Yours magazine issue 79

Page 1

FREE Walk Yourself Slim DVD

>TZ UF^ UTXYFLJ ´ XJJ NSXNIJ KTW IJYFNQX

worth ÂŁ12.99

your big value fortnightly /&3

431>

>4:78 (4 :0

.88:*

Fight the signs of ageing at 50, 60 & 70 +

Nigel Havers confesses ‘I’ll never stop being a irt!’

Lorraine

‘Prepare to 10 SIMPLE WAYS TO A LONGER LIFE! see the tough How ;MOT your ďŹ nances new me!’ to‌ ;Win a spa break DIET PLAN

Lose weight for good!

$ Healthy recipes $ Easy exercises

PLUS 7 pages of brain-teasers & comps YOUR079-cover.indd 1 YELLOW MAGENTA CYAN PANTONE 185 C BLACK

yourcover 79 new.pgs

21/12/09 15:43:11 21.12.2009 14:41 Rival Colour LTD


H❤ eart ❤ H A ❤

eart

to

…with Lorraine Kelly

The lovely Lorraine tells Yours why 2010 is taking her into uncharted territory with one of the biggest challenges she’s ever faced By Alison James

W

hat you see is what you get with TV presenter Lorraine Kelly. The bubbly, giggly, warm, self-deprecating woman you see on-screen four mornings a week is just the same in real life. She’s one of us! Although she has youthful looks and a slim, shapely figure, like all of us she knows what it’s like to battle to look good. And she doesn’t make a secret of that fact. She recently turned 50 but looks 35, so the struggle is obviously paying off. “Thank you for the compliment,” she says in her distinctive Scots lilt. “I am feeling pretty good as a matter of fact. I can tell I’m getting fitter. I also try to eat healthily during the week.” It’s this approach to healthy eating that makes Lorraine perfect to front a new six-part series about obesity on the Biography Channel, BIO, which starts on January 12. Entitled Lorraine Kelly’s Big Fat Challenge, it follows the Chawners, a family from Blackburn, Lancashire, branded as The Telly Tubbies as they undergo a six-month diet and lifestyle transformation regime. In 2007, Emma, now 19, unsuccessfully auditioned for the X Factor, after which she and her family faced public criticism for claiming benefits saying that they are too fat to work. Collectively the family, comprising dad Phil (53), mum Audrey (57), Emma and her sister Samantha (21), tip the scales at over 80 stone at the start of the series. “I am very worried about the growing problem of obesity and feel that if the

6

Chawners could be helped, so could other massively overweight families,” explains Lorraine. “It’s been life-changing for them. They were couch potatoes, spending virtually every day in front of the TV and they ate an appalling diet. They needed to change their lifestyle because, quite simply, it was killing them. Phil was told that his heart would give up within five years if things didn’t change.” Nutritionists, health and fitness experts and life coaches were enlisted to turn the Chawners’ lives around. “I’m the person who gives them a kick up the bottom and monitors their progress,” Lorraine says. “I organised the experts to help them and I interview them and check they are sticking to the plan. They don’t want to let me down which gives them an incentive, but it wasn’t easy to keep them motivated. They had their ups and downs. Audrey was hospitalised after an asthma attack and Phil threw a strop when he couldn’t travel to France to see a top nutritionist – we couldn’t get insurance for him. There were lots of tantrums. It wasn’t easy for them or anyone around them at times, but the girls especially were determined.” Lorraine’s tough but sympathetic because she’s had her own weight battles over the years. Running proved a breakthrough for her. She’s recently signed up for her third London marathon which takes place in April. “I’ve done the New York one, too,” she adds. “That was five years ago and afterwards I said ‘Never again!’ But I was asked to run for the children’s cancer charity CLIC and I reckoned my legs have one marathon left in them. My exercise regime usually consists of me walking the dog for 40

