Supporting dignity & independence

Spring 2011

A look at 2

significant Royal

weddings

Humour

Insight into

the unluckiest

people on

earth

History

Gardening Tips Achievements Client Poem Sophie‟s Snacks

By choosing All Seasons you are supporting your local community. We donate 100% of our

surplus profit to, and work in partnership with, registered charity Kent Enterprise Trust

Mavis

One of our

inspirational

clients

2

elcome to All Seasons‟ “Choice” magazine. The All

Seasons team is passionate and committed to providing

quality care to enable you or your loved one to remain

at home for as long as possible.

In this issue we would like to take the opportunity to

reflect on many aspects of our lives. This issue contains articles on

royal weddings, great achievements of mankind, an interview with one

of our clients and a light hearted look on some of the unluckiest

people ever recorded. You will also find all of the regular Choice

articles.

Thank you to all the people who took the time to write in to us. We

look forward to hearing from you with your thoughts, plus any of your

stories, tips and ideas - contact details are on the back page.

David Stone - Registered Manager

By choosing All Seasons you are supporting your local community. We donate 100% of our surplus

profit to, and work in partnership with, registered charity Kent Enterprise Trust

Can you recommend us to a friend?

If you know someone else who can benefit from our top rated service, please

let them know about us.

3

Spring is a very busy time for seed sowing, pricking out and potting on. Tomatoes, peppers, chillies and aubergines will hopefully be pricked out and growing but still in the greenhouse to protect them from frost. The soil will be warming up now so some vegetable seeds and hardy flowering annuals can be sown directly into the ground outside. If you grow potatoes outside then they can also be in the ground now, but if an overnight frost is forecasted, protect any early shoots with fleece or newspaper, and hold it down with stones to stop it being blown off by the wind. The same applies to the flower garden. If a late frost has been forecasted, I cover my magnolia tree with old net curtains, weighed down with stones tied on with string to protect the newly emerging flowers. I also cover my less hardy fuchsias, as the young growth can be checked and then flowering is delayed. If you buy summer bedding or young plants from garden centres now, do not plant them out straight away, as sometimes they have been grown in a very protected environment. Harden the young plants off over a fortnight by putting them outside during the day, preferably out of the wind in a sheltered spot, and then returning them to the greenhouse or window sill over night. This will ensure they are not checked by the weather, will continue to grow, and give a better display earlier. Sweet peas should be growing well now outside so do not forget to pinch out the tips as this encourages more bushy growth, and therefore more flowers. To keep the weeds under control, as they will be growing rapidly now, start hoeing regularly and once you have hoed, put down a mulch if

possible, to act as a weed suppressant . If you put down a layer of newspaper and then cover with grass mowing or bark chip, now you won’t have to do so much weeding for the rest of the year. You still have time to look round the garden and spot the bare spaces. You can then divide some herbaceous perennials like hostas and hellebores, or plant some summer flowering bulbs in those spaces. Also, put in supports now for any perennials that need it before they are too large to do so. It will look more natural if you use tree or shrub prunings rather than bamboo canes, although be careful as sometimes the supports take root and you get a tree growing where you do not want a tree. Spring is a changeable season, so watch the weather forecasts and act accordingly. Remember, “March winds, April showers bring forth May flowers”

Spring tips

for your garden

Chrissi Martin,

Appleseed

To use Appleseed‟s gardening service in

your garden please call Chrissi on

01227 844500

4

Walking down the aisle to reach the love of your life, reading vows to one

another that promise and bind the two of you together „for as long as you

both shall live‟ is the day that most girls dream of from a very early age.

However, an extension of that dream is to be walking down the aisle, and upon

removing a veil from their face, to stare into the eyes of a prince. A dream that

comes from the illuminating first reads of their favourite fairytale, whether it be

Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty, all girls dream of feeling like a princess on their

wedding day…unbeknownst it will not be long before they are staring into a

magical mirror, and rather than Prince Charming stood next to them, their

lives will probably reflect more closely to Beauty and the Beast.

Almost every young girl dreams of feeling like a princess on her wedding day. But only a select few are

the genuine thing: royal brides. British royal weddings have always been breathtaking pageants that

inspire millions of young ladies around the globe. From Queen Victoria to Princess

Diana, and with Prince William marrying Kate Middleton on 29th April, this is the

perfect time for us to take a look into the majesty and splendor of two of the

most memorable royal weddings in England.

