Great Ashby August 2019 by Villager Mag

VILLAGER The

August 2019

and Town

Life

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

In this issue Medieval Shopping Win tickets to see

Nathan Carter Win £25 in our Prize Crossword

Bringing Local Business to Local People Every Month in the Stevenage Area

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BEFORE AFTER

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Inside this issue... Win Tickets to see Nathan Carter

Medieval Shopping....................................................................4 São Miguel, Top Hot Spot in the Azores......................................8 International Left Handers Day................................................10 Win Tickets to Nathan Carter....................................................12 Over the Moon? What a load of Tosh?.......................................15 Worthy Wines - Romania.........................................................16 Bedfordshire Walking Festival 2019.........................................18 Nick Coffer’s Weekend Recipe...................................................20 Can you Help EAAA Save More Lives?.......................................22 Top Style Tips for Crafters.........................................................25 Make Exercise a Real HIIT.........................................................26 Citizens Advice.........................................................................28 Quick and Easy Ways to Save Money on your Holiday...............31 P&R Interiors............................................................................32

Add some Vertical Interest.......................................................34 Animal Know-How...................................................................36 The Big Apple - A Brief History of Cider....................................38 Post-Modern Pac-Man.............................................................40 How to Get Online on Holiday..................................................43 The Dating Game.....................................................................44 Safe in the Sun.........................................................................46 Puzzle Page..............................................................................48 My Partner’s Lost in the Past....................................................51 What’s On.................................................................................52 Prize Crossword........................................................................58 Book Review............................................................................61 Useful Numbers.......................................................................63

Make Exercise a Real HIIT

Get your business off to a flying start this year

Advertise with the Villager Magazine... prices start from just £30.00 +VAT per month Editorial Catherine Rose, Solange Hando, Kate Hammond, Trevor Langley, Kate McLelland, Nick Coffer, Jennie Billings, Mark O’Keefe, Ann Haldon, Pippa Greenwood, RSPCA, Sarah Davey, Tracey Anderson and Kate Duggan,

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

Publishers Villager Publications Ltd 24 Market Square, Potton, Bedfordshire SG19 2NP Tel: 01767 261122 Email: nigel@villagermag.com www.villagermag.com

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History

Medieval Shopping

Shopping in medieval times would certainly have been an assault on the senses. The medieval town was a very different place to our shopping centres today. Although the problem of litter is a current (and valid) environmental concern thanks to our overuse of packaging, crowded medieval streets would have habitually run with sewage, blood from slaughtered animals, rats and loose livestock. Couple this with the fact most people didn’t wash very often, and one can only imagine the smell and noise (or hue and cry) of which you would have run the gauntlet, by popping out for a loaf of bread! There were two types of shop owner in medieval England: merchants and craftsmen, and both were commonly governed by guilds. Merchant or craft guilds consisted of members who traded in a certain commodity such as wool, or who were specifically skilled artisans, respectively. By grouping together as a guild, they were able to set standards and prices for their trade. Paying for membership of the guild also provided traders with protection.

Craft guilds would offer apprenticeships with the opportunity of learning a skill through a master craftsman and earning the resulting qualifications or papers. An apprenticeship was unwaged; sometimes families would even pay for their son to learn a respected trade. This payment would include food and lodging although it usually meant sleeping on the shop floor. Once a young man had completed his apprenticeship, he became a journeyman and would be paid for his services. A journeyman would have to produce his ‘masterwork’ to be given the title of master craftsman. There were punishments for those who broke the rules of the guild, often favouring the medieval penchant for humiliation (think of the popularity of the town and village stocks). For example, in those days bread was unleavened and sold by weight. A baker caught adding weights to his dough to make a heavier loaf would be made to walk through the town with the loaves tied around his neck. Likewise, a brewer who produced bad or adulterated beer would be forced

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to publicly drink it and then have the rest poured over his head. Banishment from a guild meant the merchant or artisan was unlikely to work in the town again. Most medieval trade premises were workshops as well, with the merchant or craftsman living above. Wealthier merchants would have larger houses built on the outskirts of the town. The shop front would generally have no glass windows but instead would be open to the street, with wooden shutters put up when it was closed. It was common for tradespeople to group their shops together, possibly because it was easier for the guilds to oversee, so streets became dedicated to one commodity or craft, for example, a street of bakeries or a lane of cobblers. We can still see this reflected in some old street names today. Because most people couldn’t read, medieval shop signs were symbols made of painted wood or wrought iron, sometimes partially gilded. These large signs were hung on brackets and chains attached to the building and were made obvious to the medieval customer. The sign for an apothecary was a pestle and mortar. A blacksmith had an anvil and hammer, while a farrier, who looked after horses’ hooves, might have had a simple horseshoe. In those days, barbers were also surgeons and dentists hence their sign: a red and white striped pole signified blood and bandages. It is thought that the ‘three balls’ sign for a pawnbroker (who lent money in exchange for the collateral of valuable goods) may have evolved from the symbol for three gold coins. A butcher’s sign was usually a bull’s head coupled with butchery tools. Most butchers would have a barn and slaughterhouse attached to the back of their shop and animals were killed on the premises.

Carcasses would be hung outside on hooks, and meat laid out on slabs or special sills attached to the building known as ‘shammels’. These were a common feature of medieval shop fronts. The typical overhangs of medieval buildings would have served to protect the goods on display below, both from the weather and things being thrown out of the windows above. As with the shop signs, instead of written notices shop owners would hang symbolic objects outside their premises to keep customers informed of what was going on. For example, if a brewer’s beer was ready, he would hang a green branch outside. Other examples of craftsmen or ‘mongers’ (tradespeople selling a certain type of goods) who might have a shop in a medieval town were: stonemason; draper (who sold cloth); tailor; carpenter; cobbler (who repaired old shoes) and cordwainer (who made new ones); grocer; furrier; fishmonger; baker; weaver; cheesemonger; cooper (barrel maker); cartwright; ironmonger; bowyer (who made archer’s bows); fletcher (who made the arrows); and chandler (who originally made candles). Many of these skills were passed down through families to become common surnames. As well as blacksmiths who forged iron, there were other metalsmiths including goldsmiths and silversmiths. Not only did goldsmiths make jewellery and other objects from gold but they also produced gold leaf to adorn the beautiful handwritten medieval manuscripts of the day. Most shops closed around 3pm, having been open as early as 6am. A curfew bell would be rung between 8pm and 9pm and everyone was then expected to vacate the streets or else have a very good excuse for being there. We could probably learn a lot from our medieval ancestors.

By Catherine Rose 6

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Travel

By Solange Hando

São Miguel, Top Hot Spot in the Azores Out in the Atlantic Ocean, this is the largest island in the Azores, a colourful place blooming year round but set precariously at the meeting point of three tectonic plates: Eurasian, African and North American. Bristling with dormant craters and cones, laced in waterfalls, hot springs and lakes, it’s truly awesome but these volcanic wonders hold every visitor spellbound. North-west of Ponta Delgada, the capital, a road winds up into the hills fringed in wild gladioli, hydrangea and agapanthus. The coastal scenery is delightful but turning inland you soon reach the ‘Royal Belvedere’, where in 1901 Dom Carlos looked down on the twin lakes of Sete Cidades. Framed by verdant slopes, connected by a narrow strait, they spread across the crater of a dormant volcano, their lovely colours reflecting the ever-changing light, one lake as blue as the sky, the other turquoise and green. Meadows shimmer along the shore and beyond the slender bridge, the pretty town greets you with

cottage gardens, bandstand and church. According to legend, the lakes were created by rivers of tears when a shepherd and his beloved princess parted on the hilltop. At the heart of the island, at 575 metres, Fire Lake claims the purest water. In clear weather, vantage points along the road reveal some stunning views, but in its pristine nature reserve the lake can only be reached down a steep trail. The hike along the shore is challenging at times but gorgeous, with luminous water, sandy coves, scrubland and forest, cliffs and the crater rim rising towards the sky. Meanwhile on the northern slope, the hot springs of Caldeira Velha nestle among giant ferns and towering trees, nature in the raw almost like a Jurassic Park draped in red rocks and steaming water. An iron-rich waterfall tumbles down into the upper pool, pleasantly warm, but the lower pool reaches a tingling 360 C. It’s the perfect way to relax after exploring the nearby trails.