YOURS // EVERY FORTNIGHT

YOUR079-6-7 lorraine kelly.indd 6

17/12/09 14:16:31


y star chat y ‘if i can help the chawners then many other overweight families could be helped’

PICS: BRIaN aRIS; aETNUk&BSkYB/daISYBECk PROdUCTIONS

minutes every day, but at the moment I’m also running a few miles three times a week and gradually building up my distance. I can tell I’m getting fitter. I also try to eat healthily during the week and then have a few drinks and lovely meals at the weekend. I love food but it’s all about healthy eating for life – if you’re on a healthy eating plan, you’re retraining your body to eat sensibly. I used to yo-yo diet, but that doesn’t work. Ultimately that kind of dieting makes you fat because you’re denying yourself everything, you fall off the wagon, think you’ve failed and you’re back to square one. No, it’s not about diets any more, it’s about healthy eating. I’m proof of that, if you like. I’ve struggled with my weight my whole life, but through healthy eating and regular exercise, I’m now at a place – being able to fit into my size 12 jeans – where I’m happy. I‘m comfortable with what I look like.” Lorraine counts herself lucky that she’s inherited her mum’s bone structure and skin but says if she had a magic wand she’d flatten her tummy and tone up her arms. “I intend to grow old gracefully, though. Each to their own, but I’m not tempted by plastic surgery. I’ve interviewed so many people for whom surgery has gone awry and seen too many women who’ve overdone it.” But back to the Chawners’ challenge. Do they succeed? You’ll have to wait and see.” It’s going to be a challenge!

Can Lorraine help the overweight Chawners family (right) get into a healthier lifestyle?

Psst…

LorrAine shAres A secret ‘I’m

longing to travel to Antarctica and to South Georgia to visit the grave of Sir Ernest Shackleton and to pay my respects. He’s one of my heroes. I also want to write a cracking, page-turning novel - one day I’ll get the time to do it!’ YOURS // EVERY FORTNIGHT

YOUR079-6-7 lorraine kelly.indd 7

7

17/12/09 14:16:39


By: Joy Harris

1

Elvis once sold a neighbour his new truck for a dollar because he was embarrassed that the man’s fence was continually being broken down by fans.

2

Elvis had an identical twin brother, Jesse, who sadly was stillborn.

3

His father, Vernon was a sharecropper, a tenant farmer in an arrangement where the landowner allows use of the land in exchange for a share of the crop.

50 things you didn’t know about…

ELVIS He’d have been 75 this month but how clued up are you on The King?

5

His first guitar came from a hardware store. He wanted a bike, but his mother worried he’d fall off and hurt himself. The rest is history.

6

Many countries issued stamps featuring Elvis. The US produced just one, in 1993, and it is estimated that 120 million were kept unused.

7 4

Elvis was bemused by early audience reaction. ‘What did I do?’ he asked the manager backstage. The reply: ‘Whatever it is, go back and do it again.’

Your

memories

of the

King 10

The last person to live at Graceland was Elvis’s Aunt Delta, on his invitation after she was widowed. She died in 1993.

8

An annual procession through Graceland is held on the anniversary of his death. The largest was on the 25th

D In 1958, I was a telephonist in the Continental telephone exchange in London when Elvis was on National Service in Germany. Word came round that one of the operators had him on a line making a call. We all plugged in to listen. Little did Elvis know that even when making a phone call he had a horde of girls swooning over his voice. Elma Robertson, Glasgow

anniversary in 2002 – when an estimated 40,000 people, took part, despite heavy rain.

9

Elvis’s first full time job was as a truck driver for an electrical company. He was studying to become an electrician when fame called.

10

He was once threatened with arrest for his trademark hip swivelling. A judge in Florida visited his show and warned him to tone it down to limited side-to-side movements.

11

He rarely performed outside America and never in front of his legions of British fans.

Joyce with her very own Elvis

12

He once took a vintage gun to the White House, hoping to be appointed as one of President Nixon’s special agents.

