E01 1 <#FLOB:E01\>Basic Techniques: Knotted Balls

E01 2 Pamela Watts

E01 3 One of the many delights of embroidery is piecing together the E01 4 history of a technique, and the insight this gives into the E01 5 lifestyle of the women who practised it. An understanding of our E01 6 heritage of embroidery can enrich the creative interpretations we E01 7 all seek in our own embroidery today.

E01 8 The only mention I have been able to find of knotted balls is E01 9 in the Encyclopedia of Needlework by E01 10 Th<*_>e-acute<*/>r<*_>e-grave<*/>se de Dillmont. This book was E01 11 first published for the Great Exhibition of 1851, becoming the E01 12 standard reference book on needlework until the end of the century. E01 13 In the introduction it states that "needlework is a restful E01 14 pastime for women whose nerves have become taut under the stresses E01 15 and strains of modern life". It would appear, therefore, E01 16 that 'taut nerves' are not a twentieth-century invention.

E01 17 The basic technique for knotted balls as described by E01 18 Th<*_>e-acute<*/>r<*_>e-grave<*/>se de Dillmont is to make knots E01 19 along a length of thread, which is then cut into small pieces and E01 20 threaded like beads to make round, tufted balls. These balls must E01 21 surely be an example of Victorian creativity, a development of the E01 22 much earlier knotting technique which became a craze in the E01 23 seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. For this a shuttle -rather E01 24 like a tatting shuttle but larger -was used to make knots along a E01 25 length of thread. The thread was made into fringing or couched E01 26 down, between the knots, onto a fabric ground. It is easy to E01 27 overlook the practical difficulties of embroiderers in the E01 28 seventeenth century. For some, poor lighting often made simple E01 29 repetitive work a necessity. Lettice Legh of Lyme, writing to her E01 30 sister in 1690, said that her embroidery was "knotted E01 31 fringes or any other worke that may be done by candlelight with E01 32 ease to the eyes".

E01 33 There are several examples of this type of work to be found, E01 34 dating from different periods. At Cotehele House, near Plymouth, E01 35 for example, there is a set of upholstered chairs dated around E01 36 1725, which feature knotted wool couched so closely that the fabric E01 37 cannot be seen. In the Victoria and Albert Museum there is a white E01 38 coverlet dated 1738, which was made by two Irish sisters, Elizabeth E01 39 and Isabel Foster. It shows the family coat-of-arms with an E01 40 elaborate border of formalised leaves and flowers, all worked in E01 41 couched white knotted thread onto white linen.

E01 42 Knotting gained royal patronage through Princess Amelia, the E01 43 daughter of George II. A panel in Birmingham Museum worked by the E01 44 Princess shows a design of leaves and strapwork in ivory thread E01 45 applied to brown linen. Perhaps the most famous 'knotter' was Queen E01 46 Mary, wife of William III. It is reputed that she hated being idle E01 47 and, in the words of Sir Charles Sedley,

E01 48 "For here's a Queen now thanks to God!

E01 49 Who when she rides in a coach abroad

E01 50 Is always knotting threads."

E01 51 There is no mention in the early accounts that the knotted E01 52 thread was cut into short lengths to make balls. It was left to the E01 53 imagination of some unknown Victorian who had obviously tired of E01 54 couching down vast lengths and cut it up instead.

E01 55 The basic technique

E01 56 Take a length of thread such as Perle No. 5, approximately 45 E01 57 cm (18in.) long. Make a single knot in the centre and continue to E01 58 knot the thread to the end, spacing the knots 6 mm (1/4in.) apart. E01 59 Work from the centre to the other end of the thread in the same E01 60 way. It is much easier and quicker to knot short lengths of thread. E01 61 With just a little practice, it becomes a simple matter to slide E01 62 the knots along to the correct position as you work. The distance E01 63 between the knots depends to an extent on the thickness of the E01 64 thread used: with a thicker thread the knots can be further apart, E01 65 while a finer thread requires closer spacing. Cut the knotted E01 66 thread between pairs of knots as shown in the diagram, placing the E01 67 pieces ('beads') on a soft surface. Thread a needle with the same E01 68 thread, making a firm knot at one end. Pierce the centre of each E01 69 'bead', between two knots, sliding them onto the needle and along E01 70 the thread. About 20 'beads' will give a nicely rounded ball. E01 71 Always make a sample ball with any thread you are intending to use, E01 72 to make sure that the knot holds firmly, and to gauge the right E01 73 distance between the knots.

E01 74 Variations E01 75 The vast range of threads available to the present-day E01 76 embroiderer makes for exciting variations on the basic theme. Try E01 77 using narrow strips of chamois leather, chenille or fine ribbons. E01 78 Ribbon yarn, sold for knitting, can be used with the loose ends E01 79 unravelled to give a soft, crinkly tassel. Use strips of tights or E01 80 stockings, cutting round and round a leg section, knotted and E01 81 threaded as described above. The balls do not have to be a single E01 82 colour, so try using various shades together, or use variegated or E01 83 space-dyed threads. Whatever thread you choose, experiment by E01 84 working knots at different spaces -this can completely alter the E01 85 finished effect.

E01 86 It is tempting to use the shiny metallic threads and braids E01 87 that are now available. However, many of these will not hold a knot E01 88 securely, and tend to work loose, whereupon the whole ball falls E01 89 apart. If this is the case, knot the threads as firmly as you can, E01 90 but do not cut between the knots. Pick up the space between pairs E01 91 of knots with a needle, making the resulting loops of thread part E01 92 of the ball. A similar variation is to use many strands of a fine E01 93 thread together -perhaps fine rayon or metallic machine embroidery E01 94 threads. Knot along the length but, again, do not cut. In this E01 95 instance you pick up the knots on the point of the needle, not the E01 96 space between the knots, leaving most attractive loops of thread. E01 97 Pick up every knot for a tight ball, or every other knot for a E01 98 looser, flower-like effect.

E01 99 Uses E01 100 Although Th<*_>e-acute<*/>r<*_>e-grave<*/>se de Dillmont E01 101 describes knotted balls as a fringing technique, so beloved by the E01 102 Victorians, their uses today can be far more varied. A number of E01 103 balls, grouped together, make an interesting alternative to a E01 104 tassel, or use a knotted ball as the round head attached to a E01 105 traditional tassel. These can be used to embellish home E01 106 furnishings, curtain tie-backs, cushions, lampshades, and so on. E01 107 Groups of different-sized balls could provide a texture focal point E01 108 in panels and hangings. Jewellery -ear-rings perhaps -or fashion E01 109 accessories are possible starting points for their use.

E01 110 It may appear from the early accounts of knotted balls that E01 111 these were techniques developed to suit conditions of poor lighting E01 112 and long hours of idleness. However, perhaps they still have a E01 113 place in today's very different way of life: waiting at airports, E01 114 train journeys, watching television -aren't these ideal moments to E01 115 knot a thread?

E01 116 E01 117 Starting Points on Design-Borders

E01 118 Gillian Hulse

E01 119 For <}_><-|>hundred<+|>hundreds<}/> of years people have been E01 120 inspired to adorn their homes, places of worship and books with E01 121 that most attractive of art forms -the decorative border. Examples E01 122 of beautiful border designs can be found all over the world, on E01 123 painted murals, in churches, on palace floors and ceilings. Anyone E01 124 looking for inspiration can learn much by looking at the many E01 125 lavishly illustrated books on the subject. Themes for designs range E01 126 from the simplest of geometric forms to complex stylised flower E01 127 patterns. Virtually any subject can be made into a border E01 128 design.

E01 129 Before embarking on a border design of your own, give a thought E01 130 to how your design will repeat. Nearly all borders incorporate the E01 131 repetition of that basic design or motif, so it is important to E01 132 understand how the repeat device works. Another consideration is E01 133 how wide the border is going to be. This is a matter of trial and E01 134 error, and you will have to try various widths to see what looks E01 135 balanced. Finally there is the question of the choice of colours. E01 136 Is your border going to have a background colour that is different E01 137 from the main picture? Are you going to choose colours that blend E01 138 in with the main work, or are they going to be in contrast to it? E01 139 It can be effective to pick out two or three colours from the main E01 140 subject and then to use muted or darker tones of those colours.

E01 141 Once you have considered these points, you can get started on E01 142 your design. The best way to begin is to do rough drawings using E01 143 felt pens or coloured pencils. If you find you are stuck for E01 144 inspiration, try using some simple geometric shapes and see how E01 145 they look in different arrangements or colour groupings.

E01 146 When you have decided on your theme, and have worked out some E01 147 rough ideas, then you can start on a more finished design. Find out E01 148 the area of your border by measuring the length and width of your E01 149 piece of work. You can then work out suitable dimensions for the E01 150 repeat of your motif. For example, if your picture is 20 x 24 cm E01 151 and you choose a motif measuring 2 cm then you will have:

E01 152 20/2=10 repeats on the short side

E01 153 24/2=12 repeats on the long side

E01 154 The next step is to draw out your basic motif onto squared E01 155 paper (1cm square is a useful size), and then trace it to make a E01 156 repeat pattern.

E01 157 E01 158 The Art of Kurenai-Kai

E01 159 Mary-Dick Digges

E01 160 More than a thousand years ago the Japanese people were E01 161 introduced to the art of Kurenai-Kai. It was brought to them, hand E01 162 in hand with Buddhism, through the kingdom of Kudara (modern-day E01 163 Korea), from China. The oldest existing embroidered pieces are in E01 164 the Tenjukoku Mandala Shuchitsu (Tenjukoku Mandala Embroidery E01 165 Album), which was made in the Asuka era (late sixth century to E01 166 710). There is no older extant work in China, in Korea or even in E01 167 India, where Buddhism originated. Although a great part of this E01 168 embroidery album has been lost, the fragments can be found in E01 169 Chugu-ji Temple in Nara, Japan.

E01 170 Japanese embroidery received its impetus from religious E01 171 devotion and the desire of the faithful to create representations E01 172 of the Buddha. The Chronicles of Japan refers to an E01 173 embroidered Buddha made as early as AD 604. These works were E01 174 not made as objects of veneration, as were the statues of gold, E01 175 copper or wood, but were used to show the teachings of the Buddha E01 176 in a way that could be easily understood by the masses, just as E01 177 cathedral carvings served to instruct the illiterate in the West. E01 178 The earliest works were stitched in knots, chain stitch, and back E01 179 stitch. The chain stitch was used in much the same way that split E01 180 stitch was used in Opus Anglicanum, to create contours in E01 181 facial features. Knots were used on parts of the embroidery where E01 182 it was too difficult to use split stitch.

E01 183 By the latter half of the tenth century, court dress for both E01 184 men and women had acquired a distinctively Japanese character. The E01 185 most elevated form of clothing for women of the nobility was the E01 186 juni hitoe or twelve-layer dress. This costume E01 187 consisted of from twelve to twenty layers of unlined kimono, worn E01 188 in such a way that small amounts of each layer showed at the front E01 189 opening, hem and cuffs. Themes, such as the turning of maple E01 190 leaves, could be suggested by the juxtaposition of colours. The E01 191 colour combinations were recognised by all of the courtly class, E01 192 and one would lose face if an error was made in the order of E01 193 layering. These kimono were not embroidered, but the colour E01 194 combinations devised at that period remain part of the tradition in E01 195 Japanese embroidery today.

E01 196 In the Momoyama era (1568-1603) embroidered costumes began to E01 197 be made for use in the Noh plays (classical Japanese drama in which E01 198 the performers are masked and dressed in beautiful costumes). The E01 199 embroidery style established at that time has changed little and, E01 200 indeed, is often deliberately imitated today. By the late sixteenth E01 201 century people of wealth had begun to wear embroidered kimono known E01 202 as kosode, or 'small-sleeved garments'. E01 203 E02 1 <#FLOB:E02\>Wall Flowers

E02 2 Daphne Vagg

E02 3 The revived interest in styles of the 1930s means that wall E02 4 vases for fresh flowers and foliage are set to make a comeback. E02 5 What could be more appropriate in modern homes where rooms are E02 6 smaller, hallways narrower, and moves to flats and retirement homes E02 7 make space for flower arrangements doubly precious.

E02 8 Wall vases, or pockets as they are often called, were popular E02 9 from the thirties to the mid-fifties. Anne Lamplugh, writing in E02 10 1937, says that "big sweeping curves of rhododendrons are E02 11 lovely (and safe!) in a wall-pocket vase". Constance Spry's E02 12 books written in the same period, show several wall arrangements: E02 13 one of mixed ivies in a pottery vase; a period vase of old roses E02 14 and a gilded head container holding purple colchicums with vine E02 15 leaves and peony foliage. Julia Clements' books of the 1950s show E02 16 several wall decorations of gladioli, golden rod and dahlias in a E02 17 copper warming pan and an oil-funnel, painted cream, filled with E02 18 chrysanthemums. Then, in the mid-fifties, wall vases went out of E02 19 fashion.

E02 20 Now they are coming back, so if you have not kept mother's or E02 21 grandmother's wall pockets look out for similar ones in car-boot E02 22 sales and junk shops or jumble sales. For present-day versions, E02 23 garden centres are often happy hunting grounds. Most of them have E02 24 china and pottery sections and here you may find flat-backed blue E02 25 and white imported oriental ware or black and white Art Deco E02 26 copies. Half-baskets are there too, but these will need careful E02 27 lining. This is not too difficult as one can usually find a plastic E02 28 carton, basin or beaker to fit. For some types of interior decor a E02 29 terracotta wall vase (intended for garden use) is suitable and E02 30 large enough to hold growing plants or a pot-et-fleur. E02 31 Being porous, it will need sealing or lining for indoor use. E02 32 Painting the inside and the back with several coats of polyurethane E02 33 varnish will make it waterproof. Wrought iron, or similar, wall E02 34 brackets made to hold flowerpots, or gilded cherubs holding up a E02 35 half-round shelf can also be used.

E02 36 Obviously most wall arrangements have to be done in situ and E02 37 this helps greatly in getting the arrangement the right size for E02 38 the space, and fitting in with the style of the room. If you are E02 39 careful there is no need to fear marking the wall, but extra care E02 40 is needed with topping-up, especially if the pocket hangs by a E02 41 small hole over a nail or screw in the wall. Do not fill up with E02 42 water above the hole! Mist spraying is usually not possible unless E02 43 you can wipe the wall and protect any furniture underneath. Keep E02 44 the arrangement fairly flat where there is constant through-traffic E02 45 in a hall, or on the stairs or landing. If possible avoid a E02 46 position over a radiator in winter, but if that really is the best E02 47 place, you may have to resort to dried and preserved plant material E02 48 and perhaps fake flowers.

E02 49 The 1930's shell wall vase was recently found in a secondhand E02 50 shop and has been arranged in the style of the era with crocosmia, E02 51 marigolds, nasturtiums, hypericum and rowan berries in the orange E02 52 colourings so popular at that time. Inevitably the arrangement is E02 53 fan-shaped because the vase opening is barely two inches wide at E02 54 the widest central part. For speed and convenience a wedge of Oasis E02 55 was used to hold the stems, but a little crumpled wire mesh, or no E02 56 mechanics at all, would have been more in period. On the desk below E02 57 a copy of a Clarice Cliff plate accentuates the period style and E02 58 repeats the other triangular shapes. There is no need, of course, E02 59 to stick to this century for wall decoration ideas. The Victorian E02 60 style 'cornet' was inspired by the 1900 catalogue of a Parisian E02 61 florist who showed several such wall arrangements in cone-shaped E02 62 basket holders. This one was made from a woven Malaysian fan soaked E02 63 in water for several hours, then moulded and wired into a cornet E02 64 shape. It is lined with a beaker to hold water and fitted with a E02 65 piece of Oasis. Ferns and variegated snowberry foliage are arranged E02 66 with late summer garden flowers in a fuller arrangement with more E02 67 depth and flow.

E02 68 The holder of the third arrangement in greens and white is a E02 69 homemade wall sconce in a Georgian style. The back is a piece of E02 70 hardboard with stick-on decoration and fine cord to make an edging E02 71 and a wooden shelf about 4'' x3'' is screwed to the bottom. On it E02 72 stands a shallow tin. Everything is gilded to look like an 18th E02 73 century brass candle sconce. A pair of these on either side of a E02 74 mantelpiece or mirror is an inexpensive, but effective wall E02 75 decoration.

E02 76 E02 77 Fruit and Veg

E02 78 Natalie Wheatley

E02 79 Town and city dwellers may find it difficult and expensive to E02 80 have a constant supply of fresh flowers in the house. Arrangements E02 81 of fruit and vegetables can provide the perfect answer - delightful E02 82 to look at, and delicious to eat once they have served their E02 83 purpose as an appendage to a lunch or dinner party, or provide a E02 84 pretty storage arrangement on the kitchen worktop.

E02 85 Today's supermarket fruits and vegetables are available year E02 86 round, we have returned to the delights of the Victorian era when E02 87 the cook of a large household could command the head gardener to E02 88 produce strawberries and salads in winter, figs in February and E02 89 melons at a whim. Gardens were huge, flowers plentiful and E02 90 hothouses groaning with orchids and other exotic plants. Despite E02 91 this, Mrs Beeton in her book 'All About Cookery', which should have E02 92 been entitled 'All About Entertaining' as she was full of ideas for E02 93 table decorations, enjoyed using produce from the kitchen garden - E02 94 berries, sheaves of corn, and other non-floral items. Not satisfied E02 95 with one arrangement in the centre of the table, she suggested E02 96 matching smaller ones at the corners and the sides. In the centre E02 97 would be a tall slender grass-like plant set in the midst of E02 98 coloured autumn foliage, varying from white or palest yellow to E02 99 dark red at the base. The table was then strewn with flowing lines E02 100 of berberis, red and green myrtle and brown ivy mingled with E02 101 mountain ash and ivy berries. Tomatoes were mixed with white E02 102 chysanthemums and poppies mingled with corncobs.

E02 103 Fruit and vegetables have been used as an art medium for E02 104 centuries. Just as in a flower arrangement where shape, form and E02 105 colour is of importance, the same goes for fruit and vegetables. E02 106 There should be a dominating colour, be it red (peppers), green E02 107 (apples) or cream (cauliflower), and the other fruits and E02 108 vegetables used in the next stage should be in smaller quantities. E02 109 Cylindrical and pointed shapes give height and width, and round E02 110 shapes give weight towards the centre. Small vegetables and fruits E02 111 can be bunched together, posies of flowers can be added for extra E02 112 interest. Leaves, grasses, bracken, fennel and cones all give an E02 113 extra dimension and blend well with the chunky shapes.

E02 114 Fruit tends to have a more formal air about it, grapes and E02 115 plums with their silvery bloom, nectarines and peaches with their E02 116 soft, velvety skins, and the interesting insides of kiwi fruits and E02 117 melons. Vegetables are more raunchy, shiny, nobbly and tough - but E02 118 one can complement the other if well blended: cucumbers and E02 119 crabapples, cut melon and shiny green peppers, green bananas and E02 120 courgettes, always remembering to use different sizes of the same E02 121 variety. Floral foam is suitable to use as the 'mechanics' with E02 122 items attached by wooden skewers or cocktail sticks, depending on E02 123 weight. (Wire will damage fruit and vegetables and render them E02 124 inedible.) Containers for such arrangements should be fitting - E02 125 wood, basketware or pottery and, if flowers are used, lighter E02 126 containers such as metal, china or glass can be considered.

E02 127 E02 128 Covent Garden - Old and New

E02 129 Diana Joyce

E02 130 Buy a flower kind gentleman, I'm a good girl I E02 131 am". So cries Eliza Doolittle, the Covent Garden Flower E02 132 Seller immortalized in Bernhard Shaw's 'Pygmalion', as she stands E02 133 in the porticoes of St. Paul's Church during the opening scenes of E02 134 the play, and latterly the hugely popular musical 'My Fair E02 135 Lady'.

E02 136 But the history of Covent Garden goes back over 700 years to E02 137 when the Abbots of Westminster owned 7 acres of land situated E02 138 between the Abbey and the City of London. Part of this land they E02 139 used as burial ground for the Convent, another area they cultivated E02 140 as a kitchen garden, where they sold their produce to the citizens E02 141 of London.

E02 142 Following the dissolution of the monasteries in 1536 the land E02 143 became the property of the Russell family, but the old gardeners E02 144 still tended the orchards and vegetable plots and marketed their E02 145 produce. Over the years neighbouring villagers got to know about E02 146 the market and would bring their own produce to sell at the old E02 147 Convent Garden, thereby creating for themselves an unauthorised but E02 148 highly convenient market place.

E02 149 Eventually the architect Inigo Jones was commissioned to lay E02 150 out the site for a new residential area. It was modelled on a E02 151 spacious and airy Italian Piazza with the small parish church of E02 152 St. Paul's on the western side, where we remembered Eliza, earlier, E02 153 sitting on the steps, making her bunches of flowers.

E02 154 By 1645 Convent Garden had become Covent Garden and the area E02 155 had mushroomed into a teeming environment of theatres, coffee E02 156 houses, taverns and squalid cellars. No-one who valued his life E02 157 would walk through the streets and alley-ways after E02 158 dark.

E02 159 Often 'the garden' was the scene of nightly brawls and revelry. E02 160 The night-life over-flowed into day as the revellers from the E02 161 taverns mingled with stone cold sober mortals arriving to sell E02 162 their produce in the market. Old women would sit on the kerb E02 163 shelling peas and peeling potatoes, and the area was rife with E02 164 pick-pockets and thieves.

E02 165 At Christmas time the women would sell ever-green foliage of E02 166 all kinds. Merry faced farmers would arrive from the shires with E02 167 their Christmas trees, and bribe someone in the market to sell E02 168 them, then all would adjourn to the nearest tavern to drink away E02 169 the profit. The flower sellers became very adept in making bouquets E02 170 for the stars of the Opera House and Drury Lane theatre. Throughout E02 171 it all the market prospered and grew.

E02 172 It was about 1900 when barrows arrived on the scene. They were E02 173 originally called Coster mongers barrows because the first type of E02 174 apples to be sold in the market were Costards or Custard apples. E02 175 Market Porters could balance several baskets on their heads at any E02 176 one time. They developed their own Cockney rhyming slang, and still E02 177 to be heard in the market today are phrases such as 'April Showers' E02 178 for flowers and 'Gypsy Warning' for early morning, together with E02 179 'plates of meat' for feet, and 'trouble and strife' for wife.

E02 180 In the subsequent years dramatic changes took place. Lorries E02 181 replaced horses and because of something in excess of 1000 lorries E02 182 arriving in the early hours to unload their produce the market E02 183 traffic ground to a halt. The congestion made it impossible for the E02 184 market to operate efficiently and after much argument it was E02 185 decided to abandon the idea of re-building Old Covent Garden and to E02 186 look for another site. Eventually Nine Elms, south of the river at E02 187 Vauxhall was agreed upon and in 1971 work commenced on the 68 acre E02 188 site.

E02 189 Today, new Covent Garden Flower Market comprises 70.000 square E02 190 feet of trading area. First impressions are of huge, gaunt, E02 191 electrically operated, see-through plastic doors, E02 192 impersonally numbered and identically positioned around the four E02 193 walls of the building. No barrows and head-balancing acts here, but E02 194 fork-lift trucks and stern security men in uniform with E02 195 walkie-talkies at the ready. But once inside, the cold, external E02 196 identity of New Covent Garden is forgotten, for here is another E02 197 world, and no disappointment in the comparison to the old. A vast E02 198 riot of colour in massed profusion greets the visitor. Stalls E02 199 abound with exotic blooms, rare and wonderful flowers and plants E02 200 from all corners of the world, and the heady scent of lilies and E02 201 roses fills the air. And yes, the friendly market porters and E02 202 familiar names remain.

E02 203 E03 1 <#FLOB:E03\>Life as a DOLL MAKER

E03 2 by Patrica Younger

E03 3 The first doll I remember making was at the age of four, when, E03 4 helped by my mother, I padded an army button of my father's with E03 5 cotton wool, covered it with a piece of silk stocking and joined it E03 6 to a padded, pipe-cleaner body. My mother embroidered her face and E03 7 rouged her cheeks; her hair was made from loops of flaxen E03 8 embroidery silk. She had a nightie fashioned from a E03 9 lace-edged handkerchief and a dress in pink silk E03 10 embroidered silk with tiny daisies and leaves. I took her E03 11 everywhere in my pocket and loved her dearly. She was last seen on E03 12 Blandford Forum's High Street in June, 1947 ... I cried for days E03 13 mourning my loss. Over the years my doll family grew. My aunt sent E03 14 a life-size baby in composition - her lovely face had been E03 15 cracked on her journey from Canada, but I didn't care, to me she E03 16 was the most beautiful doll in the world.

E03 17 A Perfect Dollshouse?

E03 18 When I was seven, my parents had a large dollshouse made by a E03 19 carpenter, and various craftspeople in Blandford made items for it; E03 20 a padded settee and chairs covered in tiny, floral print; E03 21 needlepoint carpets, a mahogany dining table inlaid with satin wood E03 22 crossbanding and tiny, shield-back chairs with petit point seats. E03 23 There were hand-painted vases and pictures with E03 24 minutely-carved gold frames and a tiny black cat curled up in a E03 25 basket by the fire. The brass coal <}_><-|>scutle<+|>scuttle<}/> E03 26 was full of real bits of coal and orangey-crackled 'flames' leapt E03 27 from tiny logs. The main bedroom had a beautiful four-poster bed E03 28 with reeded columns and silk drapes and cover. Lavinia (just 2" E03 29 tall!) slept there, her blonde mohair curls spread out on a real E03 30 down-filled pillow. The kitchen was fitted with every imaginable E03 31 item; tiny baskets of fruit moulded from clay and painted, and the E03 32 Cook had her scales, mixing bowl and utensils on her pine table. A E03 33 line of miniature clothes was pegged out in the garden.

E03 34 I remember that Christmas Eve vividly. It was very late and E03 35 there was a party. I was woken up and taken into the drawing room E03 36 to see the house for the first time, whilst all the very kind E03 37 people stood waiting for my reaction after all their hard work. I E03 38 was apparently overjoyed - but overwhelmed! Perhaps its sheer E03 39 perfection was simply too much ... a while later, my mother found E03 40 me curled up on a window seat playing with some balloons - such E03 41 exquisite creations are wasted on the young, unfortunately. Sad to E03 42 say, it had to stay in Blandford when we left England.

E03 43 Life in Canada

E03 44 When I married, and had our first child, we all went to Toronto E03 45 to be near my mother who was ill. She was, like my grandmother, a E03 46 very accomplished needlewoman, and encouraged me to go back to my E03 47 craftwork. I made patch-work quilts, needlepoint cushions E03 48 and all Caroline's clothes. I started contacting 'soulmates' in E03 49 America and exchanged dolls clothes and then dolls and animals. I E03 50 was approached by a number of craft and toys shops, and ended E03 51 sitting up most nights sewing all the tiny clothes onto Bristol E03 52 board and covering them in cling film tightly to make them look E03 53 professional!

E03 54 Every Saturday morning my mother and I would watch the Jane E03 55 Gray show. She was a lover of all crafts, who emigrated from E03 56 Newcastle many years before and, after being widowed with children E03 57 to support, started a toy shop in Hamilton, Ontario. She and her E03 58 daughter, Dorothy, would create all sorts of dolls and animals, and E03 59 offer the patterns at fifty cents each. We used to send for almost E03 60 every one. She was then in her sixties and confined to a E03 61 wheelchair, but so full of life!

E03 62 Return to England

E03 63 Crafts took a back seat to looking after our three children, E03 64 but I fitted in loads of stuffed animals, peg dolls dressed in E03 65 historical costume, rag dolls and quilted cushions, which all E03 66 helped raise funds for hospitals, schools and other charities; as E03 67 we all know, half the joy of creating something is giving it to E03 68 others. Five years ago, I experienced that E03 69 <}_><-|>enexplicable<+|>inexplicable<}/> hollowness left by the E03 70 loss of my mother. The repercussions were serious and long-lasting, E03 71 but we survived.

E03 72 A Very Special Gift

E03 73 One gloomy day, my daughter Caroline brought me a long, red E03 74 box, inside of which lay a dear, little doll with blonde ringlets, E03 75 blue eyes and blue and white 'shepherdess'' dress. I was entranced! E03 76 She then gathered many 'sisters' and I started buying doll books E03 77 again. I began to search for good reproductions of antique dolls, E03 78 but had little luck and a couple of disastrous encounters. I had E03 79 taken 'Workbox' since its first issue, and saw various doll E03 80 articles of interest. My husband bought me a kiln and two moulds E03 81 for Christmas, and before I knew it, the doll-making had begun. E03 82 Customers who come to us now for Starter Kits ask me what it is E03 83 like to make one's first doll. Any of you who have done it will E03 84 know, of course ... that first incredible excitement when the first E03 85 pouring is opened. I say it is really quite akin to childbirth ... E03 86 from a few cups of porcelain slip, there emerges something quite E03 87 wonderful ... no matter how modest the first attempts, the E03 88 satisfaction and sheer wonder is still there!

E03 89 My husband has always been immensely encouraging and E03 90 supportive, making me feel that nothing was impossible. I would E03 91 re-do a face many times, if necessary, until I felt it was the best E03 92 I could achieve. I fell in love with the exquisite creations of E03 93 Frances Lynne. I couldn't find the moulds here, so I started to E03 94 explore American sources. Before long, eight cases of Frances' E03 95 moulds arrived, followed by those from two other artists, and we E03 96 were 'in business.'

E03 97 I placed an advertisement in 'Workbox' and got a wonderful E03 98 response; orders for our first, 12 page Catalogue came by every E03 99 post, and overnight a 4 page colour one was added. We have now E03 100 added a 44 page 'Crafty Corner' where we do updates of latest doll E03 101 designs, fabrics, patterns and other products, along with other E03 102 items of interest to dollmakers. Many of our customers have become E03 103 friends, and our business, Classic Dolls & Crafts, has taken over E03 104 our lives. It involves the whole family, and Caroline now devotes a E03 105 good part of each week dealing with customers who visit our home E03 106 studio, and filling our mail orders. None of us realised when she E03 107 bought me that long, red box, how it would transform our lives.

E03 108 For catalogue send pounds2 to: Classic Dolls and Crafts, E03 109 Elmfield Lodge, 35 Elmfield Road, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE3 4BA.

E03 110 E03 111 QUILTS

E03 112 Kits or Ready Made

E03 113 Jean Butler and her husband specialise in providing quilts in E03 114 kit form or ready made. The quilts are made to a traditional Irish E03 115 pattern, and are constructed of only the finest cotton prints in E03 116 very pretty toning shades. They contain a very warm but soft E03 117 polyester wadding filling with a cream backing. Both kits and ready E03 118 mades are approximately 74 1/2 x 99 1/2 inches. Kits contain E03 119 everything needed to produce your own quilt. Both kits and ready E03 120 mades come in three different shades of either pastel peach pink or E03 121 blue.

E03 122 The kits only need basic machine skills and are very easy to E03 123 put together. Kits are pounds85 and ready mades are pounds185 each, E03 124 both include postage and packing. I am sure you will agree that E03 125 these are outstanding value.

E03 126 Details (SAE): Exclusive Patchwork (WBX), 80 Princetown Road, E03 127 Bangor, Co. Down, N. Ireland BT20 3TD.

E03 128 E03 129 PRE-CUT WADDING

E03 130 To cater for the growing demand from quilt makers, Beckfoot E03 131 Mill can now supply pre-cut pieces of light weight Bonded E03 132 Polyester. These are available in 2oz weight in four sizes:- E03 133 96"x60", 96"x80", 108"x86", 108"x102".

E03 134 The four sizes offered correspond to single, double, queen and E03 135 king size quilts, but can of course be used for other purposes, E03 136 such as upholstery and clothing. They are packed in a handy E03 137 carry-bag, and conform to the Fire Safety regulations. They are E03 138 available from some needlecraft shops or by mail order.

E03 139 Details (SAE) Mrs Crossley (WBX), Beckfoot Mill, Clock Mill, E03 140 Denholme, Bradford, West Yorks BD13 4DN.

E03 141 E03 142 PATCHWORK PACKS

E03 143 Fabric packs of pre-cut squares for patchwork are very popular. E03 144 'Patchwork and Quilts' offer an interesting range, including a new E03 145 pack of eleven inch squares. If you want to make a Charm quilt E03 146 (where every piece of fabric has to be different) they have a E03 147 starter pack consisting of fifty 4" squares, for pounds4. There is E03 148 also a Lucky Dip pack, consisting of one and half metres of fabric E03 149 in total, in a variety of colours and patterns, including some E03 150 plains, for pounds7 including postage.

E03 151 Details (SAE): Patchworks and Quilts, (WBX), 9 West Place, E03 152 Wimbledon, London SW19 4UH.

E03 153 E03 154 Antique Dolls

E03 155 If you are interested in collecting old dolls, look out for E03 156 English cloth dolls made during this century - they can still be E03 157 acquired at reasonable prices. Foreign dolls often fetch higher E03 158 prices, especially those made by K<*_>a-umlaut<*/>the Kruse, a E03 159 German lady, in the early 1900's. Bisque dolls always fetch high E03 160 prices - one sold earlier this year, which had been given to the E03 161 vendor's mother, as a child to console her after falling off her E03 162 perch of a pile of hymn books, went for pounds850.

E03 163 French and German dolls are highly regarded, especially those E03 164 from the middle of the 19th century. French fashion dolls, and E03 165 German Jameau or Bru dolls - the latter complete with 'trousseau', E03 166 fetched pounds8,000, not long ago. These prices are paid for dolls E03 167 in near-mint condition, and attract buyers of all nationalities. E03 168 Many have a mould number, which is invaluable to date them, and E03 169 identify the maker.

E03 170 Moulded china dolls, and paper-mache type are still E03 171 reasonably priced, partly because of the large numbers coming onto E03 172 the market - many are found in attics, long ago discarded by their E03 173 owners.

E03 174 Wax dolls could be bought quite cheaply a few years ago, but E03 175 are now fetching higher prices.

E03 176 If you buy an old doll, or own one, don't be tempted to E03 177 refurbish it, if it is dressed in its original clothes - it's worth E03 178 much more if you leave them on!

E03 179 Seventeenth century dolls carved from wood fetch very E03 180 high prices, particularly when they are dressed in their original E03 181 clothes. Even a one-armed doll, dated about 1800, was sold for E03 182 pounds1,300. A world record price was paid recently - E03 183 pounds71,000.

E03 184 The sales of toys and dolls at auctions, include many of the E03 185 most desirable examples, presented in profusely illustrated E03 186 catalogues, which are now widely used by collectors as reference E03 187 books on the subject.

E03 188 For further information on forthcoming sales contact:-

E03 189 <*_>bullet<*/>Sotheby's, 34/35 New Bond Street, London W1A E03 190 2AA.

E03 191 <*_>bullet<*/>Christies, (WBX) 8, King Street, St. James's, E03 192 London SW1Y 6QT.

E03 193 <*_>bullet<*/>Phillips, (WBX) 7 Blenheim Street, New Bond E03 194 Street, London W1Y 0AS.

E03 195 E03 196 TREASURES AND TRINKETS

E03 197 A jewellery exhibition at the London Museum (until January E03 198 26th, 1992) entitled 'Trinkets and Treasures', is a visual delight. E03 199 Over 500 pieces have been selected from the Museum's astounding E03 200 collection of bequeathed, donated and excavated jewellery spanning E03 201 1900 years of personal adornment.

E03 202 It places special emphasis on the significance of jewellery as E03 203 social symbols. The association of jewellery with love has been E03 204 recurrent throughout history, and many pieces in the exhibition E03 205 represent this; there are medieval posy rings bearing love E03 206 inscriptions, rubies worn as symbols of exalted brooches in the E03 207 shape of true lovers' knots.

E03 208 Royal associations are particularly strong in the exhibition, E03 209 and include the magnificent jewelled parasol presented to Queen E03 210 Victoria at the 1851 Great Exhibition and a ring given to her as a E03 211 child by her mother, the Duchess of Kent. Sumptuously displayed and E03 212 thoroughly documented, Treasures and Trinkets, explores the E03 213 symbolism of jewellery through the ages.

E03 214 *NB. The Museum has received a special award for providing E03 215 outstanding facilities and services for disabled people.

E03 216 Individual disabled visitors should telephone Public Relations E03 217 Office (Tel: 071 600 3699 Ext 240) in advance of visit to reserve E03 218 car park space.

E03 219 E04 1 <#FLOB:E04\>HOW TO CREATE THOSE Nighttime Dazzlers

E04 2 The prettiest evening fashions are simple styles with E04 3 delightfully feminine touches - lace, pearls, dazzling buttons, E04 4 suits with dressmaker details and dresses with off-the-shoulder E04 5 necklines.

E04 6 LATE-DAY LOVELIES

E04 7 For after-five, show-stopping entrances, the look is a E04 8 body-shaping princess style, flared or straight, in a knee or E04 9 above-knee length. The shoulder-baring bodice E04 10 <}_><-|>enchanced<+|>enhanced<}/> by soft draping, a sweetheart E04 11 neckline or a delicate frosting of lace. Inner construction details E04 12 include boning, underlining and some clever magic with elastic to E04 13 keep everything comfortable and in place.

E04 14 For those with a more conservative bent, the cocktail suit is a E04 15 wonderful, fashionable alternative. These beauties feature slim E04 16 skirts and gently shaped, princess-seamed jackets that flare out E04 17 below the waist, creating a peplum effect. Buttons are either E04 18 elegantly matched to the fabric or have a jewel-like quality. The E04 19 latter, paired with the simplest of jewellery, is all the E04 20 accessorizing you'll need. An equally smart alternative to the E04 21 suit, but with all the same exquisite touches, is the coat E04 22 dress.

E04 23 Fabrics for both looks are soft, but slightly crisp. Look for a E04 24 bevy of beautiful silks, moir<*_>e-acute<*/>s, taffetas, failles, E04 25 damasks and subtle brocades.

E04 26 GUIDELINES FOR GOOD FIT

E04 27 Start at the Top

E04 28 For off-shoulder looks, the fitting focus is on the upper body. E04 29 Since adjustments in this area are much more complicated than E04 30 adjustments at the waist or hip, it is important to choose the E04 31 pattern size that corresponds to your upper body measurements.

E04 32 To do that, you will need to compare your bust and chest E04 33 measurements.

E04 34 <*_>bullet<*/>Take the BUST measurement around the fullest part E04 35 of the bust. Make sure that the tape measure is straight across the E04 36 back.

E04 37 <*_>bullet<*/>Take the CHEST measurement around the body, at E04 38 the underarm (A).

E04 39 Now subtract the chest measurement from the bust measurement. E04 40 If the difference is 2'' (5cm) or less, select your pattern size E04 41 according to your bust measurement. If the difference is more than E04 42 2'' (5cm), select the size by your chest measurement. Use the chart E04 43 below to determine your size.

E04 44 TIP E04 45 If your measurements fall between two sizes, let your bone E04 46 structure be your guide. If you are small-boned, select the smaller E04 47 size pattern; if you are medium or large-boned, then select the E04 48 larger size pattern.

E04 49 Consider Waist and Hips

E04 50 Now locate your waist and hip measurements on the chart. Do E04 51 they match the ones given for your pattern (bust or chest) size? If E04 52 not, you - like many other people - are really a combination of E04 53 sizes.

E04 54 If that is the case, then multi-size patterns are an easy way E04 55 to circumvent the need for time-consuming adjustments. As you move E04 56 from bust to waist to hip, simply use the cutting line that matches E04 57 your pattern size. Taper the lines gradually as you go from one E04 58 size to the another<&_>sic!<&/> (B).

E04 59 If the pattern you choose is not available in multi-sizes, then E04 60 adjust the waist and/or hip measurement by increasing or decreasing E04 61 the necessary amount.

E04 62 Note that the vast majority of evening dresses and suits E04 63 (primarily the newest off-the-shoulder fashions) achieve their E04 64 shapely fit through the use of princess seaming. Therefore, all of E04 65 the fitting adjustments that follow will be shown for princess E04 66 seamed garments. When adjusting a princess seam garment, consider E04 67 whether you are making a major circumference adjustment or a minor E04 68 one. Minor adjustments of 1'' (2.5cm) or less can be accomplished E04 69 by adding or subtracting the necessary amount at the side seams E04 70 (C). Major adjustments of up to 2'' (5cm) should be divided between E04 71 the side seams AND the front and back princess seams (D).

E04 72 Adjust for a Large Bust

E04 73 A 2'' plus (5cm plus) difference between bust and chest E04 74 indicates that you are larger than a B cup. Since most Butterick E04 75 patterns are designed for the B cup figure, you will probably want E04 76 to increase the cup size on your tissue pattern. Doing this will E04 77 improve the look and fit of your garments

E04 78 TIP E04 79 If your garment has a waistline seam, and you do not anticipate E04 80 any waistline or hipline adjustments, save time by E04 81 test-fitting only the bodice in muslin.

E04 82 Use the Bust Adjustment Chart to determine your cup size and E04 83 the amount you will need to add to the pattern.

chart E04 84 For a C cup adjustment, you can divide the total amount of the E04 85 increase by the number of seams, and then by 2. The resulting E04 86 amount can be added to each seam at the bust level - indicated by E04 87 the printed bust symbol. When adjusting a princess seamed garment, E04 88 the amount added to each seam will be relatively small. You can E04 89 decide whether most of the amount should be added to the bodice E04 90 front or equally to all the seams, based on your body shape. Make a E04 91 mark the distance required outside the cut edge and draw a new E04 92 cutting line, tapering the line back to the original (E). Or, if E04 93 you feel you want to fine-tune the fit, make a muslin and E04 94 use the 'slash and spread' method of fitting described below.

E04 95 For a D cup or larger, the only way to make a bust adjustment E04 96 and achieve a good fit, is by making a muslin and using the 'slash E04 97 and spread' method of fitting. Start by doing the following on your E04 98 pattern tissue:

E04 99 <*_>bullet<*/>On the side front pattern piece, extend the E04 100 lengthwise grainline the length of the pattern.

E04 101 <*_>bullet<*/>On the front pattern piece, draw a line across E04 102 the pattern piece that is perpendicular to the center front E04 103 grainline or foldline and intersecting the bust point. This is your E04 104 crosswise grainline. Draw another line at the same level on the E04 105 side front pattern piece (F). Draw a vertical line, parallel to the E04 106 center front and running from top to bottom.

E04 107 Cut out your bodice sections. Transfer the markings for E04 108 grainlines (including center front) and bust point so they are E04 109 clearly visible on the outside of the muslin. Machine-baste E04 110 the muslin together.

E04 111 Try on the muslin. Be sure you are wearing the same E04 112 undergarments that you plan to wear with the finished garment. A E04 113 leotard, worn over your undergarments, will provide you with a E04 114 surface for anchoring the sections of the muslin as you 'slash and E04 115 spread.' For the sake of accuracy, ask a friend to help you, as it E04 116 will be awkward to pin and fit yourself.

E04 117 TIP E04 118 For off-the-shoulder styles, boning usually provides the E04 119 necessary inner support to hold it up. Since there is no boning in E04 120 your muslin, you may want to temporarily pin it to your leotard E04 121 along the side seams. Also anchor the muslin to the leotard at E04 122 center front, below the crosswise grainline.

E04 123 <*_>bullet<*/>Make lengthwise slashes from the top of the E04 124 muslin, as indicated, on both the front and the side front. Spread E04 125 the muslin sections until you have achieved the necessary fullness E04 126 across the bust. Next, slash across the front of the garment, along E04 127 the crosswise grain. Extend the slash across the side front, just E04 128 to, but not through, the side seam. Spread the slashed edges, E04 129 adding enough length to accommodate the bust. Use the Bust E04 130 Adjustment Chart as a guideline for how much to spread. KEEP YOUR E04 131 EYE ON THOSE GRAINLINES. The lengthwise grainlines should be E04 132 perpendicular to the floor; the crosswise grainline should be E04 133 parallel to the floor. Be sure the bust point stays where it E04 134 belongs - at your bust point (G).

E04 135 <*_>bullet<*/>When you are happy with the fit, and all the E04 136 grainlines are in the correct position, insert strips of muslin E04 137 under the slashes, then pin or baste the cut edges to the E04 138 strips.

E04 139 <*_>bullet<*/>Disassemble the muslin. Transfer the adjustments E04 140 from muslin to pattern tissue before cutting out the garment E04 141 (H).

E04 142 TIP E04 143 Avoid the tendency to over fit. If you are making a dressmaker E04 144 suit, the fit should be easy, not tight. If you are making an E04 145 off-the-shoulder style, remember that you need to save room for the E04 146 lining, underlining and boning. Some or all of these components E04 147 will be part of the finished garment.

E04 148 TIP E04 149 If your shoulder-baring garment gaps slightly across the back, E04 150 a bit of elastic will provide a secure, comfortable fit. If E04 151 instructions are not included in your pattern, here's how to add an E04 152 elastic stay.

E04 153 <*_>bullet<*/>If your garment has a center back seam/zipper, E04 154 cut two lengths of 1/4'' (6mm) wide elastic equal to your back E04 155 measurement between the underarm seam and the center back. If your E04 156 garment does not have a center back seam (side zipper), cut one E04 157 length of elastic equal to your back measurement between the E04 158 underarm seams.

E04 159 <*_>bullet<*/>Before joining the lining to the bodice, E04 160 construct a casing for the elastic on the lining, just below the E04 161 seam-line at the upper edge. To do this, edgestitch 1/2'' E04 162 (13mm) wide single fold bias tape to the lining along the stitching E04 163 line (I).

E04 164 <*_>bullet<*/>Join the lining to the bodice along the upper E04 165 edge of the garment. Insert the elastic into the casing. Match the E04 166 ends of the elastic to the raw edges of the garment. Stitch across E04 167 the ends of the casing along the seamlines, (J).

E04 168 <*_>bullet<*/>Continue, completing the lining and E04 169 off-the-shoulder details of the garment according to your pattern E04 170 instructions (K).

E04 171 TIP E04 172 To provide extra stability across the front neckline of an E04 173 off-the-shoulder garment, consider Stay-Tape, a lightweight E04 174 alternative to twill tape (L). Made from 100% stabilized nylon, E04 175 this 1/2'' (13mm) wide white tape is easy to use and requires no E04 176 pre-shrinking. For narrower widths, trim the tape - it will not E04 177 fray!

E04 178 TIP E04 179 Stop frequently during the construction process to try on and E04 180 fine-tune the fit of your garment. If upper bodice adjustments are E04 181 required, do them at the princess seams. Do not make any E04 182 alterations at the armhole seam. If you do, you may distort the E04 183 arm-hole, thus restricting your ability to move in the E04 184 finished garment. Remember, too, that these off-the-shoulder E04 185 designs usually have elastic that is concealed inside the sleeve or E04 186 in the neckline treatment. Because the elastic is attached to the E04 187 garment only at the armhole seam, it helps anchor the garment to E04 188 the body but does not interfere with the drape of the fabric or E04 189 restrict your movements (M).

E04 190 THE SHAPE MAKERS

E04 191 Inner construction is what gives off-the-shoulder garments the E04 192 necessary support. Anyone who has made a wedding E04 193 <}_><-|>grown<+|>gown<}/> will probably find some of these shaping E04 194 details familiar. They've been long favoured techniques in the E04 195 bridal market.

E04 196 UNDERLINING helps provide the sculptured look that these E04 197 garments call for. It helps reduce wrinkling and provides a E04 198 foundation so that interfacings, facings, boning and hems can be E04 199 sewn without stitches or ridges appearing on the outside of the E04 200 garment. Underlining also helps expand your fabric options. With E04 201 softer fabrics, it can add the body that the fabric may lack, but E04 202 that the silhouette craves.

E04 203 In general, the underlining should be lighter in weight and as E04 204 soft, or softer than, the outer fabric. When selecting an E04 205 underlining, drape the fashion fabric and the underlining together E04 206 over your arm and observe how they interact. The two should drape E04 207 as one.

E04 208 Good choices for underlining include light and medium weight E04 209 fabrics such as batiste, China silk, marquisette, organdy and E04 210 organza. Several interfacings, sew-in varieties, are also designed E04 211 to be used as an underlining.

E04 212 Sometimes, more than one type of underlining is required in a E04 213 garment. Many fashion designers are using a slightly crisp woven E04 214 fabric to underline the body of the dress. The off-the-shoulder E04 215 sleeves are underlined, too, but with a softer fabric. Often the E04 216 choice is a fusible knit interfacing. As with any fusible, be sure E04 217 to test-fuse on a scrap of the fashion fabric before applying it to E04 218 the garment. If the fusible is not suitable for the fabric, use a E04 219 plain, lightweight tricot.

E04 220 Cut out the underlining using your main pattern pieces. E04 221 Transfer all the pattern markings to the underlining. Then:

E04 222 <*_>bullet<*/>If your pattern calls for boning, apply it, as E04 223 instructed, to the underlining. Boning is usually applied so that, E04 224 on the finished garment, it will be sandwiched between the E04 225 underlining and the lining. The underlining acts as a buffer to E04 226 prevent the boning from making a ridge on the outside of the E04 227 garment: the lining acts as a cushion of comfort against your skin. E04 228 E05 1 <#FLOB:E05\>Unknown talent

E05 2 In the first of an occasional series on favourite books, Roger E05 3 White chooses James Randall's 1806 volume of fanciful designs for E05 4 houses

E05 5 Although the protagonists of the Modern Movement, who still E05 6 very much rule the roost in the architectural profession and the E05 7 schools, would have us believe that the practice of classicism E05 8 imposes an intolerable strait-jacket on the creative imagination, E05 9 practitioners of the eighteenth and early-nineteenth centuries E05 10 thought otherwise. In the preface to his collection of Designs E05 11 for Mansions, Casinos, Villas, Lodges and Cottages in the Grecian, E05 12 Gothic and Castle Styles (published in 1806), the talented but E05 13 almost totally unknown architect, James Randall, asserted: E05 14 "It is not necessary that chastity of taste be confined to E05 15 the rigid rules of the school: fancy may surly be allowed to play, E05 16 if kept within proper bounds! Architecture, like music, is E05 17 susceptible of innumerable combinations, which, if properly united, E05 18 although very dissimilar, may possess real beauties and produce E05 19 pleasing emotions on the mind."

E05 20 Randall's book, a handsome folio volume which is now very rare, E05 21 combines plans, elevations and perspectives of his designs for E05 22 houses in a characteristically Regency variety of styles - not just E05 23 the 'Grecian Gothic and Castle Styles' of the title but also, for E05 24 instance, designs for a mansion in the Egyptian style lately made E05 25 fashionable by Napoleon's campaigns. Perhaps most interesting, E05 26 because most potentially relevant for today's reader, is Randall's E05 27 concentration on smaller houses or 'compact' villas E05 28 "suitable to persons of moderate fortune".

E05 29 These compact dwellings, some of them referred to as casinos, E05 30 bring together a number of late Georgian preoccupations and E05 31 influences, notably the Greek Revival and the work of Sir Robert E05 32 Taylor and James Wyatt. His debt to the Revival is openly E05 33 acknowledged by Randall, and is perfectly clear in the forms and E05 34 detail of the two designs for 'Casinos in the Grecian Style'. One E05 35 of these has four single-storey wings arranged in a Greek-cross E05 36 plan around an octagonal centre, derived from the Tower of the E05 37 Winds in Athens. This had been recorded by Stuart and Bevett in the E05 38 1750s and subsequently adapted for use by a number of English E05 39 architects, notably Wyatt in his Radcliffe Observatory at Oxford. E05 40 Within this unusual plan, Randall shuffles the rooms required by a E05 41 well-to-do bachelor into an ingenious arrangement of different E05 42 shapes.

E05 43 In other designs, notably the other 'Casino in the Grecian E05 44 style' and a single-storey casino "composed at the desire E05 45 of an Invalid", the influence is that of Sir Robert Taylor. E05 46 Taylor had died in 1788 and Randall, who seems to have been born E05 47 around 1778, was too young to have been his pupil. But the source E05 48 for Randall's fascination with geometrically intricate plans, E05 49 canted bays and far-projecting Tuscan eaves, is unmistakably such E05 50 Taylor buildings of the early 1760s as Asgill House at Richmond and E05 51 the fishing temple at Tendring in Suffolk.

E05 52 Randall died in 1820, still a relatively young man, and with E05 53 his designs still, as far as we can tell, on the drawing-board. It E05 54 is sad and perhaps surprising that they failed to exert a stronger E05 55 appeal and that potential clients were not convinced that (to quote E05 56 the motto that appeared on Randall's title page) "Taste E05 57 ...saves Expence [sic]". How nice it would be if discerning E05 58 patrons of today were to be sufficiently intrigued to want to E05 59 translate some of them belatedly into reality!

E05 60 E05 61 Home truths

E05 62 Sophisticated commercial operation or cottage industry?

