Cambs Feb 2020 by Villager Mag

VILLAGER The

Issue 130 - February 2020

and Town

Life

LOCAL NEWS • LOCAL PEOPLE • LOCAL SERVICES • LOCAL CHARITIES • LOCAL PRODUCTS

In this issue The History of

Valentine’s Day Win a pair of

Bluesky Sunglasses Win £25

in our Prize Crossword

Bringing Local Business to Local People Every Month in Buckden, Brampton, Godmanchester, Eaton Socon, ur E o Y The Hemingfords, Grantchester and all surrounding villages REpy

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Inside this issue... East Anglian Air Ambulance

A Victorian Marine Stores Dealer at St Neots..............................4 The History of Valentine's Day....................................................6 Wine: Mixed Matters................................................................10 Win a Pair of Bluesky Sunglasses................................ 12 Spending a Penny! The history of the Public Loo......................15 Avignon...................................................................................16 Nick Coffers Weekend Recipe....................................................18 Right to the Core......................................................................21 Snoring: It's no Laughing Matter..............................................24 Cancer Research UK's Race for Life...........................................27 The Sweater Edit......................................................................29 Tinnitus Week 3rd-9th February...............................................30 East Anglian Air Ambulance.....................................................35 Protect your Property from Care Home Fees.............................37 Teen Talk..................................................................................39 Planning to Retire?...................................................................40 Garden View: A Game of Two Halves.........................................42 Perfect Potatoes.......................................................................45

The Elephant in the (Tower) Room...........................................46 R.A.T.S. Rehoming Appeal........................................................49 A Quick History Lesson.............................................................50 Children's Page........................................................................52 How do I get an Electric Car Charging Point at Home?..............55 The Language of Love..............................................................57 Games Without Frontiers..........................................................59 Puzzle Page..............................................................................60 Smooth Car Control..................................................................63 Fun Quiz...................................................................................63 What's On................................................................................64 Yorkshire Pudding Day - Feb 2nd..............................................66 Gadget gifts for the one you love.............................................68 Stand Aside, Standby. You aren't needed!................................71 Villager Prize Crossword............................................ 74 Book Review............................................................................76

Champagne and Raspberry Possets with Shortbread Biscuits

Get your business off to a flying start this year

Advertise with the Villager Magazine... prices start from just £35.00 +VAT per month Editorial - Peter Ibbett, Catherine Rose, Trevor Langley, Tracey Anderson, Solange Hando, Dr Daisy Mae, Jennie Billings, Centre for Complementary Health, Sarah Davey, Ann Haldon, Rachael Leverton, Pippa Greenwood, RSPCA, Clare Becker, Leeds Day Solicitors, Robert Grant, Iain Betson and Kate Duggan

Advertising Sales/Local Editorial Nigel Frost • Tel: 01767 261122 nigel@villagermag.com Photography - Svetlana Kolpakova Design and Artwork - Design 9 Tel: 07762 969460 • www.design9marketing.co.uk

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History

By Peter Ibbett

A Victorian Marine Stores Dealer at St. Neots An 1860’s Trade Directory mentions a ‘Marine Stores Dealer’ in St. Neots. The 1980’s photograph shows a place where there might have been the need for one at Navigation Wharf just inside Eynesbury on the other side of the Hen Brook from the Church. It is on land made by dumping rubbish & building material, probably in the 18th century. A small office attached to the bridge was on the site of a blacksmith’s shop. Local blacksmith William Taylor retired in 1873 when his business was sold to my South Street ancestor, Thomas Ibbett. Tebbutt’s wood-yard was running down and was soon to be replaced by the present housing. A search in the National Newspaper archive revealed the sad statement that in 1866 Henry Ibbett’s Marine Stores business was declared bankrupt in a London Court. As Navigation Yard had been the ‘office’ for maintaining the Great Ouse navigation up to Bedford a boat supply business could have been a source of income for my ancestor. However, a Marine Store Dealer was originally the proprietor of a store selling equipment to Mariners in Georgian times, perhaps components of old

ships such as sails, cordage, ironwork, and other provisions needed on a ship. But by Victorian times it was a name for a junk dealer, more often than not in trouble in the courts for dubious dealings! Henry Ibbett was to be found in ‘Nutters Lane’ (now Bedford Street) next to the Gas works site. He may well have been an Albert Steptoe of his era! Charles Dickens wove Joe the Marine Store Dealer (and receiver of stolen goods) into ‘A Christmas Carol’:- ‘there was a low-browed, beetling shop, below a penthouse roof, where iron, old rags, bottles, bones, and greasy offal were bought. Upon the floor within were piled up heaps of rusty keys, nails, chains, hinges, files, scales, weights, and refuse iron of all kinds. Secrets that few would like to scrutinise were bred and hidden in mountains of unseemly rags, masses of corrupted fat, and sepulchres of bones. Sitting in among the wares he dealt in, by a charcoal stove made of old bricks, was a grey-haired rascal, nearly seventy years of age, who had screened himself from the cold air without by a frouzy curtaining.” There is nothing new in the rise and fall of businesses and shops.

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10/05/2018 15:39

History

Valentine’s Day Why do we exchange cards, flowers and gifts with our loved ones on 14th February when the day’s patron saint was a Christian martyr? The origins of St Valentine’s Day are said to have begun as early as the third century although, as is the case with many of our modern celebrations, it is also likely to have been influenced by the Romans. Their fertility feast of Lupercalia took place on 15th February and consisted of themes and rituals that were centred around coupling and new birth. But who was the original St Valentine? In fact, no one is entirely sure. Valentine or Valentinus was a popular name in Rome and there are at least three Catholic saints known as Valentine who have been venerated over the centuries. Any one of them could have been responsible for having the Feast of St Valentine named after him when, in 496 AD, Pope Gelasius replaced Lupercalia with a Christian festival held on 14th February. Probably the most attractive theory is that St Valentine was a Christian priest in the third century who defied Emperor Claudius II’s edict that no Roman soldiers could marry as it

weakened their commitment to Rome. Valentine began performing secret wedding ceremonies for young lovers and is said to have given the couple cut-out hearts made from parchment to symbolise both romantic love and agape (the love of God) – echoing the Valentine’s card. The priest was also said to have worn a purple amethyst ring, the stone being a symbol of love that later became the birthstone of February. Eventually Valentine was captured, beheaded (allegedly on 14th February) and buried under a Roman road. He was later canonised. It is also thought that St Valentine’s Day may have come to be associated with love and romance due to a Norman celebration that took place around the same time of year known as Galatin’s Day, meaning ‘a gallant’ or lover. Galatin also sounds a lot like Valentine so it’s easy to see how the two could have possibly become confused. The link between Valentine’s Day and romance was solidified in the late 1300s with Geoffrey Chaucer’s poem Parliament of Foules (Fowls), said

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to have been written in honour of King Richard II’s betrothal to Anne of Bohemia. It contains the lines: “…For this was on seynt Volantynys day Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese his make.” (For this was on St Valentine’s Day when every bird comes there to choose his mate.) Chaucer was a very influential writer of the time. Following this, a Charter of the Court of Love was allegedly issued by King Charles VI of France in 1400. It was the first time St Valentine’s Day had been officially associated with courtly love, and by the 1400s it had become traditional for noblemen to write romantic poems to their love interest or ‘Valentine’. The oldest known Valentine still in existence is a poem entitled Farewell to Love written in French by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following capture at the Battle of Agincourt. It currently resides in the British Library. The earliest surviving English example occurs in a letter written in 1477 by Margary Brewes to her future husband John Paxton, where she refers to him as ‘my right wellbeloved Valentine’. St Valentine’s Day was clearly established as a day for lovers by 1600 when Shakespeare referred to it in Hamlet during a speech by Ophelia. “…Tomorrow is St Valentine’s Day, all in the morning betime, and I a maid at your window, to be your Valentine.” By the eighteenth century, handmade Valentine’s

cards had become popular and were very elaborate with flowers, ribbons and lace. They would often feature Cupid (whose name means ‘desire’), the mischievous winged son of Venus, Roman goddess of love. He also appeared in much romantic verse as the bringer of often unrequited love – hence a missive was necessary to let the object of your desire know of your affections! With their sentimental notion of romance and the language of flowers, the Victorians elevated Valentine’s Day to the popular celebration it has become today. In 1858, The London Journal wrote of St Valentine’s Day that it was both “natural and proper that at the start of spring the predominating sentiment in the human mind should be the sentiment of love; and to this accordingly the anniversary of our saint is directed.”

By Catherine Rose 8

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Food and Drink

Wine: Mixed Matters Red, white or in between, dry, medium, sweet, sparkling, there is a wealth of numerous wines available, with something to please and satisfy all tastes and palates. I searched for wines which have wide appeal and accompany a lot of cuisine admirably, as well as having the ability to be enjoyed on their own.

Extra Special Syrah-Lolol - Colchagua Costa (Chile) is a very popular red wine. This rich production has an abundance of dark fruits to please the nasal senses and to entice the continuing pleasure of flavours on to the mouth’s delight. Fantastic to pair with red meats, roast dinners and a lot of cuisine. Feteasca Regala (Wine Atlas), from Romania, is a superb white wine that pleases many. The grape is also known as Royal Maiden and the resultant wine complements salads and stir-fry cuisine, etc. The flavours of ripe, tropical fruits, combine splendidly with the refreshing mouthfeel and palate sensation. Extra Special Chablis La Lavee (France) is a classic, dry example and with refreshing citrus fruit flavours makes a great accompaniment to fish and seafood dishes, particularly. Extra Special Sauvignon Blanc - Bordeaux (France) is another white wine classic. Again, refreshing, crisp and fruity, this is from a region renowned for powerful, high-quality, red productions. However, white wines, from the Bordeaux area, are now becoming well known. With fish, seafood and white meats, this is a great wine and a good talking point – a white from Bordeaux! Extra Special Sangiovese Rose - King Valley (Australia) is often chosen for a ‘pink’ production. Dry and refreshing is how I would describe this wine. The red fruit flavours of summer berries are delightful. Seafood and pasta are regular pairings for this wine. Pendium Moscato Spumante (Italy) is a favourite, for numerous lovers of a ‘sparkler’. Lower in alcohol content than most wines, this appeals, for that reason and also for turning a family or social gathering into an occasion. Splendid for pre dining and utilised a lot for events. I located these wines at an Asda store. Offering excellent value and award-winning productions, I found very impressive wines – something for everyone and every occasion – plus good advice on pairings with food. www.asda.com/wine

As always, Enjoy!

ey Trevor Langl

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Written by a daughter about her father’s four-year struggle with dementia and the impact on her and her family, this real and heartbreaking insight shows the day-to-day reality of living with this silent disease. This touching record is based on the author’s journals from this difficult time and depicts every aspect of her father’s journey with dementia: from poor decisions, neverending paperwork, NHS blunders and the roller-coaster of emotions this disease evokes. Unless you have travelled this road with a loved one, you will never know the devastation of dementia. This book will go some way to showing you aspects of its reality, triggers to look out for in the early days, and comfort you in the darkest times when the person you love and have known all your life is becoming more and more unrecognisable.

