Reader's Digest UK Jan 2019

R E A D E R ’ S

HEALTH • MONEY • TRAVEL • RECIPES • FASHION • TECHNOLOGY

D I G E S T

JANUARY 2019

| S M A L L A N D

Steve

P E R F E C T LY

COOGAN

On Politics, Partridge And Perfectionism

I N F O R M E D

Limits Of Logic

CAN SCIENCE DEBUNK THE PARANORMAL?

| J A N U A R Y

A Guide To Sex After

2 0 1 9

50

Lose Shame, Embrace Intimacy

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JANUARY 2019

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OUR WORLD IS YOUR PLAYGROUND Paris • Sao Paulo • London • Shanghai • Dubai • Sydney • Hong Kong AN

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Contents JANUARY 2019

Features 16 IT’S A MANN’S WORLD

20

Olly Mann embarks on a mission to find a new cat

p

ENTERTAINMENT

20 INTERVIEW: STEVE COOGAN

The sardonic actor on Brexit, playing one of his heroes and “dealing with idiots”

30 “I REMEMBER”: DON MCCULLIN The infamous photojournalist looks back on a lifetime of capturing conflicts

HEALTH 38 SEX AFTER 50

90

p

74

Here’s why your best sex could happen later in life

Is there anything but fantasy behind paranormal encounters?

Cris Andrews investigates

64 FINDERS KEEPERS

BEST OF BRITISH: BABY IT’S COLD OUTSIDE We’re embracing the cold snap with the best ice-themed activities Britain has to offer

INSPIRE

54 SCIENCE OR FICTION?

TR AVEL & ADVENTURE

84

ACTS OF FAITH Inside Jerusalem, where Jews, Muslims and Christians meet

90 ICELAND’S UNIQUE CURE

Tom Browne explores the unique joys of metal detecting COVER PHOTOGRAPH © LARRY BUSACCA/GETTY IMAGES

Could we stand to learn a thing or two from the great Icelandic tradition of outdoor bathing?

JANUARY 2019 • 1

TICKETS

Dear Readers, As we enjoy this festive season we are reminded of change and fresh starts as we see in 2019. Reader’s Digest Tickets is here to help you get an early start on filling some dates in your diary with our top picks of new shows to see next year.

If you’re looking for a fun and fabulous night out then pour yourself a cup of ambition and book to see 9 TO 5 THE MUSICAL from January. Inspired by the cult film, this uproarious new West End show stars Louise Redknapp, Amber Davies, Natalie McQueen and Brian Conley, featuring an original Oscar, Grammy and Tony award-nominated score by country legend and pop icon Dolly Parton.

The Tony® Award winning COME FROM AWAY will land for its UK premiere at London’s Phoenix Theatre also from January. This joyous new musical shares the incredible real-life story of the 7,000 air passengers from all over the world that became grounded in Canada during the wake of 9/11, and the small Newfoundland community that invited these ‘come from aways’ into their lives.

Returning to London from July is JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, the multi award-winning production by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Playing just 60 performances at the Barbican following two sell-out seasons at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, this gorgeous, thrilling, heavenly musical is an almighty revelation.

Regards, Reader’s Digest

Contents JANUARY 2019

In every issue 8 12

Over to You See the World Differently

46 50

HEALTH Advice: Susannah Hickling Column: Dr Max Pemberton

110

INSPIRE If I Ruled the World: Samantha Womack

p

98 100

TRAVEL & ADVENTURE My Great Escape Active adventures

114

102

MONEY Column: Andy Webb

82

106

110

FOOD & DRINK Tasty recipes and ideas from Rachel Walker HOME & GARDEN Column: Cassie Pryce

118

116

FASHION & BEAUTY Column: Lisa Lennkh on how to look your best Beauty

118

ENTERTAINMENT January’s cultural highlights

122 127

BOOKS January Fiction: James Walton’s recommended reads Books That Changed My Life: Aled Jones

128

TECHNOLOGY Column: Olly Mann

130 133 136 140 143 144

FUN & GAMES You Couldn’t Make It Up Word Power Brain Teasers Laugh!

60-Second Stand-Up Beat the Cartoonist

p

JANUARY 2019 • 3

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JANUARY 2019 • 5

discover the remarkable true story of a small town that welcomed the world because we come from everywhere we all

COME FROM AWAY. Book, Music and Lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein.

Musical Staging by Kelly Devine. Directed by Christopher Ashley.

winner! best musical all across north america COMING TO LONDON FROM 30 JANUARY 2019 PHOENIX THEATRE | 0207 400 1238 | Tickets.ReadersDigest.co.uk

In This Issue…

EDITORS’ LETTERS

It’s that time of year when we’re all resolving to be better versions of ourselves and, in these pages, you’ll find plenty to inspire your mission of self-improvement.

There’s a masterclass in getting comfortable in your own skin on p90 as a trip to Iceland finds one of our writers baring all, while a day of metal detecting on p64 extols the virtues of patience and fresh air.

Perhaps the best resolution to form after reading about the connection between science and the paranormal on p54 and our discovery that for many people, the best sex of their lives begins only after they turn 50 on p38, is that we could all stand to be a little more open-minded. Now that’s a resolution that could make the world a better place.

Anna

…And while we’re on the subject of becoming a better person in the new year, you might want to take a leaf or two out of Steve Coogan’s book. As we were chatting about his new film, Stan and Ollie on p20, the notorious comedian revealed some surprisingly profound musings on life, including the importance of kindness, keeping yourself in check and always working towards a better future for everyone, regardless of the circumstances—a sentiment that fuels his strong stance against Brexit. Whatever your opinion on this controversial matter is, however, it’s a comforting conversation that reveals a settled, harmonious side of the Alan Partridge creator that we haven’t seen before.

Eva

Follow us facebook.com/readersdigestuk twitter.com/readersdigestuk @readersdigest_uk You can also sign up to our newsletter at readersdigest.co.uk Reader’s Digest is published in 27 editions in 11 languages JANUARY 2019 • 7

Over To You LETTERS ON THE NOVEMBER ISSUE

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

Letter of THE MONTH Thank you so much for the feature “23 Ways Salt Is Making You Sick” in the November issue. I only ever use salt when boiling vegetables and refuse to put a salt cellar on the table at mealtimes—much to my family’s annoyance! Your article gave me the written evidence I needed to prove salt can be dangerous for their health.

My husband suffered heart failure last year after having undiagnosed hypertension and is currently on six different daily medications to keep his condition under control—so your advice was invaluable to him. He did also point out to me your other health feature, “Healthy

8 • JANUARY 2019

Hydration” as—I have to admit—I don’t consume enough water. After reading the tips and benefits, I feel my health too will improve!

Melanie Lodge, West Yorkshire

READER’S DIGEST

Thank you for your article on salt, detailing the dangers of having too much. It certainly got me thinking about my diet and all the hidden salt I’ve been unwittingly consuming.

I also started to ponder all the other things that are bad for us, such as: sugar, saturated fat, the sedentary lifestyle, and stress.

A theme began to emerge... Like salt, all these “baddies” begin with the letter “S”, and my name is Shaun.

Should I be worried? I suppose I will be OK if I stick to fresh produce and make meals from scratch!

SINK WHILE YOU THINK

Shaun Gardner, Bristol

Sylvia Franklin, Staffordshire

DANCING QUEEN

Olly Mann’s article “The Lazy Mann’s Load” was quite opportune as I read it while having my weekly bath. Yes, the shower is fine when you have a time limit, but research has shown how beneficial a soak is for your mental health. And what better way to relax than to get in the tub with a copy of Reader’s Digest—it’s just the right size and weight (very important when you have to hold it out of the water!) and just enough content before the water gets too cold.

I thoroughly enjoyed the interview with Anton du Beke who is one of my heroes.

I’m a huge fan of Strictly Come Dancing and have been since it began—Anton has always been one of my favourites. He appears to be a real gentleman on the show, and this article confirms it. I loved reading about his life, upbringing and how he struggled to finance his love of dance. He’s the epitome of getting out there and making your dreams come true—and the love he feels for his wife and twins certainly shows.

I only hope that Anton wins Strictly in the future, so he can finally hold the glitter ball trophy he deserves. A wonderful interview that made me smile.

Geraldine Miller, Liverpool

OV E R TO YO U

LEARNING ON DISPLAY I read with interest “If I Ruled The World: Nicholas Coleridge” in November’s Reader’s Digest.

Nicholas says, “I’d make visiting museums as compulsory as going to school”, and it brought to mind the wisdom of such words. As small children, my brother and I were taken to visit a place of interest—usually a museum—once every eight weeks. The mode of transport was a motorbike and sidecar, my mother the pillion rider. Parking was not a problem as my father, a Metropolitan police officer, knew all the best places. After an afternoon at the museum, we’d be treated to tea and cakes— which seemed enormous after wartime austerity.

The forethought of my parents in taking us on these visits ensured that my brother and I have had a lifelong love of enquiry and learning.

Gillian Crutchley, Hampshire

I agree with Nicholas Coleridge in “If I Ruled the World” (November 2018) that making a phone call to any company using an answering machine is a nightmare. Technology improves our lives in many ways but not in this case.

All those options with different buttons to press are exasperating, while the incessant music is enough to drive one up the wall. Furthermore, this system does not appear to be infallible. When that automated voice asks the reason for the call it often misconstrues and connects with the wrong department— more frustration!

To make a similar call years ago was so much easier. Remember those wonderful words, “Please hold, I’ll put you through.”

Sheila Chisnall, Devon

Send letters to readersletters@readersdigest.co.uk

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10 • JANUARY 2019

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See the world TURN THE PAGE…

…differently The visitors of the Cau Vang bridge in Vietnam are literally in good hands! The 500ft-long structure is located in the TruongSon mountain range and swings out to rise 4,500ft above the valley below. Although the bridge appears to be supported by huge stone hands, in reality they’re steel meshes coated in fiberglass while pillars running through them are responsible for the design’s structural integrity.

14

PHOTOS: © GETTY IMAGES/QUANGPRAHA

IT’S A MANN’S WORLD

You’ve Got To

Be Kitten Me This month Olly Mann embarks on a surprisingly complex mission to find some new furry friends…

W

e are in the market for a new cat. To write such a thing feels like an act of betrayal, because our current cat (can one have a “current” cat? Is it like having a “current” wife?), Coco, is very much alive. I adore her. For the first five years of our relationship, she literally slept between my legs on a nightly basis.

But I have to face facts: she is now 15 years old. We require perhaps not a Coco replacement, then, but a Coco replenishment; a feline companion for her twilight years, who will assume pole position only in the hopefully-distant-event of her death. An heir apparent. A Prince of Wales cat.

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

16 • JANUARY 2019

The problem is that our criteria for choosing a successor cat differ wildly from Coco’s criteria for cohabiting with a creature whom she won’t want to claw to death. This is a little hard for me to get my dumb human head around, because Coco is fairly low maintenance in her dealings with us. For instance, she nonchalantly endures a romp around our sitting room, pursued by my toddler wielding a toy hammer, on a daily basis. She survived virtually the whole winter in a kitchen cupboard when our house was being refurbished, and didn’t run away.

She genuinely appears to enjoy our company, typically choosing to curl up wherever we are, despite numerous alternative sofas and beds in the vicinity. She’s easy-going.

But, on those occasions when a neighbour’s cat has appeared in the garden, she turns primal. The back arches up, the tail thrusts and a submammal screech sounds from her

ILLUSTRATION BY HELEN A PÉREZ GARCÍA

IT’S A MANN’S WORLD

gut. I don’t speak cat, but it’s fairly clear what the sound means, and it’s not printable in a family publication.

Nothing in her demeanour on these occasions suggests she would, given the opportunity, invite said intruder into the house to share her food and drop fleas in her basket.

With this in mind, I made the gentlest of enquiries with Doctor Google, searching to see what kind of cat could be paired with a senior female. The cat-obsessed community responded resoundingly that the best choice would be a male—girls tend not to get on, apparently, and Coco would likely feel less threatened by an opposite sex companion. A younger cat would be preferable too, they said; Coco might even feel inclined to mother a kitten, if we perform certain tricks to convince

her they are acquainted (eg, putting bits of his fur around the house before they meet, so she comes to know his scent).

All this seemed like sensible advice but the plot soon thickened. “Don’t leave an adult cat alone with a kitten!”, insisted one commenter, whose avatar was a blue-eyed Persian.

“The youngling would drive her nuts,” said another. “Get two male kittens!” That way, the two young cats can keep each other amused, and Coco can get on with enjoying our underfloor heating into her dotage.

So it was that we found ourselves looking not for a cat, but a kitten; and not one kitten, but two. Where to begin? The internet no longer felt like the appropriate place: there are some dodgy types out there, and I don’t want to reward unscrupulous breeders mass-producing boxes of kittens to make a quick buck.

As it happened, there’s an animal rescue centre down the road.

A splendid afternoon meeting its residents revealed a number of cuddly fluffbundles ready for rehoming. But, they had a strict “no toddler” rule. After much hand wringing, I felt it would be wrong to put my own son up for adoption just so we could get a couple more cats. So, reluctantly, we moved on to the next cat home—and discovered their policy was to keep groups of siblings together, so we would be

READER’S DIGEST

“After much hand wringing, I decided it would probably be wrong to put my own son up for adoption just so we could get a couple more cats” expected to take three, or four, or possibly even five kittens.

Five kittens! Not an option: as we all know, take on any more than three cats and you magically turn into that oddball who hangs around the RSPCA charity shop wearing a cat jumper.

Some more digging revealed a third cat home, who required a home-check as part of the adoption process. But their inspector said our house was too close to the main road

to be considered suitable. Finally, we found a fourth cat home who were comfortable with, a) supplying two male kittens, b) allowing said kittens to live alongside an older female cat, and c) a toddler. They also conducted a home-check, but this time we passed (we’re miles away from a main road, their inspector said. Bizarre.)

So, we’re on the waiting list, and by the time you read this, we may well be a three-cat household. It’s a process that’s already involved far more checks and consideration than bringing our own child into the world, but, at any moment now, the phone might ring, and some kittens that fit “our profile” might be moving in.

But I guess it does, symbolically, mean curtains for Coco. I’m going to sit with her on the sofa awhile, and try not to think about it.

QUIZ: HOUSE OF CARDS (AND COMEDY) Can you guess the politician based on screenwriter and satirist Charlie Brooker’s brutal insult? Answers below: 1. “He resembles a cling film parcel of Frankfurter meat that’s been kicked through a yellow cobweb” 2. “A haunted art gallery owner” 3. “The human equivalent of a pop-up advert you just can’t click away” 4. “So posh he probably weeps champagne” 5. “A man so bland he made Ed Miliband look like David Miliband” ANSWERS: 1. DONALD TRUMP, 2. THERESA MAY, 3. NIGEL FARAGE, 4. GEORGE OSBORNE, 5. OWEN SMITH.

JANUARY 2019 • 19

“ I Try To Find

The Good In People” Steve Coogan

British actor and comedian Steve Coogan gives Eva Mackevic an unlikely lesson in “dealing with idiots” and achieving the coveted state of inner zen as you get older

S

teve is exhausted. Last night saw him parading up and down the red carpet in a kilt at the London premiere of his new film, Stan & Ollie, and he’s been doing interviews since this morning. He’s also going to a BAFTA Q&A after this, his publicist informs me as I shuffle back and forth outside of Steve’s hotel suite, waiting for him to finish a phone call. Obviously, I think, he’ll be irritable and try to get rid of me as soon as possible.

When I’m finally beckoned in, I find him slumped in a massive Edwardian chair, stretching lazily like a cat. He’s wearing

20 • JANUARY 2019

© JEFF VES PA/WIREI MAGE/GETTY I M AGES LARRY BUSACC A/GETTY IM AGES

ENTERTAINMENT

21

INTERVIEW: STEVE COOGAN

a cosy, grey jumper, and my eyes are immediately drawn to his goofy socks with big, red blotches. He jumps up to shake my hand, and gallantly fixes a drooped cushion on my chair.

“My parents used to read Reader’s Digest,” he says, sitting down across from me. “Nowadays we have all these different search engines, all this malarkey, but Reader’s Digest was a great way of curating and getting out stories that wouldn’t normally reach people.” I’m immediately put at ease: while

I can tell by the frequent stuttering and surreptitious yawns that Steve’s clearly tired, he exudes peace and warmth. Not exactly what I expected from a notoriously caustic satirist who’s verbally demolished everyone from Jeremy Clarkson to Donald Trump. Does he consider himself difficult to work with, I wonder? “[I was difficult] early on, when I didn’t know what I was doing,” he tells me in his deep, characteristically nasal voice, delectably stretching every vowel. “As you get

READER’S DIGEST

“

That’s why I don’t do social media—because it’s dealing with people who are idiots”

older—you don’t know this yet—you realise it’s not just right to be nice to people, it’s actually easier. I try to find the good in people and give them the benefit of a doubt.”

“It’s such hard work though,” I mutter in response.

“I know!” he exclaims. “That’s why I don’t do social media. Because it’s dealing with people who are idiots. I know that I would waste a lot of time getting sucked into an argument with someone I don’t need to argue with.

There’s no point, because if you want to convince someone your opinion

JEFF GILBERT / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

INTERVIEW: STEVE COOGAN

24 • JANUARY 2019

READER’S DIGEST

“

Acerbic comedy is as enjoyable as giving the finger to somebody— ultimately it doesn’t make you feel better”

is right, an argument will very rarely resolve something. The way to communicate with people, I think, is to tell stories. If you tell a story that moves someone, you may make them think about things in a slightly different way.”

and I feel that’s the case with a lot of comedy, but with Stan and Ollie, it’s very timeless, it sees the humanity in people, it tries to lift people up rather than push them down.”

He admits that he was flattered to be considered “good enough” to play Stan Laurel. It’s a challenging role which involved portraying the famous comedian as both how he was on screen and in real life. Not to mention the technically challenging dance routines, make up and costumes. Did Steve relate to Stan Laurel on a personal level?

“Stan Laurel was obsessive about getting the comedy right and I can be like that with my own stuff, being a perfectionist. I’d rather destroy something and have no one ever see it than do something that’s just acceptable. And I think he was like

PICTORIA L PRESS LTD / ALA MY STOCK P HOTO

THE STORY OF LAUREL AND HARDY—the subject of Coogan’s new

film in which he plays Laurel—is one such story, I observe. Their wholesome and innocent brand of slapstick comedy feels almost alien today. “That’s very true,” Steve concurs. “I like that it’s very un-cynical. I’ve done acerbic, biting, edgy comedy and it’s really enjoyable. But it’s only enjoyable like giving the finger to somebody is enjoyable,” he laughs. “Ultimately it doesn’t make you feel better. It might make you feel better in that instant JANUARY 2019 • 25

INTERVIEW: STEVE COOGAN

that as well. In a way, that sometimes came before other stuff in his life.

I’ve sometimes done that in such a way that hasn’t been entirely healthy for me, for my personal life. But that was in the past. I feel like I’m in a pretty good place now.”

