West Magazine May 27 2017

27.05.17

21

Fabulous fashion fixes

WIN!

A luxury spa day in Cornwall

SHORE THING A showstopping seaside home

WILD AT HEART Love, loss and Hollywood a Dartmoor zookeeper’s story

- pg16

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British Made

23/05/2017 13:16:34

‘Nowadays we are responsible - three fathers to six children, our joint age (ahem) around 150...’

Times have changed for Phil Goodwin and friends, p46

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COOL STYLE IN CORNWALL Perfect interiors in Polzeath

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WHY RUTH IS REACHING OUT We talk to Cornwall’s Ruth Langsford

[contents[ Inside this week...

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THE WISHLIST Our pick of the best treats this week

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JUST BETWEEN US...

Sh! We have all the latest gossip

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RUTH’S HOME TIES Ruth Langsford on love, life and Cornwall

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ANIMAL MAGIC

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WE HAVE SOUND REASONS For including this picture (again)

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MARVELLOUS MINI-BREAKS Dinner, bed and breakfast in Devon

Meet Benjamin Mee of Dartmoor Zoo

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COASTAL CHIC The Polzeath house that’s got bags of style

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JUST ASK GRACIE Our style guru solves your problems

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FANCY FOOTWORK Summer sandals to wear right now

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BOOST YOUR WELLBEING Great ways to feel your best this week

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SMALL BITES What’s hot in the South West foodie world

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YOUR STARS THIS WEEK Cassandra Nye has your latest horoscope

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SECRET WESTCOUNTRY Where to go, what to do

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A BLAST FROM THE PAST Phil Goodwin goes back in time

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SECRET WESTCOUNTRY Where to go, what to do

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SUMMER DAYS

What to shop for, right now 3

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COASTAL CHIC

Perfect interiors in Polzeath

[ welcome [ You never know how life will turn out... ho would play you in the movie of your life? I’m all for Helen Mirren - or perhaps Julie Walters. Ah well, a girl can dream...

For Benjamin Mee, however, that dream did become a reality. His life story was portrayed in the film We Bought A Zoo, with Matt Damon playing him. The story of how Benjamin and his wife Katherine turned Dartmoor Zoo around followed

by Katherine tragically dying of a brain tumour became a Hollywood blockbuster.

Today, we catch up with Benjamin, who is still running the zoo and is as passionate as ever about

W

Tweet

[

of the week

[

[

conservation and breeding rare animals. Read his story on page 16.

Elsewhere in the magazine, we hear from Ruth Langsford, the much-loved TV presenter who works on This Morning alongside her husband, Eamonn Holmes. Ruth grew up in Cornwall and started her career on Television South West (TSW) - remember that? She still has strong roots in the South West and speaks movingly in today’s interview about her father’s battle with Alzheimer’s disease (p12).

Finally, we have the chance to win a fabulous spa day (p5) at one of my favourite places, The Budock Vean Hotel - do give it a try. Enjoy your weekend.

[

She grew up in Cornwall and started her career at TSW - remember that?

Sharon Goble @ifmediauk

Downsizing with a difference - my interview with Lady Arran @Castlehilldevon TO ADVERTISE: Contact Cathy Long: 01752 293017 or 07557 576668, clong@dc-media.co.uk

Becky Sheaves

EDITORIAL: westmag@westernmorningnews.co.uk Tel: 01392 442250 Twitter @wmnwest

COVER IMAGE: Steve Haywood

MEET THE TEAM Becky Sheaves, Editor

Phil Goodwin

Kathryn Clarke-McLeod

Gillian Molesworth

Cathy Long

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If you do one thing this week...

Visit Cornwall has officially proclaimed Cornish Summer Time underway this year and to celebrate, why not book a rejuvenating spa day at the Budock Vean Hotel. For £55 you’ll receive tea and coffee on arrival, use of the fabulous spa and pool, lunch, and a 25-minute treatment.

Tucked away on the banks of the Helford River near Falmouth, this wonderful hotel is set in 65 acres of gardens and woodland. Using Elemis and Spiezia products, the spa team will look after you and ease all those aches and stresses away. Relax in the outdoor hot tub overlooking the garden or soak up the sun on the terrace.

You can even add a river cruise or kayak experience if you’re feeling adventurous! www.budockvean.co.uk

Win

We have two spa days at the Budock Vean Hotel to be won, worth £55 each. To enter, simply tell us which on which Cornish river the Budock Vean Hotel stands. Send your answer, together with your name, address, phone number and email to Budock Vean competition, westmag@westernmorningnews.co.uk to arrive by June 9. Alternatively, you can post your entry to: Budock Vean competition, West magazine, Queen’s House, Little Queen Street, Exeter EX4 3LJ. Normal terms apply, West will not share your details.

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Open toe heels £24.99 Deichmann

Duvet set £11 George Home

the

wishlist West’s top picks for spending your time and money this week

Fern cushion £59 Amara

Snuggler chair £499 Furniture Village Teapot £45 Houseology

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Wishlist

Bird lamp £85 Debenhams

Folding pot stand £59 Cuckooland

Wine glass £11 Amara Fringed beach bag £30 Very

fave!

Leather travel set £40 Figleaves

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talking points Fenella Tobey

Story of my life...

Making a plan to go with the flow ast week was somewhat of a revelation for me and, although the outcome is rather terrifying, it is also comforting. Finally I know where I stand and what the plan is. No matter how barking mad. This summer, I’m heading off to London in search of fame and fortune.

Planning is weird, isn’t it? could do. Apparently, this is not While being back at home after the norm. university, it has become inRecipes are a plan in themcreasingly evident to me that my selves and I like following them mother is the complete opposite to the letter. My mother, alto me when it comes to making though she would claim to follow plans. She is forever flying by recipes, does not. If you ask her the seat of her pants, whereas I for a recipe she will dictate it always have to have a strategy in to you, while inserting her own place. amendments. “The book says…

I’d also say I like being on time but I never have that, so I use…” but in fact I’m never on time, meaning that the version you I’m always early have been given is - whether it is entirely different an appointment, to the dish you ‘I know that or I’m simply asked for. It will meeting a friend. taste fabulous, society dictates There is one scenevertheless, but that the man nario in my life this is just anhowever that arother example of waits for the girl, riving early is not how we differ. angsting as to acceptable, says Sometimes I whether she will my mother, and think it would that is on a date. do me good to arrive but I just “Oh no, Fenella, be more like my think that’s rude’ you can’t arrive mum and just go early for a date. with the flow. It That’s just... sounds relaxing creepy.” and stress-free. I contemplate Now “creepy” is not been the this for about five seconds before impression I aim to make. I know I dismiss the idea as utterly bonkthat society dictates that the ers. I do go with the flow. I just man waits for the girl, angsting put specific procedures in place as to whether she will arrive but in order to go with the flow. In I just think that’s rude. I hate it fact, being overly prepared and when people keep me waiting. I “creepily” early means I have think it’s disrespectful. It’s as if plenty of opportunity to go with they are assuming I have noththe flow whenever I want to. ing better to do then wait around In any case, I don’t think it for them. So, if a man’s gone to matters if you are making plans the trouble of asking me out, or not - as long as you are open turning up on time is the least I to moving forwards. And I am!

L

SHIMMER

in silver

The Met Gala in New York can always be counted on for headturning moments, and one of the evening’s first came courtesy of Gisele Bundchen who took to the red carpet in this beautiful silver with long sleeves and an open back.

Silver is a fabulous colour for a sepcial event and it throws up a flattering shimmery light onto your face.

Maxi dress £229 Pretty Eccentric

steal her

style

OR MAKE IT YOUR OWN

OPTION B Shine

Skater dress £55 Topshop

OPTION A Sparkle

Sequin dress £50 Next

Next week: Fenella on life in the boomerang generation. Gillian Molesworth is having a break but will return to West next month 8

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CUTTING A SWATHE...

We are utterly thrilled that Poldark series three is back next month and guess what? There are two new hunks in Cornwall in the form of Demelza’s brothers.

Australian actor Harry Richardson appears as Drake, described as “the more free-spirited sibling” while Tom York plays the part of Demelza’s deeply religious brother Sam. Another newcomer is the character of Morwenna (Ellise Chappell) who appears as a governess in Elizabeth’s household.

But fear not, Aidan Turner fans:

Ross’s position as heartthrob-inchief is safe.

“You can’t compete with Aidan, man,” Harry Richardson admitted in a RadioTimes interview recently, adding that his scything is just not quite up to the leading man’s. “I did try and have a go with a scythe but those things are impossible to cut with. It’s really hard, proper manual labour and I gave up,” he says. “It’s a lot harder than it looks.”

West says: Would it be OK to show Ross making it look easy, then?

Just

between us Gossip, news, trend setters and more – you heard all the latest juicy stuff here first!

!

