Western Daily Press (Bristol UK) back issues from December 2007:
Vision of the future
Dec 01, 2007 ... Avisit to Amar Shah Optometrists on Cotham Hill, Bristol, turnedout to be the start of a new liberated life for me. Amar told me about a new method of sight correction that hispractice offers. It is called DreamLens Ortho K and is being used byhundreds of thousands of people across ...
Pint-sized mermaid ; Seasickness was just the start of cross-Channel swimmer Lily Flurey's problems. Tina Rowe reports. Pictures by Steve Roberts
Dec 01, 2007 ... Seasickness was just the start of cross-Channel swimmer LilyFlurey's problems. Tina Rowe reports. Pictures by Steve Roberts She was stung by jellyfish, bruised, battered and sun-burnedbefore finally facing a slick of French sewage - it's no wonder thatLily Flurey has won the ...
On a wing and a prayer
Dec 01, 2007 ... There was an item on the news this week about the problems ofsatellite navigation systems directing heavy traffic downinappropriate routes. On Wednesday afternoon I came across a car transporter with afull load going down an inappropriate route. It was inappropriatebecause I ...
Country diary
Dec 01, 2007 ... The change was a dramatic one. One day was clear with long viewsout to the Bristol Channel and drifts of leaves crunchy under footand the next was first misty and then streamingly wet so that, inthe pouring rain, the leaf-drifts matted like the fur of dirty dogs,blocking drains and ...
'Tis the season... ...To get your skates on ; Skating, with or without ice, is fast becoming a regular part of the Christmas tradition in the UK. Mervyn Hancock discovers that many rinks are appearing all over the West Country
Dec 01, 2007 ... Skating, with or without ice, is fast becoming a regular part ofthe Christmas tradition in the UK. Mervyn Hancock discovers thatmany rinks are appearing all over the West Country We British are obsessed with the weather, and hardly a day passeswithout each and every one of us ...
Living the good life
Dec 01, 2007 ... Driving into Cherry Lodge is just like taking a step into anidealised colouring book for children. The entrance road to theorganic farm is lined with immaculate pig sties, with scores ofhealthy-looking Gloucester Old Spots giving you a little wave oftheir curly tails as you ...
Straight from the hip - with jeannie Johnson
Dec 01, 2007 ... The sight of basket after basket of cod being thrown back intothe sea has to be one of the most upsetting sights of the week. Ifthere ever was a good reason for bidding the European Union aurevoir, this has to be it. OK, we need to conserve our fish stocks. The quota system ...
After-hours glamour
Dec 01, 2007 ... It may not be Christmas just yet but it's certainly the seasonfor office parties and pub gather- ings. The festive season startsgetting into its swing from now onwards and if, like many women inthe next few weeks, you'll find yourself going straight from work tothe pub and then perhaps ...
Hitting the right notes
Dec 01, 2007 ... Duets is an unassuming sort of place. It doesn't scream at youfrom the other side of the road. In fact, it's not even located onany of the main boulevards in the flashier downtown parts of Weston-super-Mare. Instead, it has established a discreet presence for itself thispast two ...
Plot lines with David clensy
Dec 01, 2007 ... So, plant in the spring, pick in the summer, and spend thewarmest weeks of the year trying to get through it all. End ofstory. Well, that's how most vegetables seem to work anyway. Butwhat if there was a vegetable that you could plant now, and still beenjoying the crop in ...
Blessed cheesemakers
Dec 01, 2007 ... If there's one piece of advice I can offer for your Christmasentertaining it's this - don't skimp on the cheese. And if there'sanother, it's this - make sure you buy British. Even the French are reluctantly having to acknowledge thatBritish cheesemakers are now turning out ...
Recipes
Dec 01, 2007 ... Ingredients 4ozs (110g) each, butter and plain flour 3ozs (75g) grated strong Cheddar 1oz (25g) grated fresh Parmesan 1 egg 2 tspns mustard powder 1 tspn salt 1/2 tspn Cayenne pepper 1 beaten egg celery ...
