Balbriggan Local V8I3-JAN 2023

Despite the reports of rising inflation and the increase in prices across the board from groceries to fuel in our vehicles or our home we should still resolve to dump our old wasteful ways and resolve to change. Our resolutions can be the usual ones such as giving up sweets or cigs and other more difficult ones which mean not only abstaining from something but saving the money to use or buy something to make our life easier. This year we will certainly face price rises not only in the retail sector but in the utilities and service sectors but remember there are always better options if we can find them. However remember, many items are cheaper by purchasing them off our local outlets and suppliers as we don’t have the expense of travelling on top of what seems like a bargain. So, going to some places may seem like saving you money but when you factor in the bus fare, diesel of petrol costs it is better to shop locally. Fingal has an abundance of retailers who are very loyal to their communities many of whom sponsor local Community/Voluntary and Sporting organisations which help our mental and physical health and they deserve our support. This New Year we have the opportunity to make resolutions which will help us succeed. Resolutions which if properly thought out and executed by us will bring us opportunities to better ourselves and improve our daily lives and standard of living this year. 2023 can be the year when a few minor adjustments at the start of our year and throughout it can be sufficient to change not only our way of doing things but also our budget for certain items. With success in keeping our carefully chosen resolutions will come the joy associated with it and just think of the money you will save.

Happy New Year from the Locals Team.

2022 was a great year where we finally got back to normality, which also meant fundraising with the general public. It was great to meet people, hear their stories and all the ways the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind changes lives. We had multiple events throughout the year and we want to thank everyone who supported our Balbriggan/North County Dublin Branch of Guide dogs and all the volunteers who helped out, thanks to them our branch managed to raise a fantastic €32,453.32 as of the middle of November 2022! At our weekend of fundraising in Millfield Shopping Centre, Balbriggan on the 11th and 12th November, we managed to raise €1,556.74! We also had a very busy and successful few weeks of fundraising in the lead up to Christmas and we are so grateful to everyone who donated and helped out. We are excited for all the events coming up this year! In 2022 we said goodbye to some and welcomed others. Puppy in training Adel went off to Cork and is now an assistance dog and getting on fantastically with her family in County Kildare. Volunteer Adele Halpin welcomed puppy in training Voldee who is showing great signs of confidence and volunteer Anne Mulligan welcomed lovely Cosmo, a puppy in training, just before Christmas and we look forward to sharing more updates on her as the year progresses, along with volunteer Jade McCormack who was matched with Guide Dog, Winter and Andy Green of our Balbriggan/North County Dublin branch who was matched with his

Guide Dog, Ollie. Finally, we just want to say thank you again for the continued support from you all and we hope you had a lovely Christmas and wish you a wonderful New Year!

If you would like to volunteer for our

Balbriggan\North County Dublin Branch of Guide Dogs, you can contact us via phone: 085 7663107, email: GuideDogsBalbriggan@gmail. com or on Facebook: Balbriggan Branch of Guide Dogs.

Balbriggan/North County Dublin Branch of Guide Dogs looking forward

Balbriggan Meals on Wheels looking forward to 2023

Happy New Year from everyone at Balbriggan Meals on Wheels. Towards the end of 2022 we held a number of events and would like to thank everyone who helped out. We held a very successful Open Evening as part of Fingal Inclusion Week in late November. A very enjoyable evening was had by all. We held a very successful Fundraising Raffle and thank you to our prize sponsors, volunteer ticket sellers and those who bought the tickets .Our Christmas Fair was back up and running as normal and was a great day. Thank you to all who supported our Food Drive in Tesco allowing us to prepare hampers for distribution to our clients. Balbriggan Meals on Wheels is looking forward to continuing to provide meals for those in need in our community throughout 2023. To contact us please do so at Balbriggan Meals on Wheels, 14 Hampton Street, Balbriggan. Or alternatively contact us by phone at Tel : 01 8416743. or Email: mealsonwheelsbalbriggan@ gmail.com.