E05 63 Anthony Rose explodes a few myths about English wine

E05 64 English wine? Pull the other one. If not the butt of a joke or E05 65 to be pooh-poohed altogether in polite society, English wine is as E05 66 often as not damned with faint praise. How many times have I head E05 67 "not bad for an English wine", as in an apologetic E05 68 end-of-term report on poor little Johnny's terminal inability to do E05 69 better? But watch out, the secateurs are out. A growing band of E05 70 iconoclasts and entre-preneurs is quietly snipping away at E05 71 the cottage industry image of English viticulture. Even the rest of E05 72 Europe is sitting up and taking note. From the 1991 vintage, E05 73 English wine is to have its own quality control scheme.

E05 74 I first met David and Fiona Ealand on the morning of the E05 75 hurricane back in October 1987. Neither high winds nor fallen oaks E05 76 were going to keep them from a triumph they had been working for E05 77 since planting three acres of vineyard at Hambleden in the E05 78 Chilterns in 1982. The first commercial vintage of their Old E05 79 Luxters Reserve had just won a silver medal in the eighteenth E05 80 International Wine and Spirit Competition, which also voted it best E05 81 English wine of the year. The wine was a revelation. How on earth E05 82 had they managed to produce such an aromatic, deliciously fresh and E05 83 fruity wine in such a dreadful summer?

E05 84 The Ealands came to wine-making almost by accident. After E05 85 falling in love with Old Luxters Farm, they bought it on impulse in E05 86 1980. They then planned how to turn their three acres of land to E05 87 profitable use, while David continued to work as a maritime lawyer. E05 88 Livestock, rhubarb and tulips were all rejected. The more they went E05 89 into it, the more the idea of a vineyard seemed feasible. Sitting E05 90 six hundred feet up in the Chilterns, their east-facing site, with E05 91 its well-drained, chalky soil, was ideal, according to professors E05 92 at wine schools in California, Germany and Bordeaux.

E05 93 In order to be sure of getting a crop each year, they planted E05 94 early-ripening grapes: Madeleine Angevine, Bacchus and E05 95 Reichensteiner. "People who got to hear about us would walk E05 96 past, giggle and sometimes sneer," recalls David Ealand. E05 97 (Since then, they have helped set up some twenty-three vineyards in E05 98 the Chilterns, amounting to over one hundred acres of vines.) What E05 99 was originally a sideline soon expanded into a profitable business. E05 100 The Ealands invested pounds150,000 converting farm buildings into E05 101 an ultra-modern winery. They took on an estate manager and E05 102 wine-maker to help run the business. Even four dire summers in a E05 103 row failed to dent the Ealands' unshakeable belief in the temperate E05 104 English climate.

E05 105 Tragically, Fiona Ealand died of a brain tumour last year just E05 106 as their labours had really begun to bear fruit. Before her death E05 107 however, the Ealands were rewarded for their perseverance with two E05 108 fine summers in 1989 and 1990. David Ealand has left his job in the E05 109 City to concentrate full-time on the wine-making business, while E05 110 the seventeenth-century barn has now been converted into an art E05 111 gallery and micro-brewery. And, with their startlingly rich, E05 112 luscious Chiltern Valley Noble Bacchus, the Ealands have made E05 113 perhaps the country's most successful sweet wine to date. It E05 114 received a silver medal at the International Wine and Spirit E05 115 Competition in 1990, proving its quality against contenders from E05 116 thirty-five wine-producing countries. In the last five E05 117 years, Chiltern Valley Wines have won twenty such awards, E05 118 establishing their status on the national and international E05 119 stage.

E05 120 Kit Lindlar has never been a member of the 'English wine as a E05 121 hobby for retired rear admirals and eccentric wing commanders' E05 122 tendency either. When I first spoke to him five years ago, he told E05 123 me that "things are taking off". He said then that E05 124 "English wine can be produced to a high standard to compete E05 125 with wine made anywhere in the world". Though England has E05 126 no native grape varieties, Lindlar was convinced that crossings E05 127 such as Huxelrebe and Schönburger, developed for cool climates at E05 128 the Geisenheim Institute in Germany, could do well in England. At E05 129 the northern limit for grape growing, he felt that England's E05 130 relative lack of sun was more than compensated for by the long E05 131 daylight hours and the moderating influence of the Gulf Stream.

E05 132 As well as owning two acres of vineyard at Berwick Glebe in E05 133 East Sussex, Lindlar runs a contract wine-making service at High E05 134 Weald Winery in Kent. Here, he makes wine for some thirty to E05 135 thirty-five English vineyards who send him their grapes. At the E05 136 same time, he advises on the suitability of creating a vineyard, E05 137 bearing in mind the soil, altitude and exposure of a site; on the E05 138 choice of vines and setting up costs (roughly pounds5,000 per E05 139 acre); and the day-to-day management.

E05 140 Kit Lindlar has made quite a splash with a wine he calls, E05 141 simply, English Vineyard. This wine, made from a blend of eight E05 142 grape varieties, Huxelrebe and Müller-Thurgau predominating, comes E05 143 in a white burgundy bottle instead of the more traditional tall E05 144 Germanic bottle. With its gooseberryish aromas and dry, E05 145 grapefruity, citrus-fruit tang, the feel of the wine, served to E05 146 approving foreign tastebuds at last year's Master of Wine Symposium E05 147 in Cambridge, is not million miles in style from a Loire white such E05 148 as Sancerre.

E05 149 The most ambitious venture in English viticulture to date is E05 150 that of Denbies Estate in Surrey. Denbies was conceived by Adrian E05 151 and Jeremy White as a full-scale commercial vineyard right from the E05 152 start in 1984. They took advice on the suitability of the flint and E05 153 chalk of the Mole Valley for vine-growing from Professor E05 154 Selley, a geologist resident in Dorking. They then planted 250 E05 155 acres of vineyard on their 650-acre estate at Ranmore Common, E05 156 convinced that a combination of quality and the right presentation E05 157 was needed to demonstrate to a disbelieving public that English E05 158 wine could be far better than was supposed.

E05 159 The site, opposite Box Hill, was planted with eight main E05 160 varieties, including Chardonnay and Pinot Noir - the classic E05 161 champagne grapes - for the production of a champagne-method E05 162 sparkling wine. Five million pounds was spent developing the E05 163 vineyards and installing an ultra-modern winery and cellar. E05 164 A third partner, Michael Trull, whose family own the La Bri E05 165 vineyard in South Africa, joined the White brothers. Even by E05 166 Californian standards, this is no small-scale operation. In common E05 167 with Ealand and Lindlar, the Denbies trio are out to demolish the E05 168 myth that English wine can only be a cottage industry because of E05 169 poor weather. "The climate is not suitable for E05 170 high-volume, low-cost wine," says Michael Trull. E05 171 "But the long growing season creates thin grapeskins which E05 172 impart delicacy and complexity of flavour to a wine, while slow E05 173 ripening means that the subleties are not bleached out by heat. And E05 174 low yields result in concentration of flavour and naturally high E05 175 acids which are good for ageing potential." Denbies have E05 176 worked out their sums carefully, calculating that they will need to E05 177 achieve a minimum yield of two tons per acre and a price of roughly E05 178 pounds5.00 per bottle to be profitable.

E05 179 Quality apart, Denbies are aiming at escaping from the hitherto E05 180 Germanic-English style of wine sweetened by grape juice concentrate E05 181 to mask an over-sharp acidity. "We are looking for E05 182 wines with a winey character," says Michael Trull, E05 183 "wines that are good with food and not excessively floral; E05 184 more French than German." To this end, Trull believes in E05 185 the importance of blending to produce a consistent style, neither E05 186 overly Germanic, nor slavishly following the New World cult of the E05 187 grape variety. This year, Denbies release their first commercial E05 188 wines. And next, if all goes according to plan, we will be raising E05 189 a glass of sparkling Denbies to a new phase in English E05 190 viticulture.

E05 191 E05 192 Attention seekers

E05 193 Susan Chivers and Suzanne Woloszynska put garden ornaments in E05 194 their place. Photographs by Peter Woloszynski

E05 195 No one knows when the human race first discovered the joys to E05 196 be had in growing plants solely for their beauty and not merely for E05 197 food or medicine. What is certain, however, is that once man's E05 198 imagination was awakened, the early gardeners set about creating E05 199 private domains, where their vision of an earthly paradise could be E05 200 fulfilled. The word 'paradise' is derived from the Persian for an E05 201 enclosure or park, and illustrations of ancient Persian gardens E05 202 reveal that, even then, men were aware of the importance of adding E05 203 ornament to their gardens with artefacts as well as plants.

E05 204 In Europe, the Renaissance marked the introduction of a E05 205 proliferation of statuary and architectural objects into garden E05 206 settings. Italian, and later French, garden makers adopted this E05 207 practice to such an extend that, by the time Le N<*_>o-circ<*/>tre E05 208 laid out the garden at Versailles in the mid-seventeenth E05 209 century, no amount of statuary was considered too much for the E05 210 design of a grand French garden. E05 211 E06 1 <#FLOB:E06\>DR JAMESON'S RAID TURNED INTO TEARS

E06 2 They waved a servant girl's pinnie to surrender to the E06 3 commandos

E06 4 by John Billot

E06 5 Dr Jameson was the first man to have his name in the title on E06 6 the box cover of a William Britain set of toy soldiers - and the E06 7 company famed for its hollow-cast figures quickly renamed E06 8 the set when the impetuous doctor's venture ended in disaster in E06 9 December 1895.

E06 10 The Jameson Raid, intended to sweep secretly and swiftly to E06 11 reinforce a pro-British uprising in Johannesburg against President E06 12 Kruger's Afrikaner republic; but the Jo'burg plotters developed E06 13 cold feet and the Boers were alerted to the intruders in the E06 14 Transvaal.

E06 15 For two days, Dr Leander Starr Jameson and his Rhodesian E06 16 Mounted Police, fought running battles with the sniping Boer E06 17 commandos before the raiders raised a makeshift white flag, an E06 18 African servant girl's pinnie.

E06 19 The doctor and the 600 men of his raiding party were carted off E06 20 to a Pretoria prison, their leader in tears, and handed back to the E06 21 British for trial - the price of failure without Government E06 22 backing.

E06 23 So Dr Jameson and the African Mounted Infantry, Set 38, E06 24 suddenly became South African Mounted Infantry and the doomed E06 25 doctor was discarded as a miscreant to history.

E06 26 But Britains 'cashed in' very nicely, thank you, on the Boer E06 27 War with numerous sets of both sides. All these figures now fetch E06 28 high prices and the ill-starred Jameson Raid excites E06 29 collectors if the rare box title emerges as an auction-room E06 30 item.

E06 31 Peter Turner, of Monmouth Metal Toys, Retreat House, Dorchester E06 32 Road, Broadway, Weymouth, Dorset DT3 5LN is a specialist in E06 33 reproduction figures with a variety of conversions that supplement E06 34 the Britains range.

E06 35 He supplies most of the Britains Boer War figures, as E06 36 illustrated on pages 54/55 in Andrew Rose's The Collector's E06 37 All-Colour Guide to Toy Soldiers. (Salamander/Tiger).

E06 38 These include marching at the slope and trail, the on guard E06 39 figure, which became a classical pose with a number of E06 40 manufacturers for many regiments, and the officer firing a pistol, E06 41 an especially sought-after item.

E06 42 The pose that attracts me most is the Boer at shoulder arms, a E06 43 figure that Britains repeated for their RNVR Set 151, first issued E06 44 in 1908, and a great favourite with Britains buffs.

E06 45 Especially interesting is Mr Turner's E06 46 <}_><-|>versions<+|>version<}/> of the Inniskilling Dragoons in E06 47 khaki active service dress on the stub-tailed horse, which E06 48 was used only for this Set 108 and Set 105 the Imperial E06 49 Yeomanry.

E06 50 The Yeomanry, in slouch hats and bandoliers, were London's E06 51 volunteer cavalry and it was the first time such units were E06 52 involved in action overseas. The Boer War, of course, was the first E06 53 major conflict that saw British troops adopt khaki. The days of the E06 54 scarlet tunic and bearskins on the battlefield were over.

E06 55 Modern toy soldier makers prefer the colour of the traditional E06 56 regimental uniforms, but no collection is complete without a E06 57 contingent or two of khaki-clad figures and the Boer War, a E06 58 collector's subject in its own right, has many adherents.

E06 59 Trophy Miniatures, of South Wales, one of the world's major E06 60 manufacturers, recently announced an expansion of their Boer War E06 61 range.

E06 62 Experience brought about the introduction of protective shields E06 63 on field guns. Boer marksmen with their mausers enjoyed picking off E06 64 gunners toiling to reload. There would not be anyone to load the E06 65 guns unless something was done!

E06 66 Len Taylor, boss of Trophy and a gunner during his Service E06 67 days, has an impressive Royal Artillery heavy mobile gun in his E06 68 range with four-man crew servicing it behind sandbag emplacement E06 69 with ammunition box handy to keep the rounds coming.

E06 70 Sir Redvers Buller worked out the first systematic creeping E06 71 barrage with his advisers to keep Boer heads down in their E06 72 entrenchments while his infantry advanced. It was much appreciated E06 73 by the PBI!

E06 74 The British always had more guns, but they were inferior to the E06 75 modern German and French field pieces of the Boers. Home-made guns E06 76 made an appearance and the defenders of Mafeking used a 4.5in E06 77 howitzer with a barrel made from a drainpipe!

E06 78 Trophy Miniatures don't have to improvise in producing their E06 79 high quality figures and we have some finely detailed sets of E06 80 troops on the march, including the Highland Brigade with a couple E06 81 of men shouldering their rifles butt-ends up, as shown in E06 82 illustrations in the two-volume With the Flag to E06 83 Pretoria.

E06 84 It is such little extra touches that make Trophy so distinctive E06 85 in their production and their Boer War ox-cart is a typical E06 86 example; a little gem with one of the Naval Brigade seated on the E06 87 wagon taking a gulp from his water-bottle (note the tatoo on his E06 88 arms) while another figure sits, legs dangling from the E06 89 tail-board. The native drover in wide-brimmed sun-hat E06 90 cracks his whip.

E06 91 The gun team at the halt is another exotic item and is a E06 92 pre-production mock-up <}_><-|>especailly<+|>especially<}/> E06 93 for Military Hobbies to show collectors what creative Len E06 94 has lined up for release shortly.

E06 95 A subject for one of the series of valour by new toy soldier E06 96 makers could be Colonel John Chisholme, leading the dismounted E06 97 Imperial Light Horse up the ridge against the murderous magazine E06 98 fire of the Johannesburg Commando at Elandslaagte.

E06 99 The <}_><-|>gallent<+|>gallant<}/> colonel tied the red silk E06 100 scarf of his old lancer regiment to his walking stick and, waving E06 101 it inspiringly, climbed steadily until he fell riddled with E06 102 bullets.

E06 103 Fixing their bayonets as they ran the Devons made the frontal E06 104 attack, a thunderstorm shielding them somewhat from the hail of E06 105 rifle-fire.

E06 106 The Boers offered a white flag and then suddenly launched a E06 107 savage counter-attack, led by General Kock, in stove hat E06 108 and black frock coat. It was quickly repulsed and the cavalry went E06 109 in pursuit.

E06 110 Because of that white flag betrayal, the order was given: No E06 111 prisoners. So three times the 5th Lancers and 5th Dragoon Guards E06 112 crashed their bloody path through the crumbling commando. Two Boers E06 113 on one pony were impaled by the same lance thrust. General Kock E06 114 died of his wounds.

E06 115 Yet there were moments of chivalry in this war, for all that if E06 116 a blackman were caught carrying a message for British troops he was E06 117 lucky to escape with being flogged within <}_><-|>a<+|>an<}/> inch E06 118 of his life. And the Boers had no qualms about using expanding E06 119 bullets.

E06 120 The Devonshire Regiment was issued by Britains as Set 110, E06 121 marching, unusually with rifles on the right shoulder, and E06 122 Lieutenant J E Masterson won the regiment's first VC in the defence E06 123 of Wagon Hill. This action, during the defence of Ladysmith, is E06 124 celebrated as a regimental anniversary.

E06 125 David Drennan, of Yorvic Figurines, 6 Lingcroft Close, E06 126 Camblesforth, near Selby, Yorkshire YO8 8JT issues a small range of E06 127 Boer War sets, including five pieces of the Imperial Light E06 128 Horse.

E06 129 His Boers are the Mounted Sharpshooters and the Transvaal E06 130 Mounted. There is a nine-figure set of CIV supply wagon with E06 131 mounted and foot escort, a six-figure set of CIV in khaki, and E06 132 Lancers in field service order.

E06 133 Giles Brown, of Dorset Soldiers, Latimer House, Castle Street, E06 134 Mere, Wiltshire BA12 6JE has a nice figure of General Louis Botha E06 135 astride a handsome white standing horse in his Set 312, three E06 136 figures including a colour bearer and guard on galloping mounts.

E06 137 Boer commandos wore their farm clothes and Mr Brown reflects E06 138 this in his eight-figure set of dismounted fighters, although his E06 139 four Staats gatling gun crew wear uniform.

E06 140 The Gordon Highlanders, in khaki tunics and clan kilts are E06 141 forming a square in Set 310 and there is a particularly attractive E06 142 Maxim machine gun unit of the CIV.

E06 143 The Field Artillery set with gun and limber drawn by six E06 144 bullocks with three native drivers and seven gunners is an E06 145 impressive major piece, a classic among modern toy soldier items E06 146 and a substantial centrepiece for any display.

E06 147 There is a traditional charging figure in the Cornish Light E06 148 Infantry set of an officer, pistol raised in readiness, and seven E06 149 men in action. The bugler sounds the alarm.

E06 150 On their trotting horses, the Imperial Yeomanry make pleasing E06 151 sets of three figures while there is the ever-popular mountain E06 152 artillery with four mules carrying the dismembered gun and E06 153 ammunition boxes, a mounted officer and six gunners after the E06 154 original Britains style.

E06 155 In the Dorset Soldiers Wessex Range, designed by Andrew Rose, E06 156 there is one of the most evocative sets of eight Boer figures in E06 157 assorted poses and individual dress, including a characteristic E06 158 frock-coated burgher and a nicely-modelled young drummer. Top marks E06 159 for this issue.

E06 160 The renowned Gloucestershire Regiment, engaged in the defence E06 161 of Ladysmith, were depicted as standing firing figures by Britains, E06 162 who later redesigned the uncomfortable marching Devonshires with a E06 163 pleasing, relaxed figure, at the trail.

E06 164 Now the Glorious Glosters, one of the very few remaining county E06 165 regiments, have lost the identity granted them 110 years ago and E06 166 been amalgamated with the Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment, which E06 167 was formed in 1959 by the merger of the Royal Berkshire Regiment E06 168 and the Wiltshire Regiment.

E06 169 So collectors will want some of the figures from the past of E06 170 their favourite regiments, 'wiped out' by their own Government, who E06 171 have accomplished what the Chinese army just failed to do in the E06 172 Korean War.

E06 173 For three days in 1951, the Glorious Glosters held back the E06 174 Chinese hordes; some 650 heroes battling against 30,000 E06 175 well-equipped attackers. The men who had fought back-to-back at E06 176 Alexandria in 1801 to earn the right to wear two cap badges, one E06 177 smaller badge at the back of their headdress, had worthy successors E06 178 in Korea.

E06 179 Amalgamation is a fate worse than anything they suffered on the E06 180 battlefield for their country.

E06 181 There were suggestions that the Royal Welch Fusiliers merge E06 182 with the Cheshire Regiment. That would have been more of a disaster E06 183 than the Jameson Raid! They'll be thinking of amalgamating the E06 184 Black Watch with the Queen's Lancashire Regiment next...

E06 185 The Black Watch, of course, were there in the Highland Brigade E06 186 at the Magersfontein hills, advancing with khaki aprons covering E06 187 the front of their kilts, no sporrans, bayonets fixed.

E06 188 But Boer bullets pinned them down under merciless fire and in E06 189 the retreat they left their brigade commander, Major-General E06 190 Wauchope, dead within two hundred yards of Cronje's trenches.

E06 191 British artillery saved the infantry from total destruction, E06 192 the Royal Navy's 4.7in guns proving the answer to the Boers' Long E06 193 Toms. Trophy Miniatures issue a splendid 4.7 with shafted limber, E06 194 drawn by six yoked oxen, flanked by three native drovers. Two E06 195 gunners are seated on the carriage while three gunners march E06 196 alongside. A splendid piece, costing pounds190.

E06 197 Derek Cross, of All the Queen's Men, The Old Cottage, E06 198 Gilmorton, Lutterworth, Leicestershire LE17 says he is expanding E06 199 their Boer War range. They have issued three limited editions in E06 200 action poses relating to the Australian Light Horse, South African E06 201 Light Horse and a Boer Commando.

E06 202 AQM also produce a Boer sentinel, standing guard, and a Boer E06 203 Kommando on galloping horse, two outstanding single figure E06 204 units.

E06 205 British forces are well represented with Guards Brigade, E06 206 Highland Brigade and Line infantry in khaki. The Highland Brigade, E06 207 displaying the khaki aprons, wear slouch hats instead of foreign E06 208 service helmets.

E06 209 These are available in various poses, the kneeling loading E06 210 figures particularly attractive, while officers with drawn sword E06 211 and pistol advancing at the head of their men and Line sergeants E06 212 waving their hats to encourage the advance also merit a place in a E06 213 collection.

E06 214 The Grenadier Guards suffered a terrible ordeal during the E06 215 battle at Biddulphsberg, in the Orange Free State, on May 25th, E06 216 1900, not only losing men to the rapid sharp-shooters, but having E06 217 comrades burned to death as fierce grass fires trapped them.

E06 218 Andrew Rose, who issues his Bastion range through P&B England, E06 219 49 Curling Vale, Onslow Village, Guildford, Surrey GU2 5PH, has E06 220 designed a pleasing set of the Suffolk Regiment in action in the E06 221 Boer War, eight figures in khaki with Slade Wallace equipment.

E06 222 The officer with bandaged head holds his pistol steady and the E06 223 bugler boy sounds stand-to, as if surprised by Christiaan de Wet's E06 224 guerrilla tactics.

E06 225 The daring de Wet ambushed the ox-wagon convoy at Waterval E06 226 Drift with a raiding party, stampeded 3,000 oxen and stranded the E06 227 British transport for the advance on Bloemfontein.

E06 228 E07 1 <#FLOB:E07\>A perfect Knight and his Lady

E07 2 by John Wright, FACI

E07 3 I WAS a schoolboy when I first met John Mills, and it was at E07 4 the old Empire Cinema in Edmonton, North London. John was already E07 5 set on his brilliant career with films like Forever England, E07 6 OHMS, Car of Dreams, etc.

E07 7 The strange thing is, I remember the thrill of that meeting in E07 8 the Thirties like yesterday, but he was forced to admit he E07 9 remembered me not at all!

E07 10 One thing for sure, I never thought that in 1991 my wife and I E07 11 would be invited to his Golden Wedding Anniversary Celebrations at E07 12 the St. James's Club, London, as friends of the family.

E07 13 I've been fortunate enough to have met, interviewed and written E07 14 about some of the biggest names in showbiz, but neither E07 15 D<*_>e-acute<*/>d<*_>e-acute<*/> nor I could recall seeing so many E07 16 names at one anniversary.

E07 17 Sir Richard and Lady Attenborough, fondly remembered by buffs E07 18 as Sheila Sim, and of the same vintage Michael Denison and Dulcie E07 19 Gray. Simon MacCorkindale and Susan George made a handsome couple, E07 20 as indeed did Bryan Forbes and Nanette Newman.

E07 21 Michael Caine was much taller than I remembered him from an E07 22 early meeting in his career, and Dame Judi Dench even smaller. It E07 23 was good to see Doreen Hawkins, widow of Jack, still keeping in E07 24 frame, and Robin De'Ath of Legend Television of Pinewood quietly E07 25 watching his crew make a professional memento of the event.

E07 26 It was while we were chatting with Hayley Mills that the most E07 27 poignant moment of the evening occurred. John and Mary Mills had E07 28 told us earlier that daughter Juliet couldn't get away from Los E07 29 Angeles, but in true This is Your Life style, she burst E07 30 in with husband Maxwell Caulfield (of Colbys fame) and her E07 31 family.

E07 32 I was able to admit to both Hayley and Juliet that E07 33 D<*_>e-acute<*/>d<*_>e-acute<*/> and I were indeed the old geezers E07 34 who arranged for Mum and Dad to be on the Photo-Movie Cruise. E07 35 But I suggested watching the old bit since I am also the E07 36 geezer charged with preparing Dad's home movies for video, which E07 37 contain some early shots of both girls ... and how would they fancy E07 38 appearing in the Sun!!

E07 39 But the real stars of the evening were the Knight and his Lady. E07 40 Two delightful people who have shared years at the top yet somehow E07 41 managed - as the 1990 Photo-Movie team can testify - to keep E07 42 both feet on the ground and keep in touch with the front row of the E07 43 stalls.

E07 44 Sir John and Lady Mills - God bless you both. You are an E07 45 example of what heads of dynasties, ordinary or famous, should E07 46 really be.

E07 47 E07 48 DORSET DISCOVERY - THE TRIPS

E07 49 Philip Marshman

E07 50 WE at SoCo have not called the National AGM Weekend 'Dorset E07 51 Discovery' without good reason. Dorset is a beautiful county E07 52 whatever the season and there are plenty of interesting places to E07 53 visit. We have organised some wonderful trips to get you out and E07 54 about and to discover some of the delights that Dorset has to E07 55 offer.

E07 56 Dorset is Hardy Country. His stories were of country people and E07 57 can be found at the furthest corners of the globe, but it was in E07 58 Dorset, which he always liked to refer to as Wessex, that he lived E07 59 and worked for the greatest part of his life.

E07 60 Our Thomas Hardy tour will take in some of the places E07 61 associated with him. See where he was born and lived, and visit the E07 62 locations of some of his stories. SoCo's Anne Vincent, our very own E07 63 Hardy expert, will be along to help you discover Thomas Hardy on E07 64 this most memorable day out.

E07 65 I once saw a film that had a wonderful line of narration: E07 66 "This 15th-century church was believed to have been built E07 67 in the 15th century"! Sherborne Abbey could hardly be E07 68 described as a 15th-century church, but it was then that the first E07 69 efforts were made to rebuild it. You'll be able to see how they got E07 70 on, on our day tour to Sherborne and Montacute House. The Abbey is E07 71 full of history and architectural splendour and one cannot fail to E07 72 enjoy a truly-delightful visit.

E07 73 Great Elizabethan houses were not meant to melt inconspicuously E07 74 into the landscape, but to stand out from it, and be as impressive E07 75 and remarkable as possible. These qualities can certainly be found E07 76 at Montacute House on the second half of our tour into history. The E07 77 house has fine paintings, furniture, ceramics and magnificent E07 78 tapestries, and the gardens are a delight to wander in, with E07 79 curious follys and water fountain, and a large variety of trees and E07 80 shrubs.

E07 81 Many of you will be bringing your camera along to record the E07 82 weekend. Unfortunately, cameras (or flash) are not permitted in E07 83 Montacute House, and at Sherborne Abbey a small fee is payable for E07 84 the privilege, but there are no restrictions on our other trips at E07 85 the time of writing.

E07 86 We have two half-day trips to offer you. One is a Mystery Trip E07 87 and they're keeping the details from me so that I won't spill the E07 88 beans - as if I would!

E07 89 The half-day trip I can tell you about is to Poole E07 90 Pottery, the South's most famous Pottery. Ceramics have been made E07 91 there since 1873. This centre of craftmanship now plays host to E07 92 another: Dartington Crystal, Britain's leading manufacturer of E07 93 plain crystal glassware. Products of the centre are on sale on site E07 94 at very reasonable prices.

E07 95 All of our trips will have a tour guide, but to be able to E07 96 enjoy all the delights we have to offer you'll need to know how to E07 97 get to the Riviera Hotel. For those who are coming by car, just E07 98 look for Bowleaze Cove, near Weymouth, on the map, but make sure E07 99 it's up-to-date as the road system in the area has been altered E07 100 extensively recently. We can provide you with a route on E07 101 request.

E07 102 British Rail offers a fast, regular, direct service from E07 103 Waterloo using the Wessex Electric trains. These trains are very E07 104 similar to the High Speed 125 diesel trains in use on Inter-City E07 105 services from the North, via Birmingham and Reading, to Bournemouth E07 106 to connect with the Wessex Electrics. The Regional Railways E07 107 division of BR also provides connecting services into Southampton. E07 108 Details from any British Rail Station or appointed Travel Agent.

E07 109 Weymouth is on several National Express coach routes. Any E07 110 National Express office or approved Travel Agent, such as W.H. E07 111 Smith Travel, will give you all the details.

E07 112 On arrival in Weymouth, the coach and railway stations are in E07 113 the same street, and we've arranged transport for you to the E07 114 Riviera.

E07 115 You don't have to go on our trips - you can explore on E07 116 your own - but do come, especially if you've not attended before. E07 117 You'll have a marvellous weekend, but we need you there to make it E07 118 so.

E07 119 E07 120 LIGHTWEIGHTS AND TRAVEL

E07 121 by IAC Video Adviser, David Whittet

E07 122 IN THE last issue, we looked at travelling with a video camera E07 123 and some of the problems that arise when you want to video holidays E07 124 abroad.

E07 125 If travelling will encompass a large proportion of our video E07 126 usage, it is well worth considering this as a major factor when E07 127 purchasing your equipment and I would advise a very careful study E07 128 of the new range of ultra-compact camcorders now available.

E07 129 A few weekends ago I was at the What Video/Camcorder E07 130 User's The Video Show at the Business Design Centre in London E07 131 and was most impressed at the range of truly pocket-size hand E07 132 camcorders available. Incidentally, I am very pleased to report E07 133 that the IAC stand at The Video Show attracted a great deal of E07 134 interest and a large number of both potential and actual new E07 135 members for the IAC. This is a particular tribute to my colleagues E07 136 on the North Thames Region Council who put so much time and E07 137 enthusiasm into manning the stand so effectively throughout the E07 138 show.

E07 139 Perhaps one of the most significant developments for the E07 140 camcorder owner who does a lot of travelling is the Panasonic E07 141 Palmcorder- the NV-SIB. This camcorder is the first video E07 142 movie camera to feature a Digital Image Stabiliser which E07 143 goes a long way to eliminating camera shake, always a problem with E07 144 a hand-held camera, and often even more pronounced with extremely E07 145 small compact cameras.

E07 146 For the technically minded, the camera converts the video E07 147 signal picked up from the CCD into a digital signal and detects the E07 148 amount of camera shake. By clever electronic circuitry, the degree E07 149 of camera shake detected causes image frames of your subject to be E07 150 stored in the camera's memory and automatically shifted to prevent E07 151 movement and electronically-zoomed to full screen size - E07 152 non-technically, this means that the Palmcorder automatically E07 153 compensates for camera shake and assures stable images.

E07 154 Panasonic's Palmcorder works extremely well. It was E07 155 cleverly demonstrated at The Video Show by placing a Palmcorder on E07 156 a <}_><-|>shakey<+|>shaky<}/> ripple bed and showing just how E07 157 stable its images were. It was very interesting to see the E07 158 difference between switching the Image Stabiliser on and off. Using E07 159 the Palmcorder hand held, I was able to achieve almost E07 160 Steadicam-like effects.

E07 161 The Palmcorder, then, is obviously worth looking at if you do a E07 162 lot of travel<&|>sic! and want steady pictures without the E07 163 inconvenience of a tripod, an important consideration for air E07 164 travellers.

E07 165 I have one niggle with Panasonic's Palmcorder - which in fact E07 166 currently applies to all the ultra-small camcorders - while the E07 167 Palmcorder uses VHS-c, it does NOT use Super VHS-c. Likewise, E07 168 Sony produce an incredibly small hand camera, the Sony TR45. E07 169 While this camcorder does not offer an Image Stabiliser, it is E07 170 so small that it literally fits into the palm of your hand and E07 171 it is hardly noticeable to anyone else that you are using a video E07 172 camera. Although this has a tremendous advantage for getting E07 173 natural shots in public, and may be very helpful in shooting in E07 174 sensitive areas, again I would reiterate my advice from last time: E07 175 do not shoot on locations where it is clearly not allowed. It is E07 176 just not worth the risk.

E07 177 Disappointingly, the Sony TR45 is only available in standard E07 178 Video-8; as yet there is no Hi-8 camcorder available, either, in E07 179 this size.

E07 180 If you want the advantages of Super VHS or Hi-8 - and if you E07 181 are editing and making copies, you really do require these more E07 182 advanced formats - the smallest and most suitable camcorder for E07 183 travel, using either Super VHS or Hi-8, which I could find at the E07 184 Video Show was the JVC GR-S70 or JVC GR-S77 camcorders which offer E07 185 the truly-excellent possibilities of the Super VHS format in an E07 186 amazingly small and compact camcorder (weighing only 1.2Kg, E07 187 although obviously substantially more than the 0.4Kg of the E07 188 Panasonic Palmcorder).

E07 189 A FEW MORE WORDS ABOUT TRAVEL ...

E07 190 Last issue I gave you some general advice regarding E07 191 restrictions on video photography abroad. Perhaps some specific E07 192 points I encountered on a recent project may prove useful to E07 193 illustrate the extend of planning and hard work necessary prior to E07 194 departure.

E07 195 I have been working on a long-cherished movie about trains in E07 196 India.

E07 197 Now you might think it would be E07 198 straightforward trip<&|>sic! to arrange but it has proved a nightmare of E07 199 organisation and hard work. Reading the small print in Guide Books E07 200 (and sometimes very small print!), I discovered that you E07 201 cannot photograph any railway property in India, including trains, E07 202 stations and engines, without prior permission from the Indian E07 203 Government. Unfortunately, the High Commission for India in London E07 204 did not have the authority to issue a permit, which resulted in E07 205 many letters to the Department of Railways in New Delhi. As you can E07 206 imagine, this has taken a great deal of time, so it is vital to E07 207 find out about restrictions well in advance to allow yourself E07 208 time to get the necessary permit; it is no use requesting a permit E07 209 a few days prior to travel - it will be too late.

E07 210 Likewise, many letters have been necessary to obtain permits to E07 211 shoot at monuments, and, as I said last time, video photography of E07 212 the Taj Mahal is expressly forbidden without prior written E07 213 permission. E07 214 E08 1 <#FLOB:E08\>A VERY GOOD WINDSOR

E08 2 says Dennis Gander

E08 3 THE September Windsor meeting at the Montem Centre was, I E08 4 thought, a very good swapmeet. With the array of diecast being as E08 5 usual, enormous! And without taking that branch of the hobby for E08 6 granted, Windsor this time produced, perhaps, an extra amount of E08 7 very fine tin toys.

E08 8 There was a veritable flotilla of water craft, waterline E08 9 diecast ships, and a more than usual number of tin motor launches, E08 10 many by Hornby and by Sutcliffe, with a fast looking Bluebird II by E08 11 the latter firm. One table had a fine show of 1200th scale warships E08 12 by Tremo, all boxed.

E08 13 Like the railway collectors who can 'work' their models, the E08 14 slot car collectors too are well established in toy collecting, E08 15 although my memory goes back to the very early days of this hobby, E08 16 when the gimballed circuit pushers were not looked upon as E08 17 collectable toys, as now they are. Here at Windsor the track racers E08 18 are part of the normal scene.

E08 19 I found great pleasure at this Windsor, to 'ferret' around the E08 20 tables sniffing out the classic British cars from the 'sixties; E08 21 Austin, Sunbeam, Jaguar, Vauxhall, all those magic marques, the E08 22 classic collectables. The Triang Victory series could be seen on E08 23 the stalls at Windsor, vehicles now pure nostalgia, but I could not E08 24 find an example of the Morris Minor, perhaps the most elusive of E08 25 this fine series.

E08 26 If Windsor has a gap it is perhaps a lack of antique dolls, E08 27 though I doubt whether there is room for them! Maybe tables E08 28 organiser John Moore could entice a dolly dealer! John was as usual E08 29 very busy during the day, but I always get a smile and a cheery E08 30 greeting from him - wouldn't do his job if they paid me!

E08 31 As ever, the September meeting brought in many overseas E08 32 visitors, many regulars from abroad; from the USA Gates Willard (of E08 33 course!) keeping a sharp eye on Minics, and the older Tootsie Toys. E08 34 And a touch of class on novelty toys was provided by Tim Turner, E08 35 the American based purveyor of timeless pieces.

E08 36 The pulling power of Windsor gained interest from as far away E08 37 as Italy, Japan and Australia, but in reporting that, we must not E08 38 leave out the very many British regulars who unfailingly attend E08 39 every swapmeet organised by the Maidenhead Club. It was good to see E08 40 Sally Armstrong and her son there, too, Sally remarking that since E08 41 the passing of Anthony, the dealers had really made her feel E08 42 welcomed and at home.

E08 43 That's one of the many nice things at Windsor. It is one big E08 44 happy family meeting, in the sense that many of the visitors are E08 45 known to each other - indeed there are a number that only visit E08 46 this longest established swapmeet.

E08 47 Although from time to time I have mentioned the prices on toys E08 48 displayed at Windsor, look hard enough and you will find a wide E08 49 range of prices asked, and you will also find many people willing E08 50 to swap or part exchange - a tradition from the early days that, E08 51 thankfully, is still believed in among the tables at the Montem E08 52 Centre.

E08 53 I hope the accompanying photographs will give those who did not E08 54 go a reflection of what they missed. They are but a tiny fraction E08 55 of the wonderful toys on show. I left the hall at Slough at the end E08 56 of a happy day, reflecting that meetings don't have to get bigger E08 57 and bigger; the quality and choice was certainly here at E08 58 Windsor.

E08 59 E08 60 WORLD OF BYGONE BUSES

E08 61 Manchester Museum of Transport

E08 62 by Jack Tempest

E08 63 Bus enthusiasts are innumerable in the collecting world and it E08 64 is fairly safe to believe that the majority of them are to be found E08 65 circulating around the swapmeets whenever they can, seeking new E08 66 additions to their ever increasing collections.

E08 67 Collecting the real thing is obviously out of the question for E08 68 many bus fanatics, storage space being a leading problem. Those who E08 69 have invested in such a relic of bygone public transport are often E08 70 grateful when storage is made available in a handy museum with E08 71 space to spare, a situation which also permits the vehicle's E08 72 greater exposure to the admiration of fellow bus buffs.

E08 73 At the Museum of Transport in Manchester there may be seen one E08 74 of the country's largest accumulations of buses, with examples E08 75 dating right back to the horse drawn days. It is a fabulous E08 76 collection made up of some seventy vehicles owned by the Executive E08 77 Body, the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority: the E08 78 Greater Manchester Transport Society and by Museum volunteers.

E08 79 As may be expected, the Museum is generally biased towards the E08 80 history of public transport in what is the extensive area nowadays E08 81 known as Greater Manchester. The first recorded public 'omnibus' E08 82 service relates that a Pendleton toll keeper named John Greenwood E08 83 commenced running a three times a day horse bus between his Toll E08 84 Gate and the centre of Manchester. This is believed to have been E08 85 the very first true bus service to appear in the country - E08 86 possibly even the world!

E08 87 Greenwood's idea caught on and by 1850 there were over 60 horse E08 88 buses plying for business in Manchester alone. Horse trams, giving E08 89 smoother rides on steel rails and calling for the use of fewer E08 90 horses to haul them, were to follow. The Museum has many early E08 91 photographs of these vehicles and their proudest possession is an E08 92 actual horse bus built by the old Manchester Carriage & Tramways E08 93 Company in 1890.

E08 94 This type of horse bus, immaculately restored, was replaced by E08 95 motor buses in 1906 and, with great foresight, was fortunately E08 96 retained by Manchester Corporation for preservation as a museum E08 97 piece. On special occasions it is often taken out through the city E08 98 where it obviously causes a great deal of attention and provides an E08 99 excellent advertisement for the Museum of Transport.

E08 100 Amongst the display of buses, trams and trolley buses, there E08 101 are many other associated vehicles and artefacts to be seen in the E08 102 Museum, which is ideally situated in a spacious section of the E08 103 city's Queen's Road Bus Depot. Some of these, such as the old E08 104 Lancashire United Tow Vehicle, have seen service with bus E08 105 companies; others, like the early Lacre street-cleansing vehicle E08 106 originally operated by the Manchester Cleansing Department, which E08 107 was rescued for preservation from Manchester Airport where it had E08 108 been given the job of clearing snow from the runways!

E08 109 There are also a few interesting non-bus associated commercial E08 110 vehicles on display including a Ford Model 'A' Van manufactured at E08 111 the Henry Ford plant which existed in nearby Trafford Park from E08 112 1919 to 1931, when it was closed in favour of the move to E08 113 Dagenham.

E08 114 The Museum has a well equipped department dedicated to the E08 115 restoration of old vehicles which is also responsible for the E08 116 maintenance of the Museum's exhibits. Every effort is made by the E08 117 voluntary workers to ensure that the majority of the vehicles are E08 118 kept in full working order. Here a great deal of time and effort is E08 119 spent in returning neglected buses, trams, trolley buses and E08 120 commercial vehicles of all kinds, back to their original E08 121 condition.

E08 122 Visitors can often watch restoration work in progress, an E08 123 activity that adds to the nostalgic atmosphere, bringing a little E08 124 realism to the museum display presented in authentic 'garage' E08 125 surroundings. They may also sample the working environment of the E08 126 Museum's ticket machine repair shop, the destination blind E08 127 manufacturing area, and the signwriting department!

E08 128 As for the buses on display, there is a fine example of a E08 129 single deck 1930 Leyland Tiger TS2 specially created as an express E08 130 bus designed to beat the competition from the 'pirate' operators E08 131 then in operation on the city's roads. That same year the E08 132 Government introduced a Transport Act which led to the eventual E08 133 ousting of the 'pirates'.

E08 134 Nineteen years on Manchester was ridding itself of its tramway E08 135 system and a 1949 Leyland PD 1/3 double decker in the collection E08 136 commemorates the fleet of buses acquired to replace the trams. The E08 137 last of Manchester's newer trams were Pilcher cars, named after the E08 138 city's General Manager who actually preferred buses and was hoping E08 139 to rid the city of its tramway system as soon as he could! It was E08 140 1949 when the last trams ran and several of the 'Pilchers' were E08 141 sold for service in Aberdeen and Leeds.

E08 142 Crossley motor-buses and trolley-buses were bought by E08 143 Manchester, and a batch of the company's six-wheel vehicles were E08 144 delivered in 1951. An example of the latter was saved for the E08 145 Museum when such forms of transport were discontinued in the city E08 146 in 1966. Ramsbottom was the first town to run trolley buses in the E08 147 district just before the out-break of the first World War. E08 148 These vehicles began to take over from trams in Wigan, Ashton, and E08 149 Oldham from 1925 and came to Manchester in 1938.

E08 150 Manchester is shortly to return to tramway transport, as every E08 151 enthusiast will know well, but the vehicles are of foreign E08 152 manufacture - in the old days it was unheard of for Britain to buy E08 153 foreign vehicles and northern transport was usually provided by E08 154 north-western manufacturers such as Crossley and Leyland. Salford E08 155 preferred Daimlers powered by locally made Gardner engines, and so E08 156 did Rochdale, though they also operated AEC types.

E08 157 The Atlantean bus, from Leyland of 1958, saw a big change in E08 158 bus design with its rear engine and the placing of its door next to E08 159 the driver. This made one-man operation possible, a E08 160 necessity resulting from the ever increasing demand for higher E08 161 wages, and with the doors driver operated, helped reduce passenger E08 162 accidents.

E08 163 A visit to the Manchester Museum of Transport is well E08 164 worthwhile for all bus fanatics, whether they like the 'real thing' E08 165 or are content to collect diecast models. For the latter a E08 166 specially good time to drop in is over the weekend of the 16th/17th E08 167 November from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. when a Two Day Toy Fair will be E08 168 taking place with hundreds of collectable models being offered by E08 169 stallholders from a wide area.

E08 170 A highlight of the weekend will be Saturday's Toy & Transport E08 171 Auction Sale taking place on the Saturday when, in keeping with the E08 172 fact that it will be only so many shopping days to Christmas, Santa E08 173 Claus will be paying a special visit. Other special attractions E08 174 will be a fairground organ, a brass band recital, miniature E08 175 railways, and other special attractions. For more information on E08 176 this event phone 061-430-4827.

E08 177 The Museum of Transport is situated on Boyle Street, off E08 178 Queen's Road (Ring Road) about one mile north of the City Centre, E08 179 and is open Wednesdays, Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays from E08 180 10a.m. to 5p.m. (Christmas excepted). Free on-street parking at the E08 181 Museum. Further information on 061-205-2122.

E08 182 E08 183 WORLD'S LARGEST COLLECTION

E08 184 by Jack Tempest

E08 185 A collection with a difference can be visited at the Midlands E08 186 car-racing centre of Donington Park, situated almost next door to E08 187 the East Midlands Airport. Inside the specially designed building, E08 188 its layout planned in the form of a crank-shaft to permit the best E08 189 possible use of the site on which the museum stands, the visitor is E08 190 able to inspect over one hundred and fifty immaculately preserved E08 191 examples of single-seat racing cars.

E08 192 Owner Tom Wheatcroft, a car racing enthusiast since the 1930's E08 193 began collecting his cars, representing some eighty years of the E08 194 motor sport, only as recently as 1964 when he purchased an ex-Peter E08 195 Whitehead 1951 Ferrari. This car he bought as a 'one-off', for his E08 196 personal amusement only, with no idea in his mind of starting to E08 197 collect at the time. The thrill of the sport was Tom's main E08 198 interest, and had been since the Donington Grand Prix was E08 199 attracting contestants from all over the world to Britain's first E08 200 true road course in the mid-1930's.

E08 201 Tom found himself buying more vehicles and, in 1971, he E08 202 purchased Donington Park with the intention of reviving E08 203 international motor racing there. By now his collection had grown E08 204 so much that its owner decided that it was time that suitable E08 205 accommodation be found to put it on public display. Tom now had the E08 206 space available at Donington Park and, by 1973, the brand new E08 207 permanent home for his racers was declared open to the public.

E08 208 E09 1 <#FLOB:E09\>"Editing is an Art Form"

E09 2 The Baton: the magazine of the Philatelic Music E09 3 Circle. ISSN 0951-9951. Published three times a year. Editor: Mrs. E09 4 Irene Lawford, 22 Bouverie Gardens, Kenton, Middlesex HA3 0RQ. E09 5 Annual membership subscription: pounds6. Back numbers of the E09 6 magazine: pounds1.50 ($3)

E09 7 Not often do we have the chance of reviewing a Presidential E09 8 Editorial: but then Mrs. Lawford is an unusual and distinguished E09 9 president and editor. Her little history, in No. 67, of how E09 10 The Baton has undergone changes of production method, how E09 11 it virtually rules the life of its editor, and how an autonomous E09 12 non-professional (her words, not ours) copes with the E09 13 demands of producing a good society journal, is tremendously E09 14 impressive. Neither of us is especially attracted towards thematic E09 15 philately, yet we have always enjoyed the care, skill and learning E09 16 which are so evident in the Philatelic Music Circle's magazine. E09 17 Irene Lawford probably speaks for more philatelic editors than she E09 18 realises. We know she is a member of the Philatelic Writers' E09 19 Society, and we hope that Quill might reprint her message as a E09 20 piece of general interest to philatelic writers and editors.

E09 21 It ought to go without saying, though we say it just the same, E09 22 that any collector who enjoys indulging, even on a part-time basis, E09 23 in the musical theme, should join the Circle and experience the E09 24 benefits of its editor's erudition and sheer joie-de-vivre. E09 25 Selecting two or three items from such a wealth of stimulating E09 26 material is quite a task. In the two numbers we have picked for E09 27 comment we found the recent G.B. Thomas Hardy stamps charmingly set E09 28 to music by David Rye. We are familiar enough with The E09 29 Mellstock Quire, for we are Dorset folk and proud of it, but E09 30 it came as an unexpected bonus to learn that it was Hardy's E09 31 grandfather, disguised as "neighbour Yeobright" in E09 32 The Return, whose playing made the church windows rattle E09 33 "as if 'twere a thunderstorm".

E09 34 Keeping up with new issues is admirably done, though of course E09 35 for this year there seems to be a surfeit of Mozart, but Bryan E09 36 Hunt, that Hampshireman of so many philatelic parts, has translated E09 37 and edited a fascinating article from Germany about Bach as E09 38 organist. Reinkin said of Bach, after hearing his improvisations E09 39 for thirty minutes, "I thought that art had died, but I see E09 40 it lives on in you"; and Irene Lawford remarks in her E09 41 'Presidential' that "editing is definitely an art E09 42 form!" Sherlock Holmes, who played a Stradivarius, and who E09 43 has also been depicted on stamps, once declared that "Art E09 44 in the blood is liable to take the strangest forms". Art in E09 45 The Baton is liable to produce many lovely surprises, E09 46 too.

E09 47 E09 48 'State-of-the-Art Journal'

E09 49 Medi-Theme: the Quarterly Bulletin of the Medical E09 50 Philately Study Group. Editor: Tom Wilson, 162 Canterbury Road, E09 51 Kennington, Ashford, Kent TN24 9QD. Annual membership subscription: E09 52 pounds5 (pounds7.50 overseas). Back numbers: pounds1 each.

E09 53 Aim of Medi-Theme editor Tom Wilson is to keep his E09 54 magazine the 'state-of-the-art' journal! Our only petty quibble E09 55 with this idea is that upon looking at Volume 9, the four issues E09 56 for 1990, the contents appear to cover numerous states of a vast E09 57 array of medical arts. But if 'state-of-the-art' means that we E09 58 enjoyed them all, and felt in better health and better informed E09 59 when we finished than before we began, then the editor has got it E09 60 absolutely right.

E09 61 Medi-Theme is very useful for its reviews of a wide E09 62 variety of publications which have relevance to the medical theme, E09 63 and this latest volume contains several ampoules of pharmaceutical E09 64 philately. There is also an excellent article by George E09 65 Griffenhagen on Pharmacy in Australia. A feature on E09 66 British stamps revealed the interesting information that Benjamin E09 67 Franklin, first Postmaster of the United States, and John Keats, E09 68 the English poet, were both apothecaries. Keats appears again as a E09 69 victim of syphilis in a splendid piece by Professor Alfred Jay E09 70 Bottet of Yale on The Great Pox. The philatelic E09 71 connections are not far removed (!), and we were especially taken E09 72 by some of the many names given to this disease which presuppose E09 73 that somebody else must have been to blame for it; for example, the E09 74 French Disease, the Spanish Disease, the Chinese Pleasure Disease, E09 75 the European Illness, the West Indies Disease, the Portuguese Sore, E09 76 the Neapolitan Disease and the French Pox! Did nobody ever hold the E09 77 British responsible?

E09 78 Nowadays, to judge from the frequency of recent stamps and E09 79 postmarks, AIDS is thought to be the chief enemy, though Tom Wilson E09 80 presents a paper about Deafness on Stamps, and Oku Ampofo E09 81 reviews herbal remedies in Plants that Heal. We learn E09 82 also that American bulk-rate postal markings, and even Agatha E09 83 Christie, have their medical connotations, and Dr. Allan Hall has E09 84 begun a series about Physicians on U.S. Stamps and First Day E09 85 Covers. Those of us who are frightened of doctors can take E09 86 comfort in the fact that the only one to become President of the E09 87 U.S.A. died within a month of his inauguration.

E09 88 E09 89 Cock-Ups, According to Coqk

E09 90 Captain Coqk provides a lot of very good reading, E09 91 even if sometimes for the wrong reasons. For it is a relatively E09 92 simple publication, issued monthly, by a smallish society operating E09 93 in a smallish but internationally distinguished city. And it caters E09 94 not so much for the learned expert but more for the ordinary E09 95 members who form the bulk of the stamp collecting community E09 96 anywhere. It does contain some excellent specialist articles, but E09 97 its chief interest to us lies in its role as forum for the opinions E09 98 of average collectors, opinions which are often overlooked. It E09 99 would be both unkind and misleading to regard Captain E09 100 Coqk as a repository for gripes and groans, but since it E09 101 performs this function so well, let us look at a few of the E09 102 comments which appeared during last year, which saw NZ 1990 in E09 103 Auckland, as well as Stamp World 90 in London.

E09 104 Several readers complain that the new issues of NZ Post are too E09 105 numerous, often irrelevant to postal rates, and far too expensive E09 106 for many collectors. This is an age-old grumble the world over, E09 107 with which we have considerable sympathy. The president's advice is E09 108 admirable: cancel the standing order and fill some older gaps. It E09 109 can be more fun collecting used stamps, even if, as one E09 110 illustration showed, they have been ruined by three cancellations E09 111 because the first try, with light, circular datestamps, didn't E09 112 obliterate them sufficiently. (By the way, New Zealand no longer E09 113 has post offices; they are now called Post Shops.)

