ee SAGA met arid £500 IN KNOWLEDGE CROSSWORD. CROWN DUELS Why the Queen Pours (oar) orem tes ANDY McNAB femeatn ects neering QUIZ OF Mada) Trey Ree geen Sota CLEVER CANAPES Dearne ent! Pregame . Dy is for‘tife Meet Jeremy Paxman’s Great best friend, Derek Pee eS 4 si A) ING Wa corm Orn Noemi erst tte * y <- [mers a Shirley Ballas | Dawn French | The Rev Kate Bottley | Dr Mark Porter | Larry LambNEW RETIREMENT APARTMENTS FOR SALE Is your property becoming too much work? - not anymore! Wouldn't it be good if you could have a lovely garden without all the hard work? Many Churchill Owners worried about maintaining their properties before they moved, but now they've left repairs and garden chores behind. With Churchill Retirement Living you'll have fewer worries about Dene eC a tava coor enemy e) CMe Ce Aneta sae CA coe Pent ee Ones REQUEST A BROCHURE - FREEPHONE rT Tey LE Om ISiem eu geigom aie talento g ere) APARTMENTS FOR SALE re; Devon Tavistock, T Cowbridge; Gloues urne, Tonbridge Merseyside Formby Middlesex Pinner, Shropshir ‘Ashtead, Camberley, Carshalton, Cheam, Leatherhead, Shepperton, Walton-on-Thames: Sussex Chichester Eastbourne, East Grinstead, East Wittering, Haywards Heath, Littichampton, Peacehaven; W Midlands Aldridge, Quinton, Shirley: Wiles Malmesbury, Salisbury, + Lodge Manager * Owners’ Lounge with coffee bar ¢ 24-hour support * Video entry system emer dy pin lo uly or (50 toned ees youwaunaad skeen of oufpnd sees eee when sng cusses puCRON TUR OOM UCR A + Landscaped gardens »* Free parking * Lift to all floors3 Fa | FA A io ry Fa z Py 2 z 2 = re] z Fs =} rs 6 ra g 5 Bl ro 5 2 2 = ro) © 4 3 = Fs 2 = C3 HARLEQUINWhat plans do you have for Christmas this year? If you haven't made any yet, the Reverend Kate Bottley (of Radio 2's Pause for Thought and Channel 4's Gogglebox) talks about ‘ways to create a magical Christmas on page 13 of this issue. Officers and crew on board our new ship, Spirit of Discovery, will be creating a very special festive atmosphere for more than 900 passengers, as she celebrates her first Christmas. On 25 December she will be sailing up the east coast of the States en route to New York before heading to Bermuda for New Year's Eve. GIVE A FREE ISSUE TO A FRIEND. and if they subscribe to Saga Magazine, they'll be eligible to join our unique membership programme, Possibilities, free As the magazine is not in the shops, it's hard for us to show it to potential new Dear subscribers. Could you possibly help? HERE'S WHAT To DO: 1 Give the voucher (right) to 0 friend, 2 Get them (not you!) to ring the number and quate the code EDEI9, 2 They'll get an issue of the magazine sent to them ~ absolutely free! 4 If they decide to subseribe, they con join Possibilities straightawoy. | All you have to do is ring this number. Freephone 0800 302 9741 quoting code EDE%9... and they'll send you a FREE copy of the magazine WELCOME Of course, the officers and crew on ‘Saga Sapphire - and our holiday reps at home and abroad - will also be spending Christmas Day at work this year, as will many others. Id like to take this opportunity to say thank you to them all However and wherever you spend it this year, I wish you all a very enjoyable Christmas and a happy New Year. ee Lance Batchelor, Group Chief Executive thought you might enjoy a FREE copy of Saga Magazine newcomers to Sep Offer available to UK residents coy. subseriber for someone lee Allow ten days for delivery.TRANSFORM YOUR EXISTING STAIRCASE WITH NO MESS, NO FUSS AND BEST OF ALL NO BUILDING WORK Renovating your staircase into an exquisite feature is much easier and less costly than you'd imagine. In just 1-2 days and with no building work, we will transform the heart of your home, and add value to your property with a stunning, handcrafted staircase. All in a style to suit you and your budget. GLASS, STEEL & TIMBER DESIGNS NO STAIRCASE TOO LARGE OR SMALL BRITISH DESIGN & CRAFTSMANSHIP NO BUILDING WORK ‘TYPICALLY INSTALLED IN 1-2 DAYS. 10 YEAR GUARANTEE BUY NOW PAY IN 12 MONTHS’ NEVILLE JOHN “LUXURY STAIRCASE RENOVATIONS. visit nevillejohnson.co.uk for our latest brochure or call 0161873 8333 ib rx i on £2000 Fare bi tha er‘THIS MONTH'S CONTRIBUTORS Say CE DP aera ae Sou PHIL DAMPIER p39 The Queen's = Christmas, Phil has been, “writing about the royal family for 33 yeare and has penned several books ‘about them, which include Royally Suited: Horry & Meghan in their ‘own Words. ANDY MeNAB. p109 Travel EDITOR'S LETTER Festive fun gets our vote nd so this is Christmas and what have you done? asked John Lennon in my all-time favourite yuletide ballad. Well, the team's first festive feat here on Saga Magazine was to persuade our hugely popular columnist, Jeremy Paxman, and. his adorable four-legged friend, Derek, to be December's cover stars. ve been on countless shoots during my two decades as an editor and this one was up there with the very best. Watching the man famous for putting the fear of God into prime ministers trying — and failing hopelessly - to instil any kind of order into proceedings with his canine co-star, with whom he is so clearly besotted, is a memory to treasure. But it was only once the grand inquisitor was safely out of the studio, clutching a doggy bag full of Pawsecco and biscuits, that we felt brave enough to agree that, when it comes to Derek, Paxman isa complete pussy cat. ‘Talking of prime ministers, by the time this issue arrives on your doormat, we will all be knee-deep in choosing our next one. If Boris Johnson had asked me about the wisdom of going to the country 13 days before Christmas, I would have advised against it on the grounds that it didn't fit in at all well with our production schedule. His election announcement came too late for this issuemagazihe a YD beputy pron en Rte Soon mirage cok ‘eines ab orconncu. Cowriucerons Micros fete cae ACCOGNT hanacens en ee rerio ec Peruse eniron ASSISTANT ARICETING fesate Poy MANACEY ety Rota MARRETING EXECUTIVE cutersup-eorton ——_EhnroncComving 10 shopping tsawnp oa Fes anne 13 thelner kate Botley on crewing ee sara bed of eka pmecron nimusama — Seeuiegetame 15 Soren Pests Oursolnte AND MEMBERSHIP CLERK Christine Riley takes on the TV schedulers Jeff Baker 17 Saga voices Let's talk... about ASSISTANT TO THE thank-you letters PoBLIeMING DIRECTOR Lynn Austin What's on 21 iste these Exhibitions, sna cones teat Sian ore Eo ( ) 28 TV What to watch on the box Features 32 Paxman's best friend Meet Derek, our columnists canine companion 39 Crown duels Why the Queen is hoping for a miracle this Christmas 42. Man of letters Paul Lewis on his passion for author Wilkie Collins 46 Books To put under the tree 52 Shirley Ballas The Strictly star takes her partner for life 56 Quiz of the Year Sharpen your pencils - and your wits 61 Armchair sport Take the plunge Christmas day swimming 62 Fiction Exclusive short story by Lynne Truss Life + Style 67 Fashion Party-season glamour Get in touch Editorial contacts Write to us at: Saga Magazine, Enbrook Park, Folkestone, Kent C120 3SE Email us at: editor@saga.co.uk Your subscription contacts Subscription Sales: 0800 056 1057 Subscription Renewals: 0800 904 7332 Subscription Quer 1800 904 7214 Overseas Subscription Queries: 0044 1303 773527 74 Beauty Cosmetics advent calendars Email: subs.enquiries@saga.co.uk 77 Restaurant review Chutney Mary Telephone services operate Mon-Fri, 9am-Spm 78 Recipes Delicious Christmas canapés by Lorna Wing Other Saga Services: Home: 0800 068 8407 85 Raise a glass Wines for entertaining ‘Travel: 0800 409 6831 Car: 0800 092.9377 88 Subscribe to Saga Magazine 90 Gardens Favourite festive scents @ Find us at O Follow us on 92 Reader offer Cyclamen baskets facebook.com/saga Twitter @SagaUK 95 Property Wooden lodges Uy = & saaa.co.uKioee-maa 1 2010, Baltic cruise gg an Your festive wine guide 18 How to join Possibilities 85 Wina dance | theatre tickets sson and West End “ts 59 Great experiences to win fashion #3 Guha We crates saving Use it or lose it 123 Letters Have your say Puzzles Win £500 in our prize Christmas crossword 133. Its never too late to.. Become a town crier 134 Fact or folklore? ‘Will you be fine if you drink beer before wine? Plus Decade Busters 197 Iwas there At the Health + wellbeing 97 Dr Mark Porter Our GP on call SUBSCRIBE TODAY! 101 Bone boosters Beating osteoporosis 105Dawn French Our agony aunt's unique take on your problems 107 Dating Aggie MacKenzie continues her quest for the perfect match @ ene Going places 109 Travel Andy McNab goes undercover on his first cruise 113 Motoring Drivers dream wish list Money matters £26 for issues Channel Tunnel 117 Pensions Tempted to dip into your Never miss out on our breakthrough pot? Paul Lewis urges caution foscinating fectures moment 119 Investing Merryn Somerset Webb and need-to-know info 138 Ten minutes with 121 Money clinic Annie Shaw's Q&As Larry Lambx SHOP TILL YOU, DROP xu " x x” SILVER STAR ‘TREE TOPPER £12, Habitat wi reek PINK GIN PINK GIN COUNTDOWN ‘CALENDAR £10, sossondbelle.couk 10 sagaco.uK/oec-mac | 2019 jopping editor Katy Morrison has Christmas all wrapped up ths, [MUMMY & DADDY RATTAN REINDEER DUO “£208, lightsifuncouk FOLK ANIMALS CHRISTMAS CARD @o Pack) £3.99, Oxfam . . A 4 x = ; = nx £22, The White from £8.50, STAR BAUBLES Tis the * From cute cards to beautiful baubles, 2 TINY MUG DECORATION £1295, Emma Bridgewater STAR GIFT BAG £375, oliverbonas.com, 020 8974 0110,SHOPPING LUXURY ROBIN CARDS (20 PACK) £12, Loura Ashley zg A ee Se aS a £999, Dobbies AMNESTY WILLIAM MORRIS CHRISTMAS CARD (10 PACK) £4.45, ethicalshop org CHRISTMAS RIBBONS £1.20, Stitchkits, notonthehighstrest.com PINK CANDY CANE CHRISTMAS GIFT WRAP £4.95, oliverbonas.com, 020 8974 O110 SCANDI LARGE CHRISTMAS GIFT BOX £5.50, Poperchase DOUBLE DECKER CHRISTMAS DECORATION £8.50, nationalgellery.co.uk | polar bo ep «ieee HOME FOR CHRISTMAS GIFT BAGS from £3, sophieeliport.com NUTCRACKER DECORATION £12, Marks & Spencer SNOWSCAPE SNOWY OWL ‘GIFT WRAP £5, John Lewis~ We remember the sixties A 25% off glasses and lenses for over-60s plus a free NHS-funded eye test Book an eye test at specsavers.co.uk ‘One pair of complete glasses only from £69 range or above. Cannot be used with o i oe ee ert ra)SEASON'S GREETINGS Kate Bottley’s Christmas message The Gogglebox vicar on making your own magic love nothing more than ‘churches there was just such a sometimes you just have to afull diary and afull house woman; I'll call her Rosemary. make the magic yourself with absolutely no idea of Rosemary was bereaved in It’s hard enough to make how I'm going to manage it all. _ her fifties; she had no children the Christmas magic happen Lalso adore all things sparkly. and an extended family who when you have a houseful, but So Christmas should be my lived too far away to visit. it takes a real commitment to idea of heaven. Besides, as Rosemary put it the season and determination But [confess that itisn’t they had ‘lives of their own to make merry when you don't always a perfect paradise. But Rosemary was the Queen have lots of folk around you. By the time Christmas Day of Christmas and knew how to Rosemary was a Christmas rolls around 'm often tired of celebrate. In the last weeks of marvel, but ~ like those sparkly carol services and perpetual November, she'd begin baking adverts ~ she might have set cheerfulness. The thought of and making. Her Christmas the standard a tiny bit high. spending the Big Day alone, _cakes were the stuff of legend, Perhaps there's no need to under the duvet with a box In the first week of take it as far as she did, but of toffees and the Queen, is. December each year she'd even a small gesture might very appealing, choose a charity to dedicate help the season shine a bit But if I did spend Christmas _ her energies to. One year it was brighter. Day by myself, it would be by filling a shoebox with toys for DECORATE Maybe the choice. 've got a husband and a charity that gives presents to magic could children, plus friends and children overseas, the next year. A TREE, EVEN IF be found in extended family living close by. Rosemary put together oltry THERE'S ONLY YOU _Jolnlnga Once I’ve had my fill o .ags for homeless people. She carol service arguments over Monopoly, shopped, wrapped and wrote AND THE CAT TO _ orpopping can sneak upstairs to get my notes to people shed never. = ENJOY IT. into church breath back. meet, sharing seasonal joy. for a quiet This choice to enjoy both, The church nativity play pause to light my own company and other _ wouldn't have happened acandle. Or perhaps you people's isa luxury; not without her. She supplied might find sparkle in everyone has that privilege. _scenery and made costumes, decorating a tree or setting up Maybe their family lives far _rustling up last-minute tea a nativity scene, even if there's away or perhaps they're towels for the Wise Men. just you and the cat to enjoy it. spending their first Christmas Rosemary was a carol service And if you would like to be without a loved one and the groupie. She turned up to the with other people, don't forget thought of being ina crowd is nursing home, the Scouts, the that, as well as the church, just too much. Mother's Union and all three soup kitchens and shelters for Festive adverts don't help. school services ~ and that was, homeless people would not Ie’sall beautiful parties and _before any of the official Nine only welcome your help, they jolly multitudes gathered Lessons and Carols. would also love your company. around the table and always And on Christmas morning ‘As Rosemary pointed out, so darn twinkly! Itcan throw she always had sweets for sometimes the magic of ‘our own plans into stark the kids and a bottle of Christmas is something contrast. I've never spent sherry for me and the ‘we need to conjure Christmas entirely without _ organist. I don’t know b up for ourselves. family, but [know people who how she did it. But do 4 | However you have, Some flounder but know why she did it. spend the season, others have found ways of not In the vestry I said to Thope you have a blessed and beautiful Christmas. churchofengland.org, achurchnearyou.com only managing, but of making her, ‘Christmas is their solitary Christmas look magic, isn’t it?” almost as sparkly as the "Yes, itis’ she adverts.In one of my parish —_replied, ‘but SAGA. couKipEC-MaG | 2019 13EN Motability TOURNEO CONNECT 7A(B IL IEC SNIL ADVANCE PAYMENT etme Renae eee eh eae uid To find out more, visit ford.co.uk/motability or call 0345 60 40 019. TG EE NN al ClO) alll all al al ial Available on selected Dealer stock only. Please contact a participating Ford Dealer for more information.VIEWPOINT Jeremy Paxman I across Britain, pointy-headed ‘men and women wearing black have been sharpening their heads for the past few weeks. Yes, the TV schedulers have been deciding what we will all be watching over Christmas, Last year, the winner in the tediously titled Battle of the Ratings had been born before TV was even invented. It was not Eric Morecambe who is, sadly, no longer with us. Since the end of the Morecambe and Wise partnership, the ‘TV battle has been largely a matter of whether a punch on EastEnders will knock cold another outburst of blubbing on Coronation Street. Last year, however, it was the nonagenarian Queen who took the crown (as if she needs another!) for the most-watched programme on Christmas Day itself. Millions of us will sit down on Christmas afternoon this year, too, and watch Her Majesty while our insides do battle with Brussels sprouts. Wouldn't it be wonderful if she said: ‘Much of my year was ruined by politicians. I cannot imagine what a bunch of charlies we must look like to the rest of the world’ But she won't, of course, for two very good reasons. Firstly, she’s a canny old bird who doesn't talk politics. And secondly, the thing is actually recorded in advance, and if she were going to let fly, we'd already know. ‘Grandpa England’, George V, may have clamped a pair of Bakelite headphones over his ears underneath the stairs at Sandringham and broadcast live to the empire. But the tyranny of TV forces the Queen to sit in front of ormulu clocks and family photos and have her observations recorded weeks in advance. In fact, apart from big moments sporting events and the very occasional political showdown TV long ago departed the central illusion that someone in one room (a studio) is talking directly to someone in another room (you), Ithas abandoned the main element that makes it exciting, that electric sense of ‘what's going to happen next? If something's worth doing, it’s worth doing live But the broadcasters are in a pickle: in an age when everyone but a soap addict can watch what they want when they want online, no one needs to wait until six or seven or nine or ten to learn what someone else has decided is ‘the news. The urgent music and ponderous tones of news anchors cannot disguise the fact that what they are serving us is the bubble-and squeak of journalism, presented as ifa discreet butler was offering us a silver salver of foie gras. ‘The screens in our sitting rooms are now entertainment centres where we watch drama series, which are still called "box sets, via services such as BBC iPlayer and Netflix. ‘The term refers to the age of DVDs, for which Ithink I have a player somewhere or other. Perhaps it's with my cassette player. And the VHS player. And the eight-track. Maybe, like | SHALL WATCH THE QUEEN JUST IN CASE, AT 93, SHE GOES TONTO AND TELLS US WHAT SHE REALLY THINKS |, DVDs will come back one day. Texpect mine are all unsold in the back of some Oxfam shop. ‘The only time I see people accepting the diktats of TV schedulers is when | look through, the windows of old folks’ homes. Though it has to be said that the bumper Christmas edition of the Radio Times can bring out a nostalgic urge to peruse the schedules and circle all our favourite shows in Biro. The great advantage of schedules is that at least you know where you are with them. Someone mentions a magnificent American drama series, someone else tells of a British thriller set entirely within a police cell. I’s all word of mouth and you can watch it any time, But somehow you don't heed to. So I wish the schedulers well. I shall watch the Queen, just in case, at 93, she fmally can‘t stand it any more, goes tonto and tells us what she really thinks. I reckon then we'd know what would be top in the ratings.» Co) I doroS | ) J doo’ : ((©)) &e ~Let’s talk. SAGA VOICES gratitude Each month Populus conducts an in-depth poll of Saga customers to find out ‘ou letters. By Rachel Carlyle what you're thinking. This month: thank- Asa child, Ifound the 28 December the worst day of the Christmas holidays: the day the dreaded notelets came out of the bureau drawer and you had to think up ‘enough grateful sentences to fill at least one side (or write very, very big). Isa formal thank-you letter still necessary in these days of real-time, visual communication such as texts, email, WhatsApp and video messages, which have the capacity to be more entertaining and personal than Basildon Bond, but without the blood, sweat and tears? Or are they cheating? We decided to find out what you thought. No surprise that you definitely wanted some kind of thank-you: only 9% ‘of 6,800 customers polled thought it was OK not to get any acknowledgement. But only 30% thought a traditional thank-you letter was still essential. Possibly to the joy of grandchildren everywhere, 82% thought an email was acceptable, 90% felt a phone call or verbal face-to- face thank-you was fine, and 70% even approved of a text. Older customers were slightly less keen on newer methods, with a text the least favoured 0f 80-89-year-olds (but 61% still said it was OK). However, you clearly liked getting proper hand-written thank-you letters, and 76% thought parents should insist their children write them, but you seem to accept the inevitability of the cultural shift towards more instant methods. Even etiquette jckler Debrett’s no longer insists a hand-written letter is the only acceptable practice. Etiquette consultant and author Jo Bryant feels that in an ideal word, children should write proper letters (she makes her children write them), but she accepts we are in the midst of a huge societal shift. ‘We are currently in a grey area as far as etiquette is concerned. There's no doubt that saying thank you is essential, and I think for significant presents and for family members you know will appreciate it, a posted letter is still the best? When it comes to alternatives, she feels the more personal the thank-you is, the better. ‘Iam not sure about the recent trend for taking a picture of your @o WHAT DO YOU THINK? Let us know ot itor@sage. co.uk or write ‘tous at the address on p& child surrounded by presents and sending it as a generic card, she says. ‘On one hand, they have taken the time to create it and put it in the post but its not deeply personal. think I would prefer a personal WhatsApp or text message that shows the child at least knows which present you gave them. However, a text is only acceptable, she believes, if it's how you usually communicate with that person and you know they would be happy to receive thanks in that form. Psychologist Dr Elizabeth Kilbey says some kind of thank-you is essential. ‘The practice of gratitude has a psychological benefit that ‘goes deeper than just teaching good manners’ she says. Saying or writing thank you reminds children that they are valued (because they got a present) and also helps them learn to put themselves in someone else's shoes. ‘Anything, that introduces the idea of thinking from another person's point of view is really important for child development. She agrees with Bryant that the method depends on the audience. ‘My children see their grandparents every week, soa face-to-face thank-you and abig hug is appropriate. The trick is to get the children to think what the gift giver would ‘be most pleased to receive, not what the child wants to do.’ ‘The good news is, gratitude no longer needs to be completed by 28 December: 77% of you agreed that January was fine Now to locate the notelets.. or the mobile phone. SA@A.co.uKioee-maa | 2019 17A world of Possibilities is waiting for you Possibilities is Sago's exciting online membership programme. It's FREE for all customers who have an email address and hold an active product with Saga, such as a magazine subscription or insurance policy. etn Preeti ce Cierrars Dea cent) | CT oe en Pra ceo EET) OE) cy Crs experiences / Enter a world where you can choose to do more of the things you enjoy, while saving money along the way! Joining Possibilities couldn’t be easier If you already have a Saga product, simply visit saga.co.uk/memberinfo to sign up @ © if you prefer, just give us a call on FREEPHONE 0800 092 3898 and our team will talk you through everything you need to knowSAGA RESERVE YOUR PLACE ABOARD SAGA'S FIRST PURPOSE-BUILT RIVER CRUISE SHIP COMING IN 2021 Inspired by Sage's award-winning ocean ‘cruises, Spirit of the Rhine will bring our boutique cruise experience to the riverways of Europe. Launching Spring 2021, this luxury ship is exclusively for Saga guests, offering a wealth of exciting features, such as beautifully-appointed public rooms, spacious and stylish cabins, and levels of service that are second to none. ey ae 7A WoRZEL GUMMIDGE BBC ONE Mackenzie Crook writes, directs and stars in this modern update of the Jon Pertwee version from the late-1970s. Going back to the Barbara Euphan Todd novels for inspiration, he plays the titular scarecrow ecrose two one-hour specials with co-stars Michael Polin and 08 Wanamoker. 