Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2024 i Saga Magazine

Seeing John Cleese on the front cover this month has transported me back to my childhood. I grew up with my parents running a guesthouse in Margate and while they were nothing like Basil and Sybil (most of the time!), when you have a family-owned hotel there are always moments behind the scenes that could come straight from the script of Fawlty Towers. We certainly had more than our fair share of interesting characters passing through the doors over the years and it kept us busy. It's been busy here at Saga too, what with our results presentation and Annual Report coming out in the middle of April. We were very pleased with the numbers we shared as we continue to deliver on our strategy, growing profits and reducing debt.…

Our May picks…

INTERVIEW 'Nature can be incredibly beneficial for everyone, you just have to pause to notice it' What are your first memories of gardening? Growing up on the edge of North London and Hertfordshire, our Edwardian house had a fairly sizeable rectangular garden. With three younger brothers, dogs and cats, ours felt like an outdoor life. My parents were keen gardeners and on family walks round the local streets we'd look at the gardens and discuss the plants. I've been captivated by them for as long as I can remember. Tell us about your garden in the Cotswolds. We have a large plot which almost bleeds into the surrounding countryside. So as well as ornamental beds filled with flowers there are areas around the edges where I allow wildflowers to grow,…

I meet Jack Cornish just outside Oxleas Wood, the place where, as a teenager, he fell in love with walking. I can see why. It doesn't look promising if you're passing through in a car. We're on Shooter's Hill, the scruffy outer edge of southeast London, just off the South Circular, an area heavy with multi-lane traffic, and lorries thundering towards Dover. Inside the woods, though, is another world. You've got 77 hectares of forest that's at least 8,000 years old. The muddy footpath we follow is the one Jack used to take to school. It's marked as a bridleway on the 1890 Ordnance Survey map, but was probably created by animals and human feet long before that. Just around the corner, surrounded by 1930s houses, there's a Bronze Age…

When their local Boots pharmacy closed in February, residents of Portland, Dorset, were told not to worry – there was another one just under two miles away. Presumably the powers-that-be hadn't ever set foot on the island, home to 13,500 people. 'The other one is at the top of a long, steep hill – it's one hell of a climb,' says Jo Dolbear, 71. 'We have a large older population here – many don't drive and don't have computers. They need to be able to get their prescriptions. We already had a wait of ten days, and that was before the closure.' Theirs is a story repeated across the UK. In the past six years more than 1,000 pharmacies have shut up shop in England – about 10% of the…

My late wife, Margaret Forster, first had cancer around the same age as the Princess of Wales and, like William and Kate, we also had three children. So ever since Kate, 42, announced the dreadful news, I have been wondering how they have been coping. What have their children been told? Chemo and radiotherapy are so debilitating and can go on for months, if not years. Cancer strikes at any age, rank and circumstance. We all know someone who has been through it. Kate was so brave to share what had happened in a video address to the nation, but then the whole world was watching and waiting, wondering and speculating. How awful to have to be constantly in the public spotlight when the natural desire of most people is…

home & style INTERIORS / RECIPES / GARDENS / TECH / BEAUTY / WINE AND RELAX… At its heart, casual style is a blend of easy furniture, soothing colours, no-fuss surfaces and textiles that clean up or shake out effortlessly. Pick comfortable pieces and don't over-match for a look that's laid back and gently evolved. A single architectural cue can be the springboard for an entire scheme like this brick inlay fireplace. Consciously play with textural variations, soft and hard. Choose and display accessories to create the illusion of more space; rather than hanging several small pictures on each wall, experiment with one giant painting and keep other walls bare for a pared-down look. There is a reason art gallery walls are white. Pure white walls are useful tools for…

Guard… against late frosts The best of May feels like high summer, but there can be a sting in the tail from late frosts until mid-month in the south and early June in the far north. Keep your eye on temperatures that will damage young growth on hanging baskets and newly planted seedlings. If it's forecast below 4-5°C, lay horticultural fleece over the plants – no need for hoops – to retain a protective layer of warmer air. Choose plastic-free versions of fleece, woven from plant-based corn starch (andermattgarden.co.uk) or spun wool (chimneysheep.co.uk). These sustainable solutions last several years before biodegrading naturally, with no nasty residues. Give… a haven to pollinators No Mow May was launched by charity Plantlife in 2019 to help reverse our dramatic loss of wildflowers by…