13

His first small screen appearance in 1968 received the highest ratings of the year in American television.

14

He was buried twice, both times next to his mother, Gladys. When crazed fans tried to steal his body from Forest Hills Cemetery in Memphis, they were reinterred at Graceland.

D After 50 years looking for Elvis, I’ve finally found him! I’ve idolised The King since I was 15 but now I’m happily married to my very own Elvis lookalike (pictured left). We’re going to an Elvis convention in Blackpool in January for my 65th birthday. Joyce Hancock, Middlewich, Cheshire

YOURS // EVERY FORTNIGHT

YOUR079-10-13elvis.indd 10

15/12/09 11:01:20


16

Three different reissued Elvis singles topped the UK charts through January 2005, nearly 30 years after his death.

17

There are an estimated 80,000 Elvis impersonators around the world.

18

As a rising performer, Bruce Springsteen once scaled the Graceland fence to try and meet Elvis. He was ejected by security.

19

In 1970, he won a Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Nation Award.

20

25

21

President Jimmy Carter said in his official tribute that Elvis’s death ‘deprives the country of a part of itself.’

22

D My husband John was born on the same day as Elvis, so he will also be 75 in January. John and Elvis were probably in the forces at the same time too. John spent five years in the RAF. We were married when I was 17. We’ve always been fans and a particular favourite song is You Are Always on My Mind. Audrey Lees, Burton-uponTrent, Staffs

D It was 1958 and I was 15. I loved the twice-weekly rock ‘n’ roll nights at our local ballroom and one night a young man asked me if I liked Elvis. When I said yes, he asked me to dance and we’ve now been married for 46 years. We still love Elvis and have made lots of friends through his fan club. Pauline Cook, Newport, Gwent

The origins of the title The King are unclear. Bruce Springsteen insisted: ‘There have been a lotta tough guys, there have been pretenders and there have been contenders. But there is only one King.’

24

John Lennon simply believed: ‘Before Elvis, there was nothing.’

26

The trophy room in Graceland is filled with awards from around the world – and a pair of boxing gloves signed by Muhammad Ali.

27

The soundtrack album for his film GI Blues was number one for 10 weeks, but stayed in the charts for more than two years!

28

Elvis wanted tickets for his 1973 Aloha from Hawaii TV special to be accessible to all. People could pay whatever they could afford.

29

Elvis has sold more than 1 billion records worldwide, more than anyone in record industry history.

D I fell in love with Elvis when I was 14 (and I’m still in love with him at 69)! I have his pictures all over the house, except the bedroom, where my husband has banned them. All his songs are special to me, but at 15, I would dream that he was singing Love Me Tender just to me. Secretly, I must admit I still think that… Jean Bradford, Bristol

D When I was 19, I took a nanny’s job in Long Island, thinking I might get to see Elvis perform. But I had a car accident and while recovering in hospital, a nurse brought me a newspaper with Elvis and Priscilla on the front page having just got married. I was gutted. It broke my heart. I cried for days! Josie Thompson (62), Shotts, North Lanarks

YOURS // EVERY FORTNIGHT

YOUR079-10-13elvis.indd 11

PICS: GETTY ImaGES; REx FEaTURES; aLamY

Graceland is the second most visited home in the US after The White House, attracting about 700,000 people a year. It was originally owned by SE Toof, publisher of a Memphis newspaper, who named it after his daughter Grace. Elvis bought it for $100,000 in 1957.

Frank Sinatra called Elvis’s music ‘a rancid smelling aphrodisiac that fosters negative reactions in young people.’

Jerry Lee Lewis fared even worse, after arriving in a drunken rage with a gun. He was handcuffed and taken to jail.

Elvis defined his stage movement as: ‘Some people tap their feet, some snap their fingers, some sway back and forth; I just sorta do them all together.’

