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Issue 22 September 2020

Inside Win

Â£25 Bedfordshire Gardens

Discovering beautiful gardens in the local area

Also inside

Diddy Directory Room 101 Scene By You

(Â£45)

NOTE FROM THE EDITOrS Welcome to the September edition of LivingLife magazine, the little magazine that packs a punch, full of local relevant content, keeping the community connected. We have some exciting news for you, we have two brand new magazines arriving shortly, with a new publication for Ampthill, Maulden and Clophill and also a new magazine for Flitwick and surrounding area. We are superexcited to be working on these new editions with each mag dedicated to their specific area, containing news, articles and events. If you run a business and are interested in advertising in these areas then please do get in touch to find out how we can help grow your business. The holiday season is coming to an end and interestingly this editor’s note month’s photo was was actually penned in the car, whilst towingThis a caravan, incover between holiday captured byabroad Kate McBurney destinations in Norfolk and the Wirral Peninsula. Holidays don’t have (John’s wife) evening the appeal they used to pre-Covid-19, so holidaying in UKduring would an seem to be stroll across fields the order of the day. Wherever you have holidayed this the year,farmers we hope you have enjoyed your ‘down time’ and have returned home with a zest in your near Henlow Village. Compestride.

| Andrew Martin |

tition Winner

JULY

Inside this month’s magazine we continue with our ‘Beautiful Gardens of Bedfordshire’ feature and this time round we visit Clare & Ray Kilby who have a beautiful garden in Stotfold. There is also an article from Dan Connors about litter which unfortunately seems to have increased during lockdown. With input from the Keep Shefford Tidy team, it is a reminder of the importance of looking after We would love your feedback on what our local environment. you enjoyed about this edition, and

Get in touch with us:

of course, any areas where we could improve.

01462 414265

admin@livinglifemagazine.co.uk

| John McBurney |

This month’s cover photo was taken by our photographer John with his DJI Inspire drone capturing the Langford Wind Turbines at sunset. On that note, keep a look out for the drone pilot on page 25 for your chance to win £25!

Kind Regards, Andrew & John

DISCLAIMER

The opinions expressed in LivingLife magazine do not necessarily reflect those of the editors, publisher or their agents. Whilst every reasonable care is taken to ensure the accuracy of information included within this publication, the publishers take no responsibility for any errors or omissions in LivingLife Magazine. The content is not to be reproduced in any form without permission of the publisher. Please pass to a friend, recycle or compost after reading.

Competition Winner

August

a big well done to:

nicola davies

Who was the closest to spotting the hidden drone pilot in last month’s photo & won £25

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

6 8 10 12 13 16 18 20 22 24 25

Beautiful bedfordshire gardens The Eve stone - book review artisans in the yard for the love of flowers diddy directory lockdown litter room 101 clifton scarecrow festival scene by you local restaurant tops tripadviser spot the drone pilot..... win ÂŁ25

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garden

Beautiful Gardens of Bedfordshire Clare & Ray Kilby, Brook Street, Stotfold

Check out all the photos on our blo g

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azine.co.uk/blog

Discovering beautiful gardens found in the local area. For our second instalment, we were kindly invited to visit the amazingly colourful garden of Clare & Ray Kilby who live on Brook Street in Stotfold. We were treated to a guided tour of their beautiful garden whilst Ray explained all... “Clare has lived in this house for over 50 years and I have lived here for over 40 years. My father was a keen gardener and after my marriage he encouraged me to take an interest in gardening. However, long after his death the challenge appears each year to create a colourful country cottage garden. I have many interests and so the garden has to fit into a time for each phase. I take about 80 fuchsia cuttings in September/October and pot them on early in the New Year. Daffodil bulbs go in after the garden is cleared at the beginning of October. 8 weeks before the end of May I buy geranium plug plants and pot them up to mature prior to setting out. Marigolds are grown from seed. Other plants – ageratum, petunias, salvias and lobelia – I buy from Langford Garden Centre as

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seedlings and set them out in trays of 30. I do this six weeks prior to setting them out on or around June 3rd. My father always said don’t set them out until after your birthday to avoid frost. All the garden accessories like old ploughs, old lawn mowers, streetlamps, mangle etc are restored finds from the past. A rear centre garden display is a wheelbarrow that my father made about 60 years ago. He filled it up with sand and found that he couldn’t lift it. He never used it again! The house is elevated from the road, which gives me the opportunity to tier and slope the plants, giving a more colourful display for passers-by. Window boxes and baskets add to this effect. I spend a few hours in the summer months watering and it is nice to receive comments of approval, although very few ask for advice!”

