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www.westendermagazine.com | 1<br />
JAN/FEB
2 | www.westendermagazine.com<br />
Primary 1 Insight Morning<br />
Friday 2 February – 10.00 - 12.00 noon<br />
Come along to see why more parents are choosing KA than ever before?<br />
• See our P1 class teachers in action<br />
• Check out the small classes where every seat is a front row seat<br />
• Experience one of our Forest School sessions<br />
• See our pupils learn with specialist teachers in Music and PE<br />
• Learn why mindfulness sessions are so important<br />
To book a place call Lynda Andonovic, Admissions Registrar on 0141 357 3376<br />
Connect with /kelvinside1878<br />
www.kelvinside.org<br />
Charity number SCO 03962
www.westendermagazine.com | | 3<br />
Contents<br />
6 Fashion pages<br />
A good yarn<br />
14 West End Live<br />
with Greg Kane<br />
17 Valentine gifts<br />
18 Writers Reveal<br />
meets Alan Taylor<br />
22 NEW! Cover to cover<br />
24 Top Things<br />
26 Second chances at<br />
Street & Arrow<br />
29 Healthy New Year<br />
at Wudon<br />
30 Bar Review<br />
The Three Judges<br />
31 All new Square<br />
Bar & Restaurant<br />
32 WIN! At Rainbow<br />
Room International<br />
37 Restaurant Review<br />
at AvoAvo<br />
34 Sweet Liberty<br />
36 Business:<br />
A family affair<br />
41 20th Anniversary<br />
for Independent<br />
Mortgage Store<br />
42 Accountancy Matters<br />
with Murrison & Wilson<br />
43 Legal Matters with<br />
Mitchells Roberton<br />
44 Mindful movement<br />
51 Health Matters<br />
53 Mum’s Notebook<br />
54 Interiors article:<br />
Hygge in your home<br />
59 Hygge directory<br />
61 Atlas Kitchens reveals<br />
62 Hygge lighting<br />
66 Wee Kitchen Shop<br />
interview<br />
66<br />
CHeck out our behind the scenes video<br />
www.westender.com
4 | www.westendermagazine.com<br />
contributors<br />
Suzanne Martin<br />
Editor<br />
Gregor Reid<br />
Photographer<br />
Jacki Clark<br />
Fashion Stylist<br />
Brian Toal<br />
Writer<br />
Roberto Parrucci<br />
Writer<br />
Hannah Westwater<br />
Writer<br />
Advertise today!<br />
Call 07905 897238<br />
Or email: info@westendermagazine.com<br />
for a media pack.<br />
Westender is on facebook and twitter<br />
Publisher: Westender Magazine<br />
Whilst every care has been taken to ensure that<br />
the data in this publication is accurate, neither the<br />
publisher nor its editorial contributors can accept, and<br />
hereby disclaim, any liability to any party to loss or<br />
damage caused by errors or omissions resulting from<br />
negligence, accident or any other cause.<br />
Westender Magazine does not officially endorse any<br />
advertising material included within this publication.<br />
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored<br />
in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any<br />
form – electronic, mechanical, photocopying,<br />
recording or otherwise – without prior permission of<br />
the publisher.
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WORK SMART IN 2018<br />
ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS IN WESTENDER<br />
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Westender by Friday 26th January.<br />
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WESTENDER<br />
AUG/SEP 2017<br />
Christmas 2017<br />
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For more info or to advertise<br />
email: suzanne@westendermagazine.com<br />
for a media flyer, or call: 07905 897238
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www.westendermagazine.com | 7<br />
get cosy and enjoy<br />
a good<br />
Yarn<br />
Images Gregor Reid<br />
Stylist jacki clark<br />
jumper, solo<br />
scarf & slippers, pink poodle<br />
gloves & jewellery, liquorice tree
8 | www.westendermagazine.com<br />
jumper, socks & jewellery<br />
nancy smillie
www.westendermagazine.com | 9<br />
jumper, yarn cake<br />
jewellery, nancy smillie<br />
gloves, island nation
10 | www.westendermagazine.com<br />
Cardigan, solo. jewellery, jennifer lemon<br />
opposite page - jumper, solo. scarf, ashley holdsworth
www.westendermagazine.com | 11
12 | www.westendermagazine.com
www.westendermagazine.com | 13<br />
jumper, pink poodle. scarf, jasmine<br />
opposite page - jumper, solo. gloves & necklace, liquorice tree<br />
model erin Maia @ Coloursagency.com MUA terri craig, terricraig.co.uk<br />
stylist jacki clark, jackiclark-stylist.co.uk<br />
photography gregor reid, gregorreidphotography.com
14 | www.westendermagazine.com<br />
LIVE<br />
January<br />
Celtic Connections<br />
Monday 18th Jan – Sunday 4th Feb<br />
Multiple Venues<br />
Celebrating it’s 25th Anniversary<br />
this year, the biggest and best world<br />
music festival on Earth descends<br />
upon Glasgow. Please check out their<br />
beautifully presented website for<br />
full listings.<br />
celticconnections.com<br />
Maxwell Quartet<br />
Thursday 18th January 1pm<br />
University of Glasgow Concert Hall<br />
gla.ac.uk/events<br />
One of Britain's finest string<br />
quartets and winners of the recent<br />
Trondheim International Chamber<br />
Music Competition, the Maxwell<br />
String Quartet play a lunchtime<br />
concert in the beautiful Concert<br />
Hall at Glasgow University. I spent<br />
a large part of this year composing<br />
and arranging for string quartet. It’s<br />
all consuming, at times incredibly<br />
frustrating, but ultimately extremely<br />
satisfying once you eventually get<br />
to the end of the process. So I have<br />
full respect for musicians of this<br />
calibre – ones that can emote with<br />
such accuracy and skill.<br />
There can’t be many more enjoyable<br />
things in life than attending an<br />
afternoon of chamber music in one of<br />
the most beautiful sounding rooms<br />
there is. Best off order now.<br />
Choice track: Maxwell Quartet<br />
‘Happiness’<br />
Ross Ainslie & The Sanctuary Band<br />
and Brighde Chaimbeul<br />
Saturday 20th January 7.30pm<br />
The Mitchell, celticconnections.com<br />
Mesmerising modern pipe music<br />
from two of Scotland’s best pipers.<br />
I do like the border pipes, to me<br />
they are much easier on the ear than<br />
traditional bagpipes, evoking a<br />
softer, more romantic image of Old<br />
Scotia and these two are two of the<br />
best exponents of the border pipes.<br />
Since winning the BBC Radio Young<br />
Folk Award in 2016, Skye piper<br />
Brighde Chaimbeul has captured the<br />
attention of audiences across the<br />
country with her fresh and versatile<br />
sound and with Ross Ainslie being<br />
one of the most in demand multi<br />
instrumentalists in the country, this<br />
should make for a wonderful night of<br />
contemporary Scottish folk music.<br />
Choice Track: Ross Ainslie & Brighde<br />
Chaimbeul ‘Green Light of the<br />
Lonely Souls’<br />
Lee Fields & The Expressions<br />
Monday 23rd January 7pm<br />
Òran Mór, oran-mor.co.uk<br />
Elmer 'Lee' Fields is an American<br />
soul artist, sometimes nicknamed<br />
'Little JB' for his physical and vocal<br />
resemblance with James Brown. At 65<br />
years old Lee is still sounding as<br />
funky and soulful as ever.<br />
Lee Fields’ extensive musical career<br />
began singing with an early iteration<br />
of Kool & The Gang to releasing many<br />
solo records through the 70’s & 80’s.<br />
Choice Track: Lee Fields & The<br />
Expressions 'Let Him In'
www.westendermagazine.com | 15<br />
by Greg Kane<br />
February<br />
Kendrick Lamar & James Blake<br />
Sunday 11th February 6.30pm<br />
SSE Hydro, thessehydro.com<br />
What a double header this is! Full<br />
marks to the promoter who put these<br />
two together on the one bill.<br />
I remember seeing Kendrick Lamar on<br />
the TV broadcast of The Grammy’s in<br />
2016 performing The Blacker The Berry<br />
live. It still takes your breath away<br />
watching that footage.<br />
Similarly watching James Blake doing<br />
Retrograde live on The Letterman<br />
Show in 2013 leaves you impressed<br />
at his poise, beauty of voice and the<br />
dexterity of his keyboard playing. This<br />
gig is a hugely anticipated return to<br />
the UK by Kendrick Lamar, one of the<br />
biggest stars in the world of music<br />
today with the huge success of his<br />
DAMN album emphasising that status.<br />
Mercury Prize winning James Blake’s<br />
live performances can be spellbinding<br />
but they’re not that frequent as he<br />
doesn’t tour that often. So this is a<br />
rare opportunity to see two leading<br />
artists at the cutting edge of their<br />
genres in the one place. Go early<br />
and expect a spectacular night of<br />
contemporary music!<br />
Choice track:<br />
Kendrick Lamar 'The Blacker The Berry'<br />
James Blake 'Retrograde'<br />
Irit<br />
Thursday 22nd February 7pm<br />
Òran Mór, oran-mor.co.uk<br />
Irit Dekel is quite an interesting<br />
musical proposition. There’s definitely<br />
some GaGa here (as in her levels of<br />
ability and elaborate self deprecating<br />
visuals). And she also appears to be<br />
the kind of singer that manages to get<br />
the best musicians to coalesce around<br />
her making the backing music to her<br />
unique style of singing wonderfully<br />
complex and beautifully executed.<br />
Nod to Eldad Zitrin who has been her<br />
keyboard playing sidekick for the past<br />
few years. But by all accounts she’s<br />
moved on to a more Latin guitar and<br />
accordion style for her new stuff. Her<br />
new album Hello has been produced<br />
by Jonathan Quarmby, (producer of<br />
Benjamin Clementine’s recent Mercury<br />
prize-winning debut album) with the<br />
results being no less compelling than<br />
her previous records and should help<br />
her attract a bigger audience. She’s<br />
good enough.<br />
Choice Track: Irit Dekel 'Your My Thrill'<br />
Lindsay Lou & The Flatbellys<br />
Tuesday 27th February 7.30pm<br />
Kilbarchan Performing Arts Centre<br />
k-pac.org.uk<br />
Lindsay Lou is a very attractive,<br />
guitar wielding singer/songwriter from<br />
the Great Lakes State of Michigan,<br />
USA. She is backed by a trio of<br />
bluegrass musicians who skilfully<br />
leave just the right amount of room<br />
for Lindsay’s voice to command their<br />
intricate arrangements. She has such<br />
a beautiful voice too, with just enough<br />
of a hint of soul to really make this<br />
ensemble distinctive amongst their<br />
Bluegrass peers.<br />
They are out on an extensive UK tour<br />
supporting their recent album release,<br />
Ionia.<br />
Choice track: Lindsay Lou &<br />
The Flatbellys 'Old Song'
16 | www.westendermagazine.com
www.westendermagazine.com | 17<br />
valentine treats<br />
With so much choice on our doorstep it can be confusing to know<br />
which gift to buy for that very special someone. Be confused no<br />
longer as Westender Magazine has navigated the streets of the West<br />
End on your behalf to bring you the best gifts at great prices.<br />
Monaco Heart Bracelet in Stainless Steel<br />
and Rose Gold £32 each, Cassiopeia<br />
Small Heart Truffles<br />
£6.50, Spirito<br />
Wifey & Hubs Mugs<br />
£11.99 each, Liquorice Tree<br />
Red Red Rose Jar Candle in Gift Box<br />
£15, Shearer Candles<br />
Culinary Concepts Intertwined Champagne<br />
Flutes £74.95, Nancy Smillie<br />
West End Suppliers<br />
Cassiopeia, 165 Hyndland Road<br />
0141 357 7374 cassiopeiaonline.co.uk<br />
Liquorice Tree, 431 Great Western Road<br />
0141 339 0648 liquoricetree.com<br />
Nancy Smillie Shop, 53 Cresswell Street<br />
0141 334 4240 nancysmillieshop.com<br />
Shearer Candles, 388 Byres Road<br />
0141 357 1707 shearer-candles.com<br />
Spirito Gifts, 317-319 Crow Road<br />
0141 337 3307 spiritogifts.com
18 | www.westendermagazine.com
www.westendermagazine.com | 19<br />
Writer’s Reveal<br />
meets Alan Taylor<br />
WORDS LORAINE PATRICK<br />
What turns a journalist from Edinburgh into a self professed<br />
Glasgowphile and compile stories and anecdotes about our<br />
great city into a book? Intrigued, Loraine Patrick ventured into<br />
the Merchant City to find out more.<br />
Ilove Glasgow. It’s been my home for the<br />
last 20 years. I couldn’t imagine living<br />
anywhere else. It’s a city that has lived<br />
through many reputations – the gang ridden,<br />
hard drinking ‘No Mean City’, the cultural<br />
renaissance when it became ‘Miles Better’<br />
and nowadays ‘People Make Glasgow’. But<br />
do these slogans tell the whole story? Writer<br />
and commentator Alan Taylor doesn’t think<br />
so and in a new book on the dear green place<br />
he tells the city’s story through the eyes of<br />
those who have lived it.<br />
There were two reasons why the book came<br />
into being Alan explains, ‘I always felt that<br />
Glasgow was underrated and undersold,<br />
often by its own people but also it’s a city<br />
that is under appreciated by the rest of the<br />
country. Secondly I felt it was misrepresented<br />
– too many people think it is a dirty grimy<br />
working class city.’<br />
Originally from Edinburgh, Alan spent much<br />
of his career as a journalist, columnist and<br />
editor working at newspaper offices in the<br />
Merchant City. ‘I used to walk from Queen<br />
Street station to Albion Street and I felt like<br />
I was in Chicago. The Merchant City was an<br />
amazing place – it hadn’t been prettified as<br />
it is now. It had a real edge to it and had that<br />
tart Glasgow humour which I loved. You just<br />
couldn’t put a book like this together on any<br />
other city. Underpinning everything about<br />
Glasgow is a sense of humour. Edinburgh is<br />
boring by comparison,’ he says wryly.<br />
One of the more humorous anecdotes in the<br />
book comes from 1950s matinee idol Dirk<br />
Bogarde who was sent up to Glasgow to live<br />
with an aunt and go to school here. ‘This was<br />
in the thirties,’ Alan continues, ‘and he had a<br />
horrendous time here. Here was an English<br />
schoolboy with a very posh accent who was<br />
also (unbeknown to him at the time) gay. He<br />
regularly skipped school because he was<br />
given such a hard time and would go to the<br />
cinema. The episode in the book describes<br />
him being picked up by an older man – a<br />
medical student – and what happens when<br />
he is invited back to his flat. ’<br />
Such stories from people you don’t expect<br />
to have an association with the city give<br />
the book a different perspective. ‘It’s a real<br />
patchwork story told by a diverse range<br />
of people. Every class, every race, from<br />
artist to criminal – the whole gamut has<br />
been included,’ Alan says. ‘There is nothing<br />
wrong with working class Glasgow or<br />
militant Glasgow or industrial Glasgow –<br />
that’s all part of the story, but it is not the<br />
whole story.’