Nunc est bibendum ('Now is the time for drinking'), wrote the Roman poet Horace. Bibendum today is a restaurant, a wine merchants, and the real name of the Michelin Man (a useful pub quiz fact for you). It's also an instruction. Think of that the next time Monty Python asks, 'What have the Romans ever done for us?' The legacy of the Romans is a tour of modern wine regions. Some are familiar, some hidden gems. All of them are living proof that Romans knew their wine. My friend Juan makes wine in Ronda, a wine region high above the holiday beaches of Malaga, and he's following a tradition dating back 2,000 years. Ronda was founded as Acinipo by retired Roman legionaries after fighting for Julius Caesar at the Battle…

The text from my local surgery was enough to make my sugary blood run cold. 'But I haven't got pre-diabetes, so why do I need to go to a support group?' I wailed at my next hastily arranged appointment. 'No, but your latest tests show you soon will have if you don't make some drastic changes,' said my GP. 'You are nearly 60, Louise, and you need to decide what you want the next 20 years of your life to look like. Do you really want to spend it rattling full of pills for conditions it's in your power to reverse?' Which is how, on the 'trust me, it will change your life' advice of a friend, I found myself on a metabolic health retreat in a gorgeous Georgian manor…

going places SPECIAL INTEREST HOLIDAYS / LETTER FROM AMERICA £50 OFF YOUR NEXT HOLIDAY. CALL 0808 189 3651 AND QUOTE SMAGSP50 ASTRONOMY AND GEOLOGY If you fancy seeing more in the night sky than a faint scattering of stars, head to Tenerife on Saga's astronomy and geology holiday. Close to the equator with low light pollution, the island is ideal for stargazing. The trip is hosted by Dr Sheona Urquhart, lecturer and researcher in astrophysics and cosmology, who will teach you all you need to know. The climax is ascending Mount Teide, a 12,000-foot volcano in the centre of Tenerife that doubles up as one of the best astronomical sites in the world. 'Guests are awestruck,' says Dr Urquhart. 'With the naked eye, you can see the Milky Way, and…

fyi Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers is on from 14 September to 19 January 2025. During this time, the gallery (left) will be filled with many of the artist's best-known works. Some will be borrowed from galleries in Europe – including his Yellow House (1888) and his Starry Night over the Rhône (1888) – and others will be the National Gallery's own Van Gogh favourites, such as Van Gogh's Chair (1889) and Sunflowers (1888, below), one of the most viewed paintings in the gallery. Surprisingly, the show will be the first-ever in the gallery's history to focus exclusively on this most popular of painters.…

TURNING 50 Andrea Corr musician and singer (The Corrs), right Denise Van Outen TV presenter Sir Tony McCoy jockey Jewel singer/songwriter TURNING 60 Adrian Moorhouse swimmer David Baddiel comedian and writer, right Earl Spencer aristocrat Lenny Kravitz singer/songwriter, bottom Liz McColgan athlete Milton Jones comedian TURNING 70 Gary Wilmot entertainer Johnny Logan singer Patti Boulaye singer, above Peter Duncan TV presenter TURNING 80 Armistead Maupin writer Lord Chris Patten politician Frank Oz puppeteer George Lucas film director Gladys Knight singer, above Jim Abrahams film director TURNING 90 Alan Bennett writer and actor, above Frankie Valli singer Nanette Newman actor…

our pick MY FAVOURITE MISTAKE Marian Keyes She has a high-flying career in beauty PR, a Manhattan apartment, a sensitive, spiritual lover, all the free face packs a girl could want, but in the post-lockdown doldrums Anna decides to cut and run. Back in Ireland, in the heaving bosom of her family, up to her eyes in opinionated sisters, she accepts a job working for friends, trying to soothe local concerns over their planned luxury coastal retreat. Here's the catch: she'll be working with Joey, the handsome heartbreaker who came between her and her best friend. A large cast of characters jostles for attention and affection, while baddies lurk in the shadows, threaten and vandalise. Classic Keyes, a fast-paced, funny and involving romcom, a real treat and no mistake. THE…

