FROM THE HORSE’S MOUTH – June 2025. Edition No 126.
Hello, I hope you are well.
I enjoy living in Halifax, England, but one thing that gets on my nerves is when I am in the centre of town and have to endure amplified music from buskers which drowns everything else out and forces me to listen whether I want to or not.
This magazine is open to anyone who expresses themselves in a non-racist, non-sexist and non-homophobic way. Although the magazine itself is apolitical, it can contain political views if they are conveyed in a respectful manner. If you think you would like to be featured in some way in this publication, then please contact us at: dean@fthm.org.uk
Please note that our website address is: www.fromthehorsesmouth.org.uk
Best wishes, Dean Charlton.
MY NOT VERY SERIOUS STARS
Scorpio 24 Oct – 22 Nov
Now is a good time to become a pagan and jump over a communal cauldron in a way that some may think is foolish. You may have experienced difficult times recently, but good times lie ahead if you mind where you lay your head. An email will put a broad smile on your face and inspire a holiday in Norfolk. Stop dreading the worst-case scenario being fulfilled. Try hard.
Sagittarius 23 Nov – 21 Dec
A creature of habit will annoy you with their repetitive behaviour, but this is just their way of feeling safe, so cut them some slack. Love and sex will come your way and your time in the sexual desert will cease. Stop procrastinating and dip your toe in the water and see how you go. It’s time to decorate, but get someone else in if you’re too busy painting the town red.
Capricorn 22 Dec – 20 Jan
You may be considering buying a larger house, but is your motive just to impress others? You may have been “Jack the Lad” last year, but now is the time to face the music and dance to a new tune. A man at work will shock you by declaring his love for another man, but does the colour of love really matter? You may never be rich but you’re lucky to be well and happy.
Aquarius 21 Jan – 19 Feb
You chase fashion like a fool chases a feather in the wind, so wise up and do your own thing. It is also time you stopped clucking like a demented chicken and accept that you are now an old bird and no longer rule the roost. It is time to capitalise on your good fortune and try to do some good for others. Money is short but kindness can be free to give, so give. Laugh.
Pisces 20 Feb – 20 Mar
You are at a crossroads in your life, and what you decide now will influence the rest of your life. An old school sweetheart will come back into circulation; will you can revisit the past or simply say ‘hi’ and walk on by? You can buy that new makeup, but is it worth it when you will still be minging? It is a good time to try and move from being obese to overweight.
Aries 21 Mar – 20 Apr
Maybe it is time you stepped up to the mark and helped someone who is struggling to prosper. A sharp-tongued woman with a crew cut will show you her softer side this week and do something that makes you smile. An old TV programme will trigger off a series of memories that leave you feeling as high as a kite and somewhat nostalgic. Embrace now.
Taurus 21 Apr – 21 May
On Saturday, a friendly postman will penetrate your letter box and you will be left feeling happy. Today, you may feel a tad sluggish, but you will soon come out of your shell and become the life and soul of the party. All-in-all, your life will definitely improve in the near future and your self-doubt will evaporate leaving you walking on air. Suck a mint.
Gemini 22 May – 21 Jun
It is time you stopped craving to be entertained and started to be creative yourself. Life on this planet may appear bizarre, but your mental freeze will disappear if you only chill out a bit. You seem to have forgotten how to have fun, which is a shame as one of your main qualities is to make people laugh. If you are gay, be gay and just get on with it. Masticate.
Cancer 22 Jun – 23 Jul
A man who always dances like a fool will give you some precious information that will eventually change your life for the better. Someone with massive boobs will reveal to you how badly she suffers from back ache. You will not win the lottery but you will soon hit the jackpot of love and realise what really matters in life. Buy a goldfish or a Siamese cat.
Leo 24 Jul – 23 Aug
You try far too hard to please others, and you wish you had another half. Relax and someone will some come along and sweep you off your feet. Money will come your way, but don’t let it change you and start you preaching to others less fortunate. It’s true to say that you watch far too much TV, so maybe now is the time to branch out and climb new trees.
Virgo 24 Aug – 23 Sep
Go to a jumble sale this month as you be able to stop looking like a tramp without spending a fortune. Bad news may come your way, but you will have the tools to cope with anything. You may feature in someone’s will which will result in a small windfall coming your way. A neighbour will get on your nerves, but just ignore their ignorance and do your own thing.
Libra 24 Sep – 23 Oct
Like many of us, you clearly have a problem coping with pressure, but do have faith in yourself to perform when it really counts. Marriage may be on the horizon for you, but are you really ready to share and put another first? It is a good time to seek out a delicious recipe for treacle tarts. Stop worrying about tomorrow as today is everything.
