Big Voice in Alverstoke, May 2020

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Alverstoke May 2020 | Issue 174 | £1.50 where sold

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THIS MONTH...

y, arit h c y, unit d more m n om s, c rties a e p i Rec prope

CONTENTS 8

Get Puzzled

17

Watering & Wellies

10

Recipe of the Month

23

Home Focus

12

Mum’s the Word

24

Keep On Running

14

St Mary’s Church

Test yourself with this month’s crossword

A taste of holiday, Spanish baked eggs

Some lockdown ideas to entertain the kids

Gardening DIY

Your safe haven

What a difference a few weeks makes

A refreshed sense of community

may issue 2020


Smalltalk

W

here to begin?

Peach Publications 01329 630630/07909 627177

Editor

Gemma Harvey-Guttridge editor@bigvoicedirectories.co.uk

Advertising Sales

editor@bigvoicedirectories.co.uk

Distribution

This Big Voice Bigazine is delivered to residents and businesses in Alverstoke. For distribution enquiries please give me (Gemma) a call. Two other editions are also published in Stubbington & Hill Head and Lee on Solent. Whilst Big Voice Directories aim to provide a quality publication for local reference, it cannot be held responsible for the services, reputation or cost of any of the advertisers, and content of adverts or editorial herein. Readers must make their own enquiries to establish the credentials of each entry. Reproduction in whole or in part is strictly prohibited without prior written permission from the Publishers. The magazines are produced on paper sourced from FSC approved paper mills and printed using vegetable based inks. They love being recycled but please pass to a friend first! Magazine, adverts, design, layout and content ©Copyright Peach Publications Ltd.

When I write a Small Talk, I often reflect on old issues and how I was approaching things. Sort of like a mirror to the weeks ahead. This time though, the world we knew a month ago is one we may not see for some time. As with every other country it’s touched, Covid-19 has had a life altering impact on the UK that will be felt for many months and years ahead. Firstly, I dearly hope you are all well and that your families remain healthy and safe. Whether you live on your own or are isolating because you are vulnerable, please know that people do care deeply. This is evident from the response we have seen to the NHS appeal for community volunteers and I have seen this personally from the people that live around me. Help is not far away if you need it, so please do contact neighbours who can help make sure you have the essentials. In our house life has changed dramatically, just as yours will have. Things have been scary but we’re also looking for the positives. I must comment on the fantastic work our daughters’ school have done to create an active and vibrant digital school. Daily welcome videos from the teacher, continually updated classwork, pen pals and digital assemblies have all been fantastic to be a part of. Additionally, digital platforms like WhatsApp and Messenger have allowed us to stay in close contact with friends and family, even my nan who is 85 and in permanent isolation and alone for the duration. Last week, technology even allowed me to organise a quiz night for 8 couples via video conference, it was great and something we hope to continue in a bid to feel connected. Finally, to the Big Voice, due to the clear advice from the Government I’ve taken the decision to suspend the printed magazine for the duration of the lock down and therefore you will be reading this digitally. The safety of the distributors and the many houses they visit on a monthly basis is paramount. Please continue to support your local businesses, we need you more than ever now. I hope you enjoy the magazine in its temporary new format. Please look after yourselves and your loved ones. #StayHomeStaySafe

Gemma x Advertise with us!

Reliably delivered by our local teams, reaching over 15000 homes each issue. THREE editions of Big Voice provide exceptional monthly coverage of our area every single month. Call our friendly team now on 01329 630630, jump on our website and have a chat or link up with us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter @BVDirectories

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Get Puzzled Clues Across 7. Three in One (6) 8. Corrects (6) 9. Harp-like Instruments (4) 10. Abuse (8) 11. China Container with a face (7) 13. Appal (5) 15. Alternate (5) 17. Post Code USA 20. Conflagration (3-4) 21. Clump (4) 23. Covert (6) 24. Accord (6) Clues Down 1. Creative (4) 2. No Doubt (6) 3. Element FM (7) 4. Perhaps (5) 5. Sparsity (6) 6. Leading (8) 14. Stranger (8)

15. 16. 18. 19. 22.

