Gazette
FREE
With Aberga the ve Chronic nny le
& Diary Magazine
Issue 03 / 2011
June / July
The Summer Issue
INSIDE:
Your Free Retirement Guide Magazine
■ Style & Fashion ■ Home & Garden ■ Entertainment ■ Competitions ■ Local Events ■ Travel ... and much more ...
Gazette & Diary Magazine:
Siân Williams - Software at Work Siân Williams is an IT graduate, a Microsoft Office Specialist Master, an ECDL Advanced Expert and an experienced IT Tutor and Business Trainer.
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She has also worked as an office manager and personal assistant in the private sector. She is passionate about all things IT and firmly believes that IT should enhance people’s lives, whether on a personal or business level.
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During her 18 years as a lecturer she recognised the need for people to learn the skills and gain the knowledge that they want; not what a syllabus or set course dictates. Siân recently established her company and offers software advice, solutions, training and support to small and medium sized enterprises in South East Wales with the aim of helping everyone make the most of their software, to improve efficiency and increase productivity.
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● Learn to use your software to increase efficiency, promote your business or even organise yourself.
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A Software Surgery is held every Thursday at St. Michael’s Centre, Pen-y-Pound, Abergavenny, NP7 5UD where Siân offers one-to-one, personalised tuition for individuals. Perhaps you want to: ● ●
Learn computer basics – jargon free tuition Gain specific skills for employment
● Get your software working for you!
June / July
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Use the Internet safely to search for information, shop, research your family history, keep in contact with friends and family, and much more Learn hints and tips to make your computer life easier Get to grips with the new Office 2010 Or just do something you ‘fancy’, but don't know where to start!
Whether you are a business or an individual, contact Siân for a FREE consultation.
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Software at Work
● What you need – when you need it.
Siân Williams ●
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Provide one-to-one or group training sessions Provide you with follow-up support
Recommend and design solutions for your business problems Improve the way you use your office software
● Office Software Advice, Training, Solutions and Support.
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How Siân can help The list above is not exhaustive, but you may recognise something there that you need. It doesn't matter how little or how much advice and support you are looking for, whether on an ad-hoc basis or long term, Siân can: ●
Do you? ● Use your office software to its full potential?
Want to improve the efficiency and productivity of your office procedures and systems? Want to up-skill your staff? Have a problem you are sure your office software can solve? Need to create and use effective spreadsheets, charts and graphs? Require an easy invoicing system? Need to organise your files and folders? Struggle with long documents? Need to use mail merge? Want to set up a database? Know Outlook does more than just email - how can it help? Lack the skills to design and create an impressive presentation?
Tel: 01495 210858 Mob: 07855 064617 Email: sian@sianw.co.uk Web: www.sianw.co.uk
Your new guide to the finer things in life
Gazette
Summer Sun in Abergavenny
& Diary Magazine
Well here we are again, another month gone, and I can't help but feel sad that the summer is flying by so fast, and I seem to be ageing even faster, I think the retire with care magazine free inside will come in handy! I hear that the weather is due to improve so fingers crossed. This month has been yet another busy one and your Gazette and Diary magazine is again packed full of fun and games and dates to remember. With yet another ash cloud causing disruption some of you may be feeling down, so sit back, relax and have a great read.
Page 06 Recipe of the month from Simon king of 1861
Page 19 Brighten up your Summer - Seasonal fashion for kids
Page 08 Summer Bodies
Page 20 Gazette fashion picks
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Pages 14-15 Gazette Gardens Small can be beautiful says Titchmarsh
The Abergavenny Chronicle DESIGNERS: Dave Simkiss dave.simkiss@nwn.co.uk John Gaulton john.gaulton@nwn.co.uk
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Page 10 Volunteers needed!
In association with
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Inside...
ADVERTISING: Jenna Hopkins Hazel Walding - Advertising Manager For information on how to advertise in our next issue, contact: advertising@tindlenews.co.uk or telephone 01873 852187 ext 31
Page 22 Gazette Homes
GENERAL MANAGER - Mary Purcell When you have finished reading the Gazette & Diary Magazine - please recycle it. PUBLISHING: Printed and distributed by NWN Media. www.nwnmedia.co.uk Mold Business Park, Wrexham Road, Mold, CH7 1XY.
At NWN Media we are committed to addressing the key environmental impacts of printing and the production process, and preserving the environment for future generations. Our environmental policy is achieved through continuous monitoring, annual targets and action plans. The sourcing of newsprint is a major environmental concern for publishers and we at NWN Media source our newsprint from UPM Kymmene in Deeside, utilising their 100% recycled paper, which is produced as a natural, renewable and recyclable fibre from sustainable, responsibly managed forests. UPM is committed to forest management and forest harvesting practices based on the internationally accepted principles of sustainable forest management. UPM Kymmene is just a mile from the press site, which also keeps carbon footprint to a minimum in the obtaining of our paper. All newsprint waste is taken back to UPMʼs site and fully recycled.
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Gazette & Diary Magazine:
Welcome to Rougemont School Rougemont School is an HMC coeducational school for pupils from 3 to 18 years. Located in 50 acres of grounds, Rougemont offers pupils a strong academic and social grounding with first class teaching, small class sizes and many fun and varied activities as well as foreign exchanges and trips abroad. We offer before school and after school care from 8.00am to 6.00pm – ideal for working parents. We also offer a direct debit scheme, so fees can be paid monthly – at no extra charge. Rainbows Nursery, the Infants’ and Junior Schools are all self-contained units. Rainbows Nursery and the Infants are housed in a new, state-of-the-art building, while the Junior School’s home, in the beautiful Llantarnam Hall, preserves the feel of a traditional prep. school. 2009-2010 was an excellent year for Rougemont. We completed our new Science and Technology building and, in the first year of the new A* grade at A-Level, our pupils
produced the school’s best-ever set of results. 17% of A-Level entries resulted in A* grades, against an average across the UK of just 8%. 80% of entries produced B grades or better, against a UK average of 52%. Not to be outdone, Year 11 also produced record results in the GCSE examinations, with 95% of all entries producing C grades or higher (UK average 69%) and 59% producing A or A* grades (UK average 22.5%). These results are a tribute to the collaborative hard work of our teachers, our pupils and their parents - and that collaborative project is what Rougemont is all about!
The History of Rougemont Rougemont School was founded in a house named Rougemont in Clevedon Road, Newport in the early 1920s. Mr and Mrs Evans bought it in 1931 and, expanding to the house next door, the school gained a reputation for sound teaching in the 3Rs and was directed towards grammar school entrance.
In 1946 Nant Coch House, Risca Road, was purchased for the school. The number of pupils increased to around two hundred and, as the grammar schools started to close, the emphasis moved towards obtaining places in independent senior schools. When Mr and Mrs Evans retired in 1974, a group of parents raised a loan to buy the school and a board of nine governors was elected. The Stow Hill buildings, formerly housing the Convent of St Joseph, were purchased and provision was extended first to Common Entrance level, then to O levels. Finally the first A levels were taken in 1983 under the leadership of Mr Frank Edwards. The strength and reputation of the school was continuing to grow with the Headmasters Mr Richard Ham (1988 - 1991) and Mr Graham Sims (1991 - 1995), when Llantarnam Hall, a large Victorian mansion set in 50 acres of parkland on the outskirts of Newport, became available. The Governors immediately saw an opportunity to establish the long-term future of the school, purchased the Hall and moved in the junior section in September 1992. Mr Ian Brown - formerly Bursar and Development Manager - took the helm in 1995 and by the end of the same year all the pupils had been moved to the present site. Since then, we have seen non-stop development of permanent purpose-built accommodation, and the school now houses some 700 pupils, with competition for places growing all the time. If you would like to see what we can offer your child please come along to our OPEN MORNING THURSDAY 16 JUNE 20119.30am-12.00pm. We would also be delighted to invite your child to spend a Taster Day with us. For further information please contact the Registrar on: 01633 820811.
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Your new guide to the finer things in life
Short breaks for disabled children in Powys & Monmouthshire A short break support service is frequently requested by parents of disabled children and compliments the care given by those parents. Short break carers are couples or individuals who offer regular, planned overnight stays in their own homes, usually about one weekend a month.
involved in creating colourful art and craft projects.
Disabled children and young people get to make new friends, develop a little more independence and enjoy different activities. Parents can have a break to recharge their energy and feel secure that their children are in safe hands.
We plan carefully what we are going to do for the weekend and always involve our short breaks child in any decisions made. We are pretty tired by the end of the weekend, but most of all we have fun. We have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know our short break child’s parents and being involved in short break caring has added a positive extra dimension to our lives.
Short breaks are for children like eleven-year-old Ryan, a lively youngster who loves football and cycling. Ryan has ADHD resulting in a very high energy level, difficulty in relaxing and needs to be busy. He would like to spend time with a family who can keep up with him and understand his enthusiasm in his frequently changing interests and activities. Short breaks are for young people like Hannah, a shy thirteen-year-old, with a learning disability who would like more opportunities to spend time with other young people of her own age. She is equally happy in the company of younger children and loves to get
One of our short break carers says, “It is such a very rewarding role. We do everyday activities at home, go out to the shops or walk in the park and the hills nearby.
