Oaklands day at school.

Oaklands Infants School has recently renewed our KS1 Active School Quality Mark, which reflects the quality and breadth of PE we provide and the opportunities children at Oaklands have to stay healthy and active throughout their

We use our Sports Premium Funding effectively to ensure teachers are continuously developing their skills to teach interesting and diverse PE lessons which allow children to develop the skills they need to play a range of sports. In the autumn term, amongst other things the children working in class groups to develop a ‘weather dance’ linked to their Wild Weather topic. Year 2 children are already developing the skills needed to play 3-Tees cricket, with the aim of retaining our title of KS1 county champions.

school.

“One of my favourite PE lessons is swimming with my class, I also enjoy competing at swimming for the school in the swim team which supported my after school swim club. As well as that I really enjoy piano lessons at Allegro Music in town.”

“I am proud to welcome you to Moulsham Junior School as Head Girl. My name is Rose Kettle-Williams and I am eleven years old. Inside school, I enjoy the subject of English, as I love writing my own stories. My main hobbies are drama and art. My school has a lot of clubs and teams; I’m in badminton club and football team. I’m pleased for my positon of Head Girl as I hope to help my school during my last year.”

lunch times in our specially designed outdoor games space, which was funded by a successful lottery bid a couple of years ago. Here, Mr Knox organises a range of engaging team games for children of all abilities and fitness levels, which take full advantage of our fantastic basketball hoop, goals, playground markings and climbing wall.

Break and lunch time activities range from football to archery and encourage team work, friendships and healthy physical activity.

Children at Oaklands also experience a broader range of sports through coaching from outside organisations who visit Oaklands throughout the school year via taster days. Last half term ‘Rugby Tots’ spent the day working alongside teachers to improve the children’s tag rugby skills through fast paced and exciting activities.

The children then continued to practise these skills throughout the half-term, culminating in an intra-school Year 1 and Year 2 rugby competition. The competition began with a (rather scary) performance of the Haka from each class, before giving way to supportive cheers as the competition began.

As well as competitions within Oaklands, many children also attend inter-school competitions run by the Chelmsford School Sports Partnership. So far this year Oaklands have enjoyed success at the KS1 cross country, where we brought home 1st place in the Year 2 boys race and 2nd place overall, as well as KS1 football, where our teams placed 3rd and 5th place. In addition, children have attended archery and Little Stars competitions. Over the next two terms, we are looking forward to gymnastics, tag rugby, cheerleading and 3-Tees cricket competitions.

But the fun doesn’t stop at the end of the school day. Here at Oaklands we also have plenty of after school clubs children can choose to attend including gymnastics, tennis, multi-sports and football run by Mr Knox and by coaches from local clubs. At Oaklands Infants School our motto is ‘learning and fun with friends’, and our PE provision certainly provides exciting opportunities which support an active lifestyle and develop physical and team building skills.

3-Tees County Champions 2017

We are always keen to broaden the children’s experiences, so if you are involved with a health or sports club that could run some taster sessions for our 4 to 7 year olds, please do get in touch.

Brandon Knox, our sports coach, works alongside our teachers to encourage active participation from all pupils and to ensure children reach their full potential. Additionally, Mr Knox spends break and 18 www.moulshamtimes.com

Christmas at Moulsham Infant School Christmas really is a magical time in school. Our 4 reception classes performed Jingle Bell Rock stepping onto a big stage for the first time in front of overjoyed parents. The Mayor Duncan Lumley was delighted to watch the opening performance on Tuesday 5th December.

Our KS1 children worked hard together to perform A King is Born, with four fantastic performances that were watched by some special visitors including some of the school governors, the Year 3 children from Moulsham Junior School and past teachers as well as their very proud parents.

The productions were full of brilliant actors, singers, musicians and dancers!

We have also had our very own visit from Father Christmas, and SMILE (our PTA) transformed the school hall into a magical Christmas market full of gifts for all the family. Every child was excited to go shopping and buy gifts for all of their loved ones and they even had the chance to stop in the Christmas cafĂŠ for a cake before the wrapping began!

To view our magazines online please visit www.issuu.com/itsyourmedia

Supporting Moulsham Infants Learning Experience.