2x0 29Another * long winter and I can't wait! Entertain family and friends this winter, in the warmth of a McCarthy & Stone retirement community. And if you'd like them to stay over, it’s so easy when you can book them into our guest suite. McCarthy & Stone1&2 bedroom apartments to rent or buy ENGLAND BEDS Bedford BERKS Crowthorne, Maidenhead, Twyford BRISTOL Chorlton Hayes, Hanham BUCKS Amersham, Chalfont St Peter, Farnham Common, Hazlemere CAMBS Peterborough CHES Alsager, Audlem CORNWALL Bude, Carlyon Bay CTY DURHAM Darlington CUMBRIA Cockermouth DEVON Exeter, Ottery St. Mary DORSET Poole, Poundbury E. YORKS Beverley, Bridlington, Brough. Pocklington, Swanland ESSEX Chelmsford, Colchester GLOS Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucester. Moreton-in-Marsh, Stow-on-the-Wold GIR LONDON Chislehurst, Upper Norwood GTR MANCHESTER Bamford HANTS Alresford, Alton, Purbrook, Southampton HEREFORDS Hereford HERTS Borehamwood, Buntingford, Hertford, St Albans KENT Beckenham, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Southborough, Tenterden LANCS Carnforth, Chorley, Lancaster, Penwortham, Poultonle-Fyide, Thornton Cleveleys LEICS Market Harborough MIDDLESEX Harrow, Isleworth NORFOLK Hunstanton, North Walsham, Norwich NORTHANTS Wellingborough N. YORKS Ripon, Scarborough, Settle, York OXON Chipping Norton, Didcot, Henley-on-Thames RUTLAND Oakham SHROPS Shrewsbury SOMERSET Bath, Nailsea, Taunton S. YORKS Bawtry STAFFS Codsall, Leek, Lichfield, Stafford STOKE-ON-TRENT Alsager SUFFOLK Hadleigh SURREY Cobham, Guildford, Sanderstead, Virginia Water, Walton-on-Thames, Warlingham ‘TYNE & WEAR South Shields WARKS Nuneaton, Stratford-upon-Avon W. MIDS Edigbaston, Solihull, Tettenhall W. YORKS Cleckheaton, Ilkley W. SUSSEX Worthing WILTS Devizes, Marlborough, Melksham, Trowbridge WORCS Redditch SCOTLAND EAST DUNBARTONS Milngavie EAST RENFREWS Newton Mearns GLASGOW Pollokshields WALES CARDIFF Llanishen DENBIGHS Prestatyn ISLE OF ANGLESEY Benllech SWANSEA Sketty Over 50 more developments coming soon To find out more, call 0800 185 5781 or: visit mecarthyandstone.co.ukexces Paxman’s Be a ee Pen aera eC) best friend Jeremy Paxman has finally found someone who is always pleased to see him and so goes to extraordinary lengths to ensure rescue dog Derek will be at his side for many years to come 686 ifMy companion is asleep as I write Oreo OR ea) to see what he is doing, he opens his Oe ee aen oer can guess what I'm doing before I do it especially if it involves a trip to the kitchen. His eyes have a look eee aot CereneRnn ee terest to win the approval of the other. eos aceon en an umn night of his heavily pregnant mother’s eecee uC nea ea a sort of spaniel, he is obviously ieee eee eed than justified the promise he showed three years ago in being the dopiest Roane em ee cc Reena because I thought I could be reasonably See eC ea eo Ce Prone tir rc RerrCaenyWITH A GIFT IN YOUR WILL Agift in your Will to Battersea is a promise to be there for @ Send off for your free gifts in unwanted dogs and cats in the future. It’s a gift from the Wills information pack. heart that will change lives and help Battersea continue to a ee eee give vulnerable dogs and cats a second chance in life, bse oer pisces mloacescet Visit battersea.org.uk/wills to request a gifts in Wills information pack. ee ® FUNDRAISING BATTERSEA REGULATOR HERE FOR EVERY DOG AND CAT RETURN THIS FORM OR CALL 020 7627 9300 FOR YOUR INFORMATION PACK The data you've provided will be used by Battersea Dogs & Cats Home to send you a gifts in Wills information pack. For more information about how we use your data, visit battersea.org.uk/privacy Return form to Supporter Service: Freepost RTLI-ETCZ-SCCZ, Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, ay 4 Battersea Park Road, London SW8 4AA Name Address axes ogs Cts ome a chary geen Egan and Wes (206334,A four-legged friend won't let you down. His broken manifesto pledge is just amess on the floor 4¢ park, he would be the only creature who'd respond, (Iwas wrong some bloke in a tweed jacket lifts his, head in bewildered acknowledgement.) ‘The other day Derek and I were each attempting to catch the other nodding off as, on the radio, some politician droned on. Don't ask me about what or even who the droner was. It doesn’t matter, Parliament is full of buffoons who imagine they can change the course of history by droning on, The great consolation of getting older is that you no longer need to pay much attention to that sort of sound and fury. There's a little brouhaha, and then life goes on. The sun will rise at dawn, and if it doesn't, no amount of noise will change that. The things that seemed so awfully important yesterday won't matter tomorrow. The old Arabic proverb, “the dogs bark, and the caravan moves on’, ought to be our motto. ‘Then I thought about the dogs in the saying. They notice anything out of the ordinary. They make a noise, then they come home. Dogs almost always come home. In fact, a home isn't really a home without a dog or some other pet. Everyone should have a pet. The benefits are obvious, Pets are a bit like politicians, but nicer. There is an easy answer to the question, ‘What do we all want from life?’ - we all want significance, the sense that we matter. Those who have religious convictions believe they matter to God. Those lucky enough to be in a loving relationship know they matter to the object of their affection. Politicians believe they matter to their constituents, And we all matter to our dogs. Owning a pet is one of the great treats of life. A four-legged friend won't let you down, His broken manifesto pledge is just the occasional mess on the floor, for which there is usually a good reason. I asked Derek's vet, Andrew Carmichael still practising at 81 about the benefits of owning, a pet (over half his practice is made up of pets belonging to elderly or single people!. He had a simple answer: ‘They're proof you're loved. They give you a reason to live Andrew's right. The loneliness of some old people is one of the sad scandals of our comfortable world. You're never alone with a pet ~ most of my conversation each day is with Derek. The great thing is, he doesn't argue back. He's not bothered how I vote, who's won Strictly, or whether the favourite is really going to win in the 3.30 at Cheltenham. He is, though, quite interested in whether I will finish my pork pie at lunchtime. A pet is always pleased to see you. He needs taking ‘out several times a day, so you have to stretch your legs The only disagreeable part of having a dog is clearing up after it, which you cease to find objectionable in no time. Most of my conversation with other human beings is with fellow dog-walkers over the pooper-scooper. Iwas walking the dog the other day when I came across a most disagreeable old bag, Her dog was as scraggy, deaf and impatient as she was. I wondered @> 2018 35A DOG'S LIFE 4# whether the old story about people coming to resemble their pets was true. Andrew thought it was. For every Yummy Mummy with an elegant Saluki, ‘you do come across smelly old people with smelly dogs, and renal failure affects both dogs and humans’ ‘The last time I took Derek to the vet, Andrew greeted him with ‘Hello Fatty’, which I was afraid could affect his self-esteem — and, by extension, mine. You don’t want a dog with body-image problems. But being abit overweight (aren't we all?) is common enough, and one of the pleasures of caring for a pet is feeding it. Derek particularly enjoys a seasonal mince pie. Actually, he enjoys eating more or less anything at any season, But where to draw the line? I was persuaded the other day that Derek was so important to my wellbeing that Treally ought to attend a dog first-aid training session. There were nine of us gathered in a basement in Balham. We included three dog-walkers, a woman about to drive her dog to Spain for reasons that were never made clear, but may have had something to do with her misunderstanding of Brexit, a middle-class lady with a terrilyingly clever teenage son who already sounded like a fellow of All Soulls, and a very fit looking young man who introduced himself as a qualified dog nutritionist. Two not very lifelike brown rubber dogs lay on their right sides on the floor ~ apparently the recovery position for dogs. They each had extendible tongues and a tube trailing from their hindquarters, with a hand pump. Disappointingly, this was merely to enable our instructor to inflate their pulses when we were required to locate them. (Tip, if you fear your dog has swallowed its tongue, just pull it out, though somehow I fear that may be harder in real life than on the rubber model.) We were to be assisted by a selection of four-legged volunteers that had clearly been liberated from the soft, toy department at Hamleys. We were taught how to perform the Heimlich manoeuvre on dogs from Great Danes to Pekinese In addition to finding a dog's pulse, we were taught what to do if one of our dog's eyes fell out (keep it moist, and on no account try to put it back); how to take their temperature (as if we didn't know); how to improvise a muzzle (very easy as long as you have a stuffed toy rather than a snarling mutt) and how to perform, the Heimlich manoeuvre on dogs from Great Danes to Pekinese. Devices had been attached that allowed them to projectile vomit bits of plastic satisfyingly when we got it right I cannot pretend it was anything other than an agreeable way to spend a wet Saturday afternoon. I can’t recall, however, whether we were supposed 86 saaa.co.uKsoee-maG 1 2019 to give first five puffs and then two - or vice versa - of mouth-to-snout when trying to revive a drowned dog {to be performed through a barrier in recognition of the fact that dogs’ noses Misit some pretty unpleasant places). And [intend no criticism of our instructor by saying that finding Derek's pulse (in the groin of the hind Jeg joints) has turned out to be harder than expected. I suspect he doesn't have one, and he has started to shoot me rather wary glances when I tell, him we're going to do first-aid practice. Iam glad to have been warned not to go into the water after Derek should he get swept away, though Tam unsure whether he feels similarly reassured. Finally came the inevitable ‘any questions?’ I could only think to ask about whether we were seriously expected to keep a sheet of transparent plastic in our pocket at all times, on the off. chance we might be called upon to give the kiss of life to a passing dachshund. The nice lady next to me was worried, though. What was the correct treatment for a dog that has had a stroke? ‘All he seems to do now is stare at the wall, she said. I pointed out that this seemed a rather crisp encapsulation of the lives of a lot of human beings. If it weren't for Derek I'd be doing it myself. Battersea has a new campaign, Rescue Is Our Favourite Breed. See battersea.org.uk or call 0800 001 4444on ccc DINGURGH QUEENS HALL Sg, An Evening of Food, Frolics and RS Tales trom a Lite on the Road Sma LO kent See po GUUNTETETIFair Isle & Nordic JUMPERS Se Para) aS) OR BUY 2 FOR £49 EACH NORDIC CODE MKNORD FAIR ISLE CODE MKFAIR Retreat ato Bete Ree eae ee eee Perec Eceae Col DTT Eo Rn LL ce) 01845 575 100 quote code MASG3 Cee yeaa te Pe apre ceoetir inane ane vor eet hre renin pee ear Stared ers cee “This is my second of these Fair Isle jumpers. si ” rs ia ea pee PDT cs SS eo any : ; Falrisle etre ated DELIVERY & i Trusted oa rT) gas 2a ci ata os rey} ta taisidlREIGN CHECK From top: Christmas broadcast 1952; the Queen with Andrew and Edward; Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret, 1944 Scandalous headin family squabbles ~ it’s been a tough year for the monarch. But the annual Sandringham get-together could change all that, says Phil Dampier THE ROYALS OFF TO CHURCH From top: the Queen Mother with Elizabeth and Margaret, Princess Diana joking with Prince Philip a royal reporter for more than 30 years Thave long been a devoted fan of the Queen and an admirer of her stoicism and sense of duty. But my heart goes out to her this Christmas, For the first time since the dark days after the death of Princess Diana in 1997, | genuinely fear for the long-term future of the Crown itself, to which she has given her life. nd incredibly it’ the younger generation of royals who, though in awe of their grandmother, are letting her down, As the Queen sits down for Christmas lunch at Sandringham, she could be forgiven for raising a glass to the passing of 2019. While not in the same league as the annus horribilis of 1992, recent months have been dominated by negative headlines about Prince Andrew's former friendship with the American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, reports of rifts between Prince William and his brother, and the Sussexes’ attack on the tabloid press. Of course, her Majesty has endured many difficult times during her 67 years on the throne ~ and come zor 394@ through them stronger than ever. In 1992, after Charles and Diana and Andy and Fergie separated, Princess Anne divorced and Windsor Castle was severely damaged by fire, the Queen sat down with her top courtiers and mapped out the problems that were bringing the monarchy to its knees. It resulted in the secret Way Ahead Group, which, sanctioned divorces for Charles and Andrew in 1996, The Queen realised that not only was a new start needed for her two oldest sons, but also the House of Windsor faced radical change. Among other things, she agreed to open Buckingham Palace to the public to help pay for repairs at Windsor Castle. The Queen has said she dislikes ‘change for change’s sake’ but she is the ultimate pragmatist, and when the very survival of the royals is at stake she has taken decisive action, In 2021, the Queen will celebrate her 95th birthday and, ina recent biography of Prince Charles, the royal commentator Robert Jobson predicted that the Queen may stand down then, While not officially abdicating, she'd hand the reins of power to Charles to ensure a smooth changeover. So will the monarch manage to bring her family together and create ‘Christmas mirabilis that will transform the fortunes of the House of Windsor? Tm told by a senior courtier that although the Queen accepts that times are chang rapidly, and that social media has altered the landscape, she still believes in old-fashioned ‘tried and tested’ methods. ‘She thinks William and Harry are right to highlight mental health issues, but she's worried that too much emotion 40 sacacouninec-mac 1 2010 THE WINDsoRS Top: the Queen Mother with Philip and Charles on a trip to church. Above: Prince Harry dressed asa shepherd ina school play is being shown and it’s not dignified; I was told, The season of goodwill is, a perfect time to start talking, and religious themes of forgiveness and tolerance are never far from the Queen's Christmas Broadcast. She may briefly refer to all families ‘having ups and downs’ but she will undoubtedly focus on the positive work of ‘The Firm It’s been a year that saw the 50th anniversary of the Prince of Wales's investiture and, in October, William and Kate enjoyed a triumphant tour of Pakistan, But it’s the Duke and Duchess of Sussex who are giving the Queen the most cause for concern, and she will be hoping that, as they return froma six-week break to join her in Norfolk for Christmas, they will be in a better mental state to cope with the demands of life in the spotlight. Inarecent Tweet, the journalist Quentin Letts claimed that when an acquaintance was going to go riding with the Queen, they were told they THE FIRM Top: the Duchesses of Cambridge and Sussex Left: the family relaxing at Sandringham in 1969 could talk about anything except one subject. ‘Brexit?” asked the guest. ‘No - the Sussexes’ replied the courtier. ‘The story fed into the narrative that the Queen, who is deeply fond of both Harry and Meghan, is bewildered by their behaviour. Despite the joy of Archie's, arrival, Harry and Meghan annoyed the public by refusing. to name his godparents or to allow photos of guests arriving for his christening, at a time when it was revealed their home, Frogmore Cottage, had been renovated with £2.4 million of taxpayer’s money. Harry lectured us on climate change while the couple took several trips on private jets, and then ruined the good publicity for their Africa tour by lashing out at the press and beginning legal proceedings against various newspapers over phone hacking and the alleged unlawful publication of one of Meghan’s letters to her estranged father Thomas Markle. ‘The Queen and Prince Philip have more than 1,500,patronages between them and my fear is that these bread-and-butter causes will fall by the wayside when they are gone. Reportedly, Prince Charles has made it clear that when he becomes King, he wantsa slimmed-down ‘monarchy; in other words no roles for the likes of Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. So who will take on the day-to-day duties if Harry and Meghan sensationally quit and decamp to California, which could be possible? ‘The rift between William and Harry is something that needs tobe resolved for the long-term health of the monarchy. William has let it be known he is THE QUEEN IS WORRIED THAT TOO MUCH EMOTION IS BEING SHOWN AND IT'S NOT DIGNIFIED ‘concerned’ for his brother who he fears is ina ‘fragile place’ Veteran Daily Mail royal expert Richard Kay, once a close friend of Princess Diana, said, I fear Harry and William are repeating the mistakes of their parents by eudingin public The Queen in and no good will come from it’ 2017, Her So will the brothers bury the _ Christmas Day hatchet at Christmas over a pint broadcast is of organic Sandringham cider? still a firm In 2017, Harry and Meghan favourite stayed with William and Kate at their home, Anmer Hall, on the Sandringham Estate, and the newcomer told how she had had a ‘great time’ playing with George and Charlotte. But in 2018, they stayed at the ‘big house’ with other relatives. Ifeither the Sussexes or Camibridges don’t turn up for Christmas at all, we wil all know the problem is getting worse. But if they are all under one roof, the Queen will hope to heal wounds as the festive spirit prevails. Perhaps Meghan's ‘mum Doria Ragland could be invited as the peacemaker, an outsider who will bring out the polite best in everyone. Following the German tradition, the royals open their presents on Christmas Eve, creating a scene described by the Queen’s nephew, the Earl of Snowdon, asa ‘total uproar. The adults exchange cheap joke gifts, with Prince Harry once giving the Queen a shower cap with ‘Ain’t life a bitch’ printed on it. After 8pm drinks, the family sit down fora grand black-tie dinner. They have their own bespoke crackers, with gold or silver crowns, and the Queen loves reading out corny jokes. But the seating plan could be the most important prop this year if William and Harry and their wives can be placed next to each other. The Queen may hope that in this relaxed setting the couples can begin to rebuild their relationships. And she will also want the Duchess of Cornwall, Princess Royal and Countess of Wessex who haveall received abad press in the past - to give Meghan the benefit of their experiences. Large sections of the public once loathed Camilla for her role as Charles's mistress. But since their wedding in 2005 Camilla has hardly put afoot THE ROYALS wrong, worked hard and cleverly cultivated the press, with resulting positive publicity a lesson for Harry and Meghan. It has paid off for Camilla and few people will now mind if one day she becomes Queen. ‘As Prince Philip once said “The Queen has the quality of tolerance in abundance’ But who could blame him if he asked the rest of the family to be more supportive next year? On Boxing Day there is a traditional shoot across muddy fields, and there will be plenty to talk about over a buffet lunch at ‘Wood Farm. Prince Philip and the Queen are likely to be supportive of Prince Andrew, said to be her favourite son, but they may take the opportunity totell him he is now on thin ice after the Epstein controversy As for Meghan, the Queen may decide to take her under her wing and have a quiet word during a relaxed stroll along the beach at Hunstanton. ‘Whenever she has problems to mull over, Her Majesty's solution is normally a bracing walk with the dogs, and Meghan's shared love of dogs should ease the conversation. I'd wager she will tell Meghan that things do get better and that she should give it time to find her feet asa royal. At 93, the last thing the Queen wants is to read her family the riot act, as she did in those dark days of 1992, and she may encourage Prince Charles to takea firmer grip of his sons’ problems. But she will be hoping that within the framework of a happy Christmas, her family will give her the best possible present ~ an end to their bickering and a determination to follow her example of devoted service in future. A Christmas mirabilis indeed, SA@A.co.UKIDEC-MaG 2019 41WILKIE COLLINS A LIFELONG OBSESSION Paul Lewis, our financial guru, on how his fascination with the Victorian novelist cl IMustration DOALY never got on with English literature at school. Shakespeare I found hard to understand and Dickens I just didn't get. In my youth I read science fiction, Then in the 1980s a friend gave me a copy of The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. It changed my life. Idevoured the book, quickly followed by The Moonstone and then others. | loved his plain writing and the way he explained complex legal matters and plots with such simple elegance. A model for me to follow! All his novels ~ he wrote more than 20 and numerous short stories ~ feature strong female characters, which is very unusual for a Victorian novelist. Try reading No Name and The Law and the Lady. Almost all his books were originally published in weekly or monthly parts or ‘numbers’ and he became the master of the cliffhanger. He wrote to a friend in 1859: must stagger the public into attention, if possible, at the outset. They shan’t drop a number when Tbegin, if Ican help it’ He was said to be kind and good company. But Iwanted evidence of what he was really like. In 1991 a biography, The King of Inventors, was published by the Oxford academic Catherine Peters. Tearned from Peters that Wilkie never married, but for most of his adult life he kept two households ~ his official residence with long-time lover Caroline Graves, and another with his younger mistress Martha Rudd. ‘She was a shepherd's daughter whom he probably met when she served at the bar in a Norfolk hotel. They had three children and Wilkie provided for all of them in his will. When his unorthodox life became public after his death, a memorial in St Paul's was blocked by the Dean. Peters’ thoroughly researched work showed me how important letters were to answering my question. Before online access or digital cameras, she had taken assiduous notes in libraries around the world. I wanted to know more. Then I saw a letter for sale in a book dealer's, catalogue. It was not cheap for a freelance journalist, 42 saaa.couKinec-maa 12019 hanged his life more than £100 - but I had to have one of my own. I bought it. And then another, and another. Iam still buying. I realised that reading his letters is the closest we can ever get to finding out what he was like. He was a very informal person. Men and, more shockingly, women called him Wilkie not Collins or Mr Collins. When he invited his friends to dinner he specified ‘no tie or tails. ‘This letter to his doctor Frank Beard in 1871 is typical. ‘Tomorrow (Tuesday) 7ih—at 7 0Clock. C. Reade, Frith, Lehmann, my brother, Mrs Seymour and another lady. Pic-nic dinner. No dress’ Letters reveal that his favourite colour was green, his ‘height 5 feet 6 inches’, and his own pick of what he wrote was not The Woman in White, the only one mentioned on his gravestone, but as he kindly revealed to a young fan: ‘The kind manner in which you write of ‘Armadale’ cheers and encourages me. To you I may make the confession that I have always considered this novel to be the best that I have written.” In one of his most important letters, which was discovered only last year, he explained to a psychiatrist how his characters took him over when he was writing. This is how he expressed it: “To me, my characters are living beings, and my mind becomes (in some ‘way quite incomprehensible to me) their mind, in the process of creating them... When I am walking up and down my study, completely absorbed in the joys and sorrows of a non- existent person, Lam inclined vhen the “fit” is over) to ask myself if the line may not be a fine one which dividesthis sort of excitement from the approaches perhaps of certain forms of insanity?" My enthusiasm for tracking down his letters led toa project with two professors and a major collector to find and publish them all. I travelled to libraries in the US, France and across the UK. We discovered hundreds of new letters, corrected and expanded many more, and in 2005 published them in four volumes, The Public Face of Wilkie Collins. That led to plans for a complete online edition, We have added more than 300 letters to the nearly 3,000 in the original work. Earlier this year The Letters of Wilkie Collins (ed. Baker, Gasson, Law, Lewis) was published online by the US firm Intelex. Wilkie’s favourite day for writing letters was Tuesday, and Sunday his least favoured. He wrote to 694 people but two-thirds of them only once. Most personal letters were to his mother, but his biggest correspondents were agents and publishers. They show that he was a hard worker. He is found correcting proofs for New York, Europe and London at the same time as writing a version for the stage to protect his copyright. Missing from this collection are any letters to either of his lovers, Caroline or Martha, Almost certainly they were burned ~ a common practice in Victorian England, Only three of at least 170 letters to his close friend Charles Dickens survive after Dickens put almost all his correspondence on a bonfire in 1860 after the revelation of his own affair with a young actress. Wilkie’s friendship with Dickens lasted until Dickens's death in 1870. They dined together, took holidays together and worked together Health is a constant preoccupation, He suffered from ‘rheumatic gout’ even in his eyes, which left him partly blind for some periods. He often walked with a stick Despite that, he smoked heavily and had a preference for dry champagne: ‘Let us drink one more bottle of Old Champagne, with gout staring us in the face. He took laudanum to relieve the pain and searched for a cure, trying mesmerism and electric shocks: ' have | SAW A LETTER London for a long run at the Globe ‘Theatre, just one of 13 