Reader's Digest UK Feb 2018

“Love

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Contents

FEATURES

14 IT’S A MANN’S WORLD

Olly Mann can’t keep up with his son’s interest in cars

Entertainment

22 SAM CLAFLIN INTERVIEW

The young British actor opens up about success and fame

30 “I REMEMBER”: GLORIA HUNNIFORD

The actress and TV presenter on grief, love and ambition Health

p30

78 100-WORD-STORY COMPETITION

38 THE HEALTH SCREENING YOU MUST HAVE Early diagnosis of colon cancer could save thousands—here are the options available

Inspire

58 IN LOVE AND WORK

Could you work with your significant other? Three couples share their stories

70 BEST OF BRITISH: SHAKESPEARE’S BRITAIN

We visit the places celebrated in the Bard’s plays

It’s your last chance to enter to win £1,000!

82 WHERE IS EVERYONE?

The universe is so vast—can we really be the only ones?

Travel & Adventure

90 A STATE OF INDEPENDENCE

Three weeks in India reveal a country of many faces

102 COME TO THE CARNIVALE!

Glorious photos of one of Italy’s biggest celebrations

EDITOR’S LETTER

DID YOU KNOW that

NASA are aware of ten other potentially Earthlike planets? The Kepler space observatory, launched in 2009, has detected these celestial bodies in other solar systems. And yet, we still seem to be the only intelligent life—or are we? Take a stroll around the cosmos on p82 and see what you think.

From outer space to inner life, it wouldn’t be February without a mention of love. Rather than your typical Valentine’s fare, however, we explore a different side to relationships—that is, carving out a career with your spouse. Is all fair in love and work? Find out on p58.

As well as encouraging you to read all the other wonderful features in this month’s issue, I’d also like to take this opportunity to say farewell. This is my final edition as editor, as I go off to explore new avenues in my own career. I’ve relished every moment here—particularly hearing from you, our readers. As so many of you say, I’ll certainly be renewing my subscription...

Fiona Hicks

theeditor@readersdigest.co.uk facebook.com/readersdigestuk twitter.com/readersdigestuk

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Fiona Hicks

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Inspired independence

Besides barging through the clouds of heart-shaped balloons and refusing to enter a ten-mile radius of any card shops, how can you survive—and maybe even enjoy—the day of love as a singleton? We have lots of suggestions, from organising a friend date, to indulging in some TLC, to falling in love with a new hobby. Visit readersdigest.co.uk/Single-Valentines

The facts of love

If you are in the mood for love, why not swot up on some romantic facts and wow your date over dinner? Did you know, for example, that couples in love synch heartbeats? A study in the US deduced that this may happen because we feel more empathy towards the ones we love. Visit readersdigest.co.uk/ Love-Facts

These aphrodisiac recipes will have you in the mood for love, readersdigest. co.uk/Valentine-Food

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Over to You

LETTERS ON THE DECEMBER ISSUE

We pay £50 for Letter of the Month and £30 for all others

✯ LETTER OF THE MONTH...

I wholeheartedly agree with Nadiya Hussain’s edict in “If I Ruled the World” that exams in primary schools should be abolished. They add unnecessary pressure to young lives, and I think those used to assign class positions are particularly pointless—as they are entirely relative to the competition. You could be one of the top 30 cleverest kids on the planet, but if your classmates are all in the top 29, it’s your bad luck.

My fondest memories of primary school are the long rambles down quiet country lanes, hearing about the flora and fauna of the English countryside. Many of the facts I learned for later exams have long been forgotten—but what I learned on those glorious, laughter-filled outings will stay with me for life.

A GROUNDED ASTRONAUT

It was fascinating to read the interview with Tim Peake in “Ground Control to Major Tim”, particularly about how being on the International Space Centre literally gave him a different perspective on the world.

He remarked how he looked down upon a single planet, not a collection

PHILLIP BROWN, Stoke-on-Trent

of separate countries and continents. He spoke of how the crew would avoid talking politics but were instead intent on working together to solve problems, irrespective of their backgrounds, views or beliefs. It was particularly sad to hear that from space they could actually see the damage that man has done to our

planet through pollution, deforestation and lack of care. Why does it take someone to leave Earth to see it?

Ironically, perhaps, he seems a very grounded individual. He values time spent with his family, missed them when he was away and takes nothing for granted.

Given his achievements and his down-to-earth personality, there’s little doubt that his star will continue to rise.

KEVIN BRIGGS, Shetland

I read “Ground Control to Major Tim” with interest, and agree that the Major’s job must be fascinating.

But I’m against space exploration. The needs of humanity should always come first. While there are people on Earth who need help, they should be helped—rather than seeing money spent on sending astronauts or robots onto other planets. Humanity should be the number-one priority; keeping the human race alive is a necessity.

Yes, the technology is mindboggling, but wouldn’t it be better for NASA to use that technology to directly benefit us? There are millions starving to death. We should learn more about Earth and the ocean before wasting time and money on space exploration.

DAISY DAVID, Hertfordshire

A SPOT OF LOCAL SHOPPING

I enjoyed “If I Ruled the World” by Nadiya Hussain, winner of The Great British Bake Off in 2015. I agreed with all of the ways she would change the world if she were to rule, especially about keeping local independent food shops alive and well.

Small and independent businesses are at the heart of our communities, and we should all get behind them and show our support. When you support local businesses, control moves from the boardrooms of distant corporations and back into the community—where it belongs.

SHULAH CLARKSON, Norfolk

MONEY MATTERS

I was grateful for your money feature “Are your Loved Ones Coping Financially?”. Year after year, the emotional charge of Christmas and the new year sees me spending far more than I should on presents and entertaining. I’m normally sensible about money, but come December, everything pushes me to splash out and I get into debt.

Having read your expert advice about recognising the signs of money problems, I feel I can get a grip on it this time, and still have fun. Thank you. LOUISE COOPER, Devon

Repeat Prescriptions Delivered FREE To Your Door

PHOTOS: © JEFF J MITCHELL/GETTY IMAGES

...DIFFERENTLY

The Vikings are on the loose again, at least in Shetland! Here, the Scottish islanders revel in reliving the Middle Ages once every year. On the last Tuesday of January, local men dress as Norsemen, complete with axes and torches, to celebrate a traditional festival of fire.

Carrying a long boat through the streets of Lerwick while gathering up to 1,000 paraders, the climax comes at the end of the journey when participants throw their torches into the vessel, setting it ablaze in a spectacular offering to the Gods of Old. After the boys are done playing, the women rejoin their men in the local pubs where the celebrations continue well into the night.

Olly Mann finds he can’t keep up with his son’s burgeoning interest...

Driven To Distraction

Olly Mann presents Four Thought for BBC Radio 4, and the award-winning podcasts The Modern Mann and Answer Me This!

I NEVER MUCH LIKED CARS. This was something of an issue in my family, as my father very much liked cars. His first business was a start-up selling “funky” hubcab covers. His cufflinks had Bugattis on them. I don’t remember him ever reading anything apart from Classic and Sportscar. By the time he was my age, he’d established himself as a foremost specialist in the art of restoring vintage Bentleys. Our house was full of memorabilia. The vaguest sniff of a doer-upper would have him out in the snow, blazing a trail to West Sussex. As I say, he very much liked cars.

So, when I came along, there was an expectation I’d like cars too. My bedroom was plastered with Bentley wallpaper, which, as a teenager, I painted over (I had to paint it racing green, the only colour we had). My bed was the shape of a car. I even had a little Bentley of my own—a standard kids’ ride-on, I guess, to which a bespoke body had been added (but I can’t be certain, because it scared me, so Dad sold it). I was very nearly actually called Bentley—a fate I escaped only thanks to my mother, who presumably recognised that such a name would only be acceptable if I were an aristocrat or a rapper. Or both.

EVEN WHEN MY OWN INTERESTS CAME INTO FOCUS— film and drama—Dad would surreptitiously sneak in a motoring angle. My primary school show and tell, delivered to the

BY KEVIN WALKER

whole school at assembly, was about the evolution of the four-and-a-halflitre Bentley. No prizes for guessing who wrote it. (And no prizes for the speech, either: I delivered the talk adequately, but floundered

spectacularly on the Q&A—I didn’t even know who W O Bentley was).

My disinterest continued into adulthood. I mean, I enjoy a Sunday drive—if the scenery is right and I’ve chosen the soundtrack. I took a role

in selecting our family estate (I checked it had a Bluetooth connection). I can, after a couple of beers, endure Top Gear. I do appreciate the form and function of motorcars, in the same way I admire the architecture of Welwyn Garden City, or the slickness of Amazon’s supply chain—it’s just not something I think about much.

When I hear other men (it’s usually men) yapping about carburettors and crankshafts and brake fluid, my mind wanders to a list of to-dos, like Homer Simpson dreaming about donuts. Cars aren’t my thing.

But apparently the motoring gene can skip a generation. My son Harvey, who has just turned two, is infatuated with all things vehicular. Initially it was construction vehicles: his first word was “digger”, employed when pointing at anything yellow. His next interest was Thomas the Tank Engine, a “character” who, let’s be honest, is just a train with a face drawn on it, much like those infuriating anthropomorphised chocolates that advertise M&Ms. Now it’s dinky cars—ambulances, fire engines, Porsches, Minis,

whatever. He carries half a dozen of them with him constantly, even when it’s entirely impractical to do so, eg, while crawling upstairs.

THERE ARE UPSIDES: dinky cars are cheap, so we buy him one each time we go to the supermarket, thus making the entire expedition tolerable. Boring car journeys are dressed up as a treat (“We’re going in Daddy’s CAR! It goes brum-brum! We will see other CARS!”). But we’re getting to the stage—it’ll arrive at some point later this year—that my toddler will know more about cars than I do.

As Daddy, it falls to me to explain the intricacies of engines, and show enthusiasm when a car ad comes on

This doesn’t feel right. As a parent, I’m supposed to be the omniscient authority on all things, whether that’s when we’re having dinner, why trees are green or how Thomas can talk (he’s magic, obviously). As Daddy, it falls to me to explain the intricacies of engines, and show enthusiasm when a car ad comes on. I cannot perform this function. I cannot.

I console myself with the knowledge that, though my father isn’t around any more, my father-inlaw is, and he’s the kind of chap who

lurks in Ferrari forums. He’ll step in where my knowledge fails me. And, just because Harvey is passionate about cars, that doesn’t mean he won’t also grow to enjoy theatre, or theme parks, or country walks—all of which I am amply qualified to discuss with him.

But here’s the thing. I inherited a real Bentley from Dad; a 1920s threelitre. It’s in storage. I’d planned one

day to sell it, for school fees, or mortgage payments, or perhaps to exchange for a car I can actually drive—you know, with a roof and an automatic gearbox. But now I’m not so sure. Should I keep it for Harvey? Do I really want him at the wheel of what will be, by then, a 100-yearold car?

Is it too late to get him interested in computers?

WILD TIMES

These photos made the shortlist for the funniest wildlife picture of the year:

SOURCE: BOREDPANDA.COM

“The Laughing Doormouse” by Andrea Zampatti

“WTF” by George Cathcart

“Slap” by Troy Mayne

“Cheering-Sea-Otter” by Penny Palmer

Films

BY EVA MACKEVIC

■ FANTASY: THE SHAPE OF WATER Romance, sea monsters and soft erotica come together in Guillermo del Toro’s latest fantasy gem. In classic del Toro style, it’s a sparkling, visually sumptuous feast for all the senses. From the gorgeous blue-green colour palette to the sensual plomps and splashes of water ever-present in the background, the director immerses us in a beguiling world we’d like to stay in forever. The story centres around a lonely, mute cleaner (Sally Hawkins) working at a top-secret oceanographic lab, where she discovers a classified “asset”—a gilled, triple-lidded, muscular fish-man from the Amazon. The two outcasts form an instant bond that blossoms into a passionate romance, but, as with every great star-crossed love story, all odds are against them.

■ DRAMA: PHANTOM THREAD

Daniel Day-Lewis’s adieu to cinema (he announced his retirement last year) is an alluring and unnerving story of a brilliant but neurotic couturier, Reynolds Woodcock, who falls for a determined young woman in 1950s London. As painstakingly made as Woodcock’s dresses and as unpredictable as his temper, the sublime Phantom Thread won’t let your attention slip for a second.

Movie of the Month

■ BIOGRAPHY: THE MERCY The chilling true story of Donald Crowhurst (played by Colin Firth)—a British amateur sailor who entered a singlehanded, round-the-world yacht race in 1968. As the voyage turned from bad to disastrous, Crowhurst took desperate measures, the outcome of which was both morbid and fascinating. Bleak, unsettling, yet utterly gripping, it’s Requiem for a Dream out at sea.

■ SPORT: I, TONYA Based on the true story of former American champion figure skater, Tonya Harding, director Craig Gillespie’s take on the competitor-knee-breaking scandal (which cost the Olympian her career) is a tight, darkly funny ride through the surprisingly elitist world of pro ice skating. Margot Robbie gives a delicious performance as the foulmouthed, self-professed redneck, supported by an outrageously funnyyet-vicious turn from Allison Janey as her abusive mother LaVona Golden.

■ WAR: JOURNEY’S END Deep in the British trenches of Aisne during the First World War, a group of officers led by the increasingly dishevelled Stanhope await the German offensive that’ll determine their fates. This terse, intense adaptation of the seminal play by R C Sheriff stars Sam Claflin and Asa Butterfield as the self-loathing Stanhope and young, starry-eyed Raleigh. Paul Bettany shines as the level-headed Osborne, while Toby Jones brings some grotesque, wartime food humour (“What’s the soup today, Mason?” “Yellow, Sir”) as the staff cook.

On Your Radar: Jennifer Shelden, admin manager

WATCHING: The Apprentice (BBC One)

I can’t get enough of this reality show! It’s thoroughly entertaining and never gets old.

READING: Monte Cassino by Matthew Parker I recently found out my grandfather was posted in Italy, which makes it even more of a harrowing read.

ONLINE: Spotify It’s my new discovery, which allows me to bop away to all those great 1990s classics that I’m normally too ashamed to buy!

LISTENING: Ride by Loreen

People probably know her best for winning Eurovision for Sweden. I think she’s brilliant and has a fabulous voice.

Fancy appearing in this section? Send your current cultural favourites, along with short descriptions, to readersletters@readersdigest.co.uk

Fancy appearing in this section? Send your current cultural favourites, along with short descriptions, to readersletters@readersdigest.co.uk

BY EVA MACKEVIC

Landfall by Laurie Anderson and Kronos Quartet

On Our Radar Music

Album of the Month

David Lynch himself couldn’t dream up a combination like this: the iconic avant-garde artist Laurie Anderson is joined by the boundary-pushing Kronos Quartet—a duet that’ll both haunt and seduce you in equal measure. Spiky, unnerving, but beautifully affecting, this multimedia work was inspired by Anderson’s experience of Hurricane Sandy, which she describes via eerie monologues about water-logged pianos and disappearing animal species. Her mellifluous voice is a thing of wonder: beguiling but icy, she toothsomely stretches every consonant and vowel to the sounds of wailing strings and rolling electronica. There’s no real beginning, middle or end on this album—it’s an amalgamation of fleeting impressions, sounds, narratives, and small eureka moments where it all suddenly clicks. It’s no light listening but if you like being challenged, this record is for you. Just close your eyes and let it guide you through the depths of your soul.

VAULT Festival, London, until March 18. One of London’s biggest, most diverse arts festivals is back with an exciting selection of theatre, comedy, dance and much more! Visit vault festival.com for details.

Jorvik Viking Festival in York, February 12–18. Embrace your innerViking with horned helmets, battle reenactments and, er, leg-wrestling. Visit jorvikvikingfestival. co.uk for details.

LIKE THIS? YOU MAY ALSO LIKE...

When I Was Young by Genesis P-Orridge & Astrid Monroe For more cinematic monologues and loopy electronic soundscapes, try this trippy collaboration between the “Godperson of Industrial Music,” Genesis P-Orridge, and artist Astrid Monroe.

Derby Winter Beer Festival, February 15–18. Sample the very best real ale from around the UK. Visit visitderby.co.uk for details.

British actor Sam Claflin opens up to Eva Mackevic about the importance of family, the fear of the unknown and his difficult relationship with fame

So THERE’S STILL MUCH TO LEARN “ ” S

am flashes a big, warm smile across the room when I arrive at London’s The Langham hotel, jumping up from the sofa to greet me like we’re old friends. I thank him for taking the time to meet me, to which he politely responds, “Thank you for… being here?” He giggles at his own awkward response. “Or…wanting to do this!” he corrects himself. This young, charismatic actor drew the attention of cinemagoers across the

world when he was cast in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides in 2011. He subsequently appeared in a slew of blockbusters such as The Hunger Games and Snow White and the Huntsman, followed by his breakthrough role as the quadriplegic young man, Will Traynor, in Me Before You.

“People assume that I live my life trying to be beautiful all the time, whereas actually I live a very ordinary life,” he tells me, on his aversion to the word “fame”. “ ‘Stardom’ is a word I never use to describe my life or my experience of work. I feel very fortunate in my career that I’ve had the opportunity to work with some incredible people, but I also have the opportunity to live quite a private life. I genuinely believe that if you want to live a private life, you can.”

He certainly practises what he preaches. Wearing a simple jumper, jeans and trainers, he looks nothing like the tanned, oiled-up, Adonis-like Finnick from The Hunger Games. In fact, he’s kind of goofy and fidgety, bursting with boyish joy.

SAM’S PATH TO SUCCESS may sound like many aspiring actors’ fantasy scenario: a boy-next-door from Norwich, he never even planned on being an actor, putting all his dedication into becoming a professional football player instead. Several years, a broken ankle and a chance encounter with theatre later, and he found himself on the set of Pirates of Caribbean: On Stranger

Tides, mingling with the likes of Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz.

“Because it was my first time on a film set, I was all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed—a deer in the headlights. Someone asked me if I got the most out of my experience with

BECAUSE IT WAS MY FIRST TIME ON A FILM SET, I WAS ALL BRIGHT-EYED AND BUSHY-TAILED— A DEER IN THE HEADLIGHTS

Pirates and I was like, ‘Probably not.’ Now I wish I could do that again because I have so much more confidence and so much more selfawareness that I’d be able to hold my own. I felt like I was a lost puppy, just kind of going, ‘Tell me what to do, I’ll do anything’. ”

Yet Pirates opened many doors for Sam, who went on to star in The Hunger Games film series and the box-office hit Me Before You. Six years down the line, his film choices are becoming increasingly complex, including the dark Daphne du Maurier adaptation, My Cousin Rachel, and the First World War drama Journey’s End, in which he tackles the notoriously difficult role of

Captain Stanhope, previously played by Sir Laurence Olivier.