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In the luxuriant hills in the south-east, Furnas has its own geothermal gems. Down by the village, a stream meanders orangy-red through mud springs and bubbling pools where you hear the ‘Devil’s Heartbeat’ while mini-geysers pop all around. Then head for the landscaped gardens of Terra Nostra with its walking trails and bathing pools of different temperatures, most amazing the circular lagoon near the entrance, so large it rarely feels crowded. The orange water is likely to colour your skin but before you shower, take time to enjoy its health-giving minerals. A short drive away, the crater lake boasts a romantic beach with glistening water and a few pedal boats but you soon smell the fumaroles puffing relentlessly at the foot of the hill. The locals love them: want to cook your Sunday lunch or a festival feast? No problem; just set your pot in the ground, cover it up, and a few hours later the tasty ‘cozido’ stew is ready to share with family and friends.

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Time of Year

International Left Handers Day August 13th is International Left-handers’ Day. As a leftie myself I’m always intrigued by the slew of articles that appear at this time of year with titles like, ‘Seven Facts You Never Knew About LeftHanders!’ The ‘facts’ are nearly always about how creative we are versus how clumsy we are, and one of the ‘facts’ which nearly always features in these lists is that those of us who are left-handed will die on average nine years earlier than our right-handed counterparts. Yikes! But is it actually true? Has anyone really checked this out? I did a little research and discovered that this ‘fact’ is based on two articles written by psychologists - one published in the 80s and one in the 90s. The articles were published in respected scientific journals, which gave them some gravitas. But why are lefties dying up to a decade earlier than everyone else? Are we slipping while using right-handed scissors and knives then bleeding out on the way to A&E? It seems pretty unlikely. Some 10-11% of the population are left-handed. If this were the case the streets would surely be awash with blood! Someone would have noticed, and ‘handedness’ would be the largest single predictor of life-expectancy! According to modern psychologists, who reexamined these studies, the previous researchers had made a small error. The original studies were carried out in Southern California, where lists are published of everyone who has died. The researchers used the lists to contact the relatives of 2000 of the deceased to ask whether they had been

left or right-handed. Clearly data protection was less of an issue in the late 20th Century! They found the oft-quoted figure that the left-handers died on average nine years earlier than their right-handed neighbours. But crucially the original researchers ONLY looked at the age at death, not when they died. Left handers are actually more common now than previously...or at least it appears we are. In fact, from the 1800s until the 1950s many left-handers were forced to live as right-handers, by teachers, or parents, or simply by the fact that most machinery in factories was designed for right-handers to use. Certainly, I can remember even as a child of the 70s being forced to write with my right hand by certain less enlightened staff at my village primary school. So, it’s probable that some of the dead people on those Californian lists may have been born lefthanded but spent most of their lives living as righthanders, and their families would have described them as such when the researchers called. Because of this historical discrimination many of those on the lists who were ‘out’ as left handers at least at the time the research was published would have been on average younger than right-handers and this would have skewed the results. So fellow lefties, the idea that we will die nine years earlier than the righties is a myth. PHEW! It’s true we may appear a little clumsier than right-handers but that is probably due to living in a world not designed for us. It does not affect our mortality...though I might just leave carving the Sunday joint to my right-handed husband!

By Kate Hammond

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WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS

to watch Ireland’s No. 1 Entertainer

NATHAN CARTER

live at the GORDON CRAIG THEATRE

We are giving you the chance to win a pair of tickets to watch Irish Country-Pop sensation Nathan Carter live in concert at the Gordon Craig Theatre on 1st October. One of the UK’s most exciting live performers, his energetic showmanship is proving irresistible for fans, even scoring him a prestigious slot performing for Pope Francis in Croke Park in Dublin, as well as shows in Ireland at the 3Arena Dublin and SSE Arena Belfast. This year, he marked St Patricks day with his very own show on BBC Radio Ulster, joined by fellow Country stars Catherine McGrath and Chloe Agnew. With tracks such as ‘Wagon Wheel’ and ‘I Wanna Dance’ receiving hit status, he is one of Ireland’s biggest artists, and with an incredible 7 top 10 albums under his belt, he is well on his way to becoming a household name. Most recently, the 2018 ‘Born for the Road’ shot straight into the top 5 at number 3. Growing up in a house where Country and Western music filled the air, Nathan was exposed to classic songs of Johnny Cash, Don Williams and Dolly Parton. From the tender age of 4 years old, not only learning to play guitar, piano and accordion, which plays a vital part in his live show, Nathan quickly became head chorister in the Liverpool Boys choir where he toured the world and even performed in front of the Pope in Rome.

For tickets, visit the venue box office or www.ticketline.co.uk

NATHAN CRAIG COMPETITION ENTRY



For a chance to win tickets complete the form below and send to: Nathan Craig Competition, Villager Publications Ltd, 24 Market Square, Potton, Bedfordshire SG19 2NP. Deadline: 16th August 2019. Terms & Conditions: No cash alternative available. Standard tickets only.

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Vintage Airshow Sunday 1 September 2019

Celebrating the best of lovely old aircraft, artisan crafts, and steam punk/vintage outfits. There will also be live music, activities for children, a pilot chat on the BlĂŠriot, vintage bus rides, Swiss Garden tours, vehicle parades and a variety of traders.

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03/07/2019 14:55:55

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Quirky Britain

By Kate McLelland

Over the moon? What a load of tosh! “He was yakking nineteen to the dozen, acting like he was the bee’s knees, but when I said he was talking a load of tosh he got the hump.” Foreign visitors overhearing this conversation in a British pub could be forgiven for thinking they’d landed in a parallel universe, but if you’re a native Brit, you’ll have understood it as: “He was talking very quickly, behaving as though he was somebody special, but when I criticised what he was saying he became angry.” Here in the UK we love our idioms: in fact, English is probably the most idiom-friendly language nation in the world. The Oxford Dictionary defines an idiom as “a group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words.” Here are some great examples, together with their origins: A load of tosh Now taken to mean “a lot of nonsense”, the expression originally indicated success for London’s ‘toshers’: individuals who used to scour the city’s sewers searching for anything of value. ‘Tosh’ was actually the treasure the searchers found, but the word became a negative term to describe the unfortunate toshers themselves. Bob’s your uncle Believed to date from the Victorian era, “Bob’s your uncle” refers to something that is easily and smoothly achieved. It is thought that the expression was a sarcastic response to the appointment of Arthur Balfour to a prominent position in government by his uncle, Robert Gascoyne-Cecil. ‘Bob’ was Prime Minister at the time. All gone to pot This saying could refer to leftover scraps being

boiled up for tomorrow’s soup, but it’s more likely we owe it to the practice of iron smelting, where damaged tools or weapons would be melted down in a crucible. Gets my goat It was believed that nervous horses would become calm if a goat was placed in the stall beside them, so it was common for nineteenth century racing rivals to remove or ‘get’ the goat assigned to a potential winner, in order to unsettle the horse. Talking nineteen to the dozen In the eighteenth century steam pumps were installed in Cornish tin and copper mines to clear the floodwater. When working to their maximum capacity, these pumps were able to clear nineteen thousand gallons of water for every twelve bushels of coal used to fuel them. It must have been easy for the miners to make the imaginative leap between the rattling of the pumps at full steam and someone speaking rapidly. Raining cats and dogs Witches were supposed to ride out during storms in the shape of cats, while the Norse storm god Odin was attended by dogs, so there could be a pagan origin for this unlikely saying. A less fanciful explanation emerges from the filthy streets of seventeenth century Britain, when a heavy rainstorm might occasionally flush dead animals out of the drains. Given that most of these terms are archaic, outdated and obscure, it’s surprising that we continue to use them so enthusiastically today. Idioms may continue to baffle students of English, but there’s no doubt they help to give our speech its unique character and vitality.

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Food and Drink

Worthy Wines - Romania

Romania has borders with several countries, that include Bulgaria,Ukraine and Hungary, as well as bordering the Black Sea. Tourism plays a big role in the economy of the country, with many visitors enjoying sites, including Black Sea resorts, plus preserved cities and also castles. The cuisine of Romania has both Austrian and German influences. Excellent Romanian wines are produced, utilising numerous native, local and international grape varieties, with viticulture having a history of 6000+ years, making it one of the oldest in the world. Many wines constantly receive prestigious awards, at events and competitions, globally.