Pink is the colour
Dec 01, 2007 ... White Christmases might be a thing of the past, but what aboutpink? This year's parties are more likely than ever to be floated on atide of rose, now that 15 million of us are, according to marketsurveys, devotees of pink wine. That is, weirdly, 10 times thenumber who admitted ...
Fabulous fish and a fantastic day out
Dec 01, 2007 ... Seafood is the big thing at the Drewe Arms. It is named as theDevon Dining Pub of the Year in the latest Good Pub Guide for its"fantastic fish dishes". But this is not why we went. It was instead our friend Mr S, whotold us it was the jolliest of places in the most blissful ...
Where small is beautiful
Dec 01, 2007 ... With wonderful restau-rants, old-world shops, hidden treasures,and so much to see, the ancient city of Wells attracts visitors allyear round. But for me, the autumn and winter - especially with theChristmas season approaching - is the best time to pay a visit. Next weekend on ...
Trusting nature's way
Dec 01, 2007 ... Working at Barr- ington Court "is like being in heaven", explainsHelen Mc- Donald. She's not just talking about the tranquil settingof this lovely Tudor manor house bought by the National Trust acentury ago, idyllic though it is. She is referring to its one-acre walled kitchen ...
Ask Alan
Dec 01, 2007 ... Q. I have been trying to find onion sets to plant before winterbut the shops all seem to be sold out. Do I now have to wait againuntil spring to plant again? From Mr A Hendy A. Winter hardy onion sets, sometimes called Japanese onions,sold out very quickly again this year ....
Tips for the weekend
Dec 01, 2007 ... N Sow mustard and cress for a nutritious salad or garnish. Growthem on a windowsill in damp kitchen roll-lined trays or punnets.Sow each thickly but sow the mustard two days later. Cover the seedswith paper until the seeds are 25mm (1in) tall, then remove thecovering. Keep moist by ...
Give a tree this Christmas
Dec 01, 2007 ... What do you give someone who has everything? Well, a special treeif they are in any way into gardening, I say! Yes, there are lots to choose from, but there are some veryspecial and memorable ones that stand out from the crowd, too. Take, for instance, an olive tree. This has ...
A fairytale trek ; Sue Gearing takes a brisk Mendip tour in the footsteps of Little Jack Horner himself
Dec 01, 2007 ... Sue Gearing takes a brisk Mendip tour in the footsteps ofLittle Jack Horner himself This short and easy circle is a "plum" walk in the EasternMendips in more ways than one and a good winter variation on one Ihave written before in this area. It starts at Mells, reputed to ...
Venerable elders
Dec 01, 2007 ... It is no exaggerated praise to call a tree the grandest and mostbeautiful of all the productions of the Earth, wrote William Gilpinin his 1791 publication, Remarks on Forest Scenery. Apt then, andapt now, that author and photographer Archie Miles starts his bookwith this ...
For what we are about to receive ...
Dec 01, 2007 ... Their tops made from single mahogany planks, two early 20th-century refectory tables, each about 30ft long, are to be sold bythe Benedictine monks at Prinknash Abbey at Simon Chorley's rooms inthe abbey grounds, near Cranham in the Cotswolds, on Thursday. The monks are vacating ...
Bejewelled beauty goes under the hammer
Dec 01, 2007 ... Adorable? This extravagantly crafted Indian temple figure setwith a variety of rich stones, and with the deity flanked by lions,sold for ...
Unusual gifts?
Dec 01, 2007 ... Clevedon Salerooms have brought together some 826 lots for theirquarterly sale on Thursday, and it need hardly be said that theyhave Christmas very much in mind. The collectors' items include a terrifying Meiji period (1868-1912) carved ivory oni. These are creatures from Japanese ...
A train-lover's dream sale
Dec 01, 2007 ... There's a strong hint of steam in the air at Brightwells' salein Leominster on December 12.Two model railway collections areon offer, with all kinds of rarities in among them. The first is from a former Yorkshire collector, and ranging fromearly Hornby Dublo to most of the ...