20 | www.westendermagazine.com<br />
One difficulty in compiling the book was<br />
finding enough female voices. Catherine<br />
Cranston may be a well-known name in<br />
Glasgow lore, supporting Charles Rennie<br />
Mackintosh and establishing café culture,<br />
but it is only in recent times female voices<br />
have been heard. Alan picks up, ‘Many<br />
women had to cope with truly horrendous<br />
living conditions. Doctors wouldn’t even<br />
come to visit some of these overcrowded<br />
places families had to live in. The city has had<br />
periods where phenomenal wealth poured in<br />
– but not to the poorer communities.’<br />
One place was key to compiling the book:<br />
the Glasgow Room in the Mitchell Library.<br />
It is said to house every book ever written<br />
on the city. Condensing that knowledge into<br />
one book sounds like an overwhelming task<br />
but is one Alan relished. ‘It was an absolute<br />
joy to get immersed in it all – I am a reference<br />
librarian by trade so I know how to find<br />
things. Long before Google there was the<br />
Mitchell Library,’ he chuckles.<br />
So a lot went in to making the booking<br />
happen. ‘I think it took around a year and a<br />
half and there must be elements of two to<br />
three hundred books in it, as well as the other<br />
sources that information came from.’<br />
‘I think their eventual demolition is<br />
emblematic of Glasgow’s current revival,’<br />
Alan says. ‘But it was also incredible to find<br />
out about what it had been like living there.<br />
When residents moved in in the 1960s it was<br />
a fantastic place to stay, kids played football<br />
using the lifts as goals and practised heading<br />
the ball when it was thrown from different<br />
floors. On the 18th floor if it was a windy day<br />
– your bath water would lap right over the<br />
edge.’<br />
But the piece that really sums up Glasgow<br />
and its people for Alan was when the airport<br />
became the focus of a terrorist attack in<br />
2007 and baggage handler John Smeaton<br />
instinctively reacted by attacking back.<br />
He became an overnight sensation on news<br />
programmes around the world with his, this is<br />
Glasgow do not mess with us attitude.<br />
‘I really hope this book makes readers proud<br />
to be Glaswegian and it paints a picture of<br />
the city that people recognise,’ he concludes.<br />
‘It’s also a pointer to the future. If this is what<br />
Glasgow is like now where is it going to go<br />
next?’<br />
Glasgow The Autobiography, edited by<br />
Alan Taylor is out now published by Birlinn.<br />
The book’s closing chapter brings together<br />
accounts of the Red Road flats in the north<br />
east of the city. In 2015 the multi-storey tower<br />
blocks were finally demolished. This came<br />
a year after it had been suggested they be<br />
taken down during the opening ceremony of<br />
the Commonwealth Games.<br />
Competition!<br />
We have two copies of<br />
Glasgow The Autobiography<br />
to give away. Visit<br />
westendermagazine.com and<br />
click on competitions by the<br />
28th of February 2018.<br />
£2<br />
Glasgow<br />
OFF<br />
*<br />
RRP £9.99<br />
*Exclusive offer for WESTENDER readers<br />
at Waterstones 351-355 Byres Road<br />
branch only, by 28th February 2018.
www.westendermagazine.com | 21<br />
THERE ARE SO MANY<br />
WAYS TO LOVE<br />
JOIN // HOST // SHOP<br />
For more information:<br />
www.stelladot.co.uk/lorainepatrick lorainepatrick1@me.com
22 | www.westendermagazine.com<br />
1<br />
BY BRIAN TOAL<br />
WESTENDER’s<br />
COVER TO COVER<br />
Angus McAllister worked as a solicitor and university<br />
professor and is now retired. He has lived in and<br />
around Glasgow for years, mostly in tenement flats<br />
and spending time in the West End in particular.<br />
Close Quarters<br />
by Angus McAllister<br />
In the West End he soaked up the<br />
culture, taking stock of the characters<br />
and clearly enjoying the environs of<br />
Byres Road at its cornucopia of shops,<br />
pubs and eateries. Drawing on these<br />
experiences, McAllister has written a<br />
book which manages to combine his<br />
love of university life, the West End<br />
of Glasgow and his knowledge of the<br />
legal profession, resulting in a book<br />
which is in many ways a ‘Tales of the<br />
City’ we can call our own.<br />
Like Armistead Maupin, McAllister<br />
chooses to focus on a different<br />
character in each section of the<br />
book, allowing us to gain valuable<br />
background knowledge of the<br />
characters in what seems like<br />
a typical Glasgow ‘wally’ close.<br />
Beginning with the murder of Walter<br />
Bain – the bane of everyone else<br />
who lives in the close – the rest of<br />
the satirical novel provides a potted<br />
history of the other tenants, allowing<br />
the reader to form their own opinion<br />
as to the likely killer of the Victor<br />
Meldrew-esque Walter Bain.<br />
McAllister is candid about the<br />
fact that this novel should be read<br />
primarily as a comedy, and indeed<br />
there are some laugh-out-loud<br />
moments in the book, in particular<br />
the sections which depict typical pub<br />
conversations in The Centurion, a pub<br />
which any Westender will recognise.<br />
The banter comes thick and fast<br />
at times, although the dialogue is<br />
often missing the gritty realism of<br />
James Kelman or Jeff Torrington.<br />
There are wee political jibes liberally scattered throughout the book<br />
and university life is satirised simply by detailing the machinations of<br />
committees and vice chancellors, with very little need for commentary<br />
to highlight the ridiculousness of bureaucracy, both in academia and<br />
in Glasgow City Council. I particularly enjoyed the nostalgic look at<br />
the Hillhead by-election when Roy Jenkins was elected, an event<br />
recounted through the prism of a cynical Westender and with a<br />
typical Glaswegian disdain for authority.<br />
Some characters are realised more effectively than others, as some<br />
seem to remain caricatures whilst others are given a much more<br />
detailed treatment. With such a disparate cast, this was always going<br />
to be the case. The English lecturer, for example, doesn’t seem to be<br />
clear on what acronyms are, and the nervous wreck that is Henrietta<br />
Quayle – who quails like a hen at the least wee thing – seems like a<br />
bit of a cliché, although if you spend enough time in the West End,<br />
as McAllister clearly has, you’re sure to meet almost all of these<br />
characters eventually, provided you know which pubs to drink in. As<br />
a comedy wrapped around a whodunit it’s an entertaining book and<br />
will be enjoyed especially by anyone familiar with the West End.
www.westendermagazine.com | 23<br />
Hag-seed<br />
by Margaret Atwood<br />
2<br />
To reimagine Shakespeare<br />
is no mean feat and not an<br />
undertaking which many<br />
authors are equal to.<br />
Over the years the BBC have<br />
produced clever adaptations<br />
of Shakespeare’s plays and<br />
Hollywood has produced modern<br />
versions of his famous tales<br />
with a mixture of aplomb and<br />
disaster. Atwood’s retelling of The<br />
Tempest is part of the Hogarth<br />
Shakespeare project which<br />
also includes work by Jeanette<br />
Winterson, Howard Jabobson,<br />
Tracy Chevalier and Jo Nesbo.<br />
The novels follows the story of<br />
Felix, once a famous director of<br />
the Makeshiweg Festival and his<br />
desire for revenge on his erstwhile<br />
colleagues from the bitter,<br />
backbiting world of the arts<br />
following his untimely removal<br />
which left him unemployed and<br />
adrift with only his ‘Miranda’ for<br />
company.<br />
He moves to the Canadian<br />
hinterland to lick his wounds,<br />
reinventing himself as a kindly<br />
retiree keen to help out the local<br />
prison with its theatre course.<br />
Before long, Felix manipulates<br />
his enemies into attending the<br />
annual prison production, which<br />
this year happens to be The<br />
Tempest, the very show he had<br />
been preparing before being<br />
ousted from his directorship of<br />
the festival. The finale is both<br />
hilarious and disturbing in equal<br />
measure.<br />
With a motley crew of characters<br />
from the prison – think of a male<br />
version of Orange is the New<br />
Black – enlisted in Felix’s quest for<br />
revenge, the action is fast-paced,<br />
funny and fantastical, all in a<br />
way which echoes the original<br />
beautifully, but with Atwood’s<br />
stamp indelibly printed on this<br />
reimagining.<br />
How refreshing to look at the<br />
history of the world not through<br />
the well-trodden roads of our<br />
own western perspective but<br />
through the exotic and often<br />
poorly understood silk roads of<br />
central Asia.<br />
Peter Frankopan takes the reader<br />
on a journey from the early<br />
Sogdian traders predating the<br />
birth of Islam, through the rise<br />
and spread of Islam, from the<br />
huge influence of the Mongol<br />
Empire to the Mughals, the Turks,<br />
the Russian Empire and the<br />
British Empire’s influence on this<br />
region. All global developments<br />
and conquests over the past<br />
two thousand years are viewed<br />
through this central Asian prism,<br />
allowing the reader to appreciate<br />
the influence and importance of<br />
this geographically crucial area in<br />
terms of world politics, but also<br />
in terms of the natural resources<br />
and trading routes which have<br />
underpinned this region for<br />
centuries.<br />
Replete with a series of maps<br />
and beautiful full colour pictures,<br />
this book really forces the reader<br />
to consider how well they know<br />
history and exactly what history<br />
we have been exposed to in our<br />
distant corner of Europe.<br />
Taking us right up to the recent<br />
wars over Iraq and Afghanistan,<br />
Frankopan carefully explains the<br />
importance of this region in the<br />
‘Great Game’ between competing<br />
global players and ends on a<br />
note of optimism for this region,<br />
as the recently outward looking<br />
Chinese government begins to<br />
show an increasing interest in<br />
the resources and connections<br />
which this area of the world has<br />
in abundance.<br />
The Silk Roads<br />
by Peter Frankopan<br />
3
24 | www.westendermagazine.com<br />
Top Things To Do<br />
in the West End<br />
by Tracy Mukherjee<br />
Happy New Year to one and all! The merriment<br />
and excesses of the festive season have passed<br />
for another year. Scales all over the West End<br />
are confirming what we all knew before standing<br />
on them; it’s time for those health-kick New Year<br />
resolutions. In addition to some great ideas to<br />
get you feeling smugly healthy in the next few<br />
months, here is our guide to all that is happening<br />
over the winter months to come.<br />
Top for West End Wellbeing<br />
Getting back in the groove of a healthy lifestyle<br />
seems to be top for everyone at this time of<br />
year. Given that the dark, cold days and nights<br />
do little for one’s mood either, a great option to<br />
cover all bases is yoga. The Movement Studio<br />
focuses on the wellbeing of both mind and body.<br />
With a great range of yoga classes – Ashtanga,<br />
Hatha, Yoga Flow – to suit all preferences<br />
and abilities, the studio really focuses on<br />
overall health too. There is also a real focus on<br />
mindfulness and meditation to keep your mood<br />
uplifted during these dark months. With on-site<br />
rehab for injuries including physio, the centre<br />
is also a major proponent of Gyrotonic® and<br />
Gyrokinesis® exercise. With devotees such<br />
as Andy Murray swearing by it, Gyrotonic®<br />
movement maximizes your potential for<br />
stretching and strengthening muscles which is<br />
believed to relieve injury pain and improve joint<br />
mobility.<br />
If you are an individual who feels that you<br />
are only really working out if you break a<br />
sweat Bikram Yoga in Dowanside Lane will<br />
most definitely see you do just that! Bikram,<br />
the original 'hot' yoga, runs in the format of<br />
90 minute sessions suitable for beginners<br />
or advanced students. Evolving initially from<br />
the more moderate Hatha yoga, each session<br />
involves 26 postures in a hot, humid room. The<br />
highly skilled instructors will ensure you feel<br />
comfortable and that you go at your own pace.<br />
That sweat that you wanted to break? Better<br />
bring a bucket!<br />
The Movement Studio, 4 Ashton Lane G12 8SJ<br />
w:themovementstudio.co.uk<br />
Bikram Yoga, 1 Dowanside Lane G12 9BZ<br />
w:bikramglasgow.com<br />
Top for Healthy Diet<br />
In addition to your new exercise regime, what<br />
about addressing that post-festive diet? The<br />
downfall of every healthy eating plan – what<br />
happens when you go out for dinner? The answer<br />
lies amongst the tiny hub of establishments<br />
in Otago Lane. Tchai Ovna, a regular haunt of<br />
veggies and vegans for many a year, has a great<br />
selection of delicious healthy options for all.<br />
From their delectable red dahl served with warm<br />
pitta, to the award winning chipotle chilli, it’s a<br />