plays he staged. My obsession may seem very different from writing about money, But the same techniques of finding information and had 7 million currents of electricity FOR SALE. IT analysingit often running through mefor4S minutes. The WASN'T CHEAP usinespreadsheets! result is great cheerfulness and great proved as invaluable disinetination to pay inland revenue” — MORE THAN — asthey are unusual in He visited the sulphurous baths at _ literary research, Bad Wildbad in Germany: ‘The doctor £100 Bun Since discovering The directs me to take twenty four Bathsin. = | HAD TO HAVE —— Woman in White ail, More than this would do me harm, more than 30 years and less would not give the waters open ago, Wilkie has ‘fair trial” OWN become my life's work. His time in Bad Wildbad informed the superb opening to the complex Armadale. The public came to love its anti-hero Lydia Gwilt despite her immorality. When he dramatised the book in 1875 he called the play simply Miss Gwilt.It'‘was received with open arms’ on its Liverpool debut and transferred to When Iam not reading, analysing and writing about money I go back to the 19th century, delving into the details revealed by the letters of one of its greatest novelists Wilkie Collins (1824-1889), SAaA.co.UKIoge-maa | 2019 43Possibilities members always enjoy the best hotels k somewhere special this Christmas and save an extra 20% on your stay Fairmont wele ith signature | MGallery and you'll NOVOTEL Mercure Novotel invites you and your family £0 ‘going, nsuring your | pre inspired ies, people and histori BOOK NOW CTR RR Tr OT eee SR MLS Ce ee ene etnies eee eee ee ant ent eee eee ee ene eS eel ACCOR must be made 15 days in advance to receive the extra 20% discount on your stay, Further terms, i conditions or date restrictions may opply, please visit saga.couk/Accor eryi > Stacks of felis eas ANN PATCHETT THE i Chestnuts roasting on Cooking an open fire, Jack Frost MIDNIGHT CHICKEN nipping at their toes... ELLA RISBRIDGER Let them curl up with a ‘The author cooked her way out of depression to write this most good book. Rose Shepherd _ jige-affrming cookery book. picks the perfect volumes Qupigtmas aT for presents HIGHCLERE The Countess of Carnarvon shares her recipes for 12 days of feasting and fun, along with photographs of the fomiys Christmas revels SECRET FRANCE RICK STEIN ‘The bon vivant restaurateur sets ‘out to answer the question: Is, French cuisine alive and well?” ‘The answer? An emphatic ‘oul’ = when you know where to look Gardening WILD ABOUT WEEDS JACK WALLINGTON ‘A doisy-spangled lawn is‘a happy sight’ Giant hogweed is ‘a showstopper. Cow parsley provides a ‘breathtaking delicate veil of white’ Rebel plants have a place in your gorden, argues this author ~ with contributions from other gorden designers. No one suggests that you let them toh Allthey are saying is: give weeds o chance, SCENT MAGIC ISABEL BANNERMAN, Described as ‘the Bonnie and Clyde of gorden design’ Isabel fond her husband, Julian, have ereated a dream gorden at Trematon Castle in Cornwall. this lyrical book, she leads us by the nose through a year there, writing ‘the way she plants, to lush effect. Sorrel ‘smells and tostes tongy, citrus sharp, and fiutey green! The photographs of the garden, and plant studies, are wondrous. = HERITAGE @ = Apres Berta CAROLINE BALL From the heart-shaped ‘Adams Pearmain and = buxom Beauty of Kent, tothe rich-testing Wyken Pippin, here are 100 traditional apples of all shapes and sizes, with beoutiful illustrations from 0 19th-century catalogue, The Herefordshire Pomona, Forget supermarket staples such as Galo ond Pink Lady, here are Ow , native varieties, still with us, and ‘advice on how to grow them,THE DUTCH HOUSE ANN PATCHETT Denny is growing up in a glass mansion outside Philadelphia, built for a Dutch family on the proceeds of cigarettes. His sister, Maeve, looks after him, their mother having fiown the crystal coop. Then ‘their father brings home Andrea, with her beady eye and her nasty little hat. We know what she wants ~ and she'll get it. Dispossessed, obsessed Danny ‘and Maeve must make their lives elsewhere, Fantastisch! BLUE MOON LEE CHILD Rival Ukrainian and Albanian gangs of the sort who'd take your eyeballs out with @ spoon have carved up the city. A desperate elderly couple are in hock to loon sharks. It’s all in a weok's work for one-time military cop Jack Reacher in this edge-of-the-seat thriller. A 24th outing for Reacher. One love interest. Countless corpses. Millions of readers held captive until the final showdown, Pen] THE TESTAMENTS , MARGARET ATWOOD It is 34 years since The Hondmaia's Tale, but in Gilead only 15 years hove passed since Offred stepped into @ van, her fate unknown. Now we return to the totelitarian state, where Aunt Lydia (hiss!) shares the narrative with two young women, both born in Gilead, one smuggled to Canada. fe big dose of dystopia is not ideal festive fare, you still have to marvel at the author's dazzling invention. HERE TO STAY MARK EDWARDS. Ah, Christmas! A time for the family to get together ~ but what if the family won't leave? Elliot is. besotted by his wife, Gemma, 80 how can he refuse to take her parents and her troubled sister, Chloe, into his perfect home? These guests from hell have their feet under Elliot's proverbial table, tape measure and IKEA catologue to hand, while something very wicked this way comes. Riveting GRANDMOTHERS SALLEY VICKERS Secret post Nan is a rock for her denied access to granddaughter Kitty, resorts to shoplifting surrogate granddaughter Rose, These three women, whose paths must cross, core engaging, but itis the children ebove all who endear. Like her hero William Maxwell Vickers is @ kind weiter. Gentle and charming, AGENT RUNNING IN THE FIELD JOHN LE CARRE Nat toa game of badminton, they ‘embark on a friendship, with unforesccable consequences. Nat cannot reveal thet he is en agent runner with British Intelligence, in charge of © London substation with Moscow and © suspect Ukrainian oligarch in its sights. Ed is equally vague about his work, Staunch remainer Le Carré ~ the tinker, author, former spy ~ even has the oligarch meddling in Brexit. THE GIVER OF STARS JOJO MOYES In Depression-era Kentucky, English Alice Van Cleve is married 40 an unloving man and oppressed by her father-in-law. To escape o-stiffing home life she joins © team of ‘horseback librorions delivering books and the gift of literacy to poor rural folk. Fearless Margery, their leader, gives not a fig for convention. The bonds of female friendship ore forged in danger. A story based in truth ~ sad, funny, sure-footed, big-heerted THE GUARDIANS JOHN GRISHAM Duke Russell is on Death Row for a.crime he did not commit. Quiney Miller has served 22 years, falsely BE cccused of shooting a lawyer. Cullen Post of Guardian Ministries wants to wolk them to freedom, but the real culprits are out there and merciless. ‘A tout, shocking legal thriller from this lawyer turned author. ©> grondson Billy. Glomorous Blenche, Minna, in her shepherd's hut, loves When gauche, young Ed challenges BOOKS led) To buy these books at @ discount of up £0. 30%, visit the Sage. Bookshop at wordery.com/ saga aor 47BOOKS Stocking-fillers THE ART PUZZLE BOOK Ea SUSIE HODGE AND Peer DR GARETH MOORE = Can you find e figure hugging ‘an owl in Hieronymus Bosch’s The Garden of Earthly Delights or the groom in Veronese's The Wedding Feast at Cona? Take a trip through art history and bring a fresh eye to familiar images ON Dos INTRODUCED BY TRACEY ULLMAN ‘The focused devotion of a dogis one of the most moving of all gifts we receive from animals’ That's Roger Scruton, quoted in this dogay anthology. Dog-lover Tracey Ullman provides an introduction, with contributions from such diverse sources as Shokespeare and the comedion David Sedaris. SO THAT WENT WELL... EDITED BY KATE MOORE Where can you buy @'B""*"** to Bercow' sticker? Will the last one to | leave the Tory party please turn out the lights? This mad, mad year has provoked a fiood of indignant and often hilarious letters to the Daily Telegraph. Here are the best of the unpublished crop. For children Pasa HEY GRANDUDE PAUL McCARTNEY Moot Edward Marshall Senor, grandfather to Lucy, Torn, Em cond Bob (‘The Chillors). With bis magic compawe, Ed oan whisk them off around the world ~ but, hey! East, west, home is best. This book will appeal to kids too young, no doubt, to recognise the famous grandude author. oy ea. SHADOWS OF WINTERSPELL AMY WILSON Stella lives in a cottage on the edge of Winterspell wood. Raised by her ghastly Nan, she longs for achool and the human worl. Secrets, magic, an edge of danger, and a young heroine on a life journey make for a beguiling read. Spellbinding. ] 4B caaa.co.uxsoee-maG 1 2019 Remarkable lives MARGARET THATCHER: HERSELF ALONE CHARLES MOORE For devotees of the Iron Lady, the third volume of her biography is @ must. In more than 1,000 pages, the author, on admirer, offers unique insights into her last term in office, her fall from power and eventual descent into dementia, Deep, dense, ultimately sad, truly impressive, MORE THAN LIKELY DICK CLEMENT AND. IAN LA FRENAIS They met in the early 1960s in Notting Hill pub, penned The Likely Lads, and hove been sparking off each other ever since. Here Essex boy Clement ond Geordie La Frencis recall the famous people they ont hove met in the course of a partnership. EiStme™ thot gave us Porridge, Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, SESE" Lovejoy and any number of other joys. =e jay and any joy: FACE IT DEBBIE HARRY ‘Ive had one #** of an interesting life! says the former Blondie frontwoman in her memoir. Born Angela Trimble in 1945 and adopted at three months old, she relates with amazing insoucionce tales of fame and fortune, drugs. rope and bankruptcy. Hair-raising stuff, leavened by larky fan art, illustrations and photographs, some never before published TALL TALES AND WEE STORIES BILLY CONNOLLY From his boyhood in Glasgow, all snotters and troosers’ to @ riotous old age despite Parkinson's disease, this much-loved comic regales us with stories of his life, offing ond blinding merrily along the way. Grow old gracefully? Not oor Billy As he opines: ‘Acting your age is as sensible as acting your street number: ALASTAIR COOK: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY Cricket fans will be bowled over by the memoir of England's former captain and greatest-ever batsman, written with the respected sports journalist Michael Calvin. ’s @ candid account of the highs of @ stellar career, ond of the lows (the pressure, the self-doubt, the taunts of rival fans), plus revelations of boll tampering and ‘a new-found love of farming,CLANNAD Ae ore FAREWELL TOUR MARCH 2020 SHEFFIELD CITY HALL GLASGOW ROYAL CONCERT HALL GATESHEAD SAGE GATESHEAD LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC HALL NOTTINGHAM ROYAL CONCERT HALL BIRMINGHAM SYMPHONY HALL IPSWICH REGENT THEATRE MANCHESTER BRIDGEWATER HALL BOURNEMOUTH PAVILION THEATRE LONDON PALLADIUM. OXFORD NEW THEATRE BATH THE FORUM CARDIFF ST DAVID'S HALL BRIGHTON DOME CONCERT HALL 04 06 07 os 10 WED 11 13 14 16 7 19 20 22 23 LIVENATION.CO.UK | TICKETMASTER.CO.UK | CLANNAD.IE a? 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See also wor a for discounts, HarperCollinsChildren'sBooksMNaNaa rd Nhu Cae speaking EC eet Shirley Ballas can’t stop smiling ~ and it’s no Non cmnem remO ne nmnr ener nee neiita Colic ncr=l eee SCSI OUT MOT ER exT MME ToUeTeOltI(CrnKe be more different, a§’Pam Francis discoversot only is Strictly ‘Come Dancing’s head judge back to stay in the UK after 13 years in Los Angeles, and newly settled into her spacious house in southeast London, but after being single for many years, she is in a relationship with her panto co-star actor Daniel Taylor. They met last Christmas when she made her panto debut as the good fairy Mother Nature in Jack and the Beanstalk, and he played the villain Fleshereep. I met Shirley on a day off that she was spending with her 82-year-old mum Audrey in Wallasey, Liverpool, where she grew up. She still manages to look glamorous even in jeans, a white T-shirt and trainers, with minimal make-up. But there is something different about the strict and slightly chippy head judge on the country’s favourite entertainment show. Has she mellowed? ve definitely changed since I met Danny. There were lots of walls up before, and brick by brick he took them down, and people can see the real you, And they either love you or they don't. But that’s the person you are. ‘My life has done a U-turn since I met Danny. I said to him the other day, “It sounds stupid, but I feel like a teenager’. I never had a teenage life, was always dancing,’ says the queen of Latin, who has been performing competitively since she was 15, got engaged at 16 to her dance partner and married the next one at 18 ‘Inever socialised or went to teen clubs. It feels like I'm living my life the other way round, I'm learning to be sociable now. My feet don't touch the floor. He is so much fun, and loving and caring and kind. Somebody to talk to every day and share my stuff with, Someone who has an understanding and cares. Itjust works’ The first time she set eyes on him was when she encountered him in panto rehearsal. "I had never worked on stage before. And doing panto was the ‘most terrifying experience of my life: Thad more private lessons on that script than I've ever had in dancing, ‘Danny was in costume as Fleshcreep in this purple oversized outfit and huge hat, with black teeth and fingernails, a beard, black boots and a big stick. And there was me in my good fairy dress with a wand, trying not to trip over the curtains, to make all this goodness happen for Jack. Daniel was so powerful and scary that came off stage so upset and said, can’t compete with this’ ‘My life really is like a pantomime fairy tale. am having the time of my life’ The director said, “You don't have to. You're the good fairy. Just go with it’? So she did, And it wasn't long before she found herself being hugely attracted to Fleshcreep. It happened the night Shirley's 33-year-old son Mark 4 Broadway star and professional dancer on the US show Daneing with the Stars arrived to watch his mum in panto. ‘After one show we all went out, and Danny had a black jacket on and a blue shirt with a blue tie pulled down. The black teeth had gone and he had this, jet black hair with piercing blue eyes, and that is the first time I looked and, thought... ooh that’s nice!” She vividly remembers their first scene together on stage in front of an audience. ‘That was the moment I fell in love with Danny, the person who was kind to everybody behind the scenes. Well, it was the moment for me. Not > He's BESIDE YOU! Shirley with her pento co-star ond new boyfriend, Danny Saas. couk/oge-maa | 2010 534# for him, Danny was coming out of, a long-term relationship and he wasn't in that place. We only got together properly in March, "Td been single for six years because Iwas so disillusioned by it all. I took a break,’ says Shirley, who was married for the second time in the 1980s to dancer Corky Ballas, Mark's father. But presenting Matchmaker Mountain a dating show for older women on ITV's This Morning - gave her hope. She adds: It got my adrenaline flowing a bit. I thought, okay, you may be older, darling, but you're not dead!” And the truth is, she has never felt more alive. There is only one thing bugging her: the constant references to the couple's age gap. She is 59, he is 47. “It makes me cross when he is described as.a toy boy. He is a 47-year old grown man who can make his own. choices. He is not 18. You can have ‘aman who is 25 years older than his girlfriend and no one says anything” But she admits that the age difference did cause initial concern. "When I first got together with Danny it was an issue for me, and we sat for many hours talking about it. [don't want to go into a relationship that can’t go anywhere. I don't want his son aged eight) to get to know someone who is here today and gone tomorrow. But he said, “I don't see the age. I see the person and the age issue is irrelevant to me"? This new man in her life has also given her a reason to be excited about Christmas, following the suicide of her beloved brother David in 2003. ‘My brother died during the Christmas period and my mother and I didn't celebrate Christmas for about 15 years. I's all such a fog, I can't even tell you how we spent those days. We just got through them. It was a pressure we put on ourselves. And I don't think we should have done that. Its a grieving process. You never forget your loved ones,’ says Shirley who will be raising funds this year for CALM, the Campaign Against Living Miserably, which is leading a movement against suicide. David had been her rock after her father left home when she was two. And this year, as always, she will toast 54 s4aa.couKsoec-mas | 2030 ‘As well as making her feel like a teenager again, the new man in her life has also given her a reason to be excited about Christmas’ David and recall the happy memories they shared. She is also in constant, touch with his daughter, Mary, who was ten when her father died, and after the death of her mother, was raised by Shirley and Audrey. Now 25, Mary is often in the audience of Strictly This Christmas, Shirley and Danny will be on stage again in Jack and the Beanstalk at Darlington Hippodrome. “Everything is new to me because this time last year I wasn’t with Danny. Now we'll be together every day on stage. Danny really loves Christmas. It feels as though I'm going on holiday, even though I will be working’ She will spend Christmas Day at her ‘mum's house with Mark, who is flying in from the States, and her dog Charlie. ‘And I'll see Danny during the day and we'll watch the Christmas Strictly together. He'd never seen the show before he met me and didn’t have a clue who I was. He thought his leading lady was going to be Shirley Bassey! And couldn't remember his name, so I put him in my phone as Fleshereep, which still comes up when he calls me. ‘Now he loves Strictly, and wants to earn to dance. I've already had a dance with him and, oh yes, he’s quite the mover, darling” Her Christmas shopping is all done. ‘The cards written. And she’s learned her lines and dance steps for her role as the good fairy Mother Nature as she ‘once again prepares to wave her wand. “Igo to bed with a smile on my face. wake up with a smile on my face. My life really is like a pantomime fairy. tale, | am having the time of my life’ Jack and the Beanstalk runs at Darlington Hippodrome from 6 Dec to 5 Jan 2020. Catch Shirley as head judge on Strictly Come Dancing on Saturday and Sunday evenings on BBC One STAR TURNS. Shirley a panto fair Mother Nature, ond with her fellow judges on Strictlyfx ea Plus tickets for 9 to 5 — The Musical SCE Cnn Che RR ar ea Ce TRU TLL ballroom workshop with fun guaranteed as a West End dance professional See TER ow acim Take rc he tse BA eee ee Ds ae CT) RMU MC Uap eer Lee cu a eT) Planning a fun-filled day out? Here’s some inspiration = DINE WATCH \ SLEEP FREE KIR EXPLORE THE DO YOU NEED A PLACE TO STAY AFTER A FUN-TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE Which actress, who won an Emmy for her role in Killing Eve, turns out to have been the best friend at school of Britain's champion heptathlete, Katarin Johnson-Thompson? ©) Bruce Robinson based the © character Uncle Monty in his film Withnail and Ion an Italian film and opera director, who died in June aged 96. What was his name? #8) Also in June, where would ©). youhave found people - called Amber Gill, Greg O'Sheo, ( Annie Lennox inii9o4, Anna Vakili, Curtis Pritchard, Sir Isaac Newton in 1642 Joe Garrett, Tommy Furyand @ Lucie Donlan? Anwar Sadat, one-time President of Egypt in 1918, Humphrey Bogart in 1899, What's the seasonal What did the British East India Company ship, the Royal Mary, sail past on 25 December 16437 connection? Who has been Member of ©) Parliament for Uxbridge ond South Ruislip since the 2015 general election? 5 Resmuary. tome gender. equality awards were held in the United Arab Emirates. Whet was unusual about: ‘the winners? Fe In which 1963 film, often shown on Boxing Day, did three tunnels called Tom, 1) Siete Thunbera the Dick and Harry ploy 16-year-old Swedish «@ prominent part? climate activist, went to the USA for a sabbatical year to campaign on climate change Which How did she get there? actress and former TV lifeguard visited Julian Assange in HMP Belmarsh in May? She later <) Whose memoir, described him as © Becoming, has sold more )) than 725,000 copies in hardback in the UK since its innocent man’. publication in November 2018? [yf neectes sore gove its title to a film released this summer, written by Richard Curtis and directed by Denny Boyle? ‘the world’s most 56 2a THAT WAS THE YEAR THAT WAS Dy 201f Pour a glass of something cheering, put your feet up and see how much you can remember about the year gone by and Christmases past, with Marcus Berkmann’s quirky questionsShirt numbers were worn for the firet time in Ashes cricket this summer. What is Joe Root'e shirt number? No cricket knowledge ie needed to answor this question correctly, Which children's TV show, Which originally ran from Z 1955 to 1984, is to be revived next year by the BBC for anew generation? (Neither Leslie Crowther nor Peter Glaze will be available to present it) Which modern country corresponds, approximately, with the territory over which Good King Wenceslas reigned? Who shared the Booker Prize in October with Margoret Atwood? If.an Icelandic child is naughty, what will the Jélasveinarnir, or Yule Lads, put in that child's shoe at Christmes: a fish, a cake ora potato? Which reality TV star and cosmetics entrepreneur was revealed in March to be the youngest self-made billionaire in the world? Under what sign of the zodiac were you born if your birthday is on Christmas Day? ‘The Spice Girls reformed this year for the umpteenth time: who is not taking part? And which Spice Girl hos children called Bluebell Madonna and Montague George Hector? Brassica oleracea var. gemmifera is the Latin name for which foodstuff that some consider an essential part of any Christmas dinner? (Not that you necessarily want to eat ‘them, but they have to be there.) Who took over from Kirsty Young as the host of Radio W's Desert Island Discs in ‘September 2018? The ‘oppoint ment was originally o ‘temporary one but was made permanent this summer. Which British trees are currently under threat froma disease caused by the invasion of a hostile fungus? In August, which disease was declared te be ‘no longer incurable’ by the World Health Organisation (WHO), after drug trials in the Democratic Republic of Congo proved successful? Blinded by the ie a feel-good film ‘bout an Asian teenager from Luton who ie obsessed with whose Which 19th- century German composer wrote the tune to Hark! The Herald Angels Sing? Who owns the websites lambeingsuedbythedonald. com, donoldtrumpsueks.com, trumpscam.com and inatetrumpvodka.com?TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE =)() Aswellas Botox, lip <°) filers and breast augmentation surgery, one of ‘the most popular items on the current plastic surgery menu is a procedure known as. a BBL. What does BBL stand for? BO) Wests aeepentont . thief go free in the story The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle, which takes place ‘around Christmos? BI Whecemalcstintte DL Eurovision Song Contest in 2003, 2008, 2010 and 2019? ©)2)_ Which Conservative ©D© Mp, when asked this year what was the best Christmas present he had ever received, said that when he wos 17, his Father gave him a glass phial containing some of the ‘anointing oil from Queen Vietoria’s coronation? Who, earning ©) op ¥.carning £175 million © Deo Da sear, was revealed this summer as the BBC's highest-paid on-screen star? Bg. Atte wert oD} athletics Championships in October, who won gold in the 200m ‘and silver in the 100m and 4x100m relay? QR Wes intngtsh 35> terete cawaya winter but Se ecaes 3G wiehneety DO) elected MEP for the Broxit Party suggested in June that science might produce ‘an answer to being gay? 2) Which cake chain, ©) & that went into administration earlier this year, was so short of money that some outlets stopped putting butter in the puff pastry? 38 Seenttorsnin99s WO Peden 196, ond Nese snd tone Cocuceveuin 989, Wat the secre! £3) How many swane-a- 39) cxinming ere there n the carl Twelve Bays of Ohwstman? AQ) neetebers842. Charles Dickens was in severe financial trouble. His latest novel, Martin Chuzzlewit, was selling poorly, his fifth child had just been born, and he owed his solicitor £270, at ‘atime when a gentleman could live handsomely on £100, a year. He desperately needed a get-rich-quick scheme, and ‘to his credit he found one. What did he write, in six weeks of furious oc y? ) hog sounsuyo ue po.e Be 9u2)9n suossied Ze equioseppIM UUY 9€ ONION Se YtNS-JousY OUIG We soyoUrT AbD EE BBOH-oee4 go20r ZE wopBuly sasiun Te sewer ysoHo4s OF i 13Nq Uolizo1g 6z (pos os[a evalu o.dsoq dn ways aybroq a4) duns, Pouog BE WuOSsIopUOA wag ZZ Usoysbuuds sonia gz o1oas se wey Wz aus9e07 verre" ez eynosde sfossn/g ge mufr40 {auuer a4f9 gy exoted y gE olsuONg suPpioUes gt a1andey 5B saaa.couKioec-mac | 2010 Hop fe weyysoq ou0301A OZ wo>nd09 6F 20 UL SE oO o¥2010 WE (IPPeD 99 204) 99 ET OUND a1SUEIN TE Wom uieidog weydos sive ogy hq pou os udes0 uorpul ay ui) pues] Suey % PUDS| ond] Ue Heuo7 OSU Z soukAT ited.) ona ea ws = NIGHT WIN! MAMMA MIA! THE PARTY Pee eee Ty For one night only Possibilities is taking over the Pere eee (02! 