OCTOBER 2020
PET SERVICES:
LOCAL WALK:
TECHNOLOGY:
PLUS: GARDEN PROJECT, health & beauty, puzzles, and more FEATURES inside!
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he clocks go back this month to mark the end of the strangest BST we’ve lived through, and into an autumn with more unknowns than ever. However, it’s comforting that nature’s routines carry on regardless, and I love the Local Environment column this month - the sedge warblers doing their thing before they head south for the winter, and other birds to look out for locally as the season changes. A local walk with a view this month; House of the Binns will be familiar to most readers I’m sure, but it’s a nice close walk that includes the wonderful changing colours of an autumn woodland as well as open parkland and features of historic interest, and I recommend treating yourself to refreshments at New Hopetoun Gardens’ Orangerie tea room afterwards. They’re running a tree festival and fairy gardens to visit during October and November. Winchburgh-based Wee Molly’s Pals Pet Services contributes an article on the benefits of positive dog training, and there is a very practical contribution from Wardman UK on “making home working work.” With the wonderful range of columns from all our usual contributors, I hope you enjoy the magazine this month!
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THIS ISSUE Local Charity: Home-Start West Lothian..............8 Garden Project: Miniature Gardens....................10 Feature: Making Home Working Work...............14 Feature: Positive Dog Training...............................19 Local Environment: Sedge Warblers..................21 Life Coaching...............................................................22 Local Walk: An autumn ramble with a view......24 Parenting: Getting Glasses.....................................26 Puzzles............................................................................27 Film Review...................................................................28 Health: Hair....................................................................28 Property Matters: Buy first or sell?........................30
Konect is delivered monthly to 7,500 homes and businesses in Uphall, Broxburn and Winchburgh. Copies are also left at the library, post offices, convenience stores and other locations.
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Twenty Years of Supporting the West Lothian Community A local mental health befriending charity, Home-Start West Lothian, is celebrating 20 years of supporting families in the local community. The charity, formed in 2000, offers person-led advice, guidance and support to parents with young children in West Lothian – helping those in need to overcome obstacles of parenthood and grow in confidence.
Louise Taylor, Chair of Home-Start West Lothian, started a long-term association from volunteering to leading the board for the last 4 years. She said “The work we do is invaluable, now more than ever, to helping families in need. In the last 12 months we have helped nearly 70 families and 150 children, and I would like to thank all our staff, funders and volunteers for their support over not just the past 12 months but the last 20 years.”
Since the launch of Home-Start West Lothian in the millennium, the charity has grown from supporting 16 families in their inaugural year to helping over 1,200 families and nearly 3,000 children. Some of the activities undertaken by Paula Roots, who alongside Margaret Harrison staff and volunteers to support families each CBE and Dave Milligan helped launch Homeyear include weekly home-visits by specially Start West Lothian to help with early intervention trained volunteers, 1:1 support with members of and early years support staff and group workers for families, said, “The and running a range of primary aim of Homesupported outings for Start has always been parents and children. We are always looking for more to give children the best All support is adapted volunteers to support the great work possible start in life, for Covid19 restrictions that is being undertaken, so please because childhood can’t so that the vital lifeline do get in touch with us if you could wait. It is great to see provided to families can Home-Start West Lothian spare a couple of hours a week still be safely offered. continuing to grow and helping a local family in your area.” support more families Stuart Barrie, Scheme every year. Manager, said “It’s a fantastic achievement to be celebrating 20 I wish Home-Start West Lothian all the best for years of Home-Start West Lothian supporting future years and look forward to seeing the charity support even more families in West Lothian and to families who need us most in our own continue to keep making a difference to parents communities. We work alongside parents and children who need them.” everyday to help and support them through challenging times in their life.” “We are always looking for more volunteers to support the great work that is being undertaken, so please do get in touch with us if you could spare a couple of hours a week helping a local family in your area.” 8 | BROXBURN
This feature was contributed by Home-Start West Lothian. For more information please visit www.homestartwl.org.uk or contact stuart@homestartwl.org.uk or call 01506 415755. @KonectMagazines
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miniature gardenS Everyone can be fascinated by miniature landscapes and fairy houses – whatever age from grandparents to grandchildren.
