Craig Wilson shares how to sneak in five a day

Summer brings with it an abundance of wonderful produce, all ripe for the picking, and delicious for eating. Soft fruits, including strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and cherries, green vegetables such as runner beans and broad beans, root vegetables including beetroot and carrots are all at their peak right now.

Get the blender out and get creative. Smoothies are a great way to hide lots of fruit and vegetables into a delicious, thick and tasty drink. Berries, Greek yoghurt and your choice of milk, is a quick wake up breakfast option. Add in some beetroot for an extra splash of colour. Kids enjoy helping by blitzing everything up. Alternatively, carrots and orange juice go perfectly together, add a pinch of fresh ginger for a touch of heat (if they like things with a kick!). If they’re not looking, sneak in some green vegetables like spinach, broccoli and celery and add a banana and coconut milk for a fresh ‘Hulk smoothie’. You could even throw in a few super fresh mangetout peas - they taste amazing blended up.

We all have too much food waste, but you can save any leftover smoothie mix by pouring it into ice lolly moulds and popping them in the freezer. Healthy ice-lollies are a great way to cool down on a hot day!

Eat on the Green’s Craig Wilson’s got some ideas for making sure kids get their five a day, without realising it.

The Royal Northern & University Club

membership means so much

Despite a history stretching back over 150 years, The Royal Northern & University Club is a very forward looking organisation, with superb facilities and a familiar camaraderie. Members are a lively, entertaining group of people from all walks of life. There are Members in their twenties and women have been admitted to membership since 2017. Many of today's Members are actively involved in local, national and international affairs.

It’s a place where you will instantly feel like you belong, with a true sense of companionship that’s increasingly valuable in an online world. There are over fifteen club groups with interests ranging from cherished cars to film and theatre and gardening to golf and a full-sized snooker table available to Members.

The club is known for the excellence of its food, from hearty breakfasts to traditional dinners, fine dining and inventive vegetarian options. There are conference and meeting facilities available to hire and ten bedrooms offering superb accommodation. The club also has reciprocal arrangements with over 130 other clubs, from Helsinki to New Zealand, not to mention many of the fabulous London clubs, meaning you feel at home wherever you are in the world.

Membership is by nomination and open to those over 21. The Club has

two main categories of Membership: Ordinary and Country. Eligibility for Country Membership which has a lower subscription rate, is available for Members when their residential and business address are outwith a 50 mile radius of Aberdeen. Junior Membership for those between the ages of 21 and 30, and Associate Membership are also available.

For further information about membership or the facilities the Club has to offer, please contact Aidan McAleese, Club Secretary on 01224 583292, or secretary@rnuc.org.uk.

9 Albyn Place AB10 1YE

rnuc.org.uk

133 Broomhill Road Aberdeen AB10 6JQ Tel. 01224 200123

Opening Hours: Tue - Thur, 10am - 7pm Fri 10am - 6pm

Talk Trust Share

The Talking Space is a new service launched by Counsellor and Psychological Therapist Tamsin Brett, PG Dip PCC BA(Hons). Offering a safe talking space for those seeking an accessible, professional counselling service both online and in-person. Working inside and in the great outdoors in North-east Scotland, Tamsin works with those struggling to cope with life events, experiencing difficult emotions, having issues at work and in relationships. Having worked with NHS Grampian and also gaining further specialised training to work with those who have experienced significant loss, bereavement and past trauma .

Tamsin said, ‘I’m delighted to offer a safe space to those that need some time to work through challenging experiences and make difficult decisions or simply gain peace of mind. I bring genuine compassion and warmth to my work offering a confidential service aiding my clients to overcome personal challenges and meet their own unique potential’.

‘Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen’. Brene Brown

The balfour + manson Aberdeen team prides itself in supporting clients through the entire process of any personal injury, medical negligence, employment or family law claim

Julie Clark-Spence Kirsten Knight Lynne Mulcahy

We understand that no two cases are the same and offer a personal service tailored to individual clients during what are undoubtedly difficult and traumatic times in their lives. The Aberdeen team continues to grow from strength to strength. We also offer Private client and property services. We can provide advice on a range of matters including: + Personal injury & medical negligence claims + Employment law + Family law + Residential property + Private client

- Fifth Dimension Conjuring up creativity in the workplace

Ivor Smith and Jeff Burns of

Fifth Dimension have used magic as a visual aid to engage, energise, educate and entertain audiences at business presentations, training workshops and as a promotional tool for companies since they set up in business in 1999.

They also use magic to help companies unleash their creativity which is at the heart of any successful company. Creativity offers a competitive edge, driving innovation and bringing bottom line benefits. However sometimes it takes a little magic to set it free.

Entertainment and magic have a serious role to play in the world of work. Using these mediums Fifth Dimension have created services that ensure safety presentations, team development workshops, exhibitions and client events are not forgotten as soon as they are over.

Ivor Smith explained, ‘It’s a theatrical art, but the sense of immediacy and suspense can captivate an audience in a way that other types of communication simply cannot replicate when it comes to getting the message across.

Magic is guaranteed to provide a real talking point, an immediate ice-breaker when bringing people who don’t know each other well together. Creativity flows when everyone is relaxed and feels comfortable with one another’.

Jeff Burns added, ‘Magic is an interactive art, requiring input from the audience. The kinaesthetic element to magic helps to make it an effective memory tool. Our magic is customised to ensure that the company’s key messages are central to the presentation. Magic is the ‘X factor’ that differentiates us from our competition’.

By using magic as a visual aid, Fifth Dimension offers a range of unique, online and in person bespoke services that offer engaging, entertaining, effective learning and entertainment across a spectrum of industry sectors throughout the world’.

Every business needs some magic.

fifthdimension.biz