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And save 20% this winterHomes from Home for the RAF family Flowerdown House in Weston-super-Mare, Richard Peck House in Lytham St Annes or

Rothbury House in the Northumberland countryside. Whatever your preference, the

break you deserve is just a phone call away. All three have facilities to cater for a wide

range of needs and have care and non-care rooms. As well as wonderful food and

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4 Retirement – A time to planSo often people retire expecting a life of bliss only to find that the reality is far short of the expectation. This does not have to be the case, as Frank Anslow writes, with careful planning retirement can be a most rewarding and happy time.

6 UpdateLending with care- Nuneaton man helps microloan barrier scheme break £1m barrier; Olympic legacy sees more than five million British adults take up sports this summer; Almost half a million people expect to retire owing money on their mortgages; UKs oldest traveller: 101 year old ‘Turbaned Tornado’.

9 RecipesMince is often overlooked but Josephine Dimbleby’s ingenious recipes show that it is an ingredient that can provide many mouth-watering meals

10 SubscriptionSubscribe and have Retirement Today delivered direct

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10 Preposterous ErectionsEighteenth century eye-catchers,

nineteenth century ego boosters, twenthieth century communicators, towers continually rise up into our collective consciousness. We look at a few fascinating towers from various parts of England.

15 Seasonal Affective DisorderWinter depression is not a figment of

the imagination, nor is it a new fad. Psychiatrists have known for a long time

that mood and emotional diseases can be seasonal. Read how you may be able to help

yourself a great deal to shift SAD, without a huge amount of effort.

16 Out and AboutEvents taking place throughout the country.

19 CompetitionsYour chance to win tickets for the theatre and DVDs

21 Perfect PlanningEven if you’ve never picked up as much a trowel before, it’s never too

late to start gardening. However, don’t be too daunted by the idea of planning a garden, if your plan doesn’t work, you can often change things later. Some tips and ideas to inspire you.

24 Charity NewsRead what is happening within the world of charity.

25 The Older DogThere is no specific age when a dog becomes old. For many of us this happens far too soon. Read about how your dog ages and the signs to look for.

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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the prior permission of the publisher. The opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publisher. Although every care is taken to ensure the accuracy of the information and the advertisements contained within the magazine, the publishers cannot accept any liability. Retirement Today would be pleased to receive your articles and photographs for possible publication. Although all reasonable care will be taken the magazine can assume no responsibility and contributors are advised to retain a copy.

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Take the breakyou deserve at one of ourHomes from Home

And save 20% this winterHomes from Home for the RAF family Flowerdown House in Weston-super-Mare, Richard Peck House in Lytham St Annes or

Rothbury House in the Northumberland countryside. Whatever your preference, the

break you deserve is just a phone call away. All three have facilities to cater for a wide

range of needs and have care and non-care rooms. As well as wonderful food and

entertainment, between the end of October 2012 to the end of March 2013 we can

offer an equally appealing 20% discount. *

For more details just call us on 0116 268 8774, fill in the couponopposite or visit www.homesfromhome.org.uk. We look forward toseeing you soon.

Please send me details on:

Flowerdown House

Richard Peck House

Rothbury House

Name

Address

Postcode

Tel

Email

Send to: The RAF Association

117½ Loughborough Road

Leicester LE4 5ND

!

* Terms and conditions apply

Registered Charity 226686 in England & Wales. SC037673 in Scotland RT October 2012

Royal Air ForceBenevolent FundTHE HEART OF THE RAF FAMILY

625 Advert for RT_Layout 1 28/08/2012 10:17 Page 1

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It’s Retirement day! You have worked as a Senior Manager for many years, managing people, attending meetings, solving problems, driving up and down the Motorway, constantly taking telephone calls, and now retirement!

The time of life you have looked forward to for so long. You can now play Golf as often as you like and the time is your own to do anything you want to do. Great! Or is it?

I am a retired Senior Manager and in my experience the way to a happy retirement requires a positive mind-set and much planning.

Of course this is the case for all people facing retirement not just Senior Managers.

Problems in retirement occur for many reasons, but such things as having too much time on your hands, overcoming health problems, and dealing with money issues can all be addressed with careful thought, good planning, and positive action.

So often people retire expecting a life of bliss only to find that the reality is far short of the expectation.

This does not have to be the case. With careful planning retirement can be a most rewarding and happy time.

It is often stated that many people experience a period of loss of self-esteem when they first retire as the phone

stops ringing and there is much less day to day people contact.

The way to overcome these issues and to realise a happy retirement, is quite simply, good planning.

H a p p i n e s s in retirement is for many dependant on being busy in contrast to having lots of time on your hands. Of course this is not the case for all people as some will be happy doing very little. However, in the majority of cases people wish to have more time to do what they want but they also need to be busy and active.

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This lifestyle is much more likely to lead to a fit, healthy, and fulfilled retirement.

The key to a happy retirement is the planning of a smooth transition from full time work to retirement.

This thought process needs to commence many months before you actually retire.

Much time should be spent thinking about how you can properly fill your time in retirement in a rewarding way.

Think about the things you enjoy in your existing work life and what,

if any, of these things you would want to take into your life after work. For example, do you wish to continue challenging your mind and/or do you want to maintain a good range of people contact. Or perhaps you would like to continue working on a part time basis.

Think also about your hobbies, perhaps new hobbies or working as a volunteer for a charity and, most importantly think about an active exercise plan.

Of course it is not always possible to be very active as some people are limited due to health problems etc. However, except in exceptional circumstances it is normally possible

Retirement – A Time to Plan

The key to a happy retirement is the

planning of a smooth transition from

full time work to retirement.

to develop some sort of exercise plan. This

doesn’t mean that you have to run, or cycle, or do

things that are very energetic if you are not able. It could simply mean that you take the dog for a

walk every day, or you walk to the shops, or any other form of exercise that you are comfortable with. The important thing is that whatever

you choose to do, do it regularly as part of your plan.

Dr Peter Saunders, a retired medical practitioner who has spent some considerable time dealing with the health issues of Senior Citizens, commented on the importance of following an active exercise plan during retirement:

‘Recent research suggests that regular and frequent exercise is probably more important than diet in maintaining health. This of course should not be a reason for overeating! Surprisingly, even low-grade exercise such as a twice daily stroll is of benefit to those of us who are older and wiser. This applies even to those

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who have conditions that limit the duration or intensity of exercise. The message is just do it – ‘regularly and frequently’

Strive to maintain a healthy body and a healthy mind, it’s all down to developing a well thought out plan and sticking to it.

Whatever you decide the important thing is to make sure that you have the plan in place at the time of your retirement.

Aim to fill your time with a good mix of things you will enjoy.

At the time of my retirement from full time employment I started a Consultancy Business working from home on a part time basis. This was planned many months in advance of my retirement date. I successfully ran the business for a period of six years. This was part of my plan to aid the transition into retirement.

I was able to continue with many of the things I had been used to in my

full time employment, but I had more time to

spend with my grandchildren and to pursue my hobby of

‘Fly Fishing’.I have contracted Rheumatoid

Arthritis since my retirement from full time employment but through

medication and continuing to maintain my plan to walk with my dog in excess of three miles a day

I have, to a great extent, managed to overcome this debilitating disease.After completing six years in my Consultancy Business

and with my age approaching sixty six I then decided that the time had come for me to change my plan and do something a little different.

This is an important point, just because you have a plan doesn’t mean it can’t be changed. It will need to be kept under review to suit your own individual circumstances and requirements.

I then enrolled on a Freelance Journalist Course with the ‘British College of Journalism’ which I have now successfully completed. I had no previous experience with media work of any kind, but I enjoyed writing and people involvement. I now write feature articles for magazines.

Mr Hugh Purcell a retired BBC film producer who has a BAFTA award commented on his plan to continue doing some work in retirement:

‘Semi-retirement is easier for me because I can continue writing and film teaching. One important point is that I need paid work. This is not for the money at all but because I need to feel valued. My ego is fragile so, amidst “pro bono” work here and there, it’s good to know I’m

still in the market’Planning is important for all

matters and simple actions like planning to fix energy bills and savings rates at the best deals

possible, and later reviewing and planning again will ensure the best available situation. As will planning to be energy efficient by making sure the loft is properly insulated and the central heating boiler is serviced regularly.