E09 114 Others grumble about exhibitions, and we enjoyed one E09 115 suggestion, that the organisers should pay the exhibitors, rather E09 116 than the other way round, especially if there were no medals being E09 117 awarded. The plethora of exhibition souvenirs came in for E09 118 criticism: and who can honestly deny that there are far too many of E09 119 them, designed only to extract cash from collectors which would be E09 120 better spent on the purchase of some real stamps? New Zealanders E09 121 complained of biased Australian judging; well, the simple remedy is E09 122 to stick to cricket and hope the umpire never raises his finger at E09 123 your efforts. In contrast, New Zealanders seem to like their idea E09 124 of perfinning current and old demonetised stamps as exhibition E09 125 souvenirs, and hope others may follow their lead. Well, we don't, E09 126 for real perfins are seriously studied nowadays, and it scarcely E09 127 helps for a responsible philatelic body to create rubbish which may E09 128 confuse collectors of the future. We are told that they are eagerly E09 129 bought, errors and all, though probably not by the same people who E09 130 say they cannot afford all the new issues. It all shows you cannot E09 131 please everyone, and this is one of the aspects which makes E09 132 Captain Coqk such a pleasure to read.

E09 133 Among the more serious pieces -sorry if we have rather E09 134 neglected them -were a most instructive technical explanation about E09 135 O.C.R. and F.S.M. (Optical Character Readers and Flat Sorting E09 136 Machines currently being introduced), an account of the Victoria E09 137 Naval Contingent in the Boxer Rebellion, the 40 cents postal E09 138 stationery envelopes (varieties of the old type, and then new ones E09 139 sold and used several days before the official first day of issue), E09 140 the Edward VII 1/2d Official with inverted overprint, New Zealand E09 141 telegraphic cancels, and a report about philately in China.

E09 142 The November 1990 issue saw the Captain reach his double E09 143 century, even against some fast Australian bowling, but he has E09 144 taken a fresh guard and is batting on.

E09 145 Captain Coqk is printed and published by the E09 146 Christchurch (N.Z.) Philatelic Society Inc., 27 Worchester Street E09 147 (P.O. Box 29), Christchurch, New Zealand, at an annual subscription E09 148 of NZ$18, plus postage overseas.

E09 149 E09 150 Good News from Italy

E09 151 In our comments about Fil-Italia, the Journal of the Italy E09 152 & Colonies Study Circle (see The Philatelist for E09 153 March-April 1991, page 76) we mentioned the excellent articles E09 154 which appeared in Volume 16 during 1990, but we regretted that the E09 155 magazine arrived as a bundle of loose sheets, without binding, or E09 156 even a staple. By the time our review was published, but E09 157 unfortunately not soon enough to amend our text, the first number E09 158 of Fil-Italia Volume 17 had arrived. The Journal is now being E09 159 produced on new desktop publishing equipment and arrives with a E09 160 splendid plastic binder. Cover price is now pounds4 per copy, but E09 161 the improvements are well worth the modest increase from the E09 162 previous pounds3. We congratulate the editor and all concerned.

E09 163 This new number includes excellent articles on the postal E09 164 services of the Papal States, the postal markings of Somalia, the E09 165 Chiasso-Sofia-Jerusalem Mail Route 1942-43, and the Italian Post E09 166 Office in Janina 1902-17, and updates on ship postmarks, E09 167 censorship, and perfins. Collectors of the Italian area who do not E09 168 belong to the study circle are strongly advised to join. E09 169 Incidentally, the annual membership is less than the cost of the E09 170 magazines.

E09 171 E09 172 James Chalmers and the London Mail

E09 173 Dundee and Tayside Chamber of Commerce and Industry have E09 174 produced a limited number of unique booklets as part of their E09 175 contribution to the Dundee Octocentenary celebrations. The booklet E09 176 contains extracts from the original Minute Books of the Chamber E09 177 covering the period 1820-1850 -a most interesting time in E09 178 philatelic history. Postal services were crucial to the merchants E09 179 involved in the linen trade which dominated the economy of Dundee E09 180 in the first half of the 19th century. Any measure that speeded up E09 181 the receipt of orders was of vital importance -especially if their E09 182 competitors in other parts of Britain benefited from any E09 183 improvement in their mail service.

E09 184 The extracts from the Minute books of the Forfarshire Chamber E09 185 of Commerce and Manufacturers and its successor, the Dundee Chamber E09 186 of Commerce, provide a fascinating record of the mail service as E09 187 transport moved from the stagecoach to the railways. References to E09 188 highwaymen, William Gladstone and Falmouth are reminders of E09 189 historical events, personalities and places.

E09 190 James Chalmers, inventor of the adhesive postage stamp, played E09 191 a leading role in the Forfarshire Chamber and drafted several E09 192 detailed reports explaining how the mail service between London and E09 193 Dundee could be improved, while continuing to link with the various E09 194 branch services of which that to the ports of Liverpool and E09 195 Manchester was of special importance. Around 1825, after extensive E09 196 campaigning, James Chalmers succeeded in reducing, by one day, the E09 197 time for mail to reach Edinburgh from London. Chalmers was very E09 198 active during the time of the postal reforms around 1840 and copies E09 199 of correspondence with Rowland Hill are included in the booklet.

E09 200 Dundee Chamber admired the work of Rowland Hill in introducing E09 201 the Penny Post and set up a committee to raise subscriptions to his E09 202 Memorial Fund. Criticism of the local post office and a plan for a E09 203 new Post Office in part of the Exchange Coffee House is to be found E09 204 in the extracts.

E09 205 Each of the 1000 limited edition copies of the booklet will be E09 206 numbered individually. A limited number of these will be posted on E09 207 the first day of Expo 800 -an international trade fair to be held E09 208 in Dundee from 3 to 6 July 1991 -which Her Majesty the Queen will E09 209 open on 3rd July. E09 210 E10 1 <#FLOB:E10\>What are words worth?

E10 2 Gordon Wells gets out his typewriter to explain how an article E10 3 will help sell your photographs

E10 4 You're a good photographer. You enjoy seeing your pictures in E10 5 print, but you don't have much success at selling them. You hanker E10 6 after selling more. Let me show you how ...

E10 7 Look at all those general (ie not photography magazines on the E10 8 newsagents' shelves. They contain a lot of pictures - illustrating E10 9 general-interest articles. Many of those shots are sold to the E10 10 magazine as part of a 'package' of words and pictures. You'll sell E10 11 more of your photographs if they are submitted with a feature E10 12 article.

E10 13 Maybe you don't feel confident about writing articles. You E10 14 haven't written much - apart from letters - since you left E10 15 school.

E10 16 Don't worry. Editors don't want school compositions or E10 17 essays. All you need do is tell it like it is, write E10 18 as though you were talking to your neighbour over the garden fence. E10 19 The more simply you write, the better it is. It just requires E10 20 application (and perseverance), something to write about, some good E10 21 photographs ... and luck!

E10 22 We'll come back to how you write later, but let's think E10 23 about the photographs first. What photographs are you trying to E10 24 sell? Initially, you will find it easier to sell black and white E10 25 photographs than colour.

E10 26 Go back, look again at those magazines in the newsagents: those E10 27 which concern your other-than-photography hobby such as gardening, E10 28 fishing, motoring, etc. Look at the women's magazines too. Forget E10 29 the lead features - look at the articles further back in the E10 30 magazines. Most have black and white illustrations.

E10 31 While you're looking at these magazines, watch out too for the E10 32 'Letters to the Editor' page. You will often find the letters E10 33 accompanied by photographs - also black and white - and they are E10 34 often paid for.

E10 35 Notice particularly Country Life and Field. Both E10 36 pay for any photographs accompanying the letters - about pounds12 E10 37 per picture used - and a 7x5in print is big enough.

E10 38 All you need is a photograph of something interesting (and E10 39 relevant to that magazine) and you can write something like this: E10 40 'Your readers will be interested in the enclosed photograph of ... E10 41 an unusual inn-sign which I noticed while on holiday in Antarctica. E10 42 I wonder whether Lord Lucan knows this hostelry is named after E10 43 him?' All you have to write is about 100 words and ... you've got a E10 44 picture published and paid for.

E10 45 But let's progress beyond letters to the editor. You will E10 46 probably find it easiest to sell a short article with a set of E10 47 linked photographs. Say you have half a dozen pictures of E10 48 items in your antique collection, or of different types of church E10 49 weather vanes, or lych-gates, or whatever. The fact that you have a E10 50 set of pictures makes it easier for you to write an article around E10 51 them. Just explain their provenance. Or tell a little of the E10 52 history of weather vanes, or whatever.

E10 53 The most important requirement for a writer-photographer is the E10 54 idea for the article. You need to think how you can make your E10 55 subject interesting to the casual reader. It's seldom any good E10 56 merely writing about weather vanes; you've got to have a slant to E10 57 make the topic interesting.

E10 58 You can sometimes get ideas from looking at other people's E10 59 articles and often you can lift both idea and subject matter from a E10 60 defunct, jumble-sale magazine - and update it.

E10 61 When all else fails, maybe you can get an idea for a E10 62 general-interest article by picking some photogenic object at E10 63 random - street lights, coins, sundials - and asking yourself the E10 64 usual Who? What? Why? Where? When? and How? questions about them. E10 65 Seek out the answers, take some photographs, and write your E10 66 article.

E10 67 You also need to know which magazine to write these articles E10 68 for. You cannot write first and then think about the market E10 69 afterwards. The standard publications (The Writers' &Artists' E10 70 Yearbook or The Writers' Handbook) will help as will E10 71 my own, detailed study of 70 - odd relevant magazines in E10 72 Photography for Article-writers, published by Allison E10 73 &Busby. But irrespective of reference books, you need to study the E10 74 target magazines yourself. Try to picture the average reader - the E10 75 advertisements and the letters page will help in this exercise. E10 76 That is who your illustrated article has to interest; there's no E10 77 such thing as a captive readership.

E10 78 Check the length of the illustrated articles in your target E10 79 magazine. It's pointless writing a 2500-word article for a magazine E10 80 that never uses anything longer than 800 words - and vice-versa. E10 81 Check also the type of feature the magazine uses: The E10 82 Lady wouldn't use a feature on 'Victorian sex-aids' - E10 83 Cosmopolitan might.

E10 84 Now the actual writing. The basic rule is to write concisely E10 85 and simply. Don't waste words; don't use a long word when a short E10 86 one will do and don't try to be 'literary.' Write the way you talk. E10 87 Use varied, but fairly short, sentence-lengths: and keep the E10 88 paragraphs short - maybe 50-60 words, three or four sentences E10 89 only.

E10 90 Grab your reader's attention quickly. Make your opening E10 91 paragraph short and snappy. If your opening paragraph bores the E10 92 reader, he'll never reach the second one.

E10 93 Your last paragraph should also be strong. It helps too, if you E10 94 can round off the article neatly - by coming back to a point that E10 95 was mentioned in the first paragraph. And because your objective is E10 96 to get your photographs into print too, mention them in the E10 97 article. Take care though: don't let your words commit an editor to E10 98 using a specific picture, which he may not like.

E10 99 When your article is finished, reading it aloud helps you E10 100 notice the uncomfortable phrases, the pomposities, the waffle and E10 101 the repetitions. Delete them all. Tighten up your writing; it can E10 102 only be better.

E10 103 Finally, type your article and the associated captions sheet, E10 104 double-spaced (type a line, miss a line) on white A4 paper, leaving E10 105 wide margins (say 1 1/2 in). Type your name and address on the last E10 106 page. Ensure your name and address - and a key word linking the E10 107 pictures to the article - is on the back of each photograph.

E10 108 Provide a cover sheet for your article; on it, give the title, E10 109 the length and how many pictures accompany it - and repeat your E10 110 name and address. Provide a card to protect the pictures, and a E10 111 stamped addressed envelope big enough for the return of the E10 112 photographs (and the manuscript if rejected). Post it off - and E10 113 forget it. You may not hear anything for a month, even longer with E10 114 some editors. Don't worry. Get on with the next feature.

E10 115 You may not sell your first illustrated article, but don't let E10 116 it put you off. If you work at it, you will sell something soon. E10 117 You'll have got your pictures into print, and you'll get paid for E10 118 the words too. That's how I got started!

E10 119 E10 120 Small is BEAUTIFUL

E10 121 Minolta has launched two tiny AF SLRs which pack a huge array E10 122 of features into their diminutive bodies

E10 123 When Minolta grabbed the flagging SLR market by the scruff of E10 124 the neck, shook it around a bit and launched the 7000, the company E10 125 clearly established a lead. Only Canon followed it with any vigour, E10 126 and its low-priced EOS 1000F looked as if it were likely to steal E10 127 the whole lower sector of the market.

E10 128 Minolta's response to this threat comes in two forms: the Dynax E10 129 3xi and SPxi.

E10 130 The price of the two cameras leaves no-one in any doubt that in E10 131 addition to simply replacing the 5000i in terms of specification, E10 132 the two cameras can match the 3000i for both size and price.

E10 133 Twins E10 134 While SPxi and 3xi are not identical twins, there are more E10 135 similarities than differences, so unless otherwise indicated, any E10 136 mention of the 3xi refers also to the SPxi.

E10 137 Both cameras, as their suffixes suggest, are based around E10 138 Minolta's new expert intelligence concept and have improved E10 139 focusing and metering (compared to the previous generation of E10 140 Dynaxes), as well as the eye-start facility first seen on an SLR E10 141 with the 7xi.

E10 142 Eye-start sets the camera functions in motion when the camera E10 143 is brought to the eye. Two contacts in the handgrip activate the E10 144 infrared emitter and receiver which calculate whether the camera is E10 145 being held next to the eye. In theory, the eye-start system gives E10 146 the photographer a far better chance of obtaining a correctly E10 147 focused and exposed grab-shot, activating the focusing, the E10 148 exposure, and with some lenses, of which more later, the E10 149 auto-standby zoom.

E10 150 There are four exposure modes available to the user, with the E10 151 usual combination of manual, aperture priority, shutter priority E10 152 and expert program.

E10 153 The distinguishing feature of this expert program is its use of E10 154 a program area rather than a program line. Instead of simply being E10 155 an exposure equation that is weighted to either small apertures for E10 156 depth of field or fast shutter speeds to reduce image blur, the E10 157 expert program uses an area (rather than a line), which gives the E10 158 camera a bit more flexibility in its choice of exposure E10 159 parameters.

E10 160 Metering is achieved with a trimmed down version of the E10 161 honeycomb system seen on the 7xi; with eight segments rather than E10 162 14.

E10 163 The honeycomb system, like other matrix-based systems, uses the E10 164 different readings to determine where the main subject lies, and to E10 165 thus calculate the correct exposure by weighting different segments E10 166 of the honeycomb appropriately. If the prevailing lighting E10 167 conditions change, the system recalculates the exposure E10 168 concentrating on the segment where the subject is to be found, even E10 169 if it is not in the centre of the frame. For shots with the E10 170 built-in flash (3xi only), or with a dedicated flash, there is a E10 171 second silicon photocell in the camera to give off the film TTL E10 172 flash metering.

E10 173 Expert focusing

E10 174 Using a larger area than the 5000i and 3000i, the 3xi goes E10 175 directly into continuous focusing mode when the camera is brought E10 176 to the eye. If the subject in the focus frame is moving, the camera E10 177 stays in continuous mode and calculates the degree of subject E10 178 movement that will take place between the shutter release being E10 179 depressed fully and the time of exposure, and adjust the lens E10 180 accordingly to give a perfectly focused shot.

E10 181 The sensitivity of the AF system is such that it can (with E10 182 sufficient contrast) focus on subjects in light levels as low as E10 183 EV-1 (which would require a four second exposure at f/1.4), and (in E10 184 the case of the 3xi) the built-in flash gives a series of low power E10 185 pulses to illuminate the subject in low-light or low E10 186 contrast situations.

E10 187 In fact the camera's metering system is not as sensitive to low E10 188 light as the AF system, with the honeycomb matrix going down to EV1 E10 189 and the spotmetering (SPxi only) down to EV4, but it can cope with E10 190 brighter lights up to EV20, as opposed to the AF's EV18.

E10 191 The power zoom xi lenses launched with the 7xi and the latest E10 192 power zoom 35-80mm f/4-5.6, like the previous Dynax lenses, bear no E10 193 aperture ring or markings. Aperture and shutter speeds are E10 194 controlled by two sliding switches; one by the lens throat, the E10 195 other just ahead of the shutter release on the top-plate of E10 196 the camera.

E10 197 Given that the expert exposure and focus system preclude the E10 198 need for many of the creative expansion cards used with previous E10 199 range of Dynax cameras, there is no expansion port. The camera is E10 200 otherwise little disturbed by buttons: with one on the back of the E10 201 3xi to raise the flash manually (it pops up automatically in E10 202 program mode whenever it is required) or, on the SPxi, to bring the E10 203 spotmetering into operation.

E10 204 Fuzzy logic

E10 205 While the phrase 'fuzzy logic' is getting to be as overworked E10 206 by camera manufacturers' marketing departments as 'ergonomic E10 207 styling' was a couple of years ago, it is still a reasonably E10 208 accurate description of the method that the 3xi and SPxi use to E10 209 determine the correct exposure.

E10 210 Getting to the right place in the program area using such E10 211 criteria as focal length of the lens in use, the distance of E10 212 subject and, if any, the motion of the subject, the camera gets E10 213 what it considers the ideal exposure for the subject.

E10 214 E11 1 <#FLOB:E11\>CAUGHT IN THE ACT

E11 2 INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF COUNTRY MUSIC

E11 3 Wembley Arena

E11 4 March 3-31

E11 5 Steve Morewood

E11 6 SATURDAY - Amid rumours that this might be the final Wembley E11 7 Festival, it is clear that even if it isn't the event isn't what it E11 8 used to be. I well remember the bustle, excitement and sense of E11 9 anticipation of my own first Wembley (1984) when an appearance at E11 10 the Festival was coveted and seen as a good career move.

E11 11 How things have changed! This year there were no exciting new E11 12 acts, only a few faithful headliners making yet another appearance E11 13 before an audience that has aged with them and which is guaranteed E11 14 to revere their performance.

E11 15 With no sponsor, no TV, no radio, no major record label E11 16 interest and a sparcity of paying booths, economy was clearly the E11 17 order of the day. Gone too was the lavish stage backdrop and the PA E11 18 system was smaller - though from my vantage point this wasn't E11 19 noticeable.

E11 20 Once, British acts performed at the Conference Centre where the E11 21 odd exceptional band, having impressed Mervyn Conn, might hope to E11 22 earn a spot on the main arena stage. Now it's a piece of cake to E11 23 appear at the latter as 'The Best Of British' and the other acts E11 24 are compressed together to form one show.

E11 25 The effect is both to dilute the quality and make for an E11 26 exceptionally long show - no wonder Crystal Gayle enquired whether E11 27 the seats had cushions! An unfortunate consequence of the E11 28 arrangement was that, by the time we had got into the acts everyone E11 29 had come to see, the late running meant that most had to abbreviate E11 30 their performances.

E11 31 What then of the performances? The assortment of British acts E11 32 reminded me of George Michael's 'Cover To Cover' tour which had E11 33 graced Wembley the previous week. But where Michael brought E11 34 original interpretation to standards, most of the homegrown artists E11 35 were simply intent on emulating their American peers.

E11 36 I won't waste time in cataloguing all the covers that were E11 37 trotted out - and some of them, like 'Don't Close Your Eyes', more E11 38 than once. I quite liked veteran Jon Derek's version of E11 39 'Till The Rivers All Run Dry' which is less pedestrian than Don E11 40 Williams' cut and whose Mediterranean flavour made it a No.1 in E11 41 Malta (1979).

E11 42 Too many of the British groups, like West Coast and E11 43 Gambler, sounded the same and suffered from the lack of an E11 44 exciting and individual lead vocalist. Somehow the Irish, perhaps E11 45 because of their pronounced accents, come over as much more E11 46 authentic and genuine. Bredan Quinn, with his more E11 47 balanced sound, raised the quality of the proceedings and E11 48 deservedly took a second bow. Matt Leavy, though, gave E11 49 the impression of trying to sound like someone else, offering E11 50 material from George Strait, Buck Owens and current rage Clint E11 51 Black.

E11 52 The American visitors came in with the oddly named Big E11 53 Guitarists From Memphis (though they're from all over the E11 54 States). Long-haired and youthful, their heavy, driving sound E11 55 seemed out of place for me (though it did at least break the E11 56 monotony). Much of their material didn't quite come off but with E11 57 more polish they could yet succeed.

E11 58 I have never been enthralled by Switzerland's George E11 59 Hug. Making his 3rd Wembley appearance, his pidgin English E11 60 remains a handicap, making him sound funny without meaning to. At E11 61 lest this time he had the assistance of ex-Nitty Gritty Dirty Band E11 62 stalwart John McEuen, an able compere, on 'I Want To Go E11 63 To Nashville'.

E11 64 A revitalised Crystal Gayle provided the superior E11 65 voice of the evening - rich in tone, immaculately phrased and E11 66 possessing a power that doesn't come over on her recordings. E11 67 Crystal's last album, 'Ain't Gonna Worry', marked her return to the E11 68 Allen Reynolds camp and she has had the good sense to also make her E11 69 stage act more simple and pure. Gone are the plush arrangements of E11 70 old in favour of neat intrusions here and there. Jay E11 71 Patton, for instance, excelled on saxophone while 'When I E11 72 Dream' featured a deftly played mandolin and tinkling piano.

E11 73 All the old favourites were in Crystal's set - 'River Road, E11 74 'Half The Way', 'Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue', to name a few. E11 75 Less familiar were the recently revived 'Oh Lonesome Me' as well as E11 76 'Never Ending Song Of Love'. John McEuen was brought on for 'Rocky E11 77 Top' before which Crystal duetted with sister Peggy Sue E11 78 (putting on a brave face after the recent loss of their daughter) E11 79 on an Everly Brothers medley. Underlining the family ties, Crystal E11 80 found a receptive welcome for her other sister's 'Don't Come Home E11 81 A-Drinkin'.

E11 82 Susan McCann is Ireland's female equivalent to Daniel E11 83 O'Donnell, confirmation of which came when Mervyn Conn presented E11 84 her with an award for sales of her first UK album release. She has E11 85 a singalong style, reminiscent of Billie Jo Spears, and gave the E11 86 audience plenty of familiar tunes.

E11 87 Even though Crystal received the first encore of the evening, E11 88 earlier acts had taken so long that the show was now way over E11 89 schedule. It was still to finish at 11pm but only through later E11 90 acts considerably tailoring their sets.

E11 91 The main sufferers were the Opry veterans. Their voices might E11 92 be faded, they may no longer be with major labels, but at least E11 93 they perform original hits. And none more so than Charlie E11 94 Louvin whose fetching blonde sidekick Debbie played the E11 95 role of late brother Ira. Especially emotive were 'Every Time You E11 96 Leave' and 'When I Stop Dreaming'. Charlie was obviously annoyed, E11 97 however, to have his prepared 30 minute slot slashed by a third E11 98 (leaving out the much loved 'Precious Jewel').

E11 99 Today, David Houston sounds croaky and is often off E11 100 key. Fortunately, he has a bubbly wife, Kathy Raye E11 101 Houston, who can not only sing well but also tells a good E11 102 joke. She was very much the dominant partner, though Houston E11 103 acquitted himself to some extent with a maudlin 'Blue Eyes Crying E11 104 In the Rain'.

E11 105 Jean Shepard's voice has held up better with the E11 106 result that she can still perform solo effectively. After running E11 107 through her hits, Jean was denied an encore by time E11 108 restrictions.

E11 109 Mellow-voiced Canadian Stu Phillips was once marketed E11 110 as 'The New Jim Reeves', and astutely slipped in a tribute to E11 111 "a very dear friend of mine" in the form of 'He'll E11 112 Have To Go', following a Jim Reeves style spot. Afterwards, E11 113 Phillips was the hottest selling act on CMP's stand. He also chose E11 114 to reveal that the Grand Ole Opry veterans wanted to close together E11 115 with 'The Old Rugged Cross' but there was no time. Such honesty E11 116 could have prompted audience unrest. The fact that it didn't was E11 117 probably symptomatic of the fading popularity of the old stars and E11 118 the still potent drawing power of Johnny Cash, who was to E11 119 follow.

E11 120 One imagines Johnny Cash to be as solid as Mount E11 121 Rushmore, immune to all afflictions, but, as John Kennedy once E11 122 said, "We're all mortal", and Cash's voice has E11 123 clearly been adversely affected by the recent problems with his E11 124 jaw. Throughout his show, Cash paid frequent visits to the back of E11 125 the stage to use a throat spray.

E11 126 But even a half fit Johnny Cash is better than most and he gave E11 127 his all to put on an entertaining spot. Indeed, a few of his E11 128 numbers like 'Sunday Morning Comin' Down' probably gained from his E11 129 unusually soft vocal treatment.

E11 130 More so even than Crystal, Johnny has returned to basics, E11 131 dispensing with his brass section and looking to recreate his E11 132 original sound on songs like 'Get Rhythm' and 'Big River'. At other E11 133 times, Cash called in old faithful Earl Ball to add some E11 134 softer effects, while off stage Anita Carter provided E11 135 some high voice cushioning, as on 'Suppertime'.

E11 136 I was taken with Cash's 'Train Medley' which started with 'Ride E11 137 This Train'. I had expected 'Orange Blossom Special', 'Casey Jones' E11 138 and other steam classics. Instead there was an interesting E11 139 excursion into Cash's past - linked by drumming suggestive of the E11 140 sound of a train.

E11 141 A surprise came when Cash brought on the Irish singer E11 142 Sandy Kelly. Together, they had a recent No.1 in Ireland E11 143 with 'Woodcarver' which they performed. After justly singing the E11 144 praises of his female partner, Johnny invited Sandy to sing the E11 145 song which first brought her to his attention, 'Crazy', which she E11 146 sang with a rare passion.

E11 147 The Carters familiar look into their history was cut short E11 148 to three songs. June Carter half apologised, "We E11 149 play a lot of things actually. We just don't have the E11 150 time." Ending with 'A Boy Named Sue', Cash received a E11 151 standing ovation which prompted a response to the audience, E11 152 "Thanks for sticking with us tonight." As long as E11 153 there's country music, there will always be a place for John R. E11 154 Cash.

E11 155 E11 156 NEW FACES '91

E11 157 Steve Morewood

E11 158 Having visited Nashville over the last three years during Fan E11 159 Fair, I've come away with a good impression of the changing scene. E11 160 Change being the operative word. On each visit there are more new E11 161 stars to interview, but by the next trip many have disappeared. E11 162 Success had not come as easily as they had hoped or as their record E11 163 company demanded.

E11 164 Thankfully, RONNA REEVES, whom I first met at Fan Fair 1990, E11 165 has not fallen by the way and is in the process of compiling her E11 166 first album. Petite and attractive, with a warm bubbly personality, E11 167 she's beginning to make her mark on the country scene.

E11 168 Being knowledgeable about Jim Reeves, I knew that Ronna was not E11 169 related to the late singer, so avoided the first question she E11 170 normally gets asked. However, like Gentleman Jim, whom she E11 171 considers to have been "a wonderful singer", Ronna E11 172 hails from the Lone Star State - in her case, being brought up in E11 173 Big Spring, a small town in the western part of Texas.

E11 174 Ronna cites her influences as Linda Ronstadt, Patsy Cline and E11 175 Emmylou Harris, tinges of whom can be traced in her recordings. E11 176 "They all sing with emotion and I love that. That's what I E11 177 try to do also." Exposed to rock'n'roll and blues besides E11 178 country, she found that she had a natural affinity for the latter E11 179 "so that's what I went for".

E11 180 Attending high school in Odessa, Ronna began public E11 181 performances early in the form of public recitals at the tender age E11 182 of 9. For a while, she sang and won at pageants, sufficient E11 183 encouragement for her to put her own band together and play the E11 184 local club circuit.

E11 185 Ronna was only about 11 at the time and the eldest member of E11 186 her band was just 17. To form the band she had put up notices at E11 187 music stores: "it's amazing how many musicians you can get E11 188 by putting a piece of paper on the wall."

E11 189 Having played a mixture of music in college towns, Ronna, now E11 190 15, decided to move to Nashville. Music City wasn't as welcoming as E11 191 she had expected. She stayed for just a year, but gained an insight E11 192 into what was required, including recording techniques. "I E11 193 kinda had the idea that I was just going to get up here, get a E11 194 record deal, and everything was going to be marvellous. It didn't E11 195 work out that way. I got a lot of doors slammed in my E11 196 face."

E11 197 Realising she wasn't yet ready, Ronna moved back to Texas to E11 198 hone her talents. It was there that she got what she considers to E11 199 be her big break - a chance meeting with Waco-based promoters Ron E11 200 and Joy Cotton who put on a lot of big shows in Texas, New Mexico E11 201 and Oklahoma.

E11 202 When Ronna met the Cottons in 1983 they were working with E11 203 George Strait who was just taking off. "Lucky for me, they E11 204 put me on as his opening act." For 18 months Ronna played E11 205 to ever growing audiences, gaining exposure and experience. By the E11 206 end, she and Strait were playing to crowds of 10,000. "I E11 207 was out of my mind with nerves but it turned out E11 208 wonderfully".

E11 209 Ronna went on to open for other acts, among them the Judds, E11 210 Reba McEntire and Randy Travis, always taking the opportunity to E11 211 learn from them. E11 212 E12 1 <#FLOB:E12\>Poster power

E12 2 Image and information are what your band need to promote, and E12 3 the best solution may often be a poster. But what makes a good one? E12 4 Steve Xerri draws on his experiences.

E12 5 FEW BANDS that take their music seriously would step on to a E12 6 stage and play a set that was drastically under-rehearsed. E12 7 And as for appearing in public without the correct style of E12 8 trousers and/or haircut - perish the thought! But all too often the E12 9 concern for presentation doesn't extend to publicity material. You E12 10 see gigs announced in wonky felt-tip on grotty scraps of paper - E12 11 hardly calculated to catch the eye of any passer-by, let alone put E12 12 across an impressive band-image. The obvious excuses for E12 13 this state of affairs are that printing is expensive and that E12 14 musicians aren't necessarily good at drawing and lettering. But if E12 15 feeble posters are letting your band down, the good news is that E12 16 you can quickly achieve great improvements without taking a E12 17 graphics course at night-school, or diverting too much E12 18 kitty-money from important costs like strings and hair-gel.

E12 19 CUT IT OUT

E12 20 A point worth making at the outset is that keeping things E12 21 simple often works best; not just because it's easier to do, but E12 22 because your poster will still be legible from a distance, whereas E12 23 intricate designs frequently look cluttered and distracting. You E12 24 don't need complexity to make your work look professional: a quick E12 25 glance at the record company fly-posters that appear in most towns E12 26 will show you that big, bold and blocky designs are favoured E12 27 because they drive their message home with a great deal more E12 28 punch.

E12 29 You will probably be thinking of smaller-scale posters: A4 E12 30 (normal magazine size), or possibly A3 (Making Music E12 31 size) for use on pub or college notice-boards. Whatever the E12 32 dimensions - and you may later want to design artwork for badges, E12 33 demo-cassette inlays, even record sleeves or t-shirts - the E12 34 problems and solutions will be the same.

E12 35 Take the question of lettering: in order to present your E12 36 information authoritatively you should steer clear of handwriting E12 37 because, even if your script doesn't resemble the tracks of the E12 38 archetypal dying spider, it can't really rival the clean look of E12 39 print. But if typesetting costs a packet, and even good old E12 40 Letraset-style sheets come a bit pricey in the bigger sizes: then E12 41 you have to rub it down very carefully to prevent naff cracks and E12 42 tears (and tears).

E12 43 There are two ways round this difficulty: the first is to E12 44 emphasise scruffiness, make a style feature of it. You don't have E12 45 to go so far as punk's ripped-newsprint graphics, but you can get a E12 46 nicely informal look from combining letters in different typefaces, E12 47 snipped from magazines. Dead cheap, too. If you don't sit your E12 48 letters on a straight line, exaggerate the effect enough to let E12 49 your reader known it's deliberate.

E12 50 If your image demands a smoother touch, the second method may E12 51 be for you. This simply involves blowing up type-written E12 52 information on a photocopier (if you've got access to a decent word E12 53 processor to provide the text, so much the better), and re-pasting E12 54 it on your artwork. You'll need a copier that can handle large E12 55 areas of black without fogging, or your full, bold capitals will E12 56 appear as hollow outlines; most modern machines used in copy-shops E12 57 are up to the task. Just keep repeating the enlargement, in E12 58 sections if need be (most copiers can't enlarge more than double), E12 59 till you are satisfied. This process may reveal blemishes that E12 60 weren't apparent when the letters were small: this effect can be E12 61 pleasing in itself, creating a more personalised typeface. But if E12 62 you can't live with it, corrections can be made using black ink and E12 63 tippex or white acrylic paint, or by trimming and re-mounting E12 64 individual letters. It's a good idea to make several copies of the E12 65 final enlargement, both for future use and in case your touching-up E12 66 goes wrong.

E12 67 SPLASH IT ON

E12 68 When it comes to laying out your poster, you will probably find E12 69 that a plain background sets the lettering off best, but you E12 70 needn't stick to white - go for blocks of grey (making sure there's E12 71 enough contrast with your letters), or even use white letters on E12 72 black paper. Try out different arrangements until your eye tells E12 73 you what looks best: eccentric layouts are generally obstructive - E12 74 if in doubt, put the band's name big at the top of the page, with E12 75 all other information along the bottom and an attention-grabbing E12 76 picture sandwiched between. Don't cram too many words on a line, go E12 77 easy on fussy borders and underlinings, and make sure the lettering E12 78 takes up a good proportion of the page. Using double-sided E12 79 repositionable Sellotape (from your local stationer) allows you to E12 80 revise your opinion before you go for the final format. If you E12 81 really want to be clever, get the copy-shop to print your design E12 82 elements on to clear acetate (about 50p per A4 sheet), then you can E12 83 re-use them later in different configurations and on new E12 84 backgrounds.

E12 85 Once you've got the hang of lettering, you'll probably want to E12 86 add impact to your posters by using an illustration of some kind: E12 87 here again the photocopier liberates you since you can produce very E12 88 impressive images without needing to be able to draw or even use E12 89 tracing paper. Choose strongly-contrasted pictures for the best E12 90 results, remembering that coloured ones may look sludgy in E12 91 black-and-white. Photos, unfortunately, can present a problem E12 92 because they tend to contain a lot of middle tones that will E12 93 unfortunately reproduce as muddy grey.

E12 94 But there are plenty of other sources for arresting images - E12 95 newspapers, magazines, old books (especially those containing E12 96 engravings, which photo-copy really crisply), bits of your E12 97 own doodling, and even the print-out from a computer. Spend some E12 98 time browsing in the oversize books section of your local library, E12 99 and check the secondhand bookshops for old scientific or medical E12 100 manuals - always good for a line-drawing or two. The beauty of this E12 101 method is that you don't have to scissor up precious originals, and E12 102 can either use an engagingly bizarre picture (e.g. an old piece of E12 103 machinery) as it stands, or splice together original compositions E12 104 from whatever odds and ends take your fancy. Again, don't worry if E12 105 you haven't done anything arty since primary school: you'll be E12 106 amazed how quickly you can achieve a very decent result simply by E12 107 cutting out and experimenting with a handful of images. The more E12 108 unlikely the combinations of objects, the more surreal the E12 109 result.

E12 110 STICK IT UP

E12 111 When you've arrived at a sufficiently thrilling design, a E12 112 copy-shop will reproduce the desired number of prints at a E12 113 fraction of the cost charged by a conventional printer; a E12 114 printing-press will not normally be able to run off less than 50 E12 115 copies. Photo-copying also scores by doing away with the E12 116 advance notice that printers tend to require. Admittedly, basic E12 117 Xeroxing restricts you to black-on-white posters, but that's good E12 118 for legibility. Colour, if you simply must have it, can be added by E12 119 hand in the form of small areas of felt-tip (try fluorescent E12 120 highlighters) or metallic-ink marker.

E12 121 At the very least, if this snip-and-paste lark draws your next E12 122 gig to the attention of a few more people, you'll be getting more E12 123 return for all the care you've already invested in your riffs and E12 124 your quiffs ...

E12 125 E12 126 second hand WOES

E12 127 If you can't buy it new, well perhaps you can find it E12 128 second-hand. Paul Quinn looks at how, why and where bargains E12 129 appear, and problems to avoid.

E12 130 EVERYTHING YOU own is second-hand. It's true. The minute you E12 131 buy something, it becomes 'used', and its value drops dramatically E12 132 - even if you never take it out of its box - it has the stigma of E12 133 being 'not new'.

E12 134 Ever since the post-rationing consumer boom of the 1950s, the E12 135 popular trend has been to acquire the shiniest, latest thing, which E12 136 you then part with in favour of the next nice new model as quickly E12 137 as financially possible. But second-hand doesn't have to mean old E12 138 and unwanted - I mean, some people seem quite happy to pay several E12 139 million pounds for a used footballer, don't they?

E12 140 Now it's a good time to buy second-hand, with lots of stuff E12 141 being traded in and not so much being sold. Of course, the E12 142 recession also means reductions on new gear, so it's worth shopping E12 143 around, especially if the manufacturer has just released an E12 144 up-dated model. But let's assume you can only afford your E12 145 dream instrument second-hand. Suffice<&|>sic! to say that all tests E12 146 you'd perform on a new instrument should be performed even more E12 147 thoroughly on a used one, taking particular care not to confuse E12 148 superficial marking with structural damage.

E12 149 A decent dealer should offer a guarantee - anything from one E12 150 month to a year - try for three months minimum. It obviously E12 151 depends on the condition of the gear and the price. Ignore shop E12 152 signs which say, "No Refunds". It's actually E12 153 against the law for a dealer to deny any of your consumer rights. E12 154 If the goods are faulty, you can get your money back; you don't E12 155 even have to accept a credit note. Nor is it necessary to produce a E12 156 receipt, though it can help to jog an evasive memory.

E12 157 A licensed trader is legally obliged to sell you something that E12 158 does what you expect it to do (the 1979 Sale Of Goods Act calls E12 159 this 'merchantable quality'); but the law is a bit looser on E12 160 private sales - the seller has to actually say something E12 161 deliberately misleading before you have any recourse. And then you E12 162 have to prove it. It's always best to take a friend along. The E12 163 upside of private transactions, of course, is a good price, E12 164 possibly after a good haggle.

E12 165 Now is not such a great time if you're the one trying to sell E12 166 the gear - unless it's particularly hip or collectable. Again, E12 167 going private will almost certainly raise the best price, if you E12 168 can stand the hassle. The amount that a shop offers you can vary E12 169 from one third to two thirds of the item's worth (make sure you E12 170 know roughly what that worth is.) It might sound like a raw deal, E12 171 but, to be fair, if a dealer wants to make a profit, he/she has E12 172 several factors to take into account; like lost VAT, possible E12 173 repair costs, and even the amount of space the item will occupy in E12 174 the shop. Depends<&|>sic! on the gear, too. They'd be more inclined E12 175 to let a nice pounds1200 Gretsch Country Gent hang on the wall for E12 176 a year, until the right customer comes along, than clutter the shop E12 177 with a dozen cheapies. Dealers are also often wary of part-exchange E12 178 deals, where they could be left with an unsaleable product rather E12 179 than desired hard cash.

E12 180 Profit margins are generally greater in big cities, like E12 181 London, where you can expect to be paid less and charged more for E12 182 used gear. If you've got transport, a trip out to the suburbs, or E12 183 even to smaller town, may turn up the odd bargain.

E12 184 Things notoriously difficult to re-sell include the more E12 185 bizarre, customized items, or expensive, hand-made jobs with E12 186 obscure names on. In other words, the stuff which you think must be E12 187 worth a lot because, "no-one else will have anything like E12 188 it." Doesn't<&|>sic! usually work that way, E12 189 unfortunately.

E12 190 Guitars E12 191 One mistake made by over-eager buyers at the moment is thinking E12 192 that all old Strats are collectors' items. Similarly, some people E12 193 see names like ESP or BC Rich on a headstock, and think, "I E12 194 know that name, they're good," and they pay through the E12 195 nose for a bottom of the range model ... As with new gear, the E12 196 second-hand market is very regional: one Yorkshire shop complained E12 197 about not being able to shift three nice Gibson SGs, but knew that E12 198 if they sent them down to their Midlands branch, they'd soon E12 199 disappear off the wall.

E12 200 Amps E12 201 Some of the most popular second-hand buys are amps that, E12 202 surprise surprise, have recently appeared in re-issued form: Fender E12 203 Twins, Vox AC30s, valve Marshalls, Hi-Watts - all the sort of stuff E12 204 you'd have found in clapped out rehearsal rooms ten years ago. E12 205 E13 1 <#FLOB:E13\>A Real Royal Ballet

E13 2 A Folk Tale in Copenhagen

E13 3 By Mary Clarke

E13 4 In preparation for the Bournonville Festival in the spring, the E13 5 Royal Danish Ballet is gradually bringing into its repertory all E13 6 the surviving works by its great choreographer and ballet master. E13 7 Many of them have been in and out of the repertory since the E13 8 Bournonville centenary festival of 1979 (reviewed in our January E13 9 1980 issue) but some are being re-staged and the reconstructions of E13 10 Abdallah and The Lay of Thrym will be added to the E13 11 surviving ballets.

E13 12 The first major new production of the season, and a sell-out E13 13 success for artistic director Frank Andersen, was A Folk E13 14 Tale which was given on September 20, staged by Anne Marie E13 15 Vessel and Frank Andersen and in new scenery and costumes by Her E13 16 Majesty Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, no less. Queen Margrethe, E13 17 like her father King Frederick IX, is a keen ballet goer and takes E13 18 a very personal interest in her Royal Ballet. She is also a gifted E13 19 designer of children's books and fairy tales and was therefore a E13 20 very appropriate choice. The Danes consider A Folk Tale E13 21 to be the most completely Danish of all Bournonville's works, as it E13 22 draws on Danish legends for its theme, and it is therefore E13 23 essential that the designer is someone immersed in Danish history E13 24 and folklore, as Her Majesty unquestionably is. Once she had agreed E13 25 to provide the designs, Queen Margrethe immersed herself in their E13 26 realisation and when she could spare time worked in all departments E13 27 of the theatre, supervising the making of costumes and the painting E13 28 of scenery. So unobtrusively did she go about her task that the E13 29 children from the ballet school, who enjoy themselves so much as E13 30 little trolls in the ballet, were hardly aware of her presence. E13 31 Indeed, two small boys were overheard to say to each other the day E13 32 before the premiere "Tomorrow will be really exciting E13 33 because the Queen is coming!".

E13 34 The need to re-design A Folk Tale was because the E13 35 previous production, shown in 1979, had been designed for the E13 36 Tivoli stage during the period when the Royal Theatre was closed E13 37 for the rebuilding of the backstage area, and was, consequently, E13 38 very lightweight. I remember, in 1979, mourning the older E13 39 production which the Royal Danes brought to London on their one and E13 40 only visit to Covent Garden in 1953. Old fashioned designs suit E13 41 Bournonville, and for this staging Queen Margrethe has provided E13 42 settings and formal costuming which place it clearly in 16th E13 43 century Denmark and thereby capture the period charm of the piece. E13 44 When following traditional designs she is entirely happy. Where her E13 45 imagination and love of fantasy tip the scale a little too far are E13 46 in the costumes for the visiting trolls who take part in the E13 47 drunken orgy at the end of the second act. So far as I remember, E13 48 they were much like the troll characters of the story in earlier E13 49 versions. Now they have been differentiated as all kinds of trolls E13 50 - bird trolls, river trolls, witches, giant trolls, trolls with E13 51 enormous tails - and these monster figures (their inspiration E13 52 doubtless clearer to a Danish audience than to foreigners) dominate E13 53 far too strongly as they make their several entrances and detract E13 54 from what is happening around them - events which are integral to E13 55 the story.

E13 56 The story, so ideally suited to Bournonville's moral stance and E13 57 his desire to show the triumph of good over evil, concerns a E13 58 changeling child. The beautiful Hilda has been stolen from her E13 59 cradle by the trolls, who leave one of their own babies in her E13 60 place. While Hilda grows up in the subterranean world of the E13 61 trolls, Birthe, unaware like everyone else of her troll blood, E13 62 grows up in a country manor house where her inexplicable outbursts E13 63 of bad temper are vented on all and sundry.

E13 64 The ballet opens with an alfresco luncheon party beneath an old E13 65 oak tree and near to the hill where the trolls are believed to E13 66 live. There is a delightful peasant dance, and then a more sedate E13 67 one for the nobility, but Birthe's capricious tantrums are the E13 68 despair of Junker (Squire) Ove to whom she is betrothed. The party E13 69 return to the manor but Junker Ove stays behind. The hill opens and E13 70 he sees Hilda with the witch Muri and the other trolls. She comes E13 71 out from the hill and gives him a goblet. He pours off the drink, E13 72 which is dangerous, but keeps the goblet. The hill closes on Hilda E13 73 and the trolls but the furious Muri causes 'elfin girls' to dance, E13 74 Wili-fashion, round Ove until he collapses with exhaustion.

E13 75 The next act takes place inside the troll house where the E13 76 little trolls hammer away while Muri's two sons, Diderik and E13 77 Viderik, quarrel over Hilda. She spurns them both and then in a E13 78 dream sees how a child was stolen from a cradle. (Together with the E13 79 baby, the trolls stole the goblet which she had given to Ove.) E13 80 Diderik is the eldest son and claims his right to Hilda's hand but E13 81 Viderik is gentle and kind-hearted and when neighbouring trolls E13 82 arrive for a drunken orgy he helps Hilda to escape.

E13 83 In the last scene, Viderik and Hilda arrive in the grounds of E13 84 the manor, near a healing spring. Ove staggers in and collapses but E13 85 Hilda recognises him and restores him with spring water which she E13 86 fetches in the goblet. A Master Mogens, who has been seeking to E13 87 marry Birthe for her wealth, gives chase to the strangers but E13 88 Hilda, still holding her goblet, eventually stumbles into Birthe's E13 89 room at the manor (where she has been giving hell to the servants) E13 90 and by the goblet and a birthmark is recognised by her old nurse as E13 91 the true heir. Birthe is banished and Mogens, seduced by the gold E13 92 of the trolls, goes with her.

E13 93 Hilda and Ove are united and the ballet ends with the wedding E13 94 dance - the music for which is traditionally now played at all E13 95 Danish weddings.

E13 96 As always happens when a Bournonville ballet is re-staged there E13 97 were strong differences of opinion, among the experts, as to how E13 98 true to Bournonville's wishes that staging may be. There was E13 99 criticism of the flimsy garments for the elfin girls "which E13 100 Bournonville never would have allowed" and of various E13 101 details of production. The most serious mistake, almost everyone E13 102 agreed, was the casting of a woman in the role of Viderik. Sorella E13 103 Englund is a magnificent witch in La Sylphide and she E13 104 played Viderik very much in the manner established by that great E13 105 artist Fredbjorn Bjornsson but to make any sense of the story E13 106 Viderik must be a man. Unhappily, too, Niels Kehlet has given up E13 107 the role of Diderik and Michael Bastian carries nothing like the E13 108 same conviction.

E13 109 Jette Buchwald, however, was as good as a Muri as I have seen E13 110 and the Danish tradition of mime was safe in the warm, womanly E13 111 performance of Kirsten Simone as the nurse (she was my first Hilda E13 112 and has now played no fewer than four roles in the ballet). Silja E13 113 Schandorff, enchantingly pretty, played Hilda just for sweetness E13 114 and Peter Bo Bendixen made very little of the role of Ove - E13 115 paradoxically when Erik Bruhn took this part it contained no E13 116 dancing whatsoever!

E13 117 There was also an astonishing performance E13 118 <}_><-|>fom<+|>from<}/> Lis Jeppesen as Birthe, culminating in a E13 119 paroxysm of rage against her servants in the last act when the E13 120 troll character possesses her. Incredibly that this fiery creature E13 121 should also be one of the loveliest protagonists of La E13 122 Sylphide!

E13 123 The pas de sept, which is the highspot of the wedding E13 124 celebrations, contained some fine dancing by Alexander Kolpin, E13 125 Lloyd Riggins and Petrusjka Broholm but needs more polishing. By E13 126 the spring, no doubt Frank Andersen will have everything shining. E13 127 And A Folk Tale will be seen in the context of the whole E13 128 Bournonville repertory.

E13 129 E13 130 The Shin Splints Epidemic

E13 131 An all too common injury now affecting dancers

E13 132 By Joan Lawson

E13 133 The present epidemic of 'Shin Splints' or stress fractures in E13 134 the lower legs of many dancers is world-wide and is not being taken E13 135 seriously even though such injuries are leading to some E13 136 professionals taking early retirement and some students withdrawing E13 137 even before reaching professional status. There are several reasons E13 138 for this epidemic, despite the efforts of many organisations E13 139 encouraging their teachers to make a proper study of anatomy. This E13 140 should ensure the correct placing of weight and the limits of each E13 141 individual's turn-out when adapting the body to achieve correct E13 142 stance. Instead, too much concentration is now being placed on the E13 143 180<*_>degree<*/> turn-out of the feet and little or no attention E13 144 being paid to the individual's ability to turn the upper legs out E13 145 in their sockets to the same degree.

E13 146 At a recent seminar I encountered three victims of this E13 147 epidemic. One was, and still is, a chronic sufferer of 'shin E13 148 splints'. I quickly noted that his feet were turned-out well beyond E13 149 the 180<*_>degree<*/> stipulated by Blasis, while that of his upper E13 150 legs was no more than 130<*_>degree<*/>. To achieve correct stance E13 151 he had to 'tuck his tail in' instead of pulling it downwards. This E13 152 meant that he pushed his weight too far backwards on his heels. His E13 153 spine then arched, instead of being stretched upwards and downwards E13 154 from the waist. Like the other two boys, he was suffering from a E13 155 constant demand for 'turn out those feet' regardless of what was E13 156 happening to the rest of the legs, body, arms and head.

E13 157 Why has this epidemic spread world-wide and not only among E13 158 classical dancers? I am not alone in despairing of finding a cure E13 159 to this ill. However, to my delight, I found a most illuminating E13 160 article about the remarkable Chinese teacher Wang Jia-Hong in E13 161 Dance Australia. In it he warns against the excesses of E13 162 certain Russian teachers and their followers with their E13 163 "Overtilted hips and exaggerated Back bends". Like E13 164 myself, a pupil of the Vaganova system, he was taught by her great E13 165 pupils Gusev the classical dancer and teacher and Serrebrennikov, E13 166 whose book on pas de deux is a must. Like myself he also studied E13 167 the Cecchetti syllabus when working with Celia Franca in Canada, E13 168 Bournonville with Erik Bruhn, and RAD with the late Alan Hooper E13 169 with its strong links with the work of Dame Ninette and her rules. E13 170 With such a background he has the widest knowledge of the varying E13 171 methods and their effect on dancers' bodies if too much reliance is E13 172 placed on one particular style to the exclusion E13 173 <}_><-|>if<+|>of<}/> all others.

E13 174 I agree, and would like to remind teachers of what was perhaps E13 175 the vital feature of Vaganova's own teaching. Yes! Russians do have E13 176 flexible spines. But they are extremely strong because they are E13 177 taught from their first lessons, as children, to allow their spines E13 178 to react to any demand for movement. Vaganova and, later, all her E13 179 own and their students working at the school in Rossi Street insist E13 180 that the spine is never held rigidly; the shoulder-blades are never E13 181 pressed down on the rib-cage; the head has to move independently on E13 182 its axis so that it leads every movement; the arms must be opened E13 183 away from the body so that the central line of balance runs E13 184 straight down from the crown of the head through the spine to the E13 185 tail. The weight is then held firmly balanced over the two feet. If E13 186 standing on one foot, then that centre line must be shifted so that E13 187 the weight is held firmly over the supporting leg.

E13 188 Too many teachers do not insist on that slight change being E13 189 made. Thus many children, teenagers in particular, sink on to the E13 190 supporting hip whenever the working leg moves away from one of the E13 191 five positions. Thus, if the hips have been over-tilted, the spine E13 192 arched and the feet over-turned the weight is thrust forward on to E13 193 the lower legs and the toes will be cramped to hold balance. E13 194 Because of the enormous strain this places on all the bones of the E13 195 lower leg and calf, something has to give. E13 196 E14 1 <#FLOB:E14\>Yes sir, Yes sir

E14 2 Women are taking on the men in the dyed-in-the-wool art of E14 3 shepherding. Will they win? It's still trial and error

E14 4 BEVERLEY CUDDY

E14 5 Men obviously unused to wearing suits filled the hotel foyer. E14 6 Scores of ruddy, wind-blasted faces cracked with shy smiles E14 7 as old acquaintances were renewed.

E14 8 I was sitting in the lounge of a hotel used by all the top E14 9 competitors at the International Sheepdog Trials.

E14 10 Tomorrow, they'd be relieved to revert to comfortable tweed E14 11 caps and stout brown boots. All, that is, except one. I had E14 12 travelled to Lanark to meet the Scottish team captain Julie E14 13 Deptford - the only woman in the competition.

E14 14 Earlier in the day, I'd made an unscheduled trip to the E14 15 showground. My simple but bright skirt suit wouldn't have warranted E14 16 a second glance in the city. The two PR girls with me from trial E14 17 sponsors Pedigree Petfoods were more aptly dressed in Barbour coats E14 18 and wellies.

