Yours 208

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heart to heart

‘I’ve always loved

breaking the rules’

Celebrating a milestone birthday and set to star in a charming BBC adaptation of Roald Dahl’s Esio Trot, Judi Dench tells why she’s never been one to conform. . .

By Alison James

ame Judi Dench may be acting aristocracy but there’s nothing stuffy about her.

Quite the opposite, in fact.

According to the director of her latest film Esio Trot, she’s ‘naughty, with so much joie de vivre and such a sense of fun’.

This is very much in evidence at the launch of the film, which co-stars Dustin Hoffman. There’s a real elfinlike quality to her – and we’re not just referring to her signature hairstyle.

“There’s a line in Esio Trot where my character, Mrs Silver, says ‘If you can’t break the rules when you’re older, when can you?’ But I’ve always been like that,” explains Judi. “I think it’s good to go your own way and not conform.

If you don’t want to toe the line and would rather do things differently and break the rules, go ahead! It’s fun.

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Judi is thrilled to be starring with Dustin Hoffman in Esio Trot

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Merry Christmas from YOURS

❙ star chat ❙

Psst…

A VERY SPECIAL YEAR FOR BRITISH ACTRESSES

As well as Dame Judi the following Yours favourites have celebrated, or will celebrate, their 80th birthdays this year… ✢ Annette Crosbie OBE (Feb 12), right. The double BAFTA winner stars in the BBC’s new adaption of Cider With Rosie next year and also the movie remake of Dad’s Army. ✢ Sian Phillips CBE (May 14), left. A BAFTA, Olivier and Tony Award-winning actress who this year played Lady Bracknell in a star-studded, West End production of The Importance of Being Earnest. ✢ Dame Eileen Atkins (June 16), right, is the writer and co-creator of the original Upstairs Downstairs.

The BAFTA, Emmy and Olivier Award winning actress stars in ‘Suite Francaise’ released on March 15. ✢ Dame Maggie Smith (Dec 28), left. The double Oscar winner, best known for playing Violet, the Dowager Countess of Grantham in Downton Abbey, starts filming the fifth series in February.

poem himself and the title ‘Esio Trot’ is ‘tortoise’ spelt backwards!

“I’ve read Esio Trot to various children many times over the years and loved the story, so when I was approached about the role of Mrs Silver, I wanted to play her unconditionally,” Judi explains. “To be honest, I would have been in Five On Treasure Island or whatever, if it meant working with Dustin Hoffman. I really enjoyed boasting about being in a production with him. But back to Mrs Silver. . .

With her red hair and the brightlycoloured dresses she wears, she looks nothing like me and I love that. It’s heaven. It’s not really much fun playing someone who looks like you.”

How did she feel about having to get up close to a tortoise? There are rumours that she was known on set as The Tortoise Whisperer!

“Well I do get on very, very well with animals,” she replies. “We have a lot of pets and my family said, ‘You’re bound to come home with a tortoise’, but I knew I wouldn’t. I mean, a tortoise isn’t going to greet you at the door with a smiley, fuzzy face like my cats and

dog. However, I did grow quite fond of the little tortoise called Alfie. It went into a kind of stupor when I recited the Esio Trot poem over and over, and then it yawned – a tortoise yawning is allencompassing!”

As is Judy’s work schedule! Behind the Scenes, a collection of Judi’s most cherished photographs with accompanying text written by herself, was published on November 20.

She’s currently filming The Hollow Crown – The Wars of the Roses, BBC2’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s best-loved history plays, which goes out in 2016.

Early next year will see Judi begin the publicity trail for the film The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (sequel to the hugely successful ‘First’) which is released in the UK in February and in the US a month later, and another film, Tulip Fever, is also due for release next year. “You’ve got to take it while it’s offered,” she smiles.

We’re sure she’ll be offered ‘it’ for many more years to come. ✢ Esio Trot is on January 1 on BBC1 at 6.30pm.