As the baby boomers are just getting settled into their first years of retirement and with some I/2 million people facing retirement in 2012, the importance of retirees and their contribution, cannot be overstated. So if you are approaching retirement. Get that plan started! n

Retirement – A Time to Plan

Recent research suggests that regular and frequent exercise is probably more important than diet in maintaining health

by Frank Anslow

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UK’s Oldest Traveller: 101 year old “Turbaned Tornado” Gatwick Airport announces 101 year old Fauja Singh the winner of its nationwide search for the UK’s Oldest Traveller which was set up to help highlight how accessible airport travel can be for passengers with reduced mobility (PRM).

Singh is an age-defying marathon runner who travels the world to compete in races and is known as the “Turbaned Tornado”. Singh has lived in Britain since 1992, received his letter from the Queen on reaching 100 last year and, just a few weeks ago, on 21st July, he carried the Olympic Flame through The London Borough of Newham.

Courtesy of British Airways and Vdara, Singh has won two return flights to Las Vegas with British Airways from London Gatwick as well as three nights’ accommodation at the 5* Vdara Hotel & Spa.

Singh, who only speaks Punjabi, said through his coach and translator Harmander Singh: “One of the most precious things in life to me is being able to see the world and have new experiences and I don’t plan to give up anytime soon so it’s great to see that Gatwick is encouraging others to do the same. My favourite travel experiences are those which have involved running a marathon. I have never been to Las Vegas but believe there is marathon there in December!”

LENDING WITH CARE: Nuneaton man helps Microloan Scheme break £1m barrierLendwithcare.org, the ground-breaking micro-loan scheme which allows the general public to lend directly to people setting up small businesses in developing countries, has broken through the £1 million barrier with the help of 65-year-old Peter Rogers.

Launched last year by The Co-operative and CARE International UK, lendwithcare.org has now channelled £1million to support entrepreneurs in the developing world. Over 26,000 loans have now been made to small-scale entrepreneurs in developing countries. These entrepreneurs range from hairdressers and market stall holders in Togo, West Africa, to artists and farmers in Cambodia. On average, each lender supports six entrepreneurs, with a minimum loan of £15.

The £1 millionth was loaned to 37-year-old father of three Jay Roy Mendez in the Philippines for his convenience store business. His loan came from 65-year-old Peter Rogers from Nuneaton in Warwickshire who has now lent to 11 different entrepreneurs through the site.

www.lendwithcare.org

Olympic legacy sees more than five million British adults take up sports this summerA summer of sport has already resulted in a positive legacy with over five million more GB adults inspired to take up exercise, of which almost a fifth (907,000) of these people are aged 45 or over, according to a study commissioned by Tissue Regenix Group (‘Tissue

Regenix’)*, the regenerative medical devices company.

The study follows suggestions by Lord Coe, chairman of the London 2012 organising committee, that the current generation of parents are likely to be the first to be fitter than their children. But Tissue Regenix is warning the quest to remain healthy comes with its own risks with a fifth (22%) of those who have taken up sport over the summer having already suffered an injury – a potentially unwanted legacy of the Olympics.

Likewise, over the last 12 months almost one in ten (8%) of GB adults have suffered an injury as a direct result of taking part in sport and other activity and of these, 1.15 million are people aged 45 or over. According to the NHS, the rise in middle-aged sportsmen and women is likely to result in a 20 per cent increase in knee replacement surgery within ten years, with around 7,000 knee replacements currently undertaken.

*Tissue Regenix commissioned ICM to conduct online research with 2031 British adults aged 18 and over between 20-22 July 2012

UPDATE

Almost half a million people EXPECT to retire owing money on their

mortgages Over the next 30 years over 400,000 people will retire

with an average of £52,446 outstanding on their mortgage according to new figures from The Equity Release Council (The Council). This research on almost 2,000 consumers suggests that while some people enter retirement with

debt due to unforeseen circumstances, others cannot see themselves repaying their borrowing before they retire.

Indeed, 23% of those aged 55-64 believe they will retire owing an average of £65,955 and 17% of 45-54 year olds

believe they will still owe £48,037 on their mortgage when they finish work

The proportion of people who believe they will retire with mortgage debt increases the closer they get to retirement.

This suggests that set-backs in later life such as an underperforming endowment or windfalls which fail to

materialise mean more people will actually be facing this problem than anticipated.

RETIREMENT today 7

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Indian meatballs stuffed with cheeseI love eating things with hidden surprises, and meatballs provide a perfect opportunity. Here the soft cheese centre blends perfectly with the spiced meat; lovely for a summer meal served with mint leaves and a crunchy onion salad.

• 500g lean beef or lamb mince

• 8 cardamom pods

• 2 tsp coriander seeds

• 6–8 whole cloves

• 3–4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

• sea salt

• 3–4 pinches of chilli powder

• 1 large egg, lightly whisked

• 1 tbsp groundnut or sunflower oil, plus extra for oiling

• 100g soft white cheese

• plain flour, for dusting

• a good handful of coriander leaves, roughly chopped

Serves 4–5

Place the minced beef in a large mixing bowl and mash thoroughly using a wooden spoon until pasty and sticky. Carefully make a small incision in the cardamom pods and extract all the seeds. Place the cardamom seeds, coriander seeds and cloves into a coffee grinder or pestle and mortar and grind to a fine powder. Using a pestle and mortar or a small bowl and metal spoon, pound and grind the garlic with a teaspoon of sea salt until you have a purée.

Stir the freshly ground spices, garlic purée, chilli powder and egg into the meat until thoroughly combined.

Using wet hands, form the mixture into ping-pong sized balls. Oil a flat surface and flatten the balls out into fairly thin circles. Put a teaspoon of the soft cheese into the centre of each meat circle and carefully bring the meat up and around the cheese so that it is completely enclosed. Spread some flour on a board or flat surface and roll the meatballs in the flour until thinly coated.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the meatballs for 5–8 minutes, turning carefully until browned all over. Transfer the meatballs to a serving bowl and scatter with the coriander leaves before serving.

My Bubble and SqueakI don’t actually know why I called this bubble and squeak because apart from including cooked potatoes and cabbage it isn’t anything like it. However the addition of well-flavoured pork makes it a quick and healthy all-in-one family dish.I used to use dill seeds as well as the caraway seeds but I have now replaced the dill with nutmeg, which I think tastes even better.

• 500g waxy potatoes, such as Charlotte

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 1 tsp caraway seeds

• 300g lean pork mince

• 200g sweetheart (pointed) cabbage, very thinly sliced

• ¼ whole nutmeg, grated

• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Serves 4-5Cut the unpeeled potatoes into small cubes and steam or boil until cooked. Heat the olive oil in a large, deep sauté pan over a medium heat and add the garlic and caraway seeds. Mix for 30 seconds, then add the pork mince and cook for 4–5 minutes, or until the meat has separated and browned. Stir in the cabbage and cook for 2 -3 minutes, or until limp. Add the nutmeg and cooked potato cubes and stir for another minute to reheat them. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

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M ince is often overlooked but Josephine Dimbleby’s ingenious and mouth-watering recipes show that it is an ingredient that provides

unparalleled opportunities for truly marvellous meals.

Recipes taken from MARVELLOUS MEALS WITH MINCE by JOSCELINE DIMBLEBY, published by Quadrille (£9.99, hardback)Photos © STEVEN JOYCE

Marvellous meals with Mince

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Marvellous meals with Mince

Far Eastern Pie When I first made this pie you could not buy tinned coconut milk so I had to invent a laborious method of boiling fresh coconut in milk. Thankfully there is no need for that now! If possible always use whole spices and grind them yourself – they are far more aromatic.

• 500g spinach, stalks removed

• sea salt

• 50g butter

• 2 rounded tsp ground coriander seeds

• 1 rounded tsp ground cinnamon

• 1 tsp ground turmeric

• 4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 3cm piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped

• 700g beef mince

• juice of ½ lemon

• 2 tbsp desiccated coconut

• 40g ground rice

• 400ml coconut milk

• 500ml whole milk

• 2-3 pinches of hot chilli powder

Serves 6–7Plunge the spinach into a saucepan of boiling salted water for a minute, or until the leaves go limp. Drain and press out any liquid. Roughly chop the leaves.Heat 25g of the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the coriander, cinnamon and turmeric and cook for no more than half a minute to release the aromas. Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook for another 30 seconds. Mix in the mince, increase the heat and dig at it with a wooden spoon to break it up as it cooks, remove from the heat once the mince has browned all over. Stir in the spinach and the lemon juice and spoon into an open, fairly shallow ovenproof dish. Set to one side.Preheat the oven to 190°C/Gas mark 5. Place the desiccated coconut in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave to one side. In a saucepan, mix together the ground rice, coconut milk and whole milk. While stirring, bring the mixture to the boil. Turn down the heat and allow to simmer gently, for about 5 minutes, or until thick. Season with salt and spoon the sauce over the meat mixture. Sprinkle with the chilli powder.Drain the desiccated coconut. Melt the remaining butter in a saucepan, remove from the heat and stir in the drained coconut. Spoon over the pie and cook in the oven for 35–45 minutes, or until a rich golden brown.

