Summer 2003

Life behind bars - Badminton Club - Take a break - Diamonds are forever - The Wildlife Garden

Life behind bars

Welcome once again to the ramblings of the keeper of the emporium of pleasure and delight.

Even as we speak our lovely gardener Joanne is preparing us for the delights of summer that lay ahead. Our particular "MODUS OPERANDI" has always been and always will be "Spot the changes if you can" and trying to change the frontage each year without it being particularly noticeable is a challenge in itself.

It’s a funny thing about change, the thought of planned change always scares and excites because no one can predict the outcome even with the best management system in the world, but without change we wouldn’t move on.

Hands up anyone who can guess how long June and I have been at the Castle Inn, you’ll probably be wrong. In August we begin our fifth year (yes you heard correctly) and it don’t seem a day too much. (Cue for a song).

June and I have been in the licensed trade for over 30 years and the changes that have occurred both to the trade in general and to us in particular have been phenomenal. One of my particular banner waving subjects has always been REAL ALE and its continued presence within the pub. I will continue where possible to uphold the tradition of supplying TRADITIONAL ALES and TRADITIONAL VALUES without I hope emulating King Canute and trying to stop the inevitable. Anybody tried NITROKEG and SMOOTHFLOW BEER? You actually run the risk of getting the BENDS before you get drunk with them and if the trend continues every pub will have to be fitted with a decompression chamber to avoid the bends. (Only joking, or am I?)

Following on our policy of spot the changes if you can, we are planning a few to come into effect in the autumn (How’s that for advanced warning, You heard it hear first). The continued success of Richard and Craig and our new signing, Chris, led us to think we ought to add to our continued favourites within the food dept.

The main points of the changes will see a new restaurant menu and new restaurant opening times from September 1st 2003.This will see the restaurant open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings between 6.30 and 9.15. There will also be changes to our bar no smoking facilities which will be available Monday to Saturday lunchtimes and Monday and Wednesday evenings between 5.30 and 8.00.

No news on the neighbour front other than the mansion being built by Rebecca and Craig (They have managed to move without moving). One final piece of gossip "Who was recently moonlighting behind a bar to supplement his professional salary?

PUB JOKE:

A guy came into the pub and ordered three double whiskeys, paid for them and gulped them down and left.

Exactly a week later the same thing happened, he ordered three double whiskeys, pays, gulps and goes. The same thing happens for six consecutive weeks until finally curiosity gets the better of the landlord.

"Sir" he asked one evening " Please tell me why you drink like you drink"

"Well" explains the guy "I have two brothers who I used to drink regularly with and they have both just emigrated, one to Australia and one to Canada, before they left we made a pact to continue our weekly drink to feel near to each other"

"You must be very close," said the landlord.

"We are" replied the drinker.

The scene continues without change for 2 years until one evening the guy entered and ordered only two whiskeys with a very sad look on his face.

"I do hope nothing is wrong with either of your brothers," said the landlord sympathetically." But you normally have three drinks"

"Heck no" said the guy, "They are fine, it’s me who has the problem"

"What on earth is the matter?" asked the landlord.

"Well" replied the guy sadly "The doctor told me I have to stop drinking"

See you next issue.

Ken Cottrell

Bradway Badminton Club

This is a small club (currently now only six people) who play badminton every Sunday evening between 6pm and 8pm in the Scout Hall at Sir Harold Jackson school in Bradway. As you can appreciate they are very keen to attract more players.

If you are interested in playing badminton, please contact Gavin Johns on 0114 236 8057.

Take a break

Tenerife - A jewel in the atlantic ocean.

Love it or hate it, Tenerife is a winter haven for sunworshippers.

I am also no stranger to a bit of winter sunshine myself and from the moment I step off the plane, it is like the mothership calling me home! This year was no exception, but with only a week spare rather than the obligatory fortnight, I had to squeeze 14 days sunbathing into just 7!

Having visited the island many times, it feels pleasantly like home. From here we have taken many a trip to visit and tour the abundant variety of attractions, with a day spent rushing around the water park and dolphinarium, a trip to Mount Teide to view its lunar landscape, a fun catamaran boat ride to watch dolphins and pilot whales frolic in the waves or even hired a car and taken in some of the fabulous villages like Masca, perched precariously on steep rocky roads down to the coast. Alas on this visit though, we were destined for a more leisurely week, with more than a bit of well earned R & R!

Arriving at our apartment, Sunset Harbour - Pueblo Torviscas, we were genuinely surprised by its central yet peaceful position. Although in the throng of the Torviscas area, next to many restaurants, bars and the Puerto Colon Marina, once inside the resort itself, you were shielded from the hustle and bustle of Playa de las Americas - thankfully!!

