The Suburb Circular - Feb 2016 by The Suburb Circular

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FEBRUARY 2016| ISSUE 9

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INSIDE

FOOD & NUTRITION • Home & Garden • Education & politics • health & Fitness • AND MUCH MORE...

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inside

Contents FEBRUARY 2016

Food & Nutrition

4 Rhubarb & Walnut Crisp 6 KFWE 2016

Health & Fitness 8 Value in Vision

Education & Politics

10 Politics Matters with Noel Lynch (GREEN PARTY)

Beauty & Fashion

12 Can a Relationship be Perfect? By Sophie Personne

Gifts & Events

14 A Literary Festival 16 Caring for your Flatware – La Belle Table

Motoring & Travel

21 Auto-Biographies by TimBarnes-Clay

Home & Garden

22 Grass Roots by Sally Tierney 24 Perfect Plants by Steve Law 26 On Your Plot – Planning Ahead

Business &Finance

28 Money Matters by Martin Lewis 30 Pension Doctor

020-3659-2399  info@thesuburbcircular.co.uk www.thesuburbcircular.co.uk No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the prior permission of the publishers. While every care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the editorial content no responsibility can be taken for errors and omissions. The views expressed in the magazine are not those necessary those of the publishers. Readers are strongly advised to check information published with individual advertisers and take legal advise where appropriate, before entering any transactions.

The team EDITORIAL

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FOOD & WINE

RHUBARB AND WALNUT CRISP Debbie Major’s rhubarb dessert recipe is much like a crumble but with less topping and more fruit. Serves 4-6; Easy Hands on time 20 mins, oven time 50 min NUTRITIONAL INFO PER SERVING For 6 servings: Calories: 457kcals Fat: 22.9g (8.2g saturated) Protein: 6.4g Carbohydrates: 57.4g (39.6g sugars) Fibre: 4.9g Salt: 0.2g INGREDIENTS l 100g walnut pieces l 100g plain flour, plus 3 tbsp l ½ tsp ground cinnamon l 80g lightly salted butter l 50g demerara sugar l 1kg forced rhubarb, trimmed and wiped

METHOD ➊ Heat the oven to 190°C. Spread the walnuts over a baking tray and roast for 4 minutes until they have darkened slightly and smell nutty. Leave to cool, then coarsely chop by hand.

➌ Cut the rhubarb into 2.5cm pieces and put into a mixing bowl. Cut the pared orange zest across into small, thin pieces that resemble pine needles, then add them to the rhubarb with the grated ginger, caster sugar and the remaining flour. Mix well and set aside for 15-20 minutes, stirring now and then, until the fruit is covered in a moist, sugary-floury mixture.

➋ For the topping, sift 100g of the flour and the cinnamon into a bowl, then rub in the butter until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs. Stir in the demerara sugar and chopped walnuts.

➍ Spread the fruit in a shallow 2 litre ovenproof dish and sprinkle the topping. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes until the rhubarb is tender and the top is golden brown. Serve with clotted cream.

l Pared zest ½ orange l 1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger l 175g caster sugar l Clotted cream to serve

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the Suburb Circular • FEBRUARY 2016

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FOOD & WINE

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FOOD FOOD & NUTRITION & WINE

THE ULTIMATE KOSHER FOOD AND WINE EXPERIENCE

edem Europe, organisers of the UK’s largest kosher wine and food event, has announced a combination of much-loved and new experiences at the Kosher Food & Wine Experience (KFWE) 2016. To be held in the ballroom of the newly refurbished popular Sheraton Park Lane Hotel, London, W1, on Tuesday 16th February 2016, the KFWE 2016, which starts at 6.00 pm and offers a great evening out, will continue to offer the widest range of quality kosher wines, spirits and liqueurs for tasting.

the Suburb Circular • FEBRUARY 2016

As the UK’s largest importers of kosher wines, Kedem Europe have scoured Europe, the United States and Israel for top quality additions to their portfolio, and are pleased to include two new wineries; Pelters from Israel and Hagafen from the US, in the line-up of over 200 wines, from over 30 producers, which will be showcased.

Pelter’s sophisticated wine-making techniques and the diversity of grape varieties which are grown in the vineyard based in the Golan Heights. Hagafen, in California’s Napa Valley, has been supplying The White House with great kosher wines for over 35 years, and this will be the first time the range has been available in the UK.