ROSIE’S SELFIE SECRETS

‘OOPS! SORRY, ORLANDO’ On TV’s This Morning recently, presenter Phillip Schofield revealed a rather amazing secret - he once almost ran over a genuine A-list Hollywood superstar.

After welcoming the Pirates Of The Caribbean actor Orlando Bloom to the show, Phillip - who grew up in Newquay - decided that he had to get something off his chest before the interview could go any further.

“Shall I come clean from the very start of this interview?” he asked co-star Holly before making his shocking confession.

Speaking about Orlando’s glittering career, the presenter said: “None of this would have happened if you had taken two more steps when you stepped off the pavement in Henley-On-Thames and I nearly ran you over.”

It’s hard to believe but apparently Tavistock-born supermodel Rosie Huntington-Whiteley has moments of feeling insecure about her looks. She recently told Glamour magazine that she takes 100 selfies before she captures a snap she is happy to share.

She told the magazine: “Well, you need half an hour, you need great lighting, and you need to be prepared to take about 100 pictures of yourself, edit through 100 pictures of yourself and then filter them three times.

“You know, come on! Be real! That’s the way it is.”

Rosie’s taking some time out from modelling right now as she is expecting her first baby. She and her fiancé the actor Jason Statham are taking it easy in Los Angeles where she recently celebrated her 30th birthday, saying on Instagram: ‘Thank you to everyone for all the special birthday wishes! My heart feels full of warmth and love turning 30 today!’ she wrote. Happy days indeed!

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Lift off: The UK Freeride Champioships took place in Newquay

in pictures For a good cause: Amelie, Maddie and Sophia took part in the Falmouth Race For Life, with Teddy the dog

Young cooks: Piper (two) and Darcy (four) put on their chef hats to try some cooking St Ives Food Festival 2017

On parade: Bridget Batchelor took some fun pictures at the Exeter Pride march 10

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talking points A HISTORY

of the

WEST in

100

objects 47: ROBERT BEVAN’S VALLEY

The best way to:

TAKE TO THE WATER Don’t waste your summer days off stuck in stuffy cars, says Fenella Tobey. There is another way to see the very best of Devon and Cornwall...

Cruising in the summer sun: Whether you want someone else to be in charge or wish to control your own little trip up the river, Salcombe Boat Hire in south Devon will have a cruise for you. They offer one or two hour tours, with detailed charts of popular spots for you to follow if you hire your own boat. Find out more at www. salcombeboathire.co.uk.

Up the river: Greenway Ferry offers a one hour cruise on the River Dart for only £5. Departing from Dartmouth, you can see the pretty village of Kingswear, the Britannia Royal Naval college, and the Agatha Christie estate of Greenway. Check out the views, or stretch out on the top deck, with your face to the sun. www.greenwayferry. co.uk

Blackdown Hills, Somerset-Devon border, about 1913 Julien Parsons is the Senior Collections Officer, The Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter.

He says: The lure of a rural escape is felt more intensely when we face times of great uncertainty. And so, as international relations deteriorated in the years before the outbreak of the First World War, a group of Londonbased artists headed to the South West. They were invited by Harold Harrison, aspiring artist and owner of Applehayes, near Clayhidon, in the Blackdown Hills.

One of Harrison’s guests, Robert Polhill Bevan, painted this view – ‘Devonshire Valley, no.1’ – during his stay at Applehayes, probably in 1913. From the flat, bold colours – lilacs, pinks and greens – it probably comes as no surprise that Bevan was much influenced

by Paul Gauguin. He had met the great PostImpressionist painter at the artists’ colony of

#47

A safari of the sea: When was the last time you saw a basking shark, dolphin or grey seal? Did you know they are all to be found just off our coastline? Padstow Sea Life Safaris have something for everyone, whether you fancy speeding across the sea, or pottering about the coastline. www.padstowsealifesafaris.co.uk

From pub to pub: The Helford River Ferry happens to connect two waterside pubs and is only footsteps from the gorgeous gardens at both Trebah and Glendurgan. The ferry has been operating continuously since the Middle Ages. The ferries operate from 9:30am to 5pm, and are only £6 for a return ticket. www.helford-river-boats. co.uk

Pont-Aven in Brittany where he lived in 1893-4.

These days, Bevan is best known as a founder member of the Camden Town Group of artists in 1911 and for his paintings of London street scenes. However, he was clearly drawn to the tranquillity of the countryside. On returning from Brittany in 1894, Bevan retreated to the solitude of Exmoor to paint, and following his summer stays at Applehayes, which lasted until 1915, he returned to paint the landscapes of east Devon in the 1920s. He bought a cottage near Luppitt in 1923. ‘Devonshire Valley, no.1’ was acquired by RAMM in 1968.

On display in ‘A Fragile Beauty’ at the Museum of Somerset, Taunton until July 8 www.museumofsomerset.org.uk

Competition winner: Congratulations to Mrs Pat Hart of Axminster, who wins a cashmere mix jumper and set of sock from Crew Clothing, Princesshay, Exeter www.crewclothing.co.uk

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People

Stronger together When ruth Langsford, who grew up in Cornwall, opened up about her struggle to cope with her late father’s dementia, she found support. now she’s encouraging others to do the same, as tells gemma Dunn ver the pro, Ruth Langsford has learned to keep a stiff upper lip onscreen.

But last December, the bubbly TV presenter - who grew up in Cornwall - fought back tears as she interviewed Emmerdale actor John Middleton on ITV’s This Morning about his character Ashley Thomas’ heartbreaking battle with dementia.

Comforted by her co-presenter and husband Eamonn Holmes, Ruth, whose father Dennis passed away in 2012 after his own battle with the disease, was visibly moved by the soap’s storyline.

“They did it so brilliantly and what they gave it was time,” explains Ruth, who grew up in Cawsand, Cornwall, went to school in Saltash and started her career on Television South West (TSW). “In Emmerdale, we saw the decline of Ashley and little things that other people might not notice, but it’s your loved one so you think, ‘He’s behaving very strangely, he wouldn’t normally do that’, and that’s why it upsets me.

E

“It’s like watching my dad looking very confused and frightened,” she admits, having first revealed her family’s struggle on the show’s sofa back in 2007. “You lose that person, even though they’re physically there in front of you.

“So I could feel my voice breaking, but I don’t think that hurts because it’s very real.”

Just recently, in April this year, Ruth tweeted that she was visiting Cornwall on a pilgrimage to track down family memories: “We’re in Cornwall visiting all Dad’s favourite places. Sad but also lovely talking about all our memories,” she told fans.

Today, Ruth, 57, is an ambassador for the Alzheimer’s Society (“I was very keen to keep getting the message out there”) and has recently joined forces with Care UK to launch the A Helping Hand guide - a campaign that aims to support carers, after figures show more than a third neglect their own wellbeing due to their responsibilities.

“It is sad but not surprising to hear about the pressure family carers put on themselves when

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Eamonn Holmes, Ruth Langsford and son Jack in 2011

looking after a loved one,” she says. “My mum looked after my dad, who was in the Army for 28 years, for ten years. She was his primary carer before it got too much for her, and a guide such as this would have provided some help and comfort for us at a difficult time.”

In the end Dennis needed 24-hour residential care but the decision to put him into a home was a difficult one.

“It was hideous,” Ruth says. “Mum had given him all the care in the world but he needed round-the-clock nursing and she wasn’t a nurse. She had to relinquish that role but she thought she should be there for better or for worse.”

Over the next three and a half years Dennis’s health slowly deteriorated. “Every time I left the home I’d cry for the first 10 minutes,” Ruth remembers.

In 2011 Dennis died at the age of 84. Ruth says she doesn’t remember the date of his death. “I’ve blanked it from my mind. I don’t want to remember it. It was devastating. I’d lost my dad.”

The Loose Woman host hopes the tool, which provides key information on the rights of carers, the help they’re entitled to and advice on respite or permanent residential care for their loved one, will start a conversation.

“Don’t be afraid to ask the [Care UK] staff questions because they are there to help and this will be behaviour that they’ve seen a thousand

times,” she says.

“It’s good to know that other people are experiencing it - that’s why I always want to talk about it, to say, ‘Don’t feel isolated. It’s an awful thing, I won’t deny it’s an awful thing, but you’re not alone’.

“Every conversation we have is another step forward to it being more widely understood.”

This means teaching the next generation, too - as the Singapore-born star has with her and Ea-

‘Don’t feel isolated.

It’s an awful thing but you’re not alone’ monn’s son, 15-year-old Jack.

“From a very young age I had to explain to him what dementia was because he didn’t really know my dad without Alzheimer’s,” she recalls.

“He wasn’t the dad that I knew and that always made me very sad because I know he would have been a fantastic grandad to Jack. He would have taught him sailing and fishing and building things, but sadly, Jack never got to see that side of him.”