Dame Judi shares a secret She was once told she would never make a film – let alone become an Oscar-winning actress. “I’m not going to say who told me that, but I’ve never forgotten it. I was in an office in Piccadilly. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said. ‘But you will never make a film because your face is the wrong kind of arrangement’.

Thirty-two years later in 1997 there I was in New York, doing the press for my first film, Mrs Brown.

Judi as Mrs Brown with Billy Connolly Merry Christmas from YOURS

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PICS: JOHN SWANNELL/CAMERA PRESS, REX FEATURES, GETTY IMAGES, BBC

I don’t think age comes into it. Why should it?”

The age thing doesn’t sit well with Judi. She is 80 on December 9 but it’s not something she chooses to dwell on.

“That dreaded word: O-L-D-E-R’,” she goes on, her blue eyes flashing.

“I think age is just a number that’s imposed on you. The only time I really got upset about age was when I was 40, for some reason. But after that, I think it’s the thing everybody says, ‘You’re as old as you feel’.

“The only thing that drives me absolutely spare is when people say, ‘Are you going to retire?’ Or, ‘Don’t you think it’s time to put your feet up?’ Or they tell me my age – some people like to tell me how old I am. I don’t want to be told that I’m too old to do anything. Let me have a go – let us all have a go. People are different and our personal energy and outlook is different, regardless of age. It’s your own individual engine and as long as you can keep that going for a bit, you won’t fall over.”

Mrs Silver, like Judi, is certainly firing on all cylinders. She’s a flamboyant, flirty, glamorous, glasshalf-full kind of woman who, unlikely as it seems, falls in love with her tiny pet tortoise called Alfie.

Meanwhile, her lonely neighbour Mr Hoppy (played by Dustin Hoffman) has fallen for Mrs Silver but he’s so shy and retiring he thinks the only way he can attract her attention is by talking tortoise. Mrs Silver doesn’t know that tortoises don’t increase in size and she’s perturbed by Alfie’s lack of growth.

Mr Hoppy has the idea of buying as many sizes of tortoise as he can afford and secretly replacing her pet with increasingly larger tortoises! He tells Mrs Silver that if she recites an ancient poem called ‘Esio Trot’ to Alfie every night, he’ll grow as a result. Unbeknown to Mrs Silver, Mr Hoppy penned the

Stars’

favourite carols From Silent Night to Frosty the Snowman – we asked celebrities which tune really evokes the spirit of Christmas for them

Call The Midwife’s Jenny Agutter As a child, my favourite carol was Away In A Manger. I was always trying to be good like the baby Jesus but could never quite manage it!

These days, I find medieval Christmas carols incredibly beautiful and more moving than the popular Victorian ones. My favourite is the Lullay, Lullay one – the Coventry carol.

TV choirmaster Gareth Malone I have two, very different favourite carols. From a nostalgia point of view, the first is In The Bleak Midwinter; it’s just so very Victorian and Dickensian in flavour plus I remember it from my childhood. The second is the medieval Coventry carol – it has a stark, austere, almost bleak feel to it, which I like.

I’m not attracted to anything too commercial or syrupy when it comes to Christmas carols.

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Merry Christmas from YOURS

Benidorm actress Sherrie Hewson It has to be Silent Night. It’s a beautiful carol but the reason I really like it is because Michael Bublé sings a version that sends shivers up and down my spine. Mind you, anything he sings has pretty much the same effect on me!

❙ star chat ❙ Downton Abbey’s Mrs Patmore, actress Lesley Nicol

Wildlife TV presenter Chris Packham

It’s not a Christmas carol as such but my very favourite Christmas song is The Fairy Tale of New York by the Pogues and Kirsty McColl. I love the music – it’s like an Irish folk song – but the lyrics are very poignant. It’s no surprise that it has been voted the best Christmas song of all time in so many polls.

To be honest I can’t stand Christmas carols – can’t relate to them or engage in them.