great meat free menu that certainly won’t leave<br />
you hungry. A tea house first and foremost, there<br />
are around 100 different kind of teas to choose<br />
from. Sampling aromatic oolong teas, to enjoying<br />
the rich health benefits of green and white teas,<br />
there is also a list of herbal teas to address a<br />
myriad of health problem. With the setting and<br />
aromas whisking you away to far flung lands,<br />
Tchai Ovna is a great venue for relaxing, enjoying<br />
the company of friends or even meditating. Now<br />
that will impress your yoga instructor.<br />
Tchai Ovna, 42 Otago Lane G12 8PB<br />
w: tchaiovna.com<br />
Top for Winter Festivals<br />
January. At least there is Burns Night<br />
suppers to look forward to. What else? I’m<br />
sure I’m forgetting something… why CELTIC<br />
CONNECTIONS of course! There is simply<br />
nothing like this glorious folk festival to brighten<br />
up the dismal days of January. Now in its 25th<br />
year, the festival showcases Scottish folk in
www.westendermagazine.com | 25<br />
Top Things To Do<br />
in the West End<br />
unison with world music from around the globe.<br />
With hundreds of concerts taking place during<br />
the 16 days of celtic celebrations, there’s no end<br />
of choices here in the West End. Main venues<br />
in the west include the Hug and Pint on Great<br />
Western Road, The Mackintosh Church, Queens<br />
Cross, Oran Mor on Byres Road and Partick<br />
Burgh Hall. The latter is hosting a whole range<br />
of ceilidh dances with live music, which are sure<br />
to sell out quickly – a great way to have a really<br />
fun night whilst exbounding some extra calories.<br />
There is NOTHING that works up a sweat like a<br />
ceilidh – ask any student who frequented The<br />
Riverside Club in the centre of town in the 1990s!<br />
Alongside music and ceilidhs, the festival also<br />
sees the return of the annual National Whisky<br />
Festival of Scotland at SWG3. With 2 sessions<br />
running on Sat 20th of January including<br />
masterclasses, food and live music, the day will<br />
be a true celebration of uisge beatha.<br />
Celtic Connections 18th Jan – 4th Feb, various<br />
venues. w:celticconnections.com<br />
Top for Film Theatre<br />
We are taking a break from our usual roundup<br />
of the top west end stage productions. From<br />
February 21st, the Glasgow Film Festival kicks<br />
off and we thought it only fitting to focus on<br />
the theatre of film for a little change. Now in its<br />
13th year, the festival has grown from strength<br />
to strength from its humble beginnings in 2005<br />
where the attendance was just 6000. Last year<br />
saw the largest festival yet with an incredible<br />
42,000 cinema goers attending screenings<br />
and events. The festival has broad ranging<br />
appeal due to its focus on promoting a huge<br />
spectrum of local and international film. Film<br />
buffs love the diversity of cinema on offer:<br />
from cult favourites to main stream staples,<br />
from art house masterpieces to immortal black<br />
and white classics. And alongside the cinema<br />
screenings, there are always some interesting<br />
fringe events. Join the audience for discussion<br />
panels, interactive workshops or to pose<br />
questions to directors and producers. Whilst<br />
this year’s programme is still being finalized, one<br />
particular film stands out in the 2018 festival. To<br />
celebrate 20 years since its release, there will be<br />
an anniversary showing of the Coen Brothers Big<br />
Lebowski. This classic cult comedy epitomizes<br />
the work of the Coens. In conjunction with the<br />
showing, there will be 'a night of bowling' at<br />
Hollywood Bowl Springfield Quay. And if the<br />
heady aromas of hired bowling shoes don’t evoke<br />
all that is great about the film, I’m sure a classic<br />
White Russian will. Drinking whilst bowling –<br />
is that a good idea? The dude abides…<br />
Glasgow Film Festival 21st Feb – 4th March,<br />
various venues w:glasgowfilm.org<br />
Top for…Broken Resolutions<br />
The yoga is going well and you’ve lost two<br />
pounds so far; only another stone to go. And yes,<br />
the juices are yum, but it’s been raining for 15<br />
consecutive days in a row and I’m sorry, a kale<br />
and pumpkin seed smoothie just isn’t going to do<br />
it today. The solution? A (one off, mind) trip to<br />
Tantrum Doughnuts in Yorkhill. The epitome of<br />
a hidden gem, this Old Dumbarton Road coffee<br />
shop has the best doughnuts around. With a<br />
regularly changing menu and unique flavours,<br />
each visit will see you finding something new.<br />
The actual doughnuts are unique too with<br />
two different types – yeast raised brioche<br />
and traditional, made from ingredients such<br />
as buttermilk and nutmeg. For toppings try<br />
pistachio and hibiscus, chocolate hazelnut<br />
crumble or what about savoury maple bacon old<br />
fashioned? And with sumptuous hot chocolate<br />
and coffees to accompany, falling off the wagon<br />
for one day will seem TOTALLY worth it. The<br />
venue is dog friendly too. And with free Wifi, you<br />
can always book in for an extra yoga session<br />
whilst chowing down on a salted honey ring.<br />
Tantrum Doughnuts, 27 Old Dumbarton Road,<br />
Yorkhill G3 8RD w:tantrumdoughnuts.com
26 | www.westendermagazine.com<br />
SERVING UP<br />
second chances@street & arrow<br />
WORDS Hannah Westwater<br />
IMAGES Gregor Reid<br />
‘W<br />
e’re in a dark room, but we’re not<br />
flipping the light switch for them.<br />
We’re standing with them, side<br />
by side, shining a torch on the switch and<br />
saying: “go and get it”.’<br />
Inspector Iain Murray is the project leader<br />
at Street & Arrow, a social enterprise<br />
which employs and supports people with<br />
convictions. Launched by the Scottish<br />
Violence Reduction Unit and associated<br />
company Braveheart Industries (BHI), the<br />
programme operates out of a modern<br />
catering truck selling gourmet street food in<br />
Partick’s Mansfield Park.<br />
If it weren’t for today’s biting rain and the<br />
rumble of a Subway carriage underfoot,<br />
you’d be forgiven for sensing something<br />
transatlantic about the van (a 1972 vintage<br />
Californian Airstream, I’m told) and the chic<br />
environment built around it.
www.westendermagazine.com | 27<br />
That’s no coincidence – the project was<br />
inspired by Los Angeles company Homeboy<br />
Industries, which works to make streets safer<br />
by offering support and training to people<br />
with previous gang involvement. ‘We know<br />
through experience that these people who<br />
come from chaotic backgrounds lack hope<br />
and lack opportunity,’ Inspector Murray says.<br />
The demand is huge, he adds, and there’s no<br />
shortage of people who want the chance to<br />
turn their lives around.<br />
BHI won’t accept anyone who is mandated<br />
to be there, believing that the will has to be<br />
there before there’ll be a way. Referrals come<br />
from several directions – from third sector<br />
organisations and Jobcentre Plus to The<br />
Wise Group and the Celtic FC Foundation,<br />
as well as through outreach work done in<br />
prisons by Inspector Murray.<br />
Team members are employed on 12-month<br />
contracts for 35 hour weeks and paid the<br />
living wage. The job is only part of the<br />
package, though – they also have access<br />
to counselling, therapists and round-theclock<br />
support from mentors (known within<br />
the company as Navigators) who have lived<br />
experience of struggling with addiction and<br />
criminal behaviour.<br />
They’re also offered basic education<br />
skills and qualifications like SVQs, first<br />
aid certificates and barista training. Even<br />
parenting guidance is available – the majority<br />
of those currently employed have children<br />
of their own. BHI is all too aware that their<br />
employees may have fallen victim to a multigenerational<br />
cycle and require redirection<br />
in parts of life many of us might take for<br />
granted.<br />
Inspector Murray reflects on the recruitment<br />
process and says, ‘It wasn’t low lying fruit, we<br />
don’t choose the easiest people to get back<br />
into work. It’s those who are furthest from<br />
getting a job, those who people would turn<br />
their nose up at and say, “oh, too risky”.’<br />
The initiative is one of – if not the – first of<br />
its kind in the world to be operated by a<br />
police body. The programme appears to be<br />
founded on the kind of pragmatic idealism<br />
which Scots sometimes have a tendency to<br />
shy away from, which proves one of several<br />
valuable lessons learned from the company’s<br />
American partners. ‘You start to believe in<br />
them and they start to believe in themselves.<br />
There won’t be a more loyal person out<br />
there.’<br />
Callum (26) joined Street & Arrow in February.<br />
He was involved with ‘a lot of violence and<br />
crime’ and nearly lost his life in January<br />
before deciding he was going to make a<br />
change. ‘I’m coming up for a year sober, I’ve<br />
got custody of son, my wee girl’s in my life<br />
and I’m a partner to my girlfriend,’ Callum<br />
says, crediting the support and guidance<br />
of the BHI team. ‘This is the best thing that<br />
ever happened to me.’ He mentions that he<br />
lacked positive role models growing up and<br />
chuckles. ‘For me to get that from a police<br />
officer… That’s surreal after the life I used<br />
to lead.’<br />
There’s a strong focus on encouraging the<br />
team to be honest and vulnerable with their<br />
mentors, leaders and each other – many of<br />
the people with convictions carry trauma that<br />
manifested as destructive behaviour. “It’s not<br />
an excuse, it’s just been normalised chaotic<br />
behaviour. We want to take them away from<br />
that and equip them with the practical and<br />
emotional skills they need to be resilient.”<br />
Inspector Murray hopes that their work is<br />
the beginning of a viable alternative to the<br />
cycle of offence and incarceration, reducing<br />
the number of victims and benefiting<br />
communities in the long term. He points out<br />
that for every person involved in programmes<br />
like theirs rather than in custody, between<br />
£34-40,000 of public money is saved.<br />
There are three criteria BHI employees must<br />
meet to count as a programme success<br />
story: staying in full time work, refraining from<br />
reoffending, and complete abstinence from<br />
substances. Street & Arrow’s current success<br />
rate is 100%.<br />
The truck opens Monday-Friday as well as<br />
every second Saturday when the farmers’<br />
market runs. Inspector Murray hopes they<br />
can open a second location closer to the<br />
city centre soon and in the meantime, that<br />
the community joins them in giving second<br />
chances.<br />
actiononviolence.org.uk/projects/<br />
street-arrow
28 | www.westendermagazine.com<br />
Gifts Jewellery Cards<br />
SPiRiTO<br />
Love is in the air<br />
317 - 319 Crow Road, G11 7BU<br />
0141 337 3307<br />
www.spiritogifts.com
Westender www.westendermagazine.com Magazine Promotion | 29<br />
Images I Gregor Reid<br />
fresh Pan Asian at<br />
Abrand new year is the perfect time to<br />
put the stodgy foods of the last<br />
month behind us and embrace the<br />
fresh and delicious little parcels of goodness<br />
that are sushi at Wudon.<br />
With so many varieties to try, and each<br />
ingredient carrying its own health benefits,<br />
eating freshly made Saki Sashimi or Maguro<br />
Nigiri packs in the health giving vitamins,<br />
minerals and omega 3 oils our sluggish<br />
digestive systems are crying out for.<br />
!<br />
Free Tea Offer*<br />
Enjoy a refreshing cup of tea<br />
on the house till the end of<br />
February 2018! Choose from<br />
Wudon’s range of Flowering,<br />
Green, White, or Black Teas.<br />
*with any full price main course.<br />
#<br />
Wudon<br />
535 Great Western Road<br />
0141 357 3033<br />
wudon-noodlebar.co.uk<br />
WUDON<br />
Or if you’re in for a quick lunch why not<br />
try the Wudon Bento Box range? With five<br />
options to choose from, including ‘The Spicy<br />
One’ and ‘The Vegetarion One’ – all at a very<br />
reasonable £6.95 – limp sarnies consumed<br />
at your desk will never hold the same appeal<br />
again (though did they ever?).<br />
Pan Asian dishes of Japanese Miso Soup,<br />
vegetable tempura, and warming broth<br />
noodle bowls of Katsu Ramen, either freshen<br />
the palate or gently spice your taste buds<br />
after a cold winter’s day. With a range of fresh<br />
Flowering (and quite frankly simply gorgeous<br />
looking) teas to choose from to accompany<br />
your dish – your 2018 health kick starts here.<br />
Every piece of sushi, Bento Box item,<br />
starter, main course and dessert are all<br />
carefully crafted and cooked by the Wudon<br />
team of chefs on-site at the Great Western<br />
Road restaurant. Passionate about fresh<br />
ingredients made to order, the talented chefs<br />
and friendly, knowledgeable front of house<br />
staff love to welcome locals – both regulars<br />
and newbies. And with the delicious smells<br />
wafting up from the kitchen you should<br />
definitely go see what all the fuss is about.
