On Our Doorstep Baldock November 2024 by baldockdoorstepmagazine

Baldock, Ashwell, Weston and surrounding villages

Welcome

We hope you have all had a good half term and managed to keep the kids entertained. Lots of you will have been dragged out trick or treating with your little ones and some of you may have even got into the spooky spirit yourself and dusted oﬀ your fancy dress outﬁts.

Autumn has been fairly mild so far but the changing clocks and crisp mornings have started to take eﬀect. The shops are already stocking up for Christmas and you can hear the faint tune of jingle bells in the background while doing your weekly shop.

October was rounded oﬀ nicely with Baldock's own Oktoberfest. The beer fuelled event was well attended by lots of local faces and featured live music from the traditional band and of course a special performance from Gee La Roche. Huge well done and thank you to all of the volunteers that give up their time to make the event come together. They really are the unsung heroes that bring so much to the community and town!

This month sees us celebrate bonfire night! Locally this year's big fireworks display will be held at Letchworth Garden City Eages Football Club on 9th November. Early bird tickets are on sale now for £10 or you can buy on the night for £12. There's plans for lots of treats including toffee apples and lots of other food stalls.

If you're celebrating at home be sure to pay a visit to Tapps Garden Centre to check out their huge selection of ﬁreworks, the biggest in Hertfordshire, along with tips and advice on ensuring a safe and fun bonﬁre night.

There will be a Remembrance Day service being held in town on Sunday 10th November to honour those who have lost their lives in the line of duty since the First World War.

It seems a bit too early to mention Christmas, but the big fella in the red coat is paying Baldock a visit early this year and has already planned his route. He's looking for a few more volunteer elves to make sure he can get around so if you're planning on getting onto the nice list this year get in touch and oﬀer a helping hand. The full route and details can be found on page 9.

Until next month, look after yourselves

Paul & Jacqui

info@onourdoorstepbaldock.co.uk or 07973 788418

Aer another successful Christmas Fayre in 2023 we are back! With over 50 stalls spanning the High Street, St Mary's Church Hall, The Baldock Arts and Heritage Centre, as well as a family fun fair, internaonal food court, heated beer marquee and live music, and the community centre running their own stalls this year will be bigger and beer than ever!!

Christmas Fayre Christmas Fayre

We kick oﬀ the proceedings with our Christmas Fayre Warm Up Party at 6pm on Friday 6th December. The music will start with Baldock's very own G 'Balstock' La Roche with his students from 6pm and run unl 9pm, but we'll be there enjoying the fesvies, and serving drinks unl 10pm.

Then from 11am on Saturday 7th December the tradional Christmas Fayre will begin with the venues opening their doors to welcome the shoppers, and the fun fair and food stalls start to trade.

There will be the inﬂatable stage by the

Christmas Tree with Darren in his usual Christmas suit returning as the fantasc compere we've all come to love. As usual Darren will joined by his trusty, if a bit cheeky, side kick “Simon the Snowman”.

Once again G has arranged a fantasc line up of our local, talented musical acts with a variety of performers with returns from the Imagica Christmas Elves for the children, and then the Dirty Half Hundred, Paciﬁc Pandas, Basket of Puppies and Magenta Slippers to name but a few.

Light switch on will be at 6pm but the fesvies will connue unl 21:00, and the bar will be open unl 22:00.

We can't wait to see you all down there, and celebrate with you all in true Baldock Style!!

Lots of love and Christmas cheer to you all from us all at the Baldock Christmas Fayre Commiee.

Katy, Tara, & Stuart xxx Happy Christmas!!!

Balstock 2024 saw record crowds and epic amounts of music and entertainment over the 3 day, free fesval. All venues were packed (some maybe TOO packed!) and there was a friendly and joyous atmosphere all round.

Balstock creator and chairman, G LaRoche, said of the fesval “It seems like a great me was had by all that aended and I’m exceponally proud of the team we had this year. The Balstock Reps were the best ever, the volunteers were constantly on their toes and the quality of bands wwere unbeatable!”

“Special thanks to all those helpers, who give their me completely free. But the biggest pats on backs should go to the Balstock Commiee, who work their behinds oﬀ from February unl we hand the charity checks over”

“I’d also like to thank the residents of

Baldock for embracing and tolerang a music fesve of this size on their doorstep. Balstock 2025 will mark “20 years of Balstock”, on the 12th, 13th and 14th of September.”

Balstock will announce an amount raised once all the donaons and fees have been collected and paid up. But if you sll want to donate you can go through their website: www.balstock.co.uk

In addion we’re doing a LIMITED EDITION OFFER!

How would you like to have your own personalised Balstock 24 T-shirt for the bargain price of £25???

We will personalise one of our selling tees with the text of your choice (one line of text).

If you would like one, please email balstockstalls@gmail.com to order www.balstock.co.uk

The Women's Instute is an organisaon for all women, with no aﬃliaon to polics or religion. Baldock and Clothall WI meets the second Thursday of each month at 7.30pm in the United Reform Church, Whitehorse Street.

