SILVER MAGAZINE Issue 1 www.silvermagazine.co.uk

S I LV E R THE OFFICIAL FIRST ISSUE AU T U M N / W I N T E R 2 0 2 1 £ 3 . 2 5

the nak ed truth

Could you gift your children their inheritance now?

It’s often traditional for parents to leave their children an inheritance, whether that’s a grandparent’s treasured belonging, the money from the sale of the family home or a cash sum.

Like many parents, you may be watching your children struggle financially, perhaps with university fee’s, repaying debts or finding it difficult to save for a deposit for their first home – you might want to help them now rather making them wait for their future inheritance. And, that’s where a lifetime mortgage may help.

27%

Release tax-free cash to help your loved ones

Designed exclusively for homeowners aged 55+, a Legal & General Lifetime Mortgage is a loan secured against your home that could allow you to help your children and loved ones now, rather than later: • Release £10,000 or more tax-free cash • Choose whether to pay all, some or none of the monthly interest • Guarantee no negative equity The loan is usually repaid when the last borrower dies or moves out of the home into long-term care. Interest is charged on the loan, plus any interest already added. So, the amount you owe will increase quickly over time and remember, if you gift money, the recipient may have to pay inheritance tax in the future (find out more at gov.uk/inheritance-tax).

Getting the right advice

of people who took out a lifetime mortgage in 2020 used it to gift money to their family or friends.*

We know there’s a lot to think about, that’s why it’s important to us that you get the right financial advice. Our team of specialist advisers are ready to help you make sense of it all. They’ll check if your house is eligible, talk you through all your options, discuss if any means-tested benefits you’re entitled to may be affected, they’ll even tell you if its not right for you, as there could be cheaper ways to borrow money. If you’re considering a lifetime mortgage give our team a call today to find out more, with no obligation, we’re always happy to help.

Call us today for free on:

0808 296 6192

Lines open Monday to Friday, 9am–5pm. Calls may be recorded and monitored.

legalandgeneral.com/gifting Legal & General Home Finance Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Legal & General Group plc. Registered in England and Wales number 04896447. Registered office: One Coleman St, London EC2R 5AA. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Legal & General Financial Advice Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Legal & General Group plc. Registered in England and Wales number 11901252. Registered office: One Coleman St, London EC2R 5AA. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. * Key Market Monitor, Full Year 2020 Results

LG002601 / September 2021

mission statement

A

n indignant friend of mine took to Facebook

fine. The point of SILVER is twofold – we want to challenge

this week to post a photograph of a

ageism; and we want to uphold freedom of choice. Be a

magazine her husband had bought her. I won’t say

yacht-racer, or be a sofa-snuggler, both are good. It’s the

which one, but the cover star is 75, and the coverlines

assumption that we are largely the latter that bugs me. It’s

were all about cooking, pretty dresses (seriously), or how to make Christmas magical.

Now I’m all for a magical Christmas if that’s your bag,

time to reflect on the real diversity of our age group.

In order to be sure we understood that diversity, we made sure we asked you. We created a huge survey, sent

don’t get me wrong, and there’s absolutely nothing bad

to thousands of people, to ask them everything about

about being 75, but she is 50-odd. She was absolutely

their lives, so we understood you fully. You can read the

horrified to be handed a magazine supposedly aimed at

results on page 14. We aren’t here to be some kind of

her age group, and end up feeling like an ancient Stepford

crusading movement, but we are here to make sure we

Wife. Not sure how hubby is doing…

know you, and that we provide you with a magazine that will fire up your lives a little.

This is why we created SILVER.

Thank you for buying this magazine and taking a leap of faith. Even if you never buy another copy – and I hope

This friend teaches yoga, is a yacht-racing paddleboarder

you do – it’s enabled us to create something to challenge

who loves festivals, and regularly goes camping off

the norm, which is all I ever wanted to do. We are an

grid. She dances ‘til dawn, and travels widely. She is a

independent publisher without huge budgets to create

meditating vegetarian. She’s probably living a life that

new products and so without our readers we wouldn’t be

a couple of generations ago would be attributed to

here – and it’s taken a while, as those who subscribed early

someone in their 20s or 30s.

on will testify to! Thank you for your patience, and I really

She’s not alone in her lifestyle choices; millions of people

hope you enjoy SILVER Magazine.

over 50 across the UK – the world, in fact – are not acting the way our grandparents did. Not even our parents. I can

With love from

remember in the ‘70s thinking that 40 was really old. These days, even 80 doesn’t feel like a full innings.

I expect the cover has already told you that SILVER is going to be a bit different from the other magazines for this

Sam Harrington-Lowe

age group. Some of you will love it, some of you won’t. That’s

Founder and Editor-in-Chief

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E . C O . U K

@ S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E U K

03

contents

CONTENTS 06 #LifeBegins

S I LV E R

66 Simon Evans

the naked truth

THE OFFICIAL FIRST ISSUE AU T U M N / W I N T E R 2 0 2 1 £ 3 . 2 5

We gave him nootropics. Did they work?

08 Joe McGann

68 Nutrition

On love in later life

The benefits of medicinal

10 Jamie Lee Curtis

mushrooms

Fame, infamy, and Halloween

70 Tasty Things

14 Cover Story

Foodie must-haves

The Naked Truth: Just who do you think you are?

72 Baking

30 Rose Collis

Bake a GBBO cake. Plus a chance to win a GBBO cook book

Why have lesbians become invisible?

ISSUE # 1

74 The Isles of Scilly

32 Paul Burston

Perfect for spring or autumn

Gay life and Polari

78 Nick Lezard

34 “I lie about my tweakments”

Holiday reads

Find the best for your type

Get the look

84 Testing a Tesla

40 Health

88 Sport

Special offer

Georgia Lewis Carly Pepperell

Contributing Editor

55 Jeff Goldblum

90 Books

56 Fashion

92 Home Style

58 Gustav Temple

94 Daft Crafts

Stylish solutions for smaller spaces

Cool picks for winter

Holiday fashion for chaps

97 Quiz Page

62 Gary Kemp

“I’m a better songwriter in my 50s”

98 Horoscopes

14

10 08

62 S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E . C O . U K

Gemma Windham

Joe McGann Nicolas Lezard Rose Collis Paul Burston Simon Evans Emily Kerrison Gustav Temple Hot Features Kirsten Chick Jed Novick Miranda Levy Adam Jacot de Boinod Claire Petulengro

Extract from The Insomnia Diaries

Get the look

Erika Szostak

Vivienne Button

CONTRIBUTORS

racism lying down

The last of the festival fun…

Lyssandra Rutherford

Sales & Marketing Director

Why footballers aren’t taking

44 Fashion

Karen Davis Karen Pasquali Jones

Design & Art Direction

Sub Editor

You want to get into crypto?

43 Beauty Box

Deputy Editor Features Editor

Photography Director

86 Money

Get the best from your skin

Sam Harrington-Lowe

Beauty Editor

80 Cruises

39 Naomi Campbell

S I LV E R T E A M Editor-in-Chief

Advertise

advertising@silvermagazine.co.uk

Editorial enquiries

editor@silvermagazine.co.uk

P R I N T E D BY Gemini Print Group

84

44 72

@ S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E U K

66

We use paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council to print the magazine, which means that for every tree our printing uses, we plant five new trees in managed forests.

COPYRIGHT © 2021 Silver Magazine, Title Media Sussex Ltd All rights reserved. No part of the print magazine may be reproduced in any form in whole or in part without the prior permission of Title Media Sussex Ltd. All material published remains the property of Title Media Sussex Ltd and we reserve the right to copy or edit any material submitted to the magazine without further notice or consent. Any unauthorised copying, reproducing, or publishing of any content in this magazine without prior written permission will be seen as an infringement of copyright.

www.silvermagazine.co.uk www.titlemedia.co.uk

05

#life begins

#life begins

Primark responds to cancer

Primark have launched their first collection in support of Breast Cancer Awareness month.

Their new campaign has been informed by focus groups made up of cancer patients and oncology nurses and designed specifically for those who have experienced breast cancer.

The collection also features lingerie, slippers, and other comfy wardrobe staples. Each piece has been designed with comfort, style and affordability in mind, and the collection has been modelled by real women who have experienced breast cancer. Primark have also donated £250,000 to cancer charities in all the countries in which they operate.

Miss Marple is on the case again

DB5 JUNIOR No Time To Die Edition

be introduced to a whole new generation in the form of 12

together with The Little Car Company and EON Productions have created

new short stories. Each story will be written by a group of

a special limited edition of the DB5 Junior for No Time to Die. The design

internationally recognised writers, each using their talents to

and specification of the car pays homage to the shared history of all

showcase Jane Marple through the lens of their own eyes, while

three companies, including Silver Birch paintwork, individually numbered

staying true to Agatha Christie’s style. The short story collection

chassis plates, and the iconic Aston Martin badge. It’s an electric two-

will be published by HarperCollins in September 2022.

thirds scale version of the original model and comes complete with the

Missing Miss Marple? The nation’s favourite detective will

You might not be Bond, but you can drive his classic motor. Aston Martin

Bond-ready gadgets gadgets, and is big enough for one adult and one child to ride in. Only 125 of these cars will be built.

There are also ‘Easter eggs’ hidden in the vehicle for lucky owners to find. Fire torpedoes! Starting £90,000 www.thelittlecar.co/db5junior

06

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E ISSUE #ONE

#life begins Christmas boxes for pampered pups

Rock‘n’roll death road trip

The festive period is a time for family, and of

Fancy embarking on an unconventional road

course we include our four-legged friends.

trip? Love a bit of rock ‘n’ roll? This is for you.

These Christmas gift boxes contain two

This is a road trip map that allows you to

pooch-ready Christmas dinners made up of

visit the death sites of iconic British musicians.

turkey and chicken wet food, accompanied

Complete with a checklist and directions,

by a double helping of limited-edition meaty

this 1,200-mile round trip will start in London, visiting Amy Winehouse’s old residence in Camden. All you have to do is pop the postcode of each place in your satnav and crack on. Along the way, you’ll visit the locations of 14 of our rock stars’ last moments, including Jimi Hendrix, Dusty Springfield, and Ian Curtis. The idea is to visit these places to pay your respects and remember the legends who live in our memories and music collections. Head to the blog on www.stressfreecarrental.com/en/blog for details.

treats. Also included are grain-free mouthwatering fresh meats paired with a nutritious fruit and vegetable medley, all kitted out with added probiotics to aid digestion. This ‘ulti-mutt’ Christmas feast (sorry!) is packed in 100% recyclable Tetrapak and will make your dog’s Christmas dreams come true. www.poochandmutt.co.uk

Treat yourself to stylish time

Four years ago, Giles Ellis set about designing a timepiece for himself from scratch. Now he and his brand Schofield Watch Company are one of the most distinguished in Britain. Schofield’s mission is to create ‘beautiful and considered things’. Schofield’s watches are quintessentially British in design, heavy on class and elegance. These Daymark watches are available in two stunning tones – a sophisticated touch for any outfit. www.schofieldwatchcompany.com

FUN IN THE SUN

WINTER ESSENTIALS

T OP T OGS

Fanfare Ethically Made Cornflower Blue Linen

tone of this poncho makes it a staple item for

Top, £99. A staple in any summer or holiday

most occasions.

Whether you’re ditching the cold weather for a

wardrobe, this is a timeless classic that you can

Oliver Bonas Gingham Check Scarf, £35

holiday in the sun or embracing autumn with

re-style again and again.

This mid-weight scarf promises warmth and

welcome arms, we’ve got some essential items to

TK Maxx Crema Trilby Sun Hat, £12.99

sophistication. Pair with more neutral tones for

add to your shopping list.

Who said essentials have to be boring? This

a solid look, or contrast with darker clothes to

trilby hat will go with all your outfits, keeping

make it the focus of your attire.

you cool and looking flawless.

Radley London Chelsea Creek Shearling

FUN IN THE SUN Accessorize Buckle Footbed Leather Sandals,

Bag, £249. LOOK at this gorgeous shearling

£20. A must-have for any sunny destination –

WINTER ESSENTIALS

practical has never looked so good! Complete

Lily Ella Cordelia Poncho in Oatmeal, £74.95

crossbody, or a casual off the shoulder. Bonus

your look with these baby pink mules.

Layering is a key trend this season. The neutral

points for the natural palette.

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E . C O . U K

@ S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E U K

bag! Wear in multiple ways: as a handbag, a

07

love later in life

In Perfect Harmony Joe McGann sings the praises of love after 60

D

o we find love? Does it find us?

relationships than I did on my own,

of companionship and mutual

cliché even 20 years ago, conjuring

Do we need to love and feel

and could happily have stayed

support. Surprisingly, perhaps,

up pictures of a devoted older

single for the rest of my life.

there’s plenty of the oxytocin-fuelled

couple gazing fondly over a port

giggling, hand-holding and private

and lemon and a half of mild down

loved or are we just conditioned to believe so? We know that

I was ‘self-partnered’, as Emma

humans, like our primate cousins,

Watson and Gwyneth Paltrow say,

joking we usually associate with

the social club, of pipe and slippers,

are social creatures, but does it

and as smug about it as they were

young love – the way we gaze at

knitting and man-sheds, bingo and

follow that being alone can’t or

too. Cut to the present and I’ve set

each other can be gag-inducing.

bunions. Are we Terry and June?

shouldn’t be our natural state?

up home with Frances, a wonderful

Some might say we should act our

Fuck that.

And when we are realistically past

woman, and now I genuinely can’t

age, whatever that means…

the stage of becoming parents, do

imagine a future without her.

It’s true of course that at our

loving relationships become less

We’ve spent lockdowns together

age – even though Frances is yet

important or even redundant?

– the first two with my mother – and

to reach my Railcard status – we

we’ve moved house twice in three

would be very unlucky not to have

years ago I was 60; a couple of

months, yet we haven’t exchanged

experienced something like this

years after (another) divorce,

any cross words. It’s fair to say that

before. This is not our first rodeo. In

Growing older is new territory and not just for us

bumbling along in one of the most

neither of us saw this coming, nor

fact, I believe that if we were even 10

In our brave new postmodern

peaceful and contented phases

were we actively seeking a partner,

years younger, this baggage could

Boomer world, the images have

of my life. I was happy with my

yet we seem to have found a

cause issues of trust or insecurity.

shifted noticeably. The ads twinkle

Why do I ask? I’ll tell you. Two

Yet here, now, our previous

the way we gaze at each other can be gaginducing. Some might say we should act our age, whatever that means…

at us – motorhomes, cruises, Machu

experiences are our strength.

Picchu rather than Bridlington,

This is probably because we’re

Ayahuasca over Sanatogen, yoga and

both old and wise enough to

facelifts in Turkey. Winters in India,

have been honest with each

where the pension goes further.

other about our pasts. And

The times are indeed a-changin’.

scrupulously truthful about

Look at the great bands of our

our parts in them, warts and

teenage years still selling teenage

all, which let us build honest

anthems into their 70s – into our 70s,

pictures of each other.

for God’s sake! Mick and Keef, Stevie

This requires work and isn’t

Nicks, Pete and Roger still sing of love,

always easy, but the older

but do they mean us? Van Morrison

heart recognises the good

and Bob Dylan sing of a new love

sense in it, and once dealt

(for God), which looks suspiciously

choice to remain single, sharing

happiness and stability that we’d

with, if there’s total honesty, the past

like hedging their bets before their

my bed exclusively with Minnie the

both been missing all our lives.

stays in the past and won’t booby-

rapidly hastening demise.

dachshund, horrified at suggestions

There’s delicious intimacy,

trap the future. And it’s a lot cheaper

that I should ‘get back in the saddle’

passion, deep respect, and joyful

(euw!) and join some seniors’ dating websites. I’d felt lonelier inside 08

I don’t see any of them

than therapy, so it’s a win-win.

knocking out tunes about knee

affection alongside the more

What must we look like, eh?

replacements or menopause, so

prosaic and obvious benefits

‘Darby and Joan’ was the go-to

are they saying my new love is not

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E ISSUE #ONE

rock’n’roll enough? Bollocks! They’re Spandex/Spanx-clad, hair-dyed nostalgia merchants, still preaching at the altar of

feels like a reward for time served. I’m

youth – great tunes, but anachronisms,

celebrating this life with her as vividly

like Acker Bilk and Val Doonican in the

as possible. We’ve nothing left to

pop charts of the seventies.

prove – to ourselves or each other. Our

I’m not going to pretend that I’m now

kids have lives of their own, and we’re

grown up and like opera any more than I

lucky enough to have a house and

appreciate Goa trance or drill – they’re not

enough to get by.

for me, any more than stamp collecting or colonic irrigation is. I want cultural

This is not about consolidation or winding down, not for a second. If

engagement now, not All Our Yesterdays or neither of us saw this great joy coming, repeats of tales of The Unexpected.

My love feels new, modern, and now.

if we believed all this had passed us by, then what other joys await us a

I have fresh blood dancing through my

little further up the road? What other

veins, and I want to burn as bright as I

delicious possibilities are there for us to

can alongside the woman I love. There

explore together?

are still new places to visit, new tastes

It’s a new love, not like any of the

to explore, new music to dance to and

previous loves, so the old rules don’t

there’s nothing left to prove. I’m secure

apply. There’s freedom right there,

and liberated by my love, my soul mate,

alongside enough experience to be able

and my focus is fixed firmly forward.

to appreciate it. How cool is that?

There’s no instruction booklet for the next 20 years, so our life f rom here can

@JosephMcGann

be truly bespoke. To get to this age and see and be seen by a woman like Fran

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E . C O . U K

@ S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E U K

09

PHOTO

The Scream s n r u t e R n e e Qu

Alamy Stock

interview

10

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E ISSUE #ONE

We caught up with the splendid Jamie Lee Curtis at the Venice Film Festival, where we spoke about everything from her first movie role to feminism, and of course discussed the latest instalment in the Halloween series WORDS

Carly Pepperell & Jenny Davis

S

The beauty of human beings is that we change. We are battered and bruised and we emerge and grow

ome 43 years after she first appeared as Laurie Strode in the original slasher film, Jamie is back, reprising her role in the

12th instalment of the franchise,

Halloween Kills. The film, directed by

David Gordon Green, picks up exactly where the previous film ended in 2018.

Halloween Kills premiered at the 78th Venice Film Festival, where Jamie just so happened to pick up the Golden Lion Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Curtis is an artist with that rare ability to turn on the star quality while still seeming like someone you’d love to hang out with. We

is a recovering alcoholic and was addicted

tracked her down at the Festival and had a

to painkillers. She’s been sober since 1999,

chance to find out what we can expect from

and maintains that recovery is the greatest

the film, as well as discuss the highlights of her

achievement of her life. Jamie was guest of

impressive career.

honour at the 11th annual Women In Recovery gala and fundraiser in 2003, which is a

Coming full circle

California-based non-profit organisation for the

met her character Laurie for the first time back in 1978. Her success in the role subsequently

All about H alloween

earned her back-to-back casting in other horror

One of the most important things we’ve

the moment was: ‘We’re all Laurie Strode and

films, and status as a ‘scream queen’.

witnessed is Jamie’s relationship with her

we are with you, Jamie, in this moment, as you

She credits her beginnings in the horror

character, Laurie. She explained how exciting

face it.’ I must tell you, that was a profound

scene for her international career spanning six

(and unusual) it is to be an actor in the same

moment for me as an actor, and a profound

decades, which led to her meeting John Landis.

role for 43 years – particularly as a female actor,

moment for me as a human being. Because it

The rest, as they say, is history.

and a survivor.

said that we are all the same, we’re all human,

Jamie’s career began with Halloween, where we

“My performance in Trading Places was a gift

rehabilitation of women in need.

“The beauty of human beings is that we

we’re all battered, we’re all bruised, but we’re

from John, who by the way met me, weirdly

change. We are battered and bruised and we

enough, because of horror films. John did a

emerge and grow; our bones heal, we move

short that he directed called Coming Soon,

forward, and then we get battered and bruised

easily. I know it’s a silly thing to say, but I am

which is a ‘50s horror film short about those

again,” she muses.

an untrained actor. I’ve never been to acting

wonderful trailers that you used to see. And he

She explains that what she loves about Laurie

all still here.”

So how did she prepare for the role? “I scare

class. I prepare emotionally, but that’s my job.

needed somebody to narrate it and who would

is her relatability. Whilst what we’re seeing

I scare easily. And I hate these movies, I loathe

you call except the young woman who was now

within Laurie is scripted for the big screen,

them, I do not like to be frightened. I think

in horror movies?

the fact is that people can identify. “We are all

that genuine, emotional connection to being

human, and you relate to Laurie because you

afraid… you are watching what is happening in

out something because the next thing I

are wounded too. You are fighting back against

real life, on screen.

know, he hired me to be in Trading Places.

demons in your life. And you somehow look at

And because of Trading Places, A Fish Called

me and Laurie and say ‘I am Laurie.’

“He met me and… he must have figured

Wanda happened, and because of A Fish Called

“There was a moment during my last shot

“There is no psychological preparation.

It’s just… I’ve been traumatised, I’ve had sad things happen, and I’ve had violent things

Wanda, True Lies happened. I owe a great

of the 2018 film, where Laurie is alone in her

happen. So all of these reactions are just natural

deal of gratitude to John Landis for having the

truck watching Michael leave the prison. And

manifestations of my own experience.”

courage to hire me in that film, which really did

it’s written as ‘Laurie is alone in her truck, there’s

change things.”

alcohol, there’s a gun…’ and 40 years of her

On top of her impressive filmography,

experience come back to haunt her. There’s no

Success vs criticism

Curtis has lived a rich life. She has two adopted

dialogue, it’s just Laurie alone. It was my last

The Halloween franchise is hugely successful;

children with her husband Christopher Guest: a

shot of the movie and I prepared in my trailer.

perhaps one of the most well-known franchises

daughter, Annie, and a transgender child, Ruby.

“As I approached the set and the entire

Her marriage to Christopher came five months

crew – I’m someone who likes name tags in

after she saw a picture of him from the film This

movies, where it says, ‘Hi, my name is…’ so I can

not a lot of deep fake – these movies are real.

is Spinal Tap and told her friend Debra Hill: “I’m

know everybody’s name – and the entire crew

There’s not a lot of CGI. There are real people in

going to marry that guy.”

were all wearing name tags that said, ‘We are

real places, doing scary shit. What I love about

Laurie Strode’. And what they were saying in

Halloween, and particularly Halloween Kills, is

She’s very open about the fact that she S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E . C O . U K

@ S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E U K

worldwide. How does that feel?

“I think what sets these movies apart is there’s

11

interview

CAPTION Jamie at the Venice Film Festival PHOTO Alamy Stock

12

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E ISSUE #ONE

CAPTION

Laurie in Halloween, 1978

CAPTION

CAPTION Trading Places - L-R Eddie Murphy, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dan Aykroyd, 1983 Sir John Landis

Laurie in Halloween Kills, 2021

I did Trading Places, and I took my shirt off, and I was suddenly what they called legitimate, an A-lister. Now, today, the women’s movement would love Laurie Strode

that the brutality is real. It’s not a construction.

And again, I think that’s why people attach back

about women; their strength and intelligence

to them. They’re real and to the point, even the

and ability to, excuse my pun here, shape shift.

recreation of a dead person is almost real. And I

And, you know, fight back against the adversity

think that’s what also makes these movies all so

that women have done since the beginning of

special, it’s a little secret sauce.”

time. And yet, it was sort of anti-feminist. Anyway,

But with success comes judgement, as is often the case. One of the most significant

I always thought that was funny.”

franchise is the anti-feminist comments

An uncertain star

surrounding the first film. John Carpenter – the

Someone at the Venice Film Festival asked

criticisms of Jamie’s involvement in this

original director – used to get very frustrated

Jamie if she was aware that Trading Places was

“[That achievement] seems to be sort of

with people calling the film ‘anti-feminist’ or

shown every Christmas Eve in Italy. Of course, it

closed, whereas I’m working more and more

saying it was ‘women-bashing’, mainly because

also appears in the UK too. But it seems the US

creatively today than I have been since I

the only one that didn’t die was the virgin.

doesn’t get the full unedited version, certainly

was born. So it’s odd for me, and yet I am

not on TV. Jamie is surprised.

incredibly honoured,” she explains. She thinks of

But Laurie was smart, capable, and John

“Somebody mentioned that to me today and

Halloween, A Fish Called Wanda, and True Lies

icon, Jamie’s thoughts around this were

I said, ‘They show it on television?’ and they said,

as the three films she’d call her legacy – though

important to us, and she admitted herself that

‘Yes’. And I said: ‘They show all of it on television?’

explained that of course there were others, work

“the women’s movement kind of hated me”.

and they said ‘Yes! It’s a beloved film here in

she bluntly refers to as “pieces of shit”. And no,

Italy.’ And I’m thinking about 14-year-old boys at

we don’t know what she’s referring to!

stated: “she had no time for boys.” As a feminist

But she feels like maybe this was all back to front, no pun intended…

Christmas seeing my incredibly beautiful 21-year-

“I did Trading Places, and I took my shirt off, and I was suddenly what they called legitimate, an A-lister. Now, today, the women’s movement would love Laurie Strode.

old self and thinking ‘Wow – that’s very different

If you want to try and get ahead before seeing

from America’. I love that movie.”

the latest film, it looks like most of the Halloween

Now, in 2021, Jamie has received the Golden

films are on Amazon Prime, although goodness

Lion Award for Lifetime Achievement. She

only knows which order to watch them in!