30 | www.westendermagazine.com<br />
@<br />
The Three<br />
Judges<br />
Reviewed by<br />
Emily Donoho<br />
Areal Glasgow West End challenge<br />
is to be walking down to the end of<br />
Byers Road and not go into the Three<br />
Judges for a cheeky pint. The golden script<br />
and enormous windows commanding the<br />
corner of Byers and Dumbarton Roads lure<br />
you in.<br />
You know what’s inside: eight real ale pumps<br />
and a cider pump, which change ever week,<br />
so you never quite know what you are going<br />
to find. You do know you will come across<br />
beer from some little brewery you have never<br />
heard of, beer from your favourite Scottish<br />
and English microbreweries, and you know<br />
that it will be good.<br />
The Judges has won numerous CAMRA<br />
awards and the staff are knowledgeable<br />
about their ales – most importantly that<br />
means they know how to care for the casks.<br />
The pub makes that CAMRA membership<br />
worthwhile because CAMRA members<br />
receive a ten percent discount.<br />
There is more to the Judges than just real<br />
ales. If ales aren’t up your alley, they have<br />
the usual suspects like Tennent’s, Guinness,<br />
Belhaven, and Peroni on tap. It’s a pub where<br />
you can still have a conversation without<br />
shouting over a PA turned up to 11. They<br />
have a TV, but it’s usually off unless there<br />
is rugby or live horse racing on. The pub’s<br />
affection for rugby is unmistakable, given the<br />
Six Nations flags decorating the ceiling along<br />
with badges commemorating the hundreds of<br />
beers that have passed through the pumps.<br />
If you fancy live music, they have jazz on<br />
Sundays or if the pub quiz is your thing, they<br />
have one of those on Mondays. I attempted<br />
the pub quiz and had the distinction of<br />
coming last, concluding that it’s a tough one,<br />
at least for people who are terrible at pub<br />
quizzes. The winner received a £30 voucher<br />
to the pub, which pays for about eight pints<br />
as the prices are competitive for the West<br />
End, averaging £3.50 for a pint.<br />
The Judges hasn’t gone the way of the<br />
gastropub; you can buy a pie there during<br />
the day and that’s it. Not a bad thing, as it’s<br />
a beer drinker’s pub and doesn’t need to be<br />
anything else.<br />
It has a warm ambiance inside, with old<br />
school dark wood panelling, a high Victorian<br />
ceiling, benches around the nooks and<br />
crannies on the edges, tables in centre, and<br />
loos so small you can’t swing a cat.<br />
The downside, of course, is that on a Friday<br />
or Saturday night, the pub gets rammed and<br />
you have to shout over everyone else who’s<br />
in there, but that’s to be expected in such a<br />
popular and well-regarded establishment.<br />
There is a vibrant mix of locals and students,<br />
not surprising as real ales are gaining appeal<br />
among more demographics than middleaged<br />
white males. West enders appreciate<br />
the Judges’ vibe: it’s not a football pub or<br />
a pub with a DJ, but rather one you visit<br />
to enjoy quality beer and catch up with<br />
your mates.<br />
The Three Judges<br />
141 Dumbarton Road G11 6PR<br />
0141 337 3055<br />
greatukpubs.co.uk/threejudges<br />
Image I Gregor Reid
www.westendermagazine.com | 31<br />
be SQUARE be there<br />
New kid on the block, or square, is The<br />
Square Bar and Restaurant in Broomhill<br />
– an independently owned and<br />
operated eatery.<br />
From morning coffee and breakfast to<br />
brunch, lunch and dinner, with an extensive<br />
wine, gin and drinks list on offer, The Square<br />
offer a genuine neighbourhood dining<br />
experience in the West End. Owner, Luke<br />
Tracey, and his team pride themselves in<br />
offering an environment with real warmth and<br />
professionalism whilst looking after all their<br />
diner’s needs.<br />
Using only fresh and local produce, The<br />
Square’s kitchen team prepare their dishes<br />
with skill and care. Offering home comfort<br />
favourites, such as confit pork belly, sage<br />
mashed potato and roasted vegetables, plus<br />
a mix of dishes and tastes from around the<br />
world. Menus change seasonally to make the<br />
most of the fabulous Scottish produce on<br />
our doorstep.<br />
‘I’m excited to be part of this neighbourhood,’<br />
says Luke. ‘We are providing something of<br />
quality that I believe the locals and those<br />
from farther afield are looking for when<br />
dining out. Hopefully we can bring some of<br />
the magic of the city centre and places like<br />
Finnieston to another part of the West End.’<br />
Special Offer! Enjoy 20% off your<br />
food bill at The Square Bar &<br />
Restaurant from the 4th of January<br />
to the 28th February 2018 (not<br />
valid 14th Feb’18)*. Simply quote<br />
Westender when you phone to book,<br />
or when ordering.<br />
*Discount excludes any drinks bill.<br />
The Square Bar and Restaurant<br />
6-8 Norby Road, Broomhill G11 7BN<br />
0141 337 6988<br />
thesquareglasgow.com<br />
Images I Gregor Reid
32 | Westender www.westendermagazine.com<br />
Magazine Promotion<br />
RRI<br />
I<br />
by John Parker<br />
t was a great end of the year here at<br />
Rainbow Room International, as our Artistic<br />
Directors Suzie McGill from our Uddingston<br />
salon, who used to work here in our Great<br />
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from our George Square salon won Scottish<br />
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year running at the prestigious British<br />
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2018 is set to be a great year in terms of<br />
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learn sushi<br />
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607 Great Western Road G12 8HX<br />
0141 337 3370<br />
rainbowroominternational.com<br />
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@<br />
AVOAVO<br />
www.westendermagazine.com | 33<br />
Reviewed by<br />
Roberto Parrucci<br />
Exciting news for all those health<br />
conscious foodies around the city,<br />
AvoAvo, the first avocado bar in<br />
Glasgow has opened in Finnieston.<br />
I’m intrigued to discover what an avocado bar<br />
has to offer, and as I enter I’m a bit sceptical<br />
about what to expect. Recently, Avocado<br />
has made its way into the superfood world<br />
as a real icon. We know it’s healthy, tasty,<br />
and versatile. But for me, before this surge in<br />
popularity, Avocado was just an exotic fruit,<br />
main ingredient of guacamole, a dipping must<br />
at every party. What I discover at AVOAVO is<br />
that you can actually cook almost everything<br />
with avocado and it can add that extra punch<br />
to a meal. Glaswegians finally have their safe<br />
avocado space.<br />
Upon entering I am welcomed by colourful<br />
balloons and a warm atmosphere. Almost all<br />
the tables of this wee, snug place are full of<br />
people clearly enjoying their meals. Glasgow<br />
food lovers will be thrilled upon reading<br />
the menu – an entire selection of delicious<br />
avocado-based dishes that will match every<br />
taste from vegetarians/vegans to meat and<br />
fish lovers. If you think an avocado restaurant<br />
might not be your first choice, be assured<br />
that your taste buds will be tingled by some<br />
unexpected discoveries here.<br />
I was immediately struck by AvoAvo Fries:<br />
Panko coated avocado wedges fried or<br />
baked served with a choice of Chipolata,<br />
Balsamic glaze or Spicy Garlic Dip. The<br />
taste is reminiscent of my childhood in Italy<br />
and the mouth-watering taste of breaded<br />
deep-fried artichokes. AvoAvo fries are a<br />
delicious alternative to traditional fries and a<br />
good choice if you feel that raw avocado is<br />
too healthy for you. As a main I plumped for<br />
the Avocado Burger with salmon (would you<br />
believe?!). In this alternative to the traditional,<br />
the entire avocado serves as a bun for your<br />
preferred filling (salmon, beef, sausage or<br />
chicken). The selection is wide enough:<br />
Scottish/avocado breakfast, the alwayspresent<br />
soup (also avocado made but served<br />
cold) and several other intriguing options.<br />
Yet, I still had an appetite for a lavish<br />
sweet dessert. So, after a nice chat with<br />
the manager I accepted her suggestion of<br />
the avocado and lime cheesecake served<br />
with avocado ice-cream. Unconventionally<br />
delicious. If you feel all of this avocado is too<br />
healthy for you, and smoothies, teas or soft<br />
drinks are just too much, no worries! AVOAVO<br />
is B.Y.O.B. – you can bring in your favourite<br />
bottle of wine to match with your meal.<br />
Whether you’re looking for a lunch venue<br />
or enjoying Finnieston’s vibrant evenings,<br />
why not pop in and trying something<br />
original, tasty and served with that Scottish<br />
friendliness that Glaswegians put in what<br />
they love? Either way, AvoAvo, is your answer!<br />
AvoAvo<br />
946 Argyle Street G3 8JG<br />
0141 248 1741<br />
avoavo.co.uk<br />
Image I Gregor Reid
34 | www.westendermagazine.com<br />
Guilty Pleasures from<br />
Westender’s American<br />
in Glasgow<br />
It's Christmas! Go<br />
completely nuts with the<br />
decoration - more is more,<br />
in this case. Mismatched<br />
glasses look especially<br />
Festive<br />
chag ga<br />
mushroom<br />
Image I Gregor Reid
y Liberty Vittert<br />
Chagga Cake<br />
www.westendermagazine.com | 35<br />
It’s cold, and dreary, and I’m fat from holiday<br />
eatin’. The flowery sundresses, dreaded bikinis, and<br />
impossibly short skirts loom ahead… wait a minute<br />
I live in Glasgow who am I kidding. I could probably<br />
wear a bulky sweater all year round. WOO HOO let’s<br />
eat cake! Or, why not try a cake with antioxidants<br />
in it? Cancels out the sugar and butter, right? Right.<br />
Maxime, the master forager found these chagga<br />
mushrooms for me which grow in Scotland and<br />
Siberia. Yes, Siberia. They have outrageous health<br />
properties and make this nutty, sweet, unbelievable<br />
cake have an earthy flavour that will leave even the<br />
most sophisticated palates in awe.<br />
Find Maxime on Twitter @MaximeWildHeart<br />
K<br />
Shopping List<br />
3 cans refrigerator<br />
croissant dough<br />
1 box filo dough<br />
330g unsalted butter<br />
400g dark brown sugar<br />
2 tbs cinnamon<br />
1.5 tbs nutmeg<br />
2 tsp cloves<br />
2 tbs chagga powder<br />
170g chopped pecans<br />
for the glaze:<br />
reserved butter/chagga<br />
from main cake recipe<br />
375g icing sugar<br />
150g cream cheese<br />
1 tbs vanilla<br />
7 tbs single cream (to<br />
consistency)<br />
L<br />
Method<br />
1. Melt unsalted butter over a low heat<br />
in a medium pot. Add the chagga powder.<br />
Let it simmer on low for 30 minutes.<br />
2. Grease a bundt pan liberally and<br />
preheat the oven to 175C.<br />
3. Keeping it as a roll, cut the croissant<br />
dough into 8 rounds and chop those into<br />
fourths (bitesize pieces). Cut the filo<br />
dough into 2 cm long strips.<br />
4. Place half of each dough in the bundt<br />
pan.<br />
5. Strain the butter and remove about<br />
80g of the chagga infused butter and set<br />
aside in a small bowl. Lightly mix the<br />
cream cheese into this set aside butter.<br />
6. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon,<br />
nutmeg and cloves to the larger amount<br />
of butter and melt for about 5 minutes<br />
over a low heat.<br />
7. Pour half of this sugar butter mixture<br />
over the dough in the bundt pan. Add the<br />
rest of the dough, and pour the rest of<br />
the sugar-butter mixture over the dough.<br />
8. Bake at 175C for 40 minutes.<br />
9. Meanwhile, whisk together the chagga<br />
butter/cream cheese mixture with the<br />
icing sugar, vanilla, and single cream to<br />
consistency.<br />
10. Remove the bundt from the oven,<br />
flip onto a cooling rack and immediately<br />
pour over the icing. Serve hot.<br />
PAPYRUS<br />
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OFFER<br />
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Jan-Feb'18<br />
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374 Byres Road
36 | www.westendermagazine.com<br />
keeping it in<br />
THE FAMILY<br />
What’s it like to work with your partner, your sibling<br />
or your parents? Are family businesses a haven of<br />
harmonious working relationships or full of tension,<br />
rivalry and feuding? Loraine Patrick talks to three West<br />
End companies to get an insight into what it’s like.
