Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2021 i Choice

We moved into our new-build house six years ago and it is now overdue for decorating. The exterior was done last autumn and the living room received a complete makeover earlier this year. Now it’s the turn of the kitchen, hall, stairs, bedroom and the room that will give me most grief – my study. I’m the first to admit that it isn’t the most organised of spaces. There’s a pile of papers that need filing or more likely shredding. My desk is typical of many journalists, overflowing with magazines, press releases, spectacles, tickets, computer and mobile phone cables but I can usually find what I need... after a spot of rummaging, the odd curse and one of those looks from my wife. She really would like to sort it…

Soothing, relaxing and stress reducing, these CDs from GAP MuSic and it’s sister label Tantajo Records are a great addition to any music collection. Checkout the GAP website: (www.gapmusic.co.uk) for more wonderful music for relaxation and wellbeing. The CDs are: Moments of the Heart music for the soul – Various Artists. From the soothing melodies of Peaceful Lament and Confidence of Hope to the haunting ambiance of Natural Elements and Awakenings, Moments of the Heart music for the soul is the perfect ‘friend’ to have by your side, to help ease away the hustle, bustle, and stresses of the day. Spiritual Incantations – Stephen Rhodes. Stephen Rhodes is a genius of his craft returning with an outstanding new album, the best part of an hour of serene and relaxing music.…

UNHEALTHY LEVELS of cholesterol can lead to heart problems, such as heart disease or stroke, so it is important to take steps to lower it where possible, especially when it comes to diet. There are two main types of cholesterol, and HDL cholesterol (high density lipoprotein) is often called good cholesterol as it removes excess cholesterol from the blood vessels. LDL cholesterol (low density lipoprotein) is often called bad cholesterol, because too much in the blood can build up in the arteries, clogging them up and causing health problems. Lynne Garton, Dietetic Adviser for the cholesterol charity Heart UK suggests these are five of the best foods to stop a build-up of LDL cholesterol: California Walnuts Walnuts are the only tree nut to contain a rich source of omega 3…

1 Are State pensions taxable? a Yes b No 2 Can you ‘inherit’ a State pension from a spouse on his or her death? a Yes b No c Depends 3 How many years’ National Insurance Contributions do you need for a full State pension? a 30 b 35 c 40 4 At what age will a person born on June 1, 1961 be eligible for their State pension? a 66 b 67 c It depends on whether the individual is male or female. 5 What is the current threshold for Inheritance Tax? a £325,000 b £350,00 c £500,000 6 If you buy a television for £499 inclusive of VAT (at 20 per cent), how much VAT have you paid? a £99.80 b £83.17 c £90.67 7 What is the…

It was a terrible moment for the signalman half a mile north of Peterborough station as the magnificent streamlined A4 locomotive left the tracks and ploughed towards his box. The accident occurred on September 1,1955 as the 3.50pm King’s Cross to Leeds express left Peterborough station. Fortunately, the loco was pulling away from the station and only doing around 20 mph when it derailed. Because of the low speed the A4 didn’t reach the box and only four passengers suffered minor injuries and were released after an overnight hospital stay. The Gresley A4 loco (the more famous Mallard was a similar model) didn’t fare so well. It was badly damaged and although repaired it was eventually scrapped in 1959. Luckily the service had a scheduled stop at Peterborough. lt could…

CHRISTMAS WREATH This might well be the prettiest thing to have come out of our kitchen all year. It has a light and fluffy, yet rich, moist and indulgent crumb. MAKES 1 LARGE WREATH, SERVES 8-10 ■ 450g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting ■ 30g caster sugar ■ ½ tsp fine sea salt ■ 1tsp ground cinnamon ■ 20g fresh yeast, or 10g dried ■ 180ml tepid whole milk ■ 200g Quark ■ 50g unsalted butter, at room temp ■ 1tsp vanilla extract ■ Finely grated zest of 1 lemon ■ 50g raisins ■ 60g glacé cherries, chopped ■ 30g flaked almonds, roughly chopped ■ 1 egg, beaten FOR THE GLAZE ■ 100g icing sugar, silted ■ 1 tbsp lemon juice ■ 2 tsp water…