Queen Victoria made the white wedding gown popular

One of the first things that pop into most people‟s minds when thinking of

weddings or brides, is white. However, this was not always the case.

The western, traditional „white wedding‟ came into fashion because of

one bride, and one bride only: Queen Victoria of England who married

Prince Albert in 1840.

Before Queen Victoria‟s wedding it was common for brides to wear

colorful or even black dresses on their wedding day, for the reason that

they were much more practical colours than white, to wear to future

events. The idea of having a gown that could only be worn once was a huge

extravagance. However, after Queen Victoria‟s wedding a white bridal gown

so quickly became the standard, that it is largely forgotten that it was not always

the custom.

Queen Victoria's choice of a white wedding gown was unusual not only for a bride, but also for a

monarch. Before her wedding, when a member of the royal family was married, they typically wore all

of the opulent regalia of the monarchy. Ermine trimmed robes dripping with priceless gems were the

standard attire for royal brides. Queen Victoria broke with this

tradition when she chose a comparatively simple white

gown. Not only that, but she wore no diamond

encrusted tiara, instead opting for a wreath of fragrant

orange blossoms, the symbol of fertility (which

apparently worked like a charm, as the Queen had nine

children). Her white silk satin gown was accented by

more orange blossoms, as well as a Honiton lace bridal

veil, diamond earrings, and a diamond necklace. The

wedding attire of Queen Victoria was carefully studied

by brides around the globe. The engravings and

paintings depicting the marriage of Victoria and Albert

were distributed around the world, and both their

wedding and their loving relationship became an

oyal weddings

5

inspiration for romantics everywhere. The wedding would never again look as it did

before 1840.

The wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert was held on February 10, 1840 in

the Chapel Royal of St. James's Palace in London. Prince Albert was handsomely

attired in the uniform of a British field marshal with the collar and star of the order

of the garter.

Prince Charles And Diana

The biggest British royal wedding of all took place on July 29, 1981 when Queen

Elizabeth II's son, Prince Charles, married Lady Diana Spencer. The wedding was

hyped as a fairy tale.

Lady Diana Spencer was born into the "right" sort of family. Diana lived in a flat

in London (a birthday gift from her family) and dabbled in different career paths,

including dance instruction, party hostess, and kindergarten teacher. When she

first met Prince Charles, he was actually dating Diana's older sister, Sarah Spencer.

Meanwhile, Prince Charles was in his mid thirties, unmarried, and under intense pressure to find a

wife and start producing heirs. When his path crossed with that of Lady Diana Spencer, he saw in

the sweet young woman of nineteen, a potentially suitable mate and future Queen. What Diana saw

was true love, but it is unclear if her romantic

vision of their relationship was ever fully

reciprocated by the Prince. When Charles

proposed to Diana in the nursery of Windsor

Castle, she initially thought he was teasing her.

After all, their courtship had been brief, and

she was still very young. When he convinced

her of the serious nature of the proposal,

Diana said yes, and added, "I love you so

much", to which Charles replied, "Whatever

love means.”

The fanfare leading up to the July 28, 1981 wedding, was immense. The

number of guests to attend the ceremony was so large (3, 500) that the

service had to be held in St. Paul's Cathedral because it had a greater

seating capacity than Westminster Abby. Lady Diana Spencer was

the first Englishwoman to marry the next in line for the British

crown in over 300 years, and the public went wild for their

"English rose.” There were souvenirs, wedding portraits, and

most of all, replicas of Princess Diana's bridal gown.

Lady Diana's gown was created in great secrecy by British

designers Elizabeth and David Emanuel. The ivory silk taffeta

gown was made in an ultra-romantic and flouncy design befitting

the fantasy of a fairy tale wedding. The gown was best known

for its enormous puffy sleeves and the impressive twenty five

foot long train. It was adorned with antique lace, hand

embroidery, and 10, 000 pearls and sequins. The price tag of the royal bridal

gown was reputed to be £9, 000, in 1981.

By the late 1980s, the royal couple were leading separate lives. The unhappy

marriage officially ended in divorce on August 28, 1996, in part at the urging of

Queen Elizabeth, who was outraged over the spectacle created by Charles and

Diana's public airing of the private royal linens. Barely over a year later, on

August 31, 1997, the People's Princess died in a tragic car accident, bringing a sad

end to the life that had once appeared to be a fairy tale.