One of the oldest family run businesses<br />
in Glasgow, Shearer Candles was<br />
founded in 1897 by Mr Shearer and<br />
Mr Harvey who worked as chandlers in the<br />
Candleriggs district. When the last of the<br />
Shearers retired in the 1970s the Barnet<br />
family took over – and is now in its third<br />
generation.<br />
Marketing and product development manager<br />
Stephanie Barnet’s grandfather bought the<br />
business before she was born. ‘He owned<br />
hotels and restaurants and always found it<br />
hard to get candles. ‘He was an entrepreneur<br />
at heart and always on the look out for<br />
business opportunities,’ she says. ‘So when<br />
the candle factory came up for sale it was too<br />
good a chance to miss. My dad Ian came into<br />
the business and at 17 was sent to France to<br />
learn the craft.’<br />
Stephanie’s father has been MD of the<br />
company for 45 years and works alongside<br />
her mother, Rosey, who joined in the 1980s<br />
as candles moved from being a commodity<br />
to a fashionable luxury product. ‘She is<br />
very creative,’ Stephanie picks up, ‘and she<br />
saw lifestyle trends coming out of America<br />
and France so moved the company in the<br />
direction of fragranced candles. Our first<br />
www.westendermagazine.com | 37<br />
candles were very simple fragrances – we<br />
started with lemon candles and it has grown<br />
from there.<br />
‘I always said I wouldn’t work in the family<br />
business because growing up my sister<br />
and I were always in here earning our keep.<br />
At weekends and during the holidays we<br />
would pack candles. Infact, whenever there<br />
was a big job on we would get hauled in<br />
to help.’<br />
That all changed after university, and now<br />
both sisters head up different areas of the<br />
business. ‘It’s in your blood,’ Stephanie says.<br />
‘I couldn’t imagine working anywhere else.<br />
We are enthusiastic about what we produce<br />
here – I couldn’t work for a company I don’t<br />
have this kind of passion for.’<br />
And as for fall outs, sibling rivalry and family<br />
tensions – there are none she laughs. ‘It’s all<br />
very boring. We have family meetings and it’s<br />
all very calm. ‘Even the extended family work<br />
here, my auntie is helping in the shop just<br />
now, my cousins have worked here and some<br />
of our staff have become like family. Our shift<br />
leader has worked with us for 40 years and<br />
our head of purchasing for over 20 years –<br />
her daughters have worked here too.’<br />
Image I Gregor Reid
38 | www.westendermagazine.com<br />
Offices/Studios To Let<br />
(150–250 Square Feet)<br />
Small friendly Business Centre<br />
in a West End Mews,<br />
close to local amenities.<br />
2 mins to Partick Underground<br />
and Train Station.<br />
Shared meeting, kitchen and<br />
toilet facilities<br />
Contact – Iain or Claire 0141 342 5440<br />
Email: iain@surface-id.com
www.westendermagazine.com | 39<br />
Image I Gregor Reid<br />
Over on Queen Margaret Drive Polish<br />
husband and wife Kamila and Radek Karski<br />
run their independent kitchen design studio,<br />
Atlas Kitchens.<br />
‘We have been in business together for six<br />
years,’ Kamila says, ‘and our backgrounds<br />
are very different. I came to Scotland as a<br />
translator and Radek was working here in<br />
the building trade. We set up the kitchen<br />
company as we have good connections in<br />
Poland and the quality of furniture produced<br />
over there is excellent.’<br />
Their different working styles make for a<br />
strong business. ‘He is tough and I am soft –<br />
it is like good cop bad cop. We have split the<br />
responsibilities so Radek is in charge of the<br />
on-site operations and I am the boss of the<br />
showroom. I do designs and sales and look<br />
after our clients.’<br />
Kamila is honest in the challenges they face,<br />
‘It is hard running a business together. We<br />
do fight as we both think we are the boss. If<br />
I ask any of his team to do anything they will<br />
always check with him first!<br />
‘We work all the time. I didn’t have maternity<br />
leave. Even in hospital after having my<br />
second child I was checking my emails and<br />
phoning the shop. But the flip side of that<br />
is our family life is flexible and we see each<br />
other more. Some of our friends hardly see<br />
their partners.’<br />
Working together can kill the romance Kamila<br />
says pragmatically ‘there are always money<br />
and work discussions at home. You do lose a<br />
bit of your normal life because you are always<br />
thinking about work and if we have a problem<br />
then we take turns at worrying about it. We<br />
are good support for each other.’<br />
But she wouldn’t have it any other way. For a<br />
time they ran their businesses separately but<br />
staff didn’t like it. ‘They think we work best<br />
together. We run this company as one family<br />
and one voice and we want something good<br />
for the business.’
40 | www.westendermagazine.com<br />
Image I Gregor Reid<br />
Sisters Jennie and Anna Wu completely<br />
agree. They run Wudon Noodle and Sushi Bar<br />
on Great Western Road and say they are in<br />
business together for the benefit of the whole<br />
family.<br />
‘We are in this for the greater good,’ Anna<br />
says. ‘I hear of lots of friends who go into<br />
business together and it has torn them apart.<br />
We sisters, we have disagreements. Some<br />
fights you win, some you lose, but you have<br />
to let them go. We don’t compete with each<br />
other.’<br />
The girls grew up helping in their parents’<br />
Chinese restaurant. Jennie recalls helping<br />
out even when she had a full-time job in<br />
another industry. ‘I had a glamorous Monday<br />
to Friday job as an interior designer, but come<br />
Friday night I would roll up my sleeves, put an<br />
apron on and help out in the restaurant doing<br />
everything from washing glasses to serving<br />
customers.’<br />
The restaurant business is tough – long<br />
hours and hard work and seven years on<br />
from opening Wudon the girls have married<br />
and had children. Youngest sister Winnie<br />
now also helps out, covering whilst Anna is<br />
on maternity leave. Jennie remembers being<br />
pregnant at the same time as Anna and says<br />
their regulars found it confusing. ‘We were<br />
two wee Chinese girls with big bumps. We<br />
also sound very alike so customers were<br />
always mixing us up.’<br />
The girls enjoy knowing their regulars. Many<br />
come back at different stages in life. ‘We<br />
serve students who have gone travelling<br />
around the world then come back home and<br />
have their favourite dish in Wudon, and we<br />
have couples who marry, start a family then<br />
bring their children in to eat with us. It is<br />
lovely to be part of their lives’<br />
‘It takes an awful lot of nurturing to run our<br />
business together,’ Anna concludes, ‘but<br />
it’s an amazing feeling to see our customers<br />
happy.’ Jennie thinks it’s like having a child.<br />
‘I have one already she laughs but Wudon is<br />
my other child!’<br />
shearer-candles.com<br />
atlaskitchensglasgow.co.uk<br />
wudon-noodlebar.co.uk
www.westendermagazine.com | 41<br />
Happy 20th Anniversary<br />
Independent Mortgage Store<br />
Paul McGowan loves life on the ever<br />
changing Byres Road – lucky, since<br />
he’s been at No.93 since he set up the<br />
Independent Mortgage Store 20 years ago!<br />
‘We opened on the 28th April 1998,’ says<br />
Paul. ‘From the moment we opened the<br />
doors that week we have been busy. Laura<br />
Carson, my office manager, has worked with<br />
me the whole time which is very rare in this<br />
industry. So on our actual 20th anniversary<br />
we will be going out to celebrate with a<br />
Michelin starred meal.’<br />
Gerry Hughes joined the firm earlier this year<br />
as a Senior Mortgage and Protection Broker<br />
– bringing 35 years of industry expertise with<br />
him. Paul adds, ‘We are literally a small family<br />
unit that has bonded together. The benefit is<br />
that Laura has an encyclopaedic memory for<br />
client details and recalls everyone’s kids ages<br />
as well as all their mortgage details.<br />
‘The benefit to our clients is that they have<br />
had the same team looking after them over<br />
the decades and we are now assisting<br />
our original client’s kids obtain their first<br />
mortgages. In many cases when we meet<br />
clients to review their mortgage it’s like<br />
meeting up with an old friend and catching up<br />
with their news. It’s the overriding benefit to<br />
keeping the company small and strong with a<br />
great bond to our loyal clientele.’<br />
WIN! Independent Mortgage Store, in<br />
conjunction with Gin Spa & Cup Merchant<br />
City, are offering one reader a Spa<br />
Pamper Package for two with an hours<br />
treatment each, drinks from the gin and<br />
tonic trolley and afternoon tea. Email<br />
paul@independentmortgagestore.co.uk<br />
with your contact details and confirm<br />
what anniversary they are celebrating by<br />
the end February 2018*. *Ts&Cs apply.<br />
Independent Mortgage Store<br />
93 Byres Road G11 5HW<br />
0141 337 3393<br />
independent-mortgage-store.co.uk
42 | Westender www.westendermagazine.com<br />
Magazine Promotion<br />
Accountancy<br />
Matters<br />
by Bruce Wilson & Simon Murrison<br />
Success in business is a marathon<br />
not a sprint.<br />
My resolution this year is my biggest<br />
personal challenge to date –<br />
complete the London Marathon to<br />
raise funds for Action for Children.<br />
At Murrison & Wilson our business is about<br />
improving your business. Get in touch now to<br />
achieve your business and tax goals for 2018<br />
and beyond.<br />
My marathon journey has striking similarities<br />
to advice I give clients developing a business<br />
plan. To succeed you need a vision,<br />
objectives and a goal. To reach your goal and<br />
make your vision a reality you must develop a<br />
plan and stick to it.<br />
For a business this means a robust planning<br />
program, key milestones plus regularly<br />
reviewing performance to improve results.<br />
Likewise marathon training involves a training<br />
program, good daily habits and regularly<br />
reviewing progress.<br />
The best advice I can give is focus on one<br />
goal. For me the marathon. For you it might<br />
be expand your business, take on staff or new<br />
premises. To avoid injuring your business and<br />
setting back progress work with a business<br />
expert.<br />
Business owners approach me, much the<br />
same way I did a personal trainer. Each<br />
with healthy knowledge and experience but<br />
lacking expertise to take performance to the<br />
next level. Running a business or training for<br />
a marathon is not easy. There are good days<br />
and bad days but with the right support and<br />
training you will cross the finishing line.<br />
Wishing you a happy and prosperous 2018.<br />
Simon Murrison, Director<br />
P.S Follow my London Marathon progress<br />
by visiting muwca.co.uk/ blog/simonsmarathon-journey.<br />
For a free consultation, plus fixed and<br />
competitive fees, get in touch now on<br />
0141 290 0262, email info@muwca.<br />
co.uk, or visit muwca.co.uk for our<br />
free tax guides.<br />
Murrison & Wilson Chartered Accountants<br />
10 Newton Terrace G3 7PJ<br />
0141 290 0262<br />
info@muwca.co.uk<br />
muwca.co.uk
Westender www.westendermagazine.com Magazine Promotion | 43<br />
Legal Matters<br />
The Season of Bad Wills<br />
Words from Donald Reid, chairman at Mitchells Roberton:<br />
Lawyers can spoil most things. I write this in the run up to Christmas.<br />
Gifts and stuff and family happiness. Right?<br />
Iwas advising in a case a few Decembers<br />
ago where a father had given money to his<br />
son Bobby to help him start a business.<br />
Bobby explained that his dad was simply<br />
being kind to him and helping him out.<br />
No strings attached. But his jealous siblings<br />
weren’t convinced. Their widower father was<br />
elderly and they suspected his blue eyed boy<br />
had ‘encouraged’ his dad to be generous.<br />
Easy fix you might think. Just ask Dad what<br />
he intended. But there was a problem.<br />
Dad had died. Yes he had left a Will but this<br />
simply bequeathed everything to his children<br />
equally. The pot was a lot smaller because<br />
of the gift to Bobby. The family temperature<br />
was rising. So I had to ask if there was any<br />
paperwork I could see. There was nothing.<br />
It was all informal and loving said Bobby.<br />
It’s actually not as easy as it sounds to make<br />
a gift, particularly if it’s money. Especially if<br />
you go and die just after giving it. Unless you<br />
have made it very clear your intentions were<br />
pure and generous your executors may well<br />
try, indeed they will be obliged, to get the<br />
money back from your donee.<br />
The reasoning is that under Scots Law if<br />
there is any doubt as to the status of the<br />
transaction the presumption is that it is the<br />
one which is least damaging, financially, to<br />