“I’m also not quite as disastrous as him, personally,” he chuckles. “I think he was married about seven times—I was only married once.

But there are echoes of me in all the characters I play. People look at me and they go, ‘Oh, you’re a bit like Alan Partridge’, and I say, ‘Well, that’s inevitable.’ ” IN OTHER WAYS,

however, he couldn’t be more different from his most famous character.

As opposed to Partridge, who, according to Coogan, almost certainly voted for Brexit, the actor himself has been a vocal opponent of Britain leaving the EU, and our conversation inevitably turns in that direction.

“We’re in a very volatile world. There was a World War 70 years ago or so, and when we came out of that war, there was 26 • JANUARY 2019

a collective enlightenment between the European nations which was a global force for good. And if you fracture that and break it up, then what are we?” This is the first time in the conversation that Steve sits up straight, his face agitated and his voice raised.

“I think there’s a romantic notion of Britain held by people who have this misty-eyed view that we’re still somehow an empire or a world power. But we’re not anymore. We’re a small country. If we’re to have any kind of influence, we need to be a part of this greater cultural force in the world. And that means being part of the EU—shared culture, shared traditions, shared values, that go back a thousand years and more. And to me, that’s what’s worth preserving.

[Brexit] is backward-looking, regressive and insular— philistinism of the worst kind. It’s an unholy alliance between romantic delusional fascists and ignorant people who think that you can do one thing and it’ll fix everything.”

I hold my breath, waiting for a continuation of this fervent speech, but

READER’S DIGEST

“

Brexit is backwardlooking, regressive and insular— philistinism of the worst kind”

instead, Steve says, “That was good, wasn’t it?” and laughs. We get up to say our goodbyes and right before I leave, he takes a closer look at my hair and curiously strokes the shaved bit on the side. “Oh, you’ve got this bit shaved off? Does it grow back?” he asks. “Well, yeah, it’s human hair,” I reply, and we both laugh. I leave the hotel with a smile on my face, happy in the knowledge that the Steve Coogan I met turned out to be everything I didn’t expect him to be: down to earth, polite and kind. And he touched my hair.

Stan and Ollie is out in cinemas across the UK on January 11 JANUARY 2019 • 27

GET YOUR SHAKESPEARE FIX AT THE RSC THIS WINTER This winter is your chance to see Shakespeare’s rarely performed, darkly comic tragedy Timon of Athens in his hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon. Director Simon Godwin tells us a bit more about his production and having award-winning actress Kathryn Hunter in the title role.

The last RSC production of Timon of Athens was in 2006. What made you want to take on this play?

The play is a striking fable but a challenging one. It was, we think, written with Middleton so it’s not a ‘pure’ Shakespeare, but a collaboration, and there’s an unfinished feel to it. This gives you more licence to be political, bold and contemporary with it.

It’s often perceived as one of Shakespeare’s ‘problem’ plays that doesn’t have a simple message: it doesn’t easily fit into a specific genre. It’s edgy, hard to compartmentalise, difficult to define.

It’s a story of somebody that trusts, only to discover their trust was misplaced.

A story which asks, is humanity a force for good or a force for bad? These are relevant questions, but they are also timeless ones.

It’s a play about a breakdown, a breakdown of trust, a breakdown of faith, a breakdown of optimism. And about anger, something we are very much in touch with today. A sort of confusion about what we are angry about – who’s to blame, and

what do we do in the face of this political divisiveness and polarisation.

Kathryn Hunter is taking on the title role, a part traditionally played a male actor.

How did that come about?

The solution to this lies in offering parts that are traditionally played by men to women. By doing that you, in fact, discover that Shakespeare really was more interested in what’s humane, what’s universal, than what’s gender specific.

In my experience (for example, when I directed Tamsin Greig as Malvolio in Twelfth Night at The National Theatre), people do notice it. Then you realise that Shakespeare has bigger fish to fry, and you stop noticing.

I don’t want re-gendering to have any additional significance. I just want it to be seen as natural and normal.

Does it feel different directing a lesser known Shakespeare, compared to directing a play like Hamlet?

It’s a different kind of pressure. Hamlet is liberating and great because you know the play works. You can prune it, but fundamentally it is a well-oiled, well proven machine. Directing Timon very much feels like my old days working at the Royal Court when you’re working with a play that’s not finished, not perfect – a play that needs nurturing. It’s about how to give it the best context to help it flourish. ■

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Timon of Athens plays in the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon from 7 December. Tickets are from £16, for more information and a full performance schedule please visit rsc.org.uk

TIMON ATHENS OF

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

Starring award winning actress Kathryn Hunter

READERS DIGEST DINNER AND DRAMA OFFER Enjoy a two or three-course pre-theatre meal in the relaxed and informal atmosphere of The Other Place before taking a short stroll to the Swan Theatre to watch Timon of Athens in January.

A two-course meal plus ticket to the show is £30, or upgrade to three-courses for £35. To book your exclusive offer, call the RSC box office on 01789 331111 and quote ‘Readers Digest Offer’.

The offer applied to selected evening performance in January 2019 booked before 31 December 2018. This offer is subject to availability. Terms and conditions apply. Offer does not apply to tickets already purchased. Only valid on 7, 14, 16, 21, 22, 28, 30 and 31 January 2019. Tickets must be booked by end of business on Monday 31 December 2018.

Box Office opening hours are 10am – 6pm Monday to Saturday, excluding bank holidays.

ENTERTAINMENT

Don McCullin

I REMEMBER… …WATCHING A DOODLEBUG FLY OVER OUR BACK GARDEN during the Second World War. You could hear the burring of the engine and see the flames coming out of it. The Germans were trying to bomb Finsbury Park railway station which was near where we lived. Luckily, our street never got hit.

The bombing made me feel nervous but excited. I was too young to understand the devastation it brought with it. You’d go to school in the morning and pick up bits of 30 • JANUARY 2019

shrapnel from ack-ack guns. Today, children get a thrill from looking at their phones. …IF MY MOTHER GAVE YOU A CLOUT, YOU KNEW WHAT TIME IT WAS. My father was invalided with chronic asthma and could barely breathe, so she was the strong one in the family. She had proper muscles.

When she ran out of cigarettes, you took cover.

Mum worked in a factory making aircraft parts to support us, but there

JEFF SPIC ER / STRINGER / GETTY IMAGES

Celebrated photographer, Sir Don, 83, has captured iconic images everywhere from Vietnam to poverty-stricken London. A major exhibition of his work is set to open at the Tate Britain

REX/SHUTTERSTOCK

ENTERTAINMENT

NOVEMBER 2018 • 31 31

I REMEMBER…

(Clockwise from top left) Don as a boy; with his bike; playing in the yard with his brother

wasn’t much money around. We lived in a two-room flat with no central heating or bathroom. Finsbury Park was a ghetto, full of violence, back then. Fights in the street; fights at school. I suffered and practised the violence myself—you couldn’t let anyone walk all over you. It’s amazing how I emerged with a totally different, liberal mindset. …BEING EVACUATED TO IDYLLIC SOMERSET. I lived in a labourer’s cottage for about 18 months. There were cows and slow-flowing streams.

32 • JANUARY 2019

It was like a calendar. The county never left my thoughts and I moved back there permanently 35 years ago.

My sister never left. My mother gave her away to the wealthy family who’d looked after her.

When I was seven I was shipped up to a chicken farm in Lancashire. The man didn’t want me there and locked me out until ten o’clock at night, then made me sleep on a mattress on bare boards. I had my head shaved and was forced to wear clogs, which was part of the local culture. If I didn’t eat the disgusting boiled potatoes, which

“My life has always been about adventures. Being on edge all the time helps my photography”

still had their jackets on, at Sunday lunch, the man would punch me.

When I left, I threw a couple of chickens in the stream. I didn’t drown them, though. …SEEING MY FIRST STRIP SHOW, AGED 15. My father had died a couple of years before and I’d left school to work in the dining car on trains from London to the North.

We’d sleep in dormitories by the railways and, one night, this boy who used to clean the trains with a big brush took me to a performance in Liverpool.

There were about 12 women arranged in a tableau based on one of Ruben’s paintings. They weren’t allowed to move, in those days. But they were naked from the waist up. It was quite a lift off for a 15-year-old. It was extraordinary, and even moving, to be away from home in this secret musical place.

…BEING INSPIRED BY ART IN UPMARKET LONDON. I left the trains when I cut my hand with a big knife. I got a job in Mayfair as a messenger boy for an animation studio, delivering cans of film. One of my calling places was the Fine Arts Society, an art gallery that showed work from the turn of the century.

It had a really huge influence on my imagination.

When I was called up for National Service, I spun this yarn that I worked in the movie industry—they didn’t know I was just a messenger boy. So I was put in the air force, renumbering old wartime film stock. Later, I spent time in photographic units in Kenya and Egypt, where we were worked printing maps of the Suez Canal zone.

My National Service didn’t really lead me to my chosen career, though.

I took a trade test to become a photographer before leaving, but failed. I couldn’t read the theory paper as I have terrible dyslexia. …GETTING MY BIG BREAK WITH THE GUVNORS. They were my mates, a gang of boys from Finsbury Park, and we used to go to a dance hall called Greys Dance Academy. It had a speakeasy, bad reputation—so girls would come from miles around!

One night, in 1958, some lads from Islington got into a fight with my friends. One of the Islington boys, Ronald Marwood, killed a policeman who tried to stop it.

JANUARY 2019 • 33

I REMEMBER…

A little while later, I took a photograph of the Guvnors and people told me I should take it to the Observer. Marwood had been hung and the murder was still very much in the news. The paper asked me to take more, published them on the Sunday and by Monday I was being offered every photographic job in England.

Frankly, I didn’t really know anything about photography. I’d just been taking snaps. I had to learn very quickly. …REALISING I WAS CUT OUT FOR WAR. I was sent to cover the conflict between the Turks and the Greeks in Cyprus in 1964 and found myself in the middle of a running gun fight that went on for two days. For the first time in my life, I wasn’t watching a battle in a Hollywood movie. I was in it. But I wasn’t scared. I was on a high.

The only thing that scared me was not getting good pictures. …REALISING I WASN’T CUT OUT FOR CELEBRITY PHOTOSHOOTS. I was booked to spend a day photographing the Beatles in 1968.

(Top) Don’s parents; (above) self-portrait in his RAF uniform; (right) with his brother 34 • JANUARY 2019

I did my best, and the group were good guys. But it wasn’t my cup of tea.

It was all a bit inconsequential.

Yoko Ono was a nasty little bully, telling me I was standing in the wrong place. I’d recently seen soldiers killed and maimed in front of me in the Battle of Hue in Vietnam. Her opinions meant as much to me as treading on a cigarette. …A CAMERA MAY HAVE SAVED MY LIFE. I was imbedded with some Vietnamese troops fighting the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, in 1970, and they were being mown down by gunfire. I ran across a paddy field to escape. Ordnance was exploding everywhere; bullets snapping by at the speed of sound. When I eventually stopped, I noticed a gaping great hole in my Nikon.

I didn’t hear the bullet hit it. It was just part of the battlefield symphony. …BEING ARRESTED BY THE SWIMMING POOL IN UGANDA. There had been an attempt to overthrow Idi Amin and he went completely mad, blaming everyone.

Journalists were spies. I had a ticket to fly out that night, but some thugs turned up at my hotel, made me pay my bill, then took me away to a military prison.

There were a lot of serious-looking people in there, waiting for what they knew was most-likely going to be their end. The soldiers were

“Yoko Ono was a nasty little bully… her opinions meant as much to me as treading on a cigarette” murdering people with sledgehammers. It was pretty frightening. Eventually, the British High Commission managed to get me out and I was deported. I’ve never been so pleased to be kicked out of somewhere. …A TRAGIC WEDDING DAY. I found my first wife, Christine, dead in bed from cancer the morning my son was getting married. We were separated, but I was staying in her house for the night. I had to knock on my children’s doors and tell them their mother was gone. There weren’t that many happy family days for a long while.

But we’ve regrouped. I’ve got five children and one of the nicest days of my life was recently when another of my sons got married. All my lovely grandchildren are trying to wipe out the effects of that horrible time. …HAVING DINNER WITH FORMER CANNIBALS. Mark Shand, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, her brother, JANUARY 2019 • 35

I REMEMBER…

and I had travelled to meet remote tribes in Indonesia. One of those tribes we encountered had been cannibals, maybe a decade earlier.

It was very tense. They wanted things like our belts, T-shirts and money.

I wanted to photograph them.

They killed a pig in our honour— though we had to pay for it—and boiled it down into blubbery stuff we couldn’t eat. We were starving. …BEING INSPIRED BY THE SOMERSET LANDSCAPE. It’s been the subject of my photography for 30 years. There’s a patchwork of fields and hedgerows, the county’s still rural and full of dairy farming, and is steeped in mythology, with stories about King Arthur and Glastonbury Tor. It has a lot of history and energy. …MY WIFE, CATHERINE, CAME ALONG AT JUST THE RIGHT TIME. My second marriage had ended and 36 • JANUARY 2019

I was feeling pretty low. I met Catherine, a travel journalist, at a party. She was 28 years younger than me and very glamorous. I thought she’d get bored with me, but, strangely, we’ve been together for 17 years.

People call her the gatekeeper, because she deals with people who are trying to contact me and does all the computer stuff. I’ve never switched one on in my life. I don’t really know how to work my phone.

I’ve always got about 60 messages. …PHOTOGRAPHING ETHIOPIAN TRIBESMEN WHO DRANK CATTLE BLOOD, ABOUT TEN YEARS AGO. These people lived on cattle and would go to war with other tribes over

READERSDIGEST.CO.UK /C U LT U RE /C E L E B RI T I E S

READER’S DIGEST

“I’ve never switched a computer on in my life and I don’t really know how to work my phone”

cattle, too, using AK47s. You heard gun battles at night. But my life has always been about such adventures and being on edge all the time. It helps my photography. …MY JOURNEY HAS BEEN LONG AND HARD, BUT I FEEL OVERREWARDED. Not many photographers are knighted. I went to Prince Charles’ 70th birthday, recently. A huge privilege. Life started with a lot of broken parts, but it’s picked up a bit.

As told to Simon Hemelryk

(L-R) Grenade Thrower, Hue, Vietnam 1968; The Guvnors in Finsbury Park, 1958; receiving his knighthood in 2017

The Don McCullin retrospective is at Tate Britain from February 5 to May 6. For tickets and more details, visit tate.org.uk JANUARY 2019 • 37

INSPIRE

SEX AFTER 50: "This is my time and no one should judge me" Sex in later life can be a time of discovery and reinvention, bringing even more intimacy, sensuality and satisfaction than before. Amanda Riley-Jones meets four people whose sex lives began to thrive after their half century

39

SEX AFTER 50

It’s all changed since our parents’ time when people of our age were seen as past it and sexless. Today’s over-fifties are more youthful, openminded and continuing to enjoy loving, fulfilling sex lives.

I was brought up in the 1950s in the north of Scotland, where sex was seen as an evil necessity in order to have babies— perish the thought it was anything to do with pleasure or desire!

40 • JANUARY 2019

“I feel sexy in a way I never did in the past.” 63-year-old TV presenter Aggie MacKenzie is divorced and dating. The mother of two says she feels more liberated and experimental than ever.

“I certainly feel more libidinous in my older age. I was brought up in the 1950s and 1960s in the north of Scotland, where sex was seen as an evil necessity in order to have babies.

Perish the thought it was anything to do with pleasure or desire! But I think it's very healthy to have a good sexual appetite.

I was divorced eight years ago and not having sex had become my normal. By 2014, I hadn’t been in a relationship, or even kissed anyone, for ten years. I was a bit frightened of being exposed, being hurt—having to deal with a relationship, a man and sex. If you’re not doing it, you feel safe and comfortable.

I feel guilty saying this, but after my mother died in 2012 I felt strangely liberated—as if I had come of age. I thought to myself, I can do whatever I like now. There was a man who I knew had fancied me for a long time. At first, I was seeing all the negatives, thinking, He’s too old, plus, there's that one over-long eyebrow hair—you know, all the little faults

READER’S DIGEST

After a few glasses of champagne, I let my guard down, relaxed into it and became very turned on

you look out for to stop you from baring yourself.

Then I thought to myself, Ags, for the love of God, just go for it. After a few glasses of champagne, I let my guard down, relaxed into it and became very turned on. It was as if a rocket had gone off in my head—and my nether regions!

Because I’ve been doing yoga for 12 years, I’m very flexible and and fit. Yoga relaxes you and brings you in touch with your body much more.

I have a lot of body strength which makes me feel very powerful and healthy. I feel sexy in a way I never did in the past.

Now I’m in my sixties, I feel much more experimental and liberated.

I’ve been out with quite a number of men and I have relationships for me.

I’m not looking for husband material or even a long-term relationship. I’m economically independent and in charge of my life. This is my time and no one should judge me. That might be an aphrodisiac in itself.”

SEX IN LATER YEARS: THE STATISTICS

“A landmark study by the University of Chicago found that, while sexual frequency does decline after 60, many people continued to enjoy sex with their partner. In the 57-64 age bracket, it was 84 per cent of men and 62 per cent of women. In the 65-74 age range, it was 67 per cent of men and 40 per cent of women,” confirms Michael Castleman, sexuality journalist and publisher of greatsexguidance.com.

Even octagenarians can still enjoy an active sex life, according to a report by Dr David Lee of Manchester University’s School of Social Sciences and Professor Josie Tetley from Manchester Metropolitan University.

Using results from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, they reported that the emotional side of sex (closeness and compatability) appeared to be more fulfilling for respondents who were over 80.

“While it’s true that ageing brings sexual changes, for many people sexual desire remains a fundamental part of who they are,” Castleman continues. “For some people, sex in later years represents an improvement on younger sex— bringing more appreciation for sensuality, more emotional intimacy, more sexual satisfaction.

JANUARY 2019 • 41

SEX AFTER 50

“I still have fantastic orgasms but in a different way.”

Divorcee Sarah Morris, 68, thought her sex life was over—until she fell in love with Stephen a year and a half ago.

“I was divorced a long time ago and, apart from one fling, I’d gone 11 years without sex. My life was fun and I had male friends but I missed physical intimacy. It made me really unhappy to think that my sex life was over.

I met Stephen at the golf club and fancied him for a year before we got together. The first time he came over for dinner, we were kissing on the sofa and he said he had something to tell me. He explained that he had a colostomy bag and I just thought,

I'm nothing like my mother when she was 68—I look better now than she looked at 48.

Our generation is much youngerthinking and acting

42 • JANUARY 2019

I can cope with that. He said there was no reason we had to wait. How about now?

I felt a bit shy when I went upstairs to find he’d already whipped his clothes off and was in my bed!

I’m 11.5 stone and trying to lose weight. I have varicose veins. But he said I was beautiful and made me feel good. He’s no Adonis but none of that matters. Age makes you more tolerant and less insecure.

I don’t want the head-bangingon-the-headboard, intense type of sex I had when I was younger.

I can’t get into the positions I got into when I was that age and I now have a sensitive bladder!

