Sherborne Times January 2017

JANUARY 2017 | FREE

A MONTHLY CELEBR ATION OF PEOPLE, PLACE AND PURVEYOR

INTO THE WILD with The National Trust's Simon Ford

www.sherbornetimes.co.uk

WELCOME

P

ine needles gather underfoot and, in new socks, black sacks of festive debris are dragged to the roadside - so endeth another Christmas. In my book it’s not technically ‘over’ as long as there are leftovers, but it is time now to square our shoulders and leap, step or fall into a brave new year.

Here at the ST we are starting 2017 as we mean to go on - outside.

Easier said than done sometimes, of course, but it is at least a statement of intent. Katharine, Jo, friends and family take a long winter walk with National Trust wildlife and conservation advisor (and Sherborne resident) Simon Ford. We meet expressionist landscape painter Ali Cockrean and welcome new contributors Heidi Berry, Victoria Strode, Christine Roberts, Luke Pender-Cudlip, Kate Kay, Julie Ruggins and Roy Leask. A warm, begloved New Year’s welcome, too, to all our familiar faces and favourites.

I hope you enjoy our first outing of the year and wish you a healthy, happy and wholesome 2017.

Glen Cheyne, Editor editor@sherbornetimes.co.uk @sherbornetimes

CONTRIBUTORS Editorial and creative direction Glen Cheyne Design Andy Gerrard Sub-editor Julia Chadwick Photography Katharine Davies Feature writer Jo Denbury Print Pureprint Distribution team David Elsmore Christine Knott Sarah Morgan Roger & Mary Napper Maggie Pelly Claire Pilley Judith Rust Geoff Wood Contact 01935 814803 07957 496193 @sherbornetimes editor@sherbornetimes.co.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk PO Box 9170 Sherborne DT9 9DW Sherborne Times is printed on Edixion Offset, an FSC® and EU Ecolabel certified paper. It goes without saying that once thoroughly well read, this magazine is easily recycled and we actively encourage you to do so.

Whilst every care has been taken to ensure that the data in this publication is accurate, neither Sherborne Times nor its editorial contributors can accept, and hereby disclaim, any liability to any party to loss or damage caused by errors or omissions resulting from negligence, accident or any other cause. Sherborne Times does not officially endorse any advertising material included within this publication. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise - without prior permission from Sherborne Times.

Additional photography: contributor’s own, Shutterstock, iStock, Alamy and Dreamstime 4 | Sherborne Times | January 2017

Heidi Berry Sherborne Preparatory School @Sherborneprep sherborneprep.org Richard Bromell ASFAV Charterhouse Auctioneers and Valuers @CharterhouseAV charterhouse-auction.com Mike Burks The Gardens Group @TheGardensGroup thegardeneronline.co.uk Ali Cockrean @AliCockrean alicockrean.co.uk Gillian M Constable DWT Sherborne Group @DorsetWildlife dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk

Roy Leask Sherborne Scribblers Gemma Loader BVetMed MRCVS Kingston Veterinary Group @TheKingstonVets kingstonvets.co.uk Sasha Matkevich The Green Restaurant @greensherborne greenrestaurant.co.uk Kitty Oakshott Upstairs Downstairs Interiors @updowninteriors updowninteriors.co.uk Luke Pender-Cudlip Knight Frank @kfsherborne knightfrank.co.uk

David Copp

Lucy Pollard lucypollardpilates.co.uk

Jenny Dickinson Dear to Me Studio, Fine Stationery @DearToMeStudio deartome.co.uk

Lindsay Punch Lindsay Punch Styling @stylistmum lindsaypunchstyling.co.uk

Giles Dick-Read Reads Coffee Roasters @reads_coffee readscoffee.co.uk Jimmy Flynn Milborne Port Computers @MPortComputers computing-mp.co.uk Andrew Fort B.A. (Econ.)

CFPcm Chartered MCSI APFS Fort Financial Planning ffp.org.uk Paul Gammage & Anita Light EweMove Sherborne @ewemoveyeovil ewemove.com John Gaye Sherborne Literary Society sherborneliterarysociety.com Peter Henshaw & Mike Riley Riley’s Cycles @rileyscycles rileyscycles.co.uk @DCNSherborne dcn.org.uk

Christine Roberts Robin James @RobinJamesAveda robin-james.co.uk Dr Tim Robinson MB BS MSc MRCGP DRCOG MFHom Glencairn House Clinic glencairnhouse.co.uk doctortwrobinson.com Julie Ruggins BSc (Hons) 56 London Road Clinic @56londonroad 56londonroad.co.uk Jane Somper Goldhill Organics @GoldhillOrganic goldhillorganics.co.uk Victoria Strode Mogers Drewett Solicitors @mogersdrewett md-solicitors.co.uk Sally Welbourn Dorset Wildlife Trust @DorsetWildlife dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk

Sarah Hitch The Sanctuary Beauty Rooms @SanctuaryDorset thesanctuarysherborne.co.uk

Natasha Williams Oxley Sports Centre @OxleySports oxleysc.com

Kate Kay The Sherborne Rooms @katekaymassage katekay.co.uk thesherbornerooms.com

Wayne Winstone Winstone’s Books @winstonebooks winstonebooks.co.uk

38 6

What’s On

JANUARY 2016 32 Antiques

76 Property

10 Unearthed

34 Gardening

84 Finance

12 Shopping Guide

38 SIMON FORD

87 Tech

16 Wild Dorset

48 Food & Drink

90 Literature Review

20 Ali Cockrean

57 Animal Care

91 Short Story

22 Family

58 Cycle Sherborne

94 Crossword

30 Interiors

61 Body & Mind

www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 5

WHAT'S ON Listings

Thursday 12th 7.30pm

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Kathryn Roberts & Sean Lakeman

Sunday 1st 2pm

Sandford Orcas Village Hall. 01963

New Year’s Day Walk From Sherborne Abbey porch. Learn

more of Sherborne’s ancient past with

Blue Badge Guide Cindy, £5. Optional hot chocolate afterwards in the Vida Comida, Swan Yard, £1.

Thursday 19th 7.30pm

original acoustic folk songs covering such

Melbury Osmond Village Hall. 01935

legends and a lonely whale. artsreach.co.uk

reckoned with in No Angel, her unique

Charlie Bicknell - No Angel

subjects as wicked mermaids, Norwegian

83459. Charlie Bicknell is a force to be

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Saturday 7th 2.30pm

Sherborne & District Gardeners’

Blackmore Vale & Yeovil

Association Talk

National Trust Association

Digby Hall, Hound St, Sherborne.

by Mark Sedwill CMG, permanent

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20 years of music making, greatly varied

Thursday 12th 2.30pm

Digby Hall, Hound St, Sherborne. Talk

and visitors always welcome at a cost of £3.

220208. With a story that includes over

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‘Keeping People Safe’

by Dr Francis Burroughs. New members

2:30pm. David Hitchcock of Three

Counties Nurseries discusses Flower

cabaret show packed with anarchy, wit and comic ingenuity. Joined by an

exceptional pianist, expect a magnificent evening’s entertainment full of darkly

comic, twisted songs and theatrical flair!

Suitable 15+. artsreach.co.uk

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shows of the last 50 years. 01935 813679

Wednesday 25th 6.30pm-8.30pm

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Sleep and Other Stress Busters

taken over in 2013. The talk will focus

Saturday 14th 2pm-4.30pm

Lucy Pollard's third ‘Change for the

boarder and immigration operations will

DNA testing in the Somerset

2020s. Admission £5 for guests.

Somerset & Dorset Family History Soc.,

Sunday 8th 11am-4pm

of DNA Worldwide, based in Frome,

secretary at the Home Office having

on how policing, fire, national security,

High Definition Ancestry

evolve to deal with the challenges of the

& Dorset Region

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The Parade, Sherborne. Representatives

Open Day Steam & Water Wheel Centre Oborne Road, Sherborne, DT9 3RX.

Steam up with mince pies and mulled fruit juice. 01935 816324 sswc.co.uk

____________________________ Wednesday 11th 7.30pm Sherborne Flicks: Café Society Memorial Hall, Digby Road, Sherborne,

will explain how, with the ability to break down DNA within regions, what DNA

Better’ Talk The Bakery Cafe, 1 The

Green, Sherborne. Perceptive ways to

solve sleep problems and other stressors. £30 per person including a light supper and a glass of wine. To book: Email

lucy@lucypollardpilates.co.uk or ring 07939 854202

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is showing about Somerset, Dorset and

Sunday 29th 2pm-4pm

cover the basics of DNA testing in an

Oborne Village Hall, Oborne,

Non-mem: £10. Pre book: 01935 389611

in advance Dean 01935 389655 email

surrounding regions. The talks will also

Divine Union Soundbath

interactive way. SDFHS members: £8.

Sherborne, Dorset DT9 4LA. £12 book

sdfhs.org/events/sdfhs-events/

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ahiahel@live.com centreforpuresound.org

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DT9 3NL. Woody Allen film set in

Sunday 15th 1.30pm-4.30pm

£6 from Sherborne TIC.

Digby Hall, Hound St, Sherborne. Learn

Workshops and Classes

Wednesday 11th 7.30pm

with chords & arrangements. Suitable

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advance/£12 on door. 01935 817905

The Julian, Cheap St, Sherborne.

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theslippedstitch.co.uk

1930’s Hollywood & New York. Tickets

Sherborne Folk Band Workshop

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to play folk tunes by ear, experiment

Pip Utton – Playing Maggie...

The Iron Lady Nether Compton Village Hall. 01935 413220. Listen to Pip’s Margaret

for all levels & all instruments. £10

The Slipped Stitch

laurelswift.co.uk

Call 01935 508249 or visit us to book

Thatcher’s philosophies, her inspiration

Wednesday 18th 2.30pm

question her. Suitable 14+. artsreach.co.uk

Catholic Church Hall, Westbury,

and her logic, and then take the chance to

WI Meeting: World of Glass

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Sherborne. An interesting talk presented

6 | Sherborne Times | January 2017

Saturday 7th 10am-12pm Improvers Spin Club £13

Thursday 12th 7pm-9pm Beginners Crochet 3 Week course £60

JANUARY 2016

Children ____________________________

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Wednesdays 10am-10.45am

Fridays 10.30am-11am

1st Saturday of the month

Aquatots

Rhyme Time under 2’s

10.30am-12pm

Leweston School Pool. Parents and

Sherborne Library. Babies and toddlers

Sticky Church

to book. £3.50. 01963 210783 or email

Sharing nursery rhymes, action songs,

group for playgroup and primary school

toddlers, 3 months to 3 years. No need office@leweston.dorset.sch.uk

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Saturday 14th 10am–1pm Learn to Knit £25

Monday 16th 1pm-3pm Yarn Dying £25

Saturday 21st 10am-1pm Get to Know your Sewing Machine £30 Tuesday 24th 6.30pm-8.30pm

sherborneparents.com is a new website dedicated to promoting activities and groups for

children in the Sherborne area. We need help adding new groups and events, so please

share your recommendations and contacts via Facebook or mail@sherborneparents.com.

Here is a selection of activities for January:

under 2 with their parents and carers.

Cheap Street Church Hall. FREE

musical instruments and board books. It

age children. Making, stories and singing.

is fun, interactive and noisy!

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01963 251747

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Sherborne venue TBC. Discover your

Farmers’ Market

save time & money when shopping. £40

each month 9am-1pm

07969 557004

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best colours for a youthful glow and to

Every third Friday in

info@lindsaypunchstyling.co.uk

Cheap Street

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Saturday Antiques & Flea Market

Improvers Crochet: Ripple Stitch

Fairs and Markets

4th Saturday monthly (exc.

April & December), 9am-4pm,

Cushion Covers £20

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Saturday 28th 10am–1pm

Pannier Market

Sock Knitting £20

Thursdays and Saturdays

Monthly Table Top

Plus Knit and Natter runs every

on the parade

Sale and SwapShop

Tuesday and Thursday 10am-12pm

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Saturday 7th 10am-1pm

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Country Market

Thursday 19th January 7.30pm

Thursday mornings 9.15am-11.15am

Holwell Village Hall, DT9 5LL. Used

Colour Analysis Masterclass with

Church Hall, Digby Road

Personal Stylist Lindsay Punch

Box Office:

01258 475137 Old Market Hill, Sturminster Newton, Dorset DT10 1FH www.stur-exchange.co.uk

Church Hall, Digby Rd

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items, produce & crafts, clothes, cookware, books, CDs, DVDs, bric-a-brac and toys.

Sellers: £5 per table (tables provided), set-up

6 Hands

Ruby Turner

Friday 24th February, 7:30pm

Friday 17th February, 8pm

Tickets: £20

Tickets: £21

with John Williams, John Etheridge and Gary Ryan

We welcome 6 Hands to our stage for a colourful and varied programme of solos, duets and trios.