Pelters will be showing exceptional kosher wines, produced at their Matar winery, which embrace Tal

Winemakers and producers will be on hand to offer tastings of their recently released wines, and

FOOD & WINE

16th February 2016

Sheraton Park Lane Hotel, Piccadilly, London, W1J 7BX 6.30 pm – 10.00 pm Tickets available at www.kfwelondon.com

THE KFWE 2016 PARTICIPANTS WILL BE: n 1848 Winery – Israel n Alexander Winery – Israel n Barkan Wine Cellars – Israel n Bartenura - Italy

offering advice on wine selection, food pairing, drinking and storing suggestions to all who attend. Wines and spirits will be coming from France, Spain, United States, New Zealand, Israel and Finland. A highlight from France will be the newly released Barons de Rothschild Champagne a rich, complex and ethereal wine made by

blending wines aged at least three years.

n Bokobsa - Sieva - France

William Grant, known for their exceptional single malts, will be new to the event, showcasing their finest whiskies including Glenfiddich, The Balvenie and Grant’s.

n Carmel – Israel

Leading kosher caterer Arieh Wagner will be creating a new and exciting menu for the generous buffet which has become such a feature of the KFWE, and Walders will be mixing up great new cocktails with their pareve liqueurs at the free cocktail bar.

n Elvi – Spain

And for the first time, a VIP ticket has been created by Kedem Europe, offering a number of exclusive experiences. These include an enhanced food menu served in a private dining space, served with some exceptional wines which are not included in the general wine tasting; vintage whisky expressions will be served too, and there will be a cigar rolling demonstration. Further information and tickets are available now through the KFWE 2016 website www.kfwelondon. com. The tickets are priced at £50 for one, and £90 for two for the main tasting and buffet, and VIP tickets are £100 each.

n Celler de Capcanes – Spain n Clos Mesorah – Spain n Covenant – United States n Dalton – Israel n Domaine du Castel – Israel n Domaine Netofa – Israel n Flam Winery – Israel n Goose Bay – New Zealand n Chateau Grand-Puy Ducasse - France n Hagafen Cellars – United States n Herzog Wine Cellars – United States n Montefiore – Israel n Moses Vodka- Finland n Pelter Winery – Israel n Champagne Barons de Rothschild – France n Royal Wine Europe – curated selection of wineries from France n Chateau Royaument - France n Schmerling’s - Switzerland n Tabor Winery – Israel n Walders – UK n Yatir – Israel n Zion Winery – Israel

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HEALTH & FITNESS

Value in VISION By DAVID HILLEL BURNS

ome people have perfect eyes. To help keep them that way it is a good idea to have a regular check-up. This is to preserve and maintain the eyesight and to alleviate any problems associated with it.

People who wear

specs or contacts - to work, drive, recognise friends, read comfortably, or just enjoy life – usually have more than one good pair, for different activities or looks. To see better is cost-effective and easy. Each prescription is custommade and unique, tailored to the needs and requirements of the individual, and quickly made for about the price of an evening out.

The nhs helps by covering the cost of the check-up appointment for people in groups including: l those under 19 and in full time education l anyone over 60 l those receiving, or whose partner receives, State benefits including most types of Tax Credit, Job Seekers Allowance and Income Support l people with a HC2 form (HC3 helps too) l those with diabetes, glaucoma, or particularly strong specs or weak sight l over-40s with glaucoma in the close family. For many, the NHS also pays, or part-pays, for the specs or contacts.

David is always happy to answer questions from local people about eyesight. You can email him on David@Davidhillel.co.uk Address: 119 East Finchley High Road Telephone number: 020 8444 2233 8

the Suburb Circular • FEBRUARY 2016

Enjoy better vision!

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Education & politics

PIE IN THE SKY? Noel Lynch (on the Green list for the GLA)

ow can you tell a slow-motion crisis is underway? Sudden crises are inescapable. They demand attention and get it. But we humans are not hard-wired to note problems that build slowly. Such problems claim on our higher human faculties: on longterm observation and our ability to analyse rationally, and they also place an implicit obligation to act to avert the worst effects. That is how my colleague A M Poppy felt about traffic in Barnet. She claimed there was a silent clamour emanating from the people of Barnet, which made itself heard in her canvassing, reading the local papers, and attending the residents forums. The issues that took up most of the time and column inches were parking, speeding, congestion, road safety, and

the Suburb Circular • FEBRUARY 2016

pollution. Barnet has fast become the most populous borough in London (increasing the population by an estimated 50% in just a few decades) with a commensurate increase in cars, but without commensurate increase in road space. As a consequence neighbours complain of an inability to find parking places; of congestion and simultaneously, paradoxically, speeding on their roads; and ever more calls for pedestrian crossings and speed restrictions. The council responds piecemeal, one petition at a time. It does not admit that there is mounting pressure on the roads, which will increasingly erode the quality of life in our leafy suburb. Suggested solutions to this slowmotion crisis were elicited at a conference Poppy convened last year in Friern Barnet Community Library (the proceedings were published last month: www. barnetcarcrisis.org. uk). The measures the participants favoured (from car-free Sundays, through 20mile limits on residential

streets, to orbital light rail and trams) would bring about a transformation in the borough, far beyond new transport systems. Communally-owned vehicles and better cycling and walking facilities imply friendlier neighbourhoods where people are less isolated and spaces are more child-friendly and less polluted. The reaction of the chair of Barnet’s environment committee to the report was dismissive: “pie in the sky”, he said. He was overlooking the fact that right here on earth