Wikipedia can probably tell you that. As for

“But at that moment it was interesting for me

explained she has mixed feelings about winning

as a young actress, because I’m playing the very

this sort of award and is finding it hard to wrap

Halloween Kills, that hit the big screen on 15

thing that we really – I think – respect, particularly

her head around it.

October 2021, are you brave enough to go see it?

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E . C O . U K

@ S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E U K

13

the naked truth

THE NAKED TruTH We launched a survey to find out exactly who you are, and these are the no-holds-barred results. Get ready for…

PHOTOGRAPHER Erika Szostak Matt Ryan PHOTOGRAPHY ASSISTANT MAKEUP & HAIR LoveYoHair Bella Kirkus, Adrian Southby, Lesley Burdett MODELS SHOT ON LOCATION Copperdollar Studios, Brighton

14

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E ISSUE #ONE

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E . C O . U K

@ S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E U K

15

the naked truth

16

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E ISSUE #ONE

Who do you

think you are??

WORDS

Sam Harrington-Lowe PHOTOS

Erika Szostak

he last fifty years

THE SURVEY

have seen a seismic

We wanted to cover every aspect of people’s lives, but quickly

shift in our social

found the survey became too long, so we broke it down

patterns and

into four parts. Nobody was going to make it to the end

behaviours. There’s

alive otherwise. The respondents were brilliant though; they

been enormous

completed around 95% of the whole four parts, with only a

development in

few questions skipped.

technology, medicine, and wellbeing. We’ve walked on the moon,

Pretty much each question ran ‘tick all that apply’. So if you’re reading the results and the various options come to more than 100%, that’s why.

burned bras, dropped acid, and danced all night. We’ve

SO WHO ARE YOU?

embraced punk and spirituality

The majority of respondents (81%) were aged 50 – 69, with the

in equal measures. Travelled

biggest chunk aged 60 – 64. You’re mostly White British (81%),

the world, fought the winter of

with the balance being from multiple other ethnicities, such as

discontent and the poll tax, and

African Black, British Black and Asian, mixed-race etc. This ethnic

so much more.

split represents the UK national average, or thereabouts. And, as

When I was in my late 40s, I started to look at magazines

we pretty much expected, 78% of responders were female, with 20% being male, and 2% preferring not to say.

that were aimed at my age

More than half of you have no religion. The highest score for

group and beyond, and I was

those who were religious was for Christian denominations (33%),

dismayed. How could we be so

although in the ‘Other’ box there were quite a few who named

misunderstood? I couldn’t relate

spirituality as a path. No Jedis apparently.

to the gentle or genteel content I

You’re largely a Conservative bunch, with blues taking 34%

understood was now apparently my

of the votes here. Labour second with 18%, Lib Dems at 14%,

destiny. I can’t knit to save my life, I don’t like cakes, and I still go to festivals.

Greens 10% and SNP 4%. A further 20% of respondents felt unrepresented or preferred not to say.

Where was my tribe?

It seems I was not alone, thank goodness. Mature people

AGEING AND AGEISM

say they are patronised in the media and on television; they

We were thrilled at how positive the responses in this section

feel invisible, unseen. So I decided that someone should do

were. A giant 70% of you are happy with the wisdom that age

something about it. And, well, if you want a job doing, etc…

brings and following closely behind this is ‘being grateful to be here’, at 62%. More than half of you (52%) said that you’ve

So we launched SILVER.

improved with age and, although there are a fair few people who are exhausted, 51% said they were excited to keep learning new

From the get-go I knew we needed to understand our readers.

And there’s only one way to do this – we asked you. We asked

things. And gratifyingly, nobody ticked the ‘I wish I was dead’ box.

Unfortunately, while you lot are mostly happy with your age,

you about absolutely everything, from sex, drugs, and rock’n’roll

it seems like the rest of the world is still to catch up, as ageism

to religion, money, and family, and all that’s in between. It was a

is alive and kicking. At work and whilst job hunting were the

massive survey; we asked upwards of 10,000 people to answer

main areas of concern, but every option received some votes,

hundreds of questions. And my word, you came through. So here

with respondents reporting ageism when shopping, via politics,

you are in all your glory. The naked truth…

within the family, and in social situations.

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E . C O . U K

@ S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E U K

17

the naked truth A few comments identified key issues – one respondent had

options like the Orient Express gathering a collective 25% of

been told they were too old for a mortgage, and another said

you, but cruises were surprisingly low at around 15%, easily

they were fed up with receiving emails or marketing that was

beaten by coach trips, caravans and motorhomes, and even

patronising, “… as if you get stupid as you age”.

camping. Perhaps everyone is still a bit nervous of cruises?

YOUR HOPES AND DREAMS

ENTERTAINMENT When it comes to heading out, eating out is top of the list with

Again, it’s a pretty upbeat outlook here. 15% of you have either

85% of you loving being fed. You also love to explore the UK –

met or exceeded your hopes and dreams, and a whopping 69%

train trips, walking, visiting beaches, and sightseeing all got

are mostly happy with life. ‘I have new goals, my priorities have

special mentions in the comments.

changed’ drew a 58% result, and 24% said that although they

The biggies are museums, art galleries, National Trust

hadn’t met their goals and dreams yet, they were still working

venues and gardens, train trips, and visiting stately homes.

on it. A contented 15% said though they hadn’t hit their life

Sporting events like football or rugby were lower down the list

targets, they were OK with that and happy with their lot. 34%

at around 10 – 15%, but that’s probably because of our female-

said that they were excited for their next adventure.

to-male ratio of respondents.

Only 6% said they hadn’t met their goals or dreams and

Volunteering is on your list too, with most of you giving back

were sad or angry about that, and just 2% of you said you’re not

to communities in the way of charity events, sponsored events,

happy with your life.

animal charities, and volunteering with vulnerable groups and people. The most popular option here was community

FAMILY LIFE

gardening projects, at around 28%.

A positive 45% of you said you felt valued as an elder in your family, and the same percentage said you had a happy family. It

TECH

was encouraging to see just 5% reporting feeling overlooked or

You’re a tech-loving lot. 95% of you have a smartphone, over

neglected, although that’s still 5%.

half of you have other mobile devices, and 32% love new

One respondent put it: “I am often expected to be the

gadgets. Tech in the home and the car is popular – which

responsible one, but at the same time, my children and siblings

includes TVs, laptops, gaming consoles etc, and not one person

don’t take any interest in my life.” And the same percentage

ticked the ‘I hate tech’ box.

(5%) said that their family was unhappy, with lots of drama. 20%

Most of you have no home adaptations, but interestingly

of you with adult children said they were still living at home,

the two biggest hitters in the Homes section were CCTV and

bearing out our understanding that often big kids just can’t

security systems.

afford to move out anymore.

Although lots of you have no pets, we are a nation of dog lovers – it’s official! With dogs drubbing cats 33% to 22%.

MUSIC Music is huge, with every single type of music getting votes.

Rock, ‘70s, and ‘80s making the biggest numbers, but other

COSMETIC SURGERY

notables were indie, ‘60s, classical, vintage, and jazz. Also house/

When it comes to aesthetics and cosmetic surgery most of

dance music made a good show. Least favourite was folk music

you (60%) haven’t had any work done, but unsurprisingly, most

with just 10%, despite, as the great Louis Armstrong said: “All

common is Botox and/or fillers. A small percentage (2%) had

music is folk music. I ain’t never heard a horse sing a song.”

braved an actual facelift, but higher on the list were chemical

For live music, pub gigs and arena gigs are the most popular,

peels and dental work. Nearly 20% of respondents said they’d

and festivals are the third favourite option, with more than a

like to try some things but couldn’t afford them – and in the

third of you still pulling on your sparkly wellies. Jazz clubs are

comments they drilled down further to specifics; bingo wings

also pretty popular, with just under 20% of you ticking this box.

were a concern, breast surgery, scar removal, and hair removal/ implants all featured.

When it comes to consuming music, and we’re back in the tech zone, with only 15% of you enjoying music on a traditional hi-fi. Spotify is the most popular channel, at 55%, just pipping

TRAVEL AND HOLIDAYS

radio at 50%. And how you listen to music is also techy – phone/

When it comes to holidays, the majority of you head for a break

headphones, laptop, Bluetooth speakers are all equally popular,

once a year. Around a quarter of you have two holidays each

and Amazon Prime, Alexa, Sonos, internet radio and iPads all

year, and a meaty 10% go for three or more!

got a mention in the comments.

A staggering 100% of you take holidays in the UK. We’re

Both vinyl (20%) and CDs (30%) were still relatively popular

not sure if that’s as a result of the pandemic or just a love of

though, with the CDs outperforming iTunes at 25%. Cassettes

UKations. A bit of both, perhaps. You like to travel with partners,

got a zero!

with friends, and with family; you’re a sociable lot. Really interestingly, the option of leaping on a plane and working it

SOCIAL MEDIA

all out when you get there (38%) beats package holidays (28%)

You love social media. Top of the list with 95% is WhatsApp, and

and even the all-inclusive (33%).

Facebook second at 86%. An honestly surprising third place

Rail trips are popular, with standard rail and upmarket

18

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E ISSUE #ONE

goes to YouTube, with 81% of you. Something we’d definitely

like to look into more – are you watching music? Are you watching films and documentaries, or following influencers and bloggers?

We shall explore further.

Of the other biggies, Instagram is next, with 57% of you using it, and Twitter comes in at 38%. Not one tick for TikTok. The majority of you spend quite a lot of time online; more of you find content because you’re actually looking for it than because someone else has shared it. And about half of you read a news channel every day, with almost all of you choosing the BBC as your preferred option.

COMMUNICATION 90% of you like to text, but an encouraging 86% also still love meeting up in person. Phone calls beat video calls 67% to 43% – although the high number of video calls would seem from your comments to be something new since lockdown; but an interesting quarter of you don’t like talking on the phone at all.

TV, RADIO, GAMING No massive surprises here – drama, films, box sets, news, streaming services like Netflix, etc – are all popular. 20% of you are still making it out to the flicks. 5% don’t watch TV at all.

When it comes to radio, 80% are tuning in, but 35% are now into listening to podcasts, citing ‘chit-chat’ as something they like. Comedy takes top billing here, at 55%, but drama, plays, science, and news are all popular. Quizzes got a special mention in the comments a couple of times. Overall radio and podcasts are alive and kicking.

Not massively popular – gaming. 35% of you are happy to play games on your phones but wouldn’t sit at a desk or monitor to play something more committed. 50% of you actively rejected gaming. We had one lovely commenter who said they had a favourite game, which was Lexulous (a crossword game), and we wondered if responders were thinking of things like World

of Warcraft or Grand Theft Auto as ‘gaming’, rather than quizzes or Scrabble and so on.

HOBBIES AND CRAFTS Unsurprisingly, plenty of you love crafting and hobbies, apparently unless it’s model building, playing an instrument, stamp collecting, or train-spotting!

There were so many choices I’ll just pick out some of the notable results: top of the list at 67% was reading books in print; then walking/rambling (57%); surprisingly, cookery was next at 53%; making art such as painting, drawing, and sculpture was then joint fourth with reading books on a device, both at 43%; and crafts such as knitting, crochet, etc were around the same as dancing, winetasting and gardening. And I’ve got to tell you this – we had one dogger. If you don’t know what that is, google it, but brace yourself.

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E . C O . U K

@ S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E U K

19

the naked truth FASHION When it comes to fashion, around 40% said they don’t care about fancy brands, and the biggest box ticked was the ‘mixed bag’ at 50%; the bag being a mixture of high-end, cheap and cheerful, and second-hand.

You love to get dressed up, but prefer a reason for doing so, like a lunch, or special outing. When you’re at home it’s comfy clothes, but 10% of you never leave the house without looking immaculate. When it comes to choosing clothing and jewellery, you definitely look for quality. Aside from all the glamourous lot though, there’s about 27% of you who just don’t give a fig about this sort of thing anymore.

SEX AND SEXUALITY Surveys can often throw out surprising outcomes and this one is no exception; 91% of respondents selected ‘straight’ for sexual orientation. 5% are bisexual, 4% are asexual, 2% chose ‘other’… but nobody ticked ‘gay’.

However, a not insignificant 17.5% skipped this question, which

20

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E ISSUE #ONE

has intrigued us, especially as respondents had the option of

popular at 34%, followed by exercise (23%), natural supplements

ticking the ‘none of your damn business’ box but nobody did.

(17%), lifestyle changes such as quitting smoking or cutting out the

Are there gay people who have been traumatised by

booze (17%), taking antidepressants (12%), and diet change (13%).

homophobic abuse or a lack of acceptance and still feel under

Then we asked the men about their experiences of living

threat? More research is required here, and in the meantime we

with menopausal women. A whopping 82% said this question

are committed to including powerful gay voices in SILVER.

was not applicable to them. Thankfully none of them said they

We’ve got 64% who masturbate, and 38% describing

didn’t care because it was ‘her problem’, and more than half

themselves as ‘sexually adventurous’. Almost a quarter of you use

were sympathetic and supportive. 2% said the menopause had

sex toys (23%) or porn (22%) either during masturbation or with a

changed the dynamic of the relationship and their lives quite a bit.

partner, 11% have tried or continue to partake in BDSM activities and enjoy it, while 5.66% gave BDSM a go but didn’t like it.

EXERCISE

11% of you have tried sex parties or orgies, while 4% are active

Among the responses, there were cyclists, skateboarders and

swingers. Using sex workers is low on the agenda with just under

rollerskaters, snowboarders, skiers and climbers, and Zumba

2% having seen a sex worker in the past, and nobody saying they

fans. But by far the most popular form of exercise at 43% was

currently see one.

dog-walking.

RELATIONSHIPS

devotees (26%). Nobody ticked the ‘marathon/distance-

Around 80% of you are in some kind of monogamous

running’ box, which surprised us. And in the comments

relationship. None of our respondents identify as being

section, we had plenty of people pipe up with the activities

polyamorous, or in an open or kinky lifestyle relationship,

that we missed on the (already long!) list of options, such

but 2% have a casual ‘f riends-with-benef its’ arrangement.

as canoeing, canyoning, trekking, rambling, hiking, serious

When one includes the sex responses above, it’s clear there

gardening, Powerplate, wing chun, boxing, and (most

are a lot of couples still very active and adventurous in bed.

excellently) ‘mosh pit at gigs’.

We also have plenty of gym junkies, and yoga and Pilates

Although perhaps not even in the actual bed, by the sounds

COVID

of it! You f risky lot.

Nearly a quarter of you (24%) have had Covid, and 63% know

SEXUAL ASSAULT

someone who has had Covid. Of these, sadly, 18% died.

As ever, the figures on sexual assault make difficult reading.

There isn’t much scepticism about vaccines or the

Nearly half of you have experienced some kind of sexual abuse

effectiveness of lockdowns among our readers, with 86% having

or assault. 35% have been raped or subjected to sexual abuse by

the vaccine. Only 2% have refused, and a small 4% don’t think

someone known to them, and 17% have experienced this at the hands of a stranger.

Covid is as serious as most people think it is.

55% think Covid is more serious than most people think it

Just over half (51%) said there should be more

is, and 45% are not sure if we should be going back to normal.

conversation about these issues, although 10% say they

Just 8% think restrictions should have been lifted months ago.

still feel awkward talking about it with family and friends. About a quarter of you (22%) believe we are

ALCOHOL

finally talking enough. Only 2% think we talk too

Next, we raise a glass of our preferred beverages. 43% still love a

much about sexual assault and domestic violence,

drink while 12% are teetotal and 4% count themselves as being

and 4% take what is probably a fringe view these

in recovery. 37% describe themselves as ‘social drinkers’, and 29%

days, which is that it’s a private matter that

say they drink rarely.

should stay private.

But a proportion of you do have concerns about your alcohol intake, with 6% worried about their drinking and the

MENOPAUSE

behaviour that this can lead to, and 4% are concerned they

Plenty of people (40%) think that menopause

might be an alcoholic.

issues should be discussed more openly. A further 29% think we have come a long way, but

RECREATIONAL DRUGS

there is still a way to go.

14% of you smoke weed. Cocaine, a prolif ic powder for many

There is an entirely expected range of responses to the question about how the menopause is going/how it went. 38% say that it’s not the best but it isn’t the worst either, 19% said it was better than they thought it would be, 8% said it didn’t affect them that much, and 12% are really suffering, saying they couldn’t or cannot cope, and the experience was, or is, ‘awful’.

So how is everyone coping? HRT is the most

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E . C O . U K

@ S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E U K

of us in the ‘80s and ‘90s, is still taken by 8%, while 12% take amphetamines and 6% take hallucinogens.

Although 42% don’t do drugs at all now, 24% said they used to. One respondent gave us a detailed history: “I tried everything that was available before I cut out drink and weed in the early 2000s. I sometimes take edibles and have tried microdosing.”

Then there was this intriguing litany: “Not for many years, but largely MDMA/ecstasy, cocaine, hash, skunk, LSD, mushrooms, speed, opium – and a stint of recreational Voltarol.”

Voltarol?!

21

the naked truth

22

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E ISSUE #ONE

MENTAL HEALTH

with 76% of you having seen a therapist or counsellor in the past,

Mental health has rightly become a more mainstream discussion,

4.5% currently seeing a therapist or counsellor, and a further 4.5%

and this is reflected by the 59% who say they take mental health

planning to do so. However, the survey also found that 13.33% don’t

seriously. One respondent said they take mental health seriously

believe in therapy.

but find it hard to take care of it. 8% identified as neurodivergent and the comments made it clear that more conversation is

RETIREMENT

needed around this.

Everyone wants to retire. Almost a third of you (31.6%) have retired

There’s a range of in-between attitudes to all mental health

and another 31.6% are planning to do so in the next five years. A

conditions, but 8% still say a stoic attitude and stiff upper lip is

further 21% have started thinking about their retirement. And we’re

more beneficial for coping.

really feeling the 16% who wish they could retire.

PHYSICAL HEALTH

MIDLIFE CRISIS

Hearts, hearing, and mobility unsurprisingly feature high, but

This section elicited the biggest response, with nearly half sure or

chronic fatigue – post-viral or otherwise – fibromyalgia, and

thinking they’ve had a midlife crisis. And yes, there were flashy cars

mental health were all flagged up.

and expensive holiday homes.

22% said they have a disability, which for the purposes of this

But a very definite 52.63% told us they have not gone through

survey includes hidden disabilities. In the comments, people

a midlife crisis. That said, 32% called for it to be seen as a positive

shared their disabilities and health issues, which included Type

thing, and nearly half said it was not a joke.

2 diabetes, thyroid conditions, depression, anxiety and chronic

The causes of a midlife crisis are many and varied. The main

fatigue from cancer treatment, fibromyalgia, high cholesterol,

cause was the physical changes of ageing (83%), as well as not

and high blood pressure.

feeling attractive anymore (56%).

Stereotypes about terrible British teeth may be overstated,

Children leaving the nest, not feeling fulfilled with life, not

with 71% of people taking good care of their teeth, although 22%

feeling relevant in the world, and/or not feeling content in a

can’t remember when they last saw a dentist.

marriage or relationship are all factors. Looking back over one’s

Eyesight is important to most of you, with 78% going to the

career is another cause, including not achieving career goals

optician regularly, although 10% have been wearing the same

(28%), and almost the same number hating their job and simply

specs for a decade!

wanting a change.

TREATMENTS AND THERAPIES

a new partner, or specifically started a relationship with a younger

Nearly half of you like some quality salon time, with 47% enjoying

person. In the comments, both travelling and going out partying

treatments such as manicures, pedicures, and trips to the

again was mentioned as a way of recapturing that feeling of youth.

7% filed for divorce, sold things to fund a lifestyle change, found

hairdresser, while 41% are soap-and-water kinda people with

There are optimists too, such as the person who “did get

occasional treats. When it comes to self-care, 33% like to spoil

divorced in my early 50s and have been happier since”, the

themselves with nice products, 20% can’t be bothered, and,

woman who became “a happier person” after divorcing her

somewhat depressingly, 4% don’t think they deserve nice things.

husband, and the cheerful soul who described this time as “not

Our survey found massage to be the most popular alternative

a crisis, a rediscovery of self”.

therapy at 51%. Meditation came in second at 46%. Outliers in the survey included psychedelics/microdosing, touch therapy,

ARE YOU HAPPY?

and eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR).

When we asked this, we got a range of responses. It’s not all joy

“I have seen osteopaths and chiropractors in the past with good

and optimism – 33.33% worry about the future, 17% feel anxious,

effect. Acupuncture and EMDR were less useful, but I used EMDR

and 11% feel like an imposter whose life is not the one they planned

to good effect via YouTube when my dog died,” said one responder.

out for themselves. 11% are eager to get midlife over and done with, and 6% are either angry, depressed, or bored.

MENTAL HEALTH THERAPY

However, to end on a positive note, more than 80% of you are

There’s a positive attitude here, reflected in the survey results,

RECAP If this has been way too long to read, here’s a quick recap of the things that stood out:

•• ••

You’re largely a positive lot Most of you feel valued by your family You love tech YouTube is surprisingly popular

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E . C O . U K

@ S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E U K

•• •• •• •

largely happy, with 39% looking forward to what the future brings.

You’re a sexy bunch Spirituality is popular Mental and physical health is taken seriously Home security is important Over a third of you are embracing podcasts Midlife crises should be taken more seriously One of you enjoys dogging

23

the naked truth

"

I was in a fog of depression which had started when I was young. I’d been bullied at school for my looks

Real people :

The Naked Truth

Yes, there’s middle-age spread, the odd grey hair (ahem!), and waning libidos; but late 40s, 50s and beyond are often when we finally feel comfortable in our own skin. Modern silvers aren’t old biddies; past it, interfering ancient coffin-dodgers – they’re happy with their lives, themselves, and their bodies. Our brave, beautiful, and brutally honest cover models reveal all WORDS

24

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E ISSUE #ONE

Karen Pasquali Jones PHOTOS

Erika Szostak

S

the Older Model Lesley Burdett, 51, of New Timber, West Sussex is a divorced mother of three sons

So I shut down. Suicidal thoughts spiralled through me until I decided to trangers looking

give in to them. And then, as I was going

at my body might

over the final details in my head, my baby

be jealous or

bit me as he breastfed. It was the physical

even hate me.

and emotional jolt I needed.

I’m naturally

I loved him and my other two sons.

slim with a flat

They needed me. How could I leave

stomach, pert

them? I decided to get help. I had

little breasts,

therapy, got a divorce and slowly

and have just

happiness crept into my life.

launched my

I met a wonderful man whom I love but

career as a

haven’t married. I grew closer and closer to

model. They’d

my sons, and I learnt to have fun. Growing

never guess that

older definitely has changed me. I don’t

until my 40s I

care what anyone thinks of me anymore.

was so unhappy I

I like me and that’s what matters. If other

wanted to kill myself.

people don’t, that’s their fucking problem.

I had it all planned.

I was a synchronised swimmer from the

I was going to take

age of 10 and went professional when I

pills I’d been stockpiling

was old enough. That means I have good

along with plenty of booze

muscle memory, so I can eat and drink

and just slip away. Night after

night I’d sit breastfeeding my

nine-month-old baby – my third boy

what I want and stay a size 8 – 10.

Now I love my body and face. I don’t want big boobs. I like my nose. I’d never have

– and think how much better the world

surgery, which was all I used to long for. I’m

would be without me in it.

older, and happy in my skin. I’ve blossomed.

Maybe I had post-natal depression,

I go to festivals in skimpy outfits – I love

or perhaps I was just sick of being stuck

fashion designer Louise O’Mahoney’s

in back-to-back lousy marriages – three

L.O.M festival line – and in February 2020

in all – with men who didn’t love me, or

someone suggested I try modelling. A

certainly not enough, to make me want

couple of weeks later, I was asked to model

to stick around.

for a shoot and pose for life drawing class. I

I was in a fog of depression that had started when I was young. I’d been bullied at school for my looks. The other kids

didn’t mind getting naked. I’m proud of my body and who I am.

I’m proof you can overcome anything

called me ‘birdy big nose,’ and made fun

to be happy and that you’re never too old

of my thin lips and flat chest. I began to

to try new things. Who knows? I might be

believe I was ugly.

the next Cindy Crawford with wrinkles. If

My relationships didn’t help. I went

not, who cares? I’ll travel the world with

through traumatic break-ups and was

my boyfriend, Dave, and have fun adding

ridiculed for being a failure. Hear it enough

more laughter lines to my face.

from someone who says they love you and it begins to seem like the truth.

25

the naked truth

One moment I'm entertaining strangers as stripper The C ity Gent,, gradually taking off my three-piece suit on a unicycle... but sit next to me at a dinner party and I wouldn'’t say a word

"

26

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E ISSUE #ONE

l

the Anxious Performer Ade Southby, aka Count Adriano Fettucini, is a 53-year-old semi-retired unicycle strip tease artist from Brighton

ike most performers I’m terrified

before stepping in front of an

audience where upon I instantly

Being naked has always made me more

become a different person – one

relaxed. I shed my anxiety somehow along

that’s brave, daring and extrovert.

with my clothes. I’m not shy about my body

It’s even scarier when

at all even though I no longer have abs,

I come off stage

and my stomach has moved since having

though, because I’m

surgery to fix a prolapsed disc – the result

anxious and awkward

of a misjudged dismount off the unicycle,

around people.

One moment I’m

entertaining strangers as

stripper The City Gent, gradually

taking off my three-piece suit on a

unicycle while juggling a bowler hat,

where I was catapulted into the audience.