Join us for an unforgettable night with prolific songwriter and artist, Ruby Turner. www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 7

WHAT'S ON from 9am. samantha-jane-@hotmail.co.uk

Sherborne RFC

Sherborne Town FC

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1st IV, Southern

1st IV, Toolstation Western

Vintage Market

Counties South Division

League Premier Division

Saturday 28th 8.30am-3.30pm

Gainsborough Park, The Terrace Playing

Raleigh Grove, The Terrace Playing Fields,

pitchero.com/clubs/sherbornerfc

sherbornetownfc.com

Memorial Hall, Digby Road, Sherborne.

30+ sellers of quality vintage items.

07809 387594

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Fields, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 5NS

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Sherborne, Dorset DT9 5NS

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Saturday 14th 2.15pm

Saturday 14th

Sherborne v

Sherborne Town v

Marlborough (H)

Chipping Sodbury (H)

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Every Tuesday and Thursday

Saturday 21st 2.15pm

Saturday 21st

7.30pm–8.30pm

North Dorset v

Sherborne Town v

Mixed Touch Rugby

Sherborne (A)

Willand Rovers (H)

Sherborne School Floodlit Astroturf,

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Ottery Lane. DT9 6EE. Novices very

Saturday 28th 2.15pm

Saturday 28th

welcome. £2 per session, first four

Wimborne v

Melksham Town v

sessions free. For more details go to

Sherborne (A)

Sherborne Town (A)

www.sherbornetouch.org or call Jimmy

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Sport

on 07887 800803

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2017 DAYS TRIPS with TAYLORS COACH TRAVEL ____________________________

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New Year Drive & Lunch

Bristol Shopper & IKEA

Sunday 15th January

Sunday 19th February

£32.50, Club £30.50

£18, Club £16

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SeaCity Museum &

Winchester Military

Basingstoke Shopper

Southampton Shopper

Museums & Shopper

Saturday 18th March

Saturday 28th January

Friday 3rd March

£23.50, Shopper £15.50

£25, Shopper £15

£16, Club £14

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British Museums

Bombay Sapphire Distillery Tour

March Drive & Lunch

& London Shopper

Saturday 11th February

Sunday 12th March

Sunday 26th March

£30, Club £28

£34.50, Club £32.50

£21, Club £19

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2017 Day Trips and Excursions brochure available soon.

01935 423177 | www.taylorscoachtravel.co.uk 8 | Sherborne Times | January 2017

UNEARTHED JACK WILTSHIRE, AGED 15 AND ISRAEL MASON-WILLIAMS, AGED 16 The Gryphon School, Sherborne RFC and Bath Rugby Academy

T

he fertile soil of The Terraces playing fields, home to Sherborne RFC, is continuing its long tradition of producing high-quality and often professional rugby players with each passing generation. Harvesting talent on this scale doesn’t go unnoticed and two local lads, Jack Wiltshire and Israel Mason-Williams, have come to the attention of premiership side Bath Rugby. They have been selected — like Ollie Devoto and George Buckney before them — to join Bath Rugby Academy. The four players are pupils (past and present) of The Gryphon School, a testament to the coaching staff and opportunities the school provides.

In fact, Sherborne is proving to be such a hotbed of aspiring young players that Bath Rugby Academy train here on Monday nights. Jack, playing at centre, has been described by coaching staff as being “light years ahead,” with “intelligent runs” and “a quality of handling not seen since Ollie.” Israel meanwhile, currently transitioning from flanker to hooker, “is a brute of a player” with “incredible strength.” They’re also regarded as “two of the nicest kids you could meet,” with “attitude and talent in equal measure.” Playing for county, school, club and academy, Jack and Israel are clearly in demand. But with Israel now embarking on his GCSEs and Jack not far behind, the pressure will soon be mounting.

If these two young men approach life’s challenges with even half the gusto they bring to their rugby, they’ll have nothing to worry about. pitchero.com/clubs/sherbornerfc bathrugby.com gryphon.dorset.sch.uk

KATHARINE DAVIES PHOTOGRAPHY Portrait, lifestyle, PR and editorial commissions 07808 400083 info@katharinedaviesphotography.co.uk www.katharinedaviesphotography.co.uk

10 | Sherborne Times | January 2017

Bespoke Kitchen & Cabinet Makers

J Smith Woodwork Ltd Staffords Green Corton Denham Sherborne Dorset DT9 4LY 01963 220147 | 07773 701812 | jamie@jsmithwoodwork.co.uk jsmithwoodwork.co.uk

Bottle stoppers, £12.99 (The Present Finder)

Puzzle, £21 Londji (The Circus)

Bamboo needles, from £4.50 (The Slipped Stitch)

Vintage hot water bottle, £16 (Busy Lizzie’s)

Baby alpaca wool £14.95 each Juniper Moon Farm Herriot (The Slipped Stitch )

WINTER WARMERS Jenny Dickinson, Dear To Me Studio Now, in the wake of yuletide excess and festive logistics, we can power down, snuggle up and simply relax. These beautiful designer homewares, hardbacks and vintage finds will help you to hone your hygge. deartomestudio.com 12 | Sherborne Times | January 2017

Hygge, by Charlotte Abrahams, £20 (Winstone’s Books)

Needle felt making kit, £13 Mary Jane Lillie (The Slipped Stitch)

Children’s bespoke wingback chair, from £295 (Upstairs Downstairs Interiors) Sheepskin, from £50 (The Sherborne Rooms)

Alpaca bootees, £33 Samantha Holmes (The Circus)

Wooden coasters, £12.99 Tree 4 Tea (The Present Finder) www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 13

Happy New Year!

Upstairs Downstairs Interiors

bespoke curtains. blinds. upholstery. loose covers. fabrics. free estimates Open 9-5 Monday to Saturday 41 Cheap Street, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3PU Call 01935 816111 | natasha@gingerandpickle.co.uk

www.gingerandpickle.co.uk

The Old School Rooms, Long Street, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3BS Tel: 01935 813 831 Email: info@updowninteriors.co.uk www.updowninteriors.co.uk

th

14 | Sherborne Times | January 2017

Dodge Interiors

Winter Sale Starts 28th December

Discounts on all Furniture & Flooring 10% off all fabric/wallpaper orders over 5 mtrs/5 rolls throughout January (Please bring this advert with you)

28 Cheap Street Sherborne DT9 3QD 01935 818150 | www.dodgeinteriors.com

DORSET WILDLIFE TRUST

www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 15

Wild Dorset

THE DEEP SLEEP Sally Welbourn, Dorset Wildlife Trust

16 | Sherborne Times | January 2017

A

s the cold weather creeps up on us, we’ve all wished we could hibernate for the winter. For some species of wildlife, sleeping – or hibernating – can make all the difference to surviving the cold and icy winter months ahead. Food, which is in abundance during the spring, summer and autumn months, disappears, so entering an extended deep sleep reduces some species’s normal body functions and allows them to wake up in the spring, when food is in plentiful supply once again.

Some species that take part in the big sleep include hedgehogs, dormice, bumblebees, ladybirds and certain species of butterflies.

Hibernation involves dropping heart rate, metabolic rate and temperature, allowing the energy they have to be used up over a long period of time.

Hibernation is a process that isn’t without risks. A long winter can have a detrimental effect when it’s time to wake up and there’s still no food. Sleeping wildlife is also unaware of changes in their surroundings, which can leave them vulnerable to predation and disturbance.

You can give wildlife a helping hand this winter by making sure you have undisturbed spaces in your garden which are sheltered. Log and leaf piles are great, or you could make a hibernaculum, a place wildlife can seek refuge. If you find a hibernating animal it is best to leave it alone, as waking it up will waste their much-needed energy.

FIVE COMMON HIBERNATORS Hedgehogs sleep between November and January. They can drop their body temperature from 35 degrees to 10 degrees and their heart rate drops from 190 beats per minute to just 20.

Bats hibernate to drop their metabolic rate, which means they don’t need to forage. Hunting is very demanding on energy and their food is scarce.

They often choose underground sites with a constant cool temperature.

Hedgehog © Tom Marshall

Dormice sleep in small woven nests and hibernate during the first autumn frosts. They can let their metabolism drop by 90% and their body temperature can drop to that of their surroundings.

Reptiles are cold-blooded and unable to regulate their own body temperature – they depend on the temperature outside to become hotter or colder. Reptiles hibernate between October and March and hide beneath vegetation, or in the roots of trees.

Insects don’t always truly hibernate, but go into a dormant state instead.

Most butterflies enter the dormant stage as an egg, larva, pupa or even as an adult, including peacock, brimstone, large tortoiseshell, comma and small tortoiseshell. Insects tend to hibernate anywhere, from grass margins, to bare soil, hedgerows and walls! dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 17

Wild Dorset

SHERBORNE DWT

Gillian M. Constable, Dorset Wildlife Trust, Sherborne Group Committee

A

s we enter 2017 it is time to assess the highs and lows of 2016. For me, the disappointment was the much-reduced sightings of many species of butterflies. A high was the exceptionally enjoyable walk at Dorset Wildlife Trust (DWT) reserve Tadnoll Heath, mentioned in my August contribution.

The timing of any event is so serendipitous, I try to remember how lucky I am when I manage to look out of a window at the right moment and see a large flock of goldfinches in the garden.

Now we have the anticipation of 2017 – the first snowdrops, primroses and other delights. One plant that gives me great delight on a post-Christmas walk is winter heliotrope, Petasites fragrans. It is all too easy to miss, but often its beautiful vanilla perfume draws my attention and then I look for the flowers. It was introduced to English gardens in 1806 and found growing wild in 1835. On a visit to DWT reserve King Barrow Quarry on Portland our guide described it as an 18 | Sherborne Times | January 2017

invasive, alien weed which they were trying to eliminate on the reserve – but I continue to like it. It is a strange species. In England we only have the male plant – it is dioecious, with separate male and female plants – hence no seeds are formed here and it spreads by rhizomes. Its early flowering makes it important for early flying bees and other insects, since it is a source of both pollen and nectar and has been known to be planted near hives.

The January meeting of the Sherborne DWT group is on Wednesday 18th at 7.30pm in Digby Memorial Hall. No sooner had our 2017 programme been published than our speaker was invited on an expedition to Oman, which accounts for a programme change. David Kjaer, who is a lifelong bird watcher and naturalist and a superb photographer, will speak on ‘English Wildlife in the Spring and Summer, with special reference to Dorset.’ dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk

The Joinery Works, Alweston Sherborne, Dorset DT9 5HS Tel: 01963 23219 Fax: 01963 23053 Email: info@fcuffandsons.co.uk

www.fcuffandsons.co.uk

DESIGNERS AND MAKERS OF BEAUTIFUL FINE BESPOKE JOINERY SINCE 1897

ALI COCKREAN

T

Words Jo Denbury Photography Katharine Davies

he latest recruit to Sherborne’s growing artist fraternity is Ali Cockrean. She arrived in the town last autumn and, as well as teaching acrylics through Sherborne ArtsLink, she is also launching Sunday morning classes for children from January.

As a professional artist with over 10 years experience working as a tutor for similar children’s art groups in Buckinghamshire, she is passionate about giving children the time and space to develop their own work and skills.

“I fully appreciate the difficulties of fitting sufficient art practice into a busy school curriculum,” she says, “so I am offering young art students a regular additional 2 hours of painting and drawing time.”

The classes will be open to all children between the ages of eight and 18. Ali’s role as a tutor will focus on the essential building blocks and fundamental rules of good art practice, such as line, form, composition, tone, colour and texture – all in a relaxed but focused environment.

Ali’s own passion for art began as a child, but it wasn’t until she reached her forties that she turned to it as a profession. “I started drawing at 3,” she explains. “And because it came naturally, I guess I took it for granted.

I chose not to go to art school, developing a career in marketing instead.

But as corporate life lost it’s appeal, I found myself being pulled back to my love of art.” She is now an accomplished expressionist landscape painter, who works exclusively in acrylics and has exhibited her work across the UK. “In visual terms, I strive to show my emotional response to a place, as opposed to the nature of its physicality. The most crucial element for me is to capture the intense mood and atmosphere,” she explains. Ali works largely from memory rather than from sketch or photograph, as she prefers to distil the image in her mind and so create a pure essence of her response to the landscape around her.

“I allow my paintings to evolve and develop their unique characteristics as I work on them,” she tells me. “Therefore I do not start with a firm idea of what they will become – I simply watch and respond to the marks I make.”

Her use of intuition and purity of style is something that flows into her life, as well. She practises meditation as a way of keeping herself in the present – something she began some years ago while recovering from illness - and she makes a point of eating organic food whenever possible. “I am very conscious of looking after my body,” she says. Most mornings start with a green smoothie packed full of antioxidants and goodness before she takes Tigger, her lively brindle lurcher, out into the meadow. “I feel so lucky to be living and working in the beautiful town of Sherborne,” she says.

As a painter specialising in landscapes, Ali is looking forward to beginning her own work capturing the area on canvas. In the meantime, however, she is passing on her skills to a new generation and looks set to be a great contribution to Sherborne’s burgeoning art scene. Watch this space. alicockrean.co.uk 20 | Sherborne Times | January 2017

L E W E STO N S HERBORN E

Consistently Overachieving

SENIOR SCHOLARSHIPS 2017 ENTRY 11+ and 13+ scholarships are offered in academic subjects and Art/Design (13+ only), Music, Drama and Sport.

