Weardale Community News June Edition

Page 12 Weardale Community News, June 2020 www.wcng.org
By Jo Cundy
AS I learn to cope with
isolation and self-distancing,
I am realising that this is the
second ‘enforced pause’ in
my life within 18 months.
In the autumn of 2018 I was
diagnosed with breast cancer
and embarked on the merry
round of hospital treatments
– surgery, chemotherapy,
radiotherapy, targeted
therapy, etc. My normally
busy and active life had to
be put aside as I accepted
the need to keep infection
free and to pace my energy
levels. It was an unexpected
learning curve. And now,
here I am again, and deemed
by the NHS to be ‘at risk’.
So, what are the positives
from these enforced
pauses? One basic lesson
is that when life changes
The creativity of the enforced pause
totally and unexpectedly,
we just have to get on with
it – ‘Keep calm and carry on’.
But more importantly there
are creative opportunities as
we find ways of expressing
our responses to life. And
perhaps this is the time for
all of us to find our own ways
of reflecting creatively on
the enforced pauses in our
lives – with pen and paper,
brush and paint, needle and
thread, music and harmony,
pottery and craft – the
options are limitless for the
expression of our deepest
selves. So, another basic
lesson is: ‘Keep calm and
create’. As a retired lawyer
my preferred mode is as a
word merchant.
And I have been here
before. Ten years ago, my
husband died of cancer,
A thought for the day
By Charles Lovell
“Miracles do happen
You just need to keep your
eyes open.
They happen.
These are the little miracles
of nature and everyday life
But we just do not notice
them.
For there is in everyone, and
I mean everyone,
a bit of our consciousness
that is contact with heaven.
And that’s why they
happen.”
Recently, I picked up an
internal motto from St
David’s Abbey television
service on the Sunday
after Easter. It came from
someone who had practised
it in a very creative life:
Be joyful. That means a deep
joy. It’s not about putting
a smile on your face but in
your heart.
Keep the faith. A faith
that puts a loving warm
relationship above any
religion or regulation.
Do the little things. Yes,
when you feel paralysed,
as we all do these stuck-athome
days, just keep on
doing the little things in
front of you and perhaps
you too will stumble across
a miracle.
If you live in the Durham
Dales, Easington, Sedgefield,
Derwentside, Durham or
Chester-le-Street areas and
need assistance getting to
your health appointments,
Help to Health volunteers
could help get you there.
The Help to Health
telephone booking line,
0300 3309424 is open
Monday to Friday except
Bank Holidays, and
transport is available
from 8.30am until 5.30pm
weekdays. Your journey
will need to be booked at
least 48 hours in advance
and is subject to a volunteer
driver being available at the
required date and time.
Eligibility criteria will apply,
eligible patients are those
whose medical condition
impacts on their mobility
to such an extent that
they would be unable to
still in office and in full flow
as an Anglican bishop. The
context was four rollercoaster
years (including an
earthquake in New Zealand),
which eventually became a
book* where I could share
the gifts, the grief, and
the sustaining faith of that
time. Five years later I was
challenged by the publishers
to write about what I was
learning as I ‘travelled solo’*,
(reflections that acquire a
new relevance now in selfisolation!)
So perhaps now
I will be stimulated to more
literary reflections – who
knows? In this strange new
world, we all have extra time
on our hands, so let’s all
spread our wings and think
creatively.
‘Letting go of Ian’; and
‘Travelling Solo’ (Winner
of Woman Alive Readers’
Choice Award 2019); both
published by Monarch /
Lion Hudson.
Help to health -
patient transport
access healthcare and/or
it would be detrimental to
the patient’s condition or
recovery to travel by other
means. You will be asked
some questions when you
call to make sure you are
eligible for the transport.
It’s currently 50p per mile
travelled with a minimum
charge of £1.00 and a
maximum charge of £10.00
each way along with
the payment of any car
parking fees or expenses
incurred. This is to cover the
volunteer driver’s expenses
in line with HMRC guidance.
You will be asked to pay at
the end of your journey.
People that can claim back
their travel costs through
the Healthcare Travel Costs
Scheme can claim back the
cost of their travel with this
service to planned hospital
appointments.
Wild garlic soup
An abundance of wild garlic
AT this time of year, when
out walking you might be
familiar with the distinctive
smell of wild garlic. Wild
garlic is less well know thatn
domestic garlic, but can be
used the same as any herb.
Willie Giles, reader and
contributor, sent us this
recipe for wild garlic soup:
4 kg of wild garlic leaves
(cleaned and flowers
removed)
A big handful of red lentils
1 onion, chopped
3 large potatoes, cubed
1 litre of vegetable stock
Soak the lentils for 10
minutes to soften, then
drain.
Fry the onions and lentils
in a big pot with a little oil
or butter. Add the potatoes
and toss everything until
Credit James Prescott
everything is coated. Fry
the mixture for 10 minutes
or until the potatoes are
soft.
Add the stock and garlic
leaves and cook until the
garlic leaves have wilted.
Then remove from heat and
liquidise.
Willie advises you to
ensure that you have room
in the freezer for leftovers!
Do you have any recipes
that you’d like to share?
Email them to us at
newsdesk@wcng.org.
The WCN advises that
when foraging for wild
food, you must be able to
correctly identify what you
are picking, otherwise you
should not eat it. Never
eat any wild food without
multiple sources of positive
identification.
STR8TS
1
7
2
3
1 7
2 3
3 7 6
6
6
9
5 8 1 3
7
Tough
How to beat Str8ts –
Like Sudoku, no single number 1 to 9 can repeat in any row
or column. But... rows and columns are
divided by black squares into compartments. 2 1 4 5
Each compartment must form a straight - 6 4 5 3 2
a set of numbers with no gaps but it can be
in any order, eg [7,6,9,8]. Clues in black cells
4 5 2 1
remove that number as an option in that row 4 3 6 2 1 5
and column, and are not part of any straight.
Glance at the solution to see how ‘straights’
are formed.
3 5
2
2
1
1
3
4
© 2020 Syndicated Puzzles
SUDOKU
5 1 2 9
2 6
5 6
6 9 1 3
7 6 2 3 8
1 5 4 6
9 1
7 5
1 2 4 9
To complete Sudoku, fill the board by entering
numbers 1 to 9 such that each row, column and 3x3
box contains every number uniquely.
For many strategies, hints and tips,
visit www.sudokuwiki.org for Sudoku
and www.str8ts.com for Str8ts.
Easy
If you like Str8ts and other puzzles, check out our
books, iPhone/iPad Apps and much more on our store.
© 2020 Syndicated Puzzles
The distinctive spiky flower of wild garlic Credit:
Durtona Kitchens
and Bathrooms, a
family business for
44 years, wish all
of their customers
in Weardale well
and look forward to
seeing them again
soon.
Call us on
01325 357752
James Prescott