6

Great achievements

by mankind The car, the wheel or even something as simple

as the pot noodle, are all things created by

man. In July 2009, American broadcaster, CNN,

posted the question, “What is mans greatest

achievement?” and got

some interesting answers.

CNN producers, armed

with cameras, put the

puzzler to passersby in

Berlin, Madrid, Rome,

Bangkok, Tokyo, New Delhi

and Paris.

The question was asked in

the lead up to the 40th

anniversary of NASA's

Apollo 11 mission. More

people might have been

expected to nominate the

moon landing as one of

man's greatest feats. Alas not.

One woman in Germany suggested the

computer.” It has opened up my world. I can

stay in my house and travel all over the world, "

she said.

Another suggested the airplane.” It's the

easiest way to get from one country to the

other. Imagine if you would be able to only

take the ship. It would take you ages to go

somewhere, so it makes humanity more

flexible.”

Fire also got a look-in.” Everything started

there right?" said one man in Spain. There was

agreement in Italy: "I think the most important

is that man discovered fire because it's bringing

a lot of life.”

The written word was also nominated in Italy,

as were architecture and sanitation.

"The biggest achievement of

mankind? Music, right?" suggested

one woman in Spain.

In New Delhi, video games got

one man's vote.” It allows you to

be whomever you want, in

whichever world you want, and

lets you live an alternate fantasy

life” he said.

One hopeful businessman in Italy

told us, perhaps prematurely:

"Peace, I'd say peace. That would

be the greatest achievement for

all.”

What do you think is man's greatest

achievement? Where does the moon landing

fit in?

Here‟s a list of some of the great

achievements by man kind

Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa

A work of art that has captured the

imagination of humanity. The mysterious

smile, the penetrating eyes. The air of

mystique surrounding the Mona Lisa cannot

easily be explained, but it is more than just a

supreme example of renaissance art. It

encapsulates a unique spirit.

7

The Works of William Shakespeare

"All the world's a stage, And all the men and

women merely players; They have their exits

and their entrances, and one man in his time

plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.”

Despite producing one of the earliest body

of works in English, few have come close to

matching William Shakespeare's mastery of

English in articulating the poetic range of

human emotion and experience.

Ave Maria - Schubert / Bach

It is music which has the greatest capacity to

lift humanity from the ordinary earth bound

thoughts and emotions. The loftiest music

can touch the psychic core of man and

expand the consciousness of man. We could

have chosen from the works of Beethoven,

Mozart, or countless other musicians, but,

Ave Maria remains one of the loftiest pieces

in the pantheon of music.

The First Flight

The Wright brothers finally achieved man's

eternal quest to achieve powered flight. The

short flight in 1901 revolutionised air travel

in the twentieth century and remains one of

the great technical achievements.

The Development of Vaccines

For many centuries, the life expectancy of

man was very low. Life was hard, short and

painful. The great advances of medical

science in the nineteenth and twentieth

century have allowed people in many

developed countries to have a much greater

life expectancy. Some of the most important

discoveries included the first vaccines

developed by Louis Pasteur and the advent

of Penicillin in the twentieth century.

Perhaps our next greatest achievement

would be ensuring access to this knowledge

is widespread amongst all people on the

planet.

Man on the Moon

It was a great scientific achievement to put

man in space and then land on the moon. It

shows the horizons of man are not limited

to this physical

earth.

Climbing Mount Everest

On May 29th, 1953, Edmund Hilary and

Sherpa Tensing Norgay finally conquered the

crown of the world, reaching the top of

Mount Everest. At 8, 848 Metres, Mount

Everest is the highest peak in the Himalayas.

The Nepalese name it Sagarmatha - meaning,

Mother Goddess of the world.

The Great Pyramids

Conventional wisdom suggests these were

built with slaves, but, this view has become

increasingly challenged. The truth is that

there are many ancient structures, such as

Stonehenge, which defy modern science even

centuries later. The Great Pyramids remain a

mystery, but they stand as a colossal and

imposing figure in the sands of Egypt.

Michelangelo's Pieta

It is a work of art which captures the beauty,

poignancy, poise and emotion of the greatest

human dramas - love divine and love human.

