We
Boiler Breakdowns
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Clearing Blockages
Pipework Replacement
From the Editor
Upcoming submission deadline for advertisers & contributors: SEPT ‘26 EDITION - 10TH AUG ‘26 | OCT ‘26 EDITION - 10TH SEPT ‘26
Hello Readers,
What a Month July was!! Turns out that my Grandma was not correct and the adage of ‘bad start, bad finish’ is far more accurate!! Now, to be entirely fair, the 3rd place game against France was absolutely thrilling and was ‘final’ worthy….and the actual Final –well, despite it being quite boring, except for the unnecessary fouls and fisticuffs at the end, wasn’t that the result we all wanted! It sort of mitigated a bit of the pain we all felt earlier that week.
Mr Emily is cock-a-hoop that he won the World Cup office sweepstake! I maintain it was rigged as nearly all of my teams went out in the group stages when only a third of the teams were eliminated… also, nearly all his teams went through… hmmm, suspicious much!?!
In other news, our new PM is in situ, do us all a favour Andy and get some money flowing in the pockets of us normal folk again please! Mind you, perhaps we do have some changes afoot in our politics, what with the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire County Councils going down to just 2 unitary authorities from 2028. Only good can come from a flatter structure surely – I know that I’m not the only one who grows tired of having to memorise which department of which council to call because bins, schools, potholes….insert problem….needs reporting and after finally talking to someone, gets redirected!? Not the individual on the end of the phones problem but like I say…..flatter structures from my old business studies days were always adopted by the most efficient businesses!! Anyways, that’s enough of that.
I’ve had quite a busy July, tournaments a-plenty in netball and hockey (if I had £1 for every time I said “I’m getting too old for this”!). And heaps of social events, isn’t this what summer is for? Particularly with the yellow rays in the sky being thrown. On that note, if anyone saw me dressed as a Duck in Swanwick at my friend Lydia’s house….. it was totally a dream and I absolutely didn’t waddle down the street with Mr Emily dressed as a Rooster!!!
Enjoy your August peeps, Happy Reading, Emily x
Dry eye syndrome explained
DRY EYES? WE’RE HERE TO HELP
experiencing gritty, watery, sore eyes?
Specsavers Sutton-in-Ashfield, based in the Idlewells Shopping Centre, has invested more than £40,000 in the
Dry eye syndrome happens when your eyes stop making tears as they usually would. It can happen for many reasons, and both eyes are usually affected.
Tears are an important part of your eye health as they help to keep your eyes moisturised, protect them against infections, clear away any debris from the surface and keep your vision clear.
It can be linked to a range of factors, including increased screen use, contact lens wear, ageing and environmental conditions. As many as 1 in 3 people experience dry eye symptoms, rising to 1 in 2 in menopausal women due to declining oestrogen levels.
Investment in new technology
Michael Hinder, store director at Specsavers Sutton-inAshfield, which is locally owned and run, explains the new procedures available: ‘We are one of the first stores in the country to offer Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) Treatment, and Low-Level Light Therapy (LLLT) using state-of-the-art clinical equipment to help treat the cause of dry eye syndrome.’
Designed to target the underlying causes of dry eye, the devices combine clinically proven lightbased therapies to help improve tear quality, reduce inflammation, and restore eye comfort. The procedure is safe, noninvasive, and suitable for people experiencing symptoms including gritty or itchy feelings, burning or sore sensations, watery eyes, eye twitching or discomfort linked to screen use and modern lifestyles.
How the procedure works
During IPL, pulses of light are delivered to heat the skin around
the meibomian glands in the eyelid to free-up any blockages, while LLL Therapy uses low-level red light to stimulate activity and improve function of those glands at a cellular level, enhancing tear production and quality.
Using advanced imaging to assess the eyes and tear glands, the team in-store can identify the underlying cause of symptoms and create a personalised treatment plan for each customer.
What other support is available?
‘Dry eye is something we see very frequently, yet it’s still widely dismissed as a minor irritation. In reality, it can have a real impact on comfort, vision and overall quality of life,’ explains clinical director, Sunny Boyal. ‘By investing in this new technology, we’re able to offer a much more detailed and personalised level of care, helping us support more customers across the community. We also now have ZEST, an eyelid cleansing procedure which delivers immediate, soothing relief for irritations available in store and can support contact lens wearers experiencing discomfort, helping them return to comfortable, everyday use.