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History By Tracey Anderson

Spending a Penny!

The history of the public loo We take public toilets for granted today yet for the majority of British history they didn’t exist! The first public flushing toilet was invented and created by a plumber named George Jennings, and showcased at the Great Exhibition in 1851. People were enthralled by this amazing contraption and it proved so popular that the first public loos, called ‘Public Waiting Rooms’ were opened the following year. There was a huge public desire for better sanitation to prevent the spread of diseases like cholera. In Victorian Britain, the first public toilets were designed for men only. No-one gave much thought to women. For the most part women were considered to be their husband’s property, and their place was in the home. Although many working-class women did work outside the home, most middle-class women did not, and neither were they expected to travel much. If they did want or need to travel, women from polite society had to plan their route carefully to include areas where they could relieve themselves. This meant that for the most part women travelled only to see family and friends, within the distance their bladders allowed. The fledgling feminist movement felt keenly that a lack of access to toilets was a barrier to women accessing public spaces. This led to the formation of the Ladies Sanitary Association, which campaigned from the 1850s onwards, fairly successfully, and succeeded in getting more public toilets built for females, though the numbers fell far short of those required. Other campaigns for

more female toilets were opposed vehemently by men, who either did not want the facilities located in the same place as their own toilets or didn’t want them anywhere where they might be visible to men. Society was coyer in the 19th Century and bodily functions, particularly female bodily functions were considered taboo. There were even cases of female public toilets being sabotaged by men! The First World War saw women entering the work force in huge numbers for the first time, as they entered munition factories to help with the war effort. These factories were traditionally dominated by males so had very little in the way of female facilities. But now women had the numbers to begin to campaign for female changing rooms and toilets. Many employers resisted though and there was nothing in law at the time to force their hand because there were only limited protections for workers of either sex. It actually took until 1992 before legislation was passed to dictate that men and women in a workplace must have separate toilet facilities where possible: “Employers should arrange for separate facilities for men and women. If this isn’t possible, toilets and washing facilities must have locks. These ensure privacy and security.” (The Health and Safety Executive (HSE)) So next time you spend a penny at the train station or shopping centre, spare a thought for your poor ancestors whose only options were to cross their legs and think dry thoughts!

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Travel

Avignon By Solange Hando

Near the confluence of the Durance and the Rhône on its way to the Mediterranean, Avignon has long enjoyed a privileged location. In 1309, the Popes settled here for political reasons. They remained for almost 100 years, building the city walls and the imposing palace that dominates the skyline to this day. From the old Romanesque fortress to the new building in Gothic style, the ‘Palais des Papes’ is a dazzling display of limestone walls and turrets, guarded by the golden statue of Our Lady of the Doms atop the Mother Church. It’s a steady climb to the ‘Rochers des Doms’ above the palace but worth it for its shaded gardens and fabulous views over the city on one side and the river on the other. In Avignon, the Rhône splits to encircle the Barthelasse, one of the largest river islands in Europe. It is now a protected area – no new buildings are allowed – with recreational facilities and farmland rich in vegetables and fruit. There is a modern bridge but the free river shuttle ferries you across in minutes. You can stroll or cycle along the towpath, picnic under the trees, look out for beavers, herons or cormorants and gaze at the city across the water and the legendary Pont d’ Avignon, listed by UNESCO as part of the historic centre. The old bridge stops halfway across the river so dancing (as in the song) is not recommended but you can walk to the end past the chapel that once held the relics of St Bénezet, the shepherd inspired by divine voices to build

the first bridge, later damaged by war and floods. Today the Rhône has been tamed, inviting visitors to relax on a leisurely cruise before returning to the bustling city. There’s much to explore in town, from the old convents and churches to the museums, from the secluded squares to the popular Place de l’Horloge or the Place Pie with its vertical garden and covered market where a ‘cafetier’ will cook your own produce for lunch for the price of a drink. There are grand bourgeois houses west of the main street, hidden squares and cobbled lanes to the east, such as the picturesque dyers’ street, a favourite place to chill out during the world-famous Festival of Performing Arts held every summer. Meanwhile craft shops beckon with fragrant herbs and lavender products, while al fresco restaurants serve beef medallions and ratatouille with a bottle of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. These illustrious vineyards are on the city’s doorstep, spreading luminous green below the vestiges of the Pope’s Summer Palace. Meanwhile the beautiful hills and villages of Luberon beckon just to the east, or one can head north to Orange, a pretty town with pastel-hued façades and balconies, a single nave cathedral, a Provençal market and two impressive Roman monuments. Both are world heritage sites, a 20 metre high Triumphal Arch with ornate sculptures and a Roman Theatre claiming one of the best preserved stage walls in the world.

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Food & Drink

Champagne and Raspberry Possets with Shortbread Biscuits For the heart shaped Munchy shortbread biscuits: Ingredients 200 g butter or margarine (can be dairy-free) 1 tsp vanilla essence 100 g caster sugar 300 g plain flour sifted Munchy Seeds (Honey Roasted Seeds or Warm Cinnamon Seeds) 1. Cream the butter, vanilla and sugar together. Stir in the flour and mix into a dough. Add the Munchy Seeds and blend into the dough. Wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. 2. Preheat the oven to 160ºC/140ºC (fan) and line a baking tray with parchment paper. 3. Once the dough is chilled, roll out to approximately ½ cm thick and cut into hearts using a heart-shaped cookie cutter. 4. Place on the baking sheet and bake for 12–15 minutes until golden brown.

For the Champagne and Raspberry Possets Ingredients 140g frozen raspberries, defrosted 2 tbsps Champagne 200ml double cream 4 tbsps golden caster sugar Freeze dried raspberries, to decorate 1. Put the raspberries and Champagne in a mini food processor or blender (or use a jug and a hand blender). Whizz until the purée is as smooth as you can get it, then use a wooden spoon or spatula to push as much of it through a sieve as you can. Discard the seeds left behind. 2. Put the cream and sugar in a saucepan and warm gently until the sugar melts. Increase the heat until just boiling, then boil vigorously for 2½ minutes, stirring constantly. 3. Turn off the heat and stir in the raspberryChampagne purée. Cool for 15 mins before dividing between 2 small pots or glasses. Chill for 30 mins, then sprinkle over the freeze-dried raspberry pieces and chill for at least 2 hours or more until set. 4. To serve, remove the possets from the fridge and serve with Munchy Seeds heart-shaped shortbread biscuits.

Hear wonderful recipes on Nick Coffer’s Weekend Kitchen every Sunday morning on BBC Three Counties radio at 11am. You can also join Nick every weekday afternoon at midday for brilliant local guests with great stories to tell and all the music you want for your early afternoon.

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Fitness

Right to the Core Why core exercises are important We know that getting fit is important for a healthy life. Often, we equate fitness with running, cycling, walking or some other form of exercise. But there’s one aspect of fitness that is almost always overlooked; our core muscles. Whenever I talk about building muscle everyone pictures someone at a weight bench pumping iron until their biceps bulge out of their shirts. But strengthening and toning your muscles can be much more subtle. And even a small amount of work on your core strength can dramatically improve your overall fitness and well-being. What Are Your Core Muscles? Your core muscles form a ring around the middle of your body. Most people think of the six pack muscles in the abdomen, but the core includes a range of muscles in your sides and back as well. Their job is to keep the top and bottom halves of your body connected together whilst allowing them to move independently. They form a strong foundation that the majority of your other muscles depend upon when you move your body. When Do I Use My Core Muscles? Practically every movement you make and every position you put your body into involves your core muscles. They are really important. Bending over to pick something up, twisting to look behind you and sitting up in bed are more obvious moments your core is activated. But running, walking, sitting in a chair and even standing still all rely on core strength. Without it the top half of your body would simply flop over.

What Are the Benefits of Core Strength? Building a strong core provides a firm and flexible support for every activity your body performs. The stability provided gives you better balance and better posture which in turn helps prevent falls and injuries in your day-to-day life. The support from your core muscles takes the strain away from your skeleton and helps hold it in place alleviating some forms of back pain, stiffness and soreness when you move your body. Any time you move whether it’s for exercise or doing the housework or gardening, a strong core will help you perform better and reduce muscle fatigue in the other parts of your body by giving them a firm base to attach to. How Can I Build My Core Strength? One of the best things about core strength is that you don’t need a gym or expensive equipment to improve it. There are lots of exercises you can do at home. Make sure you seek medical advice before attempting any new exercise regime. Most people think of sit ups as the prime core exercise. I advise people not to do sit ups as they are not particularly effective and the continual flexing of the base of your spine can lead to lower back injuries. My top tips are planks, leg raises and mountain climbers. If you’re not sure what these are have a chat with your local personal trainer or gym instructor, or search on YouTube for easy-to-follow tutorials. Take your core strength seriously and it will improve every aspect of your fitness as well as provide the central support essential for your body.