I still have fantastic orgasms but they're different now. The style of sex I want now is much gentler and we use our hands more. I’d much rather have an erotic massage.

At this stage of life, you have to be understanding and have a sense of humour. Men sometimes have problems maintaining an erection and women often need lubrication.

I use a hormone cream a couple of times a week.

I’m nothing like my mother when she was at 68. I look better now than she looked at 48. Our generation is much younger-thinking and acting.

Stephen and I are always kissing and hold hands when we walk down the road. Now I have the missing part of my life back again, I am utterly happy.”

READER’S DIGEST

“Sex is more relaxed and intimate” Sarah’s partner, divorcee Stephen Phelps, will be 70 on his next birthday. He’d been single for three years before they got together.

“I wasn’t particularly looking but I always felt it was a possibility that I’d have another physical relationship.

And all I can say is that Sarah and I are having a wonderful time!

As you get to a certain age, there’s the feeling that you’re not going to have that many more relationships and you want to enjoy every day. Of course, you’re both nervous whether it’s going to work mechanically.

Worrying and erection problems can be a vicious cycle. Men have Viagra now. I bought some but only used it once.

From the male point of view, you feel more manly if you get an erection.

But, as you get older, it’s not going to happen 24/7. Sometimes you think you’re able to do a lot more than you are and erections are not reliable.

And, of course, your energy levels are diminished too. But it doesn’t affect the pleasure that we’re able to give each other. We do other things and there’s more cuddling and fondling.

It’s a broader definition of sex. You’re not going to bed to have sex, it’s more to be intimate.

When I was younger, I don’t think I ever asked my partner "Am I doing it right?" But it’s easier and less embarrassing when you’re older and really trust each other.

The conversation removes any misunderstanding and results in 100 per cent better intimacy afterwards.

Both men and women can be selfish when they’re younger. But now sex is more about caring for each other deeply and wanting to please your partner rather than just thinking about what you want.

Sex is more relaxed now too. When you’re younger, you feel under pressure to have sex within a certain time frame.

For me, it was mainly Saturday and Sunday and even then there wasn’t always enough time to properly enjoy it.

Sarah and I often say that we feel like we’re permanently on holiday! The best time is in the morning when you no longer have to get up and go to work.

Sarah and I sometimes spend the whole Sunday in bed with the papers and it’s rather wonderful to sneak off in the afternoon with some decent champagne. Having more time for each other feeds into the physical intimacy. I feel very lucky and happy that Sarah and I found each other.”

JANUARY 2019 • 43

SEX AFTER 50

“Sex is better than ever— we know what we want.”

53-year-old Ann Kenwood has been married to Adam, 56, for 11 years.

They have raised four children.

“I’m short and wear glasses and, when I was young, I never saw myself as attractive. I was too bothered about turning partners on visually and too insecure to enjoy my body.

When I was in my thirties, I was trying to hang on to being young and worrying about my lines.

I was in my forties when Adam and I got together as a couple. We both have a high sex drive and the relationship was very physical from the start. When we had a house full of children, we resorted to going into the garage and doing it behind the car!

Now I’m over 50, I’ve lost any self consciousness and think, I am what I am. Everything is sagging but sex with Adam is as good as ever. In fact,

WILL YOUR SEX DRIVE LAST?

Want to know if you’ll still have the urge after 60? Castleman says that— aside from the challenges of illness, divorce or losing your partner—if you enjoyed sex regularly in your forties, it’s likely you will still be enjoying it in your sixties.

44 • JANUARY 2019

Sex is less about putting myself on display and it's more about getting on with it—it's less visual now, and more physical

it’s better, more intimate. I know what I want and what he wants and we're able to talk about it.

Sex is less about putting myself on display and more about getting on with it. It’s less visual and more physical. I’m confident that my husband wants to have sex with me—despite my long scar and baggy stomach from having three children.

These days, there’s a lot of kissing and more foreplay, and less of the actual action. Your knees go and it doesn’t last as long! But there’s a real intimacy between us. I don’t look at him and think, You’re gorgeous.

He’s nearly 60. He has bad teeth and he’s balding. It’s more about the mind connection between us and I’m turned on by what he can do

READER’S DIGEST

RISING TO THE CHALLENGES

Of course, there are inevitably some physical difficulties which occur more frequently with age. 18 per cent of men in their fifties experience erectile dysfunction (ED), for instance.

physically for me. I still wake him up at two or three in the morning to have sex. We probably do it three or four times a week and every day when we’re on holiday.

Adam is quite energetic and physically fit and he’s a generally lovely person. We love each other and say that we love each other every day. I like the idea of growing old with him and sex is still the thing I most enjoy in life!”

But, as Castleman says,“ED is more treatable than ever with medication.”

He advises men to become familiar with middle-age sexual changes, live a healthy lifestyle and “understand that sex involves more than just your penis. A lot more. The best sex involves the whole body. Most women know this intuitively, but for many men it’s a real leap.”

He adds, “Many woman experience libido loss during the early years of menopause. But during late menopause many woman experience a sexual rebound. For women, the only sex problem that increases with age is vaginal dryness. 27 per cent of women in their fifties reported it but this can be easily ameliorated with sexual lubricants.”

ROYAL RESTRAINT When Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip got married in 1947, even royalty couldn’t escape the post-war rationing. To pay for her dress, Elizabeth conserved her rationing coupons and received a gift of 200 coupons from the British government to purchase the material needed.

SOURCE: NYPOST.COM

JANUARY 2019 • 45

9 Easy-To-Keep Resolutions To get you on the path to wellness, here are some ultra-simple New Year health suggestions: Stretch when you wake. When you open your eyes each morning, stretch your muscles to reconnect with your body. Are there any tight areas? How does your neck feel? Are your shoulders and back OK? Focus on your body before you begin to think about everything else you’ve got to do that day.

1

2 Make porridge the night before.

It’s tempting to skip breakfast, but this makes you more inclined to eat too much later on. If you prepare your oats before you go to bed, there are no excuses. Just cover some quick oats with water, add flax or hemp seeds for protein and berries or honey for sweetness.

3 Spend time outside every day.

Heading outdoors doesn’t just help

Susannah Hickling is twice winner of the Guild of Health Writers Best Consumer Magazine Health Feature 46 • JANUARY 2019

you feel at one with yourself and nature; it also helps you to get some very necessary vitamin D from sunlight, provides exercise and boosts mental health.

4 Only eat ingredients you understand. If you’re thinking New Year: New Diet, then it could be time to think differently. Instead of counting calories, ditch processed foods with artificial flavours and colours and other confusing additives, and eat only foods that contain natural ingredients.

Focus for two hours on one project. Set aside a couple of hours a week and work on a personal goal.

Switch off your phone, ignore emails and social media, and be fully present, whether that’s prepping healthier food or learning a language. This ability to be singleminded will boost your performance and your productivity.

5

6 Connect with others. Experts are warning that loneliness could be the

HEALTH

next epidemic. Social isolation has been found to disturb sleep, push up levels of the stress hormone cortisol, and even lead to death. Plan a monthly supper club with a few friends or schedule a regular phone call with a relative.

7 Take a long, hard look at your habits. Some of the things we do

routinely can be downright harmful.

Are those three glasses of wine a night really good for you? Is getting up at the crack of dawn to go for a run beneficial if it then makes you feel exhausted all day? Score how you feel out of ten and be honest.

You might want to make some healthy changes.

8 Make time for self-reflection. Ask yourself a few non-judgemental questions with the aim of learning and feeling better about yourself. At the end of each day ask, “What am I grateful for today?”, “What annoyed me?”, “How was I feeling?”, “What would I do differently in the future?”

9 Set an alarm to get you to bed.

Too many of us find things to do rather than turning in when we need to. Setting an alarm to remind yourself to start your bedtime routine could help your sleep hygiene. Give yourself 30 minutes to do something calming, like drinking a herbal tea, taking a bath or following a guided meditation app.

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H E A LT H

How To Banish Bad Breath It’s well known that some foods and drinks— garlic, coffee and alcohol, for starters—can cause less than pleasant mouth odours. But what should we be eating and drinking if we want to banish halitosis?

Water Aim to drink eight glasses of H2O a day. Not only is it good for hydration and your digestive system, it also flushes bacteria off your teeth and out of your mouth, giving you fresher breath and a lower risk of cavities and gum disease.

Ginger Credited with the ability to dispense a huge range of health benefits, this tangy spice also increases an enzyme in saliva that breaks down smelly, sulphurcontaining compounds, according to German scientists.

Apples Chewing on raw apple can banish garlic breath, researchers from Ohio State University found.

They concluded that the enzymes in the raw apple helped get rid of the smell, and then the phenolic compounds in the fruit were able to destroy the substances that cause the halitosis in the first place. Which just goes to show that an apple a day is beneficial in more ways than one.

48 • JANUARY 2019

Lettuce The same study found that lettuce was also effective in deodorising garlic breath. Once again, it was better eaten raw.

Milk More research from Ohio State University found that drinking milk with a garlic-laden meal could also help reduce whiffy breath. That might look odd on a date, of course, but worth bearing in mind! Whole milk worked best.

Yogurt Japanese researchers found that volunteers who ate traditional, sugar-free yogurt twice a day had an 80 per cent drop in malodorous volatile sulphide compounds after six weeks. The vitamin D it contains is good for your bones too.

And finally…eat less An Israeli researcher found that overweight people were more likely to have unpleasant smelling breath and the more overweight they were, the worse the problem was.

READER’S DIGEST

Ask The Expert: Clutter Helen Sanderson

Helen Sanderson works as a personal declutter coach and is the creator of the Home Declutter Kit How did you first become a decluttering expert?

I started by sorting out friends and found I had a gift for it. I have a background in the arts, interior design and psychotherapy. I strongly believe that when working with the home you are working with the whole person, not just their clutter.

When might people need help to clear out?

I work with pregnant mums, people who are downsizing after their kids have left home, busy mums who can’t cope, people who have divorced.

A pile of clutter represents decisions that haven’t been made, perhaps because people haven’t felt emotionally ready.

At what point does clutter become a real problem?

When it holds you back, when you’re constantly thinking about it, when there’s no space in your cupboards and things fall out and are not put

back again, when rooms are taken over as storage units, when you feel ashamed about inviting people round.

What tips can you offer people who want to organise their home?

Don’t subscribe to doing just ten minutes a day. Make it a project.

Devote two or three days to it. Get a friend to help. Start with the easy things where you can see results straight away. Start by culling some books. A cluttered home is like an overgrown garden—your first task is the weeding, looking for what you can let go of. Step two is categorising the “keep” pile. Step three, create order and harmony with what you have left.

How can people keep their home tidy after decluttering?

Have a philosophy of one in, one out.

Not everyone has the gift of order, so start off by keeping one room tidy and create homes for everything.

Visit helensanderson.com for more details JANUARY 2019 • 49

HEALTH

Sexual Healing Max Pemberton confronts the awkward taboos surrounding the subject of sex in the medical world

S

ex. There, I’ve said it. It’s one of those topics that just isn’t talked about openly in polite society.

Certainly not when you meet someone for the first time, unless you like them very much indeed. Doctors aren’t immune from social etiquette (although I can think of a few notable exceptions that I’ve met, but that’s another column) and while we’re sanctioned to enquire about the most intimate bodily processes, sex is still a topic that tends to be shied away from in the consulting room. Outside of the Sexual Health clinic, it’s something that, if at all possible, is best avoided.

It seems a little too intrusive, a little too personal and isn’t easy to drop into conversation when talking to a patient without it sounding out of place. This is made worse by the fact that once it becomes obvious that the Max is a hospital doctor, author and columnist. He currently works full time in mental health for the NHS. His latest book is a self-help guide to using CBT to stop smoking

50 • JANUARY 2019

topic should be raised, there is the inevitable stuttering, gazing at the shoes and going scarlet from the doctor. Using euphemisms is rarely effective and inevitably ensures the consultation descends into a script for Carry On Doctor. Some of the embarrassment stems from the fear of being misconstrued as a pervert, but often it’s never discussed because doctors don’t think about it as a legitimate area of enquiry. It’s the realm of glossy magazines and late night Channel 4 television programmes. It’s not a “medical” area.

And yet, it’s something that is important, and something that people want help with. But their embarrassment, and that of their doctor, ensures that it rarely raises its head as a topic of conversation.

The problems start at medical school. Certainly we dissected the male and female sexual organs in anatomy classes—although if the truth be told, it was mainly the girls that dissected the penis and testicles, while the boys watched with pained expressions, squirming about while

their eyes watered. We were taught about sexual diseases, and spent alarming afternoons gaping at revolting pictures in textbooks in the library which made several people take vows of celibacy. But people as sexual beings and the actual mechanics of sex, the way that things can go wrong, and things that can be done to put them right, were not so readily discussed.

I’m seeing Mr Gillespie in the clinic because he’s depressed. We talk a bit about his life, and then he suddenly looks me in the eyes and says, “If you really want to know why I’m depressed, it’s because I can’t have sex any more.” I splutter. I wasn’t expecting that one. Mr Gillespie is 76, and if the sexuality of any group is inevitably ignored, it’s that of the older generation. There seems to be a feeling that, come a mythical, unspecified age you’re deemed “old,” and therefore, by default aren’t having sex anymore—you’re making jam and listening to The Archers on the radio instead. Mr Gillespie has diabetes and he’s had a stroke and an operation on his prostate. And now he’s

depressed. All of these things are going to adversely affect his ability to have sex. His wife died ten years ago, and since then he has, in his own words, been “dating.” It wouldn’t have occurred to me that someone of his age would have girlfriends, and that his inability to have sex would be the cause of his depression. If he hadn’t volunteered the information, I’d never have asked. For the first few moments, I’m embarrassed, but after a while, I find it’s not too bad and actually rather interesting. My own prejudices are slowly fading away as I learn all about the older people’s dating scene, which is apparently thriving. I explain that given his medical problems, I suspect there’s not much I can do to help him, but I take a detailed sexual history— with only limited blushing—and refer him to the urologists. I have to confess that through his openness and honesty he’s helped me more than I’ve helped him. He made me see that sex is not only something that warrants attention from the medical profession, but that it can be relevant to all sorts of people, regardless of their age.

JANUARY 2019 • 51

HEALTH

The Doctor Is In Q: My ten-year-old daughter has just been diagnosed with haemochromatosis, which means her body accumulates iron. I’ve been told that she should follow a low iron diet and will be monitored again for iron levels. It seems a much more common condition than I had realised. Could you shed some more light on what to expect in the future? - Marion, 53 A: Haemochromatosis is indeed fairly common. It’s an inherited condition caused by a faulty gene that affects the way the body absorbs iron from food.

There’s no cure for haemochromatosis but with advances in medicine we’re now good at spotting the condition long before the iron builds up and causes problems. This means that they can change their diet to reduce the amount of iron they are eating and start treatment when necessary.

In general, people are advised to avoid certain foods such as breakfast cereals that contain added iron. Most people do 52 • JANUARY 2019

manage the diet changes without major problems but if your daughter is struggling then it’s worth asking the doctor she sees to refer her to a specialist dietician who can help her with what she’s eating and make some suggestions.

While I imagine the diagnosis must have come as a shock to you and your family it’s actually really good that you discovered this while your daughter is so young. We know that when it’s diagnosed and treated early like this, then haemochromatosis is unlikely to result in serious problems or affect life expectancy. Sometimes children feel upset that they can’t eat all the same things that their friends do so it can be helpful for them to talk to other youngsters with the condition.

The Haemochromatosis Society is a patient-run UK charity that offers a help line as well as face-to-face support groups.

Got a health question for our resident doctor? Email it confidentially to askdrmax@ readersdigest.co.uk

I LLUSTRATI ON BY JAVI ER MUÑOZ

Dr Max Pemberton

HEALTH

New Year, Better Memory

Regular mental exercise is a resolution that everyone would benefit from, our memory expert Jonathan Hancock explains

I’VE BEEN FASCINATED BY MEMORY ever since I realised it’s not really something you have, but something you do. It’s an active process, and you can train yourself to do it better. And, just like exercising the rest of your body, if you do the right things often enough, your brain gets stronger and more flexible— you feel more confident as a result.

Neuroscience has shown that our brains are like plastic: we change their shape and function according to how we use them. True, plenty of things can get in the way of remembering—stress, tiredness, illness, disease—but there are also things you can do to get your brain into the best shape possible, and keep it there.

So, get active. Do a mini mental workout whenever you have a moment. Start stretching the thinking skills that control the kinds of memory you use every day; in particular, your ability to concentrate on information, to visualise it, and to manipulate it in your head.

Look out for real-life mental challenges to practise these memory-sharpening skills, and try ideas of your own in spare moments. And, why not resolve to follow @ReadersDigestUK on Twitter and Facebook for a memory exercise from me every day? Make brain-training your healthy new addiction for the new year ahead.

CONCENTRATE on a mental maths problem. Break it into bits, narrate it in your head, ignore any distractions… and practise focusing on the numbers until you’ve got the answer. What’s 58 + 67? 8 x 39?

3 x 456? Make them as hard as you can handle!

VISUALISE a word and spell it backwards. Practise keeping the letters in focus in your mind’s eye. Splitting them into syllables might help. Try doing it with days of the week, months of the year—and then longer words: RESOLUTION, REMEMBERING, VISUALISATION… MANIPULATE information in your brain. What would your phone number look like if the digits were in order? (Start with the dialling code first, then progress to the rest of it when you’re ready). Arrange the days of the week alphabetically.

Work out anagrams in your head—like these three liquids: CAR DUST; MAP CHANGE; IN REAL EGG.

JANUARY 2019 • 53

Xxxxxxxx

Science Versus The

Paranormal

BY CRIS AND REWS

54

INSPIRE

L

ong ago, our they’ve never had a ancestors personal experience. worshiped the Rational types, elements as if the sceptics and “muggles” elements were sentient dismiss all this as beings. Primitive humans children’s stories dreamed devised practices they up by delusional fantasists hoped would persuade their with over-active imaginations. gods to keep them safe and free from According to Professor Chris hunger. They told stories about these French (above) from London beings and other fantastic creatures Goldsmith’s University, we believe to explain how the world worked in the paranormal because of the and how people should live. Then, fundamental way our minds work. they developed structures, systems French, an expert in the psychology and civilisations based of the paranormal upon their beliefs. and a leading sceptic, Over time, rational says, “We know that thought replaced our cognitive systems TODAY, WE belief and science aren’t perfect. Under DISMISS AS gradually replaced certain circumstances LUDICROUS superstition. We we misremember, ANYTHING devised technology misperceive and THAT CAN’T BE we misinterpret.” to protect ourselves from the elements French adds that SCIENTIFICALLY and to harness their paranormal believers EXPLAINED power. Today, we tend to also be dismiss as ludicrous, susceptible to false anything that cannot memories, prone to be explained scientifically. making quick emotional judgements Despite this, hardly a day goes and can become overly engrossed by without someone, somewhere, in what they’re doing, dissociating reporting that they’ve had a themselves from the outside world. paranormal experience. This could “Belief in the paranormal implies be a reported encounter with a there’s something more to life than ghost, UFO, witch or demon. Or meets the eye, more than science more commonplace experiences can explain”, he says. “A whole other such as déjà vu, intuition or aspect to reality that some lucky foresight. Many more people believe individual has had a glimpse of.” in the paranormal, even though However, should we be so quick to

“

JANUARY 2019 • 55

S C I E N C E V S T H E PA R A N O R M A L

dismiss the paranormal?

