Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2025 i Saga Magazine

Moving house is generally recognised as being one of life's most stressful events – and I can certainly see why, now that my family are navigating our own change of address after many years. It's not the packing up that bothers me so much as dealing with all the services, such as security systems and broadband, which are such a necessary part of home life in 2025. It has been a real eye opener for me, being on the receiving end of the hard-sell techniques deployed by some companies. I particularly disliked methods used by a representative of one home security firm, who implied we wouldn't be safe in our beds unless we installed his product. It took me right back to the dodgy double glazing salesmen my wife and…

Our November picks…

1 Rolleiflex The slightly better version of my Rolleicord. Plentiful at less than £300, or get the Rolleicord for as little as £100. 2 Nikon FM2 Typically around £250 with a lens. A classic, still hugely sought-after. Five years ago, mine cost £45 on eBay. Sorry. 3 Minolta SRT101 A beautiful, overlooked classic. You can find one for well under £100. 4 Asahi Pentax Spotmatic Perhaps the prettiest of its time and a dream to use. Some beauties on eBay at less than £100. 5 Leica M6 Around £3,500 – the originals from pre-2002 are regarded as even better made than the latest version. Dream on.…

this month Chilli con carne Recipes taken from Mary 90: My Very Best Recipes by Mary Berry (BBC Books, £28), out now winner Cook Chilli Con Carne 275g, £5.75 Although this was frozen, expensive and didn't include rice, it was delicious. Beans, lots of vegetables and an abundance of meat provided a rich and scrumptious chilli. The spices delivered an intense aroma and left a lasting taste. It's not often we offer top marks, but… Rating: 10/10 Charlie Bigham's Chilli Con Carne and Mexican Rice 420g, £6.50 This delivered on quality if not quantity. Served with an excellent Mexican rice, it had black-eyed and kidney beans, but the sheer amount of vegetables and chorizo drowned any real flavour of meat or chilli. For purists, it might not be a great…

1 DANIEL GALVIN FEEL THE LOVE INTENSIVE HAIR REPAIR TREATMENT, £38, danielgalvin.com Packed with argan oil, vitamins and keratin, this intensely hydrating, luxury mask keeps hair strong, shiny and cashmere soft. 2 PHILIP KINGSLEY DENSITY PRESERVING SCALP DROPS, £52, philipkingsley.co.uk One of the best clinically proven treatments for mid-life hair loss around the parting and scalp. Apply daily after washing. You'll be wowed by your regrowth. 3 MOROCCANOIL TREATMENT ORIGINAL £14.50 for 25ml, lookfantastic.com An amazing multitasker, this stuff not only eliminates frizz and tangles, it also boosts volume and shine. Run it through damp hair before styling for instant texture, gloss and bounce.…

Winter fuel payment tax Everyone who was aged 66 by 21 September will get a Winter Fuel Payment (Pension Age Winter Heating Payment in Scotland) this month or next. But those with taxable income of more than £35,000 in 2025/26 will have it taken back. That will normally be done by increasing the monthly tax they pay on their other income by one twelfth of the payment they received, adding £16.67 a month from April for those who get the standard £200, or £25 extra for those over 80 who get £300 (in Scotland, amounts are £203.40 and £305.10). Couples will normally get half those payments each. The income test is applied individually. If only one has an income above £35,000 they will have their half recouped, but the person…

I discovered winter hiking in my late fifties. It was the last morning of a ski holiday. Over breakfast, I studied the piste map, looking for something to inspire me to force my aching feet into ski boots one more time, when I saw some pink dots. They were labelled ‘Winterwanderwege‘, or ‘winter-hiking trails’. These are marked paths, like ski runs but narrower, with packed-down snow that's easy to walk on. The routes are avalanche-secured, most tend not to be very steep, and usually finish at mountain restaurants, with lovely views en route. In other words, winter hiking is simply a more beautiful Alpine version of a very British activity: a countryside stroll to a pub. It doesn't need special equipment, or a guide, or lessons – just warm clothes…

PODCAST Instant Classics Which Roman emperor is Donald Trump most like? This is the sort of thing that academic Dame Mary Beard is frequently asked at parties. In her new podcast with author Charlotte Higgins, Beard aims to make the classics come alive for modern audiences. In the first episode, the enthusiastic pair tackle the Trump question, which throws up interesting parallels with Roman emperors and Trump's passion for bling, his caprice and his love of flattery. Higgins likens him to Caligula while Beard goes off-piste and chooses debauched teenage emperor Elagabalus. In other episodes, they deal with the Circus Maximus, the world's greatest sporting spectacle, discussing everything from team colours to deadly accidents. They even ask how 250,000 spectators went to the lavatory when archaeologists have only found a…