the transferor. So I had to advise Bobby and<br />
the family that in the absence of evidence<br />
Dad was deemed to have lent the money to<br />
Bobby, and indeed lent to him at a market<br />
rate of interest and repayable on demand.<br />
Bobby was ‘disappointed’ with this outcome.<br />
On my advice he consulted another solicitor<br />
for himself, and got the same bad news. The<br />
siblings were cock-a-hoop. Bobby’s business<br />
went down. Long before Twelfth Night the<br />
Christmas tree was getting chewed up in the<br />
back of the bin lorry.<br />
So here’s my advice if you’re<br />
thinking of making a substantial gift:<br />
1. Consult a solicitor, and you all know<br />
by now who is the best solicitor to<br />
consult, don’t you?<br />
2. Get the arrangement properly drawn<br />
up and legal.<br />
3. Tell the rest of the family what you<br />
are doing, and why.<br />
4. Adjust your Will to make sure there’s<br />
no misunderstanding there.<br />
5. Don’t die.<br />
Mitchells Roberton Solicitors<br />
& Estate Agents<br />
George House<br />
36 North Hanover Street G1 2AD<br />
0141 552 3422<br />
www.mitchells-roberton.co.uk
44 | www.westendermagazine.com<br />
mind<br />
body<br />
and<br />
stress<br />
WORDS<br />
SUZANNE MARTIN<br />
Daylight is in short supply and the dark<br />
ceaseless, or so it seems suffering<br />
from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)<br />
as I and so many others do. So what to do<br />
when the four walls start pressing in and<br />
outdoor activities are not such an enticing<br />
prospect? Is it possible to dig yourself out of<br />
the dark regions of your mind?<br />
Stress, anxiety and depression are often<br />
seen as symptomatic of our increasingly busy<br />
lifestyles – bandied about terms that belie<br />
their seriousness. Talking is proven to help, as<br />
is evidenced in the rise of ‘talking therapies’<br />
of the likes of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy<br />
(CBT). And so too is exercise.<br />
Surprisingly, exercise can be just as, if not<br />
more, beneficial to alleviating depression than<br />
medication – and without any of the harmful<br />
side effects. So which forms of exercise are<br />
most helpful? And are there any dos and<br />
don’ts? A top tip is simply, not right before<br />
bedtime as you’ll be too wired to sleep – not<br />
great if insomnia is also a symptom. But any<br />
exercise will definitely help you get your rest,<br />
which in turn helps your mood. I asked four<br />
different West End exercise experts for their<br />
advice and unearthed some interesting facts.<br />
Shanti Yoga – Sasha Ezzi Irani<br />
In terms of stressful lives I think Yoga has the<br />
ability to be an emotional clear-out every time<br />
we practice. Yoga helps us to become more<br />
aware, more present, it teaches not only to<br />
become comfortable in our own stillness<br />
but also Yoga is a moving meditation, so
www.westendermagazine.com | 45<br />
Image I Gregor Reid<br />
how to become more peaceful when we<br />
are challenged physically and mentally.<br />
I know, personally, Yoga has given me more<br />
contentment with my life, more peacefulness<br />
and more clarity, all things that are invaluable<br />
when you lead a busy life.<br />
We have such a range of genders, ages and<br />
people from different backgrounds that come<br />
to Shanti and that’s why I love our community<br />
so much. Everyone is just so friendly and<br />
welcoming and not just the teachers. In terms<br />
of the Yoga we teach there is so much you<br />
can take from the practice. Some people<br />
come to Yoga merely for the physical, to get<br />
more flexible or stronger, but I try and teach<br />
Yoga as something that can really exceed the<br />
physical as Yoga has so much more to give.<br />
I know many of our students come to Yoga as<br />
it can help you learn to slow your mind down.<br />
Yoga can also help release daily stresses and<br />
stuck emotions that might be weighing you<br />
down. Yoga is a whole body and mind affair<br />
and there’s so much you can take from one<br />
class, physically, mentally and emotionally.<br />
At Shanti Yoga we try not to get too bogged<br />
down with how perfect your practice is
46 | www.westendermagazine.com<br />
or how good your poses are. Yoga isn’t a<br />
competitive practice, it’s not a race and it’s<br />
not about making shapes. It’s about you<br />
taking the time out, to work on yourself, no<br />
matter how your practice looks.<br />
For sure as a beginner it will take you a<br />
few classes before you become more<br />
comfortable with what you’re doing. Once<br />
this happens though you will start to really<br />
reap the relaxation and focussing benefits.<br />
Over the years perceptions are changing<br />
about Yoga. When I first starting teaching<br />
over nine years ago now, I used to have men<br />
asking me questions like: how many men<br />
come to class etc. Now I don’t really get<br />
those questions and there are lots of men<br />
that come along, sometimes there’s even<br />
more men than women!<br />
Yoga for children and teenagers is also a big<br />
thing now – there are many children’s Yoga<br />
classes around. Yoga for children is more<br />
about teaching them how to stretch and relax<br />
in a fun way. And Yoga for teenagers can be<br />
so beneficial. I started Yoga as a teenager<br />
and I now look back and see how much it<br />
helped me. It taught me how to control my<br />
emotions and how to relax. I wasn’t sure why<br />
I did it back then but knew it made me feel<br />
great so I kept going back. Life as a teenager<br />
is tough so Yoga can be a great way of<br />
dealing with that difficult stage of life.<br />
I also teach vulnerable young people<br />
and young offenders Yoga, and although<br />
challenging at times, it’s so rewarding to see<br />
how much some of them love practicing.<br />
shantiyogaglasgow.co.uk
www.westendermagazine.com | 47<br />
5X50 Challenge – Simon Murrison<br />
The concept is easy to understand: exercise<br />
every day for 30 minutes for 50 consecutive<br />
days. There are no rest days – just do it (injury<br />
permitting of course).<br />
I think people really like the discipline that<br />
they have to exercise every single day to<br />
complete the challenge. They are forced<br />
to find the time to exercise and now I don’t<br />
believe anyone who says they are too busy<br />
to exercise – its a mindset! If you do it you<br />
will find your productivity and sleep will<br />
dramatically improve.<br />
Co-founders of the challenge, Raymond<br />
Wallace and Kelly Houston, first ran the<br />
challenge back in January 2011 and found<br />
the fitness and mental benefits of exercising<br />
everyday to be massive. I was asked if I<br />
would be interested in helping them take<br />
it to the Glasgow public, with a vision to<br />
get about 500 people involved in the first<br />
‘proper’ challenge. Little did we know at that<br />
point that by September 2011, when the first<br />
challenge was kicking off, we would have<br />
5,111 people taking part from over 46 different<br />
countries. To say the challenge exploded was<br />
an understatement.<br />
The team that helped run that first challenge<br />
all had very different reasons for being<br />
involved – mine was based around raising<br />
some money for charity. My outlook on the<br />
challenge has really changed over time. Yes<br />
raising money for charity is important (we<br />
have probably helped raise over £250,000 to<br />
date) but I really started to be touched by the<br />
way the challenge changed peoples lives.<br />
On the first day of the first challenge I will<br />
never forget seeing our social media streams<br />
being overtaken by challengers all wanting<br />
to change the way they lived their lives. One<br />
picture of a family who clearly needed to<br />
change their ways will live with me forever.<br />
We had created a simple platform for them<br />
to do this – it was quite an emotional roller<br />
coaster watching it develop.<br />
To date about 25,000 people have taken<br />
part in the 5x50 Challenge and some of the<br />
stories we have received have been simply<br />
amazing. We have quite a few who have<br />
reported their dependance on traditional<br />
medicine has dropped significantly and<br />
their self confidence improved dramatically.<br />
Our usual challenger tends to be heading<br />
towards middle age and perhaps work and<br />
family have made them slip out of the routine<br />
of exercising. We provide the platform and<br />
community to get back to it. As our challenge<br />
has a significant online community it doesn’t<br />
matter where in the world you are – just sign<br />
up and take part. Even try and convince a<br />
friend, family member or colleague to do it<br />
with you!<br />
We are still finalising plans for 2018 but are<br />
going to run two challenges next year. The<br />
next one starts the day the clocks go forward<br />
on 25th March 2018 and the second one will<br />
begin 28th October 2018.<br />
We have tried to make the challenge as<br />
inclusive as possible with five types of<br />
challenge to choose from – so it doesn’t<br />
matter what your starting level of fitness is.<br />
You decide which works best for your needs.<br />
Once you have joined the challenge you can<br />
create teams and get a great group vibe<br />
going on. We are heavily focused on creating<br />
a community feel so on difficult days you<br />
know you are not alone.<br />
Simply find us at 5x50.org and sign up. We<br />
ask challengers to pay a minimum donation<br />
to us of £5 (we are a registered charity) to<br />
help with our running costs and then off<br />
they go.<br />
Pilates Glasgow – Kerry Stewart<br />
From an early age I felt exercise meant<br />
competition. I think we are all taught that<br />
and have fears of not being good enough<br />
when starting any form of exercise. Pilates<br />
has none of that pressure – it’s about making<br />
your body feel better so that you can enjoy<br />
your week.<br />
In Pilates you are so focused on going<br />
through the moves in class that you forget<br />
about stresses outside. Its a mental<br />
break. We think about our breathing too.<br />
Deep slow breaths calms down the body.<br />
It sounds weird but breathing can become<br />
fast paced and shallow if we don’t stop and<br />
practice deep breathing once in a while.
48 | www.westendermagazine.com<br />
Image I Gregor Reid<br />
The intercostal muscles in-between the ribs<br />
can become tight and stiff and this can limit<br />
our ability to take deep breaths in older age.<br />
After a hard days chaos I can just lie on my<br />
mat and sort out my body. Then I can sit<br />
without aches and do whatever I want to<br />
do (like go running, lift my wee one or sit<br />
with friends) a lot better. Pilates mobilises<br />
commonly tight areas and strengthens those<br />
areas where we are usually weak.<br />
During pilates we look at how far we should<br />
raise our hips, am I stressing my shoulders<br />
and neck, or am I trying too hard? As a<br />
teacher of pilates these are things that I look<br />
out for and correct so that class members<br />
can walk out of class with a much better<br />
posture and feel less tight. We are used to<br />
similar movement patterns through our week<br />
using only certain muscles and with this we<br />
can feel like our energy has been zapped.<br />
With pilates, you will be taking your body<br />
through its other important planes of motion<br />
like back extension, side bending and hip<br />
extension. We feel more awake when those<br />
tight sluggish areas are oiled and warmed up.<br />
More importantly, instead of looking over<br />
your shoulder at others, pilates is about you<br />
– looking at where you are sore and need to<br />
work on.<br />
Pilates worked for me and I wanted to learn<br />
how it works. Now teaching, I love the variety<br />
of people who come through the door. You<br />
don’t have to be any age or level of fitness to<br />
start and I enjoy learning from each person<br />
I teach. Pilates fits everyone. I can’t think of<br />
one type of person who doesn’t benefit from<br />
its practice it seems to be contagious! People<br />
persuade colleagues, dads, wives, friends<br />
and their kids to try pilates so we are really<br />
not picky who comes and tries it out – we<br />
operate an open door policy.<br />
pilatesglasgow.com<br />
Living Mindfulness – Ratnadevi<br />
Typically, in a yoga class we don’t expect to<br />
share how we are getting on and whether<br />
we are actually experiencing the tranquillity<br />
and aliveness the brochure promised. While<br />
putting our bodies into different positions, we<br />
may be plagued by our usual ruminations and<br />
self-doubts, judging ourselves in comparison<br />
with others, going over past events in a<br />
blaming sort of way, or planning a shopping<br />
venture. Mindfulness programmes teach us<br />
how we can lessen this common, stressful<br />
self-talk and I find it very rewarding to engage<br />
directly and creatively with people in finding<br />
deeper peace.