After all, some of what was once considered paranormal has since been explained by science. UFO encounters have been put down to sightings of top-secret military aircraft and ball lightning. And poltergeists, to: water turbulence, seismic activity and hallucinations, for example. The amazing idea that there might ever have been such things as werewolves and that they appear during a full moon, can be traced back to more lucid analysis of certain strains of mental illness and criminal behaviour. And of course, the rather obvious fact that during

56 • JANUARY 2019

the times when werewolf legends became popular, the only time you’d actually be able to see a wolf at night was when the moon shined bright in the sky.

Over the years, researchers have given us DNA proof that yetis are actually bears, conducted tests that show psychic powers can be explained by probabilities and illustrated how magnetic fields generated by electrical equipment can stimulate temporal lobes in the brain so as to conjure up seemingly ghostly apparitions.

Alice Gregory (above), Professor of

“

DURING SLEEP PARALYSIS, PEOPLE ALSO SOMETIMES REPORT SEEING HUMANS OR SENSING A PRESENCE Psychology, also at London Goldsmith’s, believes that some reported paranormal experiences might actually be caused by sleep paralysis. Many people who report that they’ve been abducted by aliens, or encountered some sort of ghostly, demonic creature, also report being

READER’S DIGEST

frozen in bed, unable to move.

Gregory, author of Nodding Off: The Science of Sleep from Cradle to Grave explains that during sleep paralysis, features of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep such as vivid dreaming—continue into waking life.

“You feel awake yet you might experience dream-like hallucinations and struggle to move,” she says.

“During sleep paralysis people also sometimes report instances of seeing humans, inanimate objects or sensing a presence.”

So far, these explanations, all point to distortions in the perceptions of the observer. But there are also experts out there, who believe that science can explain actual

JANUARY 2019 • 57

S C I E N C E V S T H E PA R A N O R M A L

paranormal phenomena.

Provided, of course, that the accepted boundaries of mainstream science are pushed just a little bit.

Telepathy, for instance, has long been the domain of mutant superheroes and celebrity psychics. Or, as sceptics might put it, of fantasists and fraudsters.

However, according to Rupert Sheldrake (above), a former Cambridge University biologist, turned author, telepathy is actually a completely normal biological process that explains how members of animal groups communicate— including humans.

Sheldrake explains that all selforganising living things inherit a collective memory from all previous things of their kind.

“Whenever there’s a social group with bonded members, there’s a (connective) field between them”, he says. “You see this most clearly when starlings change direction quickly without bumping into each other.

Each bird knows where the others are going to go.”

Sheldrake calls this “morphic resonance” and adds that when bonded individuals move apart, the field stretches, like an elastic band, but continues to connect them. He believes that this is how certain dogs know when their owners are coming home, how people can pick up on 58 • JANUARY 2019

others’ intention or needs, why we often think of someone and then bump into them straight away, or they call us on the phone. And, how we can feel someone staring at us, even when we can’t see them.

“We see things, not by producing 3D images inside our head, as mainstream science tells us”, Sheldrake says. “But instead, by projecting the image outwards to where the person or object being observed, actually is. Our mind reaches out to touch them, they feel uneasy, feel something is there and they turn to face it.”

Indigenous peoples, Eastern philosophers and New-Agers in the West have long believed in invisible energies that surround the human body giving us life, consciousness and the ability to connect, heal and perceive beyond our senses. Some call it “chi”, others “aura”, or “soul.” People like inventor and engineer, Stanley Jungleib, who grew up in California during the peace-loving Sixties, have another name for it—vibe.

This is the same Stanley Jungleib whose lab, Seer Systems, developed the first commercial software synthesiser in the early 1990s and held the first patent that made it possible for a mobile phone to use a ringtone. Aged 65, Jungleib’s latest,

READER’S DIGEST

“

WHENEVER THERE’S A SOCIAL GROUP, THERE’S A CONNECTIVE FIELD BETWEEN THEM and he says, probably his last, patent is for a machine that he believes can actually identify the human vibe. Not only that, but also collect, store and transmit it.

Jungleib explains that our vibe accompanies our physical and

verbal expression as supplementary information in the same way that overtones attend a musical note. “It also has the potential to influence that energy by radiating at specific frequencies”, he says. Jungleib believes that this is how healers, JANUARY 2019 • 59

S C I E N C E V S T H E PA R A N O R M A L

heal, by transmitting this energy.

He also thinks it could explain other forms of extra-sensory perception.

“The human body functions like a radio”, he says. “The heart produces a magnetic field, and our sweat glands contain tiny crystals that can act as radio receivers.”

Jungleib thinks our “vibe” is transmitted by way of subtle energy, invisible to the naked eye. He’d like to see more investigation into this— from other, younger experts.

60 • JANUARY 2019

What Jungleib says that he does know, is that the sensors on his machine detect energy from the human body. And that each person registers differently. “When a particular vibe is played back through the machine, it affects different people in different ways”, he says, adding that the machine picks up nothing from mobile phones.

This, he believes, proves that the machine isn’t just picking up nearby electromagnetic activity.

READER’S DIGEST

French says. Rupert Sheldrake replies Stanley Jungleib and Rupert that whenever someone does show Sheldrake aren’t mere nerds evidence, sceptics say it’s not enough who’ve watched too much sci-fi. and want more. They see it as debate Nor impressionable types who see which takes us away from the real menace in their own shadow every issue at hand, which is essentially time they step outside their front a disagreement over the nature of door. Neither is Joe Kirschvink, a reality and the scientific Caltech scientist who process through which thinks he’s discovered we understand it. that humans have a WHENEVER magnetic sixth sense.

SOMEONE Accept mainstream Kirschvink is currently DOES SHOW science and the investigating whether EVIDENCE, accompanying belief this might be caused SCEPTICS SAY that that which can’t by magnetoreceptors IT’S NOT be proven can’t be real, inside the brain and ENOUGH AND and you have a world in whether, without which the paranormal knowing it, we WANT MORE can’t exist, and in which might have the same healers and psychics are connection to the deluded or charlatans.

Earth’s magnetic field as birds, fish However, what if we entertain the and other migratory animals. possibility that we might have got our Former computer geologist, science wrong, maybe because it has Gregg Braden has long believed this been overly shaped by materialist is the case and that our magnetic concerns? Or that there are things that connection with the Earth influences defy analysis, simply because we don’t our immune systems and even our yet have technology sophisticated perception of reality. Many Newenough to analyse them? Believe this, Age thinkers say this is why we are and the possibility remains, that some affected by the changes in the Earth’s of what we call paranormal today, magnetosphere during solar storms. might one day be explained away as Sceptics don’t accept such things rationally as the elements that our are possible. “Show me the evidence ancestors once worshiped as gods. and I’ll change my mind”, Chris

“

SERIOUSLY SORRY… Canadians say “sorry” so much that The Apology Act was passed in 2009, declaring that an apology can’t be used as evidence of admission of guilt.

SOURCE: BUZZFEED.COM

JANUARY 2019 • 61

INSPIRE

DISCOVERI N G

THE DETECTORISTS

BY TO M BROWNE

If metal detecting is something you briefly did as a child, then take another look. Social media, TV exposure and high-profile discoveries have given this distinctly British hobby a whole new lease of life

T

he words to a familiar song are going round in my head: "I seem to have left an important part of my brain somewhere / Somewhere in a field in Hampshire." Except, in my case, it’s a field somewhere near Colchester.

And instead of my brain, it could be my heart.

I’m here at the invitation of Brentwood and District Metal Detecting Society, one of hundreds of such societies across the UK dedicated to uncovering Britain’s history, one soggy trowel at a time.

This particular location (which I’ve 64

sworn not to reveal) consists of over 140 acres of freshly ploughed fields, not far from an old Saxon graveyard and Roman settlement. Gold coins have been discovered here, although not today.

John, who’s been detecting for 40 years, shows me his recent finds: a brooch pin, a few coins, some cut pennies and various fragments.

It’s one of those drizzly days that threaten to turn into full-blown rain.

"Does that affect the equipment?"

I ask. "No, not at all," replies John, explaining that last summer’s heat wave, which turned the ground hard

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D I S COV E R I N G T H E D E T E C TO R I STS

Metal detecting is something you may remember from childhood.

Poke around in most attics and chances are you’ll uncover a rusty old detector, purchased on a whim 30 years ago and then forgotten about when it didn’t immediately uncover priceless treasure.

Thankfully, the 50 or so detectorists here today are more pragmatic.

"You could be lucky and find something first time out," says John. "But you probably won’t find anything, at least nothing of any significance or importance." Karen, chairwoman of the society, is more blunt: "A good 90 per cent of the time, you pick up absolute rubbish."

My childhood experience was pretty similar, even though our family metal detector probably saw more action than most. Still, the things that appealed to me then continue to resonate now: the joy of the unknown, the element of romance, the hope that each bleep could be the start of something extraordinary. One of John’s own finds—a medieval gold ring— currently resides in Epping Museum, 66 • JANUARY 2019

and most of the people I talk to speak proudly of cherished discoveries, even if they weren’t life-changing.

Indeed, the popularity of detecting is on the rise. Social media has connected enthusiasts and given them more visibility than ever before. Big finds by detectorists, such as the Galloway Hoard or the Staffordshire Hoard, generate enormous news coverage, sending sales of equipment through the roof ("The manufacturers rub their hands in glee whenever that happens," says one enthusiast with a smile).

And then there’s the BBC’s recent comedy series The Detectorists, an

© BRENTWOOD M ETAL DETECTI NG CLUB

and dry, was far worse. By contrast, "water helps the signals transmit through the ground."

Thus encouraged, I make my way across the fields, towards the ranks of detectorists (their preferred term) silently combing the earth in boots and floppy hats.

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xxx

MOST OF THE PEOPLE I TALK TO SPEAK PROUDLY OF CHERISHED DISCOVERIES, EVEN IF THEY WEREN'T LIFE-CHANGING

affectionate portrayal of the hobby that’s gained a cult following—not least among detectorists themselves.

Of course, these hobbyists haven’t always been viewed with affection. Along with famous finds come stories of "nighthawkers" (illegal treasure hunters) damaging Hadrian’s Wall or other sensitive sites, and many responsible enthusiasts have been lumped in with a small minority of criminals.

There’s always been a certain tension between professional archaeologists and amateur detectorists; much irritation is directed towards the Channel 4 series, Time Team, which JANUARY 2019 • 67

D I S COV E R I N G T H E D E T E C TO R I STS

68 • JANUARY 2019

lot to promote best practice— most specifically by endorsing the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS), which encourages amateurs to report all significant discoveries (not just treasure) to their local Finds Liaison Officer (FLO). This scheme, along with proper valuation of finds, is generally seen as a success that other countries want to emulate—a workable middle ground between an outright ban on detecting (as in the Republic of Ireland) and an unregulated free-for-all.

A great example of the PAS in action is the excavation of the Frome Hoard, a collection of 52,503 Roman coins discovered in Somerset by Dave Crisp, a member of the Trowbridge

© DAVE CRISP

lauded the work of archaeologists while often ignoring or even disparaging the contribution made by detectorists.

In truth, most of the time they occupy different roles.

"Archaeologists tend to concentrate on structures," one of the Brentwood group tells me. "They don’t often find artefacts, apart from pottery and odd bits and pieces. So if they’re excavating a Roman villa, chances are we’ll find more stuff in the fields around the villa, because that’s where rubbish was dumped. Or we uncover things that were lost in open countryside. We’re generally not on archaeological sites."

In other words, as long as the rules are respected, the two strands complement each other. The National Council for Metal Detecting (NCMD), in particular, has done a

READER’S DIGEST

Metal Detecting Club. Leading up to the find, Dave had uncovered around 60 Roman siliqua coins, dating from the third century, in a grass field near a Roman road. Realising this was treasure, although not valuable, he first informed the farmer before phoning Katie Hinds, his local FLO. The following week, his appetite whetted, he was back detecting in the same area.

"It was fantastic!" says Dave, who still speaks with boyish enthusiasm about the fateful moment in April 2010. "I got this faint signal and dug into the soil, but there was nothing there. So I dug deeper and realised the signal was coming from underneath the subsoil. When I dug into the clay, I found a bronze coin, about 100 years older than the siliquas. A bit further down I pulled out 20 more, all stuck to the clay. It was then I realised there was a pot of coins down there."

At this point, Dave made "both the hardest decision and the easiest decision" of his life: he stopped digging, covered up the hole and contacted the PAS. "I knew what the archaeologists really needed were the details of how the pot was in the ground and where the coins were," Dave explains, although he insisted on being present when the site was properly excavated—a job that ended up taking three days.

‘They weren't expecting a big pot, just a small one,’ he continues.

Dave's hoard now resides in the Museum of Somerset

WHEN I DUG INTO THE CLAY, I FOUND A BRONZE COIN, ABOUT 100 YEARS OLDER THAN THE SILIQUAS. A BIT FURTHER DOWN I PULLED OUT 20 MORE, ALL STUCK TO THE CLAY

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D I S COV E R I N G T H E D E T E C TO R I STS

70 • JANUARY 2019

The impact of the find also changed Dave’s life. "I never dreamed of going on TV or anything like that," he says, remembering the numerous talks he’s done on the Frome Hoard since 2010. "It brought me out my comfort zone, and I've never gone back to it."

Back in Colchester, all talk of hoards seems rather remote. The rain is getting heavier, which may be doing wonders for the signals but isn’t helping my mood. There’s regular bleeping from across the field, but metal fragments and common "grots" (grotty coins) are the order of the day.

Not that I should be surprised.

© TOM BROWNE

"They've got lots of them in the British Museum—someone's going into town and they bury their money so they don't get robbed. I honestly thought it was going to be a beer mug full of coins. But it turned out to be the equivalent of a beer barrel."

Dave had, in fact, stumbled across one of the largest hoards ever found in Britain, eventually valued at £320,250. And his diligence in not disturbing anything meant that experts were able to investigate why and how the hoard was buried. Too heavy to carry to the site without breaking, it’s now believed the pot was put in the ground first and then filled with coins, perhaps as an offering to the gods.

READER’S DIGEST

MOST OF THOSE PRESENT ARE JUST HAPPY TO BE OUT IN THE FRESH AIR AND IN GOOD COMPANY

Most of those present are just happy to be out in the fresh air and in good company. Andy, a taxi driver, originally took up the hobby as a relief from the strains of learning the London Knowledge, while Karen tells me, "I’d do it every day of my life if I could." In the words of Dave Crisp, "There’s nothing better than walking across the countryside at a nice, slow

pace. That’s what metal detecting does—it really de-stresses you."

I stumble back towards the camp, shielding my eyes from the rain, and in the process nearly trip over a lump of rusted metal. I bend down for a closer look. It seems pretty old to me, although I can’t tell what it is.

Excited, I dash over to the nearest society member.

"How about this, then?" I shout, proudly displaying my find. "Is it valuable?"

He gives it a cursory glance before replying, "It looks like a scaffold clip to me."

"Not a Roman scaffold clip?" I ask, a bit disheartened.

"No," he says shortly, before disappearing into his tent.

Oh well, better luck next time.

WHAT IS HAPPINESS? Celebrities define their idea of happiness in the famous Proust Questionnaire: John Cleese: "The demise of the London Daily Mail" Donatella Versace: "Family, friends, laughter, and music so loud you feel it inside" Donald Trump: "Good health and being with a great person" David Bowie: "Reading" Dolly Parton: "A big loaded baked potato and a good book with time to eat it and read it" Lauren Bacall: "Waking up in the morning" Aretha Franklin: "It’s never going to be absolutely perfect. There will always be something you would change if you could" SOURCE: VANITYFAIR.COM

JANUARY 2019 • 71

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BEST OF

British

B R I TA I N

On Ice

As the colder weather closes in, we've sought out activities that will make you want to embrace the frost

BY ANNA WALKER

74

INSPIRE

Ice Village

CATHEDRAL GARDENS, MANCHESTER

Featuring an ice sculpture cave, ice bar, ice rink and woodland market complete with winter games, Manchester’s Ice Village is the ultimate frosty destination.

Designed by the renowned Hamilton Ice Sculptors—who have undertaken commissions for Chanel, Beyoncé and the Royal Family—the project will see an entire village carved from some 250 tons of solid ice. Highlights include a steam train, arctic animals and the frozen history of Manchester, including nods to famous local figures such as the suffragette, Emmeline Pankhurst.

Says Manchester City Councillor Pat Karney, “The Ice Village is the first of its kind in the UK and it will transform our family-friendly area in Cathedral Gardens.

We waited for months to announce the incredible event and I can’t wait to be transported to a magical land of ice!”

If you want to experience the icy kingdom for yourself, act fast—the attraction closes on January 5. icevillage.co.uk

JANUARY 2019 • 75

BEST OF BRITISH

Ice Skating

SKYLIGHT ROOFTOP, LONDON

Europe’s only rooftop ice skating rink offers stunning views across London—especially by night.

Situated atop the Tobacco Dock in Wapping, the Skylight project includes three floors of bars, street food and live entertainment, so there’ll be plenty more to do once you pull off your skates.

Larger groups can book out elegant “igloo” spaces to warm up after a stint on the ice, with plenty

76

of mulled wine, blankets and delicious raclette on offer.

Says events director Scott McVittie, "While Skylight might not be the largest ice surface in London, it is certainly the most unique. Being able to see the full London skyline out in front of you as you glide around the real ice really does bring out that special kind of feeling you can only find in London." skylightlondon.com

READER’S DIGEST

Ice Climbing

LOCHABER, SCOTLAND

For those with a taste for adventure, this is as up close and personal as ice experiences get. Challenge yourself to progress from novice to ice-wall-climbing daredevil at this unique experience day hosted at Scotland’s renowned National Ice Climbing Centre.

Made from around 500 tons of snow and ice, the wall is a dizzying 40ft high, with graduated routes for beginners through to professionals.

Says Dave Macleod, one of the world’s top climbers, “This is your one and only opportunity to experience what ice climbing really feels like without waiting ages for the right weather, walking miles up snowy mountains, or serving your apprenticeship in winter mountaineering skills. You just step in a big fridge and start swinging some ice tools.” redletterdays.co.uk JANUARY 2019 • 77

BEST OF BRITISH

The Ice Academy

TORFAEN, WALES

Ever admired the detailed beauty of an intricate ice sculpture and wondered just how they do it? Keen visitors can discover the tricks of the trade for themselves with a guided taster class in ice sculpting at Cardiff’s Ice Academy.

Working in -10°C, visitors are wrapped up in ski-wear and offered plenty of hot drinks to keep warm as they learn the various chisel and

78 • JANUARY 2019

power tool techniques required to create their own icy masterpiece, during a two to three-hour session.

