Clanfield, Horndean and Cowplain TDG Dec22

Horndean & Cowplain December 2022

Clanfield,

If you and your family would benefit from some support with food or gifts, please contact us at: sales@thedirectorygroup.co.uk or message us on Facebook; we would love to help.

This month we have featured some fantastic local businesses, a delicious Yule Log Recipe by Nigella, Stocking Filler Book Guide, and some great articles and competitions. Our gorgeous Barney is in the festive mood, so find him in 4 adverts for your chance to win the Find Barney Competition. Plus, enter our Christmas Giveaway, where two lucky winners will each win £50 cash!!!

Thank you for reading The Directory this year. From myself and everyone else at The Directory Group, have a wonderful Christmas, and we’ll catch up with you in the New Year!

Entry Deadline: 21/12/2022 Winner Drawn: 22/12/2022 Barney is hiding in 4 of this month’s directory adverts... Send your answers and your name and number quoting ‘FIND BARNEY DecTDG’ to the address below or email us at competition@thedirectorygroup.co.uk You could WIN £50

The

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The Festive Garden

Having a creative Christmas at home is about more than just a tree and a few bits of tinsel.

When surrounded by the aromas of food, or the warmth of family and friends, there is something incredibly satisfying when it comes to looking out onto a festive garden.

Here are a few suggestions to make your outside space joyful and merry this Christmas.

Light it up

Lights are the number one addition to any Christmas scene, and with darkness descending ever earlier, their e ect is longerlasting.

As ever, subtlety is key – placed in jars, through vines or in woven baskets, lights inside will illuminate through the tiny gaps to spray decorative shapes and lines across your outside space. Also consider experimenting with green and red bulbs to create a new ambiance.

Light projectors are a great way of creating additional lighting and brilliant e ects, as well. There are a wide variety of creative designs that echo the festive season, and these can be beamed onto walls or into dark garden recesses in order to bring a unique two-dimensional e ect to spaces.

Star quality

steps

It’s also possible to buy in or even make Christmas orbs, and these can look absolutely enchanting when dotted around the garden or placed on the front steps of your house. They are particularly stunning when laid on freshly fallen snow (if we’re lucky enough to see some!).

Lights pulled across in a consistent line guide the eye and looks great, although it’s a good idea to make sure lights are set on a timer. Not only will you get maximum value out of the hours your garden is lit up, it will also ensure neighbours aren’t perplexed at your 3am lightshow!

Using Christmas shapes hung around the garden will really move the indoors outdoors. Consider Moravian stars in Christmas trees, plus bows, reindeer silhouettes, candy sticks, snowflakes and gingerbread men.

And of course, a selection of bright red Christmas baubles will make any tree, bush or shrub feel festive.

Just be sure that nothing you are hanging outside can endanger wildlife or curious critters.

Window to wonderland

Finally, an easy cheat when looking to create a winter wonderland garden is to use Christmas elements in a window box. Done smartly, when looking out into your garden, your vision will catch these planted additions and shape the festive view.

Christmas

In the same way, using fake snow around the edge of windows works as a brilliant border e ect to the world outside.

Most couples hope that their estate will pass to their children and grandchildren eventually. But for many this will not happen, unless careful arrangements have been made to protect their assets from being taken towards the end of their life to pay care home fees.

Westminster Law assesses the circumstances of couples and arranges the trust that will provide the best protection.

To help protect a couple’s estate, the solution may be a Will incorporating a Trust. A testamentary Trust can only be executed whilst both partners remain alive. Upon death of one partner, their Will specifies that their share of the estate is placed in Trust and names the ultimate beneficiary of this share, normally the children and grandchildren. But

under the terms of the Trust the surviving partner has the unequivocal right to remain living in the property and to enjoy the other assets, for the rest of their life.

On the death of the other partner the Trust comes to an end and the estate passes to the beneficiaries. As the surviving partner does not own the deceased’s share of the estate it is fully protected for the beneficiaries, so if the surviving partner requires care, or even remarries, this share of the beneficiary’s inheritance is protected.

If the surviving partner wants to move they can still sell the property and the proceeds be used to purchase a new property; the terms of the trust remain over the new property.

Westminster Law assesses the circumstances of couples and arranges the trust that will provide the best protection for them, their family and their assets.

Help someone this winter with a Reverse Advent Calendar

Winter can be a difficult time for everyone – especially the many families around us who struggle on a daily basis of ensuring their families have enough to eat. With this in mind at Hampshire Media Group we want to help… and we are hoping you would like to join in our quest to provide local families and food banks with food boxes this winter…

What is a

Reverse

Advent Calendar?