Also we really appreciate how well we are supported by our social worker who probably knows us better than ourselves!” Short break carers come from a wide variety of backgrounds. Specific experience is not necessarily needed as social workers and specialists will provide training and support. For more information about short break caring contact Action for Children on 01633 270422.
Any spare weekends? Powys & Monmouthshire Short Break carers needed We need you to provide occasional overnight weekend stays for children and young people with learning and / or physical disabilities. Experience and qualifications not necessary. In return, we offer: ▲ ▲ ▲
financial allowances 24-hour support preparation and training
To find out more please contact:
Action for Children Telephone: 01633 270422 (main office) Email: taith.newydd@actionforchildren.org.uk
www.actionforchildren.org.uk Registered charity nos. 1097940/SC038092/company no. 4764232 Produced by Action for Children 04/2011. 10/11 0538
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Gazette & Diary Magazine:
Sea Bass roasted with potatoes, tomatoes and olives ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
Fillet of Sea Trout,
Serves 4
Ingredients
800g potatoes, peeled and sliced 1 large onion, peeled and finely sliced 3tbsp olive oil 300ml hot fish stock Salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 large sea bass or bream 4 plum tomatoes, halved A handful of black olives 2tbsp capers sprigs of fresh basil
Restaurant
Cross Ash, Abergavenny Tel: 0845 388 1861 Lunch - Tuesday to Sunday Dinner - Tuesday to Saturday Fantastic meals created with fresh local produce, on a daily changing seasonal menu
Recipe of the month from Simon king of 1861
Asparagus tips and a Cabernet Sauvignon reduction Serves 4 Method Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas Mark 6. Put the potatoes and onion in a large roasting tin. Drizzle with 2 tbsp of the oil and pour over the hot stock. Season well. Roast in the oven for 40 mins. Slash the fish two or three times on each side, then place on top of the potatoes. Season again. Add the tomatoes, drizzle over the remaining oil and roast for a further 20 mins. Add the olives and capers for the last 5 mins of cooking. The dish is ready when the fish is opaque. Take out of the oven, sprinkle with the basil and serve immediately.
Simon & Kate King (Skenfrith Road NP7 8PB)
Wedding Fayre & Open Day Ingredients ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
1976
4 x 150g fillets of Sea trout 24 spears of asparagus 100mls cabernet sauvignon vinegar 100mls cabernet sauvignon wine 50g caster sugar
Method Boil the wine and vinegar together adding the sugar slowly until the mixture
has reduced to a sticky syrup. Meanwhile steam the Sea trout and asparagus for 4 to 5 minutes or until cooked to your liking. Serve the Sea trout and asparagus with some creamy mashed potato or steamed jersey royal new potatoes and finish with a generous drizzle of your syrup.
Our Expertise, Your Big Day Brecon Road Crickhowell Powys NP8 1SE T:01873 810212 www.manorhotel.co.uk weddings@manorhotel.co.uk
Sunday 5th June - 12 till 4pm
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Quote “Gazette” and we will provide the photographer for your wedding day, worth up to £450.00 Terms & Conditions Apply. Contact Our Team for More Information
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Today
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CHEPSTOW SUNDAY MEERKAT?
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June / July
Your new guide to the finer things in life
Gazette
Last months results from the Max Branning poll
Magazine Poll
Who would you most like Max Branning to settle down with for good?
Do you think Emerdale should let Jackson die?
Let us know what you think Text Yes or No to 07800 609944
72% Tania
Standard rates apply please ask the bill payers permission. See next months edition for results.
Galanthus Gallery & Cafe Galanthus Gallery & Cafe brings together a unique selection of artists for the ‘Act of looking’ 2011 exhibition which runs until Sunday, July 3. “For our 50th exhibition at the gallery, we have chosen three artists who richly reward the act of looking,” said Sarah Jones of Galanthus. “Russell Frampton’s complex, layered paintings evoke the landscape rather than representing them. Nick Barberton’s wooden vessels and wall pieces captivate the eye, the rhythms of the chisel interplaying with the light and reflection, and the grain of the wood and Este Macleod’s colourful, stylised – almost naive – glass house forms and paintings capture memories and comment on the transient nature of our world.
In each rucksack, there are replica artefacts, such as a leather tankard, items to try on, including chain mail, and historic games, such as quoits to play. There are laminated information sheets explaining the history of the castle, and binoculars to help children look at the architectural features more closely. They will also find Castle Explorer activity sheets, crayons, clipboards and pencils, to record their findings.
The Esplanade, Tenby, Pembrokeshire SA70 7DU Tel: 01834 842377 Fax: 01834 842626
sense of discovery when we opened up the bag”
Come and enjoy the hotels superb seafront position overlooking Tenby’s beautiful south beach in a friendly and comfortable atmosphere.
These backpacks are free to use, although users are required to leave a small security deposit (e.g. car keys, credit card, mobile phone).
Midweek B&B from £37.50 pppn
Arrive Friday or Saturday Enjoy 2 nights mix and match
£89.95 pp
They are available from the Abergavenny Museum desk during opening hours. The museum would also be interested to hear from small groups, such as Brownies and Cubs, who may want to book a visit to the castle to use them.
3 Nights £127.45 pp Dinner, Bed & Breakfast on Saturday Bed & Breakfast Friday and Sunday Candlelit Dinner & Dance Thursday and Saturday Gala Menu, Breakfast in Bed Sunday Morning Ring now for Birthdays, Anniversaries and other special breaks.
The Perfect Gift
One parent commented there was “a real
A flight with “Beneath their deceptively simple surfaces, her works are influenced by domestic situations, dreams, imagination, the natural world, religious and mythical imagery,” she added.
7% Mo
The Belgrave Hotel
Aber Museum backpacks Parents and their children are invited to find out more about Abergavenny Castle with new Family Backpacks.
21% Vanessa
Tiger Airways Visit www.tigerairwaves.co.uk
Gift Certificates Available
&
PEST CONTROL
Credit Cards Accepted
Phone 01452 854 141 Give a gift that will never be forgotten, the chance of some real ‘hands on’ flying in a 1930's designed military trainer. Perhaps even a loop and a roll?
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and much more! Monday–Friday 8-5 Saturday–Sunday 8-4 Lloyd George House, Fordshill Road, Rotherwas, Hereford HR2 6NS sales@wye-valley-reclamation.co.uk
Fernybank, Quarry Road, Clydoch, Nr Abergavenny
01432 353 606 ●
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Gazette & Diary Magazine:
Wild Foods and Foraging By Sheila Spence Summer fruits are on their way, wild strawberries to pick from the hedgerows and one of my particular favourites; wild cherries. There was a lot of blossom this year so hopefully a good harvest will follow. Wild cherries are very tasty and best if you can wait for them to ripen fully on the tree, in a good year there will be plenty for both you and the birds. Great to nibble on straight from the tree but save some to steep in vodka and sugar for a few weeks and you have the most wonderful liqueur. Lovely and warming sipped by a raging fire in the depths of winter but in my opinion just as good, if not better, served the following summer with some fizzy water as a refreshing, fruity, spritzer. Once you get around to draining the liquor off the fruit don’t throw away the cherries though. If they were of a good size and you bothered to take the stones out, great, but even if you didn’t, drain them well and leave to dry for a while before dipping them gently into some good quality melted chocolate. You can really WOW your friends with these but do tell them beforehand if you left the stones in, just in case; there is no point in saving money picking wild foods if you get a huge dental bill as a result! As for fungi it’s almost time for Chanterelles and Giant Puffballs and I have already seen some lovely Chicken of the Woods bursting through, one on Oak and another on a garden Cherry tree of some sort. This particular bright yellow fungus can be seen from quite a distance, billowing out of the side of a tree trunk and whilst it is edible and good, it must be cooked thoroughly before being eaten otherwise
it can cause serious gastric upsets in many people.