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TICKETS TO THE NATIONAL TELEVISION AWARDS Lucky winners will enjoy this spectaculer live show presented by the inimitable David Walliams, celebrating the best of British TV. ‘The 02, London, 28 January 2020 25 pairs of tickets to be won Ballot closes 3 January 2020 To enter these ballots and more, go to saga. Tye Aaa. co.UKIDEC-MAa | 2019 59 imernberahip for ful etal Vat saga. .iP RANGEFORD VILLAGES Wadswick Green ht miles Bat ‘k Green is a beautiful contemporar homes built especially for you Welcome to this vibrant over 60s community of peop! ant to enjoy life to the full £10,000 TOWARDS STRESS FREE MOVING* FIND OUT HOW WE CAN TAKE Open Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm Atal id= 0 Oe elm Ode) eRe else kee eRe TC) cy 225 584 500 from £229,950 to £669,500 sales@wadswickgreen.co.uk Wadswick Green, Corsham, Wiltshire SN13 9RD. www.wadswickgreen.co.uk Land Wanted - Contact us in confidencethink of tonic — but think again, John Aizlewood ‘There are countless ways to spend Christmas Day. You can eat and drink, watch the little ones open their gifts and feel a bit proud that you know The Great Escape off by heart. r, at 9am sharp, you could plunge into the bracing waters of the Serpentine in London's Hyde Park and compete for the Peter Pan Cup. As sporting moments go, there are none more refreshing. Or bonkers, In truth, you're not allowed just to turn up and swim the handicapped 100 yards. The waters are so cold, and so likely to induce shock and/or lung-cramping chill, that only members of the Serpentine Swimming Club who have taken part in its winter races over the preceding months may compete. No matter, it's free to watch from the south bank. ‘The race has been held every Christmas ‘morning since 1864, postponed only in 1935, when the Serpentine was unusually icy, and even then a dozen members smashed through the ice and had a dip. ‘The cup wasn’t named until club member and competitor JM Barrie donated it in 1904, to commemorate the first London performance of Peter Pan. Barrie presented the Cup until 1932, after which club chairman Albert Greenbury took over, and his descendants continue the tradition to this day. Few win the race more than once, but FW Maggs was a notable exception. Having won in 1920, the butler would take 35 years to repeat the feat, by which time he was a sprightly 71. In the 1990s the event had only a dozen or so competitors, but it's undergone a revival and last year’s winner, Sakura Adams, finished ahead of almost 100 swimmers. Afterwards, she ARMCHAIR SPORTS joined fellow racers for the traditional glass of port. s ‘Of course, Christmas Day swimming is not solely for the good people of London, although they do have the option of listening to a lone bugler playing Hark! The Herald Angels Sing before the ladies’ race at Hampstead Ponds (11am) and the men's race that follows. Out of London, wherever you live there's a Christmas Day swim nearby to watch or join, Fancy dress is always welcome; you'll usually have to pay a small entry fee and probably have to register. ‘A sea helps but isn't necessary, so at Sutton Coldfield’s Blackroot Pool there's a 10am mass plunge event. The Porthcawl Christmas WHEREVER YOU LIVE THERE'S A SWIM NEARBY TO WATCH OR JOIN. AND FANCY DRESS IS ALWAYS WELCOME Morning Swim (10.30am) is in its 55th year and raises thousands for charity. Last year, more than 1,300 hardy souls turned up. In Norfolk, the Hunstanton Christmas Day ‘Swim (Iam) first took place in 1957. Scandalously, some participants decided that a sprint seaward and a ceremonial dipping of a toe into the North Sea counted as completion. These days, stewards stand 20 metres into the sea and swimmers must swim around them to succeed. There's also a 10.30am charge into the tide at Bournemouth by almost 1,000 people, for the Macmillan White Christmas Dip. In Felixstowe (0am), swimmers raise money for a local hospice. At Bude’s 1am fundraiser for the local life-saving club, there's mulled wine afterwards. In Weymouth (l1am), swimmers have crossed the harbour since 1948, The tradition began as a bet: the safest bet now is that you'll feel fantastic afterwards, SA@A.co.UKIDEC-MaG | 2019 61Yappy Christmas By Lynne Truss A festive visitor — and it’s not Santa... tis half past six on a snowy Christmas Eve, and the doorbell rings. “Woof! barks Suki excitedly. ‘Woof, woof, woof! Woof, woof, woot!” The chorus of ‘Suki, shut up!’ from various quarters of the large detached house makes no difference. Barking, the dog races so fast down two flights of wide stairs to the big front door that she skids on the tiles in the hall and bangs into the door, nose first. This has been a thrilling day for her. The smells of cooking - all day! The titbits of dropped food on the kitchen floor, including a whole rind of bacon! The exciting arrivals of rarely seen family ‘members, who all seemed pleased to see her! Above all, the regular cry of “Suki, shut up!’ from every quarter (she loves to get a reaction when she barks) ‘When the door is opened, a young woman is revealed on the top step, carrying a suitcase and a bag of gifts. She smelis very nice, as if she's been rolling in roast chicken. Suki goes to this stranger without hesitation, and sits looking up at her with appealing brown eyes. “Hello? says the big woman who seems to run this place (she also does all the dog-feeding, so is quite an important figure in Suki's world). ‘The stranger, smiling, reaches out a hand. ‘I'm Alex, she says, pleasantly. ‘And then her face drops. ‘Oh no. You ‘were expecting me for Christmas? Didn't Tom tell you? “Well... Oh dear, says the big woman, She seems confused. She wipes her hands on an apron, and then runs fingers through her hair. ‘Imean, sorry, but no. He didn't’ (It occurs to Suki, as she observes this scene, that perhaps she should know this big woman's name by now. Sandra? Shirley? Nathalie?) Back at the awkward doorstep scene, the unexpected Alex is not abashed. She 62 saaa.couxioee-mac 1 2019 pulls. face. ‘Do you know she says, I suspected as much when no one collected me from the station. It’s quite a long walk when, you're carrying a bag of presents.’ She looks down at the dog. ‘And I've been so looking forward to meeting you both, and the children, but especially Suki! Can she have her present” ‘And before the still- bewildered big woman can reply, Alex has torn open a parcel and is holding a large bone-shaped rawhide treat. It would be nice to say that Suki takes it politely, but in fact ~ being a dog - she snatches it and bolts up the stairs, where she spends the next 20 minutes under a bed, chewing the treat to ribbons in a state of bliss. By the time she gallops back down and pokes her head into the living room, the unexpected Alex is sitting on a sofa having a glass of something fizzy and conversing with the other guests. All are boringly swapping names. (Hi, I'm Peter. ‘'m Alex.” I'm James:’) Suki whines. Why do humans set such store by knowing names? More to the point, why are they wasting valuable eating time, when there are snacks in little bowls, scattered tantalisingly around the room? Hopeful of another bacon rind, she trots to the kitchen Pushing open the door with her forehead, she finds the big- woman-who-seems-to-run-this-place talking in urgent whispers with the big-man-who-is-here-mostly-just-in-the evenings. She listens, but without interest, because dogs don't care much about human words other than ‘treat, ‘dinner time’, and ‘walky-walks’ “Did she actually say she’s a friend of your brother?’ asks the big man, hurriedly getting ice from the freezer. ‘She could be anybody! “She knew Suki by name; the big woman points out. ‘And you know what Tom's like. Always giving our address to people on his travels, Imagine it from her point of view, coming for Christmas and finding out he hasn't told us. Apparently all her family are dead. Tom's very kind” “He's spoiled, more like. This is my house, don’t forget! “Your house?’ “‘Imean, our house, You know what I meant. I meant, it’s not Toms! “That's no reason to call it yours!” Suki sniffs the air. Not much food activity here. She turns hooks the kitchen door with a paw and pulls it open, then trots. to her fleecy dog bed next to the radiator in the downstairs loo. Inexplicably, she is suddenly very tired. The Christmas Eve party hubbub in the living-room provides the perfect backdrop to a profound doggy snooze, especially when someone opens the piano and the assembled company starts to sing a Christmas carol. Good King Wenceslas looked out *SHORT STORY 4# On the Feast of Stephen When the snow lay round about. Suki is asleep instantly, dreaming of rabbits, even before the famous poor man comes in sight, gathering winter fu-U-el An unspecified amount of time later (dogs not being able to read clocks), Suki wakes to find the hallway dark, the house silent and the unexpected Alex - curiously ~ tiptoeing down the stairs, with her coat on, carrying her suitcase. It looks heavier than it did when she arrived. “Here, Suki,’ she whispers, and opens the kitchen door. Suki follows, her tail thrashing. The woman opens the fridge and brings out a large enamel dish of meaty titbits ~ sausages wrapped in bacon - ready for cooking. She crouches down and sets the dish on the floor. ‘Happy Christmas, she says fondly to the dog, ‘And thank you in advance for my lovely Christmas, 100! Greedily trying to choke back two pigs-in-biankets at once, Suki ignores her. “You don't remember me from the other day, do you?” ‘The woman evidently wants to tell a funny story about how she spotted Suki’s name on her collar-tag a couple of weeks ago outside Waitrose, and dreamed up a devious scheme a scheme that involved daringly robbing an occupied house on Christmas Eve. ‘There is also something about having overheard an argument in a shop about whether someone called ‘Tom - travelling abroad - would ever get in touch about Christmas. But compared with such vast quantities of raw meat, this stuff 4s not riveting. ‘People really shouldn't have their pets’ names printed on their ID tags’ the woman continues, sweetly. “Their vets advise them against it, but they just don't listen ‘Then she softly shuts Suki in the kitchen and opens the front door toa male accomplice wearing a dark balaclava, a figure-hugging black outfit, and quiet, crepe-soled shoes. 64 caaa.co.uKsoee-mAG | 20:9 's a little while before Suki is satisfied that she has finished all the food, and licked every trace of it off the dish. She raises her head, She feels, uncomfortably, the need to expel some waste quite urgently. So she scratches at the back door and then, having failed to make it open, she decides to summon assistance. ‘Woof!’ she barks. ‘Woof, woot, woot! Woof, woof, woot” This is later described as Suki ‘raising the alarm’, but the reality is that it’s more in the nature of a toilet emergency. Still, she does manage to wake everyone up. This (it turns out is both a good thing and a bad thing. “Oh no, my bracelet’s gone!’ yelps the big woman on waking (and quickly grasping the nature of the situation) “Mummy, my Xbox!’ wails one of the three smaller people of the household, who are ~ to Suki’s mind - taking a preposterously long time to grow any bigger. “My Rolex!” groans the big man. ‘Call the police at once, Julia!’ ‘Call them yourself; retorts the big woman, crossly, running down the stairs. ‘I's your house, remember!" ‘Iulia, this is hardly the time.” “Oh shut up, shut up, Charles! ‘All our presents have gone!” gasps one of the smaller people, in the living room, bursting loudly into tears. Suki takes no notice of all this minor, secondary drama, of course. She is too busy barking to be let out of the kitchen. “Why didn’t she bark while all this was happening?’ the dazed family members ask each other, bewildered. ‘That dog always barks” But by now she has been let out into the snow-covered garden, where she squats in relief on the lawn, Ah, Christmas! The most wonderful time of the year. Inside the house there is early-Christmas-morning wailing and shouting, which is very exciting; she can’t wait to go back inside and join in. She does remember the unexpected Alex outside Waitrose taking a look at her name tag the other day, because she smelled of roast chicken then, too. Thinking about it, the woman probably works on a rotisserie counter! (Which is, where she probably overheard all that stuff about Tom.. “We knew nothing about her, Julia!” wails the big man, you let her in!" “So this is all my fault?" "Yes. It is! “Then that's it, Charles. I've been meaning to say it for weeks. I want a divorce!” Her comfort break over, Suki happily trots back inside the house. Happy Christmas, everyone! With the entire household up and about, it can mean only one thing, She stands next to her food bowl and pats it, pointedly, with a paw. “Time for breakfast” she thinks, hopefully. Lynne Truss's latest novel, from her award-winning comic crime series, is The Man That Got Away (Raven Books). Buy it at a discount from the Saga Bookshop at wordery.com/sagaPeery SAGA2011 This fast, efficient solution transforms your conservatory into @ comfortable year-round living space. Exclusive to Conservatory Insulations, the UK market leader, this Conservaheat layered foll quilt system comprises technology developed by NASA for the Apollo space programme. The outer fol of our quilt incorporates a unique True Aluminium Foil, specifically designed for conservatories. The benefit for you is it helps ‘maximise heat retention. Suitable forall roof styles, itis a cost effective solution which insulates your conservatory for a fraction ofthe cost of a new tiled roof. With this proven energy-saving product (liable to only 5% VAT) you and your family can relax in complete comfort all year round: Cooler in summer Warmer in the winter Conservatory Prevents UV fading H ee Insulations Proven energy saver Eliminates external noise ‘panes Ryplow Richandaan, itteatnasest A Trustpot- titan travel this is your moment ee ey ‘When it comes to safari holidays, there's plenty of choice Cre ar ee end See ee eee eee en a ee ero ee ern es age-old traditions at a Masai village in Kenya. Where ean rt CS ace aed rned v Award-winning escorted holidays a = Nn Cee Cao ene earl eri s Serie Rear) ennai eee orl Mel:fel ch eel) or visit www.titantravel.co.uk @ABTA ® | perfect moments shared Piers Part of the SAGA\ group.life + style Wess Dressed to thrill v I's an expensive time of year so why not hire a party frock or pick one up for less than £100? Then step out in style with a smile Photography ALEX MAY Fashion WENDY RIGG JUDE Rose Idol pink dress £89 to hire for two nights, Gir! ress, hire girlmeetsdress.com (retail price £600). Cape £95.99, Zara, Silver necklace £15, Accessorize. Wellingtons on both models £105, Hunter. WENDY Searlet Gown black dress £109 to hiro for two nights, Girl Moot ‘above (retail price £800), Faux fur stole £111, holenmoore. com, 01884 861005, Waterfall earrings £12, Accessorize, Evening gloves £85, coreliajames.com, 01273 358845, SA@a.co.uk/nee-maa | 2010 67FASHION JUDE Zigzag wrap dress £79, Debenhams. Circle earrings £70, Fenwick Pointed-toe heels £24 Truffle Collection at shoecholics.com SIMON Velvet jacket £70, bow tie £8; both Burton Menswear. Cotton shirt £45, Marks & Spencer. Black slim-fit trousers £39, MES Collection. Velvet monogram loafers £100, dunelondon. com, 01202 037097 WENDY Tuxedo blazer £79, sequined camisole £25; both M&S Collection. Metallic crop trousers £99, purecollection. com, 0844 8481030, Gold sandals £39, Miss KG at shoecholics.com RIGHT: WENDY Abbey Claney x Lipey gold sequinned drees £75, Next, Sandals £39, Mies KG at shoesholies.com SIMON Blue velvet jacket £70, bow tie £8; both Burton Menewecr. Shirt, trousers ae above. Black velvet loafers £95, Dune, as above, JUDE Champagne sequined midi dress £79, M&Co Boutique, mandeo.com, 0333 202 0720. Black faux fur jacket £50, romanoriginals.co.uk, 0121 636 0701 Gelden gem hoop earrings £20, johnny-loves-rosie,com, 01234 331685. Chain-strap shoulder bag £25, M&S CollectionWENDY Metallic jumpsuit £120, Phase Eight Collar necklace £1950, Morks & Spencer Silver bracelet stack £160, ‘onnieheakdesigns 0.uk, 01730 231188, Silver shoes £49, Aldo ‘ot shoeaholics.com SIMON Black jacquard jacket £90, bow tie £8; both Burton Menswear. Luxury cotton shirt £45, Marks & Spencer. Black slim-fit trousers £39, M&S Collection. Black 1904 shoes £55, Burton Menswear JUDE Georgette V-neck dress £120, purecollection.com, 0844 848 1030. Rose-gold clutch bag £63, dunelonden.com, 01202 037097 Rhinestone headband £1799, Zara Necklace £5, Accessorize, Kitten-heeled shoes £25, M&S Collection FASHION SIMON All elothes as left. WENDY Run Free Gown red dress £59 to hire for two nights, at Girl Meets Dress, hire girlmeetsdress.com (retail price £400). Swarovski bracelet £62, silver bracelet stack £160, Annie Hack, as left. Rosie clutch bag £22.50, Accessorize Sandals £45, Faith at Debenhams. JUDE Leather jacket £149, Zora, Silk top £75, skirt £94: both hopefashion.co.uk, 0333 220 1907, Earrings £8, Accessorize. Stiletto ankle boote £45, MESExclusive cruise savings on our beautiful boutique ship Tee Ram Cm SceT Weeteteraeet egies te ReaaoI CTO MeN ice lela) Raa een aN Serta hence asa Peet er tain hea ia int eve eects ee oni tatcat st) ei RS eae eta eiaomuteecemet Seneca ait M ne) DOE ECR ROC Ret nits ee NEN MeN Seed meet) Beret ue eg poner Save £400 ,, ba aaNet >. + Chauffeur service up to 250 miles OPN CNC Racy Bei Re ctstiiy Love your first cruise CN al aso 0800 051 3355 Bee ate er ete CTC ae aotearoa *Saga Magazine subscribers - Save £400 on Sounds of Sp current fare ot time of booking, connot be combined with any 0 ling compenYate WK cae) 1S} AGA Cruise 14 nights from £3,133° per person ALL INCLUSIVE Celebrate Spain's many facets Spain Spain See Jools play live jolland will be performingBOX OF DELIGHTS Enjoy the run-up to Christmas with a beauty advent calendar, says make-up artist Nadira V Persaud it’s calorie-freeSACL Pose kero} atl Cen ee aeons Sooo att eed Pa Tad oN eer a ier iene} Cer need ELicam ener Cee Geen oid et eee Px tea Crees Pianta Akers ears Prete tod TONG Rieecerc year ae eonn ear names Pron CR deed Rerearieriss ater ead ETletolewte Cu Lots of top brands: NeeADVERTORIAL Finding the courage to begin social a partner can feel almost impo ing again after losing ible. But when the time's right, it is an important step towards finding a ‘new normal’ And it’s no easy step to take, as Joy Warren discovered when her husband, Graham, passed away, ‘Despite the fact I was still grieving, I knew I had to start socialising again’ explains Joy, 75, from Brighton. ‘It was, a matter of weeks before I felt comfortable going out alone, but I know for others it can take much longer. Her neighbours, Janet and Michael, were there for Joy every step of the way. joined them at lots of Oddfellows events, visiting the local dogs’ home, going to the monthly coffee morning, and I'soon joined the Oddfellows because of the new friends I had made. For more than 200 years, the Oddfellows has offered friendship and support and it now has'310000 members across 124 branches, It's non-profit ‘mutual (membership from £25 per year Oddly enough, | didn’t want to go at first Cr eC Reena eee ede eta Se see rec tea ieee eae ae a rE ee ee on ca Mee COR run by members, for members. Branches host regular eve there are group holidays run by its Active Travel Club, plus benefits including: care and welfare advice and support, special member discounts and historical archive access.” Joy added: My advice is to get out there, socialise, and don’t worry about going to events alone. People are always friendly, and you can ask for somebody to meet you who understands” To learn more about the Oddfellows (oddfellows.co.uk frststeps)and 10 receive a membership pack and local events diary call 0800 028 1810 or email enquiries@oddfellows.co.uk “Terms.and conditions apply to all member benefits and special offers. For details visit wunwoddfellows co.uk: benefits For your free information pack FREEPHONE 0800 028 1810 ‘am-Sam Man to Thur, amp Fr oddfellows.co.uk/firststeps 88 Unpferows CoensRESTAURANT REVIEW Top table Tired of turkey? Indian food might just be the answer. Mark Palmer tucks in at Chutney Mary in London My wife would eat Indian food every night of the week the spicier the better and, with poppadoms piled so high that they look like 4 pretentious art installation. ‘Whenever we call our local Indian delivery service, the young man - who supports the same football team as me sees my number and says, “The usual?’ followed by, ‘At the game on Saturday?” Normally, it's a double affirmative and within 30 minutes a chicken jalfrezi for her, chicken tikka plus onion bhaji for me arrive, with a Lask, pointing to the uses to display cones. In portion of spinach, lentils and centre of the action. addition, we've gone for the Tice. Oh, and 64 poppadoms. RICH ‘No, that would not be £10 poppadom platter, which ‘When we moved into our PICKINGS _ possible,’ says the waitress. comes with various rich sauces current house 15 years ago, Exotic "Then I would like tosee the And that’s the problem, there was a nearby Indian starters: the manager’ The manager arrives Everything at Chutney Mary is restaurant that was somewhere restaurant's and we are duly moved to rich, rich, rich. By the time I've between posh and traditional opulent atable thatis laid for four but eaten my smoked Kashmiri cheapo (chips on the menu as interior clearly no one has booked it. chilli chicken (£23) and a side order This is not the sort of Indian Joanna has picked at her Goan It was called Chutney Mary where after afew pints the lads green curry (£26.50), and we've and seemed to be doing well, walk past and think, Let's pop tried various exotic side dishes, but suddenly it closed, only to here for a curry weare completely stuffed. reopen a few million pounds One table is occupied by Dessert? Not humanly later in St James's Street on afamily whose children are possible. But I've still got to a site where Marco Pierre tucking in to their hand-held digest the bill which, with three White used to have a restaurant. devices with such relish that __glasses of wine, comes to £177. It’s now so posh that they are completely obliviousto We leave Chutney Mary a doorman stands outside in their surroundings. pleased to have experienced it. the cold to say ‘good evening’ Unlike us. We're trying to But I'll be sticking with my and ‘good night’. Inside, the take itall in, not least the ‘usual’ from now on. whole confection smoulders prices, with starters around with unadulterated opulence. the £15 mark and main courses Chutney Mary, 73 St James's Even in its heyday the Raj could anywhere from £26 to £35. Street, London SWIA IPH not have been like this, with No one bothers with starters _(chutneymary.com, beautiful art, along shimmering in anormal Indian, but here it 020 7629 6688) bar and glittering antiques. feels rude not to do so. Joanna's We are seated to the side of crab cakes (£15.50) are heavy CHUTNEY MARY the restaurant, buttressed by ‘on the cake, light on the crab, J #¢% a dividing panel of glass and while my three fried prawns Two-course dinner for I don't like it one bit. (€16.50) arrive, positioned ‘two, with three glasses of ‘Could we not have vertically in one of those wine, £177 a different table down there?’ stands an ice-cream parlour sAGa.co.uK/pee-maG | 2019 77files) , * PARTY PIECES - ‘ Wow your guests with these * sophisticated-looking treats, from EINE eerinteieinaeittcen howe me lirs Photography Nance arn os " oe ui yr Cheddai Makes about 28 + ring YOU WILL NEED © 125g (4°07) plain flour 407) unsalted butte hortbread snowflake wreath METHOD, 1 Mix the flour and butter in a food processor for 20-30 seconds or until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. 2 Add the chee enne and salt ra mature and pulse just until the dough is nly grated med, @ scant tsp cayenne pepper 3 Transfer to a lightly floured surface @ Level tsp salt and knead briefly. 2 20cm (8in) 4 Roll out the dough to Smm (in| ind one thick. Cut around the lar Mem (6in), plus a 6em snowflake cutter plates, on plate to make a disc. Transfer it to a greased baking tray, then place the smaller plate in the centre and cut around it lifting out the central piece to leave a Chill fo Preheat the oven to 190C/170¢ n/375F ga Re roll the trimmings and stamp out as many snowflakes as possible Place on 2 greased baking trays, spaced well apart, and chill. 