15

23

11

15/12/09 11:01:32


Reclaim your waist // The Yours pull-out // Reclaim your waist // The Yours p pu

Delicious and

slimming A week of healthy dinners to kick-start your weight-loss

Day 2

recipes

Day 1

Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken with Roasted Veg Ingredients • 100g (31⁄2oz) of chicken fillet • 2 sun-dried tomatoes • 25g (1oz) of mozzarella cheese • 1 tbsp of fresh basil leaves • 1⁄2 red pepper • 1⁄2 courgette • 3 cloves of garlic • 1 tsp of olive oil • 3 small new potatoes Method Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4 1 Cut a pocket into the side of the chicken fillet and fill the pocket with the tomatoes, sliced mozzarella and basil. Wrap in tinfoil, place in a baking dish and bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes, until cooked through. 2 For the last 10 minutes of cooking the chicken, add the veg chopped into chunks with the full garlic cloves drizzled with olive oil. Serve chicken and roasted veg with boiled potatoes.

66

YOURS // EVERY FORTNIGHT

YOUR079-64-70 New year pullout.indd 66

3/12/09 17:23:12


rs p pull-out // Reclaim your waist // The Yours pull-out // Reclaim your waist //

Method 1 Heat olive oil in small non-stick frying pan over a low heat. Add the onion, courgette and red pepper, and sauté for around 6 minutes or until slightly softened. 2 Beat together eggs

and milk, and season to taste. Add to pan and mix with onion, courgette and red pepper. 3 Cook at a low heat, gradually pushing the egg mixture from the outside of the pan into the centre, allowing the uncooked egg to cover the pan. 4 Continue cooking until egg mixture is almost set. 5 Heat the grill. Remove omelette from the hob and top with grated cheese. Grill until cheese has melted and the omelette is cooked through.

Day 3

Day 4

Chicken Balti with Mango and Lentils Ingredients • 40g (11⁄2oz) basmati rice • 20g (3⁄4oz) red lentils • 1 tsp of olive oil • 1⁄4 leek finely sliced • 1 chilli, finely chopped • 1 curry leaf • 1⁄2 tsp of mustard seeds • 1⁄2 mango diced • 1⁄2 tomato diced • 1 pinch of coriander, ground • 1 pinch of chilli powder • 100g (31⁄2oz) chicken breast • 1⁄2 tbsp of coriander, fresh, chopped Method 1 Prepare basmati rice per pack directions. 2 Place the lentils in a

saucepan and add enough water to just cover. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes, until soft but not mushy. Drain and set aside. 3 Heat the oil in a large nonstick frying pan. Add the finely sliced leek, chilli, curry leaf and mustard seeds and cook over a medium heat for 4-5 minutes. 4 Add the diced mango and tomatoes, ground coriander, chilli powder and chicken, and fry for 8-10 minutes. 5 Add the cooked lentils and cook for a further 2 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. 6 Garnish with fresh coriander before serving with rice.

PHOTOGRAPHY: TOBY SCOTT; SIMON SMITH

Courgette & Pepper Omelette

Ingredients • 1 tsp of olive oil • 1 tbsp of chopped onion • 1⁄2 courgette • 1⁄2 red pepper • 2 eggs • 1 tbsp of semiskimmed milk • 30g (1oz) of low-fat cheese

Italian Tuna and Bean Salad Beef Stir-fry with Oyster Sauce Ingredients • 1⁄2 tsp of olive oil • 75g (3oz) lean beef steak • 1 clove of garlic • 1⁄2 yellow pepper • 50g (2oz) broccoli • 1 spring onion • 1 pak choi • 50g (2oz) of tinned water chestnuts • 1 tbsp of oyster sauce • 120g (4oz) of straight to wok noodles (1 serving)

Method 1 Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan or wok and add the steak, cut into thin strips. 2 Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes to seal, then add the crushed garlic, sliced pepper, broccoli cut into small florets and sliced spring onion, along with 2 tbsp of water. 3 Stir-fry for a further 3 minutes, then add the sliced pak choi, sliced water chestnuts, oyster sauce and noodles. Heat through thoroughly and serve.