Summer Bodies
It is luckily holiday time for some of us and seaweed, cockles and mussels are worth looking for whilst taking a trip to the coast but stay safe and do some research first, always chose a nonpolluted beach and do your homework before hand! Enjoy picking wild food but remember the importance of education, moderation and conservation! You can still find lovely green young stinging nettles popping up but many are already starting to flower and go stringy. The young nettles are best picked with strong rubber gloves as they have a mighty sting at this time of year, the more mature ones slightly less so – but I’d still go with the gloves! Whilst still young they are great just lightly wilted down with a knob of butter and served as you might spinach; by themselves, in a quiche or made into soup together with freshly harvested watercress (make sure it’s from a clean source) and served chilled with a spoonful of soured cream... mmmm. Once the nettles have started to mature and toughen they are still good for nettle beer or wine, there are lots of recipes around, try adding some grated fresh ginger to nettle beer for a really refreshing drink with a real zing. Whether picking plants or fungi, always but always double check your identification is correct and if in doubt – leave it out! About the author: Sheila Spence has been leading fungi walks for Abergavenny Food Festival for many years now and has also given talks and demonstrations using wild foods of many kinds for food festivals and events around the country. www.marchesfungi.org.uk
Life’s a beach The sun is out, but our bodies are not quite ready to follow suit. LAURA JONES breaks a sweat, all in the hope of the perfect bikini body Unlike most women I find a weird kind of pleasure in exercising. The results you get are incomparable – well, apart from a shopping spree that is. For me, enrolling on a Boot Camp’s eight week Summer Slimdown to kick-start my body for a season of holidays and festivals didn’t seem too daunting. But as my best friend and I found out, we were far from prepared for what was to come. I had hit the shops perusing through the rails and eyeing up bikinis in the vain hope the Boot Camp’s Jane and Carly would get my body ready for bearing all. Pulling up at the sports hall, flanked with our roll mats, water bottles and mini-towels, we were joined by legions of women all hoping to fit into their bikinis too. After measuring our legs, arms, waists, hips and bust, we were told a high energy blast regime would ensue – a fat burning session like no other. I had exercised to get ready for my bikini body last year, working hard at the gym four nights a week. But nothing like how hard our boot camp leader Jane, or should I say Sergeant Jane, worked us that night. Fifteen minutes in and my friend and I looked like we had been baked in an oven on high! Determined to get into the bikinis we had lusted after just days before, we carried on and with the bit between our teeth we completed the class, ready for mild resuscitation shortly afterwards. Now no one ever said getting your body ready for a summer holiday would be easy, but with the array of bikinis on offer to suit all shapes and sizes on the high street it makes it slightly easier to get one to suit your
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shape and make you look beach body beautiful. Evans has got a fine selection of tummy hiding and bottom covering bikinis that still manage to remain oh-so-hot for summer 2011. Lucky women with a large chest can enjoy showing off their assets in a two-piece with ultra thick straps, underwire and cups for support, accompanied with a pair of high waisted uber-flattering bottoms in shocking pink (set £30). Those ladies who have more of a pear shape can enjoy getting their slimline stomachs out on the beach, and my counsel would be to go like J-Lo and wear a pair of bum-skimming low-rise briefs that give the illusion that you’ve just stepped off a plane from Brazil. Ladies with a small bust can show off their slender shoulders with halternecks and if they lack shape in the waist it’s time to take advantage of the array of frills patterns and prints out there on the high street to get you ready for the beach. Don’t forget the Sex and the City Samantha-inspired sunhats that have taken over the fashion rails, a good colourful wrap cover-up and of course your SPF30 and celebrity sunglasses. For me, I am putting shopping on hold and I will continue in the vain hope that one day soon we will have svelte hips and a pert bum to carry off a look that will best suit my newfound body shape. A day after bootcamp and my friend and I debriefed about the night before, both feeling rather smug with ourselves and not hurting a bit. Day two. Well if not being able to sit down properly and walking like John Wayne is the look you are going for then boot camp is for you. Everything hurt, even my eyeballs. Is this bikini going to be worth it? I blinking hope so.
Your new guide to the finer things in life
The wonders of acupuncture
Tonica diet cakes
Basically a clever formulation of fruits and cereals, the cakes really do enable to lose your weight swiftly, safely and - most importantly without suffering all the usual miseries that accompany other diets. They fill you up and stop you getting hungry for several hours after eating - on a maximum of only 180 calories apiece! They provide loads of energy so there's none of that weak, tired feeling normally associated with calorie reduction. Your system works efficiently at all times so that you tend not to "plateau"; and they contain a densely absorbent material that soaks up spare fats and calories and eliminates them before they can store as fat in your body. Best of all, perhaps, the cakes are delicious and you get a mix of six assorted popular flavours in each pack. You never get bored and with a main meal of your choice daily, you remain endlessly motivated. We marketed these cakes very successfully for two years in South Africa until returning to the UK. I put them on to the market here for a while but, without getting too technical, the logistics of distributing them here proved too difficult and despite their popularity, I reluctantly withdrew the product.
£10 discount • Continued support
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LOSE up to 12lbs in 14 days, 20lbs in 28 days! WITHOUT SUFFERING * NO hunger * NO cravings * NO plateauing * LOADS of
JUNE SPECIAL YOUR EYE TEST FOR £10
• Works equally as well for men
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Above all I say to people in my age group - do not fear technology - operating computers to a reasonably profficient level is far simpler than you think and the opportunities - both business and social - it opens are boundless. I poromise you, your life - like mine - can be renewed and re-invigorated beyond your wildest dreams!
• Consultations with fully qualified Doctors
Research has shown that acupuncture can be very effective at helping with conditions such as headaches, arthritis, back and knee pain as well as increasing chances of getting pregnant. It can also be very beneficial during pregnancy and labour and after the birth.
Having some acupuncture can really put a spring in your step!!
To succeed with my cakes has been a long held dream of mine and these are proving some of the happiest days of my life. To anyone else out there with a similar dream I say go for it whatever your age. You will be amazed at the resoursces you find within yourself to tackle the challenges that come along the way and the ensueing satisfaction you experience is enriching beyond belief.
when taking a month’s course on your first visit usual price £17 per week or £49 per month
Hsu Ta-ch’un said “illnesses may be identical but the persons suffering from them are different.” Traditional Chinese acupuncturists always treats the whole person, not just focusing on individual symptoms. Our aim is to provide a treatment that is tailored to meet your specific needs.
Many people who come for acupuncture aren’t ill, they just don’t feel right in themselves, but their doctor can’t find anything wrong. Many people find they have higher energy levels, sleep better, look younger, have fewer digestive problems and generally feel much better in themselves after a few acupuncture treatments.
In all this new whirlwind of my life, the part that I enjoy most, however, is hearing the success stories of my customers,. Only last night, a Mr. Powell from Abergavenny phoned to re-order Tonica - he was over the moon having just lost a stone after years of unsuccessful striving with other weight loss programs.
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WEIGHT loss
As you may imagine, I am absolutely delighted with the way Tonica has flourished. It has been darned hard work and at times, very nerve racking! Also, of course, a very steep learning curve for me - as indeed it is still - and I have mastered areas of computer work that I would never have dreamed possible, especially as, let's face it, I am no spring chicken!
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It really started in South Africa where lived for a number of years before returning to the UK in 1997. For several months there I worked for a company that marketed a weight loss plan which was a very difficult regime to follow - I know, I tried it myself and found it miserable - as did my customers. I realised there was a real need for a pleasant, easy to follow plan for shedding the pounds and set about researching the subject. The result - my Tonica diet cake! After all, I reasoned, who could object to losing weight eating cake?
Although we really only got going in November 2010, our performance to date has way exceeded all my expectations - we have had spectacular weight loss successes with literally dozens of people losing up to 12lbs in a14 days, up to 20lbs in 28 days (Carol fron Salcombe for instance lost 23 lbs in just 5 weeks !). We can scarcely keep up with demand as orders - and, maybe more tellingly, re-orders flood in and have just taken on more staff in our bakery!
energy
No more failure for you - this time YOU WILL LOSE WEIGHT with TONICA diet cakes For more information or to order go to
With this Voucher (usually £20)
www.tonicadirect.com
Abergavenny 67 Frogmore Street Telephone 01873 859898
(9am - 9pm including weekends and bank holidays)
or call freephone 0800 0329 354
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To say his loss was my gain is a gross understatement and now today, I am the proud owner of a thriving online company!
Last year I revisited South Africa for a holiday and was repeatedly asked for the cakes until I realised I should maybe look into it again. It dawned on me that a computer would make the whole enterprise a great deal more feasible. And so we started up again - I now have a team working Tonica in Cape Town whilst I head up a very busy concern over here.
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Hi there, my name is Toni Hazle and I have something to tell you. I am 68 years old and, until three years ago, I had literally, never touched a computer. Then one day a new laptop came my way - a relative bought it for himself but never used it and he passed it on to me.
Traditional Chinese acupuncture has been used to improve health in China and Asia for more than 2,500 years. Extremely fine needles are used by traditional Chinese acupuncturists to stimulate the body’s own healing response.
FREE DELIVERY TO YOUR DOOR ●
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Volunteers needed! The good life meeting point is at Govilon Wharf by the British Waterways office at 10.00am on Sunday June 5.
The Routes and Roots festival celebrates the communities and history of the Brecon and Monmouthshire canal and the green travel routes in the Blaenavon World Heritage site area.
As part of this Keep Wales Tidy is organising a litter pick along the canal and cycleway between Gilwern and Llanfoist. The idea is to clear these green routes of litter by volunteers who could travel the routes by foot, bike or on the water.
This offers options for circular routes along canal and cycle/ foot path. Litter picking equipment will be provided, but people attending should wear strong shoes and clothing suitable for the weather. Children should be accompanied by an adult.
There isn’t a heavy tipping problem along the routes but they would certainly be enhanced by clearing litter on the verges especially at places such as crossing points. If you would be interested in joining the day please let Thomas Ward-Jackson of Keep Wales Tidy know. It would be especially useful for him to know if canoeists or cyclists (perhaps with a trailer) would be available on the day or if you represent a group and think you could cover a particular stretch. If you would just like to turn up on the day for a stroll and a litter pick then the main
First child, second born, or youngest - birth order influences the way we think, behave and even affects our choice of career, according to leading psychologist, Linda Blair. She explains how your place in the family rules your life.
these positions can significantly help us understand ourselves and others," says Blair.