New Year For Your Health And Wealth

By Dave Kavanagh

January is traditionally a time when many people embark on making some positive changes or improvements in their lives. The most recognisable of these is the ‘losing weight/ getting healthier” one. To give people more of an incentive to maintain what they start, it’s worth noting that if done properly, losing weight can have the added bonus of leaving you with more money at the end of each month. So how does that work?? Well, by “doing it properly” I refer to NOT going on a diet, or buying products with magic properties that will make the weight just fall off. Instead, making small, sustainable lifestyle changes. It can be adding some exercise in week 1, drinking more water (and less alcohol/sugar laden drinks) in week 2, reducing portion sizes in week 3, substituting things like chips for wholegrain rice or pasta in week 4, breaking the association of biscuits/cakes whenever you have a coffee or tea in week 5, etc., etc. Doing it this way, makes it sustainable and when weight is dropped slower over a longer period of time, it is far more likely to be kept off. So how does that help my finances? When I analyse people’s spending budgets, it’s clear that takeaways, alcohol, sweets, cakes biscuits etc. pop up quite frequently. If you keep track of the savings when you cut down on many of these things, it’s easy to see how much you can save. One person I was helping used to enjoy

her “treat” of a chocolate eclair most days. When she accepted that she felt bad after eating it and conceded that it was not helping her goal to lose weight, I suggested it was more of a punishment than a treat. I proposed that she put the money into a jar each day and when there was enough, to treat herself to a back massage, which can positively reinforce the good changes someone has made. Make the right choices, one day at a time.

Dave Kavanagh QFA has been advising people financially for over 25 years. For quotes or information (with no cost or obligation) he can be contacted by emailing him at info@financialcompanion. ie or use the contact form on www. financialcompanion.ie or @Davekav_ advice on Twitter and Instagram. Combined with his previous role of gym/ nutrition adviser, he regularly gives talks and workshops at seminars and events for groups, companies and government departments on financial wellbeing, positivity and motivation. As heard on RTE 2FM , LMFM and TV3.

Do not stress in January – Just dial down!

By Siobhan O’Neill White

Christmas is over and dreary January is here. You may be over stuffed, over tired and possibly, dealing with an overdraft after all the excesses of December. But, before you give up all your favourite foods and drinks, maybe take a breath and relax a little and remember, you are lovely just as you are. Its almost programmed into us that January is a terrible month that we have to get through, that we should all be dieting and not eating nice foods and maybe enjoying a glass of wine of hot chocolate at the weekend. But who decided it should be so miserable? Who decided we all need to sign up to slimming clubs immediately? Instead of stressing out about it all, why don’t you dial down the pressure on yourself. Take out one of the bath sets you most likely got as a gift for Christmas and chill in a deep bubble bath with a magazine and even a few candles. Stellar is a cool Irish magazine that makes for great reading in the bath. A lovely way to pass half an hour, away from all the stresses and strains of life. It’s lovely to get out and enjoy a brisk walk in the fresh and cool winter air but it’s good to try to make time to snuggle up with a bowl of popcorn and a box set. I am loving Flatshare on Paramount, based on the hilarious and charming bestselling book by fab Irish author Beth O’Leary. Another must watch show is Minx, which takes

a brilliant look at the launch of a saucy magazine for women in the 70’s – original, funny and the wardrobe is amazing. On Netflix now is season 3 of Emily In Paris. Yes, it is a bit silly but it’s also colourful, funny, sweet and romantic and who doesn’t love a good love triangle? It is pure escapism and in January, I think we all need a bit

of that in! So, yes, this month can be hard. Its cold and we are all a bit broke - so that’s even more reason to be extra kind to yourself! And to give you the hug you may well need this month, we’ve got some warm, lovely Wooliees to give away. Head over to mams.ie to enter to be in to win one.