Ingredients • 200g (7oz) of tinned mixed beans, drained & rinsed • 1⁄2 tin of tuna, drained • 1⁄4 red pepper, chopped • 1⁄4 red onion, finely sliced • 4 green olives • 1⁄2 tbsp of chopped parsley • 1⁄4 tbsp of olive oil • 1⁄2 tbsp of red wine vinegar Method 1 Drain the mixed beans and rinse under running water to remove excess salt and sugar. 2 Drain the tuna. 3 Place all the ingredients in a roomy bowl, dress with the olive

Day 5

oil and red wine vinegar and season with freshly ground black pepper. Toss gently to combine.

in association with YOUR079-64-70 New year pullout.indd 67

➙ 3/12/09 17:23:18


health 10 easy ways to Recharge your

add years to your life

If you want to live healthier for longer add these 10 simple things to your to-do list

O

foccourse s e nerrgr uo r yuuesuro oo uocc course your your genes genes and a your medical aprgirb a yoroal poytrtothistory hsistory play play a big big part par in determining your yc nat c e prxer eufro ilurou your llife ife expectancy expectancy–– but an amazing a htl ae hr uoyef oet npecpr e p70 70 per per cent cent of of your your health health and an longevity can l yt s efil r uoy yfbfdetafc eaff abe be affected affected by by your your lifestyle, lifestyle according to You don’t Al ae R. www eet a st er e pxe ethe the experts experts at at www.RealAge.com. www.RealA eg need u u oto n aeaeneud ao atto trogtundertake uaantgd r eretaeurkg e a gruelling gruelllin routine to st fie ne br eegenoh l ethvtilthteget gthtet the the live live longer longer benefi benefits ts – just making a few help you s kae wt el yt s efil el p m is w few simple simple lifestyle lifestyle tweaks tweaksccould c r egnol r ofvr evi h itli avel ih levil to to live live healthier healthier for for longer. longer.

d

+2

Being close to nature is great for your wellbeing, say UK scientists. A walk in the park helps to reduce your stress levels and, if it’s a sunny day, you’ll be topping up your antiageing Vitamin D levels too. Even simply looking out of your window onto a natural scene gives you mood-boosting benefits. Researchers found that hospital patients in rooms with a pleasant outlook recovered faster than those faced with a brick wall.

Stop yo-yo dieting

+years2

Are you constantly losing and regaining weight? The experts believe that allowing your weight to fluctuate by at least ten per cent over five years puts strain on your body’s systems and ages you faster. To get the longevity benefits you need to get to a healthy weight and then maintain it. Give your weight loss a kick start with yoursdietclub.co.uk and the exclusive Yours diet for 50+ women. Turn to page 63 to find out more.

38

+8

dn n nSpend S epend y oyl l lCall Cl all your you e e time tm ime d years dnn snedeneifriends friends years i i si s di soutside o t utside r r r every every day d Staying connected to your friends and family is great for your health and mental wellbeing. US scientists found that older people with strong social networks reported better health than people who had few friends. Good friends encourage you to look after yourself and give emotional support. Catch up with a close friend today for a feelgood boost.

Exercise regularly

+9

It’s great for your heart, it helps you maintain a years healthy weight, improves your bone density and boosts your mood: you can’t beat exercise for helping you to live longer. A recent study found that exercising as you get older improves life expectancy and helps maintain your independence too. Try to do to at least 30 minutes three times a week.

YOURS // EVERY FORTNIGHT

YOUR079-37-41 HEALTH .indd 38

3/12/09 16:13:57


AS

K

JONT DR Y

Look after your teeth

+6

Brushing and flossing your teeth properly years every day could help to protect your heart. UK researchers have found that poor dental hygiene that leads to bleeding gums could increase your risk of heart disease. Bacteria in your mouth gets into your bloodstream and sticks to the platelets in your blood, causing blood clots which could lead to a heart attack or stroke. See your dentist for advice on looking after your teeth.