7 Bake the ring for 12-14 mins on the middle shelf until golden brown. Leave to cool, then slide it onto a flat dish. Bake the snowflakes for 10-12 mins until golden brown. Leave to firm up tly then transfer them toa wire rack to cool. Before serving, warm up the snowflakes and arrange on top of the ringSmoked salmon and cucumber skewers Makes 12 1 Using a swivel peeler, slice ¥s cucumber the cucumber into 12 lengths, 2 level tsp caster sugar working around and avoiding 2 sp rice or white wine the seedy centre, vinegar 2 Stir the 75g-100g (3-407) smoked vinegar salmon, cut into I2strips 3 Lightly brush the cucumber Tem x 2.5m 6 x lin) with the dressing just before large pinch dried crushed assembling the skewers. pink peppercorns or ground 4 Fold the cucumber slices black pepper into a concertina shape and few sprigs chopped dill weave onto the skewers; do 12 small skewers the same with the salmon, 5 Sprinkle with pepper and dill before serving, elback vegetables with garlicky cheese Makes 20 180C/160C fan/350F/gas 4. 8 Place the potatoes and 10 small new potatoes carrots in a roasting tin, cut 10 small heritage or side up. Drizzle with olive oil Chantenay carrots, peeled and season. olive oil, to drizzle 4 Roast on the middle shelf 75g (oz) cream cheese for 25-30 mins or until 25g (loz) Parmesan or grana__golden brown and tender. cheese, finely grated Shake the pan halfway Ismall garlic clove, peeled through, and crushed 5 Combine the cream cheese, few sprigs parsley, finely Parmesan or grana, garlic, chopped parsley and seasoning in salt and pepper a bowl and beat really well with a wooden spoon. 6 Put the vegetables on 1 Slice across the vegetables at__kitchen paper to drain, narrow intervals, not quite spread with a little of the cutting right through, cheese mixture and arrange 2 Preheat the oven to ona plate. ny saaa.couxsoge-maa | 2010 79«* Bloody Mary pigs in blankets Makes 24 12 thin slices pancetta, halved 24 mini chorizo cooking sausages olive oil, to drizzle 24 sprigs rosemary, short stalk left on Bloody Mary mayonnaise 150m| (54402) mayonnaise 4 tsp tomato ketchup 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce Tabasco, to taste splash of vodka, optional salt 80 sacacouK/oec-mac 1 2010 3 4 Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/425F gas 6. Wrap a piece of pancetta around each sausage, place ina roasting tin, drizzle with a little oil and bake on the middle shelf for 15-18 ‘mins until cooked and the pancetta has crisped up. Mix the mayonnaise, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, vodka, if using, and some salt. Drain the sausages on a plate lined with kitchen paper, then skewer each one with a sprig of rosemary. Arrange ona serving dish and serve with the mayonnaise dip. Christmas fruited sausage rolls Makes 30 I medium onion, peeled and finely chopped 1 tbsp olive oil 450g (IIb) pork sausage meat 35g (1¥402) dried apricots, finely chopped 35g (1407) dried cranberries or raisins, finely chopped grated nutmeg 320g (11/202) pack ready rolled all-butter puff pastry I small egg, lightly beaten 30 small sage leaves, short stalk left on salt and pepper 1 Gently cook the onion in the oil over a low heat for 10-12 mins, stirring occasionally, until soft and pale gold. Cool. 2 Ina mixing bowl, combine the sausage meat, onion, apricots and the cranberries or raisins with a generous amount of nutmeg, salt and pepper. Mix well, 3 Unroll the pastry sheet and leave it on its paper. Cut in half lengthways. 4 Divide the sausage meat mixture in half and make 2 long rolls. Place one roll of meat onto one strip of pastry. Brush the beaten egg along one edge of the pastry, fold it over and seal Keep the sealed edge underneath. Repeat. Chill the long rolls for 30 mins to make cutting easier. 6 Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan, 425F gas 6 7 Cut each roll into 15 x 2.5em (lin) pieces and brush with beaten egg. Poke a sage leaf in the top. Transfer to 2greased baking trays 8 Bake on the top and middle shelves for 15-18 mins, swapping halfway through, until a rich golden brown. Cool alittle before serving4 Pork belly squares, chutney and crackling Cook the pork belly squares aecording to the pack instructions Top with some mango ehutney and @ small Chees Pipe or spoon some cream cheese onto 12 cheesy biscuits, top with a vegetable crisp (euch as candy-striped beetroot, beetroot or sweet potato) and serve. Chocolate biscuits, orange and mince-pie popcorn Lightly whip alittle double cream, then marble in some orange ‘curd. Spoon onto 12 chocolate biscuits, top with a piece of ‘mince-pie popcorn (sendit.co. Luk) or similor and serve, ©» Savoury Christmas puds Fry 12 meatballs in alittle olive oil until cooked through, Drain on kitchen paper. Top each with some yogurt, a few pomegranate seeds and a continental parsley leaf piece of pork crackling x = k froma packet and serve, * e _~ Gilded quails’ eggs with smoked sea salt Arrange 12 cooked queils' ‘eggs on a plate, sprinkle with smoked sea salt ‘onda pinch of edible 2act gold leaf stars and serve. (ediblegold.co.uk).FooD ** Jewelled chocolate thins Embossed Makes 20 clementine biscuits YOU WILL NEED a Sem (2in) cutter, draw Makes about 40 @ 80g (302) dark chocolate bar, 20 circles spaced well apart. YOU WILL NEED 65% cocoa solids, broken up’ 2 Put the chocolate in a small 4 110g (4oz) unsalted butter, softened Ginger topping heatproof bowl over a pan of 4 75g (2402) caster sugar @ Iheaped tsp roasted simmering water - do not large egg yolk cocoa nibs let the bottom of the bowl @ 200g (702) plain flour ‘@ I heaped tsp finely chopped __touch the water - for about @ finely grated rind of 2 clementines crystallised stem ginger 5 mins until melted. Stir. © 2 tbsp milk @ edible gold leaf flakes 3 Remove and leave to thicken @ 5em (2in) round cutter and 4em Strawberry topping a little for 5-10 mins. Drop {34in) embossed plunger @ Iheaped tsp freeze-dried a teaspoon of melted strawberries chocolate onto the circles. METHOD @ heaped tsp finely chopped —_Do just 3 or 4 at once or 1 Mix the butter and sugar in a food pistachio kernels they'll set before you add the processor until light and fluffy. Add @ edible gold leaf flakes toppings. Use the back of the the egg yolk and briefly mix to spoon to spread the combine. METHOD chocolate. Sprinkle with 2 Sift over the flour, add the 1 Ona large tray lined with toppings. Chill for 30 mins clementine rind, milk and briefly parchment paper, using to harden. pulse to a soft dough 8 Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead briefly Roll out to 5mm (in) thick. Using the biscuit cutter, stamp out about 40 rounds. Place on 2 greased baking trays spaced well apart, and chill for 30 mins. Preheat the oven to 190C/170C fan 375F gas 5. Press the embossed plunger into each biscuit. Bake for 10-12 mins on the top and middle shelves, swapping halfway through, until pale golden. Leave to firm up for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Serve Lorna Wing, the [Rij corre queen, hos been inspiring people with her cooking for more thon 30 years. Her new interactive ‘online cookery courses for teens are ideal for the skills section of the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme, Great gift for grandchildren. lornawingeookery.co.uk 82 saaa.co.uKjneo-maa | 2010POSSIBILITIES Members’ exclusive Save £700 on an Italian Premiere cruise aboard Spirit of Discovery Immerse yourself in Italy's captivating culture as you join our new ship Spirit of Discovery's all-inclusive cruise which visits some of the Mediterranean's most enchanting destinations, including an overnight stay in Venice Possibilities members can save an exclusive £700 per person on this fabulous cruise departing on 22 January 2020. The spectacular itinerary hos something for every eruise-goer - imohicling the GHanos to explere the 9,000-Feer possibilities tld Coves of Frossasi ond experiencing the celebrated Putignano Carnival in Bor BO tee kee ee een eet she isti SAGA.CO.UKIDEC-MAG | 201 83 ‘Terms and conditions apply. This offeris for Possi forriew bookings only ana cornetae CAVALLO MODA “Tuscany Italian inpired LEATHER HANDBAG This seasons essential handbag hos arrived. 100% high quality leather and go-anywhere style makes this handbag @ musthave. Available in four classic shades taking you seamlessly from casual to chic Honcterafied using traditional leather making techniques. This season treat yourself or someone you love with this classic handbag. + Two interior zipped compartments + Detachable shoulder strap * Classic black lining + External zip closure + Smart giltmetal detailing Covallo Moda design ond purchase direcly from leather workshops for unique valve and price. Was £129.99 £199 = NAVY BURGUNDY BLACK TAN. AVALLOMODA.COM 01273 437 020 iad eNls To purchase: Go online, give us a call or return the Pease send coupon to Cavallo Moda, 7 Fairway Business Centre, Tuscany Handbag | Westergate Road, Brighton, E. Sussex, BN2 4JZ. Tuscony Handbag QUOTE 61219 to claim your discount Total - with FREE P&P & Money Back Guarantee None |encose a cheque mae pyle to Cavalo Mada Please charge £ from my creditidebit card Address: tmero Tl IF you do not with o roesive offers rom selected companies, loose tick his box |]. See our privacy polcyenline or call 1273 437 020. Reg No. 07147094LA CAVE DE HAUTES COTES CREMANT DE BOURGOGNE, MARKS & SPENCER, £10 Proper, classy sparkling wine at the price of prosecco. Lovely with starters, delicious on its own, and at @ price you can serve generously. CREMANT D'ALSACE 2027, ALDI, £8.29 Wonderful value ond brilliantly made. The perfect apéritif style of sparkling wine, you'll find it can be a bit overwhelmed by food. But I've served this with canapés and it’s gone down brilliantly. One person said it was their favourite sparkler. JANSZ PREMIUM CUVEE NV TASMANIA, WAITROSE, £1799 Delicate, fine, elegant ond layered with citrus flavours, Janez was WINES TO CELEBRATE Joe Fattorini raises his glass to bagging bargains and splashing out WINE Why do we need lots of wine recommendations at Christmas? Because choosing the right wine is never more difficult or fraught than at this time of year. We know what we like but at festive parties we have to choose what other people will like. I’ also the only time of year that some people have a drink, so we want to make sure it's a good one. Here are 24 great wines ~ white, red, sparkling and even a couple of rosés, sweet wines and fortified wines. Every one a cracker. I'm allowed one terrible Christmas pun! pioneer of sparkling wines in Tasmania and it shows. Consistently brilliant and delicious with spicy dishes. AYALA BRUT MAJEUR, CHAMPAGNE NV, TANNERS, £27.50 This is a wise choice, an: every tasting note says pristine’ It's dry and delicate with perfect bubbles. It also has unique ‘mouth-Filing perfume’ Beautiful 1d now 855 JEAN-MARC BURGAUD. MORGON COTE DU PY, BERRY BROS & RUDD, £18.95 Your New Year's resolution should be to get into Beaujolais. Morgon is one of the region's villages where its nome appears on the bottle, and they are some of the great wines of our age. This comes from distinctive blue granite slopes and is @ serious wine ~ like 9 fruity, gonerous Burgundy from further north, | have this. at least once a month at home 6 JEAN CORNELIUS ALSACE PINOT NOIR 2018, LIDL, £7.49 | know it feels wrong, but this is a red to pop in the fridge for half an hour or so before you serve it It's so lightly structured that it’s almost a rosé, but so packed with flavour it's definitely a red. Not one for nights in front of the fire. But definitely 0 wine to enjoy with informel lunches ‘and the inevitable pile of ‘turkey sandwiches, 86 saca.co.uKioee-maa | 2010 ‘7 McLAREN VALE GSM 2017, TESCO FINEST, £9 This is the wine equivalent of a cable-knit sweater: warm, comforting and familior, The letters stand for the grape vorietios Grenache (generously fruity), Shiraz (epiced ond warming) ond Mourvedre (earthy ‘ond complex). If that sounds like @ Chéteauneuf-du-Pape, it’s because it’s the same blend, Enjoy with hearty, informal, midweek suppers. 8 LIRAC LES CLOSIERS 2017, MARKS & SPENCER, £10 Liroc is a nome to remember. ‘A southern Rhéne blend (like GSM obove) made in the style of a junior Chateauneuf-du Pope. This is hedonistic and inviting, mostly because it's smooth ~ @ wine with ne rough edges. It may be a crowd- pleaser, but it’s a classy one, with subtle, integrated spice and layers of berry flavours, ‘9 CHAVAL BOBAL ECOLOGICA’ BODEGAS Nous 2017, LEA & SANDEMAN, £8.50 For those who love their reds juicy nd fruity, it's time to get to grips with Bobal. An indigenous (and ‘omusingly named after a bull's head) Spanish variety with wild fruit flavours and ¢ rounded, earthy choracter. There's something deep and brombly ‘about it, ond it goes with so many different foods. This would be good value at £15, 10 BERRY BROS & RUDD EXTRAORDINARY CLARET 2016, £16.95 What do have on Christmas Day? Well, it was this last year. Merchants’ own bottlings hove along history and this Extraordinary Claret is a favourite, Lots of blackberry fruit with the freshness thet comes from Graves Vineyards. It goes happily alongside beef, lamb, turkey and even goose. 12 CHILEAN PINOT NOIR 2017, MORRISONS, £7 Pinot Noir is a difficult grape to get right even in the world’s finest regions. But Chile does seem to have found e knack, year after year, of ripening this perfumed, delicate variety to ‘9 generous, raspberry-scented beouty. This great-price wine is from the San Antonio Valley, fond | love it. 12 CASTILLO DE OLITE COLECCION NAVARRA 2013, WAITROSE, £9.99 Rioja for clever people on ‘a budget’ was one old description of Navarra, But it hos its own personality and style. And you can find older wines like this 2013 for a tenner Thot means it has evolved spice and earthiness to go olongside its fleshy fruit. It's the perfect wine for lomb ‘ond more flavoursome meats = even a bit of game. A great discovery. 13 ZWEIGELT, SAINSBURY'S TASTE THE DIFFERENCE, £8 That crisp-then-smooth bite into @ really good cherry ~ that's the character of Zweigelt, a little-known ‘Austrian red. And it's such 2 great wine to serve to friends, Ithas two advantages. One ~ everyone loves its inky, fruity style. Two ~ you look like a wine superhero for serving on obscure Austrian red. This is a steal at the price. 14 MALBEC IGP. COMTE TOLOSAN, TESCO, £5 Contender for the UK's best porty red, a proper wine for just o fiver. At this price you hope it won't be faulty, but you don't expect o fruity, ripe and juicy wine with some real texture on the palate. It also comes vegan-approved so you can serve happily to everyone. It'll go quite cheerily with porty food, and you'll feel you can be generous.ROSE, SWEET WINE AND FORTIFIED 15 FRENCH ORGANIC ROSE, ALDI, £6.99 We used to cast rosé aside once the nights drew in, but no longer. Our palates love that fresh feuit year-round and pink wines are becoming so much more versatile. This is a perfect winter rosé to g0 with grils. It’s great 15 value too. 16 TIO PEPE DOS PALMAS FINO, LAITHWAITES OR ODDBINS, £18 Sherry is for life, not just for Christmas. But it's a great time to remember what a phenomenal wine sherry is. This is.a Fino, but not as we know it. After eight years’ ageing, it develops a nutty. Christmassy richness. Serve well-chilled as an opéritif, and make sure you drink it within a few days. This is a delicate 16 v7 aS voile fine wine. 47 VINTAGE PORT 2007, TESCO FINEST, £20 It's time to dust off that decanter you've not used in years, or @ nice glass jug. But either way, it's not really Christmas without a bottle of port. It’s the perfect way to end the day and settle the stomach before another day of fomily, friends, wolks and dinners. This is made by the wonderful Symington family, and 14 generations of expertise are evident in this delicious offering, WINE 418 BERRY BROS & RUDD 22 FLORENT ROUVE VIRE- OLD-BLOCKS CHENINBLANO, OLESSE, MARKS & £14.50 SPENCER, £14 ‘A. gem of a wine, found by White Burgundy is expensive e buyer ina hidden tank at the because it's so goodto serve back of the historic Tierhoek at parties and dinners. To find winery in South Africa. thes _@.gemlike this i @ rarity, but, the freshness for lovers of Loire whet a. gem, Honeysuckle is Chenins such as Vouvray, and. always giveaway for gropefruit aroma overlaid with Chardonnay and this also honey, balanced by sovoury _—has a fresh zestiness, nuts, A delicious food wine, for ‘those who like to serve the 23 MAKARAKA SAUVIGNON turkey with something white. BLANC, ALDI, £4.99 Don't hold back on this one 19 HOUSE OF CERTAIN VIEWS when buying your porty white. PINOT GRIGIO, HUNTER It’s one of the best-value VALLEY, TANNERS, £10.90 whites ond is a real (unblended) Forget everything youknow Sauvignon Blane from New about Pinot Grigio and try this. Zealand that tastes like much Floral, musky and delicious, t's more expensive wines. A steal almost full-bodied with rich fruit. Andrew Margan set out to 24 COSTIERES DE NIMES, make a distinctive style of 2018, LIDL, £6.99 Pinot Grigio in Australia's White wines from the south of Hunter Volley and achieved it. France come into their own in | visited him last year and in my winter. And as they're often notebook this wine had lots of from lesser-known appellations ticks after its tasting nates. _they canbe great value, like this one, Delicious ripe fruit and 20 PLANALTO WHITE RESERVA hint of sun-kissed spiciness. 2018 DOURO, MAJESTIC, £9.99, (0r £699 if buying six For more festive wine ideas, recommend buying this in visit sage.co.uk/deo-mog sixes ~ ot that price it’s almost unbeatoble. This is racy and delicious. Don't ask what grape it is or what it's like, It's a white from the place they make port it's bound to be different. But with midweek meals and family dinners it's wonderful 24. QUINTA DA FONTE SOUTO BRANCO, ALENTEJO 2017, THE WINE SOCIETY, £17 I spent much of this, summer filming in Portugal, ending with 12-hour lunch in ce vineyard in Alentejo ‘And what @ lunch it was! This gorgeous white brings it all feeding back, but also reminds me how far Portuguese wines have come. Zesty ond captivating,SUBSCRIBE TODAY on 1 SUBSCRIPTION ORDER FORM LIVES! I like to buy @ gift subscription to Saga Magazine at the rate of £24 for 12 issues* (Yes! ''6 like to renew my own subscription at the rote of £24 for 12issues* Your details Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms Forename, Surname Address Postcode Tel number Your friend's details (if buying a gift subscription) Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms Forename: Surname Address Postcode Payment details Ll enclose o cheque for £ made payable to Sage Publishing Ltd (Please include your name and address on the back of tho choquo) 2Ploase charge £ tomy Visa L] Mastercard [] Expiry dote 10/00 Card number 0000 0000 0000 0004 Signoture for cord payments only ‘This offer opplce to UK subcoiptions ony Renewalnatapanto cuatomers who dead subscribe Ovect Debt renewing been il stort when the curr ene apes Poca note, ew gt subucriptions wll begin withthe Jonuory 2020 issue BB sAca.co.uK/oEc-mac | 2039 Dear reader, Every month Saga Magazine brings you an entertaining column from Jeremy Paxman, Paul Lewis on money matters, and health advice from Dr Mark Porter. We have fascinating features, inspiring real-life stories, mouthwatering recipes, a restaurant review, wine recommendations, plus a practical gardening section, ‘Saga Magazine subscribers are also eligible to join Possibilities, Saga's fantastic membership programme with great discounts on everything from dining out to booking holiday, as well as chances to win tickets to exclusive VIP events. Don't miss out, subscribe today and keep enjoying all this, delivered direct to your door. laste Gone * aC Louise Robinson, Editor PS. Already a subscriber? Give a free issue to a friend and if they subscribe they'll be eligible to join our unique membership programme, Possibilities, too. See page 5 for details . * rel ita aga exe MV me loLelsSave 50% on a gift subscription to Saga Magazine this Christmas OR renew your subscription for the same price! ‘Towe it all to Mi & Dad’ couKsnee-maa | 2019 891 RHS Chelsea gold medal-winning designer We decorate the house with foliage and flowers, o home-made wreath on the door and ollocally grown tree, from which we use off- cuts for o mantelpiece display. Immediately the house is filled with the unmistakable scent of pine. 90 saca.co.uKspec-mac 1 2019 2 Plant hunter Ona chilly-billy doy, ofter devouring lots of wonderful food, |love the ecent of Viburnum x bodnantence ‘Down inmy garden. The fragrance of the pinky white flowers fills my heart and soul with the promise of the growing season ahead Tom will join Sago’s Floral Delights of Hollar se 0n 23 April. travelsaga.couk HEAVEN SCENT From a bowl of narcissi to branches: of freshly cut pine, certain fragrances instantly evoke Christmas. Lesley Bellew asked some gardening experts for their personal favourites3 CHARLIE DIMMOcK TV gardener ‘There are so many scents thet lift my heart ot this time of yeor. As children we brought in pine ond holly as we didn't have the money for fancy plants, but best of all was the smell of clementines and satsumas ~ and they remain my festive favourites, 5 TOBY BUCKLAND Garden designer and writer ove the scent of forced lly of the valley (Convallaria mojatis) grown in moss baskets ond brought into the house. The ‘roma is so complex and room f kept in the cool lt was my mum's favourite flower by a country mile, eo it also reminds me of her. 4 JO THOMPSON RHS Chelsea gold medal-winning designer There's no contest. The fragrance of Daphne bholua ie juet 80 beautiful waves of perfume greet you before you even see tthe plont ond the exquisite sweet, spicy scent seems unreal ot this time of year GARDENS 7 SUE BIGGS Director General at the RHS Growing in e beautiful bowl, poperwhite narcissi are my ‘absolute favourites. They always remind me that spring is really just around the corner. 6 PAUL HERVEY- 8 THE BROOKES DUCHESS Gardening World Cup OF BEDFORD best in show Gardener on For me, Christmas hos grand scale olways been We always fill Woburn symbolised by Abbey with large eucalyptus. | know baskets of hyacinths many people love = blues, pinks and winter box and winter- whites, os well as fiowering honeysuckle purple, which is my but, from front-door husband Andrew's welcomes to table favourite colour. rrongements, or It just would not be decorations over the Christmas without the mantelpiece, smell of hyacinths eucalyptus always gives out orrich, exotic ‘ond warming scent. SA@A.co.UKIDEC-MaG | 2019 91A basket of beautiful Bag gst hy * flowers for Christmas (Mp 01594 se8771" aa Order our charming, pre-planted rustic . WD oting cyclamen offer cyclamen basket for just £18.99 : ¥ Order online and see our full range of including FREE delivery . plants at sagagardencentre.co.uk/ eyclamenbasket This delightful basket is the perfect long-lasting Christmas gift for someone special, planted with o cheerful combination of pink, white and red blooms with delicate heart-shaped leaves. Each basket is. To order by post, complete the carefully gift-boxed, complete with plant-core instructions and your coupon and send it with your personal message. Once they've flowered, the cyclamen con be planted payment to: Saga Garden Centre, out in the garden, where they will come up again year ofter year PO Box 409, Jersey JE4 BWF Order by 15 December for delivery in time for Christmas. ORDER BY POST Recipient details ca aaa Nome Your details Title First nome: ‘Adcress | Payment details enclose ¢ 2 for made payable to Sa Garden Centre or yo ica|_] Mastercard! oe (atid from LILI expiry date I/O “{—-.77a—_|_——_ Cad number Emot feption9)) OOO 0008 0000 0000 Code Item Price QTY TOTAL Signature forcord payments only Date ‘CYXO03A Cyclamen Basket £1899 |_|] We do not pass your infrmationon to any Third Party, we only use the information provided to contact you regarding your ord. ‘We woul a ite to eral youfromtme totima avout aur excisnve care ond plot ranges hyauwishtoressiwe maseemete pleacatickhere (| re 5 (-No pain 25 ars rom now you tbe congatulating Your ote dy you chose Clouranc Beenie ts ening gos oks ibe ere every tne you lao ot your gard. your satan il go yet rte when you eect tat you Raver spt endless os and money on ater panting an ropa Unie our timer eaten The amin thin about CouFece stat Ws granted otto war, rack, shi rat or ped or 25ers ac water the west, professional instal Clourence il stand Stat ga he res of nate ng 10mphwinpeeds Thre tual hing or yout do oxapt work ot what do wth your spare tne andthe money you have sve ify wane rom ence mannan call Us today anid out why you be beter af wth ColourFencs Fence probiams sre Despite many coats of proservatv, the structure ofthe wooden covery cloud has aster ng, ‘and we could be more pleased wih ow new ColourFence. looks great, and we ae looking forwardto years of summers enti of down te road, wit ne fence paint or algae ‘anktly missing the treatments. 