Issuu

Issue 50

New showrooms now open at Bypass Nurseries, Capel St Mary and Glasswells, Ipswich

Town Council Update

Cllr Graham Steady

As government guidelines are eased and normal day to day life, albeit slowly, returns the council are looking to carry on improving and

maintaining services and facilities. The town centre refurbishment is nearly complete, the Lido is being made ready to open in June, in line with our environmental policy trees are being planted from The Grove Corner to Maltings Road, The Lozenge Nature Area is being refurbished, new seating is being installed at Gravel Field The Neighbourhood Plan committee have had its first meeting with 16 participants, town planners have been engaged. The towns In Bloom Team are raring to get back in the swing of things and to keep Brightlingsea blooming .The towns businesses have given great support to our community in difficult times I would now urge our community to support our local business’s even more. Issue 50

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Issue 51: 27/04/21 Issue 52: 27/05/21

Simply Magazine assumes no liability or responsibility for any inaccurate, delayed or incomplete information, nor for any actions taken in reliance thereon. The information contained about each individual, event or organization has been provided by such individual, event organizers or organization without verification by us. The opinion expressed in each article is the opinion of its author and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Simply Magazine. Therefore, Simply Magazine carries no responsibility for the opinion expressed thereon. Any form of reproduction of any content without the written permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited. For information on advertising or submitting a article please email David Cook at: Simplycolchester@gmail.com or call 01206 233717 / 07734 171985

Bridgerton - by Julia Quinn

A Good Read

Ah, the Regency Era. The world of Jane Austen, elegant women dressed in the sumptuous fashions or the era, and dashing young men, all navigating a world of parties and courtship. Julia Quinn drops us into this intriguing world in her bestselling novel Bridgerton: The Duke & I, the first in the series. Most people will know it through its highly successful adaptation on Netflix, but the original source material is well worth reading. We are introduced to the Bridgerton family with their 8 children (all named alphabetically). Mrs Bridgerton is eager to find a husband for her eldest daughter, Daphne, and it would appear that all of British high society – known as the ton – is lapping up the latest gossip. At one of many balls she attends, Daphne meets the rather irascible Simon Basset, the Duke of Hastings. The two form an unlikely friendship and, since neither of them is interested in marriage, they agree to a fake courtship, in the hope of avoiding advances from prospective husbands and wives.

But can it really work? And are they really so averse to marriage? One of the charms of this novel is that you are reminded that no matter what era we are born into, we are all basically navigating the same pitfalls in life. Enjoy the ride!

The Big Ugly Monster and the Little Stone Rabbit - by Chris Wormell

steps in them. Animals and birds run away from him. Flowers drop their petals and trees lose their leaves.

Sometimes we all feel lonely. Sometimes all we want is a friend.

But one day he decides to make his own friend out of stone, and he carves a little stone rabbit.

The Big Ugly Monster is no different. This wonderful picture book tells the story of a monster who is so ugly that no one will go near him. Lakes, rivers, and puddles hiss and dry up when he

We learn that he is only ugly on the outside and that he is a faithful, loving friend. A moving story that will stay with you long after the final page.

Word Search Can you find all of the circus-related words hidden in the grid?