The only Christmas music I listen to is Phil Spector’s Christmas album which features songs like Frosty the Snowman by the Shangri Las and Sleigh Ride by The Ronettes.

There’s no contest for me, it’s Once in Royal David’s City. I love it – especially the first verse, which is always sung by a lone chorister. It’s sounds so beautiful and always makes me cry.

TV presenter and singer Aled Jones I have two favourite carols – In The Bleak Midwinter and Silent Night.

I’ve been singing both since I was a very small boy; they’re very beautiful and also evocative of so many past Christmases for me. They stand the test of time and make me think of the perfect Victorian Christmas.

Lewis actor Kevin Whately In The Bleak Midwinter is my favourite carol. It reminds me of Christmases when I was a boy in Northumberland. It doesn’t really make sense; baby Jesus asleep in the manger and yet the earth is hard as iron, but the tune is lovely.

Coronation Street actress Wendi Peters White Christmas is the ultimate Christmas song for me as I sing it every night at the Dominion theatre where I’m appearing in the musical, but I won’t be singing it on Christmas Day itself as that’s my only day off!

Actress June Whitfield I like upbeat carols that go at a reasonable pace like Oh Come All Ye Faithful and Hark The Herald Angels Sing. I go to quite a few carol concerts and some of the carols are quite dirge-like. Once In Royal David’s City starts up really slowly, although it does pick up a bit towards the last verse.

TV gardening guru Alan Titchmarsh Call me an old sentimentalist, but my early memories of carol singing are among the most treasured moments in my childhood. I was a choirboy from the age of eight and I still know them all by heart and love them all. Carols, I reckon, are capable of connecting us with the true meaning of the season of goodwill and with each other.

TV presenter Gaby Roslin I’m not religious so I don’t have a favourite carol. I am, however, a traditionalist and do have a favourite Christmas song.

It’s Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and I especially like it because my two young daughters do a silly rendition with actions. In their version, Rudolf’s nose is like a lightbulb!

Strictly Come Dancing’s Anton du Beke My favourite carol has always been God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. I love the melody and the refrain ‘tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy’. I also like it because it features in Dickens’ Christmas Carol which leads me very nicely into my favourite Christmas song , Thank You Very Much from the musical Scrooge, written by the incredibly talented Anthony Newley.

Merry Christmas from YOURS

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WORDS: ALISON JAMES; PICS:FLYNET;GETTY IMAGES; REX FEATUTRUERES

Model and designer Twiggy

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Merry Christmas from YOURS

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Read it now at to enter for free WIN all of the goodies featured! Visit www.yours.co.uk/beauty

31 Radox Relaxation Therapy gift pack contains two bubble baths (500ml each) and candle £7.50, Boots STOCKISTS: Aromatherapy Associates 0208 569 7030 www. aromatherapyassociates.com; Asda 0800 952 0101 www.direct.asda.com; Beauty Naturals 0845 094 0400 www. beautynaturals.com; Bee Good 01256 215215 www.beegood.co.uk; Boots 0345 609 0055 www.boots.com; Debenhams 0844 800 8877 www.debenhams. com; Elemis 0117 316 1888 www.elemis. com; Florence Anne available at Boots; The Fragrance Shop 0161 8750675 www.thefragranceshop.co.uk; The Perfume Shop 0800 988 8660 www. theperfumeshop.com John Lewis 0845 604 9049 www.johnlewis.com; M&S 0845 609 0200 www.marksandspencer. com; Poundland 0121 568 7000 www. poundland.co.uk; Sanctuary Spa 01442 430367 www.sanctuary.com; Superdrug 0345 671 0709 www.superdrug.com; Tesco 0800 323 4050 www.tesco.com Details correct at time of going to press

✢ NEXT ISSUE Beauty treatments that work while you sleep!

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Good to KNOW...

7ways to...

do Christmas differently

Fancy a change from the usual turkey and tinsel?