GET IN the festive spirit with The Official Christmas No 1 Singles Book, by Mike Mulligan (Bonnier, £12.99), which has the complete lowdown on every seasonal chart-topper from Al Martino’s 1952 Here In My Heart right up to LadBaby’s recent hits. There’s also a quiz to test your chart knowledge. And At Christmas We Feast, by Annie Gray (Profile, £12.99), takes a look at festive food through the ages. In A Queen for All Season (Hodder, £20) Joanna Lumley pays tribute to Her Majesty, “the mother figure of the nation” as she approaches her Platinum Jubilee and in Will She Do? (Virago, £18.99) Dame Eileen Atkins brings a gift for wry observation and mordant honesty to bear on Act One of her memoirs, reflecting on the first 30 years of…

INDEPENDENT FASHION brand Belle-Modelle has launched its first BM branded womenswear collection for autu winter 2021, featurin brightly coloured and affordably priced cosy sweaters and scarves. Affordability and comfort have been key in the development of the first Belle-Modelle branded capsule collectior which targets women aged between 30 and 58 but appeals to those younger and older too. All knits are available in two sizes 1 (8-14) and 2 (16-20). Prices start from £38.95 for the Bellatrix Boxy Knit and from £16.95 for the cotton Bella Aztec Fringe Scarf. Stella Cuffs £20 Decorated with stars and lightning bolts in diamante stones, Belle-Modelle’s Stella Cuffs look great on the wrist day to night and make great presents too. The soft faux suede back and twist and lock clasp mean they’re comfortable…

A major event in many a childhood was when dad (it was usually dad) went off to buy a second-hand car. He knew, and the family knew, that there was something about the forecourt that was reminiscent of the lion’s den. After kicking the tyres, asking a few rehearsed questions, checking the milometer and noting the state of the upholstery, dad would hint at a price reduction and the salesman would inevitably but grudgingly give him one. Of course, it would be a base price he’d already decided on long before the victim stepped into the den. If my boyhood experience is typical, there followed a nervous spell and uncertainty as, deal done, dad piled us in and took to the road. This was followed by this sort of thing.…

How’s your marriage? If it’s holding up, you’re defying the statistics. For the steady trend – for fewer people to marry, and for those who do to be older – is continuing, and the number of couples divorcing is increasing. When the last measure was taken, less than half of adults were married and the divorce rate was shown to have gone up tenfold since 1961. This doleful commentary on married bliss is recorded in that snapshot of life in Britain contained in figures from the Office of National Statistics, but there are more positive tidings within the statistics. More people own the house they live in and homeowners have more space than before. The figures also show how much homes have improved. In the Sixties the census showed that…

Email your poems to: (editorial@choicemag.co.uk) or post to Your Poetry, Choice, 4 Milnyard Square, Orton Southgate, Peterborough PE2 6GX Season’s Greetings Let’s start our Christmas card listI need to make sure no one is missedDon my specs and take a lookFlick the pages in my address book The Turners next door, and their son JoeThe Reynolds, and their daughter FloThe gardener, the paperboy, the hairdresser tooI’ll buy stamps, and join the post office queue Sending warmth across the milesA chatty letter, full of smilesMy nephew and his family live in AustraliaSummertime there, yet still festive mania! At work, there’s Carrie, Fran and MiaWe like to spread merry Christmas cheerAnother pack of cards now please!For a clutch of cousins up in Leeds There’s Uncle Bob and Aunty GwynnI think I’ll pop…