We're all unique little characters when we are born and then our personalities are further shaped by a variety of factors as we grow up - whether it's the influences of our parents, our childhood backgrounds, or our experiences, both positive and negative. But, there's one simple way of understanding ourselves and others better, according to clinical psychologist Linda Blair, who identifies birth order - our position in the family - as key in influencing the way we think and behave. She points out that many studies show the foundations of character are established primarily before the age of six or seven - a period when your place in the family was a big factor in your life. “Many of us sense, quite rightly, I think, that our place in the family must make a difference but birth order needs to be put into context, says Blair, whose new book, Birth Order, pinpoints the characteristics of each of the four main family positions: first-born, middle-born, last-born and only child. “It can show us so much more beyond the stereotype assumption that an only child is a 'loner' or a last child is 'spoiled'. In fact, looking at
The first-born - When you were a baby you enjoyed the exclusive attention of your parents, but probably within the first four years of life had to begin sharing the focus with a new sibling. This loss, experienced before your own sense of security was established, means your thirst for approval will probably always feel as if it can't be quenched. You were academically successful and are organised, responsible, and conservative in your views and keen to please those in authority. You may seek a leadership role in adult life as you like to be in control. But your deep-seated fear of rejection, a subconscious effect of your early childhood experience, means you dread failure and are liable to feel easily hurt by any criticism levelled at you by an authority figure and are more likely than others to suffer from feelings of insecurity and jealousy. Career: Ideally, you need to be a leader and take responsibility and you're most likely to take on conventional caring roles such as a teacher, doctor or nurse. You'll thrive where someone keeps a check on your tendency to take on too much and strive to do everything too perfectly, otherwise
Check out how your place in the family affects your life.
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Last-borns tend to be social and attentionseeking, but may have a manipulative tendency. You're also creative, innovative, and likely to be rebellious and a risk-taker. But you may have selfesteem issues as you've grown up feeling you constantly lagged behind everyone else in the family. If you became too accustomed to being looked after and having things provided for you, there's a danger that in adulthood you may feel let down and blame others when things don't automatically go your way. Career: You thrive when working at your own pace and in creative fields - design, invention and innovation. You need to learn organisation skills early on, and respond if superiors impose guidelines in a way that lets you imagine you have more freedom than you actually do. Self-discipline and working alone is hard for you. Partner: A first-born is a happy choice for you as they'll consider it natural to look after you, unless your rebelliousness conflicts with their conventional nature. Pairing with a middle-born will be an amicable but a less goal-directed relationship, while pairing with another last-born could be a creative partnership but runs the risk of being chaotic if neither are organised. Last-borns and only children, the latter who tend to be sensible and conscientious, make a good match. ■ Famous last-borns: Johnny Depp, Joan of Arc and Eddie Murphy. The only child - You're likely to be self-confident and assertive because you've enjoyed full parental focus and it was your parents' choice to limit the family to one. If they were, in fact, desperate for more children they may then have spoiled and over-protected you, in which case you'll be at risk
Nick Ramsay AM Assembly Member for Monmouth Hospitals - Schools - Transport Environment - Housing Write to: Nick Ramsay AM, Constituency Office, 16 Maryport Street, Usk, Monmouthshire, NP15 1AB E-mail: nicholas.ramsay@wales.gov.uk For further information call: 01291 674 898 or 029 2089 8735
of feeling dissatisfied and expect others to do everything for you in adult life. You're organised and, having grown up largely among adults, are skilful at handling emotions and behaving logically, and are happy entertaining yourself and being alone. But you may find group activities difficult and more likely to behave in ways others feel difficult to understand. You have a perfectionist streak, dislike disorder and appear impatient and demanding when things don't go according to plan as that makes you feel anxious and unhappy at a loss of control. Career: You work best on your own or, if you're part of a team, you're happiest if you're in charge of your
own department and working to deadlines. If you work alone your conscientious nature might lead to overwork, and you may need help marketing yourself as your childhood's not given you insight into understanding the desires and motivations of others. Partner: You're best match may be a last-born, who'll introduce adventure into a relationship as long as they're not too unconventional for you. A middleborn with his/her gift for compromise will also work, while a single who pairs with another single child, or a single and a first-born, may not mesh easily as each partner may wish to dominate. ■ Famous only children: Tiger Woods, Leonardo da Vinci and Franklin D Roosevelt.
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. . . o u D Dear
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if you would like dear duo to help with your problems, please write to Dear Duo, The Gazette and Diary, 13 Nevill Street, Abergavenny, NP7 5AA.
Dear Duo Should I Stay With My Husband? I've been with with husband for 18 years and we've been married for 11. About six years ago i realised i just didn't fancy him anymore. He's really let his appearance go since we got together but i felt it was much deeper than that. He's also very controlling with the way he treats me. He's even applied for other jobs on my behalf because he doesn't like me working in a supermarket. I know he's embarrassed about it and he keeps mentioning how much he earns. I told him how i felt at the time but he totally ignored what i said and made no effort to change anything. Since then i have grown to resent him more and the way he's treated me. He makes me feel second class. Sex is awful because even though i still love him i have no sexual desire for him at all. About two months ago i started having an affair with a guy I've known for about 25 years. Its made me realise what ive been missing for so long. Ive confessed to my husband but he's devastated. He said he hadn't realised there was anything wrong with our relationship and wants us to try and work it out. He is a good father to our little boy who's 7 and financially were comfortable. Should i stay with my husband even though im no longer in love with him for the sake of security for myself and my child or should i follow my heart and try to find the love i want? MRS T Hi Mrs T This is a hard one, I really disagree with your actions of having an affair, When you get married you make promises to one another, and I believe the one promise is to
stay faithful. I know you feel unhappy but please try with your husband, he is now aware of how you feel, things could get better, set a period of time that you can see if things improve, as you have a young boy you need to think long and hard about your actions, as they will affect him also. If you do decide to leave, do it alone and not for another man so soon. J Hi Mrs T I agree with J on the fact that you shouldn't have had an affair, but I definitely don't think you should stay with your husband for the sake of your child, you will soon find that your child grows up and has a life of his own leaving you with just your husband in a loveless marriage, Hurt as it may I suggest you move on with your life and start afresh. M
Robbie Firmin's audition Despite being so young, Robbie, 7, wowed crouds with his adorable cheekyness by telling Louis that his Auntie who was backstage was looking for a boyfriend, saying 'And I think she would want you to be it." ahh bless!
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Dear Duo My parents just had a new baby and i am really jealous because i feel left out and forgotten. please help and tell me what to do ? ! Lucy Hi Lucy This feeling is very natural, but this will soon pass, just remember that you are this child's big sister and you have so many wonderful times to come. Your parents will not care any less about you even though you may think that, don't let jealousy get the better of you. j Hi Lucy rather than push yourself away get involved and then that way you wont feel left out, it is pretty normal to get a case of the green eyed monster but don't let it upset you. You will soon look back and realise how silly this all is. Keep smiling. M
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Gazette Small can be beautiful says Titchmarsh Gardening guru Alan Titchmarsh offers tips to help you transform a small garden into a haven to escape the city grind - plus, find out what else needs doing in the garden this week. Even the smallest outside space can be made into an oasis of calm, a bolthole where you can unwind after a hard day at work or entertain during the summer evenings. If you have a small garden, you need to plan carefully to ensure it meets your individual needs, says TV gardening expert Alan Titchmarsh, whose new book, Small Gardens, offers a wealth of tips on how to make the most of even the tiniest plot. “Keep it simple," he advises. “You can make it interesting without it being fussy. Have good clean lines and interesting angles. “Consider if it's worth having a lawn at all. Bear in mind if it's going to be big enough to be able to sit on and to be able to mow.
Alan Titchmarsh
Can you manoeuvre a lawn mower around it and easily dispose of the clippings? If the answer's no to all of this, then go for a different surface, whether it's gravel or paving or decking." Seating is likely to be the biggest priority, he observes. “Look at your plot to find out where the path of the sun is because the most important thing for most people in the garden is where they're going to sit. “Work out the place that will be most convenient, whether you want to sit in the sun or the shade. You may need your patio to be at the bottom of the garden rather than next to the house. “Always make the seating area bigger than you think you'll need because once you put a table and four chairs out there and you've pulled them out you don't want to be falling over the edge." There are ways to make a small garden look bigger, he adds. Hiding your boundary with plants can increase the sense of space, while placing a small statue at the end of a narrow path will make the distance seem greater
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Gardens because your eyes want to believe the statue is life size. “Allow yourself some space. Gaps in an enclosed space encourage you to look through them into the space beyond, while looking from an open area into a densely planted one can give a sense of infinity. “A blend of open and enclosed spaces will enable you to blur the boundaries of your plot and make your small garden seem more spacious." Focal points are also important and a few large features are better than many small ones in a small space, says Titchmarsh. “Don't think that because you've got a small
Christine Walkden Horticultural expert Christine Walkden gives tips on how to grow summer veg plus, find out what else needs doing in the garden this week. At this time of year, no-nonsense TV gardener Christine Walkden's dining room table looks like a potting shed paradise, disappearing under a sea of seed trays, plant pots and other bits and pieces to encourage young plants into growth. Some of the space will be taken up with the summer veg she'll be growing this year including tomatoes, runner beans and sweetcorn, her three favourites. “Runner beans are easy if you don't start them off too early," says Walkden, author of No-nonsense Vegetable Gardening. “People tend to sow them too early and then they get hit by the frost and the cold weather. I always sow mine, at the earliest, the first week in April under protection. Outside, they can still go in in May or June and you'll have a crop by August." Runner beans need a sunny, well-drained spot which shouldn't be overly manured or you'll encourage a lot of leaf rather than fruits, she notes. “Either put them up tripods or beanpoles or train them along chicken wire. In a small garden you can grow them in containers. If you put a few plants in a 12-inch container you'll get a decent crop. Use John Innes No 2 or a good quality multi-purpose compost." Walkden, whose favourite varieties include
garden you can't have anything of stature. Tall plants are fine as long as they're not spreading out too much or shading the garden or filling it with lots of foliage. “Tall plants draw your eye up and out into the world beyond and help to link the land with the sky." Small trees, neat evergreens and shrubs which can be pruned to appear tree-like in outline are perfect structural plants for small gardens. Colour won't need to be so prevalent in a small plot. “You'll need less colour in a smaller garden. What's more important is structure, form and perspective. I like to use evergreens because
even in a tiny garden it gives it structure in winter. “Highlight the colour by giving it a good green background with foliage. Use colour more sparingly and it can still be effective." Just because you have a small garden doesn't mean you always have to go for dwarf plants, he adds. “Don't feel that everything has to be squat, or you'll end up with what looks like a tray of scones. Allow yourself one, two or three architectural plants." Water is also a good design feature to bring into a small garden because the reflective surface anchors the sky and allows light into your garden.