“When I started my career it was like, ‘OK, I’m just doing blockbuster after blockbuster, year after year’. And I loved every single second of it. But from there I kind of branched out and started exploring deeper characters and more complex situations, so it’s become more varied as I’ve got older.”

Stanhope is a disillusioned officer, slowly descending into madness and crippling alcoholism in the dark trenches of the war. Claflin’s performance is volatile and throbbing with anger at the helplessness of his character—a complete transformation from the happy-go-lucky chap sitting in front of me.

Starring alongside Jennifer Lawrence in The Hunger Games; (left) Sam had his big break in Pirates

“Stanhope is the character that everyone wants to play. What’s interesting about him is that he’s still a young lad, but at the same time he’s lived and experienced so much he’s like a 60-year-old man, you know?

“I think there are some similarities between myself and Stanhope. For example, his anger comes from fear and when I get scared, I tend to take it out on people—the people I love and who are closest to me. I think everyone does to an extent.”

At 31, Sam is a devoted family man. He met his future wife and fellow actress Laura Haddock when they both unsuccessfully auditioned for roles in My Week with Marilyn. They married in 2013 and now have a twoyear-old son, Pip.

“Anything regarding my little boy scares me. I mean, literally, if he fell off a chair…” He pauses for a moment, trying to convey the dread. “I have these pangs of fear that shoot through me—something that I’ve never really experienced before. It’s because it’s another human being other than myself that’s so young, naïve and vulnerable—there’s nothing like it.”

He reaches down to the wooden sofa leg and knocks on it several times. “I will touch wood right now, that I’ve never lost anyone close to me—no friends, no family—so I don’t know what loss is like. I think I’m so afraid of that happening for the first time, which it inevitably will at some point. It’s that…fear of the unknown.”

When I ask Sam what it’s like to be a new father, his face instantly lights up—that’s all he’d talk about if he could. “He’s nearly two, so yes, I feel very experienced,” he bursts out laughing, sarcastically.

“There’s still so much to learn. It’s so difficult doing what we do. I’ve basically spent most of this year away from him as I’ve been working on the other side of the world. But when I’m in between jobs, I’m a full-time dad, and there all day, every day. When neither me nor my wife are working, we go on adventures. It’s easy with him because he likes exploring. He’s very adventurous and boisterous—a proper little boy.”

I wonder if he’d like his son to become an actor like his mum and dad. Sam turns out to be incredibly relaxed about it, saying Pip is completely free to do as he wishes.

“I wouldn’t be opposed to it. But I wouldn’t advise it either. The one thing that’s always been important to my wife and I is that we won’t plaster

I

As Stanhope in Journey’s End. “He’s the character everyone wants to play”; (right) with his wife, Laura Haddock

his face on Instagram, because then if he wants to become a hermit, he has that opportunity without us choosing for him.”

FOR SAM HIMSELF, anonymity is a valued state. “I don’t think the press follow me like they would someone else. I find it nice and private, my life. And living in London as opposed to LA, where on every street corner there’s someone chasing someone, I just find it very possible to live a calm and normal life.”

Even more so in his hometown Norwich, where his mum, a classroom assistant, is more famous than he is! “I’ll be home with her and these little girls at the school that she works at will go, ‘We hear your son’s home,’ and I’ll be standing right next

to her and they don’t have a clue who I am.”

“Norwich is such a beautiful place to grow up in, it’s one of my favourite places to go back to now. No one ever treats me any differently, which is amazing. I go home and it’s still the same thing. My mum and dad haven’t changed one iota. They’re coming to the premiere this evening and my dad will still wear his Norwich City tie and the same suit, like he does every time,” he laughs.

“I’m very fortunate to have such a grounding support. Everyone’s just allowed me to be me, and they knock me back down to earth if I ever get too big for my boots. I’m lucky.”

Journey’s End is released in cinemas on February 2 and is reviewed on p20.

Why Humanist Funerals Are Growing In Popularity

Although the majority of funerals in the UK are traditional, the number of non-religious services are on the rise, reflecting a growing change in our society

16 years ago when the census was taken, 7.7 million people regarded themselves as non-religious. Yet when the most recent census was taken only six short years ago in 2011, this figure had almost doubled to show 14 million people regarding themselves as non-religious.

You don’t have to consider yourself a Humanist in order to have a Humanist funeral; many people choose this as their funeral option simply because they don’t have any religious beliefs.

What is a Humanist funeral?

A Humanist funeral is a very personal ceremony to remember the person who has passed away and say a final goodbye. They will generally include kind words about the person’s life, readings from loved ones, music and a moment of silence allowing loved ones a short period to reflect on the life of the person who passed away.

The most recent Cost of Dying report

from SunLife has uncovered that as a nation we are still hesitant to discuss death. And, staggeringly, only one per cent of people who have organised a funeral in the last four years were actually aware of their loved ones wishes.

Of all people surveyed, 53 per cent of people said it would have been easier to organise their loved ones funeral if they had a discussion with them beforehand about death and dying. n

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Reader’s Digest have partnered with Golden Charter, one of the UK’s leading funeral plan providers1 to bring you a range of flexible and affordable funeral plans. To request a free no-obligation pack and a stylish free pen, call Golden Charters UK based advisors FREE on 0800 090 2338 and quote reference READ0202 or visit our website readersdigest.co.uk/funeral-plans

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“I REMEMBER” Gloria Hunniford

This year, Gloria Hunniford, 77, celebrates seven decades in showbiz. She started out as a child singer, became the first woman to host a daily radio show and currently co-hosts Rip Off Britain and Loose Women

Singing at Belfast’s City Hall aged 16; (left) growing up in rural Portadown

…MY JOYFUL CHILDHOOD. I was born in 1940 in a pebble-dashed two-up, two-down with an outside loo in Portadown—a small market town in semi-rural Northern Ireland.

I shared a double bed with my older sister, Lena, and my younger brother Charles slept in a single bed in my parents’ room.

We were Protestant and my father was a member of the Orange Order. I went to church five times on a Sunday to meet up with my pals!

…MY MAGICIAN FATHER. I was very close to my father, Charlie, who was a newspaper advertising manager

by day and magician by night. When I was little, he sometimes let me watch his shows from the wings.

I was open-mouthed in awe and a bit scared when he used to put sharp razor blades in his mouth, along with a rolled up ball of thread. To a drum roll, he’d draw them out one by one.

…MUM WAS AN INCREDIBLE HOMEMAKER. My wonderful mother, May, had family at the heart of her DNA. She was cooking, washing and cleaning all day long and was a fantastic mother to come home to. On Saturdays she made

14 different kinds of bread, which she shared with the neighbours.

If Mum saw me sitting reading, she’d say, “Go off and do something.” Those were innocent times and we children were practically shoved out of the house after breakfast.

…MY STAGE DEBUT.

The day before my seventh birthday, I performed at Portadown’s Cloncore Orange Hall wearing yellow taffeta with a few silver sequins. My first number was “Powder Your Face with Sunshine”.

Soon I was singing in churches, schools and concerts across Ireland, sometimes five nights a week. When I was about ten, I remember making £8 in one week. I got inspiration for my stage outfits by watching Come Dancing on our neighbour’s television, and my Auntie Myrtle expertly made them up for me.

chocolate, angel cake and even exotic red apples.

When he heard me sing, he asked my parents if he could take me back to Canada where I’d have the best opportunities. It all sounded thrilling but Mum’s answer was a firm no.

…EMIGRATING TO CANADA.

Over the years Uncle Jim sent me countless letters and, at 17, I decided to emigrate to Canada. I’d never been out of Ireland before.

My dad and brother were on the quayside as the ship set sail from Belfast to Liverpool. I saw Dad break down in tears: What had I done?

My dad said, ‘If you marry this chap, I cannot and will not go to the wedding on principle’

Apart from two days of seasickness, it was an exhilarating seven-day adventure, with fancy dress parties and cinema screenings. The crew even threw me an 18th birthday party.

…THE START OF AN OBSESSION.

When I was nine, I came home from school to find a tall man with white hair at our front door. Mum said he was my great uncle, Jim, who had emigrated to Canada and made good. He told us about mountains, prairies, Eskimos and Native Americans. Then he opened his bag and out tumbled marshmallows,

…MY INTRODUCTION TO BROADCASTING.

I moved into a YMCA and took a job as an accounts assistant at a nearby military base. A colleague sang on the local TV station and introduced me to the producer. He gave me a slot singing Irish songs and from that I was offered my own weekly radio show, singing listeners’ requests, backed up by a trio of piano, bass and drums!

…MEETING MY FIRST HUSBAND.

I went home to Ireland for Christmas but ended up getting work at Ulster Television as a secretary, then a production assistant. I fell in love with a cameraman called Don Keating and when I was 21, we decided to get married. He was Catholic and my dad said, “If you marry this chap, I cannot and will not go to the wedding on principle. But afterwards we will welcome Don as part of the family and treat him as a son.” He was as good as his word.

…BECOMING A MOTHER.

My daughter Caron was born in October 1962 and was perfect in every way.

The moment she was born, I could see why my parents had been so protective. I wrote to them, “If Don and I can be anything like you as parents, then we’ll be very complete.”

With the arrival of her brothers Paul and Michael we were a devoted family and I loved motherhood with a passion.

…MAKING MY FIRST RECORD.

I’d been a cabaret artist since about 1964 and it was one of the most exciting days of my life when I was flown to London to record “Are You Ready For Love?”

Being interviewed about it afterwards on the radio was

Gloria and her daughter Caron on the beach in Florida; (left) working in the studio

Gloria with Terry Wogan. “Little Miss Nobody daring to cheek the great Wogan went down a storm”;(below) with husband Stephen Way

life-changing. The producer of Good Morning Ulster told me, “I was very impressed with the way you handled yourself—not short of a word or two. Have you ever thought of becoming a broadcaster?”

…MOVING

INTO BROADCASTING. He took me into the newsroom and said, “Remember you are as good as any bloke sitting in this room.” I quickly realised I had made the right move but saw some terrible things during that time. The worst was the Abercorn restaurant bombing in 1972. By the time I arrived at the scene, there were scores of people over the floor, screaming in pain and terror. Many had lost limbs.

…GETTING MY OWN SHOW ON BBC RADIO 2. When Radio 2’s The Jimmy Young Show asked me to do two weeks’ holiday cover, I lay awake at night, worrying about having to swap witty banter with Terry Wogan.

On the first day Terry announced, “Next up we have Grievous Bodily Hunniford. Gosh, I can see her now behind the glass, wearing those slinky fishnet stockings and high heels.”

I sighed in return. “I’m so disappointed. My grandmother’s been talking about you for years and here you are with egg stains down your dressing gown!”

Little Miss Nobody daring to cheek the great Wogan went down a storm and, in 1982, I became the first woman to have my own daily show on BBC Radio 2.

…MEETING SOME OF OUR GREATEST

STARS. In 1993 I flew to LA to interview the reclusive Doris Day, one of my childhood idols. She talked to me about her career, marriages and friendships and I discovered that she had 21 dogs with their own kitchen and cook.

When the legendary Bette Davis came on to Sunday Sunday, I’d never experienced such studio silence. You could hear a pin drop. She was quite frail and I’d been told to put my arms out towards her in case she needed help— but she didn’t take it.

on holiday in Barbados when I started to go under.

I grabbed him really tightly and asked him to help me to the steps. Suddenly he asked, “Will you marry me?” He said it was the only time he’d seen me looking so vulnerable.

We married at St Peter’s Church at Hever Castle on 6 September 1998. I would relive that day any time.

…LOSING MY BELOVED DAUGHTER.

Strictly Come

Dancing lifted me out of a state of mind that I thought I would never get out of

The only person who made me lose my train of thought was Omar Sharif. His eyes were so amazing, like dark pools.

…MY FAIRY-TALE SECOND WEDDING.

A few years after my divorce, I met my future second husband Stephen Way, a hair-salon owner, at a drinks party. We hit it off immediately and I felt as though I’d known him forever.

Stephen was teaching me to swim

On April 13, 2004, I lost my beloved Caron to breast cancer at just 41 years of age. When she was dying, an extraordinary smile spread across her lips. Her little boys hugged and kissed her, then went downstairs. Russ, Michael and I stayed with Caron, clinging to her until her last breath had left her body and this amazing, enigmatic smile held fast.

We filled the room with flowers and photographs and lit candles everywhere. She looked so beautiful, free of the pain that had wracked her body for seven years.

…A LIFE-CHANGING LETTER.

Afterwards I was consumed with grief. I received over 8,000 condolence letters and read every one. A woman called Ann wrote, “Caron is not lost to you. Her soul is bigger than death and

death is never the end. To stay healthy you must work with this loss and not against it.”

I woke up in the middle of the night and knew what I had to do. I started The Caron Keating Foundation to raise funds for small British cancer charities. Thirteen years later, the whole family are involved and it’s my healing.

…STRICTLY HELPED ME SMILE

AGAIN. About 18 months after Caron died, I was asked onto Strictly Come Dancing. I thought I’d never laugh or smile again but everyone urged me to do it. It was one of the best experiences of my career and lifted me out of a state of mind that I thought I’d never get out of.

…BECOMING A LOOSE WOMEN.

It’s rather fun being a Loose Women in my seventies, hurling in the occasional shocking comment. You’d be amazed by how many quite elderly women stop me in the supermarket

and say in hushed tones, “Oh, I do love Loose Women.” I have to admit that if my mum knew I was talking about sex on TV she would turn over in her grave!

…GETTING AN OBE. When an official-looking envelope arrived in May last year, I opened it, read it, reread it and screamed for my husband Stephen to come in from the garden. Apart from being utterly delighted, I felt extremely humbled.

In addition to running the charity, I’m still working three or four days a week. My husband says I seem to be busier than ever, but I’ve been this way since I was seven. There are still many things I want to achieve and I want to make the most of every minute. As told to Amanda Riley-Jones

My Life by Gloria Hunniford is published on February 22 (John Blake Publishing, £8.99).

LOVE, NOT WAR

The last time Lichtenstein went to war, back in 1868, they sent out 80 soliders to fight in Italy. They returned just a day later with 81. The soldiers had encountered and befriended an Italian along the way, who wanted to move to Lichtenstein with them. The army was disbanded shortly after, and today Lichtenstein remains one of the few countries in the world with no army.

SOURCE: LONELYPLANET.COM

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BY JASON MACZA

With early diagnosis and treatment of colon cancer, thousands of lives could be saved

Have Must The Health You Screening

BY ANITA BARTHOLOMEW

TALL,

LEAN STEFFI WESSA OF LANDAU, GERMANY, had never had a serious illness, so when in late 2013, after she turned 55, her physician suggested they add a routine colorectal cancer screening by colonoscopy to her regular medical check-up, she had no reason for concern.

Colorectal cancer (CRC), often called colon cancer, is a malignancy in the large intestine—that twisty tube through which waste products exit the anus. The last six or so inches of colon are called the rectum.

During the colonoscopy—an examination of the entire colon with an endoscope—the doctor found two polyps: benign growths in the intestinal wall that have the potential to turn cancerous if left untreated. The doctor removed these during the procedure. But there was something more: a five-centimetre growth in the rectal area.

A biopsy confirmed the physician’s suspicions: Steffi had colorectal cancer. On hearing the news, she was distraught. “My world collapsed. To me, cancer meant death.”

Steffi was just one of approximately 447,000 Europeans to be diagnosed with colon cancer that year, and the numbers are increasing annually. Globally, CRC is the third most common cancer, and in continental Europe it’s the second most common malignancy after breast cancer, which has about 464,000 annual diagnoses. It’s also the second most

deadly, killing about 215,000 Europeans every year.

But it needn’t be a killer. Colorectal cancer, when discovered in its early stages, is one of the most treatable cancers. And Steffi’s had been caught early, before it could spread.

WHAT

PUTS

US AT RISK of getting colon cancer in the first place? The risk increases with age—those older than 50 make up the vast majority of cases—but it can strike much younger people as well.

“There can be genetic factors, environmental factors, or an interplay between the two,” says Dr Jordan Karlitz, associate professor of gastroenterology at Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans, US. He notes that ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease can lead to CRC if a significant portion of the colon is affected. A sedentary lifestyle also adds to the risk.

The modern diet and lifestyle are believed to be among the most significant risk factors. A diet heavy on meat, especially processed meats, and light on fruits, vegetables and fibre, can predispose someone to CRC, as can smoking tobacco and drinking alcohol, says Dr Luc Colemont, a Belgian gastroenterologist and managing director of the foundation Stop Colon Cancer. People who are obese or who have type two diabetes have a heightened risk as well.

A study published in January this year, whose lead author was Dr

THE MOST READILY ACCESSIBLE SCREENING TEST IN EUROPE IS A FAECAL TEST—IT’S SIMPLE AND INEXPENSIVE

Shuji Ogino, professor of pathology at Harvard University, suggests one reason why diet might affect your CRC risk. When we eat, we are feeding the trillions of microorganisms that live in our intestines. And if those well-fed microorganisms are of the troublesome kind, they might pay you back by making you ill. CRC tumour tissue often hosts a nasty germ called fusobacterium nucleatum. The study

found that people who ate a fibrerich, healthy diet tended to have lower levels of these bacteria, as well as lower risk of CRC influenced by the bacteria.

But known risk factors still can’t account for all cases of CRC. “I saw people, 56 years of age, not overweight, never smoked, only a beer on the weekend, everyday healthy food, and three times a week in fitness,” says Dr Colemont. “But they have colon cancer.”

And doctors have recently reported an alarming rise in the incidence of colorectal cancer in people younger than 50—even among those in their 20s and 30s—which is why it’s crucial to see your doctor if you have any symptoms, even if they seem insignificant (see box overleaf).

EARLY DETECTION is the key to beating colon cancer. Every expert Reader’s Digest spoke to stressed the importance of screening for CRC. Screening “could potentially save more than half of the people who are dying from colorectal cancer,” says Dr Karlitz. That’s a potential of more than 100,000 lives saved per year in Europe alone.

individual faecal test can be less accurate than a colonoscopy, but because faecal tests are done more often, the likelihood of detection increases with each successive test.

DURING A COLONOSCOPY, POLYPS ARE DETECTED AND REMOVED, PREVENTING ABOUT 80 PER CENT OF CANCERS

A sigmoidoscopy, although similar to a colonoscopy, is not as extensive. In this procedure, the last 40 or so centimetres of the colon, plus the rectum, are examined by endoscope. Typically it’s repeated every five years. Another, less common screening method is CT colonography— essentially a CAT scan of the colon.