The Academy also offers bespoke workshops for clients who wish to create their own ice sculpture for a special event—the perfect activity for a couple before their wedding day or to create a memorable centrepiece for an anniversary or birthday party. theiceacademy.co.uk

READER’S DIGEST

Curling

TUNBRIDGE WELLS, KENT

Fenton’s Rink, located just outside of Tunbridge Wells, is England’s only dedicated curling rink, and the perfect place for beginners to try the sport for themselves.

Originating from Scotland in the 16th century, curling was first played by rolling stones across frozen ponds and it has been recognised as a Winter Olympic sport since 1998.

Fenton’s Rink features a full Olympic sized ice pad, friendly

coaches and space for up to 30 players on the ice, although bookings can start from as few as eight. For solo players, senior groups offer special curling cues for those with bad backs and rubber ice-gripping shoes for those less certain on their feet.

Says the rink's owner, Ernest Fenton, “Our 170ft-ice rink has been specially designed for curling, so everyone gets to try the real thing, complete with curling stones, brushes and shoes, just as you would see on televised games.” fentonsrink.co.uk JANUARY 2019 • 79

BEST OF BRITISH

Sled Dogs

It’s a scene you might expect to stumble across in Lapland—not Scotland— but there's a surprisingly thriving sled dog scene in the Cairngorms.

Situated at the foot of the mountain range, The Cairngorms Sled Dog Centre has a top-class team of snow dogs who are constantly in training for international events and mountain excursions. It’s the only daily working sled dog centre in the UK and one of just five in wider Europe.

Guests on the sled dog safari can enjoy the breathtaking scenery of the Cairngorm, passing herds of red deer and panoramic views of two mountain ranges, before stopping off at a camp for tea and snacks for the hardworking pups. More adventurous guests can also opt for an overnight experience using state-of-the-art night vision goggles to take in the spectacular surroundings of Scotland’s most remote forests.

Says owner Alan Stewart, “Visitors get a real insight into how my family have lived and trained Alaskan Huskies at the foot of the Cairngorm Mountains for 17 years.” sled-dogs.co.uk 80 • JANUARY 2019

JEFF J MI TCHELL/GETTY IMAGES

CAIRNGORMS, SCOTLAND

READER’S DIGEST

Ice Hockey

ALEXANDRA PALACE, LONDON

Book tickets to cheer on the venue’s home team, the Haringey Huskies, in the beautiful surroundings of Alexandra Palace, or cheer for your own local team, with opponents travelling to compete from places as far afield as Cardiff and Southampton. alexandrapalace.com

Do you have a unique way of enjoying the icy weather? Email us about it at readersletters@readersdigest.co.uk

ANDREW H/F LI CKR

Already beloved across Canada, Russia and the United States, ice hockey is winning over more and more fans here in Britain. In terms of live attendances, it has now become the most watched indoor sport in Britain according to the UK’s Elite Ice Hockey League.

The sport is dramatic as well as skilled, with players colliding for vicious tackles at speeds of up to 35mph and pucks hitting the back of the net at up to 100.

JANUARY 2019 • 81

Actress Samantha Womack is best known for playing Ronnie Mitchell in EastEnders. An accomplished stage performer, Samantha, 46, is currently starring in a theatrical adaptation of thriller The Girl On The Train

IF I RULED THE WORLD

Samantha Womack We wouldn’t be hung up on education as a means of testing a child’s abilities. Research is showing that sometimes children who don’t perform well academically can do incredibly well with other things. The pressure that’s put on kids means they start to feel like failures before they’ve even reached their 17 or 18th birthdays.

As parents we should encourage them but not add to that pressure.

82 • JANUARY 2019

Politicians would be made to answer questions. I’m sure most people would agree that the avoidance of real answers is the most frustrating thing about how our politicians behave. It would be nice to hear something other than bullet points and evasions. Actual answers to actual questions please!

I’d do away with inverted snobbery.

I hate being told what to do just

INSPIRE

because someone is in a position to do so. Self-appointed status really gets on my nerves. I get really cross about inverted snobbery and that sense of people lording things above you. There’s a lot of that in my industry and a lot of it in the world.

We’re advocates of designer labels and affording kitchen extensions and what have you—little things that we use to look down on other people.

Public transport would be cheaper.

Performing in The Girl On the Train has reminded me of my romantic interest in trains. I used to live in Brighton, where I had a train track at the bottom of my garden, and I’m a big advocate for public transport.

But, since most of the companies were privatised, fares have become extortionate compared to the service we’re actually getting.

I’d ban eating in cinemas and theatres. I don’t see why people decide that for the two hours they’re watching a show or a film they need to stuff their faces. It drives me to distraction, both as a performer and a viewer. The other week I went to see A Star is Born and there was a woman with a giant crisp packet that was so noisy I was close to committing some sort of terribly aggressive act.

Everyone would be paid fairly. On EastEnders, I was paid the same as my male counterparts. I do think

there are scenarios where disparity between wages is acceptable but sex should not be one of them. Experience should be rewarded and if you’re younger I’d expect wages to be lower, but to differentiate simply because of gender is appalling.

Young people would spend more time away from their screens. My son is 17 and my daughter is 13 and when they come off social media they have more anxiety—almost as if that gateway into everyone else’s lives has a negative effect, because they’re not getting the same validation. There’s also too much information coming at them too quickly, with one video after another and all this stuff to take in. It’s too much for an adult brain, let alone a child’s.

TV would nurture new talent. I’d like to see more opportunities for new talent, new writers, new directors and new ideas rather than just a rehashing of old ones. It would also be so much better if television companies weren’t under pressure to get involved in ratings wars. Having success deemed by how many people watch something makes them panic about the choices they make.

As told to Simon Button Samantha Womack is touring in The Girl On the Train from January 21. For more information visit girlonthetrainplay.com JANUARY 2019 • 83

TRAVEL & ADVENTURE

For centuries in Jerusalem, followers of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity have prayed, mingled, and clashed TE XT A N D P H OTOS BY PAUL RO BERT

Crossroads of

Faith

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12•2018

Men attend Sabbath prayers at the Western or “wailing” Wall of the Temple Mount. The women’s section is behind the curtain on the right.

Top: Students examine and discuss religious texts in the study room of a Jewish religious school on Valley Street. The 19th-century school was abandoned after the Arab-Israeli war of 1948, but was reinstated when Israel occupied Jerusalem during the six-day war of 1967. Bottom: Tensions are always tangible on 650m-long Valley Street, where heavily armed members of the Israeli border police maintain order and patrol between police posts placed within eyeshot of each other.

Valley Street and Via Dolorosa run together here, at the fourth stage in the Stations of the Cross. Tradition says it’s where Christ met his mother as he carried his cross to the place of his crucifixion. The golden cupola is the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount, from where Muhammed is believed to have ascended on his nightly journey to heaven.

Two Palestinian women converse outside the bronze doors of the Dome of the Rock. During the week, the holy complex around the dome is an oasis where Muslims pray, study the Koran, or simply escape the noise and bustle of the old city.

Top: On Fridays, tens of thousands of Muslims enter the Temple Mount complex to attend the weekly sermons and prayers. Hours after their departure, the Jewish Sabbath begins, and Orthodox Jews pass Valley Street on their way to the Western Wall of the Temple Mount. Bottom: Overcome with emotion, a woman worships near the entrance to the tomb of Christ in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, believed to encompass the site of the Crucifixion and the tomb from which he is said to have arisen.

TRAVEL & ADVENTURE

Can the secret to the country’s happiness be found in its communal pools?

Iceland’s Water Cure

BY DAN KOIS

The Blue Lagoon, a popular tourist destination 90

O

n a frigid February day in Reykjavik, I stood barechested and dripping wet just inside the dressing room at the Vesturbaejarlaug pool, facing a long, cold walk to the outdoor hot tubs.

My host was stoic, strong, a Viking.

I was whining.

“I just don’t want to go out,” I said.

“How do you make yourself do it?”

“You must, to swim in the pool,” Valdimar Hafstein said with a shrug.

He’s a folklorist at the University of Iceland who studies the country’s pools. “Kids hate it, too. I have to haul mine kicking and screaming.” I took a deep breath. Wearing only a Speedo—I’d packed three, in honour of the island’s reputation as one of the company’s most avid markets—I stepped out onto the deck. It was a few degrees below freezing.

Imagine the feeling you get when you hold an ice cube tight, that combination of sting and ache. Now imagine it all over your nude body.

Battling my long-ingrained instincts never to run at a swimming pool, I fell into a brisk trot, aiming for the large set of hot tubs in the centre of the complex. I’m sure I looked ridiculous, yet I’d never been less concerned about my appearance while wearing almost nothing in public.

Snowflakes glittered in the sky, which at 4pm was already darkening toward dusk. I reached the largest hot tub and sank to my chin. For one glorious moment, m ymind

went blank: there was just my body enveloped in warmth, the cold wind on my ears heightening my delight.

Behind me, Valdimar ambled across the deck, saying hello to a neighbour.

Every Icelandic town, no matter how small, has its own pool. There are ramshackle cement rectangles squatting under rain clouds in the sheep-strewn boonies. There are fancy aquatic complexes with multilevel hot tubs and slides. All told, there are more than 120 public pools—usually geothermally heated, mostly outdoors, open all year long—in Iceland, a country with a population of just over 350,000.

“If you don’t have a pool, it seems you may as well not even be a town,” the mayor of Reykjavik, Dagur Eggertsson, told me. I interviewed him, of course, as we relaxed together in a downtown hot tub.

These public pools, or sundlaugs, serve as the communal heart of Iceland, sacred places whose affordability and ubiquity are viewed as a kind of civil right. Families, teenagers and older people lounge and chat every day, summer or winter. Despite its cruel climate, its remoteness and winters of 19 hours of darkness per day, Icelandic people are among the world’s most content.

The more local swimming pools I visited, the more convinced I became that Icelanders’ remarkable satisfaction is tied inextricably to the experience of escaping the fierce,

to learn to swim was a muddy ditch freezing air and sinking into warm located downstream from the hot water among their countrymen. The spring where the women of Reykjavik pools seem to be, in fact, a key to did laundry.

Icelandic well-being.

Inspired by that hot spring, and I swam in 14 pools all over the using a heavily mortgaged drill country. I met recent immigrants originally bought to search fruitlessly to the Westfjords town Bolungarvik for gold, the city soon tapped the as they mingled with their new underground hot water generated by neighbours. I saw parents splash Iceland’s volcanic underbelly. with their kids to calm them before Iceland’s first geothermal heat bedtime. I heard stories of divorcing flowed into 60 homes and three civic couples splitting their local pools buildings: a school, a hospital and a along with their possessions. I swimming pool. The national energy watched four septuagenarians swim authority offered no-risk laps in a northern Iceland loans to villages across pool while the sunrise lit “For one the country to encourage up the mountains behind glorious drilling, and them and an attendant moment, I felt geothermal within a generation, brought out foam cups of my mind go the ancient turf house coffee balanced on blank—there had nearly disappeared a kickboard. was just my from Iceland, replaced “I think the swimming body by modern apartment pools are what make it enveloped buildings and homes, all possible to live here,” the in warmth” of them so toasty warm young artist Ragnheidur that even on winter nights Harpa Leifsdottir most Icelanders leave a explained to me. “You window open. have storms, you have darkness, but With hot water flowing through the swimming pool is a place for you the country and a populace eager to find yourself again.” to take a dip—swimming education was made mandatory in all Icelandic For centuries, Iceland was a nation schools in 1943—pools soon popped of sea men who regularly drowned up in every town. within sight of shore. One local “Because of the weather, we don’t newspaper reported in 1887 that have proper plazas in the Italian or more than 100 fishermen drowned French style,” the writer Magnus in a single winter. Such incidents fostered an enthusiasm for swimming Sveinn Helgason explained to me.

“Beer was banned in Iceland until education. At the time, the only place 92 • JANUARY 2019

PHOTO, P REVIOUS SP READ: ©S HUTTERSTOCK

I C E L A N D ’ S WAT E R C U R E

PHOTO: RAGN AR TH. SIGURDSSON/A RCTI C IMAGES COURTESY TOURI SM I CELAN D

Myvatn Nature Baths, situated in a nature reserve

1989, so we don’t have the pub tradition of England or Ireland.”

The pool is Iceland’s social space: where families meet neighbours and where rivals can’t avoid one another. It can be hard for introverts, who “don’t typically talk to their neighbours in the store or in the street,” to forge connections, Mayor Dagur told me. (Icelanders generally use patronymic and matronymic last names and refer to everyone by first name.) “In the hot tub, you must interact. There’s nothing else to do.

Not only must you interact; you must do so in a state of quite literal exposure. Most Icelanders have a story about taking visitors, often American, to the pools and then

seeing them balk in horror at the strict requirement to strip naked, shower and scrub their bodies with soap from head to toe.

Men’s and women’s locker rooms feature posters highlighting all the regions you must lather assiduously: head, armpits, undercarriage, feet.

Icelanders are very serious about these rules, which are necessary because the pools are only lightly chlorinated; tourists and shy teenagers are often scolded by pool wardens for insufficient showering.

Icelanders are quite un-selfconscious about nudity in the service of pool cleanliness. This was made most clear to me, perhaps, in a dressing room in the town Isafjordur, JANUARY 2019 • 93

I C E L A N D ’ S WAT E R C U R E

where a chatty liquor-store manager named Snorri Grimsson told me about the time a beautiful girl asked him to go to the pool but then revealed that she doesn’t shower before swimming. He mugged a look of comic horror, then brought home the kicker: “It was a difficult decision.

Thankfully, the pool was closed!”

I could tell this bit killed with his fellow Icelanders. My own appreciation was somewhat impeded

by Snorri’s delivery of it in the nude, his left foot on the sink, stretching like a ballet dancer at the barre.

“It’s wonderful,” an actress named Salome Gunnarsdottir told me one evening. “Growing up we see all kinds 94 • JANUARY 2019

of real bodies. Sixty-five-year-olds, middle-aged, pregnant women. Not just people in magazines or on TV.” Her friends nodded in enthusiastic agreement. “It’s so important,” Salome said earnestly. “You get used to breasts and vaginas!”

I will never forget the uniquely Icelandic experience of shaking hands with handsome Mayor Dagur and minutes later interviewing him as we each bared all. I found this disconcerting at first, but eventually there was something comforting about seeing all those other chests and butts and guts—which for the most part belonged to normal bodies, not sculpted masterpieces. And that

PHOTO: ©S HUTTERSTOC K

Hofsós infinity pool, one of the country’s most beautiful pools

comfort extends out into the pool, where you might be covered—but are still on display.

But near-nudity, by encouraging a slight remove from others, also allows the visitor to focus, in a profound and unfamiliar way, on his own body, on its responses and needs. Despite it being a social hub, the pool also cultivates inwardness.

Results of a questionnaire distributed by Valdimar’s research team suggested that women in particular go to the pool to seek solitude. According to women I talked to, everyone respects the posture of aquatic reverie—head tilted back, eyes closed, mouth smiling a tiny smile of satisfaction—that you adopt when you want to be left alone.

Sigurlaug Dagsdottir, a graduate student researching the pools, speculated that the sundlaugs’ social utility in Icelandic communities derives in part from the intimacy of the physical experience: in the pool, she said, you can “take off the five layers of clothing that usually separate you from everyone else.”

As such, the pools are a leveller.

The filmmaker Jon Karl Helgason, who’s shooting a documentary about the pools, said, “In the pool, it doesn’t matter if you’re a doctor or a taxi driver. Everyone’s dressed the same.”

On the way from Reykjavik to Keflavik airport is the Blue Lagoon, a luxurious hot-water spa that’s one of Iceland’s

most popular tourist destinations. For 54 euros, you can shower in private stalls and float in mineral-rich water.

My final day in Iceland, I turned off the highway just after the Blue Lagoon and instead drove into one of those towns, the port Reykjanesbaer.

The lobby of the town’s pool is dotted, fittingly, by a series of porthole-like windows. The woman working at the desk asked, “Is this your first time in an Iceland swimming pool?”

“Nope,” I said with some pleasure.

I snapped on my Speedo, steeled my courage and exited the warm lodge into the chill.

The hot pot was full of enormous men with Bluto-type physiques and also a small girl in a pink ruffled bathing suit. The largest of the Blutos rose from the water, picked up the girl and carried her, giggling, to the family pool. His biceps sported a tattoo of a roaring bear consumed by flames.

This time I didn’t approach anyone, didn’t ask any questions. I didn’t speak at all. I concentrated on the water pressing lightly on my skin, the wind prickling my beard. All around me was the soft white noise of a community. The conversation; the connection; the freedom, within that flurry of sociability, to withdraw and simply be within yourself.

The sun was low on the horizon, bright but evanescent. The only other thing in the crystal-blue sky was the contrail of a jet, pointed to the west. I closed my eyes. I was in the pool.

FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES, © 2016 BY THE NEW YORK TIMES CO., NYTIMES.COM

JANUARY 2019 • 95

PHOTO: RAGN AR TH. SIGURDSSON/A RCTI C IMAGES COURTESY TOURI SM I CELAN D

READER’S DIGEST

OUR WORLD IS YOUR PLAYGROUND Paris • Sao Paulo • London • Shanghai • Dubai • Sydney • Hong Kong AN

BRAND

PULLMANHOTELS.COM

My Great Escape:

Ha Long Bay Samah Khan from London grapples with mischievous monkeys and admires the natural beauty of Ha Long Bay in Vietnam

D

“

on’t move!” whispered my aunt from the blue kayak behind me. I turned nervously and noticed the troop of monkeys to my right on the large boulder. I’m not sure how I ended up so close to their home but my palms were getting sweaty at the thought of one jumping into my kayak. I quietly lifted my paddle and gently rowed away, fearing they would smell the crisps in my bag. Fortunately, my

98

snacks survived another day and I was able to continue paddling in the water.

I was travelling in Vietnam and my first stop was Ha Long Bay, a Unesco World Heritage Site in Quang Ninh.

After arriving at midday, I climbed aboard the cruise boat and was given a run through of the day’s events.

Ha Long Bay, known for its mystery, tranquility and natural beauty, means “descending dragon.” It is believed that the bay protected the country

TRAVEL & ADVENTURE

against invaders. I was mesmerised by the story and by the large brown and green boulders dotted around in the open water. They’re predominantly made of limestone, some with hollow centres creating caves inside. We approached one of the boulders and kayaked around, encountering those small groups of monkeys enjoying their day. What a beautiful place to call home. It was fortunate that I managed to escape with my crisps in tow!

As the boat reached the Sung Sot cave, we climbed out and walked inside Ha Long’s largest cave. It was a light brown colour with intricate limestone formations, created from erosion and weather patterns over many years. Most of the shapes inside the cave have names based on their appearance. I did see a few interesting ones, including “thumb”, “elephant” and “flower.”

Our final destination was a pearl farm where we were given an insight into the cultivation of pearls. They’re the only jewels to be created by a living animal. I refrained from buying any as I still had a two-week journey to fund around Asia!