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Local News

Volunteers Needed to Listen to Children Read in Local Primary Schools Can you spare an hour or two a week to listen to children read in a local primary school? Schoolreaders is looking for more volunteers in Cambridgeshire to carry out this important role. Reading time for many children at home and at school is often insufficient and one in four children are now leaving primary school unable to read to the required standard. This can have a lifelong consequence. No qualifications are necessary, just a good command of spoken and written English. Schoolreaders is flexible and will match your availability to an appropriate, local school. Our volunteers find the scheme incredibly rewarding, knowing that a few hours helping a child learn to read each week can have such a great impact on their life chances. Please visit the website www.schoolreaders.org to join or call 01234 924111 for further information. Charity Number: 1159157

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Health

By Dr Daisy Mae

Snoring: It’s no laughing matter Forget ‘unreasonable behaviour’ – snoring is now recognised to be a top reason for divorce – along with fishing and becoming vegetarian! (Daily Express, January 2018) 20 million Brits claim they are sleep deprived by their partner’s snoring, reported The Sun in 2017. We may think snoring is funny, but this is hardly the case. Usually, the partner suffers the most. Sleeping on the sofa every night takes its toll, with ruined relationships and broken marriages. So what causes snoring? Is it bad for our health? What can be done about it? What Causes Snoring? Snoring is caused by something partially blocking your mouth and the back of your throat. While you are sleeping, and when you breathe in, this blockage causes that noise – a snore. What can cause such a blockage? Excess mucus/ catarrh from smoking, alcohol, which causes the muscles and tissues of the palate to become floppy, and fat, in people who are overweight or obese, when pads of fatty tissue accumulate in these areas and literally wobble in the breeze! Allergies are also sometimes responsible. House dust mite, animal dander, pollens, yeasts and moulds are common allergens. Snoring is associated with sleeping flat on your back and breathing in through your mouth, not your nose. Lying on your side and nasal breathing helps reduce snoring. Sleep Apnoea Snoring is dangerous if it causes ‘sleep apnoea’. In this condition, a severe blockage to airflow temporarily starves your brain of oxygen. You briefly stop breathing altogether, but then your breathing starts up again. This causes a strain on your heart, makes you feel constantly tired and can have life-threatening consequences. What Can Be Done to Reduce Snoring? Making lifestyle changes is the best long-term treatment. Stopping smoking, moderating or stopping drinking alcohol and losing weight are strongly recommended. Reduce the risk of allergy by regular vacuuming, damp dusting and keeping the bedroom pet-free. Use hypoallergenic bedding. Products for Snorers and Snoring Sufferers First step? A pair of foam rubber earplugs for your partner! Anti-snoring products are readily available. For

example, nasal strips to hold the airways open or a ‘Neti pot’, which uses salt water to flush the airways before bedtime. Best results are likely with a mandibular device –a special type of gum shield that holds the tongue and jaw forward, keeping the airway open while you sleep. The Antisnoor device is an adhesive patch you wear on your forehead that detects snoring and vibrates to prompt you to turn over. Smart Nora is an anti-snoring pillow that listens out for snoring and inflates to encourage you to change your head position. The Importance of Sleep Getting adequate and good quality sleep is vital. Lack of sleep is associated with strokes, heart attacks, diabetes, cancer, and shortens our lifespan. Adults are recommended to sleep for seven to nine hours per night. Snoring it seems, is a serious business! References Reasons for divorce: Snoring, Fishing and Going Vegetarian top the list. www.express.co.uk/life-style/life/906621/divorcereasons-UK-snoring-fishing-vegetarians-marriagerelationships Snore wars – couple reveal how snoring runs their relationships www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/4639767/snoringrelationship-partner-dating-ruined/ 75% of snorers have sleep apnoea www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/features/easysnoring-remedies#1 Lack of sleep affects health healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/need-sleep/whats-init-for-you/health

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WORDWHEEL

Using only the letters in the Wordwheel, you have ten minutes to find as many words as possible, none of which may be plurals, foreign words or proper nouns. Each word must be of three letters or more, all must contain the central letter and letters can only be used once in every word. There is at least one word that uses all of the letters in the wheel.

TARGET Excellent: 41 or more words Good: 36 words Fair: 32 words

T P

TEMPLATE

HI-TECH PODIATRY - CHIROPODY - REFLEXOLOGY PRACTICE

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Local News

30% OFF ENTRY in January with CODE RFLJAN30

Everyone is welcome at the race for life Cambridge and Stevenage This January, everyone is invited to Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life in Cambridge and Stevenage. The charity’s much-loved events are returning but are no longer restricted to female participants. This means everybody can be part of the empowering Race for Life movement – and show support for the 35,000 people diagnosed with cancer every year in the East of England. Anyone who signs up in January can claim a special 30% off the entry fee* by using the code RFLJAN30. The Race for Life events take place at Jesus Green and Fairlands Valley Park on Sunday, July 5 and are open to people of all ages and abilities. Annie Ashwell, Cancer Research UK’s Event Manager for Hertfordshire, said: “This year, our Race for Life events are open to everyone. “We’re sending a heart-felt message to anybody who’s thought about signing up in the past but for one reason or another hasn’t got round to it. This is your year – please seize the opportunity to register in January and become part of the Race for Life community. She added: “Our events are fun, colourful, emotional and uplifting. Participants take part at their own pace – taking as much time as they like to complete the course. For some people, the Race for Life is literally a walk in the park. For others, it’s a jog or a run. “Although ‘Race’ features in the name, our events are not competitive. Instead, ‘the Race for Life’ is about

our doctors, nurses and scientists working as hard and fast as possible to help more people survive.” Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life, in partnership with Tesco, is an inspiring series of 5k & 10k events which raise millions of pounds every year to help beat cancer by funding crucial research. Annie continued: “This January, we’re urging mums, dads, nans, grandpas, brothers, sisters, friends and workmates to show their support by joining the Race for Life. It’s a perfect example of everyday people doing an extraordinary thing – uniting in a common cause to beat cancer.” Cancer Research UK receives no Government funding for its ground-breaking research. That’s why money raised through the Race for Life events is vital. It funds world-class research to help beat 200 types of cancer – including bowel cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer, testicular cancer, brain cancer, children’s cancers and leukaemia. Annie said: “The Race for Life is a powerful, inspirational movement which unites participants in Cambridge and Stevenage with people across the East of England and the whole of the UK. “People get together and remember loved ones lost or celebrate the lives of those who have survived. At the same time, they are helping to make a difference to people with the disease, right now. “Please go to the Race for Life website, choose an event, and sign up today.” To enter, visit raceforlife.org

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ACUPUNCTURE FOR WELL-BEING

Judy obtained her Licentiate in Acupuncture, and B.A (Hons) degree in Traditional Acupuncture, from the College of Traditional Acupuncture, Warwickshire. Judy is a passionate believer in the positive benefits, on both physical and emotional levels, that may be obtained from receiving acupuncture treatment. Acupuncture originated in China and other far eastern cultures where it still features in mainstream healthcare, both as a stand-alone therapy and in combination with conventional western medicine. Judy has been trained as a classical Five Element Acupuncturist; treatment is aimed at the root cause of your condition as well as your main symptoms. This approach helps with resolving your problem and enhancing your feelings of wellbeing. You may notice other niggling problems resolve as your main health complaint improves. Judy continues to pursue her belief in excellence of care for her patients in her role as a dedicated acupuncture practitioner, and is a member of the British Acupuncture Council. Please contact Judy for a free 20 minute consultation to discuss how acupuncture treatment can help you.

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House of Colour

The Sweater Edit

In the winter we are greeted by mother nature with ice-grey skies and frosty mornings, which means snuggling up in cosy knitwear is a must, so here are our ten top style tips for this season’s knitwear. 1) Look out for strong, distinctive colours in your seasonal palette and be colour confident. Jumpers and cardigans are a great way to give your look a colour boost and if you get it right, because the colours are close to your face, they will give you a radiant complexion and brightness to your eyes. Choose colours that don’t suit you and you will look drained. Make sure you know if you suit rich, earthy colours; warm, clear hues; cool bright colours; or cool, subtle tones. 2) Mélange knitwear is in all the shops, many with a twist of two or more colours. Look out for knitwear in one of your favourite wow colours with neutral harmonising colours, great for Autumns and summers or a bold contrasting colour from your colour palette, fantastic for Springs and Winters to really stand out. Alternatively let a scarf in your colours lift your knitwear look. 3) Know what style suits you from the length to the neckline to belted or not, from cosy shearing to wool capes to tailored belted coatigans, we have never had more choice. Check which length and style suit your body shape. Consider changing buttons as this kind of detail can make all the difference in showing our style and character. 4) Explore the huge variety of textures and materials to choose from this season from features to faux fur to cashmere and velvet. 5) Retro Fair Isle and Argyle patterns are in and look cosy and chic paired with a sleek skirt and boots or perfectly proportioned trousers if they suit your style personality. 6) Exaggerated sleeves are, excuse the pun, huge this season. Curved and billowy, feathered and textured, or chunky knit; they make a big statement, but are best for those with Natural or Dramatic in their style. Have fun standing out. 7) Jumper or cardigan - which suits you best? Belted cardigans are flattering for hourglass figures because they show off the small waist. Pear-shapes suit shorter jumpers, rather than longer ones finishing across the hips. 8) A coatigan is lovely for those milder, in-between days or to pop on in the office if you feel chilly.

Snug yet stylish coatigans on the right body architecture are extremely flattering. They can be worn oversized for the tall and pulled in at the waist to flatter an hourglass figure. 9) Invest in sumptuous cashmere because it is now the modern autumn and winter musthaves; sustainable, wearable and durable, and an excellent investment with longevity in mind. Cashmere is around eight times warmer than sheep’s wool. Cashmere comes in a much wider choice of styles, sizes, patterns and beautiful colour selections than ever before. Look out for cashmere blends for smaller budgets. 10) Buy a blanket scarf or wrap to update your winter wardrobe – Update a classic or neutral jumper with a chunky wrap with a fur collar or soft blanket scarf in a striking wow colour. There is something for everyone from tiger orange, sleek pistachio green to burgundy or vibrant pinks. Capes are a big style trend this season for a bourgeois French look. Perfect, if you are tall, with a rectangle frame, plus capes are so comfortable. By Jennie Billings, Colour and Style Consultant, House of Colour www.houseofcolour.co.uk/jenniebillings e:jennie.billings@houseofcolour.co.uk

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Complementary Health

Tinnitus Week 3-9 February YOU’RE NOT ALONE! Tinnitus is the term for the sensation of hearing a sound in the absence of any external sound. The types of sounds range from ringing, buzzing, whooshing or humming and can be continuous or come and go. The tinnitus might seem like it’s in one ear or both, in the middle of the head or even be difficult to pinpoint. Some people may even think the noise is coming from outside and try to locate where the sound is coming from before they realise it’s actually inside them! Tinnitus is very common and is reported in all age groups, even young children. About 30% of people will experience tinnitus at some point in their lives but the number of people who live with persistent tinnitus is approximately 10%. Tinnitus is more common in people who have hearing loss or other ear problems, but it can also be found in people with normal hearing. The experience of tinnitus is different for different people. Most people find that they are able to continue their normal day-to-day activities. However, a small percentage of people with tinnitus report it as severely affecting them. Whilst the exact causes of tinnitus isn’t known, we do know that it is not a disease or an illness. It is generally agreed that tinnitus results from some type of change, either mental or physical, but not necessarily related to hearing. WHAT SHOULD I DO? If your tinnitus becomes intrusive in everyday life then you should see your GP. They will do some tests to make sure it isn’t anything more serious. And most likely they will check your hearing – up to 90% of tinnitus cases are caused by some form of hearing loss.