www.westendermagazine.com | 49<br />
When we practice yoga as a form of mindful<br />
movement, we slow right down and pause<br />
frequently between poses to feel the effects<br />
in the body. After working with stretching<br />
only one leg for a while, for example, it may<br />
feel more in touch with the ground, longer<br />
or more alive than the other leg. This kind<br />
of curious investigation brings us more<br />
intimately into connection with the body,<br />
and out of automatic pilot. We ask: what’s<br />
happening right now, in this moment? We<br />
are encouraging attitudes of non-judgement<br />
and non-striving, so we enjoy the sensation<br />
of the body stretching and opening up,<br />
without constantly referring to a goal which<br />
we may or may not achieve. And if we do<br />
find ourselves in the grip of judgement, we<br />
embrace that in kindly awareness too.<br />
Working in this way soothes the stresssystem<br />
of the body, with its fight/ flight/freeze<br />
hormones exacerbated by anxious thinking.<br />
An important and potentially life-changing<br />
realisation is that we can relate to thoughts,<br />
rather than from them, and allowing body and<br />
mind to rest in Awareness.<br />
Another interesting area we can explore<br />
very effectively in mindful movement<br />
is our reaction to pain and discomfort.<br />
We instinctively brace ourselves against<br />
unpleasant experience, which adds to<br />
the pain and stress. In mindful yoga we<br />
experiment with consciously opening to<br />
the experience of intensity in the body and<br />
breathe into it, allowing it. This opens up<br />
more choice in our lives.<br />
On average I work for about eight weekly<br />
sessions with an individual, and some<br />
continue to see me for less frequent<br />
follow-up sessions. At the end of a course<br />
meditation and mindful movement will<br />
hopefully have become an integral part of the<br />
client’s life, leading to significantly reduced<br />
stress, anxiety and low mood, a clearer<br />
sense of direction and purpose, improved<br />
relationships as well as greater enjoyment of<br />
the small things in life.<br />
livingmindfulness.net<br />
To still a chaotic mind and reduce stress<br />
and its symptoms seems to be the modern<br />
day holy grail. Meditation and visualisation<br />
techniques helped me – eventually. Dedicate<br />
a space in your life to be kind to yourself and<br />
see what works for you.<br />
Image I Gregor Reid
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www.westendermagazine.com | 51<br />
Health Matters<br />
GP Dr. Pamela Leggate, of Glasgow West Medical Practice,<br />
discusses the link between exercise and good mental<br />
health. Starting small is key to helping your body<br />
and your mind feel lighter and less stressed.<br />
Those of you who know me, know that<br />
I’m always harping on about diet and<br />
exercise. It’s mainly because it has<br />
been shown to improve most physical<br />
health conditions, for example there is a lot<br />
of evidence that Type 2 Diabetes can be<br />
controlled or even reversed by weight loss, a<br />
healthy diet and regular exercise. What I think<br />
fewer of us realise is that exercise can also<br />
have a huge impact on mental health.<br />
Studies have shown that regular aerobic<br />
exercise (anything that gets your heart rate<br />
up and makes you slightly sweaty) can treat<br />
mild to moderate depression as effectively<br />
as medication but without the risk of side<br />
effects. Of course it takes a bit of effort and<br />
motivation to get out there and do something.<br />
Getting started might be a bit of a struggle,<br />
but if you can get into a routine of exercising,<br />
you will soon reap the rewards. Start slowly<br />
and build up gradually, join a class, enlist the<br />
support of a friend. Once you start to get a bit<br />
fitter, exercise becomes less of an effort and<br />
more enjoyable.<br />
Many people suffer from anxiety and panic<br />
attacks. If you think about it though, the<br />
symptoms of panic are very similar to normal<br />
exertion. Fast heart rate, breathlessness,<br />
sweating, tense muscles are all normal during<br />
a run. In fact it is virtually impossible to have<br />
a panic attack while running!<br />
You’ll have read about mindfulness and<br />
following those sorts of principles during<br />
exercise can help with anxiety, stress and<br />
panic. Focusing on how your feet hit the<br />
pavement, how your muscles feel and on your<br />
breathing promotes a sense of inner calm.<br />
Exercise has been shown to help with ADHD<br />
(attention deficit hyperactivity disorder)
52 | www.westendermagazine.com<br />
by improving focus and concentration in a<br />
similar way to medication like Ritalin. PTSD<br />
(post traumatic stress disorder) symptoms<br />
can be improved with moderate exertion. In<br />
many mental health conditions exercise is<br />
used a an adjunct to medication.<br />
For example, the main treatment for<br />
schizophrenia is medication +/- talking<br />
therapies, but people with a psychotic illness<br />
like schizophrenia are at higher risk of weight<br />
gain (side effect of many medications),<br />
tiredness and physical illnesses like heart<br />
disease, diabetes and even cancer. Engaging<br />
in an exercise programme will reduce risks of<br />
physical illness but can also reduce some of<br />
the negative symptoms of schizophrenia like<br />
apathy, lethargy and social withdrawal. Of<br />
course it goes without saying that you should<br />
never stop any prescribed medication without<br />
discussing it with your doctor.<br />
So how does it all work? Physical activity<br />
encourages the brain to release natural<br />
endorphins – serotonin, dopamine and<br />
noradrenaline, making you feel calmer, more<br />
positive and more focussed. Rather than<br />
tiring you out, a walk at lunchtime can give<br />
you the energy boost you need to get through<br />
the afternoon. People who exercise regularly<br />
have better concentration, better quality of<br />
sleep and higher self esteem.<br />
Of course getting out there and exercising<br />
is hard enough at the best of times. For<br />
someone with a mental health condition<br />
it can seem impossible. You might feel<br />
lethargic, overwhelmed, self conscious<br />
or scared. But there are lots of ways to<br />
overcome these problems.<br />
Start small. Anything is better than nothing. A<br />
walk round the shops can be just as good as<br />
a walk round the park. If you really can’t face<br />
going out, buy an exercise DVD, look up You<br />
tube for workouts to follow. You can even buy<br />
a cheap exercise bike on Amazon or eBay.<br />
Your GP, practice nurse or CPN can refer you<br />
to a local sports centre where a trainer will<br />
help you work out a programme that you can<br />
stick to (‘exercise on prescription’).<br />
The NHS couch to 5K programme gives you<br />
a step by step plan to improve your fitness.<br />
In just 9 weeks you could get from absolute<br />
beginner to running 5km without stopping.<br />
It’s available as an app so no excuses!<br />
Even if you can’t face the idea of running, you<br />
can still join in at your local parkrun where<br />
any level of fitness from walking the whole<br />
way round to Olympic athlete is encouraged<br />
in a supportive environment.
www.westendermagazine.com | 53<br />
Endmum’s<br />
West<br />
notebook<br />
by Michele Gordon thelanguagehub.co.uk<br />
Like many other activity providers, we used<br />
to hire space for our classes. We had tried<br />
several different venues before making<br />
Whiteinch our core location.<br />
Whiteinch Community Centre (1 Northinch<br />
Street) offers great space and runs as a social<br />
enterprise. It has a basic but nice café on<br />
site and a selection of different sized rooms<br />
with a car park in front of its door. They also<br />
have a large sports hall where they host an<br />
after school club, we hired it once for Ruby’s<br />
birthday. There are many community centres<br />
in the wider West End which are either run by<br />
community groups or the local authority that<br />
is Glasgow Life.<br />
Not far from Whiteinch you will find<br />
Knightswood Community Centre (201<br />
Alderman Road) which is one of the smaller<br />
centres but it does run a café and has a<br />
large hall with a proper stage. Also not far<br />
from Whiteinch is the Heart of Scotstoun<br />
Community Centre (64 Balmoral Street). This<br />
is a community co-operative led centre and<br />
receives no council funding. Currently it is<br />
fighting for survival as they are in need of<br />
additional funds to remain open. Different<br />
groups use the centre regularly, e.g. there is a<br />
dance class, a knitting club, a money advice<br />
team, a preschool play group to mention a<br />
few. It also runs a café, and the food seems<br />
popular.<br />
The advantage of the independent centres is<br />
that their prices are usually lower than council<br />
operated ones. From experience, I can also<br />
say that they are more flexible as they can<br />
make decisions themselves rather than<br />
having to report back to a centrally assigned<br />
head office. This can make life much easier<br />
especially if you use the centre as regularly<br />
and often as we have in the past.<br />
Either way, community centres are great<br />
venues whether you are in need of space for<br />
a special event, or a more regular activity.<br />
All of them offer a larger hall and several<br />
individual rooms you can hire at an hourly<br />
or daily rate. If they run a café on site they<br />
can also provide food for your event in case<br />
you need it. Some centres are equipped with<br />
only the basics but some, like the Whiteinch<br />
Community Centre, have lots of additional<br />
technical equipment to either accommodate<br />
a theatre play, stage and sound system<br />
or to host even a conference using smart<br />
boards, IT necessities and projectors. The<br />
more recently built centres are usually fully<br />
equipped with easy disabled access and<br />
facilities throughout the building, something<br />
older venues sometimes offer less of.<br />
On that note, I recommend the Annex in<br />
Partick (9 Stewartville St); I used to love their<br />
fresh scones with jam and cream. This centre<br />
now ‘run a richly varied programme of regular<br />
events and activities for older people’, I used<br />
to go there every week with Ruby and Leon to<br />
attend ‘Jo Jingles’ sessions. Not far from the<br />
Annex are the Partick Burgh Halls (9 Burgh<br />
Hall St) which is a Glasgow Life run building.<br />
It is the former council chambers for Partick,<br />
built in 1872, and now is a ‘B’ listed building.<br />
It hosts many community based events and<br />
is used regularly by political parties and<br />
community groups to inform about projects<br />
which are of general interest. The halls are<br />
one of the few centres that does not offer<br />
catering but you can bring your own.<br />
So, if you’re planning an event but don’t want<br />
to host it at home, check out any of the above<br />
centres. And if you only need a small space<br />
come to The Hub, we also hire out space on<br />
an hourly basis.
54 | www.westendermagazine.com<br />
Homes & Interiors<br />
by Susan<br />
Robertson<br />
Bringing some<br />
hygge into<br />
your home<br />
The Scandinavian concept of hygge is often<br />
banded around and we talk of it freely, Susan<br />
Robertson finds out more about what it really is,<br />
and how we can bring this quality to our homes.
www.westendermagazine.com | 55<br />
Hygge (pronounced ‘hoo-ga’), is a term regularly<br />
used in talk of interiors, especially at this time of the<br />
year. It’s something I’ve touched on in these pages in<br />
previous years, and it’s become part of the regular<br />
conversation around seasonal and Scandinavian<br />
home influences.<br />
The term itself can’t be directly translated into English<br />
but it’s often loosely referred to as ‘cosiness’. I think<br />
however the concept is larger than that and seems to<br />
refer also to a sense of contentedness and wellbeing.<br />
Part of this is affected by your environment, but state<br />
of mind plays a big role too, bringing these positively<br />
together is what really contributes to hygge.<br />
So, looking at what makes us feel contented in any<br />
moment, is often a good place to start. At this time<br />
of year, and in Scotland, as well as Scandinavian<br />
countries – cosiness is a really big factor. Think of your<br />
ideal night in, for many (myself included) it would<br />
involve good company or welcome solitude, crackling<br />
fire in the grate, tidy home, and comfy clothes.<br />
This is what hygge is all about, it’s holistic in terms of<br />
accounting for all elements that make you feel that<br />
snuggly safe contentedness. Think about that feeling<br />
you get when you come in from the cold after a long<br />
hard day and ease into a piping hot bubble bath, or<br />
when you feel chilled to the bone and change into<br />
jammies fresh from the radiator and sit down with a<br />
sip of hot chocolate. That is the sense that hygge is all<br />
about and, finding ways to spend as much time in that<br />
state as possible becomes more and more appealing<br />
(but often trickier) for many of us every year.<br />
So – it’s not all simply about an interior decoration<br />
formula, it’s not something that can be forced or faked,<br />
but it can however be identified for you, and facilitated<br />
as much as possible. Our environment contributes<br />
greatly to the ‘atmosphere’ of our lives and therefore<br />
we can actively create more opportunities in our home<br />
to feel cosy and contented.<br />
Some key factors feature in bringing this feel to our<br />
homes.<br />
Firstly – removal of clutter is key. I am part of a<br />
notoriously messy family with ridiculously busy lives<br />
so this is a big obstacle for me, however I occasionally<br />
know how lovely it feels to have everything around<br />
you in order and I often clear out at this time of year<br />
when I’m forced to address the journey to the back of<br />
the cupboard for the Christmas decorations. So try<br />
and find ways to declutter your lives and create savvy<br />
storage solutions so that, where there are piles of toys,<br />
or cobwebs of electric cables – they may still exist but at<br />
least you can’t see them.