Beautiful community art project launched in Balbriggan

A fascinating community art project which beautifully captures Balbriggan through the eyes of its people was launched in the town on December 16.Visual artist and art educator Alison O’Grady collected memories and stories from people connected to Balbriggan and created one large illustration across 60 canvases which locals could then paint. “My concept was to collect memories and stories from people connected to Balbriggan and create one large illustration across 60 canvases called Ár mBaile,which locals could then paint,” said Alison. The result is a stunning labour of love through which locals reflect their pride of place. It is set to further boost Balbriggan’s growing reputation as a centre for the arts. The project has been funded by Fingal County Council’s Our Balbriggan Placemaking Fund, established to make the town an even better place to live, work, visit and do business. Alison, who created a mural in the town in 2021, set out to create a visual art form which captured the spirit of the north Dublin seaside town. She said, “ The final illustration is a montage of places and landmarks in Balbriggan,

some buildings and structures are long since gone.Our Balbriggan (the town’s rejuvenation programme led by Fingal County Council) provided me with a vacant space at 2-4 Dublin Street in the town.I created a pop-up art studio and utilised the space to sketch out the composition and set to work on drawing the illustration across 60 canvases.Then I opened the space to the public last summer so they could come along, choose a canvas, and paint it in their own personal way. Each day, people turned up to paint. It was wonderful; grandparents, parents, children, families and their friends dropped by the studio to check out the project and participate. The stories and memories kept flowing throughout the two weeks the pop-up art studio was open. It was fantastic to see so many people across the generations involved in creating an artistic representation of their town.” Alison was previously commissioned to create an illustration to accompany the words of local Olympic athlete Andrew Coscoran that “Balbriggan is class” which were painted on the Our Balbriggan Hub at Georges Square.

Visual artist and art educator Alison O’Grady

Alison O’Grady with Alex Santisteban, Eve Geraghty and Lara Hammond at work on the Balbriggan 60-canvas composition

Locals at work on the Balbriggan 60-canvas composition

Roman Holiday still inspiring Rom-Coms

By Jack Shanley

Seventy years on and ‘Roman Holiday’ is still inspiring rom-coms of the 21st century.

It’s a fun, heart-warming and deep film with quite a basic story, starring Gregory Peck as the cool masculine news reporter and the wonderfully elegant Audrey Hepburn as Princess Ann. Overwhelmed by her suffocating schedule, touring Europe, Princess Ann (Hepburn) decides to take off for the night while in Rome. When a sedative she took earlier from her doctor finally kicks in, she falls asleep on a park bench and is later found by an American news reporter, Joe Bradley (Peck), who takes her back to his apartment for safety. At work next morning, Joe discovers Ann’s real identity and bets his editor that he can get an exclusive interview but romance quickly gets in the way. ‘Roman Holiday’, made in 1953, is the reason we love cinema. It’s a film that ages like fine wine and is still as entertaining as ever. Great American screenwriter Dalton Trumbo urges us to commit to life’s

simple pleasures - money and status alone cannot create meaning and happiness. The classic steals our hearts, from the amazing scenes in which we see Ann get her haircut, to the iconic Vespa bike scene and on to the thrilling barge fight scene. We are ever poised for the next scene to capture our hearts once again, and with the ending being so beautiful, it will make your heart peel like an orange. The amazingly graceful Hepburn lights up our screen for the first time, her beauty, elegance and sense of fashion, making her an instant icon and one of Hollywood’s brightest stars. She didn’t just win our hearts in the end but also the Academy Award for Best Actress. This is a magical film the likes of which I don’t think we’ll ever see again and is still so fresh after all these years. I can’t help but give it FIVE stars. You can watch ‘Roman Holiday’ on Sky Cinema or buy it on DVD for €9.99 at Tower Records. Director: William Wyler – Rating: PG – Genre: Romance/ Comedy – Run Time: 1h 58m –Language: English/Italian. For more film content please follow @ movies4fanatics on Instagram.

