Discovering Wisbech issue 068, December 2023 by Discovering Magazines

Issue 68 / December 2023

Blokarts East Anglia A great Christmas Gift Idea

and the surrounding villages

J & S World Food Supplies New Cosmopolitan Food Store open in March

Avenues Therapy Centre Treatments for all

Yo u r f a v o u r i t e c o m m u n i t y l i f e s t y l e m a g a z i n e – P R I C E L E S S

Café

We would like to say a BIG THANK YOU to all our customers for supporting both our Downham Market and Ely stores, your continued custom and loyalty is greatly appreciated. There’s a world of choice at Reeds with a fantastic range of designs and brands from contemporary to classic with unbeatable prices and service from a family business you can trust. Opening Times: Mon – Sat 9am to 5pm in Downham and Ely

check out our website reedshomestore.co.uk

Sunday 10am to 4pm in Ely only

find us on facebook for the latest updates

REEDS Furniture, Flooring, Bed Centre & Homestore, Bridge Street, Downham Market PE38 9DS T: 01366 382213 REEDS Furniture, Flooring & Bed Centre, Lancaster Way Business Park, Ely CB6 3NX T: 01353 669754

Welcome to your December issue... December is a time for both reflection on what’s gone and anticipation for what’s round the corner of the new year. We can think about what we’ve achieved in 2023; those places we’ve visited and new people who may have come into our lives; others who we’ll see no more, but whose memory will remain strong. I prefer to look forward, though, and my new year resolutions are already in the planning stage! As the big day edges nearer, let’s hope that the Christmas lights in your area will bring much-needed cheer in what have sadly been, for many people elsewhere in the world, such traumatic times of late. Let us all hope that peace and reconciliation aren’t too far away in both Ukraine and the Middle East.

Inside Highlights

All the very best to you all for Christmas and for 2024 – good luck, but most importantly, good health!

Claire x

There is one strange sensation about getting older... life seems to speed up.

4 ........ Christians Against Poverty 6 ........ J & S World Food Supplies 8 ....... March Podiatry 12 ...... Fenland Family History Society

This year has been no exception as it doesn’t seem twelve months since I wrote this column as we approached Christmas 2022.

14 ...... The Potting Shed 16 ...... Whitings LLP

It has been another busy year for everyone at Discovering Magazines and I would like to take this opportunity to thank some people for their efforts throughout the year.

18 ...... Curious Facts 25 ...... Diamond Byte

Firstly, to my colleagues on the magazine who believe me always work tirelessly to bring you the best possible publication each month.

26 ...... The Quiz 29 ...... Directory

Secondly, to the regular contributors who never fail to supply entertaining articles that I hope you all enjoy reading.

30 ...... Steve Barclay

Next, our advertisers whose support enables us to bring you a free magazine each month. And finally, to you, our readers. If it wasn’t for you there would be no Discovering Wisbech.

With thanks to: Diamond Byte, Whitings LLP, March Podiatry, Bridget Hunter, Steve Barclay, Chris Donald, Christians Against Poverty

So, on behalf of all the team on the magazine I would like to wish you all a very merry Christmas. See you in 2024...

Andy

Account Manager Paula Kirtland: 07903 776211 marketing.discoveringmagazines@gmail.com

Deadline details:

Copy deadline for the January 2024 issue is 6th December 2023.

Publisher and Sales Claire Saberton Sales Sally Anne Davis: 07737026594 Ops Director Andy Armstrong Editor Andy Hurst: editor.march@discoveringmagazines.co.uk Accounts Sarah Brooks: 07564 966452 accounts@discoveringmagazines.co.uk Design Andy Beavis | Sarah Gumbley | Graham Copestake | Dan Handley Discovering Magazines, PO Box 164, Bourne PE10 1ET Discovering Wisbech is published by a local team and is not associated with any other business. Care is taken to ensure that the content and information is correct at the time of going to press; however, we cannot take any responsibility for loss, damage or omission caused by any errors. Permission must be granted to reproduce, copy or scan anything from this publication. For a copy of our contributors’ guidelines please email info@discoveringmagazines.co.uk.