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Intelligent Success? - by Mark Roberts Just 12 months ago I invited you to consider your life position based upon the work of psychiatrist, Doctor Thomas A Harris in his bestselling book I’m Ok, You’re Ok. In this work, Harris introduced a model that described human behaviour and emotional responses in terms of four life positions. This was, and still is, a useful model in assessing emotional states and can act as a good predictor of future behaviour. I recommend that you refer to that article as it sits very nicely with this month’s theme, which is about success.

intelligently.

As we approach the end of the year, a traditional time to take stock and think about making changes for the future, I am focused on helping you to create success more intelligently. I understand that success means something different to each and every one of you and you will be driven by any number of factors linked to your personal circumstances. Whatever is going on for you now, if you want to achieve greater success then you need to develop your awareness in some key areas.

Choice Perseverance is a matter of choice and your choices have defined who you are, where you are and ultimately, the direction you are travelling. You have the choice to direct your own life and the level of success that you wish to create. Doing nothing and living in the state of constant reaction is also a choice; it is a behaviour pattern analogous to running on a treadmill and never actually getting anywhere. If you want something different, something new and exciting, you have the choice to make a mind-shift away from reacting to another level; a level that opens the door to intelligent and elegant success.

Interested? Then read on…

There are four basic life responses that will impact on your ability to be successful, and you must have an intelligent awareness of them all if you want to ensure more than random success - and would rather be able to achieve repeat success over and over.

Reacting Reacting is a stimulus-response mechanism generated in a part of your brain, quaintly referred to as the ‘animal or reptilian brain’. It acts as an early warning survival system dealing with fight, or flight.

Reaction is simply a product of learned habitual behaviour, and whilst the fight or flight response is useful in the right circumstances, habitual behaviour will scupper growth, because it harnesses you to the same place.

Stimulus-response is a lower-brain activity: Dogs are stimulusresponse creatures that will react to one stimulus after another, like throwing a stick, or shaking a lead. That is not what you are - your brain is capable of so much more than that. You have a beautiful human brain, capable of thinking, planning and creating. It has been estimated that up to 95% of humans are stuck in the stimulusresponse mode and whilst stuck, are unable to create. To be able to create you must move away from constant reaction and make a mindshift up to the next level.

Creating Creating is the next level and it is where you were born to operate.

You may say: ‘but I am not creative, I have no artistic talents’. Do not be confused - you do not have to be artistic to be creative. Being artistic is just one level of creativity. To create, you first need to make that mind-shift up and away from reaction, and you do this by first knowing that you can, because it is your birth right. Next, simply relax and open your mind. Through a practised growth of personal awareness, when you feel a habitual response rising - stop and breath into the feeling; resist the reaction, then watch as it dissolves into nothingness - this is a truly meditative approach and I promise you, it will work.

Creating comes from movement; it is fluid and natural. You cannot create anything by simply sitting and doing nothing. The only time it is helpful to do nothing is when you have taken the decision to properly relax and recharge your batteries for future action. Creating is about growth and to grow you must be able to act - not react. Simply relax and open your mind to the possibilities. If you feel the fear, or the self-doubt creeping in, stop, breath into the feeling and observe as it simply disappears. The greatest gift that you can give yourself is to become familiar with and develop an understanding of how your mind works. Once learnt, you will always be in control and able to act 20

Perseverance Winston Churchill is reported as saying “success is not final; failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” He also said that “success is walking from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm.”

There are no guarantees of instant success and there is no guarantee that you will be successful in every endeavour, but with perseverance you will increase your chances, as you become fearless in understanding that failure is about learning and simply paves the way to a successful future.

Make that mind-shift and start creating success today.