Declaration of Human Rights

After centuries of religious persecution,

injustice and disregard for human rights, the

acceptance of human rights enshrined in law

is one of the great achievements of modern

history. Some of the earliest declarations can

be seen in the US constitution, drafted by

Thomas Jefferson. In the twentieth Century,

the United Nations declaration of human

rights cemented its importance for modern

history.

8

Mavis Middleton grew up and spent her

whole childhood in Herne Bay.” Not much

has changed around Herne Bay, apart from

the people. It‟s hard to say whether it‟s for

bad or good. They have just changed. It‟s

gotten much bigger though.”

“I left school at the age of 14, which was usual

when I was growing up, and didn‟t have any

particular ambitions for work. I just desperately

wanted a job. The first job I had was at Bata shoe

store.” Mavis attended a course through work and

was soon managing the store, “I was earning two

pounds, ten shillings a week. At the time this was a mans

wage. It was very strange at such a young age to be

earning the same as my dad.”

Ever since the start of the Blitz in September 1940, the Home Guard

had come to be valued more as a key contributor to civil defence

(liaising with the police and the fire-fighters, clearing rubble, guarding

damaged banks, pubs and shops, assisting in rescue work and

generally making itself useful in crisis situations) than as a bona fide

anti-invasion force.

The Home Guard were situated all over the country, but one of

the biggest positions they were stationed at was Hyde

Park, in 1943. Mavis was called up to join the

Auxiliary Territorial Service and was sent to

Hyde Park. The women's branch of the army

was called the Auxiliary Territorial Service, or

ATS. It was formed in 1938, and after one year

17, 000 women volunteers had joined up. This

number grew to over 200, 000 by the end of 1943.

The new recruits were sent to army camps for

their basic training. Here they slept in huts, learnt

to march and obey orders, and kept the camp

scrubbed clinically clean. At the end of the four

weeks of training there were written and practical

tests to find out which line of work they were best

suited to.

Mavis Middleton

and the ATS

9

The women wore khaki uniforms with black shoes. Jobs in the army

varied from cooks, clerks, telephonists and translators, to lorry drivers,

motorbike messengers and engineers.” I remember being in Hyde Park

when a doodlebug bomb hit London. It was an extremely scary time.”

“The hardest part of my time in the services was being away

from my family. I had never spent long periods of time away

from home. I had 5 siblings, but my elder sister was not called

up because she was married with a daughter so did not

volunteer. I missed them all dearly.”

“One of my fondest memories of my time spent at Hyde park

was being positioned with Mary Churchill, the youngest of

Winston Churchill‟s children who was prime minster at the

time. Her father would often come to the Hyde Park salute

and light a cigar. He was a remarkable man, as was his

daughter. The best thing I took from the experience was that I

went into the services as a child and left an adult. You had to

grow up. You had no choice in the matter.”

“I met my husband when I was positioned in Germany, so that

was another great thing I took from serving. When I left the

forces there was definitely a sense of sadness. It was such a change

from the life I had become accustomed to. My husband, Tommy, was

from Lancheshire, so I moved to Warrington with him, so it wasn‟t as if

I was returning to my life before the war. It was so strange living away

from the sea.”

The change in environment

finally got too much for Mavis

and she returned to Herne Bay.

“Herne Bay is my home and I

love it here.”

10

Do not count your spring

chickens before

they‟ve hatched

William "Bud" Post won the lottery,

and was reduced to living on food

stamps!

William "Bud" Post won $16. 2 million in

the Pennsylvania lottery in 1988, but now

lives on his Social Security.” I wish it

never happened. It was totally a

nightmare, " says Post.

A former girlfriend successfully sued

him for a share of his winnings. It

wasn't his only lawsuit.

His brother was arrested

for hiring a hit man to kill

him, hoping to inherit a

share of the winnings.

Other siblings pestered him

until he agreed to invest in a

car business and a restaurant,

two ventures that brought no

money back and further

strained his relationship with his

siblings.

Post even spent time in jail for firing a

gun over the head of a bill collector.

Within a year, he was $1 million in debt.

. Post admitted he was both careless and

foolish, trying to please his family. He

eventually declared bankruptcy. Now he

lives quietly on $450 a month and food

stamps.” I'm tired, I'm over 65 years old, and

I just had a serious operation for a heart

aneurysm. Lotteries do not mean (anything)

to me, " said Post.

Major Summerford Struck by lightning...

4 times!

A British officer, Major Summerford, while

fighting in the fields of Flanders in February

1918, was knocked off his horse by a flash of

lightning and paralyzed from the waist down.