In fact, a new theory for why tinnitus happens is the ‘neural gain hypothesis’. The idea is that sensory cells in the ear ‘over-compensate’ for hearing loss by becoming more sensitive. This turns up the volume on background noises inside the body that we wouldn’t usually hear. For some people, using a hearing aid can lead to a huge improvement. It helps to stop the sensory cells overcompensating and therefore tunes out those background noises. Other treatments for tinnitus are sound therapies, which act as a distraction from the sounds inside your head and can help make tinnitus more manageable. Many people swear by ‘white noise’ which can be delivered through an in-ear device, or a ‘sound pillow’ when lying in bed at night. Other people find that music and sounds of the environment can be beneficial. There isn’t a cure for tinnitus. However, drugs are being developed and trialled for treatments specifically aimed at people whose tinnitus is caused by inner ear damage. It is hoped that by stopping the over-activation of the sensory cells in the ear, they will effectively turn down the ‘neural gain’. For more information about Tinnitus please contact the British Tinnitus Association Email: info@tinnitus.org.uk Helpline: 0800 018 0527 Website: tinnitus.org.uk

Website: www.CentreForCompHealth.com Email: info@CentreForCompHealth.com Phone: 01480 455221

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Jill Dighton BSc (Hons) MBACP (Accred)., UKCP Reg.

Counselling Service Depressed? Anxious? Relationship Issues? Low Self Esteem? Have you considered Counselling sessions? Based in Grafham village, I offer a professionally qualified Counselling Service to individuals and couples in a secure, confidential & non-judgemental atmosphere. Ample parking. Concessionary rates available. For further details: Visit: www.jilldightoncounselling.co.uk Email: jill@jdighton.co.uk Tel: 07925 852 985 (Voicemail available)

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A FREE WILL for Homeowners Protect your home and legacy for your children • • • • • •

Keep your hard-earned wealth within the family Stop your home from being sold to pay for long term Care Fees. Prevent the courts from making your financial and healthcare decisions. If you already have a Will … Is it up to date? Several thousand outdated wills are legally challenged every year. Ensure your parents’ home and property is also protected.

DON’T PUT IT OFF – Don’t let your home and money disappear, make sure your estate goes to your family… leaving “what you want” to “who you want”. CALL 01767 660250 for more information or to book a free meeting with one of our Will and Estate Planners either in your own home or at our offices. Baystrait Ltd t/a Will & Estate Planning, Baystrait House, Station Road, Biggleswade, SG18 8AL

Cambridge Gliding Club are seeking a PART-TIME ADMINISTRATION ASSISTANT

For one or two days each week plus every other weekend during our summer season April – September. Occasional additional days, and winter working (October- March), may be available. The work includes keeping records and data entry, helping visitors, dealing with phone calls, membership enquiries, making introductory flight bookings, greeting and processing clients. Requires general administration and people facing skills, good WORD and EXCEL ability. Specific training will be given on our record and accounting package. Pay will be on an hourly basis to reflect skills and experience with hours fixed by arrangement between 10:00 and 16:00. Please apply in first instance by emailing your CV to treasurer@camgliding.uk or contact office@camgliding.uk for further details. See also www.camgliding.uk

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Local News

East Anglian Air Ambulance East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) is an incredible community-funded service in Cambridgeshire and here at The Villager, we are proud to announce that we have chosen to support this lifesaving charity as our charity of the year in 2020. We will be bringing you regular features to learn more about the team at EAAA and all the amazing work they do, as well all the different ways that you can get involved and support the air ambulance. You may not be aware, but over the last year (2018 / 2019), between its two bases and two helicopters (Norwich and Cambridge) the East Anglian Air Ambulance was tasked 1,798 times by helicopter, 1,023 times by rapid response vehicle and attended 1,664 patients in total. Of these patients there were 480 cardiac arrests, 355 road traffic collisions, 256 accidental injuries, 340 medical emergencies, 73 intentional self-harm incidents, 70 sporting incidents and 54 assault patients in the region. On top of this, the charity is striving ahead to become the first air ambulance in the East of England to fly 24/7. EAAA is already incredibly well equipped to fly in the hours of darkness, landing at unlit sites, however they currently only fly until 1:30am in the morning, coming back online by helicopter at 7am. This means there is a five and a half hour gap in the region where there is no helicopter coverage if needed. EAAA Strongly believe the time of day should not dictate the type of emergency medical care available to you, and are passionate about raising an additional £1 million a year in order to fund the extra flying hours to provide a 24/7 helicopter emergency medical service.

Barbara McGee, Fundraising Manager for Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire, said: “The level of care our medical teams provide is absolutely outstanding and with the helicopter they can reach anywhere in East Anglia in 25 mins, taking the hospital to the patient and getting that patient the care they need as quickly as possible. “We’re passionate about being able to provide this service, by helicopter, 24 hours a day and estimate that by doing so we could help hundreds more patients each year, which would be amazing. But we can only do this by raising more money, so we’re incredibly grateful to all of the support we get from the community – and to Charity of the Year partnerships such as this one – which help us to be there for our patients. So please come to one of our events, play our lottery, play our raffle, volunteer for us - anything at all that you can do to help us will make a huge difference to our work.” Find out more at www.eaaa.org.uk/get-invovled

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VIRTUAL PA / GIRL FRIDAY

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Leeds Day Solicitors

Protect Your Property From The Cost Of Care Home Fees With the cost of residential care currently being as much as £1,000 per week for any person with assets of more than £23,250,it is not surprising that people are keen to protect their property to pass on to their family. When it becomes necessary for a person to move into residential care, a financial assessment is undertaken and any assets in that person’s sole name will normally be used to pay for their care. A share of joint assets will also normally be taken into account. However, the value of a home will be disregarded while a spouse (or certain other relatives) continues to live in the property. However, if one spouse dies and the surviving spouse requires residential care, the full value of the house will be available and will be taken into account in assessing the funding of residential care fees. An effective way to protect a share of a jointly owned property is for a couple to make Wills which include Life Interest Trusts. Trusts of this type allow a share of a jointly owned property to be held for the surviving spouse to have full use of it during a specified period (often for the whole of the survivor’s lifetime). In practice, this enables the surviving joint owner to benefit from the whole property during his or her lifetime, whilst preserving

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a share of the capital value to pass to other named beneficiaries (often the couple’s children) following the death of the surviving joint owner. The trust protects the surviving joint owner, giving him or her the right to live in and make use of the property for as long as they wish to do so. If the survivor wishes to downsize, he or she will usually be free to do so. Similarly, if the survivor is not able to continue living in the property, he or she may receive any income (after expenses) generated from the share of the property held in the trust. The surviving joint owner does not own the share of the property held in the trust but has the right to occupy it or receive an income from it. As such, the share of the property held within the trust will be protected for the ultimate beneficiaries and will not be taken into account if the surviving joint owner requires residential care. If you would be interested in discussing this with one of our members of staff, please contact us on 0844 567 2222 by email at wills@leedsday.co.uk or visit our website www.leedsday.co.uk We have offices in St. Neots, St. Ives and Huntingdon.

St. Ives 11 Station Road, St. Ives, Cambridgeshire PE27 5BH T: 01480 464600

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St. Neots Xenus House, Sandpiper Court, Eaton Socon, St. Neots PE19 8EP T: 01480 474661 37

TAX RETURNS Do you have a self assessment tax return due? With over 30 years accounting experience let me do it for you and relieve you of the stress. Tax returns completed accurately and efficiently online for individuals such as the self employed and sole traders.

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By Sarah Davey

Teen Talk “YOU’RE RUINING MY LIFE!” <SLAM> Anyone with a teen has been there. But how do you respond? In kind by yelling back? Or by ignoring? Or is there a different way? We have some suggestions. Aim to understand - Why is why your daughter is texting her friend when she’s supposed to be studying for her maths test? Why does your son have cigarettes in his blazer pocket? You may not comprehend, but remember they live in their reality and you live in yours. Perhaps your daughter is anxious about an argument with her friend and needs to make up before she can concentrate on her maths revision. Perhaps your son wants to fit in with his friends. Aim for understanding. Try an approach like, ‘I understand how hard it is when you feel you don’t fit in. I also know that smoking increases your chance of contracting lung cancer or other diseases when you’re still quite young. It’s my job as a parent to keep you healthy and safe so let’s sit down and talk about this.” It’s important not to say, ‘I understand...BUT...’ the ‘but’ puts teens on guard. Aim for a conciliatory tone every time and they will be more inclined to listen… not always, but more often. Don’t take it personally - Mostly teens don’t set out to annoy you, but emotions on both sides quickly escalate, and emotions are the enemy when trying to communicate effectively. Teenagers are adults with training wheels and probably require more and better parenting than toddlers. Being angry at a teen for being them is futile. They may be making a poor choice, but the truth is, they might not yet have the skill set to make a better one. Our job is to help guide them to better choices so they can, in turn, develop better problem-solving skills. I repeat to myself, ‘This is the job of parenting, what’s the best approach here?’ If I catch myself quickly, it works. But it’s not easy and if I don’t catch myself in time then emotions spill over and we all end up shouting! But like any other skill, it gets easier with practice.

Parenting

Tips for successful communication with your teenager

Ask questions but make them honest, not loaded - “Why can’t you be more responsible / get up on time / pick your clothes up?” These are loaded questions which your teen can’t answer. Instead try, “You know you have problems getting up in the morning? Can you think of any solutions?” If they can’t think of one offer a couple of your own and ask which they prefer. As parents our goal is to help our teen think critically. What might be the consequences of a particular action? How would they feel if that happened? This approach helps them feel empowered and gives a greater chance of a successful resolution. Finally... Don’t Do or say Anything Until You’re Both Calm - You don’t have to respond to your teen when you and they are upset. You can choose to say nothing and take a few more minutes. When emotions have evened out, sit down and talk with them. Sometimes they will still want to fight. Stay firm and calm. Repeat in your head “I’m not being drawn in.” This self-talk does help and over time should calm the situation down. Staying calm isn’t easy. We all get pulled back into a fight occasionally. But deep down they love you, and sometimes they just need to hear that you love them too, no matter what.

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Finance

Planning to retire?