Closing date for applications: Monday 16th January 2017 To find out more please contact us on: admissions@leweston.dorset.sch.uk LEWESTON SCHOOL . SHERBORNE www.leweston.co.uk . T: 01963 211 010

Gaudere Et Bene Facere ~ Rejoice And Do Well www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 21

Family

EPIPHANY – AN EXAMPLE TO US ALL Heidi Berry, head of Pre-Prep, Sherborne Preparatory School

S

chool children across the nation are returning after the festive season, with nursery nativities and Christmas plays firmly tucked away in the happy memories of last year. However, the Christmas story is far from over in one sense, as the three wise men lead us into Epiphany. As the familiar tale goes, the wise men, or magi, believed that the appearance of an unusual new star in the night sky symbolised the birth of a special king, and they followed this star to Bethlehem where they found the newborn Jesus. The Epiphany story is 22 | Sherborne Times | January 2017

one from which I feel we can take some superb life lessons for our children.

Education opens doors and opportunities

We are not entirely sure who these kings were, but they were certainly men of great learning. The word Magi comes from the Greek word magos (which is also the stem of the word ‘magic’). Magos itself comes from the old Persian word Magupati. This was the title given to priests in some of the ancient Persian religions such as

Zoroastrianism. Today we would call them astrologers.

In those times astronomy, astrology and science were studied hand in hand with each other. The Magi would have scrutinised the patterns of the stars religiously. They would probably have been very rich and held in high regard, both within their own society and by people who weren’t from their country or religion. One could argue that, without their attention to the stars and their high level of learning, they would not have had the knowledge or conviction to bring them to Jesus’s place of birth and they would have missed out on a rather special event through their ignorance.

Perseverance is often an essential factor of success

The magi travelled very many miles and for many days in search of the new king. It may have been much easier and tempting, at times, to give up and go home – but their story illustrates that if one is willing to persevere, in spite of setbacks or difficulties, one can find the greatest treasure or reward. Along with perseverance, patience is something we should be striving to improve too, especially in this century where there is a temptation to seek instant gratification.

Greatness is to be found in humility

The wise men were searching for a king, expecting to find the royal baby in a palace, surrounded by servants and ornate furniture – but they were able to recognise majesty in a humble stable. It is not fine garments or opulence that denotes greatness, but rather grace, integrity and other intangible qualities. We should be teaching our children to be open-minded, to look in the least likely places for answers and not to dismiss ideas or concepts because of their own preconceptions.

Never stop learning

"We should teach our children to look for answers in the least likely places"

The wonderful thing about knowledge is that it is never complete or absolute. No one really knows what the new star in the sky was and there are many theories including comets, supernovas, or a conjunction of planets. The fact that the magi did not fully understand did not prevent them from investigating further.

Happy New Year and may we all approach the season of Epiphany with an open mind and a willingness to explore new things. sherborneprep.org

www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 23

Family

Children’s Book Review Wayne Winstone, Winstone’s Books, Independent Bookshop of the Year 2016

The Darkest Dark, by Chris Hadfield and illustrated by The Fan Brothers (PBK) £11.99

A

Exclusive reader offer price of £10.99 at Winstone’s Books

stronaut Chris Hadfield describes the special moment in his childhood that sparked his fascination with space and started the journey that has so far taken him to the International Space Station three times. As a little boy in Canada he played at being an astronaut, but was frightened of the dark. Staying up late to watch the Apollo moon landing, he suddenly realised that outer space, the darkest dark there is, is full of power and beauty. From that moment on, the dark was no longer frightening, but a place of dreams and possibilities. The artwork takes us from his home to the moon and beyond in strikingly beautiful atmospheric spreads. It is a book to inspire children with the wonder of space and all the opportunities life holds for them.

A splendid story for soothing night fears, fostering future explorers and teaching children that not even the sky’s the limit when it comes to dreaming big. winstonebooks.co.uk

24 | Sherborne Times | January 2017

ART CLUB @Sherborne

Supporting and Developing Young Artistic Talent

Small classes of individually tailored lessons for children aged 8-18 Sundays 11am to 1pm and 1pm to 3pm at the Studio Room, Digby Memorial Hall, Digby Road, Sherborne • Build the fundamental drawing and painting skills crucial to the development of a proficient artist • Experiment with new materials• Explore new techniques • Expand knowledge, skills and confidence • Build a portfolio in preparation for art scholarships, GCSE and A level exams

Booking now for January to Easter 2017

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Hazlegrove, Sparkford BA22 7JA www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 25

Family

MANAGING DIVORCE WITH MEDIATION

C

Victoria Strode, specialist family lawyer, Mogers Drewett

ourt rules state that where family proceedings involve finances or children, there is a requirement to attend a mediation session. Mediation is quite simply a way to try and resolve any issue you may have as a result of your relationship breaking down. It involves you and your partner meeting together with a trained mediator to work through matters you aren’t able to resolve alone.

One of the most important aspects of the mediator’s role is to be impartial and neutral. As such, the mediator can only provide information to both you and your partner – but not advice. If your questions are asking for opinion or advice as to what you should do, then the mediator will need to refer you to obtain independent legal advice from a solicitor. Sometimes people have their own solicitors whilst in the mediation process, so that they can take advice between mediation sessions about what was discussed.

There are various principles to mediation. The most important is ‘confidentiality’ – this means that everything within the process is confidential, with two exceptions.

The first is financial disclosure of assets and factual information about assets, while the second is if the mediator has any concerns about you, your partner or children’s safety they have a duty to report this. The next is ‘voluntary’ – while the mediation process is a requirement, it is still a voluntary one. Therefore if at any stage of the mediation process you do not feel comfortable continuing with it, there is no obligation for you to do so. Finally, it must be ‘without prejudice.’ This means that the discussions which take place within the process cannot be used against you later, should the mediation fail.

Mediation is often a quicker process than the alternatives, given you are both able to sit together to discuss arrangements. Essentially mediation is your process.

It is a forum where you and your partner can discuss what is best for your family, rather than having a decision imposed on you. Research has shown that agreements reached through mediation are longer lasting, given that each and both of you would have reached these together.

For further information or advice on this subject please see md-solicitors.co.uk or call Victoria Strode on 01749 342 323 or 01225 750014

26 | Sherborne Times | January 2017

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Interiors

CUT AND PASTE

Kitty Oakshott, Upstairs Downstairs Interiors

I

’m not usually one to set up any New Year’s resolutions, but I do like the start of a new year as I feel it is loaded with new and exciting opportunities. One of my aims at the beginning of each year is to challenge myself in the months ahead, often assessing my skillset and seeing if there are ways to add both to my knowledge and abilities. This, in turn, means more time in the study – setting out goals, taking a fresh look at everything, reflecting on my performance of the past year and considering ways to improve.

To get clarity of mind I find it best to have a clean and tidy study, which includes décor that helps get my creative juices flowing. I have a lovely large picture frame, known fondly as my vision board. I use it to frame wallpaper that I find thought-provoking and know I will enjoy looking at for some time. I tend to use a pattern with images I can lose myself within, letting my imagination run wild. Best of all, when it ceases to inspire me or I simply fancy a change, I can replace the paper easily. What I’ve discovered from altering the look of my study so readily, is how phenomenally versatile wallpaper can be.

Do you have a wooden staircase which you fancy giving a facelift without a huge expense?

One way of doing this is to wallpaper the stair

30 | Sherborne Times | January 2017

rises, giving the optical illusion of larger room.

Alternatively, you can create a little story, which progresses with each step. To continue the theme, going up the stairs you could fill smaller picture frames with the wall paper and have these dotted along the wall. On the flip side, if you have a beautifully wallpapered feature wall and want to draw attention to it, how about hanging empty picture frames directly on the paper?

Putting wallpaper at the back of bookshelves is another fabulous way of adding colour and variety into an otherwise drab space. In the bedroom, wardrobes and drawers are other items that could be given a facelift in the new year.

If your walls are papered, you could cover the whole wardrobe with the same pattern so that it blends into the background, or place different pieces into each recess to add colour and variety.

The options are endless and it takes very little time to revamp a piece of furniture this way completely. Any leftover pieces of wallpaper can also be used for covering lampshades to extend the scheme.

Feel invigorated, add colour and variety and start the new year with a new look. updowninteriors.co.uk

www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 31

Antiques

FOLLOWING THE HERD Richard Bromell ASFAV, Charterhouse Auctioneers

O

ne article I have always promised myself never to write is, “What is Art,” yet I am now writing about this – in a very loose way, mind you!

The most valuable pictures I own were painted or drawn by my children. I cannot see my children, both in their 20s now, producing such work ever again. Neither can I see anyone else wanting to give them wall space – beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

If you ask my kids to name a few artists, the chances are they will not be traditional answers. That is to say, they will mention Tracey Emin, Damien Hirst, Banksy and Bambi, rather than Gainsborough, Titian, Rembrandt or Goya. I don’t really mind what they like and I am certainly not going to give them an Art History lecture.

As I have already said – beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

However, one section of art most of us enjoy is wildlife. Whilst some (if not many) struggle with Damien Hirst’s shark in formaldehyde (or ‘The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living,’ which is its formal title) artists such as David Shepherd cannot offend.

Wildlife, rather like programmes on antiques and cooking, is immensely popular television viewing.

Just recently, Planet Earth II, such a wonderful series

32 | Sherborne Times | January 2017

presented by the one and only Sir David Attenborough, was watched by more young people (aged 16-34) than watched The X Factor, presented by the one and only Simon Cowell. This surprised me. Sir David said, “That pleases me enormously” – but I have not seen any comments from Simon Cowell yet.

For me, this is all very encouraging. These young viewers are the next generation of collectors. What they see on television, read about on social media and talk about at school or over a cup of coffee will influence their buying tastes and we have several wildlife original paintings in our 20th January auction, which we might be able to tempt them to buy.

My favourite is the oil painting of a herd of elephants. Painted on canvas by the well-respected Welsh wildlife artist Tony Wooding, this oil on canvas measures 39 x 95 cm and is estimated to sell for £1,0001,500. The detail is simply divine.

Who knows who will end up buying it when it goes under the hammer. Maybe a young person inspired by watching wildlife on Planet Earth II. Maybe Simon Cowell. But there again, maybe not. charterhouse-auction.com

CHARTERHOUSE Auctioneers & Valuers

We are now accepting entries for our Spring Auction Programme Pictures, Books & Beswick with a special section of Automobilia Friday 20th January Classic & Vintage Motorcycles Sunday 5th February Classic & Vintage Cars Sunday 12th February Contact Richard Bromell for advice or Justine Jackson to arrange a home visit The Long Street Salerooms Sherborne DT9 3BS | 01935 812277 www.charterhouse-auction.com

Sold Successfully in Sherborne for ÂŁ121,500

Castle Gardens, award-winning garden centre and restaurant Everything you need to enjoy your garden all year round

Fabulous offers to see you through winter

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Visit The Walled Garden restaurant for delicious home-cooked meals or a coffee and a slice of cake. See in store for exclusive restaurant offers throughout January and February Open Monday-Saturday 9.00am-6.00pm & Sunday 10.00am-4.30pm (tills open at 10.30am) Castle Gardens, New Road, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 5NR www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 33

Gardening

HAPPY 30TH!

Mike Burks, managing director, The Gardens Group

I

Castle Gardens will be marking its 30th birthday this year. The garden centre opened its doors for the first time on April 7 1987.

Work began on the 12th of February that year…

t was a very cold winter and there was snow on the ground most of the time for the first few weeks.

However, there was so much to do, mostly clearing what was a very overgrown site that had lain derelict for a good number of years.

As we worked on the site we discovered lots of fallen cold frames, greenhouse bases and also whole buildings that we weren’t aware of until we cleared away the ivy. This included the original lavatory, which was where the new lavatory block is. It had a cast-iron raised cistern and the most comfortable wooden seat – which you will notice is the style in the new block, as a homage to those originals.

Castle Gardens was the walled kitchen garden to Sherborne Castle, built during Capability Brown’s redesigning of the grounds in the eighteenth century.

The vast majority of the walls are brick, but the section that forms part of the Butterfly House is made of stone.

These are reputed to be what remains of Sir Walter Raleigh’s Pineapple House. For those dubious about the dates, it seems that Christopher Columbus first brought the pineapple back to this country in the late fifteenth century, which means it is possible that Sir Walter had one.

However, hot houses for such fruit were probably built somewhat later. I’m only passing on what I’ve been told!

If the extrapolation of that has any truth, then perhaps we can also claim that Castle Gardens is where the first seed potatoes in the UK were stocked and where the first tobacco plants were grown too. Please feel free to contradict all these claims.

Only two of the original greenhouses still had some glass in them when we moved in and, with a bit of a tidyup, we could use these for some growing in the first year.

