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Charity News
Welcome to newsletter number 32. Clocks will have gone back by the time you get this. You can tell it's nearly Bonfire night because the shops are getting full of Christmas stuff (and probably easter eggs too!) So forget about Shortages or retraining as Lorry drivers just get cosy while you sit back and have a good read.
We hope you enjoyed last month's newsletter If you missed it here is a link: Click here to see
If you want to be a member of Northants Parkinson's People then, please
Join Us Here
Christmas Cards
Pat has been working hard on her fantastic cards, a small selection is pictured below. The quality of these cards is amazing. You can view and purchase these from Sylvia at either the Monday or Wednesday walks (racecourse car park) or after Fit&fab on Thursdays. Alternatively, email Sylvia at [email protected] if you want to buy or discuss options (custom or special occasion cards are also available). Prices for Christmas cards are £1.00 for small and £1.50 for large. Bargain!
Please get your Friends and Families involved
We are registered with EASYFUNDRAISING, which means you can help us for FREE. Over 4,000 shops and sites will donate to us when you use easyfundraising to shop with them – at no extra cost to yourself! All you need to do is sign up and remember to use easyfundraising whenever you shop online. It’s easy and completely FREE!
Even if you don't shop online, maybe your friends or families do.
Please ask them to help too
Click the image to sign up or go to
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Hi there
Just wanted to remind everyone that we are back at Church Rooms - we have had a couple of hiccups.... someone broke into the 'rooms' and we had to miss a week ... then someone tested positive for Covid, BUT great news - no one else caught it So all back to relative 'normal' so I hope to see you soon, please join us xxx
Also, a reminder that the First Thursday of every month will be just a one-hour session so we will finish at about 11:15 and have no tea or coffee or cake!!
Every other Thursday though is TWO hours to include tea and coffee and very often cake!!
CARERS who come specifically to help their other half to undertake the exercises can come for free but if a partner comes to exercise then it is the same price *£5* each
The exercises are for everyone over 60 years young- concentrating on Balance, Strength, Stamina, Flexibility, Posture, Coordination etc etc
at 10 am (same time)
at Abington Church Rooms - Park Avenue North, Corner of Ashburnham Rd (same place)
Obviously please do not come if you have had contact with anyone with Covid or if you feel unwell etc. If anyone wants to do a Covid test, then you can get free kits from: https://www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests
It is lovely to see everyone in the flesh again and we have missed you all..... xx - there will be hand sanitisers, and you can wear a mask if you want to enter etc. Obviously please do not come if you have had contact with anyone with Covid or if you feel unwell etc. If anyone wants to do Covid test, then you can get free kits from: https://www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests
Any questions you can call me 07954 099 537
Virtual Pub Quiz
Every 1st Saturday of the month. (next one is 6th November 11:00 am) Zoom in with the in-crowd. Several rounds of General Knowledge, Music and Pictures. A bit of a social at the end.
Walk In the Park- Update
The walk in the park combines exercise, fresh air, good company and Coffee (Wednesdays, The Old Grocery Espresso Bar, Colwyn Rd and The Park Cafe on Fridays) We are working on a venue for Monday walks.
The full itinerary
- Mondays 10:30, RACECOURSE, meet at the Pavilion car park.
- Wednesdays 10:30, RACECOURSE, meet at the Pavilion car park
- Fridays 10:30, ABINGTON PARK, meet at the Pavilion car park Starting on Friday 8th October Meeting at the bowling green/tennis courts. The nearest entrance is in Christchurch Road. The image below shows the meeting point. If you use the 'What three Words' app on your phone the location is ///lace.hiking.drain
Northants Parkinson's People contact details are
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THE QUIZ
- Only 2 countries have a coastline on the Bay of Biscay, which are they?
- Reykjavik is the capital of which country?
- What is the general term used to encompass sports such as JUDO and KARATE?
- Which book of the Bible describes the "flight" of the Israelites from Egypt?
- CANNES, (France) holds an annual festival celebrating what?
- Which civil rights leader gave a speech that started, " I have a dream"?
- Which of the stars of "Starsky and Hutch" had a number 1 with "Don't give up on us"
- Which country carries the inscription "HELVETIA" on its postage stamps?
- Where was the capital of England, prior to London?
- Which classic film stars Paul Newman and Robert Redford as con men?
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GARDENING TIPS FOR THIS MONTH
Almost winter but still lots to do in the garden! There is still time to plant bulbs, winter-flowering pansies and hardy cyclamen. The latter are a particular favourite of mine because at the end of next spring when I change the contents of the pot for a summer display of plants, the cyclamen go into the ground and almost always pop up again around this time of year. They are a joy!
Here is a picture of some which have been in my garden for around 8 or 9 years.