There’s also a test using a pill-sized camera that’s swallowed, which then videos the lining of the colon, which is available for those who can’t undergo colonoscopy.

There are several types of screening, including a faecal test, a CT scan, a sigmoidoscopy and a colonoscopy.

Possibly the most common and readily accessible in Europe is the faecal test. It’s both simple and inexpensive. You get a kit from the doctor, follow the at-home directions for collecting a stool sample, and ship everything back. These tests look for blood in the sample that isn’t apparent to the naked eye. A positive result may be evidence of either precancerous polyps or of cancer.

A positive result is usually followed by a colonoscopy, a test typically repeated every ten years. The

But colonoscopy is considered the gold standard of screening. It can discover more abnormalities than any other screening test. It can detect more pre-cancerous polyps, and at an earlier stage than faecal tests. That’s important because finding and removing polyps during colonoscopy can prevent about 80 per cent of colon cancers, according to a 2012 study. That same report noted that, when people at average risk for getting colon cancer were screened via colonoscopy, the incidence of the disease fell by 67 per cent and deaths were reduced by 65 per cent.

But colonoscopy is an invasive procedure and it can be difficult to persuade people to get screened this way. When physicians in the

Netherlands were seeking to increase screening participation, they sent out invitations to members of the population aged 50 and older, offering a variety of screening options. When the invitations yielded more than twice the number of participants for faecal tests than colonoscopies, that’s where the Netherlands focused its efforts. Today, the country has

COLORECTAL CANCER SYMPTOMS

Colorectal cancer symptoms are often subtle and easily ignored. But if you have any of the following symptoms lasting for two or more weeks, it’s imperative that you talk to your GP about getting tested:

Blood in stool or rectal bleeding

Changes in your bowel habits

Stool that’s narrower than usual for you

Unusual weakness or fatigue

Weight loss that occurs for no apparent reason

Feeling that your bowel isn’t emptying completely after a bowel movement

Digestive pains (such as bloating, gas and cramps)

Vomiting

Diarrhea or constipation

the highest rate of CRC screening in Europe. In Britain, too, a faecal test kit is sent every two years to everyone over 60 who’s registered with a GP. In France, faecal tests kits are sent to everyone aged 50 and older.

Screening rates vary dramatically by country—or even within the same country—but, on average, fewer than half of adults in Europe aged 50 and older currently get tested for colorectal cancer.

Now 58, Steffi Wessa can attest to the value of screening. She might not have been alive today without it. After her cancer was detected, she was treated with chemotherapy and radiation, which shrank the tumour, then surgery to remove it. Now cancer-free, she gets regular checkups to ensure she stays that way.

ONCE YOU NOTICE symptoms of CRC, putting off screening can be a bad decision. In early 2013, Belgian Filip Luypaert, 44, was focused on his career as a high-powered executive for an international medical device company. In great physical condition, he had no known risks for cancer. But he’d recently noticed blood in his stool. When he mentioned this to his GP, the doctor recommended a sigmoidoscopy, just as a precaution.

“I was running twice a week, six miles, travelling around the globe for work,” Filip recalls. At his age and condition, neither he nor his doctor

seriously believed he could have colorectal cancer.

So Filip put off screening for another six months, expecting the symptoms to pass. When he finally had a full colonoscopy in October 2013 it revealed that Filip had colorectal cancer. The tumour was too large to remove right away. Worse, further testing determined that the cancer had spread to his liver.

section of the colon. “In some countries, 50, 60, 70 per cent of colon cancer surgery can be done by laparoscopic surgery,” says Dr Colemont. This less radical type of operation involves smaller incisions than traditional “open” surgery, and often translates to faster healing.

EVEN IF YOU’VE HAD COLON CANCER, THERE ARE STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TO LESSEN THE RISK OF THE CANCER RECURRING

Over five days, Filip was given the equivalent of five weeks worth of radiation to shrink his main tumour enough so it could eventually be removed. Then came three months of chemotherapy, followed by surgery to remove the diseased section of his colon. At that point, to give his wound time to heal, surgeons redirected waste products from his lower colon to a stoma, a temporary opening in his abdomen. After another three months of chemo, it was time to operate on his liver. That was followed by more chemo.

Filip searched the internet for survival rates in stage four CRC. The best case scenarios gave him only an 11 to 12 per cent chance of surviving five more years.

He’d had so many plans. His girlfriend was in the process of emigrating from Singapore to be with him. How could he now ask her to leave behind her family, her professional life—everything—when he probably wouldn’t be alive for much longer?

If a tumour is too large to remove immediately, surgery will be necessary to cut away the diseased

It was almost exactly a year from the time of diagnosis to Filip’s last chemotherapy treatment. “I just had to live one day at a time, and that was, for me, very difficult, and especially to see the people around me suffering from my uncertainty and pain.”

After several setbacks, including two more surgeries to remove additional metastases on and near his liver, Filip finally got the news he’d been hoping for. At his last check-up, doctors found no trace of cancer. And in April 2016 he ran again for the first time since his

ordeal began, in a six-mile race in Antwerp. His girlfriend still plans to join him in Belgium.

EVEN IF YOU’VE HAD colorectal cancer, there are steps you can take to mitigate the risk of your cancer recurring. Live a healthier lifestyle, of course, and maintain a healthy weight. But just as low-dose aspirin has been shown to reduce the risk of heart attack, it may reduce the risk of colorectal cancer, including hereditary forms. Dr Colemont says that among people who take low-dose aspirin, “It seems that they have a lower recurrence rate than the people who don’t take it.”

It also may reduce the risk of dying of the disease if you’ve been diagnosed with CRC, according to a 2015 research report. And while no European associations have yet recommended aspirin for prevention in healthy people, the US Preventive Services Task Force came out in favour of a daily low-dose aspirin for certain people 50 to 59 years old, but only those who aren’t at risk for increased bleeding.

Vitamin D might also play a role in prevention, although the link isn’t proven. “We have population studies showing that patients who have lower vitamin D levels have a higher rate of colon cancers,” says Dr Grothey.

According to the US National Institutes of Health, two randomised controlled trials suggest that 1,200 to 2,000 milligrams of calcium per day may reduce the risk of polyps recurring.

The American College of Gastroenterology recommends supplements to colorectal cancer survivors.

BUT THE BEST WAY to lower your risk is to stay vigilant. If you’re over 50 and have never had CRC and have no symptoms, talk to your doctor about screening. Those who have had CRC or are at risk for getting it should be screened more often than the general population.

It should go without saying that if you experience any of the symptoms associated with the disease, even if they seem mild and inconsequential, tell your doctor. Your life could depend on it.

NEW ARRIVALS

255 people, give or take a few, are born every minute.

SOURCE: THEWORLDCOUNTS.COM

spring your in

step

January is a great time to meet new people —after all, it’s always the month when the highest number of people join dating websites, so the chances of meeting that special someone are higher than at any other time of year.

Whether you’re looking for a long-term relationship, a fun-filled adventure, or just a companion with whom to share the day-today, Reader’s Digest Dating provides a safe and secure environment in which to meet like-minded people.

So, why not join up for free today? You never know, things just might fall perfectly into place. ■

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Reader’s Digest Dating is a safe and secure way to meet a like-minded companion. Specifically designed for singles over 40 who love life and want someone to share it with. It’s free to join and you can sign up in three simple steps.

IF YOU OR A LOVED ONE SUFFER WITH tired, aching, heavy feeling legs or swollen feet and ankles it could be the result of poorer circulation in your lower limbs. The pain and discomfort can affect you, and the simple things we love doing, like gardening, walking the dog or playing with grandchildren.

Poorer Circulation?

The muscles of the legs and feet contract and relax – acting like a ‘second heart’ to help ‘pump’ the blood uphill from the feet and ankles, back towards the heart.

If you struggle to stay active, your leg muscles are less efficient at returning the blood, causing tired, aching, heavy feeling legs, and swollen feet and ankles.

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However, with age, medical conditions such as diabetes or immobility, it can be difficult for your body to return blood from your lower limbs. This can result in tired, aching, heavy feeling legs or swollen feet and ankles. When you walk, muscles in your legs and feet help to pump blood upwards, which is why they are often referred to as your ‘second heart’.

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7 Ways To Show Yourself Some Love

BY SUSANNAH HICKLING

Susannah is twice winner of the Guild of Health Writers

Best Consumer Magazine Health Feature

1

TALK TO YOURSELF POSITIVELY. We’ve all heard those negative voices in our heads, but to silence yours, try a daily positive message. It can be as cheesy as, “I’m a bright star and I’m going to keep on shining.” Then, surround yourself with people who don’t talk themselves or others down. And compliment other people—it can boost self-esteem.

2

CHANGE YOUR POSTURE. Slouching or letting your head hang are tell-tale signs you’re feeling low. Take note of your posture and think about how you feel when you’re adopting it. Then do a Superman pose with your chest up and hands on hips to make you feel more positive.

3 BUY YOURSELF A GIFT. Got your eye on a fabulous pair of shoes? Buy them! After all, charity begins at home.

4 GO FOR A WALK. Give yourself some time—whether that’s ten minutes or an hour—to stroll in your favourite park or countryside trail and just be with your thoughts. It’s about enjoyment, not notching up your 10,000 steps a day.

5 CLEAR OUT YOUR WARDROBE. On the surface, this doesn’t sound like the most fun-filled activity, but ridding your home of things that don’t bring you joy is good for the soul. Clear out all those clothes that no longer fit and take them to the charity shop so that someone else can benefit from them. Hanging there, they’re simply a reminder of what we haven’t achieved.

6 COOK SOMETHING SPECIAL. Experiment with a dish you’ve been dreaming of creating or you’ve never had time to do, and make it just for you rather than for a dinner party.

7 TURN OFF YOUR PHONE. Pull the plug on social media and you’ll love yourself for it. A 2016 study found that looking at others’ selfies had a detrimental effect on selfesteem and life satisfaction.

THE LOW-DOWN ON DATING AFTER 40

Getting back into the dating game later in life? Unfortunately, older doesn’t always mean wiser, so here are a few tips.

CHECK YOUR BAGGAGE. If you’re recently single after a long-term relationship, it’s important you deal with your own baggage before moving on.

BE READY FOR LOVE. Before you hit the dating scene, do whatever you can to make yourself happy and healthy. Find a hobby, volunteer, exercise, travel, spend time with friends—it will boost your self-esteem and attractiveness.

MEET YOUR MATCH ONLINE. One in five relationships now reportedly starts online. When starting a chat, pick up on something in the other person’s profile. Don’t chat for too long before scheduling a date, as you need to find out if there’s a spark.

ENJOY THE EXPERIENCE. It’s fun meeting new people, going to new places and trying new activities, so embrace this new phase and don’t take it too seriously.

DON’T THINK YOU’RE IMMUNE TO STIS. There’s been a huge increase in sexually transmitted infections, including chlamydia and HIV, among the over-50s. Even if there’s no risk of pregnancy, using a condom is sensible and both you and your partner should consider going for a sexual-health screening.

The Cold Facts About Raynaud’s

FACT Raynaud’s phenomenon, in which a person’s fingers and toes go numb and are drained of colour in chilly weather, affects one in six people in the UK—that’s around ten million of us.

FACT It can also affect hands, feet, ears, nose and even nipples.

FACT There are two types. No one knows what causes primary Raynaud’s but vibrating tools and smoking may play a part. Secondary Raynaud’s is caused by another condition, often an autoimmune disease such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis or scleroderma—a thickening or hardening of the skin.

FACT One in ten people with primary Raynaud’s goes on to develop an autoimmune condition.

FACT Wearing lots of thin layers on cold days will help keep your body warm and may stave off an attack.

FACT Botox isn’t just for more youthful looks; it’s also an experimental treatment for Raynaud’s. But your doctor will almost certainly recommend you medications to relieve your symptoms first.

FACT Gentle exercise such as walking, swimming (as long as the water’s warm) or yoga will help with circulation but, beware, exercise sometimes triggers a Raynaud’s attack.

GO FIGURE: 32

That’s the percentage of the 13 most common cancers that could be prevented if people ate a healthy diet, maintained a healthy weight and took regular exercise.* Being overweight makes bowel, breast, uterine, ovarian, pancreatic, oesophageal, kidney and gallbladder cancers more likely later in life.

HOW TO BEAT THE AFTERNOON SLUMP

Take a mid-morning break. Use this time to consume a few calories you might otherwise eat at lunchtime. Shrink the size of your lunch accordingly. Snack all day long. Alternatively, nibble nutritious foods whenever you feel peckish, rather than actually eating lunch, then use your lunch break to exercise.

Do a mindless task after lunch. Clear out your email inbox or tidy up the sitting room. This will leave you feeling energised because you’ll have accomplished something.

Make a phone call. A five-minute stay-intouch call to a relative or old friend will lift your spirits for hours. What’s more, while you’re on the phone you won’t be able to nod off.

Why Do I Pee In The Night?

DRINKING TOO MUCH. What goes in must come out, so avoid drinking a lot—especially caffeine or alcohol—in the hours before bed.

YOUR AGE. As well as producing less of a hormone that enables you to hold urine, you may have an enlarged prostate.

AN INFECTION. A urinary tract infection will make you pee more often. Your doctor should be able to treat a UTI.

A SLEEP DISORDER. Pain, restless legs, depression and sleep apnoea can all cause you to wake up at night. Once up, you often feel the need to go to the loo. Seek treatment for the underlying sleep problem.

YOUR MEDICINE. Some meds make you pee more often. Check with your doctor whether your medication could be to blame. You may be able to take something else or take it at a different time.

A HEALTH ISSUE. Sometimes if your heart doesn’t pump as it should, you get a build-up of fluid in your ankles during the day and then need to eliminate this fluid at night. Try to put your legs up in the daytime. An overactive bladder, some tumours, obesity, Parkinson’s or diabetes can also result in more nocturnal trips to the loo.

Sleep Tight

BY FIONA HICKS

Fiona is a qualified nutritional therapist and member of the professional body BANT

FEW THINGS ARE MORE RESTORATIVE THAN A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP. But did you know what you eat can affect your slumber? Whether you have difficulty falling or staying asleep, here’s how to set yourself up for a good-quality kip:

NO COFFEE AFTER LUNCHTIME. Most people turn to caffeine for a boost, but few people realise that it stays in their system for hours. It’s likely that those who experience poor sleep take an especially long time to rid their system of caffeine—up to a staggering 11.4 hours. It’s best to err on the side of caution and leave coffee drinking to the morning.

NUTRITION NEWS

New research conducted by Brigham Young University suggests that stress can affect digestion just as much as a poor diet. In the animal study, mice were exposed to mild stress and their gut bacteria were analysed. It was found that the balance of bacteria was altered, as if the mice had been eating a high-fat, or junk food, diet. Interestingly, this shift was only observed in the female mice. The study’s authors believe this change in gut environment is relevant to humans too, and could go some way to explaining the higher rates of depression and anxiety amongst women.

EAT A WELL-BALANCED MEAL THREE HOURS

BEFORE BEDTIME. A dinner that contains sensible portions of protein and complex carbohydrates, plus a little good fat, is key. Why not try some grilled chicken with sweet potato, spinach and some organic butter, for example? The clever combination of macronutrients works by preventing a blood-sugar drop, which is a cause of night-time waking. Try not to eat too close to bedtime, though, as an active digestive system could make it harder for you to drop off.

TAKE SOME MAGNESIUM. This essential mineral has myriad positive effects in your body, including maintaining your bones, stabilising mood and helping you to relax. For a deep slumber, try taking 400mg magnesium glycinate (one or two typical tablets) an hour or so before bed. Alternatively, you could run a bath with a big handful of magnesium sulphate (also known as Epsom salts).

STAY AWAY FROM SWEETENERS. Sweeteners, and in particular aspartame—found in diet fizzy drinks and even some chewing gum—have been anecdotally associated with poor sleep. If you suffer from occasional insomnia, check ingredients labels and steer clear of sweeteners for two weeks to see if avoidance makes a difference for you.

MAKE A CUP OF CHAMOMILE. The global population drinks more than one million cups of chamomile tea daily—and for good reason. The ancient herb has long been called on to induce sleep, and modern science can now explain why: it contains flavonoids that are mildly (and safely) sedative. Brew a cup at the end the day and make a point of relaxing while you drink it.

In Search Of Hidden Messages

BY MAX PEMBERTON

Max is a hospital doctor, author and newspaper columnist

I’M STANDING IN THE CORRIDOR OF MY NEW WARD, wondering what possessed me to apply to work here. A few dishevelled figures with limp hair covering their faces amble past me. Somewhere somebody is screaming. Alarmingly nearby is the sound of crockery being smashed. Welcome to the psychiatry ward.

The previous doctor who worked on this ward, I was told minutes after signing my contract, walked out three months ago and never came back. Every door is locked and none of the windows open. Surely the maddest thing is voluntarily working in a place like this? But I chose to work here because of all the patients I’d come across, it was those with mental health problems whose need seemed the greatest.

MY JOB HERE ISN’T AS PHYSICALLY CHALLENGING as my previous ones, for which I had to work long shifts, but it’s certainly pretty tough mentally. Most of the patients have some sort of delusion, and it’s hard not to start wondering why you’re the only one not hearing voices.

Within minutes, a queue of patients started forming by my office. Some wanted to introduce themselves or ask medical questions. But several simply wanted reassurance from me that my starting there didn’t hold “special” relevance for them. This confused me until a nurse explained that in severe mental illness, the tiniest things can take on immense significance, seeming to hold hidden messages intended for

the patient. Seeing someone drinking from a blue cup might mean that God is trying to tell them that they have sinned, for example, or seeing someone brush their hair might mean that they’re going to die. It must be very frightening for the person, and what made it all the more sad is that most of the patients knew on one level that what they were thinking was to do with their illness, and that there was no real hidden meaning to things. They were embarrassed at wanting to ask what they knew were ridiculous questions, but they still wanted reassurance from me that my being there didn’t mean something.

WHILE I SIT THERE ASKING myself

what I’ve let myself in for, another head gingerly peers round the door. I can’t believe my eyes. It’s a patient I’d seen many times in A&E—and the one who’d inspired me to take this job, after I saw the way other doctors dismissed her health problems

because she had a mental illness. To my disappointment, she doesn’t appear to recognise me. “I’ve got a rash, doctor,” she says.

The very person who motivated me to apply for this job turns up in this very hospital, on this very ward. What are the chances? OK, so the hospital I’m currently working in is only a few miles away from the one where I first met her. And she’s got chronic mental health problems and has been in and out of nearly every hospital since I last saw her, so it’s not that surprising that she’s ended up in this one.