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book review

The Eve Stone, reviewed by Yvette Martin “Times were rotten they said, the safe world that we had come to know would soon come to an end” A book of adventure, magic and discovery!

‘The Eve Stone’ is the first instalment of a Young Adult Fantasy set called ‘The Tarnade Series’, and the debut novel of Jayne Thomas a local author from Henlow. The story is an exciting quest filled with magic, adventures, a beautifully crafted world and sad goodbyes. The Eve Stone begins in Tarnade, a land ruled by the controlling Harridans, who rely upon nature to gain knowledge, whilst segregating the community with a strict hierarchy. At the bottom of this hierarchy are the Unnamed, children who were born out of wedlock and have been raised without a father. Through corrupt methods, the Unnamed are given the opportunity to earn a name and become acceptable members of Tarnade. Unlike others Raykal does not strive for a name, instead she seeks for freedom from the laws of unreliable rulers. When there’s news of her brother’s disappearance, Raykal must go on a quest to find him, where she will have to put aside the prejudices of her people and decide for herself who she can truly trust. I loved how the author developed and introduced the fantasy world, as well as its magic system, ensuring a clear vision was portrayed to the reader. As someone who admires wildlife, I thought it was lovely to see nature being a major theme in the storyline, as well as it being highly appreciated in the two main cultures that are introduced. The author had created each chapter as its own mini adventure, which made it difficult to put the book down as you became more immersed into the story. So much so that I felt saddened to see the words ‘The End’ as I wanted to know more about Raykal’s continued journey. So looking forward to the next instalment ‘The Eve of the Oak’ and it was great that the author included a taster of this next novel at the end of the book. Despite being a relatively short book, a strong connection and attachment was made between the reader and the characters. I thought Raykal was an excellent protagonist, as she was, very open-minded and not afraid to make her own judgments on individuals, even if they disagreed with what she had previously been taught. She grows in strength and bravery as she learnt her true worth throughout the story. I highly recommend this book for anyone from 10 to 100 and I am excited to see how the adventure will progress throughout the series. This book really is a captivating novel that should be on everyone’s ‘to read’ list!

*Available from Amazon (as a paperback or on kindle), Waterstones and Foyles

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local art

last chance to enter our prize draw - be sure to check it out.....

Contribution thanks to

Erika Price

and collective Artisans

Artisans in the Yard FB@Artisansintheyard

What an amazing summer we’ve had at the gallery, with an unprecedented number of paintings and locally-produced artisan items being snapped up by our enthusiastic customers! So what’s new for you this month? You’ll find new artworks from local artists Linda Helliar, Karen Mangold, Irina Autumn and Annette Glenn, along with new prints from Yvette Jordan and embroidered pictures by Sue Nicholls. There’s new jewellery from Erika Price and new resin & wood pieces by Henry Seebohm to tempt you. Also new are ceramic dinosaurs from Jenny Jones, pure beeswax candles from Tim Bishop, and charming doorstops from Hannah Jacobs. Last but not least, we’ve restocked our range of greetings cards and giftwrap. This month also sees your last chance to enter our prize draw! Simply purchase at the gallery or on the website before the end of September, and you could win Yvette Jordan’s rainbow heart painting.

Do drop by soon

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community

For the Love of Flowers C

ovid-19 has dictated a strange and unusual way of life over the last few months. Like many others I have struggled with not being able to see family or friends for such a long period. However, it has given me plenty of time to reflect and I realised that actually Covid-19 has increasingly highlighted the impact of those struggling with mental health, depression, loneliness, illness and disabilities. So how can we all help to bring a smile to these most vulnerable people? The answer is simple...â€™For the Love of Flowersâ€™â€Ś a new venture repurposing and distributing flowers from events such as weddings, celebrations and even funerals. The majority of these flowers are discarded after the event which always seems such a waste. I will repurpose into bouquets and posies and deliver to a person, venue, charity, retirement home, refuge of your choice to bring a smile to those who are really struggling not only during Covid-19 but always.