The trip back to the dock was one of the most memorable experiences of my travels. It was around 6pm and the sun was slowly setting as our boat was cruising along the calm water. I found myself sitting crosslegged at the front of the boat gazing out at the serenity in front of me, listening to the gentle sound of the waves. If you ever find yourself in this part of the world, it’s well worth it to escape the madness of city life, if only for a day!

Tell us about your favourite holiday (send a photo too) and if we print it we’ll pay £50.

Email excerpts@readersdigest.co.uk

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T R AV E L & A D V E N T U R E

ACTIVE BREAKS FOR WALKERS: CENTRAL ITALY

A privately-taken hiking tour available from March, “Hilltop Towns of Italy,” visits 2,500-year-old Civita di Bagnoregio, accessible only via footbridge, and the caves and medieval tower houses of Pitigliano (utracks.com).

FOR CYCLISTS: COUNTY KERRY

Pedal around three peninsulas on the extremes of south-western Ireland in May. The half-asleep Beara abounds with thatched houses, Iveragh is all spectacular peaks and Dingle promises beaches and great seafood (wildernessireland.com).

FOR CRAFT-MAKERS: OAXACA

Thread Caravan’s calendar of art workshop holidays includes hammock-making group trips.

Lessons from a veteran specialist are accompanied by trips to mountaintop mineral springs and a mezcal farm (threadcaravan.com).

FOR CANOEISTS: INDIA

Four-day trips kayaking Kerala’s backwaters—a maze of idyllic lagoons and canals—promise delicious cuisine and homestays amid gentle days spent bobbing along. Travel is best between August and May (responsibletravel.com).

FOR SKIERS: COPENHAGEN

Scoring lots of Scandi-cool points, Copenhill is a new artificial ski slope, recreational hiking area and viewing platform built atop the Danish capital’s new green waste management centre. Ski equipment can be hired (copenhill.dk).

by Richard Mellor

LOOK & BOOK, FREE, IOS This could be risky: should the destination fit, this new easyJet travel app lets users purchase flights based simply on favourite photos in their Instagram feed.

100 • JANUARY 2019

© UTRACKS

Travel app of the month

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When releasing equity from your home, it is essential to understand your financial situation. This is because using a portion of your home’s value now may reduce your estate’s value in time and could affect your entitlement to means-tested state benefits. An adviser can provide you with a personalised illustration, allowing you to pick the most suitable plan for you.

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Easy Energy Savings Has it been a while since you switched your energy supplier? Andy Webb explains why it might be worth switching it again soon…

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as and electricity prices have been increasing sharply over the last few months. Along with the winter weather you’d think it would be enough of a nudge to get you switching and save some money. Yet more than half of households are still on the default variable rate tariffs, usually the most expensive option, according to regulator Ofgem.

In fact, only one in five households switch suppliers each year, and three in five have never switched, or have only switched once. That’s a lot of people losing out on a lot of money.

The most recent figures show the average saving for switching and fixing is a huge £320 a year. That’s just one year.

Andy Webb is a personal finance journalist and runs the award-winning money blog, Be Clever With Your Cash 102 • JANUARY 2019

So what’s stopping you from making that kind of saving? This month I’ll take you through what you need to do. It’s easy, I promise.

First, let’s bust some myths.

When you switch energy supplier, there’s no disruption to your home or interruption to your supply. No one needs to come to your home and fit new pipes or wires, for a start. And the same gas and electricity will flow as before. It’s all the same infrastructure, whoever you get your energy from.

The only real difference is who you receive your bill from.

The second major myth is around loyalty. It certainly doesn’t pay when energy companies are concerned. And some of the lowest prices are from new suppliers. Of course, this comes with a fear of smaller companies going bust. Though this has happened, you won’t get cut off. Ofgem will find a replacement supplier and you’re free to shop around and switch to a cheaper option.

MONEY

Switches don’t take long either. You should be moved within 21 days. And as soon as the switch happens you’ll stop paying your old supplier and start paying the new one. There’s no crossover. Just make sure you give a meter reading so you get the most accurate final bill.

Finally it’s not hard to get the information you need to switch, and comparison sites can do all the calculations for you. You just need the name of your current supplier and tariff and how much energy in kilowatts (Kw) you used in the last year. All this information can be found on your bill.

Four easy ways to switch 1 Call your energy company This is the quickest way to knock some pounds off most bills. If you’re on a standard variable tariff there’s every chance you’re on your

provider’s most expensive option. So call them up to see if they can move you to a cheaper rate. This normally involves locking you in for 12 months at a lower rate. Of course, if prices drop you could end up paying more, but this is less likely.

2 Get an instant comparison On every energy bill you’ll find a square made of symbols known as a Quick Response—or QR—code. This block contains all the information you need to analyse your bill in a comparison site. You can download an app from Uswitch to scan the code and in a few seconds you’ll see all the available options.

3 Get switched automatically There’s an increasing number of companies who will automatically move you when you can save on your bills. Services like WeFlip and JANUARY 2019 • 103

MONEY

Switchcraft are free, while Flipper and Switchd charge a fee—but with them all you should still be making a saving on your bills.

4 Do it yourself The above options are all quite convenient, but they probably won’t earn you the biggest savings. To ensure you’re on the best deals possible you should really put in a little bit more effort. I’m not talking about much time or grey matter. You should be able to go through the full process in less than 30 minutes.

My pick of comparison sites is CheapEnergyClub.com. You get to 104 • JANUARY 2019

see all the available tariffs from all the different energy companies, unlike most others which initially hide results they don’t get paid for.

Have a quick look through the different options and pick whichever one works best for you. You can filter by customer service ratings, go for dual fuel or separate utilities, look for green energy and even make some extra money via cashback.

Once you’ve entered your information for the first time and made a switch, the website continues to monitor your tariff. If a cheaper deal comes along, you can switch again to save even more money.

READER’S DIGEST

Money Site Of The Month KAYAK.CO.UK/HOTELS

JANUARY IS ALWAYS A POPULAR TIME TO BOOK HOLIDAYS—no surprise with the long, dark nights and post-Christmas blues. When it comes to choosing your hotel, sites like Trip Advisor are handy to read reviews (if they can be trusted), but my top website to save you money is a comparison site called Kayak.

You can enter a destination or a specific hotel directly into the search bar, and Kayak will display the prices at all the major hotel booking websites, including Booking.com, Expedia and Hotels.com.

You can choose for results to be displayed by price per night or by the

total of your stay. There’s an option to have all local taxes and fees included too—handy so you don’t get caught out by extra costs when you check out.

Other filters you can select include review score, free parking and free internet. When you find the hotel and price you want, you simply click through to secure your room.

One option to consider as well as lowest price is free cancellation. This is a really useful condition for your booking. Not only will you avoid any charges if you change your plans, but you can also keep an eye out for cheaper deals closer to your holiday. Simply search again and if there’s a better deal, cancel the original booking and nab a new room at a lower rate.

You can also use Kayak to find the cheapest flight, package and car hire deals, making this a great website to ensure you’ll be jetting away for the cheapest holiday possible.

WHAT WAS YOUR BIGGEST PROBLEM WHEN YOU WERE 11?

“All the library books I forgot to return and had hidden under my bed” “Not receiving my letter to go to Hogwarts” “Choosing between a Tweety Bird and a Sylvester fake tattoo for my ankle” “Whether Stacey likes me back or not” “Running into quicksand” SOURCE: REDDIT.COM

JANUARY 2019 • 105

FOOD

Baked Gnocchi

With Blue Cheese And Spinach This comforting January dish is made all the better by using up nub ends of the Christmas cheeseboard. A white sauce is an excellent vehicle for leftover stilton, just grate hard cheeses so they melt into the sauce Serves 4

• 50g butter • 50g plain flour • 500ml milk • 50g blue cheese, crumbled • 50g hard cheese (cheddar, pecorino), grated (plus extra for sprinkling) • ½ tsp fresh grated nutmeg • 500g supermarket gnocchi • 200g fresh spinach • 50g walnuts To serve:

• Italian salad (ideally bitter red leaves, eg, radicchio) • 2L baking dish, greased with butter • ½ lemon, squeezed Rachel Walker is a food writer for numerous national publications. Visit rachel-walker.co.uk for more information

106 • JANUARY 2019

1. Start by making the sauce. Melt the

butter in a pan and when it starts to foam add the flour and use a wooden spoon to mix it into a thick, walnutsized paste. Cook this until it turns a golden-straw colour and gives off nutty aromas.

2. Take the pan off the heat as you add the first slosh of milk and whisk it until combined. Keep adding the milk bit by bit, until it has all been used up and then return the sauce to the heat, stirring until it’s silky-thick. Take the pan off the heat, add the cheese and let it melt in the hot sauce, add the nutmeg and then set to one side.

3. Next, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the gnocchi and cook for 2 minutes. Use a slotted spoon or sieve to remove the gnocchi from the water and transfer to a colander. Next, add the fresh spinach to the water and simmer for 45 seconds until it wilts. Drain and then stir the gnocchi and spinach into the cheese sauce. Transfer into a greased baking dish, top with a little extra grated cheese. Put the baking dish in an oven (200°C) cook for 10-12 minutes until bubbling and golden round the edges.

4. Sprinkle walnuts over the baked gnocchi and serve with a simplydressed Italian salad.

Drinks Tip…

P HOTOGRAPHY BY TIM & ZOË HI LL

A robust red goes brilliantly with the blue cheese sauce.

Berry Bro’s & Rudds’ Good Ordinary Claret is excellent and it comes in a half bottle size, ideal for exercising a modicum of restraint after the Christmas excess

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FOOD

WINTER FRUIT SALAD

P HOTOGRAPHY BY TIM & ZOË HI LL

I don’t know about you, but round this time of year I’m done with indulgent desserts… And bright, exotic fruits —mango, kiwi, pineapple—seem too summery for the winter months. There is a lot of elegance in poached or dried fruit, spiked with winter spices. Keep this winter fruit salad in the fridge and serve with a good (stem ginger) ice cream or mascarpone for dessert, or with yogurt and granola for breakfast.

1. Put the prune juice, honey and water in a small saucepan.

2. Add the dried fruit and then all the botanicals (it’s not mandatory to use all the above—pick and choose a combination if you don’t have them in your pantry shelves).

3. Bring to a rolling simmer for 15 minutes, add the lemon juice and then leave to cool to room temperature.

4. Add the prunes and then refrigerate.

5. Either serve cold with mascarpone and crumbled ginger biscuits, or warm gently and serve with ice cream.

108 • JANUARY 2019

SERVES 4 • 3tbsp prune juice (from tin of prunes in fruit juice) • 1tbsp honey • 200ml water • 200g dried apricots, dried figs, sultanas • 1 cinnamon stick • 1 star anise • 2 cardamom pods, crushed • 2 strips of orange zest • ½ lemon, juiced • 175g pitted prunes (from tin)

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HOME & GARDEN

Sparkling Setting Hosting a New Year’s Eve party? Ring in 2019 in style by throwing a celebration full of glitz, glitter and glamour

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

T

his New Year’s Eve, make sure your festivities go off with a bang by dressing your home to impress and hosting an evening to remember. Whether you’re planning a sophisticated soirée or a fun-filled games night for the whole family, this is the time of year to introduce a little sparkle and extravagance into your party decorating.

When it comes to serving your chosen tipples, it’s easy to give existing glassware a NYE makeover— tie a simple gold ribbon around the base of a champagne flute, for example, or adorn each drink with a stylish stirrer for an added flourish.

110 • JANUARY 2019

Display glassware, bottles and barware on a pretty tray to section off a bar area and why not write a list of cocktail ideas on a chalkboard to encourage guests to get creative?

Dressing your home will really help set the party scene, whether that’s a stylish table-top display or adding balloons and garlands to the walls, too. If, after the Christmas period, your budget won’t stretch far, it’s easy to incorporate DIY elements to help keep costs down. Why not have a go at making your own confetti by holepunching sheets of tissue paper and using the dots to fill balloons to be popped at midnight, or using them as a pretty table scatter? For another quick trick, make an elegant centrepiece by upcycling empty wine bottles into vases or candleholders using metallic spray paint and dipping the bases in glitter for a sparkling finishing touch.

Party Time Glitterati disco ball paper plates, £5.50 for 12; Glitterati canape paper plates, £4 for 12; sharing party cracker, £13; Glitterati party poppers, £5.50 for eight, all Talking Tables

111

HOME & GARDEN

How To Create A

Handy Herb Garden

January is a great time to reaquaint with your garden. Jessica Summers uncovers the best herbs you can grow to boost your wellbeing in 2019 Research disproving the benefits of daily multivitamin pills is growing.

Experts agree that— while, at times, a specific supplement is needed for an individual—a generic multivitamin does not prevent disease and, according to the NHS, could actually cause serious harm.

The best way to consume your essential daily dose of micronutrients is through natural ingredients, and what could be more gratifying than growing them yourself?

Herbs love to bask in the springtime sun, but they will still thrive indoors with the right care.

Make sure you put them in a place that gets plenty of light such as—close to, but not touching—a south-facing window, house them in separate pots with drainage holes (lay saucers underneath) and be sure to use quality soil with the correct pH for 112 • JANUARY 2019

each herb. When watering, allow the soil to dry out a little before quenching their thirst again. Herbs tend to enjoy the same temperatures as us, but basil is slightly fussier: ensure it has constant warmth and adjust its environment appropriately to prevent the leaves wilting.

Once your herbs are flourishing and the weather is sunnier, feel free to move them into a cosy herb patch outdoors should you prefer. In the meantime, enjoy your home-grown flavours bursting with goodness.

WHICH HERBS TO CHOOSE: BASIL full of vitamin K, A, iron and calcium DILL rich in copper, zinc, iron and calcium OREGANO provides potassium, folate and is also an antioxidant PARSLEY an antioxidant with folic acid PEPPERMINT plentiful in vitamin A, C, iron and zinc THYME high in magnesium, iron and vitamin B6

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NOW EVEN E WORS

Remarkably still at THE DUCHESS THEATRE

FASHION & BEAUTY

Closet

Cleanse Lisa Lennkh is a banker turned fashion writer, stylist and blogger.

Her blog, The Sequinist, focuses on sparkle and statement style for midlife women

I

've made enough trips around the sun to not buy into the "New Year, New You" business. I don't really want a new me, I'd just like a slightly more organised and mindful version of who I am the rest of the year. This especially applies to my closet.

William Morris famously said, “If you want a golden rule that will fit everything, this is it: have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”

Nowhere is this more appropriate than in your closet. Take a hard look at everything you have in there; if it brings you joy and you believe it is beautiful, keep it. If it is useful, like a chunky warm wear-with-everything cardigan that has pockets, keep it. If it does not fall into either category, donate it. Do not be seduced by the standard closet cleansing categories of

114 • JANUARY 2019

keep, maybe, mend, and donate. Be ruthless. Every item is either beautiful, useful, or a no.

For years, I had a wardrobe packed with things in neither category; I allowed far too much to sneak in under the guise of "maybe useful" which is my brain's way of justifying and renaming a past bad decision.

Excess clothes took up space in my closet that was far better used as breathing room for my truly useful and beautiful things. If you can't see it, you don't wear it. For instance, in my last wardrobe purge, I ran across some beautiful winter scarves that I didn't wear last year because I couldn't see or find them in my stash.

Or, sometimes I pull out a shirt or coat to wear which is so full of creases from being crammed in my closet that I simply put it back and wear something else that doesn't need an iron to revive it.

After my now-annual new year purge, everything is organised and has room to breathe. It's almost like having new clothes, but I actually have less! In the spirit of making my wardrobe a happier place, I looked back over the things that I bought last year and tried to narrow it down to one item that fits the William Morris rule perfectly. It would have to be this Helen Moore rainbow bucket bag. It's a joyful statement accessory that lifts every outfit.

I wish you a 2019 full of beautiful and useful additions to your wardrobe!

READER’S DIGEST

JANUARY 2019 • 115 3

FA S H I O N & B E A U T Y

New Year’s Beauty Resolutions Jenessa Williams' three simple skincare tips are bound to pay dividends in the new year

Ditch the packaging and go ethical In a beauty bid to save the planet, swap single-use face wipes and cotton pads for reusuable hot cloths or sponges. Make scrubs and masks from common ingredients you already have in your home, or try out new products that use eco-friendly packaging.

British fragrance brand Floral Street is now selling its bottles in 100 per cent compostable boxes and sugar cane tubes, while the likes of Dior, Burts Bees and Orveda have all made significant pledges towards reduced plastic use.

Embrace natural beauty No more frying your hair with daily straightening—learn to love what you have and take the time to care for it properly with tailored products. When it comes to cosmetics, a "less is more" approach is slowly becoming de jour, with brands such as Glossier, Afterglow and Tarte all championing 116 • FEBRUARY 2019

ingredients that accentuate the face rather than mask it.

Stay hygienic It’s time we all kept our make-up bags as clean as our homes. Avoid bacteria build up by making it a habit to clean make up brushes regularly and store products in the conditions suggested on the packaging. Where possible, avoid exceeding expiration dates; gel and liquid eyeliners should only be kept around six months, and lipsticks for no longer than two years.

Hero Products 1 Floral Street Eau De Parfum in Wild Vanilla Orchid, £55 for 50ml 2 Burt’s Bees Burt’s Balm Jar, £9.99 3 Clinique Make Up Brush Cleanser, £14 for 236ml

PERSONALISED NUTRITION FOR THE OVER 50’S A healthy, well balanced diet combined with exercise is key to making the most of our life in the prime of our life. But many of us are lacking many key micronutrients and therefore supplementation with a well formulated range of supplements is a healthy addition to our diet.

Prime Fifty have formulated and tailored unique supplements that include a combination of carefully selected, scientifically researched nutritional ingredients to combat nutrient deficiencies in the over 50’s and support the health and wellbeing of those in their senior years.

ENERGY SUPPORT Maintaining energy levels through the day is more and more difficult as we age, so we need to ensure that our nutrition is healthy, as this is a major contributor to how we feel from day to day. Getting those essential B Vitamins is important if we are to ensure that our energy producing metabolism is at its best.

BONES SUPPORT Bone mass decline begins in our late 30’s and significantly speeds up in post-menopausal women, though men do not escape bone loss with age either.

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HHHHH

Kick off the new year in naughty, naughty fashion by plunging into the deranged, decadent and dramatic world of director Yorgos Lanthimos. The maker of The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer travels back to 18th-century England this time, telling the story of the histrionic Queen Anne and her two confidants, Lady Sarah and maid Abigail, who viciously compete for her attention.

While there are many things to love about The Favourite, the cast is undeniably its biggest asset. Olivia Colman is brilliant as the unhappy, childishly erratic queen whose mood

swings are as ferocious as her appetite for food, games and sex. Her primary source of happiness, however, is her advisor Sarah (Rachel Weisz)—a manipulative, fiendishly clever woman who uses Anne’s affection to shape the political climate of the country to her liking. Yet Sarah’s influential position is threatened with the arrival of the charming Abigail (Emma Stone) who quickly works her way up from a lowly servant to the queen’s key lady-inwaiting. Sweet, doting and kind—or at least posing as such—she’s the answer to everything Anne longs for in the dominant, steely Sarah.