D E C EM B ER 2023

D I S C O V E R I N G Wisbech

Entertainment

Six FREE Christmas Activities for Children By Lin Stanton, Debt Centre Manager for Fenland Christians Against Poverty (CAP)

Christmas is an exciting time for children and that’s great – but it can be stressful for parents to maintain the positivity when money is a worry. However, there are lots of ways to sprinkle some Christmas magic without spending lots. Get crafting You can make all kinds of fun festive decorations from things found around the house and reduce waste at the same time. Here are just a few ideas: • Use kitchen roll tubes, tissue paper and string to craft your own crackers. • Collect pine cones, dip them in PVA glue and sprinkle with salt to create mini snowy Christmas trees. • Create a herd of mini reindeer using bottle corks, twigs, buttons and string.

Go to an all-age church service It’s very likely that your local church is hosting various allage services and events over the festive period. Take a look at local churches' websites or notice boards to ﬁnd out exactly what they have going on. 4

Watch a free fireworks show This is a great one for New Year’s Eve. Have a look at a map and ﬁnd an elevated point nearby that’s easily accessible by foot or road. When it gets dark, take a walk, or drive up and watch the various ﬁreworks from across the area.

Put on a living room show Challenge the children to put on a Christmas-themed variety show in the living room. They could sing, dance, read poetry and act out a nativity scene. This will keep them busy for a few hours while they practise, plus all you have to do is sit back with a brew and watch!

See the local Christmas lights Take a walk or drive around your local village or town to see the Christmas lights. You could even

D I S C O V E R I N G Wisbech

make a game out of it by getting the kids to keep a tally of how many of a certain character they see, such as a Frosty the Snowman, Santa or Rudolph.

Take on a Santa Run Santa Runs take place all over the UK throughout December (and sometimes even through the rest of the year!) Each person who takes part receives a Santa costume and you can choose how far you want to run, so it’s great fun for every age, ability and fitness level. Visit thesantaruns.com to find an event near you. Remember it’s important to enjoy Christmas without getting into financial difficulty. If you’re worried about debt, coping on a low income, budgeting, or finding work, visit capuk.org/help to find out about the free support offered by Christians Against Poverty (CAP) in partnership with local churches. From all of us at CAP, we hope you have a very happy Christmas and New Year. Christians Against Poverty (CAP) is a UK charity working with more than 800 affiliated churches to deliver debt help, budgeting guidance, support to find work, life skills education and more. Visit capuk.org to find out more. DE CE M BE R 2 0 2 3

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Food and drink from around the world is now available in March

&S World Food Supplies Ltd has opened to bring local people food and drink from all points of the compass including the Far East, the Caribbean and Africa.

The business was the brainchild of March couple Sonia and Ken who decided to start the business after experiencing problems in locally sourcing food and drinks from around the world.

Ken said: “I have always been interested in food and in the past have thought about opening a Caribbean restaurant. I have experience working in catering and have always wanted to open a business like this. Anyone and everyone has come through our doors and we are really happy with how things have gone so far.” The couple plan to keep adding to the range of products and facilities at their new premises at Platinum Business Park, Thorby Avenue.

Sonia said: ”We always had to travel to Peterborough to get some specialist food, spices and ingredients that we wanted to have ourselves and after a neighbour, who is Lithuanian, said they too had problems sourcing the food they wanted themselves we realised that there was a local demand for someone to provide these hard-to-ﬁnd foods.

Sonia said: “I would like to add a deli-type section and supply some fresh foods for people to enjoy on-site. We just want to give people in Fenland the food that they want.”

“We opened in September and have been really pleased with how things have gone so far. I am walking on Cloud Nine! The local population is becoming more multi-cultural; we have had customers from every background and have had great feedback.

You can ﬁnd J&S World Food Supplies Ltd at Unit 7, Platinum Business Park, 59 Thorby Avenue, March PE15 0AR; Tel: (01773) 913471 or 0750 380 2511; Email: jandsworldfoodsupplies@outlook. com; Facebook. Opening hours: Tuesday-Saturday 8.30am-7.30pm; Sunday 9am-8pm.