Here are a few alternative ways to celebrate the festive season

By Katharine Wootton

ust because you’ve always done the same thing on December 25, doesn’t mean you have to do it again this year! Your circumstances may have changed and perhaps the old traditions don’t feel right any more, so why not ring

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the changes? Whether your children have left home, your closest loved ones are no longer around, or you’re just tired of spending Christmas the same way, you might find creating new festive traditions positive and uplifting. Here are seven suggestions for a Christmas with a difference.

1 LEND A HAND

Why not help out at a food bank?

Celebrate the season of goodwill by volunteering to help those in need.

Whether you’re packing food parcels or helping out in a dog’s home, you can be cheered by the knowledge that you’re making a real difference.

The homeless charity, Crisis, is especially in need of volunteers over Christmas to serve dinners, be a friend and even entertain guests at their centres in London, Edinburgh and Newcastle.

Call 0300 636 1000 or visit www.crisis.org.uk/ pages/volunteer-christmas.html to find out more.

You can find other volunteering opportunities at do-it.org.uk or by visiting your local volunteer centre.

2TAKE A SPA BREAK

Get away from the pre-festive stress for a while and give yourself some well-deserved TLC. Many spas offer Christmas packages, from onenight stays to five-day breaks. You could also meet other guests who may be escaping the usual traditional Christmas.

A TRIP OF A LIFETIME 3TAKE

✢ The Malvern Spa, Worcestershire, offers a midnight swim on Christmas Eve, festive-themed fitness classes, mulled wine on top of the Malvern Hills and full use of facilities from £275 per person for a two-night stay. ✢ Call 01684 898290 or visit www.themalvernspa.com/christmas

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Merry Christmas from YOURS

Revive the excitement of Christmas by going on a once-in-a-lifetime holiday.

Tour Europe with one of Shearing’s cruise packages especially for holidaymakers over-50. Enjoy Christmas lunch sightseeing on the Rhine for eight days from £789pp, or experience the Dutch and Belgian waterways and a Captain’s gala dinner from £549pp. ✢ Call 0844 209 7143 or visit www.shearings.com

4 BE A TOURIST FOR THE DAY You might be surprised to hear that many tourist attractions stay open on Christmas Day. You could follow a reindeer trail at Saltram House, Plymouth, experience a Kipling family Christmas at the author’s 17th Century home or enjoy the lantern theatres and mechanical ✢ If you’re in London, Golden Tours run puppets of a Christmas Day trips to the likes of Windsor, Nutcracker Christmas Bath and Stonehenge as well as tours at Mottisfont, of the Thames and even a Dickensian Hampshire.

Christmas trip. Call 0207 630 2028 or visit ✢ Call The National www.goldentours.com/christmas-day Trust on 0844 800 1895 or visit www. nationaltrust.org.uk Welcome to winter at Windsor or Stonehenge

YOUR FAVOURITE THINGS 5DO

If previous Christmases have involved frantic cooking and hosting a house-full, take the opportunity to have a Christmas Day you will really enjoy this year. Wake up when you like and take a stroll around your favourite spots. Lunch on a meal you’ve prepared in advance, whether it’s turkey and all the trimmings or a curry, then enjoy your favourite film with a glass of your preferred tipple.

Sit back and relax and make the most of some you-time!

6 HOST A PARTY You are probably not the only one in your neighbourhood looking for something different to do this Christmas, so why not get together to recreate community Christmases of days gone by? It’s a great way to ensure no one in your area faces Christmas alone.

You could organise lunch at a restaurant, hold an open house for tea and cake, or even plan a street party. The Community Christmas charity offers support and advice for those thinking of creating a festive community event. ✢ Call 0844 4430 662 or visit communitychristmas.org.uk

7 GO TO CHURCH

✢ If you’re on your own, many churches also set up Christmas lunches or an open-door policy among the congregation so there’s no need to be alone. Visit your local church to find out more – you’ll find a warm welcome.

Denise Knowles, relationship counsellor at the charity Relate, explains how to go about broaching your alternative Christmas plans with loved ones.