I will wander around naked at home, and forget that I’m not wearing clothes when I open the door. When my kids were younger, one of my sons brought a friend round and begged me to get dressed.

umbrella and briefcase. Or I might be

I’m now a painter and decorator but

doing a reverse striptease into drag to

(when events still happen!) I still perform

become Melodie, who is extremely over-

– for example, at Brighton Fringe Festival

the-top, loud and outgoing. I’ve even

with some friends as Der Wunderlich

done the act as a drunk Scotsman in a kilt

Revue. We do a boylesque act, though

playing the bagpipes.

we’re hardly boys anymore.

But sit next to me at a dinner party

I like being older. I don’t care what

and I wouldn’t say a word. I can’t talk to

anyone thinks. I have my own style – I call it

strangers, and I would never go to parties.

‘eccentric gentleman’ – and although my

I’ve always been a bundle of

anxiety is challenging at times, and can

contradictions and it’s only now, as I get

even be overwhelming, I’m happier now

older, that I’m beginning to understand

than I was when I was younger.

myself. My anxiety is crippling, and I now work hard to deal with it.

27

the naked truth

I sometimes ended up in relationships for the security of having somewhere to sleep

"

28

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E ISSUE #ONE

the Rebellious Survivor Bella Kirkus, 52, is a divorced teaching assistant and mum of two from Kemptown, East Sussex

unwanted attention and pestering. I hen most

was objectified and not seen as me, so I

women

rebelled and refused to be girly.

or the

I’d cut my hair short and wear

medical

androgynous clothes. Then guys would

profession

say: ‘You’d be so pretty if you were more

talk about the

feminine.’ I found that insulting.

menopause

Now I’ve been through the

they mention

menopause and have gone from a size

hot flushes,

8 at my smallest to a 14 I’m no longer

putting on

pestered. That’s even more insulting as it

weight, and a dry

shows women are no longer considered

vagina. In reality it’s

attractive or even worth objectifying

fucking horrendous.

once they’ve lost their youth.

I’d veer between

I find going naked a form of therapy.

panicking I was

I no longer have a banging body, but

pregnant when my

going nude in public has made me

period was late, or

realise we come in all shapes and sizes,

didn’t come at all, and

and it’s OK to look the way I do. I go to

was overwhelmed with

the nudist beach in Kemptown and have

emotions ranging from raging anger to abject despair. I thought I was going mad, and in the end had a nervous breakdown.

been on a naked bike ride and even a naked flight on the i360 in Brighton.

There were people of all ages from in their 20s and 30s right up to their 70s –

I wasn’t hospitalised, but I probably

and it felt so safe and gentle as well as

should have been. I was having nightly

liberating. Everyone is relaxed and by

panic attacks when I’d wake at 3am and it

being so vulnerable to others – showing

would feel like someone was driving a fast

yourself without any clothes – it makes

train through my heart.

me stronger.

The menopause coincided with my first

I’ve never had it easy. Growing up

sexual relationship in almost eight years

with two addicted parents was hard. My

and when I didn’t come on some months,

brother was an alcoholic by the age of

I’d fear I was pregnant and go through so

12, and I’ve had to care for him as well as

much trauma.

look after myself and my kids. I’m still on

I’m the breadwinner, and have to look

minimum wage and the menopause was

after my two kids – one of whom is on the

traumatic. But I’ve got through all of it

autistic spectrum. I worried that if I was

and kept my family together – I care for

pregnant and couldn’t work, we’d lose

my brother as well as my kids.

everything and I couldn’t put my family

I’m a survivor and after fighting to

through that. I’ve been homeless in the

have a voice all my life I finally have one.

past as my parents were both substance

When you enter your middle age people

abusers who moved abroad when I was 18.

judge you as a woman first, then as an

I had to fend for myself, and at times

older woman, and can’t seem to get past

would face sleeping on the streets.

that. I don’t worry anymore about what

It meant I sometimes ended up in

they think. I’m a survivor and proud of

relationships for the security of having

everything I’ve achieved.

somewhere to sleep. I was quite attractive when I was younger, but instead of making life easier, that brought a lot of 29

lesbian visibility

Where are

all the older

lesbians?

the silver sapphists

Y

Rose Collis makes an impassioned call for older lesbians to be seen, heard and, above all, taken seriously

ou probably won’t realise it,

minority of lesbians and then, Russian

a decade earlier than men. And

some of us are trying to remedy this.

but Lesbian Visibility Week

doll-like, the minority of lesbians aged

you don’t have to stretch the

It was this very lopsided take on gay

over 50. The invisible invisibles.

imagination very far to deduce that

history that prompted me develop

the event website, the DIVA Media

it’s unmarried, child-free lesbians

my new solo stage show Forty Years

Group stated: “Lesbian Visibility

Out (And Counting): Performing The

expected to step into the unpaid

Archive in 2019. I decided it was time

carer’s role.

for a show that, as I told one funder,

binary people in the community, as

All women suffer inequality

of a certain age who are often

well as celebrate lesbians.”

2019 data from the Office of

a groundbreaking thesis Now You

experiences of being an out-and-

Yes, you read that right: “as well as”.

National Statistics showed that

See Me: The Invisibility of Older

proud lesbian writer, performer, and

An event meant to be dedicated

women’s salaries were on average

Lesbians and reached this damning

activist for more than four decades.

to celebrating and making lesbians

28% lower than men’s. And women

conclusion: “Older lesbians in

Three successful pre-lockdown

more visible now has to be shared

would be paid £260,000 less than

Britain today are rendered invisible

previews showed there are indeed

with “all LGBTQI woman and non-

men during their careers

by a combination of sexism,

theatre audiences thirsting to hear

has existed since 2008. This year, on

Week aims to show our solidarity with all LGBTQI woman and non-

In 2009, Dr. Jane Traies published

binary people”. See? We don’t

our side of history.

even deserve to have our very own designated week anymore, just as nowadays we don’t appear to deserve lesbian-only spaces, groups, events, discos, publications or marches.

Straight Welsh feminist Hazel

Note I say ‘lesbian’, not ‘queer’

If you damage one group of women, it is easier to damage all women...

Turner-Lyons wrote an article

– that all-encompassing term reclaimed in the early ‘90s that has tediously re-emerged as the PC adjective du jour. One of the negative results of ‘queering’ everything is that any project or organisation with a queer prefix

entitled What Women Owe

Lesbians. And I quote: “I remain

‘flags up the lesbian’, based on my

tends to be more successful in Out of the 10,014 employers who

ageism, and hetero-sexism; that

getting public and commercial

reassured by the visible presence

submitted data, eight out of 10

lack of media representation

funding, as well as conference,

of lesbians in society and enriched

pay men more than women, with

has been a decisive factor in

exhibition, publishing and

by my friendships with lesbians.

women paid a median hourly rate

maintaining their invisibility.”

performance space.

What damage are we unleashing

that was nearly 10% less than their

She was spot on. And that

on women as a whole when we stop

male colleagues.

But if you use a ‘lesbian’ or ‘dyke’

media and cultural invisibility and

prefix – hmmm… not so much. Now

erasure of lesbians, especially us

Facebook won’t even allow anyone

their own communities, learn their

successive governments who have

silver sapphists, has been decisive,

to use the term ‘dyke’, without

history and culture, and organise

all had the chance to change the

particularly in the past decade. For

risking warnings and a spell in

politically?”

effects of the 1995 and 2011 Pension

example, there has been a steady

Zuckerberg Penitentiary.

Turner-Lyons has put it in a

Acts, nearly four million women

stream of stage shows of varying

nutshell: if you damage one group

(including me) in the UK have lost

quality that have focused entirely

of women, it is easier to damage

our state pension until we are 66 –

on gay men’s versions of events of

all women. Let’s face it, all women

around £50,000 expected pension

the ‘70s and ‘80s – the most recent

know how none of us are valued

income per woman.

lesbians from being able to form

And, of course, thanks to

being Cruise, which has enjoyed a run in a prime West End venue.

There’s a need for a history lesson

As Audre Lorde wrote: “It is not our

or respected or fairly represented

Finally, a 2019 report by Carers

in society. We are the 51.9% – the

UK found that half of women will

majority, treated as a minority. And

be unpaid carers by the time they

focusing on the lesbian version of

inability to recognise, accept, and

within that majority, there lies the

reach their mid-40s – on average,

events any time soon, even though

celebrate those differences… In our

30

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E ISSUE #ONE

But don’t expect a West End show

differences that divide us. It is our

world, divide-and-conquer must become define-and-empower.”

And for that to happen, you need alliances. But in recent years, lesbians have discovered that some of our previous allies are to be found, as the song goes, in all the wrong places.

And therein lies part of the problem – there are still too many gay men of all ages who don’t recognise or acknowledge the huge advantages they have, just by sheer dint of being, y’know, a man. This begets their failure to recognise or, even worse, not care about the appalling,

Framed Youth, CAPTION ABOVE commissioned by Channel 4, 1983/4

widespread social and economic disadvantages faced by women.

Ergo lesbians. Ergo older women.

CAPTION Rose on Gay Pride march, 1983

Ergo older lesbians. Such men gag on the term ‘feminists’ but are happy to refer to us as ‘feminazis’.

They neither know nor care that they are enabling and supporting lesbian erasure, invisibility, disrespect, and discrimination.

@rosecollis

Let me offer some of the worst recent offenders in terms of invisibility

up – protesting, campaigning, counselling,

Meanwhile, the BBC contents itself with

volunteering, fund-raising, writing.

offering us dykes who are fictional or dead.

As Julie Burchill pointed out in her piece

The late, great, raging, roaring lesbian

for The Spectator, What’s happened to all the

Jackie Forster

lesbians?: “‘I wish I could have paid tribute to

had a mantra

the lesbians’ ran a Diva magazine headline

that she yelled

about its writer, Russell T. Davies. Well, why

at meetings,

didn’t you, then?” Quite.

social events

It does a great disservice to women like

or, indeed, any

me who campaigned, wrote, and mourned

damn place

alongside our gay brothers. I cannot

where the

understand how a drama set in the London

majority was

Exhibit One: In 2019, as the 50th anniversary

lesbian and gay community of the 1980s

being treated

of the pivotal Stonewall riots in New York

failed to have any actual lesbians in it – now

like a minority:

drew nigh, there was a debate about who was

that’s a sin.

“What about the

really there, how they would be identified,

The bitter irony was that it was

women?!!!”

who started it, and so on. Most accounts

commissioned by Channel 4, which – under

of this historical moment have omitted or

the awesome curatorship of Caroline Spry

downplayed the role of Stormé DeLarverie. As

and Alan Fountain

Julia Diana Robertson wrote in Huffington Post

in the ‘80s and ‘90s

in 2017: “Let’s set the record straight (no pun

– commissioned

intended): a butch lesbian was responsible for

positive

starting the first Stonewall riot.”

programmes about

And do NOT get me started on Channel 4’s

It’s A Sin. Oh, alright then, if you insist…

real lesbian lives, including Framed

Youth, Women Like

Sadly, her cri de cœur remains more necessary than ever – and not just for

It does a great disservice to women like me who campaigned, wrote, and mourned alongside our gay brothers

Exhibit Two: In my view, this much-hyped

Us, Dyke TV, Veronica

TV drama was one of the finest examples of

4 Rose, and Out on

cultural work to blatantly and deliberately

Tuesday. Now, with

erase lesbian women from the representation

its cookery, property,

of an era when we were, arguably, at our

DIY, wedding, dating,

most visible and politically active. In the early

and medical shows, the channel has gone

lesbians. The question is: who will join in with

years of the AIDS crisis, lesbians stepped

from the outer realms to Woman’s Realm.

the shouting?

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E . C O . U K

@ S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E U K

31

out of the shadows

out

of the

shadow Author Paul Burston reflects on how Polari, a coded language with a colourful history, is still having an influence on LGBTQ culture today

P

olari – from the Italian ‘palare’

rights have come in the UK, and

his Ziggy Stardust character and

Are there any words that became

(meaning ‘to talk’) – is a form of

how much further there is to go.

album in 1972, he gave a famous

more widely used?

interview to Melody Maker. He

Some words made it into common

slang most commonly associated with gay men, used more widely

What are the origins of Polari?

camped it up outrageously,

parlance, such as ‘naff’, which

during the days when male

The origins are complex. At

claimed he was gay and spoke

originally meant ‘straight’ or ‘Not

homosexuality was against the

various times, it was spoken by

in Polari to prove his queer

Available For Fucking’!

law. The language itself has diverse

circus folk, sailors, Romany gypsies

credentials; despite being married

origins – a combination of Italian

and other social outsiders, but it’s

with a child. His final album

Was the 1967 Sexual Offences Act a

and Romantic roots, plus Romany,

most commonly associated with gay

Blackstar also contains elements of

watershed moment for gay men?

backslang (saying things backwards),

men. In the 1960s, it was popularised

Polari on the track ‘Girl Loves Me’.

Contrary to popular belief, the act

Yiddish, Cockney, and other street and

by Kenneth Williams and Hugh

sailor slang, (mostly from London).

Paddick as camp comedy couple

Why was Polari important to

only decriminalised it under certain

The point of Polari was, largely,

Julian and Sandy on the BBC radio

the gay community during

circumstances. The age of consent

to avoid the law knowing what

show Round the Horne. Their

the 20th century?

for gay men was set at 21, compared

the hell you were talking about or

conversation was laced with sexual

Polari was sometimes referred to

to 16 for heterosexuals. Homosexual

getting up to. And so the language

innuendo and made regular use

as ‘the lost language of gay men’

acts were tolerated, providing they

is constantly evolving, to keep one

of Polari. They used slang like

and it was most popular after WWII

took place in private and no more

step ahead of intelligence. Many of

‘bona lallies’, which means ‘nice

and before the 1967 Sexual Offences

than two people were present.

the words have made their way

legs’, and ‘dolly eek’, which means

Act, when male homosexuality was

into common parlance.

‘handsome face’, in a knowing way

still against the law. Thousands

take for granted weren’t afforded

that many gay listeners of the time

of gay and bisexual men were

to us. If a nosy neighbour spotted

would have recognised.

imprisoned for consensual sex

two men kissing inside their own

acts. Men used Polari as a coded

home and reported them to the

In 2021, Polari lives on as the inspiration for literary events and awards where the focus is very

didn’t actually make gay sex legal. It

The freedoms that straight people

much on inclusivity. Author Paul

Did any other cultural icons

way of communicating with each

police, they could be charged with

Burston talks to SILVER about how

use Polari?

other at a time when being openly

a public disorder offence. You could

Polari is still relevant, how far gay

Yes, when David Bowie launched

homosexual carried the risk of arrest.

be fired from your job or refused

32

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E ISSUE #ONE

"

These days we have an equal age of consent, partnership rights, and employment rights.

All of these things were unthinkable back in 1 9 6 7

ws accommodation simply for being

Polari words in common parlance Bevvy: drink

Fruit: queen

Bijou: small

Mince: walk (affectedly)

Butch: masculine; masculine lesbian

Naff: bad, drab

Camp: effeminate (origin: kamp = known

Scarper: to run off

as male prostitute)

Scotch: leg (scotch peg)

Carsey: toilet, also spelt khazi

Slap: makeup

Crimper: hairdresser

Trade: sex

Dish: an attractive male; buttocks

Troll: to walk about (especially

Dizzy: scatterbrained

looking for trade)

Drag: clothes, especially women’s clothes

Just recently there’ve been violent

Lesbians were at the forefront of

salon, to help celebrate and explore

gay. It’s worth remembering that this

homophobic attacks on gay men in

the fight against Section 28 and

the language. Polari is a live

remained the case until a mere 20

Birmingham, Edinburgh, Manchester,

heavily involved in AIDS activism - a

showcase for LGBTQ literary talent.

years ago. Public displays of affection

Liverpool and London. A friend of

fact often glossed over or forgotten.

It started in 2007 in Soho, London,

could and often did still lead to arrest.

mine was attacked in Brighton.

As women, lesbians are doubly

and grew quickly. We’re currently

I’ve been assaulted many times in

oppressed as they also don’t enjoy

based at the Southbank Centre,

Were there any other law changes

London. It’s easier now than it used to

male privilege. And misogyny and

and tour regularly, thanks to Arts

that were really important?

be but it’s still far from ideal.

sexism aren’t the exclusive preserve

Council funding.

Astonishingly, the specifically gay

of straight men; some gay men can

I think of it as a cabaret or

crime of ‘gross indecency’, for which

Do you think it’s harder for lesbians?

Oscar Wilde was imprisoned more

It has always been harder for

than a century ago, remained in law

lesbians. They weren’t criminalised

lesbian-only social spaces left, and

another – authors, poets, spoken

until as recently as 2003. These days

the way gay men were, but

ongoing disputes between some

word performers. It’s very diverse

we have an equal age of consent,

they did face persecution and

sections of the lesbian community

and very inclusive. Everyone is

partnership rights and employment

were often invisible in a way gay

and some trans activists have led to

welcome, regardless of gender or

rights. All of these things were

men weren’t. And the notorious

a lot of animosity and division. I fully

sexuality. And we run two book

unthinkable back in 1967.

Section 28 affected lesbians just as

support trans rights. I also think it’s

prizes, for debut and established

much as gay men, by describing

important for gay men to support

LGBTQ writers; they’re the only

Is it easier to be a gay man in

relationships as ‘pretended family

our lesbian sisters, just as they

such prizes in the UK. And we’ve

the UK today?

relationships’ and making any

supported us during the AIDS crisis.

been touring the UK, as we have

Yes, a lot has changed since 1967.

discussion of our lives during sex

In fact, I consider it my moral duty.

every year since 2014.

But homophobia hasn’t gone away.

education lessons unlawful.

be just as bad.

These days, there are very few

variety show in which all the acts are writers of one kind or

You’re celebrating Polari to ensure

For more information

holding your partner’s hand or

Many young people who grew up

that history doesn’t get forgotten.

about Polari events:

looking a certain way. There’s always

lesbian or gay were taught that it

Tell us about that.

www.polarisalon.com

an element of risk involved.

was shameful.

I created a live event, a literary

It still isn’t safe to walk the streets

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E . C O . U K

@ S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E U K

@paulburston

33

relationships

Cosmetic

infidelity

People lying to their partners about having treatments like Botox and fillers is on the rise. Is this ever okay? We spoke to Emily Kerrison, of Emily Kerrison Aesthetics, who talked – anonymously of course – to a couple of her secretive clients for us. The answers are pretty interesting…

HER

retinol treatment, and so was using a knock-

Q: What’s the hardest thing about keeping

off I’d ordered online.

it a secret?

She lives with her partner, and she has Botox and fillers on the quiet…

A: Waiting for him to notice.

Q: Do you feel you still ‘need’ treatments after going without for months? Or has

Q: Between you and me, are there other

Q: Why don’t you tell your partner?

this changed how you feel?

secrets you keep?

A: It’s something I do for myself. When did

A: Yes. If anything, the glimpse into what I’d

A: There may have been a one-night stand,

couples suddenly have to share every little

look like with no filler and no Botox made

pre-pandemic… I’m not exactly proud of that.

detail with each other?

me feel depressed.

Q: Do you tell other people?

Q: How long have you been getting

secrets from you? And if so, what would

A: My sister and a couple of my friends know,

treatments?

they be?

but we all go together. We like to make a thing

A: Around four years. I never knew about

A: I don’t think so. If he did, it might be a secret

of it, like a spa day or shopping trip. One of my

the abundance of treatments available until

gambling addiction or something. He’s not so

girlfriends also keeps it from her partner.

my friend confessed over a mimosa that

good with the secrets though. He thinks I don’t

she’d been going for skin peels and fillers.

know he watches porn most days.

Q: Do you think your other half keeps

Q: Do you think your partner suspects

I thought I’d try it out just once, and it was

anything?

life-changing.

A: Honestly, I don’t think he pays much

Surely after a few more years you might

attention. If he does suspect something,

Q: Will you ever tell your partner?

have to?

he hasn’t mentioned it to me.

A: It’s gone on for so long, I don’t really see

A: Maybe if he asks directly, I’ll answer. I

how. I thought lockdown would give me a

could say something like “Yes, I just went

Q: Did your partner notice anything

good excuse. I thought after Covid I could

for a little sample to see if I like it. What do

different about your appearance during

say: “Wow, look at my face, this pandemic has

you think?” But I’m not going to bring it

lockdown?

aged me. I might test out Botox.” But then

up for no reason.

A: There was one time he said I looked tired,

there wasn’t really a direct ‘end’ that I could

but I blamed it on the stress of pandemic.

jump aboard and use as an excuse.

Q: What do you think the response will be?

A: He’d probably say something irritating

We were all tired!

34

Q: Do you think you might come clean?

Q: Do you feel your partner would be

like: “You don’t need it, you’re beautiful as

Q: What’s the most extravagant excuse

annoyed if they found out?

you are.”

you have come up with for why you may

A: Possibly. He’d probably feel more annoyed

have looked different?

at himself for not realising. I earn my own

Q: Would you rather be honest?

A: Once, my skin was noticeably more

money so he couldn’t be annoyed about

A: Honestly? No. I like the naughty feeling

wrinkled and I said I’d run out of my decent

what I spend it on.

of having secrets.

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E ISSUE #ONE

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E . C O . U K

@ S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E U K

35

relationships HIM

ASK THE EXPERT

He’s a married man who gets Botox and has never told his wife…

So is lying in a relationship ever a good thing?

Q: Why don’t you tell your partner?

A: Partly down to the cost, initially. I

lockdown as everyone seems to carry a

thought I’d get moaned at for spending

stressed older look at the moment (or their

Dennis Relojo-Howell, founder of psychology

what could be considered a reasonable

Botox has worn off too!).

website Psychreg and a PhD researcher in clinical psychology at the University of

amount for looks (although she probably spends almost as much on Tropic

Q: How long have you been getting

Edinburgh, says that couples lying to each

moisturisers and other lotions etc anyway!)

treatments?

other is more common than we think.

A: About two years now.

“Some studies suggest that

Q: Do you tell other people, or is everyone in the dark?

Q: Will you ever tell your partner?

couples lie to each other on an

A: A couple of my very close friends are

A: I’d like to, but I think it’s now got to the

average of three times a week. In

aware, but it’s not something I would freely

point where she would be annoyed I hadn’t

most cases, people lie to protect

tell people – although I will joke about it

told her sooner, so it’s a lose/lose situation.

their personal interests. But people also lie in a

from time to time: “I look younger thanks to

I might just say that I’ve had it as I was

relationship to protect it from breaking up. For

Botox, etc.”

noticing I was getting older and pretend it’s

instance, we may hide our expenses from our

a recent thing.

partner to avoid getting into an argument.

about your appearance?

Q: Do you feel your partner would be

widespread selfishness and disregard for

A: Yes, people have often said I look well-

annoyed if they found out?

the other party, which can make them feel

rested, or really well. My wife has since

A: Possibly, especially financially; although

unloved and unwanted.

commented that it’s not fair how I’m

as mentioned above, it’s probably no more

“The f irst step towards curbing lying is

expensive than her treatments, it’s just that

to identify the reason behind it. Identifying

mine work!

triggers can help with understanding why

“Lies can also be an indication of more

Q: Have you ever had any comments

ageing better than she feels she is…

you lie. It’s also helpful for both parties for

Q: Do you think your partner suspects anything?

Q: What’s the hardest thing about

you to apologise to your signif icant other for

A: Yes, she has said: “I’m sure you’ve secretly

keeping it a secret?

lying to them.”

been having Botox!”. Awkward.

A: The swelling from the initial injections.

www.psychreg.org

Although the drive back home is just long Q: Did your partner notice anything

enough for the swelling to have gone by

Alex Mellor-Brook is co-founder of Select

different about your appearance during

the time I get in.

Personal Introductions.

lockdown?

A: No, thankfully she didn’t notice I was

Q: Between you and me, are there

“How little is your ‘little white

beginning to age again; just noticed after

other secrets you keep?

lie’? Telling lies to your partner is

I suddenly started looking younger once

A: Yes.

pretty common in a relationship.

But what size lie are you telling?

more.

Q: Do you think your other half keeps

Protecting someone’s feelings, saving face, or

Q: What’s the most extravagant excuse

secrets from you?

avoiding confrontation can be an incentive to

you have come up with for why you may

A: Possibly, although I wouldn’t have

fabricate the truth.

have looked different?

thought so. I guess that’s the point of

A: I said it’s because I’m drinking more

secrets!

“How often you tell a lie, how manipulative it becomes, and the reason why you lied can end in a toxic situation. Relationships are

water, perhaps that is the reason why.

Q: Do you think you might come clean?

built on trust and lies can undermine all your

Q: Do you feel you still ‘need’ treatments

A: Yes, quite possibly, but probably not

hard work.

after going without for months? Or has

about how long.

“If you do find yourself lying about something and it doesn’t sit well with

this changed how you feel?

A: Definitely still need treatments, it makes

Q: What do you think the response

you, own it. ‘I said or did this and I wasn’t

me feel younger, generally happier in my

will be?

completely truthful. I’m sorry I should have

own skin, and less stressed and weathered.

A: She will say “I knew it!”

been honest with you.’ Before you tell a lie ask yourself why? Is it for an easy life? Do I really

I’d say it’s even more important postQ: Would you rather be honest?

want to keep lying to the person I love?”

A: Yeah, but I quite like people thinking

www.selectservices.co.uk

I’m naturally younger-looking.

@emilykerrisonaestheticsltd

36

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E ISSUE #ONE

The UK's No.1 Beauty Box for Women over 50

Over £100 worth of full sized beauty products for just £35 a month inc. Free P&P 96% Five Star Reviews.