“We want to make it more convenient for people to buy the food and ingredients they want locally. We have a wide range of things including Asian spices and ingredients, Caribbean spices and vegetables, African and US foods, plus Indian and Thai, Lithuanian, Polish and Romanian foods and we will add a Portuguese and Spanish selection soon.”

Discovering Magazines’ Sales Managers Paula Kirtland and Sallyanne Davis were lucky enough to sample World Food Supplies’ foods and drinks. Their verdict? Delicious...!

Ken, who has a West Indian father and Scottish mother, and Sonia, who has family members originating from Madeira and Montserrat, are keen cooks themselves.

D I S C O V E R I N G March

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Health

Give The Gift Of Good Health

t this time of year it can be hard to ﬁnd a suitable present for loved ones. We all know how important it is to stay ﬁt and healthy and our team of clinicians can help you to stay active and doing the things you love.

We offer gift vouchers for any amount to spend on our treatments or products we sell, to help you to look after your feet. They make the perfect gift at any time of year, but especially Christmas, to help to support those new year resolutions to look after yourself more! We can take orders over the phone and send them to you or they are available for collection from our reception. Call us on 01354 651200.

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silence. We are here to give advice and have have hearing problems. That’s many customers at our Wisbech clinic, LIST OFregular HYPNOTHERAPY SERVICES the message from Clearer many of whom have been with us years with andfor conditions. Hearing Ltd which saysHypnotherapy people can be incredibly helpful for numerous issues some coming from as far aﬁeld as north Norfolk.” should treat their hearing just as Anxiety Fears & Phobias Interview Nerves Established 2002 and with a presence Stress Pain in Management Test Nervesin they do their eye-sight. sinceRelaxation 2008, Clearer Hearing is a Hypnobirthing WisbechSimple Habit Stopping Self Esteem family owned independent hearing healthcare

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Life Coaching is great forcomprehensive the following issues:website – The company’s The company can help people deal with a host with block www.clearerhearing.co.uk – boasts a quick and booking disco unts Work/Life Balance Health & Fitness of hearing issues, including tinnitus avaand ilable noise easy hearing checker which provides Getting Motivateda snapshot protection, but Jackie says the most common Career Goals hearing ability to give an& easy assessment Finding a Senseof of your Happiness Procrastination Productivity procedure they carry out is ear wax removal. Relationships & Communications Your booking Confidenceshould and the opportunity Increasing of a priority Purpose and more!… She said: “Wax removal is deﬁnitely the most Finding Youryou require a full consultation. common problem we deal with. People tend to Contact Clearer Heating Ltd at 31 High Street, think that if their hearing worsens they may need Wisbech PE13 1DE. Tel: (01945) 466386; Email: a hearing aid, which due to technology today are info@clearerhearing.co.uk Opening hours: jenna@theavenuestherapycentre.co.uk | theavenuestherapycentre.co.uk small and unobtrusive, but invariably it’s because Monday-Thursday 9am-4pm. of a build-up of ear wax.

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FENLAND FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY By Bridget Hunter

Christmas is coming! We can look forward to the lovely displays of lights and decorations in the streets and shop windows. Plus, of course, the Christmas lights on the Christmas trees. Things have changed so much over the years. During World War II it was all very different. There was a blackout which meant not even a chink of light should be seen. No Christmas trees or lights or window displays. Food was rationed including sweets, plus clothes and petrol. So, providing that special meal and treats and presents was very limited. Garden produce was carefully grown and preserved. Clothes were recycled, old jumpers unravelled and re-knitted. Plus, that special meal was limited. Maybe the hen that had stopped laying eggs. Or they belonged to a Pig Club. The club members would purchase a pig and help feed it with scraps from the table and garden. It would be slaughtered and the meat distributed among the club members. Our ancestors met the challenges and survived. OUR EVENTS TEAM have a special Christmas display available, showing how Christmas developed over many years. If you have an event, please make contact and we will be happy to bring our display to you. EVENTS. Our display stand was at the Elm Church and reflected the theme of the event, flowers and craft. There were some lovely examples of needlecraft on display made by ancestors of our team. Flowers were reflected in the display linking them to family names. One of our team had researched and created a list of public houses found in Elm over the years. Another had created the 1939 Register of ELM showing who lived in the houses at that time. Please give us a call if you would like us to attend your event as an added interest.