THE STORE IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK,
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 8:30am-6pm, Thursday 9:30-6pm Saturday 8:30am-5:30pm Sunday 10am-4pm
From Plot to Picnic: Harvesting the Best of Summer
August is one of the most rewarding months in the gardening calendar. After months of sowing, watering, weeding and occasionally wondering if anything is actually growing, the plot is finally bursting with colour and flavour. Tomatoes are ripening, salad leaves are plentiful, courgettes seem to multiply overnight, and strawberries have already provided weeks of sweet rewards.
It’s also the perfect time to take your harvest beyond the kitchen and into the great outdoors. What better way to celebrate the fruits – and vegetables – of your labour than with a summer picnic featuring home-grown ingredients?
There is something deeply satisfying about preparing a meal from produce you’ve grown yourself. A simple sandwich becomes far more special when filled with freshly picked lettuce, home-grown tomatoes and herbs gathered just moments before heading out. Even the most modest harvest can elevate a picnic basket and provide a real sense of connection to the food on your plate.
Salads are perhaps the easiest way to showcase seasonal produce. Mixed leaves, radishes, spring onions and cucumbers can be combined into colourful dishes that are both refreshing and easy to transport. Fresh herbs such as parsley, chives and mint add flavour without fuss, while edible flowers can bring a touch of summer colour that is sure to attract admiration from fellow picnickers.
For those with an abundance of courgettes – and many gardeners will be nodding knowingly at this point – August offers countless opportunities to put them to good use. Courgette muffins, savoury tarts and vegetable fritters all travel well and make excellent additions to a picnic spread. It’s a far more appealing solution than quietly leaving surplus courgettes on neighbours’ doorsteps under the cover of darkness.
Soft fruits are another seasonal highlight. Strawberries, raspberries and blackberries provide the perfect picnic dessert, whether enjoyed on their own or folded into cakes, traybakes and homemade scones. A jar of home-made jam paired with fresh bread can transform even the simplest outdoor meal into something memorable.
Beyond the food itself, a plot-to-picnic approach encourages us to slow down and appreciate the journey from seed to plate. In a world where convenience often takes priority, growing our own food reminds us of the seasons, the weather and the patience required to produce something truly fresh.
Of course, not every crop will be picture-perfect. Some carrots emerge with unusual shapes, tomatoes occasionally split, and slugs inevitably enjoy a share of the harvest. Yet these small imperfections are part of the story. They are reminders that our food comes from real soil, real weather and real effort.
As summer reaches its peak, now is the ideal time to gather family and friends, pack a basket and head to a favourite green space. Whether your contribution is a handful of home-grown salad leaves or an entire feast created from allotment produce, every harvest deserves to be celebrated.
After all, few things taste better than food grown with your own hands and enjoyed beneath an August sky.
Mansfield Road, Sutton in Ashfield, NG17 4HH • 01623 510777 | www
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THE DAY MAGGOTS STOLE THE SHOW Sutton Heritage Society
It’s the time of year when sports days are taking place across the country, but they’re nothing new. More than a century ago, local communities were organising sporting competitions that were every bit as eagerly anticipated.
Sports day in 1932:
Ref - Jim Higginson, together with Robbo & Willie
Sutton Town Football Club held its own athletic sports each year. They had the services of Hucknall Torkard (Hucknall)
Silver Band. Despite the name, a silver band was simply a brass band with silver-finished instruments. The band played throughout the afternoon.
The sports day started at 2pm on the New Cross Ground.
Entrance fee 1/-
• Handicap flat race, 100 yds (closed to a three-mile radius)
• Handicap flat race, 100 yds (open)
• Handicap bicycle race, half a mile (open)
• Handicap flat race, one mile (open)
• Handicap flat race, 220 yds (open)
• Walking race, one mile
• Handicap novice bicycle race, one mile.