'Red Rum', doesn't feed her runner beans in the ground at all but she does add a lot of organic matter each year. However, growing them in pots you need to feed them weekly with a tomato fertiliser. It's rich in potash which promotes flowers or fruit. She grows sweet peas with them, to encourage pollinating insects to the plants, prompting a better crop. “Don't overwater them while they are growing, but water them once they start flowering and continue while you're harvesting," she advises. “People who overwater them early on will get lots of foliage but few flowers." Sweetcorn is another of her favourite summer veg. “I love the flavour of sweetcorn, roasted or steamed or barbecued straight off the plant. There's nothing like it. If you've had shopbought sweetcorn and then grow your own, you won't know it's the same veg." Walkden insists you don't need a lot of room to grow sweetcorn, even though the plants can reach 7ft in height, depending on the variety. “You can grow them in a laundry basket. The key thing is that you don't plant them in a straight row because they are wind-pollinated and the wind will blow the pollen away from the plants. Plant them in a square or a group, the pollen will stay within the group so you have better pollination." Sweetcorn shouldn't be sown before early April under protection, or late May outside. Don't let them become too wet if they've been sown under protection. “I always put my pumpkins and squashes underneath them to save space and both do well together. Again, I use John Innes No 2." Keep the plants weeded, water them regularly once the cobs have started to form and they will be ripe when the tassels at the top of the cob start to go brown. Sow in late April or May and you should be able to harvest in late July or August. The seed packets may tell you that one plant will produce three to four cobs, but Walkden, who's been growing sweetcorn for 40 years, says a more realistic estimate is one to two cobs per plant. Tomatoes provide a real taste of summer and Walkden only grows one variety, 'Sungold', a cordon type producing orange-coloured cherry tomatoes. “I've tried lots of other varieties such as 'Tumbler' and 'Brandywine' but they don't taste of anything."
She doesn't have a greenhouse but sows her tomatoes from seed in plastic pots on the dining room table, transplants them into individual pots in multi-purpose compost when they're an inch high and then around a month later she puts them into a cold frame to harden them off, planting them out in late May or early June. Like all cordon tomatoes, 'Sungold' need to be side-shooted (removing the sideshoots) as the plants grow up to 5ft, and watered regularly, but not too much, she notes. “They don't want to dry out but a lot of people overwater them and they become very pappy, with no flavour. If they're in a pot or growbag,
“The reflective powers of a plain sheet of water are great and you can make a rill (formal canal of water) or a stream in the tiniest of gardens and it's wonderful in bringing light in." ■ Alan Titchmarsh How To Garden series: Small Gardens; Growing Bulbs; Wildlife; Pests And Problems, Roses; Small Gardens, published by BBC Books, priced £6.99 each. Available now.
stick your finger in to make sure they're moist." If they're planted in the ground, Walkden doesn't feed them, but in a container she'll give them a weekly boost with tomato fertiliser. But she digs in plenty of compost to her garden beds each year, which helps eliminate the need for feeding. By the end of May or beginning of June, Walkden should be able to see her dining room table again - as her plants begin to flourish outside. ■ No-nonsense Vegetable Gardening, by Christine Walkden, is published by Simon & Schuster, priced £14.99.
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Colour me in!
colour me in and send me into the Abergavenny Chronicle with name age and school, top 3 will get published in next months edition
Killer Sudoku!
June 2011 Announcement
Monmouth, evening 7pm, Royal Engineers Corp Band in concert with Bridgend Male Choir. Coach / Hall £28. 01873 852567
June 5,12,19,26 Llanellen Boot Sale moved to The Old Abergavenny to Monmouth Road (B4233). Car Boot, morning, weather permitting. Gates open 10.30am for sellers. Buyers 11am. Tel: 01873 855500, Mob: 07761363090
Glangrwyney Baptist Chapel Anniversary at 6.30pm. Chairman Mr Chris Over, Hereford. All Welcome
Abergavenny Symphony Orchestra Schubert Tchaikovsky Prokofievs Our Ladies and St Michael’s Catholic Church 8pm
GWENT YFC COUNTY RALLY & DANCE
Solution
SATURDAY 18TH JUNE 2011 ‘BATTLING THE ELEMENTS’
GLEN COURT FARM, LLANLLOWELL, NR USK, NP15 1LP (BY KIND PERMISSION OF THE ANDREWS FAMILY) COMPETITIONS START AT 10 AM (NO DOGS ALLOWED ON RALLY SITE) RALLY DANCE – 8PM – 1AM £7 MEMBERS / £10 NON MEMBERS U18’S YFC MEMBERS ONLY (ID AND MEMBERSHIP CARDS) GWENT YFC HAS THE RIGHT TO REFUSE ENTRY (NO OVER NIGHT CAMPING ALLOWED) 01291 672602 – gwent@yfc-wales.org.uk
ALL PROCEEDS TO GWENT YFC – CHARITY NO 524397
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The Summer Issue
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June / July
Penpergwm House Summer Fayre, 11am. Silent Auction and Various Stalls. Tel: 01873 840267
Tri-Charity Concert at the Borough Theatre, Abergavenny, Dolphin Quintet Plus One Jazz Concert. Tel: 01873 821264
Abergavenny Alzheimers Support Group Memory Café, Holy Trinity Church Hall 10.30 – 12.30. Lunch now available. All Welcome
Pandy Singing Festival, St Michael’s Llanfihangel 8pm. Practices Zoar Baptist Church, four previous Sundays 8pm
Unicorn Singers – Faure, Requiem and other Choral classes. Catholic Church, Abergavenny. Tickets £10. Abergavenny Music
Car Boot Sale, 9am Crickhowell Football Field.
Abergavenny Alzheimers Carers Group, Angel Hotel, 7.30-9pm. All Welcome.
Brian Davies Talking on Dr Richard Griffiths and his Tram Roads. Meeting 7.30pm at the Scout Hall, Castle Road, Crickhowell
Summer Fete at Mardy Hall, 1pm to 3pm
Your new guide to the finer things in life
Brighten up your Summer Brighten up their summer with wardrobe additions to make them smile - Lisa Haynes looks at childrenswear to delight your little darlings. By Lisa Haynes
Half-Pint Chic founder Nicole Frost (www.halfpintchic.com) knows only too well how contending with the unpredictable weather and growing children can mean clothes need to be adaptable.
Believe it or not, Suri Cruise has been named one of the world's best-dressed women - at just five years old. In her jelly shoes and party dresses, the daughter of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes has been deemed stylish enough to land 21st position in Glamour magazine's annual poll in which readers are invited to vote for their favourite style icons.
"By making clever purchases, your children can still be stylish without the huge expense." Working in the childrenswear industry and a mum of twin girls, Frost offers her expert advice on how to achieve a child-friendly but fashionable summer wardrobe.
"High summer for childrenswear focuses on relaxed beach holidays," says Mags Milliken, Matalan's senior infantswear designer.
Focus on key lines
"Colourful vests, fun stripes, surf and palm tree graphics are essential summer looks for the boys. Neon brights are a huge look for girls along with big, bold, floral prints - fabulous for brightening up a summer wardrobe."
Fun summer novelty accessories will add some seasonal flair to your little one's look but don't forget the staples when you're on a childrenswear summer spree. "Buy clothes in key categories such as jeans, skirts, T-shirts and shoes along with the odd weather-appropriate piece such as sandals and hats, then you'll never be caught out," Frost recommends.
Embrace the fun factor on sun-soaked days, but remember holiday-style dressing may not always be appropriate for your little darlings with the changeable British weather. Here's how you can maximise your children's wardrobe this summer with some natty styling tricks that should keep them smiling through those forecast highs and lows.