For more information & to get involved please contact Wendy Phillips admin@fortheloveofflowers.co.uk

The

Diddy

Directory

the guide to local trades & businesses cost effective, contract free advertising

Book your advert today - visit www.livinglifemagazine.co.uk/diddy

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until march

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community

Lockdown Litter

by Dan Connors

alker’s Green in Shefford is a regular stop off when I’m walking in the local area. It’s home to an increasing amount of wildlife from a fairly rare wasp to otters. As lockdown has reduced the number of places that we can spend our spare time it’s been great to see an increase in the number of people enjoying our open spaces. What hasn’t been so good has been the increase of litter. Last week Dan Osborne and I dragged three bin bags worth of rubbish out of the river at Walker’s Green. This included underwear, shoes, drinks cans and bottles. We’re by no means the only people helping to keep Shefford tidy and I got in touch with the Claire and Teresa, the force behind the Keep Shefford Tidy group for their thoughts on why we’re seeing more litter and what we can do about it.

Why?

•Lockdown means people are visiting places they wouldn’t usually visit and are not bothered if they are left in a poor condition. •Some people who might pick up litter are scared to do so at present due to the COVID-19 virus. •People are moving back to disposable cups and single use masks and gloves are creating new litter.

What can we do?

•Keep litter picking safely. Use a litter picker, wash your hands often and wear gloves. Remember social distancing guidance and follow the advice from Keep Britain tidy - www.keepbritaintidy.org/get-involved/support-our-campaigns/great-british-spring-clean/coronavirus-guidance •Please try and separate the rubbish and recycle anything you can. Please also remember the guidance around social distancing. •Research shows that the less litter there is in an area the less people are likely to drop it. Seeing other people litter picking efforts has also been shown to reduce the amount of litter in an area. Let us know on the Keep Shefford Tidy Facebook page what you are doing as we love to see pictures of people’s litter picks. (www.facebook.com/keepsheffordtidy) The Keep Shefford Tidy group is supported by the Town Council and Mayor. Community businesses such as Rosebuds and The Loft have provided support to some of their events and Bradders Ltd. have provided litter pickers and bag hoops. We’re not sure when we’ll be able to have our next community litter pick due to restrictions, but Keep Shefford Tidy are looking at offering a library-type ‘borrowing’ service for litter-picking equipment during the Great British September Clean which runs from 11th to 27th September. Keep an eye on our Facebook page for more details! 16

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did you know?.......

tudents who stay on at school after GCSE and are resident in the Parish of Stondon (Lower or Upper) are entitled to grants from the above charity. This applies to 16-18 year olds and students still in education until 25 years old. There can be other grants available, but they must be for educational based activities. Please go to the charityâ€™s web site www.rands.org.uk for the relevant information and forms. If you have any questions please contact Katrina Henshaw 07817 104734 randsclerk@gmail.com

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ROOM

101

My name is William McBurney, McBurney, I am grounds worker and landscaper, whilst furloughed during the Covid-19 lockdown I volunteered to deliver for LivingLife magazine, this is my deliveryrelated Room 101. Here’s what I would put into Room 101…

Long Driveways

Just as you get into a good routine delivering to a nice row of terraced cottages (we are talking fast and efficient delivery here) you turn a corner and a beautiful detached house welcomes you, but there’s a sting in the tail, they have a long and winding driveway! Consider this, a 50 metre driveway, equals a 100metre round trip, 10 similar properties equates to an entire kilometre to deliver just 10 magazines. Really sorry, but long driveways have to go into Room 101! Unless of course there is a free-standing post box at the gate entrance.

Attacking dogs

Man’s best friend, maybe, but our canine companion can be the delivery person’s worst nightmare. Every garden you enter carries a risk, but generally encounters with vicious dogs is rare, but it’s a numbers game, the more houses you visit the greater your chance of meeting an aggressive dog. So you have to keep your wits about you and be prepared to hot-foot it and even jump over the garden gate to escape them sharp teeth. I love dogs, however, I’m afraid that dogs that like to eat delivery people have to go in Room 101. Woof woof!