Unlike the chocolate advent calendar we see at Christmas, reverse advent calendars are designed to give something back to those less fortunate. Each day, you add a non-perishable food item to the box/basket until you have 24 items ready to donate to those less fortunate. A reverse advent calendar is perfect to do as an individual, or as a family or group. What better way to demonstrate that you care this Winter…

How to take part?

Firstly you need to grab a box or container, and every day on the run up to Christmas, add something useful to the box. The idea is that you add 24 items just like an advent calendar.

What to include?

Tinned foods including meats, pasta, rice, beans, biscuits, snacks, UHT milk, baby formula, orange squash, toothpaste, soap, shampoo etc. Basic staple foods to feed a family and toiletries. (No fresh goods please).

Samaritans of Portsmouth and East Hampshire Celebrate

This year Samaritans of Portsmouth and East Hampshire celebrated a significant birthday: the branch is 60 years old. Over 100 local Hampshire people volunteer at the branch, and they answer around 1,200 telephone calls every month, giving emotional support to people in distress.

Helen Puckett, the branch director, says, “We enjoyed celebrating this significant birthday and celebrating 60 years of helping others. A lot of things have changed over that time. We now provide support by email and are rolling out a web chat service, as well as answering phone calls.

Above all, you have the satisfaction of knowing you are really helping people in distress.

The core of our service has not changed at all: we help people in emotional distress by giving them a safe place to talk through whatever is troubling them. They can talk for as long as they want, at any time of day or night. It’s confidential, and we don’t judge or criticise our callers. You can contact us 24/7 for free at 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org.”

Portsmouth Samaritans have to cover the running costs of their branch office. They are grateful to all those who have supported them over the last 60 years. If you could help, please see www.samaritans.org/ branches/portsmouth/. Alternatively, drop in on Sam’s Place, the boutique charity shop on Grove Road South in Southsea, where you can pick up a stylish bargain and also support Portsmouth Samaritans.

Samaritans are always looking to welcome new people to their team. Volunteers are well-trained and well-supported. Anyone who wants to help others, is tolerant and open-minded is welcome to get in touch. You learn new skills and make new friends. Above all, you have the satisfaction of knowing you are really helping people in distress.

If you or someone you know is feeling low you can always call 116 123; or if you don’t want to call email jo@samaritans.org

For more information visit: www.samaritans.org/branches/portsmouth/ @samaritanscharity @samaritanscharity @PortsmouthSama1

Nigella Lawson’s Yule Log

No one does Christmas like Nigella, which is why this glorious yule log is the ideal centrepiece for your festive lunch.

Ingredients

(serves 12)

For the cake

• 6 large eggs (separated)

• 150 grams caster sugar

• 50 grams cocoa powder

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 5 teaspoons icing sugar (to decorate)

For the icing

• 175 grams dark chocolate (chopped)

• 250 grams icing sugar

• 225 grams soft butter

• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/gas mark 4/350ºF. In a large, clean bowl whisk the egg whites until thick and peaking, then, still whisking, sprinkle in 50g / ¼ cup of the caster sugar and continue whisking until the whites are holding their peaks but not dry. In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks and the remaining caster sugar until the mixture is moussy, pale and thick. Add the vanilla extract, sieve the cocoa powder over, then fold both in. Finally, gently fold in the egg yolks.

2. Line a Swiss roll tin with baking parchment, leaving a generous overhang at the ends and sides, and folding the parchment into the corners to help the paper stay anchored. Pour in the cake mixture and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Let the cake cool a little before turning it out onto another piece of baking parchment. If you dust this piece of parchment with a little icing sugar it may help with preventing sticking, but don’t worry too much as any tears or dents will be covered by icing later. Cover loosely with a clean tea towel.

3. To make the icing, melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl suspended over a pan of simmering water, then let it cool. Put the icing sugar into a processor and blitz to remove lumps, add the butter and process until smooth. Add the

Top Tip

Don’t expect perfection. Remember that trees are naturally wonky and flawed. Be sure not to over stir the cake mix; you want it light and airy.

cooled, melted chocolate and the tablespoon of vanilla extract and pulse again to make a smooth icing.

4. Sit the flat chocolate cake on a large piece of baking parchment. Trim the edges of the Swiss roll. Spread some of the icing thinly over the sponge, going right out to the edges. Start rolling from the long side facing you, taking care to get a tight roll from the beginning, and roll up to the other side. Pressing against the parchment, rather than the tender cake, makes this easier.