In the heart of Malahide, AppliancesDelivered.ie is promising to deliver your chosen appliance within 24 hours if you live in the Greater Dublin area.

In the heart of Malahide, AppliancesDelivered.ie is promising to deliver your chosen appliance within 24 hours if you live in the greater Dublin area. AppliancesDelivered.ie is part of the greater Briscoe group established in 1964 with branches in Drogheda, Arnotts Henry Street, Brown Thomas Grafton Street, Dundrum, Cork and Limerick.

With a wide choice of brands and models as well as fantastic value for money.

“When you see it on our website, you can be confident that it is in stock. That is what makes us different and popular.”

delivered, Malahide, also said, “we know there is nothing more frustrating than selecting an item but then being told it is ‘out of stock’ after you have put

it in your shopping basket! That does not happen with AppliancesDelivered. ie.”

Their online shopping experience builds on a proud tradition of providing excellent service alongside value for money in their store on Main Street, Malahide.

“When you need a new washing machine, fridge or other vital appliance, it is a huge inconvenience. Ordering online with AppliancesDelivered.ie means you can browse online and be confident that if you see it, we have it in stock. If you order before 2pm, we guarantee next day delivery in the Greater Dublin area. ”

Paul Casey, manager of Appliances

Manager Paul Casey and his staff looking forward to you calling in to our newly refurbished store in the heart of Malahide

AppliancesDelivered.ie

Paul and his team are happy to answer questions and provide advice both on the phone and in person.

Now not only online, customers can visit their store in Malahide and experience, “our new kitchen showroom which has the latest models in American fridge freezers, ovens, dishwashers and other kitchen appliances. You can browse the wide range of quality options from established brands like Miele, Neff, Whirlpool and Bosch.”

Other brands available, and on display, include Fisher and Paykel, SMEG, De Dietrich, Samsung and Indesit. Or browse their Tech department for a full range of top brands for the techie in your life

“We work in a competitive marketplace and our customers expect high standards. Nothing makes us happier than seeing a repeat customer because we know we got it right the last time and we have a chance to provide a great service to them again,” Paul added.

Reviews on Trustpilot confirm the valued personal service provided by the team at AppliancesDelivered.ie where it has a score of 4.8 out of 5.

National Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) launched recently

It is estimated that about 1.9 billion drinks bottles and cans are consumed each year in Ireland, in-house and ‘on the go’. The Deposit Return Scheme aims to boost the recycling rate for these drinks containers by charging a small, refundable deposit for each plastic bottle or can. The Scheme will include PET plastic bottles and aluminium and steel cans between 150ml and 3 litres. A deposit of 15c will apply to containers 500mls or less and a deposit of 25c for each container above 500ml.

The Scheme will be operated by Deposit Return Scheme Ireland CLG, trading as Re-turn, who were appointed in May 2022. All producers and retailers are legally obliged to register with Re-turn. Registration is open at re-turn.ie. The Deposit Return Scheme

(DRS) encourages people to recycle drink containers. It works by charging anyone who buys a drink a small deposit for the plastic bottle or can that it comes in. Customers get this money back when they return the container to a retailer or other collection point to be recycled.The Deposit Return Scheme is a major project involving the development of complex IT, infrastructure and communication systems, which will be delivered by Re-turn over the course of 2023. The Department of Environment, Climate, and Communications will work closely with Re-turn on the implementation of the Scheme, which will start immediately with the registration of producers and retailers. The planned ‘go-live’ date for consumers is February 2024.

A wonderful Christmas event at Ardgillan Castle!