Many of our regular grandparent customers look after their grandchildren’s miniature garden which they can enjoy every time they visit. Building your garden in a trough or large pot means you don’t have to bend down so far and you can also place it where you can see it from the house – on a patio or balcony for instance. To look after your miniature garden some regular clipping of your dwarf plants will keep your garden in order – all you then have to do is regular watering, a little liquid feeding and lots of enjoying!
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Fairy Garden Pick up our purple piglet project leaflet for full instructions and suggestions of the best plants to choose. October is a great month for creating a display that will delight you all winter. The gardening project is contributed by Dougal Philip, New Hopetoun Gardens. Inspiring, informing and entertaining, for more than 40 years.
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Making Home Working Work With almost half of the UK workforce now being home-based we’re facing challenges none of us could ever have anticipated. So, what can we do to help focus attention, minimise distraction and perhaps most importantly, not end up totally burnt out? Research shows that negative emotions narrow the ability to focus while positive emotions can broaden it; when people feel good, they are more creative, adaptable and efficient. Try to notice what information you’re consuming. Especially during the working day, really try to limit the negativity you expose yourself to and where possible take an hour to do something that makes you feel good. 1) Plan for your most productive moments
We all have two types of attention: Proactive - the two to the three hours a day that we are at our most productive; Active - the few hours afterward where we are still able to focus but are not as effective. For most of us, our proactive attention peaks during the morning, so this is the time we should use to generate new ideas or tackle the most important tasks of the day. Try to resist the temptation to simply get through emails as soon as the working day starts as you risk squandering your proactive, most productive time. Instead, use your active attention time to catch up on emails, do routine jobs and take calls. Making a ‘to-do’ list at the end of every day can help you delegate your time most efficiently between proactive, and active hours. 2) Break goals into small tasks
Starting a large work project while at home can feel really tough; by breaking it down into small chunks it will be much more manageable to get going and once you’re underway, easier to stay with it. We’re less likely to have our productivity derailed if we 14 | BROXBURN
allocate tasks into 15-minute slots and use these small increments to build towards the bigger goal. 3) Use a shared calendar
Using a shared company calendar is great. It’s far better for your colleagues to know when you’re taking a break for lunch or picking the kids up. Being open and upfront about commitments stops the frustrations of being out of contact by managing expectations. It’s ok to be balancing work and home life! At Wardman UK, we’re working together to overcome these challenges using our expertise and technology to promote positive attitudes and habits. Working securely, collaboratively, communicating with ease and managing large workloads is part of the DNA of our business. It’s our belief that if we can understand what you do, the culture you have and your concerns that we can boost your business with technology that makes your team happier and more productive. If we can help your business through these times and beyond, please get in touch! This column is contributed by Eve Wardman, co-founder and director of Wardman UK Ltd, the Lothian’s premier IT and Microsoft Cloud Solutions provider. Visit:
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Mackie
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“All creatures great and small, we care for them all� Our caring, experienced and dedicated veterinary team is committed to providing the best possible care for your pet, horse or farm animal in the Linlithgow, Edinburgh, Lothian and Central regions. Our practice is modern, well-equipped and progressive, with a strong emphasis on preventative healthcare and advice.
Linlithgow Branch Surgery, 256 High Street, Linlithgow, EH49 7ES Tel: 0131 333 3203 reception@mackieandbrechin.co.uk www.mackieandbrechin.co.uk
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Please contact us if you would like your business included in our Pet Services pages. Contacts details are on page 3.
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PET SERVICES
Positive Dog Training: Mindfulness for Dogs The science behind dog training and behaviour is progressing rapidly and it’s well documented that pain-free and fear-free methods cause least harm to the dog and improve the relationship between dog and guardian. Building relationships based on mutual understanding is key to having a dog that works with you and can focus. This removes the need for outdated, punitive methods like choke chains, bark collars or pet ‘correctors’.
ACE (Animal Centred Education) Free Work and Tellington Ttouch are non-invasive, fear-free and pain-free means of helping anxious, sound sensitive, over-excited and reactive dogs. I have been using ACE methods for some time now, with excellent results. Free Work is a wonderful tool that can help reduce ‘problem’ barking, help the dog feel more comfortable in his home and surroundings and gives his brain and nose a proper workout. It is essentially mindfulness for dogs, helping them to relax in the moment, free from the distractions of the outside world. It’s a sensory, calming experience. Due to its simplicity, it can be easily adapted to do anywhere. There @KonectMagazines
is no special equipment required, except your imagination and your dog’s inquisitive mind!