• Scratch bicycle race, one mile (open to all England gentlemen amateurs)
• Scholars’ race, 150 yds
• Kicking Football (limited to two kicks) - This was a longdistance kicking competition. Each competitor was allowed only two kicks, and the person who kicked the football the furthest won a pair of boots, valued at 10/6 (ten shillings and sixpence) for the winner.
A pipe in a case was also one of the prizes that could be won for another event. The organisers stated that
if any winner did not like the prize awarded, it could be exchanged for another prize of similar value.
Officials: W. Stevenson, A Butler, G Simms.
Judges: A.H Bonser. C.H. Kitchen, J.P Fidler, G Stevenson, A.H Allsop, J Armstrong, R. Nesbitt JP, F.K Tweedie, E.Mitchell, J. Caunt, A Marsh and E. Bonser.
In the seventies, Sutton Sentinels were just one of the bands at Sutton Centre’s school fete on Garden Lane playing fields. Junior Jazz Bands (remember the kazoo?) Sutton Sentinels, Pleasley Carabiners, and Cotgrave Sovereigns marched along Silk Street, The Twitchell, Kirkby Road, Willowbridge Lane, Lammas Road and Station Road. The afternoon began with a performance by the Claremont School Steel Band. Other entertainment was provided by the John Davies Country Dancing Club, the Ashfield Dancing Club, Ashfield Gymnastics Club and Ashfield Judo Club.
With go-carting, sponge throwing, pillow fighting, slow bicycle races, and a fancy-dress competition were just a flavour of what was on offer. One objective of the Gala Day was to fund the replacement of a 13-year-old coach. Local businesses helped with prizes. There was even a mini motor show. There was talk that the deputy head had donated a pair of her shoes to the jumble sale, which ended up being taken by a surgical boot manufacturer.
The highlight of the day, however, was the maggot racing. As the maggots inched their way down grooves in a cardboard track, locals eagerly placed bets on which one would cross the finish line first. Have you ever been maggot racing?
• Nail trimming & reduction
• Hard skin reduction
• Corn removal
• Verruca treatment
• Diabetic advice
Mobile Foot Health Spe cialist
per appointment
• Ingrowing / Thick Nails
While many people are making the most of the summer sunshine, our senior men’s and women’s teams have already dusted off their boots and kicked off their pre-season training. And yes... the fitness work has officially begun! Despite the soaring temperatures, the commitment and determination from everyone have been fantastic, with plenty of sweat, smiles and encouragement along the way.
Meanwhile, our minis and juniors are enjoying a well-earned break after another brilliant season. It won’t be long before they’re back doing what they love, so make sure you keep an eye on our social media pages for details of when training resumes.
Thinking of giving rugby a try? There’s never been a better time! Whether you’re young or old, a seasoned player returning to the game or someone who’s never picked up a rugby ball before, you’ll receive a warm Amber Valley welcome.
Our experienced coaches will guide you every step of the way, helping you build confidence, learn new skills
• Fungal Nail Infections • Corn Removal
• Hard Skin Reduction • Athlete’s Foot
• Fully Insured and DBS Checked £22
Professional treatment for those with Diabetes, Peripheral Ar terial Disease, Rheumatoid Ar thritis & the “High Risk” Foot.
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and improve your fitness at your own pace. More importantly, you’ll become part of a friendly, supportive club where teammates quickly become friends.
Whether you’re looking to get fitter, meet new people, enjoy our packed social calendar or simply try something different, there’s a place for everyone at Amber Valley RUFC. Come along and join
Character
Professional installation
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81
9
1 simple rule:
Use
1-9, with no duplicates
in any row, column, or block.
These puzzles are devised by the brilliant Professor Rebus. For more of his puzzles visit www.pitcherwits.co.uk
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www.kirkbygold.com • Tel: 01623 756 816 56,Station Street, Kirkby in Ashfield, NG17 7AS
HUTHWAITE
TUESDAY 4.00PM, 5.30PM & 7.00PM
MANSFIELD HOSIERY MILLS
The Fieldings, Huthwaite Road, NG17 2TF
Nicole Smith: 07788 631 273
SLIMMING WORLD
Barbecue Pulled Mushrooms
7.5 per serving SWIPS: SERVES: READY IN: NAME
Ingredients: 4 25 minutes
Looking for a lighter BBQ favourite? These flavour-packed pulled mushrooms deliver all the smoky summer barbecue vibes in one delicious bun.