+years 7

Smoking ups your risk of just about every disease so it goes without saying that quitting is good for your health. If you’re exposed to secondhand smoke for more than four hours a day you face similar health risks to a smoker – so minimise contact as much as you can. Get help quitting by calling the free NHS Smoking Helpline on 0800 022 4332.

Get a pet

+2

years Pet owners visit their doctors less often and are less likely to suffer from depression than people who don’t have a pet, according to US researchers. Other studies have also found that stroking an animal could help to lower your blood pressure and to ease your stress levels.

+2

Eat a balanced diet years Do you include at least five portions of fruit and vegetables, some low fat dairy produce, some wholegrains such as oats, brown rice and wholegrain bread, some healthy omega-3 fats and a little lean protein in your diet every day? If not, you won’t be giving your body the nutrients you need to live healthier for longer. So make some changes now.

De-clutter and get organised

+8

years

Living in chaos is bad for you and your health say the experts. Time wasted searching for keys, sifting through unpaid bills and stumbling over mess affects your stress levels, which could raise your risk of heart disease and diabetes. Find out how to de-clutter at www.cluttergone.co.uk

+years3 Sleep well

Doing your utmostt n to get a good seven hours of sleep a night could p pay dividends. Lack of sleep has been linked to high blood pressure, obesity and even early death. But get enough, and you give your body time to repair and restore itself. Improve your sleep quality by keeping your room cool and d dark, go to bed eand att tthe e get h eh htup ethta he same time each day and fillyu yyour our evening meal with oats, rice rr rroo eroor or wholewheat pasta which ni at ncontain ontain sleep-stimulating chemicals.

// Find out more about how to boost your life span at www.RealAge.com

*See your GP about health concerns before taking any supplements or herbal remedies, particularly if you take prescribed medicines. Always speak to your GP before stopping any medication.

YOUR079-37-41 HEALTH .indd 39

The Yours doctor is here to answer your questions every fortnight

Q

I have high blood pressure and my GP has advised me to reduce my salt intake. I’ve tried cutting it out altogether but food tastes bland. How much can I safely have? DR JONTY says: We talk about the risks associated with smoking or obesity, but often overlook the dangers of too much salt. Basically, salt retains water in our blood vessels, increasing the pressure inside them. This puts all of us at increased risk of having a stroke or a heart attack in the long run. In the UK we consume 9-12g of salt per day. The government recommends that we reduce this to 6g per day and the World Health Organisation suggests an even lower target of 5g per day. In fact, research suggests that it should be even less than this! It would certainly not be dangerous to reduce your salt intake levels to 3g per day. If we all limited our salt intake to 3g per day we could reduce the number of strokes in the UK by a third and save more than 20,000 lives! Even by limiting ourselves to 6g per day could end up saving more than 15,000 lives. This is easier said than done because so much salt is already present in the food we buy. For example, just one slice of bread will often have around 0.5g of salt in it, so if you have two slices of toast and a sandwich you will have already had a third of your daily limit, before you even add any filling! So, you can see there really is no need to add extra salt to your food. Try to cut down slowly over a few weeks to get used to the change in taste. You can try ‘low sodium’ salt but this will not help you become accustomed to the taste of food without salt, so a better alternative is to be more imaginative with your cooking and try other herbs and spices that don’t contain salt – black pepper, garlic, ginger, onion, and curry powder will add flavour without putting your blood pressure up. Finally, read the labels on ready-made food and watch out for all the hidden salt already present in what you buy. // Dr Jonty Heaversedge is a GP in London and star of BBC1’s Street Doctor. YOURS // EVERY FORTNIGHT