Summerford retired and moved to Vancouver.

One day in 1924, as he fished alongside a river,

lightning hit the tree he was sitting under and

paralyzed his right side.

Two years later Summerford was sufficiently

recovered that he was able to take walks in a

local park. He was walking there one summer

day in 1930 when a lightning bolt smashed into

him, permanently paralyzing him. He died two

years later. But lightning sought him out one

last time. Four years later, during a storm,

lightning struck a cemetery and destroyed a

tombstone. The deceased buried here? Major

Summerford.

John Lyne Suffered 16 major accidents in

his life!

John Lyne could well be Britain's unluckiest

man. 'Calamity John' has suffered 16 major

accidents in his life, including lightning strikes, a

rock-fall in a mine and three car crashes. 'I do

not think there is any reason or explanation.

Things could have been much worse and I

could have died but it doesn't worry me

too much. '

As a child, he fell off a horse and cart, only to

be run over by a delivery van. When he was a

teenager, he broke his arm falling from a tree.

On his way back from hospital, his bus crashed,

breaking the same arm in another place. The

date, of course, was Friday the 13th.

You may think you‟re a lucky person, but as the following

people prove, that can change in a flash (of lightning).

11

Ann Hodges, The only person (on

record) to have been hit by a Meteorite

Ann Elizabeth Hodges of Sylacauga, Alabama, is

the only person on record to have been hit by

a meteorite. On November 30, 1954, she was

napping on her living room couch when a

grapefruit sized meteoroid crashed through

the roof of her house. It bounced off her large

wooden console radio, destroying it, and

struck her on the arm and hip. She was badly

bruised but able to walk. . As it streaked through the atmosphere, the

meteor made a fireball visible from three

states, even though it fell early in the

afternoon. As the first documented case of an

extra-terrestrial object hitting a person, the

event received worldwide publicity. . Ms. Hodges was uncomfortable with the

public attention and against her husband's

wishes, she donated the meteorite to the

Alabama Museum of Natural History.

Henry Ziegland Killed by a very

persistent bullet

Henry Ziegland thought he had dodged fate.

In 1883, he broke off a relationship with his

girlfriend who, out of distress, committed

suicide. The girl's brother was so enraged that

he hunted down Ziegland and shot him. The

brother, believing he had killed Ziegland, then

turned his gun on himself and took his own

life. However Ziegland had not been killed,

the bullet, in fact had only grazed his face and

then lodged in a tree. Ziegland surely thought

himself a lucky man.

Some years later, however, Ziegland decided to

cut down the large tree, which still had the

bullet in it. The task seemed so formidable

that he decided to blow it up with a few sticks

of dynamite. The explosion propelled the

bullet into Ziegland's head, killing him.

Jason and Jenny Cairns-Lawrence

Terrorist targets

They've been attacked by terrorists more

times than John McClane.

It wasn't just New Yorkers who were

traumatized by the September 11th World

Trade Center attacks. Tourists from all over

the country and the world were in the city at

the time, as they would be on any given day.

Tourists like the English couple Jason and Jenny

Cairns-Lawrence, whose relaxing vacation was

interrupted by the worst terrorist attack in

history, experiencing a once-in-a-lifetime

horror.

Wait, did we say once in a lifetime? Because

four years later, on July 7th, 2005, they

happened to be in London, during the worst

terror attack in their history. A series of

bombs exploded across the city's transit

system, killing 52 people.

At this point they may have felt cursed or,

worse, that they were unknowingly starring in

an action film. But, you know, New York and

London are both massive cities and really, the

odds are that at least one family would happen

to be in both places on those fateful days.

Right?

But it wasn't over. Three years later, they took

another vacation. This time, to the exotic

Indian city of Mumbai.

There they saw the worst terror attack in that

country's history, as shooting and bombing

attacks killed and wounded hundreds.

12

nuzzling on its earthy pillow with the hand

printed nameplate above it : ‘BIG BERTHA 2’ .

Mavis glared at the nameplate, pop-eyed and

red in the face.

“A MARROW!” she exploded, “BIG BERTHA

IS A MARROW?”