Also, if last spring, you saved amaryllis bulbs then now is the time to put them into a new pot. The pot should not be too big as amaryllis flower better when pot bound. Soak the bulb for a few hours before planting. Do not bury the bulb completely in the compost. Leave a little bit of the bulb exposed. Now store in a warm, dry place for a couple of weeks to help the roots establish and a tiny shoot will appear and the bulb can then be placed in the light. You can expect to get flowers about eight weeks later.
Plant sweet pea seeds now so that overwinter a good strong root system will develop giving a longer flowering season next year. Use deep, large pots and sow three or four seeds in each. Keep in a cold greenhouse, frame or garden shed with a window.
If you have a shrub that you want to move to a different position in the garden then now is the time to do it. Trim any wayward or wispy bits off beforehand as this will make it easier to move. Dig the shrub out with as large a rootball as possible. Now, having seen how large the roots are, dig a hole on the new planting site, making the hole a bit bigger. Water the hole and put some bonemeal or similar food in then plant the shrub in the new site. If there is no rain for a couple of days then give it some water just to help establish the roots. My latest project was purchasing and planting a Shropshire Prune damson tree (known as the greengage of damsons). The first written record of a damson tree was in 1676. The Shropshire prune was common in Shropshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Montgomeryshire in orchards and as a hedgerow tree. Many Shropshire Prunes were planted in the 19th century to provide dye,
however, this use no longer exists. I bought one on Pixy/VVA-1 rootstock because this will restrict the height to between 2 and 3 metres. The leaves are dropping now as you can see in the photo below but hopefully next year it will bear some fruit for jam making!
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Why do the military salute?
 There are many given reasons for saluting, most are lost in the fog of history. What is factually known is that prior to the establishment of a standing army (in the case of the UK this was during the civil war started by Oliver Cromwell). After the return of Charles II, this was reduced to 2 regiments ( Coldstream guards) mainly for the protection of the monarch.
At this time (17th century), it was customary for the lower ranks to acknowledge the superior rank present, by "doffing" of the cap to the officer. As the army grew much larger, due to the expansion of English power (later British) and the number of conflicts this entailed, the governments of the day decided to increase the standing army substantially. This was done by recruiting men from the lower strata of society, quite frequently by offering convicted criminals the alternative of prison, deportation (originally to Virginia and New England, later Australia), or the Army for several years.
By now it was the 18th century and soldiers were encumbered with extra equipment. That is a backpack, rifle/musket, ammunition etc. So it was decided that another way of acknowledging the superior rank, particularly when the officer was issuing an order. It was decided that when a lower-ranked person approached a superior rank, the lower rank would raise the RIGHT hand with palm extended to the height level with the eyebrow, with the palm facing forward, then bring the arm down swiftly to the side. This also brought about another innovation in that to establish who was the superior rank the officers were designated to wear on the epaulettes the designation of the rank, this became standard quite quickly, and today it is,
- 1 "pip" = 2nd (subaltern) LIEUTENANT,
- 2 pips = LIEUTENANT,
- 3 pips = CAPTAIN,
- A Crown = MAJOR. etc.
At the other end of the scale you get the other ranks,
- no insignia = PRIVATE,
- 1 Chevron (stripe) = LANCE CORPORAL,
- 2 stripes = CORPORAL,
- 3 stripes = SERGEANT.
These names for the ranks can sometimes alter depending on what regiment or corps you are in, examples of this are in a "CAVALRY REGIMENT eg the HOUSEHOLD cavalry a Private is known as a TROOPER and corporal is a LANCE SERGEANT, also in the artillery, a corporal is a BOMBARDIER, in the engineers a private is a SAPPER.
But so long as you follow the time-honoured tradition of the British Army, that is the officer is always right, and that "BUll SH#T, BAFFLES BRAINS, one can't go wrong.
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Beginners Art by Judith
Hello everyone,
This month I have prepared another landscape for you to try. I hope that you will enjoy having a go. Remember to put in your ground line first then draw in other areas. I have used a pen this time so that the drawing will be easier to see and follow. This landscape is more of an impression with just a hint of colour. You may have your own ideas about the colours. Just enjoy experimenting. Whether you work in watercolours, coloured pencils or pastels or other mediums, make it your own. As a guide, here is a list of the colours I used:
- Cobalt blue for the sky
- Cobalt blue and lemon yellow for trees
- Yellow ochre for ground cover and walls of buildings
- Burnt Sienna for rooftops.
Next time I will show you how to draw animals, which could be fun. In the meantime, enjoy tackling this month’s landscape. Looking forward to next time.