Applause Arena Big top Caravans

Circus Clowns Costumes Highwire

Hoops Horses Jugglers Knife thrower

Music Parade Ringmaster Safety net

Sawdust Sequins Sideshows Strongman

Answers on page 9 6

Swing Tents Ticket Top hat

Quick Crossword Puzzle Spanish Baked Eggs

An Easter breakfast with a continental twist

Preparation time: 15 minutes

ACROSS 3 Old East German follows river to find perch (5) 8 Fool is one from Italian city (6) 9 Everyone is accommodating English friends (6) 10 Two notes from operatic heroine (4) 11 Not moving goods yet (5-5) 12 Thus African country produces African (6) 13 Capsize open vessel (8) 16 Gaunt young Irene performs in musical (5,3,4,3) 18 Teen reformed with gaol stretch (8) 21 Police force has those people on film (3,3) 23 New peer’s given ring portraying Zeus’s daughter (10) 25 US general’s the dregs (4) 26 Give daughter a note perhaps (6) 27 The Italian is after fast food (6) 28 Play about District Attorney in the present time(5) DOWN 1 American who inhabits the White House? (6) 2 One toiling at unravelling lawsuit (10) 3 Wine gets Sir Nigel drunk (8) 4 Over the moon, having climbed Everest? (2,3,2,3,5) 5 Deal with equipment (6) 6 Idiot wants 150 books (4) 7 Retailer of wine collection, say (6) 12 Very hard worker is left inside bar (5) 14 Back home, I’ll follow cake with pasta (10) 15 Group of musicians not touring Tyneside (5) 17 Working honestly or dishonestly? (2,3,3) 19 Ollie upset wife so keep out of sight (3,3) 20 Computer manufacturer needs time to produce program (6) 22 Quote me retrospectively? It’ll make you sick(6) 24 Openers for Sussex caught and bowled but this chap’s not out (4)

Cooking time: 25 minutes Serves: 2 Ingredients 2 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, finely sliced 120g Chorizo, sliced 1 yellow pepper, finely sliced 1 orange or red pepper, finely sliced 2 cloves garlic, crushed ½ tsp sweet smoked paprika 400g can chopped tomatoes 1 tbsp capers (optional) 2 large eggs (4 if you’re really hungry!) 2 tbsp fresh chopped flat-leaf parsley 2 thick slices of bread Method

6. Use a frying pan with an ovenproof handle. Heat the olive oil, then add the onion and chopped chorizo. Soften for 5 minutes. Add the peppers and cook for a further 2-3 minutes until they soften too. Stir in the crushed garlic and sweet smoked paprika, cook for another 1 minute. Pour in the tomatoes and add the capers, lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, until the tomatoes reduce and thicken a little. Make two or four wells in the thick sauce and gently crack an egg into each. Place the pan into the preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny. Towards the end of the cooking time, toast the bread. Removes the eggs from the oven, scatter with the parsley and serve with the toasted bread, drizzled with a little olive oil.

Preheat the oven to 200°C, gas mark

SOLUTIONS ACROSS:1 paltry. 4 suitable. 9 Romanov. 11 doyenne. 12 reed. 13 scare. 14 mace. 17 in the doghouse. 19 slap in the face. 22 Ahab. 23 scuba. 24 rage. 27 impasto. 28 eternal. 29 Scorsese. 30 editor. DOWN:1 portrait. 2 lambert. 3 rand. 5 under the table. 6 toys. 7 bandage. 8 eleven. 10 Victoria Cross. 15 cedar. 16 Auden. 18 jeweller. 19 shampoo. 20 against. 21 rabies. 25 Isis. 26 mead.

Declutter Live with less

Hard Times

If you can’t lay your hands-on items quickly because they’re buried under piles of junk; if you’re constantly ‘stuffshifting’ - moving things from one pile to a new ‘temporary’ pile; if you find yourself thinking, “I can’t throw this away, it might come in useful one day,” you’re probably a clutter victim.

A water softener might change your life

One of the side-effects of the events of 2020 was that many of us had more time and less money. We embraced a simpler, slower, less covetous lifestyle and many of us feel we’d like to keep something of that as we move towards a post-pandemic world. There was a collective realisation that possessions are less important than the people we missed. A decade ago, Californian blogger Dave Bruno set himself the year-long experimental task of reducing his belongings to just 100 items. When his experiment concluded he found he

wanted to keep living by his new rules, preferring simplicity to consumerism. His book is worth seeking out. Since then, whole movement has developed around the aim of a simpler, more minimalistic lifestyle. There are some great blogs and podcasts available: The Practical Minimalists, and The Minimalists are two worth listening to. Listen to them for inspiration while you declutter. I’m not recommending a sparse monastic lifestyle, but most of us put far too much time, effort, and money into acquiring, keeping, and storing possessions. Sometimes it’s good to let go. If you’re ready to de-clutter, then we have a few simple tips. If you feel you need help, there are experts in decluttering who will guide you through the process of letting go.