1. 300g king oyster or shiitake mushrooms (or any other type that can be shredded)
2. 1 cal cooking spray
3. 1 small onion, finely chopped
4. 2 garlic cloves, crushed
5. 1 tbsp tomato purée
6. 1 tsp smoked paprika
7. 1 tsp ground cumin
8. ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
9. 4 x 65g wholemeal rolls
10. Lettuce leaves, to serve For the sauce:
11. 250g passata
12. 1 tbsp Henderson’s relish (or Worcestershire sauce if you don’t need this to be vegetarian/vegan) 13. 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar 14. ½ tsp mustard powder 15. 1 level tsp sweetener
Free vegan slaw, to serve (we made ours by stirring together shredded carrot, red onion and red cabbage, chopped fresh parsley and plain unsweetened soya yogurt with added calcium)
Method:
1. Put all the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer over a medium-low heat until thickened.
2. At the same time, shred the mushrooms roughly using a fork. Spray a nonstick frying pan with 1 cal cooking spray and put it over a medium heat. Fry the onion and garlic for 5 minutes or until softened. Add the mushrooms, tomato
Don’t forget to mention Voice
purée and spices, along with 3 tbsp water. Season lightly and leave to cook for 5 minutes or until the mushrooms have absorbed most of the liquid.
3. When the mushrooms are ready, stir them into the sauce to coat well. Split the rolls and fill with the lettuce, mushroom mixture and slaw. Serve any remaining slaw on the side.
A dogs Day out
This walk brings takes in a lovely part of the countryside and provides some fantastic views, taking in the ruins of Wingfield Manor. When we did this walk there were quite a few cows on the paths and we never feel safe walking our dog around cows, so we are always massively careful to avoid them. It is permitted to divert around cattle and then return to the path but it can be a real problem. Something to be aware of.
5-MILE CIRCULAR WALK FROM SOUTH WINGFIELD VIA WINGFIELD MANOR
A mid-length walk which should take you and your dog around 2 hours to complete. There are a couple of roads to walk alongside and cross so please take care. Most of the walk is on paths and trails, so it may be muddy and there is a ford to cross, so appropriate footwear is essential. And, as always, please follow the countryside code.
START: Yew Tree Inn, South Wingfield, Derbyshire. DE55 7NH
1. Standing with your back to the pub turn right and continue along the road for a short distance, then turn left along a signposted footpath that thread between the houses. Continue for a short distance and then, just prior to reaching a wall directly in front of you, turn left. After a very short distance, just prior to reaching a large wooden gate, bear slightly right to continue along the footpath.
2. Follow the footpath as it bends sharp right, right again and then sharp left. Now continue along a lane with a hedge on both sides going gently downhill. After some distance cross over a stile and then continue diagonal left to cross a field.
3. At the far side of the field cross over a wooden footbridge and then a stile into another field. Now continue with a hedge on your left and after some distance pass through a wooden gate. Keep straight ahead going gently uphill with trees on your left. Near the top of the hill pass through a wooden gate into another field. Cross this field and pass through a gap into a field and continue straight ahead and at the far side of the field pass through a 3rd wooden gate.
4. Walk straight ahead to cross a field, passing close by a telegraph pole. Upon reaching a stone wall turn right. The wall gives way to a hedge and then after a short distance pass through a gap in the hedge on your left. Head diagonal right to cross a field to cross a stile and then continue with a stone wall on your left. About three quarters way across the field pass through a gap in the stone wall on your left to continue along a marked footpath with the same stone wall now on your right.
5. Continue for some distance passing a farm over to your left. The footpath climbs uphill and at the top of the hill, upon reaching a stone wall in front of you, turn left to continue for a short distance with a stone wall on your right and then pass through a gap in the wall and onto a tarmac lane. Turn left along the lane until reaching a road. At the road cross to continue along ‘Park Lane’.