If you are interested in learning more about my work, please do drop me a line via our Facebook page @weemollyspalspetservices or email weemollyspals@gmail.com. I am June Eaglesham and I run Wee Molly’s Pals Pet Services, based in Winchburgh. I am a qualified dog training and behaviour coach and have accreditations with the Institute of Modern Dog Trainers, INTODogs and the International Companion Animal Network and therefore work in line with the recently introduced Dog Training and Behaviour Charter UK.
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LOCAL ENVIRONMENT
Sedge Warbler: Showing Off During an early walk around the Wester Inch ponds, Bathgate, a small bird with a loud call was making his presence known. He soon found the highest point in the bushes and started filling the sky with his song, showing off to the females and defending his territory. The sedge warbler makes quite the introduction! They’re common throughout Summer when they head to our shores for breeding season.
again. Our favourites include the flocks of fieldfare, redwing, and waxwings all who love to gorge on our berry covered trees and bushes. Waxwings are so popular there are Twitter accounts dedicated to reporting their appearances, normally to be found in a supermarket car park by a busy road!
In winter we’re treated to some exceptional bird life who come across from Scandinavia and Russia, which we’re excited to see
This column is contributed by Clare Harte and Kate Stevenson, who grew up in Edinburgh and now live in West Lothian. Together they run Scottish Sisters Photography and travel around the country to watch and photograph amazing wildlife and scenic landscapes. www.scottishsistersphotography.com
Now they’ll be heading south again and it leaves us at an interesting time in the birding calendar when our summer migrants have left and our winter visitors haven’t yet arrived, or are only starting to. As we’re now in meteorological Autumn, there’s a lot to look forward to such as huge skeins of geese flying overheard, the beautiful golden colours of autumn spreading across the trees, crunchy leaves, and horse chestnuts scattered across the ground.
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They return from October onwards so keep your eyes on the skies because they are beautiful birds who are a welcome and colourful addition to the darker days, which we can all enjoy.
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LIFE COACHING
We Are All Doing OUR BEST Can you bring to mind the last time that something you did had an exceptional result? What was special about that time and what did you do to achieve that result? When I ask people to do that little exercise, they often really struggle to find that positive thing to focus on but can give me ten examples of the time that something went wrong. And yet, it’s as simple as changing what we decide to see. Is it that one time we ‘kerbed’ our tyres or those hundreds of times when we drove smoothly and calmly and nothing at all out of the ordinary happened? This new habit would be one of the most supportive things we can ever do for ourselves. When we decide to focus on those good results and on what we do well, we don’t waste time and valuable effort on worrying about the times things didn’t work out. We learn whatever lessons there are to learn from the experience and we move on. Sometimes we play the “ah but’ game when someone gives us a compliment on something we have done, on a meal we have prepared the clothes we have chosen to wear. We find ourselves saying ‘ah but, this bit didn’t work, I put too much seasoning/too little seasoning in, I think this colour doesn’t really suit me”. Suddenly a feel-good moment is overshadowed and the unfortunate soul who ventured to offer us a compliment 22 | BROXBURN
scuttles away doubting both themselves and their judgement. One of the most important gifts we can give ourselves is the realisation that, with some things, good enough is good enough. This is really important for us and for any young people we are caring for. We can all feel that we are never good enough or achieving enough and a gentle reminder of the times we did something really well has a huge impact on the self -esteem and confidence we need to take us all forward. I believe that it takes three weeks to make or break a habit, wouldn’t it be great if we all decided today that we are just going to stop criticising and judging and see the amazing things we are all doing on a daily basis? Let’s start today and see where we are three weeks from now. The Life Coaching column is contributed by Francine Orr. Francine is an NLP coach, hypnotherapist, and rekik practitioner, based within Linlithgow Chiropractic on a Wednesday afternoon. She helps people to find real and practical solutions to the things that hold us back in life. See www.orrganise.co.uk @KonectMagazines
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House of Binns: An ancestral home with a rich history
Just up the road at House of the Binns, a short woodland walk, lovely panoramic views, and parkland with picnic spots is lovely any time of year. It makes a colourful autumnal walk as the leaves change colour. Owned by the National Trust for Scotland, House of the Binns is the ancestral home of the Dalyells; the site was chosen for its proximity to Linlithgow Palace. There is plenty of rich history to explore here in the family stories. The first Baronet (1615–1685) was General Tom Dalyell, “Bluidy Tam,” famous for brutally defeating the Covenanters on behalf of Charles II at the Battle of Rullion Green in the Pentlands. The most recent occupant was the late Tam Dalyell MP. The house is closed at present but the grounds are free for you to wander; the gates close at 5.30pm.