“If you want to do Christmas differently this year, be sure to tell your loved ones as soon as you can so there’s no surprises on Christmas Eve” Denise explains.

“Choose your moment carefully when you have plenty of time to listen to any concerns your family and friends may have, but be firm with your decision. Explain to them why it’s important to you to try something different and take on a fresh new chapter.

“It’s a good idea, if you can, to try to keep one or two traditions the same, such as Christmas shopping together or spending New Year’s Eve as a family, so that your loved ones don’t feel like you are abandoning old traditions altogether. But make sure your plans ultimately leave you feeling positive about the festive season to come.” ✢ NEXT ISSUE Get your post-Christmas finances in order with our New Year detox plan

Visit www.yours.co.uk for expert tips on taking up volunteering

Merry Christmas from YOURS

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PICS: GETTY IMAGES; ISTOCKPHOTO; ALAMY; SHUTTERSTOCK

Even if you don’t have a strong faith, going to church on Christmas Day is a great way to meet friendly faces and be surrounded by a real Christmas spirit. The festive services at St Paul’s Cathedral or York Minster are an especially magical experience, but local church services can be just as good. St Paul’s 0207 246 8350, www.stpauls.co.uk; York Minster 01904 557200 www.yorkminster.org

Edible gifts Give friends and family a taste of Christmas with these homemade ideas

SPICED-ORANGE TREE BISCUITS These delicious biscuits can also be hung on the tree for decoration – perfect for the grandchildren Makes: 36 biscuits Preparation time: 1½ hours Cooking time: 8-10 mins

• 110g (4oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature • 30g (1¼oz) caster sugar • 30g (1¼oz) dark brown soft sugar • zest of 2 oranges • 1 egg, beaten • 250g (9oz) plain flour, sieved • ¼ tsp baking powder • generous pinch of salt • ½ tsp ground nutmeg • ¾ tsp ground cinnamon • ½ tsp ground cloves • ¼ tsp ground allspice For the icing: • 3 tbsp boiling water • 250g (9oz) icing sugar, sieved 1. Cream the butter and sugars together until the mixture is pale and creamy. Add the orange zest and egg and whisk in a tablespoon of flour.

2. In a separate bowl mix together the

remaining flour, baking powder, salt and spices. Fold this mixture into the butter, sugar and egg mixture with a metal spoon –take care not to overmix the dough.

3. Once mixed, wrap tightly in cling film and place in the fridge for at least an hour.

4. Once chilled, roll out to a thickness of 4-5mm on a floured surface. Cut your biscuits using a snowflakeshaped cutter and place the biscuits

on baking trays lined with greaseproof paper. Use the end of a straw to cut a hole into the top of each biscuit so they can be hung up.

5. Bake the biscuits in the oven at 170°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4 for 8-10 mins, or until the edges turn a golden brown, then transfer to a cooling rack and leave to completely cool.

6. To make the icing, mix the boiling water with the icing sugar and pour into a piping bag fitted with a small round nozzle or a freezer bag with the tip of a corner cut off. Pipe snowflake decorations on the biscuits.

7. Once the icing has hardened, thread the biscuits with a loop of string and hang.

FESTIVE FLAVOURED SUGARS These winter spice-infused sugars are perfect for any budding baker, they are also delicious when sprinkled on warm toast Makes: 500g (1lb) flavoured sugar Preparation time: 5 mins

For the clementine clove sugar: • 250g (9oz) granulated sugar • 4 cloves • peel from 1 clementine, sliced into thin strips Simply place one clove and a few strips of clementine peel in two small airtight jars.

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Merry Christmas from YOURS

Pour the sugar into the jars, and scatter the remaining cloves and clementine peel on top.

For the cinnamon cranberry sugar: • 250g (9oz) granulated sugar • 50g (2oz) dried sweetened cranberries • 2 cinnamon sticks

Divide the cranberries between two small jars.