6. Walk along Park lane for a short distance and then turn right onto a signposted bridleway and path marked ‘Amber Valley 1’. Pass a bungalow on your right and then through a gap to continue with a wall on your right and a hedge on your left. When the wall ends continue straight ahead for a short distance and then bear slightly right to continue along the bridleway with a hedge on both sides.
7. Continue gently downhill for some distance passing through a wooden gate. After some distance pass through a large metal gate and pass by a farm on your left. Cross over the ford and pass through another large metal gate to continue along a farm track with a wall on both sides going gently uphill. Keeping to the track, after some distance pass through another large metal gate and continue straight ahead with a wall on both sides. After some distance the wall on the right ends. Continue straight ahead until reaching another large metal gate.
8. Pass through the gate and then turn immediately left going gently downhill with a wall on both sides. Pass through a gap adjacent to a metal gate, then after a short distance turn left to pass through a metal kissing gate adjacent to a large metal gate into a field. Continue straight ahead going downhill, keeping the wall on your right. At the bottom of the field ignore a large gate directly in front of you and follow a yellow marker arrow on a fence to turn right.
9. After turning right continue for a short distance, then when the wall on the left ends, turn left to continue downhill with a wall/fence on your left. At the bottom
of this field pass through a gap into another field and then follow a farm track around to the right and then to the left to pass through some trees and into another field. Upon entering this field turn diagonal right and head towards a small wooden gate. Pass through this gate into another field.
10. Walk ahead to pass through another small wooden gate. Ignore the path to the right and continue straight ahead keeping a fence on your left, passing through trees and by an old derelict house on your right. After a short distance pass through a gap adjacent to a large metal gate. Continue straight ahead with a wall on your left and then pass through some trees and continue with a hedge on your left.
11. Continue ahead, passing through an open large gate and then continue to pass through a large wooden gate onto a lawn. Walk across the lawn towards a house to join a driveway and then pass through a wooden gate onto a road. Turn right and after a short distance follow the road around to the left following a signpost for ‘Pentrich’.
12. After some distance pass by ‘Coalburn House’ on your left then further along the road turn left onto a tarmac driveway and signposted bridleway. Just prior to reaching a large wooden gate turn left along a marked path. Cross over a stream then continue along the path.
13. Walk along this path for some distance and eventually pass by the ruins of Wingfield Manor up on the hill to your left. Pass through two sets of metal and wooden gates and then after a very short distance bear slightly right to continue downhill along a path through some trees. At the bottom of the hill cross over a stile adjacent to a large metal gate and then continue left along a lane with a stream on your right.
14. After some distance the lane bears to the right and continues with a fence on both sides. Continue along the lane until it turns to tarmac. Continue along the tarmac lane steep uphill until reaching a road. Turn right along the road and continue until reaching the pub.
This walk is for illustrative purposes only. Voice Magazines Ltd takes no responsibility for anyone who chooses to follow this route and encourages all walkers to obey all byelaws and signs and to respect the area they are walking in, ensuring they pick up all dog mess and obey the countryside code at all times.
Across
1 Specially made limos not stretched, but cut out (6,5)
5 Spoils the aim as it rips apart (7)
14 Can go to an odd shape (7)
16 Prosperous to clamber over on foot? (11)
Pitcherwits® are crossword puzzles where some of the clues are in pictures.
Sound easy? It’s not called “Pit-your-wits” for nothing! The mixture of cryptic and picture clues, combined with Professor Rebus’ unique sense of humour, will keep you entertained for hours.
Across
9 Scratched out from sleek editions (4)
10 Just sounds like food! (4)
11 Blind padre is in difficulties (5)
12 Sounds like a savage place to shop! (4)
13 High collar of dog talk? (4)
Down
2 Jump that’s a bit riskily taken! (3)
3 Thing’s found in gritstone (3)
7 Pan used to live here in central Peloponnese (7)
14 Pharaoh Moses got some resistance from (3)
15 Snubbed a bit in the centre (3)
Down
Melody that’s well preserved? (6,5)
House has a compromised member with a rift (6,5)
Base note, rather than bass note (6,1)
Direct to free stuff? Rot! (5,2)
Matilda,
Sea,
Strongarm,
Couplet, 13 Ear, 16 Ova, 17 Who.