With a bellowing scream, Mavis grasped Big

Bertha with both hands and ripped her from

her cosseted bed. Bertha had become a

weapon of husband destruction. When she

finished, Mavis stood back, surveying the

battle ground, breathing like a bull.” There”

she said quietly after a few seconds, "I want

to hear no more about Big Bertha.” Pulling

her cardigan around her and crossing her

arms, she walked down the path.” Be home

in time for tea.” she ordered without

looking back.

I looked around the plot and, using my shirt

sleeve, wiped some of the debris from my

head and face. I slowly trudged to my shed

and pushed open the creaking door. After the

bright sunlight it was dark and cool inside, the

smell of earth, creosote and Lily of the Valley

mingled with the marrow pulp in my nostrils, I

heard a faint whisper, “Has she gone?”

“Yes, my darling. She‟s gone” I said, reaching

out for her, as my eyes accustomed to the

darkness “And so, I‟m sad to say, is Big Bertha

Two. Never mind, ” I said, brightening up and

giving her a squeeze “I‟ve still got Big Bertha

One.”

Written by Helen Nicell © 2007

For more stories and about the group visit

www.watfordwriters.co.uk

Squelch! Splat! Splutter! Again

and again my beloved marrow

came down on my head, the

seeds and juice dribbling into my

eyes and a slimy pulp trickling

down my neck. After all those long

months of tender loving care,

watering, feeding and nurturing,

starting from a tiny seedling and

developing into this magnificent 28¾

glorious inches of a cucurbita pepo (that‟s a

marrow to you), for it to end like this. It‟s

enough to make a grown man weep.

In less than a minute, Mavis, my lawful wedded

dragon of thirty four years, had ripped my

beauty from the ground, and, like a rolling-pin

wielding seaside landlady, started to batter me

with it. A week away from the Grand

Allotment Show too, where it was hot

favourite to scoop „Best in Show‟!

I knew there was going to be trouble when I

saw Mavis steaming up the footpath, puffing

her bright red cheeks, her shampoo and set

clinging damply to her forehead. She

shouldn‟t have been here; Saturday afternoon

was the weekly Witches‟ Conference with the

Mother-in-law and her sister.

“Where is she?” she demanded as she bore

down on me where I knelt polishing the

marrow.” Where is this other woman? Last

night you even muttered her name in your

sleep!” She thrust her face in mine and

screeched,

“WHERE IS BIG BERTHA?” Her eyes darted

suspiciously around the allotment and settled

on my little wooden shed, net curtains at the

window.

“She‟s here” I said, dumbly pointing at the

wondrous specimen of green and gold

13

Helen Nicell

Author of Marrow

Escape.

Helen lives with her 3

dogs in Watford, Herts.

When both of her

children had finally

moved out and after

nearly 25 years of

working in Insurance, she

fancied a career change.

Shortly after changing her career, Helen joined

Watford Writers group and has been writing

short stories with a comic edge ever since.

Helen is now the Treasurer of the writing

group and plays a key role in organising their

events and competition.

Writing is only one of Helen‟s creative

passions. Others include baking, cooking,

flower arranging, decorating and even painting

with her niece and nephew (pictured above).

Marrow Escape was published by Watford

council to encourage people to take up

hobbies, such as gardening and using

allotments. It was displayed on bus stops in

the area. Helen was also the winner of the

„Living A Lie‟ Writer‟s Block competition with

„The Apple Tree‟ published in the Watford

Writers anthology.

Isabella Devani

Author of My Neighbours Cat

Isabella lives in Canterbury with her two

children aged five and two. When she was

younger Isabella dreamed of being an opera

singer or ballerina.

At the age of 14 Isabella

wrote her first poem.

“I wrote poetry at

school finding inspiration

from the works of Keats

and Tennyson. I like the

poetry of current poet

Laureate Carol Anne

Duffy.”

My Neighbour’s Cat

I never liked my neighbour‟s cat

The cat never liked me either.

It arched its back as I went by

To do my shopping. Oh I‟d sigh,

The bags, the weight, my back!

As I took shopping home again,

The naughty kitty hissed at me,

Then naughty kitty climbed a tree

I watched, I tripped, I fell.

Shopping everywhere, me in a dither,

Pound coins scattered, my ankles hurt.

The cat came down and wandered off

Didn‟t help me, just wandered off,

It didn‟t care at all!

I felt like I‟d lain there quite an age

When cat returned, sat next to me

It wasn‟t alone, bringing owner too.

This lady helped me off my knees

She picked my coins up one by one

The cat now purred, meowed.