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Just remember to factor in the cost of ground rent Loch Ness, Inverness 2 Thornton Hill, 2 Pentney Lakes, 4 Penlan Holiday £250,000 for two Easingwold, York Kings Lynn Village, Cenarth, lodges £150,000 for £200,000 for West Wales You get two forthe a two-bedroom ‘three-bedroom £157,000 for two price of one with this —_legeabin holiday lodge lodges dreamy pair of lodges The open-planiiving This pretty wooden _—_Another pair of lovely overlooking Loch Ness area has a gas chalet hes on wooden lodges at the and the mountains fireplace ~ no open-plan living area, Penian Holiday Village Unusually for log struggling with master bedroom with on the outskirts of cabins, they both heve kindling and matches. anensuiteandtwo _Cenarth. One lodge two storeys.Eachhas There are two bedrooms onthe first has three bedrooms, twobedrooms,two bedrooms. one with _—floor witha Jack and the other has two; one shower rooms ond onensuite,the other ill bathroom. has a log-burner, the alovely mezzanine with a bathroom, Adventurous souls can other an electric lounge area with Outside iso large deck kayak, water-skiand fireplace. The village ce gas-fired stove, with views of thelake windsurf on the lakes. also has @ clubhouse There's clso ahot tub and countryside. Others may prefer ‘and swimming pool. on the deck for a hunters.com, to pick up a book westwolesproperties, warm-up efter a walk, 01947 62355 ‘ond relax by the couuk, 01239 563951 struttandparker.com, wood-burning stove. 01463 719171 williomhbrown.co.uk, (01760 721655, SAaA.cO.UKIDEC-MAa | 2019 95NotForgotten Video Time Capsules Ol Te) A ON VIDEO. FOR GENERATIONS. Buy your Time Capsule or Book your appointment today! [EEE] www.not-forgotten.com © RENT AT RICHMOND a ' Ay ‘ Richmond Villages, a leading provider of premium retirement : properties in the UK, have introduced an exclusive selection of ites which are now available for rent complemented witha luxury lifestyle package SMM MONTHS HALE | *einondviioga samen oe i an hed = By PalceRENTAL | Sane For more information contact our friendly team of Niecy See Meer) ila ara Lalhealth + wellbeing calori always pile on the pounds over Christmas but this year I am going to be more sensible and am hoping to counteract some of the excess by power walking. How many calories can I expect to burn if I walk for 30 minutes? Surveys suggest that the average adult puts on between I-2kg (2-4lb) over Christmas. Hardly surprising given the amount of festive fare we consume and how much physical activity is needed to balance the books. The number of calories you burn will depend on your build and metabolism but Iwould be surprised if it’s any more than 250 during your half-hour power walk (roughly Ask Dr Mark Porter Our medical expert looks at burning off s and other problems bothering you 100 calories per mile) ‘meaning that it won't even compensate for one decent mince pie (at least 300). A generous glass of sherry requires a two-mile walk and a couple of pints of real ale, a 45-minute jog. A good handful of chocolate Brazil nuts would fuel a two-hour swim, while a 60-minute stroll burns up the equivalent of just. ‘two Quality Street (well, the big purple ones I like anyway) My advice? The best way to control weight is to eat less. Every bit of exercise helps, so do your power walk but don’t worry too much. Christmas comes but once a year and it's not the time to be calorie counting. At least, that's what I'm going to tell mysel.. Do you have any advice for avoiding catching coughs and colds on planes? We are taking our family skiing to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary and the last few times we have flown in winter we have both picked upa bug. Itisan important trip and we want to be on top form. Might supplements help? Assonepatensf mine wear by supplements such as high-dose vitamin C and echinacea, or zine nasal spray (Vicks First Defer for example), but the evidenc isn’t that convincing, and Tremain sceptical that any of these will provide useful protection when sitting next to someone on a plane who is coughing and sneezing, ‘The risks of picking up a virus (ora bacterium) on planes have been studied by a number of researchers over the years, but it’s a subject that is shrouded in urban myth Modern aircraft do recirculate a lot of the air in the cabin rather than take in fresh bbut it passes through very efficient HEPA filters that manufacturers claim remove at least 95% of airborne microbes. And, contrary to what you may have heard, pilots dont routinely shut down fresh-air intake to save fuel; indeed in many planes they can't adjust it at all There isn't much you can do about breathing the same airas hundreds of other passengers, but watch where you sit and what you touch: bugs can lurk on all sorts of ‘surfaces too. Research by an American microbiologist, who # saaa.co.uKsoge-maa | 2010 97Does your pillow wake you up at night? The Gx Suspension Pillow uses unique internal tie technology for ALL NIGHT comfort and support and a great night's sleep. NO MORE PILLOW PLUMPING NO MORE STIFF NECK NO MORE DISTURBED SLEEP Do you find yourself waking up at night and punching ‘your pillow back into a more comfortable shape? You're ‘not alone! Thousands of people suffer from disturbed sleep for exactly that reason. That's because as soon as you rest your head on a conventional pillow, the filling slowly starts to spread and flatten. Soon the comfort and support it gave to help you fall asleep is lost; you wake up with a stiff neck, plump the pillow back up and the process starts all over again ~ often several times a night. This problem inspired designer Alexander Miles to create the revolutionary Gx Pillow. A world first, the Gx Pillow incorporates a unique system of internal ties® across its centre. As pressure is applied to the pillow the ties counter the desire for it to spread and flatten by pulling the (OVER 137,000 HAPPY CUSTOMERS ALREADY pillow inwards and upwards to cradle the head and neck, The Gx Pillow provides a constant level of comfort and support to ‘encourage deep, restful sleep that lasts all night long, (car honesty say that your pillow has made the world of difference... and fully endorse your pillow as being {imp 4uite unique in its ability to maintain support throughout the night.” Dr Deane Halpeny Haley Stet Constant UNIQUE INTERNALTIE ‘ =a RNG ( \ Single Pillow £29:99 SHAPE OF THE PILLOW THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT - Twin Pack JUST £4999 DR aug NM! ei Our promise to you Sleep on it for 30 days and if you are not completely Satisfied we'll give you your money back. DD Aen nn eee a enc uc teen eee Se CALL FRE 3 0800 3 aT 268 SEs ees em Re CI Sea en PLEASE SEND ME THE FOLLOWING Gx PILLOWS: Single Gx Pillows @ £29.99 each + FREE Delivery’ Quantity Medumsoft|_|Medium-fim |_| PLEASE USE BLOCK CAPITALS ‘Twin Pack Gx Pillows @ £49.99 per pack + FREE Delivery’ Quantity: 2Medium-sott |_] 082 Medium frm __] oR tofeach |_| TOTALE Tile Name Adacess Postcode Tel PAYMENT METHOD: CIMastrcard Clvse Cloeta Cieaesro american xpress Cl Acheque Please make cheques payable toBeautitusteepitd cade. | TT {TTT ICT TTL TT) vat trom! TL Jol 1 xpi TT security no TT ADDRESS ENVELOPE TO FREEPOST BEAUTIFUL SLEEP Signature NO OTHER DETAILS OR STAMP REQUIRED!4# took swabs on more than 20 planes, suggests window seats are less hazardous from a viral point of view than aisle ones. And try to avoid going to the loo, or riffling through the For more magazines in the pockets in questions front of you, as hefound both answered, were heavily contaminated goto sage. with bacteria and viruses. co.uk/porter Other research suggests that the biggest risk comes from people in your row. If one of them has a cough ot e ‘cold, you are far more likely e to catch it than if they are sitting in front or behind. So book your family into the ASK MARK same row(s) when you check in. Emoil drmark On the upside, the risks of @sage.co.uk catching anything - although _ or write to increased by flying in winter Dr Mark Porter are still small and you have _at the address, just been unlucky in the past. on p8. He ‘Think positive and have can't reply a great time. individually but will I would like to buy my respond to husband an exercise queries on monitor to encourage him this poge. to do more. Since retiring he Always talk to has become quite sedentary. your own GP Any suggestions? Ivis certainly worth a try, but he will need willpower too. A study published in The Lancet in 2016 looked at the the Clever me cuever uts GUTS DIET BY DR MICHAEL MOSLEY oid Better known for snmicutinosiey Dis weight-loss and diabetes books, this is Dr Michael Mosley’s introduction to the fascinating world of the friendly bacteria in our bowel. He and | may disagree on what constitutes good science, but it's Christmas eo | wor't let that get in the way of a good story ~ ond a great present. To buy this book at a discount, visit the ‘Saga Bookshop ot wordery.com/saga SS impact of wearing a Fitbit on 800 volunteers. Those given a monitor were more active and more likely to achieve the goal of 70,000 steps or more a week. However one group were incentivised for hitting this target (22 dollars a week ora donation to charity) and once these payments stopped, their activity tailed off. Also the researchers could find no significant difference in health parameters - such as weight loss or blood pressure between those who used a Fitbit and those in a control group who didn't, Bottom line? Activity monitors are a good way to motivate someone who already motivated, but you need to keep using them. ‘Too many end up in a drawer. As for recommending one, don't have strong views. Fitbit and Garmin are market leaders and produce a wide range. | would stick with the cheapest ones that offer GPS tracking and heart-rate monitoring, as they cover all eventualities. Buying a very expensive one won't make your husband exercise more. But the most basic step-monitors (basically a pedometer) don't make good presents either. Imagine you are in Ja pharmacy looking for indigestion. As a doctor, what would you choose? I would buy two. A liquid or chewable alginate- based antacid (such as Gaviscon) for immediate relief and a daily acid suppressant such as omeprazole to take in advance of a meal that I knew was likely to trigger heartburn or indigestion. But seek your pharmacist’s advice, particularly if your symptoms are ongoing or if you are on other medication GooD TO KNOW BY RHONA KYLE Say cheese With 60% of adults in the UK having high cholesterol LoCol cheese really takes tthe biscuit when it comes to a heart-healthy choice. Made in Wensleydole, it’s the only mature cheddar cheese in the UK proven to reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol ‘ond has 75% less saturated fat than a full-Fat version. Even better, it hos the delicious tang of a mature cheddar and a great texture. From Seingbury’s, Waitrose and Booths, £2.30. Testing times NHS England says 55,000 people's lives could be saved by 2028 if we improved early diagnosis of concer. However, there has been @ worrying fall in the number of people participating in screening programmes. If youre invited for bowel, breast or cervical cancer screening, do take advantage of it Hope on the horizon? ‘The first urine test to detect pancreatic cancer could boost survival rates by more than half. The test, developed by Professor Tatjana Crnogorac- Jurcevic of Barts Cancer Institute, is at the finel stage of validation before being developed for use with pationts. Sa@a.coukinee-mac | 2019 99My Story en Sweet dreams for living life to the full. ‘When Wendy Steele discovered New Nordic ‘Melissa Dream™, she finally found her perfect revitalisation recipe. Why I knew that I desperately needed a good night’ sleep... roblems had been Dream™ supplements in time. Ouesonwaschematryand ordered a dhe toleave for Supply online, After only two Tniversiqgbut beforehe dys of taking the ables, 5 wes ableto do hat, he had Tnoviced Lam fling more Tounderg adificle and. positive and evalised, Lt! traumatic operation which Twas relaxed in a way that Melissa Dreani™ Fequredimtensive home. asotally diferent how —_ care by specialist nurses Thad been for ages. persis towel a rogular erevel eo Tre been taking Melissa Sa hospitals abroadaspartof Dream! fora month now the treatment proces, and my quality of fe has [Asifal har wasnt enough, improved Tas trying ocompletea, Aly husband, family and PAD while doing physically fiends have ll ovced the demanding shifebased job, diference= I'm back tomy Tus out Rowse had been up normal selfand ie feels great a forsale ormonths, Tused to bea member of New Nordic Melissa Dream™ - Burn out was looming. the GB athletics team and not your run of the mill sleep solution. Life formehad ured have rediscovered my love of jomast ofeearpermanent runing, cron county ting (tt panic as obsessed about. and regular gym session. eerie Ce rere centre teen Ilthe probleme facing me. "Youn fd Melisa fee eet tae eee tere Teouldst sleep, lost my Dreamin Holland & Barrett | your rain nerves and yom poychologal functions cite and {often suffered and Leading Independent ole get ant heehee from migraines brought on ‘Health Stores Foran rater eee eee bystress poor eatingand. information leaflet eal rege aera peeve ag elackefproperdecp. 08003891255 or purciuce | ‘Aer eadingabout Melissa nlneat were word co.uk HOLLAND & BARRETT Health Food StoresNEED TO KNOW Bones are a complex mixture of ealeium. ‘and other minerals bound together with collagen and various proteins ‘Throughout our lives bone tieeue ie constantly renewed. Bones reach their peak at around 30 years, after which they gradually lose density and strength as bone breakdown exceeds bone build-up. Bone loss: accelerates at midlife in women due to the loss of bone-friendly oestrogen at menopause, and declines in both men and women with age. It’s not known why bones decline as we age, but research suggests it may be due to excess ‘senescent’ bone cells that have reached the end of ‘their life but refuse to die, so block ‘the formation of now cells, << HEALTH Strong bones are vital to health and wellbeing as we age. Patsy Westcott explores new thinking about osteoporosis. and outlines how we can maintain a healthy skeleton ‘They may seem solid, but the 206 bones of our skeleton are living tissues that are constantly changing and are as essential to health as the heart and other vital organs. But while we're pretty clued up on how to stay heart healthy, we're far less savvy about our bones. ‘Many people take their skeleton for granted, even after a fracture, perhaps because a broken bone is often less dramatic than a heart attack; observes Nicholas Harvey, professor of rheumatology and clinical epidemiology, at the University of Southampton. He adds, ‘Over the past 30 years, we've made huge advances in tackling osteoporosis - literally porous bones, which lead to increased risk of bone breaks or fractures - but there is much left to do’ Osteoporosis affects more than three million of us in the UK, three-and-a-half times the number affected by dementia. Yet, he says, ‘in many areas, less than half of those at high risk of fracture get treatment’ This is something the Royal Osteoporosis Society is determined to change. It has recently launched a ground-breaking new research initiative, the Osteoporosis and Bone Research Academy, of which Professor Harvey is vice-chair, to work towards putting an end to the scourge of osteoporosis. ‘We want to learn more about what causes osteoporosis, how best to identify those at high risk and discover new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat it, he explains. But you don't have to wait for research findings. Small, simple lifestyle changes can strengthen bones and help arm you against osteoporosis. HOP, SKIP AND JUMP Contrary to previous advice, if you have lower than average bone density something called osteopenia ~ you should usually be more, not less, active. ‘Activities that “load” bones - think brisk walking, jogging, skipping, dancing, football, tennis and netball or even simply jumping - trigger messenger chemicals that stimulate bone formation; explains Professor Harvey. Unused to exercise? Start slowly and build up gradually. As you get fitter, >HEALTH 4# add some jogs or jumps into your walk,’ suggests Sarah Leyland, specialist nurse consultant at the Royal Osteoporosis Society. Build up to 50 jogging steps or jumps daily. Ramp things up by carrying heavy shopping, loading up a rucksack or wearing a weighted jacket. Aim for two-and-a-half hours (150 minutes) of aerobie exercise (such as walking and jumping) a week. Ifyou've had a spinal fracture, previous fractures or very low bone density or other medical conditions hhave been diagnosed, discuss what’s safe to do with your GP. WEIGHT FOR IT High-impact resistance activities such as lifting weights used to be considered a no-no for anyone with osteopenia or osteoporosis. But the new Australian LIFTMOR trial shows that for many post-menopausal women who are affected, high-intensity resistance and impact training can improve bone density, structure and strength, A study is now planned in men. Press-ups, squats, resistance bands, Pilates, yoga, free weights or weights machines at gym may all fit the bill. Aim for two or three resistance sessions a week. (Some people with bone-health issues may need to get the all-clear from a healtheare professional or qualified trainer.) BALANCE IT Good balance is vital to keep us steady on our feet to avoid the falls that can lead to broken bones. Standing on one leg while you clean your teeth, balance boards, Bosu balls, yoga, Pilates, vai chi and even, if you are otherwise fit, activities such as stand-up paddleboarding (SUP), can help improve balance. Of course, these activities may cause falls, so again take advice about how to get started FIND OUT MORE EAT RIGHT Calcium (700mg a day) along with vitamin D, which helps our bodies absorb calcium, is vital for healthy bones. Find calcium in dairy, nuts, seeds, pulses, dried fruit, green leafy veg, tofu and fish with edible bones, such as sardines and whitebait, Vitamin D is produced by the action of sunlight on skin, But the sun is too low in the sky between October and April, so consider a daily supplement (4001U/10meg) during these months, or all year round if you are 65-plus, have darker skin or get little or no sun, GOOD VIBRATIONS Whole-body vibration plates to build muscle strength are a familiar sight in gyms. However, they are too intense for those with fragile bones. Try low-intensity vibration therapy (LiV) instead, which specifically targets bone cells. You stand ‘ona device, a bit like bathroom scales, that gently vibrates at the precise level needed to stimulate bone-building Research shows this helps boost bone formation and slows resorption of bone. LOST HEIGHT OR BROKEN A BONE? Loss of height or an increasingly curved spine can be signs of spinal fractures. IF you are over 50, breaking a bone following a minor knock or fall from standing height could be a sign of osteopenia or ‘osteoporosis. You should get a bone health check and a falls risk assessment within 90 days. You may be referred to an NHS Fracture Liaison Service. If not, make an appointment with your GP. Led Seren ote from the Saga Bookshop at wordery.com/saga vi ‘The Royal Osteoporosis Society, theros.org.uk or call 0808 800 0035 for information on all aspects of bone health. Try. Vitamin D3 50 Plus (£13.95, healthspan.couk) for the over-50s, Maredyne LIV (marodyne.co.uk) is offering Saga readers £150 discount on the usual price of £2,995, plus an extended warranty of seven years (usually five). To buy, coll 0117 253 (0400 or email info@livmd.co.uk and use code SAGALIV. 102 saas.coukioee-wae | 20:9 @& BAY q her mantra ‘wake up ‘and choke up BEC Breakfast TV's Green Goddess, Dion Moran (below), now 80, reveals how she cares for her bones. As a lifelong ‘exerciser, | was diseppointed to learn Thad osteopenia. But ‘at my age and after ‘treatment for breast ‘cancer, which can’ deplete bone,| wasn't totally surprised. ‘Breakfast is homemade muesli, nuts, blueberries or raspberries, a banana, low-fat milk and ‘yogurt: lunch is soup. ‘or a fish sandwich and salad; dinner is usually fish and vegetables. I take @ calcium and vitamin D tablet, plus ‘amognesium ‘supplement. also use a portable Liv machine, Marodyne Liv, which I stand on for ten minutes. It's a gentle vibrating sensation ~ more of ‘a purr than a roar ~ that stimulates bone- ‘call formation. 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Saturdays Samn-Spr, 500 44 16977 45274WHAT IS BERG aeRee a Ieee eure | eC Ce cee ene eee Unlimited satisfaction one low price Cheap constant access to piping hot media Protect your downloadings from Big brother Safer, than torrent-trackers 18 years of seamless operation and our users' satisfaction All languages Brand new content elec AvaxHome - Your End Place We have everything for all of your needs. Just open https://avxlive.icuAGS Uy i Give the gift = of light this =. Christmas. va A Serious Light will make words leap off the page again with breathtaking clarity. aN ay bora fol (4 Mrs Harbour Oxfordshire Ifyou have a friend or close one who loves to read or has a hobby that work, then a Serious Light could be the pe this Christmas. Offering a level of clarity and colour unmatched by any conventional light, a Serious Light makes focusing on small print and fine detail so muc TVs aren’t the only technology to use high definition. A Serious Light offers incredible clarity and brightn fact, our lights are used by surgeons, for and fine art restorers ~ bs illy anyone who needs to see clearly and accurately. A light for every reader and every room. Because everyone's eyesight is diferent, we offer a range of Serious Lights including ones designed for anyone with an eye condition. able in floor, table top or wall mounted styles also means wherever you prefer to read cial Of or work in your home you'll find one to suit. Leura For Advice. For a Brochure. To Order re en 0800 085 1088 seriousreaders.com/5852Dawn French Our agony aunt brin; s her warm wit and wisdom to bear on the problems that are troubling you DILEMMAS Hmm, it seems to me this, is all about boundaries, and when the right boundaries are set and respected by everyone, you'll be surprised how much freer you will feel inside them. I's ironic really. Firstly, for your daughter to say that you must have no communication with your ex-son-in-law is pretty unreasonable and probably unworkable where the children are concerned, but think about why she has said this. bet she feels the need to have the full support of her tribe around her, especially if she's experiencing even an iota of guilt about the upset she's caused. So, perhaps you might reassure her that you are firmly in her camp and that your love and loyalty are ‘Of course, if that doesn’t work My daughter recently divorced her husband, leaving him for another man Thave stayed loyal and supportive of her throughout the divorce. [am also still close to my ex-son-in-law, who is, a wonderful man and a great father. My daughter now says I mustn't have any contact with him, but I want to continue providing him with the support I've ¢ him for the past 20 years, not least for the sake of the grandchildren. What can I do? iven °) never going to be in question? also find your reference to ‘providing the support I've e given him for 20 years. HAVEA intriguing, Surely your support QUESTION? —_wasto the whole family unit? Youcan email I would encourage you to experts@ rethink your role in your soge.co.uk, —ex-son-in-law’s life, Perhaps he putting Dawn needs to lean a bit more on his inthe subject own tribe for support now? line, orwrite to You can always remain kind Down French and considerate, but perhaps ‘ot the address at one step removed, and given on p8. without any ill will She can These difficulties are the enswer collateral damage of divorce, questions only sadly. But your main job as ‘onthis page. Supergran is to make sure all your grandchildren feel loved by everyone, and don't have to deal with any further disharmony. Of course, if that doesn't work, you could take a totally weird turn and marry your former son-in-law yourself, you could marry your former thereby becoming both granny son-in-law yourself. [can’t see and stepmum to your any problems there..” grandchildren. I can't see any problems there. ve been married for 5 years, and realised several years ago that I no longer love my husband as I should. We haven't had sex for years, and I find it difficult to be affectionate. I tried to leave him last year but couldn't go through with it. He is my best friend. I feel a hypocrite for staying, but can't find the courage to face an uncertain future, What should I do? Lam a big believer in listening to your inner instinets, and clearly you want tobe out of this marriage, although you seem to want to retain the strong friendship. Atall order. To start with, you need to go to counselling where you can both put all your cards on the table. [bet your husband will have strong feelings either way too. You need to listen, be honest and be kind. This is the respectful way to start the process of separation when you still like the other person, because it gives him a chance to process all the facts so that when the inevitable parting happens, he has been heard and included at least, and it isn't such a shock. Think of it asa courageous step to take, in order to honour the good relationship you once had. You may even salvage a friendship this way. That would be wonderful. If that doesn't go according to plan, resign yourself to this miserable situation and go shopping at Ann Summers. SA@A.co.uKicee-maa | 2027 105bunches here: for you in He's meavinghal moments since. rt Comes with cary milk chocolate rfc, 1009 a Happy Christmas Gift Christmas Rose in Watering Can A festive bouquet of Comations, Alstroemeria and gold glitter AChristmassy red Rose delivered in red watering can Ruscus delivered with atin of Belgian chocolate truffles. featuring natural rope and gold tree decoration. ceed bo 00 alg eal ens ieee eee ies | Oc) STV) ORDER TODAY 7 Call us on 01623 750 343 Visit www.bunches.co.uk and quote XSGM19 to save 20% and enter XSGM19 to save 20%RELATIONSHIPS Adeapnes. % LATER DATER Aggie MacKenzie finally signs up to internet dating, but why is no one making contact? ‘Thank goodness online worried that too much might be about what you don't want in dating’s no longer the off-putting; not enough and a man! It’s so defensive that you shameful secret it once was would it sound like everyone _ sound as if you're trying to keep = indeed these days when hear else's profile and perhapsget_ _ them at a distance’ afriend has a new partner, lost? I was surprised at how Tread it again, Mm, she had Tassume they've got together via _ difficult it was to get going. a point. The section on what the internet. (And if discover And as for writing the ‘headline I was looking for was far longer that, actually, they've been description’ - condensing my _ than the bit about me. Not only introduced by friendsormet whole romantic self into a brief that but the first section was ordinarily in person, itfeelsa bit phrase [found that impossible. _ more or less exclusively a string ‘wow - how amazing, charming Somehow or other of my dislikes: moustaches, and even old-fashioned.) I managed to write the damn _ short sleeved shirts with loud But while it might feel as if patterns; beer bellies; sandals the rest of the singleworldis — |’D WRITTEN A ‘worn with socks; gnarly, fungal internet dating, thinking about toenails; standard lamps with getting out thereforthefirsttime -!ST OF DISLIKES chintz shades...the list went on. can be daunting. Then the party NO WONDER No wonder they were all steering season arrives, and guess what clear of me ~ even if they didn’t you're a bit bottom-lip- THEY WERE BLL carry any of those traits! sticking-out because you'veno STEERING CLEAR Back to the drawing board. partner to celebrate with or go Teumed the negatives into home with after those festive thing, so Ttooka big breath __positives and added to the get-togethers. Christmas can and pressed send. Itwas 2pm __ description of me, introducing be the loneliest time of the year. on a Wednesday afternoon and _a few more of my likes while So, time to act. Part of my [was now officially an online _ injecting abit of fun (humour is, hesitation in signing up for dater! felt very brave, all my number-one draw toa man). internet dating was because _prepped and ready for the The next day Tom got in Iwas.a sort of public figure, avalanche of enquiries that _touch. His profile read very being on telly and so on, were about to descend on me. differently from the rest, imagined that once I put Iwas knocking about the original, funny, warm, self my face on adatingssite, with house that afternoon doing —_effacing, Although he lived! 