Strut like a Peacock on a colourful Autumn walk Looking North: Stunning views over the Firth of Forth and Blackness Castle
The approach drive (off the A7904 near Mannerston Holdings) meanders up through a field of sheep to a car park close to the house. If you’re lucky, you’ll be greeted by the resident peacocks. I counted eight peacocks plus two babies the day I was there; there may be more. The walk starts beside the house, and is an easy trail through the woodland. It’s not suitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs as there are steps and tree roots to navigate. You emerge from the woodland into a field, and head up towards a tower. The tower is a folly built in 1826 as a result of a wager; Sir James Dalyell and his friends had an after-dinner wager on who could come up with the best way of wasting £100. It sounds like the sort of thing wealthy young men would do, but Sir James was 52 years old at the time and didn’t really have anything to prove! The story is on the benches that surround the tower, I’ll leave it to you to read it when you go!
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Binns Tower, Dalyell’s Folly and The Wager are all names for the turret located at the top of a steep hill on the ‘House of the Binns’ Estate
Linger at the tower to take in the wonderful views all around. To the North, look out over Blackness Castle and the Forth to the Cleish Hills and the Ochils. To the south, over the bings to the Pentlands which make for a lovely skyline.
From the tower, you have two options: through the gate closest to the tower and back down into the woodland to complete the short woodland circuit, which comes back out near the house where you started. You pass the remains of General Tam’s smoke house on the way down.
Or, from the tower, strike off across the open field (it’s waymarked) for a longer parkland walk. The grass is quite long, and at the bottom of this field there is a gate which, when we went in September, was accessed by an unavoidable and very muddy patch. Sturdy boots suitable for a bit of mud are recommended if you take the parklands walk. Bear to your right to follow the trail past “Paddy’s Cottage.” There are various little trails and plenty of picnic spots to be found in this corner of the estate, so you can divert, and there is a wet woodland which is a wildlife haven. Following the waymarked path, you walk beside a burn at the edge of an arable @KonectMagazines
field until you arrive at a wooden bridge. This was the old southern approach from the road to House of the Binns. The wee old stone bridge that you see here carried carriages in the late 18th century over the burn and up the approach to the house. Bear right over the bridge; you are now on the route of the old southern approach. It takes you to the walled garden (closed for safety reasons) and past the old stables where The Royal Scots Greys – the regiment founded by General Tam Dalyell – stabled their horses (also fenced off for conservation work). The trail takes you back to the drive you came in on, and back to the car park. After your walk, treat yourself to refreshments a few minutes along the road at New Hopetoun Gardens. There is a wonderful orangerie tea room open from 10am to 4.30pm with indoors and outdoors seating. During October, they have a Tree Festival on with fairy gardens to explore in New Hopetoun Woods. See newhopetoungardens.co.uk See: nts.org.uk/visit/places/house-of-binns
This article was written by Helen-Jane Shearer. Helen-Jane is the editor of Konect and lives in West Lothian with her family. BROXBURN | 25
PARENTING
Getting glasses! When my littlest came home from nursery after a preschool eye check with a letter saying we should take her to an optician…to say I was surprised would be an understatement. She could see just fine. She was getting on great at preschool. I would have known if she needed glasses… wouldn’t I?
But I also knew if she did need glasses this was going to be a big milestone for her. And our first step was taking her to the right place. Somewhere that would make the experience positive and where I felt I could trust what they were doing. So after a glowing recommendation we took her to Clearvue Opticians in Currie. We talked about everything that might happen before we went, and watched an episode of Topsy and Tim where Tim gets glasses. We arrived in plenty of time so that she could check the place out and she had good fun spotting Harry Potter-style glasses. But despite our best efforts when she sat down in an unfamiliar room full of crazy looking instruments she took one look at me and said “Mummy, I’m a bit scared”.