Italian MoussakaThere are certain ingredients which seem to represent the food of a country more than any others. Tomatoes, mozzarella and veal conjure up Italy, aubergines make me think of Turkey and moussaka reminds me of Greece. This dish is a wonderful mix of all three.

• 2 large aubergines, about 700–775g, peeled and thinly sliced into rounds

• juice of 1 lemon

• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 500g veal mince

• 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 1 rounded tbsp finely chopped rosemary

• 3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for oiling

• 1 tbsp tomato purée

• 1 onion, roughly chopped

• 500–550g fresh plum tomatoes

• 1 rounded tsp caster sugar

• 125–150g mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced

• a handful of basil leaves, roughly torn

Serves 6Place the aubergine in a colander set over the sink and cover with half the lemon juice and some salt. In a bowl, mix the mince, garlic, rosemary and seasoning. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Add the veal mixture and stir for 4–5 minutes, or until the meat has separated and browned and any liquid has evaporated. Stir in the tomato purée and the remaining lemon juice. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Put another tablespoon of oil into the used frying pan, turn down the heat and fry the onion until soft. Transfer to the bowl of mince. Make a small incision in each tomato. Cover with boiling water and leave for 1–2 minutes. Drain, peel and discard the skin and halve the flesh lengthways.Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas mark 4.Thoroughly rinse the aubergine and pat dry with absorbent kitchen paper. Oil a 1.5–1.8 litre ovenproof dish. Cover the bottom of the dish with half the slices of aubergine and some pepper. Spoon in the mince mixture and spread level. Cover with the remaining aubergine slices and more pepper. Top with the tomato halves, cut side down. Brush with oil and sprinkle over the sugar. Cook in the oven for 1½ hours. Heat the grill. Cover the dish with mozzarella and cook under the grill for 2–3 minutes, or until the cheese melts. Sprinkle with the basil and serve.

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Eighteenth-century eye-catchers, nineteenth century ego boosters, twenthieth century communicators, towers continually rise up into our collective consciousness. They are the landmarks of our journeys, the map pins of our personal geographies; always looked-out for, always in the corner of the eye. In this extract we look at a few fascinating towers from various places in England.

Wimpole Hall, Cambridgeshire“…I know these works are an Amusement to you”. So wrote Lord Lyttelton to Sanderson Miller on behalf of his pal Lord Hardwicke at Wimpole Hall. Miller was in great demand, seemingly falling over himself to erect fashionable sham ruins in every landscaped park he came across. Lyttleton had him put up a castle on his Hagley Hall estatein1747-8,andasaresultofhis introductiontoHardwickethis faux castle was created “at a proper distance from his house”. This was the whole point, to have a conversation eye-catcher that could be remarked upon over breakfast, or visited on post-lunch strolls across the park. Looking straight through the house from the front door it’s the first thing you see.

Country gentleman Sanderson Miller rapidly drew sketches, including representations of the stand of firs that were requested as a backdrop to the ruin. These things were taken very seriously by wealthy clients, and in Hardwicke’s case his castle was very likely meant to be loaded with expressions of his political beliefs. Constructionstartedin1767,butnotbeforeMillerhadgonemad.

It was completed by landscape gardener Capability Brown and architect James Essex, but Lady Hardwicke thought it didn’t look ruinous enough. She should see it now. Time has done what it always does, fulfilling the promises that only decades of standing about neglected in all weathers can achieve, haunted now by pigeons posing ecclesiastically in the window openings. Lady Hardwicke would have approved.

Brizlee Tower, Alnwick, NorthumberlandA Latin inscription on the Brizlee Tower says “Look around! I have measured out all these things; they are my orders, it is my planting; many of these trees have even been planted by my hand”. The very proud exclaimer was the

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1st Duke of Northumberland, a compulsive arboralist who had this elaborately ornamental tower erected in1781as thecrowningglory tohisworksontheHulne Park estate west of Alnwick, where his castle dominates the north of the town. The architect was probably John Adam, although the Duke himself has beencredited.The78feethighhexagonaltowercanbe seen for a considerable distance, but the approach was carefully worked-out so that it is revealed in truly dramatic fashion as one walks up through the trees on Brizlee Hill.

The tower is built in six stages, with a verandah above the pointed Gothic entrances and a vertiginous balcony below the final stage which supports a cast iron fire basket. This gives the tower what Pevsner calls ‘…a most curious outline’. What a sight this would have been if used, roaring flames reaching up above the dark trees. Except there are no existing records to say it was ever lit. However, local man JohnCommondiddoaheadstandonitin1868.Thetower developed problems with rusting ironwork and

the inevitable water penetration rendering the stonework unsafe. All has now been restored to its former glory, with works co-ordinated by Robin Kent Architectural Conservation. I wonder if they left a bit of Latin somewhere.

Haldon Belvedere, DevonFind your way to Exeter Racecourse and you’ll see a sign for the Haldon Belvedere. If you’re not careful it’s very easy to miss it in the bower of trees on the right hand side of the road, but park in the space just before it and follow the path into the woods. The woodland walk takes you over a stone bridge and then the white turrets will come into view.

The triangular Haldon Belvedere arrived on this hilltop in 1788, built by SirRobert Palk, a past Governor of Madras. Dedicated to his friend Major General Stringer Lawrence, founder

of the Indian Army, the three-sided tower made a focal point on Palk’s vast Devon estates and is also known as ‘Lawrence Castle’. King George III came up here and, like many high points in the south of England, was probably used by Marconi for early wireless transmissions. The Devon Historical Buildings Trust renovated the towerin1994,andithasnowbecome,naturally,aweddingcake-like wedding venue. The top floor is available for short lets, the apartment giving views over to the Exe estuary, Exeter, the South Hams and Exmoor. If it’s a particularly clear day they say you can see the Isles of Portland and Purbeck; maybe even Wales.

Preposterous Erectionss

Stratton’s Folly, Little Berkhampstead, HertfordshireTucked away in a Hertfordshire village, this embattled red brick tower was built in 1789 byAdmiral John Stratton. Rumour, that stalwart recounter of tales, has it that Stratton erected it in order to view shipping on the Thames. Even as the adventurous crow flies this is getting on for nearly thirty miles, so one can safely say that this was a somewhat over ambitious objective, even with the highest powered telescope of the day. But there was once a library reached by 150 steps, where perhaps the Admiral reclined with maritime books whilst looking wistfully out across the countryside, wishing that the river and his beloved

ships were nearer. The tower is 100 feet high, a round tower on an octagonal base that utilised bricks from a demolished house nearby, and built close to the site of a former brewhouse.

Towers erected by individuals often have stories attached to them that have the owners wanting to be able to see or watch over something normally out of reach. It may be the thought of being able to keep an eye on labourers in surrounding fields, to show-off the extent of an estate to admiring guests, to facilitate the following of a local hunt, or, more romantically, to gaze at the final resting place of a loved one in a distant churchyard. In the eighteenth century the new obsessions with science meant that observatories were the latest must-have building needed to bring one nearer to the heavens, and Stratton’s is often referred to as being constructed for just this purpose.

Lord Cobham’s Pillar, Stowe, BuckinghamshireStowe is unique in showing the complete range of eighteenth century landscaping in a remarkable series of garden and parkland pavilions, grottoes, temples and rotundas. Here is a veritable theme park of ‘follies’, everything from a Temple of Concord and Victory that would be at home amongst cypresses on a Tuscan hillside, to a Palladian Bridge that seems to come straight out of the mould made for those at Wilton and Prior Park.

The wife of the 4th Baronet, Sir Richard Temple, had this stunning column designed by James Gibbs in the last two years of her husband’s life. Lord Cobham’s Pillar is, at 104 feet, the tallest of the Stowe monuments, and a fitting punctuation mark as it virtually concludes the main stage of garden building at Stowe. A spiral staircase winds up to the little glazed belvedere that in turn is surmounted by a statue of Lord Cobham in the almost obligatory Roman armour. High winds buffeting the column brought buttresses to the basein1792,designedbyValdré,eachsportinga Coade stone lion. The same lightning strike that toppled Lord Cobham from his perch in 1957 also put paid to three of the lions.Allwere replaced in a 2001 restoration.