Now understandably fearful of the disease (“I worry about my mum. She’s 84 now and she sometimes gets a bit forgetful, so once it’s in your family and you’ve witnessed somebody who’s had dementia, it’s very hard”), Ruth makes a conscious effort to look after herself - recently taking up the 10,000 steps a day challenge.

“I do find it hard, particularly on days when I’m working. When I started the challenge I thought, ‘Oh this will be easy, I’m so busy, I’m so active,’ and then when I had my Fitbit, I realised I’d mistaken being busy for being active.

“I try and lead my life how I want to lead it and be secure in my family life and do what I want to do for me, and hopefully I think it’s good for your children to see you being active.”

Does her husband have the time to join her since he stepped down as anchor of Sky News’s breakfast show, Sunrise, last year?

“He’s always doing something,” she says.

“But it’s been nice to see him get some quality sleep for a little while before he gets up.”

Ruth is full of admiration for Eamonn following his successful recovery from a double hip replacement. “One [hip] is a big deal for people but two at the same time is quite extraordinary, and they don’t do it very often,” she says.

“He was back at work in seven to eight weeks, so he’s done incredibly well. I am very proud of him.”

The secret to living and working together, she

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People

says, is simple. “We don’t bring our work home that much. I would be lying to say we never discuss it - we’re both in the same business and often we’re working on the same programme but we try not to.” It’s a formula that’s certainly working. This year they celebrate 21 years together, seven of those married.

To mark the occasion, they’ve even landed their own ITV series, The Seven Year Itch, where they will tour the country in a bid to discover the secrets of a successful marriage.

So did tying the knot change things for them?

“If you had asked me that before we got married, I would have said, ‘No, why would it change anything?’ We’d been together for 14 years by then, so why would it?” she says.

“I didn’t ever believe it would, but it did feel different.

I’m still a very independent woman, I still don’t have to rely financially on anybody, [including] Eamonn. And I don’t know any other way to explain it, but I really enjoy being married to him.” www.careuk.com/helpinghand

Ruth Langsford at the National Television Awards 2017 15

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PHOTOGRAPHY: STEVE HAYWOOD

Interview

Benjamin Mee at Dartmoor Zoo 16

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Animal magic Benjamin Mee is the Devon zookeeper whose heartbreaking story of love and loss inspired a Hollywood film starring Matt Damon. He tells Fran McElhone and Becky Sheaves how things are going these days hen Benjamin Mee first saw Dartmoor Zoo, his wife Katherine was suffering with a rare form of brain cancer and they had two small children.

Despite this, the young couple were convinced that they could buy the failing zoo and save its animals, many of whom faced being put down.

“Katherine had a brain scan every month and for two years she had been clear,” says Benjamin.

“It was an odd process. We’d have a fortnight of elation, followed by two weeks of growing nervousness about the next scan.

“On one level, we knew that the average life expectancy with Katherine’s condition was just ten months. But still I thought, somehow, there would be some cure, some new treatment - or that the cancer just wouldn’t come back.”

Alas, such optimism was unfounded. Two months after they moved to the zoo in 2006, there was bad news. “Her scan on December 22, just before Christmas, was disastrous - the cancer was back in eight places. There was nothing they could do. It was a case of palliative care.”

Within three months Katherine had died and Benjamin, now 48, was a single father to their children Milo, now 16, and Ella, 14. What is more,

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Interview

the zoo’s licence had been taken away. “It was so run-down under the previous ownership, it was dangerous.” It was up to Benjamin to get the 30acre business back on its feet.

Katherine passed away on March 31 2007, after a heartbreaking period of increasing illness. But Benjamin could not give in to grief for long – he had only two months to go until the zoo was set to open. “At the time, I would have preferred not to have the pressure but, with hindsight, the zoo and all its demands probably kept me sane.”

On July 7 2007, the newly re-licensed Dartmoor Zoological Park opened, complete with new signs that Katherine, a graphic designer, had created.

“Opening day was such a relief,” Benjamin says.

“But people kept coming up to me saying, ‘Katherine would be so proud of you.’ It knocked me sideways. Then I saw my favourite picture of her on the wall. When I saw her there looking at me, I cried buckets. Then I pulled myself together and went back to the party.”

Benjamin later wrote about their time together and, a year after his book We Bought a Zoo came out, a film company bought the rights. “I had an odd phone call from an American woman saying, ‘I loved your book, it would make a terrific movie.’ But when she said, ‘I’m from Twentieth Century Fox’ I sat up and started listening.” In 2011, his story became a major Hollywood movie starring Matt Damon as Benjamin. The real Benjamin and both children also had cameo roles in the film.

“The kids and I went to Hollywood to play visitors to the zoo in the film - I wore a Dartmoor Zoo

‘When I saw her picture there looking at me,

hat in the film as an in-joke. We stayed in a five-star hotel, met a lot of Hollywood A-listers and appeared on talk shows - it was surreal but the kids loved it.”

So how are the two children doing nowadays?

“Well, although I would never wish what happened to our family on anyone, there is no doubt I am closer to my children than I would have been had Katherine survived.

“When she was alive, I worked from home and tried to share the childcare 50:50 but doing 100% really does mean you are so close. We’re a very

I just cried buckets’

tight unit. I’m so proud of them. And living in a zoo is an enchanting place for children. Our home is here, so after hours we can go and say hello to tigers - who else can say that?”

Milo has been home-educated (“his choice”) and is currently studying for an Open University Science unit. Ella is happily at school locally: “she prefers to be with her gang of friends” and both are, says Benjamin, doing well.

As for himself, Benjamin says he has come to terms with his bereavement. “You learn to live with it. The loss never goes away but the kids and I have survived, and that’s hugely positive.” Is there anyone else in his life? “I think it would be hard for a new partner to break into the family

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Interview

circle of us three. But you never know, maybe one day... Especially if she was a trained zoo vet that would ideal!” he jokes.

Financially, things are infinitely better than they were, Benjamin tells me. The zoo became a charity after a crowd-funding campaign raised £340,000, thereby “lifting a huge weight” off his shoulders. “Now, we can make five year plans.

Before, it was a case of how will we survive the winter?”

Benjamin’s passion for the zoo’s animals is undimmed, however, and our interview takes the form of a wander around the zoo, during which we make frequent stops to chat to the animals who live there.

Born in Australia, he went to school in England but was expelled “several” times. He later became a science journalist with a column in The Guardian, until he decided to become a zookeeper. And science is still at the heart of what he does. “When we took over, I discovered the business was isolated from every other zoo,” he tells me.

“I’ve had to work hard to get us onto recognised breeding programmes. Nowadays, this zoo isn’t about animals being on show for entertainment - they’re here for very good conservation reasons.”

Dartmoor Zoo is now one of just four in the country licensed to keep cheetahs, whose population has dipped below the 10,000 mark globally. He is also making plans to breed Siberian leopard cubs which will be put into a programme to reintroduce them to Siberia. “It’s the sort of thing I’ve been hoping for, for years, that something big and bold will happen for these animals,” Benjamin says. His ultimate dream is that more and more of his animals will be bred to go back into the wild. To help pay for this work, the zoo also serves as a wedding venue and a glamping site is in the offing.

Benjamin has strong links with Plymouth University. “We need to be showing kids inspirational things,” Benjamin says. “And reintroducing wild leopards, well, that is pretty significant.”

Along the path we now meet Flaviu, one of the stars of the zoo. He is the lynx who gained notoriety after escaping, on the night he moved in last July, remaining on the run on Dartmoor for 23 days, evading a massive search operation in-

‘This zoo isn’t about

animals being on show -

they’re here for a reason’

cluding police drones before his cover was blown a mile away.

“It was very bad,” Benjamin admits. “I was so relieved and happy to get him back. He’s part of an endangered species breeding programme, too.” He suddenly calls out, “Hello baby”, looking up at Chincha, a jaguar who came to Devon from France a year ago, now busy washing his paws.

“When he arrived he was absolutely terrified, cowering in the corner of his crate,” says Ben. “Then I realised he’d never heard English before, so started speaking to him in French. He instantly looked right at me as if, ah ok you’re the same as those guys who fed me and were kind to me before, and then he was fine.”

The zoo is also linked with the Royal Marines rehab troop, based in Plymouth. Marines with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder help out with site work as part of their therapy. “I’m hoping to prove how helpful this is in terms of reducing their stress. That will mean we’re the only zoo that engages with the military in this way.”

And, after all, Benjamin knows first-hand how healing it is to work in the magical atmosphere of Dartmoor Zoo. “Yes, losing Katherine was very, very tough on all of us. But this is an amazing place for us all to live and the animals give us such joy. The kids are OK, I’m OK and the zoo is OK. You can come through and smile.” www.dartmoorzoo.org.uk

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fashion

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family

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days out

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A seaside treasure A tricky triangular plot among the sand dunes at Polzeath has proved the perfect place for a house full of light. Sarah Pitt finds out more. reasure House peeks out among the sand dunes at Polzeath, a sleek timber-clad modern house with large windows letting in the light.