Grown-ups have enough problems finding clothes to fit, but children have an ability to
2 Star by Julien Macdonald dress, from £24; tutu skirt, £14; tshirt, £8 and tiara, £8, all Debenhams
"As we don't generally have clear and defined seasons in the UK, it's helpful to make sure that your children's wardrobes are interchangeable so that you don't end up spending a fortune on items that will only ever be worn a handful of times," she advises.
But if custom-made Louboutin shoes and tots couture all seems a little highbrow for your tearaway, the seasonal fashion forecast for childrenswear should be right up their street.
Bright and breezy
shoot up faster than a beanstalk so buying a hard-working wardrobe for your kids can be problematic.
"Make sure that each pair of bottoms can be matched to a number of tops and vice-versa so that the number of overall pieces is reduced but the amount of new looks is endless."
Dual-use clothing Love buy one, get one free offers? Keep your eyes peeled for clever clothing that doubles up as two garments in one F&F stripe - less space in your little one's romper suit, wardrobe for twice the wear.
from £7, Tesco (part of two pack)
"Purchasing items that can be swiftly adapted for the weather can save a lot of time and money," says Frost. "Trousers that have inside hooks and buttons to make them into shorts are a great idea and jackets that have a removable lining can also help to keep a child warm or cool as well as stylish."
Frost suggests: "Many shops and online retailers like Half-Pint Chic have regular sales so you can purchase items that will be suitable for the next age group or season, and just store them away."
Layers, layers, layers Don't be fooled by blue skies and sunshine. A sharp breeze or surprise rain shower could be around the corner so ensure your child is prepared for all seasons by carrying light layers
you can add or remove in an instant. "Cardigans, lightweight jackets and sweaters are the perfect combination over a T-shirt or top to add some warmth without compromising on style," says Frost. "If you buy these pieces in neutral and block colours then they can be used regularly to coordinate with the majority of your child's summer outfits."
Prepare ahead Gone are the days when big sales were limited to Boxing Day and post-summer. Think ahead when you're scouring the sale rails and don't be afraid to jump ahead on the calendar to secure a bargain. It's a buy now, wear later mentality that will work out for your wallet, leaving more spare cash for summer ice creams and activities. ●
The Summer Issue
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June / July
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Gazette & Diary Magazine:
Parry’s new man FAST-growing property consultants Parrys Commercial have recruited highlyexperienced chartered surveyor Steven Roberts to their team as their expansion gathers pace. Llanelli-born Mr Roberts, 37, has joined the board of directors as the company, which has branches in Abergavenny and Usk, look to expand after a successful first five years covering the South East Wales and Borders areas.
Parrys Commercial director Richard Webb said Mr Roberts' skillset in Landlord and Tenant matters will add enormously to the company. Mr Webb said: "He will certainly bring something to the table that we don't have in his expertise in Landlord and Tenant work. It is a big advantage to us that Steve is a natural Welsh speaker.
Mr Roberts, a fluent Welsh speaker, specialises in Lanlord and Tenant and Agency sectors of the property industry.
"That bodes well for winning instructions when he has that type of profile, in particular we are seeking to grow our client base to include Local Authorities and large corporates with operational activity in Wales."
And he arrives at Parrys after working for large property companies Alder King, King Sturge and Bruton Knowles over the past decade.
Mr Webb believes Parrys Commercial can grow well in the property market, and the only problem is not for that growth to be too rapid.
Mr Roberts said: "We are a busy office that is punching well above our weight. There are firms, which have a number of offices that do not have the transactions in terms of quantity and quality that we have here.
He said: "We are a young company, we are busy in a poorly performing market place and we are pushing forward.
"I have been impressed so far and I am confident for the future of the firm." Mr Roberts, who is based in Llanharan, Mid Glamorgan, has clear ideas for the future of his role within Parrys Commercial. "I have worked in Cardiff for the last eight years where I developed an extensive contact base with local clients and my fellow surveyors," said Mr Roberts. "As a firm, our development plan is both geographical and service driven. We will not only be looking to target both Landlord and Tenant and agency instructions in Newport, but we now have greater capacity to look further West.”
"Parrys established their commercial arm six years ago and have organically grown through this difficult period.” "So the market we find ourselves in is the one we have grown through. We can continue to expand and, if we can bring big fee-earners into the business, like Steve, then there is no reason why we can't be sat here in a year's time having a conversation about somebody else joining us too. That is the idea." Mr Roberts is also a former Welsh Youth and Under-21 rugby union international. He played his club rugby for Llanelli and Clifton RFC while studying for his degree in valuation and estate management at the University of the West of England, Bristol.
Gazette fashion picks Ladies Strappy Georgette Dress £25.00 available from peacocks
Pink stripe belted sundress Price: £38.00 available from Dorothy Perkins
Paisley Print Formal Dress £20 available from ASDA
Orange stripe prom dress £34.99 available from River Island
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June / July
Your new guide to the finer things in life
Skenfrith’s Hilston Park
Large imp osi set in abo ng Grade 2 listed b ut 10 acre uilding s of priva grounds in te cluding w oo wildflowe r meadow dland, , orchard Dining ro and la om classroom , games room, TV lo ke , library, st unge, aff room, room, lau dry ndry facili ties. The ce ing now an EC ntr OCENTRE and has in e is series of e place a nvironme nta rules to h elp keep th l policies and e centre “g reener”
Over seven hundred people visited Skenfrith’s Hilston Park recently to view the creative talents of local artists based in Monmouthshire. Hosted by the Gwent Outdoor Education Service, the second Made in Monmouthshire arts and craft weekend followed and improved on last year’s successful event and is now set to become an annual treat. The Made in Monmouthshire initiative supports and celebrates resident artists and designers. In addition, local musicians performed over the weekend and the Gwent Outdoor Education Service held open days with an opportunity for visitors to experience the thrill of caving and climbing. They also helped to plant a new copse with trees provided by the Woodland Trust’s community planting scheme. Ian Kennett, Head of the Outdoor Education Service said: “The whole event was a great success with visitors coming from near and far, including a couple from Germany who were staying at a local bed and breakfast. The Made in Monmouthshire event is also a great opportunity for many local people to visit the stunning Grade 2 listed Hilston Park which is rarely open to the general public.”
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Gazette & Diary Magazine:
Gazette Homes Ways with walls is where it's at for stylish, individual homes - but the choice is so vast it could drive you wild! Experts offer their wisdom for wrapping up walls. By Gabrielle Fagan Gone are the days when a feature wall painted in a bright colour was considered the ultimate in interior design. Unless you've been living in a cave, you'll have noticed that wallpaper has been staging something of a comeback. Digitally printed or hand embroidered, retro or luxuriously glam, the stylish options for your walls are infinite. According to Kate Kingston, managing director of interior design company Kingston Shaw, wallpaper is key to transforming a house into a stylish home. Kingston, who has been designing interiors for private and corporate clients in London, Los Angeles and Milan for more than 20 years, says wallpaper gives homeowners a chance to express their personality and individuality. "That's why it excites designers. Wallpaper is an excellent way to inject colour, texture and impact onto a blank canvas," she says. Melanie Adams, wallcoverings expert at Wallpaperdirect, says homeowners are becoming more adventurous about how they use wallpaper and are prepared to experiment in certain rooms, including bathrooms. Work out ways with walls to suit your home with advice from the experts.
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There are plenty of amazing papers available, but new technology means you can create a special design just for your home. Kate Kingston says advances in digital printing mean designers and manufacturers work with homeowners to create stunning, one-off wall art. "We have found that bespoke wall coverings are becoming increasingly desirable to our clients," she says. "They appreciate the exclusivity that a unique design delivers." Kingston Shaw recently created a bachelor pad in a penthouse apartment in Liverpool's prestigious One Park West development, using bespoke wall coverings. The company's designers collaborated with Digetex, using its digital printing process to make a customfitted "alluring eyes" image that matched the dimensions of the wall to the millimetre. They hung a mirrored wallpaper design from Osborne & Little on the ceiling as a contemporary nod to the bachelor pads of the 1970s, then created a digitally printed dartboard wall covering, topped with a competition dartboard. Digetex have a range of imaginative wall-covers including their Dickens Bookcase wallpaper mural that mimics shelves full of books and starts from £129. Other wallpapers start from around £20 and bespoke digital prints from £180. Top tip: Digital printing means you can blow up a personal image that you love - even one from your life - and hang it on your wall, says Kingston. She adds: "If it's your own personal photo I'd advise having it enlarged first and pinning it on the wall to decide if it's really suitable to be seen day after day."
Touchy feely Dramatic wall treatments may not be to everyone's taste, but that doesn't mean there isn't a wallpaper out there to suit your home. If you're nervous at the thought of covering your walls in bold designs, Kingston suggests going for texture rather than pattern. "To avoid that oppressive feeling of a busy patterned paper on all four walls, create a focal point by choosing a feature wall and painting the others in sympathetic neutrals," she advises. "Using a textured wallpaper will add interest to a wall, without allowing the design to dominate." There aren't any rules about where to hang your chosen wallpaper. "Get creative," says Kingston. "Wallpaper can be hung on the ceiling or pasted on panels. Or you could try it in strips or geometric shapes on top of neutral painted walls to add
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The Summer Issue
warmth and depth." House Couturier has a stunning range of papers including a Quilter Lacquer wallcovering, from £98 a linear metre, and its Glam Grass metallic paper woven wallcovering, handcrafted in Japan, which has a shimmering effect, starts at £74 a linear metre. Top tip: Wallpaper hanging methods have changed. These days you usually paste the wall, not the paper. But Kingston says it's important to always line walls before hanging your chosen wallpaper to ensure a smooth, professional finish.