The Prince Stirbey vineyard has been family-owned for 300 years. Today, the vineyard is owned and managed by Baroness Ileana Kripp, whose ancestors were the founders, and her husband Jakob. At the turn of this century a new winery was constructed, incorporating modern technology, with wines produced by Oliver Bauer. The winery now produces natural wines, to an exceptional standard, which are available in many countries, including the UK. Prince Stirbey Cramposie is a sparkling wine, made with the indigenous white grape, Cramposie and by the traditional method. This extra brut, pale-yellow production is both fruity and fresh. The very pleasant bouquet leads to the fruit pleasures on the mouth and extends for a long finish. Prince Stirbey Tamaioasa Romanesca is a very popular dry white wine and uses the grape of the same name, to great advantage. An intense bouquet greets the nasal senses, which continues on to the mouthfeel. Prince Stirbey Novac is made using Novac grapes. Extremely popular, this red wine pleases many. The bouquet has plenty of fruits, that follow to the mouthfeel, which is ripe and juicy. Prince Stirbey Negru de Dragasani (and the Rezerva production) are both further splendid red wines, selected for quality, with intense bouquets and abundances of dark fruits, for the mouth and palate, being very evident. Medium, to full-bodied, smooth and velvet-like, they are perfect to accompany a lot of cuisine, including red meats, superbly. For all details, information and availability, please visit www.stirbey.com

As always, Enjoy!

ey Trevor Langl

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Local News

Photo: Barry Ingram

Bedfordshire Walking Festival This September sees the 10th anniversary of what has become an annual and increasingly popular event, The Bedfordshire Walking Festival. From humble beginnings in 2009 the festival has grown and grown as more and more people are walking for leisure and fitness. Despite council cutbacks the range of urban and countryside paths are still generally well maintained and being used more often. For some, the benefit of joining a walk enables them to explore of new places and new paths, whilst for others it is the socialising. Whatever the reason there is a good walk in Bedfordshire not far from your door. Over the nine days from 7th to 15th September, there is a range of walks from one hour to nine hours duration, plus a range of informative walks of around 2-3 hours. Most are free and no booking is required. In this part of the county there are two walks from Shuttleworth, on Monday 9th a three hour circular intriguingly entitled “Its time to see the past, present and future” whilst on Tuesday a 2.5 hour informative walk “The hidden gems of Shuttleworth and Old Warden” both starting at 10-15. On Sunday 15th a two hour informative circular walk from Stotfold Mill entitled “The Mills of Etonbury Greenwheel” starting at 10-30.

2019

However if longer walks appeal why come to Sandy station on Saturday 7th for a 12 mile circular starting at 10-30 or sign up for the Greensand Ridge Path Challenge 40 miles over the weekend of 14th & 15th, if you cant do both days you could always come for one. Other walks in the area include a Health walk on Monday at 9-00 in Beeston, and on Friday an Informative walk in Willington and a linear bus walk from Haynes to Bedford. Further afield and celebrating our 10th anniversary, three walks based of the theme of 10 at Woburn on Saturday 7th. Sunday 8th at Priory Country Park Bedford. Sunday 15th at Ampthill Park. Plus walks around the county. If you are baffled by maps, confused by compasses, daunted by digital devices why not join a one day course on Sunday 8th at Maulden Village Hall. Cost £10 booking via web site.

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Food & Drink

Harissa spiced lamb fillet with

zesty herby couscous All my chefs on the Weekend Kitchen have discerning customers to please. They’ll all say it’s what keeps them on their toes. Happy customers make for successful businesses. Paul Nicholls is one such top chef, and he runs the restaurant at Woburn Golf Club. Feeding hungry golfers who have just shot 15 over par and whose swing has gone to pieces cannot be easy! Luckily Paul is one of life’s chilled-out chefs and he just takes it in his stride. Here’s a lovely, comforting and simple meal – perfect for forgetting about those golfing blues. If your butcher hasn’t got lamb fillets, any cuts will do – you can even use chops, although you won’t be thinning them out with a rolling pin! Ingredients: 8 lamb fillets, trimmed 2 tbsp harissa paste 250g cous cous 1 lemon, zested and juiced 1 lime, zested and juiced 3 tomatoes, finely diced 1/2 cucumber, finely diced 3 spring onions, chopped 1/2 bunch basil, finely chopped 1/2 bunch coriander, finely chopped 1/2 bunch mint, finely chopped 3 tbsp crème fraiche Salt and pepper Olive oil

Serves 4

1. Take your lamb fillets, pop them between two sheets of greaseproof paper and bash them with a rolling pin or hammer. Spoon over the harissa, mix well and leave to marinade in the fridge overnight. 2. The couscous will benefit from being made the night before too. Take a bowl, pour in the couscous and mix in the lemon and lime zests. Add in a little drizzle of oil and some salt and pepper. Give it all a good mix. 3. Pour in enough boiling water just to cover the couscous and immediately tightly cover the bowl with cling film. 4. Leave the couscous to steam for ten minutes, then gently fork it so it fluffs up. Let it cool a little, then mix through the remaining ingredients and pop it into the fridge to chill. 5. When you are ready to serve, heat a non-stick pan and add in a little oil on a medium heat. 6. Chuck in the fillets and flash fry them for two minutes on either side. 7. Take the fillets out and leave them to rest for a few minutes. Because they are thin, they will be perfectly pink. 8. Slice up the lamb on the diagonal, top the couscous with it and finish with a dollop of crème fraiche. 9. You can finish with some micro herbs or edible flowers for decorative effect.

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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Local News

Can you help the East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) save more lives? East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) is a helicopter emergency medical service covering Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire. Since its launch in 2000, the organisation has been dispatched to over 25,000 life-saving missions. The air ambulance can be tasked to assist the East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST) with any type of life-threatening or life-changing incident which might require advanced medical care, equipment or a quick transfer to the most appropriate hospital. This community-funded service has two helicopters operating in the region, each carrying a Doctor and a Critical Care Paramedic anywhere in East Anglia within 25 minutes. The charity receives no regular government funding and relies almost entirely on public support to keep its two helicopters flying and saving lives. Mission 24/7 EAAA has announced plans to become a 24/7 helicopter service by the end of 2020; the first in the East of England. Currently there is a seven hour gap, from midnight to 7am, in the East of England where no helicopter coverage is available if needed. Research shows that there is a significant nighttime need for critical care by air ambulance. Photo Credit: EAAA

By flying around the clock, the charity estimate they could be dispatched to up to 600 more missions a year, saving hundreds more lives. In order to develop and deliver their service 24 hours a day by helicopter, they need to raise an additional £1 million each year on top of the £12 million they already need to raise to stay airborne. EAAA believe the time of day shouldn’t dictate what type of emergency medical services are available to you, which is why they are passionate about becoming the first 24/7 air ambulance by helicopter in the East of England. To support the mission 24/7 campaign, go to: www.mission247.co.uk Volunteer – together, we save lives. Volunteers are a huge part of the EAAA operation and help to keep its two helicopters flying and saving lives, every day of the year. From regularly helping to monitor and empty collection boxes in your local community to sporadic help at fundraising events, there are lots of different ways you can volunteer to help the EAAA save lives. No matter how much time you can spare, your contribution will make a huge difference to this essential community-funded service. National Air Ambulance Week 9 – 15 September. EAAA will have various street collections across Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire building up to National Air Ambulance Week in September could you spare a few hours to help? Contact 03450 669 999, email volunteer@eaaa.org.uk or go online: www.eaaa.org.uk