Here’s a checklist of the essentials If you’re thinking of retiring in the next few years it’s a good idea to organise your finances well ahead of time, so you can consider some of the big issues without feeling too much pressure. So what steps can you take to prepare? Here are a few questions to think about and issues to consider that could help you enter retirement with greater financially stability, ready to enjoy this new and exciting stage of life. How much income will you have? When calculating your potential income you should include your state pension, occupational pension(s), and any savings and investments you hold. You can request the latest figures in writing from your pension provider, bank, building society, and investment companies with which you have an interest. Find out about the state pension As far as your state pension is concerned, you can request a pension forecast from the gov.uk website. When the time comes to retire you’ll need to proactively claim your state pension as it’s not paid automatically unless you receive certain benefits. Check your workplace pension Your workplace pension provider should have sent annual statements over the years showing your accrued pension at the time, plus a forecast of how much your pension might be when you retire. If you can’t find your latest statement, you’ll be able to obtain one by contacting your pension provider. Check for old and forgotten pensions If you’ve changed employers a few times during your career, you might have one or more ‘forgotten’ pensions. You can find out by contacting the Pension Tracing Service – it’s government-run and free to use.

Will you have enough money to support your desired lifestyle in retirement? When you are still working it can be difficult to envisage life in retirement, and easy to underestimate how much you will need. Online pension calculators can help you get an idea of whether you’ll have enough money, however – you’ll just need a few facts and figures to hand. What to do with your pension Depending on your provider you may be able to use your pension in different ways, including: • Taking some or all as a cash lump sum (this has significant tax implications). • Purchasing an annuity. • Using income drawdown, which allows you to withdraw a sum from your pension and invest it in a different product for an income. • A combination of these options. • Leaving your pension alone, and not withdrawing any money for now. The pension freedoms that were introduced by the government in 2015 mean you now have far more choice in how you use your pension. It’s even more important, therefore, to obtain reliable professional advice before deciding how to proceed. With so many people falling foul of pension scams these days, finding specialist advice you can trust is vital – it ensures you don’t lose your hard-earned money, and helps you enjoy a fulfilling and active life in retirement. www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/articles/ checklist-things-to-do-as-retirement-approaches www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/worklearning/retirement/ www.pensionsadvisoryservice.org.uk/aboutpensions/the-state-pension/claiming-statepension

By Ann Haldon

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Garden View

By Rachael Leverton

A game of two halves For me February is where the gardening year begins...twice! First - Reaping last year’s rewards: If you were industrious in the autumn, you could now be benefiting from a lovely display of snowdrops (Gallanthus) and Irises. My favourite snowdrops are G ‘Atkinsii’, which are tall with long, graceful flowers and G. nivalis ‘Viridapicis’ with sweet, green tipped flowers. It’s said they’re best planted ‘in the green’ in Spring but I’ve had lots of success with packaged bulbs planted in the autumn so they’re definitely worth trying. As for irises, the deep blue Iris ‘Joyce’ is hard to beat especially on my poor, free draining soil. I planted a witch hazel as soon as we moved into our present house; Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Pallida’. I can’t live without fragrance in my garden and at this bare, drab time of year the wonderfully scented pale-yellow flowers lift my spirits. I discovered we’d inherited an evergreen Clematis (C. armandii). I’d never grown it before but it’s worth seeking out. It needs a warm wall or fence and well-drained soil then rewards you by being

frost-hardy and producing lovely creamy, scented flowers at this time of year. Second - Planning this year’s display Perhaps you didn’t manage to plan ahead last year. But don’t panic; the beauty of gardening is that the seasons keep rolling round so make sure you use February to ensure your summer display is top notch. February is definitely the month to start sowing seeds. Fill pots or seed trays with seed compost then firm and level the surface. Sprinkle seeds on to the surface of the compost then cover with a layer of fine grit. Water well with a fine spray. Cover with clear plastic (a polythene bag will do nicely) and remove it once the seeds germinate. Learn from my mistake one year and don’t forget to label the pots! Potting up summer bulbs is generally left until late spring, but I always pot up one or two pots in February. It allows them to get established and provides a nice early display for my patio.

Happy Gardening!

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Perfect Potatoes

Gardening

By Pippa Greenwood

Mid to late February is ideal for planting seed potatoes, an incredibly good-value crop. The socalled humble spud is a versatile vegetable with a flavour and texture that will make you want to grow them year after year. On a patio, balcony or in a backyard, a special potato-planting ‘bag’ or a 45cm (18in) diameter pot can produce a useful crop of spuds from a single tuber. Make sure the container is welldrained, fill it about half to two-thirds full of compost, pop a tuber in the centre and add a further 5cm (2in) of compost. As the foliage appears, add more compost to cover and repeat until no more can be added. Keep the container well-watered and wait! Most potatoes produce a slightly earlier and somewhat heavier crop if the seed potatoes are allowed to ‘chit’ or produce small but sturdy sprouts before planting. Stand the tubers, widest end uppermost, in a seed tray or old egg cartons placed in a cool, frost-free spot with plenty of natural light. They are ready for planting in a few weeks, when the sprouts are about 1cm (½in) tall. To help you decide what varieties to buy, think about how you most enjoy eating potatoes and follow my recommendations below: • Steamed potatoes: Vanessa, Dunluce, Edzell Blue or Lady Christl. • New potatoes: Lady Christl, Charlotte, Juliette, Nadine or Nicola. • Mash: Dunluce, Valour, Maris Bard, Lady Balfour or King Edward. • Jacket potatoes: Cara, Lady Balfour, Picasso, Kestrel, King Edward, Desiree or Valor.

• Roast potatoes: Kestrel, Maris Piper, Desiree, Lady Balfour, Vivaldi or Edzell Blue. • Chips: Kestrel, King Edward, Maris Peer, Accord, Rooster or Edzell Blue. Choose early varieties for a newly created vegetable plot, especially if the soil has not been cultivated for several years. Earlies will be in the ground for less time than main crops and are less likely to suffer from wireworm attack. To avoid the fungus-like organism responsible for potato blight (the cause of the Irish Famine in the 1840s) early varieties are better, but varieties with resistance to the infection are available. These include Valor, Lady Balfour or Colleen but Sarpo Mira and Sarpo Axona have the best resistance in my experience. Consider varieties such as Cara, Desiree or Sante if your garden is infested with slugs – again, earlies are likely to suffer less damage as they are not in the soil for so long. The biological control nematode Nemaslug can be used as a drench and, as it works under the soil surface, it has a brilliant effect and poses no threat to wildlife. Earlies are also ideal if space is at a premium and, as they are in the ground for less time, give you the opportunity to grow another fast-maturing crop such as lettuce or salad leaves in the soil after the potatoes have been lifted. At Pippa’s website (www.pippagreenwood.com) you’ll find stylish cloches, practical and pretty plant supports, the fantastic SpeedHoe, gardening tools, Grower Frames, signed books and the ‘Grow Your Own with Pippa’ system. Or book Pippa for a talk at your gardening club.

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Quirky Britain

The Elephant in the (Tower) Room A brief history of Britain’s love affair with the elephant

Last autumn there was huge excitement in Diss, Norfolk, when a ground-penetrating radar search of common land at Fair Green revealed the remains of an elephant buried deep under the ground. It must have been a fairly earth-shattering discovery for local residents to learn that the animal’s remains had been found in a spot better known for craft fairs and dog shows, but the news didn’t come as a surprise to everyone. The archaeological survey was carried out because some locals claimed the animal died there in the 1940s, while a touring circus was in town. Nowadays we might, with some justification, condemn people who made their living by exploiting elephants, but it was the nation’s insatiable interest in these gentle giants that made them such a big box-office attraction. Invasion of the elephants The first elephants to arrive in the UK were brought over by the Roman Emperor Claudius when he invaded England in AD 43. A Greek author called Polyaenus, writing in the second century AD, tells an intriguing story about terrified Britons fleeing at the sight of an elephant sent to cross a river into their territory. Twelve centuries later in 1256, King Henry III received an elephant as a gift from Louis IX of France and ordered his sheriffs to build a pen measuring 40 foot long and 20 foot wide in the Tower of London. Around the same period, an ancient Latin manuscript called the Physiologus Theobaldi – containing some wildly inaccurate elephant ‘facts’ – was translated into English. Some time later Shakespeare borrowed from the Physiologus when he wrote: “The elephant hath joints, but none for courtesy; his legs are legs for necessity, not for flexure”, endorsing a commonly-held belief that the elephant was unable to bend its legs. Tall tales Thanks to the Physiologus, elephants were revered as semi-mythical beings in Tudor times. No wonder, then, that they became the stuff of legend. An elephant-inspired folk tale from Queenborough on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent has been passed down from generation to generation. It’s the story of a small town nervously preparing to receive an elephant as a gift from Queen Elizabeth I. The residents get to work creating a state-of-the art pen for the royal gift, but it turns out that in reading the queen’s letter, the semi-literate mayor of the town has mistaken the word ‘equivalent’ for ‘elephant’, and the long-anticipated creature never arrives. Sheppey’s story certainly bears all the hallmarks of myth. However unlikely the story may sound, Elizabeth I did actually visit Queenborough Castle (now demolished) in 1582, and to this day there is a small public park, the size of a horse paddock, which locals still call ‘the Elephant Park’. The British have known about elephants for over 2,000 years. We may fear them for their size and strength, but thanks to touchingly human characteristics such as dignity, patience and family loyalty, it’s easy to see why the nation has taken these magnificent beasts to its heart.

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Pets

Rehoming Appeal Bobbi

Bobbi is a 19 month old cross-breed boy who is looking for his forever home. He is a very loving dog who can be very wary of strangers and will try to protect his owners from anybody he does not know, so we think a quiet home with few visitors would be ideal for him. We also think an adult only home with no children would be preferable, but Bobbi would be able to live with another dog. If you can offer this lovely boy a home, please contact Julie on 01763 289827. View other dogs, cats and small mammals currently in our care for re-homing on our website: www.rats-animalrescue.co.uk or facebook: www.facebook.com/ratscharity. You can also see photographs and details of the animals in our care in our charity shop in Hitchin Street, Biggleswade SG18 8AX. Open Monday to Saturday from 10.00 am until 4.00 pm.