More puzzles! There are loads more puzzles on the Saga Magazine app. Download from your app store today! £250 prize PRIZE CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Famous Mayan archaeological site in Yucatan, Mexico (7,4) 8 Sport requiring a rope and a vertical surface (9) 9 Name of TV family that lived at Southfork (5) 11 Group of stars called the Big Dipper in USA and Canada (6) 12 White wine named after a village in north-east Italy (8) 14 Cylindrical form of lasagne, the Italian word for 'large reeds' (10) 17 Swiss scientist who founded analytical psychology (4) 19 Scottish island where St Columba founded a monastery (4) 20 Son of Theseus in Greek mythology (10) 22 Member of an ancient Jewish sect who had conflicts with the Sadducees (8) 24 Guy…

1 Whose treasure was the expedition hoping to find in Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island? 2 Don Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar is a Spanish hero of the 11th century also known by what name? 3 Apple, The Beatles' record label, took its name from a painting by which Belgian surrealist artist? 4 What nationality was Che Guevara? 5 Which company's name might mean 'play well' in the language of its country of origin, or might mean 'I put together' in a far more ancient language? 6 Which 33-year-old actress, who tripped on the stairs on her way to collecting a Best Actress Oscar in 2013, is thought to have seen There's Something About Mary more than 50 times? 7 When he was a boy, Damien Hirst sent an artwork into…

I became a writer by happy accident. I was a primary school teacher reading a story to my class and I could tell they weren't enjoying it. I told my wife and she said: 'Make up one of your own.' So I did, and the children couldn't take their eyes off me when I told it to them. When the school bell rang, they wanted me to finish it. Later, my headteacher encouraged me to send it off to a publisher, Macmillan, who paid me £75 for it. That was about a month's salary for a teacher in those days, so I thought it was too good to be true. Animal magic After moving to Devon, my wife and I started a charity called Farms for City Children. Over the…

Welcome to May. I love this time of year – the lighter evenings, my hanging baskets, white jeans with everything, and being able to wear sunglasses without looking like an Anna Wintour wannabe. This year the sunnies will have the added benefit of hiding my puffy eyes as I struggle to come to terms with the death of my marvellous mother. It was expected but still a terrible shock. Mum beat the odds so many times over 91 years (from Hitler bombing her out of her childhood home right though to enduring the Covid years in her wonderful care home), I suppose I thought she would live forever. At least now she is reunited with my dad – perhaps watching an episode of Fifteen to One, sherry glass in hand,…

When my phone rang and the name Paxo flashed up, I had a sixth sense that the call would herald the end of an era on Saga Magazine. Jeremy Paxman, our esteemed columnist for the past five years, wondered if I had time for lunch as there was something he wanted to discuss. He suggested his favourite restaurant around the corner from the home in west London he shares with his partner, Jill, and his beloved spaniel (and veteran Saga Magazine cover star), Derek. I rang to book but was told there was no need: 'We always find room for Mr Paxman, madam.' Even though I half knew what was coming, it was still a real blow to hear that Jeremy felt it was time to pass the Saga baton…

Amish Patel, 38, took over Hodgson Pharmacy in Longfield, Kent, from his father Dipak, 65, and has had to diversify to survive The sad state of NHS pharmacy makes Amish Patel despair at times, but he's fighting to stay afloat by diversifying into private services. First it was travel vaccinations, then he trained in medical aesthetics – injectables like Botox and fillers, and chemical peels for skincare. 'As a fully qualified pharmacist, I understand the mechanism of how, for example, Botox and chemical peels work and what they're doing in the body, so it's a good fit for me and something I'm passionate about,' he says. He now has two consultation rooms in the pharmacy his father Dipak set up in the 1980s. In 2020, Amish trained in microsuction ear…

Black Forest Bakewells One bite of these Black Forest Bakewells and you'll wonder where they've been all your life. This dreamy two-in-one recipe combines the rich, chocolatey sponge of a Black Forest gateau with the crisp pastry of a Bakewell tart. It's the ultimate combination of chocolate and cherries, with a hint of almond added in for good measure. You'd never know they're so low in calories! Makes 10 YOU WILL NEED • Low-calorie cooking spray • 2 sheets (90g) of filo pastry • 1 tbsp skimmed milk, for brushing • 1 tbsp reduced-sugar cherry jam • 10 fresh black cherries, stoned and halved • 25g self-raising flour • 25g reduced-fat spread • 1 medium egg • 2 tbsp white granulated sweetener • 1 tsp cocoa powder • few drops…