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Farley Mount, HampshireA chalk trackway, a white pyramid, a dead horse. The track looks as if it was once used to connect Winchester with Romsey, a diversion off the Roman road that connected Winchester to Salisbury, and at the top of Mount Hill is this slender white pyramid with a tiled porch on each side, three of them blind, one opening into a tiny room. The views are magnificent, right down to Portsmouth, the reason it’s here utterly bizarre. It records the leap a foxhunting horse made inSeptember1733intoa 25 feet deep chalk pit with the owner, Paulet St. John, still on its back. Both survived, and the deeply impressed huntsman went on to

ridethesamehorseintheHunter’sPlateonWorthyDownin1734.He won, his mount by now re-named ‘Beware Chalk Pit’.

In1740thehorsewasburiedhereandamonumentbuiltonthemound. It’s not exactly certain that this is the original;restorationwascarriedoutin1870bythe Rt. Hon. Sir William Heathcote and what we see today would appear to be different from aprintmadearound1860.Evenmorecuriousis the re-telling of the story on a Brooke Bond PGTipscardofthemid-1990swithapictureof a chimp doffing a top hat whilst riding past the monument n

Extract taken from Preposterous Erections – A book of English Towers by Peter Ashley. Published by Frances Lincoln.

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Open Weekend on 15 - 16 September 2012 For further details or a brochure contact us on 01427 718243 sales@thejohnkinchgroup.co.uk www.elmsretirementpark.co.uk The Elms, Torksey, Lincoln, LN1 2EH

...with a move to our luxury award winning Retirement Park Home Park nestled in beautiful, rural Lincolnshire. Come and visit us on our open weekend to view our park homes for sale and see how a move to The Elms could release capital and let you enjoy a whole new lifestyle in this amazing unspoilt setting.

Change your view of retirement...

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Scottish History by Distance Learning

Medieval and Early Modern Scotland: 1100-1707 Modern Scottish History: 1707 to the Present

The Dundee-Open University programme in Scottish History offers you the chance to study Scotland’s history from 1100 until the

twenty-first century. Each course is accompanied by five volumes of specially commissioned essays

by leading Scottish historians, readings and original documentary sources to make these honours-level courses the most consolidated

route to the study of Scotland’s past.

The courses run from February to October and can count towards an OU degree (60 level 3 points

each) but are also open to anyone interested in studying Scottish history.

For further information contact:

Laura Schiavetta Scottish History Distance Learning

University of DundeeDundee • DD1 4HN • Scotland

e: scottish-history@dundee.ac.uk

www.dundee.ac.uk/history/distancelearning

Scottish Charity No: SC015096

For the first time ever, one of Hollywood legend James Stewart’s most personally significant roles is released on Blu-ray™ as Harvey debuts on 10 September, 2012 from Universal Pictures (UK). Digitally restored from high resolution film elements in perfect high-definition picture and perfect high-definition sound for the first time ever, accompanied by an array of bonus features.

Stewart stars as the good-natured Elwood P. Dowd, whose constant companion is Harvey, a six foot tall rabbit that only he can see.

We have 3 Blu-ray copies to give away.

For a chance to win send in your name and address quoting ref H, to Amra Media Solutions, The Old Lavender Mill, 46a Brook Street, Aston Clinton, Bucks, HP22 5ES or email info@amramedia.co.uk.

Closing date 28 September 2012.

WIN HARVEY

ON BLU-RAY

Tiredness is a recognised part of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) or winter depression. Many people in northern climes feel

low in the winter or go into a type of hibernation mode, with minor changes in energy, appetite, mood and sleep. One in 20, however, suffers from SAD, in which a lack of natural daylight causes changes in energy appetite, mood and sleep patterns that are significant enough to interfere with normal living. SAD is marked by fatigue and over-sleeping, craving for carbohydrates and corresponding weight gain, social isolation and withdrawal from people, and depression.

The growth of SAD may be due in part to our indoor 21st century lifestyle, as we spend at least three-quarters of daily life under artificial light, whereas, in pre-electricity days, work was geared towards daylight, taking place either outside or near to windows during daylight. While lack of daylight is most likely in winter, other times we may not get enough natural light could be, for

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example, when working long hours indoors or when working at night. Wearing glasses may also screen out natural daylight.

The cause of SAD isn’t really known, but one theory is that we simply don’t get enough natural light on our eyes, which acts as a wake-up call to the body. This is especially true in the morning, when light hitting the eyes signals to the brain, more specifically the pineal gland, to stop producing melatonin, the substance that makes us drowsy at night. Melatonin production is linked with our circadian rhythm, the process that helps regulate our internal body clock, and tells us when to sleep and when to wake up. Disruption of this natural body clock

may cause depression. Exposure to bright lights has also been linked with the production of serotonin, lack of which causes depression.

SAD does need to be differentiated from clinical depression or manic depression (bipolar disorder), which can also have cycles throughout the year.

Light therapy is a standard as well as the obvious treatment for SAD. Some people find more exposure to daylight helpful; others find they don’t benefit unless they have access to a device that emits really bright light. This might mean, for example, having a bright lamp at the breakfast table, wearing a cap with a special light for an hour in the morning or having an alarm clock (dawn stimulator) that uses gradually increasing light as a wake-up device.

There is some evidence to show that light therapy may help those with a chronic fatigue syndrome. One study showed that more than a third of people with chronic fatigue syndrome found their symptoms were worse in winter; in fact, over-sleeping, daytime fatigue, carbohydrate craving and eating were indistinguishable from these same features in people with SAD. Research at Columbia University Medical Centre, New York, and

the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, showed marked improvement in people using light therapy, not just in SAD-like symptoms such as daytime tiredness, but also in physical symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome (such as joint pain) that are rarely seen in SAD. Light therapy may also be helpful for people who fall asleep too early or who can’t go to sleep until late and then oversleep in the morning, because bright light is believed to help reset the body clock. Some research has also found it helpful with pre-menstrual syndrome – both for psychological and physical symptoms n

An extract from Overcoming Tiredness and Exhaustion by Fiona Marshall, published by Sheldon Press.

Seasonal Affective Disorder

THE WONDER OF LIGHT THERAPYAs one of the pioneers of light therapy, SAD Lightbox Company offer a wide range of light therapy products.

For further information visit www.sad.uk.com or telephone 0845 095 6477

BIGGER

3 ways to register:1. Register online via www.50plusShow.com

2. Call the free ticket hotline on 01372 8409 63 / 68

3. On-site Registration*

(*On-the-door is £10 without on-site registration)

younger!SECC, GLASGOWFriday-Saturday9-10 NOVEMBER 20129.30am - 4.30pm

Better

• Cookery demonstrations • Seminars & information• Financial tips & advice • Park & holiday homes• Have-a-go dancing • Health checks • Craft zone • Climbing wall • Beauty Zone• Gardening• Fashion Show• Keep fi t sessions• Prize quiz• Holidays & travel• Music & Entertainment• FREE 50+ Show Magazine and visitor bag while stocks last!

Register for free

tickets today!

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Night Paintings by Paul Benney A free fine art exhibition 4 October – 9 December 2012 Somerset House presents Night Paintings, an exhibition by the established painter Paul Benney. The exhibition includes more than 25 paintings, comprised of past and new works created over the duration of the artist’s tenure as a resident artist. The exhibition will be the first exhibition of paintings to be held in Somerset House’s Deadhouse, a series of hidden, atmospheric light-wells and chambers which contain the gravestones of 17th century nobility beneath the Edmond J. Safra Fountain Court. Night Paintings reveals the artist’s deep interest in the intangible world we see beyond the mirror. His allegorical paintings are inspired by a long tradition of artists including Goya, Rembrandt and Velázquez, whose art, whether allegorical, religious or historical, flourished alongside their works of portraiture, the one informing, shaping and redefining the other. For further information visit www.somersethouse.org.uk

Pre-Raphaelites: Victorian Avant-Garde Tate Britain: Exhibition12 September 2012 – 13 January 2013 Bringing together over 150 works in different media, including painting, sculpture. photograph and the applied arts, the Pre-Raphaelites constitute Britain’s first modern art movement.Led by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Holman Hunt and John Everett Millais, the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (PRB) rebelled against the art establishment of the mid-nineteenth century, taking inspiration from early Renaissance painting.The exhibition establishes the PRB as an early example of the avant-garde: painters who self-consciously overturned orthodoxy and established a new benchmark for modern painting and design. It includes many famous Pre-Raphaelite works, and will also re-introduce some rarely seen masterpieces.For further information visit www.tate.org.uk

Out&About...THE LAMMERMUIR FESTIVAL‘Beautiful Music in Beautiful Places’14 - 23 September 2012 The Lammermuir Festival returns for its third year presenting its biggest and most diverse programme to date. In unusual and stunning venues throughout the picturesque region of East Lothian, Scotland.. Most exciting of all is the spectacular event at the breathtaking medieval ruins of Tantallon Castle, commissioned by the Festival as part of the Year of Creative Scotland.