You probably know that water can be rated 'hard' or 'soft’, but do you know what those terms actually mean> Water has varying levels of hardness based on calcium carbonate concentration. Water with less than 60 mg/L of calcium carbonate is considered soft, 61-120 mg/L is moderately hard, 121-180 mg/L is hard, and above 180 mg/L is deemed very hard.

Deal with one room at a time The task will seem less daunting. Stick with that room until it’s finished. Choose a nice day Take the room contents outside. Psychologically it’s easier to sort and let go if you’re one step removed. It’s also less likely that the clutter will make it back inside. Sort everything into three piles Label them dump, donate, and keep. Be realistic: if the item in question hasn’t been used for over a year it is unlikely you will ever use it. Deal with the dump and donate piles Do this before anything comes back into the house. It’s much harder to mess up your good work if the stuff is physically gone. Sort and label Place the remaining items in clearly labelled boxes. Make sure there is one temporary box to house items which really belong in

another room. As each room is sorted those items can be replaced, and other misplaced items can be housed there while the de-cluttering process continues. Replace everything that remains The maxim ‘A place for everything and everything in its place’ is a good one. House small items in clear plastic boxes and store them in cupboards or wardrobes. Now you’re done instigate a one thing in: one thing out rule. It will make you think twice about acquiring something if you know something else has to go. Finally, once a week, take two bags and go through your home. One bag is for rubbish, the other for items in the wrong place. When you’ve finished throw the rubbish away and replace the misplaced items.

The water from your tap is safe to drink whether it's hard or soft. Hard water may even have a few health benefits by fulfilling your dietary needs of essential minerals, such as calcium and magnesium. But while hard water is safe to ingest, the effect of hard water on hair and skin can be s different story. Hard water can leave behind a slight film making skin and hair feel less clean to the touch. It might cause dandruff in your hair and irritate skin problems such as eczema. Washing clothes with hard water can cause the clothing fabric to break down more quickly over time, leave spots on dishes, and residue on your work surfaces and shower screens. Over time mineral build-up in your pipes may cause them to clog, and you'll likely see build-up on shower heads and taps. A water softener solves these problems by processing the hard water to turn it into soft water. Water enters the softener and passes into the resin or media tank where it goes through a simple process that removes calcium, magnesium carbonate and manganese, leaving only soft water to exit the softener and be used around

your home. Plumbing a good water softener into your household supply is an investment for your home. It will eliminate the limescale caused by minerals which build up and leave that white powdery residue which clogs shower heads and pipework, makes surfaces appear dirty and reduces the efficiency of your appliances. Often, we don’t think about our appliances until they break down. The most common reason for early appliance failure is limescale build-up which corrodes the heating elements of your kettle, washing machine, dishwasher, coffee machine and heating system. By removing the limescale, you start to protect your appliances, they work better, live longer, and cost you less money over time. Another benefit is no stains and marks on dishes, glasses, and pans. Your bathroom remains clean and shiny too with less scrubbing and harsh chemicals. You need less detergent in your washing machine and less salt in your dishwasher. Shampoo, soap, and conditioners will also last longer. Finally, over a period of time, your softened water will remove scale from the inside of your water pipes, hot water cylinders and shower heads…we all know how expensive an emergency plumber is, so arrange for a non-emergency plumber to fit a water softener instead and start enjoying the benefits.

All that Jazz creating a rich and exciting new blend of sound.