Bid for your road-trip kit
Dec 01, 2007 ... They'll be decking the halls with boughs of holly for the Cotswold Auction Company's Christmas sale on December 11, when onceagain the silver and jewellery will certainly be sparking to theirbest effect. Some of this year's silver is quite early, in particular, twopairs of ...
Here is the answer to all your prayers!
Dec 01, 2007 ... You could say that The Old Chapel in Compton, Somerset could bethe answer to your prayers, if finding a charming cottage home inthe heart of the Chew Valley was part of them. This charming conversion is in the centre of the village ofCompton, yet well away from the noise of the ...
A property bearing gifts
Dec 01, 2007 ... Can you remember cuddling your first teddy bear and tearfullytelling him about all the troubles that were upsetting your life? I do. Mine eventually lost both his legs, and one of his arms washeld on by a thread. All the curly hair on his body had virtuallydisappeared and some of ...
Go up in the world and get perfect view
Dec 01, 2007 ... You cannot get much closer to Brunel's famous Clifton SuspensionBridge, and the Avon Gorge, than this third- floor penthouseapartment on the edge of Gloucester Row, in a popular part of Clifton village. It is surprising what can be achieved by an enthusiasticdeveloper when it ...
Ideal place for fruitful life
Dec 01, 2007 ... Renowned for its produce, including strawberries, softfruits and asparagus,Rodney Stoke, between Cheddar and Wells,was once called Stoke Gifford. Although this is not to be confused with the place in southGloucestershire that shares that name. The village's name ...
Restored cottage in St congar's village of miracles
Dec 01, 2007 ... Congresbury is the reputed burial place of St Congar, who is saidto have performed three miracles in the area. He was born, so we are told, in Llanwngar in Pembrokeshire in thelate fifth century, leaving Wales at a young age to cross theBristol Channel and settle in what is now ...
Vintage quality you can trust at old farmhouse
Dec 01, 2007 ... The National Trust was founded back in 1895 by three typicallyVictorian philanthropists worried by uncontrolled urbandevelopment and rapid industrialisation. With considerable foresight, they set up the organisation to actas a guardian for the nation in the acquisition and ...
Perfect base for exploring region's unspoilt scenery
Dec 01, 2007 ... If you are looking for a perfect base to explore the unspoiltscenery in the Devon and Somerset area, Knapp House is certainlyworth considering. It was originally built as a hunting lodge for a Liverpoolshipping magnate in 1907, during the Edwardian era. Its architect was ...
Move for Xmas
Dec 01, 2007 ... With the Christmas holidays around the corner, home buyers couldbe forgiven for thinking they have left it too late to enjoy thefestive celebrations from the comfort of a brand new home. However, with Bryant Homes that dream could come true, as thecompany has properties that you ...
Large family house up and coming area
Dec 01, 2007 ... Brentry, which was once a small village originally called"Charlton Village", has now become part of the ever- expandingcity of Bristol. Now on the market in the up and coming suburb is 155 CharltonMead Drive, a well- presented detached family home, for sale with aguide price ...
Home's wealth of period features
Dec 01, 2007 ... Ashort walk from the High Street, in the historic town ofChipping Sodbury, is this Grade II-listed town house. St Martin's is an extremely well-presented family home set overthree floors and offering a wealth of period features. There are five bedrooms (four of them ...
Full steam ahead
Dec 01, 2007 ... Only a couple of two-bedroom apartments remain unsold at CrestNicholson's Gloucester Docks development. One, with an en suite bathroom in the master bedroom, isavailable in the newly built Barge Arm building, with a stunningatrium at its centre. With one allocated parking space, ...
Brown sold us down the river
Dec 01, 2007 ... Over the years, the likes of Napoleon, Kaiser Bill, Hitler andothers, with their massive armies, have failed to destroy oursovereignty. A Scot has done this with the stroke of a pen. It took Blair some seven years to finally prove his deceit withthe lie about WMDs. In a broken ...
The perfect base to explore the City
Dec 01, 2007 ... Hotel Sofitel Lisboa, Avenida Da Liberdade 127, Lisbon. Website:http://www.sofitel.com JUST 15 minutes from Lisbon airport, the 171-room Sofitel issituated in the city centre on the prestigious Avenida da Liberdade.It promises "luxurious ambience in the heart of the ...