However, they weren’t hugely safe, so we took the glass out of them with a view to renovating at some stage. This pipe dream eventually came to pass as our good friend Dave Cuff from F Cuff & Sons painstakingly rebuilt the structure for us in 2012 – exactly as it had been, even with the panes of curved glass.

Around the site today, there are still reminders of what it used to be. For example, if you look carefully 34 | Sherborne Times | January 2017

along the walls you will see thousands of nails used for training plants. Every now and then a label can be found, naming a long-gone variety of pear or apple that used to adorn the walls.

Below the ground – just a few inches down, in some cases – are the old pathways. Then, a bit deeper, are tunnels carrying the pipes that formed the heating system for the old greenhouses. Even further down are water channels and tanks for rainwater collection from the roofs.

We have also found and carefully retained three large, brick-lined wells, all with water in the bottom still.

The buildings which now form our shop were summer stables, in which gentry visiting Sherborne for the summer housed their horses. When we arrived these were in disrepair and Sherborne Castle Estates carried out a beautiful renovation so that we had use of the facility from August 1987.

We built the main greenhouses ourselves. This was no mean feat, as the kit was delivered on a large articulated lorry and came with no instructions. We got it built, though – and on time, despite a hurricane that took the roof off halfway through its construction!

In the early days we had just the one till, which sat in the greenhouse. It was fairly basic, with just four department buttons – mind you, we only had five staff at the time!

The Walled Garden restaurant is in buildings that were a fruit store at one end with bothies (accommodation for gardeners) at the other. The fireplaces are still in situ and we have even met the niece of one of the gardeners! She remembers calling in to see her uncle, who lived in the end bothy in the 1940s.

So what in gardening has changed since 1987? Well, back then conifers, winter heathers, red, white and blue bedding plants and lots and lots of pesticides were all in vogue. Today it’s all about wildlife gardening, gardening in pots, growing your own fruit and vegetables and the minimal use of artificial pesticides. What remains, though, is the love of growing things – and that’s true of us as well as the gardening public. thegardeneronline.co.uk

www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 35

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36 | Sherborne Times | January 2017

WINDOWS

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SIMON FORD Words Jo Denbury Photography Katharine Davies

W

e assemble at the kissing gate. There is animated talk among the children of foxes’ dens and badgers, creepy crawlies, slugs and bugs. And, in our shared uniform of woollies and wellies, there is a similarly buoyant murmur among the adults.

On this brisk winter morning we are taking a walk, one we have taken many times before. This time, however, we’re in the company of Simon Ford, wildlife and countryside advisor for the South West at the National Trust. This otherwise ordinary outing is starting to feel very much like an adventure. >

38 | Sherborne Times | January 2017

www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 39

40 | Sherborne Times | January 2017

Simon has recently moved to Sherborne and brings with him an infectious enthusiasm for conservation. Within our first few strides, a small unassuming tree that we have all walked past countless times draws an excited and curious crowd. Lloyd – husband of our photographer and self-confessed amateur entomologist – has found a slug.

But it is no ordinary slug. This tiny thing is a Crimean keeled slug, or tandonia cf. cristata to give it its proper name. It is, Lloyd tells us, a rare find – and this sparks a discussion as to how such an exotic creature came to be living under a rock in Sherborne. One theory is that many of these slugs were transported here as eggs on the muddy boots of soldiers returning from the war. The realisation that we are only a couple of miles from the site of a WWII military hospital site has the children gleefully joining the imagined dots of this little slug’s family tree.

“Children are innate wildlife enthusiasts,” Simon observes. “To harness that interest and engage with them now is crucial. Some will then carry that love of nature into adulthood and pass it on to future generations.” A childlike view of the living world is something to cherish if we, as adults, are to spread the word and make a difference.

Soon there are more cries of joy. A stag has been spotted standing stock-still, high on the hill above us. He watches us with a disapproving air. There are many types of deer in the Dorset countryside. This one is a fallow deer, a breed introduced to England by William the Conqueror. There are also sika, muntjac and white hart to be found in this part of the country. We continue on, the children sprinting ahead.

Simon’s own interest in ecology and the outdoors began early. “I think it really clicked when I was about seven,” he says. “Our teacher took us out into the garden for ponddipping and that was probably when the seed was sown. As a teenager I volunteered for the Sussex Wildlife Trust and did a lot of coppicing. It was only later that I realised you could actually get paid for it!” He went on to study ecology and conservation, working as a ranger for a number of national parks before joining the National Trust in 1989.

“Nature is a burning platform at the moment,” he explains. “Wherever you go there is a horrific decline in almost every group of animal and plant. Not only are these plants nice to see, but some of them are medicines for the future.” While the perception may be that we are all waiting for a new wonder drug to be discovered in the Amazon, the truth is that our native flora offer a myriad of possibilities.

Aspirin, for example, comes from willow, while a product of the yew tree is used for breast cancer drugs.

But it is not only wild habitats that are under threat.

Rare arable plants which only grow in cultivated > www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 41

42 | Sherborne Times | January 2017

www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 43

44 | Sherborne Times | January 2017

www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 45

landscapes have seen a 96% decline in recent years, Simon tells us. “We have to remember we are just one species among so very many,” he intones, his concern palpable. “To wreak such havoc in the name of ‘progress’ is unforgivable and entirely foolhardy.”

The children sip hot chocolate to the busy chatter of finches travelling in gangs from tree to tree. A single wren, meanwhile, darts in and out of the tall grass and along the fence. Drinks now downed and faces branded with chocolate grins, a log is carefully overturned in the hope of discovering a dormant slow worm or two.

Instead, we are greeted by more slugs and a giant bracket fungus. Onward and into the woods, a silence falls. This is ancient badger territory and now, without prompting, small voices speak only in respectful whispers. Creatures are everywhere here and will show themselves only if we clumsy humans embrace the stillness.

We come upon an oak tree, its girth so wide it takes six of us to hug it. Oaks can live for over 1,000 years.

They are short, wide and normally hollow, with rough bark. The branches look like antlers. I think of our stag, picking its way delicately over the sodden leaves of the woodland floor. The children start to climb and explore the tree’s ancient hollows, dark places offering the 46 | Sherborne Times | January 2017

woodland fraternity shelter from the onset of winter.

“Nature is a key objective for us at the National Trust, both its protection and our engagement with it,” adds Simon. “We need to get out there and enjoy nature, not preserve it in aspic.” Looking admiringly at the vast oak, Simon estimates that is likely to be around 600 years old.

We all share his hope that it will last at least another 200.

In times of uncertainty, I find myself turning to nature – to earth and water, soil and sky, to muddy fields and ancient woodlands. Placing a hand on the trunk of an oak tree that fought its way from the sod some 600 years ago puts things into a very clear perspective.

Contemporary concepts and political bickering are somehow suddenly trivialised, belittled. Here, losing boots in boggy ground, we are liberated.

It’s time to head back. The badgers remain hidden in their subterranean homes, no doubt aware of our presence and relieved to hear our crunching footsteps retreating overhead. We emerge from the woods into the early afternoon sun, rosy cheeked and gladdened. Our young companions are off again, sprinting into the wild. nationaltrust.org.uk With thanks to Sherborne Castle Estate

COFFEE BREAK Kafe Fontana 82 Cheap Street, Sherborne, DT9 3BJ @kafefontana kafefontana 01935 812180 kafefontana.co.uk Old School Gallery Boyle’s Old School, High Street, Yetminster, DT9 6LF 01935 872761 yetminstergallery.co.uk

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May 13th

Madness & Ska

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August 5th

Beach Boys November 25th

Lee Pashley Does 70’s & 80’s December 16th

Legends of Rock December 22nd

Big Band Swing Night

June 23rd

Robbie Williams September 23rd

The Wurzels

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December 15th

Elton John & Meatloaf December 21st

Jersey Boys

December’ 31st

New Year’s Eve Big Band Bond Night

George Albert Hotel Wardon Hill, Evershot, Nr. Dorchester, Dorset DT2 9PW Tel: 01935 483430 www.gahotel.co.uk www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 47

Food & Drink

GIVE IT THE BULLET… Giles Dick Read, Reads Coffee Roasters

J

anuary… That time of year when we feel obliged to try new regimes in a brief attempt to assuage the guilt of Christmas excess. Forgive me for sounding grumpy, but few things bug me more than fads. There you are, minding your own business, doing something the way you’ve done it for years when along comes some smart alec who reinvents the idea as his own, brands it up while adding in ridiculous names and claims – then goes and makes a fortune from it by exploiting the wallets of a band of misguided lemmings. Next thing you know he’s moved on to the next big thing, the lemmings have leapt off their financial cliff and you’re left in his wake wondering what all the fuss was about. Most annoying.

The coffee world seems to be a magnet for fads. One in particular has been on my mind since a friend living in Nice started bending my ear about the phenomenon that is ‘Bullet Coffee.’ Brainchild of a yak herdsman sometime back in tenth-century Tibet, Bullet Coffee owes its recent 48 | Sherborne Times | January 2017

popularity entirely to the selflessness of a gentleman from California. He decided to reinvent it a few years ago for the betterment of the worried wealthy of Monaco and such places, who felt they needed to counteract a loss of energy sometime between breakfast, their second swim of the day, a tumble with the tennis coach and lunchtime.

Now I happen to be very fond of Monaco, so I’m not knocking the place or the locals’ lifestyle – lucky things.

But I do struggle a bit with the apparent health benefits of our Californian friend’s concoction, which essentially blends coffee, butter and coconut oil into a high-fat energy drink, to be consumed in a few gulps instead of good old egg and bacon. In my mind that’s close to heresy, so we’re not off to a great start.

Needless to say, the Californian-sold coffee isn’t just any coffee, it’s ‘certified clean coffee;’ the butter is no ordinary spread, being ‘grass-fed ghee;’ and the coconut extract has morphed into – I joke not – ‘Brain Octane

Oil.’ What do these super-ingredients have in common?

Firstly, they are available from our Stateside friend at around twice the price of their real-world counterparts, easily found at your local coffee roaster and either of Sherborne’s supermarkets.

Inevitably, the Bullet had to be tried. To start with, in its lowest form. I simply lobbed a spoonful of beurre très ordinaire into the blender with a cup of my morning filter brew. Full of scepticism I took a swig of the frothy output and, help, it tasted really rather good. There’s absolutely nothing worse than trying to write about something you really want to find fault with, only to find it’s OK. Damn that Californian! The health claims that come with the Bullet are principally that it will give you bundles of energy and you won’t feel hungry between breakfast and lunch, both of which make sense as there’s no doubt as to how calorifically packed with useful fat it is. I can also understand the claim that fat in the Bullet effectively blunts the caffeine spike from the coffee, helping you to think better without jitters. Google does a much better job of explaining the science behind this than I ever will, so I’ll leave that for you to research.

Let’s wind back to Tibet and take a look at where it

started. Yak butter blended into strong tea is a national staple and ideal sustenance for a population living and working outdoors at high altitude in intense cold. Polar explorers are also famed for including raw butter in their diet, where huge fuel input is needed to sustain them in extreme conditions where calories burn quicker than banknotes in a casino. You’ll no doubt have spotted the common theme of arduous exercise in a harsh environment. If you’re someone with a Himalaya in the garden, the Trois Vallées next door, or who regularly takes part in Ironman competitions, then the Bullet may be perfect for you. If, however, your daily routine starts with a stroll to the office on a chilly January morning, be very careful, as all that energy needs to be burnt – thoroughly.

As for the Californian gent, whose name is Asprey… enough said. Last I heard, the friend who brought all this to light had bunked off to Bali in a grand lifestyle move. For me, there’s no substitute for the pleasure of a proper breakfast. However, if I had a seriously hard day outdoors ahead, I could just be tempted to give the morning brew both barrels. readscoffee.co.uk

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01935 481010 www.readscoffee.co.uk www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 49

Food & Drink

SALT COD AND LEEK GRATIN WITH PARSNIPS AND TARRAGON Sasha Matkevich, head chef and owner, The Green with Jack Smith, apprentice chef An uncomplicated comfort dish that’s great for midwinter gatherings (serves 8) Ingredients

750g salt cod (soaked overnight) 250ml milk 250ml water 250g leeks, sliced 500g parsnips 3 large free-range eggs, hard-boiled and chopped 1/2 bunch tarragon, chopped 20g unsalted butter 1 heaped tablespoon plain flour 100ml double cream 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 4 tablespoons fresh breadcrumbs 1 teaspoon ground white pepper Method

1 Poach the salt cod in milk and water for 10 mins.

2 Strain and reserve the cooking liquid.

50 | Sherborne Times | January 2017

3 Flake the fish into a gratin dish, taking care to remove any bones.

4 Wash, peel and dice the parsnips, cook in salted water for 5 mins, add leeks and cook for a further 2 mins.

Add to gratin dish.

5 Preheat the oven 180C. 6 Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour and stir over a low heat.

7 Pour in a little cooking liquid from the cod to make a smooth paste before pouring in the rest of the liquid, stirring constantly until it comes to a simmer and forms a smooth sauce.