Paris and numerous cities across South America maintain car-free Sundays; cities across Europe (Amsterdam for instance) have good bicycle facilities; and communally-owned cars are prefigured by Zipcars and Boris Bikes.

these measures were already in place: Haringey next door has introduced 20mph throughout; Paris and numerous cities across South America maintain car-free Sundays; cities across Europe (Amsterdam for instance) have good bicycle facilities; and communally-owned cars are prefigured by Zipcars and Boris Bikes. Barnet need not look far for examples of ways to mitigate the car culture that are reducing pollution and enhancing the life of communities across London and beyond. The head-in-the-sky charge could more rightly be laid at the door of Barnet council for being oblivious

to the slow-motion crisis; for ignoring the brilliant possibilities opened up by the alternatives being trialled elsewhere; and for dismissing the voice of their own constituents who gathered that

day to discuss a better future. I hope you will join me in urging positive change, rather than letting business as usual drive us to a standstill. AS SEEN ON

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BEAUTY & FASHION

SUCCESSFUL Can a relationship be perfect? By Sophie Personne www.successful-dating.com

t is important to be reminded that, as humans, we are still, in essence, animals. We have certainly evolved but, if we go back to the cavemen times, the relationship between a man and a woman was mainly about survival. The dating scene at the time was as far from thrilling as it got, and the average person would only meet approximately 50 people in their entire life time. Both men and women needed to reproduce in order to be looked after in old age, which was the prime motivator of the relationship. They would, however, work as a partnership where the man would go kill the buffalo and provide security whilst the woman would hunter, gather and look after the cave.

economic advances, most of us now seek comfort and ‘quality of life’. With the internet and advent of social media, we now have a very different outlook and always seem to want more. It could be argued that all of this has possibly made us a little fussier as we seek perfection in all aspects of our lives, from the material aspects to careers and obviously love.

It was actually only in Victorian times that the notion of romantic attachment became an essential part of marriage and, now that we are in the 21st century, things have actually changed enormously. We now have gay marriages and the notion of love is the basis of any long term relationship.

It is also important to remember that only 7% of communication is words, 38% is the tone of voice and 55% body language. These must be in sync.

For most of the western world, the focus is no longer survival. Since World War 2 and through socio-

the Suburb Circular • FEBRUARY 2016

Perfection is a concept that is very personal to each and every single one of us, as our own experiences and journey will have shaped us

to want and need different things. It is important to point out that to achieve perfection, one must know oneself and be honest about their dreams, values, beliefs, interests and long term expectations. Once we understand ourselves, we are more likely to understand what is truly important within. Accepting another person for who they are, without trying to change them, is also essential. We should love their good points, their flaws and complement each other. Both should look at life in the same way and head in the same direction whilst remaining true to themselves. The key to a perfect relationship however is communication. It is often mentioned but also quickly forgotten about. It is one of the first things that goes in failing relationships along with sex,

BEAUTY & FASHION

which is another way to communicate our feelings towards our partner. People often feel that they do communicate as they talk about lots of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;stuff â&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Mundane and routine subjects do not count though... True communication is about feelings, emotions, expectations or inner thoughts and these need to be held regularly. It is also important to remember that only

7% of communication is words, 38% is the tone of voice and 55% body language. These must be in sync. A touch or a kiss are also simple ways to communicate our feelings and bring a sense of reassurance. So does the perfect relationship exist? Yes, if we create it as what we want it to be. It is something very personal to two individuals and only they will understand that. Everybody else will have their own opinions on their life and way of doing things, so it is important to actually not listen to what people feel is perfection but to stick to what we believe it to be.

