After a wonderful tennis weekend,  Marion feared Columbia Community Association was to be flooded along with some of the village, with even the pubs closed on Saturday night amidst torrential rain, thunder and lightening. But all was well as Monday came which as always got off to a flying start.

Arthur, the decorator and thoroughly great bloke came to finish off the snagging. The new hub arrived ready for the changeover to BT, which, the CCA was told is a better broadband service, and as Marion says: ‘We will have fibre.’ Who would dare to contradict, so In no time at all it was connected by Bob, who, as Marion also says, ‘Can do everything.’

Alfie and Sam from Flowing Energy Solutions arrived to put the new WIFI password into the system, which as most of us would find extremely complicated wouldn’t we?  Cwertainly Marion and Margaret would. But in no time at all, this delightful duo had things working and the app on everyone’s  phones is doing its business.

Armchair Yoga classes started, and with all the relevant health questionaires to hand, everyone was pleased, leaving Helen to place the chairs the way she wants them. It is hoped this will be a regular weekly session.  Shake that Boogie were back after a week’s holiday. Staff from Azure Care were booked in for their staff meeting, with the  kettle on the boil for them as they are great and do a fantastic job.  The food hamper was as always,  prepared for the weekly raffle.

Marion’s wing man Richard called in, followed by Simon from SCC, and all work is now signed off. Of course coffee was had by all. The good news is that Richard will be attending the Opening of the CCA, and even better, his foot is much improved, which is one worry off the teams’ minds.

Hazel from Plain n Purl was delighted with the photograph Sister Mary sent her of one of the Seafarers wearing a lovely hat, knitted by one of Hazel’s customers.

To date they must have supplied the seafarers with well over one thousand knitted hats, and they keep coming.

The team’s list for next week’s opening gets longer by the day but the items are being ticked off – very canny – in Marion’s words.

The new CCTV is working a treat, but … but … somebody left the lights on when they locked up, so a peek at the CCTV  solved the puzzle, and lo and behold …. Promises have been made not to do it again! Tarmac has been quoted for – this will be laid to the side of the building where it is hoped raised beds can be created for the community to take part in gardening. Marion told us that ‘He believed it to be a little pathway however, on site he thought it was more like a road.’

Bingo ladies arrived bearing gifts of individual carrot cakes, Linda was cock a hoop as she had just purchased bingo books at a knock down price of £1, what a bargain, 600 tickets are usually £2.50p. The order was put into Di’s Diner for the Friday Coffee morning buffet who supplied, as always, an array of delicious food. Red Shoes Bob’s favourite is corned beef pie, Marion’s is quiche, Pauline and Sarah are partial to cheesecake. As the wet weekend gets into gear, Brady Square never fails in its enthusiasm, and Marion and the team are  all looking forward to hosting the Open Day next week and welcoming their visitors, many of whom were involved in the refurbishment, others who were not deterred by the upheaval of the beloved centre.

Marion offers the team’s thanks to Frost Magazine and all of its readers ‘For being with us throughout our journey, which seemed like a thousand miles once we took that first step. Now the world knows all about the folks of Brady Square.’

Indeed they do and are better for it.

Information: Columbia Community Association  Columbia uk Community Forum

Memories of Brady Square

Magicube’s latest release consists of 10 magnetic blocks in different sizes , shapes and colours and 12 colourful cards to help inspire your child’s imagination. It offers a truly enjoyable way to learn about shapes, colours, and construction through shape-matching and fine-motor skills training. This set allows children to build exciting structures and improve hand-to-eye coordination, spatial awareness, and motor skills.

Magicube is STEM.org certified and embraces key elements in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).

The blocks are the perfect size for small hands The colourful illustrated cards provide instructions and different models to build, gradually getting more difficult as a child’s ability and confidence increase.  With each model they build, children  learn new concepts while gaining confidence in building activities. This is fun learning through colourful illustrations and engaging challenges.  Each card increases in complexity from 1 colour and 1 shape cards through to 3 colours and 3 shape cards for the child to match.

The children love it. I love it.Frankly, this is  a fabulously helpful toy. 

The (302) Geomag Magicube 16 Piece Blocks & Cards Set is available from Coolshop for £30.

The time has flown with so many jobs to do at the CCA on the  journey to completion, one of which was to put up the CCA’s sign. Trust me, there are more tasks planned for this week as the team prepare for the Opening Day on the 28^th July. The team  have a tick list, but has anything been overlooked?  One worry for Marion is whether their adorable surveyor Richard, recovering from an operation on his foot, will be okay for the 28^th. Frankly, he must be as she and he have travelled this journey together, ‘He is my wing wing man,’ she says. 