Tucked down away from of the winds that blow in from the sea on the north coast of Cornwall, the colours of the coastline have been brought into the house. The interiors use atural stone, pebbles from the beach, slate and wood bleached as softly white as driftwood washed up by the sea.

“The house is on the site of one of the oldest properties in Polzeath,” says Iain Wilson, who created the house with his wife Anna. “The original house was derelict, so we demolished it while trying to recycle as much as possible. Luckily we managed to locate the original Delabole slate house sign.”

Iain and Anna bought the house at a probate auction, a rare opportunity to build an individual architect-designed house right beside the beach in this popular north Cornwall resort. Although, as the Wilsons were to discover, the plot was not without its challenges.

“We were building in sand dunes,” says Iain, who works in finance and had never done a selfbuild before. “So the build turned out to be quite complex. Basically, the house is on stilts which go down through the sand into the rock underneath. It means that if we get catastrophic weather conditions, the house won’t move.”

T

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Interiors

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Interiors

The next challenge was to come up with a terior, from the design which worked on the plot, a tricky trianopen plan kitchen, gular shape. living room and “It is arranged around a courtyard which endining room, to sures privacy, shelter from the wind and some the bathrooms shade throughout the day,” Iain explains.”The and bedrooms. annexe, with a living sedum roof, gives a buffer Anna selected from the coastal path as well as a pleasant view furniture to from the west-facing first floor balcony.” complement the The design was undertaken by Tim Hitchens structural timber (www.designbytimber.co.uk). Tim also created used, and shades some bespoke furniture for the house including the bleached that reflect the sand and oak dining table. marram grass of the dunes.

Duilders Simon Lawrence The allusions to the coast are ‘Wadebridge has and architect Daniel Wallis, subtle, like the pebbles used in good interiors both of Perranporth, then one of the power showers. The shops. The big brought Tim’s design to life. whole effect is restful, with just The house now makes the the odd splash of vivid colour, driftwood heart most of natural light, with like the bright turquoise vase in above the bed an open-plan living area on the sleek kitchen.

I found in an the upper floor and bedrooms “It has been a dream to do,” downstairs. “The bedrooms says Anna, who teaches Zumba interiors shop in face west, into a courtyard, and used to work in PR. “I really Padstow’ so they don’t get the morning have loved doing it. The wardlight. The top level, meanwhile, robe in the bedroom has come has very high ceilings and has from Loaf.com. And I also found extra picture windows, so we quite a bit in Wadebridge, which get a huge amount of light uphas some good interiors shops. stairs.”

The big driftwood heart above the bed I found in Bleached white wood is a hallmark of the inan interiors shop in Padstow.”

[[

Anna’s inspiration for the interiors came from exploring the beach with sons Zach, nine, and Ethan, six.

“We did a lot of beachcombing and collected rocks from the beach. All the colours came from there, the blues and greens and purply pinks we found in the rocks. They are all very subtle colours I’ve used, with the odd splash of vivid yellow.”

The house, she says, is intended to be a sanctuary from the outside world. “It just has such a lovely atmosphere when you walk in. We are right next door to the coast path, and it is very green – the flowers are just coming out at the moment. It is a very calming house.”

Treasure House is available to rent for short breaks and holidays through Perfect Stays, 01208 895570, www.perfectstays.co.uk

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19/05/2017 11:51:03

GET THE

LOOK

For cool contemporary style, try these naturally-inspired picks Dining chair (set of two) £185 Next

Lute pendant lamp £300 Amara

Simple, rugged style that will look good in a contemporary setting

Coffee table £219 Swoon Editions

fave!

Ceramic vase £28 MiaFleur

Cushion £59 Houseology Twig heart £7.95 Livelaughlove Ltd

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19/05/2017 11:51:42

Ask Gracie...

Want to look your best this week? Our styling expert Gracie Stewart of Exeter can help you fulfil your fashion potential in every possible way. All you have to do is ask...

Time to get shirty Q

Shirt with pockets £28 Simply Be

What’s the best way to style an oversized button down shirt?

KW, Whimple

An oversized button down shirt is a wardrobe essential and now’s the time to get a little creative with how you style it.

• Layering Keep your look polished by layering an oversized shirt under a structured piece such as a corset or a tailored blazer.

• Beach babe Come summer and an oversized shirt is a great cover up for the beach. Or try teaming it with a pair of denim shorts.

• Play with proportions Balance out your oversized shirt with a pair of skinny jeans or slim fit trousers.

Embroidered shirt £32 Topshop

• Skirting around Dress up your shirt by tucking it into a high-waisted skirt for a cute 1950s silhouette.

Linen shirt £79 East

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Daytime denim Do you have tips on how to wear denim to the

Denim shirtdress £26 Dorothy Perkins

Q office? LB, Liskeard

Gracie’s shopping list

These days, many nine-to-five wardrobes can be a little more casual than smart trousers and pencil skirts. In fact, these denim pieces will have you looking chic and professional at the same time.

1. Denim shirtdress The shirtdress is the perfect spring/ summer silhouette to slip on for a day at the office. Below-the-knee length in dark denim adds more formality.

2. Denim skirt Elongated A-line silhouettes and dark washes are key to wearing a denim skirt at work. For a more relaxed feel look for skirts with button-front detailing.

3. Denim jumpsuit To make this look more office-friendly be sure to pick a tailored jumpsuit that fits well.

4. Denim trousers Leave the skinny jeans at home and opt for a pair of wide-legged denim trousers instead. Pair with a crisp white shirt and heels for a more polished look.

Slip embroidered silk pillowcase £62 www.netaporter.com A silk pillowcase can help prevent lines and wrinkles. Slip uses pure silk to create a range of pillowcases, specially designed to reduce drag and friction on your skin while you sleep - keeping your complexion protected and hair frizz-free.

Button skirt £50 Yumi

Cropped trousers £40 Debenhams

Going for a glow Can you recommend any good at home peels? I’m looking for something that will help improve the texture of my skin and give me a nice glow. SH, Wadebridge

Q

For smoother, brighter skin, look no further than these fastacting, effective at-home facial peels.

Lots of a-peel: AHAs are often used in peels for their multiple properties on the epidermis, the stimulation of cellular renewal and hydration. Esthederm’s Intensive AHA Peel utilises the perfect combination of the most powerful AHAs and BHAs for a new skin effect.

After just one use your skin will feel refined and glowing.

Murad Intensive-C Radiance Peel £49.50 Marks & Spencer

Citrus special: Ole Henriksen’s Lemon Strip Flash Peel is a one-step express peel. It is a gel treatment that helps to increase cell turnover,

brighten your skin tone and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. It’s formulated with fruit acids to help exfoliate and resurface your skin, plus there is algae extract to help soothe and calm and liquorice to help reduce dark spots and brighten your complexion.

Buckle sandals £39 Topshop Buckles aren’t just for belts.

Easy to slip on try teaming these sandals with a cute dress for an effortless summer look.

Intensive treatment: Created to help reverse environmental ageing caused by the sun, stress and other natural aggressors, Murad’s Intensive-C Radiance Peel is a fast acting, effective and soothing mask.

Gently exfoliating the skin to accelerate the turnover of damaged cells, your skin will be left hydrated with a radiant glow.

Esthederm Intensive AHA Peel £59 www.feelunique.com

Ole Henriksen Lemon Strip Flash Peel £35 John Lewis

Farmacy Green Clean £32 www.cultbeauty.co.uk This cleansing balm makes light work of dissolving dirt, make up, sunscreen and excess oil – eliminating grime to leave skin squeaky clean. Sufficiently gentle for use around the eyes, it melts stubborn mascara while conditioning skin (and eyelashes) with potent plant extracts.

Got a style or beauty question? Email Gracie Stewart at westmag@westernmorningnews.co.uk with the subject Ask Gracie

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Tassel sandals £35 White Stuff

Fancy footwork ight folks, it’s time to get your toes out. So dig out your pumice foot file, paint on some nail varnish (a must in sandals) and set your feet free in some airy footwear for the summer season. Happily, this year we’re spoiled for choice, from pom-pom embellished flats to gladiator inspired lace ups - which will you choose?

R

Jumpsuit £28 necklace £14 sandals £18 M&Co

Pom-pom sandals £28 Simply Be

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Fashion

Gladiator sandals £28 Simply Be

Metallic sandals £59.50 Oliver Bonas

Embellished sandals £14 George at Asda

fave!

Just so pretty - and at a bargain price, too!