8 Add mustard, cream and white pepper and simmer gently for 5 mins.

9 Add chopped tarragon and eggs and pour the sauce over the mixture in the dish.

10 Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the surface and bake for another 10 mins, until golden brown.

11 Serve straight away. greenrestaurant.co.uk

SPICY BRAISED BEEF CHEEKS Jane Somper, Goldhill Organics

We are normally veggie-centric here, but we do enjoy locally sourced grass-fed meat too. Working with a butcher, we have been able to visit the farms across Dorset that supply the meat for our boxes.

As it’s dark and chilly at night now, we want something warm and comforting – and also something that we can cook in advance that will maybe last for a couple of days. We were introduced to beef cheeks by the butcher and they have not disappointed. A delicious, cheaper cut that is full of flavour and tender when cooked slowly. This recipe will surely warm you up.

Ingredients (all approximate – you can up

the amounts if you want to cook a giant batch) 1kg of beef cheeks, cut into chunks ½ litre of beef stock 4 big garlic cloves, sliced 4 tbsp rapeseed oil Thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and sliced 2 onions, sliced 1-2 chillies (depending on how hot you can go), deseeded and chopped 2 tbsp plain flour 3 tbsp dark soya sauce 1 tsp 5-spice powder

3 tbsp Chinese wine or sweet sherry Sprinkle of sugar Method

1 Heat oven to 150C. 2 Using a pan suitable for the oven, fry the garlic, ginger, onions and chilli in the oil for a few minutes until they are soft, then remove from the pan.

3 Coat the chunks of beef cheek in the flour and add to the pan in batches, browning all sides – add more oil if you need to. Remove all from the pan and set aside.

4 Turn up the heat under the pan and add the 5-spice powder, then return the garlic, ginger, onions and chilli to the pan and stir for about a minute.

5 Add the sugar, followed by the meat and ensure it is all covered by the fragrant spice mixture. Pour the wine into the pan and stir to get all the flavours mingled together.

6 Add the hot beef stock and soya sauce, bring to the boil, replace lid and pop in the oven for 1 hour. At this stage, give the meat a stir then place back in the oven for another hour.

7 Serve with your favourite rice (we are addicted to brown short grain) and any kind of wilted greens. goldhillorganics.co.uk www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 51

Food & Drink

BUBBLY David Copp

“I’m forever blowing bubbles Pretty bubbles in the air They fly so high Nearly reach the sky…”

S

o goes the chorus of this American song, written in the last year of the First World War. It became a major hit on Tin Pan Alley before crossing the channel to be sung in British music halls in the 1920s and later being adopted by West Ham United FC as their club anthem.

Bubbles are put into wine to make us happy and, as we approach New Year’s Eve, it is timely to review the many different bubbly options.

Effervescence was once considered a wine fault. In fact Dom Perignon, in charge of wine making at the Benedictine monastery of Hautvillers in Champagne, was ordered to get rid of the bubbles because carbon dioxide made the bottles burst, often causing cellar workers facial damage from flying glass.

Dr Christopher Merret, a seventeenth-century English scientist, came to the rescue. He understood what was causing the problem and recommended a solution. His motivation was the fact that the English actually liked the bubbles and wanted to keep them, because they represented good fun and lightheartedness.

It may have been lightheadedness, because sparkling wines are more quickly absorbed into the blood stream and the imbiber becomes merrier more quickly!

Merret understood that carbon dioxide (at five or six atmospheres, twice the pressure of the average automobile tyre) required thicker glass and a stronger stopper. Britain’s technology was more advanced than the French. (Let’s hope it remains so after Brexit!) We were using coal-fired kilns for glass making, which produced stronger glass than the French wood-fired kilns. And in 1703 we entered into the Methuen treaty with Portugal, by far the largest European supplier of 52 | Sherborne Times | January 2017

cork. All that was needed was a wire device to hold a thick cork stopper in place. Thus it may reasonably be claimed that sparkling wine was a British invention.

But the Champenois had three things in their favour – limestone chalk soils (formed in Kimmeridge, Dorset, before going under the Channel to re-emerge in Champagne, Burgundy and the Loire), chardonnay and pinot noir grapes that gave finesse and richness of flavour respectively, plus a climate that allowed the fruit to ripen but with a good sugar-acid balance. It is acidity that gives life to the fruit and preserves it well in the bottle.

So the Champenois set the standard for sparkling wine and have been refining it ever since to the extent that one can say without fear or favour that they produce some of the very best sparkling wines in the world.

However, as champagne’s popularity soared so did the price of its grape-growing land, which is why several leading champagne houses bought land in the Loire Valley and, led by Taittinger, in the chalk lands of southern England.

Wines made outside the borders of the Champagne region cannot take the name ‘champagne.’ But they can use the words Methode Champenoise, which basically means secondary fermentation in the bottle, usually for a year or more, before the dregs are expelled and the wine finally corked and labelled for sale.

Sparkling wine is often preferred for celebration but, in France, it is a natural accompaniment to cuisine. Now that it has become so popular, it is produced in almost every major wine producing country and you will find different descriptors (mostly translations of sparkling) such as cremant, frizzante, spumante, sekt and cava.

Each of them has their own style. Asti spumante tends to be made with moscato, a sweeter grape, while frizzante is a lighter, slighter style, as is prosecco. In Australia they make superb sparkling white wine in Tasmania and very good sparkling shiraz. There also a host of sparkling rosé wines, often made from pinot noir.

I love fine vintage champagne but, at £30+ a bottle, I keep it for very special occasions. This New Year we shall be sharing sparkling Saumur from Gratien & Meyer, a German champagne house that has a reputation for producing extremely good wines at a third of the cost of vintage champagne.

Other members of the family favour crémant de Bourgoyne, Törley Hungarian sparkling wine, cava from Codorniu, made in the mountains south-west of Barcelona, or prosecco from Veneto in Italy. All of them have mastered the art of making and maturing pretty bubbles. www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 53

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Animal Care

REDWATER

Gemma Loader BVetMed MRCVS, The Kingston Veterinary Group

B

abesiosis, otherwise known as redwater, is a disease affecting cattle which is transmitted by ticks. In the UK, the principal strain is babesia divergens. The disease is predominantly seen in adult cattle and once they have been infected they should develop a lifelong immunity.

Our late-summer to early-autumn months presented a high prevalence of this disease within the practice. This was due to the fact it had been so mild, thus prolonging the tick season.

When an infected tick feeds, it injects the babesia parasite into the bloodstream of the cow. Babesia then invades the red blood cells and multiplies inside, eventually causing them to rupture.

Clinical signs

• High temperature and tachycardia • Dark red, bloody urine (port or red wine-coloured due to haemoglobin, produced by the rupture of the red blood cells) that becomes darker with time • Initially diarrhoea, then becoming constipated after approximately 36 hours • Isolation from the rest of herd and reluctance to move • Abortion • Weak and depressed • Anorexia Onset of clinical signs is generally from two weeks post-infection.

Diagnosis

Generally based upon presentation as described above, especially if ticks have been noted on the animals or the cattle are grazing pastures known to harbour ticks. Confirmation can be achieved by taking a blood sample and creating a smear to see the parasite under a microscope.

Treatment

Most mild cases tend to recover without treatment.

In severe cases, where clinical signs are more apparent and the animal is sick, an antiparasitic drug needs to be administered. Early treatment is essential as, once the animal becomes anaemic and weak, the chance of survival is low.

Prevention

Tick control is important where there is a heavy challenge. Several products are available for this purpose, including topical spot-ons. The antiparasitic drug can be used as a preventative (as well as treatment) and groups of cattle may be injected before being exposed to the risk. Unfortunately there is no vaccine available in the UK. For more information about protecting your cattle from redwater please contact The Kingston Veterinary Group on 01935 813288 kingstonvets.co.uk www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 57

CYCLE SHERBORNE Peter Henshaw, Dorset Cyclists Network Mike Riley, Rileys Cycles

T

here’s a wonderful film on YouTube (and how many conversations start like that these days?) entitled Cyclists’ Special. It’s a 15-minute short produced by British Transport Films in 1955, showing a special train laid on by British Rail for cyclists on a day out from London to Rugby. From the specially equipped guards van to the buffet – serving weak tea and suspect-looking sandwiches – it all looks like ripping good fun, worth watching for the baggy shorts and knobbly knees alone.

This could be my cue to write about how wonderful it was in the good old days of guards’ vans and steam, when you just turned up on your bike and boarded any train you liked, no questions asked. Except that I’m not, because you still can take your bike on the train – there are restrictions to keep to and busy trains to avoid, but the bike-train combination is still a great way to get a ride further afield, especially if you don’t have a bike rack on the car.

Full-sized bikes (as opposed to folders, which I’ll come to in a minute) had few restrictions on trains into the 1980s. Privatisation put a stop to that, but in the years since then the train companies have softened quite a bit. As there are over 20 train operating companies, there are over 20 rule books as well – so sometimes similar trains leaving from the same platform, but run by different companies, will have different rules for bikes.

But take heart, because it’s not quite as bad as it sounds. In practice, if you avoid rush hours, use the designated cycle space and co-operate with the guard, you should be OK. Our very own South West Trains, which run on the main line through Sherborne to Waterloo one way and Exeter the other, happily take bikes. There are at least two bike spaces per train – usually more, on a longer train – and you don’t have to book. However, you do take pot luck. If the bike spaces are already full, then you have to wait for the next train.

A little cycle logo on the side of the carriage indicates where the bike spaces are.

First Great Western (FGW) is our other local 58 | Sherborne Times | January 2017

Train Operating Company (TOC), running along the Weymouth-Bristol line through Yeovil Pen Mill, Thornford and Yetminster. Here again, you don’t need to book and outside rush hour there’s usually room – fold-up seats allow for up to four bikes in each train.

Train buffs will know that FGW also runs the iconic InterCity 125 trains, which are a bit long in the tooth now but retain a sort of guard’s van, so they can even take tandems. Still, you never see one of those on the Dorset section, unless it’s been rerouted or the driver’s lost. Not so long ago, FGW ran ‘Summer Special’ trains to Weymouth, complete with a proper guard’s van, but not any more, sadly.

Trains may not have guard’s vans any more (with a few exceptions) but they still have guards, who have quite a bit of discretion where unusual luggage is concerned. Some are sticklers, but many are flexible and if you make sure you use the proper bike space, don’t get in anyone’s way and are considerate, there shouldn’t be a problem.

Of course, you can avoid all this hassle with a folding bike, as long as it’s a compact one with small wheels – the big, fold-in-half ones don’t count. Don’t be put off by small wheels, as the best compact folders – such as the Brompton or Tern – are lightweights with a good range of gears. More to the point, as long as they’re folded, you can walk onto any train and they count as hand luggage.

Whatever bike you happen to be riding, the trainbike combination offers some good days out. Take the train to Exeter then get on your bike and ride the trafficfree path down the Exmouth estuary, cross the river on the tiny ferry and come back the other side. Or cycle to Yetminster or Chetnole (mind the steps at the latter), put your hand out to stop the train (yes, really) and head to Weymouth with its complete network of cycle paths right out to Portland. Or go the other way to Bristol and ride the Sustrans Bristol and Bath Path to see what all the fuss is about, then along the canal to Trowbridge and catch the train home from there. Train plus bike – it’s a good combination. PH

M

y uncle’s 80th birthday is coming up and his tradition is to book the snug and some sandwiches at the Jolly Taxpayer in Portsmouth. I usually take the train over with my bike and hop off at Fratton station, cycle through town and enjoy celebrating with him. To work off the excesses, I have been known to take the train the next day to Brockenhurst and cycle home. Even on a busy train, when seats and bike spaces were full, I chanced it, stood holding my bike in the standing area and was not asked to get off. If taking your folder on public transport, some companies may insist it is in a bag to stop transferring dirt/grease. One of the nicest transportable bikes I have seen is the Airnimal, which has a wheeled small suitcase to carry it in and rides as well as some non-folding bikes.

If you do not like small wheels, Montague bikes – used

by US paratroopers – are an alternative. MR dcn.org.uk rileyscycles.co.uk www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 59

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Body & Mind

REFRESHING YOUR WARDROBE Lindsay Punch, personal stylist

T

he new year comes with an abundance of ‘new year, new you’ marketing campaigns, that expect you to change your whole self just with a little bit of willpower. Realistically, come February, you’ve reverted back to the ‘old you’ and failed to implement change. I like to look at the new year as an opportunity to refresh – whether that’s to refresh your thinking, your attitude or your style, it allows you to be more authentic to yourself. If one of your goals is to shake up your day-to-day style choices, small adjustments to your existing wardrobe can reignite a love with your clothes.

Too often, people think a refresh means forking out on a number of new items. In reality, it’s not about what you wear but how you wear it.

Most wardrobes only need a couple of hours to review the existing inventory. What have you got that makes you feel loved? Pull it out and wear it. Sometimes we base what we are wearing on what others might think of us, but the most important person to please is you. When you’ve dressed with the intention of pleasing yourself, you’ll feel confident and comfortable in any situation you’re thrown into. That could be your faithful jeans and T-shirt, or the most colourful outfit you own.