JUNE’S WORLD
Hello everybody! It’s been a month since I did an article so here goes.
Today is absolutely beautiful. It makes you feel good inside. As I’ve said before, my husband and I go to Selby every Monday. It was very pleasant heading to Selby this week. The trees were all in bloom and looked lovely.
When we got to Selby there was a lot of people in the street, which makes it more interesting. We did not go in the Abbey; instead, we went to the park which had a lovely show of different plants and flowers. We sat and had a good hour just relaxing and watching people doing different things in the park.
The gardener there does a really good job in keeping the lawns immaculate. He got right in the corners, and when he’d finished doing all the bowling green grass it looked lovely. There were lots of children on the swings and slides, and a Chinese swing like they had when I was very young. There was a place called Ponty park (the proper name for it was Pontefract Park). I loved to visit all the parks I could, and there was a park where I lived up Three Lane Ends. I only had to walk about a quarter of a mile from the potteries at Castleford to the park. The park had lots of swings, slides and roundabouts. My mother would tell us to come home before it got dark.
I’m sat in the garden now as it’s far too nice to sit indoors. It’s very hot, and it is going to get hotter at the weekend according to the weather forecast. We are going to visit Dean on Saturday; it’s going to be very crowded and stuffy on the train to Halifax. We love going to meet Dean and Brenda in Marks and Spencer’s cafe. As soon as Dean sees us, he goes to the counter and orders hot chocolate with marshmallows and cream for me and a latte for my husband.
Walking through Marks and Spencer’s to the café, there’s beautiful clothes for babies and adults on display. We’ve bought lots of outfits for our great-grandson, who will be 1 year old in two weeks’ time. With us heading into our late 80s, it’s lovely to see him every week when our granddaughter brings him round to our house. He gets up to all sorts of things, and I like to think he’s investigating. He doesn’t know which toy to play with, so he gets one out at a time till he finds the one that he likes best. We’ve got an antique clock on the wall above the fireplace and our great-grandson is fascinated with it; I think it’s the pendulum he can see moving. Also on the shelf is a photo of his mother, so maybe it’s her he is looking at.
Today it’s looking like rain. We’ve just been to the Lidl for some shopping and had a lovely walk around the canal, which is very close to the Lidl supermarket. We were planning on sitting in the sunshine but the weather is cloudy and too chilly to be sat outdoors. We saw the boats with names on which is where people live. I think some just visit when they’ve been working all week, and some are people who live on the boats permanently.
Well, there’s not much more I can think of to write, so I will say bye for now.
June. X.
GRAHAM TOWNSEND’S MONTHLY QUIZ
Questions:
(1) Which American investor and philanthropist is known as the Oracle of Omaha?
(2) “Shakedown” and “Old Time Rock & Roll” are songs by which American singer?
(3) On which continent is the Yuma desert?
(4) In mythology, who was the Greek god of war?
(5) What is the chief ingredient in the Middle Eastern dish falafel?
(6) How old was Eva Braun when she met Adolf Hitler?
(7) What is the capital of South Dakota?
(8) Which actor played the character Walter White in acclaimed TV series Breaking Bad?
(9) In text speak, what does the acronym AAMOF most commonly stand for?
(10) Nick Lachey was which celebrity and singer’s first husband?
(11) Which Renaissance polymath was born in Torun, Poland in February 1473?
(12) Who did the English defeat at the Battle of Flodden in 1513?
(13) The Jellicles are a fictional breed of which domestic animal created by T. S. Eliot in 1939?
(14) Who became manager of Manchester United in November 2024?
(15) Which famous German composer lived from 1813 to 1883?
(16) Which Scottish author created the series of books known as The Waverley Novels?
(17) Which spice is derived from a type of crocus?
(18) Which website is known for using the slogan “Buy It, Sell It, Love It”?
(19) In which year was the Magna Carta signed?
(20) The flag of which US state was designed by thirteen-year-old Benny Benson?
Answers:
(1) Warren Buffett (2) Bob Seger (3) North America (4) Ares (5) Chickpeas (6) Seventeen (7) Pierre (8) Bryan Cranston (9) As A Matter of Fact (10) Jessica Simpson (11) Nicolaus Copernicus (12) Scotland (13) Cat (14) Ruben Amorim (15) Richard Wagner (16) Sir Walter Scott (17) Saffron (18) eBay (19) 1215 (20) Alaska
JUST CHILLAX!