Full-on florals
CASTAWAY
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Penrose sofa, £499; Whitley love seat, £499; Fashion vintage print curtains, from £49.50; Fashion vintage rug, from £59 and cushions from £15, Marks & Spencer.
June / July
For more details contact: Chris Murphy Mob: 07719 662634 Tel: 01291 690 077 Website: www.raglanparc.co.uk Parc Lodge, Station Road, Raglan
Flower prints and patterns never go out of fashion but interpretation of nature's blooms is ongoing, and ensures there's always a fresh look to pick from. "Floral designs have come straight off the catwalk this spring. There is a hot trend for smaller floral designs," says Paula Taylor, colour specialist at Graham & Brown. "Larger floral prints are mixed and matched with smaller botanicals to create a co-ordinated look. "Colour combinations are bold and striking with multi-coloured flower heads and big traditional bouquets hand-painted with watercolours and bold block colours for an eclectic twist." Pretty blooms feature on the company's Lacework and Passion Lily papers, £30 a roll, and its Superfresco collection, from £20 a roll, also has attractive prints. Little Greene's Fifties Line Papers collection, from £38 a roll, features beautiful floral designs
and, unusually, others inspired by herbs. Papers £44.50 a roll. Top tip: Great floral colour combinations include purple and fresh greens, midnight blues with teals, reds with greys, and yellows with fresh greens and taupes.
Track a trend Kingston says wallpaper and wall art trends often follow catwalk fashion, but nowadays leading design brands are even expanding their ranges to include wall coverings. "It's a sure sign of the growth, popularity and staying power of wallpaper that luxury brands are also entering the wall covering market," says Kingston. French brand Hermes, famous for its silk scarves, launched a small selection of wall coverings in March, starting from around £120 a roll. Swarovski has just unveiled its opulent wallpaper range, which has the appearance of antique gilded glass with each rectangular pane fixed with a cluster of crystal rocks. It costs £560 a roll. Top tip: A glamorous, Fifties-inspired style will dominate this year, predicts Lizzie Deshayes, design director at wallpaper company Fromental, whose papers are hand-painted and hand-embroidered by artists in London and China. "We're forecasting that the key trends will be prints based on naturals such as woods, stones and water and there'll be a lot of bold black and white prints."
Your new guide to the finer things in life £50; colourful Bamboo Lacquered Stool, £40; Designer Kenneth Cole's Madison bed linen, a duvet cover from £40, featuring colour on a grey background.
Update your home style
bright and crystal clear turquoise, blue is set to take us in a new colour direction. Turquoise is creating the biggest splash on interior decor this spring, closely followed by light blue." Get the look: Sea and sky inspired hues pair well with pristine white and traditional oak, and can be contrasted with statement pieces in indigo, which is the 'new black', says Anderson. "It's all about creating understated luxury and rich peacock blues can add depth to a scheme." Best buys: Diamond Easy Chair in turquoise velvet, £895; and brilliant blue Fifties-style Aldo Londi Rimini ceramics, from £41.
If you're looking for home decorating ideas this year, simply rustle through your wardrobe. Chances are you've already picked up on some of the most fashionable looks and colours - whether that's colour blocking, blues, sorbet shades or florals - and those trends are being echoed in our rooms. These days, where those couture catwalks lead, our homes will surely follow, but there's no need to slavishly reflect those new looks. Even dedicated decoristas are more likely to opt for a 'make it work' approach rather than full-on 'makeover' as we've all got budgets to consider. So simply be inspired by the latest looks, then decorate and furnish to suit your personality, lifestyle and purse. Home design experts from leading high street stores forecast the trends and share their tips on creating the latest looks for rooms.
Bold & bright Colour will banish the dull days of winter and it's being used in dramatic splashes in both florals and abstract patterns, says Sue Roberts, head of home design at House of Fraser. "We're tired of doom and gloom and are looking for a more positive outlook and rediscovering our sense of humour," she says. "That's making us all more creative and there's a real trend for bold brights or blocks of colour which add fun into our homes. Florals will still predominate, whether chintzy, modern or echoing an Eastern theme." Get the look: Layering is a great way to freshen a room without breaking the bank, she advises. "Use throws and rugs, as well as fabrics, for blinds, curtains or upholstery echoing your theme. "If too much pattern makes you nervous, experiment by featuring it on cushions and bedding, and introduce more colour on table settings with charger plates, placemats and coloured glassware." Best buys: Libby Floral bedlinen, duvet cover from
Get shipshape with coastal chic or bring the outdoors in with florals, says Sally Bendelow, head of home design at Marks & Spencer. "There's a desire to make a statement in rooms with key pieces which don't break the bank but have impact," she says. "It's easy to pick up on trends with cushions and other accessories such as lighting. Take a tip from the stylists who use one 'hero' piece to create impact." Florals never go out of fashion, she believes, but this year they're being interpreted in a softer, less dominating way, and they also work well with pastel shades which are gaining ground. Bendelow believes coastal's appeal endures as it's a fresh, informal look which can be dressed up or down. Get the look: "Make it smart and chic by contrasting whites with deep blues and having painted furniture, or opt for a more 'beach hut' look with natural wood, bleached cottons and soft blue accessories," she advises. "An easy way to adopt this style is with blue and white bedding as the shades are ideal to create a calm atmosphere." Best buys: Club chair in Melitta blue stripe, £649. An extra large Task floor lamp, in polished nickelplated steel, £199, and a Sailing Stripe bedlinen set, from £39.50.
Industrial chic Functional furniture, vintage style and a strong neutral palette combine in the up-and-coming trend for 'industrial' style, says Claire Hornby, creative stylist for Barker & Stonehouse. "The industrial chic look links in nicely with the recent trend for period pieces and early 20th century styling, so have fun choosing traditional items which will never date, and basing your look around them," she says. "Industrial doesn't have to mean shiny chrome and minimalism, the new way to do this chic style is an altogether subtler and more sensual experience. It's all about rustic and timeless." Get the look: The look is achieved by mixing natural materials, so combine distressed leather with rustic wooden pieces for a practical but sophisticated result.
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Go overboard
Take a look at the new trends for rooms and be guided by the experts on how to use them, so you can update your home for spring/summer. Plus - the hot home buys no home should be without.
Romilly hanging light, £100; Teakery console, £499 and pottery wall stickers, £19, John Lewis
Printer Cartridges "Soften this look with cushions in complimentary fabrics and colours," says Hornby. "But if you accessorise, ensure pieces are functional with nothing purely decorative on display." Best buys: Earlston Opio rustic dining table, £1,245, in bleached old pine with natural grain and knots; Benjamin Chest, £1,645, and Hugo Desk, £1,185.
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Be inspired by soft pastels and stripes for a look that sums up summer, says Suzanne Beechey, homeware buying manager at Bhs. "Homes are no longer simply properties, they are individual spaces whose style should express your personality and taste," she says. "There's a trend for soft, sorbet shades and an effortless easy-to-live-with approach which conjures a cool, serene and sophisticated setting." Get the look: "Take inspiration from Miami summer nights," advises Beechey. "Decorate and accessorise with soft pinks, muted lilacs and mint greens which pair well with contemporary furniture in soft greys and chalky whites. Keeping this look minimal with clean edges is key." Best buys: Hot buys from Bhs are the Sorbet buttoned sofa, £999, and Sorbet striped bedding, from £22.50.
Wide blue yonder Nothing beats blue this year and fashion's passion for every hue from sky to turquoise is being echoed in the home, says Gillian Anderson, trading director at Heal's. "There's a renewed sense of optimism as we, hopefully, start a post-recession period and people want cheerful colour messages," she says. "From deep and mysterious navy and teal to
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The Summer Issue
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June / July
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Gazette & Diary Magazine:
Setting the pulses racing Whether it’s sweet or sexy, set your loved one’s pulse racing with some new lingerie. LAURA JONES is your undie cover agent SCOUR the shops for that perfect gift and you will probably come up against shelves full of teddies clutching red hearts, the extortionate price of roses and jewellers looking smug. A romantic meal with champagne and chocolates is all well and good, but if there’s one ingredient that’s sure to get you in an amorous mode it’s lingerie. Forget the oysters, new underwear with the wow factor is the one aphrodisiac you need for a memorable night in with your number one. Show your sentimental side via your smalls. Look for lingerie that’s pretty with subtle sexy undertones. Make your head-over-heels feelings loud and clear with heart motifs like F&F at Tesco red baby-doll hearts set, £12. While traditional red says hopeless romantic, graphic monochrome prints give a modern twist, like Mimi Holliday Je T’Aime superplunge bra, £44; thong, £32.50, and suspender belt, £31.50, at Mio Destino.