To your success…

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

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Quiz Time by John Theedom

1. In which English county is Burnham-on-Sea? 2. What kind of creature is a pochard?

3. A loganberry is a cross between a raspberry and which fruit?

4. In the theatre, what is a ‘super trooper’?

5. What is a ‘tittle’?

6. In the USA, what are ‘grits’?

7. What is the ‘flitch’ in Dunmow Flitch?

8. In which county is Windsor Castle?

9. In Foyles War, what part does Honeysuckle Weeks play?

10. Where on your body is the philtrum?

11. What is a ‘Denver Boot’?

12. Where would you use a mezzaluna?

13. What is Morgan Spurlock famous for?

14. Who was Frank Sinatra’s second wife?

15. What did Trigger always call Rodney in Only Fools and Horses?

16. Which group of animals do snails belong to?

17. What is a lectern?

18. What is ‘Two Jags’ real name?

19. A litter from which animal is known as a ‘farrow’?

20. BUPA stands for what?

21. In which year was the senotaph in London built?

22. A shawm is what kind of musical instrument?

23. What type of fruit is a ‘custard’?

24. How many different denominations of the Euro coin are there?

25. On your computer, what is HTTP? 26. What do the letters B & Q stand for?

27. Who is the presenter of BBC’s quiz, A Question of Sport?

28. In which UK city is the street called Vicar’s Close, the oldest residential street in Europe?

29. What is Elvis Presley’s middle name?

30. What is the total of the snooker balls - yellow to black inclusive?

31. How many legs does a woodlouse have?

32. Where on your body is a pollex?

33. What exactly is a ‘distaff’?

34. Who would use a ‘curette’ in the course of their work?

35. Which US TV serial did ‘Hotlips’ feature in?

36. In which UK city is there an area known as ‘The Gorbals’?

37. Where on your body will you find your ‘cilia’?

38. In Great Britain, what is the maximum width of a narrow boat?

39. What is the process of ‘bastinado’?

40. When is a ‘menorah’ used?

Wine Corner Hi all, as I write this month, the snow is falling and causing chaos as usual. We seem to get caught out - even when the weather forecast is quite accurate. Never mind, I’m retired from work, so luckily I can just stay indoors. I had over 26 years of travelling the A12, and it is nice now to look out on a snowy morning and not to anticipate getting to work just in time to come back again.

I hope you all had a great Christmas!

This month, I am going to start by talking about a winery in Cornwall, thanks to Sean, our proof reader who put me on to it. You will remember that there are over 500 vineyards in England and Wales and if you google ‘Cornish vineyards’, about fourteen come up immediately and Camel Valley is one of them. It’s situated in the centre of the county and even has a couple of cottages that can be rented. Just imagine that; overnight sleepover and waking up to a view of the a vineyard. I would probably think I was dreaming! They produce a range of sparkling wines, still wines, and even appear to produce a beer made in the Champagne method, I bet that’s interesting... They also produce sparkling cider.

The main grapes we use in England are pinot noir and baccus, and over five million bottles are sold each year with sales and exports rising. As with most English sparkling wines, they come at a bit of a premium, but the quality is as good as Champagne, if not better, so it is reasonable to expect to pay the price. I think I will take our new motorhome to Cornwall next year and get to taste some of the produce. A nice tour of several of the vineyards would be good, but I’m not sure what the public transport is like there. I could not visit these places without a taste, so no driving.

Wine tours also feature at Camel Valley and are reasonably priced; a grand tour with tasting costs £18 per person, or a guided tour with a glass of wine costs just £8. Very nice too.

We just had a new shower fitted and the floor just outside looked a bit tatty, so when one of my sons, Richard, was visiting I asked him to help me with some lino tiles, you know, the sticky ones. Well, I say ‘help me’, it was more a case of us doing it together. Okay, I admit it - he did it all. I only passed him the tools! Turned out well though, looks very nice. The reason I mention this is not to show off about the new shower, but to show the versatility of a wine bottle. Some of the edges were not sticking down properly, so I went to the garage to get a little wallpaper roller. Well, I don’t know about you, but the back of my garage is almost unreachable, so no luck in finding a little thing about 4 inches long. Then, a light bulb moment. I walked into the bathroom with a bottle of red wine (as I thought that may be smoother than a white). My son said it was too early for him, but I proceeded to roll the bottle across the edges of the tiles. Perfect! It proves that it’s always useful to have a bottle of wine handy. Drank some of it later.

wine, I join a wine club. They often have very good initial offers, with half price wines and free delivery. All they normally ask is that you join one of their regular wine orders. Provided you are on the ball, you can pick and choose which ones you want, if any, and even cancel the orders if you want to. I must admit that I have been caught out a couple of times and a delivery suddenly appears on the doorstep, but overall it works for me. 12 cheap but excellent wines at a very good price.