The stunning natural beauty of the region and its abundance of interesting venues provide the perfect setting. The Lammermuir Festival offers a sense of discovery: discovering music you might not have heard before, discovering new places in East Lothian, or even discovering that a place you know well is transformed when filled with music.

This year’s Festival brings new events: a series of lunchtime song recitals, talks, guided walks and some glorious East Lothian gardens, which will be open throughout the Festival.

For further information visit www.lammermuirfestival.co.uk

Rembrandt and the PassionHunterian Art Gallery, Glasgow

15 September – 2 December

2012This must-see exhibition is one of the most significant to be staged by The Hunterian in its 200 year history.

Rembrandt and the Passion offers a unique opportunity to see one of The Hunterian’s most famous paintings, Rembrandt’s Entombment Sketch, alongside a number of key international loans, including masterpieces never seen before in Scotland.Rembrandt and the Passion tells the story of his Entombment Sketch and explains how it influenced one of the most important commissions of Rembrandt’s career. The exhibition also goes behind the scenes in his studio, uncovering his painting process, inspiration and the techniques he used.For further information www.gla.ac.uk/hunterian.

Van Gogh to Kandinsky: Symbolist Landscape in Europe 1880-1910National Gallery, Edinburgh

On until 14 October 2012This blockbuster exhibition, which is a collaboration between the National Galleries of Scotland, the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam and the Ateneum Art Museum Finnish National Gallery, Helsinki, brings to life a period around the turn of the 20th century that features some of the world’s most famous artists from Van Gogh, Gauguin and Munch to Mondrian and Kandinsky. This exhibition presents the only chance for UK audiences to see the first ever exhibition to address the theme of symbolist landscape painting. Focusing on nature and the world around them, symbolist artists were able to suggest a deeper and more meaningful reality behind the ordinary and the everyday.For further information visit www.nationalgalleries.org

Rembrandt van Rijn, Self-Portrait, 1632©CSGCIC Glasgow Museums Collection.

Sean Shibe at Lennoxlove House,

© Iain Stewart

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Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Astarte Syriaca 1877, ©Manchester City Galleries

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The Diabetes Wellness News is the monthly publication of the Diabetes Research & Wellness Foundation, who fund medical research and provide educational support to people living with, or who are at risk of diabetes, to ensure they are ‘Staying well until a cure is found…’

For your 3-month FREE TRIAL OFFER please send your name and address to:

Diabetes Research and Wellness FoundationFREEPOST SCE9746Northney MarinaHayling Island, Hampshire PO11 0BR

(Please note: using a stamp will reduce cost for the charity)

OR email subs@drwf.org.uk quoting Free Trial Offer RT2012

You will receive excellent advice about diabetes and its related conditions and help support a worthy cause at the same time.

There is no obligation to subscribe at the end of the trial period, but we hope that you will decide the newsletter is just too good to miss out on and take out a year’s membership at a specially discounted rate.

FREE3 ISSuES

www.drwf.org.ukRegistered in England, Charity Number 1070607 • Company Number 3496304 • Company Limited by Guarantee

RT2012

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For a chance to win any of the prizes, send your name and address (quoting reference code) to:Amra Media Solutions, The Old Lavender Mill, 46a Brook Street, Aston Clinton, Bucks, HP22 5ES or email: info@amramedia.co.uk

Let It Be Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the world’s most

successful rock’n’roll band, live in London’s West End!

LET IT BE is a spectacular theatrical concert jam-packed

with over twenty of The Beatles’ greatest hits! Relive

The Beatles’ meteoric rise from their humble beginnings

in Liverpool’s Cavern Club, through the heights of

Beatlemania, to their later studio masterpieces with live

performances of early tracks including Twist and Shout,

She Loves You and All My Lovin’, as well as global mega-

hits Yesterday, Hey Jude, Come Together and, of course,

Let It Be. Experience this multimedia rich electrifying

spectacle which takes you back to the magical sixties

when all you needed was love, and a little help from your friends!

www.LetItBeLondon.com

We have three pairs of tickets to give away.

For a chance to win send in your details, quoting ref. LIB.

Closing date: 28 September 2012.

T’s and C’s: Tickets are valid Mon, Wed, Thurs 7.30pm

and Thurs 3pm until 15th November 2012, excluding

24th September and 22nd October until 4th November.

Tickets are subject to availability, non-refundable and

non-transferable. There is no cash alternative.

A Chorus of DisapprovalMaking his West End theatre debut, Rob Brydon

stars alongside Nigel Harman (Shrek, EastEnders) and Ashley Jensen (Extras, Ugly Betty) in

Alan Ayckbourn’s riotous comedy A Chorus of Disapproval, directed by Olivier and Tony award-

winner Trevor Nunn.

Joining the trio on stage will be Teresa Banham, Daisy Beaumont, Georgia Brown, Rob Compton, Matthew Cottle, Steven Edis, Jessica Ellerby, Barrie Rutter, Paul Thornley and Susan Tracy.

A Chorus of Disapproval shows at the Harold Pinter Theatre from 17 September for 16 weeks. To book

tickets or for more information, call the box office on 0844 871 7622 or visit achorusofdisapproval.com.

We have 1 pair of top price tickets to give away.

For a chance to win send in your details, quoting ref CD.

Closing date 28 September 2012.

T’s and C’s: Prize is valid for Mon-Thu performances until 20 December 2012, subject to availability. There

is no cash alternative to the prizes, they are non-refundable and non-transferable and not for resale.

Elaine Paige –Celebrating A Life On StageFilmed in Sydney, Australia, during Elaine’s sell out 40th Anniversary tour, Celebrating a Life On Stage captures the magic of this thrilling live performer as never before.Elaine Paige takes the audience on a journey through her illustrious career from the West End to Broadway with many amusing and enlightening anecdotes and first time recordings. Singing her greatest hits, many recreated in costume for the first time ever on DVD. Available on DVD from 24 September 2012 courtesy of Wienerworld. We have 3 DVD’s to give away. For a chance to win send in your details quoting ref. EP. Closing date 28 September 2012.

THE BFG – THE BIG FRIENDLY GIANT

Brought to you for the first time digitally restored and in widescreen on DVD and Blu-ray and available to download from iTunes, FremantleMedia Enterprises presents THE BFG – THE BIG FRIENDLY GIANT, available to own from 10th September 2012.

Re-live your childhood with this charming animated adaptation of Roald Dahl’s celebrated and timeless story and follow the adventures of lonely orphan girl Sophie as she meets her twenty-five foot high prince and is whisked off into the wonders of Dreamland.

We have 5 DVD’s to give away - an Ideal present for grandchildren!

For your chance to win send in your details quoting ref. BFG.

Closing date: 28 September 2012.

COMPETITIONS

Hedda GablerHenrik Ibsen

In a version by Brian FrielOlivier Award-winning actress Sheridan Smith stars in the title role of Brian Friel’s adaptation of Ibsen’s

seminal work, Hedda Gabler. Anna Mackmin returns to The Old Vic to direct this major new production of

Ibsen’s masterpiece.

Hedda Gabler is showing at The Old Vic from 5 September – 10 November 2012. To book tickets

or for more information, call the box office on 0844 871 7628 or visit www.oldvictheatre.com.

We have one pair of top price tickets to give away.

For a chance to win send in your details quoting ref. HG.

Closing date 22 September 2012.

Prize valid for Monday – Thursday performances, subject to availability. There is no cash alternative to the prizes, they are non-refundable and non-

transferable and not for resale.