Pour the sugar into the jars, the cinnamon sticks into the sugar and scatter the remaining cranberries on top. Repeat once filled.

Now close the jar and leave the sugar to absorb the flavours for two weeks.

HOME

& craft SPICED CRANBERRY CORDIAL Give family and friends a real treat with this non-alcoholic fruity alternative to mulled wine Makes: 800ml (1½pt) undiluted cordial Preparation time: 20 mins

500g (1lb) cranberries 500g (1lb) caster sugar 3 tbsp red wine vinegar zest of 2 oranges ½ tsp ground allspice 5 whole cloves 400ml (13½floz) water

1. Place all the ingredients in a large saucepan over a very low heat for 10 mins. Stir until the sugar has dissolved.

2. Using a potato masher, mash the softened cranberries to a pulp and gently heat the mixture for a further 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Stir the mixture as it begins to boil, and simmer for one minute before removing from the heat.

4. Carefully, as the mixture is extremely hot, pour the liquid through a sieve into a heatproof bowl. Press the leftover pulp in the sieve with the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible, then throw away.

5. Next line the sieve with a square of muslin and strain the liquid again. This optional step will make sure the cordial is clear and free of any sediment.

6. Pour the cordial into a jug and pour into sterilised bottles.

It will keep unopened for two months, but once opened, should be stored in the fridge.

To make a warming drink, dilute at one part cordial to four parts just-boiled water.

MINCE PIE FUDGE These sweet parcels of fudge are flavoured with the aroma of mince pies and are guaranteed to get everyone in the mood for Christmas!

Makes: 24 squares of fudge 3cmx3cm (1¼inx1¼in) Preparation time: 20 mins

• 1 teabag (Pg Tips, Tetley, Yorkshire etc) • 4 tbsp boiling water • 2 tsp vanilla extract • 110g (4oz) raisins • 397g (14oz) tin condensed milk • 110g (4oz) unsalted butter • 250g (9oz) demerara sugar • 200g (7oz) light brown soft sugar • 150ml (5 floz) full-fat milk • ½ tsp almond extract • Zest of ¼ lemon • Zest of ½ orange

1. Place the teabag in a heatproof bowl, pour over the boiling water and leave to soak for 3 mins. Squeeze the liquid from the teabag and discard.

Stir in the vanilla extract and add the raisins. Leave the raisins to soak up the liquid for 1 hour, giving an occasional stir.

2. Place the condensed milk, butter, sugars, milk and almond extract in a large saucepan over a low heat. Stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar has dissolved.

3. Bring the mixture to the boil, then lower the heat and let the liquid simmer for 10 -15 mins. Stir the mixture throughout and scrape the base of the pan with a wooden spoon to prevent sticking. To test if the fudge is ready, drop a teaspoon of the mixture into a glass of ice-cold water; if ready, it will form a soft ball.

4. Remove the pan from the heat and

✢ For more festive craft and cookery ideas see the Christmas issue of LandScape magazine, out now

add the strained raisins, lemon and orange zest. Beat the mixture with a wooden spoon for 10 mins until it thickens.

5. Pour the fudge into a 20x20cm (8x8in) tin, lined with greaseproof paper. Leave to set. When cold, cut into squares and wrap in greaseproof paper. If the fudge is kept in an airtight container it will keep for three weeks.

JUST VISIT

.co.uk

PICS: SHUTTERSTOCK; MASTERFILE

• • • • • • •

y your stars y

horoscopes ght

Astrologer Lynne Ewart predicts what’s in store for you

this fortni

Between December 9 and December 22 With the Sun in cheery Sagittarius until the 21st, there’s that wonderful feeling of heading hopefully towards festive dates. Venus travelling in Capricorn seeks value for money, while the outer planets clash, reminding us to savour all that’s good.