You may come across some things that haven’t seen the light of day in a year, five years or even 10 years, or got crammed into the back of your wardrobe with the tags still on them. Ask yourself, do you love it? If not, find it a new home. Charity shops in Sherborne are plentiful, but if you need to raise some cash to replace some wardrobe

staples, opt to sell through the pre-loved boutiques to give your clothing a second life. For designer and unique gems head to Clare’s Designer Dress Agency on The Green, or for good-quality high-street pieces visit Arabella’s Dress Agency, 243 Westbury.

Once you’ve seen what you own, pick out a selection of your favourite pieces and recreate three different looks with it. Experiment with layering, mixing prints, colours and shapes. This comes much more easily if you have a colour palette to focus on and know the shapes and styles that best suit your figure, so consider a seasonal colour analysis or shape and style consultation with a stylist.

Assessing your own style can be exhausting. We tend to be more self-critical of ourselves and how we look.

Getting a second opinion from an honest friend, relative or stylist will help you with some additional style choices you hadn’t considered, as well as being a lot of fun. You may be left with fewer items than you had anticipated.

However, pulling from an organised wardrobe filled only with pieces you feel good in will have you falling in love with your clothes and yourself – not just in 2017 but for years to come.

Lindsay is hosting a Colour Analysis Masterclass on Thursday 19th January at 7.30pm. Sherborne venue TBC, Cost £40. To book your place call 07969 557004 or email info@lindsaypunchstyling.co.uk lindsaypunchstyling.co.uk www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 61

Body & Mind

PARTY BAGS!

A

Sarah Hitch, The Sanctuary Beauty Rooms

t the dawn of each new year, we tend to reflect on our lives and think about our goals or aspirations. Often we resolve to bring in positive changes by reconsidering our habits, choices and routines.

It is not surprising that this feels important, after over-indulgence, late nights out and the overall frenetic nature of the holiday season! Our poor bodies can be left feeling sluggish and frazzled – in fact, it often feels like a relief to get back to normality.

However, when we resolve to start looking after ourselves, break dubious habits and make better lifestyle choices – if only for a while! – our bodies and our skin in particular can improve dramatically. The latter is our largest organ of elimination, weighing in at an average 10-15lbs and measuring a startling 20 sq ft when stretched out. Many of us are guilty of neglecting the skin, usually because we’re pushed for time and too busy having fun. Nonetheless, starting January on the right note with a deep cleansing and a rejuvenating professional facial will go a long way towards turning it from lifeless to luminous.

Post-party skin generally needs help on three fronts: fatigue, sensitivity and breakouts. The festive diet, lack of rest and increased booze intake lead to more toxins, fewer nutrients and inhibited cellular repair.

So restoring and reviving our lacklustre complexions after our end-of-year burnout requires a multi-faceted approach – addressing everything from daily skincare routines to dietary and lifestyle changes.

To combat skin fatigue, sensitivity and breakouts 62 | Sherborne Times | January 2017

you need hero products that will hydrate, restore barrier function and brighten the skin. Your professional skincare therapist can help you make the right personal choices for you and your skin.

Look out for products containing encapsulated retinol, green tea and vitamin C. Vitamin C makes the skin brighter and is a building block for collagen. It also strengthens and brightens the skin, promotes healing and prevents flushing. Aim for an intake of 1000mg a day as a dietary supplement and, if possible, use a skincare product that is saturated with it. Hyaluronic acid is one moisturising ingredient that is particularly effective in helping skin feel silky-smooth and plumped, as it can hold 1,000 times its own weight in water.

Serums, too, are a great way of drenching your skin in moisture, as the molecules are smaller and so can travel deeper into your pores, getting results in a shorter space of time. When it comes to cleansing, avoid acidic soap and alcohol based toners, opting instead for watersoluble cleansers with milky formulations that are balanced to the ph of the skin. Remember, breakouts can just be a response from the body under pressure and are often temporary. If you do suffer from one, focus on a good diet, relaxation, great cleansing and healing products to eliminate troublesome areas. Always seek professional skincare advice when unsure – we’re only too happy to problem-solve for you.

Here’s to 2017 and your best skin ever! thesanctuarysherborne.co.uk

THE AUTHORITY ON HAIR Christine Roberts, lead stylist, Robin James Salon and Spa

B

eing the start of a brand new year, I thought I’d share my top hair tips for 2017…

Condition. In a consultation, one of the first things

I ask a client is always what they would change about their hair, if they could. The answer is invariably either the texture or the condition. My advice? Let’s get 2017 off to the right start with a deep scalp and hair cleanse, followed by a reconditioning treatment. We call it a spa for your head. It begins with a restorative scalp treatment and ends with a transformative hair moisture or repair treatment. Your hair will look shinier and healthier as well as feeling soft and silky.

Shape and Style. There is no better time to look at

your complete image than at the start of a new year.

Getting those resolutions off the ground is far more straightforward if you start with the things can be

changed easily. A new haircut always gives you a boost and particularly at this time of year – you can jump into January already feeling better about yourself. A side effect of feeling great is that it makes less enjoyable tasks – such as sticking to that diet – less of a chore. Try it!

Colour. Get over those post-Christmas blues by taking

a fresh look at your hair shade. Assuming you are not heading off to the mountains or a beach this January, I strongly recommend brightening up your hair with a colour injection to help you through the drab winter days once the decorations comes down. Richer golds, brighter blondes and more shine mean you’ll be smiling all the way to springtime!

From me and the whole team at Robin James, Happy New Year. robin-james.co.uk

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Now available, Walking Netball and Football 01935 818270 www.oxleysc.com Bradford Road, Sherborne DT9 3DA

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Body & Mind

REWARD AND MOTIVATION Natasha Williams, fitness manager, Oxley Sports Centre

I

t’s the new year. The indulgence of the festive season may have left you feeling guilty and possibly a little bit heavier. This is the time when a lot of people reflect and make resolutions for the year ahead – often ones that relate to lifestyle, diet and exercise.

Many want to see quick changes and become disheartened when they don’t get quick results. Perhaps the jeans in a smaller size still don’t fit, your time for the 10k run isn’t a lot faster, or you still struggle to swim 10 lengths without stopping. The rewards don’t seem to be there. This is the time when that little voice in the back of your head starts to say, “Why should I go to this effort and deny myself the things I like, when I still don’t reach my goals? That’s it. I quit.” Don’t listen! Try to adopt a different approach.

Start smart. When you adopt something that’s new or go back to something you haven’t done in a long time, there is a very good chance that it will be hard or you can’t keep up with others. You’ll ache the next day and probably ache even more the day after. Starting small – such as staying for the first half of a class the first time you go, or trying two or three lengths of continuous swimming 64 | Sherborne Times | January 2017

before building up to more each week – will give you a much greater sense of achievement than a single mammoth effort, resulting in your throwing in the towel.

There are many other rewards which you can promise yourself that don’t relate to physical outcomes. Try to focus on something other than the outcome of each gym session or class. How about an evening of relaxation in front of the TV? If you’ve committed to hit the gym every night after work, rewarding yourself with a movie marathon, Sky+ catch-up or box-set binge on a Friday night will feel like bliss. ( Just keep the TV snacks healthy.) If your goal is weight loss, how about putting a pound coin in a piggy bank after every workout session to start saving up for those new skinny jeans? Use the metaphor of saving ‘£’s’ while you lose ‘lbs’ to help push you through. When you reach your goals and lose the weight, you’ll need all the money for your brand-new wardrobe! Another possible reward could be a pamper session. Treat yourself to a facial or massage to say well done for completing your sessions in a month.

Getting help along the way is another way of keeping

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you going. Joining something with a friend or starting a challenge with professional help will mean that you’re not alone – you will have someone to cheer you along and give you the push you might need at times when you’re feeling low. It’s worth remembering that you may not be able to see your results easily. Religiously following the number on your scales won’t be a true reflection of the fitness you will have gained, the improvement in the quality of your sleep or the increase in energy that will result from regular exercise.

Oxley Sports Centre will be running its annual ‘Shape Up Challenge’ in the New Year. Agree to challenge yourself and you will be rewarded for your efforts. Free coffee? That free massage? Or even free membership? If that sounds like the push you need, then sign up for a consultation between 3rd and 15th January to take part. Open to all – you don’t even need to be a member. oxleysc.com

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Body & Mind

NEW YEAR’S RESOLVE Luke Pender-Cudlip, Sherborne partner and office head, Knight Frank

I am very pleased to welcome Luke Pender-Cudlip to our merry team of contributors. This month — as is customary — Luke muses on New Year’s resolutions.

Having conquered mountains, marathons and the English Channel, Luke began a slow, ungainly descent into the sofa. Now, after 10 years of inertia, he’s hauling himself back onto the exercise horse. GC

A

new year and the ‘inner voice’ whispers, speaks or shouts, (depending on conscience and mindset), “What am I going to do to shape up the mind, body and soul this year?” The easy part is making a list. The top five resolutions are getting fit, being healthier, losing weight, enjoying life more and getting the finances sorted. Apparently 40% of us make 66 | Sherborne Times | January 2017

some sort of list every new year, but only about 8% achieve what we set out to do. The motivational coach will say keep your goals SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and within a Timetable). I would say keep your goals to a minimum. If you have a long list, it ain’t gonna happen.

The one thing I have wanted to do for years is to get fit again, which also neatly ticks off four of the five points. However, I have managed successfully to dodge the issue. There is always an excuse – children, work, not enough time, too dark, too muddy. “Why bother?” also springs to mind. Being in denial about the consequences of not exercising is also a factor. According to the NHS, exercise can reduce your risk of major illnesses such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and cancer by up

to 50% and lower your risk of early death by up to 30%. All compelling stuff when you think about it.

However, having fallen off the fitness wagon ten years ago, I know that getting fit and healthy is easier said than done. With various leg injuries and lack of puff, being the wrong side of 50, I had resigned myself to never being fit again. This was a shame, as I used to enjoy sport – and especially endurance events. In my prime I undertook a number of charity fundraising events including the London Marathon, the 100km Maclehose Trail and the Three Peaks Challenge, which all culminated in me swimming the English Channel solo in 2006.

Sadly it all went to pot after this as the pendulum swung to the other extreme; the slow slipper shuffle from the kitchen to sofa with a lot of sighing was about as athletic as I got for about a decade.

However, I have recently rediscovered the joy of exercise. To my amazement I have even started to run again. There is a mixture of surprise, pleasure and evangelicalism about my new state.

For several previous new years, in a complicated mix of self-loathing and enthusiasm, I bought a new pair of trainers. This involved endless hours on the Internet, trying to source the miracle pair of trainers providing the powers of the Roman god Mercury’s winged sandals. Sadly they didn’t exist, but I tried to run anyway. To be fair, it was more of a wobble – a jog would be exaggerating the action – but after 200 metres I realised it was a bad idea and promptly gave up, chiding myself for doing something so stupid. I was never a good runner and running is boring anyway, I self-justifed.

So what got me back into running? Walking is the simple answer. Over the summer I increased my halfhour dog walks very gradually. After three months I was able to walk up to about six hours. I had some fabulous walks with my wife, family, friends and often solo. I walked along the Jurassic Coast, in the woods, across moor and fell and discovered a magical threehour walk near where I live in South Somerset, across footpaths I did not know existed.

So if you are looking for a resolution this year, I would say you could do worse than dusting off your walking boots and getting out there. Start off gently. As the proverb says, “One step at a time is good walking.” knightfrank.co.uk/sherborne

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Body & Mind

PILATES POWER

T

Lucy Pollard

he series of slow, mindful, controlled exercises Joseph Pilates devised almost a century ago (these days called simply ‘Pilates’) are still producing magical results. Yet thanks to the Groucho Marx-style cigar clamped between his teeth and habit of wearing only a pair of exercise briefs (even on the streets of New York), Joseph would be barred from every sports centre in town if he were around today.

Life has moved on and many of the exercises conventionally found in Pilates have evolved in response to the findings of scientific and biomechanics research undreamt of in Joseph’s day. However, I’m sure this barrel-chested tour de force would have embraced the new thinking with his customary enthusiasm.

Even if you’ve never tried Pilates, I’m sure you’ve heard of it. Your GP may have advised you to find a Pilates class to strengthen your back, or your physio could have recommended a particular instructor to reinforce the work she’s been doing on your dodgy knee. Your wife may be taking a regular class, or your husband might be attending men-only sessions on a Saturday morning.

What’s amazing is that Pilates works for everyone, regardless of age or ability. By working the deep core muscles, it offers the kind of conditioning a regular gym session cannot. Personally, it has not only helped me manage my own back problem (which is what led me to

68 | Sherborne Times | January 2017

become a teacher in the first place), it has also influenced every aspect of the way I move through daily life, making me leaner and stronger along the way.