A recent cake sale on Baldock market raised £205 of which £100 is to be donated to one of our nominated charies, this year Midshires Search and Rescue who aid the police ﬁnding missing persons. Our next cake stall will be at the Baldock Christmas Fair, December 7th, come along for some Christmas goodies. It's not all about cake though, we have lively social evenings, interesng speakers, oungs and several sub groups for example lunch, supper, walking and reading. If you don't think any of that is for you it's also ﬁne to just come along to the monthly meengs. Our speaker this month is a female bomb disposal expert which promises to be fascinang. We welcome visitors, charging a small fee, 3 visits are allowed then we would ask you to join. Drop in or email us at baldockandclothallwi@gmail.com

‘Hip, Hip, Hooray, Santa Claus is comming to town He would love to see you to say hello’

Father Christmas assisted by Baldock Rotary Club will once again be visiting the streets of Baldock and surrounding villages during December and making a collection for local charities

Baldock Rotary Club Christmas Sleigh 2024 Route

After Santa Claus (code name: Red One) is kidnapped, the North Pole's Head of Security, E.L.F. (extremely large and formidable, (Dwayne Johnson) must team up with the world's most infamous bounty hunter (Chris Evans), who is on the naughty list.And by using travel portals hidden in toy stores to travel the globe, in an action-packed mission to save Christmas.

Years after witnessing the death of revered hero Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius is forced to enter the Colosseum after his home is conquered by the tyrannical Emperors who now lead Rome with an iron ﬁst. With rage in his heart and the future of the Empire at stake, Lucius must look to his past to ﬁnd strength and honour to return the glory of Rome to its people.

Stow away those marmalade sandwiches because Paddington is back, this time he travels returns to Peru to visit his belovedAunt Lucy, who now resides at the Home for Retired Bears. With the Brown Family in tow, a thrilling adventure ensues when a mystery plunges them into an unexpected journey through theAmazon rainforest and up to the mountain peaks of Peru.

This time around, Moana embarks on an epic journey in search of discovering if people live beyond the shoes of Motunui. In doing so, she heads to the far seas of Oceania with her friends after she receives an unexpected call from her wayﬁnding ancestors.Along the way, her crew ﬁnds themselves in dangerous, long-lost waters unlike anything they’ve ever faced before

16 Hurst Close Baldock, SG76TL 16 Hurst Close Baldock, SG76TL 16 Baldock,

‘For all your alterations, repairs book now via our website. For 1:1 sewing lessons please call us’ Please

‘From August 2021 we are shutting the doors in Mansﬁeld Road and will be working from 16 Hurst Close, Baldock SG7 6TL Appointments only’ Please call 07938509672 for more details and to book www.sewingbs.co.uk

Breath new life into your garden with our exceptional landscaping services. We offer a wide range of options including porcelain, Indian sandstone block paving, gravel, tarmac, resin We also supply & t fencing, turf & articial grass and so much more! 5 year Guarantee on all works.

5 minutes with... Brent Copsey from Herts Native Trees

*TellusabitaboutHertsNaveTrees?

We are not a tradional garden centre, we are a small nursery specialisingingrowingandsupplyingUKnavetrees,hedging& shrubs from UK seed source. We supply to the public, landscapers,gardendesigners&localauthories.

*Whereaboutsareyoubased?

OntheBaldocktoAshwellRoadjustoutsideBygravevillage.

*How are nave trees and hedging plants diﬀerent from others?

Navespeciesaredeﬁnedasthosethatinhabitedthelandscape immediately aer the last Ice Age i.e., approx. 10,000 years ago.

Well known examples include; Silver Birch, English Oak, Wild Cherry and Crab Apple. They should not to be confused with naturalised species, e.g. Horse and Sweet Chestnut which are nave to the Balkans and were introduced to our islands and widelyplantedinthe16thc.

*People are much more aware now of the importance of planng trees but why should people plant nave trees/plants?

They are especially important because they co-evolved to support surrounding ecological systems, including buerﬂies, bees, beetles, birds, and other wildlife. If we do not provide the wildlife with the host plants they need, those species of animal, bird and insect will simply not be present any more. They are beer adapted to our soils, moisture, and weather than exoc plantsthatevolvedinotherpartsoftheworldandthusneedless maintenance. They need fewer ferlizers/pescides, use less waterandarerelavelyeasyforpeopletomaintain.

Nave plants are also beauful, oen giving just as much visual pleasureasexocones!

*WhatmakesHertsNaveTreesunique?

We grow from cerﬁcated UK seed source (rather than from connental seed/ saplings/plugs etc) and we grow in 'Root Pouches' which are breathable, made from recycled material and which produce very strong root structures (than say plasc tubs/pots) thus healthy plants. This also means, that you can our plant our stock all year round provided you have given adequatethoughttowatering(seebelow!!).Wealsosourcethe bulk of our growing mediums/non-peat composts from Cumberlows in Bunngford and enjoy working collaboravely withotherlocalbusinessesinoursector.

*Whatshouldcustomersexpectfromavisittolookaround?

I am always more than happy to discuss plans and or concerns and to give general advice about the suitability of a species in a speciﬁc seng e.g., trees for a small garden or hedging for privacyortreesforpoorlydrainedsoiletc. Iamalsohappytodo a free site visit if it would be beneﬁcial. I will give advice regarding planng, watering and can recommend local designers/landscapers and horculturists who can assist with planngandaercare.

*What'strending?

Ialwaysspendalotofmetalkingtocustomersaboutwatering and watering systems. However, with the number of small new developments in and around the villages, what and where to plantonablankcanvasisthenumberonetopic!

*Whatareyouropeningmes?

AlthoughIamonsitemostdays,wedonothaveregularopening mes like a Garden Centre. Viewing is by appt (just call or text me on 07703 516914) I am very ﬂexible and live in Baldock so I usuallyonlyneedafewminutesnoce!

Don’tLeaveitUntilit’sTooLate

Why we all need to think about making Lasng Powers of Aorney LPA’s (sooner rather than later)

We all have insurances in place; some are compulsory like car insurance and with some it just makes sense to have them – like home contents or travel insurance.