I can’t quite get over the coincidence though. Perhaps I’m going mad—but surely it’s a sign that I’m meant to be here?

MEDICAL CONDITIONS—EXPLAINED

Depression

WHAT IS IT?

It’s normal to feel down sometimes, but depression is more than that. Symptoms include continuous low mood, lack of energy, low sense of self-worth, anxiety, and feeling that life is no longer worth living. People with depression might isolate themselves, have difficulties at work and stop getting involved in their usual activities. Depression can also have physical symptoms, such as appetite changes, lack of energy or low sex drive.

WHAT CAUSES IT?

There’s no one cause. Depression can be triggered by an upsetting life experience, such as bereavement. It’s more common in people who have social or economic problems, but anyone can get it. A family history of depression also increases the risk of developing it yourself.

HOW’S IT TREATED?

In mild cases, support, self-care and lifestyle changes such as exercise can help. A GP may also recommend Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).

In moderate to severe depression, your doctor might consider prescribing an antidepressant or, if your symptoms are severe, the GP may refer you to a psychiatrist.

WHAT CAN THE PATIENT DO?

The most important thing to do is talk to someone if you think you’re depressed—it’s very difficult to deal with depression on your own. If you’ve been prescribed medication, it’s important to take this regularly. Avoid self-medicating with substances like alcohol—these only make depression worse. If you’re feeling desperate or alone, remember you can call the Samaritans on 116 123.

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Love & WORK In

BY EVA MACKEVIC

Relationships can be hard work; they take lots of patience, kindness—even discipline and self-restraint. But can you imagine

Opposite: Dulcie and Jonny Crickmore with their kids, Ottilie and Arthur; (right) Sarah and Justin Savage; (below) Paul and Louise Parker

© KAT MAGER / SARAH AND JUSTIN SAVAGE / THE LOUISE PARKER

METHOD: LEAN

LOUISE AND PAUL PARKER, 42 AND 37 THE LOUISE PARKER METHOD

“We met at Heathrow, Terminal 4, baggage reclaim seven. We were both on a flight back from Hong Kong. My bags came, I walked away and someone tapped me on the shoulder, gave me their business card and said, ‘I think you’ve forgotten something.’ ” Paul smiles as he recalls the first time he met Louise.

“He was actually checking me out for quite a long time. He denies it to this day. He was a blithering idiot,” she laughs.

Paul and Louise are the wisecracking couple behind The Louise Parker Method—a successful fitness enterprise founded by Louise in 2007. Over the years, her weight-loss programme has attracted a number of high-profile clients, including Hollywood actors and royalty.

“I was a freelance personal trainer for around 14 years and then I set up the business,” she says. “About five years in, things were really picking up and the team was a decent size, but I was still doing everything: coaching, marketing, accounts. I was on my knees and I needed to hire a CEO.”

That’s when Paul stepped in. Working for a corporate company in the City at the time, he was on a successful career path of his own, so the

decision wasn’t an easy one to make. “I thought he’d say, ‘I thought you’d never ask,’ and crack open a bottle of champagne, but he looked very sceptical and he thought about it for six months,” admits Louise.

Paul, who’s now been with the company for seven years, concedes, “You wore me down. I just came down to breakfast one day and said, ‘Right, I’m going to quit today.’ ”

“The first year was really hard. And it’s still hard. But if one of you is struggling, the other one is a bit more upbeat and you can help each other out,” says Louise.

On a day-to-day basis, she looks after coaching, the brand and PR, while Paul takes care of operations—a clear divide between the roles is essential, according to the couple.

Louise and Paul with their daughters Sophie, Milly and CoCo. “The girls are at the heart of what we do”

© THE LOUISE PARKER METHOD: LEAN FOR LIFE BY LOUISE PARKER

“You have to know what your different roles are and have your own territories. Paul does all the operations, it’s hugely complicated. It’s a skill set that I don’t have but when it comes down to signing forms and contracts, both of you need to be involved. Because if something goes wrong, it can’t be like, ‘Why did you sign that?’”

It’s important to complement each other on a personal level as well as is professionally. Louise says, “I needed someone sensible. If something needs to get done, Paul gets it done.

Now, I can’t say my favourite thing about my husband is he opens all the mail,” she bursts out laughing. “But if it were left to me, our electricity would be cut off. I operate in a little creative whirlwind of chaos and Paul helps to bring some order and structure into that.”

Paul, on the other hand, admires his wife’s sense of humour. “She makes me laugh like nobody else. The thing I admire about Lou is how she engages with people. We were at a wedding recently, and there were loads of people we didn’t know—that’s my worst fear. But Louise just went in, had a chat, and five minutes later it’s like, ‘These are my new best friends.’ How do you do that?!” he laughs.

If one of you is struggling, the other one is a bit more upbeat and you can help each other out

Any free time the couple have is spent with their daughters Sophie, Milly and CoCo. “The girls are at the heart of what we do. So the quality time we spend as a couple is when the kids have gone to bed and we just sit and watch Doctor Foster and switch off. That’s bliss,” says Paul.

SARAH AND JUSTIN SAVAGE, BOTH 60 SAVAGES PERSONAL MANAGEMENT

Sarah and Justin run a small but personal theatre management agency in West London. Justin used to manage a number of big theatre companies and produce West End shows, while Sarah has been a director, actor and script editor.

“Creating our business was a way to make a living and have an interesting life. We wanted a business where we could see each other and stay at home. This was the perfect solution— to run an agency and develop other people’s careers,” says Sarah.

This mellow, happy couple met on the internet in August 2013. “We just had a cup of coffee and it was great! We got on immediately,” says Justin.

idea of opening up a boutique hotel, they realised it made sense to do something in an area in which they both have experience. They decided to set up a theatre agency instead—but not without testing the waters first.

“In order to work out whether we could work together, we produced a little show in a 15-seat theatre above a pub. And it was very clear that it was OK. I can honestly say I work better with Sarah than anyone I’ve ever worked with,” admits Justin, prompting Sarah to giggle. “Darling,” she touches his hand, amused.

The agency was a success from the get-go, as the phone started ringing as soon as the couple made an announcement about their new venture. “We get about four applications a day on average— and it just builds,” they say.

© SARAH AND JUSTIN SAVAGE

It’s important what we do—entertainment is a human need, it’s like food

castings, auditions and fee negotiations to handle—it’s an intense business. “Our days are usually 12 hours long. We dial it down at the weekends—otherwise, we’d just collapse,” says Sarah.

They divide the roles between front end and back end; Sarah takes on generating most of the business (“I do the fun stuff”), and Justin looks after invoicing, tax returns and payroll. “He knows the importance of being clear and having things organised. We have complementary skills,” says Sarah.

“It’s important what we do. Entertainment is like food. It’s a human need. And that’s really exciting,” says Justin.

But how do they juggle this strenuous schedule with their personal relationship?

“He just looks after me and I look after him. Justin can tell if I’m flagging a bit, and he’ll say, ‘Come on, we need to go for a walk,’ ” shares Sarah.

And if they ever need some time off from each other, they always have their own hobbies to turn to. Says Justin, “We spend time apart as an anticipatory thing. I have a lovely 1965 Land Rover and I’m happy to go and just lose myself tinkering with it.”

Sarah adds, “And we’ve got our own families, you know? I’ve got two sons, three grandsons, and I’m about to have a fourth grandchild in a month’s time. And Justin has a 20-year-old son, so our lives are pretty full.”

What’s the most important thing they’ve learned from working together as a couple? “You’ve got to be honest about what your strengths are and if you do something wrong— say so, put your hand up, because it won’t work if you’re overprotective. There’s no place for pride or ego.”

DULCIE AND JONNY CRICKMORE, 35 AND 37 FEN FARM DAIRY

Jonny and Dulcie are the young, enthusiastic couple running the Fen Farm Dairy in the beautiful town of Bungay, Suffolk. They share a passion for food, travel and all things dairy. “We both wanted to make milk cool because it’s so boring when you look at it on a shelf,” explains Jonny.

Old meets new at their homey farm: a tight-knit family business run by Jonny’s family since the 1950s, with a fresh outlook on dairy products and a whimsical approach to branding— their milk bottles come with luggage tags and funky designs, and you can fill them from the UK’s first raw milk vending machine.

Jonny and Dulcie met in 2004 in a local pub. “We bumped into each other at The Green Dragon one night. We were set up a little bit by our friends. They got us an isolated table, left us there and sat in the other room. Not awkward at all!” laughs Dulcie. “We went to the cinema the next night

to see Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. And the rest is history.”

Dulcie recalls how, four years ago, Jonny was beginning to feel a bit restless at work, so he decided to start a new chapter by venturing into cheese-making. She says, “I was a costume-maker for theatre and film at the time, but as our second child came along, I decided to shelve what I was doing and concentrate on kids and the cheese business.”

We actually had the work laptop on the bed when our son Arthur was born

The result—a wonderfully creamy Brie—turned out to be a huge success. With the demand from wholesalers growing rapidly, the couple are constantly busy developing the brand and improving their products. “It gets a bit consuming, the work. Whenever we get together, every car journey, every meal—we just talk about cheese.

Jonny has worked on the farm ever since he was little; (below) with their children, Arthur and Ottilie

We actually had the laptop on the hospital bed when Arthur was born—I still haven’t forgiven Jonny for that,” Dulcie laughs.

the seaside to blow away the cobwebs, however “irritable, grumpy or stressed with work” they might be. They bring their kids, Ottilie and Arthur, along and go for long walks or hike up mountains.

Despite the hurdles of juggling work and marriage, Jonny and Dulcie enjoy working together. “Although it can be easy to lose a sense of what your relationship was before you started working together, it’s also nice to have a sense of common purpose, I think,” says Dulcie.

“I suppose the main danger of working together is that you spend several years talking about work and, suddenly, it occurs to you that it’s a been a while since you’ve had anything else in common apart from the kids,” Jonny elaborates.

The couple do their best to avoid falling into that trap. Jonny confesses: “We’re conscious of it and try to make a point of not talking about work at certain times of the week. And it’s still hard, especially when you’ve got phone calls and emails coming through on the weekend.” When they’re not working, the couple go to

“Also, we get to take the kids on business trips abroad or around the country. We go as a family and even though we might be still working, we’re kind of ‘fun-working’. It’s nice taking your partner with you to work,” adds Jonny.

“Our favourite time was when we went to Wales and we were up a mountain with no phone signal for six hours—it was lovely,” they laugh.

Two years ago actress and TV presenter Lisa Riley, 41, best known for her role as Mandy Dingle in Emmerdale, shed over 12 stone in weight. She credits her success to the power of honesty

If I Ruled the World Lisa Riley

I’d abolish lying. I like to know where I stand with people—and with myself. I don’t like being pandered to with white lies and I value honest friends. If someone has a dreadful perm and looks like a poodle, I’m going to say something. On Loose Women recently we discussed whether you’d inform your best friend if their partner was cheating on them. Despite the fact your friend might turn around and say, “You destroyed our marriage,” I’d still have to tell them. I live my life based on how I sleep and, if I fall asleep with a clear conscience, then it’s been a good day.

We’d have greater consumption awareness. Where is it written that you should eat a starter, main course and dessert? Meal deals that include more food for less money aren’t doing your health any good. I hate the marketing concept that “two for one” is a good thing—it really isn’t! One of my mantras is, “Ditch

the plate and embrace the bowl.” Using a bowl is an easy way to keep portion sizes sensibly limited.

We’d remember to say, “I love you.” In my perfect world everyone would have someone important—a partner, friend or family member—to say that to every day. I was blessed with my late mum because there wasn’t a day when she didn’t tell me she loved me and it’s had a lasting effect. No matter what mistakes you make or how difficult life is, you know that there’s someone out there who loves you unconditionally.

People would embrace education. It’s not cool to be uninterested, and it drives me to distraction that reality TV shows glorify being stupid. How have we let that happen? I am proud of my education. My mum would say to me and my brother Liam, “A day is not complete unless you’ve learned something new.” And nowadays information is at our fingertips; it’s up to us to use that wisely.

We’d take our travel blinkers off. One of the many benefits of my weight loss is a new sense of adventure; I’m obsessed with travelling and getting new stamps in my passport. When I told my uncle about a recent trip I’d taken to Mexico, he said, “Why do you want to go there? I’ll stick to Benidorm where I can get ham and eggs every

day.” But there’s a lot more to the world than ham and eggs—we need to go outside the box and see just how phenomenal our planet is. I spent 16 days in Indonesia for about a quarter of the cost of a package holiday to Tenerife. I’ve learned about different cultures, seen incredible places and I’m now aware of how spoilt we are in the Western world.

I’d insist on technology timetables. Knowing how much time you’re spending online is vital; the truth may shock you. I now have periods each day when my phone is completely turned off, and I never want to see kids with iPads on at mealtimes. I remember coming home from school and getting straight on my bike, but nowadays YouTube seems to be the way kids entertain themselves. The other day I was explaining to my sixyear-old nephew how I’d got a scar from tumbling out my grandparents’ apple tree. He said, “But how did you get up?” He couldn’t believe I’d actually climbed up the tree—it saddened me that it was such an alien idea to him.

I’d remind everyone that a smile is 100 per cent free. Saying thank you with a smile spreads happiness wherever you go. As told to Caroline Hutton

Lisa Riley’s Honesty Diet (Michael Joseph, £16.99) is available now.

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SHAKESPEARE’S Britain

Shakespeare’s writing shaped our modern language, but how did his plays describe the landscape of 15thand 16th-century Britain? This guide will take you on a mini tour of the Bard’s favoured locations

BY ANNA WALKER

BEST OF British

Pontefract Castle

YORKSHIRE, RICHARD II & III

In its prime, Pontefract Castle was one of the most imposing fortresses in all of Europe. It might be hard to believe due to its present ruinous state and the throngs of happy tourists, but its fearful reputation was once so strong that the Bard used it to suggest power and terror.

In Richard II, Pontefract is the gruesome scene of the king’s murder and three men are condemned to execution at the castle in Richard III.

Now, Pontefract is the perfect destination for a grisly yet fascinating day out. Originally built over an Anglo-Saxon burial ground, hundreds of soldiers met their death in the castle walls during the War of the Roses.

A huge network of dungeons hollowed out 35 feet below ground still bear the marks of the unfortunate prisoners’ names, scratched into the walls during weeks, months or years of internment.

Says communications officer Kate Lahive, “Today’s visitors can imagine life as a civil war prisoner in dungeon tours, explore the historic grounds and enjoy a range of exciting events throughout the year.”

■ Visit pontefractcastle.co.uk for more information

Sandal Castle

WEST YORKSHIRE, HENRY VI

First built from timber in the 11th century, by the 13th century Sandal Castle had become an impressive stone fortress.

In the 15th century, the castle found itself at the epicentre of a long-fought and bloody battle, as the War of the Roses raged. It was this conflict that inspired Shakespeare’s Henry VI.

The site of the battlefield is now a peaceful farm and all that remains of the once imposing castle are crumbling walls and the commanding motte and bailey.

Visitors can wander in and out of formerly grand rooms, such as the great chamber, kitchen and bake house. Climb to the top of the motte for spectacular views of the Calder Valley or head to the nearby Wakefield Museum to glimpse finds from the extensive excavations of the site.

News of upcoming large investments in the castle means areas previously closed to the public, such as the bridges and stairs to the keep, will soon be opening. Watch this space!

■ Visit experiencewakefield.co.uk for more information

Dunsinane Hill

PERTHSHIRE, MACBETH

A castle built atop Dunsinane Hill in Scotland is one of the dramatic backdrops to the blood-soaked horror of Shakespeare’s shortest tragedy, Macbeth.

After the army of his rival, Macduff, advances on Dunsinane Hill, Macbeth loses his stronghold and is murdered, as predicted by the three witches, who told him:

“Macbeth shall never vanquished be, until

Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane Hill

Shall come against him”

-Act 4, Scene 1

Today, the hill boasts the remains of two forts, one of which is the site on which the real Macbeth suffered a military defeat in 1054.

Visitors to the hill can access it through the pretty Perthshire village of Collace. There are still some impressive ramparts standing, although much of the site was ransacked by 19th-century Shakespeare enthusiasts. ■ Visit walkhighlands.co.uk/ perthshire/dunsinane.shtml for more information

DAVID CAIRNS/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO / SHUTTERSTOCK / STEPHEN BOWLER/FLICKR

Cliffs of Dover

KENT, KING LEAR

Much of Shakespeare’s grandiose tragedy, King Lear, is set in Dover and during the fourth act, one of Lear’s advisers is tricked by his own son into believing he’s standing right at the edge of the famous cliffs.

When he attempts to jump to his death, he instead faints in fear and simply falls to the ground.

Shakespeare makes this suicide attempt so ridiculous that it borders on comedy. Never before had a playwright crossed the line between tragedy and comedy so brazenly.

Dr Stephen Purcell, an English literature lecturer at Warwick University, explains that this is also “what the cliffs represent to many—a boundary between land and sea, high and low, Britain and the outside.”

Shakespeare’s play brought so much attention and tourism to the cliffs that one of them is now named after him.

■ Visit nationaltrust.org.uk/thewhite-cliffs-of-dover for more information

Forest of Arden

WARWICKSHIRE, AS YOU LIKE IT

Situated in Shakespeare’s home county of Warwickshire, Arden was once a heavily wooded area and provides the labyrinthine setting for the Bard’s pastoral comedy.

Plans set in motion by the late Felix Dennis, owner of magazine The Week, have promised to bring this romantic forest to life once more. When he died in 2014, Dennis left his £500m fortune to the development of his forest, and asked to be buried beneath the leaves.

Visitors can enjoy several picturesque walks around the young forest, which is now home to over a million new trees.

Says Heart of England CEO, Beth Brook, “The Heart of England links the two great ancient woodlands—the Forest of Arden and the Forest of Feckenham. To date, over 1.6 million trees have been planted, creating England’s largest new native broadleaf woodland.

“With long-term plans to plant 30,000 acres, this will play a large part in restoring the area’s woodland heritage, once again creating a forest to match the scale of those from Shakespeare’s time.”

■ Visit heartofenglandforest.com for more information

Warkworth Castle

NORTHUMBERLAND, HENRY IV

Though Shakespeare might have dubbed the castle a “worm-eaten hole of ragged stone”, thanks to English Heritage, Warkworth now stands tall as one of Britain’s most impressive castles.

Perched on a pretty hilltop overlooking the River Coquet, Warkworth remains one of the largest castles in northern England.