More puzzles! There are loads more puzzles on the Saga Magazine app. Download from your app store today! £250 prize PRIZE CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Cotswolds home of William Morris from 1871 until his death in 1896 (9,5) 8 The fourth-largest internal organ in the human body (5) 9 US crime writer of the 87th Precinct novels (2,6) 11 French port on the Cotentin Peninsula (9) 12 Hard ornamental gemstone common in Chinese art (4) 15 Fast-rotating star producing radio waves in space (6) 17 Coarse woven cotton probably originating in a city of western Germany (8) 19 Medical condition characterised by ringing in the ears (8) 20 Roman statesman and orator who died in 43BC (6) 22 Distance equal to 25.4 millimetres (4) 23 Manager of England's 1966 World Cup football squad (3,6) 27 Brandy-based drink made from cider or apple…

Hello everyone. Whoever said it was a mistake to meet your heroes got it wrong when it came to this month's cover star, Dame Mary Berry. I have long been a fan of the former Bake Off queen and was over the moon when she agreed to attend the magazine's 40th birthday party in Henley last year. So determined was I to ensure the presence of our guest of honour that I went in the car to collect her. If Mary was surprised to see me on her doorstep, she didn't show it and on the journey we had a lovely chat about Agas, as you do. We discovered we both had the electric version and Mary asked me how I was getting on with mine. Too embarrassed to tell…

I was 12 years old when I learned about the tragedy of Pompeii. I was in the first year at Barnsley Girls’ High School and struggling with learning Latin. Very little remains apart from ‘Milites barbaros adgressi sunt’ – ‘The soldiers attacked the barbarians’. Not especially useful to a 20th-century schoolgirl, but the Pompeii story has haunted me ever since. Miss Pilling, our fierce and frightening Latin mistress, related the 79AD eruption of Mount Vesuvius with what seemed like delight as she described a huge Roman city being engulfed first by a shower of pumice stones and then by a high temperature pyroclastic flow. No one in the city could have survived. Archaeologists, she told us, had found lots of corpses and some had been covered in plaster casts showing…

What a year it's been for Dame Mary Berry. The Queen of Cakes has celebrated her 90th birthday and been hailed as ‘a true national treasure’ by none other than the Prince of Wales. ‘I had to bite my lip, because you feel, “Oh goodness gracious me!”’ Mary says of the moment Prince William paid a surprise tribute to her on live television during a One Show special on her actual birthday (24 March). ‘I was totally overcome. I thought, “I must hold myself together”.’ Dame Mary is so much an admirer of His Royal Highness that for a moment she loses her famous cool and sounds almost girlish. ‘I mean, to see Prince William on the screen saying that I had taught him all he knew about cooking… well!…

THEN We rocked the pram to soothe the baby. 1 NOW An electronic box sits on the buggy's handlebar, offering everything from a gentle sway to a vigorous jiggle. THEN We ran the washing machine to provide ‘white noise’ to help the baby sleep. 2 NOW A sound machine fits on to the cot or buggy offering an array of noises – not only ‘white’ but ‘green’, ‘pink’ and ‘brown’. THEN Plastic nipple shields helped with breastfeeding. 3 NOW Cups made from pure silver ‘soothe and protect nipples through the breastfeeding journey’, costing from £29 to £49. THEN Baby slings cost around £20 – my wraparound cotton one served me well through four kids, from newborn to toddlerhood. 4 NOW An Artipoppe baby carrier can cost as much as £3,500…

What do you call something that's not the best, but that is guaranteed not to disappoint? It turns out there is a word for it. This is a ‘satisficer’. The word was coined by American academic Herbert Simon in 1956, who theorised that we might prefer things that are ‘good enough’ to those that are ‘possibly brilliant’. It might not seem a revolutionary insight but it was enough to help win Simon the Nobel Prize. As it happens, this is peak season for ‘satisficer’ wines. Christmas parties – whether you're hosting or bringing a bottle to someone else's – are not the time of year to discover that the Lithuanian Chardonnay you fell in love with over the summer is not to everyone's taste. Far better to serve a wine…

Spotlight on shade When planting bulbs, the cyclamen family is often overlooked in favour of big-impact tulips or daffodils. But it's a tough and hard-working plant that relishes the summer shade of trees such as birch and cherry, and spreads naturally to form a carpet where others rarely thrive. Plant Cyclamen coum now for its two-tone leaves and pink or white winged flowers emerging from mid-winter. Its corm resembles a wizened potato and should be planted about 2cm deep, into soil enhanced by leaf mould every year. Pair with shade-loving ferns (from £4.99 at ashwoodnurseries.com or crocus.co.uk). Plant for easy pickings Homegrown fruit is a treasure and now's the best time to plant trees. The soil is still warm, and months of rain ahead give them the best start, letting…