All insurances oﬀer protecon in case the worst happens. In the case of Wills, we all know that the worst must happen at some point. We will all die one day and therefore, unless our aﬀairs are really simple, we should all have a Will in place.

With an LPA it just makes sense to cover yourself in case they may be needed. Any of us could have an accident or stroke etc at any me, leaving us mentally unable to deal with our own ﬁnances. How would the bills or rent/mortgage get paid and how would our care be funded if nobody could access our money? Accounts are frozen when someone becomes mentally unwell (even joint accounts)! and contrary to what a lot of people think – spouses are unable to step in and act for each other unless they have permission from the Court of Protecon.

An LPA should be viewed as another type of insurance policy and life would be so much easier for our families if we have decided in advance who we would like to assist us if we weren't well enough to deal with ﬁnancial maers ourselves.

If you haven't made an LPA and you become too ill to manage your ﬁnances the alternave is a long, costly court process which will be incredibly stressful for your family.

There is another type of LPA that we should deﬁnitely consider, parcularly as we get older – this covers health and

welfare.

It would allow people you trust (your aorneys) to make decisions on your behalf about your day-to-day healthcare and treatment if you weren't well enough to do that yourself, and you also get to specify your thoughts about life-sustaining treatment. Again, it is a common misconcepon that medical professionals/local authories/Social Services/care providers etc will take instrucons from family members – somemes they will, but not always, and if there is any area of dispute they would never do what the family wants unless there was an LPA in place. Another thing that is commonly misunderstood is that once an LPA exists then aorneys will simply take over. That is not the case – the person making the LPA is in complete control of how it is used while they are well enough to do that. Nobody would take over unless mental capacity has been lost completely.

We should all protect ourselves and our families by having LPAs in place – just in case … If you would like more informaon about making an LPA please contact A R K Lasng Powers & Wills on 01438 746977 or info@arkpowers.com

Preventing Injuries at Christmas

Oen paents ask me what me of year people are most likely to injure themselves. In short, the answer is: at any me of year, but oen when we sustain an injury it is either from an accident, which, by their very nature are unpredictable, or it is an accumulaon of tension and stress in your body which results in an area having to overwork and thus become vulnerable to injury. However, there are risk factors for causing injuries these include: repeve movements, stress and lack of rest and recovery.

In the run up to Christmas there is oen a lot of pressure and stress to ensure we have presents for everyone, have them wrapped, have food to cater for all the family oh! ... and to stay well for the actual day so that we can enjoy it!

All these factors can make us more vulnerable to sustaining an injury. Following a few simple steps can help to avoid adding any more physical stress to your body.

Wrapping Presents

Where possible always try to do it this at a table standing up, with a slight bend in your knees this will allow you to use your whole body and not put too much pressure on your back.

When wrapping those slightly larger presents use the ﬂoor, try not to sit astride on the ﬂoor, instead be on your knees, and move around the present to wrap the corners rather than stretching out in front, hoping your arms were an inch longer!

Liing at Christmas

Whether you are liing the presents, maresses or chairs to ﬁt your visitors in, or copious dishes on Christmas Day, be aware of how you are liing them. It is not necessarily the weight of the object but the repeon of the liing acon. When liing any object ensure you li from your knees and keep the object close to your body (as much as you can if it is hot). Avoid taking the turkey out of the oven and twisng at the same me.

I hope this advice enables you to have a happy pain free lead up to Christmas, if you ﬁnd yourself in discomfort between Christmas and New Year, please call the clinic on 01462 490141 to see one of our specialists.

Louise Chatland M(Ost) N.D

Amber Health Clinical Lead

Its that me of year again folks where if you walk around with your eyes open you will see people either selling or wearing poppies. So i just wanted to remind you all of what it stands for, when you wear them or where the money goes.

Wearing a red poppy is a show of support for the service and sacriﬁce of

FOR OUR TOMORROW, THEY GAVE THEIR TODAY

our Armed Forces and Veterans and their families. It also represents all those who lost their lives on acve service from the beginning of the First World War, right up to the present day. It is a symbol of both remembrance and hope for a peaceful future.

That said, the money raised from selling poppies helps all the charies that are associated with the RBL. Last year 29,000 grants were paid out, totaling 18million pounds.

And please don't think that because thankfully, we haven't had any World

Wars for many years, that most of the service people are no longer with us. The average age of a service person or veteran being helped is in their 40's! Yes, men and women who weren't even alive in World War 2!! They are coming back from conﬂicts not only injured physically but mentally. These are people who have grown up in our communies and chosen to put their lives on the line if needed. These people should be appreciated and made to feel it.

So, when you pop into Tesco's and see the poppy stand or see any of the poppy boxes in the shops in Baldock, just take a moment to think about why it's there. If you have children with you, please talk to them about it and why we remember those that didn't return home.

On Sunday the 10th of November 2024 we have our Remembrance Service at the Memorial in the High Street. You are more than welcome to come along and pay your respects.

FOR OUR TOMORROW, THEY GAVE THEIR TODAY.

If you have any quesons about the local Royal Brish Legion, please feel free to contact Karen on 07901 821403.

Baldock Branch

Baldock Gardens

By Graham Tapp

November.

As we move from October into November, the weather gets colder, and the local wildlife will be looking to find somewhere to hibernate or at least find somewhere to keep relatively warm; we all know about the usual suspects: hedgehogs and squirrels, but not everyone knows about the snakes of our county. Grass snakes, like many other species, play a crucial role in our ecosystem. They help control the population of pests like slugs and snails, which can harm plants. Many times, I've been asked to visit someone's garden to look into a mystery disappearance of fish from their pond or investigate wriggly things in their compost heap; strangely enough, these things are related. Grass snakes are the culprits; many of you will never have seen a grass snake or even imagined they would be in your garden, but they could be. North Hertfordshire is not snake-central, but there are some about. Protected by law, snakes must not be harmed, put under stress or killed. Usually greenish, with a yellow and black collar, pale belly, and darker side markings, they are easily distinguished from the more famous Adder.