Down-low letter box

With a fully loaded back pack and a huge armful of magazines, the idea is simple, deliver as many magazines per journey as possible, which works perfectly well with ‘normal’ height letterboxes, until you encounter the dreaded low-level version. OMG! Who invented this evil concept? I know, let’s make delivery people and postmen suffer. They’ve dodged the vicious dog, they’ve trekked up the huge driveway, only to be greeted by the floor hugging letterbox. Bend the knees, crouch to he floor, ignore the creaking back, awkwardly open the letterbox, try and slip the magazine through, but disaster, an armful of magazines slip, fall and hit the floor.

Now it’s your turn! Do you want to banish your top peeve or worst nightmare to the depths of Room 101? Submit your top 3 at: www.livinglifemagazine.co.uk/room101 18

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community

Clifton Scarecrow Festival

by John McBurney

We caught up with Kerrie Cope from the Clifton Residents’ Association to find out about this year’s Scarecrow Festival… “We are asking people to book their scarecrows by the 4th September - it’s completely free to enter. Then on the 19th and 20th September we will be setting up a Scarecrow Head Quarters at Ashington Court which is directly opposite the Clifton Cuisine Indian Restaurant. Here people will be able to pick up a programme (£3 each). These programmes have our sponsors’ adverts, a map and a list of all the houses that have taken part and on the back a voting slip. The voting slip needs to be returned to the headquarters where there will be a large tally board on display to see who’s winning. This is different to how it’s been run previously as it’s down to the people walking around and voting for their favourites. There are two categories - Adults and Children and there is a prize for 1st, 2nd & 3rd place.” Also, at Scarecrow headquarters there will be refreshments and a raffle.

All money raised is going to the Clifton Residents’ Association and will be put back into the community.

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SCENE BY YOU Your chance to share your favourite photos

Submit your photo for the next edition www.livinglifemagazine.co.uk/myphotos

1 4

2 5 A big thanks to this monthâ€™s submissions

3 22

Carly Dawson

Charlotte Camfield Walker

Linda Parcell

Sharon Parker

Stephanie Hook

Hover fly on flower in Arlesey Sunset over Church End, Arlesey Egret resting

Beautiful Sunrise in Shefford Bee-utiful

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The Orchard @ Fairfield Park Wins 2020 Tripadvisor TraveLlers’ Choice Award The Orchard @ Fairfield Park Restaurant & Bar has just announced it has

been recognized as a 2020 Travellers’ Choice award-winner for Restaurants. Based on a full year of Tripadvisor reviews (2019), prior to any changes caused by the pandemic, award winners are known for consistently receiving great diner feedback, placing them in the top 10% of hospitality businesses around the globe. “We are extremely proud of this award. Our team have worked so hard and it is amazing to have that recognized! It is also such a positive moment in what has been an incredibly testing year.” Harriet Mitchell, Co-Owner of The Orchard Fairfield Ltd “Winners of the 2020 Travellers’ Choice Awards should be proud of this distinguished recognition.” said Kanika Soni, Chief Commercial Officer at Tripadvisor. “Although it’s been a challenging year for travel and hospitality, we want to celebrate our partners’ achievements. Award winners are beloved for their exceptional service and quality. Not only are these winners well deserving, they are also a great source of inspiration for travelers and diners as the world begins to venture out again.”

10% OFF FOOD

7 days a week in September

To find out more or to book a table at The Orchard @ Fairfield Park, visit www.fairfieldpark.co.uk or call 01462 835525.

Book a table at The Orchard @ Fairfield Park in September ( visit fairfieldpark.co.uk to book) and present this voucher upon arrival to redeem 10% off any food items on your bill

Alternatively, visit www.tripadvisor.co.uk to check out customer reviews and popular dishes.

Voucher can be used on any day and at any time in September 2020. Cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. Not valid on drinks. No cash alternative. One voucher per reservation required. Maximum of 6 guests. Voucher can only be redeemed once.

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Spot the Drone Pilot

Win

£25

It’s competition time! The drone pilot who captured this image has been magically removed from the photo, can you deduce exactly where he is positioned? Place a cross (‘X’) where you think the drone pilot is standing (just like ‘Spot the Ball’ puzzle), then take a photograph of this page with your phone or device and submit your entry here: www.livinglifemagazine.co.uk/drone Close date 15/9/2020. Only 1 entry per person. Judge’s decision is final.

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