E14 19 When a group of grinning Welsh shepherds passed by and chorused E14 20 "Hello, ladies", we couldn't have felt more E14 21 ridiculously feminine had we been wearing six-inch stilettos and E14 22 bikinis!

E14 23 Julie, a frail, blonde 28-year-old, couldn't help but stand out E14 24 among her male colleagues. Rather than attempt to blend in, she E14 25 wears her blue jeans extremely tight, a short suede jacket instead E14 26 of de rigueur tweed, and covers her head with a stylish E14 27 and expensive Akubra Stockman hat.

E14 28 How did these most traditional of men accept her into their E14 29 flock? Not only is she younger than most of them and unashamedly E14 30 feminine, she's an extremely good shepherdess - surely a bit much E14 31 for some men of the old school to take.

E14 32 "They've been great. But you need the temperament to E14 33 mix in and put up with their jokes. They've taught me all I E14 34 know."

E14 35 Julie was a hot favourite for the international title. Her name E14 36 was on everyone's lips. She earned the team captaincy by winning E14 37 the Scottish national trial.

E14 38 Add to Julie's record the One Man And His Dog success E14 39 of shepherdess Katy Cropper, and it would be easy to conclude that E14 40 women are better at this shepherding lark than the men who have E14 41 traditionally dominated it. Is it due to women being better at E14 42 understanding their dogs?

E14 43 Julie wouldn't hear of it. "Women can be too soppy. E14 44 Maybe that's why there aren't more of us competing. Dogs tend to E14 45 take advantage - you have to show them who's boss."

E14 46 I witnessed Julie's sternest gaze. It was impressive. The E14 47 Daily Record photographer who asked if she and her dog E14 48 would pose in a Tam O'Shanter regretted it. Nevertheless, her E14 49 collie Gwen has been known to try it on.

E14 50 "She can lull you into a false sense of security. If E14 51 you fuss her too much, she gets the impression she's in E14 52 charge!" Julie says.

E14 53 "Gwen's a fat little pig and she takes a lot to keep in E14 54 shape. At a trial a few years ago, she squeezed out of the car and E14 55 ate nine ham rolls! It was a long hilly course and there was no way E14 56 she'd have got around with her belly touching the ground." E14 57 The vet administered soda but Gwen was still reluctant to give up E14 58 her picnic!

E14 59 The setting for the championships was stunning, but there were E14 60 plenty of sights to see on the showground.

E14 61 A battered old van advertised hand-painted 'Mollie the Collie' E14 62 plates and clocks. But where was Mollie? A jolly man enlightened me E14 63 furtively: "Don't mention Mollie - I sold her to a farmer E14 64 in Wales and my daughter still hasn't forgiven me!"

E14 65 I was encouraged to buy a pounds1 plastic dog whistle. It E14 66 remains stubbornly mute. The tweed hats in all shapes and sizes E14 67 were slow to move. Every head I could see was already well covered. E14 68

E14 69 People were flocking to the Sheep Shop to buy 'Ewe's not fat - E14 70 Ewe's just fluffy' sweat shirts.

E14 71 I didn't tell the crook salesman that you just couldn't get E14 72 good staffs these days, even though I was tempted. He proudly E14 73 showed me his most expensive stick.

E14 74 "You wouldn't want to go around whacking cattle with E14 75 this one," he told me. He was right.

E14 76 There was even a stand called the Shepherds' Friendly Society E14 77 selling pensions and savings plans. As the man on the stall had the E14 78 only working mobile phone for miles, it soon turned into the E14 79 Journalists' Friendly Society, as depressed Daily Record E14 80 staff phoned their newsdesk with the bad news that Julie and Gwen E14 81 wouldn't wear the tartan berets.

E14 82 Did Julie win the international title? Did she get even close? E14 83 No. Despite the press and PR girls willing her on, she had a E14 84 dreadful round. Obstinate sheep were blamed.

E14 85 Gwen still picked up a free tray of Pedigree Chum for her E14 86 efforts. Lamb variety was <}_><-|>conspicious<+|>conspicuous<}/> by E14 87 its absence.

E14 88 E14 89 Slimline Tonic!

E14 90 Christmas is traditionally a time for wicked extravagances, E14 91 when those extra inches creep onto the hips. However, new E14 92 motivation now comes in the form of the Slimmer of the Year E14 93 awards...

E14 94 BRIAN KELLY

E14 95 Dogs don't feel guilty. It's our little human foibles about E14 96 what's right and wrong that make them wag or cower. Similarly, dogs E14 97 don't pick up the Sunday newspapers after a binge, read the E14 98 fat-phobic, lose-20kg-by-Wednesday ads and think "ooh, I'll E14 99 never get a boyfriend looking like this; I'd better bow to social E14 100 pressure, send pounds30 and await my free dumb-bells".

E14 101 Still, it's all the more reason why owners, ultimate E14 102 controllers of what passes canine lips, should take care.

E14 103 Len Bowden smiled as he said it, but it still sounded E14 104 confessional. Ultimately, it was. He is owner of Lucky, a Springer E14 105 Spaniel who lost 23 kilos, to become runner-up in this year's E14 106 Hill's Pet Slimmer Of The Year contest. Len, a retired council E14 107 worker from Dagenham, simply said: "I thought I was being E14 108 kind."

E14 109 Exactly. What loving, caring pet owner can resist the little E14 110 learnt signals that beg 'feed me'? What owner doesn't want to spoil E14 111 and fuss? By its very nature, Lucky's success in the contest E14 112 involved more than a little 'coming forward' on Len's part. Rather E14 113 than ignoring the problem for fear of revealing his own weakness, E14 114 he cared enough for his dog to seek help. Fourteen months ago, E14 115 Lucky didn't even look like a Springer. Before being taken to vet E14 116 Denise Lambert, she couldn't climb stairs, could barely stand, and E14 117 would collapse on walks. She <}_><-|>weighted<+|>weighed<}/> 43kg - E14 118 as much as a Rottweiler and almost twice as much as she should have E14 119 done.

E14 120 Titbits had to go for a start. Lucky went onto a Hill's E14 121 balanced diet specially formulated for dog obesity. Had she not E14 122 started her diet, last year's scorching summer may have been too E14 123 much for her already-pressured heart. Slow and steady won the race. E14 124 As Lucky lost weight gradually, Len upped the exercise, and this E14 125 year's model was a proudly revealed, inquisitive little soul at the E14 126 recent ceremony in London.

E14 127 She still has about four kilos to go and by that time, will E14 128 have lost more than four stone - not bad for a human, let alone a E14 129 dog.

E14 130 Apart from endangering its health, overfeeding a dog takes the E14 131 shine off a big part of the joy of ownership. So says behaviourist E14 132 Peter Neville, still breathless after charging across half of E14 133 Wiltshire in an attempt to keep up with two of his more frenetic E14 134 dogs.

E14 135 "Fat dogs don't play," he says. E14 136 "Because they're obese, they don't tend to move much. Their E14 137 activity demand gets replaced by cyclical things like lots of E14 138 feet-licking. The pleasure of playing with your dog is lost.

E14 139 "Dogs are more prone to obesity than cats because they are E14 140 programmed to scavenge and take advantage of anything going, E14 141 whereas cats can regulate their energy intake more closely.

E14 142 "Because giving titbits is an easy and intense point of E14 143 short-term contact between dog and owner, many people begin E14 144 to make a habit of it." If you must do it, he says, make it E14 145 something like a carrot stick.

E14 146 Slimmer of the Year is not an owners' contest. It's for vets, E14 147 and this year's winner, Ian McAllister, won a trip to the World E14 148 Small Animal Veterinary Association Congress in Vienna, in October. E14 149 Winning owner Carol Collidge received an automatic camera and a E14 150 year's supply of Hill's product best suited for her pet.

E14 151 Hill's winner was Sacha, a cat, who, being diabetic, was not E14 152 brought to the ceremony as the stress could have played havoc with E14 153 already touchy blood-sugar levels. And stressful it was, indeed, E14 154 what with such a lavish spread. All this talk of dieting certainly E14 155 rumbled a tummy or two. Lucky stood by bravely and behaved - E14 156 looking, but not drooling.

E14 157 Other dogs to do well included Jack, a formerly huge Labrador, E14 158 and Bullseye, a Jack Russell who managed to halve his weight.

E14 159 Jack weighed 48kg, was grumpy and very lethargic. Post-diet, he E14 160 was 16kg lighter, and neighbours thought it was another dog. His E14 161 arthritis has eased and his heart rate has slowed.

E14 162 Bullseye slept like Rip Van Winkle and ate like a horse. Now a E14 163 trim 6.8kg, he enjoys running along the backs of chairs.

E14 164 Meanwhile, Lucky misses her choc drops, but is happier to enjoy E14 165 what appears to be a second puppyhood instead. She dashes about, E14 166 and is curious and keen on her walks with Len. Apart from that, she E14 167 no longer impersonates a throw rug.

E14 168 E14 169 Quick Bites

E14 170 by David Appleby

E14 171 FEEDING RITUALS

E14 172 Today somewhere in the Arctic Tundra the breath of a wolf pack E14 173 will be billowing like smoke in the near frozen air, half held as E14 174 they stealthily approach their prey, their eyes searching for clues E14 175 that will tell them which of the Musk Oxen is the easiest to catch E14 176 - a limp, or signs of lethargy will give the game away. In a final E14 177 rush the wolves will stampede the herd and, if lucky, they will E14 178 succeed in bringing down the food they need to survive.

E14 179 If what has gone before would leave an observer perhaps E14 180 slightly revolted but spellbound, what comes next has the E14 181 fascination of some ancient ritual.

E14 182 The dominant male and female take over the carcass and defend E14 183 it from the rest of the pack. Body language plays an important role E14 184 in preventing actual aggression. The pack slink submissively around E14 185 the carcass until the dominant pair have had their fill.

E14 186 Meanwhile, at home Jason keeps on barking at the cupboard where E14 187 the food is kept because it is time to be fed. Co-operatively Mum E14 188 opens a tin, placing it and some mixer in a bowl and puts it down E14 189 for him.

E14 190 As he finishes he settles on his bed and she serves up the E14 191 family's meal. Jason sleeps, content in the knowledge that he's E14 192 'boss around here'. After all, he knows the importance of who eats E14 193 first, even if his owners don't.

E14 194 E14 195 The joy of sitting

E14 196 'Sit!' - Not only the best place to begin, but also the most useful E14 197 of commands for every sit-uation

E14 198 BY DR: IAN DUNBAR & DR MICHAEL STRONG E14 199 Over the years, dogs have been trained to perform an E14 200 astonishing variety of acts. Some will readily fetch objects like E14 201 dead birds or the Daily Mail without eating them. Others E14 202 will roll over and 'die for the Queen', sniff out drugs, catch a E14 203 flying frisbee, leap through a firey hoop, rescue a lost child, or E14 204 salivate at the sound of a bell. But of all the things that dogs E14 205 have been trained to do, the sweetest, most important, and E14 206 certainly the most useful is also the most commonplace: to sit.

E14 207 Of course, dogs will sit of their own free will, and that is E14 208 part of the beauty of it. 'Sit' is usually the first, and sometimes E14 209 the only command an owner successfully teaches his or her young E14 210 puppy. There is a good reason for this. After a few times of being E14 211 rewarded for sitting when it was going to sit anyway, a puppy will E14 212 readily do so more often and especially, whenever its owner issues E14 213 the order.

E14 214 All other commands are more difficult, and owners often lose E14 215 interest or patience at this point, and give up. E14 216 E15 1 <#FLOB:E15\>PRINCE OF PAIN

E15 2 IN THE adjacent blank space we intended to reproduce a E15 3 photograph of Prince Charles ill-treating his polo pony. The E15 4 campaigning Sunday Mirror had shown the full colour picture to the E15 5 League Against Cruel Sports and RSPCA before publishing it under E15 6 the headline 'Rein of Terror'. It showed Prince Charles, teeth E15 7 gritted, brutally wrenching the head of the pony back over its E15 8 shoulders as he tried to force the animal to come to a shuddering E15 9 halt and change direction to chase a polo ball. The pony was E15 10 lathered with white sweat and its eyes were rolling as the Prince E15 11 tried to use its sensitive mouth like a stock-car racing driver E15 12 uses a steering wheel.

E15 13 We felt that in view of Prince Charles' love of killing wild E15 14 animals and birds, it was right to further expose the fact that his E15 15 callousness extends towards domestic animals too. We contacted the E15 16 Sunday Mirror who passed us on to the free-lance photographer who E15 17 captured the Prince's shame. He reluctantly declined to give us E15 18 permission to reproduce the picture and of course we must respect E15 19 his wishes. But it was clear from his telephone conversation that E15 20 the Sunday Mirror's exposure of the royal cruelty had seriously E15 21 rebounded on him and that any further exposure of the picture might E15 22 have an affect<&|>sic! on his professional career. In short, although he E15 23 did not use such words, he had been 'leaned on.'

E15 24 Other animal experts were shocked by the picture - one vet E15 25 making the understatement, "There appears to be excessive E15 26 use of the reins." The Sunday Mirror reported the following E15 27 week that thousands of readers had responded to a phone-in poll - E15 28 voting by 12 to 1 in favour of the Prince giving up the 'sport'.

E15 29 Following the story many Sunday Mirror readers contacted the E15 30 League to protest at the Prince's abuse of his pony - one E15 31 experienced horse-woman writing, "If I rode in a gag, E15 32 standing martingale, cavesson noseband, drop noseband and used the E15 33 horse's mouth as a handbrake, I would hate to imagine what other E15 34 riders would think." She went on to state that she had E15 35 watched polo and that "all too often spur marks are in E15 36 evidence after a match" and that it was about time the E15 37 sport was investigated in detail.

E15 38 It is clear that the photographer merely captured a moment of E15 39 abuse which many polo ponies suffer. It is also clear that despite E15 40 the fact that the royal family have not constitutional rights, E15 41 someone at the palace still wields enough clout to put the E15 42 frighteners on any individual who crosses them!

E15 43 E15 44 League calls for the abolition of falconry

E15 45 Expert's report highlights abuses

E15 46 THE LEAGUE AGAINST CRUEL SPORTS has called for the ancient E15 47 bloodsport of falconry to be outlawed following publication of a E15 48 report commissioned by the League and written by former Senior E15 49 Investigations Officer of the Royal Society for the Protection of E15 50 Birds, Peter Robinson.

E15 51 The twenty-five page report reveals that falconry is Britain's E15 52 fastest growing bloodsport. Although not all keepers of birds of E15 53 prey fly their birds to kill other birds and animals, there are, E15 54 according to Government figures, some 10,000 people registered as E15 55 keeping 13,000 daylight hunting (diurnal) birds of prey. This E15 56 figure does not include owls and vultures. Peter Robinson points E15 57 out that falconry is probably illegal under the 1979 European E15 58 Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds which prohibits keeping E15 59 and trading in wild birds and which gives no express authority for E15 60 participation in falconry. The Directive does not allow derogations E15 61 by EC member states but in such cases imposes strict rules such as E15 62 insisting on reports of numbers of birds of prey involved in trade. E15 63 According to the report the UK Government is failing to abide by E15 64 such rules.

E15 65 The report also highlights the fact that the popularity and E15 66 lack of Government control of falconry and the trade in birds, is E15 67 responsible for the continuing theft of eggs and chicks from the E15 68 nests of British rare birds of prey (raptors) and the smuggling, E15 69 both in and out of the country, of wild-bred birds of prey. The E15 70 author claims that some of these stolen or smuggled birds are E15 71 finding their way into the DoE's Bird of Prey Registration E15 72 Scheme.

E15 73 A major area of concern is the Department of the Environment's E15 74 handling of the bird registration procedure. Some licences are E15 75 given without the birds bearing identification markers whilst most E15 76 birds of prey breeders receive their markers for their birds E15 77 through the post without any DoE inspection.

E15 78 Despite a general prohibition on the sale of wild birds, a E15 79 minimum of 3,735 live birds of prey and owls were sold openly E15 80 between the years 1980 and 1987 at a combined value of E15 81 <}_><-|>amost<+|>almost<}/> pounds700,000. This was made possible E15 82 by open general licences as well as some specific licences, issued E15 83 by the DoE.

E15 84 Peter Robinson is highly critical of the Department of the E15 85 Environment's administration of the Bird of Prey Registration E15 86 Scheme - the first of his thirteen 'Recommendations' being a call E15 87 for "an immediate full and public review" of the E15 88 DoE's handling of the Scheme.

E15 89 Another worrying aspect of keeping falcons is the welfare of E15 90 captive birds, transported in vans around the country, to be E15 91 tethered to posts all day at country shows and game fairs. Peter E15 92 Robinson says that many members of the public are offended by such E15 93 sights. He says that the birds are often ill at ease in the E15 94 proximity of crowds of people. He reports that at some flying E15 95 displays at country shows the birds attempt to fly from the E15 96 handler's fist, and hang upside down by the jesses (leather thongs) E15 97 trashing their wings wildly. The report also tells of cases of E15 98 cruelty where illegally held birds have been found restrained E15 99 inside socks, bound with tape, shut in dark cupboards, poorly fed, E15 100 suffering from wounds and even dying.

E15 101 Peter Robinson's report also exposes the little known fact, E15 102 that the Government issues permits to falconers to use their birds E15 103 to kill otherwise totally protected birds such as thrushes, E15 104 blackbirds, meadow pipits, redwings and even skylarks - all in the E15 105 name of sport. In 1988 for instance 46 licences were granted for E15 106 the killing of 1,773 protected birds from the following species; E15 107 Blackbird, Song Trush, Black-headed Gull, Fieldfare, Redwing, E15 108 Meadow Pipit, Mistle Trush and Skylark. The falconers are required E15 109 to send back returns on how many actual birds they have killed but E15 110 there is no way of checking the veracity of the figures returned by E15 111 falconers. Licences were issued for the killing with falcons of E15 112 1,773 protected birds in the single year of 1988, and yet the E15 113 falconers themselves claimed they only killed 1,290 such birds in E15 114 four years!

E15 115 As well as British and European Members of Parliament, the E15 116 League has sent the Report to the European Commission itself E15 117 requesting an investigation and if necessary as prosecution of the E15 118 UK over its failure to comply with the EC Birds Directive.

E15 119 E15 120 WEST SUSSEX BANS WILDFOWLING

E15 121 by Simon Wild,

E15 122 Bognor and Chichester Action for Animals

E15 123 CONSERVATIVE CONTROLLED West Sussex County Council has banned E15 124 wildfowling at Pagham Habour, a 700 acre local nature reserve in E15 125 West Sussex.

E15 126 In one of the closest votes ever, councillors voted by 30 to 28 E15 127 not to renew the wildfowlers' lease, which was the successful E15 128 culmination of a four year campaign by Bognor and Chichester Action E15 129 for Animals to stop the shooting.

E15 130 The decision is a big blow for the British Association for E15 131 Shooting and Conservation which campaigned hard to assist the 60 E15 132 member Pagham and West Sussex Wildfowling and Conservation E15 133 Association, who have shot over the harbour since their association E15 134 was formed in 1951. B.A.S.C. magazine Shooting Times E15 135 described the decision as, "Casting a black shadow over the E15 136 future of wildfowling in Britain." And at the B.A.S.C. E15 137 wildfowling conference held in Chester in August, the 'key issue' E15 138 was the "public image of wildfowling in the light of West E15 139 Sussex County Council's decision to ban wildfowling at Pagham E15 140 Harbour."

E15 141 The move to get wildfowling banned began in Oct. 87, and was E15 142 spurred on by Gosport borough council's decision in 1986 not to E15 143 renew a shooting lease wildfowlers had at the Wildgrounds nature E15 144 reserve in Gosport, Hants. We began with a leaflet and petition E15 145 campaign in advance of the wildfowlers' lease, which was up for E15 146 renewal in June 88 and every effort was made to get maximum E15 147 publicity; a Shooting Times columnist stated at the time, E15 148 "On the whole the press relished the opportunity to E15 149 publicize opposition to shooting."

E15 150 We are aware that wildfowl are being poisoned nationally as a E15 151 result of wildfowlers' spent shot, and the League Against Cruel E15 152 Sports kindly gave financial assistance to have the mud at Pagham E15 153 Habour analysed for spent shot by Portsmouth Polytechnic. However, E15 154 difficulties in knowing where the shot was landing proved a problem E15 155 as the scientists were unsure of where best to take intensive core E15 156 samples; and the random samples they did take failed to show E15 157 sufficient spent shot for us to make use of the results. More E15 158 intensive sampling was recommended, but we felt the very high cost E15 159 of this did not merit further sampling.

E15 160 Our petition and letter writing campaign soon had an effect, E15 161 and the county council's Director of Property made a recommendation E15 162 that was accepted by the nature reserve's advisory committee that, E15 163 "Shooting should be allowed for three years with no E15 164 commitment to a further renewal." Ostensibly this was to E15 165 allow councillors to react to the outcome of the shooting E15 166 disturbance project being coordinated by the Wildfowl and Wetlands E15 167 Trust which was due out in 1991; although it was clear the writing E15 168 was on the wall for wildfowlers should councillors accept the E15 169 recommendations.

E15 170 The B.A.S.C. mounted a counter campaign opposing the E15 171 recommendations and shooting people sent in over 140 letters to the E15 172 Coast and Countryside Committee begging councillors not to reduce E15 173 the lease. We intensified our campaign and engaged actress E15 174 Alexandre Bastedo to hand over our 5300 signature petitions on the E15 175 steps of county hall and in front of press and T.V. This extra E15 176 effort must have had an effect because the vote to reduce the lease E15 177 was carried on the casting vote of the Chairman of the Committee, E15 178 who had previously been strongly defending wildfowling.

E15 179 During the last three years we changed our public campaign E15 180 image so that we were known as the Campaign for a Real Nature E15 181 Reserve. We tailor made leaflets for the local council elections E15 182 and engaged in petition collecting in areas close to Pagham Habour, E15 183 as well as a letter writing campaign to the press and county E15 184 council.

E15 185 Early in our campaign we had received assistance from one or E15 186 two prominent members of an important voluntary group called the E15 187 Friends of Pagham Harbour, although as a group the 'Friends' had E15 188 been neutral on the wildfowling issue. However this year they held E15 189 a referendum on wildfowling and came out strongly against the E15 190 shooting; they were also able to show they could warden the harbour E15 191 against poaching should wildfowling be banned. This strengthened E15 192 our hand considerably and the harbour's advisory committee E15 193 recommended wildfowling be banned. This was accepted by 7 votes to E15 194 4 by the coast and countryside committee of the county council. E15 195 Normally the committee's decision would be rubber stamped by the E15 196 full council, but they voted by 27 to 25 to refer the matter back E15 197 to the committee with a recommendation to renew the lease.

E15 198 The whole thing was becoming as one county councillor described E15 199 it: "The most controversial issue to come before the county E15 200 council in recent years." B.B.C. Countryfile devoted half E15 201 their programme to the attempts to ban wildfowling at Pagham E15 202 Harbour, and whether this had any effect or not I don't know, but E15 203 committee councillors when reconsidering, strengthened their E15 204 position by voting 12 to 4 against renewing the lease. This then E15 205 went back to the full council who voted 30 to 28 against, finally E15 206 banning wildfowling.

E15 207 Nearly 5000 ducks of nine different species and a few dozen E15 208 geese have been shot at Pagham Harbour in the last ten years alone. E15 209 E16 1 <#FLOB:E16\>COASTAL ANCHORAGES

E16 2 HARTY FERRY

E16 3 Harty Ferry is one of the few remaining places on the East E16 4 Coast that can still offer real peace and quiet, as JACK COOTE E16 5 discovered

E16 6 Frank Cowper, in the second volume of his Sailing E16 7 Tours, tells us that "the Swale used to be far more E16 8 important, being part of the highway to the Thames. When vessels E16 9 could sail through the Wantsum, between Thanet and Kent, they E16 10 avoided the Thames Estuary, and passed up a series of straits to E16 11 the Thames, opposite Canvey Island."

E16 12 Today, most yachts on the Swale are gathered either near E16 13 Queenborough, at its western end, or at Harty Ferry, to the east. E16 14 Despite its convenience, few people would describe Queenborough as E16 15 attractive, whereas Harty Ferry is one of the few remaining places E16 16 on the East Coast that can still offer real peace and quiet. It is E16 17 also a very useful spot in which to await a tide or shelter from E16 18 bad weather, provided it is not coming from the east or E16 19 north-east.

E16 20 Since the ferry no longer operates, very few people visit this E16 21 isolated and sparsely populated part of the island, and yachtsmen E16 22 have it pretty much to themselves.

E16 23 Harty is not even a village as such and there are really only E16 24 two buildings to visit. The first to be reached after landing is E16 25 the Ferry Inn, whence a fine view over the anchorage can be enjoyed E16 26 while pausing for refreshment. Then, no more than a mile away to E16 27 the east is the church of St Thomas, next to Sayes Court Farm. This E16 28 tiny church is one of the oldest in the country, probably dating E16 29 back to the Norman Conquest. There is a famous early 15th century E16 30 chest in the chapel bearing a carved scene of two jousters in E16 31 action. It is said that the chest, which has been stolen and E16 32 recovered, was originally found floating down the Swale before E16 33 being saved by a beachcomber.

E16 34 The quiet is so intense inside this remote building that E16 35 someone has been prompted to leave a notice reading . E16 36 "Stand and listen to the silence."

E16 37 There are no facilities on the south shore, except an emergency E16 38 telephone near the top of the ferry hard and a freshwater spring. E16 39 The surprising thing about the spring is that its water is quite E16 40 untainted, despite its close proximity to the salt water of the E16 41 Swale.

E16 42 For services and stores it is a walk of rather more than a mile E16 43 to the village of Oare.

E16 44 Hazards and marks

E16 45 As with almost any anchorage in the Thames Estuary, the E16 46 principal hazards are surrounding shoals. Whether approaching Harty E16 47 Ferry from the west, along the north side of the island of Sheppey, E16 48 from the Essex shore or from the east, via the Overland Passage, E16 49 there are few landmarks, apart from the tall granary building near E16 50 the quay at Whitstable and the small group of houses on Shell E16 51 Ness.

E16 52 There are two shoals to avoid at the East Swale entrance; the E16 53 Columbine Spit, extending for two miles to the north-east of Shell E16 54 Ness, and the Polard Spit, extending for a similar distance off the E16 55 Whitstable shore.

E16 56 When approaching the anchorage itself, care must be taken to E16 57 keep off the Horse Shoal, which reaches out half a mile from the E16 58 north shore with its western end almost abreast the ferry E16 59 landing.

E16 60 Anchoring E16 61 Anchor just to the west of the ferry landing on the north shore E16 62 in a spot that will leave you 2-3m and be out of the strongest flow E16 63 of tide. Shallow draught craft may be able to find enough water E16 64 between the Horse Sand and the shore, just east of the landing.

E16 65 The bottom hereabouts is a mixture of sand and mud that E16 66 provides good holding.

E16 67 Tides E16 68 Swale tides must be taken seriously. At times they run very E16 69 strongly, reaching 3.5 knots during the early flood or ebb at E16 70 springs. As might be expected of a watercourse with two entrances, E16 71 the behaviour of the tides in some parts of the East and West Swale E16 72 is complex, the point of division moving as the tide rises or E16 73 falls. However, off Harty the streams behave normally in relation E16 74 to High and Low Water.

E16 75 Winds and swell

E16 76 The Harty anchorage is well protected, except in strong winds E16 77 from the east or north-east, when wind over tide conditions can E16 78 make things very uncomfortable and dinghy work inadvisable or even E16 79 dangerous. It can also be bumpy with westerly winds over tide.

E16 80 Approach E16 81 In order to clear the outlying shoals, it is necessary to E16 82 commence an entrance to the East Swale from the Columbine Spit buoy E16 83 (Con G) situated 2 1/2 miles NNW of Whitstable and about a mile to E16 84 the west of Whitstable Street buoy (N Card VQ). An entrance gate is E16 85 formed by two buoys; the Ham Gat (Con G) marking the eastern edge E16 86 of the Columbine Spit and the Pollard Spit buoy (Can R QR) off the E16 87 end of that spit. From this position it will be difficult for the E16 88 newcomer to make anything of the entrance, except that a course of E16 89 230<*_>degree<*/>M will take him close to Shell Ness before leading E16 90 to the Sand End buoy (Con G FIG 5s).

E16 91 Although narrow, there is plenty of water in the channel; as E16 92 much as 7m, compared with only 2m out near the Columbine buoy.

E16 93 It will usually be possible to see the next pair of buoys from E16 94 abreast the Sand End, but they should not be approached directly; E16 95 instead the same course should be held until a buoy marking the E16 96 Horse Shoal (Con G) bears about 260<*_>degree<*/>M. After that, E16 97 course can be changed to pass between that buoy and the north E16 98 cardinal buoy off Faversham Spit.

E16 99 The line of moorings off the south shore and the hard on the E16 100 north shore will now be in sight.

E16 101 Leaving E16 102 The best time to leave the anchorage will depend upon whether E16 103 you are bound west into the Thames, north over to the Essex shore, E16 104 or east along the Kent coast to the North Foreland.

E16 105 It is High Water at Harty Ferry 1 1/2 hours after Dover. When E16 106 bound westward, the last hour or two of an ebb should be taken so E16 107 as to be clear of the off-lying shoals before the flood starts into E16 108 the river. If the wind happens to be fresh from the north-east, be E16 109 prepared for a bumpy five miles or so. When bound to the north or E16 110 east, a start can be made on the first of the ebb, remembering not E16 111 to cut corners while passing through the Gore Channel on the E16 112 falling tide.

E16 113 If anchorage is untenable

E16 114 In strong easterly or northeasterly winds a nasty sea builds up E16 115 at Harty Ferry and during a spring ebb it may prove impossible to E16 116 get out into the Thames Estuary. Under such conditions it will be E16 117 best to move a couple of miles to the west into the protection of E16 118 South Deep, between Fowley Island and the mainland shore just east E16 119 of Conyer Creek.

E16 120 The entrance to South Deep is close south of an unlit east E16 121 cardinal buoy and the run of the channel will be seen from the E16 122 moorings. If bad weather persists and it becomes necessary to leave E16 123 the yacht, a mooring and a rail connection could be found at E16 124 Queenborough, about eight miles away at the other end of the E16 125 Swale.

E16 126 E16 127 ONE MAN AND HIS BOAT

E16 128 If there's living proof that sailing keeps you young in mind E16 129 and body, it comes in the form of octogenarian Harold Hone. The E16 130 maxim might equally apply to his boat, Wren, a comparatively E16 131 youthful Deben 4-Tonner built in 1947. Together, they have cruised E16 132 the waters of the Solent for thirty-three seasons.

E16 133 Harold and his wife Rita were weekend refugees from London when E16 134 they first began sailing out of Lymington in 1948. After working E16 135 12-hour days at their East End furniture factory during the week, E16 136 they found peace from the stresses of business life by exploring E16 137 the creeks and harbours of the Solent in their first boat, a 2 E16 138 1/2-tonner. Even to-day, long retired and now living in E16 139 Lymington, they know no greater pleasure than a sunny day's sailing E16 140 on their beloved Solent.

E16 141 Wren came into their lives in 1958, when the Hones, tiring E16 142 of the cramped accommodation of their 2 1/2-tonner, decided that a E16 143 boat with standing headroom and a little more interior space would E16 144 be a good thing to have.

E16 145 The search for the right boat, constrained by their budget of E16 146 pounds1,000, occupied most of a pleasant summer. After visiting E16 147 almost every yard on the South and East Coasts, claims Harold, they E16 148 found Wren at Sparkes Boatyard on Hayling Island. Compact, at E16 149 22ft overall and 19ft on the waterline, and with a shoal draught of E16 150 3ft 6in, she was perfect . and the standing headroom under the E16 151 doghouse was the deciding factor. Harold recalls the bitter E16 152 disappointment the couple felt when they learned that the boat had E16 153 been sold, for pounds800, only an hour before they first set eyes E16 154 on her.

E16 155 Three weeks later, still no closer to finding a boat, Harold E16 156 heard from the yard that Wren was back on the market. The E16 157 following weekend, the boat was theirs for pounds720, and E16 158 Wren's interesting history began to unfold. She was one of a E16 159 long line . sixty-four all told . built to a design by W M Blake at E16 160 Whisstocks in Woodbridge, Suffolk. The first of these was built in E16 161 1931, and the last in 1955; Wren was one of the early post-war E16 162 boats. Her first owner, Percy Woodcock, was a regular contributor E16 163 to Yachting Monthly, and in the January 1948 issue he E16 164 told how he came to buy her. Woodcock had definite ideas, having E16 165 had most of the war to contemplate his ideal 4-tonner, which would E16 166 be used "mainly as a day-boat, but with enough E16 167 accommodation for a few nights on board when I feel like E16 168 it".

E16 169 This was certainly achieved. With only 7ft of beam Wren is E16 170 on the compact side throughout, yet her accommodation is E16 171 comfortable and inviting. There is standing headroom under the E16 172 doghouse by the split galley, with a gimballed two-burner stove E16 173 facing the sink and small locker space across the companionway.

E16 174 At some stage before the Hones bought her, Wren was fitted E16 175 with the doghouse which transformed both the appearance of the boat E16 176 and her accommodation. In her original form she would have been a E16 177 bit cramped, though Woodcock professed himself well pleased with E16 178 the raised decks. "There is full sitting headroom over the E16 179 whole of the seats, and one can lean back with no neck bending to E16 180 avoid a crack on the head from the coamings", he wrote. E16 181 Now, two people can stand under the well finished doghouse, which E16 182 also lets in considerably more light. With the removable table in E16 183 place below decks, the snug saloon seats four adults E16 184 comfortably.

E16 185 Harold's first voyage in Wren, the delivery from E16 186 Chichester to Lymington, was a rude introduction to a new boat. He E16 187 and a friend met a westerly Force 6, gusting 8, while trying to E16 188 stem the Solent tide. The Stuart Turner petrol engine packed up, E16 189 and only after hours of beating into the chop did the drenched duo E16 190 limp into Lymington.

E16 191 "I learnt that day that the boat could take it if I E16 192 could. Next morning we took my wife for a sail and we met the ferry E16 193 coming up the river at low tide, with no place to go except on the E16 194 mud. I asked my friend what a good yachtsman would do in that E16 195 position, and he replied that a good yachtsman wouldn't be in that E16 196 position.

E16 197 'So I learned two lessons, and in 33 years of sailing Wren E16 198 I have never forgotten them."

E16 199 While Percy Woodcock was forever popping across the Channel in E16 200 Wren, the borders of the Hones' cruising grounds were defined E16 201 by Chichester and Swanage. They would arrive on Friday night, E16 202 exhausted from the week's graft, and sail across to the Isle of E16 203 Wight, where their favourite anchorage was, and still is, Newtown. E16 204 E17 1 <#FLOB:E17\>MUDDY FOX

E17 2 SORCERER MEGA

E17 3 Call a bike a Sorcerer and what do you get - 'Hubble, bubble, E17 4 toil and trouble' or a potent off-road brew? Test: Trevor Rankin. E17 5 Photography: Dave Smith.

E17 6 When I started mountain biking the choice of machine was more E17 7 or less limited to either a Muddy Fox or a Specialized. Since then E17 8 both the market and choice have grown enormously, and being trendy E17 9 dictated that good old Muddy Fox Couriers were no longer seen as E17 10 being the best MTBs around. "You're not testing a Muddy Fox E17 11 are you?" has been a common cry this month. Well I'm sorry E17 12 trendies, but the Sorcerer Mega is a very attractive bike, and at E17 13 pounds499 has many good features to offer.

E17 14 The off-road scene is full of hype, catchy names for pretty E17 15 ordinary components, wading through the jargon takes a strong head. E17 16 So what are the Sorcerer's main features? Outer butted, cuboid, E17 17 ovalised, cro-mo mega tubing, with SLR, HG, STI, SIS, SG E17 18 components. See what I mean?

E17 19 The frame is unique in that the tubing changes from a round to E17 20 square cross-section where the top tube and down tube meet the head E17 21 tube, and at the down tube to bottom bracket joint. Muddy Fox call E17 22 it "cuboid" tubing, I prefer to describe it as E17 23 "squarecular". Anyway, the idea is that the square tubing E17 24 increases the frame's stiffness at these points.

E17 25 Another unusual feature is that the tubing is outer butted. E17 26 Normally the change in tubing thickness - butting - is invisible as E17 27 it occurs inside the tube while the outside diameter remains E17 28 constant. However the seat tube butting on the Sorcerer is plainly E17 29 visible. It may not really achieve anything in terms of E17 30 performance, but it does look 'different'.

E17 31 The rear triangle follows a wishbone design because - yes, E17 32 you've guessed it - stiffness is the aim. Finally, the seat tube is E17 33 ovalised at the bottom bracket, again to increase stiffness and E17 34 prevent loss of pedalling power. It takes a keen eye to detect the E17 35 ovalisation, I'm sure the advantage is minimal.

E17 36 The frame finish is an attractive deep metallic, blue-black E17 37 blotchy coat, a similar look to oil on water, which seems quite E17 38 durable. Little gold stickers on the main tubes ensure that you E17 39 don't forget all the frame's special tubing features and add to the E17 40 bike's <}_><-|>overal<+|>overall<}/> impressive appearance.

E17 41 Forks are of the beefy persuasion. Constant taper cro-mo forks, E17 42 <*_>a-acute<*/> la Tange 'Big Forks', are of good quality on a bike E17 43 at this price. There's nothing unusual about the frame geometry, 71 E17 44 degree head angle, 73,5 degree seat angle, 22.28 inch sloping top E17 45 tube and 16.73 inch chainstays, all safe, sensible and functional, E17 46 except perhaps for the shortish top tube. The marked slope of the E17 47 top tube allows for the seat quick release to be mounted on the E17 48 front of the seat tube, well away from flying mud and water - a E17 49 nice touch.

E17 50 Shimano provide the cryptically initialled gear and brake E17 51 systems, all Deore LX (does 'Deore' actually mean anything?). E17 52 Cables run through slotted stops, with the rear brake cable routed E17 53 along the top of the top tube. Gear indexing was flawless. Internal E17 54 changes have been made to STI levers this year, so hopefully the LX E17 55 units on the Sorcerer will prove more durable than last year's LX E17 56 STI kit, which didn't handle sustained, regular off-road use all E17 57 that well. The gearing matches 24/36/46 chainrings to a 13-30 E17 58 cassette cluster, low enough for climbing trees and high enough to E17 59 scare yourself on a downhill.

E17 60 Full marks to Muddy Fox for a non-lycra covered saddle, E17 61 which has one very unusual feature - or 'feet'ure. It looks like E17 62 loads of furry little beasties have walked E17 63 <}_><-|>though<+|>through<}/> grey dye and left their footprints on E17 64 it, very distinctive, and comfortable to boot (or paw rather). The E17 65 narrow design wasn't appreciated by women MTBers who tried it, E17 66 though a good dealer should change a saddle to suit a purchaser's E17 67 bum needs.

E17 68 This record of British wildlife is clamped to a black Kalloy E17 69 300mm seat post. The stem on the test bike was a 135mm internal E17 70 roller type, which seemed OK, but the design tends to put the cable E17 71 out of sight and out of mind in terms of maintenance. You can't E17 72 really see what sort of state your cable is in and it's easy to E17 73 overlook parts that can't be seen when it comes to E17 74 <}_><-|>talking<+|>taking<}/> care of MTBs. Taking this point up E17 75 with Muddy Fox, they told me that the stem has been changed to a E17 76 different design for production models and this potential minus E17 77 point is no longer a problem. But the handlebars are graced with E17 78 hard rubber grips, similar to some recently discovered on stone age E17 79 cave paintings, i.e. they're dated and uncomfortable.

E17 80 The wheel package consists of 36 hole Araya RX7 rims fondled by E17 81 Muddy Fox Grip Trax 2.0 tyres, more than adequate for off-road use. E17 82 The metal and resin Wellgo pedals were equipped with toe clips and E17 83 straps, something to be expected on this level of bike.

E17 84 Out on the trail the Sorcerer showed its stiff frame by E17 85 responding quickly to pedal pressure, bottom bracket flex was E17 86 undetectable - if you enjoy fast forest track and gravel pit E17 87 sprinting you'll enjoy the Sorcerer. Sluggish it isn't. On climbs E17 88 it performs well, the tyres are fairly good on most surfaces, and E17 89 you aren't too cramped in the cockpit.

E17 90 Slow technical riding is no problem, the bike feels lighter E17 91 than it is, and is easy to flick around. However when it comes to E17 92 high speed descending the Sorcerer casts a nasty spell on novices, E17 93 its high speed handling is as sharp as an expert would want. This E17 94 is most likely due to a combination of the shortish top tube, and E17 95 steep seat tube angle. A 22.28 inch top tube is not a lot on a 19 E17 96 inch bike. Another half inch would help to cool it down a touch. As E17 97 it is though, it just feels unstable and very twitchy at high E17 98 speeds. Either exciting or scary, depending on your outlook on E17 99 life. Inexperienced riders should take care on the downhills.

E17 100 Overall, the Sorcerer Mega is an attractive machine which shows E17 101 that Muddy Fox are still turning out good bikes despite the E17 102 desertion of trendies to other makes. However, the potential of a E17 103 very good frame and component set is let down slightly by the frame E17 104 geometry. Its downhilling performance is a little bit on the lively E17 105 side for most riders let alone novices, unless they rarely venture E17 106 onto extreme off-road descents. Half an inch more top tube, that's E17 107 all it needs. As a city MTB its good sprinting and slow speed E17 108 flickability would be an asset for keeping one step ahead of the E17 109 traffic.

E17 110 E17 111 CROSS OVER

E17 112 As part of her preparations for the long, hot summer ahead, E17 113 this winter Deb Murrell kept racing - local cyclo-cross E17 114 events on her MTB

E17 115 For the first time since I began mountain biking I supplemented E17 116 my winter training this year with the odd race or two. Not mountain E17 117 bike races, but cyclo-cross races.

E17 118 I am not sure how I came to the decision. Cyclo-cross has long E17 119 been a dirty word in some MTB circles, where it stands for boring, E17 120 lots of running, tons of mud and the development of a bike that E17 121 teeters precariously on the edge of being suitable for real E17 122 off-road riding.

E17 123 In part, the decision came from a realisation that most of the E17 124 top male mountain bikers in this country are very accomplished at E17 125 'cross - many riders devoting their winters to it. The other reason E17 126 for having a go was plain curiosity.

E17 127 I must admit I had a few prejudices - particularly about the E17 128 courses and the length of the races. But, quite simply my first E17 129 outing, at a race in Liverpool, was a shock.

E17 130 To say the pace off the start was fast is an understatement. It E17 131 is extremely easy to get caught napping on the line.

E17 132 The short, sharp nature of cyclo-cross courses doesn't E17 133 favour mountain bikes. With one, you are at an immediate E17 134 disadvantage, since 'cross bikes are often lighter and riders may E17 135 have a spare, clean bike just waiting to be picked up. However E17 136 mountain bikers can still gain a lot from a tough race in such E17 137 adverse conditions. I saw it as training, rode hard and had a good E17 138 time.

E17 139 As far as I can gather, there is a swing to more rideable E17 140 courses, but many still include some running and an almost E17 141 compulsory pile of logs to jump over. Many of the courses would be E17 142 practically one hundred percent rideable in dry conditions, but E17 143 unless there had been a heavy frost we were unlikely to find them E17 144 like that during the past winter.

E17 145 Most 'cross races use a circuit between one and two miles, E17 146 often in parks and rough ground in towns and cities. This means E17 147 that in the Seniors, Junior and Veterans race, which lasts an hour, E17 148 riders can complete anything between eight and thirteen laps. All E17 149 the cyclo-cross events in which I competed featured extremely E17 150 technical sections, certainly hard enough to keep any mountain E17 151 biker amused, and, because of this, they were an excellent way to E17 152 practise technical skills.

E17 153 The high number of laps gives plenty of time to experiment with E17 154 these sections, with loads of chances to try different approaches. E17 155 I was amazed how much I learned.

E17 156 In a race, it is highly likely you will get lapped and it soon E17 157 becomes difficult to tell who is where, as riders become spread out E17 158 all around the course. Getting lapped provides you with another E17 159 chance to learn. Watching the best riders carefully as they passed E17 160 me I sometimes found they took a line that had not occurred to E17 161 me.

E17 162 All the courses I rode were a varied mix of tricky descents, E17 163 steep climbs, awkward off-cambers and tight corners. Only if you E17 164 counted the laps did tedium set in.

E17 165 The technique was to think of each race in terms of time to go. E17 166 How long an hour can seem when you are riding hard, in tough E17 167 conditions in the middle of winter!

E17 168 Mentally, cyclo-cross is tiring. I found it difficult to find a E17 169 rhythm in the short laps. Add to that the speed of other riders, E17 170 the curt time-scale of the race and it becomes impossible to pace E17 171 yourself.

E17 172 By far the most rewarding way to ride was with a go-for-it E17 173 attitude. You thrash as hard as you can for the full hour. If you E17 174 blow up before the end then you know you have at least had a good E17 175 work out. If you don't, then you know your fitness is coming along E17 176 nicely.

E17 177 Next year, if you intend using 'cross either as training for E17 178 mountain bike racing in the summer, or just for fun, then do it on E17 179 your mountain bike. There is no need to pay extra money kitting out E17 180 a cyclo-cross bike since most race organisers are happy to see E17 181 mountain bikers race.

E17 182 If you can get hold of any decent 1.5" knobblies then use them. E17 183 The reason cyclo-crossers pick narrow tyres is to cut through the E17 184 mud. Fat mountain bike tyres possessed an amazing ability for E17 185 turning into mud balloons, slipping, sliding and adding half a ton E17 186 to the weight of the bike. A shoulder-pad for the bike was also E17 187 useful. Even if there was only one slope which forced riders to E17 188 carry their bikes, it could be repeated up to twelve times in the E17 189 course of a race.

E17 190 The mountain bike has some advantages in cyclo-cross, E17 191 particularly on descents, and in its durability. In the five races E17 192 I attended, there were nearly as many broken 'cross bike frames.

E17 193 Finally, I basked in the luxury of not needing to travel far E17 194 for a race. Cross events tend to be small-scale, local and with a E17 195 very relaxed atmosphere ... well, at least until the starter yells E17 196 "Go!"

E17 197 Cyclo-cross is without doubt a completely different sport to E17 198 mountain biking. It is short, sharp, fast and - apart from the E17 199 National Trophy - quite low key. E17 200 E18 1 <#FLOB:E18\>Sparkman & Stephens

E18 2 Olin & Rod Stephens had a stronger influence on contemporary E18 3 yacht design than any other team. We look at S&S and their E18 4 achievements

E18 5 Geoff Pack

E18 6 When, in 1929, the American father of two boat-loving E18 7 boys, Olin and Rod Jnr, both of whom had abandoned their college E18 8 careers, agreed to have built one of their yacht designs, he E18 9 couldn't have known that he was backing a team, Sparkman &Stephens, E18 10 which was to become the greatest influence in yacht design this E18 11 century.

E18 12 As he watched his slim new 52ft yawl Dorade sliding into E18 13 the waters of City Island, New York, Rod Stephens Snr couldn't have E18 14 imagined that she would re-write the rules of yacht design, and be E18 15 the inspiration for new boats for a further three decades. The days E18 16 of ocean racing being dominated by souped up workboats such as E18 17 Jolie Brise and Alden's hefty Malabar schooners were E18 18 over.

E18 19 Olin Stephens was one of the first designers to concentrate on E18 20 distributing weight to maximise performance, and although E18 21 Dorade was disappointingly heavy (due to a surfeit of frames), E18 22 she was built with a lightweight interior. Another component of her E18 23 success was the fact that she rated well under both the RORC and E18 24 American CCA rules of the time.

E18 25 Dorade possessed the rare combination of being both E18 26 beautiful and radical. Twenty-year-old Olin had drawn the hull E18 27 using his recent experience of designing some 6-Metres. Rod had E18 28 been responsible for her deck layout, bermudian rig and the E18 29 supervision of her building in the Minneford Yacht Yard. She E18 30 entered the following year's Bermuda Race and was pipped at the E18 31 post when a badly calibrated sextant put them a shade too far est, E18 32 resulting in her coming second in her class, third overall.

E18 33 The following year, 1931, Dorade entered the ten-boat E18 34 Transatlantic Race from Newport to Plymouth skippered by Olin. She E18 35 was the third smallest boat and arrived after 16 days, two days E18 36 ahead of the next competitor, and four days ahead on handicap. E18 37 Apart from their father (who was also paying the bills) she was E18 38 crewed by Rod and friends whose average age was just 22. She went E18 39 on to win that year's Fastnet Race before the crew returned home to E18 40 a ticker-tape parade up New York's Broadway.

E18 41 The partnership of Drake Sparkman, a New York yacht and E18 42 insurance broker and Olin Stephens was formed in 1928. Sparkman E18 43 quickly recognised the 19-year-old's brilliance and they E18 44 immediately started designing dayboats and 6-Metres. Sparkman E18 45 &Stephens was formally incorporated a year later and, in spite of E18 46 the Great Recession, kept very busy as word spread.

E18 47 After her success in 1931, Dorade went on to win her class E18 48 in the Bermuda Race the following year. In 1933 she headed back E18 49 across the Atlantic, with Rod as skipper this time, to take on the E18 50 Brits in the Fastnet. She was away from New York for three months, E18 51 a period that took in a cruise through Norway (she was engineless) E18 52 before crossing the Fastnet Race start line in Cowes. She won, E18 53 again, and then headed back, along the Northern route, to New York, E18 54 arriving in 26 days.

E18 55 For his three-month, 8,000-mile cruise, Rod was awarded the E18 56 coveted Cruising Club of America Blue Water Medal. Nod bad for a E18 57 24-year-old who already had five Atlantic crossings under his E18 58 belt.

E18 59 Rod joined S&S full-time in 1933 as an associate designer and E18 60 chief inspector. One of his first projects was Stormy E18 61 Weather, the successor to Dorade. Olin had always E18 62 believed that, at 10ft 3in, Dorade was too narrow and E18 63 Stormy Weather, launched in 1934 for owner Philip Le E18 64 Boutillier, was drawn with 12ft 6in beam on a similar length. She E18 65 was faster and more powerful as a result. She won her first outing, E18 66 the 1935 Transatlantic Race (skippered by Rod), and then the E18 67 subsequent Fastnet before returning to New York.

E18 68 Dorade was sold in 1936, taken down through the Panama E18 69 Canal and up to California to compete in, and win, the Honolulu E18 70 Trans-Pacific Race of that year.

E18 71 Sparkman & Stephens's work was nothing if not varied in the E18 72 early days, their commissions including dayboats, Conewago, E18 73 the 8-Metre Canada's Cup winner of 1932 and 1934, and the 61ft E18 74 schooner Brilliant (still working today as a training ship out of E18 75 Mystic Seaport, Connecticut).

E18 76 Olin Stephens's big break came in August 1936, when Henry E18 77 Vanderbilt 'phoned him and asked if he would collaborate with E18 78 Starling Burgess to design a defender for the 1937 America's Cup. E18 79 Although he was quoted as saying that "the feel for the E18 80 reality of performance is rarely seduced by mere tank E18 81 statistics", Olin had gathered much skill in the use and E18 82 interpretation of tank testing. If the 137ft Ranger was an ugly E18 83 <}_><-|>ducking<+|>duckling<}/>, with a snub nose and long flat E18 84 sections (dictated by the tests), she was unbeatable. She defeated E18 85 all thirteen challenging American Js, trounced Stopwith's E18 86 Endeavour II 4-0 (with Olin on the helm half the time), E18 87 and finished her racing days having never lost one of her E18 88 thirty-seven matches.

E18 89 S&S went on to dominate the design of America's Cup boats until E18 90 Olin retired in the 1980s and the Cup was lost. With only one E18 91 exception they designed every successful defender between 1937 and E18 92 1980 (many of which Rod and Olin also crewed in).

E18 93 By the outbreak of war the S&S company had expanded to employ E18 94 forty to fifty people. Rod, against a tide of military opposition, E18 95 designed and campaigned the introduction of the DUKW amphibian. It E18 96 was eventually accepted after rescuing the crew of a grounded ship E18 97 in the height of a gale. By the end of the war 25,000 had been E18 98 built which, at General Patton's personal recommendation, earned E18 99 Rod America's most prestigious civilian award, the Medal of E18 100 Freedom.

E18 101 During the wartime years the S&S design office worked on E18 102 everything from pontoon bridges and submarines chasers (more than E18 103 400 were built) to mini-submarines, tugs and tankers.

E18 104 None of this commercial work interfered with their continuing E18 105 achievements in both cruising and racing yachts. By 1957, with 150 E18 106 staff now on the payroll, Sparkman & Stephens were still firm E18 107 favourites in the racing field. In the 1956 Bermuda Race, for E18 108 example, with twenty-seven S&S designs entered, thirteen of the E18 109 twenty-one trophies (including the winner) went to their boats.