Written by S Bee
Who needs to go abroad when we have weather like this? I thought as I settled on a lounger in the garden. It was wonderfully warm and sunny with a clear blue sky. It happened to be my day off from my admin job. I had a magazine to read, my sunglasses, a freshly-made mocktail filled with ice, and a big bottle of sun protection cream by my side. Bliss! All was well until…
“Hello Jill!”
I whipped off my sunglasses to see our senior citizen neighbour Mrs Pickles poking her head over the fence.
“Oh, hello Mrs Pickles.” Strangely, my hubby Mike and I had never discovered what her first name was.
“My cat’s gone missing,” she began. “I’ve been calling his name, but he’s nowhere to be seen.”
“Don’t worry; you know what cats are like. I expect he’ll come home when he’s hungry.” I picked up my magazine, ready to resume reading, but Mrs Pickles cut in.
“Will you help me look for him, Jill? I can’t help but fret!”
“Of course I will.” I slipped into my sandals, locked the doors of my house and we ambled around calling Muffin’s name. The white, blazing heat beat down. I’d forgotten to don a hat. After an hour, with a scorching scalp, sore feet and a dry throat, I gave in.
“Look, Mrs Pickles, Muffin could be anywhere,” I reasoned. “He’s probably found a shady spot and nodded off. Why not wait until 7pm tonight? If Muffin hasn’t appeared by then, Mike and I will carry out another search.”
“You’re right. I’ll wait,” Mrs Pickles twittered. “I’m sorry I’ve spoilt your afternoon.”
“It’s no trouble.” I wished I’d suggested hanging on until later to search in the first place.
Then, the flimsy strap on my sandal snapped! Mike had advised against buying these “cheap-as-chips” shoes in the local market. Luckily, I’d reached the garden gate. I returned to the comfort of the back garden. Easing myself down on the sun lounger, I heard a miaow from over the fence and Mrs Pickle’s voice.
“Oh, there you are, Muffin! You were hiding under that bush all this time. Didn’t you hear me calling you? Your mummy Daphne has been worried sick!” As I predicted, it looked like Muffin had found a shady spot and nothing was going to drag him away from it – I don’t blame him!
Five seconds later, Mrs Pickles called out, “I’ve found him, Jill!”
“Good!” I called back. With the crisis averted and the mystery of Mrs Pickle’s Christian name solved, I gulped back my now warm mocktail, lay back and closed my eyes. Then, my mobile rang. It was Fliss.
At work, Fliss was a new recruit who’d had difficulty logging onto the company’s computer system. It was tempting to ignore the call, but I suspected that Fliss was almost in tears.
When I answered, I was proved right. She was really upset.
“I don’t know what to do, Jill!”
I took a deep breath and kept my patience. It took around thirty minutes for me to guide Fliss through the process. We created a new password and then she was able to log onto the IT system. Fliss finally bid farewell.
“I’m sorry to have disturbed you on your day off.”
I smiled. “That’s okay.”
Hopefully, this will be looked on favourably when I apply for promotion later. I looked at my watch. It was 3pm. I had an hour and thirty minutes until Mike arrived home from work. Right, I’m going to just chillax.
However, I’d forgotten that it wasn’t just people who loved the warm weather, wasps did too. One or two were attracted by the sweet flavour in the drained mocktail glass, then more wasps clustered around. I didn’t want to make the day worse by ending up with a bunch of nasty wasp stings! Barefoot, I gathered up my sunglasses and phone and carefully inched my way backwards towards the house. Once inside, I slammed the door and closed the windows… We didn’t want the little blighters indoors!
At least it was cool in the living room, I thought as I settled on the sofa and booted up my tablet. I went online to look for a good quality pair of sandals. When I found the perfect pair, in a pretty colour and in my size, I ordered them. It passed the time until Mike sauntered in – he was early.
“Have you had a busy day?” I asked.
“No, actually. It was quiet at work and, despite all the windows open and fans blowing, it was stifling in the office. So, the boss said we could leave. A group of us went to the park cafe.”
“The park cafe?” I echoed.
He nodded. “Yep. We bought ice-cold drinks and ice creams. We found shade under the trees and read the newspapers. I bet you’ve had a nicer day though, sat out in the garden sunbathing without a care in the world.”
“Well…” He noted my expression as I told myself to just chillax.
“I guess you haven’t had a good day. Let’s go out to dinner and you can tell me all about it,” he said.
I grinned. “What a great idea!”
ADVENTURES OF A MAN SITTING DOWN 30
One of the great advantages of having a life-changing accident is free seats. After the trauma, the operations, the readjustment and realisation that stairs have become a barrier that they weren’t before, after all that come the perks.