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phone: 0843 308 4141 www.brotherwood.com

For comprehensive details of new and previously owned conversions, long or short term hire and Motability options

BROTHERWOODA u t o m o b i l i t y L i m i t e d

BEER HACKETT, SHERBORNE, DORSET DT9 6QP

BROTHERWOOD CADDY MAXI MPV CONVERSION

There are no boundaries when youhave a BROTHERWOOD conversion to transport your family and Tramper

There are no boundaries when youhave a BROTHERWOOD conversion to transport your family and Tramper

Quick, simple and easy loading operation.

Four point webbing wheelchair restraint.

Long range aluminium fuel tank - 46 litres.

Stainless steel exhaust system.

Accommodates virtually any electric powered wheelchair including the Tramper.. the all-terrain buggy.

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Perfect Planning

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phone: 0843 308 4141 www.brotherwood.com

For comprehensive details of new and previously owned conversions, long or short term hire and Motability options

BROTHERWOODA u t o m o b i l i t y L i m i t e d

BEER HACKETT, SHERBORNE, DORSET DT9 6QP

BROTHERWOOD CADDY MAXI MPV CONVERSION

There are no boundaries when youhave a BROTHERWOOD conversion to transport your family and Tramper

There are no boundaries when youhave a BROTHERWOOD conversion to transport your family and Tramper

Quick, simple and easy loading operation.

Four point webbing wheelchair restraint.

Long range aluminium fuel tank - 46 litres.

Stainless steel exhaust system.

Accommodates virtually any electric powered wheelchair including the Tramper.. the all-terrain buggy.

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D on’t be too daunted by the idea of planning a garden. If your plan doesn’t work, you can often change things later.

An established GardenIf you have just moved into your home and it has an established garden, don’t rush to change it. Try to be patient and live with it for a year and see what comes up. To cheer yourself up in the meantime, you can always add a few bedding plants or container plants for an instant splash of colour. Familiarise yourself with your garden:

• Viewiffromdifferentangles.

• Lookatitfromanupstairswindow;thiscan highlight problem spots that might not be visible at ground level.

• Takephotographsofitfromdifferentangles at different times of the year – it’s surprising what you can spot in a two-dimensional picture that you don’t in three dimensional reality.

Starting from scratchIf you are starting more or less from scratch, you have the scope to include whatever you like. Familiarise yourself with the plot as above, then measure it out and start planning what you’d like to include. The following tips and tricks are worth considering:

• What’syourstyle?Coolcontemporaryor cottage garden? Formal or informal? Neat or natural? Your taste in home décorandclothesisagoodcluetoyourtaste in the gardens. Normally, it’s best that the style of your garden echoes the style of your house so that one blends seamlessly into the other.

• Whosegardensdoyoulike?Startanideasboard of pictures culled from magazines and newspapers. Not only will this indicate your personal taste in garden design, but it’s also a rich source of ideas to plunder. Visiting other gardens that are open to the public can inspire you too – and don’t be afraid to ask the owner about the planting. Gardeners love talking about their gardens.

• Doyouwanttoincludeaplacetositinthe sun at the end of the day, or a patio for the evening?

• Wheredoesthesunfallatdifferenttimes of the day?

• Wherearethemainareasofshade?Where is the soil dry and well drained; where is it wetter and heavier? This will influence what you can plant there. Plants that originate in hot, sunny

habitats will thrive in your garden’s hotspots, while those with woodland origins will be happier in cool shade. Put simply, plants do best in places that most closely mimic their original habitats.

• Doyouneedtoscreenoutyoursurroundings?

• Doyouneedtomakespaceforchildren to play?

• Doyouwanttoincludeaherbgardenor vegetable plot?

As you like itThe garden of painter and film-maker DerekJarman(1942-94)isproofthatyourlittle piece of paradise can be as idiosyncratic asyoulike.Workonitbeganin1985,afterJarman had purchased Prospect Cottage, a fisherman’s cottage at Dungeness’ Kent, in southern England. In this most unlikely setting – a windswept, inhospitable piece of land on a shingle beach facing a nuclear power station – Jarman used all his creative genius to create a world-famous and unique garden. Where some might have fought against the surroundings, Jarman embraced them. Rather than growing hedges to provide a sheltering screen behind which he could raise tender plants, he left his plot open to the elements and used low-growing maritime plants that could withstand the sea winds. Instead of conventional statuary, he relied on his artist’s eye to adorn his garden with found objects – old fishing tackle, shells, broken garden tools, driftwood perched on-end like standing stones, and pieces of twisted metal from old sea defences. Instead of a lush lawn, there is shingle, flint and shells – all of which goes to show that anything goes, as long as you like it!

Vital StatisticsSmall, medium, tallThink of your plant arrangements like a wedding photograph – with taller relatives at the back, those of medium height in the middle and little kids in the front.

Long and skinnyBreak up the length of a long, narrow plot by dividing it widthways into ‘garden rooms’. Use planting, hedging and trellis stretching up to halfway across – think of them as the wings on a theatrical stage.

Making it biggerIncrease the perceived size of your garden by using a classic trick: ‘borrowed landscape’. Blur the boundaries with hedges and climbers so that the viewer does not know where your garden ends

All Gardening is landscape painting.

ALEXANDER POPE

Perfect Plannings

you are really lucky and your garden is surrounded by countryside, you can make it seem as if you have a grand estate that goes on for ever!.

All Spaced outWhen you buy potted perennials for planting out in your garden, don’t make the mistake of planting them too close to each other. They may look small now but they won’t stay small. Check their spread on the plant label, and plant accordingly. Fill the spaces inbetween with annuals.

Gardener’s NotebookKeep a gardening notebook throughout the year, and note down what hasn’t worked – because of size, location or cultivation – what ha worked. Remember there are no mistakes, only lessons, so use the ‘lessons’ of last year as the basis of new experiments this year.

Glorious CurvesWhen creating curved beds or a lawn, it can be difficult to get a lovely, natural flowing shape if you are working along the edge only bit by bit. This is where the humble garden hose can come to your aid. Lay the hose out on the ground and arrange it into the sweeping curves that you want, then use it as your guide.

Ages OldNew terracotta pots can look a bit brash, but you can give them more character by encouraging moss and lichens to grow on them, thus ‘ageing’ them artificially.

1 Soak the pot in water.

2 Paint the outside with natural yogurt.

3Leaveyourpotinadamp,shadyplaceandlet Nature do the rest.

The Wonders of PaintStencilling a potThoroughly clean the surface of your chosen unglazed terracotta pot, then paint a stencil onto it, using emulsion paint or outdoor acrylic ‘patio’ paint, available from DIY stores. When the paint’s dry, give the pot a coat of yacht varnish to lengthen the life of the paint.

The sky’ the limitIf you have a small garden enclosed by dark walls, paint the walls sky blue and you will open up the space and get that sunlit effect.

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Colour coordination• Youwouldn’tjumbledifferentcolours

together in one room in your house, so why treat your garden any differently? Think colour coordination!

• Ifyouhaveamixedcollectionofwoodengarden furniture, paint it all the same colour for a smart, coordinated effect.

• Giveyourgardenamore‘designed’lookby painting your plant pots the same or similar colours, or go for deliberately bold contrasts.

• Sticktoasimplepalette.Gofor‘families’of colours, say blue and greens, or reds and oranges. If you want to paint a wall, coordinate it with the colours of your garden furniture and pots.

Caring for garden furniture• Tolengthenthelifeofagardenseat,turn

it upside down in winter.

• Coverwoodenbencheswithafitted,purpose-built cover, or tarpaulin.

• Treatwoodengardenfurniturewithteakoil, to help preserve it. Treat decking with oil, too.

Art for (almost) freeYou don’t need to spend a fortune on garden statuary, which can often be rather boring and predictable. It’s much more fun, and

looks more original, to use ‘found objects’ to ornament your perfect plot. Junk shops and builders skips provide rich picking grounds. Train your eye to see the potential in unexpected objects and be as creative as your imagination will allow. If your piece of garden art looks too tatty, a coat of spray paint can work wonders in evening out dents and blemishes.

Tile MonsterUse broken roofing tiles or large pieces of broken terracotta pot, pushed into an area of gravel, to form the crest of a garden dragon. Get some ideas for the shape from books, then sprinkle some sand in situ to act as your guide as you push the ‘crest’ into place.

Bottle sculptureHere’s what to do with all those wine bottles left over from parties. Wash them, up-end them and push them into the soil in tight group arrangement. It’s a good idea to try out the arrangement on a pathway first, and adjust it accordingly.