E18 110 One of the more notable designs of that period was E18 111 Finisterre, a 38ft yawl commissioned by American Carleton E18 112 Mitchell. She was a tubby centreboarder intended more for E18 113 long-distance cruising than racing. Mitchell reckoned to E18 114 cruise 10 miles for every one he raced, and said, "Never E18 115 once during the design discussions with Olin was the rule E18 116 considered."

E18 117 One could argue that those were the days when a cruising boat E18 118 could win races, or that Mitchell was well endowed with both skill E18 119 and good luck. Indisputable is the fact that Finisterre won E18 120 three consecutive Bermuda Races in 1956, 1958 and 1960.

E18 121 It was during the 1960s and 70s that S&S reached their height E18 122 of popularity and success. Although other designers, including E18 123 Carter and Giles, were using the new fin and skeg configuration, E18 124 S&S designs like Roundabout and Clarion consigned the E18 125 long keel and attached rudder to oblivion. Although Dorade had E18 126 been such a strong influence until this time, the growing trust in E18 127 the fin and skeg arrangement (Herreshoff had used it in the last E18 128 century, but no one believed it safe for offshore work) allowed E18 129 yacht design to take a completely new avenue.

E18 130 This was a period of great change in yachting, with the E18 131 introduction of vastly improved materials for the building and E18 132 equipping of yachts. In the racing field, S&S rode the crest of the E18 133 wave and numbered the top yachtsmen, from both sides of the E18 134 Atlantic, as their clients. The likes of Arthur Slater coming back E18 135 for a succession of five Prospect of Whitbys, and Edward E18 136 Heath's four Morning Clouds did the S&S reputation no E18 137 harm.

E18 138 Genuine production-built yachts were also coming on the scene E18 139 and comprising an important element of S&S's work. The Tartan E18 140 Company in the USA used S&S designs, as did a new yard in Finland E18 141 called Nautor.

E18 142 Olin Stephens was always a committee man and omnipresent, as E18 143 well as a strong influence, in the rule-making bodies. There had E18 144 always been a perennial problem with the conflict in American and E18 145 British yacht racing rules. In 1967 the Offshore Rules Coordinating E18 146 Committee formed an International Technical Division under Olin's E18 147 chairmanship to merge the two rules taking the best from each. Out E18 148 of this was born the IOR, which came into effect on 1 January, E18 149 1971.

E18 150 Progress through the 1970s continued apace. As well as E18 151 dominating events like the America's Cup and the Fastnet (of the E18 152 thirty-two races up to 1987, S&S designs had won ten times), the E18 153 Madison Avenue, New York, design office also left its mark on the E18 154 new Whitbread Round the World Race, producing winners for the first E18 155 two events (Sayula II and Flyer).

E18 156 The mid-70s saw a decline in S&S popularity and activity in the E18 157 racing field, partly because of fashion and equally due to E18 158 designers such as Holland and Petersen offering strong competition. E18 159 Production boat design also diminished as Nautor moved to German E18 160 Frers as their principal designer.

E18 161 It can only be conjecture whether the brothers' semi-retirement E18 162 during the 1980s influenced the direction of the company, and how E18 163 much is due to the changing nature of the yachting market, but E18 164 today the staff is down to twenty-two. The Madison Avenue office E18 165 concentrates on bigger (50-90ft) custom yachts, as well as a E18 166 flourishing brokerage and insurance business. Olin now enjoys his E18 167 retirement in Vermont, still active in rule-making work although E18 168 not going afloat. Rod retired 2 1/2 years ago after a stroke, from E18 169 which he is steadily recovering.

E18 170 If S&S have lost the dominance position they held for decades E18 171 on the race course, their modern large custom yachts are held in E18 172 esteem. Whether it is statistics like their designs winning nearly E18 173 one third of all the Fastnet Races, or producing approaching 3,000 E18 174 designs, or creating a ventilator 60 years ago which, to this day, E18 175 has yet to be bettered, the S&S marque has left an indelible E18 176 impression on the world of yachting.

E18 177 E18 178 Santana

E18 179 A dedicated cruising yacht from Alan Buchanan

E18 180 Peter Nielsen

E18 181 Compared to most of the boats seen at past Yachting E18 182 Monthly Classic Yacht Rallies, Santana is a mere E18 183 stripling. When she came off the slip at Priors, Burnham on Crouch, E18 184 in 1973, the golden days of wooden boatbuilding were already gone, E18 185 and her low, elegant silhouette belonged to another decade.

E18 186 Her lines were drawn by Alan Buchanan and partner Peter E18 187 Williams to a commission for a pure cruising boat, although her E18 188 owners also specified full spinnaker handling gear, leading one to E18 189 surmise that they also had club racing in mind.

E18 190 She is an interesting boat, not merely because she was built E18 191 when glassfibre series boats were already dominating the industry, E18 192 but because she gives the lie to the theory that a traditionally E18 193 constructed wooden boat will have less interior volume than a GRP E18 194 vessel of the same size.

E18 195 In common with other Buchanan boats built at Priors, with whom E18 196 the designer had a long association, she was built to Lloyd's A1 E18 197 specifications (although no longer kept in class), with carvel E18 198 Honduras mahogany planking on rock elm frames. The ballast keel is E18 199 lead and in line with Buchanan's <}_><-|>wariness<+|>weariness<}/> E18 200 of electrolytic corrosion, which can lead to nail sickness in E18 201 wooden boats, the floors are bronze and there are no ferrous E18 202 fastenings; her planking is as sound as when it was first fastened E18 203 to the frames. As far as her owner David Colquhoun knows, the seams E18 204 have needed no attention since she was launched. Her decks, E18 205 coachroof, coamings and trim are also of teak.

E18 206 The hull is very fair, and it is not obvious from looking over E18 207 Santana that she was the first wooden boat built at Priors in E18 208 several years. In common with many other yards, they had turned to E18 209 fitting out glassfibre hulls at the tail end of the 60s, and Alan E18 210 Buchanan remembers (somewhat harshly) that when he saw the finished E18 211 boat, "I thought she was bent in the middle. E18 212 E19 1 <#FLOB:E19\>Crispy Cheese Pancakes with Courgette E19 2 Sauce

E19 3 Beth Barker from Kendal, Cumbria, has created a pancake E19 4 recipe with a difference. These delicious pancakes stuffed with E19 5 three cheeses are coated in breadcrumbs and deep fried!

E19 6 Serves: 4-8

E19 7 Prep: 30 mins

E19 8 Cook: 20 mins

E19 9 for pancakes:

E19 10 4 oz/125 g plain flour

E19 11 pinch salt

E19 12 4 eggs

E19 13 2 tbsp/30 ml oil

E19 14 7 fl oz/200 ml milk

E19 15 oil for deep frying

E19 16 for filling:

E19 17 2 tbsp/30 ml pine nuts

E19 18 2 tbsp/30 ml olive oil

E19 19 6 oz/175 g button mushrooms, finely chopped

E19 20 6 oz/175 g Ricotta cheese

E19 21 4 oz/125 g Mozzarella cheese, grated

E19 22 2 tbsp/30 ml Parmesan cheese, grated

E19 23 4 oz/125 g breadcrumbs

E19 24 To make the pancakes, sift the flour and salt into a bowl and E19 25 add the 4 eggs and oil. Beat until the mixture is smooth and E19 26 gradually add milk to form a smooth batter.

E19 27 To cook the pancakes heat a little oil in a small frying pan. E19 28 Add 2-3 tbsp/30-45 ml of batter and swirl evenly around the pan. E19 29 Cook over a medium heat until golden brown. Toss or turn the E19 30 pancake and cook other side. Repeat with the remaining batter to E19 31 make 8 pancakes. Reserve 2 tbsp/30 ml of the batter for sealing.

E19 32 For the filling, put the pine nuts into a dry pan and shake E19 33 over heat until golden, remove from pan. In another pan, heat the E19 34 olive oil and saut<*_>e-acute<*/> mushrooms until soft. Mix E19 35 together with the pine nuts and three cheeses. Divide this filling E19 36 between the pancakes and brush the edges of the pancakes with a E19 37 little of the reserved batter. Fold each pancake in half. Brush the E19 38 rounded edge of the folded pancake with rest of reserved batter E19 39 then fold the pancake in half again, pressing edges to seal in the E19 40 filling. Brush each pancake with lightly beaten egg then cover with E19 41 breadcrumbs. Deep fry in hot oil for about 5 minutes until golden E19 42 brown. Serve with courgette sauce.

E19 43 Courgette sauce:

E19 44 1/2 oz/15 g butter

E19 45 4 shallots

E19 46 6 oz/175 g courgettes, sliced

E19 47 salt and pepper to taste

E19 48 To make the sauce melt the butter in a saucepan and cook the E19 49 shallots for 1 minute. Add the sliced courgette and cook for a E19 50 further 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1/4 pint/150 ml water E19 51 and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and cook uncovered for 15 E19 52 minutes. Cool slightly, then pur<*_>e-acute<*/>e in a liquidiser or E19 53 blender. Return to the saucepan, season with salt and pepper and E19 54 stir and heat through. Serve poured over pancakes and accompanied E19 55 with brown rice.

E19 56 E19 57 Savoury Parsnip Scones

E19 58 Tofu is so versatile it can be used in sweet or savoury E19 59 dishes. Barbara Marshall from Birmingham uses it in these E19 60 mouthwatering scones.

E19 61 Serves: 4

E19 62 Prep: 15 mins plus 30 mins chilling

E19 63 Cook: 10 mins

E19 64 1 lb/450 g parsnips

E19 65 10 oz/275 g plain tofu

E19 66 2 tbsp/30 ml fresh chives, chopped

E19 67 salt and pepper

E19 68 wholemeal flour for coating

E19 69 2 tbsp/30 ml oil

E19 70 Peel and cut the parsnips into small pieces. Simmer for 15-20 E19 71 minutes until just tender. Cool slightly, then mash with a fork. E19 72 Mash the tofu with a fork and mix thoroughly with the mashed E19 73 parsnips. Season with salt and pepper and chopped chives.

E19 74 Divide the mixture into 8 balls, flatten to make scone shapes E19 75 and roll in flour. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

E19 76 Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook scones for 10 minutes on E19 77 each side until golden brown. Serve hot with mixed salad and jacket E19 78 potatoes for a main meal.

E19 79 E19 80 Aduki Bean Moussaka

E19 81 This robust, hearty moussaka-style dish from C. Downton of E19 82 Melksham, Wiltshire, is a marvellous winter warmer and one the E19 83 whole family will love.

E19 84 Serves: 4-6

E19 85 Prep: 15 mins

E19 86 Cook: 1 hour 40 mins

E19 87 cheese sauce:

E19 88 1 oz/25 g butter

E19 89 1 oz/ 25g cornflour

E19 90 3/4 pint/450 ml milk

E19 91 4 oz/125 g Cheddar cheese, grated

E19 92 moussaka filling:

E19 93 2 tbsp/30 ml oil

E19 94 2 potatoes, thinly sliced

E19 95 2 medium onions

E19 96 2 courgettes

E19 97 6 oz/175 g mushrooms, chopped

E19 98 2 cloves garlic

E19 99 4 oz/125 g aduki beans

E19 100 15 oz/425 g can tomatoes

E19 101 1/4 pint/150 ml vegetable stock

E19 102 2 tbsp/30 ml tomato pur<*_>e-acute<*/>e

E19 103 2 tbsp/30 ml soy sauce

E19 104 1/2 tsp/2.5 ml oregano

E19 105 salt and pepper to taste

E19 106 Soak the aduki beans in boiling water for 1 hour, bring to the E19 107 boil and simmer for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to Gas Mark E19 108 6/400F/200C.

E19 109 Make up the sauce by melting the butter in a saucepan. Remove E19 110 from the heat and stir in cornflour. Gradually add the milk, E19 111 stirring continuously, then return to heat. Continue stirring until E19 112 the sauce begins to thicken. Remove from the heat and mix in the E19 113 cheese and leave to cool.

E19 114 Heat half the oil in a frying pan and fry the potatoes until E19 115 lightly browned. Drain on kitchen paper then line the sides and E19 116 base of a casserole dish with the potatoes.

E19 117 To make the filling chop the vegetables, heat the remaining oil E19 118 in a large pan and fry the onions, courgettes, mushrooms and garlic E19 119 for 2 minutes. Add the drained aduki beans and cook for a further 3 E19 120 minutes. Pour in the tomatoes, stock, tomato pur<*_>e-acute<*/>e E19 121 and soy sauce. Season with oregano, salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 E19 122 minutes. Spoon the mixture over the potatoes and then pour the E19 123 cheese sauce over the top. Cook in the oven for 20 minutes then E19 124 serve with crusty bread.

E19 125 E19 126 Stuffed Aubergines

E19 127 Claire de Carle of Amersham, Buckinghamshire, suggests you E19 128 serve these golden cheese-topped stuffed aubergines with salad for E19 129 lunch or rice for a more substantial vegetarian dinner.

E19 130 Serves: 4

E19 131 Prep: 45 mins

E19 132 Cook: 40 mins

E19 133 2 medium aubergines

E19 134 salt

E19 135 4 fl oz/100 ml olive oil

E19 136 1 onion, chopped

E19 137 8 oz/225 g mushrooms, chopped

E19 138 3 tbsp/45 ml fresh parsley, chopped

E19 139 4 oz/125 g low-fat soft cheese

E19 140 2 oz/50 g breadcrumbs

E19 141 2 oz/50 g vegetarian Cheddar cheese, grated

E19 142 salt and pepper

E19 143 Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4/350F/180C.

E19 144 Cut the aubergines in half lengthways and scoop out the flesh E19 145 with a spoon, taking care to leave the skin and some flesh intact. E19 146 Sprinkle each half generously with salt. Leave for 30 minutes. E19 147 Rinse the aubergine skins thoroughly and dry on kitchen paper.

E19 148 Heat half the oil in a large frying pan and fry the skins for E19 149 approximately 2 minutes on each side. Remove and place in an E19 150 ovenproof dish.

E19 151 Chop the flesh from the aubergine into small pieces. Heat the E19 152 other half of the oil and fry the onion with the aubergine flesh E19 153 for 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue cooking for a further E19 154 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the remaining ingredients E19 155 except the grated cheese and mix together. Pile the stuffing into E19 156 the aubergine skins. Sprinkle with grated cheese and bread crumbs E19 157 and place in the oven for 20 minutes until cheese turns golden E19 158 brown.

E19 159 This is delicious served with a spicy tomato sauce and crusty E19 160 rolls as a snack or as a main course with rice and sweetcorn.

E19 161 Tip: If you haven't time to make your own sauce, buy one E19 162 of the ready-made tomato sauces now available.

E19 163 E19 164 Rabbit Casserole

E19 165 This delicious meat is available in supermarkets E19 166 everywhere and makes a tempting and delicious casserole. Margaret E19 167 Lipke-Coates from Appledore, Devon, cooks rabbit in white wine for E19 168 extra flavour.

E19 169 Serves: 4-6

E19 170 Prep: 10 mins

E19 171 Cook: 1 1/2 hours

E19 172 1 savoy cabbage, shredded

E19 173 2 tbsp/30 ml oil

E19 174 1 oz/25 g butter

E19 175 1 lb/450 g rabbit pieces or 1 rabbit, jointed

E19 176 1 tbsp/15 ml parsley, chopped

E19 177 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

E19 178 1/4 pint/150 ml dry white wine (Muscadet)

E19 179 4-6 rashers bacon

E19 180 Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4/350F/180C.

E19 181 Place the cabbage in the base of a greased casserole dish.

E19 182 Heat the oil and butter in a large frying pan and fry the E19 183 rabbit pieces until golden. Arrange rabbit on top of cabbage and E19 184 sprinkle over parsley and garlic.

E19 185 Add 4 tbsp/60ml water to the frying pan with the wine, bring to E19 186 the boil, then pour over rabbit. The liquid should just cover the E19 187 cabbage, add more wine if necessary. Cover with bacon rashers. E19 188 Replace lid and bake for 1 hour.

E19 189 Remove lid and cook for another 1/2 hour to crisp bacon. Serve E19 190 with baked potatoes, glazed carrots and seasonal salad.

E19 191 Tip: To make easy glazed carrots, place 1 lb/450 g sliced E19 192 carrots in a large saucepan and just cover with water. Add a pinch E19 193 of salt, 1 tsp/5ml brown sugar and 1 tsp/5ml butter. Bring to the E19 194 boil, uncovered, and simmer until the liquid has reduced. The E19 195 remaining sugar and butter mixture will start to brown the carrots. E19 196 Toss the carrots in this mixture until evenly coated, just browned E19 197 but not burnt.

E19 198 E19 199 Salmon Surprise

E19 200 This recipe looks very classy and tastes it too. Mrs E19 201 Hester Wood from Nercwys, Clwyd, makes it economical by using a E19 202 salmon tail piece.

E19 203 Serves: 4-6

E19 204 Prep: 30 mins

E19 205 Cook: 40 mins

E19 206 2 oz/50 g butter

E19 207 2 oz/50 g raisins

E19 208 2 oz/50g blanched almonds

E19 209 4 pieces stem ginger

E19 210 10 asparagus spears

E19 211 2 1/2 lb/1.1 kg salmon

E19 212 salt and black pepper

E19 213 1 lb/450 g shortcrust pastry

E19 214 beaten egg, to glaze

E19 215 herb & lemon sauce:

E19 216 2 oz/50 g butter

E19 217 2 shallots

E19 218 1 tsp/5 ml chervil

E19 219 1 tsp/5 ml tarragon

E19 220 1 tsp/5 ml parsley

E19 221 1 tsp/5 ml plain flour

E19 222 1/2 pint/300 ml single cream

E19 223 1 tsp/5 ml Dijon mustard

E19 224 2 egg yolks

E19 225 juice of one lemon

E19 226 salt and pepper

E19 227 Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4/350F/180C.

E19 228 Chop the almonds and ginger and blanch the asparagus.

E19 229 Mix together the butter, raisins, almonds and ginger, and E19 230 spread half the mixture on to a skinned and boned salmon fillet. E19 231 Sandwich together with the other fillet. Spread the remaining E19 232 mixture on top. Top with asparagus spears and season well.

E19 233 Divide the pastry in two and roll out on a floured surface, to E19 234 make two 8 x 6 in/20 x 15 cm rectangles, large enough to enclose E19 235 the salmon. Place the salmon on the centre of pastry and brush E19 236 pastry edge with glaze. Top with the remaining pastry. Press edges E19 237 together to seal firmly. Trim parcel into oval shape and crimp the E19 238 edges. Re-roll trimmings and cut out fish shapes to decorate E19 239 pastry. Make a few slashes in the pastry, brush with remaining egg E19 240 glaze and bake for 30-35 minutes until well risen and brown.

E19 241 Meanwhile make the sauce. Melt the butter in a pan, add the E19 242 finely chopped shallots and herbs and lightly fry until soft. Stir E19 243 in the flour, cream and seasoning. Simmer for 10 minutes and then E19 244 cool. Add the egg yolk to the cream mixture. Simmer over a low heat E19 245 until ready to serve. Do not boil. Add lemon juice to taste.

E19 246 Serve the salmon with the sauce and garnish with fennel leaves E19 247 and lemon twists.

E19 248 E19 249 Profiteroles with Banana Cream

E19 250 Simply the most sensational profiteroles you will have E19 251 ever tasted. A clever idea from Angie Anthony of St Martin, E19 252 Jersey.

E19 253 Serves: 4-6

E19 254 Prep: 20 mins

E19 255 Cook: 15 mins

E19 256 choux pastry:

E19 257 2 1/2 oz/65 g plain flour

E19 258 1/2 tsp/2.5 ml salt

E19 259 2 oz/50 g butter, cut into small pieces

E19 260 2 eggs, well beaten

E19 261 filling:

E19 262 1/4 pint/5 fl oz/142 ml carton double cream

E19 263 large banana, mashed

E19 264 1 tbsp/15 ml icing sugar

E19 265 1 tbsp/15 ml Tia Maria (optional)

E19 266 sauce:

E19 267 2 Mars bars

E19 268 2 tbsp/30 ml milk

E19 269 Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 7/425F/220C.

E19 270 To make the choux pastry, sift the flour and salt on to a piece E19 271 of greaseproof paper.

E19 272 Heat the butter and 1/4 pint/150 ml cold water in a pan. When E19 273 the butter has melted, bring to the boil. Remove from heat E19 274 immediately and tip in the flour. Beat well with a wooden spoon E19 275 until the paste is smooth and a ball forms leaving the sides of the E19 276 pan clean. Return to heat and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat E19 277 and allow to cool a little, then gradually beat in the eggs until E19 278 the mixture resembles a stiff paste. Place spoonfuls of the mixture E19 279 the size of a large walnut on to 2 greased baking sheets. Cook E19 280 immediately for 15-20 minutes until light and golden brown. Pierce E19 281 the sides of each choux bun with a sharp pointed knife to let the E19 282 steam out. E19 283 E19 284 E19 285 E20 1 <#FLOB:E20\>One potato, two ...

E20 2 In praise of the potato - Linda Fraser takes a look at one of E20 3 our most popular and versatile vegetables

E20 4 If flavour is what you are after, choose E20 5 potatoes that are sold loose and unwashed. Bags of washed E20 6 potatoes are fine if you want convenience, but they do seem to lose E20 7 some of their taste along with the soil.

E20 8 Varieties E20 9 There are many excellent potato varieties, each with a slightly E20 10 different taste and texture. New potatoes and some of the other E20 11 waxy salad varieties are seasonal, but most of the old potatoes are E20 12 available from store throughout the year. If you want a floury E20 13 potato for boiling and mashing, choose Kind Edward, Arran E20 14 Chief, Kerr's Pink or Maris Piper, which with E20 15 Golden Wonder, Desir<*_>e-acute<*/>eand Redskin, are E20 16 also best for baking, roasting and saut<*_>e-acute<*/>eing. Waxy E20 17 varieties such as new potatoes and the unusual Pink Fir Apple, E20 18 Charlotte and Cornichon are ideal for slicing or using E20 19 cold in salads. For frying, choose the Croft, Maris Piper E20 20 or Majestic varieties.

E20 21 Store potatoes at home in a cool, dark place - old potatoes E20 22 tend to keep well while new potatoes are best bought in small E20 23 quantities.

E20 24 Cooking E20 25 Potatoes can be cooked in an amazing number of ways, not least E20 26 as the ubiquitous chip. They can be baked whole; sliced or diced E20 27 and added to soups and casseroles; mashed and used as a topping for E20 28 fish or meat pies; and steamed, fried or boiled. They are delicious E20 29 on their own or flavoured with herbs, onion, garlic or spices E20 30 - both nutmeg and cumin go particularly well with potato. Potatoes E20 31 are delicious with eggs (see page 24 for Antonio Carluccio's E20 32 Spanish tortilla), cheese and nuts, and they complement other E20 33 vegetables - with leeks in soup, mashed with turnips, or E20 34 fried with cabbage for a good old bubble-and-squeak. Many of E20 35 our traditional recipes depend on them - such as Irish stew, E20 36 shepherd's pie, pan haggerty and stovies - as well as potato scones E20 37 and cakes. In fact, far too many recipes to mention, so here E20 38 follows<&|>sic! some very basic methods of cooking.

E20 39 Saut<*_>e-acute<*/>eing E20 40 Saut<*_>e-acute<*/>ed potatoes are best boiled in their skins E20 41 for about 15 minutes, then sliced thickly. Fry in a mixture of E20 42 sunflower oil and butter until golden brown. Drain and sprinkle E20 43 with salt. Or fry sliced onion and garlic, lift out with a draining E20 44 spoon while you cook the potatoes, then return them and mix E20 45 together.

E20 46 Roasting E20 47 Cut potatoes into large chunks and place in a pan of cold, E20 48 salted water. Bring to the boil and boil for 10 minutes. Drain E20 49 well, then shake the pan so as to roughen the outsides. Heat three E20 50 tablespoons of oil in a roasting tray in the oven at 200C/425F/Gas E20 51 7. Add the potatoes (and some chopped fresh herbs or garlic, if you E20 52 like) and roast for 40-50 minutes, turning occasionally until they E20 53 have turned crispy and golden. If you are cooking a roast, place E20 54 the meat on a rack over the potatoes so the cooking juices can drip E20 55 over them below.

E20 56 Mashing E20 57 Boil potatoes until soft, then mash, beat in a little butter or E20 58 olive oil and pepper or add a spoonful or two of cream, if you E20 59 like. Serve piles of mashed potato in crispy, golden stacks. E20 60 Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7. Beat in an egg, spoon into E20 61 rough heaps on a greased baking sheet and bake for about 20 E20 62 minutes.

E20 63 Baking E20 64 Microwave potatoes (if you need them fast) for 5-7 minutes each E20 65 depending on size. Prick them well all over and wrap in kitchen E20 66 paper (see November issue) or preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5. E20 67 Scrub the potatoes well and bake on a rack for about an hour. Cut a E20 68 cross in the top and add a knob of butter or a dollop of soured E20 69 cream.

E20 70 New potatoes

E20 71 New potatoes are perhaps at their best steamed in a basket over E20 72 boiling water, or simply boiled. Cook in boiling water (old E20 73 potatoes go into cold) until tender, then drain and toss in butter E20 74 and chopped fresh mint, or add olive oil and shredded fresh E20 75 basil.

E20 76 British crops of potatoes that are produced and marketed E20 77 <}_><-|>pecifically<+|>specifically<}/> for salads are all but E20 78 finished now. Look for out-of-season new potatoes - Maris E20 79 Peer or Maris Bard, for instance, make excellent E20 80 salads. Serve warm, tossed in French dressing or a light E20 81 mayonnaise.

E20 82 Anna potatoes

E20 83 If you have more time for preparation, try Anna potatoes. For E20 84 four, thinly slice about 750g/ 1 1/2lb waxy potatoes. There's no E20 85 need to peel them and they are easily sliced if you have a E20 86 processor, or use a mandolin (a specially made wooden board with a E20 87 sharp blade). Wash the slices to remove excess starch and dry in a E20 88 clean tea towel.

E20 89 Thickly butter a shallow ovenproof dish and arrange the slices E20 90 in layers, dotting with more butter and sprinkling with seasoning E20 91 as you go. Cover with buttered paper and foil and bake at E20 92 160C/325F/Gas 3 for 1 hour. Or sprinkle the top with cheese or pour E20 93 over a small tub of cream before cooking.

E20 94 E20 95 Bitter sweet

E20 96 Bitter oranges are usually known as Seville oranges, E20 97 although nowadays they come from Malaga and Sicily as well - but E20 98 they are grown almost exclusively for the British marmalade market. E20 99 Seville oranges have a very short season, arriving in the shops E20 100 just after Christmas and are at their cheapest and most plentiful E20 101 at the end of January.

E20 102 Their extra aromatic peel and wonderfully strong flavour makes E20 103 them ideal for savoury sauces as well as orange ices, fools and E20 104 custards. They also freeze very well, so you can use them E20 105 throughout the year.

E20 106 Orange saucery

E20 107 The classic orange sauce to serve with roast duck, Sauce E20 108 Bigarade, has to be made with Seville oranges and it is very E20 109 simple. Heat 25g/1oz butter until it turns nut brown, then stir in E20 110 three tablespoons of plain flour and cook until lightly browned. E20 111 Stir in 150ml/1/4 pint dry white wine and 450ml/3/4 pint of duck or E20 112 chicken stock. Cook, stirring until thickened, then simmer until it E20 113 has reduced slightly.

E20 114 Peel three Seville oranges and cut the peel into thin strips. E20 115 Cook in a little boiling water for 3-5 minutes until tender. E20 116 Squeeze the juice from the oranges into the sauce, season, add a E20 117 knob of butter, a spoonful of orange liqueur and the strips of E20 118 orange peel. Heat through gently and serve immediately.

E20 119 Marmalade E20 120 To make marmalade, cook the oranges whole. If they are frozen, E20 121 cook from frozen to preserve the natural colour. Put 1.5kg/3lb E20 122 Seville oranges in a large preserving pan with 3.5 litres/6 pints E20 123 of water and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 1 E20 124 1/2-2 hours until the skin is very tender and the water has E20 125 reduced. Lift out the oranges and leave to cool. Halve, remove the E20 126 pips and tie them in a muslin bag with a long string which you can E20 127 tie to the pan handle. Cut the oranges into strips or whizz in a E20 128 blender or processor until chunky. Return the fruit to the pan of E20 129 water with the bag of pips and add 2.75kg/6lb of preserving or E20 130 granulated sugar that has been warmed in the oven. Stir until the E20 131 sugar dissolves, then bring to the boil. Boil rapidly for about 10 E20 132 minutes, then test setting point by pouring a teaspoon of the E20 133 marmalade on to a chilled saucer. It should wrinkle when pushed E20 134 with a finger - if not, boil for a few more minutes and test again. E20 135 Turn off the heat and leave to settle for 10 minutes. Remove the E20 136 bag of pips and pot in sterilised jars. Seal and label.

E20 137 E20 138 brave new SPAIN

E20 139 In a country that boasts the world's largest vineyard area, E20 140 Jill Goolden admires a new generation of wine-makers

E20 141 I bet the first things to enter your mind at the E20 142 mention of Spanish wine are rough, cheap plonk and Rioja - in fact, E20 143 the two extremes of the business. But there is a great deal more E20 144 besides, as we are beginning to discover. Spain has a larger E20 145 vineyard area than any other country in the world and it produces E20 146 an awful lot of wine. But until recently, much of its vinous E20 147 produce hadn't travelled very well; to be blunt, apart from Rioja, E20 148 it simply didn't appeal to British tastes.

E20 149 We had never really become accustomed to the typically E20 150 rough-and-ready peasant plonk which has historically been the E20 151 Mediterranean staple drink; and it then emerged that the E20 152 Mediterraneans were showing a declining appetite for it. So E20 153 something had to be done; either new markets had to be found for E20 154 the gut rot wines, or the outmoded wine-making traditions had to be E20 155 overturned to make room for 'new style' wines to develop - wines E20 156 capable of holding their own in the international market.

E20 157 So all over the country, brows were furrowed, international E20 158 know-how sought and millions of pesetas ploughed into the vineyards E20 159 and wineries, and - hey presto - a host of latterday miracles have E20 160 been wrought. Look closely at the Spanish section in your local E20 161 wine shop and you will see that although Rioja still dominates, and E20 162 the cheap and cheerful plonks still exist, there are all sorts of E20 163 new names for you to try; wines hailing from alternative E20 164 wine-producing areas that you may only dimly recognise.

E20 165 There's an admirable, born again zeal to modern Spanish wine E20 166 production. While working on a film for Food and Drink, I E20 167 visited Navarra, north of Rioja, where they boast one of the most E20 168 advanced wine research institutes in Europe. Navarra wines have E20 169 not, in the past, made a big impression, historically having been E20 170 rather nondescript. So Evena, the oenological research station, is E20 171 looking at new grape varieties and new methods of injecting quality E20 172 and local identity into the region's wines - with some success. I E20 173 tasted some delicious grape blends, which included a fair old E20 174 proportion of the fashionable Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and E20 175 Merlot varieties.

E20 176 But here you have the dilemma. If the international 'classic' E20 177 grape varieties are allowed to dominate, the wines themselves lose E20 178 their national identity and become similar to (and have to compete E20 179 with) every other 'new world' wine. Spain has an ancient E20 180 wine-making tradition and there is a reluctance to jettison it and E20 181 supplant it with any anonymous international wines. While in Rioja, E20 182 it is forbidden to plant imported grape varieties, in Navarra, they E20 183 are being used to bolster the native types. But in E20 184 Pened<*_>e-acute<*/>s, under the aegis of the Torres family, and in E20 185 Costers del Segre, which is under the Raimat name, imported grapes E20 186 are used solely for 'new style' wines.

E20 187 Miguel Torres, now at the helm of the Torres company, sees E20 188 Pened<*_>e-acute<*/>s as one of the last wine-producing areas with E20 189 a no-holds-barred attitude to experimentation. He returned from E20 190 studying in France in the early '60s with a fiery desire to produce E20 191 wines fit to compete with the best in the world. And so he imported E20 192 foreign grapes, initially the Bordeaux classics, and started E20 193 producing a number of thoroughly atypical, un-Spanish wines. In E20 194 1979, his Gran Coronas Black Label '70 (which is 100 per cent E20 195 Cabernet Sauvignon) won the top prize in the Paris Wine Olympics, E20 196 confirming that he was on the right track.

E20 197 Following this success, he identified the perfect hillside E20 198 vineyards for Sauvignon Blanc grapes (used in Gran E20 199 Vi<*_>n-tilde<*/>a Sol Castell de Fransola); Chardonnay E20 200 (representing 55 per cent of Gran Vi<*_>n-tilde<*/>a Sol and 100 E20 201 per cent of Milmanda); Merlot (producing the excellent E20 202 Vi<*_>n-tilde<*/>a las Torres); and even the tricky Pinot Noir E20 203 (which injects great flair into Vi<*_>n-tilde<*/>a Magdala). Still, E20 204 along with the fashionable new varieties, the best of the local E20 205 grapes operate just as well, leading to Miguel Torres' claim that E20 206 his wine style is purely Mediterranean, whereas he believes that E20 207 Raimat's is positively Californian.

E20 208 Desert vats

E20 209 It is a little perplexing to find that, despite the threat of a E20 210 European wine lake, a multi-million scheme should have been E20 211 devised to make an abandoned Spanish desert bear fruit, or more E20 212 specifically, grapes. At Costers del Segre, 200 kilometres inland E20 213 from Barcelona, a rich man invested his reputation and reversed the E20 214 course of nature on the Raimat estate. E20 215 E21 1 <#FLOB:E21\>You either love 'em or loathe 'em

E21 2 The last day of World Travel Market, the stands are E21 3 starting to look wobbly, the piles of glossy brochures are depleted E21 4 and the smiles are looking a bit tight.

E21 5 The Travel Weekly team, which has walked the length E21 6 and breadth of Olympia all this week, searching out stories and E21 7 free drink, has found likely candidates for globes and gongs.

E21 8 The honours, awarded in no particular order, go to:

E21 9 Most unpopular WTM attendees: Anyone who turned up at E21 10 Olympia tube station with only a zone-one ticket so everybody has E21 11 to wait while they fish out the extra coins in excess fares.

E21 12 Most obstructive people: The guards at the turnstile of Olympia E21 13 station who insisted on scrutinising every ticket and who helped E21 14 create huge bottlenecks every morning and evening.

E21 15 Best on-stand hospitality: Dubai for the canapes.

E21 16 The over-developed sense of humour award: Dubai, again, for E21 17 thinking our reporter was joking when she asked for a doggy bag.

E21 18 The linguistic challenge interpreter achievement award: Brazil, E21 19 for fielding a five-strong team of non-English speakers for E21 20 an interview.

E21 21 Linguistic endurance award: All those who attended the lunch E21 22 hosted by Sandals and who had to sit through 25 speeches.

E21 23 E21 24 Body language and business

E21 25 There's a fascination about the different styles and E21 26 presentation at WTM, a kind of unconscious ethnic body E21 27 language.

E21 28 At the Chinese stand it is all quiet smiles and gentle nods of E21 29 the head, hands clasped on the counter top.

E21 30 The Americans are here for Business with a capital B, so E21 31 hustling is a way of life. If you're passing by, you're fair game. E21 32 And if eye contact is made you are captured. They are universally E21 33 great spielers. A simple question evokes a set piece reply that is E21 34 uninterruptible.

E21 35 Unlike most Brits who seem a bit embarrassed, as if it's E21 36 showing off to be here. Try to make eye contact and chances are E21 37 they'll look away. But open a conversation and they're endlessly E21 38 helpful.

E21 39 Spain is enveloped in a fug of Ducados smoke. There are huge E21 40 hugs, mucho back-slapping and shouting voices, many using E21 41 just one word 'hombre'.

E21 42 In France the greeting is more subdued and there is almost a E21 43 monastic approach as the delegates beaver away in their tiny E21 44 regional cells, pouring over rate cards and brochures.

E21 45 For the South Americans there's an influx of informality. E21 46 Courtesy is stood on its head as it would be rude not to interrupt E21 47 a conversation and shout to a passing friend in the aisle. And the E21 48 offer of a drink is distended into an event by various E21 49 introductions and peripheral chats.

E21 50 Sometimes it transcends the countries and the common currency E21 51 is the business you're in. The major hotel chains, for example, E21 52 have an almost clone-like patina of smoothness, with everyone E21 53 oozing charm and exuding expertise.

E21 54 It's a delightful patchwork of physical signatures which help E21 55 to spell out in shorthand who and what we are. A world of E21 56 differences that binds us together.

E21 57 E21 58 Virgin Islands aim to reverse slump

E21 59 The US Virgin Islands are to rebuild tourism business from the E21 60 UK and Europe following three years of falling sales.

E21 61 Unveiling a range of new hotels, new air capacity and plans for E21 62 the Caribbean's first theme park, the islands' assistant E21 63 commissioner for tourism Leona Bryant said: "Our tourism is E21 64 like a roller coaster - for the past few years we have been rolling E21 65 down. Now we are beginning to climb."

E21 66 She said new properties and air services were likely to have an E21 67 immediate impact on the popularity of the islands by providing E21 68 easier access and higher quality accommodation. The theme park, due E21 69 to open in two years, will be a mini version of the Caribbean with E21 70 music, arts, culture and cuisine of all the Caribbean destinations E21 71 represented.

E21 72 Bryant said: "I have no doubt that the demand is there E21 73 for our product and it is simply a case of putting in a lot of hard E21 74 work and marketing to convert interest into bookings."

E21 75 She believes the European and UK markets will be particularly E21 76 vital. They currently account for 12-15% of the islands' sales but E21 77 Bryant hopes to see this increase to 25% in the next five years.

E21 78 She said the signs were good. Trade familiarisation trips were E21 79 already winning enthusiasm for the destination and cruise lines E21 80 were increasingly including the islands on their itineraries.

E21 81 St Croix is set to benefit from cruise interest. Last year no E21 82 ships stopped at its shores but in 1992 there will be 127 ship E21 83 calls.

E21 84 Bryant said: "Cruise ship passengers are very important E21 85 to us, not only because they account for a large percentage of the E21 86 visitor spending we receive, but also because a very high E21 87 percentage of them come back for a stay-put holiday on the islands E21 88 within two years."

E21 89 Bryant is confident that visitor numbers will increase in E21 90 1992.

E21 91 E21 92 Colorado going for Gold trade

E21 93 Colorado is mounting a trade initiative to boost summer E21 94 business from the UK and be seen as a sun as well as a ski E21 95 destination.

E21 96 Industry chiefs will be invited to Colorado Gold, a conference E21 97 schedule to be held at a resort in the state next year.

E21 98 A travel trade advertising campaign between the state and an E21 99 airline is planned, as well as trips for agents.

E21 100 Blaine Henry, UK representative for the Colorado Tourism Board, E21 101 said: "Our goal is to develop equal business from the UK E21 102 between the summer and the winter. A year ago only 15% of business E21 103 came during the peak holiday season, but we have increased it to E21 104 25%.

E21 105 "Domestically we do twice as much business in the summer - even E21 106 though we have 12 of the best ski resorts in the world."

E21 107 Henry said he hoped operators would develop programmes using E21 108 the Denver gate-way. After its relocation in October 1993, E21 109 the city's airport will become the world's largest.

E21 110 According to Henry, a new niche for summer product is family E21 111 ranch holidays, where UK specialists are offering more capacity in E21 112 Colorado.

E21 113 A new operator to feature the region is Discovery Tours, formed E21 114 by ex-ILG executives Lucian Bartosik and Peter Brennen.

E21 115 Large summer programmes from operators such as Cosmos, Saga and E21 116 even winter specialist Crystal have helped boost the trend towards E21 117 year-round products.

E21 118 E21 119 Package changes sought

E21 120 ABTA is close to achieving three more amendments to the EC E21 121 directive on package holidays.

E21 122 Following its success in persuading the Department of Trade and E21 123 Industry to remove the clause which would have made retailers E21 124 criminally liable for incorrect brochures, ABTA president John E21 125 Dunscombe said he was confident more changes would follow.

E21 126 "It has been made clear to us that we are pushing at an E21 127 open door, which is very encouraging," he said at E21 128 WTM.

E21 129 ABTA wants the directive changed to give operators strict E21 130 guidelines about surcharges and force them to take out liability E21 131 insurance. It also wants tailor-made packages to be included in the E21 132 directive.

E21 133 "We have strict rules about surcharges and without them E21 134 we could see a return to the bad old days of the 1980s when E21 135 operators used surcharges to bump up prices," said ABTA E21 136 head of legal services Alan Bowen.

E21 137 "Also tailor-made packages make up about 20-30% of all E21 138 packages, which is something the DTI obviously didn't realise. We E21 139 want them included in the directive."

E21 140 But ABTA is unlikely to achieve all the changes to the E21 141 directive it would like.

E21 142 "The directive includes words like 'significantly' E21 143 'occasionally' and 'prompt' without explaining what they E21 144 mean," said Bowen.

E21 145 "For example, it says tour operators must make prompt E21 146 responses to complaints. But one man's promptness is another man's E21 147 delay.

E21 148 "We have asked for strict guidelines but it now seems E21 149 unlikely."

E21 150 E21 151 TRADE PLEA TO PROTECT RAINFOREST

E21 152 Brazil's tourist industry has called on the world's travel E21 153 trade to send them clients to help save rainforests from E21 154 destruction.

E21 155 Brazil believes tourism offers its best hope for economic E21 156 development without destroying the environment.

E21 157 Tourism authority deputy marketing director Aristides de la E21 158 Plata Cury said: "Brazil has to find ways to develop its E21 159 economy and tourism is environmentally friendly. It must be E21 160 strictly controlled but, if it is not encouraged, alternatives will E21 161 be far more damaging."

E21 162 He said the eyes of the world were on the nation's every move E21 163 and added: "We believe tourism and preservation of the E21 164 rainforests are compatible and would encourage those people E21 165 concerned with the environment to come and take their holidays in E21 166 Brazil and make a positive contribution to conserving these E21 167 areas."

E21 168 Brazil will next year play host to 130 countries at a United E21 169 Nations conference on the environment.

E21 170 More than 4000 delegates had already requested tours into E21 171 Brazil's heartland.

E21 172 Plata Cury said: "We have no doubt these people will go E21 173 back to their own countries to become ambassadors for our form of E21 174 environmental tourism."

E21 175 Brazil has revamped its marketing and promotions image to E21 176 highlight its wildlife and turn the focus away from the traditional E21 177 Rio and beach image.

E21 178 President of the Rio Hotel Association and general manager of E21 179 the Orient Express Hotel's Copacabana property, Philip Carruthers, E21 180 said: "For 20 years Brazil has sold itself on the image of E21 181 beautiful women in tiny bikinis on beautiful beaches - it is time E21 182 to move away from that."

E21 183 E21 184 Airtours' refunds in resorts move

E21 185 Airtours is giving holidaymakers cash refunds in resorts in a E21 186 drive to improve its handling of customer complaints.

E21 187 The scheme was introduced this month in three destinations and, E21 188 if successful, will be rolled out across the Airtours programme for E21 189 the summer.

E21 190 Chairman David Crossland said a budget has been set aside and E21 191 he promised there would be sufficient money to keep people E21 192 happy.

E21 193 He declined to say where the scheme is in operation or what E21 194 level of refunds are offered for fear of people taking advantage of E21 195 it.

E21 196 But he said: "We have increased the authorisation of E21 197 managers and staff in those areas. There is a check-list of things E21 198 which are matter-of-fact and subjective."

E21 199 He spoke as agents at a WTM conference attacked Airtours E21 200 for its after-service capabilities. David Whitmill of Accent Travel E21 201 in Bristol said he had 27 outstanding customer complaints out of E21 202 500-700 Airtours bookings.

E21 203 Crossland acknowledged the problems Airtours had with the E21 204 Flying Pig - a leased 747 - three years ago but claimed people E21 205 wouldn't buy his holidays if they weren't happy.

E21 206 "We are happy with the quality we deliver," he E21 207 said.

E21 208 The new initiative stemmed from problems which followed the E21 209 civil war in Yugoslavia, he added, which forced operators to sell E21 210 elsewhere.

E21 211 "People going to Yugoslavia were moved en masse to the E21 212 Mediterranean. Most operators found the alternative accommodation E21 213 came under immense pressure for six weeks."

E21 214 The resulting problems prompted a six-month evaluation of how E21 215 to pre-empt complaints from returning holidaymakers, said E21 216 Crossland.

E21 217 The cash-back scheme is designed to reflect problems such as E21 218 wrong brochure descriptions or subjective complaints such as E21 219 quality of food.

E21 220 He estimated the industry complaint rate as 4% - or 400,000 E21 221 holidays. He declined to give Airtours' rate.

E21 222 E21 223 Tunnel boss hints at higher charges

E21 224 By Jeremy Skidmore

E21 225 Eurotunnel has given the strongest hint yet that it may charge E21 226 more to cross the Channel than the ferry companies when it opens E21 227 for business in June 1993.

E21 228 The Channel Tunnel operator's chief executive Sir Alastair E21 229 Morton said people were prepared to pay a premium for speed and his E21 230 company would not be dragged into a price war with its rivals.

E21 231 "Crafts which are currently crossing the Channel E21 232 quicker than the ferries have had all sorts of problems and yet E21 233 people still pay that extra for speed," he said.

E21 234 "I'm not prepared to say yet what our fares will be but E21 235 I do not envisage we will be in a price war with any ferry E21 236 company," he added.

E21 237 "The route has proved itself not to be price elastic E21 238 and we are offering a different service to the ferries.

E21 239 "Some people will pay to get across the Channel quickly and E21 240 some will pay for a leisurely crossing."

E21 241 Sir Alastair said it was in everybody's best interest for E21 242 Eurotunnel to co-exist with ferry operators.

E21 243 "P&O European Ferries is the big daddy and it would not E21 244 be in our interests to price them out because we would then be a E21 245 monopoly. E21 246 E22 1 <#FLOB:E22\>AFRICAN JEWEL

E22 2 Dervla Murphy encounters the simple delights of rural E22 3 Cameroon.

E22 4 In 1907 large areas of Cameroon had a more efficient postal and E22 5 telegraphic service than was to be found in any area in 1987. The E22 6 German exploiters who had taken over in 1885 needed a reliable E22 7 communications system; today's Cameroonian peasants don't need one E22 8 - though I daresay urban businessmen would find it quite useful.

E22 9 To the traveller this change seems not a deterioration but a E22 10 comfortable settling back into pre-colonial ways. Granted it's E22 11 tough on isolated missionaries and aid personnel who long to be E22 12 able to contact friends and colleagues. But most of those I met E22 13 were so enchanted by Cameroon that its technological limitations E22 14 left them only mildly irritated.

E22 15 Nature, like the people, quickly reclaimed Cameroon. Coming to E22 16 a river crossing in the middle of nowhere one may see, near the E22 17 ford, traces of a massive bridge. Plainly the structures once had E22 18 roads to match but of these no vestige remains. The jungle has long E22 19 since restored the landscape to normal. In this corner of Africa E22 20 the colonists (German, French, British) had come and gone within E22 21 less than eight decades, a mere historical blip. However, the E22 22 damage they did to the fabric of local society was, as usual, E22 23 devastating and irreparable.

E22 24 The forced migration of thousands of highland men to work on E22 25 the coastal plantations, and the recruitment of women and children E22 26 to load-carry, undermined scores of regional cultures. Often the E22 27 starving carriers had to raid villages for food and huge areas were E22 28 reduced to chronic civil disorder. Not surprisingly, many non-elite E22 29 Cameroonians still sound sceptical about the benefits of E22 30 Westernization.

E22 31 Cameroon's juxtaposed topographical contrasts make it a E22 32 trekkers' paradise. My daughter and I covered only 1100 miles yet E22 33 our journey took us from the high green Grasslands, freezing cold E22 34 at night, to low, parched, grey-brown plains where we sweated at E22 35 all hours. And in between were eerie narrow river gorges lined with E22 36 semi-rain forest, where one walks for hours under the tallest trees E22 37 I have ever seen, through a moist, green-tinged twilight. E22 38 Here everything looks and smells unfamiliar: berries, nuts, ferns, E22 39 fungi, vines, mosses. These forests are uninhabited but one E22 40 sometimes meets a solitary hunter, carrying a spear longer than E22 41 himself and followed by a few hounds wearing belled collars.

E22 42 In the roadless, townless Mbabo mountains, many of the younger E22 43 generation had never before encountered white people. Small E22 44 children fled at our approach - then peered, fascinated, from E22 45 within the safety of their compounds. It was different during the E22 46 colonial period when European officials dutifully penetrated every E22 47 corner of Cameroon; some grandfathers proudly showed us dim E22 48 photographs of their juvenile selves, hand in hand with a White Man E22 49 on safari. The expatriates of today - generally a more effete breed E22 50 - tend to restrict their travels to jeepable tracks.

E22 51 Before staying in a village, courtesy requires strangers to E22 52 seek the Fon's or the Chief's permission. Often we were then E22 53 invited to spend the night in the 'palace', a larger than normal E22 54 compound of mud huts. To pay for hospitality is of course taboo; E22 55 fortunately it is not taboo to pay lavishly for one's pack-horse's E22 56 fodder or grazing, which costs almost nothing. No such payment is E22 57 ever demanded, or even hinted at - but neither is it rejected. This E22 58 ancient code, obliging villagers to provide food and shelter for E22 59 travellers, makes it possible to sponge one's way all over West E22 60 Africa. It sickened us to discover that many Western hitch-hikers E22 61 do just that.

E22 62 A hot climate dictates that cleanliness must come next to (if E22 63 not before) Godliness and each compound is swept with a grass broom E22 64 once or twice a day, depending on the density of animal E22 65 through-traffic. Comparing traditional Cameroonian villages with E22 66 their counterparts on other continents, one realizes that in E22 67 Cameroon - where the water supply may be even farther away - E22 68 everybody works much harder at keeping clean their person, E22 69 clothing, bedding and kitchen equipment.

E22 70 Outside of the untraditional cities, I cannot really recall E22 71 seeing one unclean individual in three months. This puts E22 72 Cameroonians at the opposite end of the spectrum from Tibetan E22 73 peasants, who never wash and change their clothes only once a year E22 74 - understandably. (When we spent a winter in Baltistan, all our E22 75 garments remained in situe, day and night, for three months; and E22 76 washing beyond our faces would have seemed like taking masochism a E22 77 stage too far.) Typically, in a compound at sunset, someone E22 78 provided for each of us a wide basin of hot water (both the water E22 79 and the wood to heat it having been carried for miles), and offered E22 80 a new cake of soap and a tiny towel, often frayed but always E22 81 freshly laundered. The latrine was usually in a distant corner, E22 82 behind raffia screen - a deep odourless hole criss-crossed by E22 83 bamboo poles on which one squatted. Extreme anti-fly precautions E22 84 are enforced, dishes being kept closely covered, even during a E22 85 communal meal. This could be one reason why Cameroonian villagers, E22 86 unless stricken by the ever-threatening malaria, look so radiantly E22 87 healthy.

E22 88 Leaving aside the unappealing cities - Douala and Yaounde, E22 89 which we ignored - there are two quite distinctive societies in E22 90 Cameroon: the superficially Westernized small towns on the few E22 91 motor roads, and the purely African villages - large and small - on E22 92 the many tracks through the bush. The towns are ugly, squalid and E22 93 cheerfully sleazy. The villages are beautiful, neat and cheerfully E22 94 serene. Villagers regularly visit the nearest town, with a string E22 95 of pack-donkeys, to buy and sell; but they seem to feel no urge to E22 96 compete with the town folk in architecture or possessions. In the E22 97 remoter compounds a reincarnated Mungo Park would notice only one E22 98 change: since the 18th century, brightly-coloured enamelware E22 99 imported from Nigeria has replaced gourds and become an important E22 100 status symbol and component of dowries.

E22 101 Much of our trek was through the high Grasslands: Fulani E22 102 territory. The Fulanis - a proud, gracious people, Caucasoid in E22 103 appearance - began to move into Northern Cameroon some 350 years E22 104 ago and by 1800 had been converted to Islam. Many are shrewd and E22 105 successful town merchants, distrusted in proportion to their E22 106 prosperity. But the majority remain on the grasslands, indifferent E22 107 to the cash economy though owning vast herds of superb cattle - the E22 108 finest I have seen, anywhere, and representing a considerable E22 109 fortune on the hoof. It is a Fulani characteristic, noticeable even E22 110 in the rich merchants' homes, to live frugally, eating and dressing E22 111 well but acquiring no unnecessary possessions - a way of life from E22 112 which Western societies have much to learn.

E22 113 Often we camped, far from any human habitation, but E22 114 occasionally our tracks crossed the motor road and we stayed in a E22 115 hotel-cum-brothel where loud quarrels about payment disturbed the E22 116 nocturnal peace at irregular intervals. In the pre-AIDS era I would E22 117 have been diverted by Cameroon's prostitutes who obviously consider E22 118 their profession not only old but honourable. Some are quite rich E22 119 and therefore locally influential and respected; we were introduced E22 120 to them as one might be introduced in England to an enterprising E22 121 young woman who had started her own business and become a pillar of E22 122 the local Conservative Party. In the AIDS era, this social attitude E22 123 is terrifying.