International Jazz Day - April 30th International Jazz Day brings together schools, artists, historians, academics, and jazz enthusiasts all over the world to celebrate and learn about jazz. Jazz began in the early twentieth century in New Orleans, in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The port of New Orleans meant the area was a melting pot of different nationalities and their musical influences: Spanish folk music, French military band music, Ragtime, European ballroom dance music, and Blues music all had an impact on the birth of Jazz. Jazz wasn’t written down in the same way as classical music; the styles and tunes evolved as they were passed on by ear. Black musicians in particular, were for the most part not classically trained, and began to express themselves through jazz. These musically agile instrumentalists and singers improvised around a main melody, often the popular folk and blues tunes of the era,

Although the ‘Jazz Age’ was in the 1920s, jazz never went away, it evolved through various incarnations. Talented soloists like Louis Armstrong pushed jazz in the direction of virtuosic improvisers, weaving their music around each other. Swing was a smoother, more easy-listening sound, popularised by the pianist and composer Duke Ellington. This was followed in the 40s and 50s by the Latin influences of Dizzy Gillespie, who collaborated with other musicians to bring jazz into the mainstream. Charlie Parker pioneered modern jazz (be-bop) which challenged many listeners with its complex experimentations in rhythm and harmony. Miles Davis on the other hand developed a more gentle, understated style. Free jazz ignored all the previous rules and constraints on harmony and structure which many people disliked. During the past 50 years jazz evolution has accelerated through jazz fusion – which fuses jazz solos with other musical styles - and acid jazz, which draws on soul, funk, disco and hip-hop. Well known pioneering acid jazz groups include 'Jamiroquai', and ‘The BrandNew Heavies'.

Be Social, Be Safe How safe are your online interactions?

It’s easy to share our lives with the world today. It only takes a few clicks to share those special moments with family and friends. Social media has been a lifeline for many during the pandemic. But the Information we share may end up being available to a far wider group than our immediate social circle, and with hundreds of millions of users online, unfortunately some of these people may have sinister agendas. By sharing information about our lives, we offer potential criminals the opportunity to gather useful information about us. Even information which seems harmless may be a useful to criminals looking to perpetrate a scam. Remember these five tips: Friendships - When accepting friend requests be cautious. Do you know

whether their profile is real, or could it be fake? Manage your privacy settings – Only share information with people in your network. Check the settings regularly in case there are any changes. Never divulge personal information - Be suspicious of anyone who asks you for your information that may be used to identify you, such as a social security number. Change your passwords frequently - . Choose a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols. It’s best to use different passwords for each account. Close old accounts - Don’t risk leaving personal data in an old account. Close accounts that you don’t use and delete as much personal information from them as possible.

Word Search solution from page 6

How to play Sudoku it’s simple! Fill in the grid so that each row, column and 3x3 box, contains the numbers 1

through to 9 with no repetition. You don’t need to be a genius. These puzzles use logic alone. Watch out! Sudoku is highly addictive.

Garden View This month - Hoe! Hoe! Hoe! Following on from last month’s list of essential garden tools for beginners I thought I’d explain about the humble hoe. When I first started gardening, I didn’t really understand how to use one. There are a couple of varieties of hoe and they are used in different ways, and they really are your friend at this time of year. The hoe is actually one of the most ancient garden tools and came before the plough. It’s mentioned in Egyptian art, the Code of Hammurabi and in the Bible. The reason spring is a great time to put your hoe to good use is because right now is when the annual weeds (the ones that self-seed freely and pop up all over the place every year) have started to germinate. The aim when hoeing, aim to sever the top growth from the roots, just below the soil surface, then leave it in the sun to dry out and die. Hoeing is best done when the soil is dry as this creates a ‘dust mulch’ which inhibits the germination of new weeds. I prefer a hoe with a long handle

because it’s better for preventing back pain. I also have a short-handled hoe known as an ‘onion hoe’ for closely planted areas. A shorted handle gives more control, so you don’t damage your prized plants. It’s important to note that hoeing only kills the annual weeds, not the deeprooted perennial weeds, those need to be dug up by hand. There is also a tool called a Dutch hoe. This is used by sweeping it smoothly over the soil so that the surface is just ‘brushed’. If used correctly it slices the tops from the weeds. It’s actually simple to use but you do need to practice your technique. Slice the tops of weeds by bringing the hoe towards you, altering the angle to accommodate slopes. When you turn over a Dutch hoe you can use it to make a shallow trench called a seed drill to sow larger seeds, like peas into. Larger seeds are better because they need to be covered well. Your hoes need to be kept sharp and well maintained for maximum effectiveness. I use a metal file to both

clean and sharpen, but you can buy sharpening stones reasonably cheaply and they are easy to use.