Just yesterday, I went to Manchester to see Hamlet Hail to the Thief. It cost just £16 for me and a companion to go and see it. The fact that my companion just asked me to come because she knew I’d get her a good seat, and a cheap one at that, is something to overlook. After all, didn’t I get to see a cutting-edge reimagination of a classic of theatre?
It was enlightening to be involved with my companion’s plans. Last Thursday, I got a phone call.
“I’m trying to get tickets for the new production of Hamlet, but they are limited and the only available ones are at the back.”
“Oh.”
“Are you interested in going?”
“I can do.”
“Can you get a wheelchair place and I can go along as your carer?”
“Yes.”
“Will they be good seats?”
“They’re usually placed to give a good view, yes.”
“Good. Let’s get some, then.”
“Err… Okay. When do you want to go?”
“You decide. Phone me back when you’ve booked the tickets.”
And that was that. I then had the job of booking a seat for my carer as if I was the one that wanted to go and see a production that I was, frankly, dubious about. Such is the willpower of the instigator that I felt born along on the strength of her desire.
Writing this, as I am, on the day after the event, I feel vindicated. I went along to something I wasn’t sure about.
It was a lovely day. The show was good. I managed the details in such a way that everyone came off feeling happy. Even on the bus back to the station, we bumped into a really lovely pair of Italians from Bologna. They’d seen the same show and enjoyed it. I told them about how I’d liked Bologna when I visited. Then, we reminisced about Mel Gibson playing Hamlet. It was all so very pleasant.
So, there you go. The benefits of being in a wheelchair. People get you to do things and those things reflect in surprising ways into your life.
Admittedly, there was a point in the middle of the day when I nearly wanted to strangle my companion. She has a gift for pointing out where you are going wrong. However, after I explained that that can have a challenging effect on a person’s mental wellbeing, she desisted. I even got some gentle compliments about how well I deal with things.
I have to say this is not one of my better articles. I’m not sure how well it coheres together. That may just be the result of yesterday’s shenanigans. Who can say?
I shall ask my companion when next I see her.
THE PROS AND CONS OF THE FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP
Written by Graham Townsend
The FIFA Club World Cup has been around for some time now. The 2025 version of the competition will be getting underway around the time you are likely to be reading this article with the first match scheduled for 14th June 2025. The tournament reaches its conclusion a month later on 13th July 2025. It all takes place in the United States. The first iteration took place in 2000 when eight teams took part, and the winners were the Corinthians, a Brazilian team. The competition had been planned for some time. Even at that stage, its impact on the world game was being exaggerated. At the same time, it also had its critics with it being cited as an unnecessary event that added nothing to an already burgeoning football calendar. Whilst initially being seen as a relatively minor irritant to many people, it has been the expansion to involve more teams which has caused much more unrest both internally and externally. This has become more of an issue in recent years due to the expansion of other tournaments.
The number one complaint has been the pressure being placed on players to play basically all year round. Player burnout and the expectation to maintain a very high standard of play has been in the media a lot over the past few seasons. There is, what seems like, a widely held view that we are seeing serious injuries to more top-level players due to the pressure on their bodies to perform at the highest level on a more regular basis. An obvious example here is Rodri, Manchester City’s Spanish midfielder and their talisman. He suffered an ACL injury in September 2024. Many people feel that having started fifty matches for his Premier League team, followed by taking part, and being part of the victorious Spanish team, in Euro 2024, were a major contributing factor towards him ultimately suffering the serious injury.
FIFA will argue that their goal is to bring the game to more people across the whole globe and that this competition is a great way to do this. By involving teams from all continents, they believe it brings many more eyes to the game. There will be 32 teams competing in this year’s tournament. It will be interesting to see how this is received when the dust has settled, having already received much criticism.
Also, the rules for taking part also seem to be quite loose. It appears that FC Miami have been shoehorned into the competition at the discretion of the organising body. They reserve the right to include a team from the host nation, whilst teams from other countries have to meet specific criteria to qualify. The Major League Soccer (MLS) wanted to award the place to the team that won the most recent MLS Cup, however FIFA wanted to award the place to the team who won the MLS Supporters Shield. By pure coincidence, Lionel Messi happens to play for FC Miami. He is probably the world’s most marketable player (you could argue a case for Cristiano Ronaldo of course). This brings us to the point that has been made the most about the FIFA Club World Cup: it’s really all about making money.