Flatform sandals £59.50 Oliver Bonas

Open toe suede sandals £55 Oliver Bonas

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19/05/2017 10:19:48

Wellbeing

the boost

Life just got better. Our wellness guru Charlotte Dear has handpicked the latest health secrets and expert advice to help you be your best self, every day

Good-for-you barbecues National Barbecue Week kicks off on Monday May 29, but don’t let your summer diet stop you from sizzling with the rest of them. Stay on the wagon by swapping fatty beef burgers for apple and turkey burgers, smoky sweet potato and black bean burgers or grilled fish. Snack on crunchy veggies instead of crisps while you wait and trade sugar-loaded fizzy drinks for fresh floral teas.

On the water Paddle Out Loud is coming to Exeter Quay on Saturday June 3. This is your chance to grab a few friends, don some “loud” fancy dress, jump on board anything that floats and start paddling for the surf therapy charity, the Wave Project. Not only is this a fun and worthwhile activity with beautiful scenery along the way but it is also a fantastic workout for the arms too! Reserve your spot now for £10 per individual or £30 for a team of four. www.paddleoutloud.co.uk

GET CRAFTY Over the last two years there has been a 12% rise in women doing some sort of needlecraft as a hobby and Google searches for knitting have soared by 53% in the past year alone.

Needlework is great for our health and wellbeing as it helps us to relax, allowing our hands to do the work while our minds rest.

Feeling stressed or anxious? It could be time to pick up that yarn and head along to The Sewing Studio in Redruth where classes start from just £6. www.thesewingstudio.co.uk 30

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19/05/2017 11:48:31

Super cauli fragilistic!

Move over kale, there’s a new superfood in town and this time it’s the turn of the humble cauliflower.

With one serving making up 73% of our dailyrecommended Vitamin C intake, this brilliant Brassica also contains nearly zero grams of fat, sodium and sugar. Cauliflower is also a member of the cancer-fighting cruciferous family, has antiinflammatory and antioxidant qualities and may even boost your heart and brain health. Sold? Try it in a chickpea salad, as fritters or even foodprocessed into rice to accompany a stew or curry.

And breathe...

With summer just around the corner, many of us are trying desperately to ignore those between-meal cravings, but there are two snackcident-stopping tips you probably haven’t tried.

Firstly, replace your mid-morning treat with a computer game of Tetris – thinking and concentrating on visual imagery is an effective way to curb snacking.

Or, indulge in a five-minute yoga session – a child’s pose and standing-forward-bend are particularly effective distractions from those “I’m bored” hunger pangs.

What’s coming up? Tweet us your wellbeing diary dates

@WMNWest or email westmag@westernmorningnews.co.uk 31

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19/05/2017 11:49:15

Wellbeing

When the kids have gone...

Empty nest syndrome can be overcome, says our expert My husband and I are coming up to our silver So distance grows and each may imagine their wedding. The kids are planning a big party partner isn’t interested and it gets increasingly for us and I know it will be lovely. The trouble harder to be close. If this sounds like you, it’s is, I don’t feel much like celebrating not surprising you don’t what we’ve got. Once our youngest feel like celebrating. goes to university, it’ll be just us two But on the positive side, and I can’t remember the last time we your children are planning ‘You have a had a proper conversation that wasn’t a big party for you because choice to make: to about the kids. We hardly touch any they grew up in a happy let your marriage more and never go out. We were quite home - which you built. young when we got married and now When you do talk, it’s dwindle and die I think we’ve drifted apart. My friend about the children, sugor to rekindle the said it’s just empty nest syndrome but gesting you have always spark and build I’m not sure. What would you advise? been able to cooperate as PT, Honiton parents. The thing you’ve a new shared neglected is yourselves. future together’ Relationship counSo you have a choice to sellor Tricia Moore make: let your marriage says: The “empty dwindle and die; or rekinnest” feeling is a dle the spark and build sudden, sometimes painful, realia shared future together? If you decide on the sation that you’re not full-time latter, it needs real effort from you both, but you parents any more. But it’s also can be the one to start the process, so be open a time to re-evaluate your own relationship. and brave. As always for an important discusWhile some couples manage to maintain the sion, choose the right time and place. Switch off spark throughout the parenting years, others the TV, make a drink to share and sit down. You find that they’ve been so busy, they’ve forgotten could begin by looking back over the 25 years to share physical and emotional intimacies - to you’ve had together. Reflect on how far you’ve compliment each other and to laugh together. come and the good things you’ve achieved.

Q

[[

Remember how you were together at the start of your marriage. A memory of how romance felt then can help to bring you closer. Say ‘Thank you,’ to each other. Positive affirmation is a powerful connector. You could also express your fear and sadness at how distant you have become and your wish for things to be so much better.

This will either come as a complete surprise to your husband, or he may have been feeling the same as you but not been brave enough to say it.

So once you’ve shared your feelings about how things are, the next step is to look ahead. Plan some new activities together. Whatever they are, shared recreation is a great way to reconnect and make your lives together interesting again.

Discuss your individual ambitions too - rediscover the people you were before parenthood.

Then, begin to rebuild your physical relationship. Start slowly with hugging, holding hands or sitting together on the sofa. Compliment each other. Say how you feel, even if that’s slightly embarrassing. Also - don’t be afraid to seek professional help. A trained counsellor can help you non-judgementally, to explore anything that might be a block to your progress.

Good luck. There could be exciting and rewarding times ahead. Build the life you want.

Tricia Moore is a counsellor with Marriage Care, based in Plymouth, www.marriagecare.org.uk

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Food

SMALL BITES

Our pick of what’s on in the Westcountry food world right now Calling all cheese lovers If you’ve ever wanted to make your own cheese, now’s your chance. Artisan cheese maker Louise Talbot will be running the first of a series of cheese making courses in Exeter on Thursday June 1. Held at the Exeter Cookery School, this fun hands-on course will introduce you to the science of turning fresh milk into a variety of cheeses including halloumi, ricotta and mozzarella all of which will be edible right away. Yum! www.exetercookeryschool.co.uk

Devonian delights Hand made in east Devon, Otter Vale produce a range of gluten-free chutneys, jellies, mustards and condiments. Wherever possible they source all their ingredients locally to support other local producers and reduce environmental impact. One of our favourites is their Devon Farmhouse Cider Mustard (£1.25) which makes a lovely creamy sauce for pork medallions. www.otter-vale.co.uk

The perfect combination Ben Tunnicliffe Sennen Cove is a restaurant and events venue overlooking the beach at Sennen, west Cornwall. Chef Ben has unveiled a brand new outdoor bar here just in time for the summer season.

The launch of the Surf Den also coincides with the release of Head Launcher, an ale produced for the restaurant by Skinner’s Brewery. The Surf Den is a spot for beach lovers to enjoy a drink, chilled DJ sets and freshly-baked pizzas - sounds good to us!

Sustainably sourced fish and chips The Pelican Fish and Chip shop in Barnstaple has just been certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). That means they can now use the MSC blue tick label on their cod, haddock, plaice, Greenland prawns and Cornish hake, assuring customers that the fish has been responsibly caught using sustainable methods. The Pelican is one of a growing number of good fish and chip shops that are helping to turn the tide on overfishing - and you can eat in or take away.

Got some foodie news? Let us know on westmag@westernmorningnews.co.uk 33

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23/05/2017 12:47:35

Enjoy

Your stars

by Cassandra Nye This week’s sign:

Happy birthday to...

Rupert Everett

Expressive and quick-witted, Gemini represents the twins - two different personalities in one. And you will never be sure which one you will meet. Geminis are sociable, communicative and ready for fun but then there is that tendency suddenly to get serious, thoughtful and restless. Clever and intellectual, they can also be tense and unfocused.

Born May 29, 1959

Rupert Everett was born in Norfolk and will be turning 58 this Monday. Rupert is known for his outrageous behaviour, scandalous quotes and, of course, his fabulous acting. So what is he up to this year? Well, 2017 sees the release of his film The Happy Prince, which he has written and directed, all about Oscar Wilde’s last tragic days. Rupert’s playing Oscar, alongside A-listers Colin Firth, Hugh Dancy, and Emily Watson. Always a busy man, we hope that Rupert takes the time to put his feet up on his birthday!

GEMINI (May 22 - June 21) Many small moves can bring about great changes even though you may need to go in a different direction. Don’t be in too much of a hurry. There is fun to be had along the way! It could be easy to be annoyed at the weekend when you hear a rumour. Should you be taking it seriously anyway? Probably not.

CANCER (June 22 - July 22) Slowly, slowly gets you there this week.

Pamper yourself. Go for walks and enjoy the beach or countryside. Laughter and an optimistic attitude draw people to you. Be with friends who make the days glow and the evenings glitter. Spending time with someone from work helps with your career. Do what you really enjoy whenever you are able.

LEO (July 23 - August 23) Something that you do for others brings an immediate feeling of satisfaction. In a week full of nice surprises, it is possible to guide your social life in the right direction. Someone who you keep meaning to contact is still waiting. Do your best to make them happy, even if it takes a bit of time.