Massive congratulations to Aimee’s dancers who gave their all at the “Trophy Day” held in North Shields, Winners once again in all categories, Esmae, five, loved doing her thing and actually came away with a trophy. Well done girls, you are all stars.

So, how are the preparations going:

Champagne flutes purchased for Opening Day, tick. Balloon Arch and decorations ordered, tick. Victoria will be arriving on the 28th July, bright and early to adorn CCA’s premises, tick. Everyone is hoping it’s not too windy, or up, up and away the decorations will go, with the population of Brady Square chasing after them. Frost Magazine suggests everyone makes sure that their phones are on video, as it will be a sight for sore eyes.

The team is expecting Mariusz the plumber to call any minute as the radiators need bleeding after the new valves were fitted. It’s a good job the weather has been fine as the CCA has been without radiators for eight weeks. Simon from SCC popped in to see if the snagging had been completed, and Marion tells me he wasn’t at all surprised when she said no. Apparently it would only take about 2 to 3 hrs to do. Marion’s response: ‘True saying folks, “It ain’t over till the fat lady sings” One should not presume the outcome which is still in progress.’

Lovely surprise visit from Emma from Cultural Springs to discuss future projects, it all sounded so exciting, and Marion has promised to ask at the coffee morning what would be of interest to CCA service users and then let her know so arrangements can be made.   

You could have knocked Marion down with a feather when she received Columbia CA Sunderland Communities podcast today. ‘It seems so long ago when I chatted away to Tom who was doing research on Warm Spaces.’  Boy, we all know how much the lass can talk. Have a listen for yourselves.

 Marion and Red Shoes Bob, though it really should be Blue Shoes Bob now, went shopping for trellis to hang at the entrance to the Air Raid shelter, and came away with expanding pine trellis which fits perfectly and looks great. The Air Raid shelter is well and truly camouflaged.

Bob has completed the erection of the other bench tables, one is strategically placed just outside the rear door. It is wonderful, and will give people thinking time over a coffee break.  ‘Oh no,’ was the cry from Bob, ‘No more thinking or ideas, please. Will we ever be done?‘ 

Andrew from MBC popped in to pick up the ceramics that have not been claimed. He always specifies times and dates for collection, but you can bet your bottom dollar when they have gone, someone will be knocking on the door.   

Bingo day with the “Forever Young Ladies” and you know what that meant, yes, Linda’s scrumptious cakes will be headed this way. The food arrived for Friday’s coffee morning which is followed by our flower arranging class with the lovely Tina.

As always, a great week was had by all and although the refurbishment is coming to a close, Mmarion has become very fond of sharing  progress, sometimes lack of it, with Frost Magazine and  sincerely hopes that their next planned project here at Brady Square can be as interesting, if not more. There are  many stories to tell of days gone by and the exploits of the folks in good old Brady Square.

Margaret, editor of Frost Magazine whose mum was Stan Newsome’s sister, assured Marion that the magazine will be her other wing man as the CCA gallops along to other adventures.

Information: Columbia Community Association  Columbia uk Community Forum

Memories of Brady Square

How many microbes (bacteria etc) live in our guts do you think? Well, researchers estimate at over a hundred trillion, weighing around two kilos, and outnumbering all our body cells by around 10:1 – wow. So let’s make sure this bug army is on our side, right?

Actually we’re living in exciting times, as we’re learning more every day about how these little critters influence our well-being – and it’s quite astonishing.

Maybe it’s no surprise that gut bacteria help us digest food and access important vitamins and nutrients and ‘bad’ gut bacteria can cause gastroenteritis, but did you know that gut microbes also influence our hormone production and nerve function? So they can actually influence our mood, our memory and learning capabilities. They can determine whether we’ll get certain diseases too, such as type 2 diabetes, cancers, heart disease and even allergies. They can also help our immunity, and, get this, they can even decide whether we get fat – who knew? Some fascinating studies show that faeces from fat rats can make skinny rats put on weight, and vice versa (apologies if you’re having lunch).

But can we influence our gut bug population? Well, yes, because like most armies, they march on their stomachs.

Our diet seems to have the greatest influence. The Mediterranean diet, with fresh and colourful fruit and vegetables appears to encourage good bacteria, and processed foods should be avoided. Interestingly, artificial sweeteners can discourage some healthy bugs, so it’s best to limit these too.

Probiotics (live bacteria) have become popular as supplements, but their benefit can be short-lived as without the right nutrients they’ll simply die off.