COMPILED BY REBECCA SPEECHLEY. PICS: GETTY IMAGES; REX FEATURES AND MASTERFILE

Give up smoking

39

3/12/09 16:14:08


When I was young…

T

oday’s youngsters think nothing of trekking round the globe but when I was 19 years old, France was the centre of the world and I was desperate to go there – but I might as well have dreamed of going to the moon. My love of all things French was fostered by the contagious enthusiasm of my French A-Level teacher, Miss Hillier. But there was a problem. I was her only pupil who had never been to France. She took this as a personal tragedy but nothing could be done about it. My family couldn’t afford to send me there and we didn’t have room to lodge an exchange student. So that was that. Thanks to her encouragement, I got a B in A-level French and what had been The Sacré Coeur

glimpsed over the rooftops

I fell in love with Paris

Reader Jennifer Rayner, 62, of Toulouse in France, recalls the first time she experienced Parisian life and its challenging language a vague wish turned into a full-grown obsession: I had to go to France! I decided to take a trilingual English/French/ Spanish secretarial course. And once the year was finished and my certificate in my pocket, I made plans. I started searching for work in France and got an interview in London with an international transport company looking for a secretary for their Paris office. I was offered the job and was on my way! A friend who had recently been to Paris on work experience came with me. It was reassuring to be with someone who knew their way around. I immediately fell in love with the delicate, frivolous and definitely feminine beauty of Paris.

‘There was no lift to our attic room but the view was stunning’

YOUR079-74-75 I remember.indd 74

However, finding somewhere to live was a nightmare. We shared a hotel room for the first month and eventually found a ‘chambre de bonne’ (maid’s room) on the seventh floor of an apartment building. There was no lift to our attic room and it was very basic but the view was stunning. There was an oval window through which we could see the Sacré Coeur church which looked magnificent when floodlit at night. From the tiny balcony we viewed the rooftops of Paris. My new job held many surprises for me. I shared an office with four other young secretaries, Muriel, Colette, Danièlle and Rose, who were endlessly patient and helpful. Unwittingly, I kept them amused with my faux-pas. On the first morning, I asked to be directed to the ladies’ toilet. I found it and was about to enter when out came a man, grinning a greeting while still doing up his trousers! Cheeks flaming, I rushed back, complaining that they’d sent me to the men’s toilets. There was incomprehension all round until I realised that toilets in France were

1/12/09 10:12:47


Do you remember…

Jack and Jill comics

usually mixed. (I had yet to encounter the hole-in-the-ground loos where a good sense of balance was essential and one only went out of dire necessity!) We worked four hours in the morning and four hours in the afternoon, with an hour for lunch. Around 10.30am on the first day, I began looking out for the coffee On her previous myy ffriend had trolley. Nothing da hcame dnei rso f yI asked m, ti si vwhat s uoi vhad er pr e h n O nh er p revious vvisit, isit, m riend h ad befriended a young man at her work and happened to the coffee break. between them they arranged a blind date To my dismay, I learned that tea and for me with one of his friends. coffee breaks were an English institution I thought he was wonderful. He with no equivalent in Sixties Paris. invited me out to a restaurant and I However, the other girls thought it was shamelessly devoured an enormous a wonderful idea and, little by little, we brought in a kettle, mugs and coffee, later quantity of food (my friend and I economised on meals in order to go out supplemented with a supply of biscuits. more). He was amused and asked me if When I left, two years later, the custom I’d like anything else, to which I loudly was well established. replied: “Je suis pleine!”. Looking around Having gained a B at A level, I naïvely to see if anyone had overheard, he imagined that my French was pretty explained that the expression was used to good. It wasn’t, and for the first three describe pregnant animals, not well fed months even a simple conversation human beings! proved an arduous task. He didn’t hold my huge appetite or my One day, Danièlle didn’t come in to tactlessness against me and we fell in love work. I was told that she’d fallen in the apples: ‘elle est tombée dans les pommes’. in one of the most romantic cities in the world. We married in 1968 and moved Bemused, I imagined she lived a long to London for nine years, returning to way out and maybe had an orchard. France in 1977 with our two daughters. The next day, Danièlle had fallen in the Needless to say, apples again. I thought it was pretty , y, my French has improved careless of her to have the same accident .. . tt tI .otoaol llot. ot. Ittthink Miss Hillier would have two days running. On the third day I haeve been proud of me. couldn’t believe that she wasn’t doing it Yours on purpose and said so. Much hilarity aH Have a you got an amazing all round until they eventually calmed sstory otor to tell? We’ll pay down enough to tell me that to ‘fall in thee £100 for every story o to t tuup p£tto o£ apples’ meant to faint. Due to my poor r r Cp wee p print. Contact us at ‘When r. t npi r pw r i nt . C o French I never did find out why althoughY Was Y Young’, Yours magazine, WI W it was much discussed by the others. Media House, Peterborough But my friend and I hadn’t come Business Park, Peterborough PE2 to Paris just to work and we spent our 6EA. Or you can email your stories weekends visiting different parts of the and pictures to sheena.correa city or sitting outside cafés watching the bauermedia.co.uk world go by.