Garden LightingAdding lighting can transform a garden to a magical space in the evening. Nowadays, you don’t even need to worry about employing a professional electrician to install the lighting for you. There are all sorts of options that don’t involve wiring:

• Solarlightscomeinallshapesandsizes.They don’t need cables and they are completely moveable! Just push them into the ground, in a place where they’ll get enough sun to charge them.

• Gardenflaresareanotheroptionforone-off use. But don’t leave them unattended.

• Tealightscanbeplacedinavarietyofcontainers – from purpose made lamps to old jam jars – and suspended from branches, or hooks on a wall or fence, for a really romantic look.

• Scentedgardencandles,suchasthoseperfumed with citronella, not only give light but may also deter the biting insects that are abroad on summer evenings n

An extract from The Gardeners’ Book by Diana Craig (Michael O’Mara Books, £9.99).

Retirement Today readers can also order The Cooks’ Book and The Gardeners’ Book (RRP £9.99 each) for the special combined price of £14.99. To order the books using this offer, please call 01903 828503 and quote RT/CAG (offer includes free shipping to UK mainland, available while stocks last).

Top TipIf you want to screen an unslightly object, it’s

natural to plant a tree or erect a fence close

to the offending item. However, it’s much more

effective to place the screen close to your main

vantage point – being nearer, it will block out a

wider area of view

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Trade and exhibitors contact gm@bucksrailcentre.org Buckinghamshire Railway Centre, Quainton, Road Station, Quainton, Aylesbury HP22 4BY

Tel: 01296 655720 www.bucksrailcentre.org Follow us on Facebook

Join a telephone group to improve

your health and well being!Join a fit as a fiddle telephone befriending group! FREE (must be aged 65+)

• Chatwithothersinyourcommunityfromthecomfortofyourownhome• Learnaboutusefulandrelevantwaystoincorporatehealthyeatingand

physicalactivityintoyourlife• Getconnectedtolocalservicesyou’reinterestedin

• Phonegroupsonlyrequireacommitmentof1hourperweekfor6weeks

Volunteersneeded! Free training over the telephone to run groups (must be aged 50+)

For more information, visit: www.community-network.orgOr call Christopher at 08456199992

christopher@community-network.org

For a complimentary

copy of ‘all about animals magazine‘

email info@amramedia.co.uk

quoting ref RT

W e’ve all heard the saying ‘you are what you eat’ but did you know that this is also true when it comes to our eye health? Research has shown that the foods we eat can play a major role in keeping our eyes healthy and that eating watercress can give you more than just a peppery punch of flavour, it can also help to maintain your vision.

Aquarterofthepopulationagedover60andmorethanhalfofpeopleagedover75sufferfromagerelated macular degeneration (AMD) – a leading cause of blindness in the elderly.

Research has found that the risk of developing AMD can be significantly reduced by eating foods which contain the pigments lutein and zeaxanthin. Watercress is a particularly rich source of both pigments which are used by the retina to enable clear vision and also Vitamin C which acts as an antioxidant protecting against free radicals which promotes healthy eyes.

Save Your Sight with WatercressCreamy, Pasta, Bacon and WatercressIngredients

• 2x85g bags watercress, chopped

• 500g pack penne pasta

• 190g pack fresh peas

• 2x130g packs of cubetti di Pancetta

• 500g half fat creme fraiche

• 50g Parmesan, finely grated

• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Bring a medium pan of water to the boil over a high heat. Add the penne pasta and a little salt, and cook following the packet instructions, adding the peas for the last 3 minutes of cooking time. Meanwhile, heat a frying pan over a moderate heat. Cook the pancetta for 3-4 minutes until crisp, stirring often. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate and drain on kitchen paper.

Drain the pasta, return to the pan and stir in the watercress, pancetta, creme fraiche and two-thirds of the Parmesan. Season to taste, sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and serve piping hot.www.watercress.co.uk

Dogs, even the Peter Pans, inevitably experience physical and mental wear and tear. For many of us this happens far too soon. It seems only yesterday

that our dogs were pups when of out of the blue they are, well, there’s no other word for it – old. Maybe your dog decides it’s time to stop playing before you do. Perhaps it just doesn’t hear as well. Over the following months and years, your dog inexorably ages, right before your eyes, usually with grace and dignity. Our geriatric-adolescent housemates become tired and worn.

The speed of decline varies. Two dogs may be exactly the same age but behave in radically different ways, partly because of genes, but also partly because of their food and environment. All older dogs become less tolerant of any type of change. Physically they become less tolerant of weather changes, and mentally they become rigid in their wants and routines. Old dogs thrive on ritual and a constant environment.

With time, natural balances within the body start to falter. Every cell in your dog’s body contains a biological clock that determines how ling it will live. Some cells, for example those that line the intestines, live for less than a week and are constantly and efficiently replaced by new cells. This ability to create new cells eventually falters. New cell production is not as fast, as accurate, or as efficient as it once was. Other cells, for example brain cells, can’t replace themselves. A dog has a maximum allocation when it is young, and then it’s up to the body to hold on to them as long as possible.

Both inefficient replacement and no replacement create many of the conditions associated with ageing. With those intestinal cells, for example, this inefficiency may lead to less efficient absorption of nourishment and consequent weight loss, or poor movement in the bowels leading to constipation. If a dog “loses” its toilet training there may be a physical cause, such as sphincter muscle weakening, that leads to urinary incontinence, or the brain cells may no longer be overseeing body functions as they once did. Brain changes occur faster in some dogs than in others; just as with us, senile behaviour changes vary considerably from one dog to another.

In a culture obsessed with health, it can be difficult to remember that ageing isn’t an illness. Although many illnesses occur most frequently during the lat third of a dog’s life, old age is natural and inevitable. Only when inevitable age-related changes happen faster than average can they be called illness or diseases. While ageing is inevitable, there is ample evidence that dietary modifications, weight management, changes in exercise routines, maintenance of good health, and routine mental stimulation cam dramatically prolong a dog’s active years.

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When is a dog an old dog?There’s no specific age when a dog becomes old. Signs of ageing are almost obvious by the time a dog enters the last third of its expected life span, so large breeds with shorter lives age earlier than small breeds with longer expectancies. In my veterinary practice, I recommend a detailed preventative health check-up as early as six years of age in breeds such as Bernese Mountain Dogs, but not until nine for Labradors and Golden Retrievers, and

ten for most of the smaller breeds including small Poodles and Dachshunds.

If a dog appears perfectly healthy on examination, I find no hidden problems in 98percentoftheseinspections,butintherest blood tests reveal something amiss, such as inefficient kidney function or intestinal absorption. These age-related changes can be discovered long before a dog starts to show clinical signs: by the time a dog is drinking more because of failing kidney filtration, it has permanently lost three-quarters of its kidney function. The earlier a problem is discovered, the earlier treatment can begin and the longer your dog will live n

An adapted extract from Dog: The definitive guide for dog owners by Bruce Fogle. Published by Mitchell Beazley. RSP £15.99. ISBN 978-1-84533-671-4.

The Older Dog

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Not only do we treat more hedgehogs than any other wildlife hospital, but our caring teams save lives every day.Our aim is simple, to treat injured British wildlife, then return them to the wild. Like Rudolph, who arrived badly injured at just five days old. Our specialist care saved this little deer and he is now facing a brighter future. But it is only with your support we can help casualties like Rudolph; please remember Tiggywinkles in your Will.

Our late friend Dame Thora Hird actively encouraged others to help us secure funding for our lifesaving work. In her words "All the little wild creatures and I thank you so very much".For more information please contact:Jenny Babb, Tiggywinkles, Aylesbury,Buckinghamshire HP17 8AF

01844 292 292 mail@sttiggywinkles.org.ukwww.tiggywinkles.comRegistered Charity No. 286447

is the busiest wildlife hospital in the world.

Last year we helped over 80,000 wild birds and animals like Rudolph

Please help me get better

Come and have a look around our Visitor Centre. Opening times can be found on our website www.tiggywinkles.com.

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For 200 years , The National Benevolent Charity has been a lifeline to people who have fallen into poverty and distress and who have nowhere else to turn.

Despite state benefits, sickness, disability and old age can still

mean a life of awful hardship. For Leah and David and hundreds

like them, The National Benevolent Charity can help.