VIRGO (August 24 - September 23) How lovely to be able to relax. A word of warning, though. Avoid getting so relaxed that you let someone take advantage of your goodwill. Believing everything you hear could be a mistake. This is the time to show your talents at work if you really want that promotion or rise.

LIBRA (September 24 - October 23) Delays at work mean the chance to pursue a creative desire. Cash flow is improved midweek when you tackle a project alone, but not for long, so make the most

of it. This is a time that sees love blossom for some but don’t worry if things are quiet in this line. There are still opportunities to be had in different places.

SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22) Flowing more freely are both cash and love this week. Sounds good? You are reminded of how wonderful life can be after some pretty upsetting times. Sharing a windfall is foremost in your mind, which is great. Steer clear of legal or difficult matters this week

SAGITTARIUS (November 23 - December 21) With a changeable mind at the moment, some decisions would be better delayed or avoided. Show that you are willing to put in extra effort in the future to make someone feel appreciated. Keep an eye out for those who say one thing and then do another. Hesitation and body language will give you a clue.

CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 20) Spin-offs from work generate some great social moments. Indeed, mixing business with pleasure can really pay dividends.

Spend less without being mean. There are some sharks around if you are not aware of the possibilities. Be tolerant, but to a point!

AQUARIUS (January 21 - February 19) Although a certain passion may be cooling, fun with family and friends abounds. Any

disagreements mean keeping your words simple and your decisions delayed. Waiting a few weeks before burning any bridges allows you to start building new ones. Be creative in your encounters and slow to make decisions.

PISCES (February 20 - March 20) Instead of running here and there, why not invite some friends or neighbours (maybe both) to drop in for a chat and a drink? Romantic meetings come through a mate who you have not seen for some time.

Be flexible with both your time and plans this week.

ARIES (March 21 - April 20) There is a great opportunity this week to get closer to colleagues and friends.

Brief contact with neighbours can be built upon. Resist being too influenced by first impressions and appearances as you may catch someone on the hop! Given the chance there is someone who could be a real friend.

TAURUS (April 21 - May 21) Chatting to someone about your plans and hopes for the future is worthwhile.

Who knows, they may even come up with a good idea! Your own imagination seems to be out of kilter so it is worthwhile listening to others. Delaying accepting a tempting romantic offer could pay off. The right time will come.

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19/05/2017 12:09:39

Summer style

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Joyous

An exhibition of work to uplift and bring you joy From Friday 26th May - Thursday 15th June Opening night Friday 26th May 6-9pm Baxters, 12 Foss St, Dartmouth TQ6 9DR • Tel 01803 839000

Amanda Anderson • Hilke Mac Intyre • Lincoln Kirby Bell Linda Miller • Morag Lloyds • Nancy Pickard Sarah Mc Cormack • Tania Holland The exhibition is part of dartmouth galleries night Seven galleries are launching new shows You don’t need an invitation to come to the opening night

baxtersgallery.co.uk

Ads_May 27.indd 2

23/05/2017 12:30:21

Cook

mitch tonks:

Mackerel Tagine Mitch says: This is simple to make and has amazing flavours. Make sure - as with all mackerel recipes - that your fish is incredibly fresh. This one’s great for a gathering, indoors or out!

Serves: 2

You will need: 2-3tbsp olive oil 2.5cm piece fresh root ginger, chopped ½ red pepper, chopped 4 cherry tomatoes, chopped 2 garlic cloves, chopped 1 onion, chopped 1 mackerel, approx 350g, gutted and chopped into 5cm chunks or leave whole Sea salt Fresh coriander, finely chopped 40 black olives, optional Squeeze lemon to taste

Method: For the spice mix 1 tbsp ground allspice 1 ½ tbsp ground coriander 2 tbsp paprika 1 tbsp turmeric 2tsp ground cassia 1tsp ground cardamom 1tsp chilli flakes

1.

Mix all the ingredients for the spice mix together and store in an airtight jar.

2.

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan, add the ginger, peppers, tomatoes, garlic and onion and fry gently for 4-5 minutes, then add 1-2tsp of your spice mix. Add the mackerel, cover with water and leave to simmer for 7-8 minutes if chunks of mackerel and 12 minutes if whole fish.

3.

Before serving, season with plenty of salt, then add the coriander, olives and a squeeze of lemon to taste.

FISH by Mitch Tonks, Pavilion, photography Chris Terry. Eat out at Mitch’s Seahorse and Rockfish restaurants: www.mitchtonks.co.uk 36

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Drink

Happy h ur with drinks expert April Marks

April says: I’ve just returned from a fun family holiday in Gran Canaria where we catered for ourselves having hired a villa.

Booze shopping was left to me, a chore I relished as, both politically and culturally, the Canary Islands are very much Spanish – a country that produces great wines. With such a diverse range of styles on offer, I had a shopping list written out on the back of my boarding pass before we’d even landed in Las Palmas!

On arriving at the villa we discovered there were two wine fridges ready to be filled, I had to

acknowledge my brother had done well with the choice of accommodation! Now it was my turn to impress with a fine selection of beverages.

I’ll admit the supermarkets in Meloneras didn’t all offer quite as much choice as I’d hoped for but by day three I’d hit the jackpot at a supermarket called Hiper Dino. There was a great selection of whites from northern Spain including aromatic Verdejo from Rueda and crisp mineral Albariño from Rias Biaxas, and finally I found a good quality Fino sherry made by Osborne. I was also tempted to try some of the local wines, as Tenerife has the highest vineyards in Europe, the altitude of these volcanic vineyards helps to

Booze shopping

was left to me - it was

my chance to impress

English vineyards devastated by frost Spare a thought for English wine growers, some of whom have lost up to 90% of their vine buds in recent weeks through advection frost - a form of particularly cold wind that blows through the vineyards causing fatal damage to delicate buds. Duncan Schwab from Sharpham Vineyards in Totnes has confirmed that they too were hit by three consecutive days of frost at the end of April along with most growers along the south coast. Inevitably this will have an impact on 2017 volumes but indications are that the quality of what survives will be very good.

temper the hot Canarian climate. I unknowingly chose a very fragrant white from Tenerife that had a medium sweet palate – worth a try but not quite to our taste. My mission was also to find a great rosé wine for my sister-in-law, so I was delighted to spot a Portuguese pink made by Alianca called Casal Mendes - a wine I know well and my product of the week today. I guess it hit the spot as I was sent back to purchase more!

All that was left was to select a good gin for the early evening pre-prandials. I stumbled upon a local gin in a white ceramic bottle: White Macaronesian Gin. The water is filtered through the volcanic rocks, the orange peel and herbs shone through – delicious and mission accomplished!

April Marks is co-founder of Regency Wines Ltd Exeter @regencywinesuk

PRODUCT OF THE WEEK Alianca Casal Mendes Rosé, Portugal Summer in a glass! This light and refreshing rosé has a slight spritz and a touch of sweetness. At only 10.5% abv it makes a perfect lunchtime wine. Enjoy a bottle in the beer gardens of Ashill Inn near Cullumpton or The Bay Horse Inn in Totnes.

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19/05/2017 10:37:14

Drink

Darren Norbury

talks beer Beer of the week Bays Brewery is once again raising money for Paignton Zoo with an animal-themed beer. This year it’s Crocod-ale (4.7% ABV), with 10p from every bottle and pint sold going towards the conservation of these endangered reptiles.

PROJECT BREWER Butcombe Brewery has hired Jayne Goater, who has an MSc in brewing science and practice and a BSc in biochemistry and genetics, as its project brewer. The post description is a new one on me, but I think it has to do with creating a craft beer range.

We’ll watch with interest.

Vote for beer and pubs

My one and only mention of the election is to say that CAMRA has called upon candidates to “take advantage of the opportunities presented by Brexit to maximise the benefit to the British beer and pubs industry”. It also wants help to reduce the “massive tax burden” on pubs and brewers.

e are coming towards the end of it has a 6% ABV. Yes, a 6% mild. It’s full of rich CAMRA’s self-named Mild Month roast malt and dark fruit flavours and slips down of May and, notwithstanding that far too easily. Thing is, we might be seeing a lot it’s a daft month to promote what I more of it as Norman came into contact with the consider to be a “darker days” more brewery at the exact moment it was looking for wintry style of beer, it’s been pretty successful. a Cornwall distributor. And when a wholesaler Thanks to some imaginative initiatives, such offers to buy a pallet at a time, this is music to a as Cornwall CAMRA social secretary Ann Burbrewer’s ears. nett’s Mild Trail walk in Falmouth, this style of I was re-united with Sarah at a Food and Ale beer has taken a well-deserved step into the spotFestival held at the Old Market, Chacewater. light.