As you walk through the striking stronghold, keep an eye out for the bold lion badge carved into the walls. It’s the symbol of the Percy family, one of the most powerful dynasties in England during the Middle Ages, and the

family who once called this grandiose castle home. Shakespeare wrote the character “Hotspur Harry”, the son of the first Earl of Northumberland, into Henry IV Part One. It was his rebellion that caused the Percy family to lose Warkworth Castle, though it was later restored to them.

■ Visit english-heritage.org.uk for more information

Ware

HERTFORDSHIRE, TWELFTH NIGHT

Built by a Hertfordshire carpenter in 1580, The Great Bed of Ware is a huge four-poster bed that measures an impressive ten by 11 feet.

It’s assumed that the bed was originally designed to increase tourism to the quaint town of Ware, which remains a choice overnight stop for visitors to London or

Cambridge. Those who stayed in the bed—which could accommodate up to four couples—would often document their stay by carving their initials into the bedpost or attaching their personal red wax seal.

These delightful details can still be enjoyed by visitors to the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, where the bed now resides after a brief return to its hometown in 2012.

The Victoria and Albert Museum calls the bed the “single best-known object” in all their collection, which is quite a feat.

■ Visit vam.ac.uk for more information

Has the Bard inspired your travels? Email us and let us know at readersletters@ readersdigest.co.uk

100-Word-Story

Hurry, there’s less than a month left to enter!

Here’s one more author tale to inspire you Competition

WIN

£1,000!

All shortlisted stories will be published in a special anthology by Lulu.com

PLUS: Winners will have the chance to include a longer version of theirs!

Hope

by Lulu Taylor

THEY SAT STARING AT THEIR RELATIONSHIP COUNSELLOR , a vast gulf between them.

Suzy had a mass of greying hair, a kaftan and ropes of beads round her neck. At the exact same moment, they both noticed she had two pencils sunk deep in her birds-nest hair.

“Now—where’s my pencil? I’m sure I had one.”

As Suzy scrabbled about, they caught one another’s eye. His lips twitched. Her shoulders shook.

She remembered how they once laughed together all the time.

He remembered how infectious he found her laugh.

In that moment, they connected. Maybe there was hope after all.

Rules: Please ensure that submissions are original, not previously published and exactly 100 words long (not including the title). Don’t forget to include your full name, address, email and daytime phone number when filling in the form. We may use entries in all print and electronic media. Contributions become world copyright of Reader’s Digest

Entry is open only to residents of the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man and Republic of Ireland. It is not open to employees of Vivat Direct Ltd (t/a Reader’s Digest), its subsidiary companies and all others associated with this competition, their immediate families and relatives living in an employee’s household. The judges’ decision is final.

Terms and conditions: There are three categories—one for adults and two categories for schools: one for children aged 12–18 and one for children under 12.

In the adults category, the winner will receive £1,000 and two runners-up will each receive £250.

In the 12–18s and under-12s categories, the winners will each receive a Fire HD 8 Tablet and

Lulu Taylor’s Her Frozen Heart (Pan, £7.99) is out now.

a selection of STAEDTLER products worth £50, plus two STAEDTLER classpacks of pencils for their school. The two runners-up in both categories will each receive a Kindle E-Reader.

Please submit your stories online at readersdigest.co.uk/100-word-story-competition by 5pm on February 19.

The editorial team will pick a shortlist of entries, which this year will be combined into a shortstory anthology and published by our partner lulu.com. The book will be entered into Lulu’s retail channels and promoted for one year. Winners of the categories will have an opportunity to write a longer version of their stories for inclusion in the book.

The three best stories in each category will be posted online at readersdigest.co.uk on February 27. You can vote for your favourite, and the one with the most votes wins the top prize. Voting will close at 5pm on March 19 and the winning entries will be published in our June issue. The entry forms and more details are on our website.

REASONS TO TRAVEL TO

INDIA

If you dream of being surrounded by beautiful scenery, scented spices and colourful culture, India is truly the only place to go. India is bursting with wildlife and exciting experiences. Reader’s Digest guided tours have partnered with Collette to offer you the chance to go, and save an extra five percent off

1. THE HISTORY

India truly has a rich and incredibly deep history which pours from every temple, town and mountain. From starting off as its own continent over 100 million years ago, to the prehistoric settlements, to the rising and falling of different empires, India is home to incredible stories of the past. The experts leading this Reader’s Digest guided tour have extensive knowledge about the history and culture of India and will immerse you in all it has to offer.

2. THE CULTURE

One example of the incredible culture India holds is the Kumbh Mela; a mass Hindu pilgrimage of faith in which Hindus gather to bathe in a sacred or holy river every 12 years. In 2011 the gathering was so popular that 60 million people attended and it was even visible from space.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

3. THE WILDLIFE

From sacred cows that freely wander the streets to the exotic animals found in national parks such as Ranthambore National Park, you’ll be surrounded by a world of eagles, tigers and elephants.

4. THE ARCHITECTURE

The lotus is a sacred flower which is honoured by both Hindus and Buddhists and is seen throughout much of Indian architecture and art. The Bahá’í house of worship in Delhi, commonly known as the “Lotus Temple,” is shaped like the flower and boasts 27 enormous marble petals.

5. THE FOOD

From chutneys to samosas, there’s no denying Indian food is glorious. With more flavours and spices than any other country, the cuisine will leave you spoilt for choice.

To find out more about the 14 day Mysteries of India tour, visit readersdigestguidedtours. co.uk or call 0800 804 8373 and mention Reader’s Digest guided tours to get an extra 5% off when you book any Collette tour. Prices from £2,319 excluding flights.

Some of the greatest human minds are scanning the universe, with a range of increasingly powerful telescopes, in the search for extraterrestrial life. The universe is unimaginably vast—how could we be the only ones?

WHERE IS Everybody?

BY AMANDA RILEY-JONES

ARE WE ALONE IN THE UNIVERSE OR DO WE SHARE IT WITH CREATURES

Lord Martin Rees, leading astrophysicist and the UK’s Astronomer Royal, says, “In the last 20 years (and especially the last five) the night sky has become far more interesting. Astronomers have discovered that many stars—perhaps even most—are orbited by retinues of planets, just like the Sun is.”

He continues, “There’s special interest in possible ‘twins’ of our Earth—planets the same size as ours, orbiting other Sun-like stars, on orbits with temperatures such that water neither boils nor stays frozen. The Kepler spacecraft has identified many of these, and we can confidently infer that there are billions in our galaxy.

“Within 20 years the next generation of telescopes will image the nearest of these planets. Will there be life on them?”

WE MIGHT ONE DAY MEET? It’s one of the most fascinating and puzzling questions out there. Either way, it’s a staggering thought. THE GALAXY MIGHT CONTAIN 100 BILLION HABITABLE, EARTH-LIKE PLANETS

Of course, it’s intelligent life that we’re most fervently searching for. As Dr Stephen Webb, physicist at the University of Portsmouth, puts it, “One recent estimate from an international team of astronomers suggested that the galaxy might contain as many as 100 billion habitable, Earth-like planets. There are about 500 billion galaxies in the

universe, and so there might be as many as 50 sextillion potential homes for life. That’s a five followed by 22 zeros. Surely we can’t be the only intelligent species?”

In his book If the Universe Is Teeming with Aliens...Where Is Everybody?, Webb looks for an explanation for this paradox. He first considers whether intelligent aliens could already be here in our solar system.

Could E.T. already be home?

It’s a popular idea. Forty-five per cent of Americans believe in alien spacecraft, according to a 2015 opinion poll. But if they’re already here, why haven’t we seen them?

Well, our solar system is a big place. It’s nearly 3 billion miles from

One theory suggests aliens are observing us

Earth to Neptune, our outer planet. So our chances of finding a small alien artefact by accident in billions and billions of cubic miles of space are essentially zero.

And it’s not as if we haven’t been actively looking. Webb explains, “One can reasonably argue that an extraterrestrial civilisation (ETC) wishing to explore our solar system would send small unmanned (unaliened?) probes rather than a fleet of crewed spacecraft. We know of several places suitable for parking an observational probe and at least one dedicated search has been

made—but no proof has been found.”

Mind-boggling theories include “The Zoo Scenario”, proposed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology astronomer John Ball back in 1973. Could ETCs have set aside planet Earth as a cosmic zoo and be watching us from afar, while choosing not to interact with us?

In 2001, science fiction writer Stephen Baxter conceived “The Planetarium Hypothesis”—that we’re living in a computer simulation designed by beings far in advance of ourselves who want us to believe that the universe is devoid of intelligent life.

Webb says, “With each breakthrough in the study of genetics, it becomes increasingly apparent that all life on this planet is deeply related. We can’t discount the possibility that every species came from the same extraterrestrial source.” Some take this idea further and suggest that an ancient ETC sent ready-made spores towards planets such as ours with conditions favourable to the survival of life. In which case, we would all be aliens.

Putting aside our own possible offworld origins, he concludes, “The evidence that extraterrestrials are

Voyager 1 launched in 1977, and has been travelling through space ever since

currently visiting Earth is nonexistent,” and moves onto a second theory...

They’re out there, despite the silence

The next possibility is that intelligent aliens do exist out somewhere in the galaxy, but we’re yet to hear from them.

“Perhaps the most straightforward explanation is that the distances between stars are too great to permit interstellar travel,” Webb suggests.

As an example, space probe Voyager 1, launched in September 1977, was four times farther out than the solar systems’s outermost planet

by 2014. The first star it will encounter is called AC+793888— but it’s going to take 40,000 years to get there!

In more than 50 years of searching we’ve heard nothing. But maybe intelligent ETCs are signalling to us: we just don’t know how to listen. He explains, “Radio signals may have been ditched long ago by alien civilisations. Who knows what communication channels might be available to technical cultures that are millions of years in advance of our own.”

Similarly, he asks, “Who knows where a civilisation much older than ours would choose to live? Perhaps they do colonise space but they don’t colonise our particular piece of real estate,” he says.

French philosopher Clement Vidal has argued that high-tech aliens could be living inside black holes, where they can harness huge amounts of energy. Trouble is, the nearest black hole is believed to be 3,000 light years away.

RADIO SIGNALS MAY HAVE BEEN DITCHED LONG AGO BY ALIEN CIVILISATIONS

Or it could be that we need to completely change our mindset. Serbian astronomer Milan Cirkovic´ argued that biologically based intelligent life will arise at various points in the galaxy, but inevitably pursue a trajectory that leads to post-biological evolution.

Webb explains, “Given enough time, biologically based intelligence will create artificial intelligence. Post-biologicals, freed from the shackles of a corporeal existence, need not remain planet-bound and huge differences between our minds and theirs might make communication impossible.” Effectively, we would be alone.

They don’t exist— we’re home alone

Some scientists believe that our home planet is a one-off. So perhaps the uniqueness of our beautiful planet explains why we are alone?

For a start, all the planets in our solar system have natural satellites, but our moon is unusual in being so large compared to the Earth. It’s the moon’s steady pull that stabilises Earth’s rotation and tilt, keeping our climate relatively stable. It also raises ocean tides (a possible factor in getting life started) and its gravityamplified volcanic activity would have helped form our atmosphere. “Perhaps double planets such as our Earth-Moon system are necessary for life,” adds Webb.

LOOKING FOR ALIENS

1877 Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli observed natural channels on Mars and called them “canali”, but Englishspeaking astronomers mistranslated this to artificial “canals”. In the early 20th century, images from NASA’s Mariner 4 spacecraft showed a dry, lifeless landscape.

1908 The world’s biggest documented explosion felled tens of millions of trees at Tunguska in Siberia. An alien spacecraft was suspected, but scientists now think it was caused by a meteoroid exploding in the atmosphere.

2002 Ohio State University’s Big Ear radio telescope registered a strong, 72-second signal that appeared to come from the constellation Sagittarius. Named “The Wow! Signal” (after the astronomer’s response), it hasn’t been picked up since.

2016 Yale scientists were baffled by dramatic “blinking” from a distant star called KIC 8462852. It may have been caused by a planet crossing in front of the star, but some speculate that it was caused by an alien megastructure, such as the passage of a gigantic spaceship. It was blinking again last year.

system may be essential for life

David Waltham, British geophysicist and author of Lucky Planet, argues that Earth’s unusual 4 billion years of climate stability has allowed complex, multicellular life to develop.

Despite this relative calm, life on Earth has had to contend with meteor impacts, super volcanoes,

extreme glaciation (ie, Snowball Earth events) and mass extinctions. Dire as they sound, perhaps even these were necessary for the development of intelligent life.

“According to some scientists, neither higher plants nor animals would exist today if it weren’t for past Snowball Earth events,” says Webb. Researchers suggest that a surge of nutrients into the sea after the big melt could have spurred the evolution of more complex animals.

Another explanation might be that life itself is a rare phenomenon. Webb explains, “Perhaps the emergence of life from non-living material is an almost miraculous fluke. Perhaps only Earth experienced the right sequence of biological and environmental events that made possible the evolution of animal life?”

WHERE COULD THERE BE LIFE?

For a planet to be habitable, it needs liquid water, a significant mass that guarantees a substantial atmosphere, a reasonable spinning rate to avoid overheating and to be orbiting the right distance from its star.

Within our solar system, experts think there are huge amounts of water in the atmospheres and interiors of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune and also beneath the surfaces of the five icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn.

In 2009, NASA’s Kepler space observatory was launched to search beyond our solar system for Earth-like planets orbiting in the habitable zones of their stars. By last summer, the mission had discovered ten potentially rocky, Earth-sized planets.

Or we may be alone because intelligence at the human level is unique. After all, we’re the only species (out of 50 billion or so) in the history of Earth to have developed language. And our extraordinarily dextrous hands have allowed us to make tools and begin our journey to high technology. “What is the chance that an extraterrestrial species will follow the same sort of evolutionary path as humans?” questions Webb.

He concludes, “I would like to think that we share the galaxy with weird and wonderful strange creatures with whom we could communicate about philosophy, religion and science. But I don’t buy this ‘high intelligence evolved on Earth so it must eventually evolve on other planets’ argument.

“I think we might one day visit

distant planets and find oceans teeming with strange, microscopic organisms—lots of life, but not life with which we can communicate. And why should we expect high intelligence to be widespread? Millions of species on Earth manage to survive in a spectacular number of ways without it.

“We are searching for intelligent, conscious, tool-making beings that have developed a language we’re capable of understanding and the tools of science and mathematics. We’re searching for ourselves.”

If the Universe Is Teeming with Aliens…Where Is Everybody? by Dr Stephen Webb (Springer International Publishing, £22) is out now.

BLEEDIN’ FAMOUS

You know you’ve made it when your name becomes Cockney rhyming slang: Britney Spears: beers. “I’m just going down the pub for a few Britneys.”

Alan Whicker: knickers. “Alright, mate, keep your Alans on!”

Nelson Mandela: Stella Artois. “Blimey, I had one too many Nelsons last night!”

Hank Marvin: starving. “I’m bleedin’ Hank Marvin. I could murder a pie!”

Richard the Third: turd. “We’re in trouble with the neighbours; the dog’s left a Richard on their front porch.”

SOURCE: HUBPAGES.COM

Three

weeks in India reveal a country of many faces

A STATE OF INDEPENDENCE

WORDS AND PICTURES BY ANNA WALKER

Deep in the bush of Ranthambore National Park, one of the largest reserves in Northern India, our guide Nadeem is hot on the trail of a 15-month-old tiger cub.

My travel companions—a group of 16 solo travellers bound together by a shared fascination with this enthralling country—peer over the side of the truck to observe the huge

paw prints embedded in the dirt track. Nadeem can identify most of the 60 tigers that live here by their prints alone. The tracks are fresh.

A former hunting ground for the Maharajas of Jaipur, the conservation effort has been so successful that the tiger population here has peaked, leading several cats to leave the confines of the park and stalk through

the tall grasslands of local farms to reach neighbouring forests.

Monkeys swing erratically above our heads as we fly over the wildly uneven terrain. They let out whooping distress calls that chime with the cries of nearby birds and deer—they’re the sounds we’ve been waiting for. She’s close.

Minutes later our driver makes an abrupt stop and there, sprawled just a few feet away from us, the cub lies proudly, as if she’s won the ultimate game of hide and seek. At 80kg, it’s hard to believe she’s only a baby. She will double in size by the time she reaches maturity.

When a tubby boar stumbles through the undergrowth, she flattens herself, and begins to stalk. We hold our breath but Nadeem suppresses a snicker. “She won’t catch him,” he whispers. He’s right. The boar is too quick and her pounce too cautious. It’ll be months before her skills are refined enough to leave her mother’s side.

The sun sets behind the ancient ramparts as we begrudgingly leave, and nothing but the sound of the giggling monkeys fills the air. The setting couldn’t be more different to my first experience of India, though the entire country—comprised of

THE INFAMOUS SMOG OF THE CITY HANGS LOW LIKE A BLANKET, KEEPING ITS PEOPLE FROM THE SCORCH OF THE SUN

different worlds though it seems— shares one magnetic pulse.

Delhi in October is hot. But a heat without sunshine. The infamous smog of the city hangs low like a blanket, keeping its people from the scorch of the sun.

Our first stop is India Gate, the huge war memorial that commemorates the 82,000 Indian soldiers who died in the First World War and Third Anglo-Afghan War.

jostling schoolboys and the shouts of nearby cricket matches, there’s absolute peace and tranquillity.

GAP YEAR

Birds chirrup as we follow Gandhi’s final footsteps, marked out beautifully like stepping stones on the ground. Some of them are sprinkled with deep crimson petals.

STUDENTS SIT BETWEEN SIKH BUSINESSMEN AND HINDU HOUSEWIVES, CAREFULLY ROLLING OUT CHAPATIS

Areas of open land like this are scarce in Delhi, so the Gate becomes a social hub by night, as local families gather for picnics and friends meet for animated games of cricket.

For now, though, it’s populated predominantly by domestic tourists, many in Delhi for the first time. Rowdy groups of schoolboys run over to us holding their phones aloft and crying, “Selfie, selfie.” When we ask one why he wants a photograph with us, he tells us he’s proud that we’re visiting his country.

Later, after a delicious lunch of spicy curried paneer and crisp, sweet pani puri, we drive to Gandhi Smiriti— Mahatma Gandhi’s final residence and the site of his assassination.

The atmosphere couldn’t be more different to the Gate. Instead of

In the early evening we visit India’s most prominent house of Sikh worship, the Bangla Sahib Temple. We’ve arrived just as the sun—a deep orange yolk bleeding into the sky—has begun to set behind its golden domes.

We remove our shoes, cover our heads and step out onto the cool marble. People come here to pray, eat, sleep or even bathe in the sarovar, a sacred pool that stretches out into the rear courtyard.