What’s not to like about a back that no longer ‘goes out’ every time you do some heavy lifting or spend 12 hours straight at your desk? Or gaining improved mobility through your shoulder or knees? How good would it feel to be free of stiffness the morning after a fiercely contested squash or tennis match? Have no sciatica two hours into a car journey? Be able to manage an arthritic hip or osteoporotic spine? Pilates can do all this and help you develop a lean, strong and flexible body, as well as stand taller, with better posture.

Pilates’s rhythmical movements, enhanced by steady breathing, are also a great distraction from stresses you have in your life, with the mindful relaxation at the end of each session as rewarding as the exercises themselves.

So, good people, here we are, your Pilates teachers.

To find us, contact any of the three sports centres we’re lucky enough to have in Sherborne or simply Google ‘Pilates Sherborne’ to search for us independent instructors. If JP would only take his cigar out of his mouth and put on a T-shirt, we might let him join too.

Lucy is starting a new Wednesday lunchtime class, PILATES CHILL in the new year (see lucypollardpilates.co.uk for details).

THE HISTORY OF MASSAGE Kate Kay, face and massage therapist, The Sherborne Rooms

M

assage is the practice of using touch as a healing method to help with injuries, relieve pain, reduce stress and promote a feeling of deep wellbeing and relaxation. Although opinions differ about the exact nature of the origins of massage, there is strong evidence to show that the basis of what we now know as massage therapy has roots in ancient civilisations and spans both the East and West.

Egypt is where we find the earliest written records of massage therapy. Around 2400 BCE a painting was found in the Tomb of the Physician. On the walls of the tomb was a painting depicting two men having their hands and feet kneaded.

In India we find the Ayurveda traditional holistic medical system, which has been used from approximately 3,000 years BC. Ayurveda strives to use the five senses to create balance in the patient.

Treatments include diet, herbalism and touch therapy.

Indian head massage has been practised for thousands of years and is a skill that is passed from generation to generation to provide relaxation and healing within families. It is routinely provided in barbers’ salons and is considered to be an essential part of a standard hair cut, though it was only in the 1970s that Indian head massage was introduced to the West by Narendra Mehta. He came to the UK to study as a physiotherapist and was surprised to find that massage of the head and scalp was virtually non-existent.

Massage arrived in Western civilisation in Greece, in approximately 800 BC The renowned Greek physician Hippocrates wrote, “the physician must have experience

in many things and assuredly in rubbing.” This was the first time we see evidence of massage being used to treat athletes. In addition to encouraging his patients to eat healthily, exercise and get enough sleep, Hippocrates was able to see how massage could be used to treat physical injuries. Techniques were developed to help athletes to keep their bodies in the best condition for competitions.

This tradition continues today, with modern athletes incorporating massage into their training regimes.

A few centuries later, we see massage coming to Rome. Galen, a physician to many Roman emperors, followed Hippocrates’s principles. He began using massage therapy to treat different types of physical injuries and help maintain a healthy body. While the wealthy received massages in their homes from a personal physician, many Romans were treated in the public baths. They would first bathe themselves, then receive full body massages from doctors to stimulate the circulation and loosen their joints.

Modern massage therapy is based on the techniques developed by the Swede Per Henrik Ling (1776-1839).

Swedish or classical massage uses the movements known as effleurage, petrissage and percussion as the basis for all forms of massage. Now the term ‘massage’ encompasses everything from the physical sports massage through relaxing aromatherapy massage, to the spa treatments of hot stone massage and lava shells massage. Building on ancient practices, massage is now a thoroughly modern therapy. katekay.co.uk thesherbornerooms.com

www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 69

Body & Mind

SEASONAL IMMUNITY Julie Ruggins BSc (Hons), medical herbalist, 56 London Road Clinic

W

e all know how important our immune system is, but we tend to take for granted that it will just keep ticking along without any interventions. If you have a healthy diet and lifestyle, then for most of the time it works just fine – but many factors can disrupt this. These can include poor diet, lack of sleep, stress and exposure to virus plus common colds, all of which are prevalent this time of year. This is when we need to reboot our immune systems. At this time of year, when our bodies need to adjust to temperature changes, fewer daylight hours and very little sunlight, our circadian rhythms (body clock) can be disrupted.

So what is the answer? What changes can we make to ensure we stay healthy, energetic and enjoy all that the season has to offer?

Firstly, how does our immune system work and how do we boost it? The immune system is our body’s first line of defence. It is made up of cells, tissues and organs that work as one to protect and ward off potentially harmful pathogens. This system produces white blood cells, proteins and chemicals that attack anything seen to the body as foreign; this becomes a race against time to destroy the invaders before they multiply.

We have all heard of the saying, “Prevention is better than cure.” As a herbalist, I love the fact that nature has provided us with all the plants we need to support and heal us. Some of my favourite herbs are those that we may consider to be culinary.

Ginger as a fresh root, combined with garlic and honey, brings quick relief to colds and flu.

Sage taken as an infusion provides relief to a sore

70 | Sherborne Times | January 2017

throat, relieves a cough and dries up catarrh.

Thyme is one of my key herbs when treating coughs and colds, catarrh and sinus congestion. When gargled and then swallowed, it can be very effective against tonsillitis.

Seasonal root vegetables are essential in our diet for providing valuable polysaccharides, known for their immune-stimulating and antioxidant effects. In the same way, we herbalists look to the benefits of using root herbs. I like to use liquorice, as it resembles adrenal hormones with its anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic properties. This is a valuable herb when treating bronchitis due to its demulcent properties. Siberian ginseng is thought to have been used in China for more than 2,000 years. Seen to boost immune function and protect against coughs and colds, it has been widely used on athletes to enhance performance and recovery rates.

In addition to all of this, I would advocate a diet rich in antioxidants to boost resistance to infection. Eat colourful foods such as berries, citrus fruits, kiwi, apples, red grapes, kale, onions, spinach, sweet potatoes and carrots. When the immune system is low, try to avoid things like alcohol and sugar, especially because microbes love sugar.

As this season lends itself to a little over-indulgence, remember your liver. Protective herbs such as milk thistle help to stimulate, repair and detoxify inflammatory damage, helping regeneration. Throw in some Vitamin D and you are good to go to the party!

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Body & Mind

SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER Dr Tim Robinson MB BS MSc MRCGP DRCOG MFHom, GP and complementary practitioner, Glencairn House

D

uring the dark winter months, the days are so short – you go to work in the dark and return home in the dark. It can be a miserable time of the year if combined with cold and wet weather. For many folk, this all culminates in feeling down or even mildly depressed – the condition known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

There is a physiological factor that contributes to this. The hormone melatonin is produced in our brain when it is dark. It has a sedating effect that can lead to a dip in mood and often depression. The more ‘dark,’ the greater the dip!

SAD can be tackled on a number of fronts. The most logical one relates to hours of sunlight. You can ‘top up’ the time you are exposed to the light by sitting in front of a light box – they are approximately the size of an A4 sheet of paper and cost from £30 upwards. Studies have shown that 20-30 minutes a day in front of a light box can help reduce SAD. Dietary measures are also relevant in reducing the SAD tendency. A mixed, balanced diet that includes all the essential vitamins and minerals is important. Studies have shown that selenium and vitamin D, as well as omega-3 fish oils, are beneficial. If your lifestyle does not allow you to eat healthily you can take a multivitamin-and-mineral supplement bought from your local pharmacy or health food shop.

The herbal medicine St John’s wort has also been shown to be helpful for those suffering from SAD –

72 | Sherborne Times | January 2017

studies have demonstrated it can be as effective as mild anti-depressants. Homeopathic treatment looking at the holistic, whole-person aspect of the patient could also be considered.

Lifestyle measures are equally important in combating the condition. Regular exercise has so many benefits, including weight control and cardiovascular health, but also in brain function. The naturally occurring hormone endorphin, the body’s ‘natural high,’ is released during exercise.

If the above measures are not effective and you find yourself stuck in your depression or becoming worse, seek advice from your GP. You need to be assessed for the severity of the condition. You may need talking therapies, a mindfulness course, counselling or treatment with an selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) anti-depressant to get you through the winter blues. It is nothing to be ashamed of – they can easily be stopped when the days start to lengthen and winter is left behind.

So to sum up – if you are one of the many SAD people who dread these dark months, act now to help yourself. A daily dose from a light box, a mixed balanced diet and regular exercise will all help. St John’s wort is also worth considering. If things seem particularly bleak, please talk matters over with your GP. Hopefully what I have advised will make your winter less SAD. doctortwrobinson.com glencairnhouse.co.uk

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Set in its own secluded, beautifully landscaped gardens, woodland and meadow, and with stunning views overlooking the Dorset countryside, it’s hard to resist the charms of the Old Vicarage. As soon as you step through the front door of this charming country house, you’ll discover an oasis of comfort, warmth, calm and relaxation.

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Property

THE TENANT ADMIN FEE BAN – WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR YOU? Anita Light & Paul Gammage, Ewemove Sherborne

A

t the time of writing the last article, the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement was imminent.

I recall pondering if the additional 3% stamp duty land tax, levied upon second-home owners, might be amended – however unlikely it appeared.

Now it’s been delivered, what does the banning of tenant fees mean? It’s unclear when this will be introduced. While Philip Hammond said it would be implemented as soon as possible, all indications are that this will be sometime in 2018. Mr Hammond believes that shifting the cost to landlords will save 4.3 million households hundreds of pounds.

This is clearly a progression of legislation introduced last year, whereby letting agents in England and Wales were made to publicise their fees clearly. In Scotland, letting agents’ fees to tenants have already been banned.

Is it right to remove these fees?

Personally we believe there is a middle ground and that there should be a cap. Is it not right and proper that the tenant should pay a fair proportion of the cost for elements of the process that protect them and the landlord?

What work is involved in these fees?

• The preparation of the contract between landlord and tenant(s).

• The schedule of condition and the inventory.

• Credit-checking the applicant(s) and their guarantor.

• Reference checks with previous landlords, agents and employers.

• All of the above take time and money and protect the landlord and the tenant. We believe that this fee – and it’s debatable what a fair fee should be – should only be charged to the tenant when they have been offered the property.

78 | Sherborne Times | January 2017

Why is there an issue with the fee?

There is no doubt that some letting agents levy expensive fees just to apply for properties – and this forms part of their income stream.

Richard Lambert, chief executive at the National Landlords Association (NLA), said, “There’s no doubt that some unscrupulous agents have got away with excessive fees and double-charging landlords and tenants for far too long.

Agents will have no other option than to shift the fees on to landlords, which many will argue is more appropriate, since the landlord employs the agent.”

Where will this fee be absorbed?

David Cox, managing director of the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA), added, “If fees are banned, these costs will be passed on to landlords, who will need to recoup the costs elsewhere – inevitably through higher rents. The banning of fees will end up hurting the very people the Government intends on helping the most.”

And that, in a nutshell, is the conundrum. Will something designed to protect tenants ultimately manifest itself in higher rents? If so, then you could argue that the removal of an upfront fee is effectively spread out over the period of the tenancy.

What we would very much advocate, as per our current operating model, is the removal of tenant fees just to apply for a property and only charging a fair fee to the successful applicant, pending verification of references. ewemove.com/sherborne

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Finance

SAILING INTO THE FUTURE Andrew Fort B.A. (Econ.) CFPcm Chartered MCSI APFS, Certified and Chartered Financial Planner, Fort Financial Planning

84 | Sherborne Times | January 2017

M

ost of us will start the month with some new year’s resolutions. I’m sure that getting healthier by going to the gym is highest on most people’s lists, but financial goals are also a popular choice – whether it’s saving for something important, reducing debt or being more careful about what we spend.

But how many of us will be thinking longer term and setting up a plan for the future? Do you ever find yourself thinking about what you would like to do with the little time you have left on this planet? Will you have enough money to enjoy your future? Could you afford to help your family financially when they need it most? A financial plan can certainly help answer these questions or show you how they could be achieved.

Embarking on such a plan is like sailing round the world. The voyage won’t always go to plan and there will be rough seas, but those who are prepared, flexible, patient and well-advised, greatly increase the odds of reaching their destinations. A mistake many inexperienced sailors make is not having a plan at all.

They embark without a clear sense of their destination – and, once they do decide, they often find themselves lost at sea in the wrong boat with inadequate provisions.

Likewise, in planning an investment journey, you need to decide on your goal. A first step might be to consider whether the goal is realistic and achievable. For instance, while you may long to retire in the south of France, you may not be prepared to sacrifice your needs today to satisfy that distant desire.

Once you are set on a realistic destination, you need to ensure you have the right tools to get you there. Have you planned for multiple contingencies? What degree of ‘bad weather’ can your plan withstand along the way?

Key to a successful voyage is a good navigator. A trusted financial planner is like that, regularly taking coordinates and making adjustments, if necessary. If your circumstances change, the planner may suggest you re-plot your course.

As with the weather at sea, markets can be unpredictable. A sudden squall can whip up waves of volatility, tides can shift and strong currents can threaten to blow you off course. Like a seasoned sailor, an experienced planner will work with the conditions.