Going back to the southern vineyards, Denbies estate in Surrey is not a million miles away (in Dorking). I have not been there, but on looking at their website, it looks like they are well set up. It is the largest vineyard in England with 265 acres of vines. That’s a lot of grapes! There are a couple of restaurants too, so you could make a day of it. They produce eight different still whites including a Pinot gris. Rosés include one from Dornfelder Pinot noir - Dornfelder is a very nice grape, mostly grown in Germany. They also produce a red made with Pinot noir, a popular grape with English growers.

As you would expect, they have a good range of sparkling wines, seven different ones including a blanc de blanc, which is made from Chardonnay. Wouldn’t say no to a taste of that. That’s convinced me that I should get to some of these vineyards. I will let you know how I get on...

I find that I’m getting more and more grumpy as I get older. One day this week I was driving in the city and am about 6th in the queue for the lights. At last a green appears and cars ahead of me start to move. The one directly in front of me sees the other cars move off, but only then engages first gear and takes the handbrake off when the car in front of them moves. They slowly wander to the end of the road, leaving a great big gap between them and the lights, and, what a surprise, they go through on amber and I have to stop! No wonder I get angry.

Later the same day, I am in the supermarket queue and get behind someone who, once they have finally loaded their trolley, seems to be surprised that they have to pay. They delve into their bag or pocket for their loyalty card, then proceed to get the exact money to pay. This seems to take ages. The shop will give you change, you know! One of my New Year Resolutions will be not to be so grumpy. That will last about seven hours if I start counting at midnight on the 31st!

Here’s looking forward to a great 2018 for all of us.

Bin end chuckles: I’ve just read a book about how to give constructive criticism. It was rubbish...

My wife said that she thought we would have less arguments if I wasn’t so pedantic. I said, “I think you mean fewer...”

I don’t know if you do the same, but when I’m getting a bit low on Keep calm and carry on drinking, in moderation.

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23

Double Celebration for Chelmsford Club The club celebrated a very special event on 12th December when Robert Fleming celebrated the 50th anniversary of being a club member. President Keith presented him with a certificate from the national headquarters of Rotary to mark the occasion. It came as a complete surprise to Robert who was President of the club in 1980/81. Although now getting on a bit as he readily admits, Robert still attends regular meetings and supports club activities.

It was a double celebration because it was also the 90th anniversary of the charter of the Rotary Club of Chelmsford, making it the oldest of the clubs in Chelmsford and one of the oldest in the country.

Rotary began in 1905 in Chicago where the world head office still is and gradually spread throughout the world and now has representation in nearly 200 countries. In May this year a gala dinner in Chelmsford Cathedral was held to celebrate the club’s 90th birthday, although the actual day when the club was chartered was 9th December 1927. During this time the club has been an integral part of the community of the town and city, instigating many services and supporting many others.

few trees around the perimeter would be a welcome addition. No problem for Phoenix, and after a few phone calls suitable trees have been acquired and planted.

The club has also been busy fundraising. In October they held another quiz with a capacity attendance and in November they broke their record for fundraising at the annual Rose & Crown firework display. In return for help to publicising the event, Rotarians hold their collection buckets. By the time you read this Phoenix will have also performed their (now annual) repertoire of Christmas songs and carols to entertain the shoppers in High Chelmer Shopping Precinct.

We are expecting additional seasonal characters this year, so hope to be even more successful with collecting.

Yet another success story in the fundraising arena was the annual mulled wine event in Chelmsford on the last Sunday of November.

For the past few years, Phoenix has taken the lead on behalf of the Chelmsford clubs in planning and running this event. This year resulted in a record profit of just under £1,985 which will be passed on to the Mayor of Chelmsford’s charities for the year.

There are five Rotary clubs in Chelmsford itself and all are very active. In fact, Rotary is introducing a new slogan in the new year ‘Rotary, People of Action’, so if you think this sounds like you and you would like to become involved, visit www.rotary1240.org or give me a call on 01245 260 349. It will add hugely to your self-satisfaction and your social life.