Buckle up: it’s a wonderfully manic, over-the-top, often gross and hilarious two hours of hedonistic pleasure.

118 • JANUARY 2019

READERSDIGEST.CO.U K/C U LT U RE / F IL M

Psychotic women, Machiavellian mind games and sexual tensions running agog—what could possibly go wrong?

© 20TH CEN TURY FOX

THE FAVOURITE

FILMS

HHHHH COMEDY: STAN AND OLLIE

Steve Coogan and John C Reilly step into the shoes of one of the most iconic comedy duos in the world, Laurel and Hardy, as they embark on a toilsome farewell tour of post-war Britain. While the script lacks a certain spark, it’s a generally agreeable biopic, largely thanks to the very capable cast.

John C Reilly delivers a faithful portrayal of the booming “Babe”, and Coogan works wonders as the eternal perfectionist, Steve Laurel.

But the real scene-stealers here are their wives: the cartoon-voiced Lucille Hardy

played by Shirley Henderson, and Nina Ariadna as the blunt-as-a-meat axe Russian, Ida Laurel. Paired together in a scene, they make for a delightful comedy duo in their own right.

HHHHH

© ENTERTAIN MEN T ONE / STUDIOCANAL / LI ONSGATE

BIOGRAPHY: COLETTE It may not be

the world’s most ground-breaking biopic, but with its sumptuous settings, gorgeous costumes and opulent cinematography, Colette is nevertheless a truly dazzling one. Keira Knightley plays the famed French novelist amidst a long, tortuous journey towards finding her own voice—a role that brings out a new, HHHHH refreshing side of the actress. However, it’s DRAMA: BEAUTIFUL BOY This harrowing drama tells the true story of Nic the standout performance from Dominic West that truly makes this Sheff—a young man coping with addiction, and the devastating effect it has film. As Colette’s much older, worldly husband, on his nearest and dearest. Featuring Willy, he achieves a astounding performances from Steve Carell and rising star Timothée Chalamet, subtle balance between as well as a fantastic soundtrack spanning irresistible charm and everything from Nirvana to Górecki, it’s a blatant boorishness. heart-rending portrayal of addiction and a thought-provoking take on parenthood. by Eva Mackevic 119

TELEVISION

VIC & BOB’S BIG NIGHT OUT (BBC4) What is it? A triumphantly silly

xx

return for the UK’s premier lightentertainment double-act (sorry Ant and Dec), following Christmas 2017’s one-off.

Why should I watch it? To witness Andrew Neil promoting his new CD My Benidorm Bender, and two grown men being spooked in a public lavatory by the ghost of tuna supremo John West. Told you it was silly.

Where did we leave it?

INFORMER (BBC1; BBC IPLAYER) What is it? A drama about the fraught

relationship between a London detective (Paddy Considine) and the British-Asian informant he recruits (Nabhaan Rizwan) in the hunt for a terrorist cell.

Why should I watch it? For an altogether more nuanced take on contemporary race relations than last year’s Bodyguard offered.

Best episode? An already taut plot gets properly complicated in episode four, and positively gripping thereafter.

Let’s say episode three of four, in which Vic becomes possessed by Bruce Forsyth.

Best episode? Vaun Earl Norman’s depiction of Tom Cruise as a tracksuited Geordie would be hard for anyone to top— no wonder the actual George Ezra appears semibaffled.

by Mike McCahill

FRESH OFF THE BOAT (AMAZON PRIME) This goofily subversive sitcom about a ChineseAmerican clan putting down roots in Florida—is now available for binging.

120 • JANUARY 2019

THE KOMINSKY METHOD (NETFLIX) Alan Arkin and Michael Douglas negotiate the perils and pitfalls of ageing in this well-crafted new comedy from sitcom guru, Chuck Lorre.

LODGE 49 (AMAZON PRIME) Escape the winter blues further via this sunny, funny, one-of-a-kind about a Long Beach surf dude drawn into the eccentric world of Masonic ritual.

© BBC PICTURES

WHAT TO STREAM THIS MONTH:

MUSIC ALBUM OF THE MONTH: 25LIVE@25 BY SKUNK ANANSIE

Plunge back into Nineties’ Britrock by revisiting the music of one of its most show-stopping, uncompromising products, Skunk Anansie who— to celebrate their 25th anniversary— are releasing a career-spanning collection of live performances.

A lot has happened in those 25 years: six studio albums, a break-up in 2001 followed by several solo projects, and the subsequent reunion in 2009.

As is often the case with rock bands, their sound grew softer and more overproduced as the years went by, and that’s why 25LIVE@25 is the perfect opportunity to remind yourself how fierce and unique their blend of hard rock, metal and electronica was back in the 1990s.

Fronted by the tall, black, androgynous vocalist, Skin, Skunk Anansie made everyone stop and listen back in 1995, when they arrived on the scene with their debut album, Paranoid and Sunburnt and ripped the joint apart with audacious guitar riffs, expressive bass lines, operatic vocals and provocative lyrics about racism, politics and forbidden sexual desire, peppered with copious amounts of very strong language.

It’s the perfect medicine for when you’re feeling a bit moody or frustrated—just make sure you turn the volume up to the max.

by Eva Mackevic READER RADAR: SYLVIA FRANKLIN, RAIL TRAINING MANAGER WATCHING: THE GOOD WIFE AMAZON PRIME

Catching up, a few years late— I missed it the first time around. The US just seem to be able to make a good drama last.

READING: FACTORY GIRLS: VOICES FROM THE HEART OF MODERN CHINA

BY LESLIE T CHANG Who actually

makes all our trainers, phones and designer handbags?

ONLINE: SWARM (APP)

It’s a check-in site which helps me keep in touch with my daughter and son-in-law, who live in New York.

LISTENING: THAT PETER CROUCH PODCAST As a novice podcast

listener, I’m very much enjoying the relaxed conversation approach about the behind-the-scenes life of a professional footballer.

E M A I L YO U R R E CO M M E N DAT I O N S TO R E A D E R S L E T T E R S @ R E A D E R S D I G E ST.CO.U K

BOOKS

January Fiction A rousing return to the whodunit tradition and a compulsive read from a master storyteller are our top literary picks this month The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley (HarperCollins, £12.99) One publishing trend predicted for 2019 is the return of the more conventional whodunit after years of psychological-thriller dominance.

And if that leads to more books like The Hunting Party, we’re in for a treat.

Nine old university friends, now in their thirties, are spending New Year together in the Scottish Highlands when, in the traditional way, a snowstorm cuts them off from the outside world—and means that, when one of them is murdered, the killer must be in their midst…

But, in fact, this isn’t just a whodunit but also a whowasitdunto.

The body is discovered on the first page—yet, as we flash back to the previous days’ events, Lucy Foley James Walton is a book reviewer and broadcaster, and has written and presented 17 series of the BBC Radio 4 literary quiz The Write Stuff 122 • JANUARY 2019

tantalisingly refuses to reveal whose body it is.

Meanwhile, she deftly adds a few psychological-thriller devices to the mix as well, including multiple narrators and the theme of how little we really know other people. She’s very good, too, on the unspoken rivalries, even dislike, that can underlie long-term friendships.

Fortunately, though, the solution to the murder always remains the novel’s main driving force—and Foley serves up her clues, red herrings and eventual answer with irresistible aplomb.

The Wall by John Lanchester (Faber, £17.99) John Lanchester’s last novel, Capital—which became a hit BBC drama series—combined a thoughtful analysis of modern Britain with bags of great story-telling. His new one now pulls off a similar trick, although in a very different way. Most

READER’S DIGEST

obviously, instead of careful social realism, we get a futuristic tale— or possibly parable— about a Britain surrounded by a huge coastal wall. This has been designed to keep out “the Others”, who are looking for sanctuary after a global climatic catastrophe known as “the Change”.

The narrator is Kavanagh, just starting his two-year stint as a Wall Defender that all young Brits are obliged to carry out. In the opening chapters, every aspect of life on the Wall is powerfully imagined; although for a while it’s difficult to see how this will be enough for a 280page novel. But then… well, I won’t give away what happens—except that the book develops into a thrilling, action-packed adventure, without abandoning its broader anxieties about our divided world. The result is a rare blend of the unputdownable and the deeply melancholy.

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

1. As a lawyer, he defended the underground magazine Oz against obscenity charges.

2. H is most famous character was also a lawyer…

Paperbacks Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House (Abacus, £8.99) One of the most talked-about books of 2018 comes out in paperback—although it isn’t for the faint-hearted.

We Own the Sky by Luck Allnutt (Trapeze, £7.99) Novel about a couple whose child is diagnosed with cancer. Sharply observed and emotionally affecting, it’s a complete tear-jerker.

Stable Lass by Gemma Hogg (Pan, £7.99) A revealing and often very funny account of working in a top Yorkshire horse-racing yard.

The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock

by Imogen Hermes Gower (Vintage, £8.99) A beautifully-written novel about the racier side of 18th-century life that made a suitable splash in hardback.

With the End in Mind by Kathryn Mannix (William Collins, £9.99) Reflections on the process of dying that draw heavily on the author’s experiences as a doctor of palliative medicine. Not a cheerful read, exactly— but a wise, compassionate and ultimately important one.

3. … called Horace Rumpole.

Answer on p126 JANUARY 2019 • 123

BOOKS

RD’S RECOMMENDED READ

The Art Of Ageing If back pain and pills are all you can think of when it comes to old age, think again.

With grace and elegance, Bolder reveals the unexpected beauty of growing older

H

ave you ever thought how different the world would look if so many middle-aged women didn’t dye their hair? As for why they do, though, the answer is pretty obvious.

Looking old (even if it’s just the age you are) is generally agreed to be a very bad thing.

And, as Carl Honoré points out in this coolly impassioned new book, the belief that looking good means looking young is only part of a much wider—if equally widespread—idea: that growing old is a straightforward story of decline.

But according to Honoré, there are at least three problems with this idea. First, it can be self-fulfilling.

Bolder: Making the Most of Our Longer Lives by Carl Honoré is published

by Simon & Schuster at £16.99

124 • JANUARY 2019

How we feel about ageing affects the way we age—and if we absorb the notion that the only way is down, it’s far more likely that that’s where we’ll head. Second, it makes us fear ageing, even though it’s “the most natural thing in the world”. (After all, every one of us is doing it right now.)

Third, it’s simply not true.

Honoré doesn’t deny that we slow down as we age—or that certain faculties become less sharp. On the other hand, our emotional intelligence increases, we develop an ability to see the bigger picture that

READER’S DIGEST

makes us better at many jobs and we become more at ease with other people and ourselves. Not only that, but according to British surveys it’s the over-60s who have the highest levels of happiness.

Without ever wishing away the difficulties that remain, Honoré reaches the cheerful conclusion that “this is the best time in history to be old”. Along the way, he throws in lots of great quotes (see sidebar) and meets plenty of older people who demonstrate the truth of his theory that the key to happy ageing is to “never stop exploring”. He also makes a plea for more mingling among the generations—as in this Dutch nursing home called Humanitas, where some local students live too…

‘‘

At Humanitas, the students run workshops on everything from street art to wheelchair breakdancing to using a tablet. One staged an Xbox soccer tournament in the dining hall, while another raced a resident on mobility scooters and uploaded the footage to YouTube. [Student] Patrick Stoffer, a mean cook, slips unfamiliar foods onto the menu where some become fixtures. The older residents have even learned a few drinking games, with one eightysomething now so good at beer-pong that everyone clamours to have him on their team.

Everywhere you look in Humanitas you see friendship blossoming across

Some Quotes On Ageing From Bolder: “Ageing is an extraordinary process whereby you become the person you always should have been.”

David Bowie “You don’t stop laughing when you grow old, you grow old when you stop laughing.”

George Bernard Shaw “The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.”

Muhammad Ali “Everyone wishes to reach old age, but nobody wishes to be old.”

Bernadino of Siena, 14th century Franciscan missionary “If a young or middle-aged man, when leaving a company, does not remember where he laid his hat, it is nothing; but if the same inattention is discovered in an old man, people will shrug their shoulders and say, ‘His memory is going’.”

Dr Samuel Johnson (in 1783) “I’m at an age when my back goes out more than I do.”

Phyllis Diller, American comedian

JANUARY 2019 • 125

BOOKS

generational lines. Sunday dinner in the main hall is a cheerful affair with much fist-bumping between young and old. Two accordion players belt out classic tunes as Stoffer weaves among the tables, handing out his homemade cheese sticks, chatting and flirting as he goes. His closest friend here is Harry Ter Braak, a 90-year-old former barber with tidy white hair and a roguish smile. You often find the duo cooking together in the communal kitchen or shooting the breeze over a few beers. Ter Braak is a charmer, always on the verge of cracking a joke or playtackling someone. ‘We talk about girls and life in general,’ says Stoffer.

‘I hang out with Harry like I would a guy my own age.’

The students benefit from all this age mingling, too. The slower pace at Humanitas helps them rethink the speed of their own lives. ‘In the outside world people want things as fast as possible but here you come through the front door and everything slows down—even the elevator,’ says

And the name of the author is…

John Mortimer, creator of Rumpole of the Bailey—as played in the TV version

by Leo McKern.

126 • JANUARY 2019

“ If someone asks how your day went, they really want to know ” Stoffer. ‘If someone asks how your day went they really want to know and I like that. It has taught me to stop rushing through my own life and to pay more attention to the small things.’ Another student, Sharmain Thenu, is showered with romantic advice by the female residents, who urge her not to rush into marriage.

Of course, it’s not all harmony at Humanitas. The students sometimes grumble when their hard-of-hearing neighbours crank up the volume on their television sets. Yet no one wants to turn the home back into an age silo. On the contrary, the older residents love the injection of youthful energy. Often they are rising for breakfast just as the students are returning from a night on the town. If one is spotted bringing home a new companion, everyone in the building knows by lunchtime. ‘They love gossip,’ says Stoffer. ‘We give them stories they can share with each other and their families.’ Ter Braak tells me this offers welcome relief from the standard nursing home chats about pills, pains and medical appointments. ‘Letting young people live here was the best decision ever,’ he says.

Books

THAT CHANGED MY LIFE

Having found fame in 1982 with “Walking in the Air”, Aled Jones, 48, is known for singing and TV presenting.

He’s currently touring his new album In Harmony. Visit aledandrussell.com

Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland

BY LEWIS CARROLL

I’d never read anything like it in my life when I opened it for the first time as a child. It introduced me to a world that just blew my mind. The whole idea of the Cheshire Cat and the Mad Hatter’s tea party—my God. As a kid I just wanted to be at that party. I also remember reading it and being almost scared because it’s quite unusual. It opened up a part of my brain that had never been opened before… Up to that point I’d read books such as Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol—equally brilliant of course, but this was different.

There’s a madness to it.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

BY J K ROWLING

This book had a similar impression on me, but as an adult. I remember my friends and

I saying to each other, “You’re only doing one chapter tonight”, and no one was allowed to go ahead. It’s one of those books that you don’t want to end. It introduced me to a world that was so magical.

The fact that everyone was talking about it meant you felt that it wouldn’t be as good as the hype, but it was just incredible. Even now, I’ve got [the whole series] upstairs and the kids are reading them—they’re absolutely brilliant.

Killing Floor

BY LEE CHILD

I really love the thriller genre, and in particular the Jack Reacher series, for the simple reason that these books take me somewhere that isn’t my life—where I’m not stressed about work or anything else.

These are the books that I go on holiday with. They are what they are, and that is pure escapism—I’ve read every single one.

As told to Jessica Summers

FOR MORE, GO TO READERSDIGEST.CO.UK/CULTURE

JANUARY 2019 • 127

TECHNOLOGY

Feel-Good Tech For a brief moment when the Christmas decorations come down, the tech world stops flogging us their tablets and TVs and tries to help us get fit. Now is that moment—and here’s what’s worth a look GET ALL FORTY WINKS

Ditch those scuzzy foam earplugs you once nicked from Business Class and invest in some Bose Sleepbuds (£229.95)— rechargeable earphones designed specifically for bedtime. Comfortable to wear even as you toss and turn, or sleep on your side, they play ten pre-loaded soothing sounds that mask external noises, such as snoring or drilling. As morning comes, the companion app can pipe an alarm directly into your earholes, without waking your partner.

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

128 • JANUARY 2019

SMARTEN UP YOUR SCALES

As if that post-festive weigh-in wasn’t traumatic enough, modern scales don’t just reveal your weight, but also your body fat, water percentage and BMI. Sigh. The MyZone MZ0-20 Scales (£49) are reasonably priced and look cool in your bathroom, but if you want a bells-and-whistles upgrade, go for the QardioBase 2 (£129), which accurately analyses your muscle mass, sends the data to your phone, and even recognises different members of the family (though, I must admit, a personalised greeting from my bathroom scales is a little too Space Odyssey for me).

BOOST YOUR MOOD

GET ON YOUR BIKE

Mitigate road rage with the Bkool Smart Bike (£999)—a spin bike with an attractive metal wheel and nearsilent operation. Pedal along with simulations of races, routes and fitness classes on your phone, tablet or PC, as the collected data reliably tracks your progress. There are, annoyingly, no physical buttons to change gear—you need to use the app, a bit fiddly during a workout— but this is good value for a decent training bike.

Aromatherapy is often derided as “hippy”—but the study of smell goes back centuries, and we can surely all testify to the Proustian power of scent. Moodo (£119) is, basically, the Nespresso of diffusers. It looks like a small broadband router, and pumps out up to four evocative scents (“Wood Royale”, “Sea Breeze”, etc.), which you can activate separately, or in different combinations, using your smartphone; so, spritz some citrus as you go to work, or lavender at bedtime. Beware, however, that replacement capsules are £17 a pop; significantly more than standard plug-in air fresheners.

129

FUN & GAMES

You Couldn’t Make It Up Win £30 for your true, funny stories! Go to readersdigest. co.uk/contact-us or facebook.com/readersdigestuk MY HUSBAND'S ELDERLY UNCLE

recently struggled to carry his vacuum cleaner upstairs, all the while thinking he must be weakening because it felt so much heavier.

Only after he plugged it in in his bedroom did he realise that he had actually lugged his log-effect electric fire all the way upstairs from the sitting room.

CHRISTINE WALKER, C u m b r i a MY GOOD FRIEND AND HER HUSBAND recently went out to a

MY LATE FATHER WAS A STRANGER

to the kitchen, except that he often 130 • JANUARY 2019

"Don't touch the sides"

made the breakfast pot of tea. He'd put four or five spoons of loose tea in, add the hot water, then immediately pour himself a cuppa and declare that he made the best tea. It was always too strong for us.

One day I made tea the proper way and, as I poured it, he said to me “It’s a good job you poured that tea”.

“Why?” I asked.

“Because it’s not strong enough to pour itself!”