So, what is your opinion about the tournament? Your view may be coloured by the team, if any, that you support. Some people will not be interested as they see it as an irrelevance, despite FIFA’s attempts to make it a big deal. Personally, I’m not convinced that true football fans will buy the attempts to make it seem like a significant event in the football calendar.
BRENDA’S WILDLIFE CORNER
Red Admiral
Butterflies are both interesting and colourful winged insects and come in many varieties. In this short article, we are going to take a look at the Red Admiral butterfly, which possesses black wings, red bands and white spots. Interestingly, the Red Admiral cannot tell the difference between colours like orange and red but are able to see indigo, blue, green and yellow.
The Red Admiral is a medium-sized butterfly and has a wingspan of roughly 2 inches (5 cm). It is often found in moist woodlands, often surrounding a stinging nettle; some gardeners even plant this nettle to attract this particular species of butterfly.
Male Red Admiral are very territorial, and this is important as females only mate with males that hold a territory. It is a purely physical situation with powerful males with superior flight abilities successfully courting females. Successful males are able to chase off intruding males through their exceptional flying ability. The actual courtship lasts several hours before mating, sometime in late autumn or early winter. The larvae of this butterfly is about 1 inch (2.5 cm) in length and, although coloration varies, they are usually black with red spots and spines. The development of the larvae happens during the winter, and adults are first seen during early spring.
It can be found in many temperate areas of the world like the Americas, Europe, Asia, the Caribbean and North Africa. It migrates north in spring and occasionally once more in autumn. When migration takes place, they fly at high-speed carried on fast winds and at high altitudes. Obviously, climate change is a threat to all of nature and the Red Admiral is no different. Wouldn’t it be a shame if we lost this wonderful and colourful insect?
* Ref Wikipedia
ALICE’S THING OF THE MONTH
Written by Alice Kaur
Hello and welcome back to Alice’s Thing of The Month.
This month we are going to be talking about the book Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins.
Sunrise on the Reaping is the new book, released on 18th March 2025, set in the Hunger Games World of Panem. It has been one of the most highly anticipated books of this year. The book is about a man named Haymitch Abernathy who we get to know in the original series The Hunger Games. He is the mentor of Peeta and Katniss. Though, there is so much more to his story, and this book is a deep dive into his past and who he was before coming the mentor we know today. I have been really excited to read it and get to know his character more. He isn’t the most likeable person in the original series due to being a drunk and seemingly not caring about his life or anything around him. We don’t really know much about him on a whole apart from he won the 50th Hunger Games; it was the Quarter Quell and he lost everyone he loved.
I will explain how the Hunger Games works and how this came about. There are 12 districts in this world, all with groups of people and families living together and doing different jobs to sustain the rich people in The Capitol. Haymitch comes from District 12 which is the coal mining district. It is also the poorest district. You’re not allowed to leave your district otherwise you can get killed, and each one is guarded by security. A long time ago, the people rebelled and, as a punishment and remembrance of this time, the Hunger Games was created. The Reaping would happen every year on Haymitch’s birthday, in which two children from each district are taken to fight to the death in these games and there will be only one victor. Children are put in from age 12 until 18, after that you are free from the Reaping. However, these games planned to go on endlessly until Katniss and the rebels eventually cause the downfall of the corrupt president and rich society known as the Capitol.
The story starts off in District 12 on the morning of Haymitch’s 16th birthday. When it was time for Haymitch’s games it was the 2nd Quarter Quell, every 25 years this would happen. This means four children are reaped from each district to go into the games, instead of two because it is a special edition of the games. Four names got chosen from the district, Haymitch’s name wasn’t among these. A boy refused to go into the games and got shot on the spot. Haymitch fought back and was put into the games in the other boy’s absence because of his rebellious behaviour.
It starts off quite slow, but then we are thrown into the dystopian world. We get to know his mother and little brother as well as his love, Lenora Dove. We meet all the other children and get to know their characters a bit more before being thrown into the arena to battle to the death.
This is a brand-new book, so I’m not going to give spoilers. I got attached to some characters only for them to be killed off, but this is quite common in this world. The author is big on tragedies and definitely pulls on your heart strings. The ending is absolutely devastating. I think after reading this book you will definitely know why Haymitch is the way he is and empathise with him more. I’m glad we get to see this side of him and why he is the way he is in the original trilogy.
Collins wrote another prequel a few years ago based on the president which was also excellent. I really enjoyed the film, too. There is a film released next year under the same name of the newly released book. I’m curious to see who will play a young Haymitch. In the original film series, Haymitch is played by Woody Harellson who is a wonderful actor.