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GIFTS & events

at the Heart of London H eld in the heart of London, Jewish Book Week is the world’s leading Jewish literary festival, a vibrant event that annually hosts a spectacular array of speakers, from leading political thinkers to literary giants, to outstanding debut talent. Beginning in the 1950s, the festival’s mission has always been to celebrate the impressive breadth of Jewish words and ideas. It does this by providing a unique platform for dialogue, with international speakers representing the media, arts and politics. These ‘great minds’ represent a diversity of views to engage with Jewish culture and history in the widest sense. Musical performances and contemporary drama follow upon discussions of the most pressing social and political issues of our day. Past speakers include Martin Amis, Niall Ferguson Christopher Hitchens, Lisa Jardine, Bernard-Henri Lévy, Harold Pinter and Salman Rushdie. While Jewish Book Week has an international reputation as an exciting and influential event, but it is upheld by the strength and support of the community. More than six thousand loyal

visitors return each year to meet writers and thinkers in a stimulating, sociable environment. Jewish Book Week is a flagship event of the Jewish Book Council, whose mission is to stimulate thought and reading on all aspects of Jewish life, culture, history and literature. Jewish Book Week 2016 This year’s festival will be a bustling hub of thinking, writing and performing, with speciallycommissioned art installations and fringe events alongside scheduled events. JBW is led for the second year by Festival Director Lucy Silver, who freely acknowledges that the festival will always reflect the taste of its director. With a background in psychoanalysis, Silver’s taste is broad but discerning. Here she takes us on a whirlwind tour through the festival programme. “80 events over ten days and still

the Suburb Circular • FEBRUARY 2016

n Ruby Wax talks to Kathy Lette at the 2014 Festival rising. This year’s festival launches us on a time machine that whizzes us from life’s origins to life’s jaw-dropping future. Radio 4’s science expert Adam Rutherford, bio-geneticist Nick Lane, historian Ian Morris, astrophysicists Pedro Ferreira and Andrew Jaffe and medics, Robert Winston, Michael Marmot and Henry Marsh, offer us theories of everything from memes to genes, presenting the latest scientific theories and advances. There is a rich selection of entertainment from our delightful Opening Night’s “Some Enchanted Evening” (actually two performances by popular demand), celebrating the songs and shows of Rodgers and Hammerstein, to our final evening’s dramatised reading of a new play “What Happened at the Metropole” with Eleanor Bron, Ilan Goodman, Sian

GIFTS & events Thomas and others. Jason Solomons and Robert Elms will tell us why Woody Allen’s films are of undying interest and Hadley Freeman and Francesca Segal will explain why 80s films are unrivalled in a pre-Valentine’s evening special at JW3. We explore a wide range of topics: David Aaronovitch discusses his family’s obsession with Communism with Stephen Grosz, Margaret MacMillan and Antony Beevor consider the impact of personality on history, Frederic Raphael and Joan Bakewell revisit their Cambridge days; and Jancis Robinson and Nicholas Lander explain why we are in thrall to the juice of the fermented grape. Ian Buruma and Andrew Solomons are flying in from the

US, A B Yehoshua and many others from Israel, Simon Kuper is crossing the channel from Paris, Philip Rylands, director of the Peggy Guggenheim Museum, is coming from Venice, and renowned artist William Kentridge from South Africa. Nordic noir writers from Finland and Sweden are making an appearance, but London too is not overlooked as Ben Judah and Josh Glancy go the core of London’s potpourri of immigrant populations and Michael Berkowitz studies the contribution of great British Jewish photographers. We are a big ideas festival. Lively panels will explore the flashpoints in today’s world

from Putin’s Russia, to the consequences of France’s economic struggles, to the incendiary Middle East. Tracy Chevalier, Jonathan Freedland, Edith Hall, Howard Jacobson, Julia Neuberger, Melanie Phillips, Jonathan Sacks and Edmund de Waal are just some of our amazing speakers. n To explore the whole festival, visit Jewishbookweek.com n To book weekend and evening events, go to www.kingsplace.co.uk; or telephone 020 7520 1490 n To book weekday lunch time events contact JW3 at www.jw3.org.uk or telephone 020 7433 8988. See you all there!” Lucy Silver – Festival Director

For any information on supporting Jewish Book Week, contact Sarah Fairbairn on info@jewishbookweek.com. The Jewish Book Council is a registered charity no 293800.

JEWISH BOOK WEEK 2016 18 – 28 FEBRUARY KINGS PLACE, LONDON & JW3 WWW.JEWISHBOOKWEEK.COM www.thesuburbcircular.co.uk

GIFTS & events

Part 2

FLATWARE

hen it comes to flatware, some metals require more care than others. Sterling silver and silver plate tarnish, whereas vermeil, gold electroplate, stainless steel, and pewter are comparatively easy to care for.