When Valerie Bryan's hands started shaking so much she couldn't eat without stabbing her lip with a fork, she knew it was finally time to see a doctor about her tremors. 'I had to drink coffee and tea – and my gin and tonic – with a straw,' says Valerie, 73, a retired music teacher from Ullapool, Scotland. 'At home I couldn't do any sewing as I couldn't even thread a needle, and playing my flute was becoming increasingly difficult too.' Valerie is one of around one million people in the UK who have a condition called essential tremor, the most common movement disorder. Essential tremor is generally an isolated, rhythmic tremor that affects both sides of the body, most commonly the upper limbs. It can also involve the head…

EVENT Wild Isles: Live NATIONWIDE 10-21 May wildisleslive.org Narrated by Sir David Attenborough, the captivating 2023 BBC documentary series Wild Isles shone a spotlight on Britain's wildlife, filming 96 species in 145 locations across the country. Now, the visionary filmmaker and producer behind the show, Alastair Fothergill (above with Attenborough), hosts this live, big-screen experience. It will feature highlights from the acclaimed series and promises never-before-seen footage and behind-the-scenes insight, as well as a Q&A with the audience. EVENT Torvill & Dean: Our Last Dance ON TOUR 12 April–11 May 2025 torvillanddean.com Next year, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean celebrate 50 years since forming their partnership that led to a gold-medal-winning Olympic performance in 1984 and international fame. As a tribute to their legacy, the skating superstars and Dancing on…

PODCAST Just One Thing Michael Mosley came to public attention with his 5:2 fasting diet, but these days the doctor-turned-presenter has a less gruelling suggestion to improve the nation's health. His Radio 4 show and podcast Just One Thing recommends small additions to our daily routine that can make a long-term difference to our health. His tips are common sense rather than rocket science. Eat healthy snacks, for example. Get an early night or drink green tea. The real magic is in Mosley's clear explanations of why these things are good for us backed up by human guinea pigs who try the simple lifestyle change and report back on the results. You can cherry-pick from the list of podcast episodes. Try a daily plank to lower your blood pressure. Eat…

'What is in a humble pie?' 'What's so special about a busman and his holiday?' 'What is the riot act?' These are just a few of the questions I have been asked over the years by my German friends, whose command of English grammar is nothing short of remarkable, but who stumble over many of the oddities in our language that we take entirely for granted. I was reminded of such conversations just this week, when I overheard a Swedish tourist ask her British companion why 'knowing her onions' would be such a good thing. Of course, every language has its eccentricities. I remember my delight in learning that the French equivalent of having 'bats in the belfry' is 'avoir une araignée au plafond', which translates as 'have a spider…

Joe Shute The Rat Pack, p50 Once terrified of rats, author and journalist Joe, who writes for The Daily Telegraph, now lives with a family of 'fancy rats' and has written a book about the rodents. Kay and Kate Allinson Recipes, p66 Pinch of Nom began in 2016 when Kay and Kate started sharing recipes via a Facebook group. The couple, who married in 2021, have now sold more than five million recipe books. Michael Morpurgo World According to…, p129 Author Michael, 80, has written more than 150 books, including the inimitable War Horse. He and his wife Clare, who married more than 60 years ago, also run a charity, Farms for City Children. Martin Schoeller Cover One of the world's preeminent portrait photographers, Martin began his career in New…

VIEW POINT I can't say I was surprised to learn that poor Kate Garraway was left with debts of up to £1.5 million after nearly four years of caring for her husband Derek Draper. Derek, as I'm sure you know, was one of the first to be devastated by long Covid. He contracted Covid-19 in March 2020 and the sparky, loving husband and father I'd known as a younger man spent nearly a year in hospital as the virus ravaged his previously healthy body. When he was discharged, still desperately ill, Kate had their home adapted to create a room for her immobile husband and determined to care for him herself. She carried on presenting Good Morning Britain and her radio show, buying in professional help. I've no doubt many…