PIC: GETTY IMAGES

If it’s your birthday this fortnight…

… you are Sagittarius like Call the Midwife actress and comedienne Miranda Hart, born December 14, 1972. Sagittarians are gregarious as a rule, strong thinkers, generous souls and great freedom seekers who love to have a plan in mind! Miranda’s chart shows she is lively and chatty as you’d expect, along with a deeper, very private aspect. She’s entering a new chapter where she is becoming even more the director of her own life and over 2015/16 she’ll feel empowered, as she tackles the challenges that really excite her.

SAGITTARIUS

ARIES

Mar 21-Apr20 There’s a growing feel-good factor, even though you are in an ongoing phase of shakeups and changes. Moves being made now probably feel quietly ‘right’.

Thought for the fortnight: A new title or address could soon be yours.

B For a weekly update call 09044 705700

LEO

Nov 23-Dec 21 You may be feeling uncharacteristically practical, to your own surprise, or maybe more ambitious than usual. It’s a good time to connect with a mission in mind!

Thought for the fortnight: Jupiter brings sweet moments from the 12th-16th.

B For a weekly update call 09044 705708

CAPRICORN

TAURUS

VIRGO

GEMINI

LIBRA

SCORPIO

December 22-Jan20 Venus boosts self confidence in your personal and professional relationships.

Even if life feels unsettled, it could well be in a good cause.

Thought for the fortnight: You’re beginning a whole new chapter from the 22nd.

B For a weekly update call 09044 705709

Apr 21-May 21 You are in a ‘let’s get this job done!’ phase, showing your strength of will and realising that the road to positive change has to be chosen by you.

Thought for the fortnight: Stay strong and shine.

B For a weekly update call 09044 705701

AQUARIUS

Jan 21-Feb18 You’re ready to get your life better balanced in the ways that mean most, perhaps with a few practical tweaks that’ll make quite a difference.

Thought for the fortnight: Travel plans are afoot.

B For a weekly update call 09044 705710

May 22-June 21 Mars has you eager to expand your horizons and thinking about ambitious plans. You’ll be looking into partnership possibilities, too.

Thought for the fortnight: A relative could be talking of making a big move.

B For a weekly update call 09044 705702

PISCES

CANCER

Feb 19-Mar 20 You’ll feel the strength and support of friendships over this fortnight. Someone who’s in a position to be helpful could repay a past kindness, much to your surprise.

Thought for the fortnight: Miracles really do happen sometimes!

B For a weekly update call 09044 705711

June 22-July 22 Focus is on work and wellbeing, with opportunities for lifestyle changes coming along. Do your own research rather than be swayed by pictures painted by others.

Thought for the fortnight: A business partnership could be suggested.

B For a weekly update call 09044 705703

July 23-Aug 23 Creative plans and pleasure projects could flourish, all the more so if you’re part of a dynamic team. Modernisation and upgrading could be on the agenda.

Thought for the fortnight: Green lights around 12th lead to a very busy time!

B For a weekly update call 09044 705704

Aug 24-Sept 22 There’s relief ahead, after a pretty demanding time where you’ve had to pull out all of the stops to get things moving.

Thought for the fortnight: After the 14th you feel freer to focus on pleasure plans.

B For a weekly update call 09044 705705

Sept 23-Oct 23 With Venus moving across the home and family sector, look out for some surprise twists and turns that bring hoped-for reconnections.

Thought for the fortnight: Mid-December brings inspiration for the future.

B For a weekly update call 09044 705706

Oct 24-Nov 22 Your business brain will get busy, with green lights around paperwork, meetings and agreements. For some, there’ll be a new routine springing up thereafter.

Thought for the fortnight: You’re about to turn tougher chapters right around!

B For a weekly update call 09044 705707

Calls cost 66p per minute from a BT landline. Calls from other operators and mobiles may vary. Weekly readings last approx five minutes, monthly readings approx nine minutes, year ahead readings approx 13 minutes. For entertainment purposes only. Users must be over 18. Service provider: Spoke. Customer services helpline: 0845 270 8302 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm). www.lynneewart.com Merry Christmas from YOURS

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