Lovely lisbon
Dec 01, 2007; ... Lisbon has long been on my list of "must visit" cities, withfriends insisting it's a struggle to leave. And they're dead right. The Portuguese capital is fun, friendly and fairly laid-back witha host of different quarters - each with its own individual identity - to amble ...
A wonderful man
Dec 01, 2007 ... May I take this opportunity to thank you for informing us of thiswonderful man, Harry Patch, and his comrades. My 13-year-old daughter and myself ...
Expect more Bovine TB cases in humans
Dec 01, 2007 ... Having been on the Government Badger TB Panel, I was saddened toread several well-meaning but ill-informed letters on the risk ofbovine TB. Most countries starting a cattle TB scheme do ban unpasteurisedmilk, including Scotland and Ireland. Radio 4 last week ran a pieceon Farming ...
Cornish holiday will benefit all
Dec 01, 2007 ... It's fortunate for your South West Columnist of the Year, ChrisRundle, that few folks west of the Tamar will read his latestbizarre diatribe. In his attack on "pasty eaters", this hater of the Cornish andcountryside users (farmers apart) has overlooked one ...
Celeb chefs should stick to posh nosh
Dec 01, 2007 ... I Honestly think Gordon Brown should recruit a Country Mouse ortwo to his team, if recent edicts are anything to go by. Take waste, for example. We are being exhorted to compost organicmaterial and to do something useful with leftovers - and that doesnot mean feeding them to the ...
Biggins my camp choice
Dec 01, 2007 ... Talking of celebrities, I must confess to a grubby secret - I ama total fan of I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here. And I think thereare thousands of us closet celeb addicts who pretend to be watchingsomething cerebral while lapping up reality TV that we affect todespise. It's a ...
Our ASBO lies doggo
Dec 01, 2007 ... Asbodog is no longer out in the cold after learning how tonegotiate the cat-flap. It's taken him three years but he got therein the end. And he has broken two flaps in his efforts. We docked his pocketmoney for a week but he showed no penitence and nicked the catbiscuits, and was ...
Christmas could turn into a turkey
Dec 01, 2007 ... However much we all try to ignore it, Christmas is just a fewshort weeks away - and this year we have cause for a celebration. We've invested in a new cooker - the old one died after months ofeither turning everything in the oven to cinders or leaving it raw. The problem is ...
Kale cuts winter feed costs
Dec 01, 2007 ... Beef farmers could save 80 per cent of their winter feed bills byplanting grazing brassica crops instead of housing cattle. The startling conclusion has emerged from trials on a Devon beefunit that staged an out-wintering demonstration run by Eblex, theEnglish Beef and Lamb ...
Ruby red devons are real gems...
Dec 01, 2007 ... Bidding was fierce and prices were high for the class winners atthe Red Ruby Devon autumn show and sale at Taunton Market. Postponed from its original October date due to foot-and-mouth,the event attracted a large crowd and all but one of the 81 pedigreefemales and eight out of ...
New plea to benn onfoot-mouth payouts
Dec 01, 2007 ... Officials of the NFU have renewed their calls for English sheepfarmers to be given more help to cope with the aftermath of foot-and-mouth. The demand comes from livestock board chairman Thomas Binns afterthe EU Commission gave the green light for the Scottish Governmentto pay ...
Cum-bri-ahh, my lord
Dec 01, 2007; ... The Lake District is a winter wonderland in the festive run-upto Christmas, with frost carpeting the countryside, snow-cappedfells glistening in the winter sun and dozens of lakeside boltholesto curl up in and count down to the big day. Boxing Day is traditionally spent ...
Bliss-out luxury set in rural splendour
Dec 01, 2007 ... Cotswold Water Park Four Pillars Hotel, Lake 6, Spine Road East,Cotswold Water Park, near South Cerney, Gloucestershire GL7 5FP.Tel: 01285 864000; email: waterpark@four-pillars.co.uk; website:www.four-pillars.co.uk IT opened on August 1, but Cotswold Water Park Four Pillars ...