KITCHENS AND BEDROOMS
Showers
Mansfield Aztecs Junior Hockey Club..
Summer fun! Champions!
Season 2025-26 - you have been
GREAT!
Mansfield Aztecs Junior Hockey Club has gone from strength to strength this season, here’s a snip-it of what they’ve been up to.
The children at Mansfield Aztecs have been busy training, playing, working together, making friends, developing their skills and winning!
All age groups, 5-14 year olds, have been involved in matches and tournaments around Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. Highlights landing in the Under 8s winning their tournament in Buxton and the Under 14s narrowly finishing runners-up after their first time entering the Nottinghamshire Badgers League. They went on to win the 7-aside Badgers Tournament! What an achievement.
mansfieldaztecs-juniors@outlook.com @mansfieldaztecs_juniors
OPEN FUN DAY - SUNDAY, 6th September
Kingsway Park - Kirkby in Ashfield Sundays 10-11:30am Age 5-14
THE BLACK LOCH BY PETER MAY
After the final book in Peter May’s trilogy set on the isle of Lewis was published, it looked as though his millions of readers worldwide had lost one of the most evocative thriller series of recent years.
But then he gave us another twist in the tale, returning to the Hebrides for The Black Loch. Fin McLeod, no longer a policeman, but still haunted by memories of his life on the island, is forced to come home to discover why his son is in prison accused of killing the young girl he had been having clandestine affair with.
He can certainly tell a tale can Peter May and this one draws you in strand by strand continually tying all your assumptions about whodunit into a mind-boggling tangle.
One of the real joys of Peter May’s books is the way he writes about landscape and weather and environment. You can really feel yourself batting a cloud of midges away from your face or fighting the fear of being on a small boat in the dark in a gale force driven sea. He writes about the landscape so vividly it almost becomes a character. And in this latest story the descriptions of the dark side of the salmon industry and the beaching of whales are enough to give you nightmares – all impeccably researched as always.
It’s a page turner certainly, but one with some serious thoughts threaded through it. This is a riveting summer read wherever you are - and even if you’re only able to dream about being in the Hebrides.
Going for a Drive
When I was young, going for a “run” meant one of life’s simple pleasures: an unhurried Sunday drive along quiet B-roads, often finishing at a country pub.
Dad had been an army driver, so there was nearly always some old, battered car outside. I can still picture Mum holding the passenger door shut all the way to Skegness.
My fondest memories are of seaside trips, when we loaded the car with family and picnic food before dawn to beat the traffic. We played I Spy, stopped in lay-bys, and slid across leather bench seats before seat belts were compulsory.
Saluting AA patrolmen were a familiar sight, their motorcycles and sidecars gradually replaced by yellow vans, while sentry boxes and emergency phones still lined the roadside.
Many drivers had never taken a formal test, having learned during military service. They maintained their
own cars, used hand signals when indicators failed, and clipped parking lights to the driver’s window at night.
Names like Hillman Imp, Riley, Ford Cortina and Morris Minor still recall a time when driving was enjoyable, parking was easy, and petrol was cheap.
Motoring changed when motorways arrived in 1969, and driving slowly became more stressful. Words such as “leisurely” and “pleasurable” seem far less suited to driving today.
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STUNNING HOLIDAY COTTAGE IN WARKWORTH, NORTHUMBERLAND
Treat yourself to a luxury break at the 4* Gold Award winning Little Red Hen House. An elegant and cosy holiday home just a 7 minute drive from award-winning and dog-friendly Warkworth beach.