Incendiary (7) Undergo (6) “Lambs Tail” (6) Fund (5) Delude (4)

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Recipe of the month

Spanish Baked Eggs A Taste from the Costas - ideal served as a lunch with a fresh green salad, and eaten al fresco (if the British weather allows!) A perfect holiday reminder that’s quick and easy to prepare. Ingredients for 4 servings 4 x large free range eggs, 100g sliced chorizo, 1 onion finely sliced, 1 red/yellow pepper sliced, 2 crushed garlic cloves, 1/2 tsp paprika, 400g can chopped tomatoes, 2 tbsp. olive oil, Chopped parsley, A handful of grated mozzarella. 1. Pre-heat oven to 200C/Fan 180C/400F/Gas Mark 6 2. In a heated pan, add olive oil and lightly cook chorizo and onion for about 4 minutes until soft. Add the pepper and cook. 3. Stir in the paprika and garlic and cook for about a minute before adding the tomatoes to the pan. Simmer until all ingredients are soft. 4. Pour into an ovenproof dish, make four wells, carefully crack the eggs over the mixture into each well and scatter with a handful of grated mozarella. Cover with foil and bake in pre-heated oven for approx. 10 minutes or until eggs are just set but the yolks are still runny. 5. Optional - you can add some parsley to top the baked mixture. Serve with a fresh green salad and crusty bread. Try varying the ingredients for new tastes, for example with extra peppers, sliced potato or even baked beans. For a vegetarian option, leave out the chorizo.

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Tel 023 9252 6247 www.alverstokepreschool.co.uk

find us on facebook 11


Mum’s the Word My month as a Mum Wow being a mum over the last month is a totally different experience to what is my ‘normal’ and I guess it is for you too. If you follow the ‘Small Talk’ at the front of this magazine you will know that we are a very busy family and I am always trying to slow down. In this horrendous situation we have found the world in, suddenly we have that time I have always longed for. I’m not going to say it’s been easy, as well as running my business and a busy home, I have also become a teacher, a sport coach and have had to spend much more time planning the shopping and preparing the meals. Within the safety of our home during the lockdown, we’re finding positives in the time we are spending together as a family. We eat together every night, we have daily exercise as a family and we can do all those things with the children that we don’t normally have time for. There will never be another time in your life that you will have so much time as a family, cherish it. Here are a few ideas of things you can do at home with the children to help keep you all entertained. If you have found a great activity, I would love to feature some of your ideas over the next few weeks on my Facebook page @BigVoiceDirectories.

Painting with hands or feet has always been a favourite of mine, I always make Christmas cards this way. This time we created an animal poster! Have a go and see what creature you can create. Email me a picture and I’ll share it on my Facebook page.

Make mealtimes more fun by making coloured spaghetti! Boil the spaghetti following the instructions then add your favourite food colour for the last two minutes! Simple and fun.

Kids can be artists and learn how shadows are made at the same time. Choose an object and set it up casting a shadow on a piece of paper for them to trace around. Instant fun! Ask them questions about which direction the shadow is coming from and why. Leave the object in place and check it after an hour or so to see if the shadow has moved. 12


One of our neighbours has even made up a ball game called ‘Stick Ball’. It combines cricket and rounders but can be played with less players so it’s perfect for lockdown. Inventing the game was the fun part! If you invent any games, I’d love to hear about them. Well done Rueben! You will need: A bat or strong stick, a tennis ball, minimum of 3 people and something to run around. How to play: 1. Get in a position so there is space for the batsman to run. 2. The bowler throws the ball and once the batman has hit it, they run. 3. The batsman has to get as many runs as they can before the fielder/s returns the ball to the bowler.