No Contract - Pause or Cancel at any time 15% Discount on your 1st Month (use code SILVER)

www.toyl.co.uk

Capsules for a Cause E L E M I S is proud to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month with this limited-edition supersize of our bestselling antioxidant-rich facial oils.

“

We are exceptionally proud of our long-standing partnership with ELEMIS and are honoured to be working with them again this year. The coronavirus pandemic has had a huge impact on Breast Cancer Now’s ability to deliver the progress and support that so many people affected by breast cancer rely on us for, so it’s never been more important to raise money and help make life-changing breast cancer research and care happen. A huge and heartfelt thank you to ELEMIS staff and customers for their dedication and support and we look forward to working together in the future.

Carrie Green, Assistant Director Corporate Partnerships at Breast Cancer Now

£10 of the purchase price will go to Breast Cancer Now. Regardless of sales, ELEMIS guarantees to give a minimum of £33,000 to Breast Cancer Now. Breast Cancer Now is a registered charity in England and Wales (1160558), Scotland (SC045584) and the Isle of Man (1200).

k o o l e h t Get

beauty

New trick s to go glam

Naomi Campbell always dazzles. But this is a subtle masterclass in how to soften your makeup as you mature

S

he’s famously sober these days, so her skin will benefit from increased hydration, and there’s no doubt she can afford great skin care. But if you’ve been using the

same makeup forever, it’s time for a change.

Using the right primers, foundations, and concealers can make a world of difference.

Less is more. Heavy makeup accentuates pores and creases; and too much powder dries out skin and makes it look flaky. Aim for dewy and fresh, not cake and bake.

Aim for dewy and fresh, not cake and bake EYES Naomi’s

colouring and brown eyes make it possible for her to

SKIN

go for black

Prepare your skin with a light and lovely primer, and it’ll help soften open pores and fine lines etc. We love the Pro-Collagen Insta-Smooth Primer from Elemis, £58.

Once your skin is prepped, aim for a light concealer. The Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra

eyeliner, like this Illamasqua Illustrator Pen, £21, but those with fairer skin should swap

Wear All Over Concealer, £25, is a really flexible option. It can act as a primer too;

for browns. Stick to only the top lid, with

meaning one less layer, and less chance of caking and creasing.

just a sweep of eyeshadow colour along

Foundation. Pick something light with a dewy sheen, rather than a heavy matte finish. We love the Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation, £33.

the lower line. Mascara; again, brown is less harsh for more mature fair skin, but

For blush, go for a light liquid, like the Armani Neo Nude, £32, and just pat a small

for some real pizzazz or a night out, don’t

amount on the apple of your cheek. A light dusting of very fine powder will do to finish.

shy away from some false eyelashes to make your eyes pop!

For eyeshadow, Naomi has some warm, tawny russets fading to palest lilac on her lids here. Accentuate the outside of the top lid with the darker colours,

LIPS

Finally, lips! Warmer nudes will work better than garish brights for this look. Use a slightly darker lip pencil around the outside edges, and blot to help avoid bleeding. A softer glossy-type lipstick always brings the glamour. We’ve fallen in love with Victoria Beckham’s Posh Lipstick – shown here in ‘Pout’, £34.

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E . C O . U K

@ S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E U K

and bring lighter colour closer to the nose. We found this gorgeous little Chanel palette, Les 4 Ombres – 378 Douceur et Sérénité, £44, had a really simple range of colours to create a similar look. Beware of too much sparkle though – it can travel around your face and settle into creases.

39

v

face values

s e u l a e fac p e e d in k s n a th e r o m s i beauty

Things change as we age, there’s no two ways about it. Beauty columnist Karen Davis tells you how to turn that change, quite literally, into the time of your life…

W

hen I reached my late 40s, I found myself

how to live mid-life well, as you do. I called it Time

in a perfect storm. A career on the slide,

of Your Life – a clever play on words, as I like to

Guess what I called it.

And now I’m here to partner with SILVER

children flown, and the fun of the menopause

imagine. I wanted to explore what it was like for

Magazine to curate and develop gorgeous beauty

to embrace. But I also realised that, although

women who a hundred years ago would have

boxes, just for you. Chosen specifically for more

mid-life can be a very real challenge, it can also

been being measured for their coffin. And look

mature skins and bodies; just wait until you see

be a force for positive change. And the more

instead at ways of celebrating that.

what we have to offer!

I worked through the issues of maturing, and

I also realised that there were other parts of

menopause, and madness, the more I realised

my world that weren’t in tandem with this kind

And I hope this exclusive collection of absolutely

that I needed a tribe.

of positive/realistic outlook, and one of them was

gorgeous beauty products goes some way towards

close to my heart. Beauty products. I decided it was

making that happen. And for good measure, here’s

they’re not alone. So, being the sort of person I

high time we celebrated the mature client, and

some advice from an old beauty PR pro.

am, I wrote an Amazon #1 best-selling book on

started my beauty subscription box for over-40s.

www.toyl.co.uk

What I wanted was for others to know that

How to get the best from your skin and makeup

Wrinkles, lines, jowls – the list of words that you quite often see associated with skin over 50 isn’t an inspiring mix. But let me tell you, at SILVER, we are looking at things differently. Here are the top ten things you can do to encourage great skin over 50.

I really want you to value YOU – inside and out.

EAT THE RAINBOW Get the fruit and veg down you. Berries, walnuts, seeds, probiotic yoghurt – you know the drill.

WATER This doesn’t surprise you, does it? We can topically apply products that help retain water on the skin’s surface but nothing beats drinking it – two litres day regardless of how many loo breaks that makes.

SUPPLEMENTS Now, I’m not a doctor so always consult yours before taking supplements, but it’s

MOVE Nothing beats blood flowing into the skin as it brings oxygen and nutrients into play. Fresh air is also fantastic for skin, but if you’re out in bracing wind/rain/snow, do pop on a high-quality barrier balm to protect, as well as your SPF – and never go outside without your SPF!

40

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E ISSUE #ONE

a pretty fair guess that you will be light on Omega3, Zinc, Vit C, magnesium and a few others. Vit D is also worth a look at as well.

SPF Sun damage will sap

DOUBLE CLEANSE

your glow. SPF30 every day, even in winter.

Double cleanse is a new phenomenon. At

One of my favourites is

night only, the first cleanse is with something

Ultrasun FACE SPF30

like Emma Hardie’s Moringa Cleansing Balm

(25ml / £11 /

(100ml / £47 / www.emmahardie.com), an oil-

www.ultrasun.com).

based cleanser that you gently massage into skin. Once done, use a water-soluble cleanser like Gatineau’s Micellar Milk Cleanser (200ml / £23 / www.gatineau.com) – you’ll really see the difference in tone and glow if you keep this up.

EXFOLIATE Every few days the top layer of skin needs to be turned over because we need to allow the fresh skin cells below to come through.

However, we were brought up with facial ‘scrubs’. You remember, the stuff with bits

LOOK AT YOUR SKIN

in it. All facial scrubs with bits – whether it’s oats, apricot kernels, coconut fibre – I don’t

Here’s a crazy thought – why don’t you look at your skin

care, bin them. They really scratch your

each day and think about what it needs? If you’ve had a

skin. Go for a liquid exfoliator such as Jane

heavy night, bring out the big guns such as day serums,

Scrivner’s Skinfoliate (150ml / £29); its a mix

liquid exfoliators, face oils, eye

of very mild acids – use at

creams and moisturisers. If your

night a couple of times each

skin is looking half decent, dial

week after cleansing.

it down with a light moisturiser and serum. Give your skin what it asks you for.

MASKS Sleep is key and I’ve been road testing SleepSmug’s Contoured 3D Blackout Sleep Mask (£12 / www.sleepsmug.com). It’s shaped a bit like a padded bra so that the mask doesn’t rest on your eyes (so if you have lash extensions it’s no bother) but does keep the light out. I’ve also been checking out Sensory Retreats Self-Heating Eye Masks (£3.95 / www.sensoryretreats.com). These are single-use as a heated eye mask (you can keep as a regular eye mask rather than throwing it away)

SERUMS

and if you pop a bit of eye cream on before you use it works a treat!

These are the money shot in beauty terms after the age of 50. If you want to splash the cash, here is the place to do it.

Top choice for me is BioEffect EGF Serum (15ml / £130 / www.bioeffect.co.uk) because it retains moisture in the skin superbly, and we want that because moisture plumps, giving glow and freshness.

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E . C O . U K

@ S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E U K

41

CULTIVATORS of CHANGE

Nothing Resets like Nature Reset your skin for a healthy glow Does your skin feel dehydrated and tight? Look a little lacklustre or perhaps red in areas? Our modern, busy lives with exposure to UV, pollution, and stress, can prevent the skin from working efficiently, accelerating the appearance of visible signs of ageing. Fear not! Help is on hand with L’OCCITANE’s Immortelle Overnight Reset Serum.

The powerful oil-in-serum was originally launched in 2018, has won over 21 awards and one sells every minute worldwide.

This September, L’OCCITANE have a new powered-up formula that protects against free-radical damage caused by everyday aggressors and soothes the skin, giving you a healthy glow and slowing the signs of ageing.

So, what’s new? 10x more concentrated immortelle essential oil, known for its antioxidant and age-defying, collagen-boosting properties, plus a new ingredient mimicking the effect of sap within plants to boost hydration. These ingredients are added to a potent botanical mix of acmella oleracea, known as a natural alternative to botox and marjoram which helps to reawaken and stimulate the skin.

The botanical formula is the go-to product for glowing, rested skin, helping to comfort and soothe it, while also aiding its recovery from daily stress.

The Immortelle Overnight Reset Serum (£50) is available to buy from L’OCCITANE boutiques and online at uk.loccitane.com.

After just 1 night*

After 7 nights*

After 28 nights*

93% found their complexion looked fresher.

100% found that feelings of tightness were soothed.

97% found that their skin looked younger, re-energised, and transformed.

*Consumer test on 31 men over 28 days, in France, between 22-65 years old.

AN EXCLUSIVE OFFER FOR SILVER READERS Receive a L’OCCITANE Immortelle Overnight Reset Serum 5ml (worth £9 or €11), FREE with any purchase over £20 or €25*. Shop in your nearest boutique or online at uk.loccitane. com or ie.loccitane.com and use the code: SILVERRESET at checkout to redeem the offer.

Find your nearest boutique at uk.loccitane/boutiques or ie.loccitane/boutiques. *T&Cs: 1. The offer is valid from 26th September – 9th October 2021 only and while stocks last. 2. One offer valid per customer and redeemable online at uk.loccitane.com or ie.loccitane.com and in L’OCCITANE UK and Ireland boutiques (excluding outlets, independent retailers, department stores and airport stores). 3. This offer cannot be exchanged for cash and it cannot be combined with any other discount, promotion or gift card purchase 4. Photocopied, damaged or defaced Silver offer pages, will not be accepted.

Use the code SILVERRESET to receive a FREE Immortelle Overnight Reset Serum 5ml**

beauty box

S I LV E R

beauty b o x w

Exclusive Beauty BoxOffer

orth £105

Get this glorious beauty box worth £105 for just £35 with free p&p.

Plus an exclusive SILVER Bonus Gift worth £28!

C

apitalising on your summer sun-kissed

•

legs, or planning a winter sun break?

This box has been carefully curated by our columnist Karen Davis. Perfect for a pamper, or as a gift. This is a gorgeous box full of

Urban Veda Revitalising Body Lotion (250ml / RRP £12.99)

•

Bioderma's Photoderm Refreshing After Sun Milk (100ml / RRP £7.90)

WIN A BOX! We’re giving away one Silver Autumn Beauty Box

beauty goodies for just £35 – saving SILVER

P L US

readers nearly £100, with a free gift included.

ONLY for SILVER readers:

Magazine website:

•

Margaret Dabb's Firming Leg Serum,

FREE Slow Ageing Essential Facial Essence

www.silvermagazine.co.uk/category/

(200ml / RRP £45)

(5ml) and Essential Face Moisturise (10ml)

competitions

Leighton Denny Smooth Your Sole Foot

worth £28!

File (RRP £6)

This amazing beauty bargain is an exclusive

Dermatonic's Heel Balm with Manuka

with SILVER Magazine to buy as a one-off

Honey (60ml / RRP £5.99)

purchase.

• •

Kure Bazaar Nail Polish in Fabulous (10ml •

/ RRP £15)

Simply visit www.toyl.co.uk/pages/silver

Gatineau's Exfoliating Mitt (RRP £12.99)

to place your order.

x S I LV E R S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E . C O . U K

@ S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E U K

to a lucky reader! To enter simply visit the SILVER

Terms:

• • • • •

Competitions closes 10/12/21.

One person to receive a Silver Autumn Beauty Box to the value of £104 at retail.

Winner will be selected at random and contacted within two days of the end date.

The prize will be delivered via Royal Mail to the UK only, including Channel Islands, Isle of Man, Scottish Isles, and Northern Ireland.

No cash alternatives.

43

Whether you’re headed for winter sun, booking festivals for next year, or simply revving up your party game, do it in Glorious Technicolor PHOTOGR APHER Erika Szostak Lili Harrington-Lowe LIGHTING ASSISTANT Carly Pepperell PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Charlene Howells MAKEUP ARTIST Melodie at Restore HAIR Helene Evans and Laura Hazeldine MODELS Sam Harrington-Lowe STYLIST Genevieve Ng and Bella Currie WARDROBE Nathalie Croxon SOCIAL AND LOCATIONS

L he t ast of

Festiva

44

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E ISSUE #ONE

the

al Fun S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E . C O . U K

@ S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E U K

45

Helene wears Heart-Shaped Sunglasses with Pink Lens, ASOS DESIGN, £14 Cami Wrap Maxi Dress with Lace Up Back, ASOS DESIGN, £35 It’s Always Sunny Trainers (opposite), Irregular Choice, £119 It’s Always Sunny Crossbody Bag (opposite), Irregular Choice, £39.99 Poodle Oodle Necklace, Irregular Choice, £19 Pink Fur Coat, model’s own

46

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E ISSUE #ONE

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E . C O . U K

@ S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E U K

47

Helene wears Short Sleeve Pyjama Set in Orange, ASOS DESIGN, £32 Summer Slips, Irregular Choice, £99 Mid Square Sunglasses with Bevel in Pale Yellow, ASOS DESIGN, £12 Beaded Necklace in Turquoise, & Other Stories, £17 Vest, model’s own

48

Laura wears Sunglasses with Pink Lens in Green, ASOS DESIGN, £13.50 Co-ord: Vendala Fringed Crop Top, L.O.M Fashion, £120 and Vendala Leggings, L.O.M Fashion, £99

49

50

Laura wears Street Ready Sunglasses in Pink, Vans, £12 It’s Always Sunny Trainers, Irregular Choice, £119 Co-ord: Indus Sequin Leggings in Dahlia, £135 and Twinks Sequin Crop Top in Dahlia, £48, both Rosa Bloom Bracelet, model’s own

Laura as per previous page, Helene wears Körpermitose Fringed Catsuit, L.O.M Fashion, £185 Forest of Dreams Sequin Festival Robe, L.O.M Fashion, £160 Booyah Sandals in Purple, Irregular Choice, £49.99 Sunglasses, model’s own

51

Laura wears Chillaxing Sandals, Irregular Choice, £49.99 Opposite: Mitosis Party Catsuit, L.O.M Fashion, £155 Körpermitose Shoulder Cape, L.O.M Fashion, £120 Top hat and Sunglasses, model’s own

52

STOCKISTS L.O.M Fashion: lomfashion.co.uk Irregular Choice: irregularchoice.com ASOS: asos.com & Other Stories: stories.com Rosa Bloom: rosabloom.com Vans: vans.co.uk

53

Going ! t u o T U O

fashion

Has it been so long in lockdown that you don’t have a clue what to wear when you go out?

A

s party season kicks off, who better to turn to for inspiration than jazzy Jeff

Goldblum, working his cool and classic on the red carpet. Pairing black and

blue takes a bit of skill, but we love what he’s got here – black coat, dark blue tie, black shoes. It’s a elegant look with a bit of a twist.

CHARLES TYRWHITT Black Poplin Shirt £64.95 charlestyrwhitt.com

PAUL SMITH ‘The Kensington’ Men’s Slim-Fit Dark Navy Pin Dot Wool Suit £995 paulsmith.com

TAILORMADE Dark Blue Overcoat £900 tailormadelondon.com PAUL JAMES KNITWEAR Cashmere Scarf £125 pauljamesknitwear.com TURNBULL AND ASSER Navy Satin Silk Tie £145 turnbullandasser.co.uk

INDIGO Blue Hayling Silver and Braided Leather Bracelet £175 anchorandcrew.com

TK MAXX Leather Gloves £24.99 txmaxx.com

TSAI TSAI Natural Garnet Cufflinks £150 tsaixtsai.com

DUNE LONDON Sparrows Black £120 dunelondon.com

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E . C O . U K

@ S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E U K

ROTARY Windsor Gents Watch £125 rotarywatches.com

55

fashion

Autumn V ibes

FATFACE Checked Cape £35

RIVER ISLAND Mac £110

MATALAN Paperbag Checked Trousers £16

It’s AW21 and we’re looking at warm chromatics mixed with black and white staples. Block colours, bold patterns, coffees and creams. A pick of some of our faves…

F&FCashmere Mink V-neck Jumper £59

NOLOGO Tina Malhamé Hand-Printed Zig-Zag Shirt Dress £79 TK MAXX Zebra Handbag £29.99

56

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E ISSUE #ONE

OLIVER BONAS Black And Gold Scarf £35

CREW CLOTHING COMPANY Fisherman Rib Knitted Poncho £65

JOHN LEWIS Cream Teddy Coat £68

LISA SNOWDON FOR KALEIDOSCOPE – Windowpane Check Jacket £79, Leather Cropped Trousers £159 BARBOUR GLENDEVON Knit Cardigan £99.95

ASPIGA Suede Ankle Boot in Coffee £145

F&F Black Fur Headband £6

DUNE LONDON Izzie Gloves £50

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E . C O . U K

@ S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E U K

57

fashion

s v’ a t s u G get-up

holiday wear for chaps Chap editor Gustav Temple on how to cut a late summer sartorial dash anywhere from the French Riviera to Bognor Regis

C

hap style icons such as David Niven and Ronald Coleman, usually

swaddled in dashing winter wear for photographs, provide little guidance for togs for wintering in the sun. What we do know is that the winter layering process must be stripped down in balmier climes.

Wearing fewer layers requires more thought, as each of those fewer layers must be the sine qua non of their function.

HOW TO PARE TO THE BONE You may only have space for one jacket in your luggage, so make sure it will cover all eventualities – including feeling rather warm under the collar. If the destination you optimistically booked earlier this year happens to have made it to the coveted Green List, the temptation may be to ‘go native’ and loaf about in khaki shorts, flip-flops – and a T-shirt. This, for a chap, would be a dereliction of duty, a sop to the multitude.

If the clobber outlined below sounds like it will need several trunks to be transported, the answer is to wear the main components on the journey and fill your hand luggage with the rest of the lighter items. It is perfectly plausible to visit a hot country, including the UK with its legendary three-day heatwaves, in an ensemble that not only prevents one from slowly melting in the midday sun, but which also displays gentlemanly sartorial credentials.

You never know – a chance encounter with a stray countess at the beach bar may lead to an invitation to a cocktail party, and that’s where your flip-flops would severely let you down.

58

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E ISSUE #ONE

TROUSERS

Lightness of cloth is paramount when strolling about during the passeggiata hour, but so too is lightness of colour, especially if wearing a dark blazer.

Although sartorial rules dictate that one’s trousers should always be darker than one’s jacket, the Riviera look is the exception, and obeys the light chino/dark blazer diktat.

For the vintage look, Darcy Clothing offer a lightweight cotton moleskin cricket trouser at £86, while those unafraid to clothe their pins in a more

SHIRT

contemporary silhouette

If (or rather, because) you are wearing a jacket or blazer, this is

Spoke London for a pair of

very likely to be removed when the sun is high in the sky, so opt

their cotton lightweights at

for something that tells its own story, such as a navy striped linen

£99. Walker Slater’s linen

shirt, £95, from www.sirplus.co.uk. This company also makes

pantaloons are also worth a

short-sleeved shirts, which may be necessary in the tropics,

try, especially their Edward

such as a yellow Tencel Cuban shirt in cotton, £95. Under no

Trousers at £145, for which

circumstances is it acceptable to wear a Hawaiian shirt, unless

the matching jacket may

you have been invited to a fancy-dress party while on your hols.

also be acquired.

can head straight over to

SUNGLASSES JACKET

Probably the most important accessory to pack is one’s

This will be your most essential item, as you will need it for the journey abroad, so

by the sunlight that admiring glances from the local

as many pockets as possible is a prerequisite for all the millions of forms, vaccine

populace will go unnoticed.

lunettes de soleil, for without these you will be so blinded

certificates et cetera you will need to present at the airport.

Why are decent sunglasses, or spectacles for that matter,

For a lightweight cotton twill jacket, Universal Works presents the most

so darned expensive? Nobody knows, but the answer is not

favourable option, the London jacket, £175, which boasts a total of five pockets,

to grab a cheap pair at the airport. Kirk Originals’ Warwick in

including one for a pocket square. It comes in colours ranging from cream to

amber tortoiseshell with dark green lenses will set you back

dark navy.

£225, but you will never grow out of them.

Walker Slater’s collaboration with The Chap resulted in the Chap Linen Suit

The more economical option comes from Dead Men’s

(jacket £245, as worn by yours truly, pictured), available from www.thechap.co.uk.

Spex, whose range is so vast – and helpfully categorised

A cream linen three-piece suit is the ideal garment in which to saunter about the

by decade – that you are likely to find something similar

summer streets of any resort in the world. The cut of the jacket gives a relaxed fit

to those you covet elsewhere, at a much more affordable

with soft shoulders, a single vent, two flap pockets and a breast pocket and three-

price. Their Classic American Atomic Age frames in black

button fastening. The lightweight satin viscose part-lining ensures further relaxation

acetate frame with metal brow detailing are £60, plus £45

potential when temperatures begin to soar.

for non-prescription polarised lenses.

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E . C O . U K

@ S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E U K

59

fashion

NECKWEAR

It is around the throat that a chap may display his dandy

FOOTWEAR

credentials most effectively, and the least sweltering neck adornment is of course the cravat.

A word of warning to the

The more sartorially adventurous may wish to brave

travelling chap, whether to

the foulard, or neckerchief, for a slightly more playboy

foreign climes or the English

look. Geoff Stocker (www.geoffstocker.com) has

Riviera: you are very likely to

turned his pocket square skills to what he has named

encounter the shoeless. While

a bandana, in 30% silk and 70% cotton, measuring 24

exterior temperatures will, it must

inches on each side. It is designed to be thrown around

be admitted, preclude the full

the throat carelessly, so that it flaps in the breeze

brogue boot on the beach, there

and pretty ladies can spot one from a distance. It is

is no need to allow standards to

appropriately called ‘The Waking Dream’ and costs £85

drop as low as the flip-flop.

(5). The Chap cravat, £35, based on the peacock pocket

Even the popular Birkenstock

square, will liven up any plain shirt with its

sandal flies dangerously close

splashes of purple, aquamarine

to being infra dig. Why would a

and burgundy.

grown man wish to be shod like a five-year-old boy? It is worth adding that there is no known trouser that looks good with such a scandalous sandal.

Grenson has produced the Quincy Sandal, priced at £180, based on those available in most traditional shoe shops in southern Europe, which at least covers the toes and the heel. A more wallet-friendly pair, the Angulus, is available from

"

www.footway.com at £116.

For a shoe that one could actually enter a restaurant wearing, saddle shoes are another light option. Rocket Originals and Collectif make them for men, priced at £99 and £95 respectively. Loafers also cut the mustard. Jones the

Bootmaker makes an acceptable penny loafer for £89, and don’t forget to stick a penny into the upper for that preppy detail. But don’t go too preppy and wear them without socks. Only an aged Italian rogue can get away with this look..

the main purpose of wearing a Panama is to advertise that a British gentleman is in town

SOCKS HEADWEAR

A Panama is clearly the only acceptable option for sultry climes, and Pachacuti make the highest grade, peddled from a website site called www.panamas.co.uk. Prices for their ethically produced Ecuadorean Panamas range from £85 to £320, but their prices reflect a product built to survive the fierce summers and tropical downpours of equatorial regions.

Olney’s Panamas, available from www.hatsandcaps. co.uk, are more affordable, starting at £60 for a white one with a traditional black band – a tradition that began with the death of Queen Victoria and never stopped.

Of course, the main purpose of wearing a Panama is to

You could try strutting about in a pair of loafers or deck shoes without socks, but this will not mark you out as a man of style, and certainly not as a British gentleman. The lightest socks on the market that eschew any absurd patterns or motifs are from Dueple (dueplesocks.com), who also make rather fetching ribbed socks for winter. Their Fine Guage 220 Needle Socks, £9.90, come in a huge range of plain bold colours, as well as white or black.

advertise to the other tourists that a British gentleman is in town, but if you wish to rule out every last shred of uncertainty, then wear a straw boater.