Having never been to the market A mild is generally a young before I wasn’t prepared for what beer, lightly hopped and with I found in this quiet village, just caramel or roast malt notes to outside Truro.

A mild is generthe fore. What it doesn’t have to The market is big and full of ally a young beer, be, necessarily, is dark or weak. wonderful produce – veg, fruit, lightly hopped It’s not a style top of the list cheeses, bread, preserves. Wow, for trendy craft brewers at the I’ll be visiting again - next time with caramel or moment, although this doesn’t remind me to bring a shopping roast malt notes. mean it won’t be at some point. bag. And it turned out also to be It was refreshing to see, howa great beer festival, with NorIt doesn’t necesever, a traditional favourite man’s Beer Man bar tucked in the sarily, have to be making a rare appearance in corner and some excellent live dark or weak Cornwall at a new event. music.

Norman Garlick, from StithiAs well as Sarah, there was ans, in mid-Cornwall, is the also the fabulous Mild from self-titled Beer Man. He runs a the Penzance Brewing Co, and small but perfectly formed wholesaling business Euchre, an interesting beer that was new to me which is benefiting some of Cornwall’s finest free from Manchester-based Blackjack Brewery, with houses, such as Beerwolf Books and The ‘Front, whom Norman is also working. Golden, fruity in Falmouth, and the Star Inn, Crowlas. and hoppy, this mild was a real thirst quencher He wouldn’t take no for an answer when trying at 3.9% ABV. to track down a supply of Sarah Hughes Dark In the Westcountry, we have a lot of fine homeRuby Mild, produced in a famous brewpub, The grown beers to enjoy nowadays. Occasionally, Beacon Hotel, in Sedgeley, West Midlands. though, it’s great to try upcountry brews, and it Now Sarah, as this mild is popularly known, looks like Norman Garlick from Stithians could is one of these beers with cult status. Put this the man to broaden our horizons. one on at a beer festival and it will surely be Darren Norbury is editor of beertoday.co.uk one of the first to run out, despite the fact that @beertoday

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[[

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culture vulture Our pick of the most interesting and exciting things to see and do right now in the South West The Tate Gallery is getting there...

Although it’s still a few months away, the transformation of the Tate St Ives (pictured above) is set to be completed this October. For the first time, Tate St Ives will be able to give a permanent display of more of the iconic 20th century artists who lived and worked in the town, showcasing the role of St Ives in the story of modern art. This will be combined with a new programme of large-scale seasonal shows, beginning with British sculptor Rebecca Warren’s first major UK exhibition and continuing next summer with a retrospective of the celebrated painter Patrick Heron.

The Addams Family are back - in Truro!

A time for nature and the spirit A new exhibition at Exeter’s Royal Albert Memorial Museum (RAMM) is set to explore nature and spirituality in a time of accelerated technological change. Contemporary artists Gordon Cheung, Rui Matsunaga and Nahem Shoa all appear in the show, called Into The Wild Abyss. The artists have selected natural history specimens from the museum to complement their artwork. Into the Wild Abyss continues RAMM’s mission to unlock the potential of museum collections by partnering with contemporary artists. Into The Wild Abyss, Friday June 9-Sunday September 3, entry free www.rammuseum.org.uk

Everyone’s favourite family, The Addams Family, are taking to the stage in a musical comedy. Wednesday Addams is all grown up and has a shocking secret; she’s fallen in love with a sweet young man from a respectable family. When the two families meet for dinner, will Gomez keep his daughter’s secret from his cherished Morticia? Join Uncle Fester, Lurch, Puglsey and more for a heart-warming story of love, family and friendship.

Tuesday June 20 – Saturday June 24, from £18 at Hall For Cornwall, Truro www.hallforcornwall.co.uk

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23/05/2017 13:23:11

Fond memories Preserving family memorabilia, photos and treasures means your family's story will be remembered for generations to come.

Lisa Salmon finds out how best to do so. ost families have photographs, films, treasures, stories and memories that hold a special place in their hearts, even though they're gathering dust in the attic.

The sad truth is that most of those special family memories will be lost to subsequent generations, who will have no idea of their significance or the stories attached to them - unless you preserve them now.

But what's the best way of doing it?

"Too often we let family memories and moments slip away unrecorded or forgotten," says Jonathan Crane, a BBC TV documentary maker and founder of The Personal Documentary Company.

"We wish we'd talked more to elderly relatives about their lives, we let time fade the memories of special events, and we take endless photo-

M

graphs and videos only to let them gather dust in the attic or languish on memory sticks.

'Too often, we let our family memories slip away unrecorded' "Sometimes we make a family tree - but names and dates on paper can only tell part of the story, and will only be of limited interest to future generations."

But he says there are lots of ways to bring

family trees to life. Many of us possess old family photographs, often without knowing when and where they were taken and who's in them.

Don't just dump old photos in a shoebox and shove them in the attic - find out as much information as you can about the people in the pictures from the rest of your family and write it on the back of the photo - or better still, put them in an album.

"Then, when your grown-up grandchildren find that shoebox or album, they'll have a treasure trove of memories to explore rather than a bunch of dusty, meaningless images," says Crane. And don't be put off if photos are faded and torn - they can be restored.

Old home movie film reels are often hidden away in boxes and need to be watched with a projector and screen if you still have them, and if the film hasn't deteriorated too much. Such

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Family

films need to be digitised and copied onto DVD, which Crane says isn't necessarily an expensive process.

As with photographs, try and find out about the who, what and where of the people in the films from living relatives.

"Future grandchildren won't be interested in wading through hours of footage of anonymous people, but if they know it was grandfather Fred going off to the war, they'll be more interested," says Crane.

To make a vibrant and living family tree, you need stories about the people in it. Ask elderly relatives to tell stories about their lives - they can capture a time and lifestyle that's gone forever.

You could get a professional company to record the stories, or simply do it yourself. Smartphones have good quality video cameras and audio recorders, so just sit elderly relatives down and record their memories. Ask about their earliest memories, their own grandparents and parents, growing up, school, meeting their other halves and what life was like decades ago.

Crane says: "If you're feeling ambitious, you

can transcribe their stories, add those restored family photos to the family tree, and hey presto you've got a book about the family that will enchant future generations."

Another key to preserving a family's past is family treasures. Jewellery is an obvious one but family treasures don't need to have any monetary value. All kinds of things are precious as mementoes - wedding invitations, train tickets, school play programmes - they all help to flesh out life stories.

If you're filming Grandma telling her stories, get her to talk about those treasures, suggests Crane.

"They might trigger special memories that

illuminate the everyday object," he says.

"One thing's for sure - her great-grandchildren won't be able to make head or tail of that knick-knack from Spain unless they know the story behind it."

Crane says future generations will want to understand their family's past, and adds: "A family tree is a great way to start preserving your family's story, but if you really want to bring it to life, go beyond just the names and dates.

"Make the best of your photos, films, treasures and above all your living family's memories. They're too important to ignore." www.personaldocumentaries.co.uk 41

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19/05/2017 14:15:22

Take your time Sharon Goble tries The Rose and Crown in Yealmpton. where you can eat superbly well, then stay the night afterwards walk on Mothecombe beach and the headland at the mouth of the River Erme sharpened our appetite for a family dinner at the Rose and Crown in the Devon village of Yealmpton.

It’s been a good while since the four of us - my husband Richard and our twin 12 year-old-sons - have ventured to this part of the South Hams and never before to Mothecombe. It proved a delightful appetiser: the peace of the unspoilt beach punctuated only by the waves lapping the foreshore and the occasional burst of late afternoon birdsong.

A combination of the stillness of a hazy afternoon, the verdant landscape, a multitude of ferns uncurling beside the path and views through the trees to crystal-clear creeks reminded me of a trip to New Zealand when our sons were little.

And only an hour’s drive from our home in Exeter!

The Rose and Crown is a family-friendly pub with rooms, part of the St Austell Brewery Hotels and Inns Collection, and there’s no miss-

A

ing it in Yealmpton. Painted a distinctive pink, it sits right on the main road through the village with a large, sunny beer garden to the rear.

The accommodation is in a lovely old house next door to the pub, tastefully painted in shades of grey, inside and out, with a charming, secluded garden for guests accessed through French windows.

The rooms newly opened last August and ours didn’t disappoint. At the top of the building, it was light, bright and spacious with impressive A-framed beams and views of the countryside through two Gothic arched windows. The ensuite bathroom was generous too with a walkin shower and roll top bath. Note to self: “Make time for a soak in that!” First things first though.

Dinner!

St Austell Brewery has steadily grown from the vision of Cornishman Walter Hicks in 1851.

Today, each of its hotels and inns has its own style but they all aim to offer warm hospitality, great locally-sourced food, fine wines and awardwinning Cornish ales. Having previously en-

joyed the food at a number of its pubs in Devon and Cornwall, I was looking forward to trying this one.