Stan Keller

Much of this contribution is done through fundraising, and recently the club held a jumble sale at Danbury Village Hall where Rotarians manned their stalls together with other local organisations. Despite signs of inclement weather, the jumble kept on rolling in and £617 was raised. This will fund the annual pantomime trip for elderly people in Chelmsford.

Rotary also helps people turn their life around and on Thursday 30th November Tracy Mackness from The Giggly Pig Company gave a very inspiring talk to members. She spoke candidly about her time in prison and how, whilst there, she had the determination to study, gain qualifications and have work experience on the prison farm.

While doing this, she became besotted with the pigs and on leaving prison set up her own sausage making business. This took off almost immediately and is now very successful. She is grateful for the support she encountered and now returns the favour by giving talks to Rotary and also regularly advertising in the Rotary magazine, 1240 News.

The other local Rotary clubs have also been busy, and this gives me a chance to give you an update on the hugely successful project in which the Rotary Club of Chelmsford Phoenix had helped a local charity, Interact, to create a garden to be enjoyed by their young clients at Moulsham Mill. Phoenix had facilitated the garden, a patio, lawn, flower and shrub beds, but it subsequently emerged that a

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Larger Gents (Biggerland) Clothing have moved to 2 Navigation Road Parking at the rear of the store

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Art Exhibition at Anglia Ruskin University January 2018 - by John Power Friday meditation moots with visiting yogis organised by editor Muz Murray. The shoppe has long since disappeared under a block of flats, but the influence of ‘The Garden’ has carried on internationally by mantra yogi Muz, and in my work that evolved out of the colourful Art Nouveau revival style of the 1960s.

After secondary education at Moulsham School, my formal art education began at Colchester School of Art in 1966, but having made the mistake of specialising in Commercial Graphics (to sell things to people that they don’t need to buy, with money they havn’t got) I dropped out and let my interests in practical applications of philosophy lead me to the Worlds End Garden, with it’s constant stream of visiting yogis and yoginis. All the exposure Tolkien has had, Gandalf’s Garden may seem a bit hackneyed, but at the time there was nothing like it. When my then wife became pregnant it was time to drop back in again and return to college, and saw me emerge in 1973 into the world of art teaching, after studying at Brentwood College, one of the founding colleges of Anglia Ruskin University, to which I returned, ‘in service,’ to also take a Diploma in Art Education, before Art Exhibition at Anglia Ruskin University January 2018.

Its not very often that anyone gets the chance to review their own exhibition of paintings, but when writing for Moulsham Times and also being a practising artist who attended one of the founding colleges of our local university, on this occasion this is possible here, as Anglia Ruskin University continue to promote local artists in their Riverside Gallery. But rather than a review I wish to take the opportunity say how the paintings and related drawings evolved.

In 1968 and 1969 I was working for the Mystical Scene magazine, Gandalf’s Garden, doing illustration and layout and sleeping in the cellar of it’s post-Psychedelic Head Shoppe at 1, Dartrey Terrace, Worlds End, Chelsea. The cellar was also used for an entrance exam to London University to complete my Masters Degree. I continued to teach in schools, colleges and prisons, as well as for mental health organisations until 2012 when I retired. I had achieved my MA in Jungian psychology and art therapy from London University in 1982.

I have exhibited in and around my home town of Chelmsford and London on numerous occasions, alone or shared, often alongside my students’ work.

In 1979 I was asked to become Western Preceptor of the Uttarakaula Tantikas by Guru Sri Satguru Dadaji Mahendranath, an Englishman who originated from Epping and Brighton families but who had travelled the Orient collecting initiations in Oriental Wisdom Schools, including that of the Uttarakaula Tantriks.

Uttara means ‘north’ so in this context: North Indian, Kaula or Goddess energy orientated, tantrik yoga.

Since retiring I have contributed articles to local newspapers, Moulsham and City Times, as well as continuing to paint canvasses that are teaching aids for this tradition and related Eurasian traditions, as indicated by Guru Mahendranath. Since the invention of photography, art has branched into stylistic innovations, abstraction and philosophical observation, or the recording of images from less everyday realms of consciousness. It is this last stream of the surrealistic activity that my

work belongs to.

In the past I have also written for various green and new age periodicals.