80 a vague description of my work, bits of work, every few minutes miles away, this one definitely I would be inundated by checking my computer to see seemed worth pursuing. Maybe enquiries from men of all types what had come in. Nothing this Christmas could turn out and ages. So should beclear After an hour, more nothing. _differently, I thought. who I was? I was angsting about Two hours went by - still zippo. all this with my sister Karen, I called Karen to complain. Her JOIN SAGA DATING TRY SAGA DATING FREE FOR ONE WEEK Visit sagadating.co.uk/print ond ereate your profile by 18 December 2019 to enjoy @ week's free subscription. This offer is open to new joining members only, ano-nonsense straight talker, response: ‘Ag: you need to do who told me to get right off my abit of the legwork too - make self-built pedestal and sign up. contact with a few men, and (She'd tried online dating before that will get things moving’ she met her partnerata party) _[ followed her instructions, All well and good, but where but still it was slow. Karen asked to start with compiling a profile? to read my profile, Her response How much of your true self do was instant. ‘Ie’s clear why no you want to share? I was one's been in touch - you're all saaa.couK/pee-mac | 2019 107SAGA COMBINE THE BEST OF BAVARIA WITH THE SPECTACLE OF OBERAMMERGAU’S, 2020 PASSION PLAY Discover the highlights of Tyrol and Bavaria before concluding ‘your holiday in the village of Oberammergau. Here you'll witness. ‘an unforgettable performance of the world-famous Passion Play, which takes place every ten years. Included in your holiday, you'll climb Z: ‘cogwheel train and Gletscherbahn cat itz mountain by and explore the palace and museums of the Tyrolean capital of Innsbruck. Youlllthen poss by the Somnaun Alps to reach the Bavarian ‘town of Fussen and fairy-tale Nouschwanstein Castle Exclusive offer for Possibilities members: Save £100pp wihen you book by Dee 31, 2019, Oberammergau and Tyrolean and Bavarian Highlights tour 7 nights from £2599 £1499 pp + Included travel insurance! + Six included excursions and visits + Tickets to the Oberammergau Passion Play included + Every holiday is protected by ABTA and ATOL {0} {00M 032-0011 eee ate saga.co.uk/sagamag-play Carentan asALLLITUP, lo Russia Ciniatron in bole Squae St Petersburg wi ve SAS man turned prolific Ie was mid-afternoon in St Petersburg when my wife military adventure author oan eee Seer eae ieee Andy MeNab has led an the golden spire of the Peter and Paul Cathedral. action-packed life. But he's Having just completed a tour of the Hermitage and all its grandeur, the river views were an excellent contrast between the old and new as mighty Russian commercial shipping headed downstream towards the Baltic Sea. We and sets sail for the Baltic had bought ourselves two cans of kvass, a malt flavoured aboard Saga Sapphire soft drink, and a bar of Alyonka chocolate with a heart warming image of a chubby-cheeked, blue-eyed infant in a headscarf. Two elderly babushkas looked on as I ripped open the chocolate wrapper and my wife took a sip of kvass. She wasn't sure if it really was.a soft drink @ never been on a cruise. Here he goes undercover saaa.coukinee-maa | 2019 1094 after all. By now both ladies were becoming agitated with us, Thankfully our tour guide returned and explained. ‘The older generation grew up believing that the child on the wrapping was Stalin’s daughter. Back then no one would dare rip her face. Alyonka is, such a cultural icon we still find ourselves opening the wrapper very gently: Our cruise on board Saga Sapphire was to experience the cities on both the eastern and western shores of the Baltic Sea that were once on the front line during the Cold War. I know, it sounds a little bit downbeat doesn’t it? But stay with me, because the cruise was far better than I could ever have imagined. The Cold War was just the backdrop: I discovered so much more. ‘The Sapphire set sail from Dover on its 15-night journey through Germany's Kiel Canal to Sweden, Finland, Russia, Estonia, Lithuania and finally Denmark Despite being fortunate enough to have travelled to more than 100 countries for both work and pleasure, my wife and I were still cruise virgins. We were a little apprehensive, Would we be told what to do and when to do it? Would the ship feel crowded and cramped? Would the food be dull and the restaurants formal? Of course, we were completely wrong on all counts. Days could be spent exactly as you wanted, both onboard and onshore. Each day there was a news sheet listing the day's options. Anything from fitness, spa treatments, BALTIC CITIES ‘Copenhagen (ebove) and Stockholm (below) OUR CABIN WAS BIGGER AND BETTER dance classes, to the evening's live entertainment. Or you could choose to do nothing but drink coffee or have a glass of wine while reading a book. Our cabin was bigger and better furnished HO sagacouKinee-mac | 2019 FURNISHED THAN MANY HOTEL ROOMS | HAVE STAYED IN... AND STAFF WERE THE FRIENDLIEST ’'VE EVER MET than many hotel rooms Ihave stayed in, with a flatscreen TY, fridge, a shower and a bath. Plus 24/7 room service from the most helpful and friendliest staff I have ever encountered. I could happily have spent the whole cruise in the cabin with a stack of DVDs from the library. Our first port of call was Stockholm. Thad worked in the city plus we were feeling lazy and so chose to stay on board. Why not try out all that the Sapphire had to offer instead? Besides, it was raining and the coffee on board was free. We had the swimming pool all to ourselves along with the ice- cream machine. My wife finished the day with a massage while I used the Wi-Fi to check my emails. The choice and quality of the food in all three of Sapphire’s restaurants was perfect. I always tried just to have fruit for breakfast but with so much to tempt me it never worked. What I especially liked about mealtimes was that we could choose juist to sit alone or to join others, and ‘we found ourselves joining other passengers most days because there were so many interesting people to talk to, Many passengers had been on more than ten cruises. They knew what they were talking about when it came to this kind of travel, and had chosen always to cruise with Saga. They said their ships had the most friendly and efficient crews and, of course, the best food. We had to agree. Nothing else at sea could be better than this‘SWEET TREATS Russian bread rings boked for a festival TRAVEL TEMPTED? ‘Set sail on Spirit of Discovery's fabulous Next stop was Helsinki and we decided to go ashore to stop us eating so much ice cream. The morning vas spent on a city tour to get our bearings. Other tour groups seemed to be wearing stickers and Baltic Fable were lead by a guide holding up an umbrella; 16-night cruise thankfully there wasn’t a sticker or umbrella in departing sight on any of our Saga tours. We spent the rest of the day by ourselves just walking and taking in the city. (All ports offered a shuttle service to and from the Sapphire if you just wanted to do your own thing.) During our days at sea there were lectures that you could attend or watch in your cabin. The Cold War lecturers were a fascinating bunch. A Rear Admiral who served on submarines in the Baltic and an expert on. nuclear warfare; a naval officer and a diplomat who were both attached to our embassy in Moscow; and a former BBC Russia correspondent, These experts gave us not only the facts but also their personal experiences - and those were priceless. THE RUSSIAN My favourite story was from the diplomat OFFICER SAID HE who was arrested by WOULD DROP the Soviet secret police (KGB) just CHARGES AGAINST outside Moscow. Once THE DIPLOMAT... IF HE the Russian officer found the diplomat’s SHARED HIS CHEESE cheese and tomato Dover in August 2020. Our state- of-the-art cruise ship features 0 cultural cornucopia, including two-day visite to Copenhagen and St Petersburg, on-board expert lectures and a brilliant variety of musical entertainment, including Jools Holland! Demand is bound to be high, s0, to avoid disappointment, call (0800 051.3355 or visit travel.eaga.co.uk/eruise AND TOMATO sandwiches in his bag, : . he decided that all SANDWICHES charges would be dropped, but only if the diplomat shared his lunch. (The officer had visited the UK and liked our mature cheddar. But it wasn’t just the Cold War insights. Before we reached each destination, hugely entertaining experts talked to us, about its history and people. ‘OPPOSITE SIDES found visiting Estonia and Lithuania the most Helsinki (above) interesting because these were supposed to have been ‘and Tallinn our enemies until the late 1980s. In Tallinn we visited a KGB wiretapping office. They simply closed the doors and left when the USSR collapsed in 1991; even the ashtrays were still full In Lithuania we were taken on a tour of an underground Soviet missile launch site. It was quite erie to know that right up until the 1980s, its nuclear warheads were aimed at seven UK cities. Then, as we sailed to our last port of call ~ Skagen on the northern tip of Denmark ~ a Russian submarine surfaced alongside our ship. I'm not sure if Saga had organised this with the Russian Navy, but if I were Saga, Id take the credit, os! To buy Whatever It Takes by Andy MeNob at a discount, visit the Saga Bookshop at wordery.com/saga SAaa.couxioge-maa | 2010 IILGet on the London — property ladder with a wheelchair accessible Shared Ownership home Find out more at eT emoly onyvo eenwich Square, SE10 «tai RESTAURANT us ng 5 A oe aly “Poot sO Casey Ml Fatt * rome Enjoy a full and active retirement at Sandford Station Retirement Village in North Somerset.MOTORING ~ LOTUS EVORA 410 GT £85,900 Lotus hasn't brought out a new mode! From Aston Martin to Morgan, there’s a wealth of outstanding and eye-wateringly expensive — British cars to fuel your Christmas fantasies. Jeremy Taylor test drives eight of since 2009. However, the Norfolk-based firm's fortunes took turn for the better in 2017 when Chinese giant Zhejiong Geely bought a majority shore. Like the Caterham, Evora is @ lightweight sports the best cor but powered by co mighty 25-litre V6 engine, Ithas four CATERHAM SEVEN 270 seats, making the £26,490 (above) Lotus more proctical Noisy, cramped and uncomfortable - . pry Drive a genuine " whototoliaboutscotimanepea GE BOE TT piece of Bich } racer that also lets in the rain? Modern automotivehistory, fl) cars are packed with mind-numbing aids that suck the pleasure out of driving. This two-seater is based on (070-year-old design penned by Lotus founder Colin Chapman and hasn't changed much. The SOOkg convertible is brilliant fun and equipped only with old-school charm. The 270S is the entry-level model, builtin Surrey and loaded with o 1.6-litre Ford engine. | guarantee it will leave you giggling, = =2 Morgan Plus Six £77,995 The ‘all-new’ Plus Six from the Malvern ear-maker looks familiar but is ground-up different, Powered by the same, sophisticated 3.,0-litre engine in the new BMW Z4 sports ear, it has power steering, automatic headlights and doors that actually lock. Still no airbags, and any radio would be pointless because it’s so noisy: Dodgy windscreen wipers, awkward hood and poor trim ~ but enjoyed driving this more than any Porsche, despite the price. # SAgA.couKioge-maa 2010 IISMOTORING JAGUAR F-TYPE COUPE R The sexy F-Type hasn't quite lived up comes with orange of engines thot, to the original launch hype, but then stretch from almost affordable to 1e coupé version is still one of very expensive. V8 versions are Jaguar's finest. Practical, tremendous _ especially entertaining and equipped fun and simply beautiful to bohold, it with four-wheel drive for winter trips. ‘The noise from the four exhaust pipes ‘on the R canbe a little tiresome. Aston Martin Aeon Ay iy £164,995, A 195mph Aston Martin Vantage ona rain-soaked German autobahn MINI CLUBMAN JOW McLAREN GT what could be We all know Oxford-based Mini is now More nerve The new GT is a grand tourer owned by BMW and big on price - unlike racking? The new but not in the traditional sense. Sir Alec Issigonis's iconic original AMRis fitted with It still has only two seats but Instead, Mini has become the ultimate ‘there's also just enough room lifestyle cor, offering all manner of a manual dog:leg, for a set of golf clubs. The personalisation inside and out. The gearbox that makes Woking-based company has built its roomiest model to date, thanks to copious boot space under @ cavernous, rear gloss Clubman estate has exceptionally well thought-out space, with lots of storage room around the cabin. The split-opening rear doors ore lees Bond film out in sereen. The VB engine isin the precticol, compromising on visibility. My 2020, we can back too - which helps free up Fast John Cooper Works (JCW) model space in the front. A supercar was blinged up with sporty gear ond ‘or touring Europe or popping @.20-litre engine capable of 0-80mph down to Waitrose, if you con the pulse race even faster. With a new expect record sales, in leas than five seconds, find @ big enough parking space, Bentley Continental GT The latest has won a string of awards to prove it. Immensely able, the GT is more dynamic than ever, swallowing up endless motorway miles, or handling a winding A-road with aplomb, I drove a GT across France with four passengers and stepped out as relaxed as when I started This is a car that boasts everything ~ a choice of hugely powerful engines, luxurious cabins and road presence wherever you go. The Continental truly deserves the moniker of ‘best of British’ ‘ontinental GT is one of the finest cars ever built and Id saaa.co.uKsneo-maa | 2019as 3 est FARM 1 brochure too Enjoy choosing delicious frozen dishes which well dllver right into your freezer. No contract or commitment. ; Just tasty, easy meals you can P ORDER ‘microwave in minutes. 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SACREDEN WARMTH Vm most impressed by the quality and fi Online Review THERMAL ACTION TROUSERS £38 £19 SAVE £19 * Easy care and quick drying fabric + Multiple pockets for ‘added secu + Warm thermal lining vs Actasoa czU log ACLAS95 CZU op ACLA596 CZU (vjnideleg ACYAS9T CZU LACE-UP TRAVEL SHOES £36 £19 SAVE £19 * Cushioning underfoot + Padded ankle collar ‘and tongue for support + Sturdy soles for daily wear 2q11590 czu : Be (sab (CS) oe 14 DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE IF NOT COMPLETELY SATISFIED Regier fe Cn Troe Coton Toder Hoon, late ret chm WA SCZ Fost, reliable UK & International delivery service Intemational delivery avalable online to over 25 countries worldwidemoney matters Cashing in Considering using part of your pension pot to treat your loved ones to an extravagant gift this. Christmas? Paul Lewis sounds a note of caution The Bank of Mum and Dad is doing brisk business. One survey estimates it will lend £6,3 billion this year ~ putting it Iith on the list of UK mortgage firms. Except this one does not usually ask for the money back! As Christmas approaches, many mums and dads may be considering that best-ever present for their children ~ helping them buy their first home. Or perhaps they'd love to treat each other toa special, extravagant gift this year say,a garden office or a cruise. But how to fund this generosity? One way is to use part of a pension pot. Taxman takes a cut Since 2015, anyone with a pension fund who is. aged 55 or more can take money out of it or cash it in completely. In the 12 months to September this year, more than a million people took out £9 billion. If you are thinking of using a pension pot to fund a super Christmas gift, beware, The taxman will want a present too. And he nearly always takes an extra box of, cash that doesn't even have his name on it. ‘When you take money out of your pension pot, the first 25% of the fund is tax free (with, some older pension schemes it can be more) ‘The rest is treated as income and taxed in the THE TAXMAN WILL WANT A PRESENT, TOO. AND HE NEARLY ALWAYS TAKES AN EXTRA BOX OF CASH THAT DOESN'T EVEN HAVE HIS NAME ON IT year you withdraw it, Ifyou take out a substantial amount which pushes your total annual income to more than £50,000, some of it will be taxed at 40%. If it takes your income over £150,000, some will be taxed at 4 But that is not enough for HMRC. If you take ‘out, say, £50,000 from your pension, HMRC. will assume that the taxable part ~ £37,500 ~ is not a one-off but a new source of income. It works out your tax as if you will be paid that much every month for the rest of the tax year. Here is an example of how it works. Your income is £26,000. Your pension pot is £50,000 and you took it all out in October. First, deduct the 25% that is tax free. That is #MONEY 49 £12,500 tax free, leaving £37,500 to be taxed. Adding that to your normal income gives a total of £63,500, bringing it above the threshold for higher-rate tax, so some of the £37,500 will be taxed at the basic rate of 20% and the rest at 40%. The actual tax on it should be £10,200, about 20% of your total £50,000 pot. ‘Then comes the complicated bit. Instead of $55 million taking £10,200 tax off your fund, HMRC will also tax that assumed extra income, as if you would get £37,500 extra taxable income every month for the rest of the tax year. The later in the tax year you withdraw the money, the less this effect will be. If you took it out in October, £15,155 will be deducted in income tax, which is £4,955 more than the tax of £10,200 you actually owe. So out of your £50,000 you will get £12,500 tax free and £22,345 after tax on the rest, which leaves you £34,845, But you are also owed back another £4,955 excess tax, which when you get. it will give you a total of £39,800 after tax of your £50,000 pension fund. Your own results will of course be different, depending on your other income, when you cash in your pension, and how much you take out of it Reclaim it The higher ~ wrong - amount of tax is automatically calculated and deducted by the firm that holds your pension before it pays the ‘money over to you. It has no choice. You will of course get it back. HMRC will do the sums after the end of the tax year and refund you. Alternatively, instead of waiting for months, you can reclaim the extra tax at once. If you have taken all the money out of your pot, you will usually need a form called P53Z, Other IIB saaa.co.uKinee-maa | 20:0 forms are P50Z (if you do not work or claim benefits) ‘or PSS lif you take only part of your pot). You can claim online and if you are not registered for online tax services, you can register as part of the claim, Otherwise you can print off the form, fill it in and post it to HMRC. It says it will refund the money within 30 days. In the three months from July to September this year, it refunded 17385 people a total of £55 million - that’s more than £3,100 each. Is it sensible? Although it is great to have a lot of money to spend ona special gift for people you love, you must consider whether this is a sensible use of your pension money. It is supposed to provide 4 regular income for you and keep you, if not in luxury then certainly out of poverty, in your old age. But the temptation is there. After all, no one knows how long they will live. So it could seem ‘worthwhile to use some of it now to help that son or daughter get their first home. Or you may be tempted to improve your own home or perhaps buy that once-in-a-lifetime holiday a safari or even a round-the-world trip. Ifyou do decide to use some of your pension pot, whether itis for something naughty or nice, make sure HMRC does not keep the extra present it grabbed for too long. After all, it has. not been that good this year, has it? A PENSION POT IS SUPPOSED TO PROVIDE A REGULAR INCOME AND KEEP YOU, IF NOT IN LUXURY THEN CERTAINLY OUT OF POVERTY, IN OLD AGE More information Work out the tax on cashing in your pension pot ot fidelity.co.uk; search ‘pension tax calculator’ Its figures and those in this article are indicative ‘end rounded and may not reflect your own pension pot Claim the tax back now ot gov.uk: search “P59Z’ if you took all of your pot, or PSS" if you withdrew part of your pet.Mark my word: Ifyou are buying someone a special piece of jewellery for Christmas make sure you cheek the hallmark. All silver, gold, palladium or platinum items sold in the UK must have one unless they are very light. The mark indicates where they were tested: a leopard’ head for London; rose, Sheffield; castle, Edinburgh; anchor, Birmingham. An anchor plus compass. means it was assayed in India Anyone can be civil now Givil partnerships, currently confined to same sex couples, are to be extended to mixed-sex couples in England and Wales. From 31 December, a man and a woman can form a civil partnership instead of getting married. A civil partnership gives a couple exactly the same rights as marriage and could prove very attractive to the growing number of couples who are living together in committed relationships but do not want to get married. Many of the new rights are financial, They include leaving everything to a partner free of inheritance tax and being recognised as next of kin for financial or health matters. Enquire at your local Register Office. Paul’s SF money news CARDS IS A RISKY GAME Seventy-five major high: collapsed in the past two years. When aretailer disappears any gift cards for its stores normally become invalid. So it is safest to give money this Christmas instead. If you receive a gift card (or have one tucked ‘away ina drawer) spend it now ~ it could be from one of the retailers that will disappear in 2020. eet retail firms have WINTER WARMERS Every winter the Government helps older people with their energy bills. The Winter Fuel Payment, for people born § April 1954 or earlier, is £200 per household; £300 for those born 22 September 1939 or earlier, The money is. tax-free and will not offect means-tested benefits. If you have not had your payment by January call the helpline: 0800 731 0160. The Warm Home Discount takes £140 off your winter electricity bill. Energy suppliers give it cutomatically to most householders on pension credit, but some smaller suppliers are not in the scheme. It isin addition to the Winter Fuel Payment, FINANCE MERRYN SOMERSET WEBB INVESTING Looking to invest ethically but not to make less money than if you didn't bother? You aren't lone = which is why managers ‘re launching new funds every day, Given the huge range on offer, which should you buy? You might be best to look at those run by fund managers who got into the sector first ~ and might therefore be both more sincere about the sector ‘and more skilled within it. ‘The Royal London ‘Sustainable World Fund, which was launched in 2005, is invested in shares in US, European and UK companies as well as some bonds that match its ethical policies. To make things a bit more global add The Stewart Investors Asia Pacific Sustainebility fund, It has experienced managers, was launched back in 2005 and gives you exposure to woll-governed ‘and successful companies ‘across Asio. Both have excellent long-term performance records. Merryn Somerset Webb is ‘editor-in-chief of Money Week. Her views are personal: always seek professional advice For more about savings and investments, go to saga.co.uk/ mag-money SaGa.couK/oFe-mae 2019 19Versatile Knitwear © AVAILABLE IN 6 COLOURS © UP TO 3XL¢ Get unbeatable valve, warmih, comfort and style with our best-selling cable knit jumpers. Finished in timeless traditional cable knit they ore wardrobe essentials! Available in sizes; M(10/12), L (14/16), ‘XL (18/20), 2XL (22/24) and 3XL (26/28). 