Gail Willis is an exponent and teacher of Hatha Yoga. She brings Choice readers a new exercise every month. Gail, who is now a full-time yoga instructor in Kettering, Northamptonshire, has recruited her mother Janet Rogers to help demonstrate the exercises. In each picture Janet now in her 80s illustrates the basic position for each exercise – the easiest one for the beginner. Gail illustrates the maximum position for each exercise. You should start following Janet’s position and try to increase gradually towards Gail’s advanced level. “Only build up to a level that you are comfortable with,” says Gail. “Some exercises you will be able to do the maximum level of stretch. Others you will achieve only the basic move or just a little more. It doesn’t matter because even…

Nail it There’s everything you need to create long lasting colour with the Mylee Gel Perfect LED Manicure Kit including base and top coats plus foe fast acting LED light, £60, from (feelunique.com) or for natural nails, Lloyd’s Pharmacy Nail Kind Gift Set contains nourishing base coat and oil for home manicures, price £36.80. Better beauty sleep Renowned celebrity psychic, Jayne Wallace has developed a range of spiritual style beauty sets. The Psychic Sisters Sleep Well Ritual Set contains a pillow mist, fragrance oil and gemstones to help create the perfect setting for a great night’s sleep, £25 at Holland & Barrett. Christmas by numbers Countdown the festive season with beauty treats you can use all year round with Aldi’s first ever Lacura Beauty Advent which features 24 treats from…

FINANCIAL TECHNOLOGY (fintech) has become a staple of Britons’ financial management, from digital banking to investment platforms. It’s impossible to ignore the exponential increase in fintech usage throughout the previous ten years alone. Indeed, figures highlight that more than three-quarters (76 per cent) of UK adults use online banking to manage their money, compared with just 42 per cent in 2010. Covid-19 has been a catalyst in this increased digital uptake. With Britons compelled to stay at home, they were unable to visit their local bank branches. They were forced to move their financial activities online to such an extent that fintech app usage is up by 72 per cent since the onset of the pandemic, according to a study by deVere group. Evidently, Britons feel comfortable using fintech to…

Hello and welcome to my Craft Corner! Every month I share two new projects with Choice readers -one for those who enjoy hobbies such as papercrafting, upcycling and decoupage, and one for those who are fond of sewing and needlecraft, where I focus on simple, everyday stitched fabric accessories. I’ve lived and breathed crafting for as long as I can remember. I have very fond memories of cake decorating, cross-stitching and candle-making with my mum, and in my late teens I discovered the joy of cardmaking. I was fortunate enough to turn my favourite pastimes into my career by setting up Crafter’s Companion out of my university bedroom, and it’s been an amazing journey seeing my business develop into what it is today. I love experimenting and using our products…

DVDS Morecambe and Wise At ITV Morecambe and Wise At Thames Morecambe and Wise: Xmas at ITV (Network) Although usually associated with the BBC, as a result of their Seventies Christmas shows, Morecambe and Wise spent large parts of their career with the ITV network. So what better way to mark the festive season than the release of three box sets showcasing their work for the network. The partnership first came to fame in the mid Sixties with the comedy series Two of a Kind, made for ATV, showcasing their impeccable sense of timing and keen eye for the absurd. After leaving the BBC in the late Seventies Eric and Ernie made a number of shows for Thames that featured the usual mix of fast-moving skits, musical parodies and high…

Vine Street by Dominic Nolan Published by Headline Price £18.99 Pages 592 ISBN 9781472288851 In 1935, Soho is Sergeant Leon Geats’s patch. There’s not much he doesn’t know about the people inhabiting this infamous area of London, the working girls, the pimps, the gangsters, fascists and corrupt cops, or the jazz clubs and dives for which its streets are famous. When a body is found above the Windmill Club, detectives dismiss the case as a suicide. Geats disagrees. Working with his former partner, mercenary Flying Squad sergeant Mark Cassar, he focuses obsessively for decades on finding a warped killer. The setting, scenes and characters feel real and the plotting comes with some satisfying twists. HARDBACK BOOK OF THE MONTH Hardbacks NON-FICTION By Any Other Name, A Cultural History of the…