E22 124 The very word 'Africa' has recently come to suggest a E22 125 Kaleidoscope of tragic or reprehensible images: drought, erosion, E22 126 famine, AIDS, tribal warfare conducted with the latest inexpensive E22 127 weaponry, pandemic corruption contributing to grotesque national E22 128 debts, pretentious capital cities surrounded by disease-ridden E22 129 shanty-towns. As yet, few of those images match our experience of E22 130 Cameroon. There were of course some AIDS cases, noted by medical E22 131 missionaries though unacknowledged by the government, and by now E22 132 the virus must have spread. But the environmentally unaware E22 133 traveller (if such a creature exists) might spend months in E22 134 Cameroon all the time rejoicing to have found an abundantly fertile E22 135 African country showing no signs of rural poverty or serious E22 136 ill-health. (Cameroon is the second richest, by far, of the Central E22 137 African states; only Congo is ahead.) However, the danger signals E22 138 are there, unrecognized by the majority. One of them is delightful E22 139 and hard to think of as a menace; yet the swarming children - E22 140 happy, healthy, endearingly out-going - are precisely that.

E22 141 In the quarter century after Independence, the population E22 142 doubled from four and a half to nine million - an estimated 60 per E22 143 cent under 16. Even half that rate of increase during the next E22 144 quarter century will entail disaster. The awkward topic of my E22 145 infertility ("Why only one pickin?") came up almost E22 146 daily without its ever occurring to anybody that a personal E22 147 decision might be involved. The few villagers who can grasp the E22 148 idea of choosing to have only one child consider it grossly E22 149 immoral. Or at least the men do; some women, significantly (and E22 150 hopefully) are more ambivalent on this matter.

E22 151 Near Mount Ocu, we came upon a scene that has haunted me ever E22 152 since: the inexorable consequence of a 3.2 per cent annual E22 153 population increase. For miles, in every direction, a section of E22 154 one of Cameroon's few remaining primeval forests had just been E22 155 murdered. The charred corpses of hundreds of mighty trees lay E22 156 amidst the ashes of their precious jungle undergrowth. And next E22 157 morning, following a night of heavy rain, we passed proof of the E22 158 futility of such clearings. Above our track a steep mountain had E22 159 recently been harnessed to cultivation, though not so recently as E22 160 the previous day's arboreal graveyard. Already the new season's E22 161 maize had been planted, but the rainstorm had ravaged the entire E22 162 mountainside. Countless tons of squandered soil lay on our track, E22 163 made still more poignant by a scattering of frail maize seedlings. E22 164 Under forest, such a slope loses almost no soil through erosion; E22 165 under crops, it can lose from 200 to 400 tons per hectare each E22 166 year.

E22 167 Inevitably we were impeded, at intervals, by African E22 168 bureaucracy; but African corruption passed us by. And this despite E22 169 our once finding ourselves in an alarmingly awkward situation, E22 170 having broken the law so seriously (though accidentally) that we E22 171 might legitimately have been gaoled. The scene seemed to be set for E22 172 bribery on a grand scale. Instead, the local police and officials E22 173 invited us to their homes, entertained us lavishly, restored our E22 174 confiscated passports after a not unreasonable delay and sent us on E22 175 our way with enough food to last a week.

E22 176 To refer to 'the Cameroonians' as one would to the Irish or the E22 177 Romanians is of course absurd. The modern state of Cameroon has all E22 178 the standard nationalistic trimmings - flag, anthem, parliament, E22 179 lines on the map - but is in fact a bewilderingly heterogeneous E22 180 assembly of peoples speaking over 300 languages and ranging from E22 181 the tall slender Muslim Fulania to the animist pygmies of the E22 182 rain-forest. Approximately one third of the population is pagan, E22 183 one-third Muslim, one-third Christian. This new country has no more E22 184 reason than any other European-devised state to think of itself as E22 185 a nation, yet it does hang together remarkably well. Is this, as E22 186 was suggested to me by a Yaounde academic, because the Cameroonians E22 187 have no sense of history? If so, I hope they never acquire one. E22 188 Northern Irland's all-Christian factions cannot come to terms, in E22 189 the 1990s, with what happened in 1690 or 1798. If the Cameroonians E22 190 were similarly past-obsessed, the Bantus and Fulanis might have a E22 191 very big problem.

E22 192 Cameroon has always been a one-party state, a more or less E22 193 stable and benevolent dictatorship. Its human rights record falls E22 194 far short of the Amnesty ideal - but not as far short as is common E22 195 in Africa. The Big Men are quite openly corrupt; according to the E22 196 journal International News Hebdo, pounds1.3 billion were E22 197 embezzled by 'public servants' between 1986 and 1990 - which E22 198 prompted one Cameroonian journalist to describe his government as a E22 199 'kleptocracy.' Sadly, the economy is now declining fast and young E22 200 political activists are growing bolder in their demands for a E22 201 multi-party system. Given a rapid fall in the average income, the E22 202 public's fatalistic acceptance of mega-embezzlement is E22 203 likely soon to change, producing tensions that cannot be without a E22 204 tincture of tribalism. Cameroon has enjoyed a relatively E22 205 stress-free post colonial childhood; a more turbulent adolescence E22 206 may be about to begin.

E22 207 E23 1 <#FLOB:E23\>Making dreams come true

E23 2 Once again it's time to think O B-P B F. The Olave Baden-Powell E23 3 Bursary Fund, set up in 1979, helps Guides, Rangers and Young E23 4 Leaders achieve a particular project by making grants - up to a E23 5 maximum of around pounds100. The grants, allocated in May, are E23 6 intended to top-up whatever the girl has managed to raise on her E23 7 own - to provide that little bit extra needed to turn her dream E23 8 into reality.

E23 9 Last year, just over 50 applicants were successful. Here are E23 10 some of their stories.

E23 11 Lindsay Gilbert, a Young Leader with the 7th Oakham Guides, E23 12 started playing the clarinet at primary school. Eight years later E23 13 she's still playing, and is now in two bands and an ensemble.

E23 14 For ages she made do with a plastic instrument but knew she E23 15 really needed a better model so started saving ... The bursary made E23 16 all the difference and, since last summer, Lindsay's been the proud E23 17 owner of a wooden clarinet. It will be going with her at Easter E23 18 when she tours Germany with the Rutland Concert Band.

E23 19 Apart from playing the clarinet and studying for her A-levels, E23 20 Lindsay is very active in Guiding - but that runs in the family - E23 21 even if music doesn't. At her enrolment as a Guide in 1984 she had E23 22 her grandmother's badge from 1924!

E23 23 Young Leader, Helen Street, from Sutton Bonington, E23 24 Loughborough, was selected for an international event - a Jamboree E23 25 in Iceland attended by 1,500 Guides and Scouts. She found sponsors E23 26 to cover the basic cost of the trip - pounds1,000 - but still had E23 27 equipment to buy, including a new rucsac<&|>sic!.

E23 28 Having read about the Bursary Fund, Helen wrote in and asked E23 29 for a grant. Soon, she was choosing a roomy blue and purple back E23 30 pack - just what she needed. And it will be going with her to E23 31 Austria this year and to America in 1992.

E23 32 Last summer Carolyn Otley spent ten weeks in the USA - her E23 33 father had a job there. Before she went, she contacted the relevant E23 34 Girl Scout Council and arranged to join in various activities, E23 35 including a backpacking trip in the Appalachians.

E23 36 An enthusiastic photographer, Carolyn wanted to be able to take E23 37 first-class pictures so that she could share her American E23 38 experience when she got back home. However, she realised E23 39 "that to take good shots without the girls being E23 40 over-conscious of the camera", she needed a telephoto E23 41 lens.

E23 42 Carolyn already had some money from a waitressing job and E23 43 applied to the Fund for the balance. The lens was a terrific E23 44 success. She took lots of slides in the USA which have since been E23 45 shown to local Guide Companies, including her own. Carolyn is a E23 46 Young Leader with the 9th Lancaster.

E23 47 Yet another Young Leader who successfully applied to the Fund E23 48 was Elizabeth Downing, who is with the 1st Norton Brownies. This E23 49 time last year she'd just been offered a place at college to do a B E23 50 Ed degree course with art as her major subject - her ambition for a E23 51 long time.

E23 52 Elizabeth was also "trying to buy the necessary E23 53 equipment". She got herself a weekend job looking after E23 54 children, and her family helped by giving her paints and brushes as E23 55 Christmas and birthday presents.

E23 56 But it was the money from the Fund that enabled her to buy two E23 57 larger items: a radial easel and a lay figure. "Both have E23 58 been extremely useful," she says. She's already used the E23 59 easel for several large oil paintings "so much better than E23 60 taping the picture to a table" - and finds the lay figure a E23 61 great boon. "Unlike a model it doesn't move E23 62 about."

E23 63 These success stories illustrate the scope of the Olave E23 64 Baden-Powell Bursary Fund and show that the project need not be E23 65 Guide-related - but it must be a genuine ambition, not just a E23 66 spur-of-the-moment whim. Do you know of a Guide, Ranger or Young E23 67 Leader who might benefit? If so, tell her about the scheme, which E23 68 isn't means-tested. Then persuade her to read this article - or the E23 69 one in February's TODAY'S GUIDE - and encourage her to E23 70 write in for an application form enclosing a sae.

E23 71 When it comes to filling in the form, the applicant has to E23 72 present her case convincingly: explain what the project is, why it E23 73 interests her, how much it is costing and what she is already doing E23 74 to raise money.

E23 75 Along with the completed form, a candidate has to send in a E23 76 letter of recommendation (from a non-Guide person) supporting her E23 77 application, giving background information about the girl's life E23 78 outside Guiding.

E23 79 Applications must be in by April 30 - so think OB-PBF now! E23 80 Application forms are available from: The Secretary of the Olave E23 81 Baden-Powell Bursary Fund, The Girl Guides Association, 17-19 E23 82 Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W OPT.

E23 83 Obviously, not everybody who applies will be lucky - but as E23 84 Lindsay, Helen, Carolyn and the rest all agree, "You've E23 85 nothing to lose, so why not have a go!"

E23 86 E23 87 RANGERS FILL THE GAP

E23 88 The Plumstead District Rangers were lucky. After all, it's not E23 89 every newly-formed Unit that is invested on Brownsea Island in E23 90 Dorset, site of the Founder's first, experimental camp way back in E23 91 1907. And, considering that they set off on Friday 13th, it went E23 92 off without a hitch. Well, almost ...

E23 93 JUSTINE CHATTING

E23 94 "We did get lost on the way," explained Carol E23 95 Walker. "We lost the car that we were supposed to be E23 96 following and had to ring someone to find out the address of the E23 97 camp. But it turned out OK for us," she added, E23 98 "because the others had started putting the tent E23 99 up."

E23 100 Carol was one of seven Guides who had 'come of age' in March E23 101 last year - at 14 she felt too old for Guides and was too young to E23 102 start the Young Leader Scheme.

E23 103 "There wasn't a Ranger Unit nearby that they could E23 104 join. We had to do something because we didn't want to lose E23 105 them," explained Margaret Courtney, their District E23 106 Commissioner. "They could still go along to Guides to help E23 107 out or wait and do a Young Leader course, but they decided that E23 108 they wanted more than that."

E23 109 So, with Margaret's help and encouragement, they put their E23 110 heads together and decided to form a Ranger Unit. But that was E23 111 easier said than done.

E23 112 Ranger Guides form the smallest section of the Movement. This E23 113 is often attributed to girls getting snowed under with schoolwork E23 114 and GCSE exams between 14 and 16 and having to sacrifice Guiding as E23 115 a result.

E23 116 The Plumstead Rangers are living proof that Units can find a E23 117 way around this problem. By meeting once a fortnight they can give E23 118 Rangers - and their homework - the time they deserve.

E23 119 They did have a few teething troubles. They had no Ranger E23 120 Guider at first but Margaret helped out, while a Ranger Guider was E23 121 trained. Two 'trouble makers' apparently did their best to disrupt E23 122 the Unit but, once they had left, it was plain sailing.

E23 123 "Once you've formed a group and it's been going six E23 124 months, if it's viable you can then register and keep it E23 125 going," said Margaret. "If the girls hadn't shown E23 126 so much interest we would have disbanded," she added.

E23 127 As Margaret points out, no Unit can survive without its life E23 128 force - enthusiasm. And the Plumstead Rangers have plenty of that. E23 129 "They get involved in everything," says E23 130 Margaret.

E23 131 Letting the girls decide their own programme seems to keep E23 132 spirits up and attendance high. Jenny Young found that the E23 133 transition between Guides and Rangers gave her independence. E23 134 "At Rangers we can arrange everything ourselves. We decide E23 135 as a group what we want to do and then take it in turns to plan it E23 136 out," she said.

E23 137 The girls weren't tempted to join Venture Scouts instead of E23 138 Rangers - they feel that being in a single sex organisation has too E23 139 many benefits to ignore.

E23 140 "All-girl groups are better for personal E23 141 things," says Carol. "If you're with loads of boys E23 142 you can't guarantee that, when things go wrong, they're going to be E23 143 understanding. But when there are just girls you can talk openly E23 144 about things."

E23 145 Carol added: "Girls are much more tolerant than boys. E23 146 When we played tennis at Rangers I only hit the ball five times in E23 147 the whole hour and no one got fed up with me. When I missed the E23 148 ball we just laughed about it - but boys would probably get fed up E23 149 really quickly."

E23 150 She feels that being with girls boosts her confidence. E23 151 "Sometimes boys can go over the top. They'll take the E23 152 mickey if you can't do something and that makes you feel more E23 153 nervous!"

E23 154 Margaret, a Guide Guider herself, recognises all the benefits E23 155 that Ranger Units offer the girls and feels that perseverance and E23 156 flexibility can iron out many of the problems that they may E23 157 encounter.

E23 158 "If girls want to stay in Guiding, there is nothing to E23 159 do between the ages of 14 and 15 and this is the age group the E23 160 Movement seems to be losing," explained Margaret. E23 161 "They need something for themselves. Rangers can fill E23 162 this gap."

E23 163 Rangers is an important stepping stone - it helps the girl make E23 164 that all-important leap from Guide to Guider. Both Carol E23 165 and Jenny have every intention of staying on in the Movement and E23 166 putting back in as Guiders all the knowledge and experience they E23 167 have gained from being Brownies, Guides and Rangers.

E23 168 Jenny hopes to become a Brownie Guider. She's not old enough to E23 169 start a Young Leader Scheme so, in the meantime, is enjoying E23 170 Rangers. Carol finds time to help out at the 2nd Abbey Wood E23 171 Brownies and Guides and still keep up her commitment to Rangers, E23 172 though she admits she doesn't know how she does it. "I've E23 173 just about got time to sleep!" she said.

E23 174 I met a few of the Rangers while they were helping out at CHQ E23 175 during their summer holidays. As tour guides, they gave visiting E23 176 units, many from abroad, a blast from the Guiding past, showing E23 177 them relics and artefacts and bringing alive the history of E23 178 Guiding.

E23 179 Since then, months have passed and their enthusiasm for Rangers E23 180 is far from flagging. Numbers are swelling, and though new recruits E23 181 may have missed out on that special weekend at Brownsea Island, E23 182 they are bound to enjoy the 'easygoing Guiding' that the Plumstead E23 183 Rangers can provide.

E23 184 E23 185 YOUTH FOR EUROPE

E23 186 As 1992 approaches, heralding the prospect of a united Europe, E23 187 it's time to start thinking about the implications that this union E23 188 will have on young people.

E23 189 Catherine Harle, a Young Leader with 4th Droitwich Guide E23 190 Company, and a member of Droitwich Rangers recently attended the E23 191 forth European Youth Seminar in London, which focused on this very E23 192 subject.

E23 193 Representing Worcestershire Guides, Catherine was surprised to E23 194 find that she was the only GGA member there. As she felt it was a E23 195 good opportunity to learn about this important subject - and make E23 196 friends - Caroline sent us her views.

E23 197 The seminar was held to enable young Europeans to come together E23 198 and discuss the implications, problems and benefits of a united E23 199 Europe. It also gave those involved a chance to get to know one E23 200 another, thus providing a better understanding of each other's E23 201 cultures and backgrounds. And, hopefully, to form links at E23 202 grass-roots level which will help to build a united Europe.

E23 203 Aimed at 16-19-year olds, delegates attended from Germany, E23 204 Switzerland, France, Italy, Spain and the UK. Of the UK delegation E23 205 six of us came from England and I hope that more GGA members will E23 206 be inclined to take part in next year's event.

E23 207 During the week we were divided into eight groups of mixed E23 208 nationalities. In these groups we discussed various topics and E23 209 worked at certain tasks.

E23 210 In the morning we covered issues of interest to young Europeans E23 211 with presentations being given by various countries, usually E23 212 chaired by a visiting expert.

E23 213 BRITISH EDUCATION

E23 214 The week began with a discussion on education. After outlining E23 215 our system we decided that British education is deeper and narrower E23 216 than the systems used in other European countries. We concluded E23 217 that if there are to be increased job opportunities abroad and a E23 218 truly united Europe, then the education systems must be brought E23 219 closer together while still remaining individual.

E23 220 E24 1 <#FLOB:E24\>More potential firsts for Britain

E24 2 In his second attempt to forecast which new species might still E24 3 reach Britain and Ireland, IAN WALLACE moves on from seabirds to E24 4 the non-passerines of the Old World

E24 5 WAY back in the early 1950s, the race for the first field guide E24 6 at all worth the name was won by two Richards - Fitter and E24 7 Richardson - but unfortunately their book suffered from an E24 8 artificial and cumbersome grouping of birds by size. Most of us E24 9 continued to pray for a better one.

E24 10 Three men answered our needs. They were Roger Peterson E24 11 (progenitor of the genre in America and painter extraordinary), Guy E24 12 Mountfort (interpreter of human needs and chief author) and Phil E24 13 Hollom (ornithological geographer and later sound recordist).

E24 14 With the assistance of the then excellent William Collins Ltd E24 15 (of the New Naturalist series and many other natural history E24 16 works), the first classic Field Guide - it deserves its capital E24 17 letters - went into nearly all our pockets. Field identification E24 18 was truly advanced in 1954.

E24 19 By the autumn of 1990, my third copy of 'Peterson' (as the E24 20 Field Guide was often called) was looking pretty weary. Should I E24 21 buy the fourth edition?

E24 22 Lo, in the post came an invitation to help the now venerable E24 23 but still astonishingly active trio write a fifth edition.

E24 24 Thus for nearly a year the Field Guide has fought with my E24 25 column in Bird Watching for the small desk in my E24 26 bedroom-cum-study!

E24 27 The Field Guide will be up against much stiffer opposition this E24 28 time round. At least four more new guides are poised to hit the E24 29 shelves of bookshops - and our purses or wallets. It will be E24 30 fascinating to see how they compare. Will the bird tour leaders E24 31 share their knowledge at last?

E24 32 In the course of the Field Guide revision, it was necessary to E24 33 review the records of new European birds. This was by no means easy E24 34 and I must note that since the decision speed in the European E24 35 ornithological bureaucracy is apparently dropping year on year, I E24 36 have had to err on the side of caution.

E24 37 Because many non-passerines are relatively scarce, they do not E24 38 present - individually or as related groups - such obvious patterns E24 39 of vagrancy as most passerines. The detection of their migratory E24 40 potential depends much more on their status in their home ranges E24 41 and particularly the shifts in the latter.

E24 42 It is clear from recent European News, now so stimulatingly E24 43 assembled by Tim Sharrock, that really puzzling non-passerine E24 44 occurrences are fast multiplying.

E24 45 Birds of several orders appear to be pushing north round West E24 46 Africa and through Iberia; others seem to be pioneering new ranges E24 47 north-west from south-west Asia to Fenno-Scandia, and yet others E24 48 are struggling across almost all of Asia to scatter through Western E24 49 Europe.

E24 50 Could the first phenomenon be another function of the period of E24 51 savage Sahel drought, the second a similar response to the E24 52 dessification of the Aral-Caspian region, and the third a match to E24 53 the exploitation by small Siberian passerines of increased polar E24 54 air circulation?

E24 55 All three may be, but the truth is that we are almost E24 56 completely ignorant of why an Eleonora's Falcon from Madagascar E24 57 flies not to the Mediterranean but to Lancashire or what guides a E24 58 Little Whimbrel from Australasia to south Wales.

E24 59 Dangerously cosmetic terms like 'overshooting' and 'reversed E24 60 migration' are used to paper the cracks in our boggling minds. To E24 61 the romantic in me, the birds' achievements remain E24 62 near-miraculous! Anyway, here goes with my choice of new E24 63 non-passerines.

E24 64 Herons and Storks

E24 65 WITH the Cattle Egret having crossed the Atlantic and E24 66 successfully colonised the New World, we cannot ignore other E24 67 herons.

E24 68 Claims of wild Chinese Pond Herons will probably remain E24 69 hopelessly clouded by its high escape E24 70 <}_><-|>liklihood<+|>likelihood<}/> but we ought to take seriously E24 71 Africa's Western Reef Heron. It has fought its way out of the E24 72 Azores and is now reaching south-west Europe. Little Egret tickers, E24 73 take care!

E24 74 Another possibility is Schrenck's Little Bittern which E24 75 straggled to central Europe from east Asia. Its vagrancy is E24 76 "quite extraordinary", said Birds of the E24 77 Western Palearctic, but no more so than that of the Daurian E24 78 Starling.

E24 79 There are now Iberian claims of Marabou Stork and African E24 80 Spoonbill. Having seen both full-winged in European zoos, I E24 81 can understand the reluctance to record committees to give them E24 82 full credence. In my case, I would bar the Marabou on grounds of E24 83 ugliness!

E24 84 Wildfowl E24 85 HAVING been fair game for hungry humans for centuries, wildfowl E24 86 corpses have long presented vagrancies hidden in other families. E24 87 Readers of Bird Watching will already know that currently E24 88 Marbled Teal from west Mediterranean, Falcated Teal from east Asia E24 89 and even White-headed Ducks from south Iberia are appearing on E24 90 English waters.

E24 91 All three have more or less reasonable credentials. For E24 92 example, the first has flown the Atlantic as far as Madeira and the E24 93 third has wandered north to the Low Countries. The Falcated only E24 94 has to track the already accepted Baikal Teal from Siberia.

E24 95 To these three surface-feeders, we should perhaps add E24 96 Spectacled Eider which has flown along the chilly north Asian coast E24 97 as far as Atlantic Norway, and Baer's Pochard which has yet to E24 98 reach Europe but would only have to match the two teals' efforts to E24 99 do so. If I remember one of the more delicious tales of the 1970s E24 100 aright, the Eider has been glimpsed in a Lincolnshire snowstorm!

E24 101 Birds of Prey

E24 102 FENNO-SCANDIA, particularly where Swedish eyes are keen, E24 103 attracts a remarkable number of extra-limital raptors. So although E24 104 their kind cross the North Sea only rarely, we ought to pay E24 105 attention to them.

E24 106 From eastern Europe and south-west Asia have come Long-legged E24 107 Buzzard, Steppe, Lesser Spotted, Imperial and Short-toed Eagles and E24 108 Sakar Falcon. As a favourite of falconers, the last will always be E24 109 subject to close <}_><-|>scrutiiny<+|>scrutiny<}/> but happily the E24 110 others are now very rare in collections. At least three of the E24 111 eagles and the falcon have been claimed for Britain in the past.

E24 112 From Iberia, we may yet receive Black-winged Kite. Occasional E24 113 nomad rather than true migrant, it is doing well in its home range E24 114 and spreading. More good summers could tempt it north. Again I E24 115 remember an old (and convincing) report from Essex!

E24 116 From the same vector, another possibility is Booted Eagle. It E24 117 is accepted for Belgium, Holland and Sweden and importantly it does E24 118 frequently cross narrow seas. We really ought not to pour scorn on E24 119 claims for a bird that breeds within a mere 5 degrees of E24 120 longitude!

E24 121 Looking to the east, we should not ignore Pallas's Fish Eagle, E24 122 which has come as close as Norway, and two small species which may E24 123 yet sprint west from Siberia. These are the E24 124 <}_><-|>diminitive<+|>diminutive<}/> Japanese Sparrowhawk and the E24 125 entrancing Amur (Eastern Red-footed) Falcon. Neither of the E24 126 latter would have to do more than Pallas's Warbler to reach our E24 127 shores. (Regular readers, for my sins, may just have twigged my E24 128 belief in the falcon as a British bird in my recent 'Going for gold E24 129 and beyond' article).

E24 130 The main barrier to new large soaring raptors will remain the E24 131 North Sea. Only the Rough-legged Buzzard crosses it with E24 132 any confidence and it may well be that our best chance of a new E24 133 'broadwing' will be during the next invasion of that fine northern E24 134 bird.

E24 135 Cranes and rails

E24 136 ALTHOUGH also dogged by escapes, wild Demoiselle Crane and E24 137 Purple Gallinule have occurred tantalisingly close in western E24 138 Europe. British claims of both have failed in the past but they may E24 139 be taken more seriously now.

E24 140 One misty, frosty day at Hickling Broad, I waited all day for a E24 141 huge gallinule, only to find it was Green-backed, not Purple!

E24 142 Waders E24 143 AS THEY make up another order of fantastic wanderers, it is E24 144 very unlikely that we are near the end of the queue of new British E24 145 waders.

E24 146 I doubt if any of my generation would have nominated Greater E24 147 Sand Plover, Grey-tailed Tattler and Little Whimbrel as future E24 148 targets but they and other equally astonishing waders have recently E24 149 flown up to half a world to our lands.

E24 150 Accordingly we must face up to the prospect of eight more E24 151 species that are already known from north Atlantic coasts and west E24 152 European countries. These are Lesser Sand Plover, E24 153 Spur-winged Plover, Oriental Plover (no joke; starting E24 154 possibly from the Gobi dessert, it has reached Greenland), Great E24 155 Knot (now reported from five countries) and Asiatic Dowitcher.

E24 156 If they can reach across the Palearctic and beyond, so could E24 157 Pin-tailed Snipe and just possible Far Eastern Curlew and Swinhoe's E24 158 Snipe. The birdwatcher who does not look closely at every snipe may E24 159 well pass up on more than Great!

E24 160 Sandgrouse and pigeons

E24 161 NOT ALL black-bellied Sandgrouse are Pallas's; some are E24 162 Black-bellied, of which individuals have come as close as Belgium E24 163 and Germany.

E24 164 We should be aware that just like Pallas's Sandgrouse, Eastern E24 165 Stock Dove radiates out from the Aral-Caspian region. None has been E24 166 identified further west than central Russia but under ecological E24 167 pressure, it might go a lot further.

E24 168 Cuckoos, owls and swifts

E24 169 ONLY one cuckoo deserves mention and that is Oriental. Two E24 170 recent claims have not prospered but given its migratory E24 171 performance in east Asia and definite records west to the south E24 172 Baltic, there is no logical reason for it to stay away for ever.

E24 173 The chance is slim but if Pygmy Owl can skip over narrow seas E24 174 to Denmark, Germany and Belgium, it might one year hop the English E24 175 Channel too.

E24 176 Another real flyer would be Plain Swift of the east Atlantic E24 177 islands off north-west Africa. Most northern birds withdraw E24 178 somewhere in winter and a north-bound overshoot in bad E24 179 Spring weather could deposit it in Ireland.

E24 180 A much more likely Swift is White-rumped. It has successfully E24 181 colonised Spain and could well track Little along Europe's western E24 182 seaboard.

E24 183 Woodpeckers E24 184 WE DO poorly for these active and engaging continental birds E24 185 and every time I see Northern Great Spotted on the East coast, I E24 186 ponder on what other woodpeckers might occur.

E24 187 In spite of all its persistent past rejections, Black breeds E24 188 only 250 miles east of East Anglia and so has good credentials as a E24 189 future vagrant. We should be ready for Three-toed too. It has E24 190 irrupted south to Denmark.

E24 191 RATHER to my surprise, it has been something of a struggle to E24 192 put together 36 candidates for new British non-passerines.

E24 193 Our gun-toting, specimen-collecting forefathers did better (or E24 194 worse, I should write) with large targets than with small, so there E24 195 is less in the Palearctic and African cupboards in the forms of E24 196 non-passerines than there is with the once invisible passerines.

E24 197 If global warming does change our climate more than so far, we E24 198 should probably look less to the east and more to the south. We E24 199 could yet be astonished by more outlandish species from Africa.

E24 200 My disparagement of Marabou Stork may prove rather foolish. It E24 201 may well have the last laugh!

E24 202 E24 203 Survival strategies

E24 204 Integrating moult with the other main events in a bird's year E24 205 is vital. JOHN WYATT continues this month to examine how this is E24 206 achieved by different species.

E24 207 IF REPRODUCTION is the main focus of a bird's existence, then E24 208 its life can perhaps best be described as one long fight for E24 209 survival between breeding seasons.

E24 210 Two of the most important aspects of this are the regular E24 211 replacement of feathers to ensure maximum flight and insulation E24 212 efficiency and, for may species, the annual movements between E24 213 breeding and non-breeding areas. This migration keeps the levels of E24 214 competition for scarce food and other resources to a year-round E24 215 minimum.

E24 216 Reproduction, migration and moult are all key events in the E24 217 avian year. They are also hugely energy-sapping and therefore ought E24 218 to be separated to avoid too great a strain on a bird at any one E24 219 time.

E24 220 The demands of the first two are probably self-evident but, E24 221 perhaps surprisingly, the last is equally draining not only because E24 222 of the actual body processes involved in producing new feathers but E24 223 also the necessity to counter temporarily impaired flying ability, E24 224 temperature control and waterproofing and to be even more alert to E24 225 avoid predators.

E24 226 Moulting strategies

E24 227 WHAT strategies do birds therefore adopt to keep these three E24 228 major events apart and to reduce the problems of moult? E24 229 E25 1 <#FLOB:E25\>THE AGE OF EQUALITY?

E25 2 The article by Brigadier Stuart Ryder arguing that there should E25 3 be a new system of gallantry awards to the armed services which E25 4 takes no account of rank/class differences (MEDAL NEWS, May 1991), E25 5 has elicited a good deal of comment and correspondence, some of E25 6 which is published on this month's 'Letters' page. Following the E25 7 publication of the 'Gulf' London Gazette (June 28, 1991), E25 8 this same theme was elaborated in a lengthy editorial by Alan E25 9 Chochrane, Assistant Editor of the Mail on Sunday.

E25 10 In addition to underlining the fact that class/rank E25 11 differentials are also fundamental to the system of civilian E25 12 awards, he suggests that a disproportionate number of 'Gulf' awards E25 13 went to officers as compared to other ranks and cites in support a E25 14 recent letter in The Times from Major General Ken E25 15 Perkins, a much decorated and former senior officer, who voiced E25 16 concern about just this matter.

E25 17 Other commentators on the theme of 'inequality' have suggested E25 18 that given the number of women who served in the Gulf and elsewhere E25 19 overseas in support of operations there, they too are E25 20 under-represented, while awards to civilians who directed E25 21 operations from the safety and comfort of the UK are unacceptably E25 22 large in number.

E25 23 No doubt we would not all agree on what constitutes a E25 24 'well-balanced' awards list, but there is clearly a reluctance by E25 25 the awarding authorities to keep pace with changing times, much E25 26 less run in advance of Prime Minister John Major's stated aim to E25 27 create a classless society.

E25 28 MoD comments throw no light on these issues: comments from the E25 29 various Service press desks boil down to "those who deserve E25 30 awards get rewarded appropriately" - a view not totally in E25 31 harmony with that of Major General Perkins nor with the knowledge E25 32 gained from historical records by researchers in this field.

E25 33 However, one area where there was a break with tradition was in E25 34 the gazetting of the Special Forces awards. In the past, even for E25 35 Northern Ireland, recipients serving with the Special Forces have E25 36 not been identifiable as such as their names have been listed along E25 37 with the name of their parent regiment. The 'Gulf' Gazette adopts a E25 38 new approach of simply stating that so many of 'such and such' an E25 39 award were made to personnel serving with a particular Special E25 40 Force - no name, no parent regiment hence no means of verifying E25 41 the awards. This even applies to Mentions-in-Despatches. Why the E25 42 change? So far no information has been forthcoming; members of the E25 43 MoD press desk do not appear to understand that such a change has E25 44 taken place.

E25 45 E25 46 GULF CAMPAIGN MEDAL

E25 47 The design of the campaign medal and ribbon for the Gulf war E25 48 has recently been approved by Her Majesty the Queen.

E25 49 The medal follows the precedent of campaign medals for WW2, E25 50 Korea and the Falklands in that it is made by the Royal Mint in E25 51 cupro-nickel, and is the same size, and has the same suspender, as E25 52 earlier medals.

E25 53 The obverse bears the David Wynne portrait of Her Majesty the E25 54 Queen wearing the State Crown. The reverse design is based upon the E25 55 Combined Operations badge of WWII, but with modifications.

E25 56 The ribbon is based upon that of the Africa Star (of WWII) with E25 57 the colours of each of the three services at either side of the E25 58 ribbon, separated by a strip of pale buff, representing the E25 59 desert.

E25 60 The criteria as to who will be awarded the medal are not yet E25 61 available but should be announced shortly. It is envisaged that E25 62 most of those who served in the Gulf theatre of operations will be E25 63 entitled to wear it.

E25 64 E25 65 COUNTY MEMORIAL PROJECT

E25 66 Following a generous grant from Hampshire County Council, the E25 67 Victorian Military Society is now able to undertake a major E25 68 research project to record all memorials to the Anglo-Boer War of E25 69 1899-1902 in Hampshire. This county project forms part of a larger E25 70 initiative to record all Anglo-Boer War memorials in Britain that E25 71 Tony McCabe and Meurig Jones have been running for three years E25 72 under the auspices of the Society.

E25 73 For Hampshire the specific objectives include discovering the E25 74 history of the memorials as well as the men and women which they E25 75 commemorate. The results will be published in county and national E25 76 publications. Information covering details of the memorials and E25 77 those commemorated, together with photographs of each memorial, E25 78 will be prepared for the County archives.

E25 79 Project experience has shown that many memorials exist in E25 80 parish churches, drill halls, town halls and similar buildings. E25 81 Unfortunately many of these buildings tend to be locked and E25 82 inaccessible to surveys such as this, therefore volunteers with E25 83 good local knowledge are needed. To supplement the descriptions of E25 84 memorials which still exist, help is needed from people who know E25 85 about memorials which may have been lost. But for all memorials, E25 86 the whereabouts of contemporary pictures, postcards, newspaper E25 87 reports or information on a person commemorated on a memorial will E25 88 also be of considerable importance.

E25 89 Anyone who has information which they think will be of use or E25 90 anyone who is interested in helping should contact Tony McCabe at E25 91 21 Bassano Street, East Dulwich, London SE22 8RU, sending a SAE E25 92 (16x22cms) for full details.

E25 93 E25 94 SOE - DISTINGUISHED UNDERCOVER SERVICE

E25 95 by Dave Buxton

E25 96 Following my article in MEDAL NEWS (October 1990) on the E25 97 fiftieth anniversary of the Intelligence Corps, my attention was E25 98 drawn to the fact that another more combatant intelligence E25 99 organisation also had its fiftieth anniversary in July, 1990 - E25 100 albeit an organisation now no longer in existence.

E25 101 It was formed during the period of the Battle of Britain in E25 102 1940, as an amalgamation of several separate intelligence E25 103 organisations, all with a similar goal - the overthrow of the Nazi E25 104 regime occupying virtually all of Europe, by covert means. This new E25 105 organisation was to be know as the Special Operations Executive, E25 106 and came under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Economic E25 107 Warfare. Initial problems due to internal politics and the mistrust E25 108 of an 'amateur' organisation by the domestic and foreign British E25 109 intelligence services - M15 and M16, who controlled it - were E25 110 soon rectified by SOE becoming independently responsible for E25 111 subversion, and the propaganda elements transferring to the E25 112 Political Warfare Executive in August, 1941.

E25 113 Recruiting began in earnest and its personnel were recruited E25 114 from all walks of life. Training was carried out in closed E25 115 establishments known as STSs (Special Training Schools). Many of E25 116 these schools were housed in the stately homes across the E25 117 country.

E25 118 Operations in France

E25 119 The bulk of SOE activities initially were channeled into E25 120 operations in France. The first ones were in 1941 and after a shaky E25 121 and dangerous start, a project to arm the Resistance was E25 122 inaugurated. A secondary aim was the creation of intelligence E25 123 gathering networks or circuits, which in the main were successful - E25 124 at D-Day in June 1944 about 52 circuits were in action, some 30 E25 125 others had been destroyed by enemy action. Of the 480 agents in E25 126 FSection, 130 were captured and 117 of these were executed.

E25 127 The dropping of the 'Joes' as the RAF aircrew called them was E25 128 primarily the function of the Special Duties Squadrons - No 138 E25 129 and No 161, which operated from Tempsford, and flew Lysanders, E25 130 Whitleys and Halifaxes (see Flights of the Forgotten by E25 131 K.A. Merrick, Arms & Armour Press, 1989) for an in depth look at E25 132 these and other Special Squadrons)<&|>sic!

E25 133 Other European theatres

E25 134 Operations were also extended into Norway and Denmark with the E25 135 formation of the Scandinavian section. A notable operation in E25 136 Norway was that of 'Gunnerside' in February 1943, when the Norsk E25 137 Hydro plant of Vermork was attacked and vital equipment for the E25 138 production of 'heavy water' - a component of atomic power - was E25 139 destroyed.

E25 140 In the Netherlands, SOE had a costly disaster, with agents who E25 141 had dropped into the country in 1941 being captured and their radio E25 142 sets being used to set up operation 'Nordpol'. The German Abwehr E25 143 counter-intelligence organisation ran the circuit for two years, E25 144 and 51 agents were captured on landing and executed.

E25 145 Mediterranean operations

E25 146 Following the invasion of North Africa in November 1942, an SOE E25 147 base was formed near Algiers as 'Massingham' or 'ISSU6'. Although E25 148 secret, occasionally its cover was let slip, as was the case with E25 149 an ex-officer, who informed me that some of his men drove around in E25 150 the new American Jeep with 'SOE' emblazoned on the bumper in E25 151 luminous paint!

E25 152 In Cairo, M04 became Special Operations Mediterranean and was E25 153 responsible for planning excursions into Greece, Italy and the E25 154 Balkans - known respectively as Forces 133, 266 and 399. With E25 155 these new theatres of operation more experts were recruited and E25 156 trained at Ramat David in Palestine - STS 193. Also political E25 157 awareness was needed, especially in the case of Greece and the E25 158 Balkans, where some SOE parties found themselves embroiled in civil E25 159 war between Royalist Fascist and Communist factions, as well as E25 160 trying to fight the Italians and Germans!

E25 161 With the invasion of Sicily and Italy in 1943, No 1 Special E25 162 Force was created to cover all operations in Italy, its base being E25 163 at Monopoli.

E25 164 Far Eastern operations

E25 165 Following the start of the retreat through Burma by the Allied E25 166 armies in 1942, 'stay behind' parties had been created by far E25 167 seeing individuals. Some of these men were recruited by SOE and E25 168 came under Force 136. This organisation was based first in India, E25 169 then at Colombo in Ceylon. Operations were conducted against the E25 170 Japanese in Burma, Malaya, Java, Sumatra and China in a variety of E25 171 missions. Some of the local population who were trained by SOE were E25 172 to put their training to further use in the nationalist Communist E25 173 Combattant Units which emerged after the war and whose activities E25 174 led to and continued during 'The Emergency' of 1948-60.

E25 175 Aftermath E25 176 With the end of the global conflict, SOE was wound down and E25 177 finally 'closed' in January, 1946. Its members returned to their E25 178 own units, re-entered civilian 'normality', or joined the E25 179 intelligence services at home or abroad, using knowledge attained E25 180 during the war to cope with the new threat of the 'cold war'. To E25 181 keep the camaraderie of those days alive, a club was formed by the E25 182 head of SOE - Major-General Sir Colin Gubbins. This was 'The E25 183 Special Forces <}_><-|>Cub<+|>Club<}/>', whose motto "Spirit of E25 184 Resistance" still flourishes today.

E25 185 Awards E25 186 I first began to look for awards to these undercover men and E25 187 women back in 1980, when I purchased 'SOE In France' by E25 188 M.R.D. Foot (HMSO, reprint 1976) from the local HMSO bookshop. I E25 189 had, through research on Airborne awards, a new interest in other E25 190 aspects of Special Forces and awards attained. As with all medal E25 191 collecting interests, reference material is paramount, and now I E25 192 have some 60 books on the subject, with many others still to be E25 193 consulted, as is evident from the Bibliography sections of the ones E25 194 I possess!

E25 195 On the subject of awards, I should like to thank CW, and E25 196 especially GC, for helping with some of the verifications, as well E25 197 as other members of the Special Forces Club for their assistance E25 198 and interest.

E25 199 I therefore list below those recipients I have found, who E25 200 became Companions of the Distinguished Service Order, as a E25 201 tribute to all those in SOE, who were responsible for E25 202 "setting the world ablaze" - bringing the war to E25 203 the enemy's back door, in distinguished undercover service, often E25 204 receiving no award for their actions, which in some cases cost them E25 205 their lives.

E25 206 The awards are tabulated with London Gazette date, E25 207 personal Army number, rank and name. In the case of the French E25 208 awards, the recipient's code name is shown followed by the Circuit E25 209 with which he was associated.

E25 210 As a usual plea, I would most certainly welcome any additional E25 211 information on those listed or indeed verification of further E25 212 awards be they DSOs or others.

E25 213 E25 214 ARRANGING ONE'S COLLECTION

E25 215 by Alec A. Purves

E25 216 PROBLEMS often arise as to the order in which a group of medals E25 217 should be shown in one's collection, and it is not always easy to E25 218 decide what is correct. As regards modern British medals there is E25 219 no difficulty, as the current official order of wearing has been E25 220 published in Spink's Catalogue of British Orders, Decorations E25 221 and Medals, and elsewhere, but in the period following the E25 222 Crimea War it would appear that frequently officers and men both E25 223 wore their medals just as they chose.

E25 224 E26 1 <#FLOB:E26\>CHAPTER 7

E26 2 Your first short-wave receiver

E26 3 THERE are various ways in which you can equip yourself for E26 4 short-wave listening.

E26 5 It may be possible for you to borrow a small communication E26 6 receiver for a while from a friendly local amateur who, with a bit E26 7 of luck, will teach you how to operate the controls. He or she will E26 8 certainly be able to advise you and give you a head start over E26 9 those who have to find out for themselves. The Radio Society of E26 10 Great Britain can provide you with a list of clubs in your area who E26 11 will help the beginner. Lots of Scout and Guide groups also have E26 12 radio activities. Such assistance may well be available within your E26 13 neighbourhood and will almost certainly enable you to visit a E26 14 working station and see for yourself how it is done!

E26 15 For the absolute beginner, the thought of building a short-wave E26 16 radio may be somewhat daunting. Nevertheless, this is how many E26 17 start, with a considerable degree of success due to the E26 18 availability of simple kits of parts. The kits most suitable for E26 19 your first venture come with detailed instructions on just what to E26 20 do and how to do it. Even though you may not yet understand the E26 21 circuitry or recognise all the different electronic components, it E26 22 is amazing how well a few pictures and step-by-step instructions E26 23 can help you through the project.

E26 24 Most kit suppliers appreciate the need to help the beginner and E26 25 will do all they can to ensure your success, including a little E26 26 'trouble shooting' back at their factory should you experience E26 27 difficulty in getting your kit up and running.

E26 28 For short waves, it is essential that all the wiring and E26 29 connections in the receiver should be soldered. For those who have E26 30 no previous experience with a miniature soldering iron, a glance E26 31 through the notes in appendix 1 will soon set your mind at rest. E26 32 Like everything else there is a simple knack for doing it right E26 33 first time, every time.

E26 34 To minimise any difficulty, and to get going as cheaply as E26 35 possible, it is recommended that you first build a simple kit that E26 36 will receive amateurs on just one of the bands. Such a set can be E26 37 equally as sensitive as a more advanced, multi-band model E26 38 but has the great advantage that it does not need the switches and E26 39 the rather complicated wiring necessary to cover all the short E26 40 waves from 80 to 10 metres.

E26 41 Should you have already progressed through the early E26 42 construction stages or, perhaps, feel unable to make your own E26 43 receiver, then you will obviously need to acquire a ready-made E26 44 commercial set.

E26 45 The market for short-wave and amateur band equipment is very E26 46 well supported by manufacturers all over the world and their range E26 47 covers just about every conceivable type of listening you may E26 48 require. A strong second-hand market is open to anyone who cares to E26 49 browse through the small advertisements in the radio magazines and E26 50 some real bargains can be found.

E26 51 Your local club will have surplus equipment sales where members E26 52 dispose of unwanted items. These sales are always the most popular E26 53 and best attended events on the club calendar. The 'gear' is E26 54 usually auctioned amidst much wit and hilarity. Prices are often E26 55 ridiculously low, with most of the 'lots' changing hands for a tiny E26 56 fraction of their market value.

E26 57 To buy yourself a new or second-hand communication E26 58 receiver, you will need to decide first how much you can afford to E26 59 pay and then what it is that you intend to do with it.

E26 60 Brand-new sets can cost from a few hundred to many thousands of E26 61 pounds. They can be fairly simple but effective designs for use on E26 62 amateur bands or an 'all-singing-all-dancing' receiver with lots of E26 63 push buttons and knobs, and capable of high performance in the E26 64 hands of an expert.

E26 65 It is advisable to choose a fairly simple model to get you E26 66 started. Later, it can be traded in for a more advanced receiver E26 67 or, as is usually the case, kept for many years as a standby E26 68 set.

E26 69 Rely on the advice of your amateur radio retailer and reveal to E26 70 him that you are a beginner and need help. He will usually do all E26 71 he can to see that you are properly set-up and will be hoping to E26 72 retain your custom as you progress in the hobby. You will probably E26 73 become firm friends. Even the purchase of your bits and pieces on a E26 74 Saturday morning tends to become a highly sociable and enjoyable E26 75 experience.

E26 76 Should you live too far from your nearest retail shop, then the E26 77 phone and mail order will see you through. Such is the friendly E26 78 competition within the amateur radio trade, that retailers have E26 79 perfected the ability to serve their customers at any distance E26 80 whilst keeping a very personal relationship. After all, they will E26 81 probably work you on the air before long and will certainly be E26 82 looking forward to meeting you at one of the exhibitions where they E26 83 set up their stands.

E26 84 When buying a ready-made set you will obviously have some E26 85 operating instructions, although perhaps this manual may be missing E26 86 in the case of a second-hand set. In any case, it might be helpful E26 87 if you read the next chapter so that you know which are the right E26 88 knobs to turn and what to expect when you turn them.

E26 89 E26 90 CHAPTER 8

E26 91 Operating a short-wave receiver

E26 92 TO get the best reception from a short-wave receiver, the new E26 93 listener needs to have some idea of the function of each of the E26 94 basic controls on the front and back panels.

E26 95 Sitting in front of a short-wave set for the first time, you E26 96 may feel a little bewildered by the apparent complexity of the many E26 97 knobs, switches and push buttons. However, they all have a useful E26 98 function, and you will be amazed at how quickly you become E26 99 accustomed to using the right ones to tune in and hold the signal E26 100 you require. Most factory-built receivers will come to you with a E26 101 handbook showing how to connect the set up and operate it. Always E26 102 read and try to understand these instructions before you switch E26 103 on.

E26 104 As you may be starting out with a simple model or your homebrew E26 105 kit, let us take a look at a typical example.

E26 106 Simple receiver

E26 107 First, locate the terminal or sockets that are marked 'Aerial' E26 108 (or 'ANT' for antenna). If there are several aerial points, they E26 109 are likely to be marked 'Dipole', 'Coax', 'Balanced' or 'Long E26 110 Wire'. Check your handbook and, using a suitable plug or perhaps E26 111 one of your crocodile clips, connect up your wire aerial to the E26 112 terminal marked 'LW' for Long Wire if there is some. If you have an E26 113 earth, it goes to the terminal marked 'Ground'. The aerial you used E26 114 for the crystal set should do fine.

E26 115 If the receiver is powered by battery, check that you have a E26 116 good set of batteries in the holder. If operated from the mains, E26 117 make sure that your plug has a low-rated fuse in it, usually one or E26 118 three amps. Plug in, and you are ready to go.

E26 119 Hopefully, you will have a built-in loudspeaker. If not, then E26 120 your head-phones will need connecting or plugging into the E26 121 socket marked 'Phones'. By the way, the earpiece you used for the E26 122 crystal set is not suitable - use ordinary hi-fi headphones, or E26 123 communications headphones if you can afford them.

E26 124 Some sets made for the international market may have the E26 125 sockets for aerial and earth marked with the symbols that we met in E26 126 chapter 4.

E26 127 1. ON/OFF switch

E26 128 The front panel ON/OFF control may be marked 'Power'. It may E26 129 also be either a straightforward switch, or form part of the volume E26 130 control and require turning on by rotating the knob clockwise. You E26 131 will feel it click on and, with a bit of luck, the dial lights E26 132 should come on and the receiver should burst into life.

E26 133 2. Volume controls

E26 134 There are usually two volume controls on a communication E26 135 receiver. They are marked 'RF Gain' and 'AF Gain'. RF Gain (radio E26 136 frequency gain) adjusts the level of amplification for the E26 137 'front-end' of the circuit. The AF Gain (audio frequency gain) is E26 138 the same as the simple volume control you would find on all radios E26 139 and allows you to set the sound at a comfortable level.

E26 140 3. Tuning control

E26 141 To search across the dial there is the familiar tuning control, E26 142 that could well have two knobs on the one shaft. The rear and E26 143 larger control enables you to tune rapidly to a required band and E26 144 the smaller one is geared right down so that the operator can fine E26 145 tune to an exact frequency and centre on the signal perfectly.

E26 146 On a simple homebrew model, you will probably have only one E26 147 tuning control and one gain control. You will need to practise E26 148 setting them carefully and gently, using just your finger tips and E26 149 a keen ear.

E26 150 Some receivers will put the fine tune or 'brandspread' knob as E26 151 a separate control. It may also be marked 'RIT' which means E26 152 'receiver incremental tuning' - a technical way of saying that the E26 153 control will allow you to tune just a little way either side of the E26 154 listening frequency.

E26 155 4. Band change

E26 156 The 'band change' control is usually a rotating knob or pointer E26 157 that switches to different tuned circuits - yes, they are just like E26 158 the one in your crystal set but in miniature. Each of the coils and E26 159 trimming capacitors is set to cover a part of the short-wave bands E26 160 when tuned with the main capacitors that are varied when you spin E26 161 round your tuning control.

E26 162 5. BFO or mode switch

E26 163 Some sets will have a BFO control and this should be switched E26 164 off to listen in to the normal broadcasting station - you just do E26 165 not need it. However, to resolve a morse transmission the beat E26 166 frequency oscillator is used to mix together an internal signal E26 167 with the incoming signal to provide you with a 'beat' note in your E26 168 loudspeaker. If your BFO is variable, you can adjust the tone of E26 169 the note to suit your preference for a treble or a bass sound. For E26 170 speech, the majority of amateur stations on the short-wave bands E26 171 use a method or 'mode' of transmission called 'SSB' (single E26 172 sideband).

E26 173 Don't worry about what this means exactly at this stage, expect E26 174 to understand that it is a means of improving the performance of a E26 175 transmission and also of having many more stations on a crowded E26 176 band.

E26 177 If you are tuning in an SSB station without the BFO switched E26 178 on, the speech will sound distorted and will sound like a pretty E26 179 fair impersonation of Donald Duck! Switch on the BFO control, fine E26 180 tune the speech very carefully and you will hear the words loud and E26 181 clear. You may need to turn the RF gain control down for best E26 182 results.

E26 183 The more modern communication receivers have done away with a E26 184 separate BFO tuning control and have tidied up the selection of E26 185 'mode' or method of reception. By turning a switch you can choose a E26 186 variety of modes. Your receiver may offer:

E26 187 AM - This stands for 'amplitude modulation', another E26 188 technical term that describes the type of speech transmission that E26 189 is used by broadcasting stations on long, medium and short waves E26 190 but not VHF.

E26 191 CW - These initials stand for 'continuous wave' and mean E26 192 that you are ready to listen to ordinary Morse code. The term makes E26 193 sense when you realise that if the operator of a transmitter holds E26 194 his key down, the set just sends out a continuous radio wave - no E26 195 speech, no 'modulation', just a simple signal that can be keyed E26 196 into morse characters. You will find most CW at the lower frequency E26 197 end of every amateur band.

E26 198 USB - Stands for 'upper sideband'. This is the form of E26 199 SSB, or 'single sideband' speech transmission, normally selected E26 200 for operating on the 20, 15 and 10 metre bands. It is also E26 201 is<&|>sic! used on the new amateur bands of 17 and 12 metres (18MHz E26 202 and 24 MHz) that are alive with stations enjoying the fun of E26 203 operating on these excellent long-distance frequencies.