95% Aerylic/ 5% Elastane. When ordering please | quote offer code: }, 11H AT | KSG946 aa Onis CET Cea) eae) en : I im atsctB ou [| eewouel_L_’LL_|Paypar mares Lomas as sC] se KS6946FINANCE Money clinic Personal finance expert Annie Shaw tackles your cash-related questions | TOOK EARLY RETIREMENT, BUT DON’T GET MY STATE PENSION FOR A FEW YEARS AND MONEY IS TIGHT. IAM SPENDING CHRISTMAS WITH MY SISTER AND HER HUSBAND, BUT I'M ORRIED ABOUT BUYING GIFTS FOR ER RATHER LARGE FAMILY, | DON'T WANT TO SEEM STINGY BUT I'M TERRIFIED OF FACING THE POST- FESTIVE PERIOD SHORT OF CASH In the past, Isent my grandchildren who live abroad dollar bills enclosed with their Christmas cards. However, I'm nervous about the security of the post, and am finding the cost of changing money prohibitive. rarely travel abroad now, so don't have foreign money left > e over from my trips. What do HAVEA you suggest? Your sister must, financially secure. Many people QUESTION? etleast to some _pushthe boat out for others at You can email You're right not to trust extent, be aware of your financial circumstonces, 0 | wouldn't worry too much about gifts for her and her husband. A bottle of wine to drink with Christmas dinner Christmas, leaving themselves short.'A Christmas you'll never forget’ should not be unforgettoble because it's left you with financial problems, Avoiding debt is much easier than getting out of it using the postal service to send cash. ‘Canny grannies’ who visited their grandchildren overseas during the summer left bank notes in the care of parents for handing over at Christmas. Other options experts@ saga.co.uk, putting Annie in the eubject line, or write to Annie Show ot the address should be fine If you're already having given onp8. include electronic cash. Itcanbe abit more difficult difficulties, you could contact =» She can—_-For smaller sums, you could with children, who don't always a confidential free counselling answer use a peer-to-peer currency appreciate how expensive charity, such as StepChange questions transfer service such as presents ore. You don't sey how _(stepchange.org, 0800 138 onlyonthis TransferWise (ransferwise old they are, but aboard game 1111) or Christians Against page. —_com)oran online payments service such as PayPal. Payments to minors will have to go via a parental account. For large sums, it’s better touse an interbank transfer or foreign-exchange broker. that they can play together on Boxing Day is an option - and maybe your sister has some ideas thot won't break the bank ‘The most important thing is ‘to make sure that you're Poverty (copuk.org, 01274 760720). For help with budgeting you could try the community interest company IncomeMox (incomemaxco.uk, 0300 7777772) A bought a bike part from the United States and had it delivered to my house. ‘The courier company has now invoiced me for custom charges as well as a hefty handling fee - this wasn't made clear when | ordered. Is there anything Jean do about this? It’s frustrating to be faced with unexpected charges, but all goods from ‘outside the European Union (and who knows what the future holds there?) are liable for import tax, and the customer hes to pay, ‘The customs charge is a legal requirement applied by Border Force on beholf of HM Revenue & Customs; says Katie Whitehead, associate solicitor at Ramsdens Solicitors. It may be a term of the purchase or contained in the company’s terms of business as to whether they'll reimburse you or contribute towards it. But, regardless of whether the amount is in dispute or whois liable to pay, the customs chorge will still need to be paid. "You can appeal to Border Force using form BOR286, downloadable at gov.uk; she advises. ‘But pay the charge first and provide the paperwork as evidenc Hannoh Jolliffe, consumer rights journalist pore 121WINTER SALE MCG No more draughts No more leaks ae ‘10 REASONSWHY_ OF caTOMES HAE EADY CHS OFS LOFT LADDER @ mans 437 Faas Cr oz FLOORING “ VOUCHERS Visitusonine a wwroofsurecouk 0800 999 4880 ;ohomeowners only ands are, RoofSure Sotsure treatment a A | 4 offer a ution is provided. Rieu 3 time for our qualified Te tenor ego Deeg Cero PCy Su)END OF THE RAINBOW Iwas s0 interested to read your crticle on Renée Zellweger and her role os Judy Garland (October). When | was married to an executive at Pye Records, we attended a party in Kent ‘The guest of honour was Judy Garland and her new husband Mickey Deans. During the evening | was thunderstruck to see Judy totally alone, illuminated by the downlighters of the bar and wearing the beautiful turquoise blue dress she had got married in. She looked like a very fragile ‘and exquisite butterfly and | was immensely saddened to learn she hed died a short time ofter this evening. ‘These images have stayed with me and whenever anything ‘about Judy Garland comes up in the media, lam token back to ‘that evening and the feelings cre as strong as ever. P Gilbert, Somerset THE GOOD SAMARITAN What an ingpiring article by Sue Poart (Samaritans, November). After losing her high-powered, high-pressured position in journalism, suddenly Feeling vulnerable, she valunteers for Somaritans. It illustrates the point that, as we age, our skills ‘con be honed into something different and valuable. Bravo ‘Sue, you are an inspiration, MDanby, Leeds JOY OF JEREMY ‘Oh, how I love Jeremy Paxman! wos never too bothered about him on TV, but his Saga Magazine column is brilliant. He is so crustily curmudgeonly he hos me laughing out loud. Just what we need with oll the doom TROUBLED. and gloom around us. STAR D Grimsley. $ London A young Judy Garland THE FRENCH REVELATION Hove Dawn French as your new agony aunt. She is so clever with her answers to the problems and adds her witty touch too, hope she will be doing this for the foreseeable future, Well done, Saga Magazine, E Tyler. Croydon GREEN BUT NOT KEEN I don't know how other readers feel about the change in the magazine's paper but I'm not keen. Although it is, of course, commendable to use f recyclable paper, I don't get ‘the same enjoyment from reading it. It just feels poor quolity. What do other subscribers think? R Palmer, Alcester, Warks LESS SHINE IS FINE lam sorry some of your readers do not like the new paper used in the magazine. | much prefer it Apart from environmental concerns we should also consider access requirements. Ihave recently had o retinal haemorshage and now have very defective eyesight in one eye. Reflections are now e nightmare, and | have great diffoulty reading enything on a shiny background, Your new magazine is a great improvement fond surely at the end of the day itis the excellent content thet counts. But could you possibly dispense with the plastic wrapper? Rhodes, by email PIGEON PIE MYSTERY During the 1970s ond 1980s ‘author Joon Kent’ wrote some charming beoks about her life one farm near Canterbury in the 19208 and 1930s, such os Wood Smoke ond Pigeon Pic, Lamplight on Cottage Loaves, Binder Twine and Rabbit Stew ‘ond Haywains and Cherry Ale. | would love to know her real name so | could then find the farm and village she wrote about. Perhaps reader will know? | have tried ond failed for some time nov. M Knowles, by email SPIRIT OF ADVENTURE Inhis October letter, Lonce Batchelor wonders what roaders were up to in 1984, the year of Sogo Magazine's birth, ” aoe 123,HAVE YOUR SAY 4@ My husband had taken voluntary redundoney and we decided to buy a year-long round-the-world ticket, sell our house and have on adventure. Our air ticket took us from city to city and anything in between had to be arranged by ourselves. We usually travelled by bus, or train. From America we flew to Hawaii, then on to New Zeoland. So that's what we were doing in 1984! S Chambers, Somerset POWER-FUL MEMORIES Ten minutes with Stefanie Powers (November) and not ‘a mention of her ground- breaking role as April Dancer, ‘the oh-so-cool Girl From UNCLE! | was living in the States in the mid-1960s and she was an inspiration to me and my school friends, who were otherwise inundated by on- screen polo-necked, male secret agents, She continues to inspire with ‘the pioneering conservation work she started with her partner, the late William Holden. A class act beth on and off the screen, Bathurst, W London BEATING THE STRESS TEST I've just been reading your article Let's talk... happiness (October) and am sad to say ‘that | am not @ happy 70-yeor- old, Or not as much as | would like to be. Ifind I'm continuously 124 saea.couKsnec-maa | 2010 onxious: about driving to somewhere | don't know (I used tolove the freedom); about ony event I'm going to (even if it involves people | know); in fact, about pretty much most things (when I used to be a very confident person). This doesn't stop me doing things - I volunteer at the local library, Im @ member of o theatre group and am on a couple of committees. But | feel much more stressed now than before ''m even anxious about hitting ‘the ‘send’ button on this. But here goes. 8 Dormen, Bucks ‘Saga Mogazine soys: We're very glad you did hit that button - and that this horrible anxiety doesn't get in the way of your active social life. SPADS NOT SO SPECIAL Over the past few months of political turmoil, there's hardly been a political opinion that hasn't featured an ‘ex-SPAD’ spouting off their opinions. 'SPADS are ‘special advisers’ ‘to MPs ond Ministers. You'd ‘think they would be experienced in business or the public sector. No, far too often they are ambitious, ‘straight outta Oxbridge’ kids. What on opportunity is being missed here to employ newly retired over-50s and Use their expertise. But doubtless the SPADs ore the children of MPs! friends and come cheap, Tadd, Birmingham IT COULD BE YoU. | would like to thank youfor ‘the recent trip that my husband ‘ond | made on Spirit of Discovery, after winning @ ballot with Possibilities. Having never won anything comparable before, the whole experience was amazing. The ship is wonderful, ike a floating five-star hotel. We had the =) Email us at editor@saga. ‘couk. Write tous ot Sega Magezine, Enbrook Park, Folkestone, Kent OT20 SE. We welcome your letters, but reserve the right to edit ‘them. Please include your coddress in emails. Loup MOUTHS Not so special advisers most fontostie time and met ‘some super people on our voyage to Norway. We will certainly look at booking nother holiday with Sage. To everyone who thinks that these things don’t happen to them, | would say you hove to bbe init to win it. lam certainly going to enter everything Fromnow on Ballantyne, Preston THANKS FOR THE SPICE In August 1996, after some years of retirement, | became a subscriber, It continues to be ‘great investment and | look forward each month to your increasingly interesting magazine. The October issue hit a new high with @ wealth of ‘obsorbing articles, lam 92 now and blessed with good health, apart from ‘aches ond pains that go with the territory, and | hope to last few more years. Thank you for adding further spice to my life F Murphy. Sheffield IT'S JUST NOT NICE It’s time the ridiculous saying, ‘Have a nice doy’ is banned from use in shops ete, 98 it’s not always appropriate. ‘This was brought home to me very forcibly when visiting my bank with my son and doughter to sort out my wife's affairs following her death. The young man who declt with us did all ‘thot was necessary with ‘the accounts and we came away satished with the help given, However, he spoilt it by shaking hands as we left ‘and wishing us a nice day. No doubt he is programmed to soy this to all customers, but perhaps he would do well to stop and think what we had just been discussing. We had not even had my wife's funeral ot that stage and emotions were running very high. D Davis, TeuntonDAMART Moccasin ‘Warm thermal lining Bt FREE Delivery tr) ‘Once you slip into our softest real suede slippers. you'll never want to take them off. The ultra-soft Thermolacty| lining will Keep your toes toasty and ‘COLOURS: ‘warm, whilst the soft suede outer gently caresses ay, Le, 0 Re VLFIS8x your feet without feeling too tight. Upper Leathe (suede), Lining Tote Thermolaty, Sole: Other Sze WAS: WOVE SAVE: 545678 929 Please quote tem Reference VLFISBK and Ofer Code 13786, Try from the comfort of your own home mm Ta en — ener ory | coun ‘s2e_| priceFinding it hard to get a good night’s sleep? ere er eee Have you ever tought you might ust have the wong Kins of plow? {48Mlion American & Canadian consumers have found the answer to 8 good night's sleep andit is called MyPilow, whichis now avaiable here nthe UK. Iwas invented by Mike Lindel fom Minseseta. Aer years of not geting enough sloop, essing and tung aright anc waking lupwith a sow am and pantl neck, Miko Started researching ateratve pillows ‘He coukin' find anything onthe market, ‘soe decided to invent his own and even ‘obtained @ US patent on the ing ‘ore foun he pret formar to ost rit ep Tha certs inte uriquo i that fists youroract nil neds egress ot Yoursleop postin. The reais are custard, tering you woud ever wantin apie 45 MILLION Mmypitiows ha IMyPitow doesn’ go fat during the night + MyPillow helps you stay coo! al night + MyPilow adjusts to your sloping positon + MyPilow is washable and dryablo + MyPillow ie the anewer to geting a good rights step tions of Americans and Ganaclans ae sloping sounaly, en ime the UK woke Up fosing refreshed? Wel, the ood news ‘S:MyPillow is now availabe inthe UK, ‘mantifactured at our factory in Covent. ‘Tey sa, nothing in fe is guaranteed, ‘ut wah MyPllw you ean be safe inthe rowleige that there's «6D day Money Back Guarantee 2 comes wit 310 ee CTT) Right now, you can get MyPilow at a SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY OFFER That’ Di n the Re JUST £41.97 when you use the promo code: “Sagat” iP 0800 096 2186 wo BR MYPIIOW.CO.UK weirs Sd Manufactured inthe UK ‘What our North American customers say... Narn M. wrote: When I fist saw your advertsoment, | thought it coulent be tuo, But [had to ty yet another ‘ew plow ust ease. Bothered by ast neck, Allergies and snoring issues on aright bass, | tmoughtd never gt a good nights step. When the MyPlows arive. Iwas so happy to eee how well the covering was construc. Somatnes Products ook good anine but ave and are ess {han desirable. That frst night proved al he other testimonials read were true! We both cannot co without our MyPowsl Thank you” Kathryn 8. wrote: "oth my son an have been having problems gating noc comfort at ight. Won I est fot tho Blow fin ve wih. Weboth now havea [oat right slop th soft como for our necks ‘llmght long since we have had the MyPiows” Ken. wrote: “Team tral say thatthe MyPilow Ihave isthe ‘best plow Ihave ever had without a dou. have had he plow for along time and ts sti 8 ftly as when it wae brand new. Any other | ave nad would be fat oy now. totaly endorse the Mya “| personally guarantee MyPillow wil be the most comfortable plow you'll ever ‘own or your ‘money back.”“ use it or lose it. ACROSS. 1 Country home of designer William Mortis from 1871 until his death in 1896 (95) 8 Russian pancakes ‘made of buckwheat flour and yeast 5) 9 Name of the private detective in The Maltese Falcon 8,5) 4 Multinational Spanish bank founded in 1857 9) 12 Ornamental Japanese nest of small boxes worn around the waist (4) 15 India’s most populous city 6) 7 Town on the border between County ‘Tyrone and County Donegal 8) 19 Hermia's beloved in A Midsummer ‘Night's Dream/8) 20 Cypriot city and ‘mythical birthplace of Aphrodite (6) 22 River on which Evesham stands (4) 23 Surname of the Baroque composers Alessandro and Domenico ®) 27 French term seen on letters sent by airmail 6,5) 28 Third letter of the Greek alphabet 5) 29 Tall, column-like tree originating in Italy 86) » DOWN 1 Japanese city that suffered a major earthquake in 19954) 2 Name of the dog that travelled in Sputnik 2 in 1957 6) 3 French composer of Danse Macabre (5-5) 4 Duke of Ilyria’s Shakespeare's Twelfth Night 6) 5 American singer songwriter whose group was The Heartbreakers (3,5) 6 Sacred river in Coleridge's poem Kubla Khan (4) 20th-century US writer known for his humorous poems 54) 10 White powdery substance used as, a fertiliser 4,3) 13 Mercury mixture used in dentistry 7) ¥ Italian artist who painted The Taking of Christin 1602 (10) 46 Very dark unrefined sugar ®) 18 Name fora wine bottle that holds 1Blitres (8) 21 1972 Hitchcock thriller set in London (6) 24 Second most common language in Sri Lanka 5) 25 Beard like filament on fish’s mouth (4) 26 Young salmon before it becomes a smolt 4) © TOENTER By em Scan your entry, put General Knowledge Crossword (December) in the email subject line and send it, together with your name ond address, to editor@eaga.co.uk By post: Cut out the crossword (no photocopies) and send it, with your name and address attached to: General Knowledge Crossword (December), Saga Magazine, Enbrook Park, Folkestone, Kent CT20 3SE. Closing date: 27 December 2019 4 4 5.6 3 7 1 8 67 6| |1 4 7 2 9 3 82 6 8 7W1 9 7 x SUDOKU, x Place each of the digits 1 to 9 in ‘each row, column ‘and 3x3 box. There is only one solution Answers on page I31_ SAGA. COUKIDEC-MAG | 2019 127‘Is this the Reg. Price £16.99 Welcome to The Genius Square! ‘Tho aim of each ofthe 62208 possible puzzles is to complete the square using the nine coloured shapes, once the seven ‘blockers’ have been positioned. There may be times when it seems impossible, but there will ALWAYS be at least one soluton...and that’s why it's called The Genius Square! Each player receives @ Genius Square ori two are inloded) and a set ofthe nine cooured shapes, plus seven bioke’ pieces Rol all oven ofthe dice together an place a ‘blocker’ piece into the squares matching the seven co-ordinates that appear onthe de, Now race ‘our opponent to fill very ther spac onthe grid using the nino shapes. ‘There are 62208 posible combinations in which the coe can fl. Using a secalydovised computer programe, we have confirmed that al of them have at least one possible ‘olution, Some combinations wil be easy to solve, some much arr.’ alin the luck of the rl ofthe dce ‘As soon as someboy fishes frst, rl the dice and play again! An example of how to play is shown above, You can also play alone and challenge youself agains the cock! mis ‘Ages 6 alt For1 or 2 players. Box ive approx. 272m xem, ‘ee Hoppy Puzdle ‘Company TRUSTPILOT JETES.RATED 4.7 OUT OF 5 FROM OVER 17000 REMEWS! Outstanding Nobody inthe foiy canputitdown. Weare actualy geting a second sets that god! Best game ay of sha eve played!” cleverest game ever invented?’ Fi ioe Offer ends 11.59pm 30th June 2020!See how mony words of four letters or more you can make using the central letter in each word and the other letters only once in each word. You can make at least one word by using all the letters. No proper nomes, plurals or verb forme ending in the letter’s' are allowed, ond all words are from the Collins Dictionary, * PUZZLES Codebreaker Each number in the grid represents a different letter, We've given you two letters to start you off, which show that © = 22 ond H = 1 Write these letters wherever their corresponding numbers appear in ‘the grid and then begin to work out the identity of the other letters, All 26 letters of the alphabet will appear in the finished puzzle. GOOD 32 EXCELLENT 41 BRILLIANT 50, GREAT SCORE FOR KIDS 23 Rearrange the letters and add one to these words to make five-letter words thot fit the clues. The added letters will spell a word. TYPE Inconsequential SLOE Parasitic insect Candle ABLE Desolote DRIP Conceit CHA’ Racing boat Answers on page 131 © So left ovt for santa. Mince pe, Sherry and puzzle Page and pen 2010 129An End to Getting Frustrated with your Smartphone Finally discover how to get it to do what you want, easily (and find out what else you can do with it, too) At last, using your smartphone can be easy, simple and stress-free. Find out how... ‘odern mobile _ phones smartphones as they're called - can do so much more than just make phone cals From browsing the web to being a sat nav. making video alls to sharing photos, But using them isnt always as easy as yout ‘want ~ and thats putting it milly! Do the manufacturers do it on purpose? Sometimes ican sem ke the manufacturers deiterately make them complied. Ian dive youbsolutely bonkers Whether you have problems with the bases cor youre tying tod something lily more scranced, canbe easy to use them. once ou now hov Dt antl youve been shown ian belting diferent language ‘has why Te published two Boos: hones ane Sup ata Time and Anoid Smarphanes One Spa Time. Plain English. and that’s not all “They explain how to use the phone, in plain simple language with pictures of the screen showing you exactly where to tap or side your fingers. No jargon! What's covered? T cari list it all here. But amongst other things, you'll discover: + The basics of controlling it - swiping, tapping, opening apps &s0 on. + How t0 use it a a sat-nav. in the ear or even on foot. + Send emails from your phone. + Most phones have a good camera so you can take photos: here’ how to use it properly (and for videos)... & share the photos with friends +See updates, photos and video clips from Advertisement Using a smartphone is now easy for thousands friends and family - as soon as they “post” them. 1+ Make it easier to read the screen, + Video phone calls - a great way to keep up with family who live a long way away + Browse the web at home or out and about + Choosing and downloading apps + And obviously, you can_make phone calls and send and receive text messages. ("Voicemail”is covered, 00) Allexplained nice and simply. (Find out more In the free information pack - read on..) What one reader had to say: “Thanks fora fantastic smart phone book, Very pleasant staf as usual. | think this book should be sold with every smart phone. I have learnt so much from it, the info ‘you get withthe phone is non-existent Smartphones are quite conples, and your books speak in plain English, Only half the story Thats only half the story but I dosit have room to explain here. Tve put together full information on the books - who they're for, {Name Address. ' Call 01229 777608 or email your address to SG1219@helofulbooks co.uk ' Or send this coupon to: The Helpful Book Company, '3B Devonshire Road Estate, Millom, Cumbria LA18 4S. We use the details you give us to send you information onthe products mentioned. | We store te dtas securely and ony share the with dhe Royal Ma fr posting the Information | Ful pavacy notice at war helplubooks.coul/pnvecynctice ply, "below for fil ivormation on the smertphone BOOKS. why not you? ‘what they cover and soon. ‘Whats more the books also come with a free gift -no room to explain that her ether. Don’t buy now, do this instead The books aren't available in the shops or on Amazon — only direct from the publisher, Send off now to get a completely free, no- ‘obligation information pack. I'l explain what the books cover, who they're suitable for and so ‘on - showing you just how it could help you all Emma, Jade or Alicia on 01229 777606 ‘ pop the coupon in the post today to The Helpful Book Co, 138 Devonshire Road Estate, Millom, Cumbria LA18 4JS to get your fall information pack If you prefer email and ask fora free {nfopack. 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