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House of Colour

Top Style Tips For Crafters Whether you love flower arranging, sewing, knitting, gardening, jewellery-making, or cake decorating. Do you absolutely love a sequin or 20, or do you prefer a floral print or something more classic? We all suit different colours and have different style personalities that will not only be reflected in what we wear, but in our homes, our belongings, hobbies and treasured items. Let’s look at the importance of style in crafting. 1. How do we know our style? When thinking about our clothes our body architecture and proportions will partly determine what styles suit us, but the other vital factor is our style personality and this is just as important when it comes to our homes and crafts. You may like classic, dramatic, bohemian, quirky or natural looks. If for example something you are crafting doesn’t feel quite right, it most probably clashes with your style personality. 2. Garments - When you are creating clothes of any sort, whether that be sewing, crocheting, or knitting, there is so much to consider! The shape of a sleeve, the length of a hemline or trouser length, the type of neckline, the lapels, the weight and type of fabric, embellishments and detail, and of course the colours all need to be considered to make sure they are perfect for the wearer. 3. Fabrics and texture are important to any crafter, but carefully consider whether you prefer and suit a soft fabric such as a silk, velvet or mohair or something less willowy like cotton or hemp? Softer fabrics can produce more movement – consider how the piece is going to be used. 4. Structure is again important regardless of your crafting project. If you are using paper you may

notice you choose either asymmetric or precise cuts. Consider the importance of layering or movement and polished versus relaxed styles. 5. Patterns - Maybe you suit large, bold, geometrics patterns, or perhaps you love a gorgeous floral, or a traditional herringbone or paisley. Different size and density of patterns is also key here. 6. Details are the cornerstone to any crafting. Buttons, embellishments, sparkly sequins, strong calligraphy are all representative of your style. Accessorising any crafty masterpiece is also an easy way to update an existing piece. 7. Know what matters to you - Whether you are a traditional crafter, or prefer more contemporary styles, knowing who you really are and what you want your message to be really helps you celebrate your creativity. Try organic touches, be seasonal, use unexpected add-ons, think practical and beautiful, re-purpose and be eco-proud if you can. Be unique and make it authentically you. After all this is the joy of crafting! 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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Health & Fitness

Make Exercise a Real HIIT Add some variety to your fitness regime When we think of the gym we usually picture ourselves jogging on a treadmill, or pounding a cross-trainer, non-stop for 45 minutes. Some people love it, and get a real buzz from a session, but if you’re like me you’ll count every single second as you wait for the torture to stop. What if you could get more health benefits by doing just half the exercise? When I heard this was a possibility at the gym I attend I couldn’t sign-up fast enough. Enter HIIT, High Intensity Interval Training (pronounced ‘hit’). HIIT involves short periods, 30 seconds or so, of high intensity exercise followed by equally short rest periods which you repeat for around 20 to 30 minutes. The idea is to work as hard as you possibly can during each work session, then catch your breath, then repeat. At the end of the whole work out you should be totally exhausted. At this point you might be thinking that the 45-minute gentle jog isn’t sounding so bad after all, but HIIT has a number of real advantages. Each work period can be a different exercise. Some can be cardio; some can be strength exercises. This keeps the workout interesting (good if like me you are easily bored) and also gives you the twin benefits of improving fitness and building muscle. High intensity exercise burns more calories and

more fat. Because you are working flat out your body needs to expend a lot more energy. It can’t keep pace with your needs by simply burning easily accessible temporary carbohydrate stores, so it has to start burning fat. It also needs a lot more oxygen which is why you get out of breath. But this raises your body’s metabolism to a much higher level than simply jogging. So, when you finish exercise your body stays in this high-energy state for much longer burning even more calories. Your whole body has to work a lot harder to keep up with the exercise, especially your heart. In fact HIIT strengthens your whole cardiovascular system. It’s also very good at reducing insulin resistance (one of the precursors to type ll diabetes) which makes it much easier for your body to regulate your blood sugar, as well as helping to high blood pressure, the risk of heart disease, cancer, obesity and more. HIIT is easily tailored to any fitness level. If you pop to your local gym, you’ll usually find beginner, intermediate and advanced level sessions. But if the gym really isn’t your thing, it’s easy to do a HIIT work out at home. There are lots of apps and videos to help you out. Spending just 20 minutes, three times a week on HIIT will kick your health drive into top gear, so why not give High Intensity Interval Training a try?

By Mark O’Keefe 26

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Citizens Advice About five years ago my father-in-law was the victim of a scam artist who fleeced him out of £5,000. Once he realised, he was devastated and we were able to work with his bank to get some of the money back. We thought it was all in the past but in the last six months he’s received numerous calls, letters and texts from what look like other scammers. We want to try and keep him safe as his memory isn’t the best, what can we do? Unfortunately, falling victim to a scam once can increase exposure to further scams. Citizens Advice has found that, once someone has responded to a scam, their personal details can sometimes be sold onto other criminals. This then opens the door to more scam mail, emails, phone calls or home visits. If you recognise a pattern of unsolicited calls, talk to your father-in-law’s telephone provider and see if you can get these numbers blocked or if you can get something called a ‘standalone call blocker.’ If not, register your father-inlaw’s number with the Telephone Preference Service who can help you to handle unwanted marketing calls. If your father-in-law is receiving texts it’s important that he never replies, as sometimes there can be costly hidden charges. He can report the texts to his mobile phone provider who will be able to block the number. If he’s already been stung and call cost information wasn’t given, he should report it to Phone-pay Plus. Mail scammers can often impersonate banks, the local council, or other established and legitimate organisations. You should advise your father-in-law against responding unless he’s sure it’s legitimate and was expecting a letter. If in doubt he should contact the organisation directly to check the letter’s legitimacy. He should be careful to not just ring up the number on the letter as it could be a bogus call centre. In addition, to safeguard your father-on-law from unwanted marketing material or junk mail, register his name and address for free with the Mailing Preference Service which will take his name off some mailing lists. Doorstep scammers can often be intimidating, and unfortunately they commonly target older and more vulnerable people. Your father shouldn’t be embarrassed turning people away and shouldn’t let them in unless he’s expecting them. If someone comes to the door saying they are from one of his utility companies for example, he should ask to check their credentials. If in doubt, he should phone the company they represent or check online, but once again make sure not to just use the contact details they provide. To volunteer please email: recruitment@castevenge.org.uk For more information and opening times: www.stevenagecab.org.uk

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Fulfilling lives

Knebworth care home 59 London Road, Woolmer Green, Knebworth, Hertfordshire SG3 6JE careuk.com/knebworth 28

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Finance

Quick and Easy Ways to Save Money on Your Summer Holiday

By Ann Haldon

Summer holidays provide much-needed rest and relaxation in the middle of our often-busy year, and may even be considered essential to our health and wellbeing. They do not need to cost the earth, but how can you save money without detracting from the enjoyment of this precious time away? Here are a few tips to free up some extra spending money for this year’s holiday, or cash to put towards your getaway next year. Negotiate on price - It is possible to negotiate down your holiday price, particularly if it’s last minute. Tour and hotel operators are likely to be open to negotiation if it means they can fill the last few places on a tour, or the remaining empty airline seats. Choose your travel times carefully - The times you travel can directly influence price so if you are able to fly during the night, for example, you may be able to save some money. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are said to be less popular for travelling when compared with Fridays and over the weekend, so if you can go midweek it might be worth it. Do you need to fly direct? - If you don’t need to fly directly to your ultimate destination, taking an indirect flight can save you money, particularly in the case of long-haul journeys. It does cost you more in time, however, so this may not appeal to everyone. Avoid the added flight extras - Flight extras such as extra legroom, on-board meal, and additional

luggage allowances, add a considerable sum to your ‘cheap’ flight if you’re not careful. Some airlines include these elements in the advertised price but beware if you are using a budget operator, as they may be added extras. Combine airport hotel and parking - If you are travelling early in the morning or from an airport a long way from home, you may need to stay in an airport hotel the night before. If so, you can save money by combining the accommodation costs with car parking for the duration of your holiday. Travel while you sleep - Travelling while you sleep is a great way to make savings on the cost of your holiday. Whether you are starting your journey by train, coach or cross-channel ferry, overnight travel using these methods can be considerably cheaper than booking a hotel for the night. Independent excursions - The cost of excursions can be eye-watering, especially for a family, so try organising your own days out to save money. You may be able to buy admission tickets to attractions and events before you go on holiday, and by booking transport locally you will have a truly authentic experience. Going to different places and enjoying new experiences are life-affirming, and can be more affordable than you think. Save money on your summer holiday by driving down prices across the board, whether that is for an all-inclusive package deal or an independently created journey of a lifetime.

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With a spacious working showroom in the heart of Bedford, P & R Interiors is a local family-run firm that provides inspirational modern design and cost-effective solutions for both kitchens and bathrooms.