As the days passed slowly we would take breakfast on the balcony before positioning ourselves strategically poolside, ready to soak up every ray of sunshine, with an occasional dip in the pool or bubbling jacuzzi - this was the life. Evenings began by sipping cocktails on the balcony, whilst watching the world pass by, followed by a slap up meal then a slow meandering walk back along the fanabe promenade to our complex and bed.

With Friday soon upon us, it was time to vacate our luxury apartment and take the short taxi ride to the airport for our 4 hour flight home.

Not the usual jammed packed itinerary of most of my trips, but I am sure even Judith Chalmers takes a break sometime - here’s to the next one!

Lindsay Allen, Coop Travel, Bradway

Diamonds are forever

Diamond jewellery has never been more ‘trendy’, or as affordable, from Madonna’s Diamond cross, and David Beckham’s earrings, to the traditional engagement ring.

When looking to purchase a Diamond it is important to remember the "Four Cs", the characteristics which give the Diamond its quality and value, these are: Cut, Colour, Clarity, and Carat.

Cut: A Diamond’s cut is what gives it sparkle and fire. The better the proportions, the better the Diamond is able to handle light, creating more sparkle.

Colour: The majority of Diamonds range from those with barely perceptible yellow and brownish tints up to the very rare pinks, blues and greens that are known as "fancies". The best colour for a Diamond is, however colourless.

Clarity: Most Diamonds contain tiny inclusions not discernible to the naked eye. The fewer and smaller they are, the less likely they are to interfere with the passage of light through the Diamond, and therefore the more rare and beautiful it will be.

Carat: Carat is often confused with physical size but is in fact a weight. One carat is divided into 100 "points", so that a Diamond of 75 points weighs 0,75 carats (1 carat = 0,2 grams). Two Diamonds of equal weight can therefore have very different values depending on their cut clarity, and colour.

You can be guided by the sales person, you may take his advice but the decision is yours. Chose what you like, not what the shop thinks you should have.

David Smith, D.W.Garret

The Wildlife Garden

You should spread them thinly over the area needing protection, with about 10cm between each pellet. If used thickly, they will actually repel the molluscs and dogs in particular have been known to eat the pellets; which is not surprising as the cereal filler in the pellets is actually the same as that used in a number of dog foods. Slug pellets act as an irritant, causing the mollusc to produce lots of slime which in turn stops the creature moving and eventually kills it through dehydration. If you leave the poisoned slug or snail on the soil surface, there is always a chance that the animal will re-hydrate if it rains later that day, allowing it to continue on its destructive path.

Care should also be taken not to get these chemicals on the fruit or vegetables you are trying to protect. If you do, the crops must not be picked for at least a week. The safest way to use pellets is at night and by fencing off the plot that needs protecting, children and animals are denied access. The following morning you must remove any dead or dying gastropods and clear away the remaining slug pellets.

I never use slug pellets as I find the risk they pose, however small, is unacceptable. Instead I rely on a number of alternative techniques. In the past I always surrounded my plants with sharp grit, but at best, this was very much a hit or miss way of keeping these pests off. Nowadays I rely on diatomaceous earth granules, such as ‘Slug Stoppa’. Slugs and snails cannot pass over a barrier made from this material, as the granules absorb their slime, preventing them from moving.

For plants growing in pots, I put a band of sticky copper tape around the rim. This repels any mountaineering gastropods, supposedly due to the tape generating a very small electric current. I also place groups of potted plants on blocks in a large growbag tray and surround them with water - just like the moat around a mediaeval castle. Both slugs and snails are reluctant to cross this water.

To control slugs in open ground, for example where potatoes are growing, I have found that the parasitic nematodes Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita, sold under the trade names of ‘Slugsure’ or ‘Nemaslug’, are both very easy to use and as effective as any chemical method. However, there are a number of points you have to remember. The soil must be kept moist, as nematodes move in the thin film of water between soil particles and its temperature has to be at least 5C. Also, they are only effective for up to six weeks, so if you wish to control slugs throughout the growing season, you need to use further regular applications of these parasites. As nematodes only kill soil-living slugs, in conjunction with this method, I use traps filled with a beer- (non-alcoholic is best) or yeast- based bait to control surface-living slugs and snails.

The problems with these traps are they have to be emptied and re-filled regularly and also, to make any real impact on mollusc numbers, they need to be placed quite close together, with no more than 1m between each trap. However, perhaps the best way to control slugs and snails is also the simplest: go out at night armed with a torch and a sharp knife and cut in half, or squash any molluscs you find. Although a rather unpleasant task, at least there is one consolation: you don’t have to kill the largest ones you find in your garden - great grey slugs - as these feed mostly on fungi.

Happy slug- and snail-free gardening.

Maggie Pie

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