So now experts are favouring Prebiotics. These are soluble or insoluble fibres which our bodies can’t digest, but which good bacteria like, so they will take over and squeeze out any nasty bugs, creating a diverse gut population of good guys to keep us healthy and happy (and even slim).

Personally, I’m road-testing Bimuno Original which is a Prebiotic containing fibres and galactooligosaccharides (GOS) which are derived from milk sugar, and apparently good bacteria love it.

What I like is it comes in convenient daily sachets and the soluble powder can be mixed with juice, tea, or coffee, or sprinkled over cereal. Actually, being intrinsically lazy, I just sprinkled it directly into my mouth and, as it’s taste-free it was quite pleasant. It feeds and stimulates the good guys to grow within seven days, and people have noticed benefit, such as reduced bloating, within 4-7 days. You don’t need to store this Prebiotic in a special way and you could pop the small sachets in your handbag.

I’ve been taking one sachet daily for a few days now and after just a couple of days my tummy was noticeably less-swollen and more comfortable so I’m enthusiastic, but everyone is different.

You can buy Bimuno Original direct from the website, either £19.99 for a month’s trial – a good chance to check if it suits you – or save money with the Subscribe and Save Option at £39.99 for a three-month’s supply. At around 45p per day this is definitely worth a try. Give it a go – your bugs will thank you.

By Dr K Thompson, author of From Both Ends of the Stethoscope: Getting through breast cancer – by a doctor who knows

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01A7DM42Q http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A7DM42Q

http://faitobooks.co.uk

Note: These articles express personal views. No warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of information given and you should always consult a doctor if you need medical advice.

As a child of the 50s, I can clearly recall the acrid scent filling our kitchen each autumn whilst my mother was cooking homemade chutneys which would keep us going through the winter.

Older and more sophisticated now, I spend much of December at Farmer’s Markets and expensive London shops trying to recreate the taste of my childhood in readiness for Christmas.

I am happy to report that my search is now over and that I have discovered, Tracklements Special Edition Rhubarb & Ginger Chutney which adds tangy sweetness to crumbly cheeses, a variety of vegetable recipes, sliced meats and sandwiches and brings joie de vivre to crispy-skinned, roasted duck breasts. It’s also remarkable with poppadoms, onion bhajis and with any curry you fancy.

Tracklements NEW Special Edition Rhubarb & Ginger Chutney is made with rhubarb gathered rather closer to home, from a family farm in Norfolk. Delicately pink, the tart, intensely fruity rhubarb, is gently balanced with warm ginger, sweet sultanas and carefully selected aromatic spices including nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice.

A native of north and central Asia, rhubarb has been celebrated for its medicinal qualities for millennia. The seventeenth century. English herbalist, Nicholas Culpeper, claimed that it heals jaundice and helps gout, sciatica and toothache.

Little wonder then that rhubarb powder was once worth more than opium.

A store cupboard hero this Chutney is still hand made in the green heart of Wiltshire, abiding to traditional recipes, with an underpinning principle to buy the best quality ingredients sourced locally wherever possible to ensure the products taste as good as, if not better than homemade.

I would never dream of telling my mother, but I actually prefer Tracklements NEW Special Edition Rhubarb & Ginger Chutney does that make me a bad son?

Tracklements Special Edition Rhubarb & Ginger Chutney RRP £3.75 for 200g, is available from fine food delis and farm shops nationwide and online at www.tracklements.co.uk

@tracklements#tastytracklements#LifeandSoulofthePantry

Friday evening was the launch of the Thirsk Parishes Festival Weekend – celebrating the shared creativity of Thirsk and our Herriot Heritage – at St Mary’s Church, and frankly it could not have gone better, even had we heard the crack of a champagne bottle across the bows. Goodness,who needs the crack of a  bottle when we had Prosecco and canapes to start the proceedings…  And what proceedings.

To start us off Rev. Derek Simpson read The Windhover by Gerard Manley Hopkins, his voice resonating throughout the wonderful Church, with its excellent accoustics, and more than a hint of grandeur.

Not to be outdone, Izzy Robinson, (seen here with Jim Wight and Matthew Atherton), a talented eleven year old at school in Thirsk, who is a Ripon chorister and very much into music, maths and all things medical, took over from Derek with her first solo performance. She  aced it, treating us to an accomplished piano rendition of Sneaky Business, by M Mier and swiftly moving on to sing, with Matthew accompanying on the piano, All things Bright and Beautiful (illustration by Izzy and lyrics by CF Alexander, composer J Rutter). Heavens, we were really into the swing of things as we sipped fizz, chomped on canapes, and wondered if Thirsk Parishes could please put on these events more often.