A stylish bathroom to suit your current needs…. With our ageing population, an increasing number of us are less mobile. P & R Interiors can design, supply and fit an up-to-the-minute bath or shower room which also discretely incorporates function and practicality for the less able. The best news is that many of these features are currently right on trend - from flush-to-floor shower trays and wet rooms, to walk-in showers with fixed glass screens – and built using the latest materials. Managing Director Paul Kynoch, who has decades of experience in the trade, explains: “We believe that simplicity and ease of use are key. Less mobile people may need a higher-level toilet or a lower access bath. Our basins and toilets can be hung at a custom height to suit every need. We have baths with a door, or showers with screens that open outwards to help prevent falls. “There are 54 working bays in our showroom that are constantly being updated. So, you can come in, see

exactly what you are buying and experience firsthand how it works. We supply, and can fit, your entire bathroom.” P & R Interior’s own dedicated installation team can work on the supervised installation of your bathroom while adhering to local authority guidelines. Safety is paramount, and designs incorporate safety glass, thermostatically safe showers and non-slip floors. Such is the design quality of the bathrooms, that accessories for the less able such as a wall-mounted fold-down shower seat, work seamlessly with the installation to be barely noticeable. Fold-down grab bars beside the toilet and sturdy shower rails that double up as supports all help make daily bathing the hassle-free pleasure it should be. It’s worlds away from the disabled bathrooms found in hospitals and care homes. It is also now possible to install low level lighting under the bath that comes on automatically when you enter the bathroom at night. Hidden behind a two-way mirror that gives the illusion of flooring stretching beneath a ‘floating’ bath, the effect is as stunning as it is practical. This is the beauty of these safety and mobility features - they are so unobtrusively stylish, no one will notice you need that bit of extra help as they will simply be admiring your bathroom! Materials have moved on apace since the era of acrylic baths in ‘avocado’. Now there are high quality

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resins that produce super thin shower trays and beautiful ‘tapless’ baths. Towel rails can be colour matched to cabinets for as little as £100 extra. If you’re not a fan of wall tiles (although P & R Interiors carries a vast range), you can have waterproof panels instead. And if you have a smaller bathroom - as many of us do - then you will find P & R Interior’s wide but shallow depth basin units fit perfectly and provide spaciousness.

…and a kitchen to meet your future ones

Following customer demand, the fitted kitchen displays are now an integral part of the business meaning that when you visit P & R Interiors, you are only a step away from having your dream kitchen. Top quality German and English-style kitchens are available to suit every budget and the company offers a free 3D software design package that Paul describes as ‘photographic’. Specialising in high-tech German designed kitchens from Pronorm alongside more traditional-style English kitchens from JJO Plc, far from being out of most people’s pockets, P & R Interiors can often match trade prices and will always work to your budget. “It’s really unusual for us not be able to come up with

a solution for you” says Andrew Groom who has 20 years’ experience under his belt. Germany is the industry trendsetter in kitchen colours and design - and high street retailers eventually follow suit. Pronorm epitomises the elegance of a true ‘handleless’ kitchen. With its expansive, sleek cupboard fronts and modern electrically-operated doors - including ‘glass climbers’ that magically fold up like Venetian blinds - their kitchens are state-of-the-art. In years to come, we will all have convenient pull-down shelves and smart, hygienic ceramic or glass inserts on our cupboard fronts, but for now, Pronorm sets the bar. As with bathrooms, kitchen materials are better and more durable than ever. You can have traditional granite in a gloss or leathered finish, quartz or Corian worktops, and now there are other finishes to choose from including Hi-Macs, and Staron. One of the latest worktop materials is Dekton. Described as ‘bomb proof’, it doesn’t stain or mark, is 100% hygienic, and heat resistant. It has been described as the ‘most scratch resistant surface on the market’. Finish off your design with mood enhancing, colourchanging lights and you really will have a kitchen of the future. P & R Bathrooms provides design and full installation or supply only. There is a five-year guarantee on all AEG Premier Partner exclusive products and a 10year guarantee on all kitchens. Both trade and retail are welcome.

P & R Interiors, 9 Lurke Street, Bedford MK40 3HZ Monday to Friday 9.00am to 5.00 pm Saturdays 10.00am to 4.00pm Tel: 0845 434 8401 Email: sales@pandrbathrooms.co.uk www.pandrinteriors.co.uk To advertise in The Villager and Town Life please call 01767 261122

Gardening

By Pippa Greenwood

Add Some Vertical Interest Whatever the size or shape of your garden, it will benefit from having some height added to it – and what better way to do this than with an arch or arbour? And, of course, any vertical structure you install in your garden makes for a new planting opportunity too… Position an arbour to overlook a good view or attractive part of the garden and you instantly create a fabulous place to sit and relax. An arch or an arbour can divide your garden into one or more rooms, a trick that makes your garden seem larger and more interesting. Chosen carefully, arches and arbours are good looking and a feature in their own right, and if you clothe them with climbers you are adding to their appeal. Plus, those climbers with the added ingredient of scent, like some of the rambling or climbing roses, or honeysuckle or jasmine, can totally transform the whole garden with their wafting perfume. The area around an arbour in a sunny spot with fairly free-draining soil can be planted with lavenders, so you can enjoy both the way it looks and the perfume and aromatic leaves after a stressful day. In sunny positions, plant thymes or camomile as a lawn on the approach to your archway or arbour; a fantastic aroma will be released when your feet gently crush the plants. Arches and arbours are available in a range of materials, with wood and metal being the most popular, both of which I find fit in with my gardening style. In these materials you can

transform them with wood stains or paints to a bright blue, rich red or any colour you fancy! An arch or an arbour can be constructed from scratch, but there is a wide range of ready-made arbours and kits for both arches and arbours available. If you choose wood, do ensure that it is a wood which is either naturally going to resist decay – western red cedar or a hardwood such as oak would be my preference, followed by Douglas fir or larch. Alternatively you can choose a softwood which has been tanalised or pressuretreated with a wood preservative, which will usually be somewhat cheaper. By choosing a wooden arch, perhaps with a rounded top and trellis up the sides, you ensure a really good planting space, and this more rustic look fits well in an informal garden. Many wooden arches are relatively inexpensive and easy to install. To find out what’s available, visit several local garden centres or take a look at mail-order products from the numerous arch and arbour websites, which make window shopping even easier!

Visit Pippa’s website www.pippagreenwood. com and you’ll find some great gardening items: Nemaslug, ladybirds and other great natural pest controls, stylish cloches, practical and pretty plant supports, the fantastic SpeedHoe, gardening tools, planters, Grower Frames, signed books and more! Or why not book Pippa for a gardening talk at your gardening club?

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Pets

Animal

Know-How Now that we are in the full swing of summer, it is important pets are not forgotten about during hot spells. It can be fatal for animals to overheat and suffer from heatstroke, yet there are many ways it can be avoided by keeping our fury friends cool. Sadly the most common complaint the RSPCA receives during a heat wave is dogs being left in hot cars. When it is a hot day outside the temperature inside a parked car is almost doubled, and a dog can die of heatstroke within 15 short minutes. If a dog has been spotted left inside a parked car and is in obvious distress, call 999 immediately. The police have the correct authority to free the dog, potentially saving its life. Another common cause of dogs suffering from heatstroke or heat exhaustion is dog walking during the hottest parts of the day. This, again, can be extremely dangerous and potentially fatal, yet easily avoided. On hot summer days, it is best to take dogs on their walks either early morning or late evening, outside the hours of 8am and 8pm when it is coolest, therefore preventing a dog from becoming overheated. A simple test before heading out on a dog walk is feeling the pavement outside. If it is too hot for a bare hand being held for 5 seconds, it is too hot for a dog. It is also best to remember, if it really is too hot, a dog will not die from missing just one dog walk. There are six main things to look for if a dog is suffering from heatstroke; BRAIN – are they having a seizure; EYES – are they glazed over; BODY – do

they have an extremely high temperature; LEGS – are they staggering or have they collapsed; MOUTH – are they panting or drooling excessively or have they vomited. If a dog has suspected heatstroke and any of these symptoms have been spotted move the dog somewhere cool, offer small amounts of tepid water, douse with cool (not cold) water and most importantly, contact a vet immediately. It is not only dogs who suffer in summer heat waves, another common complaint is rabbits in hot hutches. If a rabbit hutch is not properly protected from the sun, just like a dog in a hot car, rabbits can overheat and suffer from heatstroke which can be potentially fatal. Signs of heatstroke in bunnies are reddening of the ears, panting or salivating, slow moving, weak or convulsing. If a rabbit has suspected heatstroke and any of these symptoms are apparent, contact a vet immediately. However there are simple ways to keep rabbits cool to prevent them from overheating. Provide ample shade using sheets or parasols; place cold damp towels over hutch or run roofs; make sure they have plenty of cool, clean water which is replenished regularly; keep ice packs or frozen water bottles inside the hutch or run. Remember, if you see an animal in distress during hot weather, contact a vet immediately or the RSPCA animal helpline on 0300 1234 999.