All in all, I really enjoyed the book and would definitely reread the whole collection in the future. Collins also brings back some characters from the original series so if you feel you need a recap before reading the new book I recommend having a look into the old ones first. I’m hoping to see more books by Collins in the future that give more of a back story as to why the Hunger Games world got to where it was.
Thanks for reading.
JUNE CHARLTON OFFERS SOME MORE USEFUL RECIPES
Roasted Pepper and Tomato Soup
Ingredients:
2 red or yellow medium peppers, deseeded and cut into quarters.
1 small onion, quartered.
450 g tomatoes, cut into halves.
45 ml (3 tablespoons) olive oil.
15 ml (1 tablespoon) balsamic vinegar
A few sprigs of lemon thyme
A few sprigs of parsley
200 ml (8 fl oz) water
250 ml (10 fl oz) milk
Salt and pepper to taste
2.5 ml ( ½ teaspoon) sugar
Crème fraîche to finish
Method:
Spread the chopped peppers, onions and tomatoes in a single layer on an ovenproof dish. Mix the oil and vinegar and, with the herbs, sprinkle over the vegetables. Place in the oven at 190°C for 30 minutes until roasted and slightly charred. Liquidise the vegetables in a food processor, adding some water to create a thick puree. Pass the mixture through a sieve into a saucepan. Add the milk and water to the saucepan to achieve the desired consistency, and simmer the soup to a medium heat until heated throughout. Add the sugar for the last minute of cooking, then season with the salt and pepper. Stir through some crème fraîche before serving.
Griddle Bread
Ingredients:
8 oz wholemeal flour
8 oz plain white flour
1 level dessertspoon sugar
1 level teaspoon of salt
1 level teaspoon of bicarbonate of Soda
1 dessertspoon of dripping
Milk
Method:
Mix the wholemeal and plain flour and add the sugar, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Rub the dripping into the flour mixture and mix into a dough, adding a little bit of milk at a time until the dough becomes stiff but easy to roll. Roll the dough into a round shape around 1 inch thick and cut into four sections. Cook the four sections on a hot griddle, or a frying pan, for 10 minutes each side. Cool the bread entirely before storing.
Mincemeat and Pear Flan
Ingredients:
170 g (6 oz) plain flour
85 g (3 oz) butter
5 ml (1 tablespoon) caster sugar
1 egg yolk
15 ml (1 tablespoon) cold water
Filling
30 ml (2 tablespoons) mincemeat
110 g (4 oz) caster sugar
110 g (4 oz) soft margarine
2 beaten eggs
55 g (2 oz) ground almonds
375 g (14 oz) can sliced pears
30 g (1 oz) flaked almonds
Method:
Make the pastry by sieving the flour into a bowl and adding the butter in small pieces. Rub in the butter until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Bind together with the egg yolk and a little cold water. Chill for 30 minutes before rolling out to fill an 18-20 cm (7-8 inch) square cake tin 5 cm (2 inch) deep. Bake pastry blind for 15 minutes. Allow pastry to cool. Spread the mincemeat over the pastry. Drain the liquid from the tinned pears and lay slices over the mincemeat. Beat together the margarine, sugar, flour, ground almonds and egg until light and fluffy. Spread the creamed mixture over the pears and mincemeat and top with flaked almonds. Bake at 160°C for 30-40 minutes until the filling is set and has a golden-brown colour.
Roasted Mediterranean Vegetables
Ingredients:
4 peppers of assorted colours, deseeded and cut into chunks
2 courgettes, cut into 1 cm (¼ inch) slices
3 red onions, peeled and quartered
1 aubergine, cut into chunks
60ml (4 tablespoons) olive oil
4-6 garlic cloves, wholemeal
Salt and black pepper
Method:
Preheat the oven to 160°C. In a large bowl, mix all the sliced and chopped vegetables and toss well in the olive oil. Transfer vegetables to roasting tin/grill pan and spread out evenly. Roast for approximately 30 minutes, or until the vegetables have slightly charred.
PIGGY BANK PROFIT
Written by S Bee
Tess and her husband Bill thought it was a shame that their grandchildren – seven-year- old Izzy and nine-year-old Leo – weren’t given any weekly pocket money by their parents.
“Look, if you want to give them pocket money, why not stick a few quid every week in the bank? The sum will accumulate and they’ll appreciate it when they’re older,” Dan began. Dan was their son, and he was married to Sally.
“I suppose we could do that,” Tess said doubtfully.
One evening, when the children were in bed, Tess and Bill had popped round to Dan and Sally’s for a coffee and catch up when the subject came up.