DIANA EVANS, Yo r k s h i r e

CARTOON: PETER A. KIN G

local restaurant to celebrate her 40th birthday. All the way their three children were arguing loudly on the back seat.

"It would be a lovely birthday present for me if you would all stop arguing and shouting today", she announced.

"Too late Mummy", her youngest retorted. "I've already bought you something else."

CATHERINE HISCOX, He r t f o rd s h i r e

READER’S DIGEST

AN ELDERLY NEIGHBOUR we hadn't

seen for a while had lost a notable amount of weight and I congratulated him on his success.

My mother then asked him how he had managed it and he replied, "I started taking my teeth out at 6pm every evening!"

DAN PALFREY, Ma n c h e s t e r I WAS WALKING ALONG ONE

sunny day with my sons when my youngest, James, said, "Daddy, when I was in Mummy's tummy, didn't my shoes hurt her?"

Trying not to laugh I tried to think of a suitable answer to his question.

My eldest son Robert beat me to it and said, "Don't be silly James, they would have made you leave your shoes outside."

ROBERT PEMBROKE, E s s e x

He replied, "Blimey, you'll get £4,000 from the shipping line's insurance for that!"

"Oh, darling," my wife said animatedly. "Just think, we'll be able to afford double glazing after all!"

I asked the steward, "Can you give me a hand, I've got to get my wife back upstairs."

He replied, "Oh, your cabin's up there is it, Sir?" "No", I said. "But I'd like her to try for patio doors and a new sun lounge as well!"

DAVID WEBB, We s t S u s s e x MY UNCLE, A RATHER ROUND FELLOW, was chatting about sporting

activities when a few people commented that he probably didn't play any outdoor games himself.

"Nonsense," he replied. "I played dominoes in the pub garden just the other day."

HAZEL BYRON, L i v e r p o o l

MY SIX-YEAR-OLD GRANDDAUGHTER

was sat watching me at my dressing table as I applied moisturiser to my face. She asked me what I was doing and I told her it was to stop me from getting wrinkles.

"Oh Nana," she cried. "It's not working is it?"

JAN SIMPSON, D e v o n LAST YEAR I WENT ON A CRUISE

with my wife. It was rather uneventful except for one incident when my wife slipped and fell down a stairway between decks. I called, "Steward, I think my wife's broken her leg!"

WHEN MY HUSBAND SHAUN AND I

moved home I said, "There may be stairs but at least there won’t be mice!"

My grandmother, who lives two floors below, was adamant she doesn't have mice. Although she admitted she gets a different type of vermin. She was trying to remember the name, "It’s a sh…sh…. you know, long pointy noses?" When the word came to her she triumphantly pronounced them "SHAUNS!" You should have seen my husband's face as he said, "I think you mean shrews."

JENNIE GARDNER, B a t h JANUARY 2019 • 131

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FUN AND GAMES IT PAYS TO INCREASE YOUR

Word Power As the world marks the 406th anniversary of the death of Sir Thomas Bodley, founder of the Bodleian Library in Oxford, on January 28, we’re testing your familiarity with all things book-related. Answers on next page

BY H ARRY M O UNT

1. octavo n.—A: library shelf.

B: small book size. C: noise in library 2. Boolean adj.—A: related to searching for books. B: specialised.

C: computerised 3. monograph n.—A: lost volume.

B: very long book. C: book on a single subject 4. periodical n.—A: regularly published magazine. B: occasional article. C: out-of-print book 5. carrel n.—A: reading cubicle.

B: monk librarian. C: library door 6. thesaurus n.—A: silence notice.

B: library accountant. C: book of related words

7. abstract n.—A: page turner.

B: summary. C: broken book spine 8 folio n.—A: library assistant.

B: big book size. C: illustrated book

9. ISBN n.—A: Irregular Sorting Book Nomination. B: International Standard Book Number.

C: Individual Sort of Book Notion 10. microfiche n.—A: turned-down corner. B: tiny book. C: collection of photographed pages 11. glossary n.—A: library stairs.

B: valuable book. C: list of specialised words 12. shelfmark n.—A: dirty shelf.

B: book-location device C: bookend 13. bibliography n.—A: book obsession. B: history of books.

C: list of books consulted in writing a book 14. quarto n.—A: mid-sized book.

B: library safe. C: librarian’s desk 15. Dewey n.—A: book mould.

B: library classification system.

C: leather binding JANUARY 2019 • 133

WORD POWER

Answers 1. octavo—[B] small book size.

10. microfiche—[C] collection of

“Octavo books are made by folding a page three times to produce eight equal pages.”

photographed pages. “The fauna guide I bought last week included some lovely microfiches.”

2. Boolean—[A] describes a way of searching for books. Named after George Boole, a renowned 19thcentury British mathematician.

11. glossary—[C] list of specialised

3. monograph—[C] book on a single

12. shelfmark—[B] book-location device. “The shelfmark can usually be found at the bottom of the book’s spine.”

subject. “Monographs are generally short due to their limited subject.”

4. periodical—[A] regularly

published magazine. “Reader’s Digest is Kevin’s favourite periodical.”

5. carrel—[A] reading cubicle.

“The library at the University of East Anglia is lined with lake view carrels.”

words. “The extensive glossary helped Dalia to understand her complicated new cookery book.”

13. bibliography—[C] list of books consulted in writing a book. “Iris was careful to mention the collected works of William Shakespeare in her bibliography.”

14. quarto—[A] mid-sized book.

“Quarto books are made by folding a sheet twice to produce four pages.”

WORD OF THE DAY* 15. Dewey—[B] TRABOCCANT: library classification Abundant or excessive system. “Dewey is a decimal system.”

Alternative suggestions: Named after Melville “Someone who is useless Dewey, the with toboggans” American inventor of the system.

“A Scotsman who sells

6. thesaurus—[C] book of related

words. “Peter soon became more verbose with the help of his pocket thesaurus.”

7. abstract—[B]

book summary.

8. folio—[B]

big book size. “Folio books are made from folding paper once to make two pages.”

9. ISBN—[B]

International Standard Book Number.

134

cigarettes” “An East German car that won’t start”

VOCABULARY RATINGS

9 & 11: Getting there 12–13: Impressive 14–15: Word Power wizard

*POST YOUR DEFINITIONS EVERY DAY AT FACEBOOK.COM/READERSDIGESTUK

By the people behind Faulty Towers The Dining Experience!

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Faulty Towers The Dining Experience New to London’s West End – the show you’ve all been asking for!

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The fun starts from the moment you join the Trotters and their friends for a knees-up, but they’re trying to drum up some cash and make a cheeky saving on the side. So why is the pub closed on the busiest night of the week? There’s money to be made and debts to be paid!

Every Friday and Saturday at 7:30pm from 5 October Radisson Blu Edwardian Grafton, 130 Tottenham Court Road, Fitzrovia, London W1T 5AY tickets.readersdigest.co.uk | 0207 400 1238 *Only Fools The (cushty) Dining Experience is a wholly original immersive theatre show written by ITI in loving tribute to the BBC’s Only Fools & Horses TV series. All tickets include a 3-course meal.

FUN & GAMES

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

PARTY AT CHARLIE’S

N

Daniel: I can’t see Benita’s house because Greta’s house is in the way.

Amrit: I live directly (not diagonally) across the street from Daniel.

Benita: Elena lives due west of me.

Elena: I have to cross three streets to walk to Franco’s house.

Hao: Amrit lives as far from me as he does from Benita.

Where does Charlie live?

TOY WORKSHOP

You own an artisanal toy-making studio with two employees. n Carving a toy takes two hours. Painting one takes one hour.

Packaging one takes one hour. n You can’t paint a toy until it’s been carved. Similarly, you can’t

package one until it’s been painted. n Both of your employees are capable of doing any of the three

tasks, but they can’t both work on the same task for the same toy at the same time.

What would be the lowest possible number of hours during which your employees could carve, paint and package three toys?

136 • JANUARY 2019

(PARTY AT CHARLIE’S) RODERICK KIM BALL; (NUTC RACKER) ISTOC K.COM/RE D KOAL A D E SIG N.

You’ve been invited to a party at Charlie’s house. As part of the fun, you’ve agreed to solve a puzzle to figure out where he lives. He has seven friends who live nearby. They’ve given you a map showing all of their houses and Charlie’s house, along with the following information:

TOP DRAWER

(TOP DRAWER) DARREN RIGBY; (F IRST I N) FRASER SIM P SON ; (STA R SEARCH) FRASE R SIMPSON.

You need to empty the contents of two of the five boxes listed below into a bag. Which two will give you the best chance at drawing a red ball at random from the bag?

Box A: 3 red balls, 5 white balls Box B: 5 red, 6 white Box C: 7 red, 9 white Box D: 1 red Box E: 4 red, 7 white FIRST IN

Place the letters A, B and C into this grid so that each letter appears exactly once in each row and column, with two cells in each row and column left blank. Each letter outside the grid indicates the letter that must appear first in its respective row or column (reading inward from the edge of the grid closest to the letter and skipping any blank cells).

A

C

C

STAR SEARCH

B C C

B

Place stars in seven cells of this grid so that every row, every column and every outlined region contains exactly one star. Stars must never be located in adjacent cells, not even diagonally.

JANUARY 2019 • 137

BRAIN TEASERS

CROSSWISE

Test your general knowledge.

Answers on p142

ACROSS

DOWN

9 10 11 12 13 15 16 20 22 24 26 27 28

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 14 16 17 18 19 21 23 25

Hair cleaner (7) German measles (7) Chatter (7) Anxious (7) Emphasise (9) Astonish (5) Decent (11) First prime minister of India (5) Chinese revolutionary leader (3,3-3) Type of chair (7) Poorly matched (7) Demolish (7) Cooking vessel (7)

138 • JANUARY 2019

Sterile (7) Largest desert (6) On an upper floor (8) Depression from lack of company (10) Make beer or ale (4) Spain and Portugal (6) Last (8) Walked like a duck (7) Put out (10) Practise (8) Wrist band (8) Indefinite person (7) Fishermen (7) Yet to arrive (6) Squalid (6) Supporting ropes (4)

Brainteasers: Answers PARTY AT CHARLIE’S

E

N

B G

£50 PRIZE QUESTION Answer published in the February issue

H

Which of these words is the odd one out?

A

emotion vindication

F TOY WORKSHOP

revolution evasion treason

Six hours.

TOP DRAWER

0

Boxes B and D, which give you a probability of 6/12 (50 per cent) of getting a red ball.

FIRST IN

C A B A B B

C C

A

A B C C

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

A B

STAR SEARCH

ANSWER TO DECEMBER’S PRIZE QUESTION

TWILIGHT AND THE £50 GOES TO… William Cheung, London

JANUARY 2019 • 139

FUN & GAMES

Laugh!

Win £30 for every reader’s joke we publish! Go to readersdigest. co.uk/contact-us or facebook.com/readersdigestuk MY NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION this year is to become more assertive if that’s OK with you guys?

employ someone like this without giving me the option of rating him six stars.

COMEDIAN NAT BAIMEL

SEEN ON TWITTER

I HAVE NO IDEA HOW CERTAIN

foods got invented. Like butter. You need to churn butter. Who messed around with dairy long enough to figure out what was going to happen?

And maple syrup. Who saw a tree leaking one day and said, “Check it out, pancake sauce”?

COMEDIAN TIM ROSS

I’VE COME TO UNDERSTAND the essential truths in life: the Indiana Jones films gave me unrealistic body expectations for male archaeologists.

SEEN ON REDDIT

NEW YEAR’S EVE IS ABOUT AS

primitive as we get: a bunch of people chanting numbers as our planet completes a revolution around the sun.

SEEN ON REDDIT

MY UBER DRIVER DIDN’T SAY a

word to me during our 45 minute car ride. It’s truly upsetting that they’d

Canine Coppers Vancouver police’s canine unit released an adorable calendar of their doggy detectives for 2019… (via boredpanda.com)

140 • JANUARY 2019

I’M A GROWN MAN WHO IS WELL

aware of his weaknesses. So when I

READER’S DIGEST

eat spaghetti with lots of sauce, I take off my shirt.

And no one at Prezzo understands.

SEEN ON REDDIT

I DON’T WATCH SPORTS, so my idea of fantasy football would just be a bunch of athletic men apologising for bullying me in secondary school.

SEEN ON REDDIT

THEY SAY TO DRESS FOR THE JOB

you want, not the job you’ve got, but I suspect walking around dressed like an astronaut clown might close more doors than it opens…

SOMETIMES I WONDER WHAT my

grandfather would think about what I do. He spent his whole life working in the kebab business and was buried alongside all his equipment.

He’s probably turning in his grave.

COMEDIAN STEWART FRANCIS

I GOT RECOGNISED TODAY in Dixons. A member of staff came over to me and said, “Hey, you’re that mad bloke off the telly.”

I said, “Yes, that’s me.”

He replied, “No, you’re that mad bloke. Off the telly!”

COMEDIAN LEE MACK

COMEDIAN JOHN GREGORY JR

A GEORDIE FRIEND OF MINE I WENT TO THE DOCTOR THE OTHER day and he told me that

I have an enlarged heart. Call me an optimist, but I like to think that I got that enlarged heart from loving too much.

The doctor assured me it was from binge-drinking and too much sugar, but in my defence I really love both of those things. COMEDIAN CLINT WERTH

advised that when judging southerners, we must always remember that they have not had the benefit of our disadvantages.

COMEDIAN HARRY PEARSON

I WENT TO PARIS RECENTLY,

nothing funny happened there.

“So Sarah, why are you telling us about it?”

JANUARY 2019 • 141

LAUGH

Hey Big Spenders We’ve all daydreamed about how we’d spend lottery winnings. Here are some Twitter suggestions: @KevinTJackson: “I would pay Morgan Freeman to travel around with me and narrate my activities.” @DaveHolmesTV: “I would finally get my own Netflix subscription and stop using my ex’s password.” @EwokAbby: “I would pay off all of my student loans and then with the extra £4 I would buy a whopper meal from Burger King.” @Wood_DRO: “I would buy a rocket ship, fill it with all the mosquitos in the world, then launch it directly into the sun.” @ChrisOram10: “I would fly the people who believe the Earth is flat into outer space just to point at the Earth and say, ‘Look dummy!’ ”

Because otherwise that trip isn’t tax deductible.

COMEDIAN SARAH PASCOE ONE OF MY EARLIEST MEMORIES is seeing

my mother’s face through the oven window.

As we played hide and seek she said, “You’re getting warmer.”

COMEDIAN MILTON JONES THREE PSYCHIATRISTS WHO ARE

attending a convention decide to take a walk. “People are always coming to us with their guilt and fears,” one says, “but we have nobody to go to with our problems. Since we’re all professionals, why don’t we hear each other out right now?”

The first psychiatrist confesses, “I’m a compulsive shopper and deeply in debt, so I overcharge my patients as often as I can.”

The second admits, “I have a drug problem that’s out of control and I frequently pressure my patients into buying illegal drugs for me.”

The third chimes in, “I know it’s wrong, but no matter how hard I try I just can’t keep a secret…”

HEIDI CLARK, Yo r k s h i r e I’VE FOUND A NEW WAY TO KNOW IF

you’ve put weight on. There’s a car park near me which has a barrier that goes up when it senses a car.

I suppose I was carrying two bags of shopping but still…

COMEDIAN SARAH MILLICAN

CROSSWORD ANSWERS Across: 9 Shampoo, 10 Rubella, 11 Prattle, 12 Worried, 13 Italicise, 15 Amaze, 16 Respectable, 20 Nehru, 22 Sun Yat-Sen, 24 Beanbag, 26 Unequal, 27 Destroy, 28 Steamer Down: 1 Aseptic, 2 Sahara, 3 Upstairs, 4 Loneliness, 5 Brew, 6 Iberia, 7 Ultimate, 8 Waddled, 14 Extinguish, 16 Rehearse, 17 Bracelet, 18 Anybody, 19 Anglers, 21 Unborn, 23 Slummy, 25 Guys.

142 • JANUARY 2019

60 Stand-Up -Second

We chuckle with provocative comedian, Daniel Sloss

WHO INSPIRES YOUR COMEDY?

People like John Mulaney, Bill Burr, Mike Birbiglia, a lot of other comedians and my family.

WHAT’S THE BEST PART OF YOUR CURRENT SHOW? I do some funny

bits on tampons...

DO YOU FIND ANY PARTS OF THE COUNTRY TO BE FUNNIER THAN OTHERS? They’re not necessarily

funnier, but Scotland is always good fun because—being Scottish— anywhere is like a homecoming gig and they’re all absolutely f*****g mental. Wales is always fun too.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE ONE LINER? My mum’s sister is anti-

abortion which is a cruel nickname, but she’s had five.

DO YOU HAVE A MOST MEMORABLE HECKLE? No, I would

actively never encourage hecklers. If you see a comedian who seems to be enjoying them on stage, I guarantee you they are just very good actors.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE OF YOUR OWN JOKES? My jokes are quite long

but my favourite is probably one I did about religion that’s on my special, DARK. It was the first time I ever wrote a joke where I thought, You know what, this is actually a very good joke.

WHICH SUPER POWER WOULD YOU HAVE? Oh, I’d be like Wolverine. But,

you would never want me to have superpowers, I would genuinely kill half the people on this planet.

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

Donald Trump, I’d like to see if he’s mental in private. I reckon he’s sad in his private life, and I would really get a kick out of watching him just weeping into a hamburger.

Daniel Sloss: X is touring nationwide, get tickets at danielsloss.com. You can watch his comedy specials DARK and JIGSAW on Netflix now

FOR MORE, GO TO READERSDIGEST.CO.UK/INSPIRE/HUMOUR

JANUARY 2019 • 143

LAUGH

Beat the Cartoonist!

In the February Issue

Interview:

Richard E Grant 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 mid-January.

If your entry gets the most votes, you’ll win £50.

Submit to captions@readersdigest.co.uk or online at readersdigest.co.uk/fun-games by January 7.

We’ll announce the winner in our March issue.

The Withnail and I star on friendship, drugs and clothes shopping

November’s Winner

CARTOONS : P ETER A. KI NG / GUTO DIAS

“I Remember”:

Dr Jane Goodall The world’s foremost chimpanzee expert looks back on her life Our cartoonist was left trailing in joint last place this month with his caption: “Please drink responsibly”.

Our wise-cracking reader Patricia Lowther managed to knock him off the top spot with her caption: “So Gary, remember all those times you commanded me to beg?” With 68 per cent of the vote, she’s our clear winner. Enter online and you could be the next reader to steal our cartoonist’s crown.

144 • JANUARY 2019

Plus BEST OF BRITISH: ROMANTIC SPAS With Valentine’s Day approaching, these are the most romantic spas for a loved-up weekend

...what a way to make a livin’ LOUISE REDKNAPP

AMBER DAVIES and

NATALIE McQUEEN

BRIAN CONLEY Music & lyrics by

DOLLY PARTON

Book by

PATRICIA RESNICK

Directed by

JEFF CALHOUN

Based on the 20th Century Fox Picture. Originally produced on Broadway by Robert Greenblatt, April 2009

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