Owner helped me take provisions home

The moggy following straight behind.

The kindly lady made me tea

Tired out I sat on my settee.

Before I knew, kitty jumped up too

Curled up on cushions next to me.

What beautiful tabby stripes!

My hand and eye and heart were moved

To drink my tea and stroke the cat.

And after the hissing

which had gone on that day

Who on earth would have thought of that!

An original poem by

All Seasons Client

Isabella Devani

14

Sophie’s Snacks “Elderly people should take probiotic

supplements. Recent studies have

shown drinks, yoghurts or capsules

could help protect older people

against bowel conditions, such as

Irritable Bowel Syndrome .”

- Sophie Murray

People over 60 years old have about 1, 000

more "friendly" bacteria in their guts

compared with other adults. However, some

of the UK‟s “friendly” bacteria yogurts are

ineffective.

The human gut contains different strains of

bacteria, some of which are "friendly", such as

bifidobacteria or lactobacilli, some that help

with food digestion and some that are

disease-causing. Having a balance of friendly

bacteria is thought to stop harmful forms

taking hold and causing disease.

Probiotics, meaning "for life", are products

that contain live strains of bacteria

incorporated into yoghurts, fruit juices or

freeze-dried powders, which boost levels of

the friendly bacteria in the gut.

Drop in bacteria

Glenn Gibson, professor of food

microbiology at Reading University, said: "The

(scientific) literature has reported about 80

human studies with positive results against

bowel conditions like travellers diarrhoea,

irritable bowel syndrome and antibiotic-

associated diarrhoea.”

He said, while probiotic products were useful

for the healthy population - helping to prevent

bacteria which cause food poisoning, such as E.

coli or campylobacter, from taking hold, they

would be even more beneficial for older people.

Dr Sandra McFarlane, from the microbiology

and gut biology group at the University of

Dundee said that as people got older they had

reduced levels of friendly bacteria and increased

levels of disease-causing bacteria.

She said at about the age of 60 there was a big

drop in bacteria levels, and older people had 1,

000-fold less friendly bacteria than other

younger adults.

With the weather in Spring time being so

unpredictable with colder more winter-like

bursts of weather, a brilliant way to stay healthy

and use Pro-biotic yogurts is in warm salads. A

squash is the star of this easy vegetarian salad

but the onion and peppers give it a run for its

money. A cheap and cheerful family supper.

15

Warm Squash Salad

Serves 4, takes 15 minutes to make and 45 minutes in the oven.

Ingredients

1kg butternut squash (or any other pumpkin type vegetable, leftover from the winter

months)

1 red onion, cut into 8 wedges

2 peppers, deseeded and cut into large pieces

1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, plus extra sprigs to garnish (optional)

1 large garlic clove, crushed

2 tbsp olive oil

50g bag wild rocket (or any other salad bag)

1 tbsp balsamic glaze (we love Merchant Gourmet, from major supermarkets)

100g feta, crumbled

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan180°C/gas 6. Peel and deseed the squash and cut into 8 thick

wedges or large chunks. Put into a roasting tin with the onion and peppers. Add the thyme

leaves, garlic and olive oil and toss well to coat. Pop the roasting tin in the oven for 45

minutes or until the vegetables are tender and lightly charred.

2. Transfer the vegetables (including any juices) to a large serving bowl. Toss through the wild

rocket and balsamic glaze.

3. To serve, divide the warm salad between 4 plates and scatter the feta over the top. Garnish

with the extra thyme, if using.

Pro-biotic Tsatsiki dressing

1 small pot natural, pro-biotic, organic yoghurt

1/2 lemon

a big chunk of grated cucumber

1 clove garlic

Method

Crush the garlic, grate the cucumber and squeeze the lemon into the yoghurt and add a

tablespoon of water. Mix and add to your salad!

As a final tip (because we can‟t be good 100% of the time) all you need to perfect your meal is a

glass of smooth, fairly light red wine. A French Cotes-du-Rhone has a peppery edge that works

well, too. Another fun tip is to save your left over seeds from the squash or pumpkin to grow

your own squash/pumpkin for next year.

To keep this recipe low GI for anyone with diabetes or high blood sugar, ensure you

do not over-cook the Squash.

16

All Seasons

The Links, Herne Bay

Kent, CT6 7GQ

01227 265899 www. allseasons.org.uk info@allseasons.org.uk

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