info

Did you know

?

The Jack and Jill artwork, along with two other story strips in the comic, was drawn by the artist Hugh McNeill, who also worked on the Beano. McNeill’s other characters for Jack and Jill were Teddy and Cuddly, the Baby Bears and Harold Hare (who was so successful he ended up with his own comic in 1959).

?

Having spent his childhood drawing cartoons of his teachers and classmates, Hugh McNeill took evening classes at the Manchester School of Art. He later became the official cartoonist for Manchester City Boxing Club, selling books of his cartoons before every boxing match.

?

Jack and Jill was one of the many British comics produced by Fleetway Publications, founded by Alfred Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe, who was also a pioneer of the tabloid press, having launched the Daily Mail in 1896 and the Daily Mirror in 1903.

YOURS // EVERY FORTNIGHT

YOUR079-74-75 I remember.indd 75

PICS: GETTY IMAGES AND LOOK AND LEARN MAGAZINE

Jennifer pictured in Sixties Paris

The world inhabited by Jack and Jill Honey of Buttercup Farm from February 1954 right up until 1985 was a safe and sunny one. They played around the farm and s s had e eis itea tetrai stp reitat rties, village, parties, went for walks and looked after Patch, their puppy dog. Jack wore blue shorts and a yellow top and Jill always wore red and they appeared with little rhyming couplets telling the story.

75

27/11/09 12:40:54


Matching s Your grandkids will adore these cosy winter warmers

FOR S K N IT TE R D O WITH GONCE E EXPERI ★★★

NOTES

MEASUREMENTS

MATERIALS

3(3) 50g balls Rowan Wool Cotton in Colour A 1(1) 50g ball Rowan Wool Cotton in Colour B 1(1) 50g ball Rowan Wool Cotton in Colour C Pair 4mm (UK 8) knitting needles Yarn quantities are based on average requirements and are therefore approximate.

To fit age 1-2 Scarf 20 x 117 8x46 Mittens 14 x 12.5 51⁄2 x 5

3-4

Years

20 x 117 8x46

cm in

15 x 14 6 x 51⁄2

cm in

Figures in brackets ( ) refer to the larger size. Where only one set of figures is given this applies to both sizes. When changing colour on the scarf, break and rejoin yarns, leaving ends long enough for sewing in later. For mittens, yarns can be carried up the side of the work.

CHART FOR SCARF

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

TENSION

22 sts and 30 rows = 10cm/4in square measured over stocking stitch on 4mm needles or the size required to give the correct tension. Always check tension carefully and adjust needle sizes throughout if necessary.

120

45 44 43

Repeat these 6 sts

KEY

Colour A Colour B Colour C

6 5 4 3 2 1

YOURS // EVERY FORTNIGHT

YOUR079-120-121 Knitting.indd 120

27/11/09 13:08:38


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.