When visiting a site with an unwanted grass snake, it's great to find it, show the owner about it and try to persuade them that it is in their interest to keep it and look after it. Grass snakes are beneficial to gardens as they help control the population of pests like slugs and snails, which are harmful to plants. Most times, the answer is yes, and the snake stays in its home. Sometimes, the answer is no, and it has to come home with me; I suppose in the 38 years I have lived in Baldock, I have re-homed five or six at the Garden Centre, where they have lots of open space and compost heaps to live in. We have a population of toads and frogs for them to hunt and, in the spring, their favourite, young slugs. Some years ago, I was asked to come and catch a snake that was making its way up the old Wallington Road. I assumed it would be a grass snake or even an adder,

so I intended on catching it with my bare hands and putting it in a cloth bag; on arrival, I discovered a bright red snake just under a metre in length heading at speed towards Cambridge, this snake needed some serious respect so I drove back to the garden Centre to get my snake stick and my thick leather welders gloves as I didn't want to get bitten, I also collected a small black dustbin that had a lid to put it in.

On returning to the snake, it was well on its way up the hill towards Wallington; it was fast and challenging to catch, but with some persistence, I managed to catch it, get it into the dustbin, and put the lid on. By now, a few people had turned up to watch. I decided to ring the police for advice and help; they would be along as soon as they could find their snake specialist. About half a dozen people were gathering around, and I was explaining to them what was happening when an old-style Mini car arrived at speed and squealed to a halt. A chap jumped out shouting, what's in the black bin? Before any of us could stop him, he whipped the lid off the bin and was immediately faced with a very annoyed red snake catapulting itself out like a Jack in the Box and continuing its escape up the hill; the screaming man was last seen driving away at high speed leaving me to catch the escapee again, all the spectators had quickly climbed up the grass bank out of harm's way. The snake was putting up an excellent defence to re-capture when the Police specialist turned up to help; between us, we got the unhappy serpent back into the black bin, and the Police Officer decided to gaffer tape the lid on, saying that it wasn't a good idea that thing getting loose in his car, He did tell me what it was, but I can't remember what he called it; what I do remember quite clearly is him telling me that they are non-venomous and that they do have a nasty bite and they won't let go. I still envision turning up at the Lister Hospital with it stuck on my hand.

A few years later, we found a pair of large plains garter snakes in one of our polytunnels, a beautiful dark olive green with a yellow stripe down its back, harmless to humans. Still, I decided to leave these to someone else, so I called the RSPCA for help; the Officer duly turned up and promptly told me that I was silly and not to worry as they were just grass snakes, and he took them across the road to the allotments and let them go. No one ever reported seeing them again. I'm told they can survive in the UK environment and may still be there.

Now, on to the bad boy of British snakes, the Adder; males are silvery grey, females are reddish brown, better described as copper colour, and both have a darker zig-zag down the entire length of their back; all Adders have a vshaped marking on their head. Adders will not generally attack large mammals, including Humans, but will defend themselves if stood on or cornered.

It would seem from the currently available information that about one hundred Adder bites are recorded yearly; adders do not always inject venom when they bite; regardless, you should still report to your local hospital A and E; remember, the last reported death from an Adder bite was a five-year-old boy in 1975.

Most people are used to hearing that Britain has three natural snakes, the Adder, Grass Snake and Smooth snakes, but there is another that has been slowly building numbers in isolated sites, the aesculapian snake [the Rat snake]. These were bought over from Europe some years ago; they are nonvenomous and the largest European snake, growing to around two metres in length. They are terrifying if you find one, but that's unlikely in Baldock.

Most snakes you will see here are rubber and from a toy shop.

SEASON FINALE

Mid October the BBSCC Fiesta Junior Championships returned to Silverstone for the season ﬁnale weekend.

Baldock’s young gun Archie Davies was determined to end his rookie season on a high, aer a very difficult weekend at the Thruxton circuit. He had been tagged on his rear le going into the complex, sending him and the perpetrator off track. He managed to rejoin the race and get back up to speed before entering the famous Church corner at 107mph, his rear suspension failed from the earlier collision, sending him into the barrier and barrel rolling off the track. Safe to say that the car was undrivable aer the incident and Archie had to sit out race 1.

Sunday and Race 2, Archie started the race from the back of the grid (P25), in the teams back up car and during the 15 minute race managed to ﬁght his way up to p8 before the chequered ﬂag was waved.

Back to Silverstone, and sll in the teams back up car, Archie managed a p8 in a very ght qualify session, but knew he could of been top 4 with pace he had shown on Friday. He was proved right in Race 1, starng in P8 and aer some intense on track bales he ﬁnished 3rd to claim his second podium of his Rookie year, but this me on the internaonal layout of the Silverstone circuit..

Archie said “to stand on the f1 podium at Silverstone was amazing especially seeing my idols, like Hamilton on this very podium over the years.

Race 2: didn’t go to plan and had a power issue with the car resulng in a P3 start and ﬁnishing in P5.

Race3: DNF Aer geng hit into turn one, he suﬀered a slow puncture on his right rear, destroying the alloy and tyre. As there was a red ﬂag behind the race got re gridded but Archie had to start from the pit lane as he needed a new wheel.