Our MONTHLY MEETINGS. No meeting in December. We meet again on Thursday, January 25th. Our guest speaker will be Kevin RODGERS and the title of his talk is The Wisbech Workhouse, an interesting progression from the Poor House to the Union Workhouse. Our meetings are held in Wisbech Library from 7pm-9pm on the FOURTH Thursday of the month. Our February meeting will be on Thursday, February 22nd when the talk will be by Grenville GODSON and is about the Littleport Riots. Everyone welcome to our meeting. Free entry for members; visitors, a donation of at least £2. COMPUTER RESEARCH SESSIONS. Our team of researchers help visitors with researching their family history, no matter where their family came from. Our first monthly research session is in Wisbech Library on the FIRST TUESDAY of each month from 10am-12noon, using all the wonderful research resources available in the library. Our second session is on the SECOND MONDAY of each month. from 11am-2.30pm in the restaurant at Baytree Garden Centre in Hilgay near Downham Market. We offer help with family research to visitors to the garden centre. Please note. We are willing to go to other venues if Wi-Fi is available. OUR SPEAKERS are available to attend groups and clubs to give talks in the local area. TALKS include: ‘The Fun of Family History’, about a long journey by land, air, and sea to find her roots; ‘My Naughty Great Aunt Eliza’, unravelling a story of lies and deceit; ’The Ups & Downs of Being a Magistrate’, a real-life experience; and ‘The Sad Tale of The Blacksmiths Family’, the story of a great, great grandfather; and ‘We’re going down the pub: a ‘local’ history’.

For further information on any of the above please phone me on (01945) 587723. 12

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Lyncroft Care Home

Our family, caring for yours Lyncroft Care Home provides the kind of care we’d want all of our loved ones to receive. Our newly refurbished home is beautifully furnished, whilst retaining a warm family atmosphere that makes Lyncroft feel extra special. If you’re concerned about how your relative is coping and would like them to have more support, Lyncroft provides family-led care in a luxurious and homely environment. • Fisherman’s Arms Pub • Bistro Café • Hair and pamper salon

• Tailored meaningful activities • Daily Fine Dining • Luxury en-suite bedrooms

For more information about life at Lyncroft Care Home contact Customer Relations Advisor Mel Cushen on 07563 022 290 or email mel.cushen@countrycourtcare.com

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Your Garden

here are still plenty of things to keep you busy this month such as winter digging which can help to expose hibernating grubs which the birds can then eat, meaning less pests in the summer! Then cover the plot to prevent weed growth and minerals being leached out by rain. It also keeps the soil warm, which helps with early planting in the spring. Winter crops to harvest include leeks, Brussels, winter cabbage, kale, and winter potatoes. Leeks, parsnips, swede, and celeriac may beneﬁt from a covering of straw to give them some protection. Other root crops are best lifted before the ground freezes. If the weather is too wet and cold to go outside, there are alternatives. You could clean tools, seed trays, pots, and other equipment as it will help prevent any diseases carrying over to infect next year’s seedlings. Also give the shed a good tidy out and clean. Weather permitting, there are plenty of other jobs to do this month: • Continue topping up compost and leaf mould bins, making sure that you burn or discard any plant material that looks diseased. It is a good idea to cover the heap (old carpet is ideal, as this stops the rain leaching out the minerals and keeps the compost warmer). • You can still plant garlic if the soil is not frozen. If you have heavy soil that holds water, dib a hole and put in about an inch