56 | www.westendermagazine.com<br />
Homes & Interiors<br />
Make sure you’re warm and comfy – invest in good<br />
loungewear, you can’t beat soft woolly socks and<br />
comfy slippers or layers of luxurious wool, flannel<br />
or fleece. This is true both in your clothing and the<br />
textures around you. Think carefully about the<br />
material of your rugs and sofa, invest in quality<br />
cushions and pillows that you melt into and fabrics<br />
that feel great against your skin, not just the cheap<br />
foamy squares to fill a space.<br />
Balance these textures alongside influences of nature.<br />
Go for plenty of natural wood, rustic simplicity in<br />
flooring and furniture that values practicality and<br />
ease of living. Add the occasional touch of fresh green<br />
of a low-maintenance indoor plant. Use natural sticks<br />
and pebbles to create features and talking points.<br />
Stick to colours that make you feel calm, and clear<br />
your head. This will be different for everyone but<br />
often leans towards warm whites, soft blues or dusty<br />
roses.<br />
Then think carefully about every item on show in<br />
your home. William Morris said, 'Have nothing<br />
in your house that you do not know to be useful or<br />
believe to be beautiful.' Simple and easier said than<br />
done, but this is a good aspiration and closely aligned<br />
to the principles of hygge. Choose accessories based<br />
on things that make you feel happy and connect with<br />
positive thoughts or memories, whether that be a shell<br />
collected on a childhood holiday, or a little vase you<br />
have always liked – keep the happy things on display<br />
and get rid of the rest.<br />
Hygge also naturally connects deeply with restful<br />
activities and favourite pastimes, so play your<br />
favourite music, turn off the tv and put the radio on,<br />
bake a banana cake, get the guitar out the cupboard<br />
to be part of life again, and display it visibly when it’s<br />
not in use. The piles of old records or scruffy books<br />
that make you smile – get them out of hiding and find<br />
a fun place for them to live - on a shelf or a ladder<br />
or simply piled up at the edge of the stairs. You’re<br />
more likely to pick them up when they’re out too,<br />
connecting yourself at all times to positive things that<br />
make you relax and feel warm inside.<br />
There’s a deeply wholesome value to a hygge-inspired<br />
home because it’s more than just a ‘look’, it centres on<br />
knowing and loving yourself and your family first,<br />
and creating a space that nurtures and respects you to<br />
make you feel the best you can feel.
www.westendermagazine.com | 57<br />
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TheStore - HIS - Emma.indd 2 07/12/2017 09:48<br />
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The Store Interiors, 26 Munro Place, Anniesland, Glasgow, G13 2UP<br />
0141 950 1333 | www.thestoreinteriors.co.uk<br />
Email: sales@thestoreinteriors.co.uk<br />
TheStore - HIS - Emma.indd 2 07/12/2017 09:48<br />
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Homes & Interiors<br />
Comfortable corners<br />
In line with the hygge theme of the season, our<br />
plethora of West End boutiques and retailers are well<br />
geared up for creating stylish pieces to complement<br />
a cosy home through the winter. Bold shapes and soft<br />
fabrics layer together well to create a calming, cosy<br />
retreat from the cold outside.<br />
www.westendermagazine.com | 59<br />
Grey/Blue Panel<br />
Tweed Cushion,<br />
£24.95,<br />
Nancy Smillie<br />
Malini Trina Cushion,<br />
£24.95,<br />
Concept 65<br />
Two Toned Faux Fur<br />
Throw - Alaska Fox,<br />
£165, Annie Mo's<br />
Linen Cushion,<br />
£45, Hoos<br />
Bronte Moon Throw,<br />
£72, The Store Interiors<br />
Annie Mo's, 212 Great Western Road, 0141 331 0333, anniemos.com<br />
Concept 65, 65 Hyndland Street, 0141 357 0268, trouva.com/boutique/concept-65-in-g115ps<br />
Hoos, 715 Great Western Road, 07788 480421, hoosglasgow.co.uk<br />
Nancy Smillie, 53 Cresswell Street, 0141 334 4240, nancysmillieshop.com<br />
The Store Interiors, 26 Munro Place, 0141 950 1333, thestoreinteriors.co.uk
60 | www.westendermagazine.com
Westender www.westendermagazine.com Magazine Promotion | 61<br />
Atlas designers are always hungry for<br />
the latest designs, products and on<br />
trend solutions for kitchens and<br />
bathrooms – they love to stay up-to-date with<br />
what’s on the market and get fresh ideas and<br />
inspiration.<br />
Every person has their own taste, however,<br />
and this should be the key to any interior<br />
design decisions. It’s good to know what<br />
is out there but should always be filtered<br />
through an individual’s preferences to<br />
enhance their own style.<br />
Marble effect quartz is going to be big for<br />
2018. With a huge choice of finishes (honed<br />
deep greys, pure black, white with just a<br />
touch of sparkle etc.), this versatile, hygienic,<br />
low-maintenance material is a very popular<br />
work surface – now also available with quartz<br />
integrated sinks eg from Silestone.<br />
Earthy, muted backgrounds with splashes<br />
of colour throughout will feature prominently<br />
this year. In the kitchen it might mean a<br />
combination of lacquered doors (stone, grey,<br />
graphite, navy, off-white etc.) with some<br />
wood cabinets, plus bright freestanding<br />
appliances like a burgundy fridge or a zesty<br />
orange washing machine. You don’t need<br />
the whole set of the same colour items, it<br />
can be a stand-alone cooker and just some<br />
accessories like picture frames, flower pots<br />
or a toaster in the same colour. This can work<br />
for both contemporary and more traditional<br />
designs.<br />
A design tip is to try to use some brass,<br />
copper or gold where you would normally<br />
have stainless steel or chrome, for example<br />
on taps, cooker hood or handles. Or why not<br />
try matt black or graphite? Again the tap or<br />
the sink made of composite (granite looking)<br />
lifts the whole space to another level.<br />
But our top tip remains: always stay true to<br />
your own style and what works for you and<br />
your family, and trust your intuition.<br />
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atlaskitchensglasgow.co.uk<br />
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0141 237 1494
62 | www.westendermagazine.com<br />
by Susan<br />
Robertson<br />
Homes & Interiors<br />
With hygge the topic of the season,<br />
Susan Robertson looks at some<br />
different ways to link the use of light to<br />
the deep sense of cosy wellbeing the<br />
Danish term encapsulates.<br />
Lighting<br />
for love<br />
At this time of year, the cold weather forces us<br />
indoors and the daylight hours are few and far<br />
between, so we naturally spend more time in our<br />
homes. This has plenty of positives – we spend more<br />
time with family and friends and we are often able<br />
to take the opportunity to hibernate a bit.<br />
Perhaps taking some well-needed rest and relaxation<br />
comes more naturally in this environment than<br />
it does when the sun is shining and the outdoors<br />
beckons us out of our slumber.<br />
The underlying key in much of this is light.<br />
Light affects greatly how we feel, and how much we<br />
rest or relax. The hygge term relates to a deep sense
www.westendermagazine.com | 63<br />
of contentedness, and interiors that are created to<br />
maximise this sense also have light as a core element.<br />
How can we use light to enhance this sense of cosy<br />
wellbeing? If you’ve ever walked into a cold office<br />
block and winced as the strip lighting flickers on you’ll<br />
be aware of the negative impact of light. Or how a<br />
normally warm room can feel cold and unwelcoming<br />
when you turn on the big central light switch but is<br />
totally transformed when you replace it with soft lamp<br />
lighting.<br />
The key is to light in pools rather than trying to<br />
illuminate a whole room at once. The Scandinavian<br />
design principles lean towards very simple, functional<br />
lighting in different areas. Strong anglepoise lamps<br />
that make a design statement, as well as having a<br />
practical purpose work well. And also a touch of the<br />
industrial feel, can blend well with the softness of<br />
layers of texture in simple styles. In general, mainland<br />
European design styles seem to use lighting boldly, the<br />
use of white lampshades and naked bulbs partnered<br />
with vibrant green plants works really well, and helps<br />
to create that link with nature that adds to our sense of<br />
warmth and wellbeing.<br />
Everything is about layering and cosiness. When you<br />
think hygge, we often firstly think of a crackling open<br />
fire in the grate and contented woolly toes wriggling<br />
away next to it. The light that comes from an open<br />
fire cannot be matched or beaten in my opinion and,<br />
unless you want to read or sew, you can enjoy snuggly<br />
evenings with only the fire for illumination. Maybe it<br />
goes back to caveman days but the combination of light<br />
and warmth coming from an open fire, adds a huge<br />
extra dimension to a room, and also to how we feel.<br />
And of course, there are tea-lights, the IKEA staple we<br />
always have hundreds of but hardly ever use. Little jars<br />
of light around the room add layers of feel-good factor<br />
as you snuggle in for the evening. If you have pets/kids<br />
to consider, go for the battery ones – they don’t have<br />
the fragrance or quite the same effect but most of them<br />
flicker nicely and they mean you don’t have the worry<br />
of putting them next to the curtains or being knocked<br />
off the coffee table.<br />
And then there are fairy lights. During the festive<br />
season they’re everywhere and it feels so empty when<br />
they all come down – we’ve kept a lot of ours up since<br />
last Christmas for that very reason. I love that parts of<br />
Glasgow have made that choice too, with Ashton Lane<br />
and Royal Exchange Square just being a couple of the<br />
twinkly-lit options we can enjoy here.<br />
The options are endless, from spelling out words<br />
to looking like leaves, there are so many fairy light<br />
options to enhance a room all year round. I love the<br />
plain white though, they enhance without intruding<br />
and there are such brilliant battery-operated options<br />
now that you don’t need to have straggly wires leading<br />
to a plug socket, just drape them over pot plants or<br />
mirrors to create a lovely twinkly evening.<br />
Second to that is candles. Some gentle flickers dotted<br />
about a room creating soft light pools just adds another<br />
layer of calmness to the hygge-inspired home. The<br />
opportunities for these are endless and you can create<br />
a variety of different effects through choice of candle.<br />
I personally like the great big chunky spherical ones<br />
that burn right down in the centre, meaning they<br />
create a big impact glow rather than just pools of<br />
melted wax on your mantelpiece.<br />
There are also the wonderful different fragranced<br />
options in candles to consider. Hygge will mean<br />
something different to everyone, but for me the<br />
fragrances I think of are fresh basil or pine; tangerine<br />
or fig; or crisp cotton and lavender.
64 | www.westendermagazine.com<br />
Westender Magazine<br />
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www.westendermagazine.com | 65<br />
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66 | Westender www.westendermagazine.com<br />
Magazine Promotion<br />
Image I Gregor Reid<br />
Wee Kitchen Shop<br />
Beautiful Custom Made Contemporary & Traditional Kitchens<br />
Greg Bowers of The WEE Kitchen<br />
Shop is celebrating a full 5 years<br />
on Crow Road this January. With a<br />
mix of contemporary and traditional kitchens<br />
in the WEE showroom Greg has noticed a<br />
strong trend over the intervening years –<br />
Shaker kitchens are king.<br />
‘I’ve realised that clients have been coming<br />
to us looking for bespoke Shaker cabinetry,’<br />
says Greg. ‘With my furniture making<br />
background I have added more and more<br />
detail in to the project design which I guess<br />
has created further attraction and demand.<br />
As a result I have decided to dedicate all<br />
the display zones in the shop to show my<br />
evolved Shaker designs and details – this<br />
will happen early in 2018.’<br />
With many original ideas on creative storage<br />
solutions from his years as a furniture<br />
maker, Greg can often imagine, then design,<br />
bespoke solutions for the quirky shapes of<br />
West End kitchens. ‘Walls aren’t straight,<br />
there are odd nooks and crannies that used<br />
to be old presses and are now simply wasted<br />
space, but I love these challenges,’ Greg<br />
continues. ‘It’s often these spaces where the<br />
best design details emerge.’<br />
All the best for the next 5 years Greg!<br />
SPECIAL OFFER: Three ex display<br />
models on sale this January! Please<br />
call ahead for a FREE consultation<br />
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With slab, inframe, and Greg’s own design<br />
– framed Shaker – styles, The Wee Kitchen<br />
Shop will be able to display more variations<br />
for a wider range of budgets than ever<br />
before.<br />
The WEE Kitchen Shop<br />
304 Crow Road, Broomhill G11 7HS<br />
0141 334 4747<br />
theweekitchenshop.co.uk<br />
info@theweekitchenshop.co.uk
www.westendermagazine.com | 67<br />
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