Brought to you by the RSPCA Bedfordshire North Branch www.rspca-bedfordshirenorth.org.uk 36

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Food & Drink

By Sarah Davey

The Big Apple - A brief history of cider

Cider is a popular and delicious summer drink, but have you ever wondered who first thought about turning apples into alcohol? Apple trees have been cultivated since around the 5th century AD and cider, or something similar, seems to have been around for almost as long, although sometimes it was known as ‘apple wine.’ It was brought to Britain by the Normans in around 1100 AD and was originally a drink for the poor. Ale was made from malted barley and using grain for alcohol could mean going without bread, so cider provided a good alternative. People drank it instead of water because sanitation was so poor, and water was often not safe to drink. It is believed that children were even baptised using cider because the water was so risky! The first settlers in America planted lots of apple trees simply so they could continue to make cider to drink. Originally, they crushed the apples in a trough, until a genius named John Worlidge produced the first apple-mill in 1676. In the 1800s The Temperance movement killed off the cider industry. Fired up by speeches from ministers and politicians, many farmers destroyed their ‘demon orchards,’ sparing only the trees used for sweet nonalcoholic juice. During the Prohibition years, American cider production fell by 76%. Today the best English cider is cask-conditioned; dry and fruity, with low carbonation. Normandy cider is sweeter and more effervescent with a complex flavour. Both drinks are perfect chilled, served on a warm summer evening, with friends. Cheers!

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Technology

By Mark O’Keefe

Post-Modern Pac-Man Retro gaming brought bang up to date We often look back on our childhood toys with fond memories. For many of us those “toys” will include some sort of computer game. You might have owned a Nintendo Wii, a Sony PlayStation, a Nintendo Game Boy, a Sega console or one of the early computers such as a ZX Spectrum or BBC micro. You might even have hung out in one of those gloriously noisy games arcades which popped up everywhere in the 80s and 90s. Whatever your gaming heritage I’m sure you spent many hours happily bashing away on the keys trying to beat your highest score. Wouldn’t it be great if we could relive some of those glory days without having to actually find and buy a 30-year-old computer which still works? Well you can! Retro gaming has come to your rescue. Retro gaming uses emulators to play your old games. Emulators are special programs that allow your modern computer or games console to “pretend” to be a vintage games machine. You use the real programmes and play them in the emulator to get an exact copy of the gaming experience. You can also buy retro controllers for almost all the old systems that plug into your modern computer but let you use a keypad that looks exactly like the original controller. Finding games is very easy and usually free. There are a number of enthusiasts who have built superb libraries of all the old software and provide them as free downloads via their websites. If there was a particular game you loved, or one you longed to

have a go at, the chances are you’ll be able to find both an emulator and the game somewhere on the web. Modern games machines are also catching on to retro gaming. You can buy emulators for most modern games consoles which allow you to play games from the old systems. These aren’t free but are usually a simple download from the relevant app store. You’ll also find new consoles and handheld gaming devices dedicated to playing arcade classics and consoles games. Some companies are even producing copies of the original hardware that look like the old machines but with more reliable, modern electronics inside. So, if you’re after a taste of nostalgia, or if you just want to find out what some of the great classics were like, check out one of the systems below or have a look online for your ultimate system. RetroPie is a complete retro gaming system that uses a Raspberry Pi computer that plugs into your TV. There are complete kits available which will get you set up for well under £100. LaunchBox is a free emulator for your computer or laptop. It includes emulators for almost any system you can remember in a nice easy to use package. Just add a controller of your choice for the full retro gaming experience. The Nintendo Switch has an app that lets you play all the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) games. Just visit their online shop.

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Technology

How to get online on holiday We make sense of mobile data and dongles

Going online is a necessity for many travellers. It enables us to get accurate weather predictions, to check flight statuses and to find out about local tourist attractions. So how do you get connected when you’re far from home? Many hotels, resorts and attractions promise free Wi-Fi, but in some cases the Wi-Fi is limited to a single device, and you’ll often find that the service is too slow to stream TV programmes. In some cases the Wi-Fi will block specific servers and websites. You can get around the single-device limit if you have a smartphone with a Personal Hotspot feature. This creates a Wi-Fi network that other devices can connect to, but all the data runs through the phone. It won’t change any blocks on streaming – if you’re determined, you can get around them using Virtual Private Networking software – or speed up very slow internet connections, but it does mean the kids can connect their Kindle Fires or other devices when the

weather isn’t brilliant. Sometimes, the best way to go online is to use your phone’s data connection – 4G coverage in most big holiday destinations is very good. The main concern is the potential cost, with some tourists running up massive mobile phone bills during their holiday. But mobile data needn’t be expensive. It might even be free. Each major operator has a list of countries where you don’t need to worry about big data bills, so for example Vodafone offers free roaming across 48 different countries on Pay As You Go and 77 countries on contracts that include Global Roaming Plus. Always check before you go: if your phone contract doesn’t include roaming you can usually buy a roaming add-on, such as a certain amount of data for a fixed fee. It’s usually much cheaper to buy a data bundle than to incur charges when you’re abroad, and if you need more you can buy another one via your provider’s

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app or website. But check coverage – you can’t use your phone if your destination has no signal. If you want to connect laptops or other devices and your phone doesn’t have the virtual hotspot feature, another option is to invest in a data dongle. This can be a device that plugs into your laptop’s USB port to give it mobile data access, or it can be a dedicated device that creates a portable Wi-Fi hotspot. At the time of writing, Vodafone’s mobile Wi-Fi hotspot is £50 on Pay As You Go. That price includes 15GB of mobile data, which lasts for up to 90 days before expiring. If you’re using public Wi-Fi networks, be careful: it’s really easy to set up a convincinglooking but fake Wi-Fi hotspot to intercept people’s internet traffic. If you need to do secure things such as online banking, consider investing in an app such as Tunnelbear. It creates a secure, your-eyes-only tunnel between you and the site you’re using.

Dating

The Dating Game

By Tracey Anderson

Many of us have watched the drama of Love Island recently. We tend to think of blind dates, speed dating and computer dating as modern phenomena, but it seems humans have always dabbled with the dating game. When the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite, arranged a meeting between Paris and the lovely – but – married Helen, she may have been responsible for the first ‘blind date’, and as it resulted in the Trojan War, it probably doesn’t count as a terribly successful one! The world’s first proper ‘marriage bureau’ was founded by Henry Robinson in London’s Threadneedle Street in 1650, and inn July 1695 the very first ‘would like to meet’ advertisement was published in the somewhat drily titled magazine, Collection for the Improvement of Husbandry and Trade. The advert read: “A Gentleman, about 30 Years of Age that says he has a Very Good Estate, would willingly Match Himself to some young Gentlewoman that has a fortune of £3000 or thereabouts. And he will make Settlement to Content.” Be still my beating heart! The first couple to be matched by computer were the Americans, Shirley Sanders and Robert Kardell in 1958. They were then introduced on a TV show called People Are Funny. They were married in Hollywood in the October of that year and their honeymoon was paid for by the show’s sponsors. Today there are more Than 7,500 dating sites across the world. Match.com is the biggest online dating site with 23.5 million users worldwide! And last year eHarmony was responsible was responsible for 4% of marriages in the US! I wonder what the future will have in store for the dating game…

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Premier Painters and Decorators are a professional, punctual and hard working company delivering outstanding quality of work to our clients in and around Stevenage From wallpaper hanging, feature walls, coving and cornice work. We even clean facias, soffits and guttering. (PVC or Wood) If you would like to take advantage of our services, require a quote or advise please do not hesitate to contact us. Be assured when Premier quote a job there are NO HIDDEN EXTRAS. Private and commercial, exterior and interior painting services.