In the heart of the temple, volunteers serve up 10,000 free meals every day in an open kitchen called a langar. It’s here for those who need it, Sikh or not, and many of Delhi’s homeless people rely on it for sustenance.

Clockwise from top left; our tiger cub joins us on the track; India Gate; cricket in the Gate grounds; fresh produce lines the floor of the vegetable market; a couple pose outside City Palace; Udaipur; schoolchildren in Dhar; the Taj Mahal. Centre: our carriage driver.

A tuc tuc parked ready for custom outside the spice market in Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi

Gap year students sit between Sikh businessmen and Hindu housewives, carefully rolling out chapatis, assisted by willing members of our group, who want to help, moved by what we’ve seen here.

The temple feels a fitting place to visit after the site of Ghandi’s assassination, his dream for a harmonious India fresh in our minds.

It’s a sentiment echoed by our rickshaw driver the next day, as we duck under chunky electrical wires, hanging like great bird nests between

the narrow alleys of Chandni Chowk, Delhi’s most famous shopping strip. All kinds of Indians live here in harmony, he tells us, proudly.

I can’t help but feel guilty as he reaches to wipe his sweaty brow with a small rag. It’s hot, close to 35 degrees, although the sun still hasn’t broken through that thick blanket of smog. As we leave our driver behind to navigate the streets by foot, he looks sorely in need of rest, though he’s clearly already scouring the street for his next customer.

Our guide, Deep, laughs as he spies me trying to find a suitable gap to cross the hectic road—which is now populated by tuc tucs, cars, cows, goat-led chariots and even a man astride an elephant. With one hand on my shoulder he tells me firmly, but with the hint of a smile, “Just shut your eyes and walk.”

The smog in Delhi turns to fog in Agra as we take the four-and-ahalf-hour drive to the home of the Taj Mahal. Unfinished high rises emerge from the gloom of the misty morning and Deep explains that they should

have been finished years ago. Thanks to India’s backlogged courts, the people who bought them will probably never get their investment back.

Girls dance amidst the highway traffic, begging for money. A young couple rolls down their windows to hand one two bananas and a bag of nuts. She seems pleased with her haul, but continues her dancing all the same.

We depart for Agra’s Red Fort just after dawn, keen to avoid the fierce heat of the midday sun. The architecture is extremely ornate. Rings still hang from the floors and ceilings where silk sheets, rugs and swings once hung. Perfumed water used to flow through the palace and oil lamps lit the marble interiors.

SEEING THE TAJ MAHAL WITH YOUR OWN EYES IS LIKE SPOTTING A FULL MOON ON A NIGHT YOU EXPECTED CLOUD

I feel a nudge on the back of my thigh and jump, only to find a cow carefully butting its head against me, telling me in no uncertain terms that I’m to move out of her way. She settles a short distance ahead, to graze on some bruised potatoes left over from a previous day’s trade.

Despite the muck beneath our feet, the produce is colourful and succulent. We purchase vibrant green water chestnuts, peel them with our hands and enjoy the sweet, nutty taste.

When evening comes, a horse and carriage carries us on to the Taj Mahal. Our driver is very young, and he pats the horse’s rump muttering words of encouragement throughout our drive.

The place is infused with royalty; you can almost feel the noble figures moving around you.

A short walk from the palace reveals an altogether different side of India—the roadside wholesale food market has opened, selling their wares before the main markets open their doors later in the day.

The floor is thick with rotting vegetables and vehicles race through the narrow walkways between stalls, offering no more than a blast of their horn before zooming past the shoppers.

The sun has already begun to set when we arrive, and the crush to get in before it disappears entirely is almost unbearable. When we finally emerge, the rosy sunset has tinged the marble visage of the Taj a faint pink.

Seeing the building with your own eyes is like spotting a sparkling full moon on a night you expected cloud. It’s a personal encounter, and our group disperses as we each take in the sight, our experience deepening as we the majesty of the building alone.

Local women pose for a photograph in Udaipur’s “Garden of the Maidens”

Our next stop is Udaipur and during the long journey, we play games, drink Indian rum and sing songs. One of our group performs a ditty he’s written. It’s a love song constructed from the things we’ve encountered during our trip (his love is “spicy too, like a strong vindaloo”).

Despite the glamour of inner city Udaipur—it’s known as the “Venice of the East”—the rural outskirts prove the most captivating as we travel to a small village named Dhar. Children clamour around us from

the moment we arrive, beaming toothy grins as they pose for photos, scrambling to see the final picture the second the shutter closes.

Many of the children here attend a free school in the village and they look delighted to be in class. They sing us English songs and one shy but brave boy stands up alone to recite a Hindi poem. It’s especially wonderful to see the row of girls sat in the front. In rural Rajasthan where this village lies, less than five per cent of women are literate.*

One of the elder women dresses me in a sari, and falls about laughing when it transpires that I’m too tall for the pretty material to stay on my head. She follows close behind, constantly fidgeting with the fabrics. She tells our guide that she’ll be putting me to work in the fields next, and all the women laugh.

Food is plentiful here. I even spy two boys hitting one another over the head with a custard apple as they wait for school. They giggle bashfully when they realise I’ve noticed, and it’s a delight to be momentarily initiated into this shared secret.

*SOURCE: VEERNI.COM/INDIA-FACTS.ASPX

Despite travelling alone, I never feel lonely. Instead, the solo experience offers a chance to experience sparks of connection like this—moments that can easily go unnoticed when with familiar travel companions.

We walk on towards the Aravelli mountain range, which stretches from Delhi in the north to Haryana in the south. Here, farmers still plough the fields with cows and we follow a river where children play as their mothers wash jeans in the water.

Eventually, we reach the foot of the 3,000ft mountain we’ll be climbing. There’s no path, and it takes a challenging two hours to reach the top. The local women, meanwhile, do this every day with great bushels of grass balanced on their heads.

Something about the trip to the village has our group opening up. That night over dinner, we speak about births and deaths, weddings and funerals, the family we feud with and the ones that we miss.

We’ll soon be leaving the state of Rajasthan to venture somewhere altogether new. I think about the final stretch of our trip—a plane journey to the modern “city of dreams”, Mumbai—with a quiet excitement, and remember the advice Deep gave me.

When the plane touches down and the thick humidity of Mumbai hits my lungs, I look out at the bustling city, shut my eyes and walk.

TRAVEL TIPS

One Traveller offers 16-day holidays to India from £3,590 per person. Taking in Delhi, Royal Rajasthan and Mumbai, the trip includes return flights from London, 15 nights’ accommodation in four- and five-star hotels, all meals, all domestic travel and excursions as detailed in the itinerary, plus the services of a dedicated One Traveller Tour Manager (01760 722 011, OneTraveller.co.uk).

BY CATHY ADAMS

Cathy has danced in Rio, been microlighting in South Africa and hiked the mountains of Oman

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Tell us about your favourite holiday (send a photo too) and if we include it on this page we’ll pay you £50. Go to readersdigest. co.uk/ contact-us

The House of Theseus in

Paphos

Archaeological Park

My Great Escape: Sunny Cyprus

J Carmen Smith from Wigan goes on a curative holiday to Cyprus

IT WAS WINTER 2015. It had been a year of highs and lows: a family wedding, the birth of our fourth grandchild and my husband’s totally unexpected heart attack. We really needed a holiday.

At the beginning of December, with my husband fully recovered, we booked a last minute trip to Cyprus—staying at the premium St George Hotel in Paphos. We hoped to relax, enjoy some winter sun and explore the island’s archaeological treasures. It didn’t disappoint.

Our hotel was overlooking the sea and just a short bus ride from the picturesque harbour in one direction, and the main town in the other.

A few minutes’ walk from the bus terminus brings you to the ancient Paphos Mosaics, where you can spend a whole day exploring the House of Dionysos and the House of Theseus. Catching the bus in the opposite direction, you can visit sites such as The Tombs of the Kings—where else would you find archaeological remains tucked behind a major department store?

Returning to the hotel for afternoon tea—with the most delicious cakes—we’d then retire to our room for a siesta. When it got dark around 5pm, we’d watch spectacular sunsets from our

balcony. During the day the weather was a comfortable 21 degrees; warm enough for summer clothes but not too hot for sightseeing.

Organised trips from the hotel were a great way to travel further afield and experience other areas of Cyprus. We particularly enjoyed journeying high into the Troodos Mountains to visit the Kykkos Monastery.

We brought home beautiful leather goods from Karavella Market, as well as calorie-laden sweets called “Cyprus Delights”. And it certainly did!

■ ROAM THE ANCIENT RUINS

easyJet flies to Paphos from £37.99pp one-way (easyjet.com). Rooms at the St George Hotel start from around £90 a night (stgeorge-hotel.com).

THIS MONTH MARKS THE START OF A NEW YEAR in the Chinese calendar with plenty of bombastic celebrations in its honour. Over the weekend of February 16–18, Hong Kong’s harbour and streets light up with firework displays, parades and parties. Join locals hanging red lanterns, buying orchids and eating sticky rice cakes—traditionally auspicious food for good luck in the new year. British Airways flies to Hong Kong from £505pp return (ba.com).

Things To Do This Month

AMALFI COAST IN TWO MINUTES

■ SEE: VESUVIUS Naples’ most iconic (and romantic) backdrop, Mount Vesuvius, is free from crowds in the cooler months. Warning: it’s still an active volcano, although it hasn’t erupted since 1944 (italia.it/en).

■ STAY: SORRENTO One of Sorrento’s most storied properties is Hotel Excelsior Vittorio, a cliff-clinging Belle Époque grand dame that overlooks the Bay of Naples. Rooms from around £408 a night (exvitt.it).

■ CRUISE: ISCHIA Capri might be its better known sister, but volcanic Ischia (30 miles off the coast from Naples) is calmer, more rugged and offers up fantastic views from its mountainous centre (infoischiaprocida.it).

TRAVEL APP OF THE MONTH

WiFi Map, Free, Android, iOS. Reduce mobile roaming charges with the WiFi Map app, which shows over 2 million WiFi hotspots (and their passwords) around the world.

SHORT/LONG HAUL: DIVING HOLIDAYS

SHORT: Gozo Mediterranean island Gozo offers clear seas and good visibility, making it one of the best places to dive year-round in Europe. On the dive hitlist: reefs, caves, wrecks and Gozo’s iconic blue hole (originaldiving.com). FOR

LONG: Raja Ampat Indonesia’s Raja Ampat is renowned for its marine biodiversity (75 per cent of the world’s coral and 1,400 species of fish live here) and its almost untouched beauty. Spot mandarin fish and the bizarre dugong (diveworldwide.com).

Gibraltar has always made history. Now we’d like to make your day.

Join us for a 12 month celebration of history, art, heritage and pageantry in a unique part of the world.

With 30 degree average summer temperature, a UNESCO world heritage site offering 120,000 years of human history and only 2.5 hours from the UK, where else can you relax in the heat of the Mediterranean, enjoy the warmth of the British Gibraltarians and splash out VAT-free in Sterling? Gibraltar. Sun, sea and history served with a very British twist.

For further information call: Gibraltar Tourist Board +44 207 836 0777

Or to download a brochure go to: www.visitgibraltar.gi

One of Italy’s biggest celebrations is underway in Venice…

Come to the Carnivale!

THE VENICE FESTIVAL is known for its extravagant masks and costumes

IT’S A GONDOLA PARADE. The masquerade parade on the Grand Canal (below) is one of many colourful events during the Carnivale.

FESTE DELLE MARIE. Two “Maries” (right) in traditional Venetian period costume participate in the parade of “Twelve Beautiful Venetian Girls”, an event that’s part of the Festa delle Marie in St Mark’s Square. It evokes a centuries-old tradition, in which the elected lord and chief of the state of Venice gave jewels for a bridal dowry to 12 beautiful but humble girls.

THE “FLIGHT OF THE ANGEL” EVENT (far right) dates to the 1500s, when an unknown guest of Venice walked a tightrope in St Mark’s Square.

MASKS have been a fixture of Venetian Carnivale celebrations since the Italian Renaissance, which began in the 14th century and lasted until the 17th century. The display of costumes evokes Venice in centuries gone by.

A REVELLER (opposite page) catches his breath at the Bridge of Sighs.

DOGS (right) aren’t left out of the fun.

A PEDESTRIAN (below) casts an amused eye at the finery on display.

Pensions Tips For Retirement

If you’re about to retire you’re probably considering how to arrange your future income and take money out of your pension in the most efficient way possible. Guy Myles, founder of Flying Colours gives his five top tips to help you make the right decision

Work to a plan

It’s always a good idea to have a sound plan for your finances but this is especially true at retirement. A plan allows you to avoid over or under spending today and to maximise your enjoyment of life. It also helps to reduce stress. For me, there is another benefit of a plan that doesn’t get enough attention—it helps make you more money! Studies prove that having a plan makes it more likely you will achieve your goals and if the plan is provided by a financial adviser the average investor will accumulate a bigger retirement pot.

How should you take your income once you are retired?

There are so many choices at retirement and a great deal of misinformation about what to do from the internet and maybe even friends and family. Making the right decision isn’t easy but there are some facts that help. At its most basic an investor can choose two options for private pensions.

You can choose to convert into an annuity at retirement where you will receive a guaranteed income for life or you can stay invested in your own pension and take income in a more flexible way and hope for better long-term returns. This sounds like a simple choice but the variety of options is very wide. Do your research before deciding. For those lucky enough, defined benefit pensions are a wonderful perk but now there is the option of transferring out into your own personal pension, and with the values so high by historical standards, there are difficult decisions to be made here too.

Avoid mistakes

As an adviser we see people approaching retirement every day. I’m sad to say that a large number of these people would make costly errors in their planning without support. The UK investment landscape is complicated and product rules are often opaque and hidden behind jargon which

doesn’t help. You must be careful before selling any investment and you have to ensure you don’t create a tax liability or lose out on a benefit you’ve already paid for. You won’t get warned before you act and the onus is on you to know your position. This may sound bad but in my experience the biggest complication is the investment tax system where it’s so easy to make mistakes. Pension tax legislation is greatly beneficial but as the cost to the Treasury is so high, the government changes the rules every year.

Look out for opportunities

Luckily, alongside the danger of making mistakes, the complexity of our investment and tax system will throw up opportunities to get benefits if you know the rules. One example that hardly anyone seems to know about is that if you’re retired and in receipt of income from your pension, you are actually still able to make contributions. This is true even if you don’t earn much

or anything at all. You can still receive 20 per cent tax relief up to an annual limit of £3,600 gross. This means a payment of £2,880 to which the taxman adds £720. Where else can you get £720 a year of return from the tax man for so little effort?

Be flexible

Refresh your plan regularly. Rules change for products or tax legislation and your personal circumstances can change too. It’s important that you adapt your plans to whatever the changes are and make sure you make the right trade offs between spending and retaining investments and that you don’t make any mistakes. n

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

Reader’s Digest has partnered with pension experts Flying Colours, to provide you with the advice you need to identify your best option. Call our pension experts on 0333 241 9919 or visit readersdigestpensions. co.uk to access the appropriate advice.

Giving To Charity?

Make sure your money is going where you want it

We Brits are a generous bunch—but how can we be sure our hard-earned cash is going to the causes we care about?

BY ANDY WEBB

Andy Webb is a personal finance journalist and runs the awardwinning money blog Be Clever With Your Cash

WE’RE A NATION THAT LIKES TO GIVE. Even during tough economic times, Brits continue to donate to charity, with the Charities Aid Foundation reporting that almost two thirds of us give money each year.

But is that money going where you think it is? Here are a few ways to make sure as much cash as possible is going to the causes you support.

Watch out for fees when you sponsor

From fun runs to mountain climbing, it’s great when friends and family members do something to raise awareness and money. Donation websites such as Just Giving and Virgin Giving make it much easier for people to donate to support their efforts, and they’re now the most common way for people to raise money.

And when you do this, you’d be forgiven for expecting all your money to go straight to the charity. However, that’s not always the case.

Virgin Giving takes 3.5 per cent in fees from your money, as well as charging charities £150 + VAT to be registered. Just Giving’s fees are higher, taking 5 per cent in fees per transaction and a 1.25 per cent transaction fee, alongside a monthly fee to charities that’s between £15 and £39 + VAT.

If you’d rather more money goes directly to the charity, whether when fundraising or sponsoring someone else,

then MyDonate is a better option. Their only charge is a 15p card transaction fee.

Find out how much money is spent on overheads

To do their good work, charities also have to pay for staff, offices and other expenses, meaning the money you donate can quickly be eaten up funding people and places—and not the cause.

You can use the website aliveandgiving.com to check the percentage of funds that goes to the people who need it, rather than fundraising and governance.

You might find that smaller, local

charities are a better bet for your donation as they will often have lower overheads.

Give more with tax breaks

You can add 25 per cent to your donations by ticking the Gift Aid box when you give. As long as you’re paying income tax, the charity can claim the tax back. So a £10 donation will be worth £12.50 to the charity.

It’s easier still, and better for the charities, if you give through Payroll

Giving, where the donation is given by your employer when you get paid, and the tax automatically added on—saving the charities the cost of claiming it back.

Check the charity

There’s often a worry that people asking for your money, particularly people who come to your door or stop you on the street aren’t legitimate. If the collector is pushy, details seem wrong or wording is misspelt, then it’s safest to politely say “no thanks”, and opt to donate directly instead.

Be careful of information they give you—it could include fake website addresses or phone numbers. Instead, look up registered charities’ details on the charitycommission. gov.uk website.

My Mum’s Money

How to avoid a hike in your car insurance

ONE THING MY MUM ACCEPTS will cost more as she gets older is her car insurance. But what shocked her last month was that her new quote was double the amount she paid in the previous year.

So where did this mysterious extra £430 come from? Well, most insurance policies—whether for your holiday or home—have gone up in the last few years, thanks to a succession of tax increases. But this is just a small part of it.

The reality is that the best deals are often reserved for new customers. You can save by comparing quotes with different insurers and moving your custom, or—and this is the route my mum normally takes—by calling up and seeing what can be done. More often than not, hundreds of pounds can then be cut from the annual premium, often by playing with factors such as excesses or mileage limits.

The surprise twist this year was that the biggest reduction came as a result of removing me as an additional

driver. I’m only listed on there for emergencies, but it had always had the added benefit of making the insurance cheaper. But now, it seems I was responsible for hiking up prices!

So what was the final price once the call had finished? Well, it was still up on last year but, at £500, it represented a £360 saving from the auto-renewal price. A very healthy discount.