Happy gardening

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Lay a Litle Egg For Me

Quick Crossword Puzzle

Are eggs good for us?

Easter is all about rebirth which is the reason that eggs feature large. They are pretty amazing things, from the way they’re constructed to the way they taste, and this is doubly true when they are constructed from chocolate! But joking aside, an egg is something that has all the ingredients to grow a chick, so it's nutrient dense. If there was such a thing as a perfect food, the egg would be a candidate. Eggs are readily available, easy to cook, affordable, versatile, and packed with protein. They also have the effect of helping our bodies absorb nutrients from other foods better, so eating an egg with a salad, for instance, increases the vitamin E we absorb from the meal. Eggs have a controversial past because they contain cholesterol. The yolk contains around 185 milligrams of it, which is more than half of the 300mg which until recently was the recommended maximum. Cholesterol is a yellowish fat produced in our liver and intestines and found in every cell in our body. It's actually a crucial building block in cell membranes, and the body needs it to make vitamin D, testosterone, and oestrogen. Humans produce all the cholesterol we need on our own, but it’s also found in animal produce such as beef, prawns, eggs, cheese, and butter. It's transported around our body by lipoprotein molecules in the blood. Every person has a different combination of lipoproteins, which play a role in determining our risk of developing heart disease. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol – is often referred to as 'bad' cholesterol. It's responsible for clogging up blood vessels and increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease. LDL cholesterol is found in some animal products, but the majority of LDL cholesterol in our

diets is made artificially and found in foods like margarines, snacks, and some deep-fried and baked foods, such as pastries, doughnuts, and cakes. Meanwhile, along with prawns, eggs are the only high cholesterol food which is correspondingly low in saturated fat. Studies have repeatedly found that saturated fat increases blood cholesterol, and that there is no link between egg consumption and cardiovascular disease. Some cholesterol may actually be good for us. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (also known as 'good' cholesterol) travels to the liver, where it’s broken down and removed from the body. HDL is thought to have a protective effect against cardiovascular disease by preventing cholesterol from building up in the blood. Cholesterol circulating in the blood contributes to heart disease but having a higher ratio of HDL cholesterol to LDL cholesterol reduces the risk. Healthy humans regulate their own cholesterol, so if they consume dietary cholesterol, they make less cholesterol themselves. But some people struggle to regulate, and they might be wise to limit their egg intake...as well as their intake of other foods high in LDL.

ACROSS 1 Agile, lithe (4) 4 Inferior cut of meat (5-3) 8 Devour, guzzle (6) 9 Rough, stormy (6) 10 ____-detached, a house (4) 11 Sailing (8) 13 ______ Loren, Italian actress (6) 15 ______ Hemmingway, author (6) 17 Dormer window (8) 20 Large brass instrument (4) 21 Poppycock (6) 23 Cared for, tended (6) 24 Distress, trouble (8) 25 Children's board game (4)

DOWN 2 Directory of names and numbers (5,4) 3 Rude, noisy, aggressive (informal) (7) 4 Dingy, sleazy (5) 5 Salvage (7) 6 Spectre (5) 7 Brief sleep (3) 12 Epistaxis (9) 14 Saintly, virtuous (7) 16 Instinctive, innate (7) 18 Even, equal (5) 19 Forceps-like tool (5) 22 Branch of the armed services (Abbr) (3)

But it’s not all about cholesterol. Eggs have some great health benefits. They contain choline, which may help protect us against Alzheimer’s disease. Egg yolks are also one of the best sources of lutein, a pigment that has been linked to a lower risk of developing the eye disease macular degeneration. Lutein acts like a blue light filter, protecting the delicate retinal tissue So do indulge in an egg for Easter, maybe don't eat lots of them every day though...especially the chocolate ones!