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Parenting

By Kate Duggan www.kateduggan.co.uk

Safe in the Sun Our top tips for keeping children safe on holiday. Stop slips There are few things more pleasant than relaxing with a cool drink on a hot day beside a swimming pool. Bliss. Unfortunately, however much you tell your children not to run by the pool, they never seem to learn. While non-slip shoes won’t make your child any less likely to ignore your warnings, they could help to prevent a nasty fall. Slipfree® shoes can be used in and out of the water, and are also handy for protecting feet from hot pebbles on the beach. They’re quick-drying, breathable and comfortable. (My son would wear his 24/7 given the chance.) Available in a range of designs and sizes, Slipfree® shoes are priced at £14.95 at www. iloveslipfree.co.uk. Sun safety If your child hates having sunscreen re-applied, you might want to invest in a long-sleeved, long-legged sun suit like this one by Frugi, which has a UPF of 50+. You’ll still need to use sunscreen on exposed areas. M&S Kids Sun Smart Sun Spray is SPF50, suitable for sensitive skin and helps to moisturise skin while it protects. Let your child choose their own sun hat, as they’re more likely to wear it without protesting. It may not be quite as tasteful as the one you’d have chosen, but hey, you’re on holiday. Holiday homes Planning to rent a holiday home this summer? Set

a reminder on your phone to check the fire alarm when you get there. According to new research by VeriSmart, up to 40% of rental properties don’t have a working smoke alarm, despite it being a legal requirement. If the property has a gas fire, gas cooker, coal fire or wood burning stove, it should also have a carbon monoxide detector. Depending on the age of your child, you may need to check whether there’s a stair gate and safety latches before you go. If there isn’t, consider investing in a travel stair gate such as the Lindam Flexiguard, which folds up small and is easy to attach without screws. Stranger danger See www.nspcc.org.uk for advice on talking to your child about strangers and hazards. The site also has advice on online safety, what to check if your child is taking part in a club, and more. A child identity wristband is a good idea for younger children. Write your name and phone number on the wristband in case your child gets lost. (Search Amazon for ‘ID wristband’.) Stay hydrated You’ll need to make sure your child stays hydrated while you’re out and about. If you don’t want to spend a small fortune on bottled drinks (or waste all that plastic), a reusable water bottle is essential. The ones at Getting Personal can be personalised with your child’s name. Who knows, it might even encourage them not to lose it. One can hope.

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Life Begins...

My partner’s lost in the past

By Kate McLelland Do you listen to Spotify while your partner still enjoys scratchy cassette recordings? Do you bristle each time he or she switches on the Yesterday channel, or counts out loose change instead of using a contactless card? Age affects people in different ways and if you’re a forwardlooking person who is willing to embrace change, it can be frustrating when your partner seems happier living in the past. If you can both laugh off your differences and set them aside, there’s no problem, but if your partner’s behaviour starts to affect your lifestyle as a couple, it could be a red flag for your relationship. At 56, Stephen Adebusi-Jones is two years younger than his wife Mary, but she feels his attitude to life is typical of someone much older. “Steve always wanted to hear the latest band, experiment with different foods and travel to new places,” says Mary. ”But all that stopped after he turned forty five. These days he prefers to stay in, listening to the same music he played when he was young. He even moans when I suggest

something different, like trying out a new recipe.” That’s a familiar story for Jamie Barber, who has lived with his partner Mimi for the past twentyfive years. “Mimi’s interest in Sixties nostalgia began when she started buying and selling vintage clothes and jewellery online,” Stephen explains. “She used to enjoy trawling charity shops and online auction sites for vintage buys, but now she just watches reruns of 1960s films and TV shows on YouTube.” It can be hard to understand how a partner who was once positive, optimistic and adventurous could lose those qualities as they age. While it’s easy to accuse them of being ‘stuck in a rut’, a psychiatrist may take a different view. If your partner is displaying symptoms such as low energy and general loss of pleasure in everyday life, it’s possible they are suffering from a condition called dysthymia. Also known as ‘Persistent Depressive Disorder’ and closely related to depression, this condition can last for years and, thanks to its undramatic symptoms, often goes undiagnosed.

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A person with dysthymia might suffer from low self-esteem, show little interest in daily activities and seem irritable and ‘down’ much of the time. Avoiding social activities, not getting minor tasks done and losing concentration are also signs of this condition. The good news is that it can be relieved by a combination of talking therapy and medication. If you believe that your partner’s mental health is at risk, you should encourage them to contact a GP. Alternatively you could find help from Age UK, which runs a free counselling service throughout the UK. Call Age UK’s helpline on 0800 678 1602 to locate a counsellor near you, or visit their website at ageuk.org.uk. Whoever came up with the wise old adage “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift; that’s why they call it the present!” seems to have understood the importance of looking forward, rather than living in the past. If you can communicate that message to your partner, there’s a chance it could transform both your lives for the better.

n O s ’ t Wha In August

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

1, 8, 15, 22 & 29 August The Hitchin Thursday Club 9.30am-12 noon St John’s Community Hall, Hitchin A friendly group which meets every Thursday morning for recreational painting, drawing, etc.. The group is very easy going in its attitude to art - only doing your own thing. Still Life and raffle every month. No qualifications required - just come along with your drawing gear and you’ll receive a very warm welcome. Tel: Pauline 01767 315553 1, 8, 15, 22 & 29 August Stevenage Plus Social Group 8.15pm for 8.30pm Holiday Inn Express (opposite Matalan), Stevenage £2 - first night free Stevenage Plus Social Group is a fun and friendly social group with members in their 30s and 40s from Stevenage, North Herts and surrounding areas. We have a varied programme of events on Thursday and Saturday evenings as well as day trips and weekends away. New members always welcome. Tel: 01438 231550. Email: welcome@stevenage.plus Web: www.stevenageplus.co.uk 1, 8, 15, 22 & 29 August Sapphire Social Club 8.30pm The Orange Tree, Hitchin A small and friendly group for single people generally aged 50 and above, offering a variety of social events during the month and the opportunity to meet and make new friends. Potential new members are warmly welcome to come along with no joining fee for the first two months. Tel: Joyce 07952 678021 or Ian 07900 890583 for info Web: www.sapphiresocialsinglesclub.co.uk

2, 9, 16, 23 & 30 August Springfield House Friday Bridge Club 1.30pm Springfield House (the home of the Old Stevenage Community Centre) To play cut-in Chicago Bridge. Play is informal and friendly. Tel: Richard Bean 01438 221517 3 August The Signals Museum Open Day 10am-4pm The Signals Museum at RAF Henlow is open to the public. Entry is free but official photo ID such as a driving licence, passport or over 60s Bus Pass is required to get an entry ticket from the Guardroom. See website for full information. Web: www.rafsignalsmuseum.org.uk 5, 12 & 19 August Stevenage New Pathways 1-4pm Friends Meeting House Cuttys Lane, Stevenage £2 inc. hot drink & biscuits A friendly place to meet and talk over issues in a positive way. Maybe go for walks, bring in speakers, form a craft group. Email: katiewilsonmind@gmail.com 5, 12, 19 & 26 August Hare & Hounds Hash House Harriers 7.30pm H5 are a social running and walking club for mixed abilities, meeting every week in the Bedfordshire area. The trail is set by our hare from a local pub and typically lasts 1 hour covering between 3 and 4 miles. Family and dog friendly. Full details of the trails can be found online or via email. Email: info@h5hashers.org.uk Web: www.H5hashers.org.uk

5, 12, 19 & 26 August Branch Out Social Club for Single People 8.30-11pm Cromwell Bar, The Sun Hotel, Hitchin Branch Out meets every Monday night and is a medium-sized Social Club for single people. The club organises regular events, such as dinners, discos, meals, parties, Sunday walks, theatre and concert visits, day and weekend trips and holidays. Tel: Lorna 01438 233657 Web: www.branch-out.org.uk 6, 13, 20 & 27 August Stevenage Bridge Club 7.30pm Priory Nursery, Stanmore Road, Old Stevenage To play Duplicate Bridge. A host system is run to find partners, if required. A wide level of ability play at the club. Tel: Phil Cooper 07957 813434 8 August The Arts Society North Herts Talk 11am-12.15pm Letchworth Broadway Cinema, Eastcheap, Letchworth £7 on the door Talk by Neil Faulkner on the Dead Sea Scrolls - an introduction to Palestine in the time of Christ. All welcome. Email: theartssociety.nh@gmail.com Web: www.theartssocietynorthherts.org.uk 13 & 27 August Hitchin & District Probus Club 12 noon for 1pm Priory Hotel, Hitchin Social club for retired and semi-retired professional and business men which meets on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month for lunch. Organised visits and events throughout the year. New members welcome. Tel: Roger Burt 01438 351891 Email: roger@mazda20.plus.com