Gustav Temple has been editor of The Chap Magazine – Britain’s longest-serving gentleman’s quarterly – for 20 years. The Chap aims to help men up their sartorial game. www.thechap.co.uk

60

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E ISSUE #ONE

@thechapmag

Classic Tailoring AW21 Belgravia | Shoreditch www.tailormadelondon.com

interview

movi

6 2 24

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E ISSUE #ONE

PHOTOS

Gary

Malcolm Venville

not

ving forward,

ot looking back The former Spandau Ballet songwriter and guitarist talks about his first solo album in 25 years, and how ageing in the music industry is no bad thing

r

esponsible for some of the 1980s’ most memorable songs, including True, Gold, and

Through The Barricades, there’s no denying

that Gary Kemp is a talented songwriter. Now, with INSOLO, his f irst solo album since 1995’s

Little Bruises, Kemp’s lyrics have taken on a more reflective stance, as he explores the passage of time

people are still making judgements on the music that I made as a 20-year-old

and the concept of facing up to “other incarnations of myself ”.

These ‘other incarnations’ span decades. Spandau Ballet was formed in 1979, when Kemp was 20.

and you think, ‘Oh, I need to write a song about that

The band had 23 hit singles, all written by Kemp,

subject’. But when you get to a certain age, you’ve

spending a combined total of more than 500 weeks

lived through most of those subjects.”

in the UK charts, and achieving more than 25 million album sales worldwide.

While this could, arguably, make the songwriting process somewhat easier, it could also evoke a

Today, at 61, Kemp explains that he experienced

certain wistfulness – something that Kemp isn’t

something of an epiphany when writing the new

af raid to embrace. “I think a lot of the words [on

album. “I realised that I never had to lie again in a

the album] were inspired by me feeling my own

song,” he says. “When you’re a kid writing lyrics, you’re

mortality, about having more behind me than in

making most of it up. You’re listening to other songs

f ront of me and trying to come to terms with that.”

Is this something he worries about a lot? “My kids make me feel young,” he admits. “And the whole music business makes you feel young. But the problem is that in the music business, you’re also constantly being shown younger versions of yourself.” He continues: “I’m still being critiqued on my 22-year-old self. You know, people are still making judgements on the music that I made as a 20-year-old.”

Kemp explores this theme in one particularly poignant track on the album, I Remember You. “It’s about me looking back on a younger, stronger, sharper version of myself. At times with regret, but at other times with longing.”

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E . C O . U K

@ S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E U K

63

interview

There is this constant demand to get Spandau Ballet back together.

But we don’t completely enjoy being in the same room as each other

6 2 44

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E ISSUE #ONE

He wrote the album during lockdown in 2020, the situation allowing him to explore the feelings of isolation, and reflect on the past. “It was def initely a great escape for me because on the other side of my life, I had the pressures of the family being together every day; I was doing

When you get to a certain age, I think you need to write a song about getting older, and about losing a lot of your physical power

home schooling. And we were being inundated with bad news and more bad news; I was just at my wits’ end.

And I remember going into the piano

Taylor, Gary Numan, Jon Bon Jovi, and Noel

room and writing the track Too Much. At the end

Gallagher, as well as younger brother Martin, with

of the day, I just wanted to protect my family.”

whom he’s always been close.

Kemp lives in London with his second wife,

It’s no surprise that Kemp is still very well

costume designer Lauren Barber, and their three

connected in the music world. In fact, he was able

sons. “I’ve been with my wife for the past 20 years

to call on some of his industry mates to contribute

but there are versions of myself that she doesn’t

to INSOLO, among them Queen’s Roger Taylor –

know, that maybe have no connection to me

playing drums on the aforementioned Too Much

now,” he muses.

– and The Feeling’s Richard Jones and brother

Has this deep dive into the past make him

Martin Kemp playing bass on some tracks too.

think about touring with Spandau Ballet again?

Nick Mason also worked on the album, and has

And perhaps putting their well-publicised

clearly been a recent influence in Kemp’s career.

differences behind them?

“There is this constant demand to get Spandau

“He opened me up to a different audience, I suppose, which has given the ability to be able

Ballet back together,” he says. “But we don’t

to put more complex musical arrangements on

completely enjoy being in the same room as

this record. I really felt that now, more than ever,

each other. I think unless you can be creative in

I had to make some new music that represented

a studio and do new music together, then just

me today, and that wasn’t like songs that I write

going out doing the stuff that you wrote years

for other people, or the songs I wrote for Tony

ago isn’t enough to be a band.”

[Hadley] to sing. These are songs that could only

Kemp describes being on the road again when they reformed (once in 2009 and again, briefly, in 2018) as being ‘stressful’, and something that he

be sung by me.”

So does this album represent a departure into different musical territory? “In 1983, it just so

doesn’t need right now. “It would be great fun to

happened that at that particular time I wrote True

play on stage with the band because we make

and that changed our lives. I found a sound with

a sound that was really good, and unique, and

that band that I really liked. But it’s not who I am

special,” he admits, “and I’m really proud of that.

completely.”

But I think what Spandau fans don’t understand is that life isn’t as easy as just us appearing on stage.”

It’s not as if Kemp has much time for a

What does he think about today’s artists? “I’m a hugely eclectic lover of music, and there are current artists like St. Vincent, for example, who

Spandau Ballet reunion, anyway. As well as his

I think are extraordinary. But I hear stories about

solo material, he’s busy touring as guitarist and

people writing songs that go straight to the chorus

co-lead vocalist in Nick Mason’s Saucerful of

because they just want to get it on TikTok. And there

Secrets, formed by Pink Floyd drummer Mason to

are the record company executives who are utterly

perform early Pink Floyd material. He also has a

depressed at having to just sign TikTok songs. I’m

successful podcast, Rockonteurs, with Saucerful

not in that world. I never grew up in that world.”

of Secrets bassist Guy Pratt. Each week they

With all this looking back at the past, is he happy

invite music industry royalty f rom the 1980s to

with life? “Yeah, everything’s fine. When you get

the present day to discuss “the real stories behind

to a certain age, I think you need to write a song

real music”. Previous guests have included John

about getting older, and about losing a lot of your physical power. And I’m hoping that people will find something in that.

“At the moment, I’m really happy in the world that I’m in, which isn’t being in Spandau Ballet, but it’s still respecting everything we did and wanting to be creative in a more autonomous way, really.”

INSOLO is out now

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E . C O . U K

@ S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E U K

65

health

Club

nts, off early senior mome In an att empt to fend cs opi ro ad-tests no otr comedian Simon Evans

Nootropicana PHOTOS

Steve Best

a

N N

ootropics are – according to Wikipedia –

plausible,” she would have said, while cheerfully

and providing subordinate services to my wife

“drugs, supplements and other substances

packing the feline into the car.

who is the main breadwinner and Head of House-

that are claimed to improve cognitive function, particularly executive functions, memory,

I have not yet fallen to my death, but I have had a few close calls. It is at best very unsettling

hold – is perhaps not the best test of a world-class intellect.

But I didn’t feel myself

creativity or motivation in healthy individuals”. The word

undergoing the kind of

‘claimed’ is doing a lot of heavy

transformation one sees

lifting in that sentence.

depicted in movies by flickering digital code and

Lately, a number of beautifully packaged and branded subpharmacological propositions are being marketed at silver panthers, or whatever the marketing goons are calling the 50+ demographic this week. Basically, the target market is old-timers who are hoping to regain a fraction of the wakefulness and mental grip we took for granted not so long ago. I wanted to find out if these non-

That cycle can go on for hours. Up and down, in and out of rooms, back to the kitchen, open the microwave, find another forgotten cup of tea

bullets floating harmlessly past your head. To be fair, neither of them did any harm either. And seeing one’s urine turn the colour of lemon curd, as one’s kidneys frantically try to eject the excess minerals, does at least remind you of your good intentions.

I was a poor judge of

prescription novelties worked. I am 56, and

the third product. Centra

general wear and tear is setting in. when a step gets up and bolts from beneath

Peak, another vitamin-and-mineral concoction,

Memory is a thing I remember fondly

your feet, leaving you grasping the banister,

arrived in stylish, masculine navy and bronze

heart thumping, system surging with cortisol

packaging. It too has a strong ingredient

and adrenaline. This is when I need a biscuit with

game, featuring several unique elements with

my tea. I look for the biscuits in the kitchen – and

harvested-from-the-secrets-of-the-rainforest-

This getting-old lark doesn’t sound so bad if you

there they are in a sealed packet. That’s why I

sounding names. Mucuna pruriens alone is

can laugh at yourself, I had thought, expecting

was looking for the scissors! That cycle can go on

worth the price of admission.

it to start happening when I was 70. But no, it

for hours. Up and down the stairs, in and out of

But I cannot pronounce a verdict on Centra

kicked in at 54. Suddenly, I was unable to ascend

rooms, back to the kitchen, open the microwave,

Peak because its USP is that it is a male vitality

the stairs without blood draining from the brain

find another forgotten cup of tea…

booster that will “enhance your testosterone

to such a degree that I forgot the word ‘scissors’

production”. If it can do so, more power to its

wiped clean. I could barely remember what year

Searching for a remedy

it was let alone the purpose of the mission. I had

It is enough to drive you insane – and into

levels were those traditionally associated with

to stick a list of things I might go upstairs for to

the arms of snake oil salesmen, offering you a

an 80-year-old man.

the landing wall. But I couldn’t read it because

return to your scissor-sharp mind. So, courtesy

I lost my glasses. So I’d look for clues and spot

of SILVER, I received taster packs of such

a cup of tea I made half an hour earlier from a

products. Dr. Vegan offers Vegan Minds pills

previous futile expedition upstairs.

for memory and focus and Stay Calm pills to

long enough to remember that that’s why I went upstairs in the first place.

Two flights of stairs to the attic room and I was

elbow. But I found that my testosterone was catastrophically low some years ago and have been on a proper testosterone replacement therapy programme ever since. My testosterone

manage stress and anxiety. These were to be

Better the devil you know

insect floating on the surface, but still look

taken with food, which in my case often means

As far as over-the-counter remedies go, however,

drinkable. So I’d take the tea downstairs, scoop

burgers, bacon, or fish, but Dr. Vegan did not

do any of them give you the kick that a double

out the fatality, and pop it in the microwave so

specifically counsel against meat-eating, except

shot of artisan Arabica – or even a heavy spoonful

my spirits would be revived and I could start

as a general moral principle.

of instant – can? No, I am afraid not.

The tea would be cold, most likely with an

again. Because – obviously – I’d rather take a

Noggin meanwhile offers uppers and

layer of skin off my lower lip than admit defeat

downers called Oomph and Pause (rather

three simple, legal things have worked for me.

and waste 4p on a new teabag.

than Oomph and ‘00 mph’, which would

One is caffeine, obviously, and I dose up on

have pleased me, but probably lost sales).

that regularly. I’m sorry to say the second one is

for my economic insight. Perhaps I could share

These had a slightly more impressive list of

nicotine. I don’t use it anymore. But nicotine is a

the tip with Martin Lewis at MoneySavingExpert.

ingredients than the vegan option – lion’s

proven, effective cognitive enhancer.

com. Save money on hot drinks by sweeping the

mane mushroom, rhodiola rosea extract and

But the third and most surprising boost was

house for half-finished mugs of forgotten tea

magnesium, alongside the usual alphabetical

changing my diet. Wheat-based foods – bread,

whenever you go upstairs.

suspects. Vegan Minds contains no magnesium

pasta, biscuits, and pies – and all sugars are gone.

(OMG!) but did have something called

I eat toast in the evening much as one might take

asleep on the ninth step. Five years ago, my wife

‘BacoMind’ that I hoped might be a concession

sleeping pills.

bought the cat in a conspiracy with the kids.

to carnivores.

Halfway down the stairs, I’d congratulate myself

Lost in this reverie, I failed to notice the cat

I assume they chose it deliberately to blend

When it comes to delivering a cognitive boost,

We are all different and trial-and-error is the only way to find out what works for you. But

So,did they work?

anything that pretends to deliver the punch of

Hard to say. Perhaps I should have set myself

looks tasteful on your spice rack, is probably

specific tasks to determine the enhancement of

worth taking with a significant pinch of flavour-

“That’s the colour and the pile I want! If he is

my cognitive capacities but my daily pandemic

enhancing sea minerals.

going to trip and fall to his death, it needs to look

schedule – walking the dog, tinkering with copy

@thesimonevans

in with the stair carpet. If not, it really is the most extraordinary coincidence. I wouldn’t be surprised if she took a swatch to the breeders to get a good match.

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E . C O . U K

@ S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E U K

a controlled substance, presented in a jar that

67

food and drink

Nutrition

Magic Mushrooms

As the sun becomes more elusive, and everyone starts to think about Vitamin D again, you can bet mushroom recipes will pop up all over the place. But there’s more going on here than just a supply of Vitamin D. Medicinal mushrooms support your immune system, are packed with antioxidants, and contribute to gut health. Kirsten Chick explains there’s more to mushrooms than meets the eye…

M

edicinal mushrooms include oriental

obtainable in the UK for many years now. Fresh

mushrooms such as shiitake, reishi and

shiitake mushrooms are making a regular

maitake, as well as chaga, cordyceps, coriolus and

appearance in some supermarkets, and dried,

many more. Their medicinal properties are largely,

whole shiitake have been reconstituted in oriental

but not exclusively, due to substances they contain

soup and stir-fry recipes for several decades.

called beta-glucans – so make sure any powdered form you are buying contains these.

You can also buy shiitake powder, and other mushroom powders, either on their own or

Porcini mushrooms (or ‘ceps’) have been

Beta-glucans are known to modulate the

combined with other medicinal mushrooms,

found to be the best source. Ergothioneine and

effect of both the innate and adaptive immune

sometimes in capsule form to be taken like a

glutathione levels are maintained even when

systems – so both the more generalised

supplement. However, I prefer to use all of these

you cook them, so mushroom soup, grilled

protection they afford and their ability to target specific diseases and threats. They have also been studied for their

Mushrooms can have great benefits for fungal issues and the immune system

in cooking. I

mushrooms and baked mushrooms are all

stir-fry whole

excellent sources.

mushrooms

Ceps are also an excellent source of ergosterol,

into stir-fries

as are reishi, chaga and other medicinal

and mix the

mushrooms. Ergosterol has been studied for

powders into

its anticancer effects in a number of different

soups, sauces,

cancer cell types, including breast, ovarian, colon,

smoothies and

laryngeal, and more.

anti-tumour abilities, which may be directly

even hot drinks, such as dandelion coffee and

related to their effect on the immune system.

cocoa. Try my immune-boosting hot chocolate

for some mushrooms, their polysaccharide

recipe, below.

content is excellent food for the microbes in

For a while it was thought by some that

And if that wasn’t enough to get you reaching

mushrooms were to be avoided by anyone with a

It’s not just the oriental mushrooms that

candida or other fungal issue, and by anyone with

have been getting attention. Mushrooms are

cancer – but it seems, in fact, that the opposite

now known to be the richest food source of a

is true. Mushrooms, whether categorized as

powerful pair of antioxidants: ergothioneine and

medicinal or not, can have great benefits for fungal

glutathione. Such compounds protect your skin,

Nutrition Brought to Life, Alchimia

issues and the immune system.

heart, blood vessels, nerves and DNA, and so are

Publishing, RRP £14.99

important in the prevention of conditions such as

www.alchimiapublishing.com

Shiitake are perhaps the best known of medicinal mushrooms, and have been readily

your gut that form such an integral part of your immune system.

Excerpt from Kirsten Chick’s book,

@kirstenchick1

Alzheimer’s, MS, heart attacks and strokes.

Immune-boosting hot chocolate The cocoa and medicinal mushrooms contain a wealth of nutrients for your immune system.

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 2 cups plant-based milk (e.g. almond, oat, brown rice, coconut, hemp, etc)

• 4 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder • 1-2 tsp reishi mushroom powder – or any medicinal mushroom powder blend

• 1-2 tsp raw (unpasteurised) honey, preferably local (optional)

68

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E ISSUE #ONE

1. Make a paste by stirring together the honey, cocoa powder, mushroom powder and a splash of the milk – half in one mug, half in another.

2. Gently warm the rest of the milk in a small pan.

3. Pour the milk into the mugs, stir well and enjoy.

Advertisment

TINA IS SCALING NEW HEIGHTS THANKS TO

TURMERIC+

As we get older skeletal and muscular discomfort is more common and daily activities may become more difficult, particularly as pressure in joints increases wear and tear on ageing cartilage.

Tina, 60, who lives in Bedfordshire, is a live-in carer, a physically demanding job which involves daily manual handling including the moving and positioning of clients. She balances work with trail running, hiking, dancing, rock climbing and other outdoor pursuits and likes to push herself to the limits.

“In my forties I had a serious car accident, which led to months of rehabilitation. My injuries left me with one leg shorter than the other and my hip, knee and ankle on my left hand side take the strain as they have to overcompensate.

Tina was told she would probably not be able to do all the activities she loved so much, again. But, as she explains, “I was determined, and in the last 12 years I have worked really hard to overcome my injuries.

Tina spotted an advertisement for Turmeric+ in the press which had helped others stay active: “I thought to myself: I really ought to give it a try”. So she signed up and to say she was pleased with the results would be an understatement.

‘I was on such a high afterwards it felt like chariots of fire.’

“After 10 days I thought - wow - I no longer dread facing the day. I feel so much more like my old self.”

Turmeric+ is formulated with a number of key ingredients, including vitamin C which helps maintain healthy cartilage. It also contains compounds called curcuminoids from turmeric roots, the most notable of which is curcumin and is what makes turmeric such a powerful spice. Some turmeric products offer high levels of curcumin but unless this is easily absorbed by the body, the higher amounts make little difference.

The need for easy absorption is what led the scientists at FutureYou Cambridge to create Turmeric+ using the patented ‘Curcuma Phospholipid Complex’ formulation. It’s thirty times more absorbable than standard turmeric.

“I had recently stopped trail running, but after taking Turmeric+ I thought I would give it a try again. I did an hours’ run

(8.5km) and felt great. I was on such a high afterwards it felt like chariots of fire. Even after not running for weeks, I felt like I had grown wings. It was such a euphoric feeling that nothing could ruin my day”.

Tina is now looking ahead to her next challenge - climbing the equivalent height and distance of Mount Everest, around Keswick.

Why not try a FREE subscription trial?

CLAIM YOUR FREE TURMERIC+ SUBSCRIPTION TODAY JUST PAY £1.50 POSTAGE* FutureYou Cambridge is offering new customers the chance to try its flagship product, Turmeric+, for just the cost of the £1.50 postage.* Turmeric+ was formulated

by FutureYou Cambridge, well-known for its sciencebacked

health supplements. The company, based in Cambridge, regularly consults with highlyregarded scientific and nutritional experts and has also developed close ties with worldleading educational institutions.

Cambridge is first class,’ said another.

Since launching the product the company has continually received positive feedback from happy customers, particularly on Trustpilot, the independent online review platform.

‘It might sound bonkers but it really isn’t. We’re that confident in the effectiveness of our formulation.

‘The product appears to meet all its promises and the service levels from FutureYou

‘We’re very happy to give people their first pack for free so they can experience it for themselves,’ says Adam Cleevely, the company’s CEO.

‘I can’t think of a better way to convince people. If they like it, they will stick with it. Tens of thousands of customers already do.’

To claim your free 28 day Turmeric+ subscription trial pack worth £16.80, visit FutureYouOffers.co.uk or freephone 0800 808 5740 quoting code TF346 If it’s not for you, simply cancel your subscription at any time, without obligation.

Discount valid until 31st December 2021. Turmeric+ contains vitamin C which contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of cartilage and bones. New UK customers only. One free trial per household. Your first box is free (Just pay £1.50 postage) and you will be enrolled into a flexible subscription (£16.80 every 28 days). We regret but we cannot take payment for this offer by cheque. You can stop deliveries at any time without obligation. See website for more information on our subscription service.

Turmeric+ from FutureYou Cambridge should be consumed as part of a healthy and balanced diet and lifestyle. If you are taking any prescribed medication or have any medical conditions always consult your doctor or pharmacist before taking vitamins or supplements. Trial pack promotion cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotions.

food

s g n i h t Tasty winter trea ts

HÄAGEN-DAZS NEW CHRISTMAS FLAVOURS Ice cream in cold

weather?! You bet! Rum Salted Caramel & Biscuit, and Irish Whiskey & Chocolate Waffle are the two new irresistible flavours from HäagenDazs to indulge in. The brand is bringing winter cocktails to life in the form of delicious ice creams, perfect for enjoying in front of a Christmas film. (ABV content: 0.5%).

Available from all major retailers, £4.99 per tub

BOOK FLASK

Searching for an inconspicuous place to hide your secret stash of booze? Or perhaps a fun Christmas gift? Kikkerland’s Chemistry Book Flask provides you with a classy, versatile item

DICKIE’S BANGERS

that looks great on the shelf and works wonders for holding your Here to put a new twist

on your traditional bangers ‘n’ mash are Dickie’s Burgers. Inspired by the nation’s favourite tipples, there’s a flavour for everyone. With 9.5%

concoctions. Hidden inside the black volume is a stainless-steel flask. You’re guaranteed durability, however the night goes. kikkerland.co.uk, £20

of booze in each sausage to ensure no taste is lost, accompanied by 84% of prime British pork shoulder, quality is ensured. We’ve opted for Bloody Mary bangers ‘n’ mash to spice up our weekends. Which will you choose?! dickiesbangers.co.uk, £4.95 for a pack of three

TURTLE TOFU PRESS

Making your own tofu is simpler than you think, and this cute Turtle Tofu Press makes it even easier. It’s made from bamboo, which is a naturally antibacterial material, with a silicone band to keep the two parts together when not in use. The best part? It’s a cute little turtle that will brighten up each and every home it lives in! downyourhighstreet.co.uk, £28.95

70

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E ISSUE #ONE

RAW CHOCOLATE COMPANY Fortissimo Chocolate have launched the ‘live in wonder’ rebrand of their Raw Chocolate Company, a brand renowned for its delicious consciousness. There’s a load of new flavours to choose from too, and this chocolate is vegan, delicious, and kept as close to its natural state as possible. Guilt-free goodness. therawchocolatecompany.com, £2.99 for 60g bar, £4.99 for 110g bag

ERCOL BALLATTA DRINKS CABINET

We’ve fallen in love with this. It’s both classy and handy. Ercol’s gorgeous Ballatta

ITSU CHRISTMAS GYOZA

drinks cabinet is perfect for hosting over the holiday season, or for enjoying a ‘quiet’ night in with your significant other. With an adjustable shelf, LED lighting, and maximum storage, you really can’t go wrong. ercol.com, £1,800

Combine

your love for Asian-inspired food, healthy eating, and

SNOWGLOBE GIN LIQUEUR

a traditional Christmas meal with itsu’s limited edition gyozas. These soft steamed dumplings are

How many of you

collect alcohol bottles if they’re a unique, fun shape?

filled with all the best

Well, we’ve got just the thing for you. These

festive flavours: turkey,

snowglobe gin liqueurs are the perfect

pork, bacon, sage, and

addition to both your Christmas

cranberry. Less whacky than you’d think.

decorations and your beverage.

Waitrose and Ocado, £3.75 for 12

Peer inside the bottle to reveal a cosy holiday scene, enjoy the

BYRUBY READY MEALS

It’s been a long day (heck, it’s been a long year) and sometimes you just don’t want to do the cooking and washing up. That’s where byRuby comes in. Winner of the Great British Food Awards in 2020, byRuby delivers special homemade meals directly to your door. All you need to do is choose your meal, pick your portion size, and have it delivered. Special and sumptuous meals, made lovingly for you. byruby.co.uk, £5.25 for one, £9 for two

edible 23 carat gold leaf, and shake to experience snowfall.

With unique packaging and an enticingly festive flavour – orange and gingerbread – what more could you ask for?

Yes, a little over the top, but whatever. Available from Very and Harvey Nichols, £26 for 500ml

NORTH & CHICK PODCAST

Join Hayley North and Kirsten Chick as they discuss all things food, community, and wellbeing. With a special guest appearing on each episode, you can expect individuality and exclusivity every time. For discussion that’s relatable, honest, and very often about food and nutrition, subscribe to the North & Chick podcast today: audioboom.com/channel/northandchick

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E . C O . U K

@ S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E U K

71

food and drink

Great British hedgerow heaven Here’s a scrumptious sneak peek at one of the GBBO recipes – plus a chance to win your own GBBO book in our exclusive giveaway

A

re you the sort of person out foraging berries now, scratching yourself to bits in the pursuit of purple crumbles and gins? Then this is for you.

Here’s an exclusive sneak peek at one of the GBBO autumn recipes – plus a chance to win your own GBBO book in our exclusive giveaway…

Blackberry &

pear crumble cake

SERVES 8 / HANDS ON 30 MINS, PLUS COOLING / BAKE 1 ½ HOURS Juicy pears and blackberries are a wonderful match for each other, and both are

until pale and creamy, scraping down the inside of the bowl from time to

abundant during autumn. Comprising layers of cake, nutty crumble, and juicy

time. Add the eggs, a little at a time, beating well between each addition.

fruit, this bake would make a delicious pudding, served with a bowl of crème

Sift the remaining 200g of plain flour, along with the baking powder and

fraiche or ice cream. Or simply as an ideal weekend teatime treat, just as it is.

the salt, into the bowl. Add the soured cream and mix again until smooth.

Ingredients

•• •• •• •• •• •• •

225g unsalted butter, softened 150g caster sugar, plus 1 extra tbsp for the pears 3 pears, peeled, cored and each cut into 8 wedges

4 Spoon about two thirds of the sponge mixture into the prepared tin, spread it level and scatter over one third of the crumble topping. Top with the remaining sponge mixture and spread it level again.

5 Scatter another third of the crumble topping over the sponge mixture

50g demerara sugar

and arrange the cooked pear wedges and the blackberries on top. Scatter

1 tsp ground cinnamon

over the remaining crumble topping.