E26 204 E27 1 <#FLOB:E27\>The Peril of Innocence

E27 2 By Nick Gibbs

E27 3 I CAN MAKE no apology for the concentration of articles on the E27 4 rainforest issue in this month's Woodworker. It hardly needs E27 5 the columns of this magazine to emphasise the number of football E27 6 pitches worth of forest that are being destroyed every minute, E27 7 though it is one a second for interest's sake. It is hardly E27 8 necessary to remind people that Britain did to its woodlands during E27 9 the Industrial Revolution what many tropical nations are doing to E27 10 their trees today. And it is certainly not the place to blame E27 11 woodworkers for this destruction. But then blame and responsibility E27 12 are not necessarily interlinked.

E27 13 Economics, of various flavours, have caused deforestation. But E27 14 while the actions of large corporations and rich landowners wiping E27 15 out vast tracts of trees have received much publicity, the most E27 16 prevalent motive for destruction has been poverty and E27 17 over-population. In south America there is certainly an E27 18 argument for pinning the blame on the Pope for his intransigence E27 19 regarding contraception and abortion. But, however hard we attempt E27 20 to find the guilty party, only positive action will ensure the E27 21 future of the timbers that we hold so dear in the workshop.

E27 22 When the rainforests, and their predicted demise, became the E27 23 kind of issue that generates headlines and charity pop concerts E27 24 some woodworkers decided the most effective action was to avoid E27 25 tropical timbers. This possibly brought the topic into the E27 26 public-thought process, but I believe that it was in part made E27 27 possible by the large quantity of native timbers that were brought E27 28 down by hurricanes in Britain.

E27 29 The industry has attempted to introduce, or at least has E27 30 suggested, an obligatory levy on tropical timber, to be returned to E27 31 the country of origin and spent on management systems. On an E27 32 industrial level this seems an unlikely ambition. However for us E27 33 woodworkers, putting a higher value on timber that is truly E27 34 sustainable will ensure its future. If the owners of the forest can E27 35 see that there is a current, and future, income to be earned from E27 36 their trees they are more likely to treat them responsibly.

E27 37 As yet there is no system for verifying the sources of E27 38 sustainable timber. Many timber merchants are claiming E27 39 sustainability when no such boast can be proved. Often they have to E27 40 pass the buck of the boast to the buyer or importer. A member of E27 41 the timber trade recently gave his definition of sustainability as E27 42 the existence of more forest ready for felling when the current E27 43 source is depleted.

E27 44 It is frustrating for woodworkers who want to progress but do E27 45 not know how. It is important not to expect some glorious answer E27 46 overnight. Doing a tiny bit is far better than nothing. So ask E27 47 questions, read articles, discuss the matter and act if possible E27 48 when ready.

E27 49 It is the responsibility of the wood users to demand reliable E27 50 information of their purchases. It is also their responsibility to E27 51 promote the use of these products, and be prepared to pay a higher E27 52 price. Pleading innocence, or ignorance, to the destruction of the E27 53 tropical rainforests is no longer good enough. We may not be to E27 54 blame now, but unless we take this opportunity to act we will be E27 55 the <}_><-|>guily<+|>guilty<}/> party in years to come.

E27 56 E27 57 RAINFOREST EXPLOIT

E27 58 Last summer a team went to Ecuador to help set up a pilot E27 59 project exploiting the resources of the rainforest sustainably, and E27 60 Lucinda Leech went with them

E27 61 Even through the deepest tropical forest word evidently travels E27 62 fast. A few weeks after our arrival in Ecuador the organiser of the E27 63 Rainforest Information Centre there, woke our household at 7am one E27 64 Friday morning. He was proclaiming loudly that a Hourani Indian E27 65 leader had just arrived, to negotiate with us on the sale of E27 66 sustainably harvested timber from his tribal lands in the Amazon. E27 67 This man came from an area on the opposite side of the country to E27 68 the one where we had been working, with the whole height of the E27 69 Andes between us. A message had reached him that a bunch of E27 70 half-mad gringos were proposing new forestry methods.

E27 71 My visions of a dark-skinned gentleman with loin-cloth and E27 72 spear, arriving hot-foot off the overnight bus due to rumours of E27 73 commercial gain, proved not so very far from the truth, (though not E27 74 the loin-cloth I am sorry to say). Once again demonstrating that E27 75 those who live in tropical forests do not actually want to chop E27 76 them down. Nevertheless the inhabitants must have a viable means of E27 77 earning a living, now that they are being increasingly drawn into a E27 78 moneyed society. It is upon this basis premise that the Ecological E27 79 Trading Company (ETC) is buying timber from various tropical E27 80 regions. On hearing about their plans I was lured away from my E27 81 gainful work making furniture in Oxford by the exciting idea of E27 82 helping set up a pilot project, with two local communities in E27 83 untouched Pacific rainforest.

E27 84 A couple of weeks after leaving the security of the workshop, E27 85 when I was struggling over a smoking fire to make a meal for 11 E27 86 people out of half a jungle rat and a packet of spaghetti, I was E27 87 not so sure that my contribution to saving the planet was E27 88 particularly relevant after all. At least I now know just what an E27 89 immense amount of work is involved in ensuring that the timber we E27 90 use actually does come from a properly managed source.

E27 91 It is not practical to assume that just because you stop using E27 92 tropical timber you will be automatically maintaining the E27 93 rainforest. In fact quite the opposite is often the case. Groups of E27 94 indigenous people who have relied upon the sale of timber to E27 95 survive, if deprived of their income from it, will clear the forest E27 96 as fast as possible to raise an alternative crop, such as coffee or E27 97 cocoa, or set up in cattle ranching. All these uses generally E27 98 degrade the land rapidly, meaning that more forest has to be E27 99 cleared each year to continue. How much more satisfactory for the E27 100 timber itself to be regarded as a crop, and harvested in such a way E27 101 that the forest cover remains. The trees have a natural life cycle E27 102 and when they fall regeneration replaces them. Man's intervention E27 103 can be made to more or less mimic this system and thus utilise the E27 104 forest's ability to renew itself. Unfortunately, all too often, E27 105 this does not happen - greed and expediency results in grabbing as E27 106 much timber as possible in the easiest way, leaving the land E27 107 wrecked.

E27 108 The two communities we were working with had recently acquired E27 109 legal title to their land. They were now looking for ways to E27 110 exploit it, but had not considered the timber as a possible E27 111 long-term resource. The normal system of exploitation is to invite E27 112 in a logging company, who buy the timber rights and clear the land E27 113 for the local people to cultivate. An example of the kind of money E27 114 offered was given to us: the timber company had paid Pounds1,000 E27 115 for a rich area of forest of 5,000 hectares (12,350 acres). This E27 116 land was covered in untouched forest. It represents a few pennies E27 117 per tree. No wonder the people cannot see the point of looking E27 118 after the forest that surrounds them, when it has virtually no E27 119 value. Incidentally these particular communities are too close to E27 120 over-exploited areas to be in a position to live off the land in E27 121 the traditional sense, and too near 'civilisation' not to want the E27 122 advantages it provides.

E27 123 Our party was a varied one to try and provide all the necessary E27 124 skills. Douglas Fergusson, an Australian and leader of the E27 125 Ecuadorian branch of the Rainforest Information Centre, is E27 126 co-ordinating this project and has also been planting trees and E27 127 tending nurseries in Ecuador for several years. We were fortunate E27 128 to have two Columbian botanists whose ability in accurately E27 129 identifying the species of trees never failed to amaze me. Chris E27 130 Cox represented the ETC interests and the other Englishman, Morley E27 131 Reed, was not only a biologist but also a professional photographer E27 132 who videoed the expedition.

E27 133 Our first task in setting up a model forest management system, E27 134 which would allow timber extraction forever, was to establish what E27 135 actually existed in the proposed area at the beginning. It was thus E27 136 necessary to make an inventory of a representative sample. The E27 137 Ecuadorian Forest Dept. lays down rules about what methods should E27 138 be used (although we got the impression that many timber companies E27 139 do not abide by the rules). When I first thought about it, listing E27 140 the contents of five per cent of 100 hectares sounded like a E27 141 diverting occupation for a few days, in idyllic forest E27 142 surroundings.

E27 143 But 17 hours in overcrowded buses - some of it on the roof - E27 144 and a further five hours by motorised canoe brought us to San E27 145 Lorenzo, the 'metropolis' which was to be the centre of our E27 146 operations. It is not accessible by road and at first sight has no E27 147 facilities whatsoever. But four hours a day of electricity and E27 148 occasional access to a cold shower was soon to seem the height of E27 149 luxury; although an encounter with the world's most voracious E27 150 bed-bugs did detract from my appreciation.

E27 151 The next day another five hours in a canoe brought us to the E27 152 first of our two villages. In the evening as it got dark, about 20 E27 153 men gradually collected in our hut to discover what we had come E27 154 for. The people of this area are descendants of negro slaves from E27 155 the sugar plantations who have now colonised the whole of this E27 156 particular river. As the faces peered intently out of the E27 157 flickering light cast by oil soaked rags, it was difficult to E27 158 believe we were in South America, not Africa.

E27 159 The village president told us of the haphazard way they fell E27 160 timber at the moment for extraordinarily little money. For E27 161 instance, when he wanted a new pair of wellingtons - price E27 162 Pounds3.00 - he had to sell a whole tree (up to 3cu.m.). He E27 163 described a recent occasion when he had intended to do this: first E27 164 canoeing three hours down river to hire a chainsaw then working in E27 165 the forest all day for three days felling the tree and cutting it E27 166 into manageable sized logs. Following that, he would have had to E27 167 drag the timber to the river and build a balsa wood raft to move E27 168 it, as wet trees do not float; another day's work for several men. E27 169 At the end of all this toil the sawmill would only offer about E27 170 Pounds5.00, out of which he would have to pay for the chainsaw and E27 171 fuel. After felling the tree he sat down on it and worked out the E27 172 economics - not surprisingly gave up and went home, because it was E27 173 just not worthwhile.

E27 174 My clearest impression of that first meeting was the utter E27 175 disbelief on both sides when we discussed timber prices. In England E27 176 we have to pay Pounds600-700 per cu.m for timber such as theirs. E27 177 Even allowing for the many costs involved, it was unbelievable to E27 178 all of us that they get only Pounds2.00 when we pay 350 times that. E27 179 The ETC policy is that at least 20 per cent of the final retail E27 180 price of timber sold in this country will go to the original E27 181 owners. On this basis the local men were immediately interested in E27 182 the idea and proved faster than us at mental arithmetic.

E27 183 Chris went on to explain that the high prices would be directly E27 184 linked to implementing a management plan designed to ensure that E27 185 the forest remained intact. If timber is extracted differently or E27 186 in excess of the prescribed amounts, then the scheme comes to an E27 187 end. We tried to explain why this was important, but I wonder what E27 188 the locals made of world deforestation issues?

E27 189 For people living in or near the forest, trees have always been E27 190 in the way of everything, from hanging out the washing to economic E27 191 progress. Small boys of five years-old carry machetes and rapidly E27 192 develop an automatic slashing movement with the right arm, which E27 193 remains with them for the rest of their lives. E27 194 E28 1 <#FLOB:E28\>The Art of Ruminating

E28 2 Lord Willis

E28 3 Some people who see me sitting in the Lords' library after one E28 4 of Mr. Bibbiani's excellent lunches often jump to the erroneous E28 5 conclusion that I am asleep. This error occurs, no doubt, because I E28 6 usually have my eyes closed and am purring gently to myself. The E28 7 truth is that all my senses are alert and I am ruminating. I am E28 8 probably one of the country's greatest ruminators. At the risk of E28 9 seeming immodest, I might say that I have turned rumination into an E28 10 art form and I can tell you that it beats jogging out of sight.

E28 11 Last week, for example, I was ruminating on the subject of E28 12 television advertisements for politics and politicians and the sort E28 13 of thing we might see if these were to be permitted. Frankly the E28 14 idea appals me but if the dam does crack may I offer the following E28 15 very tentative suggestions?

E28 16 TRY ME - I'M PADDY. Take off for the Destination of Your Dreams E28 17 with the Democrats! Get Lift-off with the Libs! Send a large SAE E28 18 and 25p now for a copy of our Programme. It's perfick. (Batteries E28 19 not included.)

E28 20 THE KINNOCK COLLECTION. All the new season's model policies E28 21 presented by the New Model Labour Party. No messing, no militants! E28 22 The moderation is the message! (If you don't see what you want in E28 23 the manifesto please ask a Shadow assistant. We have a wide range E28 24 of off-the-peg policies to suit all tastes.)

E28 25 HIM TARZAN, ME JOHN! The team that brought you the new E28 26 scientifically improved Poll Tax with the sensational magic E28 27 ingredient - BANDING! In tests, nine out of ten fat-cats prefer it. E28 28 (Don't miss our Great Autumn - or Spring - Sale. Everything on E28 29 offer at prices which will astound you.)

E28 30 OPT OUT WITH OWEN. Put your electoral health in the hands of E28 31 the Doctor who cured the SDP at a stroke. The man who took the P E28 32 out of Party. No meetings, no membership, no programme to confuse E28 33 you. Just the man. Headaches a speciality. (This commercial is E28 34 sponsored by the British Institute for the Advancement of Solo E28 35 Flying.)

E28 36 I have, as regular readers will know, a sharp ear for rumours E28 37 and I picked up one in the Bishop's Bar the other day which both E28 38 intrigued and surprised me. It seems that some Peers are concerned E28 39 about a possible decline in the sartorial standards of the House, E28 40 so much so that there is talk of setting up a Special Committee to E28 41 investigate and make recommendations.

E28 42 It all started, I understand, when one young Peer was seen to E28 43 be wearing a gold ear-ring. In vain did he explain to those who E28 44 expressed concern if not horror that there was a long tradition of E28 45 ear-rings in his family, which had first achieved aristocratic E28 46 status as a result of successful buccaneering and bedding in the E28 47 days of Good Queen Bess. His adornment was seen by some as the E28 48 first step down the slippery slope that leads to jeans, T-shirts E28 49 and Austin Mitchell-type ties and action was called for.

E28 50 For my part, I find this disquiet unnecessary. Apart from the E28 51 odd flash of scarlet sock, the scuffed suede shoe, the purple tie, E28 52 their Lordships appear to me to be clothed in a style which would E28 53 reflect credit on a convention of undertakers.

E28 54 There is, of course, the occasional exception, usually some E28 55 ex-MP who having served a sentence in Another Place has not only E28 56 fallen into sloppy habits but taken to wearing them. I recall one E28 57 newly-created ex-Labour MP who arrived for his first day on our E28 58 benches attired in a sports-jacket which might have been fashioned E28 59 from a horse-blanket, socks from which no rainbow hue had E28 60 been omitted, a green shirt and the regimental tie of the Royal E28 61 Fusiliers. The tie appeared to have made a recent escape from a E28 62 soup tureen.

E28 63 His exhibition of sartorial defiance did not last long. Within E28 64 two weeks this colourful maverick had sunk without trace into the E28 65 prevailing background of clerical grey and blue serge.

E28 66 My heart warmed to one noble Lord who suggested that we should E28 67 follow the example of some restaurants and keep a supply of E28 68 acceptable clothing for use by those Peers who arrive unsuitably E28 69 dressed. This stock, he proposed, should be lodged in an E28 70 underground room to which offenders would be escorted by trained E28 71 Enforcement Officers.

E28 72 A drift of perfume from an attractive newly-ennobled Baroness E28 73 teased my senses the other day and distracted my attention from a E28 74 fascinating debate on the case for fixed term parliaments, a E28 75 proposal which would avoid sustained speculation about the dates of E28 76 General Elections. This, I must say, is a cause that has my E28 77 unwavering support but I am afraid that the delicious scent caused E28 78 my thoughts to dance in other directions.

E28 79 I am not expert enough to define the perfume and I lacked the E28 80 cheek to ask the Lady in question but by a coincidence an hour or E28 81 so later I found an item about the origin of Chanel No 5 in that E28 82 excellent Australian magazine The Bulletin. Apparently, E28 83 back in 1921, Mme. Chanel commissioned the aptly named Ernest Beaux E28 84 to develop the ultimate perfume and he came up with this magic E28 85 formula:

E28 86 Ylang-ylang (an aromatic tree from the Comoros Islands); neroli E28 87 (an oil distilled from oranges); jasmine; rose de mai (from E28 88 Grasse); sandalwood (from Mysore), vetiver (from Reunion E28 89 Island).

E28 90 From this geographical melange M. Beaux produced the perfume E28 91 which was to become world-famous as Chanel No 5 and bring forth E28 92 some enduring quotes. As, for instance, Marilyn Monroe, who when E28 93 asked what she wore in bed replied, "Chanel No E28 94 5".

E28 95 But I like best this one from Mme. Chanel herself: E28 96 "Perfume should be worn whenever you expect to be E28 97 kissed."

E28 98 I hope that they get the Census right this time. My own E28 99 experience does not offer much scope for optimism. I live in a E28 100 house which bears the name Murrabinda, an Aboriginal term which E28 101 means Water-Hole, and I chose it as a way of indicating that the E28 102 thirsty traveller would find appropriate refreshment therein.

E28 103 However, on my Census Form, the name appeared as Marrow Binder. E28 104 I am concerned that this might eventually appear as my E28 105 profession.

E28 106 E28 107 'Hung Parliament' By Julian Critchley MP

E28 108 Hutchinson pounds13.99

E28 109 Review By Austin Mitchell MP

E28 110 Julian Critchley is a clever fellow. <}_><-|>Two<+|>Too<}/> E28 111 clever by seven eighths to be a Conservative. Not deferential E28 112 enough to be Labour. Far too unfashionable to be a Liberal. He'll E28 113 just have to be a Critchleyite. Appropriately he's now created his E28 114 own party and parliament. Some of us with half his wit would be E28 115 happy enough to devote the rest of our lives to recycling his E28 116 marvellous jokes. I could listen to him forever and often have to. E28 117 Yet Julian is far more of a Panjandrum than that. Now he's E28 118 challenging Barbara Cartland, Tom Wolfe and Melvyn Bragg on their E28 119 home ground with this novel. The animated version of Westminster E28 120 Blues but something far more as well.

E28 121 Hung Parliament is not an entirely believable E28 122 representation of Westminster. There's much more sex, indeed it E28 123 could be renamed Well Hung Parliament. There's also E28 124 drugs, rent boys, murder and people missing. 'Three Line Whips' E28 125 without reason. How unlike the home life of our own dear E28 126 backbenchers. That is the triumph of the skilled novelist - to E28 127 invent and create a wholly imaginary world. Julian has that, as E28 128 well as the ability to invent such unreal characters as 'John E28 129 Seldom Gummer', 'Edwina Currie', 'Michael Heseltine' and a E28 130 particularly improbable one called 'Richard Ryder', juvenile lead E28 131 and boy Whip. John Major-Major is also there. Like his counterpart E28 132 in Catch 22 he is also not there. Which seems E28 133 appropriate.

E28 134 As an inventive tour de force the creation of such people must E28 135 rank with Tolkein. Julian also adds a quota of much more real and E28 136 believable characters such as Sir Hugh Grunte (pronounced like E28 137 Bront<*_>e-umlaut<*/> our author Wutheringly explains). He gets E28 138 drunk and attacks another invented character called 'Mark Fisher', E28 139 a class traitor. There's David 'Spanker' Lancaster, who makes E28 140 sexual advances to House of Commons waiters, sex-pot Emma Kerr, who E28 141 climbs the ladders of power wrong by wrong, and one Robert E28 142 Maclennan who appears to be speaking all the time in the Chamber. E28 143 Indeed, it never occurred to me until I read this book just how E28 144 valuable the name and time on the annunciator are as an alibi for E28 145 anything from murder through paternity suits to cottaging of a type E28 146 which will become more common now the Poll Tax is being taken off E28 147 it. Whatever individual crimes are committed, Maclennan is clearly E28 148 innocent. So are Cryer and Skinner. Their crime is against the rest E28 149 of us.

E28 150 The action itself has nothing to do with a hung Parliament, E28 151 rather a hung character who dies waiting for the parliamentary E28 152 life. Its setting is not some mythical parliament such as the next E28 153 one, but here and now in Major country. Everything is packed into a E28 154 brief period centring on that most nightmarish of all milieus, an E28 155 all-night sitting - the times when a whole lifetime seems E28 156 to be crammed into one dreary, bleary night of enforced captivity E28 157 all described with wit and cynical brilliance. This is wholly E28 158 deceiving. I don't believe Critchley views the whole thing with the E28 159 weary resignation he affects. He loves it. He must. Why else put up E28 160 with it or the kind of people he has to mix with?

E28 161 The genre this book represents is difficult to describe. A E28 162 novel of Tory manners, or these days the lack of them? After all, E28 163 Julian is the Miss Manners of his party.

E28 164 The essence of the book is a loving invocation of a cosy Tory E28 165 world. It must have been quickly rewritten after the Conservative E28 166 Liberation Front struck the dictator down last November and freed E28 167 the toffs from long years of subjection to the peasantry. There's E28 168 no trace of post Thatcher triste and those who feel it are E28 169 uniformly described as unlovable and so far as Emma Kerr offers, E28 170 unloved. Yet as a result of the change-over after a decade and a E28 171 half of fighting in the resistance (Literary Squad) Julian is now a E28 172 happy man, oppressed only by the weight of human folly which he E28 173 sees around himself everywhere.

E28 174 Labour MPs don't feature in the book. Except Mark Fisher and E28 175 Tam Dalyell, who happen to be public school chaps. Which may E28 176 explain why Mark gets kissed. Neil doesn't make it, despite the E28 177 public school ties he wears these days. The only Liberal is Robert E28 178 Maclennan. Probably because he's speaking all the time. Charles E28 179 Kennedy tells me that this is cruel, though it certainly doesn't E28 180 seem so if you happen to be in the Chamber. Jealously I noted that E28 181 Charles himself gets a mensh. I don't. Which may be an accurate E28 182 measure of attendances and a clue that the whole novel centres on E28 183 the Chamber and its immediate vicinity. There we see the flow and E28 184 ebb of parliamentary life, brilliantly described by someone who E28 185 doesn't take it seriously enough to be a committee chairman, and E28 186 hasn't put on enough weight to turn into one of the ranks of the E28 187 living dead, the senior backbenchers; Mrs Thatcher's thousand and E28 188 one knights.

E28 189 Wisely, the book is described as 'an entertainment' rather than E28 190 a novel. So don't expect a masterpiece of literature. That would be E28 191 hard to find in any first novel. Even Roy Hattersley's. Nominally a E28 192 thriller, it is also no Jeffrey Archer. There is something to be E28 193 thankful for. It is as compelling as good writing always is. It E28 194 lures the reader on with the expectations of more wit to come E28 195 rather than through the sheer pace of the story. It certainly held E28 196 my attention in a way no other parliamentary novel of our time has. E28 197 Julian is always worth reading. "This boy can E28 198 write," as Mrs Thatcher once said after reading Sir Bernard E28 199 Ingham's eight line summary of his last three books.

E28 200 Well done Julian. I rate Hung Parliament as a E28 201 triumph. The test of a parliamentary novel is not that it's done E28 202 brilliantly, but that it's done at all. E28 203 E29 1 <#FLOB:E29\>'EXTEND SHETLAND BOX'

E29 2 Document calls for tougher licensing in CFP review

E29 3 SHETLAND and Orkney fishermen are calling for a major extension E29 4 of the Shetland Box, and a tigthening up on the numbers of vessels E29 5 allowed to fish there.

E29 6 They want to see:

E29 7 <*_>bullet<*/>An extension of the box to the west, north and E29 8 east, as shown on the map.

E29 9 <*_>bullet<*/>A reduction of "at least 50 per E29 10 cent" in the numbers of boats over 26m allowed to fish in E29 11 the box, and all boats to be specifically named vessels from each E29 12 member state. This would give the UK 31 licences, France 26, E29 13 Germany six and Belgium one.

E29 14 <*_>bullet<*/>Consideration of a licensing scheme for all E29 15 demersal vessels between 17m and 26m fishing in the box. This would E29 16 be based on past fishing activity, but every Orkney and E29 17 Shetland boat in this category should get a licence.

E29 18 <*_>bullet<*/>All licensed vessels to report to the EC E29 19 commission when entering or leaving the box.

E29 20 The issue is specifically on the agenda of the review of the E29 21 common fisheries policy (CFP) in 1992, and a document has been E29 22 produced laying out the Shetlands' and Orkneys' case. It is a joint E29 23 submission from the Shetland and Orkney Fishermen's Associations E29 24 and the Shetland and Orkney councils, and was launched at a press E29 25 interview in Lerwick on Tuesday this week.

E29 26 Arguing for an extension of the box, the document says that its E29 27 practical effects up to now have been limited. If it is to be used E29 28 as a conservation measure for North Sea stocks, it must be extended E29 29 to take account of the migratory nature of fish in this E29 30 "biologically sensitive" area.

E29 31 It should be extended to cover demersal spawning and nursery E29 32 areas to the east and south east of Shetland, and to the west. The E29 33 former would protect cod and haddock stocks, both under pressure, E29 34 while the latter area has become important to the islands' fleets E29 35 for monkfish, ling and other groundfish.

E29 36 Fishing by over 26m vessels could theoretically increase under E29 37 the current regulations, because the 'permitted' number of boats E29 38 still represents a degree of fishing effort over the actual fishing E29 39 effort.

E29 40 Also, it is necessary to restrict boats between 17m and 26m E29 41 because technical advances mean that these vessels are now much E29 42 more efficient than when the box was first introduced, making the E29 43 old 26m limit obsolete.

E29 44 Fishing within a biologically sensitive area such as the box E29 45 could be reduced "by means of an EC licensing scheme which E29 46 would apply to all those vessels which catch significant quantities E29 47 of fish from the area".

E29 48 Protection of coastal communities heavily dependent on fishing E29 49 has been and remains a major objective of the CFP argues the E29 50 document. Special protection of the stocks and fisheries in the E29 51 Shetland Box follows from this.

E29 52 Leading Shetland fisheries spokesman John Goodlad, told E29 53 Fishing News that the proposals should be regarded as an E29 54 important contribution to the future of the CFP, and not as a E29 55 threat.

E29 56 "The bulk of the recommendations in the document, 70%, E29 57 are in line with the policy of the Scottish Fishermen's E29 58 Federation," said Mr Goodlad.

E29 59 "There will be some differences of opinion - it would E29 60 be a miracle if there weren't - but I want to emphasise the extent E29 61 of agreement.

E29 62 "I expect that there will be some discussion of the proposal to E29 63 extend licensing to boats between 17m and 26m, but let's look at E29 64 the figures and talk before people start getting E29 65 alarmed."

E29 66 Mr Goodlad stressed that the overall theme of the document is E29 67 not parochial or selfish, but about conservation of stocks, and E29 68 this is in everyone's interest.

E29 69 A commitment to protect coastal communities was made in 1976 in E29 70 the Hague Resolution, and a proposal was made in 1978 to introduce E29 71 Fishing Plans under the CFP. These would relate to E29 72 "endangered stocks whose exploitation is of special E29 73 importance to coastal populations ... and shall take into account E29 74 those vessels which, due to their limited range of operation, can E29 75 only (fish) close to the coast".

E29 76 The principle of protection for coastal communities was E29 77 recognised when the Shetland Box was included in the CFP in 1983, E29 78 although its provisions were 'watered down' from original E29 79 proposals.

E29 80 Arguing the importance of fishing to the Orkneys and Shetland, E29 81 the document says the fisheries sector is "very E29 82 important" to the Orkneys, and of "fundamental and E29 83 overwhelming importance" to the Shetlands. Some 80 per cent E29 84 of Shetland's exports is fish and fish products.

E29 85 But while fishing is vital to the islands, protection E29 86 "should not create undue disruption or disadvantage within E29 87 the UK or the EC at large, so small are the E29 88 numbers.<&|>sic! While fisheries are of E29 89 "absolute importance" to the islands they are of E29 90 "relative insignificance within the context of the E29 91 CFP".

E29 92 Stressing that the Shetland box is a regional, and not a E29 93 national measure, the document says that the CFP should be seen as E29 94 "a valuable tool of regional development, no just a tool to E29 95 manage the EC fisheries".

E29 96 E29 97 Fishermen join the submariners

E29 98 - Tarbert men spend a day beneath the waves

E29 99 Relations between the fishing industry and the submarine E29 100 department of the Royal Navy have improved dramatically of late. E29 101 Intense secrecy on the part of the navy has been replaced by a more E29 102 open and co-operative approach. But there are those who E29 103 argue that it has taken the tragic loss of the Carradale trawler E29 104 Antares and her four crew, following the fouling of the boat's E29 105 gear by a submarine to bring this about. As part of the better E29 106 relations between the industry and the navy, a party of fishermen E29 107 from Tarbert, in Argyll, recently spent a day on a submarine to get E29 108 an appreciation of the problems the submariners face when working E29 109 among fishing vessels. Fishing News' HUGH ALLEN E29 110 accompanied the party.

E29 111 ON NOVEMBER 22 last year, the Antares, a 55ft trawler from E29 112 Carradale, on the east coast of the Mull of Kintyre, was dragged to E29 113 the seabed with the loss of all hands. It was later confirmed that E29 114 the nuclear powered submarine, HMS Trenchant, had become E29 115 snagged in her nets while on a training patrol off the Isle of E29 116 Arran.

E29 117 The interim report of the Department of Transport investigation E29 118 was made public but, apart from a brief synopsis, the navy's E29 119 internal inquiry remains under the cloak of secrecy which protects E29 120 Ministry of Defence operations from public scrutiny.

E29 121 The Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) is scheduled to begin on E29 122 September 2.

E29 123 Relationships between fishing communities and the navy fell to E29 124 an all time low, and conservation organisations had a field day. E29 125 The wealth of misinformation gathered momentum, as any subsequent E29 126 suspected incidents assumed the status of hard fact.

E29 127 Ironically, the skipper of Antares, Jamie Russell, was one E29 128 of the 'thinking fishermen' who had frequently encouraged attempts E29 129 to open up lines of communication between fishermen and E29 130 submariners.

E29 131 There are those who feel that it has taken the death of this E29 132 man and his three crew-men to establish a number of reforms E29 133 designed to create a safer working environment for surface sailors E29 134 and submariners.

E29 135 Sinking E29 136 Cynics would suggest that recently introduced 'codes of E29 137 practice' have more to do with the disintegration of the cold war E29 138 than with the sinking of Antares. Whatever the reason, the E29 139 navy has gradually become more open during the last six months.

E29 140 However, it should not be forgotten that naval ships are crewed E29 141 by human beings, as much personalities as their critics. But unlike E29 142 them, they cannot speak out, constrained as they are by the E29 143 Official Secrets Act.

E29 144 It is known that the perpetrators of the Antares incident E29 145 were just as devastated by the consequences of the mistake as any E29 146 of those who stand in condemnation. But they are controlled and E29 147 silenced by the central policy makers, so that naval public E29 148 relations is normally reduced to retrenchment in the aftermath of a E29 149 negative occurrence.

E29 150 Now, a limited change is beginning.

E29 151 All UK submarine movement in the Clyde, north Irish Sea and E29 152 over much of the west coast of Scotland is broadcast on VHF radio E29 153 by the coastguards. Information can also be obtained by telephoning E29 154 the naval base of Faslane.

E29 155 Last Saturday, the navy hosted a group of fishermen from E29 156 Tarbert, Argyll, and one press representative, taking them to sea E29 157 for the day aboard HMS Ocelot, one of the five remaining E29 158 Oberon class diesel electric submarines.

E29 159 Skippered by Lt Cmndr John Humphreys, the 27 year old vessel is E29 160 due to be taken out of commission at the end of next month, as the E29 161 ageing Oberons are to be replaced by Upholders.

E29 162 The Oberons were based on the highly successful Type 21 World E29 163 War II U Boats. Even lying in repose at anchor, the sinister black E29 164 silhouette still evokes the aura of menace so often recreated by E29 165 wartime movie makers, and particularly in the television series, E29 166 Das Boot.

E29 167 Down below, the sense of d<*_>e-acute<*/>j<*_>a-grave<*/> vu E29 168 for anybody who has seen Das Boot, is heightened by the maze of E29 169 pipes, valves, dials, levers, jostling seamen, and cramped E29 170 conditions.

E29 171 Seven officers share a wardroom approximately 8sq ft for E29 172 eating, sleeping and recreation, and nobody's bunk is longer then 5 E29 173 ft 1 in.

E29 174 Above all the quiet authority of the captain, his physical E29 175 appearance and laconic demeanor, bear an uncannily striking E29 176 resemblance to the character played by the German actor, Jurgen E29 177 Prochnow, in the TV drama. The parallel is not lost on his crew, E29 178 who asked us whether we had seen Das Boot.

E29 179

The captain agreed that the filming had accurately portrayed E29 180 life aboard a submarine of this class, "but you will notice E29 181 that we no longer have bananas hanging from the deckhead," E29 182 he said.

E29 183 Modern technology has invaded certain aspects of domestic E29 184 management, and First Lieutenant, Lt Cmndr Richard Eedle, E29 185 describing himself as a "hotel manager", commented, E29 186 "nowadays, we eat our way into the fridge."

E29 187 The odours of overcooked rotting cabbage, tinged with diesel E29 188 oil and human sweat which struggled to escape from the TV screen E29 189 were not present. The tiny galley in which two men prepare three E29 190 square meals a day for the 80 strong ship's company, sometimes in E29 191 temperatures of 120<*_>degree<*/>F, was spotlessly clean.

E29 192 More fundamentally, the role of the hunter killer has been E29 193 upended since the days of the ubiquitous U Boat.

E29 194 "We no longer play the wild card, charging about on the E29 195 surface in all weathers, searching for an enemy," said the E29 196 captain.

E29 197 "We would hide and wait for the enemy to come to us if E29 198 we were at war."

E29 199 'O' class submarines carry the best part of pounds20m worth of E29 200 highly sophisticated torpedoes, wire guided and with an extensive E29 201 range. But when each is sent on its mission of destruction, the E29 202 expense is justified by the relative value of the target it is E29 203 supposed to eliminate.

E29 204 Target E29 205 Fired at a loaded tanker for example, the torpedo would be E29 206 directed beneath the keels of the shielding escorts. Following a E29 207 successful hit the escorts themselves would become the target, E29 208 hopefully before a counter attack was launched.

E29 209 Since Saturday's exercise was specifically designed to create a E29 210 greater mutual working practice awareness between fishermen and E29 211 submariners, the question was asked: "Do submariners hide E29 212 behind the sonar transmissions and engine noise of fishing fleets E29 213 when on exercise?"

E29 214 "Not on exercise, but we would obviously use what cover E29 215 we could if we were at war," was the answer.

E29 216 The officers and crew aboard Ocelot were at pains to E29 217 dispel any myths or commonly held inaccuracies. From the start, as E29 218 we were welcomed on board, we were told by the captain that we E29 219 could go where we liked, speak to whoever we liked and ask any E29 220 questions we liked.

E29 221 During the course of the day this promise was fulfilled to the E29 222 letter. The only journalistic restrictions were imposed upon the E29 223 reporting of information concerning the maximum operational depth E29 224 of the submarine, certain technical communication equipment E29 225 details, and the range and cost of an individual torpedo.

E29 226 Equally, the crew were eager to learn as much as possible about E29 227 fishing methods. A file containing descriptions of all types of E29 228 mobile fishing gear is now held by submarine commanders, and E29 229 studied by the officers.

E29 230 E30 1 <#FLOB:E30\>Ingredients listing is CAMRA's new E30 2 target

E30 3 IT IS a 'nonsense' ingredients are not listed on alcoholic E30 4 drinks packaging the Campaign for Real Ale is claiming.

E30 5 The pressure group is urging the government's food advisory E30 6 committee to include the issue in its current review of food E30 7 labelling law and has contacted the European Commission suggesting E30 8 it should bring forward a directive on ingredients listing for E30 9 alcoholic drinks.

E30 10 The Brewers' Society agrees in principal to the idea but said E30 11 any labelling scheme would have to be carefully thought out to E30 12 ensure it is workable.

E30 13 CAMRA's campaign manager, Stephen Cox, said: "Customers E30 14 have a right to know what is in their pint, but most brewers keep E30 15 the ingredients of their beer shrouded in secrecy. Other foods, and E30 16 low alcohol drinks, have to list their ingredients, alcoholic E30 17 drinks do not, that is a nonsense.

E30 18 "More health conscious consumers want to know what they are E30 19 drinking. The brewers should have nothing to fear from E30 20 openness."

E30 21 The organisation also said the place where the beer is brewed E30 22 should be listed to show that beers are brewed at more than one E30 23 site for compulsory listing on whether beers or ciders are E30 24 processed or 'real', CAMRA said racking and bottling dates should E30 25 be shown because they would be more relevant that 'best before' E30 26 dates for beer.

E30 27 Mike Ripley of the Brewers' Society said ingredients listing is E30 28 being considered by the European Commission because it now deals E30 29 with all matters of labelling and packaging.

E30 30 He pointed out a number of changes had already been made by the E30 31 EC including the change from fluid ounces to millilitres, the E30 32 introduction of 'best before' dates and the change to alcohol by E30 33 volume (abv) levels instead of original gravity (OG).

E30 34 "If CAMRA is suggesting we do something in advance of E30 35 the EC I think that is foolish.

E30 36 "If there can be an agreed way of listing ingredients E30 37 practically and sensibly then we would implement it. One of the E30 38 reasons beer is exempt is because what is in the final product was E30 39 not necessarily an initial ingredient, alcohol is formed as part of E30 40 the brewing process. Hops are an ingredient, but if they were found E30 41 in the finished product consumers would not be pleased.

E30 42 "We have to get the laws right and the terminology correct. E30 43 Consumers may be concerned to see ascorbic acid as an ingredient, E30 44 if it was called vitamin C it would be more acceptable."

E30 45 E30 46 Quirky Scrumpy

E30 47 SCRUMPY Jack cider has launched its first national consumer E30 48 advertising campaign.

E30 49 Part of a 1pound million marketing support package for the E30 50 premium brand, the campaign, in a wide range of magazines, conveys E30 51 the message 'when you know whats what and whats not'.

E30 52 Said Andrew Riley, marketing manager: "Scrumpy Jack's E30 53 first advertising campaign breaks the mould of traditional cider E30 54 advertising.

E30 55 "The advertisements are rather quirky but clearly define the E30 56 quality and exclusiveness of Scrumpy Jack."

E30 57 In just 12 months the brand has become the number one premium E30 58 draught cider, accounting for more than half the volume sold in E30 59 this special sector, a staggering 200% on-trade growth, while in E30 60 the off-trade it has tripled its share of the premium sector.

E30 61 E30 62 Dessert addition

E30 63 CAXTON Tower Wines has added an Eiswein to its range of E30 64 top-quality Austrian dessert wines.

E30 65 The 1990 vintage Eiswein originates from the small village of E30 66 Apetlon, on the east shore on Lake Neusiedl. The wine is produced E30 67 by Weinkellerei Burgenland and is now being sold into the trade.

E30 68 Situated close to the Hungarian border, Burgenland is renowned E30 69 for its dessert wines and Eiswein is a speciality of the region.

E30 70 Gerry Amdor, managing director, said: "To produce an E30 71 Eiswein, grapes are left on the vines after the normal time of E30 72 vintage. In early December, when the first frosts arrive, the E30 73 frozen grapes are picked by hand and pressed to produce a delicate E30 74 dessert wine."

E30 75 Eiswein Neusiedlersee 1990 comes in a clear half-bottle, is 11% E30 76 alcohol and is being listed by Oddbins at pounds6.49 from the start E30 77 of October.

E30 78 Amdor said Austrian wine sales in the UK are experiencing a E30 79 period of sustained growth with distribution gains achieved through E30 80 leading grocery multiples and specialist wine merchants.

E30 81 "The new listings reflect trade and consumer interest E30 82 and confidence in the excellent quality of Austria's dry white E30 83 wines and superb dessert wines. Austrian wines have achieved a E30 84 major breakthrough this year and the future looks E30 85 exciting."

E30 86 E30 87 Guinness takes on its own distribution

E30 88 GUINNESS is assuming responsibility for the selling and E30 89 distribution of all one-trip Guinness Original pack types in the E30 90 take-home trade from October 1.

E30 91 The distribution of its returnable bottles will not be E30 92 affected.

E30 93 Guinness Original, the third-largest take-home brand, E30 94 is the most widely distributed beer in the market place with 97% E30 95 sterling distribution. Up until now, several national and regional E30 96 brewers have sold and distributed it in the off-trade.

E30 97 This latest move is intended to give a more focused and better E30 98 co-ordinated approach to sales and promotional activity.

E30 99 Peter Philpot, director of take-home trade said: "We E30 100 believe that the time is now right for us to distribute the product E30 101 directly. Guinness Original is an important component of our stout E30 102 strategy throughout the 1990s. This change, and the pounds4 million E30 103 marketing spend invested in the brand this year, is evidence of our E30 104 continued commitment to the brand," he added.

E30 105 The brewer's take home division has been expanded over the past E30 106 few years to reflect the changing face of the off-trade.

E30 107 It now features canned draught Guinness, Harp lager, Harp E30 108 Premier, Kaliber, alcohol-free lager and Guinness draught E30 109 Bitter.

E30 110 The company's commitment to its portfolio of leading brands can E30 111 be measured by the fact that it plans to support them this year E30 112 with an advertising and marketing support package costing pounds30 E30 113 million.

E30 114 E30 115 National Trust gets cash help from Alcan

E30 116 THE producer of Alcan Bacofoil, the household aluminium foil E30 117 and the Alcan Snappies range of plastic food wraps, has raised, E30 118 with the help of its customers, another pounds13,000 to assist with E30 119 conservation and restoration projects mounted by the National E30 120 Trust.

E30 121 This brings the total raised since the promotion was launched E30 122 in January to <}_><-|>pounds35,000,<+|>pounds35,000<}/> - over E30 123 halfway towards the pounds50,000 target. The funds have assisted in E30 124 the restoration of historic houses and gardens such as Ightham Mote E30 125 in Kent and Calke Abbey Kitchen gardens in Derbshire.

E30 126 The fund raising promotion is backed by an on-pack message E30 127 featured on all Alcan's product ranges.

E30 128 The company has also assisted in garden E30 129 <}_><-|>maintainance<+|>maintenance<}/> and in coastline E30 130 acquisition.

E30 131 E30 132 Media praise

E30 133 A SERIES of features on Tyne Tees Television's 'Northern Life' E30 134 programme to be shown this month commends Safeway for leading the E30 135 way with environmental issues for food retailing.

E30 136 The multiple has been featured in the series for its work with E30 137 recycling, packaging and product labelling, and the company is E30 138 praised for taking the lead with the sale of organic products and E30 139 introducing Britain's first plastic bottle recycling machine E30 140 earlier this year.

E30 141 E30 142 Plastic turned into pennies by Sainsbury

E30 143 SAINSBURY'S customers have been taking advantage of the E30 144 multiple's scheme to minimise the use of plastic carrier bags.

E30 145 In February the Penny Back environmental initiative was E30 146 launched to encourage customers to provide their own carrier bags, E30 147 in return for which the store refunds them one penny.

E30 148 The response has been such that the multiple reckons in the E30 149 first 12 months the scheme will save 59 million new plastic carrier E30 150 bags.

E30 151 The reduction in new bags will save some 1,000 tonnes of E30 152 plastic per year and the energy saved in production and E30 153 distribution costs is the equivalent of a million gallons of E30 154 oil.

E30 155 So far this year, Sainsbury has given away some 41 million E30 156 pennies to customers and the figure is averaging 200,000 pennies E30 157 per day.

E30 158 Approximately half of all the pennies given to customers are E30 159 being deposited in charity collection boxes which are posted at the E30 160 exists of each Sainsbury branch. Each branch has a designated E30 161 charity to which the collected money is donated.

E30 162 "The programme manages to achieve two objectives of E30 163 prime importance to Sainsbury and its customers; energy E30 164 conservation and donation to charity," said Mike Samuel, E30 165 Sainsbury's environment affairs manager.

E30 166 The company has pledged to continue the programme indefinitely E30 167 in all of its stores.

E30 168 E30 169 Circle C Store is a top franchisee

E30 170 THE owners of a Circle C store in Herne Bay came joint third in E30 171 the 'Franchisee of the Year' awards.

E30 172 The competition, organised by the British Franchise Association E30 173 and sponsored by Midland Bank, aims to encourage commitment to E30 174 service and excellence in franchising.

E30 175 The Herne Bay contestants Chris and Lorraine Green have been E30 176 running their business since 1988 following a 14 year career in E30 177 retailing.

E30 178 They decided that their best route was to use the franchise E30 179 deal to establish their business because of the support which the E30 180 system allows them.

E30 181 E30 182 Fastest food

E30 183 SCOTTISH bakers recently pulled out all the stops to beat the E30 184 record time for turning wheat growing in the field into a batch of E30 185 loaves.

E30 186 The time taken from the wheat being harvested at Balgonie E30 187 Estate, transported 6.9 miles to Hutchisons flour mill, Kirkcaldy E30 188 for processing, taken a further 6.6 miles to Stuart's bakery, E30 189 Buckhaven, where 13 loaves were baked, was two hours 43 minutes 26 E30 190 seconds.

E30 191 The operation was scrutinised by two independent E30 192 timekeepers.

E30 193 Norman Stuart, president of the Scottish Association of Master E30 194 Bakers said: "The setting of this record has been a first E30 195 class exercise done at great speed, using entirely conventional E30 196 methods. Furthermore it was set under the rules laid down by the E30 197 publishers of the Guinness Book of Records, with whom we are in E30 198 communication to determine whether or not our record qualifies for E30 199 inclusion, in their book. We are very hopeful of a positive E30 200 outcome.

E30 201 "There is no doubt that it is a Scottish record on which we E30 202 hope others will make an attempt. Perhaps the districts will take E30 203 up the challenge."

E30 204 E30 205 New Cuban citrus deal broadens UK market

E30 206 THE MAJORITY of Cuban citrus will be sold under a new European E30 207 marketing agreement this season. It is being organised by E30 208 Liverpool-based consultant. Ken Nieto and Oceanica Chilena, E30 209 Santiago, on behalf of Pole Lida.

E30 210 Pole is a new company based in Cuba, formed by Agricola Las E30 211 Araucarias, Santiago and Unecit, of Havana.

E30 212 The companies began to put the package together over a year ago E30 213 and this <}_><-|>culiminated<+|>culminated<}/> in Nieto returning E30 214 from the island with a group of prospective customers last week.

E30 215 "Everyone was impressed with what has been done by the E30 216 citrus industry, and the fruit looked excellent," he told E30 217 The Grocer.

E30 218 The scale is impressive. Trade sources indicate that there is a E30 219 potential of 2.5 million tonnes of oranges, red and white E30 220 grapefruit, lemons and limes, which makes it one of the largest E30 221 producers in the world.

E30 222 Nieto says the expects to be handling in excess of one million E30 223 cartons of Marsh Seedless and Ruby Red Grapefruit up to the end of E30 224 February. The first vessel is due to arrive at Sheerness next E30 225 week.

E30 226 "New technology has been introduced by the Chilean E30 227 companies ensuring that all fruit is packed to EC E30 228 standards," said Nieto. He also revealed that this had E30 229 resulted in packhouses being modernised, with new grading E30 230 machinery. In addition workers had been trained in picking and E30 231 packing.

E30 232 All fruit is packed in high quality cartons, and palletised in E30 233 56's, with full height corner guards and horizontal and vertical E30 234 strapping.

E30 235 To maximise sales opportunities there will be two brands. Best E30 236 Fruits, which is Class I, and aimed at wholesale markets and E30 237 supermarkets, and Tropical Island, Class II, also for markets, and E30 238 particularly the expanding fresh juice sector.

E30 239 Northern Fruit Brokers of Preston and Allan and Anderson (Fruit E30 240 Importers) of Liverpool have been appointed selling agents in the E30 241 UK.

E30 242 Nieto said he expected this to be the first of many such E30 243 projects which he was expecting to develop with Pole. E30 244 "There are other fruits available, apart from the wide E30 245 range citrus which includes tropicals like pineapples," he E30 246 says.

E30 247 E30 248 Banana safeguards urged

E30 249 THE importance of safeguarding the preferential UK market E30 250 access for bananas grown by British Caribbean producers was E30 251 stressed to Agricultural Minister John Gummer, when he opened E30 252 Fyffes' new ripening centre at Crossways, Dartford.

E30 253 E31 1 <#FLOB:E31\>LOGIC

E31 2 Sue Sillitoe visits Milan

E31 3 Logic Recording Studios is located on the outskirts of Milan. E31 4 It is to this 48-track digital facility, owned by brothers E31 5 Michelangelo and Carmelo La Bionda, that people like Beautiful E31 6 South, Depeche Mode and Robert Palmer have been flocking, despite E31 7 the fact that there are plenty of similar studios much closer to E31 8 home. Some may argue that UK-based bands would be better off using E31 9 UK-based studios, if only to avoid language barriers but Logic has E31 10 a strong multilingual policy in force - everyone who works there E31 11 speaks English and some of the staff speak German, French and E31 12 Spanish as well. However, this still doesn't explain why Logic has E31 13 been attracting so much business from the UK, nor why it is E31 14 perceived as a success when many other studios are finding times E31 15 very tough indeed.

E31 16 In Logic's case the answer is obvious: they succeed because E31 17 they have the right attitude. They manage to combine an efficient E31 18 and businesslike manner with style, friendliness and a sense of E31 19 humour - how could they fail?

E31 20 I was shown around the facility by the funniest pair of E31 21 engineers I've ever met - Pino Pischetola and Antonio Baglio. They E31 22 were like a comedy double act, interrupting each other in their E31 23 excitement to point out every little thing about the studio and E31 24 finishing each other's sentences when their English - which was E31 25 pretty good as far as I could tell - ran out on them.

E31 26 The recording studio, which is housed on the first floor of a E31 27 large modern building, was initially built by Italian record E31 28 company CDG back in the early '70s. CDG constructed the studio E31 29 separately inside the main building so that although it has no E31 30 natural daylight, it does have total isolation.

E31 31 When the record company got into financial trouble it sold the E31 32 studio to the La Bionda brothers - former Italian pop stars who had E31 33 moved into music production, publishing and running their own E31 34 record label. The brothers have been running the studio as a E31 35 commercial facility for about five years. Michelangelo is the E31 36 business brain behind the operation while Carmelo provides the E31 37 artistic content, composing music for advertising and developing E31 38 Logic's audio-for-video post-production skills. Over the last five E31 39 years they have totally revamped the studio and ancillary services E31 40 and have built up its reputation as a major international recording E31 41 facility.

E31 42 Soon after they took over, Michelangelo and Carmelo called in E31 43 studio designer Andy Munro to redesign the control room and check E31 44 out the acoustics in the recording area. A lot of work had to be E31 45 done in the control room to bring it up to scratch including the E31 46 installation of a 56-channel SSL SL 4056 console, new E31 47 Quested monitors and new tape machines.

E31 48 But Munro's advice regarding the studio area was to leave it E31 49 alone - it sounded fine and therefore why change it?

E31 50 The studio area is rather unusual. Firstly, it is huge - easily E31 51 big enough for full orchestral scores which do occasionally form E31 52 part of its workload. And, secondly, there's the acoustic E31 53 treatment, which really is unusual. It consists of a system of E31 54 large cylinders covering every wall, which revolve at the touch of E31 55 a button to give a live or dead atmosphere depending on what the E31 56 client needs. Also very interesting are the light fittings, which E31 57 hang like the underbelly of the Starship Enterprise from E31 58 the ridiculously high ceiling. As part of the redesign Michelangelo E31 59 talked about ripping the lights out. But he was persuaded to leave E31 60 them in because they are so unusual.

E31 61 The engineers say: "We find bands really like this E31 62 studio because they can set up all their gear and still have room E31 63 to move around. Often they use one half of it as a recreation area E31 64 - they hang around in there rather than in the control room because E31 65 there is so much space.

E31 66 "It is a shame that there is no natural light but because of E31 67 its size it doesn't feel claustrophobic. Its<&>sic! very rock and E31 68 roll - the finishes are not fine wood and delicate things, so a bit E31 69 of mess is OK. We have installed tie lines everywhere and we have E31 70 also got an extra wide lift so bringing machines up from the ground E31 71 floor is not a problem."

E31 72 One reason for Logic's international success is Michelangelo E31 73 and Carmelo's attitude towards equipment. They happily admit that E31 74 they like to stay one step ahead of the competition, which is why E31 75 they were the first studio in Italy to install an SSL desk, the E31 76 first to upgrade it with a G series computer and the first to E31 77 go 48-track digital.

E31 78 The studio is equipped with a Sony PCM-3348 digital tape E31 79 machine and also has two Studer A800 mkIII 24-tracks with E31 80 full DolbySR. If clients prefer to use Mitsubishi digital E31 81 machines Logic rents them in - usually from Hilton Sound in E31 82 London.

E31 83 Pischetola and Baglio say: "Logic chose Sony rather E31 84 than Mitsubishi because it felt it was a better machine and would E31 85 eventually be the format most people would want to use.