My books include: The Nu Tantras of the Uttarakaulas: historical records and inspirational texts with illustrations.

Uttarakuru: a practical guide to Tantrik yoga.

Pagans and Witches of Essex: local folklore.

Essex Rock Bands: now part of the Chelmsford Rocks website A Sense of Place: local history and arts related essays.

Madaece: a novel set in the ‘60s and ‘70s counterculture.

All are available from my website: johnpowerweb.jimdo.com.

Graphic Techniques for Art, Craft and Design Technology was a school textbook published by Tynron Press in 1990 - badly timed: just before computer graphics took over!

I also contributed to Charlotte Rodgers’ anthology of Contemporary Books of the Dead, available from Mandrake publications.

The Riverside Gallery is at Anglia Ruskin University, at the entrance next to the main doors to the university which is by the roundabout at the end of New Street.

Christ Church in New London Road Happy New Year!

Each New Year a lot of us optimistically make New Year Resolutions only to feel guilty a few days or weeks later when they have already been broken! But what if everybody in Chelmsford made the same New Year Resolution and supported each other in keeping it?

Let’s make 2018 a year when we don’t have regrets; get in touch with that long lost friend, have the courage to say ‘sorry’ and to gracefully accept apologies from others. Could we go even further and befriend those who are lonely or on the margins of society? Speak to the Big Issue seller, find out how we can help refugees within Chelmsford, share a smile with a beggar - the sky’s the limit. We could write to our councillors, MPs or MEPs regarding issues we feel passionate about. The list is endless.

we can all aspire to. Don’t forget, however, Jesus says to “love your neighbour as yourself”. We need to love, or at least like, ourselves.

If you aren’t happy with the person you have become, why not speak to friends, relatives, a religious leader or a qualified counsellor?

Whatever we have done, or not done, God loves us unconditionally and we should try not to be so hard on ourselves.

Jean Burrows To keep in touch with what is happening at Christ Church URC, visit our website www.christchurchchelmsfordurc.org.uk, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

Many resolutions are about trying to give something up, whether it be smoking, trying not to eat junk food or watching less TV. But rather than giving something up, why don’t we make 2018 a year of being positive?

We don’t have to take out that expensive gym membership which in May we will realise we’ve only used 3 times.

Resolutions, the ones that really matter, the ones about our relationships with others, are free.

When Jesus was here on Earth there were many times when people tried to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but he managed to avoid these traps, providing us with much wisdom in the process.

A our lso v sho isit Me p at Sho adow the s p Cen ping tre

On one occasion, recorded in chapter 22 of Matthew’s Gospel, the Pharisees, a group of people who liked to follow strict religious rules with an outward show of holiness, asked him: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?” He answered: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.

That is the greatest, the first commandment. The second is like it: love your neighbour as yourself.”

Whether we are members of an organised religion, or none, loving/caring for our fellow humans is something www.moulshamtimes.com

Starts Wednesday 27th December 6 Suffolk Drive, Dukes Park Industrial Estate, Chelmsford, Essex CM2 6UN Remember to tell our advertisers you saw their advert in the MT

27

All About Moulsham Lodge & Tile Kiln Moulsham Lodge Community Trust Breakfast with Santa

This year we extended breakfast with Santa over two days feeding 200 people - not an easy task for a bunch of volunteers, but after last year’s success we knew we could repeat and improve it.

Santa was extremely busy in his grotto over the weekend and is now getting ready for the main event in a couple of weeks time. You can can see here a few pictures from the event - you might even spot St Luke’s new vicar, Gemma Fraser, who helped us out over the weekend.

We hope you had a really good Christmas and New Year and we look forward to seeing you next year.

Next Year Spring: We are looking to repeat the successful Wildlife Day we put on in 2015.

Summer: Our annual fun day, a possible FIFA World Cup theme.

Autumn: Men’s Health Day

enquiries@mlct.org.uk 07411 808 731 www.mlct.org.uk Also search for us on Twitter and Facebook

Plus, don’t forget our regular coffee morning every Tuesday 10 till 12.