With their gilded ceilings and glittering chandeliers, the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace provide a magnificent setting for many of the greatest treasures from the Royal Collection. A Buckingham Palace Guided Tour, available until January 30, gives visitors the opportunity to explore rooms used by members of the Royal Family for official entertaining, including the Ballroom, Throne Room, White Drawing Room and Music Room, when the Palace is not usually open to the public. This winter family guided tours of Buckingham Palace are also available for the first time. Specially designed for children, these fun-filled tours highlight stories about the Palace and its history that little ones will love and make a memorable day out for all the family. Family tours are available to book now at: (www.rct.uk) You can…

See how many of the following questions, testing your memory of people and events of the past, you can answer, and then find out how you did by checking over the page: 1 What do these three have in common – Sally Ride, Helen Sharman and Alexei Leonov? 2 Which pet did the following people favour – Charles Dickens, Anne Frank and Florence Nightingale? 3 Spot the invented film title – Carry On Regardless, Carry On Carpet-laying, Carry On Constable. 4 Which one of these destinations did Bob Hope not visit in the ‘Road’ films – Zanzibar, Utopia, The Urals? 5 Spot which titled lady is the odd one out – Dame Julie Andrews, Dame Edna Everage, Dame Sybil Thorndike. 6 Name the backing band: Joe Brown and... 7 And…

Just a reminder... ... that in December 1978, 2000 uniformed policemen were drafted into London’s West End to foil any threat of bombing of shoppers by the IRA. In the last week before Christmas, troops with automatic weapons were patrolling at Heathrow Airport ... in this month in 1983, the Pope visited the Rome prison holding Mehmet Ali Agca who had tried to assassinate the Pontiff. When they met, the prisoner, who was Turkish and known as The Grey Wolf, sank to his knees and kissed the hands of the man he had tried to kill and begged forgiveness, which the Pope willingly granted ... and in December 1986, Voyager, a weird-looking aircraft with engines at the front and rear, set a new record for endurance when it landed safely…

■ 4 orange skin halves (previously juiced) ■ 200g ground almonds ■ 200g caster sugar ■ 5 eggs, beaten ■ ¾ tsp baking powder ■ Butter or oil for greasing ■ 80g dark chocolate, melted and drizzled over the cake 1 Put the orange skin halves in a saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil Cover and simmer for 75 minutes, check water levels regularly. Remove and set aside to cool 2 Roughly cut up the cooked orange skins and transfer to a food blender. Add the eggs, caster sugar, ground almonds and baking powder and blitz to combine 3 Grease a 20cm loose base round cake tin. four the batter into the prepared tin and smooth the top 4 Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas mark 4.…

Write to Your views, Choice, 4 Milnyard Square, Orton Southgate, Peterborough PE2 6GX, or email us at: (editorial@choicemag.co.uk). (Views expressed are those of the individual correspondent and not necessarily those of the magazine) Blocking nuisance calls Just a note which you could find useful regarding nuisance calls (Choice, September). Register for caller display and the numbers come up. I have it and if I don’t recognise them or they say international, I don’t answer them. If it’s somebody who wants you they will leave a message. I have found this very useful and after a time they stop calling. My friend has BT Block. When you ring her a voice comes on to say calls are blocked and you have to say your name then press hash. She is very…

OFFICIALLY IN the running for the title of UK City of Culture 2025, Southampton is wooing visitors looking for a short break with a major new contemporary art exhibition. Derek Jarman’s Modern Nature draws on Derek Jarman’s extraordinary legacy as a radical artist, filmmaker, writer, gardener, and activist. The free exhibition specifically focuses on his lifelong passion for plants, the human body, the landscape and the greater environment. It will also include rarely seen examples of his earliest landscape paintings, from the Sixties up to his vibrant late paintings of the Nineties. These will be presented alongside works by other artists including John Minton, John Piper, Graham Sutherland, the surrealists, Eileen Agar and John Banting, through to Albrecht Durer’s Renaissance darkness, all seeking to explore the depth of Jarman’s influences.…