John Cleese might be approaching his 85th birthday but he's exceedingly full of beans and busier than ever when we catch up with him in Chicago on a bright spring morning. So, what's his secret? The comedy legend has a surprising answer. He insists it's the stem cell therapy he's been having for more than 20 years that's staving off the march of time (albeit he has had one knee and two hip replacements). It involves using cells at early stage of development to rejuvenate the body. 'These cells travel around the body and when they discover a place that needs repair, they'll then change into the cells that you want for that repair, so they might become cartilage cells or liver cells,' Cleese explains. 'So I think that's why…

Benita Hewitt sighs happily as she recalls her five days at last year's Glastonbury. 'I had the time of my life,' says Benita, 62, a marketing consultant from Kettering in Northamptonshire. 'I was staying in my campervan and walked around 45 miles in five days. I ate amazing food – the Buddha Bowls were outstanding – and saw so many great acts from circus to a Latvian band in the middle of the woods at midnight.' But the highlight for Benita was the headline set from Elton John on the Sunday night. 'The field was packed but I was near the front because I'd got there earlier in the day and put down my camping chair to see Cat Stevens – a teenage idol. A group of young people decided…

Follow these practical steps to create a resilient garden, whatever the weather 1 NURTURE YOUR SOIL Plant roots need a balance of water, air and micro-organisms in soil, so layer on organic matter, such as compost and leafmould, from autumn to spring and stop digging to increase fungal activity, which improves nutrient supply. Relying on good soil structure to retain moisture, rather than a regular dousing from a hosepipe, trains plants to put out longer roots and reduces transpiration from leaves. 2 GO WITH THE FLOW Create a pond and boggy area at the lowest point in the garden where water naturally gathers – rather than force it away by building an expensive land drain. A naturalistic rather than formal pond copes best with extremes of water, as rustic edging…

When I was younger, I had a definite idea of how I'd be as an older woman. It involved a lot of lying in hammocks and a vast collection of expensive cashmere. Along with the elegance of Dame Helen Mirren, the serenity of the Dalai Lama, and the timeless effervescence of Jane Fonda. Instead, I've mainly become someone who looks permanently tired. I know this because recently my gardener pointed this out to me. 'Morning,' he said cheerily as I welcomed him at 8am with a cup of Nespresso. And then he uttered those three words you should never say to anyone if you value your personal safety. 'You look tired!' As revelations go, telling a woman in her fifties she looks tired is up there with saying to Ryan…

Having symptoms of sleep apnoea (snorting, gasping and/or pausing breathing during sleep) makes you about 50% more likely to have memory or thinking problems, according to a US study of 4,257 people. You may also experience morning headaches, say researchers at Boston Medical Center. Why? It could be because sleep apnoea lowers oxygen in the blood, including to the brain. It's why anyone with symptoms should seek help, says study leader Dominique Low. By Rachel Carlyle…

FINANCE Waspi woes After seven long years, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, Rob Behrens, published his final report in March into the way those known as Waspi Women – born in the 1950s – were told that their state pension age was rising to 65 and then to 66. He found the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) guilty of maladministration over the long delays in writing to them about the changes. The DWP told him it had done nothing wrong and the Ombudsman believed it would not pay any redress he might order. So he sent the report straight to Parliament, and suggested all 3.5 million women should be paid £1,000 to £2,950 each – less than the £10,000-£50,000 each demanded by campaigners. But he explained he could…

Doctor Who (BBC ONE AND iPLAYER) our pick Whovians, rejoice! The long-awaited 14th series (or the 40th season if you include the originals) finally lands on 11 May, with the irresistible Ncuti Gatwa helming the Tardis for his first full series, accompanied by companion Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson). Gatwa oozes charisma as the legendary Time Lord, bringing an entirely fresh energy to the 15th incarnation of the role. But it's not just all change in front of the camera. Russell T Davies, the writer behind the first four series of the show's noughties reboot, is returning as head writer. Davies's scripts sparkle with humour and pathos, not to mention the boundless invention that is the hallmark of Doctor Who. What Davies does best is weave series-long story arcs into wildly…