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Pets

A Quick History Lesson Brief Background This month we are shining the spotlight on the history of the RSPCA, and discovering for exactly how long the well known and well loved charity has been a force for good, and a force for change. Did you know the RSPCA is the oldest and largest animal welfare organisation in the world? Founded in 1824, it is one of the largest charities in the UK. It is incredible to think we have been protecting and saving animals for almost 200 years. The men who created the RSPCA will have understood that they were creating something special, but perhaps did not fully appreciated the size and shape the charity would become today. Nor that the Patron would become Queen Elizabeth II! Significant Dates In 1822 the first animal welfare law was passed. The legislation had the title of ‘The Cruel Treatment of Cattle Act’. It protected not only cattle, but horses and sheep as well from cruel and improper treatment. It was known as Martin’s Act, after the MP and animal rights campaigner Richard Martin. In 1835 the Pease Act was brought into law which prohibited cruelty to dogs and other domestic animals. We also helped to abolish bear baiting and bull baiting. It wasn’t until 1840 that Queen Victoria granted permission for us to use the royal prefix. Previously we had been known as the SPCA. We then became known as the RSPCA. In 1866 we inspired America to create its own animal protection society, along with Australia in 1872. Ten years later New Zealand in 1882 created their own society to protect the welfare of animals. In 1911 the protection of animals act was passed tackling every for of cruelty to animals. In 1914 the RSPCA set up a ‘Sick and wounded

horses fund’. This provided 13 animal hospitals, 180 horse drawn ambulances and 26 motor ambulances to use by the Veterinary Corps during the First World War. In 1952 the first two women patrol officers were trained. The 1970’s saw the first female inspectors being introduced. In 2005 the Hunting Act came into force to protect foxes, deer and hare from being hunted with dogs. In 2006 Parliament passed the Animal Welfare Act allowing the RSPCA to help protect animals from cruelty. The main aim of the act was to improve the welfare of animals and impose greater responsibility on their carers. In 2017, the RSPCA rescued and collected 114,584 animals, carried out 222,664 micro chippings and rehomed 44,611 animals. Our Patrons and Ambassadors We are very fortunate to have such a large group of dedicated and passionate patrons, vice presidents, celebrity supporters and ambassadors. Alongside our royal patron Queen Elizabeth II, some of our vice presidents include; Chris Packham, Bill Oddie OBE, Brian Blessed, Dr Brian May and Peter Egan to name but a few. The actress Amber Anderson, Bella Lack a 16 year old conservationist, Matt Johnson the welsh broadcaster and Victoria Stilwell the world renowned dog trainer from the television program ”It’s Me or The Dog” are amongst our valued ambassadors.

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Word Ladder

Change one letter at a time (but not the position of any letter) to make a new word - and move from the word at the top of the ladder to the word at the bottom, using the exact number of rungs provided.

B O R N

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D I E D

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• • • • • •

Swimming Lessons

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Motoring

How do I get an electric car charging point installed at home?

With the increase in electric car popularity, more people are going to need to charge at home. But how do you go about it? Most manufacturers now produce electric cars, and demand will increase as both carmakers and government push to get more people into plug-in cars. More people will therefore need to charge their cars and home, and installing a wallbox makes the process a lot quicker than using a three-pin plug. Let’s take a look at how you do it. Why do I need a wallbox charger? As well as delivering a faster rate of charge than a three-pin plug, a wallbox is also safer as they tend to be weatherproof. Many have built-in features to ensure safety should an error occur, and it won’t overload your house’s electricity supply, too. How much is it going to cost me? Inclusive of the available government grant, it’ll cost from £279 to install a wallbox into your home and this covers installation by a qualified fitter – so the only additional cost after everything’s plugged in is the electricity itself. Installation may be more expensive if you’re trying to place a wallbox in a particularly tricky place, or if more wiring than usual is required. How much will it cost to charge my car? This depends on the size of the car’s batteries, how much charge you’ve got left in it and the rate you pay for electricity. However, as a guide, the typical rate for electricity is 14p per kWh, or 8p per kWh for overnight, economy charging.

For an average electric car, with a 60kWh battery and around 200 miles worth of range, it’ll cost around £8.40 to charge fully. Something larger, like a Tesla Model S, will cost around £14 – but remember that the Tesla offers a much greater range at around 300 miles. How long will it take to charge my electric car? A wallbox gives a charging rate of between 3.7kW and 7kW, which equates to around 15-30 miles of charge added per hour. A three-pin charger will only deliver 2.3kW of power, or around eight miles of range per hour. Where will a wallbox be installed? A wallbox will be placed on an external wall either on the side of your house or on the side of a garage. Connected to the mains electricity by a secure connection, it’ll be ideally located close to where you park. This will only really work for people with off-street parking though —you’re not allowed to run cables across the pavement to a car parked on the street. How long will installation take? It should only take around three hours for a wallbox to be installed at your home, depending on access and how tricky an area it is to fit. Where can I buy a wallbox from? Plenty of suppliers of electric car charging points are available and an internet search should provide a multitude of local providers. Note that if you want to take advantage of the government’s grant, then you may have to prove ownership of the car and your home in order to qualify.

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By Clare Becker

Time of Year

The Language of Love

I love you. Three little words, which have been responsible for so much happiness...and so much angst and heartache. Did she mean it? Did he say it back? Who said it first? Does it matter? But here’s a dilemma you may not have considered, which language is the best in which to express your devotion? French - Je t’aime - It has associations with Paris, the city of love and all it has to offer: the food, the wine, the Eiffel Tower. How could your paramour not be swept off their feet? Spanish - Te amo - I once dated a guy from Madrid. When he said, “Te amo,” I almost melted, though his sexy accent and the fact we were on a yacht enjoying a Mediterranean sunset may have had much to do with it. Sadly, our relationship did not survive winter in Walsall! Russian - Я тебя люблю (Ya tebya liubliu) - Say it in a Russian accent and it sounds wonderfully seductive. You’ll feel like a spy from a James Bond movie! German - Ich liebe Dich - I confess I’m torn about this one. My husband is a blonde, blue-eyed, gorgeous German yet my silly British seaside sense of humour means ‘Ich liebe Dich’ makes me giggle. But laughter is good, and he has been the love of my life for the past ten years, so I included it to be fair. So, what’s the strangest language in which to declare your love. How about Dothraki? Should you wish to declare your love Game of Thrones stylie this Valentine’s Day, simply breath these words, “Anha zhilak yera norethaan.”

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Gaming

By Robert Grant

Games Without Frontiers

The future is online gaming Almost everyone plays computer games. On phones, tablets, computers and consoles the current generation tap away for hours on end. But all this comes at a cost. New games always push consoles and computers to their limits so you end up in a never-ending process of upgrading your hardware just so you can keep up with the latest titles. There are four versions of the PlayStation, endless Xboxes and a vast array of different Nintendo boxes all slowly going out of date, and eventually disappearing into the attic to gather dust. But what if you never had to buy another console again? What if all you needed was any device that could connect to the Internet with enough power to play a YouTube video? Well that’s the vision for Google’s latest cloud gaming service, Google Stadia. “Cloud gaming?” I hear you ask. Come closer my friend. Basically, you use any internet-capable device to connect to the gaming service - phone, tablet, laptop, etc. This becomes your screen for viewing and your gamepad for controlling the game. The actual game runs on the gaming service computers in a datacentre in the cloud. Your device streams a video of the game which you control using your local game controller or other input device. There’s no longer any need for you to own a high-end gaming PC. All that expense is taken care of by Google Stadia. This is not a new idea. OnLive launched a cloud-

based service about 10 years ago offering essentially the same deal. They had a good range of games and the whole system worked extremely well… if you had a reliably fast broadband connection! At the time people found that delays between pressing buttons and the game responding made the system unplayable much of the time. OnLive eventually petered out after a few years. But the concept was sound and now Google has brought its technical power to the problem. Along with far superior household broadband connections, Google’s extensive range of datacentres throughout around the world can provide up to 4K game play with almost zero lag on the controllers. The service costs a monthly subscription fee for access to the game servers on top of which you’ll need to buy your games. These games can then be played on any of your compatible devices, or you can buy one of Google’s custom controllers that will connect wirelessly to your TV to turn it into a games centre. A ‘free’ service should also be launching in the first half of this year which will probably offer a range of slightly older titles for anyone to play - note that this will be free games, not free subscription, which you’ll still need to pay! New game titles are being added all the time so check out the Stadia website for the current library. If the kids are pestering for a computer upgrade because the latest FIFA is glitching out, this service might be just what you need.

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Codeword 1

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

Easy Suduko

Hard Suduko

Fill in the grid so that each row, column and 3x3 box, contains the digits 1 through to 9 with no repetition. Use your logic to solve the puzzles. 60

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Motoring

Smooth Car

Control

Being smooth The essence of a smooth drive is thinking ahead. Take in road conditions, terrain, hazards etc. and use the information to ensure you are in the correct gear, at the right speed for the conditions and are anticipating the actions of other drivers. Don’t Drive with the Brakes Sometimes, you have to go slower to go faster. ‘Driving with the brakes’ is a great example of this. Use your brakes to stop at traffic lights, but if you see brake lights come on ahead of you on the motorway, don’t go straight for the middle pedal. If you’ve maintained an adequate gap between you and the car in front, you have thinking distance. If the developing situation requires application of the brakes then, provided you’ve maintained an adequate gap between you and the car in front,

you have time to apply the brakes gently. What you won’t have done is contributed to the ‘pogo’ effect by instantly hitting the brakes when the lights in front come on. The first car may only apply them for two seconds but the ‘pogo’, working its way back down the queue of bunched-up traffic, means that the driver ten cars back has braked for five seconds and slowed to a crawl. The result is everyone is now going slower than if they had maintained an adequate gap and just lifted off a little.

By Iain Betson

ABC 1. The 2010 film Easy A, starring Emma Stone, was loosely based on which 1850 novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne? 2. How many points is the letter “B” worth in Scrabble? 3. In the equation E = mc2 that was devised by Albert Einstein, “E” represents “energy” and “m” represents “mass”. What does the letter “c” represent? 4. What is the only American state to have a name beginning with the letter “a”, but ending with a letter other than “a”? 5. Commissioned to mark the 2002 Commonwealth Games, in which British city would you find a sculpture called B of the Bang?

6. Known by the stage name Mr. C, Richard West was the lead singer of which chart-topping group? 7. What letter begins the names of more elements in the periodic table than any other letter?... A, B or C? 8. Which is larger?... an AA battery or a triple-A battery? 9. In the lyrics of the Chuck Berry hit single, Johnny B. Goode lives “deep down” in which US state? 10. The “Four Cs” is a term used to refer to what four characteristics that diamonds are commonly judged by?

1. The Scarlet Letter 2. 3 3. The speed of light 4. Arkansas 5. Manchester 6. The Shamen 7. C 8. An AA battery 9. Louisiana 10. Carat, Cut, Clarity and Colour

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n O s ’ t Wha In February

Deadline for What’s On entries is the 12th of the previous month. What’s on entries to whatson@villagermag.com

1 February Saturday Workshops St Ives Adult Learning workshops including baking, Malaysian/Indian cookery, art, reflexology, calligraphy, digital photography, dieting mindset and fused glass jewellery. Tel: 01480 495717 Web: www.aclearning.org.uk 1 February Art & Craft Fair 9.30am-4pm Free Church Hall, St Ives Free entry. Quality handmade art and craft stalls.