275g plain flour 50g blanched hazelnuts, toasted and roughly chopped

6 Bake the cake on the middle shelf for about 1 and a half hours, until risen

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. (Loosely cover the

2 tsp baking powder

top of the cake with baking paper or foil halfway through baking if the top

pinch of salt

is browning too quickly.)

150g soured cream 150g blackberries, plus optional extra to decorate crème fraîche, or double cream, lightly whipped, to serve (optional)

7 Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then remove it and transfer it to a wire rack and cool to room temperature before serving – with a few extra blackberries and with crème fraiche, or lightly whipped

You will need

double cream, if you prefer.

20cm springform tin, greased, then base lined with greased baking paper

Method

1 Melt 25g of the butter in a large frying pan over a low–medium heat. Add the 1 tablespoon of caster sugar and the pears. Cook for about 10 minutes, turning frequently, until the pears are tender and lightly caramelised.

Remove from the heat and leave to cool. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/Gas Mark 4 and make the crumble topping.

2 Melt 50g of the butter, pour it into a bowl and leave it to cool slightly. Add

the demerara sugar, cinnamon and 75g of the plain flour and mix well.

Stir in the toasted hazelnuts and set aside.

3 Beat together the remaining 150g of butter and the 150g of caster sugar

in a stand mixer fitter with the beater, on medium speed for 3–5 minutes, 72

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E ISSUE #ONE

The Great British Bake Off:

win

A Bake for All Seasons is published in hardback by Sphere, priced £22. eBook also available.

E XCLUSI VE GBBO RECIPE BOOK GI VEAWAY Your chance to get your flour-covered mitts on one of these wonderful GBBO recipe books. We’ll keep it very simple; simply email us with your name, address, and phone number, and we’ll pick 10 of you lucky lunatics out of a hat to win a book.

Hit us an email at GBBObook@silvermagazine. co.uk – closing date 31 October 2021. Ts&Cs apply, non-transferable etc, etc, you know the drill. You can also enter via our website and our Facebook page. Enter as many different ways as you like, but only one entry per way.

p u d e p p a r W C H R I ST M AS

Join us this season for everything from festive afternoon tea to a glamorous New Year’s Eve ball. With roaring fires, twinkling lights and our huge Christmas Tree, our hotel is the perfect setting to make the most of this special time.

Find out more at grandbrighton.co.uk/christmas

travel

Step back in time

on the Isles of Scilly For walkers, ramblers, and lovers of countryside and sea, a spring or autumn escape to the Isles of Scilly is like revisiting lost childhood, says Sam Harrington-Lowe

I

of St Michael’s Mount in the area. During the

t feels extraordinary to finally be writing this

Sadly, some of the things I got to experience

article. It was more than two years ago that I

– like a friendly little flight from London, or the

summer this part of Cornwall is extremely busy,

went, and then – well, you know what happened

hotel Mount Haven – don’t exist anymore. The

which is really not for the faint-hearted. If you

after that. But at last I can share this with you,

pandemic has put paid.

ask the locals how they feel about it, you’ll get

the absolute joy that was my little trip to Cornwall

However, if ever there was an utterly gorgeous

a mixed reaction. They’re glad of the trade, of

and the Isles of Scilly. Spoiler alert – it’s one of the

place to go for a spring or autumn trip, it’s

course, but hate the fact you can barely walk on

loveliest holidays I’ve ever had in the UK.

here. And there is still plenty to do – or not do, if

the pavements because it’s so busy. Early season

CAPTION View from the window of St Michael’s Mount at The Godolphin, Marazion PHOTO The Godolphin

relaxing is more your thing.

though – or late season – and it’s a gorgeous part of the world. I was there in June, before

WHERE DID YOU STAY?

school holidays, and it was perfect. Autumn, after

Let’s start with the land side,

the kids go back to school, is also apparently a

Cornwall. I stayed in Marazion,

brilliant time to go.

at The Godolphin Hotel, which must have one of the best views

The Godolphin nestles in the heart of Marazion, right on the beach in a dip surrounded by craft shops and small eateries. I loved the soothing décor; it’s all pale blues and wood, and white paint, you know the vibe. Beachy, but upmarket. It’s got a great restaurant, which has indoor and outdoor dining, and the food there, whether it was a full English (Cornish?!), a lunch burger, or a fancy evening meal, was all top notch. And it’s dog-friendly. Unsurprisingly it’s not hugely cheap, but there are plenty of little

CAPTION Fresh fish supper at The Godolphin

74

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E ISSUE #ONE

B&Bs knocking about if you’re on a budget and

St Michaels Mount CAPTION PHOTO Matt Jessop

WHAT DID YOU DO? We crammed a lot in. We landed initially in Marazion, via Newquay (although coming in by train you’ll arrive at Penzance, which is a just a few miles up the road). We stayed at The Godolphin there, right on the glorious Mount’s Bay – a sweeping sandy stretch that includes the walkway across to St Michael’s Mount at low tide.

Don’t get caught!

While on the mainland side, we got a couple of Rover-type bus passes and went for a day out at St Ives, which is on the north coast of Cornwall.

The bus gives you a cracking look at a good section of Cornwall as it crosses the land, which is well worth doing.

St Ives is a different buzz to Marazion – more bustling, fishing, people, shops… Personally I was glad to be staying in the quieter south, but those who want a bit more to do would love St Sadly, I can’t really talk about the hotel we stayed

Ives. We had a really cracking lunch there at the

at when we returned to the mainland. The Mount

Porthminster Kitchen and browsed the crafty

Haven was really lovely – but it’s permanently

shops and ate clotted-cream ice-cream, obviously.

closed now, according to their website, and I’m

There was a man patiently building stone

not sure what will happen to it. It seems there are

sculptures on the beach and we watched him for

some issues with the building itself. But it was a

a bit, before dozing home on a joggly bus. We did

corker, and the food...Oh, my word! Anyway…

not meet a man with seven wives at any point.

The view of the CAPTION t other side from St Michaels Moun

wanted to be in the same area. We did fall in love with The Godolphin – the view of the Mount, the food, the happy sunny buzz – a good place to treat yourself to. Locally there are also plenty of sandy beaches, for those of you who like a bit of sunbathing and swimming.

When we went across to St Mary’s, which is the largest of the Isles, we were based in a gorgeous hotel called The Star Castle.

This is a four-star, 16th-century actual

CAPTION Cornish hake fillet and lobster at Porthminster Kitchen, St Ives

castle – if you’re tall, prepare for some ducking through doorways. We had a cottage with stunning views over the bay, and a friendly resident blackbird.

I spent ages picking the raisins out of some garibaldi biscuits for him – they are incredibly trusting.

CAPTION St Ives from the air PHOTO Chester Robinson

Building CAPTION stone sculptures in St Ives

CAPTION

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E . C O . U K

@ S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E U K

St Ives during summer

75

travel

CAPTION

CAPTION

Yep, we got in that!

View of St Mary’s, the largest of the Isles of Scilly

One of the absolute highlights was getting the little Skybus plane across to

CAPTION Tresco Abbey Garden PHOTO visitislesofscilly.com

St Mary’s from the mainland. The flight goes from Land’s End – there is a boat if you’re more inclined to do water than air (I’ll tell you about that in a sec) – and it’s huge fun! We had a gloriously clear day and absolutely loved the little flight.

Once we landed there, we headed to The Star Castle, where we were based for the next three nights.

From St Mary’s, we had a day in Tresco. Now Tresco is really something.

It’s a world away from the modern reality – beautiful gardens (you must go to the subtropical Tresco Abbey Garden), breath-taking forest and beach action, no vehicles… definitely one for the walkers. It’s also unbelievably hard to get a room there.

There aren’t many hotels or B&Bs, so

CAP TION Star Castle starter: Tenderstem brocco li, Helford Blue, almond and samphi re

there’s lots of day-trippers coming in on the boats, and huge competition for the bed stock on the island – and they plan to keep it that way. But it’s very

via the Skybus, we came back on the ferry, which

exclusive, very beautiful, and I think I want to live

is The Scillonian. She’s a vintage vessel, with a

there forever.

very flat bottom, and she’s definitely a challenge

Hilariously, when we were back at St Mary’s, we

for those without good sealegs. I’ve never seen

ate a (massive) lazy late Sunday breakfast and then

so many dispensing containers for sick bags

couldn’t face lunch at lunchtime. In our innocence

on a single vehicle. I didn’t care, I’ve got great

we’d thought we could get something later, so we

sealegs, but even on a calm day it was a choppy

relaxed, had a walk and a snooze, and then went

experience. Something to watch out for. If you get

to find a nice pub. Ha! We got lost in the rain on a

seasick AND you’re afraid of flying, well maybe

was Juliet’s on

Sunday afternoon with nowhere to eat, bickering

the Isles aren’t for you. But of the two, I’d say the

St Mary’s. Lovely

as we tried place after place, getting wetter and

boat is probably the tougher gig – at least the

venue, with great

wetter. Thank god for the Co-Op and bedroom

flight is very short!

views from the

CAPTION Star Castle pudding: Fruit tart with Chantilly Cream

garden; but

picnic. Who knew that things closed on Sunday afternoons on St Mary’s?! It was like the 1970s – all

HOW ABOUT EATING OUT?

chaotic staff and

the pubs shut at 2.30pm. Anyway, we found out,

The standard of food we had across the board

badly put-together

and now you know too.

both on the mainland and throughout the Isles

meals. I won’t

was generally very good. Lots of local produce

scare you with

different pace of life. It feels like stepping back in

on menus and some really creative dishes. It’s

a photo of the

time – Mary Wesley style, not Graham Greene. The

a fish-lover’s idea of heaven, the whole region.

thing they told me was a steak. There didn’t even

locals are friendly, and as soon as you arrive there’s

Standouts include the Porthminster restaurant

seem to be a manager running the shift. We

a sensation of slowing down, which is blissful.

at St Ives, where the fish menu was outstanding,

had forebodings when, as we approached the

and the dinner menus at both the Star Castle on

entrance, a couple came out laughing in disbelief

St Mary’s, and The Godolphin.

and told us not to bother. The couple on the table

I live just outside Brighton and it’s a very

RETURN JOURNEY FROM ST MARY’S Having flown out to St Mary’s from the mainland 76

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E ISSUE #ONE

We only had one iffy eating experience, which

next to us were kicking off about their meals too.

Maybe Juliet’s was having a bad night, but anyway.

– which frankly could mean going via anywhere

We left hungry, but they did refund our bill.

in the world. Other airlines I could find that go to

PRICES

Newquay are Loganair (from Teesside) and there

I had to check these afresh as I imagined

ANYTHING TO WATCH OUT FOR?

are probably others, but you’ll have to do a bit of

they’ve changed a bit, but this is what I dug

Well, things close on Sundays. And in fact, during

searching. One flight offered a 35-hour option, with

out for you. All prices are based on visiting

low season (i.e. any time that isn’t July to September)

various layovers. Take my advice though – let the

during May and will be subject to change.

you’ll probably find that a lot of pubs and bars

train take the strain.

Don’t come for me if they’re hugely different

close during all the afternoons. Also, once you’re on

From London, by far the best way to travel to and

when you look.

the Isles, getting around can take some planning.

from Cornwall in my opinion is the sleeper train,

There’s about two cabs on St Mary’s and you need

run by Great Western Railway, which we caught

HOTELS

to book in advance if you’re going anywhere. As for

back. And if you are as train-happy as I am, and

Both The Godolphin and The Star Castle

Tresco – lace up your walking boots.

live in the north of the country, maybe a sleeper

are priced similarly, starting around £200

The whole region has got a warm microclimate,

to London followed by a sleeper to Cornwall? I’ve

as I said before, and this means not just better

got a romantic love of trains, especially sleepers –

plant life, but all sorts of exciting marine life, like

I’m desperately trying to plan a tip on the Orient

dolphins, whales, porpoises, seals. Some epic

Express – because there’s something lovely about

beetles and moths too.

going to sleep on a rocking train and waking up somewhere completely different.

WOULD YOU GO AGAIN?

If anyone has read Emily Barr’s novel The Sleeper

Sigh. I had a love affair with the estate agent

you’ll know about this London to Cornwall train.

window when I was there. I would LOVE to live

They call it the Night Riviera Sleeper and it goes

there, on a romantic level. But I could make do

from Paddington to Penzance with a bunch of

with the occasional trip down, and will definitely

stops along the way. I love the name, it’s so Agatha

go again. I’d like to try autumn, when the gardens

Christie somehow. And there are lots of nice little

and flora across the whole Isles are winding down

touches for Cabin Class holders. There are First Class

a bit. The climate there makes it more hospitable

lounges with showers and comp food and drink at

for a much longer season than the mainland. Yes,

either end (Penzance/Paddington), and there’s a

I’d go there again like a shot.

private lounge coach and bar that serves hot food and cold gin. You book your wake-up call and a

GETTING THERE

breakfast – bacon roll and tea for me please – and off

We flew on a Flybe plane from London Heathrow

you go, to be gently awakened as someone knocks

to Newquay, which was great – a quick flight,

on your cabin door and brings you your brekkie.

proper gin and tonic, bada bing, bada boom.

There are singles and doubles, and it’s – in my view

Unfortunately, Flybe went into administration so

– very reasonably priced. You can just book a normal

that’s no longer an option. If you want to fly from

reclining seat and doze all the way, but you’d

London, there are direct flights between July

probably arrive with neck ache. You can of course

and September with BA and Easyjet, but in low

go in the daytime as a normal passenger too.

season the flights are with Ryanair, and ‘not direct’

@SamHL

– £230 for single occupancy B&B. The Star Castle has some dinner, bed, bed and breakfast packages that start around £260. www.thegodolphin.com www.star-castle.co.uk

TRAIN FROM LONDON RETURN This varies hugely but a single cabin is about £90 low season, and a double £120. I found a return cabin fare in May 2022 for £124 for single occupancy. The website is pretty easy to navigate though. www.gwr.com

SKYBUS AND SCILLONIAN CROSSINGS Prices based on one way (return prices are on application, no idea why).

SKYBUS – from £97.95 SCILLONIAN FERRY – from £61.95 www.islesofscilly-travel.co.uk

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE MAINLAND www.visitcornwall.co.uk www.visitislesofscilly.com

CAPTION The beach at Tresco PHOTO visitislesofscilly.com

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E . C O . U K

@ S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E U K

77

s Lezard oes

book reviews

’

holiday her

Nicholas Lezard shares his top five holiday reads. Perfect whether you’re planning to get away, or if the only trip you’re taking is in your mind

T

here is nothing that can make you tear

I have been known to do this, and even took an

through a book like taking it on holiday

original Tuscan edition of Dante to Italy – without a

(major disclaimer: not if you’re on holiday with

translation. (I did better than I thought I would...).

children. Let’s assume you’re not). Of course, you

But it shouldn’t be mindless. No Da Vinci Code,

need the right kind of holiday book. It shouldn’t

no 50 Shades of anything. And it’s nice if it involves

involve too much concentration, unless you’re the

travel, especially to the place you’re travelling to.

kind of person who takes Proust in your luggage.

@nicklezard

2. Widowland, CJ Carey It is a by-law in most parts of the country that each holiday cottage

1. The Golden Rule, Amanda Craig Craig’s latest novel, just out in paperback, is a nifty potboiler. Two women on a train are having hellish times with their husbands, so they each agree – in the manner of Highsmith and Hitchcock in Strangers on a Train, to murder the other’s; the idea being that, with nothing to connect them, the crimes can be committed with impunity. Of course, as with the original story, it all goes horribly wrong.

Like Craig’s last book, The Lie of the Land, which is at least as good, the plot cranks up until by the end there’s a race against time to stop something really terrible happening. Craig is concerned about the state of the nation, so we get a lot about the class system and how ghastly things are for Cornish natives. The Lie of the Land was about how ghastly things are for people in Devon. You might not be going abroad, but there are plenty of you heading west for holidays, so take one or the other, depending on where you’re going.

The Golden Rule by Amanda Craig (Little, Brown) £8.99 paperback, £16.99 hardback

must contain a copy of Richard Harris’s Fatherland, which is set in an imaginary past in which the Nazis won World War II. But you’ve all read that by now, haven’t you? So try this one for your alternate history fix: a new novel by an established writer normally known as Jane Thynne.

Thynne/Carey has, with her Clara Vine novels, considerable experience when it comes to writing books set during the last war. Here, though, we are in 1953, in a miserably Nazi-occupied Britain, very plausibly imagined. Our heroine, Rose, is employed rewriting literary classics to conform with the authorities’ stifling attitude towards women: you know, make Dorothea Casaubon or Jane Eyre less intelligent and independent, that kind of thing.

Women are divided into categories, depending on their utility as baby-providers. So as well as Harris, it’s also 1984 meets The Handmaid’s Tale. As I was reading this I was thinking “Hang on, there was something the Nazis did that was even worse than this”, but it gradually becomes apparent that Carey knows very well what she’s doing.

Widowland by CJ Carey (Quercus Publishing) £8.99, £14.99 hardback

78

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E ISSUE #ONE

3. Journey by Moonlight, Antal Szerb This 1937 Hungarian novel wasn’t translated into English until 2001 and a lot of people are now very happy it has been. The translator, Len Rix, learned Hungarian precisely to translate this book, which is generally considered by cultured Hungarians to be absolutely essential reading. It’s narrated by Mihály, a man for whom the word “diffident” might have been coined. He accidentally, or accidentally-on-purpose, abandons his wife Erzi during their honeymoon and then goes wandering through Italy in a kind of existentialist daze. It’s a book with serious themes – such as the Hungarian fascination with suicide – yet it deals with them with such a tender, humorous grace that you don’t feel as if you’re reading anything substantial at all. Until you get to the end and realise you’ve just read one of the best novels ever written, and feel like starting it again. I’ve recommended this novel perhaps more often than I have any other, and I’ve never had any complaints yet. If you’re holidaying in Wales, read his The Pendragon Legend, which is more of a romp, with ghosts and spies and castles, like a grown-up Tintin adventure.

Journey by Moonlight by Antal Szerb (Pushkin Press) £8.99 paperback

5. Earthly Powers, Anthony Burgess 4. The Killing Floor, Lee Child

Many years ago, as a young man, I went on a trip all the way up Italy on the back of a friend’s motorbike. This was my holiday read, and I don’t think I’ve ever had a better one. Burgess had a brain the size of a planet, and this book takes us all around the globe and through the 20thCentury, tackling the big questions of good and evil and whatnot, and yet without it ever being a strain

Frankly, anything

on the reader. It’s perhaps the most deliberately outrageous opening line of

featuring Child’s

all novels: “It was the afternoon of my 81st birthday, and I was in bed with my

errant army

catamite when Ali announced that the archbishop had come to see me.” My

veteran, Jack

Italian motorbike-riding friend, who like many Italians is suspicious of the

Reacher, will

Catholic Church and homosexuality, read this with a shudder and handed it

do. The Killing

back to me. I know I said

Floor, from

holiday books shouldn’t

1997, is the first.

involve too much

If you haven’t

concentration – and

come across him, Reacher is a giant of a man, an exmilitary policeman with more than a touch of the Sherlock Holmes about him, peripatetic, whose only luggage is an ATM card, travelling toothbrush, an expired US passport and the clothes he stands up in. He travels by Greyhound bus or hitchhikes all over the US, and always ends up, despite wanting a quiet life, involved in

amazingly, you don’t need too much to enjoy this. Just let it all wash over you.

Earthly Powers by Anthony Burgess (Hutchinson) £10.99 paperback

the most heinous plots, often in out-of-the-way places, but he does get to go to New York or Paris or London every so often. He is usually up against some seriously evil hombres and the odds are stacked incredibly against him, but he is as tough as he is smart, and always acts honorably to decent people. Hates racists and misogynists.

We love him. Bonus fact: Lee Child’s prose is impeccable, like stripped-down Chandler.

The Killing Floor by Lee Child, (Transworld) £8.99 paperback

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E . C O . U K

@ S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E U K

79

travel

ship ship

Hooray!

Once synonymous with buffets, bingo, and Jane McDonald (sorry Jane!), modern cruise ships are now glamorous five-star hotels at sea or specialist bucket list trips along rivers

C

ruising is back and is making waves as the

raft of changes to make stepping aboard simple.

safest – and easiest way – to travel right now.

Complimentary PCR tests for adults or antigen

it was around the UK. Now that restrictions are relaxing, there’s a cruise

While air passengers have to wrestle with traffic

swabs at the cruise terminal for children, along

for everyone – all you have to do is decide where you

lights, passenger locator forms, and huge queues

with Seacation itineraries, meant that travel-

want to explore. SILVER’S done all the hard work for

at border controls, the cruise industry has made a

starved Brits were able to sail this summer, even if

you, with a round-up of our favourite cruises.

Ocean Cruises Best for pampering Celebrity Cruises

Gwyneth Paltrow, the Wellness Goddess, is taking healing to the high seas. The Hollywood actress is now the Well-Being Advisor for Celebrity Cruises and is steaming ahead with her own particular brand of wellness on board their ships.

There are four wellness cruises setting sail from Miami this autumn and heading around the Caribbean, and while Gwyneth might not be on board, she’s helped design every detail and hand-picked the experts, including a clairvoyant and trampoline fitness guru.

Closer to home, Celebrity Silhouette – which has undergone a swanky multimillion pound makeover and now boasts an AquaSpa with treatments including Botox on board – is offering cruises to Spain, Portugal and the Canaries.

Setting sail f rom Southampton, guests can relax knowing they’re heading towards the winter sun. The only question remaining is will there be vagina-scented candles in the cabin?

A seven-night cruise from Southampton starts from £1,419 per person for an inside stateroom calling at Bilbao, Vigo, Porto, Lisbon, La Coruna, returning to Southampton. Drinks, Wi-Fi and tips are included. www.celebritycruises.com

80

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E ISSUE #ONE

Best for thrill-seekers there’s never a dull moment on board. Head to royal Caribbean

Ripcord by iFly for the ultimate skydiving experience,

Think that cruising is about bingo, ballroom

line’s surf simulator. Or enjoy bumper cars in

dancing and being in bed by 10pm? Think again

SeaPlex, the largest indoor activity space at sea.

or catch a wave – or not! – on FlowRider, the cruise

Later on, catch Kevin Kennedy of Coronation

– though there’s nothing wrong with a bit of

Street fame – he played Curly Watts – in the Tony

dabbing and Double Shuffle.

Modern ships are resorts at sea that boast fine

Award-winning West End production of We Will

dining, award-winning entertainment and thrills

Rock You or dine at Jamie’s Italian before ordering

and spills galore. And no one does adrenaline-

a cocktail mixed by a pair of robotic bartenders at

fuelled fun better than Royal Caribbean, who

the Bionic Bar.

currently have their Quantum Class (that’s ‘giant’

A five-night British Isles Cruise sailing from

to you and me) ship Anthem of the Seas sailing

Southampton starts from £469 for an interior cabin

around Britain.

calling at Liverpool and Belfast. www.RoyalCaribbean.uk

Designed to keep every generation entertained,

Best for LGBT

Best for party lovers

It may be the most famous kid-friendly brand in

Fancy painting the ship, if not the town, red? All aboard Sir

the world, but with its glamorous ships harking

Richard Branson’s £500million ship, Scarlet Lady, which is

back to the Golden Age of sailing, Disney Cruise

making waves in the cruising industry with her glamorous but

Line is a great escape for adults, too.

daring décor and ‘dance ‘til dawn’ itineraries.

Disney Cruise Line

virgin voyages

The first of Virgin Voyages’ adults-only four ships is designed

Walt Disney World hosts LGBT days every year

to look like a giant yacht and has a tattoo parlour, record shop,

and the cruise line is just as inclusive.

more than 20 restaurants, festival-style entertainment, and a

You can say ‘I do’ on board, with Disney

nightclub on board.

organising same-sex marriages, or soak up the

Cabins boast a pleasure pack for when you want to go ‘below deck’

magic with Mickey Mouse or even Elsa and Anna

which contain a vibrator, condom, and a ring you wouldn’t use to

on a Frozen-themed cruise.

propose, along with beds that can be switched into a sofa during the

There are activities galore in the incredible (and free) kids’ clubs while over-18s can slip away to the

day and an app you can shake to order a bottle of champagne.

For those lucky enough to afford the Mega RockStar Massive

Quiet Cove Pool area – an adult-exclusive retreat with pools and whirlpool spas – or head to one of

Suites, they will sail in style with their own music room, two

the very sophisticated bars.

RockStar Agents to cater to their every whim, a turntable, fullystocked bar and a giant terrace complete with outside rain

A three-night UK Staycation Sailing (no ports of

shower and whirlpool.

call) departing from London Tilbury starts from

Pack something red for the Scarlet Party but after dancing

£1,971 for two guests in a verandah stateroom.

until late, head to one of the fun (and free) workout classes

www.disneycruise.disney.go.com

– we loved the VHS Workout where complimentary neon legwarmers and headbands add to the sweaty fun.

Scarlet Lady’s twin Valiant Lady makes her debut next spring.

Best for affordable

A three night Long Weekender in Zeebrugge sailing out of Portsmouth on 18 March 18 2022 starts from £998 for two in an

luxury Saga Cruises

Insider cabin. www.virginvoyages.com

Saga Cruises may be designed for the over-50s but you’ll find the passengers clasping a Cosmopolitan rather than a cup of cocoa on board.

Their ships are boutique hotels at sea and, while they may be small by cruise standards, they are big on glamour.