Cllr Mark Springett - Moulsham Lodge Ward

Baddow Road Bus Gate There has been much talk in the last week or so about the proposal to close Baddow Road to traffic at certain times of the day. Labelled as ‘Baddow Road Bus Gate’, the proposal was part of Essex Highways Chelmsford City Growth Package. Many people feel that they weren’t informed and that they didn’t know about the public consultation. So much so that a campaign group has formed to try and convince Essex County Council to reconsider.

They have both a Facebook page and group called Say No To Baddow Road Closure(GBENA), so if you are interested in adding your voice and want to help to the group, then please get in touch with them.

My own personal opinion is that it won’t help with either local pollution or the congestion it is designed to address. For one, the pollution levels at the Army and Navy have been declining over a number of years - apart from a blip when there were road works - and congestion will only shift from Baddow Road to Essex Yeomanry Way (A130) and Princes Road as the Army and Navy is the key junction people need to navigate through. Displaced traffic will end up going through Moulsham Lodge and Tile Kiln, which will then make Wood Street a pollution hot spot. The trouble is there isn’t an easy solution to the fact that Chelmsford only has 4% capacity left on its roads and shifting it about is like shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic, as the inevitable is going to happen - and sooner than you think, as the over-development that is currently planned in the city will pile more pressure on our roads, especially with little or no infrastructure being planned.

Crime & Other Incidents Although we are fortunate to experience low rates of crime here in Moulsham Lodge, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen, but when it does you must always report it. I have also heard of a few road traffic accidents on Gloucester Avenue that weren’t reported! If you don’t report crime or RTAs, the authorities think we are safe both in our homes and on the roads. The data is important to build up profiles 28

and, for example, when looking at Gloucester Avenue and whether we need a crossing patrol or a zebra crossing. All they will see is a low risk issue.

When looking at Essex Police crime figures recently I was shocked at the low levels of burglary crime that isn’t solved, in fact it was around 93%, that simply isn’t good enough and I guess could be the reason some people don’t bother reporting crime as they can see the low probability of police recovering their property, or even the police apprehending the thieves. We all know the police are underfunded but when I hear stories on BBC Essex radio where it appears the police haven’t followed due process it is extremely difficult not to criticise them. I will be publishing a full review of the data on my blog in the new year if not before.

It was nice to see the new park open in Orange Tree Close recently.

However it was disappointing though that I was not originally consulted at the start of the process and although I offered facilities for a longer consultation and with more residents, they chose to do a limited survey. As I said before, the other park facilities on Moulsham Lodge will be reviewed to see if there is an opportunity to update them in the future.

Well the New Year is upon us and it is time to reflect on what has been a difficult year for our family, with the death of my father earlier this year and then my wife’s mother a short while ago. It is the simple act of picking the phone up to ring them and hear their voices that is probably the hardest to come to terms with, but there are many many happy memories over many years to also reflect upon and equally, many old photos to sort out and have a good laugh at.

Here’s wishing you all a happy and prosperous New Year.

Regards, Mark 07411 808 731 mark.springett@chelmsford.gov.uk Twitter: @markspringett (and search for me on Facebook)

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Tile Kiln Corner - by Linda Mascot Just before Christmas, I bumped into an old friend Tina Wilcock at Fledglings Pre-School Fayre who, at 91, has lived in Tile Kiln for more than 50 years. Tina told me how Tile Kiln Church has been a lifeline to her and she has been supported throughout the ups and downs of her life:

“I lost my husband 6 years ago and my friends at church have really helped me through such a difficult time, from getting some shopping for me to the fortnightly Food on Friday, where I get a lovely cooked meal and meet up with friends and neighbours.

I attend all the events held here and can have a cup of tea and some cake. I won a lovely white teddy today in the tombola.”

I asked Tina what she was looking forward to in 2018: “I don’t know whether my youngest son and his partner will be getting married, but I’d love a wedding to look forward to and I’ve told him I’d like to be a bridesmaid!

pre-school where Faye went when she was a child (it was Gooding’s Nursery then). Faye enthused: “I live in Maldon now but always come here for community events and recognise people that I knew growing up from Mildmay and Moulsham schools, it’s like a big extended family.”

So what hopes and wishes does Faye have for 2018? “This last year has been a roller coaster of emotions, as my son was born prematurely only weighing 3lb 4oz and he spent nearly 4 weeks in hospital, so I hope for good health this year for all my family and friends. I intend to make the most of my precious family time.”