“There’s no need for you, or us, to give Izzy and Leo any weekly pocket money,” Sally breezed. “They have everything they want at home: a play station, toys, books and more.”
“Yes, I suppose so. I remember my Friday spending spree on sweets and comics,” Bill piped up.
“Same here,” Tess echoed. She wondered whether kids want sweets and comics these days. As Sally had said, they liked the play station. Plus, they preferred to offer the children fruit instead of sweets. Fruit would certainly cut down on their trips to the dentists, Tess thought ruefully.
So, Sally and Dan only allowed the children the very occasional sweet treat. They’d already explained that they didn’t want them getting addicted to sugar.
“If we start giving them a set amount of money, they’ll go on to expect it as standard,” Dan pointed out.
“Well, it never did us any harm,” Tess said. “Your Dad and I gave you an allowance, Dan.”
“You saved your pocket money and bought a ninja turtle figure with it,” Bill put in.
“But, I washed your car every weekend for a month,” Dan reminded his dad.
“Ah, but I paid you extra for that, didn’t I?” Bill grinned.
“Are you saying we could pay the children to carry out chores?” Sally asked.
“Why not? The chores wouldn’t be too difficult,” Bill said. “Laying the table. Tidying away jigsaw puzzles. That sort of thing.”
“Paying them for labour?” businessman Dan mused. “That could teach them a valuable lesson about money and the responsibility of work.” It was agreed that they’d ask the children if they wanted to undertake tasks to earn weekly pocket money.
“It’s a compromise,” Tess said later to Bill. “At least the children are involved this way. It’s a better option than us plonking it in the bank.”
Bill nodded. “I agree.”
“So, if I help grandad in the garden, I’ll be paid two pounds?” Leo asked. It was Saturday morning and, as usual, Dan and Sally had dropped the children off while they did the grocery shop.
“That’s right,” Tess replied.
“Cool. I’m saving my earnings. I’ll put the money in a piggy bank.”
“What can I do to earn money today?” Izzy enquired.
“How about helping your grandma bake?” Bill suggested.
“How much will I get for that?” she demanded.
“Oh, I don’t know. Fifty pence?”
“Fifty pence! Why is he getting two pounds? It’s equal pay for female workers now, Grandma,” she said.
Tess was taken aback. It was amazing what the children picked up on the TV news! Why was Leo getting two pounds and Izzy only fifty pence? She thought. The family hadn’t discussed how to measure the difficulty of the tasks. She wondered whether a more complex task be awarded a higher amount.
“You’re right Izzy, that’s not a fair payrate. How about a pound each?” Bill looked flustered.
“Well Grandad, you said were going to pay me two pounds,” Leo reminded him.
“But, Izzy mentioned equal pay for female workers,” Tess added.
“What if Izzy and I did the gardening and the baking?” Leo put in cheekily.
Tess’s mind whirled. They really hadn’t thought this through properly!
“Pick your activity. Whatever it is, you’ll be paid a pound each. That’s my final offer,” Bill stated.
The children accepted it. Phew!
By the end of the month, Leo had saved twelve pounds, and Izzy had saved eight. They didn’t want to spend it because, as Sally had pointed out, the children had everything they needed and wanted already.
“What are you going do with your savings?” Bill asked them one Saturday morning.
“Visit the water park,” Leo answered.
“We want Mum and Dad and you and Grandma to come too,” Izzy said.
Tess smiled. “We’ll see.” The entrance fee for a family of 6 at the snazzy new water park certainly wasn’t cheap. Later, when the children had been collected, she broached the subject with Bill.
She sighed. “I wish we’d never brought this pocket money issue up.”
“The children have certainly changed. It’s all ‘How much will you pay me for this?’” Bill pointed out.
“And they are only children. I feel this ‘earning money for jobs’ project has gone too far,” Tess fretted.
He nodded. “I think we should call a halt.”
“Do you want the good news, Mum? Izzy and Leo have resigned,” Dan chuckled over the phone.
Tess was surprised. “Really?” She was pleased and relieved. They now didn’t need to hold an awkward conversation about her and Bill’s fresh decision.
“Apparently, they’re fed up of working,” he explained.
“If you don’t mind me saying, they are rather young to be taking this idea on,” Tess said.
“When they’re older, I think they’ll become more interested.”
“Yes. When they reach their teens, I’m sure it’ll be a different situation.” Tess was happy to put this behind them.
“Even between the two of them, it’d take ages to save up the entrance fee for six to visit the water park. They seem a bit downcast as they’ve realised that they can’t afford the treat,” he went on.