Telephone your insurer to see if they can beat the renewal quote— and don’t assume certain criteria will make your policy cheaper. Play around to bring down the cost. MY

MONEY WEBSITE OF THE MONTH:

SkyScanner skyscanner.net

If you’re already thinking about heading abroad in the summer, then this is the website for you. In moments you can compare different airlines and travel agents to find the cheapest flights.

There are really useful filters to help you quickly see the cheapest days across whole months—and even find the cheapest time of year to fly to your destination. If you want to narrow things down further, you can search only for direct flights, or ones that only take off or land at certain times. Very handy for any holiday planning.

One thing to watch out for: the prices for budget airlines won’t always include checked luggage, reserved seats or meals, so check before you book anything.

Dodgy Deliveries

More of us are shopping online nowadays, but that doesn’t mean deliveries always go to plan, with almost two thirds (62 per cent) of us experiencing problems. Research group Mintel has shared the UK’s biggest delivery frustrations:

n Longer than estimated wait (30 per cent).

n Unable to schedule for a convenient time (20 per cent).

n Items left in wrong place (18 per cent).

n Damage to contents (17 per cent).

Easy-to-prepare meals and accompanying drinks

Butternut Squash Pasta Bake

BY RACHEL WALKER

Rachel Walker is a food writer for numerous national publications. Visit rachel-walker.co.uk for more details

PASTA BAKES HAVE A BAD REPUTATION. Perhaps it’s those powdered packet sauces, which are one “quick fix” too far. Great pasta bakes are a thing of real beauty. The best ones are hearty and hot, and easily scaled-up to feed an army. It’s much more than just pasta in a sauce…

Serves 6

• 1kg butternut squash

• 2tbsp olive oil

• 250g cherry tomatoes

• 400g pasta (farfalle, rigatoni, penne)

1. Preheat the oven to 200C.

• 200g cavolo nero, sliced (or kale)

• 250g ricotta

• 1 lemon, zested

• 1tsp ground nutmeg

• 150g cheddar, grated

2. Top, tail, peel and deseed the butternut squash, then cut it into 2cm pieces. Tip the chunks of squash into a roasting tin. Drizzle over the olive oil, season with salt and roast.

3. After 15 minutes, the butternut squash should be starting to take on some colour. Add the whole cherry tomatoes to the roasting tin. Toss, and return the tray to the oven for another 10-15 minutes, so the tomatoes have collapsed and the squash is soft with the poke of a knife.

4. Meanwhile, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, and cook the pasta for a couple of minutes less than pack

BY TIM & ZOË HILL

instructions. Add the cavolo nero (or kale) to the pasta pan for two minutes, until it starts to wilt, and then drain both the pasta and greens into a colander, reserving a small glass (about 100ml) of the cooking water.

5. Turn out the ricotta cheese on top of the pasta and the greens, add the lemon zest and nutmeg, and then use a wooden spoon to stir all the components together thoroughly, using the

leftover cooking water to loosen the pasta. Tip in the squash, tomatoes and two thirds of the cheese, and stir to combine.

TIP…

Serve this bake with a fresh green salad. The crisp, light flavours will bring out the richness of the pasta sauce.

Tip the pasta into enamelware, a baking tray or Pyrex pie dish greased with butter. Scatter all the remaining cheese on top of the bake, and then return the pasta to the oven for 8-10 minutes, so the scattered cheese has melted and the top of the pasta bake is starting to turn crisp.

T-Time

IT’S NO SECRET THAT THE GIN MARKET HAS EXPLODED over the past few years, but did you know that the tonic market is booming too?

Pioneering company Fever Tree has built a business worth £2bn over just 14 years, simply by pointing out: “If ¾ of your gin & tonic is tonic, make sure you use the best.”

Now that the “T” is being recognised as just as important as the “G”, there’s a wave of botanically brewed mixers hitting our supermarket shelves. They use natural quinine—no sweeteners or preservatives—but each mixer has distinct

characteristics. Fentimans’ Indian Tonic Water suits a dry palate, Fever Tree’s has a slightly sweeter finish, and the Double Dutch Indian Tonic has a hint of juniper, designed to set off a slug of gin.

What’s more, now that tonic is the star of its own show—no longer just the supporting act—more variations are cropping-up on bar menus: She & T (Fino sherry and tonic), V & T (Vermouth and tonic) and P&T (white port and tonic).

TOP 3 TONIC WATERS

■ Fever Tree Indian Tonic Water (£1.69/500ml)

■ Fentimans Botanically Brewed Premium Indian Tonic Water (75p/150ml)

■ Double Dutch Indian Tonic (£3/4x200ml)

TOP GIN ALTERNATIVES

■ Knightor White Vermouth (15%), £28.95/75ml, The Dorset Wine Co

■ Manzanilla La Gitana Hidalgo (15%), from £6.99/50ml, Majestic

■ Andresen 10-year-old White Port (20%), £13.49/50ml, Laithwaites

Scotch Pancakes

Serves 4

• 150g self-raising flour

• 1tsp baking powder

• 2tbsp sugar

Pudding of the Month

• 1 egg, whisked

• 100ml milk

• Vegetable oil

1. Sift the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl, and make a well in the middle.

2. Tip the egg into the well, and pour in the milk in a steady stream, beating with a balloon whisk the whole time until it’s a smooth batter. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

3. Dampen a wad of kitchen towel with vegetable oil, and use it to grease a hot pan. Ladle the pancake mixture into the pan. When bubbles start to appear, flip it, and let it cook for another 30–45 seconds on the other side. Serve with fruit compote, or maple syrup.

Anna Jones: The Modern Cook’s Year, £26, Fourth Estate. 250 vegetarian recipes arranged by season.

BARGAIN

Lindt Pick & Mix gift box, £15 for 500g, Lindt. co.uk/shop. Pick & mix

40 different truffles.

BLOW OUT

Collection of 36 Hearts, £35, Pierre Marcolini. Follow your heart with these tantalising treats.

BY CASSIE PRYCE

Homes and gardens writer and stylist Cassie specialises in interior trends and new season shopping

Back To Nature

REFRESH YOUR HOME DÉCOR for the new season by mixing a warm, neutral palette with hints of mustard yellow—and introduce plenty of organic textures, such as natural woods.

3

The Ted lamp in mustard will brighten up your bedside table, £39 (made.com)

1

Store trinkets in this set of two wooden boxes, £7 (asda. com/george)

2

Introduce raw textures with the Zuiver oak tray side table, £99 (houseology.com)

4

Accessorise with greenery, such as this large faux plant in a terracotta pot, £8 (primark.com)

Spring Cleaning

Get your garden shed ready to tackle the season ahead

With the temperature rising, the end of February is the perfect time to get organised in the garden. Declutter your shed or greenhouse, and arrange tools, twines and seed packets. The Garden Trading Aldsworth potting table (£300, black-bydesign.co.uk) will help get everything in order. Scrub and clean plant containers to remove old residue using the wooden flower pot brush (£15, shop.nationaltrust.org.uk) and blast off caked-on mud from tools using a powerful jet of water. Don’t forget to keep your hands warm and protected with gardening gloves (£15, tch.net).

These handy new gadgets are upgrading our everyday tech encounters

Forward March

BY OLLY MANN

Olly is a technology expert, radio presenter and podcaster

SKY SOUNDBOX, £249 (SKY Q CUSTOMERS)/ £799 (NON-SKY CUSTOMERS)

Sky Q—the slickest, smartest pay-TV offer—just got better. Developed in conjunction with high-end audio specialists Devialet, this companion speaker is designed specifically to hook up with your Sky system, so it’s super-easy to install— set-up takes minutes—and it’s controllable via your existing remote. Six woofers and three full-range speakers are concealed within: a significant step up for most TVs. True audiophiles, however, should instead invest in a soundbar and accompanying wireless subwoofer. After all, it’s not really surround sound if it doesn’t actually surround you.

APPLE APP OF THE MONTH:

SHPOCK, FREE This “virtual car boot” makes it easy to locate second-hand toys, clothes or dining tables—or anything really—near you. You negotiate with sellers directly,

and pay cash—Shpock’s commission comes from charging sellers for upgrades to their display ads. The secret of its success is its simplicity: eBay currently has more users, but its auction model is complex, and showing its age.

SAGE BY HESTON BLUMENTHAL, ORACLE TOUCH, £1,999.95

I can’t imagine spending two grand on a coffee machine, unless I were actually opening a coffee shop. But this coffee machine isn’t for me. It’s for people who would spend the price of a holiday on a coffee machine. And if you are one such individual, let me assure you, all the features you require are present and correct: touchscreenactivated bean grinding, milk frothing and cappuccino-making in one desirable, dependable, stainless-steel instrument. It’s glorious. But, seriously, consider buying dinner for six at The Fat Duck instead, then purchasing a nonHeston coffee machine with your change.

LUCKIES MAGNI-VIEWER, £21.99

A magnifying glass for your smartphone? It’s a laughable concept, like appending an ear trumpet to a smartwatch. Yet, somehow, this steampunk nonsense has found a place in my life—specifically when I’m stuck in a low-budget business hotel and there’s nothing decent on telly, and I don’t have my laptop or tablet.

Simply slot a phone into the stand, prop it up on the end of the bed and, presto: the screen appears twice its normal size! Build quality is poor (be in no doubt: this is a novelty item), and I’d be self-conscious if I were seen out in public with it, but…it’s not quite as ridiculous as it first appears.

ANDROID APP OF THE MONTH: TESCO PAY +,

FREE

I always leave my Clubcard at home, then fume that I’ve missed out on points (yes, you can bring your receipt back another day, but who actually does that?). I do, however, always have my smartphone, so now I collect my points using this new payment app. The cashier simply scans your app to facilitate up to £250-worth of transactions— way more than the limit on contactless cards, and just as easy to use.

BY GEORGINA YATES

Georgina is a fashion and beauty editor for numerous travel titles and a blogger at withgeorgia.com

Mallow Fellows

THOSE WHO FAVOUR ETHICALLY MADE

SKINCARE products will fall in love with Herbfarmacy’s organic, cruelty-free treats for the face and body. Created on a Herefordshire farm, they use only the purest ingredients, making it perfect for those with sensitive skin. Their Mallow Beauty Balm (£20, herbfarmacy.com) has won accolades for its hydrating yet light formula. The main ingredients are marshmallow (a herb that works wonders on dry skin), mullein oil (for targeting wrinkles) and shea butter.

For those with dry, flaky skin, exfoliate first and then apply a layer of the balm overnight. If your skin isn’t dry but could do with a softening treatment, massage a small amount all over your face—no need to avoid the eye area. Leave the balm on for as long as you require, then dowse a cotton pad in warm water and wipe it off.

SHEAR GLOSS

■ Lanolin is the super moisturiser that keeps sheep’s coats protected. It’s extracted during shearing season— and Aussie brand

Lanolips put it to good use in their balms, glosses and ointments (from £7.99, boots.com).

GOING FOR GOLD

■ This irresistibly lavish 24K Gold Mask from Peter Thomas Roth (£77, lookfantastic.com) is a firming and anti-ageing mask that’s infused with Pure 24K and colloidal gold— giving you that sought-after glow.

ALL ABOUT OLIVE

For Her

■ This muted colour is the perfect tone to carry you from winter into spring (£37.50, whitestuff.com).

For Him

■ A rich olive jumper looks great against light summer trousers or dark winter ones (£47.50, whitestuff.com).

■ These tailored trousers add a lighter touch to wintery workwear (£130, jigsawonline.com).

■ Go glam in olive with this dazzling dress from leading plus-sized brand Navabi (£303.99, navabi.co.uk).

■ Go for green on green with an olive-based tartan scarf (£36.95, barbour.com).

■ Keep the sun off— and the rain too— with this stylish, olivegreen, wide-brimmed hat (£42.95, barbour. com).

Explorations of love, romance and passion in all forms are the theme of this month’s top fiction picks

February Fiction

BY JAMES WALTON

James writes and presents the BBC Radio

4 literary quiz

The Write Stuff

Surprise Me

by Sophie Kinsella (Bantam, £18.99)

As is the way of things, Sophie Kinsella’s heroines have changed over the years from single women looking for a man, to married women wondering if the man they found is quite enough. At the beginning of Surprise Me, Sylvie’s marriage to Dan seems almost eerily happy. But then a routine medical suggests that, as healthy 32-year-olds, they might live for another 68 years—which strikes them both as rather a lot to spend with the same person. Their solution is to keep coming up with surprise treats for each other: a plan that for a while Kinsella plays successfully for laughs. Once the plot starts to thicken nicely, though, she also raises the tricky question of whether it’s better to constantly examine your marriage or just let it chug along.

Reading Surprise Me, it’s not hard to see why Kinsella is one of Britain’s biggest selling authors. Once again, she combines a page-turning plot with memorable set-pieces—and the essential sunniness her fans expect with darker and more eccentric touches. Above all, she retains her happy knack of creating slightly bumbling but extremely likeable heroines.

NAME THE AUTHOR

(Answer on p128)

Can you guess the writer from these clues (the fewer you need the better)?

1. Her most famous novel (written in

2009) is named after a building where none of the novel takes place.

2. That novel and its sequel both won the Booker Prize.

3. Central character: Thomas Cromwell.

The Only Story

by Julian Barnes (Cape, £14.99)

In his long literary career, Julian Barnes’s subjects have ranged from French literature to Russian music by way of Bulgarian politics. Yet perhaps his most persistent theme has been the more traditional one of romantic love—and here he’s at it yet again.

In 1960s suburbia, when Paul was 19 and home from university for the summer, he fell for Susan, a married woman in her mid-forties. This was no summer fling, however. The couple remained together for 12 years until it all went spectacularly wrong in a way that’s haunted Paul ever since. Indeed, now that he’s approaching old age, his time with Susan has become the only story he wants to tell.

But, being a Barnes narrator, Paul doesn’t merely tell it. He also examines it from every possible angle, while simultaneously musing on memory, the passage of time and romantic relationships more generally. The result is a book that’s maybe better at making us think about love itself than feel the characters’ passion. Even so, there are very few writers better at describing (as Paul puts it), “how many seemingly incompatible emotions can thrive, side by side, in the same human heart.”

PAPERBACKS

n Four Mums in a Boat by The Yorkshire Rows (HQ, £8.99)

Stirring true story of four middleaged women who take up rowing for fun, become friends—and decide to row across the Atlantic.

n A Game of Ghosts by John Connolly (Hodder, £7.99)

Connolly’s latest, complete with some especially villainous baddies, shows again just how good he is at plotting a properly thrilling thriller.

n The Meaning of Birds by Simon Barnes (Head of Zeus, £10) A heartfelt celebration of birds—and of their ability to “draw us into the world beyond humanity”.

n Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders (Bloomsbury, £8.99). Last year’s Booker Prize winner, about Abraham Lincoln mourning his son, isn’t an easy read exactly—but it’s an endlessly rich and powerful one.

n Truevine by Beth Macy (Pan, £8.99)

Astonishing tale of two black children kidnapped into a circus in the American South in 1899.

RD’S RECOMMENDED READ

Denise Bulger shares a personal account of the tragic events that happened when she let go of her son’s hand

Facing The Past

ON FRIDAY FEBRUARY 12, 1993 , Denise Bulger went shopping in Liverpool with her two-year-old son, James. What happened next was—and remains—one of the most horrifying incidents in recent British history. When Denise briefly let go of James’s hand in the butcher’s to look for change, two ten-year-old boys, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, beckoned him towards them. They then led James gently away, before torturing and killing him.

Now, for the first time, Denise gives us her personal and harrowingly honest account of the whole, unimaginably traumatic story, sparing us—and herself—nothing of

I Let Him Go by Denise Fergus is published by Blink at £16.99

her continuing pain. (“People often ask me if I blame myself…The answer is: of course I do. I was the one who let go of his hand.”) Understandably, her bitterness towards James’s killers is largely undiminished too.

But the book also takes us through the years before and after the murder: the stillbirth of her first child—which she was convinced would be the worst day of her life;

the many happy times she enjoyed with James, born the following year (and, as she points out, never known as “Jamie” except by the media); the break-up of her marriage to his father, Ralph, in the wake of the tragedy; her subsequent remarriage to Stuart Fergus; her attempts to give her three later sons some semblance of a normal life, despite her overwhelming desire never to let them out of her sight.

This passage comes two days after Denise learns about James’s death. Staying at her mother’s house with some of her siblings, she finds herself overcome by a need to go back to her own flat and just “be around James’s things”…

That night I waited until everyone had gone to bed and my sister had made her usual check on me before she turned in. Once the lights were out I got dressed. I knew it was unlikely anyone would hear me leaving, we were all so wrung out and exhausted from living on our nerves that deep sleep came easily to the rest of the family, even if the misery had the opposite effect on me. I snuck out the back to avoid the photographers camped by the front door and set off for home.

It was a journey I had made thousands of times, that walk from my mum’s back to mine with James all safely strapped in his buggy. We would chat away about what he was

WHY DENISE WROTE THE BOOK NOW

“Somehow, the 25th anniversary of James’s death felt like the right time to deal with the pain and trauma his death caused, but, most importantly, to celebrate my magical little boy.

“James was more than a child murdered by two ten-year-olds and not just a grainy black and white image—he was my funny, cheeky, lively son and his short life mattered.

“In truth, I hadn’t ever felt strong enough to revisit the nightmare of the day James went missing and everything that happened afterwards.

“I have worked so hard over the years not to exist in a world of pain that I was terrified doing this book would bring all the suffering back to the surface. But, actually, it has made me feel so close to James.

“As I talk about him I can see the smile on his face so clearly, and that is the nicest feeling in the world.”

having for tea, sing songs and recite his ABC as he pointed out things along the way—more special time for the two of us that was gone forever. I got to the flat and put my key in the door. I didn’t dare turn on the

park—every glance was like a bullet to my chest. I wanted the feel of James back and this was where I felt closest to him, this was where I had been his mummy, but it was breaking me to see all the things he

The place was full of James at every turn and I could physically feel my heart shattering as my eyes took in each thing of his: his tiny trainers, his coat with string mittens dangling from the sleeves, his go-kart parked by the door

outside light in case that alerted the paparazzi, so it was dark as I went inside. I shut the front door, switching on a lamp, and it just hit me like a sledgehammer—so hard that it actually took my breath away. I hadn’t even gone right inside; I felt it immediately as I paused in the hall. The place was full of James at every turn and it was like I could physically feel my heart shattering inside my chest as my eyes took in each thing of his: his tiny trainers, his coat with string mittens dangling from the sleeves, his go-kart parked by the door, ready for a trip to the

AND THE NAME OF THE AUTHOR IS…

Hilary Mantel. (The 2009 novel was Wolf Hall—and the sequel was Bring Up the Bodies.)

would never use again.