of sand and plant the bulb on top, ﬁlling in with ﬁne compost. This will help with drainage, as garlic does not like to sit in water. • Onion seeds can be sown in trays or pots in a gentle heat towards the end of the year. • Manure the vegetable plot, using well-rotted manure – no need to dig it in. • Earth up Brussels sprout stems to keep them secure from strong winds and remove any brown or yellow leaves; this will prevent the spread of grey mould and downy mildew. • Make sure your winter brassicas are netted to prevent pigeons eating them and check for and repair any holes. • It’s not too late to lift and divide large clumps of rhubarb, replanting the outer sections into soil enriched with well-rotted manure. Alternatively, select a large clump to force for an early crop next spring. • If the ground is not frozen, you can still plant bare-rooted fruit trees and bushes. • December is the ideal time to winter prune apples and pears, gooseberries, and currants. Autumn raspberries can be pruned right back to ground level between now and February. • Spray fruit trees and bushes with a winter wash to help control pests – any overwintering eggs should be destroyed. • Replace any worn ties, stakes and wires on your fruit trees and bushes. Tighten any that are too loose and make sure that others are not too tight.

I hope you all have a happy Christmas and here’s to a productive and ‘fruitful’ New Year!

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Christmas Party Expenditure Mark Burrows The festive season is a time of joy and celebration, and many businesses like to reward their employees with Christmas parties. However, it’s essential for employers to be aware of the tax rules relating to such events to ensure they stay compliant. There are speciﬁc guidelines regarding the tax treatment of Christmas party expenditure, and understanding these rules is crucial to avoid unexpected tax liabilities. The good news is that there’s an exemption from tax for staﬀ parties and other annual functions, which means that many company Christmas parties can be organised without incurring a tax bill. To qualify for this exemption, the party must meet certain conditions: 1.

The cost per head, including VAT, must not exceed £150. This amount covers everything related to the party, from food, drink and entertainment to transport or accommodation provided for employees.

The party must be an annual event. If more than one function is held in a year, the exemption can still be used as long as the total cost is below £150 per head.

The event should be open to all employees, or to all employees at a speciﬁc location if you have multiple sites or oﬃces.

If the cost per head goes over the £150 limit, the entire amount becomes a taxable beneﬁt. If more than one event was held, any which together are within the limit would be exempt, but one which takes the total spend over £150 per head will be taxed.

Although the party must be principally for staﬀ, the exemption covers anyone else attending the event such as employees’ partners. The maximum cost per head of £150 applies to all that attend. Even though the event may qualify for the exemption, it’s important to keep proper records of the expenditure, including receipts and details of the party. This is necessary in case HMRC makes enquiries of the employer’s eligibility for the exemption. In summary, the tax rules regarding Christmas party expenditure are generally favourable for employers. As long as the cost per head does not exceed £150 and the event is an annual function open to all employees, you can enjoy a festive celebration without incurring additional tax liabilities. Contact your local Whitings LLP oﬃce today to arrange a FREE initial consultation. Information that features in this article is correct at the time of writing.

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Interesting and Curious Facts of Yesteryear Written by Chris Donald, author of ‘Wisbech’s Secret Princess’ and ‘Interesting and Curious Facts of Yesteryear’

Where Did the Stone Come From? ave you ever looked at a local church and thought, WHERE DID THE STONE COME FROM? Even a small church is big compared to a modern-day house and it would have taken a lot of stone. But the one thing that is lacking in the Fens now, and then, nearly one thousand years ago, is STONE.

The Fens is basically silt, ground that was swamp, and yet between 1072 and 1328 many magnificent churches, monasteries, cathedrals and even a castle were built around here with stone. These included Wisbech Castle and church, Peterborough and Ely cathedrals, Thorney and Crowland monasteries, and many churches including Tydd St Giles, Doddington, Leverington, Walpole St Peter and Upwell. At this time, most houses were no more than small dwellings made from wood, mud and thatch and no stone or brick and yet these Barnack Hills and Holes massive stone structures were being built. They made a point of making these buildings as big as they could afford and of course, very tall as if they were trying to reach heaven. The answer to where the stone came from can be found in a small village just seven miles from Peterborough called Barnack. It is here that they quarried limestone which because of its peculiar hardness was capable of being used and carved and moulded. Ideal for churches. This stone was first used by the Romans but by the 1400s it was all used up. In these very early days, there were not the roads as we know them now and especially in the Fens. It was much easier and cheaper to transport stone on barges. The stone was first quarried and cut to the size specified by the Master Mason and then transported from Barnack to Gunwade Ferry on the Nene and loaded onto barges. 18