Lace is a classic fabric for traditionalists to set a romantic mood. Avoid overt peekaboo styles and look for lingerie with an opulent underlay to keep him guessing, like Ultimo Coco lace balcony bra, £28, and shorts, £14.50 (www.ultimo.co.uk). If hearts and flowers are your thing, let love blossom with a bold floral print. Try Gossard Cancan Superboost plunge bra, £29, and shorts, £14 (www.gossard.com). If pretty isn’t your thing pounce on him after dark with a lingerie set that’s sure to get his pulse racing. Black is a colour that’s both super sexy and flattering in luxurious cuts like Rigby & Peller Vintage plunge bra, £76.95, and luxury g-string, £56.95 (0845 076 5545/www.rigby andpeller.com). Spice things up in the bedroom with a set featuring a cheeky suspender belt like Myla Bourbon Boudoir bra, £59; briefs, £29, and suspender, £39 (0844 873 6111/www.myla.com). If you usually opt for a two-piece, add variety to your lingerie repertoire and try out a figure-hugging corset such as Midnight Grace by Figleaves Azalea basque, £48, and thong with detachable suspenders, £14 (08444 932 932/www.figleaves.com). Flaunt your wild side by mixing clashing prints together including flashes of ontrend animal like Freya Alexa plunge print balcony bra, from £30, and briefs, from £12.50 (01904 658 035/www.leialingerie.com).
Don’t fight against your inner tomboy. Boy shorts can still be uber-feminine featuring dainty prints in pastels like J by Jasper Conran at Debenhams petals bra, £20, and shorts, £12.50 (0844 561 6161 / www.debenhams.com). Even if you’re a dark minimalist dresser by day, nightfall is your licence to play with girly shades, from baby soft pink and sorbet pastels like BHS lilac jacquard padded bra, £18, and thong, £9 (0845 196 0000/www.bhs.co.uk), through to shocking fuchsia like Aubade Bahia bra, £50, and thong, £32 at Figleaves (0844 493 2932 / www.figleaves.com). Whatever your choice de jour, vamp up those lips and spruce up your hair with some bouncy rollers before you waft into bed with your favourite scent behind your ears and you are sure to be truly irresistible to your loved one this Valentine’s day.
Embrace your playful side with fun and flirtatious pieces. If you’re a burlesque fan, look for boudoir styling details like satin, bows and hook-and-eye fastenings. Try the retro look with Fauve Lucia bow bra, from £53, and thong, £20 (01904 658 035 / www.leialingerie.com).
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Gossard Cancan Superboost plunge bra, £29 and shorts, £14.
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Midnight Grace by Figleaves Azalea basque, £48 and thong with detachable suspenders, £14
The Summer Issue
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June / July
▲ F&F at Tesco red babydoll hearts set, £12
Mimi Holliday Je T’Aime superplunge bra, £44; thong, £32.50 and suspender belt, £31.50 at Mio Destino
Your new guide to the finer things in life
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Hey Hey We’re the Monkeys! They were one of the biggest bands of the Sixties, even outselling The Beatles, and they're back together for a UK tour. Andy Welch talks to Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork ahead of their lives dates to find out what they've been up to. The Monkees have been closeted in a small room all day doing interviews. It's a nice room, of course, a book-filled nook of a well-known London members' club, and there's endless tea and biscuits, but it's a small room nonetheless. Davy Jones, Peter Tork and Micky Dolenz are here to talk about their forthcoming 45th anniversary tour and two-CD Best Of, Monkeemania. This morning they were probably fresh and full of the joys of spring, but now, several hours in to their promotional duties, the trio are starting to flag. The band's drummer, Micky Dolenz, is sitting, nay lying, on the end of the couch, hat pulled down over his eyes like a cowboy catching an afternoon nap. He's snatched a few hours off from performing in an award-winning touring production of Sixties-set musical Hairspray. "Eight shows a week," he smiles, raising his head slightly. "Brutal." He sinks back down. Peter Tork, the keyboard player, is sitting to his left, taking everything in and not saying very much. He's quiet throughout our interview and, unless he's making one of his quick jokes, only really speaks when spoken to. Davy Jones, however, is up on his feet. He's 65 now, and looks it, but still has the glint in his eye of a former teen idol, with a tan that would sit somewhere between 'sunkissed' and 'old handbag' on any beauty salon's colour chart. Despite being born in Manchester, Jones is full of the can-do attitude of the USA, his adopted homeland, and only a trace of a British accent remains. Despite this, he doesn't sound American either. He chats 50 to the dozen, with Tork and Dolenz rarely getting a word in. They seem happy enough though, perhaps used to him after all these years. "I'm doing great," Jones says. "I'm doing exactly what I want to do, I'm still riding my horses, I've got beautiful kids and I'm with my lovely wife," he adds, referring to his 33-year-old third spouse Jessica Pacheco, a rather beautiful model, dancer and actress from Miami. "And here I am with my buddies. We're here to play music and I do that all the time, but it's not the same if I'm not with them." The Monkees were the first made-for-TV band, formed when two young filmmakers, Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider, inspired by The Beatles film A Hard Day's Night, pitched an idea for a TV show about a band. Dolenz and Jones were already child stars
of stage and screen; Tork and Mike Nesmith answered the casting call and starred in the series for two years. During this time, the band made their TV
Davy Jones was born in Manchester in December 1945. He got into acting and, aged 11, starred as Ena Sharples' grandson Colin Lomax in Coronation Street. After his mother's death when he was 14, he starred as the Artful Dodger in the West End, which eventually took him to the US. ■ Micky Dolenz was born in 1945 and, aged 11, starred in US TV series Circus Boy. It ran for three years and, until the start of The Monkees, Dolenz pursued acting and music. ■ Peter Tork was born in 1942 and began studying the piano at the age of nine, along with other instruments. He was part of the Greenwich Village folk scene of the early 1960s before joining The Monkees. He now runs a maple syrup farm in Connecticut. ■ It's rumoured that after seeing Supergrass's video for their hit single Alright, Steven Spielberg wanted to cast the band in a remake of The Monkees. ■
the new album by The Monkees, The Very Best Of The Monkees
show, which was exported around the world and is still repeated today, and released albums of songs written by the best on offer at the 'Brill Building' - the New York hit factory that boasted Neil Sedaka, Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Neil Diamond and, chiefly, prolific duo Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart among its ranks of staff songwriters. The formula, however contrived, worked a treat. During 1967 The Monkees outsold The Beatles and The Rolling Stones combined in the US, going on to sell around 50 million records worldwide. Strangely, when the trio talk today about their songs, they get confused over which of the writers was responsible for which hit. As Jones explains, though, it's understandable. "We've just got so many hits! That's the problem when we're picking a set list." Dolenz adds: "The last time we were together like this in a room was 2002. "Davy and I haven't spoken or seen each other for a few years, but the things we all went through in the Sixties and the time we spent together means we're just as tight now as we were then." Mike Nesmith, the band's former guitarist, opted not to join in on the reunion. Jones says he just didn't fancy it, but he was asked and there's no animosity. "You have to be ready to play, prepared, and I don't think Mike was up for this level of involvement - the up and down and all over the place. "I wanted to do this because every time I go anywhere, people say, 'Where's Micky?' or, 'Where's Peter?' or, 'Are The Monkees going to get back together?'" Settling into his flow, Jones adds there was a point a couple of years ago when he thought he wouldn't do it again (this is technically the band's fourth reformation). ●
"I've enjoyed doing my own shows for the past few years - cabaret, singing hit after hit and all that schtick, but it's just not the same playing I'm A Believer or Stepping Stone without these guys. "I have other songs I do, a bit of country, big band stuff, but it's The Monkees songs people want to hear. I get letters all the time from people asking about the band." Looking forward, the trio aren't too sure what'll happen next, whether they will carry on for another tour or call it a day for good. Jones remains optimistic and believes that as long as they keep performing the hits such as Daydream Believer, Last Train To Clarkesville and the aforementioned Stepping Stone and I'm A Believer, audiences will accept other material they want to try too, like the soundtrack to the 1968 film Head. A commercial flop on release, the stream-ofconsciousness epic has now garnered a cult following and is heralded with starting independent cinema in America. Ultimately, the threesome are just excited to be back on the road after all this time. "It's like someone throwing you a birthday party every night," offers Dolenz, while Tork best sums up the band's attitude toward the tour: "Basically, we play for free every night. We just get paid to commute."
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“I’m really into my fitness and have been working out hard and pushing myself to go a little further each time,” she says as she enthuses about punishing hot yoga sessions performed amid 100-degree heat. It’s evidence of the determination and selfdiscipline that she’s often called on to help her survive in a band that's had its fair share of turmoil. These traits have also enabled her to cope with the sometimes intrusive glare of the limelight. But, 26-year-old Amelle reveals, it was suffering a family tragedy eight years ago – the death of her father Mohamed from liver cancer – that has done more than anything else to shape and strengthen her. “Losing a parent is a massive thing to go through,” she says quietly. “What was so awful was it was such a shock because he was one of
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Also two years ago Amelle had a solo number one after featuring on rap artist Tinchy Stryder’s single, Never Leave You.
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But in 2009 band member Keisha Buchanan left Sugababes amid rumours of tensions and disagreements.
Berrabah – who grew up in Aldershot, Hampshire – won a scholarship to a music college and after leaving joined a band called Boo2 with her sister Samiya. She went on to win a Top of the Pops magazine Star Search competition a year after her father’s death and became a member of Sugababes in 2005.
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