Kids just love slime, I’m sure most of us parents feel the exact opposite! It’s creative and will keep them entertained for hours though. Once you have made your slime, use a straw to blow bubbles! Recipe 240ml PVA glue 1tsp bicarbonate of soda A drop or two of food colouring 1tbsp eyewash (must contain boric acid or sodium borate) 1. Pour the glue, food colouring and bicarbonate of soda into your bowl and mix. 2. Slowly add the eyewash and mix. It will quickly become stringy, when it comes away from the sides it is ready to knead in your hands. Top tip: if it seems too sticky add a tiny bit more eyewash but be careful not to add too much or it will just break apart and you will need to start again.

Freeze small toys in plastic tubs or cups, give the children wooden or safe tools and watch them release them.

Raid the recycling and make junk models, vehicles or space stations, the options are endless! The older ones can try and create a boat and test it at bath time.

This is a perfect one for the much younger children. Pass them a colander and some dry spaghetti (if you have some to spare!) and see how much they can thread into the holes. There are also plenty of keep fit, dancing and disco videos for children available on YouTube, the most popular is probably Joe Wicks. If you are a local fitness instructor, kids entertainer etc please let me know when you are streaming videos and I will post them on my facebook page.

I love hearing from my readers and the local community. Please share your ideas, stories and pictures via email or my facebook page.

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St Mary’s Church

A community in lockdown… It’s not until all our community groups and activities are stopped, that we suddenly realise how important they are to us. In fact, it may not be the actual activity that we find to be so important (although we love the exercise, creativity or learning), it may well be the people that we miss more. In isolation it seems we are learning to appreciate people once again. Not only our friends and family but also people who are unknown to us. Those who we don’t usually ‘notice’, but who serve us in many different ways. Many of them are the key workers who we’d otherwise ‘assumed’ upon and have taken for granted they’d always be there for us. It is not until a community is in lockdown that we start to appreciate everyone and everything, starting to see others and our privileges in a new light.

colleagues are taking a day each to produce a short magazine of articles, encouragements, shared stories and prayers. From a personal note, I never thought I’d find myself videoing a weekly act of Sunday worship and prayers from the Rectory – especially for Holy Week and Easter! It is all so strange, but it’s local, it’s community and it is about hope of life, in the darkness and despair of Covid-19.

If this is the case, then a community in lockdown does not cease to be a community. In fact, it may well be that this crisis ‘opens our eyes’ to one another and we find that our community can be renewed. We can already see this starting to happen around us through the wider care that is now taking place, by so many volunteering to help, the new initiatives to serve and the neighbourliness that has been revitalised. Such renewal of community is proving to be as intergenerational as it is inspiring. In this lockdown we remain a community which is learning new ways to grow deeper, more united, outward looking and compassionate.

You are welcome whether you have faith or not. This is about our community which rather than diminishing in lockdown is finding itself to be growing, in appreciation of one another, in relevance and compassion.

In the Alverstoke parish we are putting out an ‘Alverstoke Parish Daily Magazine’. In addition to our teams regularly phoning over 300 people, my clergy 14

From a faith perspective, our daily magazine is connecting about 300 people and there are new folk joining each day! If you’d value connecting with us in this way then I invite you to ‘sign up’ through the parish website at www.stmarysalverstoke.org.uk. Guidance of what to do can be found on the front page.

Grace and peace to you in these difficult times. Revd Andy Norris Rector for Alvestoke Parish rector@alverstoke.church 02392 580551 www.stmarysalverstoke.org.uk St.Mary’s Church, with St.Francis’ and St.Faith’s.