How to Care for Stainless Steel Cutlery

Stainless Steel Cutlery is easy to care for, is usually dishwasher safe, and very often comes with a long guarantee! Here are a few tips to avoid fingerprints and water spots, and to keep your cutlery in perfect condition The iron alloy that comprises stainless steel may be difficult to stain, but it’s not resistant to fingerprints and water spots. To remove these, first clean your cutlery in hot water and washing

up liquid. It’s important to remove excess food as quickly as possible after eating as the salt and acids will cause gradual damage. Hand dry with a clean nonabrasive cloth to remove any water spots. The quicker you dry your cutlery, the better as the open air will cause unwanted natural drying marks. Natural cleaning solutions such as vinegar, cider, lemon juice, olive oil and soda water all work wonderfully on removing stains from stainless steel. To polish with

vinegar or cider, buff your cutlery in a circular motion with a soft damp cloth lightly dampened with cider or undiluted white vinegar. If using soda water, rinse the cutlery in the liquid and dry immediately with a dry nonabrasive cloth. Lemon juice and olive oil can both be applied with a soft dry cloth, gently rubbing away at the stain.

To view our ranges of quality Stainless Steel Cutlery sets from Elia and Arthur Price visit us at www.labelletable.co.uk or call us on 020 8458 1331

We are Expanding! La Belle Table is now operating online

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We can be contacted for appointments or queries

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labelle.table@yahoo.co.uk

the Suburb Circular • FEBRUARY 2016

Katy Lipson for Aria Entertainment Presents

EXPLORING A CENTURY OF SONG, FEATURING THE CREATORS OF OUR MUSICAL THEATRE LEGACY written by Chris Burgess Directed by Matthew Gould

upstairs at the gatehouse

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Radlett Centre

01923 859291 www.radlettcentre.co.uk £18.50, £17.50 (conc) Sunday 6th March

Music by

Jule Styne

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On stage for the first time since the original 1978 London production

3rd March - 10th April 2016 Tickets from £14 - £22 020 8340 3488 upstairsatthegatehouse.com

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With your local travel agent, call EL AL 020 7624 9708 or go online www.elal.co.uk Don’t forget, with EL AL your ticket includes 1 free bag up to 23kg, a hot Kosher meal. *Terms and conditions apply. Subject to availability. Includes all taxes, baggage handling, on-board meals and fuel surcharges. Taxes subject to exchange rate fluctuation and choice of UK airport and are correct at time of advert publication. Limited capacity, selected flights only. Offer is combinable with other half round-trip fares. For travel until 31.03.16 and from 04.05.16 to 30.06.16, 28.08.16 to 28.09.16 and 08.11.16 to 18.03.17. Maximum stay is one month.

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THE BEST PASSOVER VACATIONS IN EUROPE

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Forte Dei Marmi, Tuscany, Italy • Entire Hotel Kosher for Pesach • 5 Star Luxury Boutique property • Oceanfront hotel • Delectable Haute Italian Pesach Cuisine by Michelin rated chef Cristoforo Trapani • Champion Golf nearby • Few minutes walk to chic shops and center of Forte Dei Marmi • Glatt Kosher Supervision by Rabbi G.M. Garelik

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• Entire Hotel Kosher for Pesach • 4-Star boutique property • All rooms have balconies • 4 clay tennis courts adjacent to hotel • Just 1,000 feet from the beach, the chic shops, and the center of Forte Dei Marmi • Delectable Haute Italian Cuisine • Scholar-in -Residence • Professional Day Camp • Glatt Kosher Supervision by Rabbi G.M. Garelik

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ITALY

+39-349-538-8060

FRANCE

+33-6-012-33726

www.leisuretimetours.com

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13:54

Pesach at the Four Seasons

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Call +1 778 323 7701

Take Advantage of the strong Pound - Save 50% on Skiing & Local Activities

• Entire Resort Kosher for Pesach • North America’s Best Skiing • Kosher Supervision • Gourmet Cuisine

the Suburb Circular • FEBRUARY 2016

Call +1 778 323 7701

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MOTORING & TRAVEL

AUTO-BIOGRAPHIES New ŠKODA Superb Estate By Tim Barnes-Clay, Motoring Journalist www.carwriteups.co.uk Twitter: @carwriteups

Pros ‘n’ Cons Practical √ Voluminous √ Comfortable √ Handsome √ Getting Pricey X

FAST FACTS (SE L Executive 2.0 TDI 190PS 4x4 DSG)

Max speed: 142 mph 0-62 mph: 7.7 secs Combined mpg: 54.4 Engine layout: 1968 cc, 4 cylinder, 16 valve turbo diesel Max. power (bhp): 187 Max. torque (lb.ft) : 295 CO2: 135 g/km Price: £31,420

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HOME & GARDEN

Grassroots

By Sally Tierney, www.yorkshiregardendesigner.co.uk

EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED

y company, Yorkshire Garden Designer, designs gardens in many different situations throughout the large and diverse county of Yorkshire (UK). The 3,500 square miles of Yorkshire, with its 5.3 million inhabitants, includes the North York Moors, the Yorkshire Dales, the Wolds and the coast line, all very varied, beautiful and distinct places, which means there are quite a few different garden design situations to have to deal with. An experienced garden designer will take into account the aspect and the orientation of each garden, the amount of wind it is exposed to, the quantity of rain and, of course the soil type. In addition to that, there is also the impact of the garden’s previous usage, as not all gardens start off as such.