When the lights went green Archie caught the back of the pack very quickly going from 25th up to p16. On lap 7 he suddenly let dropped oﬀ the pace & it was clear to see & hear the car was not running right so the team made the decision to rere the car.

The resulng issue was a miss ﬁre. Archie was very disappointed for yet another car issue and his 4 dnf of the season due to mechanical problems. Again without these he would have ﬁnished 5th in the championship in his rookie season. He ended the year in p7, p6 in class.

Archie and his team would like to thank all his local sponsors for their support this year and we are now all looking forward to 2025 season to connue his journey.

Essex & Herts Air Ambulance

Help Keep Your Local Air Ambulance Flying: Volunteer at EHAAT's Stevenage Charity Shop!

Essex & Herts Air Ambulance (EHAAT) is looking for dedicated volunteers to join their team at the recently opened charity shop at 14 The Forum in Stevenage, which has been welcoming the community since July. They need enthusiasc individuals to help support this vital life-saving service.

EHAAT's charity shops are essenal in raising funds to keep their helicopters ﬂying, providing crical care across Herordshire, Essex, and surrounding areas. As a shop volunteer, you'll assist with tasks like sorng donaons, pricing items, serving customers, and creang vibrant displays. It's a great way to develop retail skills, meet new people, and make a meaningful impact on your local community.

Whether you can volunteer a few hours a week or more regularly, they'd love to hear from you. No experience is necessary – just a posive atude and a willingness to help!

To learn more about becoming a volunteer at the Stevenage shop, visit ehaat.org/volunteer or stop by the shop to chat with the team. Your me could help save lives!

Locaon: 14 The Forum, Stevenage, SG1 1EH . Tel: 01438 579 408 Opening Times: Monday-Saturday: 09:00-17:00 & Sunday: 10:00-16:00

Mark Kitchener A donation from every Valet goes to Garden House Hospice

Slow Horses – Season 4 – Apple TV

Too much choice out there?

Spend more time deciding what to watch than actually watching something? LET BALDOCK'S RESiDENT TV GLUTTON HELP YOU ON YOUR MiSSiON!

If you've been following Slow Horses, you're already familiar with Slough House—a place where the worst MI5 agents are sent to rot away their careers in mediocrity, paperwork, and slow-burning disdain. By the me Season 4 rolls around, you'd expect these disgraced agents to have fully embraced their fate of grumbling about low-stakes oﬃce polics and whatever Gary Oldman's Jackson Lamb can dredge up from the boom of a whiskey bole.

Spoiler alert: the show connues to make sure it's never that simple. Season 4 picks up where the 3rd le oﬀ, throwing the agents of Slough House into the kind of mess MI5's elite would rather not dirty their hands with.

This season there is a new mix of not enrely unrelated terror events. Straight from the oﬀ in the ﬁrst episode, two things happen. The closest the show has to a tradionally heroic pin-up, River Cartwright (Jack Lowden), voices his concern about his grandfather, old-school spymaster David (Jonathan Pryce – who has a much more elevated role this season and that's a good thing), whose demena is geng worse. Meanwhile, a London shopping centre is aacked by a suicide bomber and the naon is placed on a state of high alert. By now we know that these events will somehow prove not to be independent.

As Lamb and his misﬁt team try to untangle the web of lies, they discover that this parcular scandal reaches much higher up the chain of command than they expected. From black ops to covert alliances, the series manages to maintain the high-stakes drama of internaonal espionage whilst connuing to inject the signature

deadpan humor that makes it feel refreshingly disnct from other spy thrillers. Gary Oldman as Lamb is superlave once more – in my view all the best scenes are the ones with him in it. Lamb connues to lead the dropout group of spies with all the enthusiasm of a man who has been forced to aend his own rerement party for 30 years. Lamb's disgust for authority and open disdain for his colleagues somehow makes him the most lovable character in the room—provided that room is poorly venlated and reeks of cigarees.

Season 4 has been injected with some great new casngs. James Callis, who was one of TV's best ever egomaniacs as Gaius Baltar in Balestar Galacca, plays another smooth weasel in the form of fresh MI5 boss Claude Whelan. The operave has evidently got his job by appealing to stuﬀed suits in Westminster (“My brief is to acvate accountability and accessibility – that's the triple-A promise”) but now has to manage his stone-cold operator of a deputy, Diana Taverner (Krisn Sco Thomas). Hugo Weaving (Agent Smith from The Matrix) is pitch perfect as the villain of the season, the mercenary Frank Harkness. Ruth Bradley is excellent as Emma Flyte, MI5's new aack dog; Joanna Scanlan is perfectly cast as Moira, an unstoppably fussy administrator and Tom Brooke is an unseling wild card as JK Coe, a rookie who says and does almost nothing, but is brutally impacul when he comes to life.

If you're looking for a spy series that's more about dodging paperwork than dodging bullets—but sll manages to throw in plenty of both—Season 4 of Slow Horses is exactly what you need.

With 20 years experience selling homes locally

Thank you

to all

the people that have recommended me as their personal estate agent in Baldock. I love working here and the town has always held a special place in my heart, it's just great!!

Crash Care Centre Hitchin Ltd

r Pat Deux

It would seem that I wrote too soon last month. You might remember that I ended by telling you all that my boiler was on the blink. Well, lile did I know at the me, but it could have been my very last contribuon to this ﬁne publicaon.

The boiler man popped by and told me that there was no problem with the boiler, but he found that there was no gas coming through to it, so the meter was at fault. I called the meter folk who said no worry's if you can limp along for a few days we will come sort out the meter for you. I spent the few days running between the boiler and the meter pushing buons to reset the damn things. The fun soon faded with that malarkey, so I emailed them to enquire when they might see ﬁt to pop along and inspect said meter. An email appeared a few days later to ask about my meter readings and serial numbers, how immensely helpful.