D I S C O V E R I N G Wisbech

When the stone got to the building site, it was taken overland to where it was needed and then the Master Mason took charge of it. He was also in charge of just about everything, including the carpenters, plumbers, glaziers and smiths and he was also responsible for paying all the bills. Other than the masons, the carpenters were perhaps the next important. They made wooden scaffolding and also made temporary wooden forms for the stone arches. The masons who had already cut the stones to the size needed put them round the forms. Once all the stones had been put in place, then the carpenters could remove the wooden forms. They also helped make the lifting gear and winches which were needed for lifting the very heavy stones. All the craftsmen were paid two to three times as much as the labourers. Building work was seasonal due to shorter days in winter. If there was a frost, the masons could not use the mortar which meant work came to a halt until it warmed up a bit. The next time you’re in a church, look at the massive pillars and the huge pieces of stone and imagine them manhandling every stone into place and imagine them carving those huge stones so that they were just the right size and shape. And, if you get a chance, it is worth visiting Barnack and the quarries but be prepared, it won’t look like your normal quarry and it is only part of the original quarry. It is looked after by the National Nature Reserve and is called the Barnack Hills and Holes. And surprise, surprise, it is completely free and a super place to take your dog for a walk. Very nice even if you don’t have a dog but do pick a nice sunny day and remember, there are many, many fine buildings that came from here.

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LOCAL CLUBS AND GROUPS Wisbech u3a is an organisation which aims to meet the social, recreational and creative needs of those no longer in full-time employment. We meet on the 2nd Thursday of the month in St Peter’s Church Hall, Wisbech at 2-30pm. We have lots to offer you so please come along and find out for yourself. www.u3asites.org.uk/wisbech Fenland Archaeological Society (FenArch) Monthly talks and meetings at The Secret Garden, Mile Tree Lane, PE13 4TR Facebookw https://m.facebook.com/FenArch/ Website https://www.fenarch.org.uk Wisbech Yoga Club Meets at Trinity Methodist Church on Mondays 7pm-8.15pm and Wednesdays at Elm Primary School or Emneth Central Hall 7pm-8.15pm. For availability contact Peter on 07905 601585 or email: pabamullins206@ntlworld.com Friends of Wisbech & Fenland Museum hold monthly talks at Wisbech Public Library. For further details, please see Facebook Friends of Wisbech and Fenland Museum, www.wisbechmuseum.org.uk or email: friendsofwisbechmuseum@outlook.com Wisbech and District Flower Club Meets every third Monday of the month at St Peter's Hall Wisbech from 7.30pm Please call Yvonne on 01945 581360 for more information Royal Air Force Association Wisbech Branch Welcomes everyone to sample our newly refurbished club. For your comfort and enjoyment we offer: Fully air conditioned • Free Wi-Fi • Alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks • Choice of hot drinks and snacks • Pool table • Meeting facilities by arrangement • Quiz night, games night, entertainment • Friendly welcome • New members always welcome, not required to be ex-forces. Opening Hours: Thursdays/Fridays 7pm till 11pm | Saturdays 11am till 2pm and 7pm 11pm. rafawisbech.co.uk Situated at 22 Lynn Road PE13 3DJ

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PHILIP AT DIAMOND BYTE

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CHEAP DOESN’T ALWAYS MEAN CHEERFUL....