5. Spread the yule log with the remaining icing, covering the cut-off ends. Create a wood-like texture by marking along the length of the log with a skewer or sharp knife and finish with a dusting of icing sugar.

Taking Local Businesses into 92,300 homes, every month of the year!

There is nothing more precious or valuable than our mental wellbeing, and there is no bill or invoice that should come before it.

I have worked with mental health charities and the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute to ensure people who find themselves in difficult situations are able to access not just financial assistance, but practical and emotional support too.

The truth is the administration anxiety that comes with bills, debt demands and ongoing financial commitments can be very difficult to handle, but remember, we have the right to determine how we are approached and contacted by those we do business with.

It’s essential we stand up and state our preferences – text, letter, phone – and organisations have to adhere

to these. That won’t necessarily mean the problem will go away, but it will bring back control and, from the outset, allow you to determine how you want to go about tackling a problem.

From recovery space to payment holidays, to freezes on interest or repayment plans, speak to your creditors in a way that is firm and fair, and you will likely get the result you want.

Stocking Fillers and Murder Mystery Thrillers

This month, four cracking reads for the busiest book-buying time of the year.

Pinch of Nom by Kate and Kay Allinson

The healthy eating phenomenon that is Pinch of Nom returns with another hundred scrumptious recipes – from fakeaways to desserts – that are both tantalising to the taste buds and good for the waistline.

Enjoy more of the food you love. Never feel like you’re missing out, from all-day breakfasts to scrumptious desserts, with crowd-pleasing foody fests so satisfying and delicious you’d never guess they are also slimming-friendly. Published by Pan Macmillan on December 8th

Grannysaurus by David Walliams

Bursting with David Walliams’ anarchic sense of fun and blessed with Adam Stower’s vibrant illustrations, Grannysaurus is a roarsome picture book about unpredictable grannies, dinosaur discos and staying up late.

A boisterously funny new festive release from the duo, this is perfect for young dinosaur fans! Published by Harper Collins on December 8th

shop. It turned out to be a recruitment centre for the Royal Marines and, after a few minutes’ conversation while waiting for the rain to stop, Scotty was hooked and signed up to join the elite force. It changed his life and set him on a new direction that would end up with him leading the Marines on operations around the world, becoming an Olympic flag bearer in 2012 and dining at Buckingham Palace with the Queen and the royal family.

Scotty shares his lessons of performance and resilience with the reader, inviting them into the secrets of elite culture. His compelling story is one that combines tragedy with remarkable insight about the power of human inspiration. Published by Simon & Schuster on December 8th

Wild Women: A Collection of First-Hand Accounts from Female Explorers by Mariella Frostrup

A collection of the greatest women’s travel writing selected by journalist and presenter Mariella Frostrup.

From Constantinople to Crimea; from Antarctica to the Andesthroughout history, adventurous women have made epic, record-breaking journeys under perilous circumstances.

In curating this collection of first-hand accounts, broadcaster, writer and traveller Mariella Frostrup puts female explorers back on the map. Her selection includes explorers from the 1700s to the present day, from iconic heroines to lesser-known eccentrics, celebrating 300 years of wild women and their amazing adventures over land, sea and air. Published by Head of Zeus on December 8th

Never

Give In: The 12 Commando Rules for Life by Scotty Mills

A sudden downpour while Scotty Mills was walking down a street in South London sent him diving for cover into the nearest

I’m dreaming of a light Christmas

Four ways you can have a first-class festive season where health and fitness are at the forefront of your thinking.

1. Drink plenty of water it’s no crime to treat yourself to the odd tipple or three, but make sure that you keep hydrated throughout the festive period… with water!

It’s worth remembering too, that drinking water can stop your hunger from getting the better of you. Research shows drinking a glass of water prior to eating will reduce appetite by a third.

2.

Lessen your cheese overload

Cheese is always a festive favourite, yet it’s high in fat. If you just can’t resist this dairy option, try instead to have a smaller quantity of a strong cheese (Roquefort or Stilton, for instance) – the strength has actually been

proven to act as a tastebud deterrent after a first few mouthfuls.

3. Go nuts and not crackers

Look at avoiding crisps and baked snacks as much as you possibly can and, instead, try satsumas and nuts. Both contain high quantities of vitamin C and healthy oils, and are much lower in fat.

What’s more, replacing crackers with oatcakes means their slow-release sugars will help you feel fuller for longer.

4. Veg out

For many of us in winter, potato and meat can feel even more resistible than usual, particularly on a cold, dark day; yet the better your vegetable ratios, the healthier the meal.