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Watering & Wellies

SELF SUFFICIENCY We find ourselves in new territories this month. Our homes have suddenly become a greater source of safety and comfort because we are now in unprecedented times, needing to stay at home except for necessary trips to source food and medical treatment. Our reliance on third parties for our produce has grown so much that many of us are no longer able to sustain a few days at home without needing to go to a shop. And of course fresh produce, when grown well, is an expensive commodity but one which has been proven time and again is vital for good health. Admittedly, many of us don’t have the luxury of outdoor space, but there are still things that you can do, at little cost, that mean you can grow some vegetables for yourself even from a small balcony. Here are a few hints and tips on how to get this started so that you can be more self-sufficient and reduce the amount of trips you are making out of your home to source food. 1. When you next make a trip to the shops (don’t make a special outing for this), buy some seeds. They are generally inexpensive and will have plenty in a packet for most family needs. Some mega-supermarkets will stock gardening supplies so see if you can get hold of some potting compost too. You can use egg boxes or old toilet rolls (fold in one end to create a pot) to sow your seeds - simply sit them on a tray so that when you water them they don’t leak underneath. When the seeds are ready to transfer out you can plant them directly into the ground without disturbing their roots as the egg boxes and toilet rolls will biodegrade. This is particularly great for plants whose roots are more sensitive such as peas.

Gardening DIY for the future months ahead

2. You can start growing vegetables by using scraps. Lettuce, Bok Choy and Cabbage are relatively easy to grow from scraps. Instead of throwing out the leftover leaves, pop them in a bowl. Add some water to the bottom and keep it in a sunny area. Make sure you mist the leaves with water a couple of times a week. After 3 or 4 days you’ll notice roots appearing together with new leaves which means your plant is ready to transfer to the garden or pot. You can do the same with the base of a celery, using warm water in the bottom of the bowl. Potatoes are super easy to do just by using the peelings but make sure that they have two or three eyes on each piece. Dry them out overnight and then plant them about four inches down into your soil. Keep the eyes looking to the sky and then leave them for a few weeks when you’ll start seeing them grow. 3. If you’re into juicing then ginger is a must and this is something that you can easily grow yourself. Plant a spare piece of ginger root into potting soil, with the buds facing up. In a week or so you’ll see new shoots and new roots. 4. Garlic can be grown from one clove. Plant it with the ‘root’ facing down into some potting soil and make sure you place the pot in plenty of direct sunlight, ideally during warmer weather. Keep the pot outdoors in the sun during the day. Once you can see that there are new shoots, cut them back and your plant will produce a bulb. You can take part of this new bulb and plant again. These are just a few ideas to get you going. With more time on our hands at the moment now could be a wonderful time to get involved in nature - if you have children they can join in and understand more about where our precious food comes from. Annie Gardner 17


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Home Focus

Your safe haven For many of us, our homes have become the one place that we are now taking sanctuary. With government orders to remain at our properties save for absolutely essential trips out, we may now be looking at our four walls in a totally different way. A lot of us have already had the pleasure of being able to work from home, but this is a new phenomena for those used to going into the office every day. And on top of that, if you have children, we’re now running home-schools instead of dropping our little ones at the gates each morning and either going off to work or coming back to fulfil other roles. There’s no doubt about it, this change in our environment is likely to remain for some time. So what can we do to make things feel better and more positive for ourselves and our families? Firstly, a thorough spring clean and tidy will make you feel much better about your indoor space. Pick a room a day and get everyone to tackle it. (if you’re on your own the bonus is you can go at your own pace and you have no-one else to mess things up when you’re done!). Be mindful of how many chemical cleaning products you use especially as our immune systems need all the help they can get at the moment and toxic load in our bodies can contribute to poor health. Make sure you open windows and wear protective clothing if you must use strong sprays etc. Otherwise jump online and get some ideas for making your own surface cleaners, toilet fizzers etc. There are some great recipes for many cleaning products using bicarbonate of soda, essential oils and other non-invasive ingredients that will leave your home smelling great but without the side effects. Give your bed linen a good wash and use the better weather to dry it on the line. There’s nothing nicer than a fresh duvet cover that smells of clean air to jump into at night! Get moving! If you are lucky to have some outdoor space make sure that you step outside often for fresh air. Consider planting some vegetables in your garden or on your balcony. There’s never been a better time to reconnect with nature.