Saga’s latest ship, Spirit of Discovery, is heading to the land of the midnight sun after her summer season around Britain.

Carrying just 999 guests at full capacity, there are five restaurants, including Asian fusion, Italian, and a steakhouse, along with a library and state-of-the-art spa.

Guests have a door-to-door chauffeur service up to 250 miles each way, Wi-Fi, dining and drinks on board along with all gratuities, 24-hour room service, sightseeing tours and even travel insurance included.

A seven-night all-inclusive Magic of the Fjords cruise from Dover on 20 April 20 2022 starts from £2,029 per person for an inside stateroom, calling at Bergen, Skjolden, Flam, and Stavanger in Norway before returning home. www.travel.saga.co.uk

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E . C O . U K

@ S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E U K

81

travel RIVER Cruises

Best for Bucket List Panache Cruises

With a private butler, submarine and two helicopters, Scenic Eclipse is the ultimate in ultra-luxury cruising.

Helen Mirren said that sailing on board the 228-passenger six-star ship was ‘an exceptional cruising experience,’ and it’s no wonder.

Inspired by the sleek contours of a sailing yacht, a voyage on Scenic Eclipse includes French cuisine, a Senses Spa, Zodiac and Kayak adventures, snorkel gear and world-class entertainment as well as unlimited drinks, flights, chauffeur transfers and preand post-cruise hotel stays.

A 10-night Incredible Iberian Discovery voyage from Lisbon to Barcelona departing 27 April 2022 starts from £6,244 per person. www.panachecruises.com

Best for Christmas lovers Titan Travel Cruises Dreaming of a white Christmas, and chestnuts roasting by an open fire? Treat yourself to the ultimate gift of a cruise down the Rhine to see the traditional Christmas markets.

Watch treetops glisten from the 130-passenger MS Serenade 1 as she sails towards some of Germany’s most picturesque towns, where you can glug sweet glühwein in Cologne and see the life-size nativity in Rüdesheim.

Back on board, feast on a Gala Christmas dinner along with unlimited wine and beer. Just make sure you leave room in your suitcase to take home all those presents.

A four-night cruise departing Folkestone on 7 December 2021 includes Titan’s award-winning VIP door-to-door travel service, Eurotunnel or ferry crossings, entertainment. www.titantravel.co.uk

82

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E ISSUE #ONE

Best for wine connoisseurs Viking Cruises

Known for some of the world’s finest wine and even finer living, a cruise through Bordeaux on board a Viking Longship is the epitome of good taste.

Drink in the culture of the vineyards in Aquataine, which was once Europe’s richest kingdom, and visit the villages of Saint-Emilion, Medoc, and Sauternes to sip your favourite tipple.

Learn the secrets of the terroir before hunting for truffles in Perigord and savouring oysters in Arachon Bay. But while the cruise is all about France, the Viking Longship is distinctly Nordic.

All bleached wood and muted colour palette, Viking Longship Forsetti is an uber-cool home away from home from which to explore.

An eight-day Chateaux, Rivers and Wine cruise departing Bordeaux on 5 November 2021 starts from £2,145. www.viking.com

Best for families

CroisiEurope Family Club

Best for history buffs or classical music lovers Uniworld Panache Cruises

Kids sail for free while you explore the Rhine on a CroisiEurope Family Club cruise that will keep everyone entertained.

As well as onboard activities, children can enjoy adapted excursions, a cabin next to their parents, and kids’ menu.

The voyage includes a gala dinner of French cuisine, a boat tour of Strasbourg, and – for mum and dad and grandparents – a medley of delicious wines.

A six-day Romantic Rhine Valley and the Rock of the Lorelei cruise departing Strasbourg starts at £950 per person. Children under 16 travel free, excluding excursions. www.croisieurope.co.uk

Waltz through history with an enchanting cruise down the Danube from Budapest to Nuremberg via Vienna.

Watch the world-famous Lipizzaner white stallions perform at the Spanish Riding School and listen to the Viennese Chamber Orchestra perform Mozart’s overture from Le Nozze di Figaro while dancers perform the Viennese waltz.

Home for the week is the bijou SS Beatrice, part of the Uniworld Cruises fleet, which boasts the highest staff-to-guest ratio in river cruising.

With just 154 passengers, unlimited spirits and wines along with five-star farm-totable cuisine, and exclusive excursions all included, this is boutique cruising at its best.

A seven-night Delightful Danube cruise from Budapest to Nuremberg on 15 June, 2022 starts from £3,581 per person. www.panachecruises.com

Karen Pasquali Jones is one of SILVER’S contributing editors. You can find her writing more about cruises at Cruise Blondes www.cruiseblondes.com

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E . C O . U K

@ S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E U K

83

motoring

Look at that S car go!

Georgia Lewis tries to atone for her gas-guzzling past and takes an online test drive to customise her very own zero-emissions Tesla Model S Plaid...

O

nce upon a time, I was an expat cliché. I

in 2011 there were few signs that the UAE was

Model X – I cannot think of the last time I needed

still had the usual worries about bills and

embracing greener motoring. Fast-forward to

to transport seven adults anywhere – and I started

boyfriends that I couldn’t leave behind in Sydney,

2021 and there are only about 4,000 electric cars

looking at my options. Let’s see if I can have

but this was sweetened by the fact I was working

on UK roads, compared to nearly 300,000 pure-

top-of-the-line everything in my Tesla, I thought,

as a motoring journalist in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

electric cars on UK, and more than 600,000 if

clicked on ‘Model S Plaid’ and got busy.

I saw obscenely expensive cars so often, I thought

including plug-in hybrids.

nothing of parking next to a Lamborghini Gallardo in my gas-guzzling Mitsubishi Pajero SUV, I

Embracing electric

reviewed all manner of expensive cars.

As I look wistfully at my blue petrol-powered

at the supermarket. When I wasn’t driving around

Irresponsible highlights of this era include

Volkswagen Polo on the drive, I know my next

So what comes with the P laid S?

If I were to eschew the Plaid options, the base

barrelling a Bugatti Veyron at 180mph on a public

car will probably be electric. You can’t fight

model dual motor all-wheel-drive Model S would

road, looning in Lamborghinis around Qatar’s

progress, despite valid arguments about the

set me back £87,980. But I wanted a Plaid, an

motorcycle track, and monkeying about in a

often-unsavoury supply chains for electric car

all-wheel-drive with three motors, with a starting

Mercedes SLK on the Monaco road where Grace

components, or whether it’ll all be a waste of time

price of £118,930 and estimated delivery for the

Kelly died. My carbon footprint must have looked

if we charge our cars with electricity from dirty

end of 2022. If I must wait more than a year for my

like a coal miner’s lung.

power stations.

new car, I may as well make it a good ‘un.

A hybrid virgin in the Middle East

But what if I got in early and went electric

The stats are pretty impressive. A top speed of

sooner rather than later? And what if I got myself

200mph, a 0–60mph sprint of 1.99 seconds, 1,020

a really awesome option? Curious, I found myself

horsepower, and a single-charge range of 405

exploring the Tesla UK website. My only real-world

miles. In a country the size of the UK, that would

experience with a Tesla was last year, when,

be ample for most journeys so range anxiety

In 2010, Julian Millward-Hopkins, the late, great

bizarrely, I went to Switzerland for the day to tour

wouldn’t be a massive problem, especially as

Mercedes Middle East PR manager, put me

a food processing factory for a story. After flying to

more electric car charging stations are appearing.

behind the wheel of a hybrid Merc. He was

Zurich (remember planes?), I got a train to Uzwil

I regularly see a Tesla juicing up in the Asda car

honest enough to tell me he wasn’t sure how

where I was picked up from the station in a black

park. Perhaps they can’t afford Waitrose after

many would be sold in the Emirates unless a

Tesla Model X. It was slick, the quality control was

handing over their life savings to Elon Musk.

sheikh set an example and bought one, but it

insanely perfect, and it was so quiet I felt like I was

was important to at least try to create a market

in a mobile hearing test booth.

for hybrids in the land where oil reigns supreme.

By the time I left the Middle East for London 84

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E ISSUE #ONE

But for my virtual shopping trip, I thought the Model S saloon might be more suitable than a

My Plaid would grant me access to more than 25,000 superchargers globally so I could top it up to a 200-mile range in 15 minutes. The trip planner looked embarrassingly easy to use,

with the website suggesting a 208-mile jaunt

driver supervision

from London to Manchester and currently less

and do not

achievable journeys, such as Munich to Zurich

make the vehicle

(196 miles), Amsterdam to Brussels (131 miles),

autonomous” but

and Brussels to my beloved Paris (194 miles). For

I would receive

anyone who has experienced Google Maps rage

updates via the

after being sent down a country lane the width

car’s software in the

of a pencil, this would be a boon.

years ahead. I’d basically

For my £118,930, I’d get as standard a pearl white multi-coat paint job, 19-inch wheel and

be buying a giant laptop on wheels.

an all-black carbon fibre interior. Bargain! But I wanted more and started clicking the most expensive options – soon I created a red multicoat Plaid (£2,500) with a black and white carbon fibre interior (£2,000).

The stats are pretty impressive. A top speed of 200mph, a 0-60mph sprint of 1.99 seconds, 1,020 horsepower, and a singlecharge range of 405 miles

After the extras Savings! ...

sequined jumpsuit I saw on sale in Monsoon

After my clicking rampage, it was the moment of

today. That was, obviously, the point where I

£3,400 worth of ‘Enhanced Autopilot’ to give

truth – my Tesla S Plaid would cost me £130,280,

bailed out of this absurd online excursion. I may

me auto lane change, that freaky self-parking

or a mere £125,280 “After Est. Savings”. I’m always

have at least £100 in the bank but if I had the

function, and ‘Summon’, which helps you locate

up for a bargain so I investigated how much I

remaining £116,180 kicking about, I’d probably be

your car. As someone who once spent nearly

could save on this beast. I clicked on ‘I commute

really boring and throw it at the mortgage. And

an hour in a Sydney carpark in 40-degree heat

to London’ because one day I might want to

continue tootling around South London in the

trying to find an un-air-conditioned Mitsubishi

take my new Tesla from the wilds of Zone 4

petrol-powered blue Polo....

Colt, this was appealing. Click!

into glamorous Zone 1. This turned out to be a

Then I got really carried away and added

While I was at it, I figured £6,800 was

savings bonanza – I’d get £9,000 off because of

a price worth paying for ‘Full Self-Driving

the London congestion incentive and the

Capability’, although the fine print made it

computer estimated I’d save £5,000 a year

clear I would not be able to simply sit in the

in fuel. This made it a £116,280 car.

back with a bottle of champagne and a trashy

Like a mad impetuous fool, I clicked on

novel while my Plaid chauffeured me around.

‘Continue to payment’. To my surprise, the

For now, my £6,800 would prevent me from

only money that was due today was £100.

running traffic lights and stop signs. Tediously,

Somehow, I figured the deposit would

“the currently enabled features require active

be a bit higher than the cost of a purple

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E . C O . U K

@ S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E U K

85

finance

So you want to get into crypto?

You can hardly have missed hearing about Bitcoin, Ethereum, probably even Dogecoin by now.

Is it a great way to make fast millions? I’ll tell you how it’s going for me… WORDS Sam Harrington-Lowe

A

number of years ago, a mate of mine

many ups and downs during that time. Summer

called Daz told me to buy Bitcoin. To give

saw it drop down to around the $31,000 mark.

Perhaps because it was so cheap. Definitely

this some framework, Daz is a serial agitator

But understandably I find myself wishing I’d

because the memes on Twitter about it were

and social disruptor, with a background in

taken a leap of faith. Sorry Daz, you did tell me.

hilarious. Partly because I’d seen Elon Musk

challenging ‘The Man’ and seeking alternative

I still don’t know why I made that decision.

shilling it. And I liked the idea – it was fun. So

whom nobody knew, and was going to disrupt

OK crypto, let's have a look then...

the standardised currencies of the world. He

Fast forward to 2020 and the pandemic, and I

investment with a safe yield, to buying a shitcoin

talked about blockchains and wallets and I sort

found myself with a sudden interest in investing

with no development team and no usage

of understood it. “Anarchic,” I thought.

money. I figured airline shares were crashing,

options?” he asked. I had to admit that yes, that

Some of this sounded attractive. Some of it

but would rise again, maybe a good punt. So

was exactly what I’d done.

sounded like nonsense. It wasn’t that I didn’t

I rang another mate of mine, Steve, a futures

believe Daz – it just sounded vague, I wasn’t

broker. What did he think? Should I buy into

was rising, and I figured I’d invested so little,

really interested. At the beginning, one bitcoin

Easyjet? Their shares were through the floor.

so I didn’t care. It was keeping me amused,

lifestyles. He explained how it was digital, wasn’t 3D like the tenner in my pocket, was created by a mysterious figure called Satoshi Nakamoto

I bought a ton of it at $0.03, and joined the #DogeArmy.

Steve called. “So, you’ve essentially gone through the process of looking at a fairly sensible

But I didn’t care; I was having a ball. Dogecoin

was around $0.10. Jump forward to April 2021

He had a look and advised wait a bit, it would

and Bitcoin hit an all-time high of $63,707.34.

go lower. We talked about how I could buy some

memes and watching my wallet grow. I was also

If I’d invested even a hundred quid then, I’d

shares, and how it all worked. He was really

amused at how irritated the Bitcoin maxis were

have been sitting on nearly half a million at that

helpful, giving me calm and measured advice.

getting. One Bitcoiner I know posted in a chat

point – around £460,000.

This is a man who has traded and made millions

group: “why won’t Doge just go away?!!” I’m

for his clients; I trusted him implicitly. So what

afraid I chuckled.

That’s a pretty good yield for a ten-year investment, at such a low stake. But this is an extreme example, and Bitcoin has been through 86

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E ISSUE #ONE

did I do next?

I bought Dogecoin.

spending hours on Twitter laughing at Doge

Dogecoin continued to rise so, in a fit of being sensible, I bought into Bitcoin, using my Doge

profits. And then some Ether because hey, why

finite supply as the

not? And when Dogecoin hit around the $0.70

future of de-fi, and

mark I had some kind of God-given flash of

for a currency that’s

insight and sold enough to pay off my original

supposed to not be

stake. The timing was perfect – it’s dropped

centralised, it really does

steadily since then, and currently sits at around

kinda feel like they want to

the $0.25 mark. Basically now I am playing with

be front and centre. And

house money across the board. I can tell you, it

just like fiat, there is a small

makes the game a lot less stressful.

number of people who own a very large proportion of the

Shitcoins can ruin lives... really fast Not everyone has been lucky like me. Many

currency in circulation. It’s

So, you’ve gone through the process of looking at a sensible investment with a safe yield, to buying a shitcoin with no development team and no usage?

also very male-oriented. So how is this different to banks and fiat billionaires?

At the time of writing, Bitcoin has just been

checking the markets. I’m increasingly falling into a more hands-off pattern. I hold Bitcoin, Ether and

bought into Doge when it was close to its

adopted by El Salvador as a legal tender, to

a few other bits and bobs, but I’m done with the

ATH, buying in at $0.69, thinking it would go

mixed reception, and it looks like Paraguay is

dicking about. I got lucky; I’m not going to push

‘to the moon’, and then watched their money

going the same way. Poorer countries are seeing

it. I’m just glad the money I have tied up in my

disappear. Many have lost a great deal. And not

Bitcoin as a way of escaping the dominance

portfolio isn’t something I’m relying on, or risking.

just on Doge – on all sorts of shitcoins. The scams

of the dollar and build themselves some

are myriad.

independence. But it’s clear not everyone in El

So this brings me to the point of crypto. A lot of

Salvador is happy – the need for internet access

Other factors

where the heart of this lies is in its usage. Are you

and a device to actually use Bitcoin prevents

There is SO MUCH I’m not including in this article

buying crypto because you want to decentralise

many of them being able to use the currency, so

about Bitcoin and the cryptocurrency world, and

finance and take the power away from banks

mass adoption still has some way to go.

how it all works, and what FUD does, and what

and the old boys’ club? Or are you buying it as an

the four phases of investment mean and so on.

investment, like you would buy gold, or stocks?

But I’ve only so much space here. I think another

things, tip each other, purchase stuff… really stick

So is it worth throwing everything at Bitcoin???

it to The Man. The way all cryptocurrencies work

This is a hard question, which goes back to

out of it. I’m a classic noob – I’ve made mistakes.

is that ‘nobody’ is in charge. Anyone can mine

the ‘why you are in it’ consideration. Bitcoin

But I didn’t panic sell, and now as we enter Q4

coins, with the right kit, and anyone can work

maxis would say yes, of course. And there’s an

everything is going up again. So it’s important to

on development; nobody runs the game. But

elegance in just stacking sats, as they call it,

have ‘diamond hands’ and some patience!

increasingly that’s not how it all feels to me.

and watching it grow. Bitcoin is by far the most

Anyway, the biggest bit of advice I have for

stable cryptocurrency – you are far less likely to

anyone thinking of getting involved is only to

lose your investment.

invest what you can afford, and do your own

The original Bitcoiners didn’t set up to be a commodity. The idea was to take away the power, to have a currency that people could use to buy

I’m no expert, so this is all just my opinion, but it seems to me that Bitcoin is leaning towards acting like the very thing it railed

But if you’re in there for the fun of it too, like me,

article might have to happen.

But I’m not a crypto millionaire. In fact, aside from cleverly selling my Doge at its ATH my crypto wallet is noodling along okay, but I’m not rich

research.. And hopefully we can all go to the

against. Bitcoin maxis are consistently

then dabbling with other coins can be attractive.

moon some day. I just don’t know if it will be

aggravated by altcoins taking over some of

I’ve got lucky a couple of times, buying low and

Bitcoin that takes us.

their market capital. They see Bitcoin and its

selling high, but it takes time, watching and

@SamHL

Say wh at?!

Bitcoin maxi (maximalist): a coiner who believes only Bitcoin is valid Shitcoin: coins with little stability, likely to pump and burn fast Altcoins: alternatives to maincoin (Bitcoin) that are a bit more serious Fiat: ‘normal’ government-issue money De-Fi: decentralised finance Dogecoin: a shitcoin based on the Doge meme, originally created to mock the crypto world ATH: all time high Sats: short for Satoshi, the smallest denomination of Bitcoin – 1 sat = 0.00000001 BTC Noob: a person new to the game Whale: a person or body (such as a trading platform) who holds a huge amount of coin FUD: fear, uncertainty, doubt Diamond hands: when you steel yourself and hold your coins and don’t panic sell

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E . C O . U K

@ S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E U K

87

sport

Time to clap back

Times are changing, and footballers aren’t prepared to stay silent on racism anymore, says Jed Novick

I

t’s a week after England’s Euro 2020 final against Italy, a week after the torrent of

abuse against Rashford, Sancho and Saka, a few hours after Lewis Hamilton received similar treatment after winning the British Grand Prix.

Idly flicking through the papers, a small report caught the eye. “The German men’s Olympic football team left the pitch before the end of their friendly against Honduras after defender Jordan Torunarigha was allegedly racially abused. The game, played behind closed doors in Wakayama…”

Racism in football is nothing new. You don’t have to be a football fan to be familiar with the image of Liverpool’s John Barnes backheeling a banana that had been thrown at him during a game with city rivals Everton in 1988. Racism, violence, the ‘English disease’, In-ger-land…

Football – the beautiful game with some less than beautiful friends.

Things though are changing. Not the racism – that’s been with us forever and will be with us forever. What’s changed is that player passivity has gone. The years of media-trained auto

CAPTION PHOTOS

Marcus Rashford BBC Pictures

responses where no one says anything, partly because their clubs don’t trust them and partly

Joey D’Urso, investigations

for fear of upsetting sponsors, might just be over.

writer at The Athletic, told

To nick from Howard Beale in the classic 1976

The Media Show. ”Whatever

film Network, they’re mad as hell and they’re not

social media sites seem to

going to take it anymore.

do, it’s never enough. What

Maybe it was Tyrone Mings who best caught

they need to do is spend

the mood. “You don’t get to stoke the fire at the

more money on human

beginning of the tournament by labelling our

moderators because the

anti-racism message as ‘Gesture Politics’ & then

automatic algorithms are

pretend to be disgusted when the very thing

not working and they should

we’re campaigning against happens,” he Tweeted

just put their hands in their

after Home Secretary Priti Patel tried to score

extremely deep pockets and

some political brownie points after the final.

pay more people to do better

Racism. Like taxes and the poor… But in the past few years it has become more directed, more personalised. It has become social media-ised.

at this. But that’s obviously a very expensive solution.”

Cecilia King, author of The Ugly Truth: Inside

the amount of misinformation, the amount of

“People use emojis because they know that

Facebook’s Battle for Domination, says: “If you

the actual words will likely be spotted by the

have three billion users around the world, even

bots. Emojis and emoticons are harder

if you do have tens of thousands of human

media platforms is a question not likely to go

for the social media filters to see, and direct

moderators and AI, you’re never going to be

away any time soon. Whose responsibility is

messages, which again are harder to filter out,”

able to suppress the amount of hate speech,

regulation? “It’s not good business for tech

88

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E ISSUE #ONE

harmful content that surfaces.”

The power and accountability of the social

giants to make editorial decisions. For them,

If Ronaldo was a country, he’d be the fourth

platforms with the same vigour and ferocity

it’s much easier for government to come up

most populous country on the planet. Being

that they currently do when you infringe

with regulation, because they know that most

the good professional and in the interests of

copyright. The sheer volume of racism, bullying

governments are not very sophisticated about

research, I followed him and can tell you a) he’s

and resulting mental torture to individuals

how they think about regulation.”

not fat, b) he looks good in beachwear and c) he

is too toxic to ignore. There HAS to be some

plays football. Governments are not quaking.

accountability.”

In other words, if it’s the government’s responsibility, it’s not their responsibility.

Anyway.

“For black footballers, being on Instagram

If something goes wrong – well to use a

For someone like Marcus Rashford, someone

is not even fun for us anymore,” said Crystal

phrase that every parent knows, it’s not my

who has a passion, a message – a mission – that

Palace’s Wilfried Zaha, one of the few high-

fault. And if we’re waiting for our government to

channel of communication, unencumbered

profile professionals who doesn’t take the knee

make a moral judgement, settle down, pull up a

by media slant or interference, is too good not

before playing. (“I will continue to stand tall.”)

chair. We may be some time.

to use. Obviously his fame

The first draft of the Online Safety Bill came

– come on, he plays for

out in March and one of the key things in it is that

Manchester United – gets

the government can fine the tech giants 10% of

the initial attention, but

their own global turnover. More specifically, they

he has something else.

have indicated that senior executives of Twitter,

“He is passionate

Instagram and Facebook could be charged

and talks from the heart”,

for allowing hate speach to take place on their

says Jo Ralling of The

platforms. Of course, it’s just a draft.

Food Foundation, the

they’re mad as hell and they’re not going to take it anymore

So do you report it or not report it? Well, of

organisation Rashford

course you report it because these people must

works through to get his

be brought to account. But if you report it, it

message across. “But it’s

spreads and becomes a story instead of staying

the authenticity of his voice and his ability to

Depressingly, in a piece like this, every time

a nasty lonely tweet sent by a sad bloke sitting

connect with the community and people he

a name is mentioned, a story of racist abuse is

in a shed somewhere. Reporting it gives it life.

grew up with that makes him totally unique.”

cited. When Tyrone Mings made his England

And it’s that life that makes it so powerful. For

Increasingly other footballers are using these

debut in Bulgaria in October 2019, he was so

footballers, as for the rest of us, the social media

channels for their own ends, and in the wake of

proud he flew his family out to Sofia to watch

platforms are a fantastically effective way of

the Euros we’ve heard about Raheem Sterling

the game. He was racially abused throughout,

communicating, of reaching people. If you have

and Jordan Henderson, among others, both

and while England won the match 6-0, it

something to say, what better way of saying it?

receiving MBEs for their work in the community

scarred the memory.

As a form of direct communication it’s more

(Sterling for work with racial equality,

effective than anything we’ve had before.

Henderson for charity work with the NHS).

Marcus Rashford has 11.5 million Instagram

But if you haven’t got a mission, it’s not hard

Last summer, a 12-year-old boy was arrested after sending Zaha racist messages on Twitter.

A 12-year-old boy.

fans and 4.8 million followers on Twitter. That’s a

to come to a different conclusion. On March

lot of people. Enough people to cause change.

26, former Arsenal star Thierry Henry put this

Mind you, if you really want to cause change,

out: “Hi Guys. From tomorrow morning I will

For a famous black footballer, why stay on

Cristiano Ronaldo has 316 million followers

be removing myself from social media until

social? Would Marcus Rashford have the same

on Insta and 92.7 million followers on Twitter.

the people in power are able to regulate their

impact if, like Henry, he came off social media?

But still. Those prepared to get up and stand up aren’t giving up the fight.

Probably. He is, in the very real, Bukayo Saka CAPTION - along with team mates Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho - were subject to a horrifying racist backlash after losing to Italy in the Euro 2020s

very physical world, the star striker of the biggest football club on the planet. Every utterance would still cause ripples. Every time he opened his mouth he’d still cause Boris Johnson to call a photoop wearing a Man Utd shirt.

The temptation for him to just close it down, to follow Henry and say “enough is enough” must be enormous, especially now he has his name, his platform and his profile. But how cool would it be if, instead of doing that, he used his platform to create change in social media? To bring accountability, to put the racists back in their shed.

After all, he’s taken on the government and done more than most to combat child food poverty, so what are a few

CAPTION Thierry Henry has ditched social media due to racism

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E . C O . U K

social media companies?