Please support the 1812-2012 Bi-Centenary Appeal

Donations should be sent to: The National Benevolent Charity Peter Hervé House, Eccles Court, Tetbury, Gloucestershire GL8 8EHFor more info visit www.thenbc.org.uk or telephone 01666 505500

Patron: HRH The Prince of Wales Registered Charity Number 212450

People like nurse Leah, 58, and her

artist husband David, 63. They

wanted a happy retirement together

but Leah became crippled with

arthritis and cannot walk. David is

dedicated to his wife and cares for

her full time. But, the loss of earned

income has been devastating, and

they are poverty-stricken.

Charity N E W S

National Tea BreakFriday 19 October 2012 - or any other day that suits you best

There isn’t just one reason to organise a National Tea Break event, there are 600,000! That’s the number of people living with epilepsy in the UK right now.

Organising a National Tea Break event really is a piece of cake! Whether it’s a cup of tea and a cake in your kitchen or a tea party in the local hall you can hold your Tea Break anywhere and invite anybody along to share in the fun.

Last year Epilepsy Action had National Tea Break events all over the UK; from Cornwall to Scotland, in schools, homes and workplaces.

It really is simple, register now for your free National Tea Break organisers pack and we will send you everything you need to make your tea break a huge success.

If you don’t fancy organising an event, why not go along to support one instead.

For further information visit www.epilepsy.org.uk

Community Network has received funding for their services in London and Bedford!

Community Network’s services are for older adults over the age of 65 years, and provide a way for them to connect to each other for free using the telephone. Participants receive a call at a pre-arranged time on a specific day each week and are then connected into a telephone group. They engage in a variety of interesting and fun conversations which vary in topic all facilitated by a trained volunteer of over the age of 50 years. The groups give older adults a chance to share stories with their own peer group, discuss things which matter to them and connect to others without having the hassle of travelling. Community Network is holding a free event on Friday 14th September at Lambeth Accord, 336 Brixton Rd, London. This event will show case some of the charity’s past work but be a chance for all members of the community to see what the charity does and how they can support others further. This event is funded from one of the charity’s current projects called Fit as a Fiddle which connects older adults for free over the telephone in these group environments to talk about healthy living.

For more information please call Community Network on 08002540230 or email enquiries@community-network.org.

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Not so long ago, any mention of a rail journey conjured up thoughts of nothing more than the daily grind of the commute to work, something that was endured rather than

enjoyed – an unpleasant but necessary means to an end.

Things are changing. Passengers now travel by train in the UK more than at any time in the railway’s history and, believe it or not, an important ingredient in this is travelling for pleasure, either to visit friends and relatives or, increasingly, simply riding the trains to visit new places or enjoy the scenery. Perhaps even more surprising is that an increasing number are choosing to spend their annual holidays riding the world’s trains where, once upon a time, they would have settled for a two week package to the Costas. No longer is the holiday by rail the preserve of the enthusiasts pursuing their hobby. Today’s rail travellers have a broad range of interests and come from a wide background.

What has brought this change about? It is fashionable to point to delays at airports and the general hassle involved with air travel generally but the truth goes much deeper than this. There are probably a number of issues which have influenced the trend, ranging from the introduction of Eurostar

services from London to Paris and Brussels in the nineties suddenly making it a whole lot easier to visit continental Europe through environmental issues (Eurostar proudly boasts that it is a carbon neutral mode of transport) to customers themselves aspiring to something a little different from their customary fortnight in the sun.

Ffestiniog Travel, the tour operating arm of the Ffestiniog Railway family, has been organising such holidays since 1974, longbefore they became fashionable, but has remained loyal to its roots. Back then, the vision was to provide holidays overseas for exactly the same kind of customers who enjoyed riding the Ffestiniog’s own narrow gauge trains in North Wales. Enthusiasts were welcome of course and still are but the Ffestiniog Railway’s real bread and butter comes from customers who simply enjoy soaking up the superb mountain scenery which Wales has to offer. It is no surprise perhaps that Ffestiniog Travel chose Switzerland as its first overseas destination. Here was a country, not only with fantastic mountain scenery but also a superb rail network from which to enjoy it.

Since then the repertoire has expanded to include not only the whole of Europe but also worldwide destinations - Indian Hill Stations, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Peru and many more. In fact, any country which has a railway running through good scenery or to an interesting destination has probably received at least one Ffestiniog Travel visit. There are just two provisos – as a responsible tour operator, the company only visits destinations which are both safe and can offer a reasonable standard of accommodation.

In recent years, the company has made it an objective to seek out more unusual destinations away from the mainstream which not only provide “something different” for the customer but, equally importantly, inject much needed finance into the local economy. Romania is a case in point. The country

rarely features in mainstream brochures and has suffered through adverse media coverage which has concentrated on the activities of a tiny minority of its inhabitants. The truth is that it is an absolute gem of a destination – spectacular mountain scenery coupled with an interesting history, welcoming, friendly people and a rural life which disappeared in the rest of Europe fifty years ago. Ffestiniog Travel has teamed up with local operator My Romania (www.myromania.com.ro) and can now claim, through this partnership, to be one of the few specialist operators to the country. Nor is the expertise confined to rail travel as the company is also able to offer other special interest holidays including culture and history, walking and wildlife. Almost all the money spent on the Romania holidays go directly into Romania’s local economy – locally owned accommodation, restaurants, transport and so on, not forgetting local guides who rely on visitors for their livelihood.

It will be gathered from this that perhaps Ffestiniog Travel’s greatest strength is its flexibilty. Its holidays now include both those that are aimed at customers with a passion for railways (it calls these “Connoisseur Rail Tours”) and those which cater for people who simply want to enjoy the rail travel experience. Yet by far the greatest number of holidays sold are its “Signature” holidays where customers ask for a bespoke tailor made package to a destination or destinations of their choice n

For more information, visit www.ffestiniogtravel.com or phone 01766 772030 for a brochure.

by Alan Heywood - Founder of Ffestiniog Travel

The World’s Railways Offer Endless Holiday Possibilities

Forestry Railway at Viseu de Sus, Romania credit Ramona Cazacu.

Switzerland’s Glacier Express

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Experience classic rail journeys, scenic routes where only rail can take you, or discover some of the world’s oldest and most beautiful steam railways. We have the knowledge, expertise and passion to make your rail holiday wonderful.

We run 30 escorted rail holidays each year in the UK, Europe •and worldwide for both rail connoisseurs and those who simply enjoy travelling by train.An unrivalled knowledge and passion for railways around the •world and their historic, pioneering, scenic and engineering value.Signature Tours - we can create bespoke rail tours for couples •or groups anywhere in the world.Special Interest Tours - we plan and arrange group travel for •partieswith specific interests inhistory, the arts, geology,archaeology, wine, food and gardens.As a sister company to the world famous Ffestiniog and •WelshHighlandRailwaysourprofitssupporttheircontinuedpreservation.

Christmas Market Tours by rail 2012 - for a taste of a Continental Christmas, visit the festive markets across Europe including Stralsund and Lübeck in Germany.

Christmas in the Snow - Our 2012 escorted Christmas tours include an 11-day adventure through Canada and a magical winter wonderland tour of Switzerland.

Weekend City breaks by rail to popular and off-beat European destinations including Luxembourg, Maastricht, Lyon and Strasburg.

Plan ahead and pre-order our 2013 Brochure and consider booking a rail tour holiday to such destinations as Romania, Bavaria, Spain, India, Japan, and closer to home, Wales and Scotland.

Rail HolidaysEst 1974

of the World

~ Unforgettable Rail Journeys

First Floor Unit 6, Snowdonia Business Park,Penrhyndeudraeth, Gwynedd, LL48 6LD. 1106

Tel: 01766 772030Fax: 01766 772049 5050

FfestiniogTravelisownedbyacharitabletrustandprofitsgotosupporttheworldfamousFfestiniogandWelshHighlandRailways.

Call: 01766 772030 Email: info@ffestiniogtravel.co.uk or visit our website at www.ffestiniogtravel.comTo speak to our team of expert consultants or order a brochure

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IATAAccreditedAgent

Ffestiniog Travel began its journey in 1974 and specialises in railway holidays around the world.

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Retirement Today 10 06.indd 1 07/06/2012 16:54:56

Problem with your bank or insurer?

The ombudsman can sort it out.

0300 123 9 123 fi nancial-ombudsman.org.uk

Getting fi nancial problems sorted is our job – and it could be your job too. We employ a wide range of people with all kinds of skills. For more information and to register your details

with us, go to fi nancial-ombudsman.org.uk/careers