When Tim Spector doles out health advice, the world listens. The professor of epidemiology at King's College London has gained an almost cult-like following with his work on how diet impacts our health. And he's pretty much single-handedly responsible for making the world aware of the words ‘gut microbiome’. After interviewing Spector (also the founder of nutritional advice company Zoe) at a literary festival last year and witnessing the sell-out audience hang on his every word, I acted on his recommendation to include 30 different plants a week in my family's diet. It's perhaps no coincidence that it's been a year since any of the four of us has had a cough, cold or flu. With Spector's new book Ferment has come yet another level of nutritional guidance. So why…

Kerala, South West India EXPERIENCE… Watch a traditional dance Experience a Kathakali dance performance, based on stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata epic poems and characterised by dancers wearing elaborate make-up, costumes and masks, accompanied by musicians. Take a houseboat cruise These elegant boats, known as kettuvallam, were formerly used as cargo vessels, but many have been restored as eco-friendly houseboats. They glide through the maze of waterways linking small lakes and lagoons. Journey past villages and paddy fields, as you fall asleep lulled by the rippling Keralan backwaters. SEE… Kochi One of Kerala's most important cities, Kochi has been a trading port since 1341. In the 16th and 17th centuries, it came under Portuguese and Dutch influence, and you can still see many of the buildings they left behind,…

Celebrity encounter I read with interest Sir Trevor McDonald's column on the brilliant musician Winifred Atwell (October). Back in 1959, I was 18 and had a temporary job with an agency whose client was Winifred Atwell. She was giving a private party at her home, and I was invited to it. I recall slightly nervously arriving at her house and going up a large staircase to a bedroom where I left my coat and quickly brushed my hair. While doing so, Alma Cogan walked in and threw her ranch mink coat over the bed. I froze. I followed her out and down the stairs to find all the top celebrities and disc jockeys of the day in the room below. Winifred Atwell was playing her piano, Lita Roza was singing,…

Jeremy Taylor Flying high p26 The writer and presenter recently destroyed a Lamborghini on a racetrack, but luckily there was no danger of any crash landing when he realised his childhood dream of flying in a Spitfire. Jonathan Margolis Roll reversal p34 The former FT columnist wrote perhaps the most reproduced piece of text ever – an advert for a Hong Kong tailor, which has been running for 25 years with around five billion copies. Emily Dean Am I chopping my hair short? Hell no! p68 While the creator of the Walking The Dog podcast relished writing about her love for long hair, she says maintaining her Shih Tzu Raymond's hair costs more. Piers Morgan The world according to… p129 After presenting Piers Morgan's Life Stories and Good Morning Britain,…

You've collaborated with many incredible artists in your career. Is there one who's particularly close to your heart? David Bowie instantly springs to mind. When I was 17, Bowie was already reinventing every rule in the book, an otherworldly creature on the front of album covers such as Ziggy Stardust, Diamond Dogs and Aladdin Sane. He was a visionary extraordinaire and an inspiration for lost teenagers like me, who longed to escape grey suburban entrapment. I performed Under Pressure with him at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert at Wembley Stadium in 1992. To have that chance to work with him was like catching lightning in a bottle. Tell us about your early memories of growing up in Aberdeen. I was born into scarcity, with no guarantee of a better future.…

What makes a good leader? I have met my fair share over the years, and it is not always as easy as you might think to distil the characteristics that mark out the brilliant from the rather less than brilliant. Certainly, having a vision of what you want to accomplish is important. Not just vision, but the assertiveness that gives people confidence you can get the job done. This is what distinguished Margaret Thatcher from those who came before and after her. We didn't always agree with her vision, and she didn't always get things right, but she had a view and she stuck to it. The lady was definitely not for turning. All this after being sturdy enough to rise above the misogynistic taunts she faced from male MPs…

Fiction JEEVES AGAIN Various authors I bow to no man in my love for PG Wodehouse, but if Roddy Doyle and Frank Skinner want to play fast and loose with his priceless creations, Bertie Wooster and Jeeves, why not? Fun and frolics for the festive season as flights of fancy waft us from wartime Bletchley Park to the present day. THE CHRISTMAS CRACKER KILLER Alexandra Benedict Whatever your festive plans, don't invite puzzle compiler Edie O'Sullivan. Wherever she goes, it's mayhem. This year it's a hotel on a Scottish island for more blue murder and red herrings. Can Edie solve the clues in the victims’ Christmas crackers? Can you find the song and film titles hidden in the text? MURDER AT MISTLETOE MANOR FL Everett Driving home to London across…