Take perverts out of society
Dec 01, 2007 ... Thank God there is someone who is on the same wavelength asmyself and, I am sure, many others, regarding Pamela Lewis's letterabout Gary Glitter, "Paedophiles do not deserve our money" (YourSay, November 19). She said everything that was right. The country has gone mad. Putall ...
Best advice for prevention
Dec 01, 2007 ... With so many scientific studies being published all the timeabout what increases or reduces your cancer risk, it is sometimesdifficult to know how seriously each one should be taken. The expert report recently launched by World Cancer Research Fund(WCRF) took five years to compile ...
No need to cut corners if you buy this
Dec 01, 2007 ... Families who cry out for a lot of space will find all they needin all the corners of a house called Three Corners at Charfield,near Wotton-under-Edge. There are five bedrooms on the first floor, along with an ensuite shower room, which has a double-size cubicle in the ...
Liam fox cuts ribbon at new office
Dec 01, 2007 ... Shadow Defence Secretary Dr Liam Fox opened Besley Hill's firstoffice in North Somerset last week in the traditional way - bycutting a ribbon. Dr Fox, Conservative MP for North Somerset, managed to fit inthis constituency engagement between visits to Sri Lanka, Dubai ...
How did shop get address?
Dec 01, 2007 ... It is indeed sad the way that Mr and Mrs Hodgson were treated byTesco, "They're off their trolleys" (Western Daily Press, November30). The most worrying aspect is that Tesco was able to obtain thehome address of the Hodgsons in order to write to them. Presumably, this was ...
Care for rape victims is 'outrageous'
Dec 01, 2007 ... The trauma suffered by rape victims in the South West is beingmade worse by a shortage of centres, an equality charity in theregion claims. Equality South West (ESW) says many sex attack victims face a 90-minute trip a crisis centre or women's refuge. The Taunton-based ...
Drop in and see your PC
Dec 01, 2007 ... Police in Minehead are inviting the public to drop in anddiscuss crime problems in the town. A series of beat surgeries are being held at West SomersetCouncil's customer centre in Summerland Road from next week to ...
Candles lit for cancer
Dec 01, 2007 ... A Candle of hope will be lit at Gloucester Cathedral to rememberthose who have been victims of cancer. From Christmas Eve through to Twelfth Night, candles burn in 20major cathedrals around the UK including Gloucester, Chichester,Sheffield and Salisbury. The Candle of Hope ...
Poll: Paris is pointless
Dec 01, 2007 ... Paris Hilton was yesterday named the world's most pointlesscelebrity. The hotel heiress - who recently served a jail term forviolating a drink-driving probation - was deemed even morepointless than her Essex look-a-like Chantelle Houghton, who came second. But despite ...
Scarred Ryan's plea to children
Dec 01, 2007; ... Ateenage boy has warned others not to play with fire after he wasscarred for life when a bottle of petrol blew up in his face. Ryan Wiggins spent 11 days in intensive care at Bristol RoyalInfirmary after one of his friends lit the petrol on waste ground onTewkesbury's Northway ...
Salter expects the kids to come of age
Dec 01, 2007; ... Matt Salter has told Bristol's young guns the time is right forthem to start making an impact on first-team affairs at the MemorialStadium. Head coach Richard Hill has made 12 changes to the Bristol sidebeaten 28-13 at Bath in the Guinness Premiership a week ago fortomorrow's EDF ...
Collins' joy at call from Barbarians
Dec 01, 2007 ... Jerry Collins may be one of rugby's star attractions but the big-hitting All Black is determined to stay in touch with his amateurroots. The debate over the Barbarians' role in the modern game hasresurfaced during the build-up to today's clash with South Africa atTwickenham - ...
New pubs barred from area
Dec 01, 2007 ... A Town is highly unlikely to have any more pubs or clubs thanksto a crackdown by police and the council. Police have won the support of South Gloucestershire Council fora "presumption of refusal" on new drinking venues in Kingswood. The request from neighbourhood Sergeant ...