Then the headaches started, I have suffered migraines, they are hell but are normally gone in a day and leave me with a fuzzy brain the next day. Four days this headache lasted, when I returned to work it cleared, when I came home it returned. That's a bit strange I thought so I sort the advice of number one son, who is a firefighter and quite knowledgeable about this kind of stuff.

He doesn't know how to put clothes in the washing basket, but he does know about these things. His almost shouty and very ﬁrm response to my predicament was “Get the emergency gas people out now.”

It turns out that my gas meter had sprung a small leak, it wasn't geng enough gas to the boiler to enable it to burn oﬀ the carbon monoxide. The boiler is in my bedroom, so for about ten days, it had cheerfully been poisoning me while I slept. Not only that, at any me I could have gone up in an explosion that would have pleased Robert Catesby (apt for this me of year) and taken half the neighbourhood with it.

It is all sorted now, and I have suffered no ill effects, so all is good. You hear about folk who have had near-death experiences taking stock of their lives, changing things and living differently, healthily. I can honestly say, not I. In the aermath of my ordeal, I reached for a packet of chocolate Hobnobs and a fag. Perhaps the neardeath experience has to be more profound. Rather than slowly creeping up on you, as it did in my case, perhaps it has to grab you by the short and curly's and shake you about a bit before you consider life changing alteraons, or it might be just me.

Winter is officially hear, clocks have gone forward, and the nights have drawn in and the summer wardrobe has been swapped for cosy jumpers. Bonfire fortnight is scaring the bejesus out of the dogs, the old folk and those unable to cope with loud bangs and whizzes. I know I go on about this, but I do wish folk would only do it on the fih. Everyone who doesn't like it would know when it would happen and be able to prepare for it and everyone else could enjoy it in the certain knowledge that they were not upseng anyone. I guess that's a wish that will never happen.

What ever you do, stay safe, wrap up warm, and if your gas supplier asked if you will be happy to wait for a few days while they sort themselves out.

Say NO!

Nicky

UNIT 12 BONDOR BUSINESS CENTRE, LONDON ROAD, BALDOCK. SG76HP

Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks

Now that it's November and the weather is geng colder, the low and slow cooking style becomes more desirable. So, tender lamb shanks, a rich, slightly sweet sauce and a buery smooth mash ck all the boxes for me. Although this dish takes 3 hours to cook it only requires you to be in the kitchen for 20 minutes! The rest of the cooking me is in the oven slowly cooking away!

Lamb shanks are a treat but when it's cold, grey and wet, this dish can help li your mood. I am certainly a prime example of I am what I eat! I find myself in a much beer mood, more producve and generally a pleasure to be around (although my wife may not agree!) when I eat well. One of the reasons I enjoy being a chef is how powerful food can be in affecng one's day. We oen have guests in the restaurant who arrive not in the best of moods. Aer 2 hours, a 3 course meal, some great wine and maybe a cocktail for the road, that same guest can leave feeling like they're on top of the world. It's one of the magical things about hospitality; The effect that our work has on the guests we look aer.

As always try and buy the best quality ingredients you're comfortable with. Try and buy local where possible. If you're super organised, you can make this the day before. It'll beneﬁt from sing in the fridge overnight for the ﬂavours to mature. This recipe will feed a family of 4.

Let's Cook!

Heat your oven to 180°C, or gas Mk 5.

¬ 4 lamb shanks

¬ 2 tablespoons of plain ﬂour

¬ Salt & Pepper

Mix the flour, salt & pepper in a small bowl. Transfer the flour onto a flat tray or plate. Dust the lamb shanks in the flour and tap off any excess flour.

In a heavy-boomed saucepan or a casserole dish with a lid, heat 100ml of your preferred cooking oil on mediumhigh heat. Gently brown oﬀ your lamb shanks on all sides. Once all browned oﬀ, remove from the pan and set to one side. Reduce the heat to medium and start to saute your vegetables.

¬ 4 red onions (chunky diced)

¬ 8 carrots (peeled and cut into 2cm thick slices)

¬ 1 sck of celery (roughly chopped)

¬ Add the vegetables to your pan and cook for 15 minutes srring every 3 to 4 minutes.

¬ 6 cloves of garlic (peeled & roughly chopped)

¬ 3 sprigs of rosemary

¬ 1 teaspoon tomato puree

Add the garlic, tomato puree & rosemary and cook for 3 minutes.

¬ 200ml of balsamic vinegar

¬ 500ml of red wine (It's only good enough for cooking if it's good enough for you to drink!)

Turn up the heat to medium-high then add the balsamic & red wine. Bring to the boil and reduce the quanty of liquid by half.

¬ 500ml of good quality stock (ideally a lamb stock)

¬ Salt & pepper

Add the stock and bring to the boil. Season with salt & pepper to your taste. Return the lamb shanks to the pan, cover it and put it in the oven for one and a half hours.

Aer an hour and a half, check the lamb shanks are so & tender. The meat should be almost falling oﬀ the bone. If they aren't, cover and cook for a further 15 or 20 minutes. Once the lamb shanks are so, gently remove them from the pan and set them to one side. Put the saucepan with the vegetables back on the heat and reduce the sauce by onethird. Once reduced, pass the sauce through a sieve into a smaller saucepan. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning if needed. My wife insists I put a teaspoon of mint sauce at this stage. I prefer without. It's up to you if you want a minted sauce.

Let's make an epic mash!