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Surgery Update Website: www.colnemedicalcentre.nhs.uk Facebook:@Colnemedical Online services Did you know that since April 2015, you don’t have to wait on the phone to speak to your GP surgery? Just like online banking, you can look at your GP records on a computer, a tablet or a smartphone, using a website or an app. You can choose to: •

Book and cancel telephone appointments with your doctor or nurse practitioner online, when it suits you.

•

Order repeat prescriptions online.

• Look at your GP records online. You can look at your records whenever you want, even from the comfort of your home, and find answers to questions you may have without ringing your doctor. Online services are free to use and are another way of contacting your surgery. You can still ring the surgery if you prefer. Anyone can benefit from using online services How to sign-up It is not hard to start using online services; we will need to check who you are to make sure you only see your record and not someone else’s. Just like your bank or the post office when you pick up a parcel, we want to protect your records from people who are not allowed to see them. The steps below explain how this works. 1.

Tell the surgery you would like to start using online services or visit the website www.colnemedicalcentre.nhs.uk/online-requests/

Download or email a request for a short form to fill in and sign to confirm you agree with the information on the form.

We will then check you are who you say you are. This is done in one of three ways:

•

Photo ID and proof of address, for example, a passport or driving licence and a bank statement or council tax statement – Post covid restrictions.

•

If you do not have any ID and are well known to your surgery, a member of staff may be able to confirm your identity.

• If you do not have any ID and are not well known to your surgery, they may phone and ask you questions about the information in your GP record to confirm the record is really yours. Once your GP has authorised your account you will be sent a letter with your username and password. It will also tell you about the website where you can login and start using online services. Tips to help with hayfever There’s currently no cure for hay fever and you can’t prevent it. As we approach hayfever season you can do things to ease your symptoms when the pollen count is high. Do

put Vaseline around your nostrils to trap pollen

wear wraparound sunglasses to stop pollen getting into your eyes

shower and change your clothes after you’ve been outside to wash pollen off

stay indoors whenever possible

keep windows and doors shut as much as possible

vacuum regularly and dust with a damp cloth

buy a pollen filter for the air vents in your car and a vacuum cleaner with a special HEPA filter

Don’t

cut grass or walk on grass

spend too much time outside

keep fresh flowers in the house

smoke or be around smoke – it makes your symptoms worse

dry clothes outside – they can catch pollen

let pets into the house if possible – they can carry pollen indoors

Speak to your pharmacist if you have hay fever. They can give advice and suggest the best treatments, such as antihistamine drops, tablets or nasal sprays to help with: itchy and watery eyes and sneezing or a blocked nose Audiology appointments From Monday 12th April Scrivens Hearing Care will be running audiology clinics at the surgery again. Patients who are already registered with them can contact them direct on 0800 027 4487 if they need to be seen. New patients who are concerned about their hearing should contact the surgery and request an audiology screening appointment or visit their website https://scrivens.com/hearing/ for an online hearing test and more information. Thank you for reading Katie Pirie Practice Manager

Cluck me!... Michaels do Mortgages too now? The Michaels Property Group are cock-a-hoop to announce that Michaels Financial, our very own Mortgage Brokers is now up and running and off to a flying start. If you’re scratching around for finance to assist with the purchase of a new home for you and your brood, call our chirpy Financial flock on 01206 984644 to arrange a free, no obligation Mortgage consultation today... and discover the difference of mortgages the Michaels way.

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Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage. As with all insurance policies, conditions and exclusions will apply. Buy to Let Mortgages are not usually regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.