Whilst I consider and accommodate every aspect as carefully as possible in advance it is inevitable that, in the 17 years I’ve been running Yorkshire Garden Designer, the unexpected crops up, usually when the garden is being built or in the months after construction. The funny thing is, that once I mentioned the particular issue that has arisen, how many other people have had the same experience so I thought I would talk through several of these cases over the

next few months as each one has something I’m sure could be useful to fellow gardeners. Last year, I got a call from a lovely lady whose garden I had designed when she had moved into a smaller property when she found she couldn’t manage the family home. “Sally”, she said, “My lawn is moving!” This I had to see and went round to have a look. What she meant was that when she walked on the grass to get to her washing line, her feet sunk into the lawn up to her ankles. She was not breaking through the turf, so the experience was very similar to walking on a water bed or an air mattress, which felt very bizarre. I dug a hole to have a look what was happening underneath the turf. The soil was undeniably saturated, so in effect, my client was indeed walking on a water bed so the question was, why had this happened? I dug a lot further down, to approx. 2ft (60cm) and found what is known as a ‘pan’ within the soil profile. A pan is a layer of soil that has become so

impacted that it is impervious to water. Some of them can be so hard, it takes the full force of a pick axe to break them up. In the case of my client, the pan was preventing the rain from draining away so the water accumulated in the soil, with nowhere to go, until the whole lawn started to behave like a water bed. Eventually the turf itself would have become submerged if I hadn’t taken immediate remedial action to improve the drainage by punching holes through the pan with a spade which allowed the water to gradually disperse. Although this was an extreme case, if you have an area that is a bit boggy or filled with moss, it is always wise to dig a hole to see if you can find out the cause before applying the chemicals or additional soil. You might be surprised how easy and straightforward the solution is.

Written by Sally Tierney MSGD BSc (Hons). She specializes in making the most of the space in small to medium sized gardens through the use of good design and the right plants. She passionately believes that no garden should become a burden on its owners and so she goes to great lengths to design a garden that fits in with the client’s life style, not the other way round. You can see pictures of successful gardens on her website here www.yorkshiregardendesigner.co.uk

the Suburb Circular • FEBRUARY 2016

Shared Lives

Get More Out of Life..! ...and help someone get more out of theirs We need people who can offer care and support in their own homes to an older person, an individual with a learning disability or mental health issue. Harrow Shared Lives Scheme • You will be trained to a high level • Be paid and will receive ongoing support. • We welcome people over the age of 18 years, including people in work, semiretired, retired and not in work. For more information contact Harrow Shared Lives, or book onto one of our information sessions: Date : Monday 29th February 2016 Venue: Hendon Town Hall, The Burroughs, NW4 4BQ Time: 6.15pm to 7.45pm Date: Wednesday 2nd March 2016 Venue: Artsdepot , 5 Nether Street, Tally Ho Corner, North Finchley, N12 0EH Time: 6.15pm to 7.45pm

To book, phone 020 8736 6070 or email sharedlives@harrow.gov.uk

SHARED

LIVES

SCHEME

Shared Lives v2.indd 1

27/10/2015 16:52

HOME & GARDEN

PERFECT By STEVE LAW, http://brightonplants.blogspot.co.uk/

Small Trees

ecades of gardening for other people has taught me that there are topics that clients find difficult. I’m fairly confident about what plants do but it can be hard to share that confidence with customers who worry about ‘things getting out of hand’. It’s understandable – many popular species are monstrous things. Garden centre labels can be misleading and it’s important to research. Thus when I say to my customers “You know what you need here? A tree” they’re sceptical, especially given that some of their gardens are little more than paved yards. But there are many genuinely small trees about, if you know what to look for. I could recommend a tree that grows to 20ft and they are aghast, imagining it filling what little space they have and blotting out the sun, undermining the house as it goes. In fact, a 20ft tree is really not very big. In a woodland amongst mature trees it’s just a

In a garden you want a light airy canopy that the sun can shine through, casting a cool dappled shade. 24

the Suburb Circular • FEBRUARY 2016

sapling, and it’s sad how rarely a customer has given in and let me plant a small tree in their yard. There’s nothing like a tree to really give a space that third dimension, to relieve the monotony of the flat garden floor and the four walls that surround it. As a compromise, they may plant a tree against the boundary – pushing it to the edge. I say plant it nearer the middle, off to one side of the lawn or at the front of the border, or near the house. Very few trees damage drains and foundations and they’re mainly vigorous trees with thick roots – exactly the kind we don’t want. I’d love to look out of my bedroom window through the upper branches of a tree, at all the birds there. In a garden you want a light airy canopy that the sun can shine through, casting a cool dappled shade. This will also make an environment for woodland plants - there are plenty of gorgeous plants that need shade. It goes without saying that the tree needs to be interesting for as much of the year as possible, with flowers and fruit, newfoliage, autumn colour and bark effects, not to mention the overall form of the tree, with and without leaves. The first thing to avoid in a small garden is anything that simply fills the space with an overwhelming blob of foliage, so I would generally (Eriolobus Trilobatus) avoid evergreens.