If you have space, get out a yoga mat and some tins from the pantry - you can quickly set up your own ‘home gym’ using some of the free online sessions that are in abundance right now. Then once you’re finished you can roll the mat back up and pop it behind the sofa. Encourage everyone in your home to do the same. Their bodies and moods will thank you for it. Try to limit exposure to the news and mobile devices. The screen time isn’t good for us and being constantly bombarded by negativity doesn’t help anyone’s mental health. Have a look at where the focal points are in each room and instead of it being the TV perhaps get out some family board games, cards, colouring or other activities that you can do instead to keep you busy. If you have some houseplants see if you can take some cuttings and grow more for each room. Many indoor plants are great for cleaning the air and with us spending more time indoors this can only be beneficial to our health. And a good plant in a carefully chosen pot (from our existing collection at the moment) can really style up a room in a way you’d not previously thought of. Macrame pot holders are very much en vogue at the moment so this could be a great little hobby to learn right now and produce a useful item at the end of it. You can find tutorials on YouTube and Pinterest if you need assistance. Lastly, remind yourself to be grateful for all that you have. Whether your home is a little studio flat, or a 6 bedroom executive detached, it doesn’t matter. There is beauty and positives to be drawn from each of these (cleaning a studio flat has got to be better!) and as long as we can stay fed, clean and warm then we are very lucky. Lean into your home, keep an eye on your neighbours and allow your home to support you by being in touch with your environment during this time. Structure your day to do your chores, exercise and outdoor time and you’ll quickly get into a new way of life that can only be a better way for us all. 23


Keep on Running

Meeting the challenge What a difference a few weeks make! As March approached, lots of our friends from Gosport Road Runners and our social groups ‘545 RunClub’ and ‘The Breakfast Club’ kept an anxious eye on the developing story surrounding the nasty Covid-19. March is our annual running holiday in beautiful Paphos on the island of Cyprus. It would surely go ahead wouldn’t it? Right up until we were due to fly out on 12th March, we tried to convince ourselves that it would all be OK. Understandably for some it was too big a risk and what would have seen a group of around 60 runners from different local clubs filling the aircraft with joyous banter, turned into a much smaller band of brothers and sisters departing London Gatwick and into the unknown. On arrival, our doubts turned into reality as global pressures saw the local authorities (quite rightly) force the organisers into cancelling the forthcoming races. For Paphos’s businesses and the local economy, this was dreadful news but runners from all over the world took the news very stoically. Some took early flights home whilst others decided to at least get a few social runs in and enjoy a short break. That too was cut short when we awoke early on Sunday morning to hear that our flights home had been cancelled and there followed a few frantic hours trying to book earlier flights so that we could at least get home to family and work. Bizarrely, those of us who remained were still able to make the most of what time we had in Paphos. Our hosts, the hoteliers and restauranteurs did 24

their level best to make what time we had as enjoyable as possible, despite their summer season almost ending before it had a chance to begin. The experience is certainly one that we will not forget in a hurry, but do you know what? We all want to go back next year (hopefully), finish what we started and support the local community who made us so welcome. Meanwhile, back home, it was a strange UK that we returned to. Particularly lots of social media activity around the worst and best of British behaviour that I won’t go into here. What has struck me however is just how much goodness there is out there. Groups springing up everywhere to support those in need which I find so incredibly heart-warming.


In terms of our running...It looks like social distancing guidelines mean that we need to run solo now to look after our mental and physical needs, certainly in the immediate future. Our focus has turned instead to how we best look out for one another. One thing is certain, although we have pain and hardship to endure, we can get each other through this. Events wise, the first of our Summer 5K Series has been cancelled so that May will be the new Race 1 and the finale in September. Our Charity 10K run is still scheduled to go ahead but we will update as we know more. With every bad news story there is something good happening somewhere. If you’re being adversely affected, reach out and there will be some level of support. Block the social media posts that scare or depress you and find those that offer help and advice for seeing this out. If in doubt, reach out. Look out for each other and we hope to be seeing that light at the end of the tunnel sooner, rather than later. Nick cartscartergosvegas@gmail.com

Keep on Running

Absolute GosVegas 545 RunClub The Breakfast Club

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