What are the tax implications of helping our son to buy a home? Q We are currently in the fortunate position of owning two houses, one of which we are in the process of selling. We are looking at using part of the proceeds to help our son and his girlfriend buy their first home, but are not sure what is the best way to go about this without running foul of the tax laws – are you able to advise? Mrs S Peterson, Grantham Morag Watson, tax partner at Azets replies: A Let me start with the sale of one of your two properties. As you may be aware, since April 6, 2020, there has been a requirement to submit a Capital Gains Tax (CGT) Residential Property return within…

To create one decoration: 1 Cut two triangles of Christmas fabric with a 6in base and one triangle of wadding that is about a ¼ in smaller all the way round. Adhere the wadding to the wrong side of one of the fabric triangles 2 Place the two fabric triangles right sides together. Using a ¼ in seam allowance, pin and stitch all the way round, leaving a 3in gap in the base of the tree. Clip the corners to avoid bulk 3 Using the 3in gap, turn through to the right side, carefully poke out the corners and press. Place a small rectangle of brown felt in the gap to make the tree trunk 4 Top-stitch all the way round, closing the gap and encasing the tree trunk as…

Apple Music 55 tracks, 2hrs 52mins This playlist offers an alternative soundtrack to Christmas if you have tired of Bing Crosby, Noddy Holder and Bob Geldof’s choir of assorted pop stars. All the familiar carols and one or two not so well known performed beautifully by immaculate voices and musicians – the perfect backdrop to a peaceful Christmas Eve, unless you want a party – then it’s over to Noddy, Bob and co. This playlist is just what the title promises, classic carols performed classically. The colleges of Oxford and Cambridge figure prominently, the most famous, the choir of King’s College, Cambridge, feature on 14 carols. A sprinkling of Cathedral choirs, Winchester, St Paul’s, along with some smaller ensembles make up the rest. Magdalen College, Oxford, lead the playlist with…

Bridge BY HEATHER DHONDY Before reading on, cover the East and West hands on the deal below. LOVE ALL;DEALER WEST Playing pairs, West passes, North opens one diamond and South responds one heart. West now doubles, North rebids one notrump and South ends the auction with a jump to four hearts. West leads the queen of clubs, won in dummy, and a diamond to the ace is followed by a trump to the jack, queen and ace. East returns the two of clubs to dummy’s king. How do you plan the play? To make an overtrick, you will have to decide on West’s most likely shape. It appears as though he began with five clubs, at least four spades and probably one trump. Cash the king and queen of diamonds,…

Now we don’t fret about debt MONEY A bit tight for you in the run-up to Christmas? Well, if at this most expensive time of the year you’re feeling the pinch – and if you’re old-fashioned enough to feel uneasy about letting the credit card take the strain – here’s a word or two of comfort. We’re in an era of spending without shame, so relax. Any lingering, ancient niggle you might have about owing money is now as out of date as waspies and falsies (see footnote if you’re too young to know what these were). Self-imposed frugality is old hat, and the words we once used to dress up the fact that we were buying now and paying later have long disappeared from our conversations. Buying what you…

Ever looked at a map and found yourself laughing about a curious place name? I do it all the time, and on a trip south, while my wife did the driving, I looked at a map of the area we were passing through. By the time we’d reached home, I’d scribbled a fictitious news report mentioning some of the curious places in the Beds and Bucks area. In my fantasising, I theorised about what made the people of Wendover bend over: the wind (the meteorological sort)? I wondered whether cats had been disappearing in Moggerhanger. And whether Gravelly Hill had many poorly residents. Did a drugs problem lead to Cockayne Hatley being so named? I offered no theory on the the reason for Potter’s Crouch or the geography of Bryant’s…