Pinus and Eucalyptus can have a light airy canopy but most get big. Some deciduous trees also have a dense canopy – horse chestnuts most obviously. Here are a few suggestions: n ACER – Japanese Maples are the obvious ones but most people go for the fine leaved forms, which are shorter, certainly, but also very wide and that means they take up a lot of space. Choose one of the taller varieties – they are the epitome of light, graceful airiness. Wellknown varieties are Senkaki and Katsura, or species like circinatum or coreanum n SORBUS – there are many small rowans with fine ferny foliage, spring flowers, autumn leaves and berries. S.cashmeriana, forrestii and koehneana are usually available. n PRUNUS – avoid the common flowering cherries – go for forms of incisa or subhirtella, or cultivars like Pandora or Okame n MALUS – ornamental crab apples like M.transitoria, sieboldii and toringoides. M. trilobata is one of the very best. n BETULA – most birches are over 20ft but have a light canopy n OTHER POSSIBILITIES – Quercus pontica, Magnolia wilsonii, Eucryphia glutinosa, Stewartia, Hamamelis, Cercis candensis, Genista aetnensis, Picrasma quassioides, x Chitalpa tashkentensis, Aesculus x mutabilis Induta, Nyssa sinensis, Sophora microphylla, Cornus alternifolia Argentea, Parrotiopsis jacquemontiana, Elaeagnus angustifolius, Halesia, Styrax

HOME & GARDEN

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HOME & GARDEN

HOUSEHOLD tips space saving shelves

Most doors should open inwards into a room which means that there is often a triangular space behind them that cannot be used. Put some corner shelves up to hide extra books or pictures!

LUXURY CUSHIONS

If you are trying to find a quick simple way to make your bedroom a little more luxurious, then try utilising your pillows. Although you may only sleep on one or two pillows try having four pillows on your bed. Even try adding scatter cushions to give it an almost hotel like feel.

Boiler Installation Boiler Breakdown Specialists Boiler Servicing All Central Heating Works All your Plumbing Problems Solved

Mob: 07736472701 Office: 020 8342 8559 info@gasforce.co - www.gasforcelondon.co.uk 26

the Suburb Circular â&#x20AC;˘ FEBRUARY 2016

HOME & GARDEN

Plant of the month

Tomato

rowing tomatoes from seed is super easy and you can get started in late February to ensure a lovely summer crop to look forward to. Simply fill a small pot with compost and scatter seeds thinly over the top then cover with another thin layer and water. Pop the pot on the windowsill to help the seeds to germinate and keep an eye on them. This is a great project to do with kids as you’ll see seedlings within a couple of weeks and within a couple of months they’ll be big enough to move into

Growin and yo ensure forwar compo top the water. help th eye on with ki couple month separa dibber own, in the yel put the canes.

separate pots. You can move them using a dibber and carefully lower them into their own, individual small pot. Once you see the yellow flowers appear you’re ready to put them into grow bags outside with canes.

SIMPLY FILL A SMALL POT WITH COMPOST AND SCATTER SEEDS THINLY OVER THE TOP

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Business & Finance

Cheap trains, drains

AND AUTOMOBILES By MARTIN LEWIS

ome folks drive a lot for various reasons be it business or personal, here a few tip to help cut the cost of travel.

Turn your heating down, but not off if you’re going away If it gets cold, no heating risks burst pipes. So much so that some insurers won’t cover you for damage if your home’s unoccupied for more than five days and you turned the heating off. The rule of thumb is keep it to a minimum 14 degrees.

GET A YEAR’S BREAKDOWN COVER FOR £17 If your car has had trouble during the winter season, it can be costly to pay it back in the Spring. Thankfully, if you know what you’re doing you can get super cheap cover. There are four things you need to know: - If you’re renewing, haggle. 84% of AA and 76% of RAC customer who tried reported success. - If you’re new then for basic cover use a cashback site. A standard RAC policy is £28 online and an AA policy £35, but sites like Topcashback.co.uk and Quidco.com give around £10-£15 back so the effective cost to you is £18ish. This usually works, though do note the cashback isn’t 100% guaranteed. - If you have Tesco clubcard points you can swap them in for RAC cover, so £16 of vouchers gives you basic breakdown. - For full service, Autoaidbreakdown.co.uk is a pay and reclaim polcy for £42/year, which covers you and your spouse for home start, breakdown and onward travel. A local delivery firm is sent out, and you pay then send in receipts to get the cost back.