My heart was in a puddle on the floor. I wanted to scoop her up and do my mummy thing. The only thing that allowed me to stand on the sidelines was seeing that she was in 26 | BROXBURN
such good hands; the optometrist Jonathan was absolutely amazing with her. I’d been sold on the place after reading he had a special qualification in Paediatric Eye Care but nothing can tell you what a person will really be like. He was so calm and talked to her (and us) about everything he was doing…and answered all of our endless questions. By the time all was said and done she was so happy with herself. Now if it were me facing the prospect of getting glasses I’d be thinking of it as a fun opportunity in accessorizing. I wasn’t so sure that’s how she’d see it. I was worried about her being vulnerable to teasing, about them being uncomfortable or her not wanting to wear them. She’s only 4 but…fourmones are a real thing! In the end I think if it had turned out she didn’t need glasses she would have been disappointed.
We headed out to The Centre, Livingston to get her kitted out and she now has her very own glasses case and cleaning cloth. And it’s amazing how many “glasses buddies” she has found in the family and at preschool to make her feel like she is part of a special club. As it turns out the biggest problem has been perfecting the art of wearing glasses and an Alice band at the same time! I’ve never had glasses so this has been a learning curve - for both of us! I’m so glad we did a bit of research into local opticians and took her to just the right place to start her on this journey. The parenting column is contributed by Laura Archibald. Laura lives in West Lothian with her family and their campervan Hank. She is mummy, wife, blogger and full-time personal assistant to her two girlie girls. @KonectMagazines
SUDOKU Solution in the November edition of Konect
PUZZLES
CROSSWORD
ACROSS: 1. Fog (4), 3. Travellers (8), 9. Table support (7), 10. Entrance (5), 11. Clarifications (12), 14. Epoch (3), 16. Sphere (5), 17. To drink (3), 18. Uses camera (12), 21. Large sea (5), 22. Lawn game (7), 23. Mixing (8), 24. Steak (4). DOWN: 1. Mumbled (8), 2. Snooze (5), 4. Poem (3), 5. Ice-box (12), 6. Proverbs (7), 7. Painful (4), 8. Untangled (12), 12. Amid (5), 13. Alcoholic appetiser (8), 15. Accomplish (7), 19. Dwelling (5), 20. Grave (4), 22. Tin (3).
Solution in the November edition of Konect
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We’re sorry that the grid for the September crossword was wrong, and hope you enjoy this month’s crossword as usual.
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ONE WASH, TWO WASHES, NO WASHES? The word Tenet is a palindrome, which means it’s the same forwards and backwards. While I won’t spoil why I personally think the film is called Tenet, the film deals with the flow of time and how effecting the flow could end the world. Christopher Nolan has never shied away from telling stories around weird sci-fi concepts, with Inception being the most notable to date. Tenet is, in my opinion, Christopher Nolan’s most complex film. But just because it’s complex doesn’t mean it’s confusing.
Tenet is a globe-trotting spy film that has mindblowing action set pieces, from a highway heist to a siege during an orchestra performance. The action is fast, exciting, well shot, well edited and is just leagues better than the action in other Christopher Nolan films. All of the acting is great, the only weak performance in the entire film is Kenneth Branagh; I don’t think he does a good job and every scene he’s in just slightly suffers because of it. John David Washington and Robert Pattinson are the true stands out and do an amazing job. The soundtrack is also just spectacular and just adds to the film in every way. Tenet is an experience. It’s a film that must been seen not just the on biggest screen but the biggest IMAX screen you can see it on. It is really worth going to see in a cinema but please only go if you feel 100% safe.
The Film Review is contributed by Robert Ewing. Robert is passionate about film as an art form, and shining a light on films that may not be on people’s radar. Robert is from Kirknewton. 28 | BROXBURN
Often, we can find our hair becoming oily and greasy at the roots and this prompts us to wash our hair much more. In truth less is more when it comes to shampooing, the more your scalp is cleansed the more oil your scalp will produce.