Monies granted for Community Centres upgrades in Fingal

Fingal TD and Minsiter Joe O’Brien said recently, “I am Delighted with the announcement of over €33 Million from my Department to Upgrade Community Centres, including Skerries Community AssociationSCA and Portmarnock Sports and Leisure Club. It is the Largest ever capital investment in Community Centres and will allow them to avail of extensions to existing centres, energy efficiency upgrades and improved access for people with disabilities amongst other works supported.This announcement will help community centres around the country and particularly those

in Fingal that were awarded funding. Both Skerries Community Association and Portmarnock Sports & Leisure Club and others have done great work within their communities and this funding will help them continue to do so.Cllr Karen Power - Balbriggan, Balrothery, Loughshinny and Skerries said: “The funding for Skerries Community Centre announced by Joe today is very welcome. The Centre is the beating heart of our community here in Skerries providing a home for many sports and social clubs as well as educational facilities and it is great to see it supported in this way.”

A very special Christmas Exhibition & Gift Fair event was held in Ardgillan Castle at the beginning of December. Our pictures courtesy of the wonderful Balbriggan based photographer Thaina Whelan depict the ladies in black of the marvellous Balbriggan Gospel Choir and the superb handiwork of the craftswoman and gift stall owner Anne Howard. Thank you very much Thaina and to view more of her photographs go to her website photosbythaina.com.

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Dear Balbriggan” a love story by Matthew Kelly!

An inspirational young Balbriggan man has produced a fascinating anthology shining a spotlight on the town’s creative talent. Motivated by a desire to connect with other creative people, illustrator, designer and writer Matthew Kelly, 21, from Clonard Court, received funding from Fingal County Council’s Our Balbriggan Placemaking Fund for the publication ‘Dear Balbriggan.’ The anthology was launched at the Our Balbriggan Hub at Georges Square on Thursday, December 15, and is set to further boost Balbriggan’s growing reputation as a centre for the arts.The launch was attended by many of the artists and creatives featured in the anthology which will be available free to those

in attendance. ‘Dear Balbriggan’ is a 144-page love letter to the creative heart of Balbriggan, featuring creative and feature writing, as well as poetry, art and illustration, photography, recipes and crafts. Matthew, who is deeply passionate about his home place and anxious to promote it in the best possible light, works with Thérapie Clinic, one of Europe’s leading medical aesthetic clinics, and has been commissioned for projects by Fingal County Council and the Mansion House. He has seen his work showcased several times in national print and digital publications, as well as at the Fingal Poetry Festival and in Mental Health Ireland’s Thrive campaign. He is currently working on his first book, ‘Porter Loves Cleo.’

Matthew, a past-pupil of Ardgillan College and former student at the National College of Art and Design, set out to create an anthology in the style of one of the world’s great magazines. “I wanted to produce something in the style of the New Yorker magazine with essays, fiction, illustrations, and poetry,” said Matthew. “And I know I am very lucky to do the work I do. So if I can do the right thing for my home place, why would I not do it? “I felt it could be a vehicle to connect with creative people in the area and highlight the artistic side of Balbriggan. “There is a lot of creative talent here, it is important to shine a spotlight on it and ‘Dear Balbriggan’ allowed me connect further with it.”

YMCA Dublin welcomes World General Secretary of YMCA

YMCA Dublin was delighted to welcome Carlos Sanvee, World General Secretary of YMCA International, to its offices on Aungier Street this week.Earlier this year, the World YMCA Secretary General announced the Vision 2030 movement, which commits to igniting change, while daily activities through YMCA services continue to transform young people and communities. The visit to Dublin is one of many that the World General Secretary is making in Ireland, to launch the vision for the future. YMCA’s vision is a world where young people, their families and communities flourish in body, mind and spirit. Kathryn O’Mahony, CEO of YMCA Dublin said: “I am delighted to welcome World General Secretary of YMCA International

During Carlos’ time in Ireland he will launch YMCA Ireland’s new strategy for connecting with young people across Ireland. YMCA Dublin’s strategy was launched a few years back and we are excited to be part of a global vision to support our young people and families.” YMCA Dublin has an extensive history of working with young people, adults and their families in communities in need of support. Training and development opportunities have been facilitated for young people through their youth work department, Community Employment Scheme (CE scheme), and its Réidh programme. YMCA Dublin is a community-based charity operating as a social

enterprise, providing services for children, young people and families. It is the second oldest YMCA in the world. Built on a social enterprise model, all income YMCA Dublin generates goes directly back into funding local community projects and initiatives, youth work, youth cafe, plus one mentoring, community work, community childcare and community employment. YMCA Dublin works with communities to support individuals, children and young people to develop the skills, experiences, relationships and behaviours for healthy, confident and successful futures. For more information on the work of YMCA Dublin and it’s programmes, please visit YMCA.ie

Carlos Sanvee to YMCA Dublin.