I’d like to reiterate those sentiments and wish everybody a healthy and Happy New Year in 2018. mascotlinda@gmail.com Twitter: @lindamascot

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“I used to really enjoy drawing and knitting, but I’ve had problems with my eyesight and would love to be able to do that again, so I’m hopeful it’ll get sorted out and I’ll have better health this year.

facebook.com/moulshamtimes

“I’d like to thank everyone who has helped and supported me this year and wish all my friends and family a very Happy New Year!”

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Also at Fledglings was Faye Troster with her children Evie 3 and 14 week only baby Henry. Faye grew up in Linnet Drive where her parents still live and her mum, Christine, brings Evie to Fledglings

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29

Sister Act at Chelmsford Restaurant Jazz and Roast on a Sunday Afternoon Having successfully launched Jazzy Sundays, talented sisters Katie and Charlie Squires will now host twelve more live jazz events in 2018.

The Channels estate in Little Waltham has gained plaudits following the final Jazzy Sunday of the year, which took place on December 10th and saw patrons also enjoy a hint of Christmas celebration.

This comes after the brasserie earned recognition from the Essex Life Food & Drink Awards as one of the county’s finest destination restaurants. Hospitality queen Katie Squire has transformed the Channels Bar & Brasserie (formerly a golf clubhouse just six months ago) into a thriving restaurant.

But Katie doesn’t plan to rest on her laurels. She’s not only refurbished the 80 cover restaurant and brought in a new team, but is set to offer jazz entertainment alongside a full roast dinner on the second Sunday of every month.

musical artist and singer with Peace of Mind - who will complement the Sunday roast with a live jazz performance.

Charlie Squire has gigged across Essex, showing her versatility as a musician with her set list often including a variety of acoustic covers across genres. Both sisters are members of the Stubbings family, who have been running the Channels Estate since 1929.

Charlie said: “Growing up, we’ve both enjoyed a real passion for music, so we look forward to sharing this with our patrons.”

Channels Bar & Brasserie has certainly been transformed under Katie’s stewardship. It’s changed from a members only clubhouse to an acclaimed eatery in a matter of months, helped by the ‘culinary dream team’ that Katie has put in place.

Katie’s head chef, Dan Pitts, brings years of experience to the team as well as knowledge of modern cuisine; he understands how important that the science of food is to fine dining.

He says: “Channels has provided me with the opportunity to bring flair and modern techniques to the plate combining my culinary style with a fabulous ambiance.

“Jazzy Sundays offer a jazz and dining experience akin to the clubs of Soho right here in Chelmsford.”

To reserve a table call 01245 440 003, or go to www.channelsestate. co.uk.

To achieve this, she’s enlisted the help of sister Charlie - talented

Quiz Answers 1. Somerset 2. Duck 3. Blackberry 4. A spotlight 5. Dot over the letter ‘i’ 6. Fried, ground maize 7. A side of bacon 8. Berkshire 9. Samantha Stewart 10. On your face 11. Wheel clamp 12. In the kitchen, (2 handed cutter with curved blade) 13. 2004 documentary Super Size Me (3 Mac meals a day for 30 days) 14. Ava Gardner, 1951 15. Dave 16. Gastrapods 17. A sloping reading desk 18. John Prescott 19. Pig 20. British United Provident Association 21. 1920s 22. Woodwind/reed

23. Apple 24. Eight 25. Hypertext Transport Transfer Protocol 26. Block & Quayle 27. Sue Barker 28. Wells, Somerset 29. Aaron 30. 27 31. 14 32. Your thumb 33. Cleft stick for holding wool when spinning by hand 34. A surgeon, he uses it for scraping skin 35. MASH 36. Glasgow 37. Eyelashes 38. 7ft 39. Punishment by beating the soles of feet 40. Jewish Christmas celebrations

30 www.moulshamtimes.com

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A well established local garage based in the heart of Chelmsford for all your motoring needs.

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Great Baddow Barber Shop

Traditional & Modern English Barber Established over 4 years ago in Great Baddow, we have a reputation for a quality haircut by professional barbers at a reasonable price.

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31

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