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n O s ’ t Wha In August

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

14 August Hitchin Flower Club 7 for 7.30pm Church House, Church Yard, Hitchin Visitors £6.50. ‘Summer Breeze’ a Flower Arranging Demonstration by Vikki Traherne. Tel: Michelle 01462 637874 Facebook: Hitchin Flower Club-NAFAS 17 August Join the Dots Forest School Great Wymondley Village, near Hitchin Sessions every third Saturday of the month for children 2+ years, with additional dates in school holidays. Come and join our fun filled sessions involving games, den building, flora and fauna identification and much more. 2-5 years, 10.30am-12.30pm £16, siblings £12. 6-11 years, 1.15-4pm £20, siblings £18. Everyone welcome. Email: alison@jointhedotsforestschool.co.uk www.jointhedotsforestschool.co.uk 25 August RSPB Hitchin & Letchworth Local Group Trip 9.30am Reserve entry charges may apply Own transport trip to College Lake BBOWT (am) and the Tring Reservoirs (pm). A day out in the Chilterns, looking for resident and migrating birds and other wildlife in this attractive part of the world. Meet at College Lake car park (O/S 165, SP 935 139). Tel: 01763 249459 Email: martinrjspc@hotmail.com Until 29 August* Victorian S.T.E.A.M. - Children’s Activity Days 10am & 1pm The British Schools Museum, 41/42 Queen Street, Hitchin £5 per child. * Every Wednesday and Thursday. Come and celebrate the Victorian age of S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Mathematics). Marvel at Victorian ingenuity, creativity and eccentricity, then take your fun creations home with you! Suitable for ages 4-11. Booking highly recommended. Web: www.britishschoolsmuseum.org.uk

30 August Hitchin Book Club 5pm Orange tree, Hitchin Admission £2.50 A friendly group who meets the last Friday of each month. No pressure to read books just turn up for a drink and chat. Web: https://hitchinbookclub.simdif.com or https://www.meetup.com/Hitchin-BookClub/ 31 August Hitchin Children’s Book Festival 10am-2pm The British Schools Museum, 41/42 Queen Street, Hitchin £6. Stories will come to life, as some of the best-loved children’s authors and illustrators read from, and talk about, their fabulous books. Join Harriet Muncaster and Fabi Santiago for a morning celebrating their children’s books. Book in advance. Web: www.britishschoolsmuseum.org.uk 17 & 24 September Parent Career Coaching Workshop 10-11.30am Symonds Green Community Centre, Stevenage £12.50 per session. Four Tuesday sessions with Jessica Cox, accredited career coach and recruitment professional, who will help you if you are a parent returning to work, looking for a new job or considering a career change. You will gain the tools to get you noticed, write a CV that stands out and much more. To book please call or visit the website. Tel: Jessica Cox 07388 537435 Web: https://peakperformancehr.co.uk/ contact/ Until 24 November The British Schools Museum 41/42 Queen Street, Hitchin Adults £5.50, Children 5-17 £3, Under 5s free The British Schools Museum re-opens for public visits. Normally open on Fridays 10am–4pm, Saturdays 10am–4pm and

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Sundays 2pm–5pm but please check the website for details of temporary changes to regular opening hours and of special activities and extra opening times during school holidays. Last entry time for the museum is 30 minutes before closing time. Discounts available for family groups. On the first Sunday of each month you can enjoy a Victorian lesson at no extra charge. Lessons start at 2.30 and 3.30pm - don’t be late! These sessions are very popular and advance booking is recommended. Tel: 01462 420144 Website: www.britishschoolsmuseum.org.uk Until 15 December* First Threads: Preparing girls for life? Fri & Sat 10am & 4pm, Sun 2-5pm The British Schools Museum, 41/42 Queen Street, Hitchin A new British Schools’ Museum Exhibition on girls’ early education featuring needlework samplers and the stories of the girls who sewed them. * Open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. www.britishschoolsmuseum.org.uk Hitchin & Surrounding Areas Fun & Social Stuff A welcoming social group based in Hitchin, but, also includes the surrounding areas. We arrange monthly socials, drinks socials, live music, pub quizzes, cinema, etc.. The group is a variety of people over 18 getting to know others in a social and friendly setting. Email: meetup3@outlook.com Web: https://www.meetup.com/meetupgroup-HVrvZZiQ Hitchin Bridge Club Hitchin Bridge Club plays duplicate bridge several times each week. All levels of experience welcomed, hosts are available at some sessions for players without a partner. Workshops each month on topics for improving players. Beginners courses are run every year starting in October. Tel: Margaret 01462 623447 Email: mee.hitchin@ntlworld.com Web: hitchinbridgeclub.org.uk

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Crossword Solution for The Villager July Edition Last Monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Crossword Winner - Mr T Bolton from Alconbury Bickerdikes Competition Winner - Mrs Jean Charter from Biggleswade

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Book Review

Books By Kate Duggan

Little Darlings by Melanie Golding

The Perfect Wife by JP Delaney

Vegan One Pound Meals by Miguel Barclay

Cleaning the Gold by Karin Slaughter and Lee Child

Lauren is convinced someone is planning to abduct her newborn twins, so when they go missing it seems her fears were justified. But when the twins are found, Lauren is convinced they’re not hers. Have they been swapped for changelings like she believes, or is Lauren suffering from post-partum psychosis? Is she the only one who can save the babies, or is she the one who’s putting them in danger? A chilling page-turner that keeps you guessing.

This book proves that vegan food can be as delicious, easy and inexpensive as it is healthy. There are twists on classic dishes, such as ‘artichoke paella’, ‘cashew pesto pasta’ and ‘tomato tarte tatin’, along with plenty of original dishes, such as ‘kimchi tacos’ and ‘sticky aubergine bao’. Most only use a handful of ingredients and all work out at around £1 per portion. Recipes are easy to follow and each is accompanied by a mouth-watering image.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

If you haven’t yet read the biography of Lale Sokolov, summer could be the perfect time as you’ll want the time to digest this book in peace. Lale was imprisoned in Auschwitz from 1942 and put to work tattooing the other prisoners. During his time at Auschwitz, Lale witnessed both the brutality of the human race, and its appetite for kindness, self-sacrifice and hope. While The Tattooist of Auschwitz is at times harrowing, it is also a love story. A must-read.

Abbie wakes in a hospital bed to discover everything she thinks she knows to be true is wrong. She’s an AI who’s been created by her tech genius husband using memories of the real Abbie, who died five years before. As she struggles to come to terms with her life, Abbie starts to question everything she’s been told. But when she has no rights, who can she trust? Suspense, twists and moral quandaries abound in this skilful thriller.

Looking for a quick read? This collaboration between bestselling writers Karin Slaughter and Lee Child is just 80 pages long. It brings together two of their best-known characters – Jack Reacher and Will Trent. Will is undercover investigating Jack when they realise there are bigger fish to fry. A perfect slice of fast-paced action to enjoy while you’re waiting for your flight.

The Farm by Joanne Ramos

Golden Oaks farm doesn’t grow tomatoes, wheat or potatoes. It grows babies. The surrogate mothers (Hosts) are paid to incubate their rich clients’ embryos. While at Golden Oaks, they have to adhere to strict rules, from giving up their phones to following a diet. The Farm is told from the viewpoint of four women: Jane and Reagan are two of the hosts, while Mae is the brains behind the lucrative business. Ate is Jane’s cousin. The Farm is thoughtprovoking and topical, and a fantastic page-turner.

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N O T YO U R AV E R A G E H O M E I M P R OV E M E N T C O M PA N Y

WALL COATING

ALL REPAIRS UNDERTAKEN BREATHABLE COATINGS WEATHER PROOF SMOOTH OR TEXTURED SELF CLEANING PROTECTS YOUR WALLS CLEAN & TIDY INSTALLATION SUITABLE FOR MASONRY OR RENDER • COLOUR MATCH AVAILABLE • 10 YEAR GUARANTEE • • • • • • • •

Before After

0800 046 1080 UP TO 30% OFF IN AUGUST hello@thehomeimprovementproject.co.uk www.thehomeimprovementproject.co.uk 62

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Bringing Local Business to Local People Your local full colour A5 monthly magazine delivered free of charge to 1000s of homes and businesses in your local area. The Villager and Town Life is dedicated to promoting local businesses, charities, community groups and everything else in your local area.

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