¬ 8 large red potatoes

¬ A teaspoon of salt

Peel the potatoes and slice them into index ﬁnger thick slices. Put them into a saucepan and ﬁll the pan with cold water.

Add the salt and put on the stove on a medium-high heat and boil unl so. Once so, drain the potatoes well and mash with a potato ricer into another saucepan. Add 200ml of double cream and 150g of buer. Put the pan on low heat to melt the buer and beat the mash with a ﬁrm spatula for 2 minutes to form a smooth, creamy mash. Taste and add salt if necessary.

Let's plate up!

Take those beauful lamb shanks and place them in a bowl plate. Add a generous spoon of mash next to the lamb shanks to rest on so they don't fall over! Pour the warm sauce over each shank. Garnish with a sprig of rosemary and serve with some steamed cavolo nero or tenderstem broccoli.

I hope you enjoy this winter warmer of lamb shanks. It's worth the lile eﬀort you need to put in. Let me know how you get on with this dish. I always love hearing how readers ﬁnd each month's recipe.

Kish

Kish. Chef patron of Eight, Baldock.

All Will Be Vanquished

New Aston Marn Vanquish

'All will be vanquished', said Aston Marn's markeng department as it teased its new car.

How right its statement may turn out to be.

The new Vanquish is ﬁnally here – and it's described as the “most potent ﬂagship” in Aston Marn's 111-year history.

In an era where plug-in hybrids and electric cars are starng to dominate, the famous marque from Warwickshire is hailing the rebirth of its legendary V12. It boasts 5.2 litres, a twin-turbo and a staggering 835PS – yes, you read that last ﬁgure right.

As if that wasn't enough, a 0-62mph me of 3.3 seconds, 1000Nm of torque and a top speed of 214mph – the highest ever on an Aston Marn producon car – tells you all you need to know. Even the Pirelli-supplied tyres are made from a compound custommade for the new Vanquish.

The Vanquish's cylinder block and conrods have been strengthened, and the camshas reproﬁled. It also has higher ﬂowrate fuel injectors, and reduced inera turbochargers help increase throle response.

In addion, a new Boost Reserve funcon raises turbo boost pressure above what's normally required for any throle posion, aiding performance across the rev range. This means that burying your foot to the ﬂoor will deliver full power quicker than before.

The car is rear-wheel drive and sits on 21-inch alloy wheels. It features an eight-speed ZF automac gearbox and an 80-mm-extended wheelbase. While this adds weight, Aston Marn has countered this with a carbon ﬁbre body to keep the mass to a minimum, although the structure remains bonded aluminium as before.

An electronic rear limited slip diﬀerenal maximises grip from the rear wheels, providing greater agility and beer control of oversteer. It also increases the car's rotaon in corners, making for faster cornering speeds.

What's more, the Vanquish has brandnew dampers, which, according to Aston Marn, will ensure the ride remains ﬁrm but comfortable. It has a double-wishbone front suspension setup and mul-link at the rear. Carbon ceramic brakes are included as standard, too.

The expansion of the front grille – a feature of a handful of recent Aston Marns – connues on the Vanquish. The rest of the car's silhouee is unmistakeably familiar, including bulging shoulders above the rear wheel arches.

A curved black carbon fibre strip wraps around the back, and the taillights have thin blades on either side. The number plate sits low, flanked by two pairs of large, slightly squared-off tailpipes.

The interior is gorgeous. It houses hand-trimmed leather and looks fantasc. It has plenty of piano black surfaces and a menacingly authoritave centre console.

The infotainment screen is slanted diagonally, bridging the gap between the centre console and the dashboard, while thin air vents sit above the touchscreen. A second screen - the digital instrument display - replaces the more tradional analogue dials behind the steering wheel. Meanwhile, a full-length panoramic glass roof ensures plenty of light so you can fully admire the cabin's beauty.

A Bowers and Wilkins premium audiosystem will add more impressive noises to the car, assuming you're okay with the V12 symphony being accompanied by actual music.

A plethora of safety systems will keep you safe, but you'll need deep pockets if you want a Vanquish. Aston Marn only makes 1,000 of them each year, and the 2025 model costs upwards of £335,000.

The Vanquish looks like it'll live up to its name then, certainly as far as your wallet is concerned.

Fast Facts

New 2025 Aston Marn Vanquish:

Ÿ Max speed: 214 mph

Ÿ 0-62 mph: 3.3 secs

Ÿ Fuel economy: 20.7 mpg

Ÿ Engine layout: V12 5.2-litre twinturbo

Ÿ CO2: 274g/km

Ÿ Max. power (PS): 835

Ÿ Price from: £335,000 on the road

St Mary’s Sports

It's been a great start for St Mary's and their sporng adventures this year. We took 68 children to Tag Rugby events where our children had a great me represenng the school. We've also managed to get most of our children from yr5/6 involved in football matches this season. The highlight being the boys winning the LDSSA B Team football tournament, winning all of their games against some good schools, scoring 15 and only conceding 1!

Our netball team has started brightly too. We've already had 27 children play for the school in netball tournaments. Many of our team were making their Netball debut, with most of them having never played a netball match in their lives. Aer a brain ﬁlling warm up of teaching the team the posions and

where they could and couldn't go, the team picked it up quickly and began to shine. We've worked a lot on spacial awareness and calling names when passing in Invasion Games in PE, and it showed as we moved the ball from defence to oﬀence in quick, smooth moons.

We have more football and netball matches to look forward to, as well as a X Country race that we always do well in.