4 February Hail Weston Wildlife and Gardening Group 7.30pm Hail Weston Village Hall Members £1, Non-members £2. Informative talk about the National Trust’s garden at Wimpole. New members and visitors are welcome to join us. The cost of membership is just £7 per year. Raffle. Email: Liz Bacon lizbacon187@gmail.com

4, 11, 18 & 25 February Men’s Shed 1.30-2.30pm Arthur’s Shed, Arthur Rank Hospice, Cherry Hinton Road, Shelford Bottom Free - £5 suggested donation. An informal drop in choir, no previous experience required. Open to all. Tel: 01223 675777 Web: www.arhc.org.uk/arthurs-shed.asp

1 February St Neots Timebank Coffee Morning 11am-1pm St Mary’s Church Hall, Church Walk, St Neots Table top sale. Refreshments provided and a very warm welcome. Come and find out more about what St Neots Timebank can do for you. 4, 11, 18 & 25 February Tel: Table bookings 07590 909057 St Neots & District Camera Club 7.15 for 7.30pm Web: www.stneotstimebank.org.uk St Neots Bowling Club (beside the tennis courts) Free entry. Come along and join us. Everyone is 1 February welcome, no experience is necessary. All you need is Simply Saturday an interest in photography. 12.30-2.30pm St James Church, Little Paxton Web: www.stneots-camera-club.org.uk ‘Essential Oils & Massage’ with Sarah Symonds. Bring and share lunch followed by activities from 4, 11, 18 & 25 February 1.30pm. Suggested donation £1. Roxton Bridge Circle Tel: Helen Young 01480 216255 7.15-10pm Roxton Parish Hall Email: young_paxton@ntlworld.com Small friendly group playing Bridge every Tuesday evening. Tel: Mary 01480 212552 3 February Email: mary@jackpike.co.uk NIA Dancing 7-9pm Tesco Community Room 4, 11, 18 & 25 February £5. NIA dance with tutor Ildiko Miklos certified St Neots Folk Club Brown Belt Nia Technique Teacher. Nia is a mindful 8pm The Priory Centre, St Neots dance fitness practice. It is for anybody seeking 4 Feb - Camus; 11 Feb - Terence Blacker; 18 Feb - Eric a gentler movement class to complement and Sedge; 25 Feb - Round the Room with Club AGM. facilitate healing of body, mind, emotions and spirit. Tickets: 01234 37278 www.stneotsfolkclub.co.uk Suitable for all ages and abilities. No need to book. Tel: 07590 909057 www.stneotstimebank.org.uk 5 February Brampton Flower Club 7.15pm 3, 7, 10, 14, 17, 21, 24 & 28 February Community Centre, High Street, Brampton Computing problems? Visitors £6 on the door 10am-12.30pm Bytes Café, Kimbolton ‘Working with Nature’ with Tim Meakin. Bytes Café is open in the small hall behind the Tel: Jan Dobie 01480 531822 Mandeville Hall. Volunteers can help with your Web: www.bramptonflowerclub.com computing problems. Colour and black and white printing, enlarging A4 to A3 and laminating at a 5 February reasonable price. Drop by and see what is available. Black Cat WI 7.30pm Wyboston Village Hall 3, 10, 17 & 24 February Local author Alison Morgan will be talking about Sister’s Shed 1.30-2.30pm ‘Nurse to Crime Writer’. The group usually meets on Arthur’s Shed, Arthur Rank Hospice, the first Wednesday of each month. Cherry Hinton Road, Shelford Bottom Tel: Susie Woodman 01234 376098 Free - £5 suggested donation. A space for people to connect, converse and create! Open to all. 5 February Tel: 01223 675777 Little Paxton Gardening Club Web: www.arhc.org.uk/arthurs-shed.asp 8pm Little Paxton Village Hall Members £1, Non-members £2. ‘Funny Garden 3, 10, 17 & 24 February Features’ by Andrew Sankey, nurseryman and Scottish Country Dancing 8-10pm lecturer based in Cambridgeshire. All welcome. Queen Elizabeth School, Godmanchester Tel: Jane 01480 218805 or Margaret 01480 383989 Tel: Mrs Pat Crowe 01480 453774 Email: lpgardeningclub@hotmail.com Email: pat@patcrowe.plus.com

5, 12, 19 & 26 February Kimbolton Bridge Club 9.30am-12 noon Mandeville Hall, Kimbolton Meets every Wednesday morning to play friendly, social bridge. No partner needed. Tel: Vanessa 01480 453929 5, 12, 19 & 26 February Hemingford Ladies Choir 10-11.30am St Ives Free Church A small choir who sing a wide range of music in support of local charities. Tel: 01480 417925 Email: vivienneoxley64@gmail.com 5, 12, 19 & 26 February Wednesday Walk 11am-12.30pm Wimpole Estate Join us for a different walk each week. Walks range from 3-5 miles and are often muddy. Experienced Walk Leaders will guide you. 6, 13 & 27 February Yelling Art Group 10am-12.30pm Yelling Village Hall Meets on Thursdays during term-time. We are a friendly group seeking new members of any art ability for painting and drawing in a variety of media. Tel: 07580 470166 7 February St Neots Local History Society 7.30pm Eynesbury Junior School, PE19 2TD Members free, non-members £3. AGM followed by ‘St Neots - Famous for who and what?’ by Sue Jarrett. Web: http://stneotslhs.org.uk 7, 14, 21 & 28 February Friday Night Drinks 7.30-11pm Buckworth Cricket Club, Church Road, Buckworth, Huntingdon Join us at the Club to celebrate the end of the week, have a drink with friends, play pool, darts and skittles and relax. www.buckworthcricketclub.co.uk 8 February Hemingford Village Market 9am-1pm Parish Centre, Hemingford Grey Second Saturday of the month. Food, crafts, plants and flowers from small local businesses. Hemingford Grey Parish Council surgery should you wish to meet councillors to discuss local issues. Refreshments available in the Hemingford Garden Room. 10 February Godmanchester Trefoil Guild 7.30-9pm Judith’s Field Room, London Rd, Godmanchester Trefoil Guild is a branch of Girlguiding for Adults aged 18+. Meets on the second Monday of the month. Email: jeanmking@outlook.com for more info 11 February St Ives Sugarcraft Guild 7.30pm Reading Room, Hemingford Grey Monthly meetings where you can learn, hands on, various cake decorating techniques and/or sugar modelling. Tel: Shirley 01480 454616 for more info

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n O s ’ t Wha In February

This is a small selection of the What’s On for the full listing please go to our website www.villagermag.com

12 February Wildlife Trust 7.30pm Brampton Memorial Hall, Thrapston Road, Brampton £5 per person. Professor Helen Roy is an Ecologist with a particular interest in insects, environmental change and citizen science. Over the last ten years Helen has led the UK Ladybird survey, and will summarise the methods and findings to provide a very interesting talk. Everyone welcome. Tel: Alistair Grant 07775 365507 Email: alistairrgrant@hotmail.com

14 February Elsie May’s Electric Lounge 58 Market Square, St Neots A fantastic group called the Jazz Apples is coming to play at Elsie May’s. Tel: 01480 472683 www.elsiemays.co.uk 15 February Farming, Food and Forgotten Folk 11am-12 noon Wimpole Estate A one hour walk which takes you out into the arable landscape at Wimpole. Discover past histories, buildings, archaeology, wildlife and nature as well as our current farming practices and crops we're growing today. Meet outside the Stable Block.

18 February Little Paxton Pictures Doors open 1.45pm St James Church, Little Paxton Free admission. Trolls (U). Refreshments available.

19 February Wild Wood Adventures 10am-12 noon Cambourne £5 per person, Wildlife Trust members £4. Explore Cambourne Nature Reserve, then head indoors to investigate what owls eat for breakfast by studying the bones they leave behind. Ideal for children aged 7-11. Tel: 07894 599020 Email: rebecca.neal@wildlifebcn.org Web: www.wildlifebcn.org/events/2020-02-19wild-woods-cambourne-trees-and-bones 19 February Wild Wednesday 10am-2pm Ferry Meadows, Peterborough Donations welcome. Children and adults are welcome to come and join in some seasonal and wild crafts. Any age. Tel: 01733 234193 Email: visitor.services@neneparktrust.org.uk

19 February Carers Coffee Club 2-3.30pm The Royal Oak, Hail Weston 15 February Are you caring for a loved one with a memory loss? St Neots Bowls Club Quiz Night Come along and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee whilst 7.30pm chatting with others in a similar situation. Just turn St Neots Bowling Club, St. Anselm Place, St Neots up. Tel: Neil Silby 07889 319888 for further details Tickets £7 inc. Ploughman's Supper. 6 people per Email: kimpigfarmer@tiscali.co.uk team. Licensed bar. Closing date for tickets 12 February. Tel: Lee Duncan 07931 315648 20 February Email: lm.duncan@ntlworld.com Friends of Paxton Pits Guided Walk 10am-12.30pm 17 February Visitor Centre, Paxton Pits Nature Reserve St Neots Royal Naval Association 7.30pm £2.50 on the day. Explore Paxton Pits Nature Reserve The RAFA Club, 44 Huntingdon Street, St Neots with experienced local experts. Walks start at the St Neots & District Branch of the Royal Naval Visitor Centre and last approximately two hours. No Association meet on the third Monday of every need to book. Tel: 01480 406795 month. Tel: Tony Webley 01480 215218 Email: jj.awebley@btinternet.com 20 February St Ives & District Flower Club 17 February 2.15pm Burgess Hall, St Ives Little Paxton W I 7.45pm St James' Church Visitors £7 Meets every third Monday of the month, except December when it meets on the second Monday. 20 February Email: evans-margaret@sky.com Huntingdonshire Fauna & Flora Society 7.30pm Countryside Centre, 17-19 February Hinchingbrooke Country Park Holiday Bushcraft 8.30am-4pm Members free, Visitors £2. Hedgehogs’ with Judith Wandlebury Country Park, Cambridge Large, Shepreth Hedgehog Hospital. The talk will be £38 per child. Holiday Bushcraft for children ages about the conservation work done at the hedgehog 5-12 run by experienced, qualified teachers from the hospital and how everyone can help with the outdoor learning experience group, Wild Thyme & preservation and support of the local hedgehog Embers. Booking essential. population. Web: www.hffs.org.uk Web: wildthymeandembers.co.uk/holidaybushcraft-club 20 February Love’s Farm Women’s Institute 18 February 8-10pm St Neots Football Club Coffee Morning 10.30-11.30am St Neots Library Meets on the third Thursday of the month. £1 per person. Join us for a slice of cake, some Tel: Nikki Jackson 07563 715043 conversation and a cup of coffee or tea. Email: lovesfarmladieswi@gmail.com