From the moment we entered the bar, it was obvious the Rose and Crown is a popular weekend haunt. Book ahead if you want to be sure of getting in on a Saturday night. Luckily, we didn’t have to wait long for a table for four in the front bar area. Simply decorated, in a style I’d describe as rustic chic - wooden floors, cream-painted stone walls, and a mix of old wooden furniture - it had a convivial, welcoming atmosphere with candles flickering on the tables.

Food is ordered at the bar and arrived promptly. A selection of soft Mediterranean bread (£3.95) was devoured by the boys. The wild garlic butter was a nice touch (I managed to get a taste before Felix polished it off), while Isaac happily dipped his bread in balsamic vinegar and oil. The olives (£3.95) came with sundried tomatoes, large capers, garlic and gherkins and more bread. Just right to take the edge off our hunger while we waited for starters.

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Enjoy

Again, we didn’t have long to wait. We all shared the Salt and Pepper Squid (£6.95), served with lemon aioli, a refreshing dressed salad and pickled cucumber. The Thai fish cake (£6.95) on rocket leaves was large and subtly-spiced, more like a traditional fish cake. The ‘salsa’ turned out to be finely chopped pineapple and chilli rather than the dipping sauce we expected. We cleaned the plate though, washed down with a pint of Tribute for my husband and a large glass of Merlot for me.

For the mains, Richard chose the Westcountry Lamb (£17.95) with wild garlic, minted Hasselback potatoes, pesto and red wine sauce. I ordered the Herb-crusted Hake (£15.95) with local samphire, crushed potatoes, asparagus, pea purée and white wine sauce. The boys happily chose from the children’s menu, very good value

at £6 including ice cream for dessert.

Isaac was a bit torn but finally decided on Linguini Carbonara while Felix knew exactly what he wanted, Sausages, Mash and Gravy.

The lamb and fish dishes, in particular, looked and tasted incredible and the portions were extremely generous. For me, the delicate fillet of fish was perfectly complemented by the asparagus, samphire and the pea purée. Richard and the boys were just as appreciative of their choices with Felix declaring it “the best mash ever” and praising the “nice rich gravy”.

The main courses were so generous, we briefly contemplated skipping dessert, but succumbed to sharing a Passion Fruit Panna Cotta (£6). Good decision. Served with homemade biscotti, orange and mint salsa and coconut ice cream, it slipped

‘Breakfast the next

morning was also

a very relaxed affair’

down a treat. A fabulous and refreshing combo.

Breakfast the next morning was also a very relaxed affair over the Sunday papers with equally good food and friendly service. Absolutely no danger of leaving the Rose and Crown disappointed or hungry. Time for another walk… www.theroseandcrown.co.uk

How they scored...

Food



Atmosphere



Service



Price

Dinner for four £98

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Princetown, Dartmoor

The Mewstone in Wembury Bay

The Odd Wheel Inn

My favourite:

My Secret Westcountry Andrew Scowcroft Andrew Scowcroft, 51, runs Foot Solutions specialist shoe shop and City Centre Chiropody, both in Plymouth. He lives in Wembury with his wife Karen (co-owner and podiatrist at their clinic) and their children Jamie, 12, and Harvey, 11.

Walk: We have two springer spaniels that can never get too much walking - luckily we’re blessed with a beautiful walk from our house which takes in Wembury beach, Warren Point and then up the Yealm Estuary before heading back via the local pub.

Place to eat: Working in Plymouth, I sometimes get the opportunity to eat out for lunch with suppliers and then I choose the best places to go with the family of an evening. I know I can count on The Treasury - which is a short walk from our city centre store. The atmosphere and quality of the food is always excellent but it is the presentation of the meals and the lovely staff there that always impress me the most.

Weekend escape: I confess to being a MAMIL (middle aged man in lycra) so my weekend escape is to cycle up to Dartmoor around Princetown and try to take in the views - while gasping for breath.

Festival or event: It’s hard to image anything more impressive than the UK Fireworks Championships in Plymouth. Thousands of people going ooh and aah - it’s spectacular.

Beach:

When I first moved down to the South West back in 2008, the first thing I wanted to know was where the locals went for the best beaches.

I’ll never forget the sight of Mothecombe beach in south Devon for the first time. I never get tired of visiting this lovely, relatively unknown part of our region.

Shop: The Game Larder in Yelverton. Over the past few years our main family holiday has been to tour France and one of the things we love there the most is the artisan food shops that offer such high quality local produce. The Game Larder is the best equivalent that Karen and I have found locally. Our sons devour their pasties while I can choose from the cheese counter. Heaven!

View: If pushed to choose one, it would be the view of Wembury Bay and the Mewstone as you

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People

Motheombe beach enter the field from Cliff Road in Wembury in south Devon. Those who’ve been there will know exactly what I mean.

Westcountry icon: For

me it’s not a person but a team. I have incredible respect and admiration for all involved in rebranding Plymouth.

There are so many projects in the pipeline (happening rather than being talked about) that are transforming the city into a vibrant tourist and business hub.

Pub: Easy. My local, The Odd Wheel Inn in Wembury. There, the beer is great, it’s both child and dog friendly and the chicken burgers are to die for.

Food: My wife Karen’s chocolate cake. Anyone

wishing to try some must get past me and the boys first.

Drink:

During the day it’s coffee from Café Roma opposite the old Civic Centre served by John’s friendly staff where I can also keep up to date with what’s going on in the Premiership. For night time this must be Doom Bar at my local.

Secret place: The bridle path from Wembury beach up to the village. There are two trees that we’ve scraped a mark on to measure our boys’ height against as they’ve grown over the years.

Special treat: A trip to Theatre Royal Plymouth. Every time we go to see a show there, the first thing Karen and I say to each other is: “we should do this more often”. We should!

The firework championships in Plymouth 45

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My life

[

MAN AND BOY

A blast from the past

[

Phil Goodwin, dad of James, seven, goes back in time have just spent a carefree weekend in the company of ghosts. This spectral gathering came about when I met an old mate, who lives in Japan but was over in Europe for a couple of weeks, chiefly to attend a wedding in Spain.

We met up in Barcelona, a wonderful place that I have visited before but hardly know, then went on to Madrid, somewhere much closer to my heart, where we both lived back in the day as penniless English teachers.

In the Spanish capital, a third friend joined us and we wandered the old stomping ground together for the first time in (gulp) 20 years. The phantom-in-chief turned out to be not the echoes of backstreet bars - long since renamed by the new hipster crowd - but the twenty-something version of myself.

Nowadays we are responsible: three fathers to some six children – joint age of around (ahem) 150 – so party time now tends to extend to trawling markets for hidden culinary gems (goose-neck barnacles anyone?), sitting in tapas bars and around outdoor tables laden with local delicacies, chewing the fat.

The grand old city, high up on the Castillian plateau has hardly changed in many ways, though it has grown and now seems packed with tourists.

We ate and drank like lords – suckling pig in a cavernous, medieval restaurant – then we went to a football match at Real Madrid’s imperious Santiago Bernabeu stadium. As fans respectively of Blackburn Rovers, Middlesbrough and Liverpool, we looked on with a fair degree of envy.

We three amigos are still young enough to resemble the photographs of our younger selves, if a tad wider, greyer and balder, but we don’t

I

[

cut the same kind of capers as we used to do after the sun goes down.

After not seeing many old friends for a long time, I attended one of these get-togethers-forold-times-sake weekends about five years ago and it left me feeling strangely dislocated and infused with a kind of longing for days passed. It took a while to get over it, actually.

This time was different. Maybe I am now at peace with my middle age. I saw one group of young English lads over on a jolly, all preened and puffed up for the proceedings, and was actually quite glad not to be among them. We have all been to that party.

A female Spanish friend took one look at our tee-shirts, cargo shorts and trainers and declared us to be super “guiri”, an insult reserved only for embarrassing tourists (think “emmet”) which would have been an unthinkable slur back when such things mattered.

At the Madrid version of London’s Camden Market – the meandering Rastro – I channelled my schoolboy self and bought the boy one of those tacky posters of the bullfight where you have your name plastered alongside the greats of the corrida. For my wife, I found a beautiful Spanish leather bag from a stall.

When I landed in Blighty to the chilly wind and rain of Bristol, I felt happy to be home. James was delighted to see me, asking questions about whether I had been speaking the strange language “Madrid” to everyone.

He knows nothing of my former life, which is probably a good thing. To age with grace seems a good plan. Nostalgia can be a bit of a trap and looking back is probably best saved until a much later date. Anyway, James is now the main man in my present life, and he is someone with all of his life ahead of him. To him I have always been an oldie, and that won’t ever change.

Nowadays we are responsible - three fathers to six children, our joint age (ahem) around 150

[

NEXT WEEK: Chris McGuire on becoming a new dad and moving to the Westcountry 46

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