12 Sports available as part of Multi Sports Day!

Fingal County Council’s Sports Office were delighted to hold the Exercise: Energise “Come and Try” Multi-Sports Day recently for the first time since 2019. Deputy Mayor of Fingal Councillor Cathal Boland and Director of Housing and Community Robert Burns were in attendance at the National Indoor Athletics Arena in Abbottstown to see over 300 teenage girls from eight secondary schools from across Fingal take part in the day. The participants got to try out twelve different fun sports activities ranging from Frisbee Golf, Olympic Handball, Basketball, Uni-hoc, High

and Long Jump and Tug O War. The girls are all participants in this school year’s Sports office’s Exercise: Energise Programme which had a record thirteen Fingal Secondary Schools taking part in the initiative this year.The Programme is aimed at girls aged 12-15 years who are not involved in sport or physical activity and has been running for over ten years with financial support from Sports Ireland’s Women in Sport funding stream and from the Fingal Sports Office.

Community organisations -We are here for you and it’s free!

Calling all community and voluntary groups in this area! We are here to facilitate you and help publicise your organisations. We are a community based magazine therefore there will be no charge for publicising your group, whether its a chess club or small pastime group, a support group or a big community or sporting organisation. So if you want to publicise your organisation every month just send us an email to communitylocalseditor@gmail.com..We look forward to hearing from you. Contact us today:

Home Cook Recipes Healthy

New Year Super Fish Supper

Following the festive period, some of us may not want to see turkey or ham on the menu for quite a while! With the new year comes new years resolutions and a lot of people make goals to enhance their health. Fish is full of lots of nutritional goodness. Yet, despite being an island, our intakes of fish in Ireland are quite low. Some people say it’s the smell that fish may leave in the kitchen that turns them off or that they’re just not sure how to make it tasty. But the great news is that fish is quite easy and quick to cook. And a top tip to get rid of any unwanted odours is to place 1/2 lemon in water in a cup (cut side up) and heat in the oven/microwave for 4-6minutes. Burning a nice scented candle also helps!

Ingredients: Serves 2

• 2 Salmon fillets

• 200g Tenderstem broccoli

• 250g Asparagus

• 2 teaspoons black pepper

• 1 tablespoon rapeseed oil

• 2 cloves garlic

• 1 tablespoon minced parsley leaves

• Juice of 1/2 of a lemon

Sweet potato chips:

• 260g sweet potatoes

• 1 tablespoon rapeseed oil

• 1 teaspoon chilli powder

• 1/2 teaspoon paprika

• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200’c.

2.The sweet potato chips take longer to cook, so do these first. Wash, peel and slice the sweet potato into chips.

3. Place the remaining ingredients for the sweet potato chips in a large bowl and stir well to combine. Then add the sliced sweet potatoes and coat in this mixture.

4. Place the sweet potato onto a baking tray and bake in the oven for 40-45minutes at 180’c.

Turn them halfway through baking to

ensure they cook evenly.

5. Place the salmon onto a baking tray that is pre-greased or lined with parchment paper.

6. Mix the lemon juice, parsley leaves, oil and garlic together and brush the top and sides of the salmon with this mixture. Bake in the oven at 180’c for 12-15minutes (depending on the thickness of the salmon). When cooked through, the salmon will look opaque and flake easily with a fork.