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21 February Bird Box Making 10.30am-12 noon & 1.30-3pm Ferry Meadows, Peterborough £7 per box. Make a nest box for our feathered friends. All materials and tools provided. Parental supervision required. Max. 2 children per adult. Involves use of tools. Age 8+. Tel: 01733 234193 Email: visitor.services@neneparktrust.org.uk 23 February Wildlife Trust Mindful Wintry Wander 10.30am-midday Trumpington Meadows, Grantchester Road CB2 9LH £5 per person. Mindful walking and nature connection have the power to revive on cold dark days. Tea/biscuits /available to warm up at the end! Email: clairethompson@mindfulness-of-nature.com Web www.wildlifebcn.org/events/2020-01-11mindful-winter-wanders 25 February Little Paxton Pictures Doors open 1.45pm, film starts 2pm St James Church, Little Paxton Free admission. The English Patient (15). World War II Drama starring Ralph Fiennes, Kristin Scott Thomas and Juliette Binoche. All films have subtitles. Refreshments available. All donations welcomed. 25 February Huntingdonshire Diabetes Group 7.30pm Millennium Centre, Burberry Road, Buckden Monthly meetings on the last Tuesday of each month (except June). All welcome. Email: hunts.diabetesuk@gmail.com Web: huntingdonshire.diabetesukgroup.org 26 February Roxtonettes Music Evenings 7.30pm Roxton Village Hall, High Street, Roxton £2.50 inc. refreshments. Do you enjoy singing or playing a musical instrument? We meet twice a month – 7.30pm onwards for instrumentalists and 8pm onwards for singers. Under the guidance of Eamonn Nicholson-Clinch, we are an informal community singing group. Tel: 07422 501131 Email: eamonnnc@googlemail.com 27 February St Neots & District Gardening Club 7.30pm St Mary’s Church Hall, Brook Street, St Neots Members £2, Non-members £2.50 inc. refreshments & raffle ticket. ‘Beautiful Bulbs’ by Simon White. Web: www.stneotsgardenclub.org.uk 28 February The Hinchingbrooke Bösendorfer Piano Concerts 7.30pm Hinchingbrooke Performing Arts Centre, Huntingdon Adults £15, Groups 20+ £10 each, Under 21s £5 The Fitzwilliam Quartet (Lucy Russell, violin; Marcus Barcham-Stevens, violin; Alan George, viola; Sally Pendlebury, cello) with Anna Tilbrook, piano. Tel: 01480 375678 (9am-3pm) Web: www.ticketsource.co.uk/hinchingbrookepac

Time of Year

By Sarah Davey

Yorkshire Pudding Day - Feb 2nd The first Sunday in February has been designated Yorkshire Pudding Day. ‘Dripping puddings’ were made in Yorkshire as early as 1737. The recipe was published in a book called ‘The Whole Duty of a Woman’ which declared you should use a ‘...good batter as for pancakes, put in a hot toss pan over the fire, add a bit of butter to fry the bottom a little, then put the pan instead of a dripping pan and under a shoulder of mutton, shake it frequently and it will be light and savoury. When the mutton is done, turn it in a dish and serve hot.’ Ten years later the recipe appeared again in a book by Hannah Glasse, the Prue Leith of her day. The puddings took a while to evolve from flatter, spongier offerings of the time, to the light crispy specimens we know today. The Royal Society of Chemistry once declared that “A Yorkshire pudding isn’t a Yorkshire pudding if it is less than four inches tall.” Yorkshire Puddings are a staple of the British Sunday lunch (though my kids happily eat them midweek too). Mostly they are served as part of the trimmings, but in some parts of Yorkshire they are eaten as a separate course prior to the main meat dish. Originally this was for reasons of frugality; the puddings were served with dripping and gravy as a way of filling the diners with less expensive ingredients and thus making the more expensive meat go further. However you eat yours, Happy Yorkshire Pudding Day.

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Technology

Gadget gifts for the one you love Smart buys for the love of your life

Netflix for magazines; for coffee lovers there are some really great high-tech coffee makers ranging from the excellent Aeropress (around £20) to cute and compact capsule machines such as Krups’ or Magimix’s Nespresso makers. And if they’re arty, they might love an Apple Pencil for their iPad (check compatibility first, though – not all iPads work with it) or a digital notepad that looks and feels like pencil on paper but can transfer drawings to their Mac or PC. If you’re still stuck for ideas, it’s time to remember the old joke: what do you get the person who has everything? A box to put it in. But instead of boxes, think bags. There are lots of backpacks, messenger bags and handbags designed specifically for people who carry gadgets around, and they’re available everywhere at every conceivable price point. For example, if you can’t afford several hundred pounds for Osprey London’s laptop bags, Marks & Spencer does some really nice laptop backpacks for around £45, laptop bags for under £30 and faux-leather folio bags for just £25.

As if flowers, champagne and dinners weren’t expensive enough, retailers would really like you to buy your beloved some technology for Valentine’s Day. That’s not necessarily a bad idea, but there are a few traps to avoid. We wouldn’t recommend anything overly practical unless the recipient really wants it and would be happy to get it as a Valentine’s Day gift: no matter how powerful the Dyson or scientific the scales, don’t give the gift of hoovering or weightwatching to someone who won’t appreciate it. Online gadget guides suggest power banks for smartphones and even charging cables, and while those are perfectly decent products they’re hardly going to make your partner’s heart sing. The second trap is the “pinkification” of products: even if your beloved likes pink they might not appreciate a perfectly good product that’s pink for no good reason. If your beloved is really into DIY then they’ll care much more about the quality of the product than its colour. So what presents do we suggest

for Valentine’s day? Consider accessories – for example, if your beloved has an Apple Watch or an iPad you could buy good-quality straps or cases. The Apple Watch can be made sportier with a bright Sport Band or more formal with a genuine leather band (just avoid the faux leather bands from some bigname shopping sites, which don’t wear like genuine leather does). And of course if your partner doesn’t have an Apple Watch or an iPad and you’ve got the cash to spare, those items make really great gifts. Another good tactic is to think about what your beloved does. So if they have a long commute or travel a lot, a set of noisecancelling headphones will make their travels much more pleasant; if they’re always at the gym or jogging around town then exercise-friendly earbuds or a reliable fitness tracker will be a boon. For readers there are Amazon’s excellent Kindle e-readers (or a subscription to Audible, the audiobook service) or subscriptions to Readly or Apple News+, both of which are like

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Environment

Stand Aside, Standby. You aren’t needed

Comedian Michael McIntyre made fun of us all by pointing out that we often shut down appliances before going on holiday for safety reasons. Except the fridge because “we trust the fridge”. He has a point on the safety aspect, but we should also be considering the environmental one, and not just when we are on holiday. Leaving your devices on standby means you are spending good money warming the planet. Whilst switching a fridge off doesn’t make sense, here are a few things that do: According to MoneySuperMarket, the biggest standby power users are TVs, TV boxes (e.g. Sky/Virgin) and multiroom speakers. Chances are you only actually use them evening and weekends so waiting 60 seconds for them to restart isn’t much of a sacrifice. When you unplug your mobile phone after charging it, the charger is still using tiny amounts. When you multiply that by the number of people in the house, it’s not so tiny. So switch it off at the wall when you aren’t using it. Your router is something you want to have available pretty much all the time. But if you are going on two weeks holiday, a little holiday of its own won’t hurt. It’s quicker to put your PC on standby than to shut it down, but we are only saving seconds here. And we all know that it sometimes your PC wakes up, all by itself. There’s a device not to be trusted!

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Crossword Solution for The Villager January Edition Last Monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Crossword Winner - Rachel McEwan from St Ippolyts Josie Long Competition Winner - Alison Fitt from Gamlingay

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Books

Book Review His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman

If you loved the BBC series but haven’t yet delved into the original books, what on earth is stopping you? Starting with the Northern Lights, this trilogy takes the reader on a journey with Lyra Belacqua. With her daemon Pantalaimon by her side, Lyra sets out on a quest to rescue her best friend and discover the secret of Dust. Along the way, she’ll befriend witches, Gyptians, an armoured bear and a boy from another world, while pitting her wits against the all-powerful Magisterium.

Heroes and Villains by Angela Carter

In a post-apocalyptic world, Marianne looks down from her ivory tower as her brother is murdered in the streets below. Years later, she helps the murderer to hide, runs away with him to his Barbarian tribe and is forced to become his bride. Dream-like, disquieting and beautiful, Heroes and Villains is one of Carter’s lesser-known books but my personal favourite.

Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin

This series of nine books starts in the late seventies and centres around the inhabitants of 28 Barbary Lane, including the naive but ambitious Mary Ann Singleton, the matriarchal Anna Madrigal and the best-friend-you-wishyou-had Michael Tolliver (AKA Mouse). Maupin is a skilled storyteller and skilfully weaves together numerous plotlines and character arcs to create a stonkingly good series you’ll want to binge read your way through.

By Kate Duggan

The Choice by Edith Eger

Edith Eger was on the brink of death when she was freed from Auschwitz. This is her story. It’s certainly harrowing in parts, but also uplifting, reaffirming and full of hope. Edith realised that burying her past doesn’t make it easier to live with. Instead, she learnt how to move past her trauma, build the life she deserves and help thousands of other survivors to do the same.

The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett

Would-be witch Tiffany Aching sets out to rescue her brother from the fairies and stop them from invading her home. She’s only armed with a frying pan, but luckily she has help in the form of the Nac Mac Feegle – they may be tiny, but they’re fierce, fast and loyal. Technically, this was written as a children’s book, but don’t let that put you off – it’ll appeal to fantasy lovers of all ages.

The Clan of the Cave Bear By Jean M. Auel

The first book in the Earth’s Children series, The Clan of the Cave Bear centres around Ayla, a young girl raised by Neanderthals in prehistoric Europe. Ayla faces prejudice and suspicion but, with the help of her adopted mother Iza, is eventually accepted by most of the clan. A powerful, well-researched, epic tale. You don’t even need to wait for the next instalment to come out as all six are just waiting for you to find them.

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