Jim Wight                     Photographs of the TV series All Creatures Great and Small

A roll of drums could have been usefully employed to introduce Jim Wight, the veterinary son of the world’s most famous and beloved vet, James Herriot, aka Alf Wight.  Oh, what a joyous start to the Herriot Heritage section of the evening, with Jim recapping ‘How it all began’. All Alf, wanted to do was to write about the already disappearing small farmers’ world, and his life as a vet in those times ‘for his family’. Each rejection brought about a rewrite, each rewrite improved the book until… Well, you know the rest, and now these books are a lasting testament to life as it was, people as they were. Jim had us laughing, remembering, and beneath it all was an undercurrent of ‘Bless that man for telling it as it was’.

The Rev Carmel Gittens then guided the audience in a meditation to music by S Davey and R Connolly with images by Loyola Hall showing on the screens on the pillars of the church before we eased seamlessly into Matthew Atherton, on the piano, evoking the Herriot Legacy by playing the TV theme from 1978 as only this superb musician can; impeccably and with lashings of heart.   Was I the only one thinking:1978? Surely not – I still feel thirtyfive-ish. Then, with the usual Atherton aplomb he walzed and slouched into Promenade – Walking the Dog by George Gershwin, having warned us that there was what sounded like a wrong note, which he felt indicated a bit of a whoopsie on the part of the dog. Boy, did we wait for that note – then, of course, sniggers along the pews.

Am I dashing through this? Well, there’s so much to cover, and we were all carried on a wave of enthusiasm, and still are, and are full of thanks for our Churches various celebrations of music and the creative arts:  not long ago the Coronation Concert, and a couple of weeks ago the Chamberlain-Haywood Duo at St Lawrence Church. Hang on, though,  as I’ve just  mentioned the creative arts, let’s take a quick look at St Mary’s art gallery. Yes, here we are, starting really young to celebrate the early days of artistic endeavour.

Jim Wight took over the microphone again to chat us through Part 2 of the Herriot legacy and how it has affected the area. We hung on his every word as he continued to bring James Herriot’s world to life through anecdotes and remembrance.

After the laughter, Julie Bates on violin, accompanied by Matthew Atherton on piano soared into Largo by Handel, and Meditation by Massenet which allowed tranquility and beauty to settle amongst us, and as always it made me cry – beautiful music always does. Dick dug out a tissue – as he also always does. This was continued by Phil Dargue as he spoke of ‘A Glimpse of Creation – the beauty of hummingbirds’ – which he and his son had photographed on their travels to South America. We were treated to extraordinary  images on the Church screens.

 Golden Tailed Sapphire

A blink of an eye later,  we were back in North Yorkshire as Jim Wight walked to the lecturn carrying one of his father’s books. To hear those tales read by a son who had followed in his father’s profession, and actually knew the people his father brought to life was a rare privilege. It reminded us all that the Herriot Hospice@The Lambert is even as we speak being created in the old Lambert Hospital within Thirsk, a venture of which his father would surely heartily approve.

Already on a wave of emotion we were almost finished off by  Matthew Atherton as he played the Trumpet Voluntary by J Stanley, and then Chaffinch by JM Kidd. The thing is, you see, until you hear Matthew play the organ you simply don’t understand the height, breadth and sheer range of the organ; its nuances, its ability to transport one onto a different level. On this Friday evening, in the breathless hush, it was played by Matthew the master. Another tissue from Dick.  We were all so proud of Matthew, of everyone, and the rafters almost lifted with the applause, and we all thought this finale couldn’t possibly be topped.

Well, we were wrong, because then we launched into the concluding hymn, How Great Thou Art. Thankfully Dick and I had Phil Dargue without his hummingbirds standing in the pew behind, with the most sublime voice. So of course we hung onto his coat-tails and where his voice went, ours tried to follow. Then it was the turn of yet more  riotous applause, and the raising of our glasses to toast a fabulous evening of diverse, satisfying and exceptional talent and creativity.

Clamouring, chatting, laughing we tumbled out into Thirsk, with the words of one of the audience echoing in our heads. ‘Matthew plays in our church, and at the end of the service, he plays us out, but we don’t go, we stay and listen.‘ Yes, indeed.

Bravo everyone, and now I will be re-reading yet again, the James Herriot books, always available at the James Herriot Museum which was his home. How lucky we all are to live in such a wonderful community. Thank you, Thirsk.

https://worldofjamesherriot.com/     And of course, Amazon.

https://www.herriothh.org.uk/    https://www.thelambert.org.uk/