Buying two tickets for one train journey can save you £100s

Split ticketing makes about as much sense as Chewbacca, but it works. It’s where you buy tickets for a journey’s constituent parts separately to slash the price. It’s allowed by the conditions of carriage – the only rule is that the train must call at the stations you buy tickets for. For example, a single from Manchester to Cornwall costs £158, but the train stops at Cheltenham Spa. Buy a £52 ticket from Manchester to Cheltenham Spa, then a £58 one from there to Cornwall and the total’s £110. That’s the same train, the same time – possibly even the same seat. To help find if you can do this for your journey, use my free TicketySplit tool at mse.me/ticketysplit. As Justine tweeted me: “Genius - tickety split has just saved me £50, no effort, exact same journey.”

the Suburb Circular • FEBRUARY 2016

CAN YOU FIND SUB-£1/LITRE PETROL?

Petrol prices are now under £1/litre in some places, but the range is huge. Use Petrolprices.com to find your cheapest, nearest forecourt. The difference even within one post code is 10%. It’s an easy check to fill up on savings.

Book a free charity clothes collection with TRAID. We’d love the clothes you don’t. Call 020 8733 2580 (option 1) Online at traid.org.uk/collections Email recycling@traid.org.uk 89p in every £1 supports TRAID’s charitable activities to fight global poverty, reduce textile waste and deliver sustainable education in the UK.

Business & Finance

Pension Doctor

OUR PENSIONS ARE A

person’s pension is often the most valuable asset after their home, but sadly it rarely gets the same level of attention as the roof over their heads. If the tax man wanted to take away a chunk of your home, like your garage for example, I dare say you would be up in arms on your front drive, barricading your property. So why don’t the cuts to pensions attract the same press? After all, it’s a share of your future retirement income, and today’s income for that matter!

There are more pension changes afoot, and, when it comes to pension changes, forewarned is forearmed. Higher earners now have a four-month ‘window’ to save into pensions before cuts to tax relief mean you pay a lot more tax for exactly the same thing. In the Budget last March, the Chancellor announced that people earning more than £150,000 would receive a lower rate of pension tax relief from April 2016. In short, you usually have a pension annual allowance of £40,000; the maximum pension contribution you can receive tax relief on. For those earning £150,000 or more, this will gradually reduce down to just £10,000 for those earning £210,000 and above. To put this into perspective, someone earning £210,000 would normally receive £18,000 tax back for a £40,000 contribution into their pension. From April 2016, this will fall to just £4,500, so these high earners, who are paying into a pension, will have a new tax bill of £13,500 to add to the mix, without them really knowing about it until it’s too late! I realise at this point lower earners are weeping for those poor higher earners, but

the Suburb Circular • FEBRUARY 2016

this is more unfair than you may first think. Given that the pension will be taxed when you take the money out, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to put your money into an environment where you get no tax savings at the outset, and you get taxed again when you access your money. Its double taxation by any another name. It will therefore call into question whether it is worth you saving more than the £10,000 into pensions thereafter. So, if you are a high earner, you may want to consider bringing pension contributions forward to maximise your tax relief now, and then reduce contributions after April when you’ll receive less tax back. After April, you may want to look at alternatives to pensions for savings over and above your new £10,000 annual allowance. But it isn’t just the high earners that need to worry! The Chancellor has said that he has put off a big pension tax relief overhaul from this month’s Autumn Statement, but only until next year’s Budget in March. So if you are a higher rate tax payer, and especially if you are a 45% tax payer, now certainly is the time to be thinking about topping up your pension if you

want to maximise the tax relief the Revenue give you, before the next attack. You could find that you pay dramatically more tax for the privilege of doing so after April 2016. If you want to make a contribution of more than £40,000 you can, as long as you have not made the full contribution for the previous 3 years. You can carry forward unused allowances providing you have a pension of some sort, allowing you to make a total contribution this year of up to £180,000. You can claim tax relief on the whole contribution, as long as your earnings match or exceed the level of contribution. So why not make 2015/16 a tax year where you pay no Income Tax, by maxing out your pension? It is an important time for pension savers, and in particular those people that are close to retirement. There has never been a more important time to seek good retirement planning advice from an independent financial planner. Charlie Reading is a Chartered Financial Planner who runs the successful Chartered Financial Planning business Efficient Portfolio.

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