Oxygen Therapy may help you. It's incredible how many people feel beer through breathing pure oxygen. Many people ﬁnd it gives them:

Ÿ More energy

Ÿ Reduced pain

Ÿ Clearer thinking

Ÿ Faster healing

Ÿ Decreased swelling & inﬂammaon Oxygen Therapy is very safe. It's a natural therapy without the side eﬀects of prescripon drugs.

At Herordshire Mulple Sclerosis Therapy Centre in Letchworth, we have been doing Oxygen Therapy for over 30 years. Our Centre welcomes people with any neurological or long-term condion. You are welcome to try an Oxygen Therapy session for free.

Would you like more energy? Are you in pain? Is your brain foggy?

We've helped thousands of people with MS, Parkinson's, Chronic Fague Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, leg ulcers, bedsores, and cancer. People visit from Herordshire, Bedfordshire ... and Europe! What is Oxygen Therapy?

Oxygen Therapy means breathing pure oxygen under gentle pressure so our bodies can absorb a higher proporon of the oxygen we breathe. Oen, that extra oxygen helps the body reduce pain, ﬁght infecon, increase energy levels and speed up natural healing processes.

We have the only group Oxygen Chamber in Herordshire, (it seats seven people, like a small tube train carriage). Each person wears a mask that supplies medical-grade oxygen.

Following strict safety procedures, our team shows you everything you need to know.

Many of our oxygen sessions are run by trained volunteers. We are so lucky to have an amazing team of people who support us (see photo). If you know someone who can spare two hours a week, ask them to contact us at oxygen@hmstc.net

Try Oxygen Therapy for FREE Free trial sessions of Oxygen Therapy are now available. Book your place via oxygen@hmstc.net or 01462 684214. Find out what Oxygen Therapy feels like!

existing home

renewal quote in the SG postcode.’

For most people their home is the biggest investment they will ever make and the things they keep in it are their most prized possessions.

As your local broker our role is to select the policy most suited to your individual needs. Ensuring peace of mind for our customers is at the heart of what we do.

To make sure your most treasured possessions are properly covered contact the Emperor of insurance

WiNTER SUN TRAVEL

Already missing that Summer sun, the warmth on your skin and that all important vitamin D...sounds like you need some winter sun.

For year-round sunshine, spotless beaches, impeccable service and only a short hop away, Dubai is an obvious choice.

In fact between October and March is the best me to visit Dubai, the winter temperatures are perfect—averaging between 22-30°C during the day, making it ideal for both exploraon and relaxaon. The beaches are heavenly, and you can swim comfortably in the Arabian Gulf's warm waters.

For all its glamour, Dubai is incredibly child-friendly: not only is there plenty to do, but children of all ages will receive a warm welcome at most establishments across the city.

The fesve season is also a big deal in Dubai and the huge selecon of hotels and restaurants will all be laying on fesve brunches and aernoon teas.

Gordon Ramsey’s Bread Street Kitchen & Bar, Ossiano and Atmosphere will oﬀer some of the ﬁnest Christmas dinners while old favourites Hakkasan and Nobu remain a great place to enjoy the season.

Where to stay

Atlans The Palm is a long-standing family favourite, with a huge kids’ club, playgrounds, and a waterpark and aquarium onsite. For beach and sportsloving families, try JA Palm Tree Court, or Le Royal Meridien Beach Resort & Spa which has its own beach and watersports centre

We love the Mina Al Salam which is part of the Madinat complex, a waterfront hotel with a private 2km stretch of prisne beach. It’s inspired by Dubai Creek, with the vision of recreang life in ‘Old Dubai’ in a spectacular seng, complete with waterways, lagoons, abra boats and it’s own souk. When you stay at this hotel, free access to the Wild Wadi waterpark is included. And for the photographers among you, this is the closest you can get to the famous 7 star Burj Arab, with out actually staying there.

Things to do

If sunning yourself by the pool doesn’t ﬂoat your boat, jump in a cab and head to historic Dubai Creek for trip into Dubai's past. This is where you will ﬁnd the Spice Sook, where you are introduced to the huge mounds of aromac herbs and spices, all spilling from large baskets at every turn. Spices are sold both by weight and in packets and vendors expect you to haggle.Just beyond the spice sook is the Gold Souk, the jewellery and diamond ring emporiums are like nothing that you have ever experienced.

For just AED1 (US$0.27), you can hop aboard one of the many tradional ferry

boats, known as abras, to cross the creek that separates the Bur Dubai and Deira neighbourhoods. The journey is one of the most aﬀordable and authenc experiences in the city.

For a memorable evening, take a trip to Dubai Mall, the largest shopping mall in the world, which is home to over 1200 retail stores. A centrepiece of the mall is Dubai Aquarium, one of the largest aquariums in the world, with a capacity of 10 million litres of water Step outside the Mall and catch the Dubai Fountain show and then take a trip up the worlds tallest building, the Burj Khalifa. Instead of taking the standard li opon to the 125th floor, you're going to strut in like a VIP for the heart-in-mouth 'At the Top, Burj Khalifa Sky', the 148th-floor observaon deck. It's a splurge, but worth it; as well as the extra floors, you get the royal queuejumping experience

And if you crave some winter nostalgia, Ski Dubai in the Mall of the Emirates oﬀers indoor skiing and snowboarding and is home to the only indoor Black run.

Food wise, with hundreds of naonalies living in Dubai, they’ve got every craving covered. Whether you’re looking for family-friendly cafes, celebrity restaurants, wildly invenve menus, tradional Emira cuisine or Instagram-worthy dining hotspots, you’ll ﬁnd it here

In short, a winter trip to Dubai from the UK provides a perfect blend of sunshine, luxury, and adventure. Enjoy the escape!