Smoked Salmon and Brown Shrimp Canapés The perfect prepare-ahead canapé. I find a light rye bread is a great base for many canapés – it is quite dense so doesn't go soggy and stays firm when being picked up off the platter. Buy it sliced in packets. If the potted shrimp has a layer of butter on top, warm gently in a saucepan over a low heat to melt the butter, before spooning on top of the canapés. Makes 16 YOU WILL NEED 4 tbsp crème fraîche 2 tsp hot horseradish sauce from a jar 1½ tbsp chopped dill, plus small sprigs to garnish 4 small square slices light rye bread 5 slices smoked salmon, cut into small strips 55g (2oz) cooked brown shrimps (from a tub) ½ lemon, cut…

I recently made a sobering discovery. At 55, I'm now officially older than at least one of The Golden Girls was when they moved into their Miami retirement flat. Don't get me wrong, those formidable, sitcom females of a certain age were an inspiration to me. What I hadn't banked on, though, was one day becoming them. Mainly because of what their hairstyles said about getting older. They had those styles because they got the memo – something society traditionally sends to a woman the day she turns 50. It reads as follows: ‘Regrettably, you are now too old for long hair. Please select one of the mandated styles for women of your age – newsreader bob, teased bouffant, or astronaut's wife bubble perm.’ Sadly, I must have missed that…

Marché de Noël in Strasbourg Self-proclaimed capital of Christmas and home to France's oldest festive market, Strasbourg has more than 300 stalls all across the city at spots including the Place de la Cathédrale, Place du Château, and Marché-aux-Poissons. Best for… local ceramics, wooden toys, handcrafted, decorative metal bookmarks, Christmas tea and bredele, traditional Alsatian Christmas biscuits. For a unique gift for a hard-to-buy-for spouse, the pop-up OZ fair (13-22 December) showcases 50 individual artisans making glass, jewellery, fashion and furniture. Stop for a rest at… Au Fond du Jardin, a tea room by the Gothic cathedral, where the madeleines are like miniature works of art. Saga river cruise Saga ocean cruise Bergen, Norway The Christmas market transforms Festplassen in the heart of Bergen into a festive wonderland, complete with…

DANCE The Nutcracker BIRMINGHAM HIPPODROME 21 November-13 December brb.org.uk Birmingham Royal Ballet performs Tchaikovsky's classic festive ballet. The company later heads to the Royal Albert Hall with a new version created for the venue (29-31 December; royalalberthall.com). There are also other productions of the ballet in Leeds (18 December – 4 January; leedsheritagetheatres.com); at the London Coliseum (11 December-11 January; londoncoliseum.org); and in Belfast (18-22 November; goh.co.uk).…

Picture perfect Reading October's Saga Voices confirmed there's a generational divide when it comes to photos. I'm 93 and happy using my phone to take photos, but I'm now on album number 55. The albums record my life and the photos are a good size instead of peering at tiny images on a phone. They will no doubt end up in a tip when I die, but they give me much pleasure. The younger generation constantly seem to take photos and post them on social media, which drives me mad. Are we all really interested? Yvonne Warren Leatherhead, Surrey Lasting memory Up until we started using mobile phones to take photos, we thought nothing of snapping away with cameras and sending them off to be developed. We had a wonderful…

1 Bass player Guy Berryman and drummer Will Champion are the rhythm section of which hugely successful British band? 2 Strangles, a respiratory disease with extremely unpleasant symptoms, commonly affects which domesticated animals? 3 What was new about Wembley Stadium when it staged the FA Cup final in 1990? 4 Newscaster Peter, long retired. His son Dan, TV historian. Their cousin Jon, also a long-serving and now retired newscaster. What is their common surname? 5 The name of what type of building comes from an Indian word meaning ‘a house built in the Bengali style’? 6 Five of the six Nobel Prizes are presented in Stockholm. Which is the only one that is presented in Norway at Oslo City Hall? 7 Which piece of sports equipment consists of a wrist-strap,…

Last week, a Countdown viewer asked me for the origin of the word ‘retired’. Is it, they wondered, the same idea as when we ‘retire’ to bed? I knew the basics, but realised I'd never looked into the matter very deeply. I dutifully donned my virtual deerstalker to embark on a bit of word detection. And it turns out there is more to this than meets the eye. Those who are lucky enough to have the wherewithal to retire might be looking forward to years of freedom and a chance to catch up on living. But the story of ‘retire’ suggests the exact opposite, for its roots are in a Latin word meaning to ‘withdraw’. Initially, retiring was specific to the military, referring to armies facing defeat who retreated from…