The reason for oil being there in the first place is to protect it after all. Aim to wash every two days and use dry shampoo on your off days. Make sure to use water that’s not too hot for washing your hair. I love a super-hot shower in the morning but water that’s too hot can leave the hair looking dull and dehydrated. Apply minimal pressure when massaging the root of the hair, your hair is most fragile when it is wet so be gentle but thorough. I would always recommend two shampoos, one for purifying and deep cleansing. Then think of the second shampoo as a targeted shampoo, for example, if your hair is dehydrated then your second shampoo should be targeted at moisture. Conditioner should always be targeted, think of the condition when picking this product. It should be applied to the mid-length and ends and worked through for at least 3 minutes. Rinse it thoroughly and complete this step with a cooler rinse to help seal the cuticle shut making the hair much shinier.
The Hair column is contributed by Sophie Laidlaw. Sophie is Director @wonderland Livingston. www.wonderlandlivingston.co.uk @KonectMagazines
SATURDAY 10TH - 31ST OCT (10am - 5pm) SECRETS OF THE WITCHES WOODS - Almond Valley Heritage Centre Follow the winding footpaths and venture into the lost lands of the Calder Witches. In a place of old magic, you will encounter some strange sights, unexplained sounds and ghastly unforgettable smells. There’s much to make you scream and smile as part of your daytime visit to Almond Valley from the 10th - 31st October. Due to COVID-19 regulations all tickets must be booked in advance from www.almondvalley.co.uk * Normal admission charges apply. 9TH OCT - 15TH NOV (FROM 6pm - 9pm) FRIDAY, SATURDAY & SUNDAY AUTUMN NIGHTS AT FIVE SISTERS ZOO Come along and join us for our spectacular Autumn Nights. Display lighting, enchanted walkways, illuminated water fountains and musical lighting shows. There will be thousands of beautiful lights gently illuminating our animal enclosures and gardens to create, what we believe to be a truly breath-taking experience. Take a stroll through our spectacular life sized animal themed lanterns. Enjoy toasted marshmallows around our fire pits, sip on a hot drink as you wander round our wonderland of spectacular lighting displays. Info and booking at www.fivesisterszoo.co.uk 30TH OCT (3.15pm) & 31ST OCT (7.00pm) AFTER DARK IN THE WITCHES’ WOOD - Almond Valley Heritage Centre Once the sun has set, follow winding woodland paths into the mysterious lands of the Calder witches. You’ll encounter strange and magical sights that will make you scream and smile. It’s silly, scary, socially distanced Halloween fun for all of the family. See www.almondvalley.co.uk
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PROPERTY MATTERS
Chicken or Egg? Buy first or sell? For homeowners wishing to sell their property and buy another, it’s the classic dilemma – which do you do first, buy or sell?
There is probably no all-encompassing answer. Typically, people initially investigate the market to find out what they can buy for their money. Inevitably, during this research they fall in love with the “ideal” property. As they have yet to sell, they find themselves in a weak position as purchasers and are unlikely to have anything but an asking price (or even higher) offer accepted. After all, why should a vendor limit the sale of their property to the saleability of someone else’s?
Even if terms are agreed, then what? You may end up being forced to sell quickly, possibly at a lower figure than you need to, so that you don’t lose your new property. Annoyingly, once a property goes under offer, everyone seems to want it! The difference between an expensive purchase and cheap sale could cost as
much as 20% more than the cost of the move in more controlled circumstances.
So be cool. Sell from a position of strength, and buy using the power of cash. A proceedable purchaser is a joy to the ears of an estate agent and their client. As for that dream home – isn’t it rather a coincidence that the perfect property just happens to be on the market at the precise moment you are looking? There is always another one around the corner, and it may even be better! And if you don’t find a suitable property in time, you are unlikely to be homeless, given the volume of quality rental properties in the area, and nobody is going to force you to sell until you are ready – it is entirely your decision. We aim to reduce the pressure of moving for our clients in many ways and our answer to the chicken and egg scenario is emphatic …the chicken!
The monthly Property Matters column is contributed by Craig Turpie. Craig is a director at Turpie & Co Estate Agents and Letting Agents with extensive knowledge of the West Lothian Property Market and over 20 years experience in bespoke sales and marketing. 30 | BROXBURN
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