I looked at the TV he danced in front of, the special chair that he would never eat in again. I ran my hand over his pile of books and smiled at his bike in the middle of the room—right where he had left it as I chased him round that Friday morning trying to put his shoes on and get over to my mum’s. I had been in such a rush to get him out of the house, I wondered why now. Why didn’t I slow down so I could savour those last moments? I went into the bedroom—there were his clean jammies neatly folded on the end of his bed, all ready for the night he never came home. It was like being frozen in time. I sat down and I tried to soak in the feel and the smell of him—it was everywhere as I breathed in, as I touched the sofa and the walls.

Books THAT CHANGED MY LIFE

Elizabeth Kostova is the author of publishing sensation, The Historian. Her latest novel, The Shadow Land, is out now and published in paperback on February 22.

Little Women

BY LOUISA MAY ALCOTT

My fascination with the 19th century began as a child, when I listened to stories about my great-grandparents. I grew up in Tennessee and talking about family heritage is part of a Southern tradition. So, when I read Little Women and saw how Alcott brings the 19th century alive through domestic drama and details, it was a revelation. I loved the feisty character of Jo. She was a writer and, in a very personal way, I took that to heart; I’ve since heard other women writers say that it was Jo who inspired them first.

The Portrait of a Lady

BY HENRY JAMES

The development of Isabel Archer’s character has fascinated me since I first read this masterpiece when I was 14. Smart and headstrong,

she’s not rewarded for these qualities but punished by the schemers in the novel. While it’s a sobering read, the vividness of the writing and the way James uses language to come at things indirectly—giving them greater significance and power —are lessons I have drawn on for my own work.

Anna Karenina

BY LEO TOLSTOY

With the large cast of characters in Anna Karenina, there are always different relationships to consider, both within the novel and in terms of the reader’s reaction to them. For instance, when I was younger I was swept away by the romantic, tragic character of Anna— while a later reading found me unbearably annoyed by her, but intensely interested in Levin’s search for meaning in life. After I had my own children, I found myself intrigued by my sympathy for drab Dolly. As told to Caroline Hutton

You Couldn’t Make It Up

Win £50 for your true, funny stories! Go to readersdigest. co.uk/contact-us or facebook.com/readersdigestuk

ONE EVENING, about a week before Christmas, my sister unexpectedly arrived bearing gifts for the family. Leaving the presents in the hall, we went into the kitchen. Unbeknown to us, my three-year-old daughter had woken and crept downstairs. We found out when we heard her saying, “He’s been, he’s been.”

We opened the door to find all the presents unwrapped and my smiling daughter surrounded by mounds of wrapping paper.

JOY HEATH, Lincolnshire

AT PARENTS’ EVENING, my son’s teacher told me that she had asked all the class what they wanted to be when they grew up. My son told her that he wanted to be the man responsible for painting all the white lines in the middle of the road!

LOIS JONES, Denbighshire

MY DAUGHTER SPENT a week looking for the perfect outfit for a New Year’s Eve party. My son-in-law wasn’t impressed.

“Why you bother I don’t know,” he moaned. “You’re only going to throw up on it.”

MICHAELA BRYN, Liverpool

I TOOK MY seven-year-old grandson to visit my husband’s grave recently and brought some very nice artificial flowers with us.

My grandson asked me if we should get some water for the vase, so I explained that they didn’t need it as they weren’t living. Soon afterwards

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Darling!”

we met his mother. The first thing he told her was, “We’ve put some dead flowers on grandad’s grave.”

LUCY PESARO, Middlesex

I REALISED THAT I’D CAUGHT my boyfriend’s cold when I woke up to find that my voice was “down in my boots”.

Still, I felt well enough to go to work, so I set off on my bike as usual. As I rode along the cycle path, I saw two burly builders walking side by side, blocking my way. I rang my bell and, on hearing it, they drifted obligingly to the right.

“Cheers, guys!” I called out as I came up behind them.

“That’s all right, mate,” one of them replied.

BELINDA HARDISTY, Hertfordshire

MY FRIEND LAURA was eight months pregnant and very large. Her sister, Rebecca, thought that she too might be expecting, so asked Laura to pick up a pregnancy test next time she went into the local chemist.

The assistant looked at her openmouthed and said helpfully, “I can save you some money. You’re definitely expecting!”

CATHERINE HISCOX, Hertfordshire

MY GRANDCHILDREN ARE relatively good at sending thank-you cards, but sometimes I don’t think their parents check them before they post them.

I got one after Christmas that said, “Thank you Grandma. It’s a lovely board game. I will play with it when I’ve got nothing better to do.”

SEREN ROBERTS, Flintshire

I TRIED OUT A HOME-MADE vegetable soup on my family. My six-year-old son looked unhappy and asked me what it was.

“It’s bean soup,” I told him.

“Mum,” he replied crossly. “I don’t care what it’s been—I want to know what it is now!”

COLETTE WILLIAMS, Denbighshire

MY YOUNGEST SON and I were attending a hospital appointment. As we walked from the car park, we passed behind the maternity unit. We were stopped in our tracks by a blood-curdling scream coming through the window.

My youngest son turned to me and said, “See, Mum? She doesn’t want to be here either!”

LYNNE SAID, Surrey

MY DAUGHTER JENNA recently went into labour early and, as her husband wasn’t back in time from a business trip abroad, I accompanied her to the hospital.

The midwife asked my heavily medicated daughter—just before she was about to push—if she minded if some students watched.

My daughter replied groggily, “Only if they’re medical students!”

HAZEL BYRON, Liverpool

Word Power

Unless you live in tropical climes, February can truly be called the doldrums of winter. Fortunately, it’s also the shortest month of the year. In honour of its brief duration, we bring you puny but powerful words to bandy about until spring. Just keep thinking that it’s right around the corner! Answers are on the next page.

BY EMILY COX & HENRY RATHVON

1. mote n—A: meaningless argument. B: deep trench filled with water. C: small speck.

2. coy adj—A. cowardly. B: modest. C: hooded.

3. jibe v—A: be in harmony. B: play old-fashioned jazz music. C: tease relentlessly.

4. crux n—A: calamity. B: crosspiece on a ladder. C: main point.

5. mete v—A: whine or complain in a high-pitched voice. B: introduce. C: distribute.

6. faux adj—A: socially embarrassing. B: artificial. C: critically flawed.

7. opus n—A: artistic composition. B: sea animal. C: visual lens.

8. noir adj—A: bleakly pessimistic. B: tightly coiled. C: offensive.

9. tic n—A: spot of color. B: type of arachnid. C: sudden spasm.

10. ergo conj—A. therefore. B: nevertheless. C: however.

11. mar v—A: damage. B: normalise. C: meet expectations.

12. pall v—A: grow cloudy. B: become tiresome. C: horrify.

13. apt adj—A: off topic. B: likely. C: especially agile.

14. glib adj—A: readily fluent. B: sarcastic. C: flashy.

15. gawk v—A: exhale deeply. B: talk incessantly C: stare stupidly.

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Answers

1. mote—[C] Small speck or particle, especially of dust. “Oscar was a slob but Felix despised every mote of dust.”

2. coy—[B] Modest; affectedly shy or reserved. “She was coy about whether she and her boyfriend planned to get married.”

3. jibe—[A] Be in harmony or agree. “Reports of the housing market’s decline don’t jibe with the facts.”

4. crux—[C] Main point; heart of the matter. “The barrister quickly got to the crux of his closing argument.”

5. mete—[C] Distribute; apportion by measure. “A will metes assets to heirs.”

6. faux—[B] Artificial; fake. “Some people wear faux fur for ideological reasons. But a faux pas is a socially embarrassing mistake.”

7. opus—[A] Artistic composition, usually numbered in music or literary work. “The author laboured at his 1,000-page opus for ten years.”

8. noir—[A] Bleakly pessimistic; dark. “Grim films are called cinema noir, because noir is French for ‘black’. ”

9. tic—[C] Sudden spasm or muscular contraction. “If you look around, facial tics are very common.”

10. ergo—[A] Therefore. “I think, ergo I am (cogito ergo sum).” It’s a Latin word, most commonly found in legal and scientific documents.

11. mar—[A] Damage the attractiveness or appeal of someone or something. “The antique armoire was marred by several deep gouges.”

12. pall—[B] Become tiresome; make dull or distasteful. “The novelty of my job palled after less than two weeks of commuting.”

13. apt—[B] Likely, prone; suitable for the purpose. “Thank you for that, Johnny—that’s an apt remark.”

WORD OF THE DAY*

PHILOPROGENITIVE

14. glib–[A] Readily fluent, often insincerely so; quick with a response. “The crowd at the town meeting found the mayor’s assurances too glib.”

Being fond of one’s children.

Alternative suggestions:

“Expert pastry maker sharing their knowledge with their children.”

“When you’ve had more than your fill of your parents’ choice of TV programmes.”

15. gawk— [C] Stare stupidly; gape. “It’s hard not to gawk at celebrities you see.”

VOCABULARY RATINGS

9 & below: Good

10–12: Excellent

13–15: Exceptional

Start 2018 off with a new story to share!

Reader’s Digest and Lulu have teamed up to make the annual 100 Word Story Competition even more fantastic. This time around, all shortlisted stories will be featured in a published anthology from Lulu.com, and contest winners will have a chance at £1,000 and an opportunity to expand their entries for the anthology!

Start the new year off right with inspiration and a gift from Lulu: 10% off your print purchases on Lulu.com. Just use the code RDSTORY10 and save 10% on any book or calendar in our Indie Bookshop!

Visit www.readersdigest.co.uk/inspire/100-word-stories for entry instructions and terms & conditions.

Coupon code: RDSTORY10 10% Off order of print products. One-use per customer. Cannot be combined with other offers. Expires 31 December 2018.

Brainteasers

Challenge yourself by solving these puzzles, then check your answers on p139.

PACK IT IN

You must fill the threeby-three-by-three box below with copies of the pieces shown, made up of three cubes each. The L-shaped pieces cost £1, while the stick-shaped pieces cost £5. How inexpensively can you completely fill the box?

SUGAR, PLEASE

You’ve gone back in time and are working as a clerk in a general store that uses a local, premetric weight unit known as a “pot”. You have a bag of sugar, a balance scale with deep pans, a one-pot weight and a four-pot weight. You need to weigh three pots of sugar for a customer. How do you do it?

ALPHABET FIT

Insert the letters A through to L, one per square, so that no two letters that are consecutive in the alphabet are in squares that touch, even at a corner. Five letters have been placed to get you started.

JERRY MANDER GOES TO WORK

Your name is Jerry Mander, and you’re in charge of drawing the votingdistrict boundaries for the town of Corruptiville. A mayoral election is coming up, and the polls indicate that candidate Anne Cyan is quite a bit more popular than her opponent, Sam Scarlet. You’ve received a substantial bribe to draw the boundaries to help Scarlet win. Divide Corruptiville into three districts of five contiguous households so that Sam Scarlet will get the majority of the votes in a majority of the districts. For a district to be considered contiguous, each household must share a border with at least one other household, and shared corners don’t count.

JERRY MANDER RETURNS

Four years later, Mayor Sam Scarlet calls upon you for your shady services again. The town’s limits have expanded since last time, so you’ll now need to divide it into five districts of five households each. Can you help Scarlet win a second election?

Brainteasers: Answers

PACK IT IN

You can do it for as little as £9. Here is one solution, step-by-step. The other solutions cost the same or more.

£50 PRIZE QUESTION

Answer published in the March issue

SUGAR, PLEASE

Put the four-pot weight on one of the scale pans and the one-pot weight on the other. Pour sugar into the pan with the one-pot weight until the two pans balance.

ALPHABET FIT

JERRY MANDER GOES TO WORK

The first correct answer we pick on January 30 wins £50!* Email excerpts@ readersdigest.co.uk

ANSWER TO JANUARY’S PRIZE QUESTION

C. Circles move as follows: top left to bottom right, top right to bottom left, bottom left to middle right, bottom middle to top, bottom right to middle left.

JERRY MANDER RETURNS

AND THE £50 GOES TO…

Graham Sledge, Hertfordshire

Laugh!

Win £50 for every reader’s joke we publish! Go to readersdigest. co.uk/contact-us or facebook.com/readersdigestuk

THREE VAMPIRES were competing to see who was the best. The first dashed away, and reappeared after 15 seconds with blood dripping from his fangs.

“Do you see that house there? I killed the family inside and drained them of their blood!”

Not to be outdone, the second vampire disappeared and returned ten seconds later with his face covered in blood.

DON’T COUNT YOUR CHICKENS

200

“Do you see that neighbourhood there? I killed everyone in it and drank their blood!”

The third vampire dashed away and reappeared in five seconds, with his entire body covered in blood.

“Do you see the big tree over there? Well damn, I didn’t!” SEEN ONLINE

ONE MORNING EMMA woke up with a start. When her husband Jim asked what was the matter, she told him,

That’s how many chicken nuggets one hungry Australian ordered before beeping his horn and driving laps round the restaurant in anger when it transpired they were only serving the breakfast menu. He later settled for 200 hash browns, setting him back $200, before being arrested for drunk driving.

Source: 9news.com

“I just had a dream that you gave me a gold necklace for Valentine’s Day. What do you think it means?”

“You’ll know tonight,” he said.

That evening, Jim arrived home with a small package and gave it to his wife. Delighted, Emma opened it—only to find a book: The Meaning of Dreams.

SEEN ONLINE

WHY DO MELONS have to get married in churches?

Because they cantaloupe.

SEEN ONLINE

OH, HERE’S AN IDEA, let’s make pictures of our internal organs and present them to each other on Valentine’s Day.

That’s not weird at all…

COMEDIAN JIMMY FALLON

AN IRRITATED DRUMMER is tired of people saying he’s not a real musician. He goes to the music shop and says, “I’ll show ‘em. Give me that red trumpet and that accordion.”

The music store guy replies, “Sir, you can have the fire extinguisher but the radiator has to stay.”

AUTHOR STEPHEN KING

VALENTINE’S DAY PLAN:

1. Breakfast in bed.

2. Watch movie.

3. Chocolates.

4. Dinner for two.

5. Regret eating two dinners.

6. Cry alone.

SEEN ONLINE

DRIVING US CRAZY

The cab drivers of New York teamed up to release an unforgettable calendar (as seen on nyctaxicalendar.com).

A DRIVER was pulled over by a police officer for speeding. As the officer was writing the ticket, she noticed several machetes in the car.

“What are those for?” she asked him, suspiciously.

“I’m a juggler,” he replied. “I use those in my act.”

“Well, show me,” the officer demanded. The driver got out the machetes and started juggling them, starting with three, then more, and then finally seven at one time. He juggled them overhand, underhand, and behind his back, putting on a dazzling show.

As another car passed by, the driver did a double take, and said to himself, “I’ve got to give up drinking. Look at the test they’re giving now!”

STEVE HUGHES, Hertfordshire

SENDING FLOWERS is a great way to show your partner’s colleagues that you used to have £50.

SEEN ON FACEBOOK

NEVER TELL A BRIT that coffee is better than tea.

You might get mugged.

SEEN ONLINE

I MADE A PLAYLIST for when I go hiking. It has music from Peanuts, The Cranberries and Eminem.

I call it my trail mix.

COMEDIAN BRENT TERHUNE

I JUST SAW MY maths teacher lock himself in his office with a pad of graph paper.

I think he must be plotting something.

SEEN ONLINE

SERIOUSLY SENIOR MOMENTS

The people of Twitter share their most bird-brained moments:

@Evan_Aye: “I painted the basement stairs while going down. I was stuck down there for three and a half hours while it dried.”

@Updownside: “When I was a kid I thought that Olivia Newton John was three people—Olivia, Newt and John.”

@Yafet01: “I once waited in line at a department store behind a mannequin for 15 minutes thinking it was a real person.”

@Michelle282828: “I drove to work, paid for parking then forgot and caught the bus home. Then when I arrived home I panicked and thought my car had been stolen.”

60-Second Stand-Up

We chatted to Northern funny lass, Sophie Willan

WHAT’S THE BEST PART OF YOUR CURRENT TOUR?

I like my section around escorting and feminism because I offer quite a different outlook. It’s funny but it deals with a taboo subject too.

WHAT’S YOUR MOST MEMORABLE HECKLE EXPERIENCE?

I did a weird play with one of my best mates, where I was dressed up as a garden gnome, and a man tried to steal some of our set. My friend rugby-tackled him to the floor and then just carried on with the show…

WHO INSPIRES YOUR COMEDY?

Loads of comedians—from Victoria Wood to Richard Pryor—but theatre has inspired me too, especially the drag artist David Hoyle.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE ONE-LINER?

I always liked Spike Milligan’s epitaph. It says, “I told you I was ill…” That’s a joke that lasts forever.

ANY FUNNY TALES ABOUT A TIME YOU’VE BOMBED ON STAGE?

I once did a performance where there were only three people in the audience. One of them was sat there

wearing their pyjamas, which was a little soul-destroying.

IF YOU COULD BE A FLY ON THE WALL, WHOSE WALL WOULD YOU BE ON?

Theresa May. It would be interesting to see if she takes her skin off at night.

IF YOU COULD HAVE ANY SUPER POWER, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

I’ve always fancied Bernard’s Watch. You could freeze time whenever you were late or needed lunch…

Visit sophiewillan.com for tickets to Sophie’s tour, Branded.

Beat the Cartoonist!

Think of a witty caption for this cartoon—the three best suggestions, along with the cartoonist’s original, will be posted on our website in midFebruary. If your entry gets the most votes, you’ll win £100

Submit to captions@readersdigest.co.uk or online at readersdigest.co.uk/caption by February 9. We’ll announce the winner in our April issue.

December’s Winner

This cat-themed Christmas sketch had you voting in droves. You weren’t, however, voting for our cartoonist! His caption, “Wait for it... wait for it...the last bauble’s not up yet”, didn’t receive a single click. Our winner, on the other hand, won a very impressive 67 per cent of the votes. Congratulations, Liz Palmer, for your line: “Well, after all that effort, it would be rude not to play with it!”

IN THE MARCH ISSUE

The Princess & The Cheetah

Princess Michael of Kent shares tales from her youth.

The Secrets Of Shipwrecks

Discover what these artefacts teach us about humanity.

Plus

• The Village that Refuses to Die

• “I Remember”: Bob Harris

• Coming Back From The Dead

CARTOONS: BRUCE ROBINSON (TOP) / STEVE JONES

© JOHN SWANNELL / HUFTON+CROW

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