Once the storm passes, you can pick up speed again. Just as a sturdy vessel will help you withstand most conditions at sea, a well-diversified portfolio of savings and investments can act as a bulwark against the sometimes tempestuous conditions in markets.

Circumnavigating the globe is not exciting every day. Patience is required with local customs and paperwork as you pull into different ports. Likewise, a lack of attention to costs and taxes are the enemy of many a long-term financial plan.

Distractions can also send investors, like sailors, off course. In the face of ‘hot’ investment trends, it takes discipline not to veer from your chosen plan.

Like the sirens of Greek mythology, media pundits can also be diverting, tempting you to change tack and act on news that is already priced in to markets.

A lack of flexibility is another impediment to a successful investment journey. If it doesn’t look like you’ll make your destination in time, you may have to extend your voyage, take a different route to get there or even moderate your goal.

The important point is that you become comfortable with the idea that uncertainty is inherent to the investment journey, just as it is with any sea voyage – that is why preparation and planning are so critical. While you can’t control every outcome, you can be prepared for a range of possibilities and understand that you have clear choices if things don’t go according to plan.

If you can’t live with the volatility, you can change your plan. If the goal looks unachievable, you can lower your sights. If it doesn’t look like you’ll arrive on time, you can extend your journey.

Of course, not everyone’s journey is the same. Neither is everyone’s destination. We take different routes to different places and we meet a range of challenges and opportunities along the way.

But, for all of us, it’s critical that we are prepared for our journeys in the right vessel, that we keep our destinations in mind, that we stick with the plans and that we have a trusted navigator to chart our courses and keep us on target. ffp.org.uk

www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 85

Your Life, Your Money, Your Future Trusted, professional, fee based advice We live in a complex world. At FFP we aim to remove complexity, replacing it with simplicity and clarity so that our clients can enjoy their lives without worry

FFP is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority

Telephone: 01935 813322 Email: info@ffp.org.uk Website: www.ffp.org.uk

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The value of investments and the income you get from them may fall as well as rise, and there is no certainty that you will get back the amount of your original investment.

86 | Sherborne Times | January 2017

Tech

T

he convenience of Wi-Fi for most people is invaluable. Whether it is at home or out and about, we long to get connected wirelessly as mobile data is limited in speed and an added expense. As such, being able to access it, any time and any place, is essential to how we now live. The availability of public Wi-Fi is growing all the time in shops, bars and cafés, but there are risks associated with signing up to public hotspots which many people seem to forget. We’ve all done it. We’ve all gone to a coffee shop and clicked to connect to the free Wi-Fi, without a second thought for whether it’s legitimate or secure.

Here are a few tips to staying safe on public Wi-Fi.

Avoid accessing sensitive information

Check the authenticity

Use two-step authentication or 2FA

Always ask the owner of the Wi-Fi hotspot for the correct network name and password. Be wary if there is no password, as this will mean the connection is unencrypted and pay close attention to potentially spoofed hotspots that bear close resemblance to the official name.

Enable two-factor authentication where possible. This adds an extra layer of protection by sending you a text code every time you login. HMRC use this!

Look for https

You should ensure that the web pages you visit are https-encrypted where possible. You can check this by looking for ‘https’ at the start of the page address, or for the green security padlock sign. This indicates that the website – and that page – has a valid digital certificate and up-to-date encryption. DON’T do online shopping or banking on unencrypted websites.

Update before you go

Staying abreast of the updates that are available for your laptop is essential. You should keep your web browser, software and antivirus solution up-to-date, as such an antivirus engine will scan, detect and remove the latest threats.

By and large, public wireless networks should not be used to access email, online banking and credit card accounts, or any other sensitive data for that matter.

Your best bet is doing that from home, where hopefully your internet service provider-delivered router is both password- and firewall-protected.

Manually select Wi-Fi networks

Make sure your laptop, tablet or smartphone are set to manually select a Wi-Fi network, rather than having it connect to public hotspots automatically.

Logout when finished

Don’t stay permanently signed in to your personal accounts when accessing public Wi-Fi hotspots as you may leave yourself exposed. Log out from each website after each session.

Turn off Wi-Fi if not in use

If you want to guarantee your security and you’re not actively using the Internet, simply turn off your Wi-Fi – the longer you stay connected, the longer the crooks have to notice you’re there.

Coming up next month…

Banking, shopping and paying online computing-mp.co.uk www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 87

Gas and oil appliance servicing, repair and installation plus all aspects of general plumbing Local, friendly, qualified and accredited professional

Please call Patrick O’Loughlin on

07590 121599 or 01935 815613 Phelps Heating Solutions Ltd, 57 Granville Way, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 4AT

phelpsgas@yahoo.com

BRYAN C. COOPER LTD TRADITIONAL BUILDERS - Since 1968 -

A family run Sherborne business established for over 45 years Renovations, Extensions and Alterations, Patios, Boundary Walls and Fencing _________

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www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 89

Literature

LITERARY REVIEW John Gaye, Sherborne Literary Society

The Silk Roads: A New History of the World

by Peter Frankopan (Bloomsbury 2015) £10.99 Exclusive reader offer price of £9.99 at Winstone’s Books

uantitative easing, credit crashes, currency controls, globalisation… all terms that trip off the tongue today and seem a very modern malaise of the twenty-first century. But these have been around for at least 2,000 years, as long as trade has taken place between peoples and nations. While we in Britain were still swinging in the trees and rolling rocks for strange ceremonies on Salisbury Plain in glorious island isolation, the sophisticated developed world was centred further to the east and to the south. To be specific, around the periphery of the Mediterranean Sea, in that huge area we now call the Middle East and throughout the length and breadth of Asia.

This book, published last year but still featuring in the best-seller lists, is a wonderfully easy read as it romps through the history of the developed world. This was until relatively recently centred around the many and varied trade routes known loosely as the Silk Roads.

The Silk Roads were the conduit for trade between nations and brought enormous wealth to all those involved – not just at the supply and demand ends of those routes, but also for every nation and people through which trade flowed. Every city between eastern China and southern Europe benefited, not least centres such as Samarkand, Palmyra, Merv, Baghdad, Damascus, Isfahan and Constantinople. So also Venice, Genoa, Dubrovnik, Alexandria, many maritime cities in India and along the east coast of Africa were huge beneficiaries of this trade.

90 | Sherborne Times | January 2017

Wealth and trade also brought about other huge advantages in spreading and developing scientific knowledge. Eastern Europe and the Middle East were incredible founts of knowledge in all the sciences such as medicine, algebra, astronomy and chemistry. The first alphabet was developed in present-day Syria and amazing artistic skills were brought on as nations could afford to pay artists for their skills. However, trade routes also brought about a few major disadvantages such as plague, pestilence and the Mongols.

Did you know that the Mongols got as far as Western Europe before fortuitously being called home for what might be called loosely a general election on the timely death of their leader?

Another fascinating consequence of this international movement was the spread of, and demand for, religious knowledge. As empires waxed and waned throughout the regions, so too did the three main religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam, which were all competing for influence from the Pacific Ocean through to Spain.

Frequently they co-existed in harmony, although there were often disputes within each belief as schisms developed which continue to exist today.

This book should be required reading for all those who are involved in our country’s negotiations for Brexit.

It demonstrates the vital importance of global trade, not only to benefit our nation but also to ensure the development of those nations less fortunate. sherborneliterarysociety.com

Short Story

BITING OFF MORE THAN YOU CAN CHEW

B

Roy Leask

ack in the 1950s there were not many apple trees growing in the far north of Scotland. Those that did, survived in south facing places, sheltered from artic winds. Wee Dougie, who had a taste for apples that far exceeded his mother’s willingness to buy them, knew exactly where they were located.

Just off the high street, espaliered on the other side of a high wall that protected the doctor’s garden, was a whole row of apple trees, ripe with late-September fruit. Sometimes the solid, wooden garden gate was left open and wee Dougie, on his way home from school, would be tempted.

He had already pocketed a few and sunk his teeth into another when he was spotted by the doctor’s young son. A shout went up: “Hey, Dad! There’s a bygie stealin’ oor ayples!” Wee Dougie bolted, pursued by the doctor’s son. Across the high street he fled, up Oag Lane past the Boys’ Brigade hall and into Louisborough Terrace. He thought he was getting away until he heard the pounding of heavier feet. The doctor was on the case and giving chase.

Halfway down Louisborough, wee Dougie felt the doctor’s hand on his collar, then a swift cuff round the earhole. What made matters worse was that his parents were patients of the doctor. He turned out his pockets and was told that, if he ever took apples again, his parents would know about it.

With a sore head and a bruised ego, wee Dougie trudged off home. His mother, unknowing, greeted him with a smile, asking what lessons he had learned. He let out a deep sigh and mumbled about the dangers of biting off more than you can chew and that apples were not how to keep the doctor away. www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 91

My Ironing Lady

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For all your domestic ironing requirements Collection service available Call 07821 698654 Email ironing@myironinglady.com Or visit www.myironinglady.com

Extensive range of wool

Buttons, ribbons & crafty bits

Yarn, haberdashery and workshops Tel: 01935 508249

1 Cheap Street, Sherborne, Dorset, DT9 3PT www.theslippedstitch.co.uk

See website for workshops

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Small Business Support

Networks & Cabling

New PCs & Laptops

Wireless Networks

Repairs & Upgrades

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Virus Removal

Disaster Recovery

The Weighbridge • High Street • Milborne Port • DT9 5DG www.mpfix.co.uk Therapy & Addiction Services

Dog Training Classes in Sherborne Starting Sunday 8th January 2017 Call now to secure your place!

The Pet Experience

01963 250788

CROSSROADS PET SUPPLIES LTD All Pet Accessories Retail & Wholesale

Training & Behaviour Ltd Sarah Easterbrook CoPAS GoDT, IACP Member Qualified and experienced dog trainer & pet behaviourist

Phone now on: 07769 705807 Or email: sarah@thepetexperience.co.uk www.the-pet-experience.co.uk

01935 411859 Find us at Forward Garage on the A30 between Sherborne & Yeovil

FENCING & GATES Supplied and erected by the

SHERBORNE & DISTRICT FENCING Co. Free Estimates No VAT

01935 330095 92 | Sherborne Times | January 2017

Wayne Timmins Painter and Decorator • • • • •

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Wills

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24 hour emergency callout General plumbing and heating Evening and weekends Friendly and professional service No job too small Tel: 01935 584 034 | Mob: 07718 476 549 info@oakleighplumbing.co.uk www.oakleighplumbing.co.uk

Plu m b i n g & H eati n g Ltd Local & reliable plumber. Gas Safe registered, fully insured • New build • Renovations • Boiler installations • Vented & unvented cylinder installations

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Biskup Property Maintenance Ltd have rebranded, we are now Home Selection Service and Budget flooring available Carpets ~ Naturals ~ Vinyls ~ Contract Flooring Tel: 01963 441276 Mobile: 07855 743796 glen@inspiration4floors.co.uk www.inspiration4floors.co.uk

With over 17 years experience, we are the local experts and a family business you can trust.

Supply • Installation • Sanding • Treatment • Polishing Mobile: 07812 345169 | Office: 01935 825220 www.wychwoodoakflooring.co.uk

Tiling & Flooring General Renovation Painting & Decorating Kitchen & Bathroom Fitting Roof Repair & Damp Proofing Fascia & Soffits Repair & Replacement Window Repairs & Replacement Guttering Repair & Service Rendering & Plastering Loft Conversions Floor Screeding

New 24 Hour Quote Service 07809 238525 | tom@homeworks.io www.homeworks.io www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 93

All in the Balance

French and Italian Tuition

Vintage watch repairs, restoration and sales

Do you or your children need help with languages?

Experienced, qualified languages teacher. All abilities - beginner, GCSE, A level, holiday and business use.

Telephone Michael on 07926 980381 or email: info@allinthebalance.co.uk

Amanda Donnelly 07739 972538 languagetutor19@gmail.com

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ACROSS 1. Electrically charged particles (4) 3. White flakes in the hair (8) 9. Swims like a dog (7) 10. Venomous snake (5) 11. ___ Witherspoon: actress (5) 12. Statement of commemoration (7) 13. Magical potion (6) 15. Make beloved (6) 17. Bear witness (7) 18. Awaken (5) 20. Country in SE Asia (5) 21. Making beer (7) 94 | Sherborne Times | January 2017

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22. Opposite of westerly (8) 23. Single entity (4) DOWN 1. Very subtle (13) 2. Push gently (5) 4. Reply (6) 5. Lexicons (12) 6. Offence (7) 7. Boxing class division (13) 8. Unlawful (12) 14. Puts inside something else (7) 16. Musical instrument (6) 19. Labour organisation (5)

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Crafting quality timber buildings and gates since 1912

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Wishing you a very HAPPY NEW YEAR

Menu du Jour Offer

3 courses for £22 or 2 with a glass of wine*

Impeccable Sublime Best in the South West Trip Advisor December 2016 3 The Green, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3HY 01935 813821 @greensherborne www.greenrestaurant.co.uk *Available evenings Tuesday - Thursday and lunchtimes Tuesday - Saturday