ith Christmas just around the corner, the usual Black Friday and preChristmas sales are in full swing and a recently polished version of Windows 11 is now available. Don’t be fooled by cheap prices – cheap really doesn’t always mean cheerful. Have a read through the following buying guide to help you choose the right desktop or laptop PC and to hopefully avoid disappointment. Windows 10 or 11? This year I’d be making sure that I get one with Windows 11. With all of the patches and refinements Microsoft have done in the last year it’s really good now. Processor – CPU As the ‘brains’ of your computer, the processor does influence performance, although the choice will depend on what you need to do. If you’re looking for a standard PC with the best combination of price and performance, buy a Core i3 or Ryzen 3. Intel Core i5 or i7 CPUs

and Ryzen 5 or 7 will be better for multitasking, multimedia tasks, high-end gaming, but are more expensive. Storage – Hard Drive This is where all your data is stored. Most people struggle to fill a 250GB Hard Drive with photos, programs and music since the average size of a photo or MP3s is about 4MB (you can store about 62,500 photos or MP3’s on a small 250GB Hard Drive). However, if you play around with video files 250GB will be hugely insufficient and you should look to one thousand GB (1TB) drives which can store about twenty-four hours of HD video. Warning: be very wary of buying a computer with LESS than 120Gb of storage space. Windows 10 and 11 have regular sizeable updates that you will have difficulty installing. In fact, Windows 11 insists on a minimum 64Gb of storage. We advise getting a PC with at least a 120GB Solid State Disk (SSD) – see our previous articles about SSDs.

Memory – RAM RAM is fast, temporary storage that Windows uses to load both itself and whatever it is you are doing at the time. If you are surfing the internet, you are using some RAM for Windows, a little more for the web browser, a little more for your anti-virus program, etc. 4GB is the bare minimum amount of RAM you should have in a PC, 8GB is ideal. New or Refurbished? We here at Diamond Byte sell both. Personally, I’m the kind of person who likes a bargain and would rather buy a faster older PC that was refurbished than a new one, but I also understand the want for something new and sparkly. Just make sure you buy your refurbished ones from someone that gives them a twelve-month guarantee and has installed a fresh copy of Windows and ALL the drivers.

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Christmas Quiz 1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

If you were born on Christmas Day, what would be your Zodiac sign? What colour are mistletoe berries? What animal carried Mary on her journey to Bethlehem? hich British monarch delivered the first W ever Christmas message? In “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”, what do the Dursleys give Harry for Christmas: a) a 50-pence piece, b) a box of gobstoppers, or c) a model aeroplane? Name Will Ferrell’s character in the film, “Elf”. Which TV family has a pet dog called Santa’s Little Helper? What is the name of Anna and Elsa’s Kingdom in “Frozen”? Cliff Richard had a 1988 number one hit with his sing-along Christmas classic “Mistletoe and …” what? In which children’s classic novel is it “always winter but never Christmas”? I n which year was the first Christmas card sent: a) 1743, b) 1843 or c) 1943? Which of Santa’s reindeer is named after the Greek god of desire?

What was Frosty the Snowman’s nose made from: a) a button, b) a carrot or c) a sausage?

St Stephen’s Day on December 26th is more commonly known as what?

In which Christmas carol is Saint Stephen name-checked?

hat is Scrooge’s first name in the W novella, “A Christmas Carol”?

18 19

Who wrote “A Christmas Carol” in 1843? What colour is Rudolph’s nose when “Santa Got Stuck up the Chimney”?

20 Which pantomime is sometimes known as “The Little Glass Slipper”?

Which yellow food item would you find underneath the icing on a Christmas cake?

22 In which confectionery container would you find “The Green Triangle”?

23 What is the name of the festive canapé which has prunes wrapped in bacon?

24 What are “pigs in blankets” called in Scotland?

25 Name the “non-profit, non-political,

How do you say “Merry Christmas” in Spanish?

non-religious and non-sensical Christmas parade” where everyone dresses as Santa Claus and goes on a massive pub crawl!

1 Capricorn, 2 White, 3 Donkey, 4 George V in 1932, 5 a, 6 Buddy, 7 The Simpsons, 8 Arendelle, 9 Wine, 10 “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe” by C.S. Lewis, 11 1843, 12 Cupid, 13 Feliz Navidad, 14 a, 15 Boxing Day, 16 Good King Wenceslas, 17 Ebenezer, 18 Charles Dickens, 19 Blue, 20 Cinderella, 21 Marzipan, 22 A tin of Quality Street, 23 Devils on horseback, 24 Kilted soldiers, 25 SantaCon.

Answers

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