7.Brush the remainder of the mixture from step 6 onto the broccoli and asparagus on a foil lined baking tray and sprinkle with black pepper. Bake in the oven at 180’c for 10-15minutes or until tender.

8.Serve up with a lemon wedge.

For workplace, preschool, primary and secondary school or community group talks and workshops, please email: niamh@ biabites.net

See my ‘Fun food’ and ‘Recipes’ albums on ‘Biabites’ Facebook for other food ideas.

Hannah Healy picked up two prestigious awards recently

Well

Find a fast bowler – 2022 boys award

by his idol, the Irish cricketing star Josh Little, to train with him and the Leinster Lightning squad in April. Josh added -“Congratulations on your award Aadi. Very humbled that I am your favourite cricketer, and

I would like to invite you to attend a Leinster Lightning training session in April, so I can present your Award but more importantly to bowl with you to learn how you won the Award this year”.Albert Harper (Balbriggan Cricket Club) was delighted to see Aadi’s progress recognised in this way -“Congratulations Aadi, I remember well the first time you came to club training and we could see what a special talent we had on our hands. We ask our Council and Local Councillors to once again stand with us this winter to see how we can create more opportunities for young cricketers like Aadi.”

Congratulations to former Glebe Player Hannah Healy, awarded tonight as WNL U17 player of the year. Hannah was also named U15 FAI International player of the year just two days ago.

done young lady, what an incredible achievement, very well deserved.

Balbriggan CC right-arm seam bowler Aadi Wankhade has been awarded the Cricket Leinster ‘Find a Fast Bowler’ award for 2022. It represents swift progress for Aadi who only made his first senior club appearance on 12th June last for Balbriggan CC. In addition to underage selection for Fingal, Leinster and Irish Cubs teams in 2022, Aadi is now playing regularly in Leinster Open Competitions and in a very motivational gesture, Aadi has been invited

This is easy… we are offering you the chance to win €50. All you have to do is correctly fill in the crossword and discover the name of an area in Fingal spelt out in the coloured squares. Then send the completed crossword and your answer by email, with your name, address and telephone number to communitylocals@ gmail.com before 5pm on the 16th of this mnoth. The first correct entry to be drawnwill win €50..Good luck

Across

1. A place of refuge from danger or hardship. (6)

5. A poor densely populated city district. (6)

10. Landlocked Central European country. (7)

11. Even more absurd. (7)

12. A metal piece of money. (4)

13. North and South country. (5)

15. Oven for a potter. (4)

17. A short day to be married. (3)

19. Substance which separates milk into solids and liquids. (6)

21. Great birds of prey. (6)

22. Quickly, speedily. (7)

23. Woven container with handles. (6)

25. Lacking physical strength or vitality. (6)

28. A state of matter. (3) 30. Dry like a desert. (4)

31. Slippers with no fitting around the heel. (5)

32. Popular Indonesian island. (4)

35. Just the place for sport and concerts. (7)

36. Trace the shape, as of a body at a crime scene. (7)

37. No longer frozen solid. (6)

38. Change for the worse. (6)

Down

2. A meeting of musicians. (7)

3. Boisterous songbird. (4)

4. A field where grass is grown to be made into hay. (6)

5. Breathed noisily, as if exhausted. (6)

6. Long fish. (4)

7. A pursuit of little importance. (7)

8. Craned at the performer. (6)

9. Swimwear for men. (6)

14. A performance of music especially by a soloist. (7)

16. A cap for the French. (5)

18. A hen kept for her eggs. (5)

20. A cheap and vulgar item. (3)

21. A mischievous fairy. (3)

23. Slowly cook food with a small amount of liquid in a tightly covered pan. (6)

24. Vegetable mistakenly known for iron content. (7)

26. The sort of exercise that sets you up for the day. (7)

27. Expelled from your own country. (6)

28. Treated with adhesive, like an envelope. (6)

29. A good with faults, usually sold at a reduced price. (6)

33. A personal belief not based on proof. (4)

34. Flower supporter. (4)