✽ 2 spacious en-suite bedrooms
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✽ Perfect for exploring the stunning Northumbrian Heritage Coastline
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SUMMER TOADS ON THE MOVE
The poor old toad has received a bad press in much of our culture from the pompous and incompetent ‘Toad of Toad Hall’ in ‘The Wind in the Willows’ to being used as an insult by Shakespeare, as in Richard III, where the king is described as a “poisonous bunch-backed toad”. They were taken as symbols of poison, ugliness, and witchcraft, and feature in, for example, Macbeth, where the witches’ brew involves, “In the poisoned entrails throw, toad, that under cold stone, days and nights has thirtyone, Sweltered venom sleeping got, Boil thou first i’ th’ charmèd pot.” Even the eighteenth-century naturalist and writer, Thomas Pennant despised them, as “…the most deformed and hideous of all animals – objects of detestation.” Such opinions ran deep in traditional country lore with people believing that toads were indeed poisonous, but also that they carried in their head a magic stone or ‘crapaudina’ that could cure all manner of stings, poisonous bites, or, for example, toothache. In the days of quack medicine, such ‘toadstones’ were much in demand and often were fraudulently manufactured from a Derbyshire volcanic rock of that name! However, remarkably, toads are indeed poisonous if disturbed and can excrete a toxin called a ‘cardiac glycoside’ from the glands around the neck. This can be quite nasty if you were daft enough to ingest it, and has some impact on predators because it is foul-tasting. It also causes salivary glands to hyperactivate.
Despite all the foregoing, I do like toads, and it was a pleasant and welcome surprise to have one appear in the garden and then, a couple of days later, a second. The first was a quite small male, and the second a good-sized female. (females are generally larger). In times past there used to be a mass migration by frogs and by toads over the lane from nearby parkland with large ponds. But not anymore, and now the numbers have declined dramatically to just a few frogs and the occasional toad. In periods of hot, dry summer weather the damp-skinned frogs must head back to ponds and other wet areas, whereas toads with their dry, warty skins are able to range far and wide in pursuit of insects and other prey. These toads were both heading into damp undergrowth and groups of ornamental potted plants, and though the midday heat had passed, it was still hot. I gently picked them up to move them on which triggered their defensive reaction of inflating the body to appear bigger, urinating, and releasing noxious fluids from those glands around the neck. This generally achieves the desired effect, which is to be released and go on their way!
Toads can live up to twenty years or so, and gardeners used to keep them in greenhouses to help control insect pests. My great uncle in Morecambe had a pet toad called Ephraim and I recall he lived a long and well-fed life.
Professor Ian D. Rotherham, researcher, writer, broadcaster on wildlife and environmental issues is contactable on ianonthewildside@ukeconet.org. Follow his website www.ukeconet.org, blog www.ianswalkonthewildside.wordpress.com/ & Twitter @IanThewildside Bluesky @ianthewildside.bsky.social
FEMALE TOAD
FEMALE TOAD
KS Timber
UNBANDED SCAFFOLD BOARDS
NEW 3.9 METRES 3.9m x 225mm x 38mm
Ideal for various projects including: Planters
Decking Shelves
Tables
beds
Raised beds
Rustic furniture
Man cave Fencing •
Rustic furniture •
GARDENERS CALENDAR
Great time for taking cuttings to give you new plants for next year.
The likes of rosemary and sage in the herb garden respond well to this – as do favourites such as lavender and penstemon. Choose non-flowering stems and take four to six inches from the top – or four or five leaf joints if it’s easier to judge. Pinch out the growing tip. Cut below a leaf joint and gently pull all the lower leaves from the base of the cutting, leaving a couple of leaves at the top. You can use rooting hormone – from garden centres – and plant into free draining gritty compost or just try putting them into a jar of water, ( but don’t submerge the leaves) and then you have the pleasure of watching the roots grow. Once the roots are looking strong, plant as above.
If your strawberry plants have developed runners, you can plant them out to produce extra crop next year.
If they’re still attached to the mother plant pin them down alongside into a small pot of compost with a bit of wire and roots will develop - at which point you can sever them from the mother plant and either plant out or leave in the pot and overwinter in the greenhouse.
Cut summer fruiting raspberries back once you’ve finished enjoying the produce, but leave lower green growth for next year. If you’re lucky enough to have a glut just lay them out flat on a tray and freeze for three hours then bag up and you’ve got the taste of summer in the middle of winter.
TOP TIP
Camellias are a beautiful welcome to early summer, but it’s important to keep watering them after the flowers have finished as this is the time when the buds are developing for next year. You can prune them back first so long as the buds have not started to grow. If they have started to bud you’ll have to put in support next year to stop them flopping.