From Judith
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Recipe of the Month
Quick and Easy Thai Style Chicken Curry and Noodles
Ingredients (serves two)
- 1 tablespoon of rapeseed/Olive oil
- 1 skinned chicken breast
- Vegetables (any but I used red and yellow peppers, sliced onion and peas)
- 150g packet of medium-soft noodles (soft ready to eat type)
- Garlic 1-2 cloves
- 2 teaspoons of Curry powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of chilli powder (or less if preferred
- tablespoon of cream cheese
- 2 teaspoons of chicken gravy granules
- 1 teaspoon of cornflower
Method
- Slice the vegetables, remember you can slice up whole peppers, courgettes and onions and then freeze half for another day)
- Dice the chicken
- Add the oil to a medium-hot frying pan or wok and add the veg and chicken. Stir and cook for 3-4 minutes. Be careful not to excessively brown the veg
- Add the curry powder and Garlic stir well.
- Mix the Chicken gravy granules and the cornflower in a little COLD water, then add up to 50ml of cold water, stir then add to the curry.
- Stir the curry, add the cream cheese then put a lid on the pan and simmer for 5 minutes, add water if the curry is too thick.
- Open the noodles and separate them into the curry, stir, leave for 1 minute then serve.
I used cream cheese and cornflower as a substitute for coconut milk (traditional) I could also have used Yoghurt, but use what you have.
Enjoy
Phil
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- FRANCE & SPAIN
- ICELAND
- MARTIAL ARTS
- EXODUS
- CINEMA (FILMS)
- MARTIN LUTHER KING junior
- DAVID SOUL (HUTCH)
- SWITZERLAND
- WINCHESTER
- THE STING
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- There’s a fine line between a numerator and a denominator.
Only a fraction of people will get this joke
- What do dentists call their x-rays?
Tooth pics!
- Did you hear about the first restaurant to open on the moon?
It had great food, but no atmosphere.
- What did one ocean say to the other ocean?
Nothing, it just waved.
- Do you want to hear a construction joke?
Sorry, I’m still working on it.
- Did you hear about the fire at the circus?
It was in tents!
- Why do ducks have feathers?
To cover their butt quacks!
- What’s the difference between a hippo and a zippo?
One is really heavy and the other’s a little lighter.
- When does a joke become a ‘dad’ joke?
When it becomes apparent.
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Scam Alert
Just a general report on scammers. I was given a booklet published by 'THINK JESSICA' it's called 'Don't Fall for a Scam.' The organisation 'Think Jessica' was created in the memory of a lady who in 2002 in her 70s, received a letter saying she had won a cash prize and 'for a small fee' she could claim it. This then snowballed into thousands of scam letters, with her details being passed to scammer groups. As the stress of keeping up with scammer demands took its toll she turned to a clairvoyant who also took advantage and Jessica died in severe debt several years later. Over 30,000 scam letters were found at her house.
Sobering stuff, The Jessica organisation has done a nice job on the booklet, a shame they want us to buy a print run to get copies though. So I'm going to put a few points here. It's a huge subject and www.thinkjessica.com has a lot of advice on all types of scams, well worth checking if you have any concerns (preferably before you hand over any details WHAT SO EVER and most certainly before you hand over and money)
Just a few things I hope you will keep at the back of your mind.
- Microsoft does not know your phone number. If someone calls and says your computer is infected they are lying! no ifs, no buts. Hang up.
- No one enters you into a free draw, if you have 'won' a free draw its either a scam to get you to pay to release the prize or the secondary goal of the scammer is to get any piece of personal information from you to add to their database.
- False ringback: if a 'bank' calls and says this or that has happened please ring the number on the back of your card. Make sure you ring someone else first to clear the line. Scammers a known to hang on to the line and answer pretending to be your real bank, take you through security details and scoop your details. (this is a landline scam)
- If you are asked to scan and send copies of either a driving licence or birth certificate, seek advice as these document copies can be used to impersonate you. It goes without saying don't send originals!
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And Finally...
I blame this man. he shamelessly bought his new cute Cockerpoo to the park a week or so ago. We all oohed and aahed and that was that... Except that we had lost the last of our three spaniels this February and since Di saw the cute little cockerpoo she has expressed a requirement for a new hound for our household.
I wasn't having it, I put my foot down with a firm hand. I extolled the virtues of a doggy free house, the precious free time I now had sans pooch, No more tramping about in the cold wet winter and washing doggy towels. No more trips to the vets with pocket singing bills. Of course, the upshot of all this logical reasoning is... well see below...
Still pondering on the name, Di wants Goldie or Honey but I'm not shouting 'Honey' in the park, I had enough trouble when I walked my neighbour's dog 'Sailor'. I favour Neville or Nigel, I'm sure I'll win this argument! In the meantime, puppy training is going full swing and I'm down to about 10 hours sleep... a week! |
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