@jednovick

@ S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E U K

89

books

Insomnia

…it’s 3.56am. Just me, and the red numbers on my alarm clock. I see some grey light poking under the blinds.

Planes start circling overhead. The milkman delivers his cargo (who still gets milk delivered in this day and age?).

And now, the kicker: the birds start the dawn chorus that signals the start of another interminable day. People the world over salute the sun and I fucking hate it

Five Years Earlier 6th July

the next day and I am making a

grab me a few hours here and

Last week, I begged my father

football pitch cake. (The Sainsbury’s

there. P can’t advise me, but I

to help me find another way. He

bags contain roll-out icing, green

resolve to see my GP the next day

has heard of a private GP with a

food colouring and some little goals.

and ask for some pills.

sympathetic reputation. Tonight, the

I had even sketched out the lines

doctor comes to call.

7 HOURS, 22 MINUTES

on a piece of paper. This was going

20th July

Two heavy Sainsbury’s bags in

to be a major achievement; I am

0 HOURS, 0 MINUTES

NHS ‘sleep clinic’ based within a

hand, I navigate the front door. I’m

no baker.) Somehow, I manage to

I am dazed with sleeplessness.

90-minute drive. I am ecstatic. How

still in gym gear from my Power

sleepwalk through the making of

On the way to work, I stop off at

come this has never shown up in

Plate class. This is my ‘magic Friday’

the cake. At some point, I call my

the walk-in service at my local GP

my Googling before? The doctor

routine, when I am not in the office.

best friend and burst into tears, but

practice. I tell the doctor I have

promises to write a referral letter to

I’m surprised to see my husband

mostly I am on autopilot.

had some bad personal news.

the clinic. “We offer diagnostic tests

He is harried, in a rush. Almost

and treatments to people with a

without looking up, he grabs his

great range of sleep disorders from all

standing in the living room.

My husband and I have been

19th July

The GP tells me there is an

together for 13 years, married for nine,

0 HOURS, 0 MINUTES

green prescription pad and writes

around the UK,” reads its impressive

but busy careers and the competitive

I am upset, exhausted and worried

me a two-week prescription for

website. This bodes well!

tiredness caused by two children

about the future. On Sunday night

temazepam, an old-fashioned

born 20 months apart mean things

I visit P, a ‘school mum’ friend

sleeping pill. He then ‘ups’ my

have started to fracture. (I am 42;

who is a therapist. We have been

trazodone, the anti-depressant I

he is a couple of years younger.) I

confidantes for some time. For

have been taking in small doses as a

know things haven’t been great for

ethical reasons, P won’t counsel me

sleep aid for the past four years…

a while, but I distracted myself with

formally, though she recommends

my job, friends, and family. He starts

a colleague who might. For now, I

speaking. I only hear part of what he’s

stick that in my back pocket.

saying – such is my discombobulation

P says I need to act with ‘grace’

Year Eight…

10th September

– but the upshot is this; he wants to

and ‘restraint’ towards my now-

0 HOURS, 0 MINUTES

call time on our marriage.

former partner.

…still, I don’t sleep.

From the frazzled neurons of my

I have heard people talking about

The most important thing is for

Sliding Doors moments, about rugs

me to get some sleep, she says, so I

brain comes a thought. I’ve had

being pulled from under them. Now

can continue to take care of the rest

insomnia for almost a decade now.

I know what they mean. Nothing will

of my life – especially as she knows

There has to be a more effective

ever be the same again.

my history of insomnia.

treatment than drugs and the

I can’t recall exactly what happens

I wonder about sleeping

next but I do have one mission and

tablets, which I used briefly and

I won’t be swayed from it. Our boy

intermittently during my Insomnia

is having his sixth birthday party

Mini-Crash. They did occasionally

90

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E ISSUE #ONE

entry-level talking therapy offered by the NHS. Maybe things have moved on since I first sought treatment…

Excerpt from Miranda Levy’s book, The Insomnia Diaries: How I Learned to Sleep Again.

This engaging read doesn’t just reveal her own frustrated journey through sleeplessness, it’s also packed with useful tips, ideas, and advice. Follow her journey through many ups and downs to an eventual resolution, and some happy sleep again!

The Insomnia Diaries: How I learned to Sleep Again by Miranda Levy (Paperback) £9.99

Insurance with home at the heart We understand that no two homes are the same, so our Home Insurance policies are tailored to suit your individual needs.

Whether it is buildings, contents or both: plush pied-a-terre, modern mansion, a cosy cottage, or a classic two-up two-down.

And with specialised policies to cover high cost valuables including art, antiques, jewellery and watches, we can protect all types of home and contents requirements to fulfil your expectations at competitive prices. eginsurance.co.uk/silver

Tel: 0208 255 0617 enquiries@eginsurance.co.uk

home

Small buyt med r o f l t c e f per

4

Whether you’ve downsized or you’re just the sort of person who never has enough space, there’s no need to cramp your style, says Georgia Lewis

1

2 3

1. Ab fab bubbles: Ditch the

4. Antique lightshow: Period

crystals for a fun chandelier with a

properties can be illuminated

quirky, modern take on traditional

sympathetically without expensive,

chandeliers. Clear bubble chandelier

enormous light fittings. A simple

by Dowsing and Reynolds, £133.99.

design in brass and glass will look

www.dowsingandreynolds.com

timeless. Pendant light fitting by

2. The only way is up: Maximise

6

drawer storage by going upwards

5

92

7

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E ISSUE #ONE

dar lighting group, £70.80. www.darlighting.co.uk

rather than outwards. A narrow-but-

5. Light touch: A simple lamp with

high tallboy works well in bedrooms

a shelf is easier to install than wall or

without being obtrusive. Tallboy

ceiling lights as well as being a great

chest of drawers by Bensons for

bedside table alternative. Lamp with

Beds, £349.99.

tray by Go Modern Furniture, £820.

www.bensonsforbeds.co.uk

www.gomodern.co.uk

3. Take a corner: An awkward

6. Screen time: Versatile screens

angle can easily be transformed

make it easy to divide a room

into a work space with a desk that

without building a wall, and they

doesn’t conform to the traditional

create an instant changing space

rectangular shape. Corner writing

in the boudoir. This is a budget-

desk with two drawers by The

busting example but it oozes

House Office, £145.95.

fabulousness. Empire screen by

www.thehouseoffice.co.uk

LUXXU, £16,000. www.luxxu.net

9

8

– it’s a versatile alternative to

7. Console general: A console

a chunky coffee table. Set of three nesting side tables by

table is easily dismissed as a silly

Cult Furniture, £209.

frivolity but a slender design

www.cultfurniture.com

works in a hallway, living room or even as a vanity table. Mirrored

10. Barfly brilliance: There’s

console table by The French

no reason why space-saving

Bedroom Company, £377

bar-style furniture can’t work

www.frenchbedroom

as well for early morning

company.co.uk

coffee as it does for an after-

12. New flames: If your walls are brick or

work martini. Glass bar table

concrete, you can have a wall-mounted fireplace

with bar stool set by Danetti,

for an atmospheric heating option that looks

£377. www.danetti.com

much more inviting than the average radiator.

8. Work it: Comfort doesn’t need to be sacrificed with a compact desk chair. Seek out

11

White wall fire by Le Feu, £1,599. www.lefeu.co.uk

smaller versions of chunkier desk

11. Guest star: A space-

chairs for style and support. Small

saving alternative to a

13. Chilling out: Retro fridges and freezers –

office chair by LUXXU, £2,036.

chunky sofa bed, why not

with modern inner workings – have grown in

www.luxxu.net

consider a foldaway guest

popularity and the good news is that there are

bed that converts into a soft

new models suited to compact kitchens. Under-

bench seat when not in use?

counter freezer by Bush, £279.99.

nest of tables has made a

Bed-in-a-bun by Loaf, £745.

www.argos.co.uk

comeback, which is a good thing

www.loaf.com

9. Fly the nest: The retro classic

12

14. Table talk: If you simply must have a proper coffee table, a piece that features handy storage will make the most of a cosy living room. Round coffee table by Sweetpea & Willow, £234. www.sweetpeaandwillow.com

13

10 S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E . C O . U K

@ S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E U K

14 93

crafts

’ n i h c t i B s chin’ tit

Knit one, purl one, look out! We meet three women who are taking knitting to the next level with projects that are a million miles from twee baby blankets or genteel cardigans

P

aula Sharpe, Clare Sams, and Samia Khalaf Tossio have thrown the knitting rule book out the window with their incredible creations. They’re having fun, they’re making public

statements and supporting good causes with their work and they are urging more people to pick up needles and crochet hooks – or even use their fingers - to get wild and woolly.

Paula

get involved in knitting and crochet: “It’s such an

Thanks to social media, Paula Sharpe, 51, has

easy thing to do and if you need inspiration, the

embraced yarn-bombing. This is the often-

internet is full of examples.”

She says yarn-bombing is an accessible way to

anarchic outdoor art of wrapping things such as

Her proudest yarn-bombing

trees, bollards, bridges, park benches and bike

achievement was the result of an

racks. It turns the idea of graffiti on its head. The

open-minded vicar and the help

movement is believed to have started when a

of creativi-Tea, her craft group.

woman in Houston covered her shop door handle

“My local church needed funds

with a specially adapted tea-cosy. And there is

and the vicar very bravely said,

often a serious message – yarn-bombing aims

‘I trust you’,” Paula recalls. “My

to reclaim public places and is synonymous with

imagination went wild, we raised

feminism, as traditionally ‘female’ arts reclaim

over £3,000 for church repairs and

space dominated by men.

more than 4,000 people visited our

“I saw some pictures on Instagram of yarn-

little church to see the yarn bomb.

bombing abroad and then my mind went into

I was so proud. “In the future, I

overdrive,” she says. “I am very creative and from that

would love to yarn-bomb my village, making a trail

moment, I had to have a book at the side of the bed

around the village for people to follow,” she says.

because I would wake in the night with an idea.”

@PaulaSharpe

Clare

December 2002 in Hackney, where she used to live.

“I love creating unique designs that tell a story,”

Clare, 47, a textile artist and avid knitter, holds the Guinness World Record for creating the world’s

The rise of YouTube tutorials has made it easier

largest crochet hook. She is thrilled that knitting has

for more people to get stitching, even if there has

grown in popularity in the past 20 years when she

been no family history of passing knitting skills

would stand out as the only young person knitting

down the generations. And during the pandemic,

on a train.

plenty of people with time on their hands decided

Her work breaks down traditional knitting

“I think that over the past year, there’s been even

rustling up winter

more uptake, as people have looked for something

woollies, she has used

to do while on furlough or lockdown,” says Clare.

As well as YouTube tutorials and plentiful online

f riezes of street scenes,

resources for self-taught knitters, Clare advises joining

or reproduce common

a local group: “Learning with others is always easier

sights. Her designs

than trying to learn on your own.”

include a knitted

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E ISSUE #ONE

to give wool a whirl.

barriers. Instead of

knitting to create

94

she says.

“It’s an amazing way to improve well-being, to

pigeon stealing crisps

create a lovely safe space to work,” she says. “People

f rom an abandoned

seem to enjoy getting together and knitting. It makes

packet and scenes of a

an instant community.”

siege that occurred in

www.claresams.co.uk

Samia

Samia, 52, creates colourful, textured finger-knitted clothes as well as yarnbombing activities that make powerful public statements.

She has created yarn-bombing projects in South London, including a remembrance tree and a poignant tribute to Sabina Nessa, the schoolteacher who was murdered this year. These works have had a powerful impact on people in her local community.

“A lady passed by while I was adjusting the poppies on the remembrance tree – she was overjoyed by it all, it lifted her spirits entirely as she was supporting her good friend who was receiving palliative care,” Samia recalls.

“She took a photo of me with the tree for

of her life into a positive when she taught

her friend. I gave her my warmest smile, and

around 300 people to finger-knit as part

wept quietly when she left.”

of her first yarn-bombing project. Samia’s

“This yarn-bombing lark really does reach people’s hearts in such beautiful

bold, bright finger-knitted garments are also for sale on her website.

ways. I am humbled and grateful for being

As for yarn-bombing ambitions, she

able to generate joyful ripples for those

would love to do a project for the Olympics,

who need it,” she says.

the Paralympics, Trafalgar Square or

Samia learned how to finger-knit after

London’s South Bank: “Anywhere that

her mother died of colon cancer in 2015 –

making magic can happen with colour,

she found an online finger-knitting tutorial

fluff and a whole lot of heart, so that any

and found the craft to be “completely

Tom, Dick and Harriet can stop and get

therapeutic” during the grieving process.

involved right there.”

She says she turned a heartbreaking part

www.samiart.co.uk

Knits-tagram

claims knitting helps him to stay calm during

download, such as this superb doggy sweater:

A big knitting and crochet-loving community

stressful competitions. The cardigan with its

https://freevintageknitting.com/dog-

has sprung up on Instagram over the past

Olympic rings and Team GB logo caused quite a

sweater-patterns/coats291/punchinello-dog-

few years. The term #knitting has over

stir when he revealed the finished article during

sweater-pattern

20 million hits on Instagram alone, with

the games. It was auctioned to raise money for a

#crochetersofinstagram coming in second. A

brain tumour charity.

click on the hashtag brings up myriad creations, from jumpers and cardigans to slightly more left-field knitted designs including table

Go old school

Among the tragic cardigans and ill-advised

centrepieces, figurines, jewellery and even

sleeveless pullovers, there are some gems to

underwear.

be found in vintage knitting patterns. From funky dresses that are perfect for reviving ’60s

The Tom Daley effect

style to absolutely hilarious projects, there

In between winning gold at the Tokyo Olympics

are plenty of great ideas to create something

with his synchronised diving partner Matty Lee,

unique. At www.freevintageknitting.com,

Tom Daley was spotted knitting by the pool. He

there is a treasure trove of free retro patterns to CAPTION

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E . C O . U K

@ S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E U K

Punchinello Dog Sweater

95

S I LV E R

subscriptions

subscriptions

Our next quality quarterly will be thudding through letterboxes in early January. The Winter/Spring issue will focus on 2022 and all it may bring – new beginnings, health, wealth, and happiness.

Like this issue, it’s going to be for our mature mavericks, people who want to read something different…

Early bird special offer If you signed up for a single copy; firstly, thank you! Because you took a leap of faith with us, you lot have a very special offer. Also, you’re free to share this with the friends you think will love it.

Subscribe for a year for Go to this page and sign up for a year’s subscription:

www.shop.silvermagazine.co.uk Subscribe for a year, and when you reach the checkout, add the coupon code SILVPREM– your code will save you a fiver!

you could win

• 5 x Mama Brown’s Rum Cakes • 3 x • 2 x Marshall & Brown • Artisan Handmade Rum Truffles (box of 8) • 1 x bottle of premium Appleton Rum

Anyone signing up using this code is going straight

6 x The Jerk House Sauces

in the Silver competition to win this hamper. Terms

Marshall & Brown Chutneys

and conditions apply. Closing date 15 December 2021.

O n ly £8!!

Winner chosen at random, prize is non-transferable.

MARSHALL AND BROWN KINGSTON HAMPER, RRP £165

Selected to please even the most discerning palate, this hamper is filled with exciting and luxurious foods, including the award-winning Jerk House mustard sauce and spicy condiments.

There are also handmade rum truffles, Mama Brownʼs scrumptious Rum Cakes, and a bottle of premium Appleton rum.

96

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E ISSUE #ONE

If you get lost, go to www.silvermagazine.co.uk and follow the signs to subscribe.

Don’t forget your code.

S I LV E R STUMPERS

quiz time

To celebrate our Naked Truth theme, QI researcher Adam Jacot de Boinod created these brain-bogglers for you in our quiz. If quizzes aren’t your thing we have good old classic crossword and suduko puzzles for you

3. In the Bible, after Adam and Eve ate from what, “the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked”?

4. Which Hollywood film star expertly performed a glove striptease to the song Put the Blame on Mame in the 1946 film Gilda?

5. Who famously and radically painted a nude woman casually lunching with two fully dressed men called Le déjeuner sur l’herbe?

6. In Hollywood from 1934 until the 1960s what was the name of the code that was strictly enforced to restrict nudity in films produced by the studios?

7. Who appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair in 1991 seven months pregnant?

8. The Naked Lunch is a 1959 novel by which American writer?

9. What word, coined by Thomas Carlyle, means ‘nakedness for religious reasons’?

10. Which outspoken female campaigner, prevalent between the 1960s and 1980s, worked remorselessly to remove sex and nudity from the airwaves?

Down 2. D-Day beach (5) 3. Opponent of new technologies (7) 4. Fly (4) 5. All of us (8) 6. Middle Eastern bread (5) 7. Superficial area (7) 12. Typo (8) 14. Among (7) 16. Laundry time (7) 18. Two under par (5) 20. Pertaining to the kidneys (5) 21. Scrutinise (4)

answers

Across: 1 Toll, 4 Steepest, 8 Handmade, 9 Tars, 10 Arid, 11 Pyjamas,

2. What is a buff-ball?

1. Sound of a bell (4) 4. Most precipitous (8) 8. Not manufactured by machine (8) 9. Sailors (4) 10. Parched (4) 11. Nightclothes (7) 13. Showing unusual talent (4) 15. Tavern (3) 16. At what time (4) 17. Try (7) 19. Junkie (4) 22. Engineering qualification (1,3) 23. Event (8) 24. Not defeated (8) 25. Christmas (4)

13 Able, 15 Inn, 16 When, 17 Attempt, 19 User, 22 C Eng, 23 Incident,

Across

24 Unbeaten, 25 Yule.

1. In the 1975 film The Naked Civil Servant, which role does John Hurt play?

Down: 2 Omaha, 3 Luddite, 4 Soar, 5 Everyone, 6 Pitta, 7 Surface, 12

cro sswo rd

Misprint, 14 Between, 16 Washday, 18 Eagle, 20 Renal, 21 Scan.

THE NAKED Truth quiz

11. What is meant by a ‘dry bath’?

suduko

12. Which French artist painted a series of bather paintings that were among the earliest representations of abstract nude females?

13. Which poet wrote “The nakedness of woman is the work of God”?

answers 15. Christine Keeler

8. William S. Burroughs

the nude

7. Demi Moore

14. A school for exercising in

6. The Hays Code 5. Édouard Manet

13. William Blake 12. Paul Cézanne

4. Rita Hayworth

has been stripped naked

3. The Tree of Knowledge

11. A search of a prisoner who

dances naked

10. Mary Whitehouse

2. A party where everyone

answers

1. Quentin Crisp

9. Adamitism

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E . C O . U K

14. What was the original purpose for a gymnasium?

15. 1960s photographer Lewis Morley snapped the iconic photograph of whom posed naked astride a modern plywood chair?

@ S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E U K

97

Aries

March 21 – April 20

Leo

Libra

Sagitarius

Love – Attend events you were going

Love – Reconcile if you want to;

Love – Not everyone is a

Love – Move a relationship to the next

to avoid. They help you move on, and

don’t worry what others think.

clairvoyant! Go to the source and tell

level. You may have said you didn’t

Venus wants to help you accept that

Making your own choices gains you

the person yourself, and not their

want to give more before, but now the

the past is the past.

respect on a level like you’ve never

friends and family!

nerves have subsided and it’s time.

Money – Train for the skills to earn

experienced before.

Money – You become successful

Money – Work out what you want to

the money your sign can spend so

Money – Your earning potential

over the coming months by

do, and your sign will find a way of

well. You say you don’t have time, but

goes up, through social links and old

following your heart, not investing in

getting it for free. Your element of

you’re wrong. Start now by gravitating

friends. This is a time to use those

others. Do a job you love, and you’ll

fire makes you the best salesperson

to what you love.

contacts. Get in there!

never have to work another day.

in the zodiac.

Life stuff – Let go of what was making

Life stuff – Being truthful with

Life stuff – Clear out everything that

Life stuff – Stop lying to yourself and

you unhappy, and embrace the new,

yourself, as well as others. You’re

reminds you of the past. Venus gives

work on finding out what makes

real you. Money you put into the

ready to move on and your honesty

you the passion to find fresh starts

you happy. Foreign accents and links

home an age ago finally pays off and

also gets you a better circle of friends

and new beginnings.

are strong now, and money and love

saves you finances.

and maybe even lovers.

July 24 – August 23

Sept 24 – October 23

Nov 23 – December 21

put the cherry on the cake in this colourful chapter approaching.

Taurus

Love – Pick yourself up when you fall.

Capricorn

Show how strong you are. Choices

Love – A certain person has f inally

become yours. You get to make the

grown on your close ones, and you

decisions in relationships now.

can all now grow together. News

Money – Stop throwing good money

of a birth or pregnancy brings out

after bad. You may think you’re doing

some new emotions in you.

a certain person a favour investing in

Money – Stop spending it before

them, but they’ll never learn. Invest in

you’ve got it, or you’ll take the joy

you for once.

out of waiting. The best things

Life stuff – Drama which you thought

come to those who wait, so f ind

you had got away with to come to the

that patience you’ve got hidden

fore, but to work out in your favour! An

somewhere.

older person may be in the wrong, but

Life stuff – Stop worrying about

this time it’s worth letting them have

what others think and embrace a

their way. Events soon prove why.

bigger, bolder version of you. Dress

April 21 – May 21

Dec 22 – January 20

how you want, do what you want.

Gemini

Your age allows it but you have not yet claimed it. That time is now.

May 22 – June 21 and I don’t know why you pretend

Aquarius

otherwise. You need a physical and a

Love – Deal with old emotions.

Love – Stop going back to the past. You have high standards,

mental attraction, or you’ll be selling yourself short.

Money – Watch out for others spending your money for you.

Someone’s making a fool of you.

Jan 21-Feb 19

horoscopes OCT / NOV / DEC

Reign them in, or better still, get rid.

by Claire Petulengro

Life stuff – Keep the faith. Don’t lose your perseverance, and always trust your gut instinct. Your sign is given its intuition for a reason so make sure you use it.

Cancer

June 22 – July 23

Clairvoyant and astrologer Claire Petulengro is a Romany gypsy from the famous Petulengro family.

She has written 18 books and appears in more than 100 newspapers and magazines worldwide. To book a reading, go to www.clairepetulengro.tv

end and stop clinging on. You are remembering things as you wished they were, not the reality.

Money – Save, don’t spend, as unexpected travel that links to romance will require every spare penny!

Life stuff – Be more you, and you’ll attract the kind of people you need into your inner circle, and not the faces you have been making do with.

Pisces

young at heart will put you in the

Virgo

August 24 – Sept 23

Oct 24-Nov 22

path of those who make your life a

Love – Be careful what you get

Love – Stop worrying about what you

you didn’t think were possible.

happier place.

into. Are they really single?! You

did in the past. Also telling lies for

Where before there were fears, now

Money – Don’t be a follower but

deserve better than that.

others in love and covering for them

there are nerves of steel. Go!

lead by example and find passions

Money – Sort your credit rating.

could get you a bad reputation. Tell

Money – Saturn is making you

that make you the individual that

Tidy your paperwork up and get your

them to do their own dirty work.

too sensible. You need to live a

got you your reputation. Putting

finances in order. You’re old enough

Money – Stop wasting money. You’re

little. Make the coming months

money into the home though is

to make the rest of your life the best

going to want to travel soon. Budget

about experiencing the kind of life

allowed and advised.

of your life.

now as if you’ve booked that dream

you promised yourself you’d live.

Life stuff – Stop putting up with

Life stuff – Making life a daring

holiday and turn it into a reality.

Life stuff – Texts and emails you

the emotional blackmail that family

adventure. Be the one who puts

Life stuff – Children are of special

send can help make your life more

use on you time and time again.

the younger generation to shame

significance, and you may even

colourful. You don’t have to hide

Know whom to distance yourself

by living it to the full. You’ve earnt it

find yourself having to look after

behind a screen though. Make it

from, before you lose your self-

and you know you need to make up

someone else’s. Don’t worry, the best

a face-to-face meeting sooner

respect. You’ve got this!

for who held you back last year.

part is you can give them back!

rather than later.

Love – Pretend you’re 21 again. You never did lose the kid in you. Staying

98

S I LV E R M A G A Z I N E ISSUE #ONE

Scorpio

Process what has come to an

February 20-March 20 Love – This is your season to flirt. Jupiter helps you grow in ways

More and more young people are having serious mental health issues. Sometimes this is because they are autistic and have been missed for referral and diagnosis.

Did you know four times as many boys are diagnosed autistic as girls? We believe many autistic girls are being missed because they are able to ‘mask’ their autism to fit in with their peers. However, masking is not good for mental health; it leads to anxiety, school avoidance and depression.

We need change so that these girls are recognised and supported earlier so they can be the awesome autistic young adults they are.

Autistic Girls Network is an organisation working to support, educate, and bring change.

We offer support to autistic people and their families through our private Facebook group, and resources on our website.

But we’re only small and we need your help.

Maybe you can volunteer for us, or if you’re able, donate.

You can complete our volunteer form online, or donate either using the QR code or visit our GoFundMe page. gofundme.com/launch-autistic-girls-network-as-a-charity

autisticgirlsnetwork.org

L

r L e v I is l S

r r e e v v l i l s si

R E V

r e v l si

R E

r I S V e L v I l i S s

SI

R E LV

E V IL

R E LV

r e v l l s i i R s R E

V r L e I v VER

r r e e v v l s l i is ver lver i l i s v s l is lve

I

S

R E LV

V IL

S

l i s

R E

R E

SI

er

L I S

R E LV