“Listen, I’ve been looking on the water park website. There’s discount available for families if we book in advance. What if we all shared the cost of the entrance fee?”
“Sounds good. If we threw in the children’s piggy bank profit as well…” he concluded.
Tess beamed. “Let’s splash out!”
CD REVIEW – MAYHEM BY LADY GAGA
Written by Graham Townsend
Mayhem is the 7th studio album from Lady Gaga. It has a running time of just over 53 minutes and contains 14 tracks.
The opening track “Disease” was released as the initial single, and this was followed by “Abracadabra” which was the track I was most familiar with, prior to this purchase, along with her duet with Bruno Mars, “Die with a Smile”, which is the closing track.
It’s very much an up-tempo start to the album with the singles being the first two tracks. “Garden of Eden”, “Perfect Celebrity” and “Vanish into You”, which are the subsequent tracks, all sound like they would be good enough to be released as singles in their own right. They are all tracks you can dance around the house to if you wish to do so!
“Killah” is next, and it has a very funky opening. In fact, it is pretty funky all the way through. There is more than a hint of Prince throughout this one and, as a big fan of his, this has become my favourite song on the album to date. My other favourite is probably “Garden of Eden”, which I requested on an internet radio show recently and was very well received by the listeners.
“Zombieboy” is a pleasant enough romp and maintains the dance-along theme, and there is no slowing down with “Lovedrug” either. Things start to slow slightly with “How Bad Do U Want Me”, although it has a short, rapped spoken vocal at one point in the middle of the track and is nowhere near a ballad with its synth pop infusion. “Don’t Call Tonight” has a slight 1980s feel to it. I could imagine someone like Whitney Houston singing this as one of her more upbeat songs. You could argue that both this track and its predecessor have an 80s vibe with a europop beat on this one. “Shadow of a Man” lifts the tempo again, although it has never really dropped at any point up to now.
“The Beast” is the first ballad, and it is epic. The last few bars remind me of “In the Air Tonight” by Phil Collins. It has a wonderful guitar solo, and this would be the standout ballad if it wasn’t for “Die with a Smile” also being on the album. Talking of which, if you liked Gaga’s duet with Bradley Cooper on “Shallow” from the film A Star is Born, you’re surely going to enjoy her partnership with Mars here. “Blade of Grass” is a very simple but enjoyable track which links the two ballads either side of it together nicely and gives the album a strong finish.
This album has generally received very favourable reviews to date. I feel it is a return to form for her, although she has never produced what I would consider to be a bad record. Gaga’s vocal performance is strong throughout and there is little, if any, filler material. Moreover, the production is extremely good. For these reasons, I would give the album a rating of four out of five stars.
ANOTHER FUN QUIZ FROM THE HORSE’S MOUTH
Questions:
(1) What is the rough population of China?
(2) When did Emma Raducanu win the US tennis open?
(3) Who invented milkshakes?
(4) What is the French word for transgender?
(5) How old was General Custer when he died?
(6) Who presented the art programme The Joy of Painting?
(7) Who invented fishnet stockings?
(8) What is the biggest shark in the world?
(9) What is the German word for housewife?
(10) What is a wingnut?
(11) What is the capital of the Cook Islands?
(12) What is the currency of Nicaragua?
(13) What is the definition of a paedophile?
(14) Which country produces the most cocaine?
(15) Where do Shamrock Rovers FC play their home games?
(16) Which country leads the world in harnessing solar power?
(17) Which country drinks the most coffee per capita in the world?
(18) Who is currently the female squash world champion?
(19) Who produces the most wheat in the world?
(20) What is a simple definition of inflation?
Answers:
(1) 1.411 billion in 2023 (2) 2021 (3) Ivar “Pop” Coulson in 1922 (4) Transgenre (5) 36 (6) Bob Ross (7) Unclear but their rise to prominence is linked to the 1920s, particularly with the “flapper” period (8) Whale Shark (9) Hausfrau (10) A nut with a pair of projections for the fingers to turn it on a screw (11) Avarua (12) Cordoba (13) A person who is sexually attracted to children (14) Colombia (15) Tallaght Stadium, Dublin (16) China (17) Finland (18) Nouran Gohar (19) China (20) A sustained increase in the general price level of goods and services in an economy over a period of time
Editor’s Final Word: Thank you for taking the time and making the effort to read this magazine. It is open to anyone who is respectful towards others. Please send your contributions to: Best wishes Dean, Brenda, Graham, Willow and Hari.
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