E31 86 "Michelangelo likes to be the first to do things and he is E31 87 prepared to take risks with new machines - the Sony was a risk E31 88 because a lot of Italian studios have been getting Mitsubishi E31 89 machines. But we think it's great. Not long after we got it two E31 90 Japanese engineers turned up from Sony and changed over the heads E31 91 because someone had reported a fault - we hadn't even realised E31 92 there was a problem but they changed them anyway."

E31 93 Apart from the Quested main monitors, Logic has Yamaha E31 94 NS10s for nearfield. Pischetola/Baglio add: "We also E31 95 have a pair of Alphi speakers which cost pounds7 and have to be the E31 96 worst speakers in the world. We play everything we do through them, E31 97 working on the basis that if it sounds OK through them then it's E31 98 going to sound OK anywhere!"

E31 99 Logic's equipment is certainly very up-to-date but that alone E31 100 isn't enough to stay ahead in this business so why are so many big E31 101 name bands choosing to record here? Surely it's not just the lure E31 102 of Milan?

E31 103 The engineering duo put it down to efficiency on an E31 104 international scale. They said: "In Italy there are a lot E31 105 of studios that are frankly awful. They have cheap desks, dreadful E31 106 wiring and no proper acoustic treatment. They don't have proper E31 107 maintenance either, whereas we have 24 hour maintenance because in E31 108 order to run an efficient international studio you have to have E31 109 your equipment 100% right.

E31 110 "Also our policy is to invest in new equipment. We have the E31 111 usual range of outboard gear and we check with clients in advance E31 112 to make sure we have everything they need. If we have not got E31 113 something we will either buy or hire it. For example, when Robert E31 114 Palmer was here for the first time he asked for a Lexicon 480, E31 115 which we didn't have. Michelangelo said: 'Why mess around hiring - E31 116 let's just buy it.' The same thing happened this year when Palmer E31 117 wanted a Focusrite rack - we simply bought it. We want to show that E31 118 we care. If we have to hire it's no problem. There are no hire E31 119 companies in Italy so we have to bring equipment in from the UK but E31 120 we have done this so often now that we have found a way through the E31 121 customs red tape.

E31 122 "Another reason we do well with international artists is E31 123 because we can help out with finances. If a band comes here and E31 124 wants to use backing singers or specialist musicians they may have E31 125 trouble financing payments. Because we have the back-up of a record E31 126 label and a publishing company we can arrange temporary finance E31 127 while money transfers are being sorted out. This is a vital point E31 128 and comes with experience. You have to work with international E31 129 bands over a long period of time to fully understand the problems E31 130 they have when they are abroad and find ways you can help make the E31 131 process as smooth as possible."

E31 132 These comments were reinforced by Michelangelo La Bionda: E31 133 "One of our main selling points is the staff. We have 18 E31 134 excellent people working here who all speak English. Also the E31 135 studio is of a very high standard - we like to get new things in E31 136 fast.

E31 137 "We are attracting a lot of international business because E31 138 Milan is a great city. It's the centre of the fashion industry and E31 139 the costs of recording here are comparable with recording in the E31 140 UK. I think the main reason we get a lot of international work is E31 141 historical. Carmelo and I started out in the music business over 20 E31 142 years ago as artists and producers so we have built up a lot of E31 143 contracts. Work comes here by word of mouth and once that happens E31 144 the whole thing spreads.

E31 145 "I have always believed in being international - both as an E31 146 artist and as a studio owner. I see myself as an internationalist, E31 147 I'm married to a Swedish woman, I have lived and worked in London, E31 148 in Munich and the US so I have gained a lot of experience. We try E31 149 to make sure the studio has the right kind of ambience and we are E31 150 constantly picking up new ideas, which we put into practice in the E31 151 studio. It seems to be paying off."

E31 152 He adds that diversification and success go hand-in-hand at E31 153 Logic. Apart from the recording studio, Logic also houses a copying E31 154 room for cassette and DAT; tape storage areas - they store all CBS E31 155 Italy's masters; a Sony 1630 editing room, which has recently E31 156 been redesigned to make it more comfortable; a cutting room; a E31 157 relaxation area for bands; administrative offices and a digital E31 158 audio/video post-production suite equipped with an AMS E31 159 AudioFile.

E31 160 Logic are now moving more and more into post-production as a E31 161 result of a joint venture it has recently undertaken with film E31 162 company Zeus. The two companies have set up a new E31 163 post-production facility in the centre of Milan, which is E31 164 known as Logic West. Most of Logic's television and advertising E31 165 agency work is being moved across to Logic West, leaving the E31 166 existing AudioFile suite free for CD pre-mastering.

E31 167 La Bionda says: "The aim is to have everything we need E31 168 in-house so that we can do all our own work here and also E31 169 take in work from other companies. My investment in the studio must E31 170 be aimed at getting top quality results. When we started we had E31 171 very little - just one studio. But now we have opened out the E31 172 business to cover lots of different areas so that if one side is E31 173 down, due to usual market fluctuations, we are making a living with E31 174 one of our other activities. Having a diverse client base is vital E31 175 to our success."

E31 176 Apart from the existing facilities, the La Bionda brothers are E31 177 in the process of building a second studio on the fifth floor of E31 178 the complex. Once again they have called in Andy Munro to design E31 179 the room, which will be equipped with a 36-channel Amek E31 180 Angela, a Studer A800 and Dolby SR. Primarily this E31 181 studio will be used by them for their own work, which involves a E31 182 lot of composing for advertising. They had been finding it E31 183 difficult to get into the main studio because it was so much in E31 184 demand by clients.

E31 185 "The new studio upstairs will be geared towards the E31 186 sort of work Carmelo and I do. It will have lots of keyboards and a E31 187 Synclavier, which we are installing in the spring."

E31 188 There is so much to say about Logic Studios that one wonders E31 189 where to start. But the overriding impression you get from visiting E31 190 this facility is that it's the people that make the place so E31 191 interesting.

E31 192 But why have they never put together a brochure or gone in for E31 193 heavy advertising campaigns? La Bionda's answer was simple and yet E31 194 typical of Logic's attitude: "We have never bothered with a E31 195 brochure because I think the best way to sell Logic is to get E31 196 people over here to see it. If someone shows an interest in using E31 197 the studio I will fly them out to visit us at my expense. E31 198 E32 1 <#FLOB:E32\>SETTING UP ABROAD

E32 2 REVIEWS: RIBA REPORTS

E32 3 The RIBA has published the first three of its series of major E32 4 reports on the architectural professions of continental countries. E32 5 Ian Ritchie reviews the one on France, Nicholas Terry, Portugal and E32 6 Alex Reid, Spain.

E32 7 Architectural Practice in Europe: France

E32 8 Compiled by Davis Langdon and Everest for the RIBA. 1990. E32 9 176pp. A4 paperback, pounds150. (members pounds95)

E32 10 Architectural Practice in Europe: Portugal

E32 11 Compiled by WS Atkins Management Consultants for the RIBA. E32 12 1991. 128pp. A4 paperback, pounds165 (members pounds125)

E32 13 Architectural Practice in Europe: Spain

E32 14 Compiled by WS Atkins Management Consultants for the RIBA. E32 15 1991. 174pp. A4 paperback, pounds165 (members pounds125)

E32 16 These reports are the first of a planned series which aims to E32 17 cover all the EC countries. The one on Germany will be published in E32 18 May and a guide to Italy is expected before the end of the year.

E32 19 Each report covers approximately the same areas of interest:

E32 20 <*_>bullet<*/>background: including geography and population, E32 21 transport, the economy, government, education, the legal system, E32 22 company law and the market for building construction

E32 23 <*_>bullet<*/>the building process: project participants, E32 24 stages of the process, comparison of UK and local processes

E32 25 <*_>bullet<*/>aspects of the local system: planning, building E32 26 control, quality assurance, building regulations, insurance and E32 27 liability, standards, public procurement, and recent legislation

E32 28 <*_>bullet<*/>architectural practice: education, structure of E32 29 the profession, architects' offices, comparison of the UK and local E32 30 practice

E32 31 <*_>bullet<*/>other project participants: clients, technical E32 32 architects, contractors, suppliers, surveyors, engineers, interior E32 33 designers, landscape architects and town planners

E32 34 <*_>bullet<*/>opportunities and constraints: differences in E32 35 practice, the market for architectural services, implications of E32 36 the single market

E32 37 <*_>bullet<*/>appendices: standard forms, local words, fee E32 38 scales, addresses, bibliography.

E32 39 The exact contents vary a little between volumes, of course, E32 40 but from this list it is obvious that the coverage is meant to be E32 41 comprehensive. None of the volumes has an index, which is a serious E32 42 omission that should be remedied in later reports. The volumes are E32 43 complementary to the CIRIA reports on the same countries, indeed E32 44 they have been written by the same authors; the RIBA reports are E32 45 done from the point of view of the architect.

E32 46 The selling price is quite high - clearly the idea is to recoup E32 47 most of the cost of doing the research as well as the cost of E32 48 publishing a short print run.

E32 49 FRANCE E32 50 This report represents a very thorough appraisal of the E32 51 situation in France for UK architects intending to set up there.

E32 52 In the section on background, it would have been useful to have E32 53 more direct comparisons with the UK. These would have helped one to E32 54 appreciate more easily some of the fundamental differences between E32 55 the two countries. The importance of local politics, notably the E32 56 role of the mayor, appears under 'The Cultural Context', when, in E32 57 fact, this single page would have been better placed at the very E32 58 beginning of the book.

E32 59 The cultural context could have been usefully elaborated E32 60 further. For instance, it is important to understand the length of E32 61 term for which a mayor is elected, and in particular the role of E32 62 the mayor's political office and its director. Also the E32 63 organisation of local government, and the administrative role of E32 64 the general secretary of the council could be examined. Their E32 65 importance in decision making should not be underestimated.

E32 66 The section on 'The Building Process' is difficult to E32 67 understand when read as a single chapter. It is essential to read E32 68 the entire book and then go back to this area.

E32 69 Public commissions are the most important area for architects E32 70 to obtain work. But the description in this section of the public E32 71 ma<*_>i-circ<*/>tre d'ouvrage (client) is a bit E32 72 thin with reference to the ma<*_>i-circ<*/>tre d'ouvrage E32 73 d<*_>e-acute<*/>l<*_>e-acute<*/>gu<*_>e-acute<*/> E32 74 (client's representative). The book does not explain how often E32 75 public clients delegate to a professional public body to undertake E32 76 the works for them, nor does it explain the consequences of this E32 77 delegation with respect to the position of the architect. It would E32 78 be useful to know which areas the client cannot legally E32 79 delegate.

E32 80 There is no mention of the architect's role as E32 81 ma<*_>i-circ<*/>tre de chantier, which is often E32 82 the role adopted when the architect wishes to control the site.

E32 83 The section on the 'Mission' (scope of the work) of E32 84 the architect could have been more informative in describing the E32 85 basic attitude of French clients, generally, to the ability of the E32 86 architect to undertake the complete role that we associate with the E32 87 architect in the UK. A very important fact being that the MOP E32 88 (Ma<*_>i-circ<*/>trise d'Oeuvre Publique) law E32 89 of 1988 formally recognises that architects are not capable of E32 90 doing the full working drawings. This is because, historically, E32 91 architects did not produce any working drawings, and this has E32 92 proved to be a psychological problem for UK architects working in E32 93 France for two reasons. First, the fee is consequently lower, and E32 94 second, the ability to control the quality is taken away from the E32 95 architect. French clients do not believe they should pay twice for E32 96 construction drawings, and in the past they have expected these E32 97 from others, notably from contractors.

E32 98 The section on 'The Profession' covers all of the important E32 99 issues, but does not read in a way that is easily accessible. E32 100 Again, the whole book has to be appreciated first. One point to E32 101 note is that no mention is made of the possibility of UK architects E32 102 extending UK insurance through their professional indemnity E32 103 policies, which can satisfy French insurance requirements. Because, E32 104 as the book states, there is no standard form of contract in E32 105 general use. Both architects and contractors rely to a large extent E32 106 on avenants (supplements to their contracts).

E32 107 The chapter on architectural practice could have benefited from E32 108 a clearer explanation of the various missions. It could also E32 109 have mentioned the fact that the fee scales currently in force in E32 110 France are based on building costs established in the early 1970s, E32 111 which are, to date, not seen in France as being retroactive. This E32 112 is another area which leads to lower fees being available for work E32 113 in France, and the comparative table of the British and French fee E32 114 scales included is misleading. It would have been useful to have a E32 115 clear comparative fee table.

E32 116 There was also no mention of the fact that it is possible to E32 117 operate from the UK as long as one is registered for TVA (VAT) in E32 118 France.

E32 119 In order to make the book more accessible as a reference E32 120 document, it would be better to use more tables and graphic E32 121 comparisons. Equally, the key points, which are very good, at the E32 122 front of the book, could have been explained in more detail. And E32 123 they could be listed in an order related to the way the book is E32 124 written, or listed at the end of each of the chapters.

E32 125 It was interesting to note that the lower fee scale was not E32 126 seen as a key point. Nor was the architect's design control thought E32 127 to be prejudiced because of the architect's limited role in E32 128 producing working drawings.

E32 129 Despite these small criticisms the book represents very good E32 130 value for any architect thinking seriously about working in France, E32 131 or indeed already doing so.

E32 132 PORTUGAL E32 133 This report was designed to provide RIBA members with the E32 134 necessary information to practice confidently in Portugal.

E32 135 How well it does this can be assessed from the comments I E32 136 received from Richard Clarke, a UK architect resident in Lisbon for E32 137 many years, who reviewed the document for me. He said it would be E32 138 very useful translated into Portuguese for local sale since it E32 139 contained much information that was not published in Portugal, E32 140 particularly on the background to European integration and the E32 141 adoption of various European directives.

E32 142 The background section of the report has a number of items of E32 143 interest on company taxation, employment law and the market for E32 144 building construction.

E32 145 The report is at its weakest in the description of the design E32 146 and building process from planning procedures to construction E32 147 methodologies. The authors accept this by saying that since there E32 148 is no formal regulation of the building process the details of E32 149 design and project management are not discussed in depth because E32 150 they depend upon individual designers' and contractors' own E32 151 practice. However, the framework of the design and building process E32 152 is outlined and it will be for individual practitioners to fill in E32 153 the detail once they have made the commitment to work in E32 154 Portugal.

E32 155 Bureaucracy is lethargic in Portugal, which makes obtaining E32 156 planning permission slow and complex. This is even more so now that E32 157 the EC directives are being introduced. The local municipalities E32 158 (camaras) do not do a thorough check on submitted E32 159 schemes, as is implied in the report. They work to the 'book' and E32 160 the latest regulation, even when that is 50 years out of date, as E32 161 it sometimes is. Architects accept the responsibility for the E32 162 design and for its compliance with the latest regulations. A formal E32 163 planning system is almost non-existent, there are no town planners E32 164 and few structure plans. Planning submissions may either be E32 165 rejected on bureaucratic grounds or may pass through the system E32 166 without difficulty. Architects in the municipalities set down E32 167 guidelines and requirements and because they have established them E32 168 they object to a different viewpoint of rejected submissions and E32 169 the uncertainty of obtaining planning approvals.

E32 170 The contracting process also has its drawbacks: few contracts E32 171 meet programme dates, liquidated damages are not acceptable, E32 172 fixed-price contracts go against the system, inflation clauses are E32 173 regulated and delays are always the fault of others. Resolution of E32 174 disputes by recourse to the legal system will break the resolve of E32 175 even the strong willed. The uncertainties of the contracting E32 176 process can have a great influence in regulating demand.

E32 177 Generally, contracting is very traditional and based on E32 178 traditional detailing, so fast-track construction, or E32 179 sophisticated frame-and-skin building techniques can lead to E32 180 implementation problems, delays and extra cost.

E32 181 In Portugal the architectural profession is striving to improve E32 182 its status and importance in the design and building process. The E32 183 report highlights the weaker position of the Portuguese architect E32 184 compared to his UK counterpart. Portugal is an earthquake zone and E32 185 engineers have traditionally dominated because of the greater E32 186 responsibility that they assume. It is only recently that the E32 187 Portuguese Association of Architects has become a legitimate E32 188 professional body, to represent the profession and improve its E32 189 status.

E32 190 There has been an increase in the number of schools of E32 191 architecture and, as the report points out, the requirement for E32 192 professional practice before qualifying is limited. Most students E32 193 work in architects' offices gaining practical experience during E32 194 their education. Many architects work in both local government E32 195 offices and private practice. Practices are generally small groups E32 196 of architects or sole practitioners who sometimes come together to E32 197 undertake major commissions. Large- to medium-size practices are E32 198 rare. The key role the architect carries out is the obtaining of E32 199 planning permission and this is highlighted in the lower level of E32 200 fees charged in comparison to the UK levels of service.

E32 201 The report does not emphasise strongly enough that once the E32 202 project is passed over to the contractor the architect's control is E32 203 lost, rights of authorship can be overridden and the result is at E32 204 best a close approximation of the architect's intentions. However, E32 205 the influence of the EC and the support of other representative E32 206 bodies, such as the RIBA, in other member states will help improve E32 207 this position.

E32 208 Because it is written from the perspective of the UK, the E32 209 report is a little hard on Portuguese architects who have been E32 210 educated into the system. They would like to improve their image E32 211 but there are severe drawbacks: technical journals and books are E32 212 few, and reference libraries and trade literature are virtually E32 213 non-existent, so there is an enormous gap that needs to be filled. E32 214 How can an architect with no ultimate liability for the building E32 215 process, as the report states, exist detached from the process of E32 216 control and supervision? Yet they do, and the quality of the work, E32 217 when undertaken seriously, can match that of the international E32 218 market.

E32 219 The section on opportunities and constraints gives a sketchy E32 220 outline of the opportunities and concentrates particularly on the E32 221 European dimension and the single market. E32 222 E33 1 <#FLOB:E33\>BREASTFEEDING

E33 2 THE MOST NATURAL FUNCTION

E33 3 Francesca Entwistle looks at some of the psychosocial and E33 4 cultural issues surrounding breastfeeding. In a second article, we E33 5 investigate ways in which milk production can be suppressed if a E33 6 woman is unable, or does not wish, to breastfeed

E33 7 IN this technological age, there is a tendency for people to E33 8 forget that humans are mammals, just like zebras and gorillas. E33 9 Suckling is the prerogative of all mammalian young, and the milk E33 10 produced by the individual species is precisely adapted to their E33 11 growth needs.

E33 12 Breastfeeding is a very emotive subject and the mere mention of E33 13 the word can evoke strong responses, particularly from women. These E33 14 are often influenced by very deep and complex sociological, E33 15 cultural, psychological and psycho-sexual issues.

E33 16 Whether you were breastfed yourself, or whether you breastfeed E33 17 your own child, depends on many variables, including your social E33 18 group and economic position. In some societies, poor, marginally E33 19 nourished women breastfeed successfully, while other groups of E33 20 privileged, well-nourished women fail.

E33 21 Within modern Western society, breasts are often perceived as E33 22 sexual objects, yet their primary function of nurturing of the E33 23 young receives much less attention. An American woman's description E33 24 of her first impression of breasts illustrate this point: E33 25 "The first idea I had that people did breastfeed was from E33 26 looking at Catholic missionary magazines of African women nursing E33 27 ... I didn't see a white person's breasts until I saw a E33 28 Playboy magazine at the age of twelve."

E33 29 There appears to be a fundamental prejudice in our attitudes to E33 30 public breastfeeding. Television cameras turn their lens on hungry E33 31 women who, during a famine, are keeping their babies alive with E33 32 this precious fluid. As long as they are black and devastated it is E33 33 all right to watch. But how often does one witness white women E33 34 breastfeeding on television without its being received as E33 35 offensive?

E33 36 Within our society, if a woman's breasts are lactating, she E33 37 often feels obliged to withdraw to feed her baby, because to suckle E33 38 a baby in daily life is perceived as a disturbing sight by many E33 39 people. However, those people who object may well pay to watch a E33 40 woman expose her breasts in the form of a strip-a-gram for the E33 41 sexual stimulation of friends or strangers.

E33 42 The 1990s are proving to be the age of the working mother who E33 43 is actively encouraged to return to work. But often the very men - E33 44 fathers, husbands - who discover the excellence of breastfeeding E33 45 and recommend it wholeheartedly do nothing to provide facilities in E33 46 the workplace and do little to advocate the financial benefits and E33 47 flexible schedules which are essential for those mothers who must E33 48 or choose to remain in the wage-earning world. Women may now be E33 49 able to control their reproductive functions, but men still seem to E33 50 control the way our society is run.

E33 51 Those women who do decide to work and breastfeed often find E33 52 their loyalties and their emotions torn. Breastfeeding is not only E33 53 a method of physical nurturing, it is a way of communicating with E33 54 another human being and a way of loving. As a result, breastfeeding E33 55 is never just a matter of technique or just a matter of filling a E33 56 baby up with milk in the same way you fill up the tank of a car E33 57 with petrol.

E33 58 Breastfeeding involves strong emotions and feelings. If the E33 59 mother is not happy and relaxed in a conducive, comfortable E33 60 environment, the process will fail. When the mother is tense and E33 61 anxious the secretion of oxytocin and the subsequent flow of milk E33 62 is restricted. The mother needs constant support and reassurance. E33 63 It is not enough to say: "Breast is best, but we always E33 64 have a good alternative available if you find it too E33 65 difficult." The midwife, friend or companion needs to E33 66 believe that "breast is not only best" but E33 67 "breast is possible."

E33 68 Palmer draws an amusing but pertinent analogy to the E33 69 primigravid mother who is having problems breastfeeding in the E33 70 hospital post-natal ward. Imagine, she says, a young man E33 71 embarking on his first attempt at sexual intercourse. Ask him to E33 72 set about his task in a strange environment, where there are E33 73 'experts' he has never met before, ready to tell him how it ought E33 74 to be done. When he starts, a busy 'expert' tells him how to do it E33 75 and inspects his body with a critical expression, prodding him and E33 76 his equally inexperienced partner in an insensitive manner. By the E33 77 bed is an artificial penis - 'just in case he can't manage it'. Is E33 78 it any wonder he fails, just as the mother so often fails and gives E33 79 up breastfeeding in those very early stages?

E33 80 Breasts are not genitals, but they are certainly important, E33 81 both erotically and reproductively. Of course, not all cultures E33 82 attach erotic values to breasts. In some, the breasts are purely E33 83 functional. In Western culture, however, they are considered as E33 84 secondary sex characteristics and signify qualities of E33 85 attractiveness and <}_><-|>feminity<+|>femininity<}/> in women. E33 86 Many men find breasts highly arousing.

E33 87 Regardless of the size of the breasts, their internal structure E33 88 varies little from one <}_><-|>women<+|>woman<}/> to another. The E33 89 nipple has many nerve endings and is often a source of pleasurable E33 90 sensations during lovemaking, masturbation or breastfeeding. Sexual E33 91 arousal itself tends to make the nipples stand erect and therefore E33 92 turn outward, and the suckling of a baby has the same effect. The E33 93 secretion of oxytocin from the brain is stimulated through the E33 94 nerves in the nipple area. Oxytocin is also involved in sexual E33 95 arousal and orgasm, and milk may sometimes spurt from the breasts E33 96 during lovemaking.

E33 97 Some women experience an erotic arousal or orgasmic reaction to E33 98 breastfeeding itself and may find this difficult to cope with and E33 99 be disturbed by it. A mother's attitude to the baby may be E33 100 influenced by the physical and emotional feelings during E33 101 suckling.

E33 102 Many women experience a loss of sexual desire and libido while E33 103 breastfeeding. Bailey believes this may be because many of the E33 104 women's sexual needs are being met by the baby. Breastfeeding E33 105 influences relationships and sexuality in many different ways. It E33 106 influences the woman's feelings about herself, her own body and her E33 107 relationship with her partner.

E33 108 Breastfeeding will also affect the man's feelings. Male E33 109 confidence should be enhanced by emphasising his role as a husband E33 110 and father, but if too much is expected of him, and he may not E33 111 reach the standards set, he might feel he has failed and feel E33 112 alienated from his partner and baby. Some men may feel jealous that E33 113 what was once 'their' domain is now shared. Couples must try to E33 114 communicate their needs and try and find ways of remaining close to E33 115 each other while the woman is breastfeeding even if, during that E33 116 time, there is no intercourse.

E33 117 Scott describes the other side of breastfeeding. While her E33 118 husband loved to watch her breastfeed and found her increased bust E33 119 size very attractive, leaking breasts during arousal could not be E33 120 prevented and were seen as something of a dampener! Some couples E33 121 may find breast fluid attractive, but many people are affected by E33 122 Victorian attitudes, where the only body fluid felt to be socially E33 123 acceptable is tears.

E33 124 For breastfeeding to succeed it must involve so much more than E33 125 a matter of personal inclination. Women all over the world, through E33 126 no fault of their own, are being tricked into feeding their babies E33 127 artificially, and this affects us all - our health, our environment E33 128 and the global economy. "Just as people have come to E33 129 realise that forests are not simply a source for firewood ... so E33 130 economic planners must learn that human beings are part of the eco E33 131 system and that something as unnoticed as breastfeeding contributes E33 132 to a saner management of the earth's resources."

E33 133 E33 134 BREASTFEEDING

E33 135 SUPPRESSING LACTATION

E33 136 Some women are unable or do not wish to breastfeed for a E33 137 variety of reasons. Jacquie Eaton looks at methods of relief for E33 138 breast engorgement and pain.

E33 139 DESPITE a resurgent interest in breastfeeding, there is a E33 140 significant number of women who do not breastfeed their babies. E33 141 This may be from personal choice, but may also be because of E33 142 maternal illness, fetal illness or abnormalities, or perhaps breast E33 143 disease. Some women will have experienced a stillbirth or E33 144 miscarriage. Not breastfeeding may lead to considerable breast pain E33 145 and engorgement during the days following childbirth, until the E33 146 time when lactation eventually becomes suppressed naturally.

E33 147 Various approaches are to be found which offer relief from the E33 148 symptoms of engorgement and breast pain. Midwives need to be aware E33 149 of these approaches and to be able to offer appropriate advice to E33 150 their clients.

E33 151 Currently, two types of pharmaceutical methods are being used, E33 152 and are compared in Table 1. Also, the use of pyridoxine has been E33 153 compared with a placebo. The data available shows it has only E33 154 limited effect on lactation.

E33 155 In the early 1960s, the effect on lactation and breast symptoms E33 156 of spraying synthetic oxytocin intra-nasally was studied by E33 157 Ryan and Brown and Winter and Robinson. This was not found to be E33 158 effective.

E33 159 Wong et al. studied the effectiveness of a non-pharmacological E33 160 method of suppressing lactation (the local application of ice and E33 161 wearing a tight bra) to a pharmacological therapy (using E33 162 bromocriptine mesylate).

E33 163 Although some subjects in both groups experienced no unpleasant E33 164 symptoms, most subjects experienced the lactation process. The drug E33 165 group had significantly less engorgement, milk leakage and E33 166 discomfort on the fourth day, but the lactation process was E33 167 prolonged until the ninth to 16th post-partum day. The protocol E33 168 group had more engorgement, milk leakage and discomfort on E33 169 post-partum day four, but the lactation process was completed E33 170 before postpartum day 16.

E33 171 Brooten compared four treatments (bromocriptine, tight bra, E33 172 restricted fluids or binder) to prevent and control breast pain and E33 173 engorgement in non-nursing mothers. About 38% of all E33 174 subjects experienced leakage, principally between days three and E33 175 six post-partum. The results showed that significantly E33 176 fewer subjects experienced leakage in the drug group than in the E33 177 other three groups. Subjects on fluid restriction experienced the E33 178 most leakage.

E33 179 The incidence of breast pain after delivery is shown in Table E33 180 2. Irrespective of treatment, the highest incidence of breast pain E33 181 occurred between the third and fifth day post-partum.

E33 182 The drug treatment involved in this study effectively prevented E33 183 engorgement and pain. The commercially available bra was least E33 184 effective in controlling engorgement and its associated pain, and E33 185 some women in the trial experienced pain for up to 14 days E33 186 post-partum. When the severity of pain was evaluated, there were no E33 187 significant differences between the four treatments.

E33 188 Two measures for pain relief were used - the application of E33 189 ice, and analgesics. Bromocriptine was found to be more effective E33 190 in reducing the incidence of pain and leakage of milk associated E33 191 with breast engorgement than the non-pharmacological methods E33 192 <}_><-|>studies<+|>studied<}/>. Women in all three E33 193 non-pharmacological treatment groups experienced pain and leakage, E33 194 but the differences were not significant. The use of a standardised E33 195 bra appeared to be least satisfactory.

E33 196 In Queensland, Australia, midwives carried out a pilot study to E33 197 compare the outcomes of two non-pharmacological methods. Two groups E33 198 were set up.

E33 199 The hospital group consisted of 57 women whose treatment E33 200 included the wearing of a well-fitting bra or binder, restriction E33 201 of fluid intake, use of analgesia and avoidance of breast or nipple E33 202 stimulation from heat, massage or the expression of milk.

E33 203 The experimental group comprised 95 women whose treatment E33 204 involved expressing engorged breasts, either manually or with a E33 205 breast pump. The breasts were either emptied or expressed as often E33 206 as required for comfort.

E33 207 Other traditional methods such as wearing a binder were also E33 208 permitted. The respondents were asked to rate their pain on a E33 209 four-point scale over a 14-day period. The hospital group not only E33 210 suffered higher levels of pain, but its level peaked a day later E33 211 than the experimental group and was slower to resolve. Both groups E33 212 were totally free of discomfort by day 11.

E33 213 This study raises questions about the techniques currently E33 214 employed in the management of the suppression of lactation in the E33 215 immediate post-partum period. The method of expressing milk to E33 216 relieve symptoms of suppression of lactation offers an alternative E33 217 and revolutionary approach. Additionally, the study shows that, E33 218 regardless of the approach employed, few women experienced severe E33 219 pain during this period. E33 220 E34 1 <#FLOB:E34\>Hand-in-hand with cleansing goes moisturising and E34 2 it follows that women's interest in looking after and protecting E34 3 their skin is on the increase. Smith & Nephew's research E34 4 demonstrates that not only are women moisturising more frequently, E34 5 but that they are purchasing a variety of products to meet specific E34 6 needs, such as night care and eye care.

E34 7 Awareness of the effects of the environment on the skin means E34 8 that consumers will look for added benefits, such as the inclusion E34 9 of UVA/UVB sunscreens in products. This trend first caught on in E34 10 the higher priced ranges, such as Elizabeth Arden's Immunage, and E34 11 now moisturisers with sun protection factors (SPFs) are becoming E34 12 almost commonplace in the mass market. The new Nivea Visage day E34 13 care moisturisers all contain sunscreens, and many moisturising E34 14 ranges are starting to include them as standard, such as Pure & E34 15 Simple (relaunched this month), Ponds Creams, the new Rich E34 16 Moisturising Lotion from Simple, and the recently introduced E34 17 Synergie range.

E34 18 Women's awareness of the profound ageing effect that the sun E34 19 can have on the skin is increasing, and they are starting to think E34 20 about protecting the skin from their teens onwards. Many brands on E34 21 the market therefore now have a broad appeal across all age groups, E34 22 recognizing that an individual's approach to skin care is more E34 23 important than her age. Both Plenitude and Synergie skin care E34 24 ranges are aimed at a wide spectrum of women aged between 25 and E34 25 60, who expect more than the basics from their skin care. These E34 26 women are interested in trying more sophisticated products offering E34 27 the high performance which used to be only associated with premium E34 28 brands.

E34 29 As the skin care market becomes increasingly competitive, many E34 30 companies prefer to adopt this non-ageist approach in an E34 31 attempt to maximise sales. Andrew Fry, Brand Manager for Aapri, E34 32 believes that, "Brand platforms are moving; they used to be E34 33 narrow, but now they are spreading out. Manufacturers are avoiding E34 34 targeting just the young, as population demographics are moving E34 35 away from them". Since its relaunch, Aapri has moved up the E34 36 age range and is now aimed at women aged 16 to 35. Previously, its E34 37 target was teens to early twenties.

E34 38 Nivea Visage is targeted more tightly at the 25-34 age group, E34 39 as Smith & Nephew believe that these women are big spenders in the E34 40 skin care market, accounting for a 23.5% share. They have also E34 41 identified married women as offering more potential than single E34 42 (married women represent 63% of the market) as well as upmarket E34 43 ABC1s (accounting for 59%).

E34 44 L'Oreal, too, are aware of the importance of the ABC1 E34 45 purchaser, and recent extensions to the hugely successful Plenitude E34 46 range are aimed at the more upmarket woman. According to L'Oreal, E34 47 Plenitude now has a 6.6% sterling share (measured during E34 48 March/April 1991) and is the number two brand on the market behind E34 49 Oil of Ulay. Its success lies in bringing affordable yet E34 50 sophisticated products within the reach of the mass market with E34 51 particular emphasis on the anti-ageing claim. For example, E34 52 Plenitude's Contour R<*_>e-acute<*/>gard is a high performance eye E34 53 product with liposomes which claims to help delay the ageing E34 54 process.

E34 55 Like Plenitude, many other brands now boast specific eye care E34 56 products within their ranges. Est<*_>e-acute<*/>e Lauder's Eyzone E34 57 Repair Gel set the trend for specialised eye care, and is part of E34 58 the growing consumer need for individual products for specific E34 59 needs, while Vichy have addressed this trend with brands such as E34 60 Restructure Eye Contour Gel. Now, however, specialised eye care E34 61 becomes even more accessible (both in price and in distribution) as E34 62 Synergie launch Bio-Contour Eye Gel and Ultra Gentle Eye Make-up E34 63 Remover.

E34 64 Although anti-ageing claims are becoming more commonplace E34 65 across the whole skin care market, Vichy believe that the trend in E34 66 the future will be towards 'hydrators' which restore the skin's E34 67 natural level of moisture and act as a protective barrier against E34 68 the environment. Equaliance Hydra-Repair Cream is such a product E34 69 and, like other sophisticated moisturising products, it contains E34 70 liposomes claiming a 'repairing' action which works on the E34 71 epidermis.

E34 72 Pharmacy-only brand Vichy is renowned for its skin care E34 73 reputation, and this is extended into cosmetics with a range of E34 74 foundations which not only add colour but also care for the skin. E34 75 As technical advances are made both in skin care and colour E34 76 cosmetics, it is likely that more make-up brands will incorporate E34 77 skin care preparations. The recently introduced Clarins Colour E34 78 range promises formulations which help to protect the skin from E34 79 pollutants in the atmosphere as well as allowing the skin to E34 80 breathe. Meanwhile, Boots No.7 is being relaunched this month with E34 81 the introduction of Made to Measure Make-up, a foundation with the E34 82 addition of customised skin care treatments.

E34 83 But will these new skin care/make-up products encroach on the E34 84 traditional skin care market? Frederique Texier, Brand Manager for E34 85 Plenitude, thinks not. She ventures that "the main action E34 86 of a traditional skin care product is to protect and moisturise the E34 87 skin - essentially, it works on the condition of the skin. The main E34 88 action of cosmetics is to use colours to make a person look more E34 89 attractive. They work primarily on the exterior appearance of the E34 90 skin".

E34 91 Smith and Nephew also believe that it is unlikely that E34 92 cosmetics with skin care benefits are actually detracting from E34 93 traditional skin care sales. This is because few consumers seem E34 94 prepared to forego the benefits of their usual moisturiser, but are E34 95 likely to choose make-up products which offer additional E34 96 performance benefits as a means of enhancing - rather than E34 97 replacing - their regular skin care r<*_>e-acute<*/>gime.

E34 98 As consumers demand more from their skin care, so too are they E34 99 expecting the cosmetics they buy to offer more than just colour. E34 100 Far from being in danger of losing out to make-up, the skin care E34 101 market looks set to flourish as women continue to use more products E34 102 on a more frequent basis, matching them to different usage E34 103 occasions.

E34 104 E34 105 Skin Care Notebook

E34 106 TOILETRY

E34 107 Nivea Visage (Smith & Nephew) was first launched in E34 108 France where it has become the No 1 moisturising range. For the UK, E34 109 there are eight products for cleansing, day moisturising and night E34 110 care, aimed at 25-35 year olds. pounds1.8 million is being spent on E34 111 advertising on TV and in the women's press and the range is priced E34 112 between rsp. pounds2.69 and pounds5.50.

E34 113 Ponds Day Creams (Elida Gibbs) have been reformulated E34 114 to include UVA and UVB protection. In order to encourage consumer E34 115 trial, an on-pack leaflet will be attached to the 100ml sizes of E34 116 Light Day Cream and Dry Skin Cream detailing the importance of E34 117 using a day time moisturiser with sunscreens. It also offers E34 118 existing users the opportunity to send a friend a free 25ml trial E34 119 size of one of the new products.

E34 120 Simple (Smith & Nephew) has added Rich Moisturising Lotion E34 121 to its range of non-perfumed, non-coloured products. It provides E34 122 deeper moisturising and protection for drier and more mature skins E34 123 and incorporates UVA and UVB sunscreens. It retails at pounds2.40 E34 124 for 150ml.

E34 125 Timotei (Elida Gibbs) is introducing a Facial Scrub to its E34 126 skin care range. It is based on natural ingredients and combines an E34 127 exfoliator with an effective cleansing lotion element thereby E34 128 performing a dual function. The launch coincides with a national E34 129 promotion to encourage trial - this consists of an on-pack collar E34 130 across the existing range of products which invites customers to E34 131 send off for a coupon redeemable against a full size Facial Scrub. E34 132 It will cost rsp. pounds2.24 for a 50ml tube.

E34 133 Pure & Simple (SmithKline Beecham) is being E34 134 relaunched in new white and purple packaging and reformulated with E34 135 updated ingredients, a reduction of oiliness in the cleansers and E34 136 moisturisers, and the addition of UVA and UVB filters in the E34 137 Moisturising Lotion. Replenishing Cream for dry skin is being E34 138 introduced with a patented formulation which also contains E34 139 sunscreens. The range retails between pounds2.49 and pounds3.99.

E34 140 Cyclax (Lentheric Morny) is running a consumer promotion E34 141 until December this year. A luxury towelling bathrobe can be E34 142 obtained for a discount price of pounds9.95 plus proof of purchase E34 143 of Cyclax Moistura Fragrance Free.

E34 144 Vaseline Intensive Care UV Daily Defence Lotion is an E34 145 interesting new proposition - in fact, described by its E34 146 manufacturers as "unique" - which takes the concept of E34 147 everyday UV protection and incorporates it into a simple, E34 148 no-nonsense lotion. Ideal for use on the face and body, this light E34 149 moisturising lotion is easily absorbed and offers both UVA and UVB E34 150 protection.

E34 151 Syngergie<&|>sic! (Laboratoires Garnier) introduces E34 152 Bio-Contour Eye Gel (rsp pounds5.99) - a cooling hypo-allergenic, E34 153 opthamologically-tested gel to counteract shadows, puffiness and E34 154 fine lines and wrinkles. The active ingredients include plant E34 155 extracts (papaya and pineapple), collagen, amino acids and vitamin E34 156 E - the latter carried and released via hi-tech 'liquid crystals'. E34 157 Also new is Ultra Gentle Eye Make-up Remover (rsp pounds2.99): a E34 158 gentle rose-scented liquid remover with allantoin which is pH E34 159 balanced to that of tears and is opthamologically-tested for E34 160 sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers.

E34 161 E34 162 Facing Facts in the '90s

E34 163 High performance products, stylish new packaging: Pure & Simple E34 164 presents a new and caring promise to 'Protect skin today. For E34 165 tomorrow', with an integrated range designed for today's busy E34 166 woman.

E34 167 As women move into the most health-aware decade ever, it has E34 168 become increasingly apparent that maintaining a healthy complexion E34 169 takes a long term plan of action. For smooth, supple skin in the E34 170 future, care has to be taken now. Thus, the new Pure & Simple E34 171 message is appropriately simple: "Protect your skin today. E34 172 For tomorrow".

E34 173 The new Pure & Simple range has been developed retaining the E34 174 brand's existing core values of purity and naturalness. Pure & E34 175 Simple has always been seen as a kind, caring range and the new E34 176 product line-up reiterates that message perfectly. Pure & Simple E34 177 now sets superior new levels of performance in toiletry skin care - E34 178 a particularly buoyant sector of the market which currently E34 179 accounts for 51% of sales worth pounds378 million.

E34 180 Today's Pure & Simple user is well-educated in her knowledge E34 181 and attitudes towards skin care. That's why she is unwilling to E34 182 compromise on products which only offer short term benefits, E34 183 whoever luxurious they may first appear.

E34 184 By choosing Pure & Simple, she can enjoy sophisticated new E34 185 formulations which have benefited from the kind of hi-tech research E34 186 and development which only a company like SmithKline Beecham can E34 187 provide. And the benefits which these products offer your customer E34 188 - like UV filters for essential protection - are the kind of skin E34 189 care benefits which, previously, you would only expect to find in E34 190 premium or consultancy-only ranges.

E34 191 So how has Pure & Simple changed?

E34 192 The first difference you will notice is the outer packaging. E34 193 Smart cellophane-wrapped outer cartons in cool white with deep E34 194 purple trim and silver graphics tell you, once again, that this is E34 195 no ordinary skin care collection - expectations that are met in E34 196 whole by the products inside.

E34 197 Cleansing and toning are always important steps in facial E34 198 skin's fight against the outside world. In response, Pure & E34 199 Simple's cleansing portfolio has been streamlined to offer two E34 200 essential formulations, before toning with a fresh alcohol-free E34 201 toner:

E34 202 Deep Cleansing Lotion

E34 203 Always a favourite with Pure & Simple users, an improved E34 204 non-greasy formulation now boasts a deep down cleansing action for E34 205 healthier-looking skin;

E34 206 Facial Washing Gel

E34 207 Washing gels are currently the fastest growing type of E34 208 cleansing product and this soap-free gel also contains a beneficial E34 209 skin conditioner for improved softness and smoothness. The new E34 210 squat tube features a flip-top cap for increased ease of use;

E34 211 Gentle Skin Toner

E34 212 Light, gentle and alcohol-free, this toner suits all skin types E34 213 perfectly, with its instant refreshing action.

E34 214 Moisturising, however, is naturally the key area in any skin E34 215 care range, with moisturising products selling almost twice the E34 216 volume of cleansers and three times as many toners. In the new Pure E34 217 & Simple range, there are three moisturisers to choose from, E34 218 including a very exciting new product:

E34 219 Light Moisturising Lotion

E34 220 Easily absorbed, this lotion contains glycerin and UVA/UVB E34 221 filters for all-round protection and maximum moisturising. Helps E34 222 delay signs of ageing and encourages supple and radiant E34 223 complexion;

E34 224 Body Conditioning Lotion

E34 225 Equally light, this non-greasy lotion has a deeper conditioning E34 226 action, thus offering day-long moisturising protection;

E34 227 E35 1 <#FLOB:E35\>AUNTIE'S FACIAL

E35 2 With the television marketplace ever more competitive, the BBC E35 3 has a new look to take it into the 90s. Dominic Murphy reports on a E35 4 process that is as much about consolidation as it is about design. E35 5 But can the corporation take the strain?

E35 6 The BBC, it seems, can never do anything right. No sooner does E35 7 the corporation attempt to cut its costs - painfully relevant in E35 8 the light of the latest Price Waterhouse audit - and the public is E35 9 up in arms, worried about the future quality of programming. No E35 10 sooner does a quality drama come to the screens, at a reputed cost E35 11 that would buy a large Knightsbridge house, than the holders of the E35 12 country's purse strings claim resources are being wasted.

E35 13 However, one positive thing at least emerges from all the E35 14 attacks the corporation has to endure - namely the significant E35 15 position it has in our culture. It goes without saying, therefore, E35 16 that the image the BBC projects is extremely important.

E35 17 Responding to this, Michael Peters was called in two years ago E35 18 to redesign the corporate logo; then came the in-house designs of E35 19 BBC Radio, incorporating Radio 5; now it is the turn of the E35 20 television channels, with new looks for BBC1 and BBC2 designed by E35 21 Lambie-Nairn & Company.

E35 22 But this identity job is as much about organisation, drawing E35 23 together the disparate strands of a sprawling organisation known as E35 24 BBC Television and projecting it as one coherent whole, as it is E35 25 about pure graphic design.

E35 26 The redesign may seem simple, almost conservative, with its use E35 27 of a classic numeral one and a bladed numeral two (both retaining E35 28 the Peters' logo) for the main channels. This, Martin Lambie-Nairn E35 29 describes as "almost anti-graphic E35 30 design".

E35 31 But what is beneath the simple imagery is a radicalism in the E35 32 comprehensiveness of the design process, extending in an E35 33 unprecedented fashion the new look across the BBC's television E35 34 output, from the on-screen identities for the two channels, through E35 35 the Open University and Family Television identities, to the E35 36 lay-out of the on-screen presentation system and the design E35 37 of supporting literature.

E35 38 The culmination of two year's work, the project came about when E35 39 Pam Masters took over as head of presentation and, on the E35 40 instigation of Lambie-Nairn, commissioned some research on the E35 41 perception of the BBC.

E35 42 The incumbent channel idents were seen to be cold and E35 43 alienating, though the BBC1 globe was popular. The corporate E35 44 identity was not used in any of the on-screen branding, E35 45 creating fragmented look for the television output. Also, the E35 46 identities did not translate to print.

E35 47 Retaining the global idea, a new, animated sequence establishes E35 48 a warmer, more accessible BBC1. Designed by Daniel Barber, the E35 49 result is a swirling, colourful one-minute sequence with nine E35 50 points of entry.

E35 51 BBC2, designed by Lambie-Nairn and Barber, consists of nine E35 52 animated vignettes using the two symbol and E35 53 <}_><-|>veridian<+|>viridian<}/> colour branding. Where the BBC1 E35 54 ident is designed to endure, the BBC2 ident consist of several E35 55 sequences so the ideas can be developed with time. Where BBC1 was E35 56 required to project an image that will remain graphically E35 57 appealing, BBC2's ident will respond to the world around it.

E35 58 The layout of the programme promotions and menus - with the E35 59 logo always in the same position on a strip on the left of the E35 60 screen - give an essence of continuity through the channels.

E35 61 Lambie-Nairn describes the idents as continuing the tradition E35 62 of the BBC with no major shifts that could deny its past. E35 63 "All we can do is to put on an image which is not E35 64 predictable," he says; "which is something E35 65 particular to the BBC, which people will respond to and say 'I like E35 66 that, I enjoy that, that's the good old BBC again'."

E35 67 Despite this homely renown, pre-redesign the corporate's image E35 68 was in disarray. But why?

E35 69 "Television culture comes down to years of not having E35 70 to compete," says Lambie-Nairn. "What we do in E35 71 presentation that is traditionally seen as some sort of backwater E35 72 has become a main river in the last five years.

E35 73 "People in television are now aware that there is a necessity E35 74 for presentation to be important, but how presentation works in E35 75 this new environment has not been thought through."

E35 76 Masters, however, is confident the BBC has got it right. E35 77 "We have said that in the past people have been inclined to E35 78 change the identity of a channel, not really for strategic reasons. E35 79 What we have said now is that there should be a reason for doing it E35 80 and identities, when they get put right, shouldn't E35 81 change."

E35 82 This time, the reasons were abundantly obvious. Channel 4 set E35 83 the precedent with an identity with staying power throughout the E35 84 80s. ITV last year sorted out the confusion between the umbrella E35 85 organisation and its regional offspring. Competition will increase E35 86 with a more efficient, post-franchise, independent network and E35 87 satellite.

E35 88 This all points to more commercial pressure on the corporation. E35 89 As the BBC runs up to the expiry date of its Charter in 1996, where E35 90 its funding could be changed from the licence fee to something like E35 91 the subscription favoured by the Peacock Committee in the 80s, E35 92 viewers might then be inclined to watch the cheaper independents. E35 93

E35 94 With the nature of British television irrevocably changing, a E35 95 sharpening of BBC Television's rambling and hoary image has long E35 96 been overdue. In considering the case for the new identity the E35 97 question is not so much whether it is appropriate, as in functional E35 98 terms it has a great deal to commend it. No, the real debate must E35 99 be over whether the BBC can live up to an image of being a unified, E35 100 forward-thinking organisation alert to the marketplace.

E35 101 E35 102 A STING IN THE TRAIL

E35 103 Influential video and commercials director Gerard de Thame has E35 104 adopted a filmic, narrative approach for his latest work, a promo E35 105 for Sting. Does this herald an imminent move into features for him? E35 106 Patrick Butler reports

E35 107 This was almost Gerard de Thame's last promo. Six gruelling E35 108 days on a planed three-day shoot had all but convinced one of E35 109 Britain's top pop video directors it wasn't worth it any longer.

E35 110 A week later de Thame is enthusiastically scanning the rushes E35 111 of his erstwhile swan-song, and while thoughts of a E35 112 well-earned holiday persist, premature retirement is now far from E35 113 his mind. "You can get so wrapped up in making E35 114 films," he laments with mock self-pity.

E35 115 The promo unwinding on the reels before us is Sting's 'Why E35 116 Should I Cry?' It's a big budget ("big by pop video E35 117 standards"), three-and-a-half minute film, stamped with E35 118 familiar de Thame trademarks: shot in black and white, unusual E35 119 camera angles and an eye for detail.

E35 120 But it also marks a development away from his early promos. E35 121 Perhaps mindful of the TV and film disciplines he is keen to work E35 122 in, 'Why ...?' has a classic, cinematic feel much removed from the E35 123 freestyle arrangements of his earlier work such as the E35 124 award-winning 'Wonderful Life' for Black, which he once described E35 125 as "anti-cinematic", its languorous style E35 126 "like stills but with movement in the frames".

E35 127 This time, de Thame insists, things are different. E35 128 "Most of the stuff I did before was like stills cut E35 129 together but this was shot in a more filmy way."

E35 130 It was made entirely in the studio with a 45-strong crew. De E35 131 Thame admits to having lots of fun concocting a storm at sea on the E35 132 custom-built set but he also had to do his homework: "The E35 133 set design, camera angles - it all had to be worked out E35 134 meticulously in advance."

E35 135 There is a storm, a sea burial, and a subplot involving two E35 136 stowaway boys. Sting gets to croon from a hammock and a group of E35 137 salty sea dogs in roll-neck jumpers play cards in the mess. E35 138 "It should cut together as a narrative," promises E35 139 de Thame.

E35 140 The ironic, slightly self-deprecating tone betrays the level of E35 141 responsibility de Thame has over his work, a nervy realisation that E35 142 the buck stops with him. He demands a high degree of control and he E35 143 refuses to shoot standard 'performance' pop promos. He is E35 144 notoriously selective over which commissions he accepts and insists E35 145 it is the song rather than the artist's name which proves decisive. E35 146

E35 147 "I was prepared to do this song because it is one that E35 148 I like," he says. "I'm not hung up about working E35 149 with stars."

E35 150 Besides Sting, artists he has worked with include Tanita E35 151 Tikaram, Black and Lloyd Cole: languorous ballads and moody AOR for E35 152 the CD generation. Musically it's undemanding, bit this makes it E35 153 perfect soundtrack music, allowing him to make the song complement E35 154 his film. Whatever, it means his pop videos are almost invariably E35 155 more memorable than the songs they are supposed to promote.

E35 156 Sting, not normally an artist at ease playing second fiddle one E35 157 might think, accepted a low-profile part in 'Why ...?' and seemed E35 158 happy to hand over control to his director. "Sting was E35 159 fine," says de Thame. "He likes to know what is E35 160 happening and why, but he was no problem."

E35 161 There has been speculation for some time about de Thame E35 162 graduating to feature films. He talks enthusiastically, if E35 163 unspecifically, about 40s and 50s black and white studio system E35 164 classics, 'Hollywood Romanticism', and the tendency of modern E35 165 movies to "make things too lifelike".

E35 166 More specifically he admits features are "definitely E35 167 what I want to do". His producers, Helen Langridge E35 168 Associates, have taken on a project development person and only the E35 169 obstacles of time, money and a decent script need surmounting E35 170 before his ambition is realised.

E35 171 But while the crucial first feature remains elusive, de Thame's E35 172 star continues to ascend in the advertising world, with memorable E35 173 films for Pimms, McEwan's lager (Creative Review, July E35 174 1990), Alpen and Toshiba under his belt. In the past he has railed E35 175 against the constraints of the short film but he can also E35 176 appreciate the advantages: "Commercials are good for me. E35 177 There's not the freedom of the pop promo, but there's a discipline E35 178 there that's useful."

E35 179 According to Helen Langridge, de Thame has been overwhelmed E35 180 with offers of work on ads and promos. Our interview was cut short E35 181 so he could catch a plane to New Zealand where he's shooting a E35 182 commercial for Citroen. "My next project," he E35 183 exclaims optimistically, "is a holiday!" It could E35 184 be one project he may have to scrap.

E35 185 E35 186 Howard Waller and John Stoddard hit the design heritage E35 187 trail and search for lasting values in the ephemeral

E35 188 Flirtatious initiative

E35 189 On the next to last page in Posters of the Belle Epoque, E35 190 The Wine Spectator Collection (Rizzoli, pounds45) there E35 191 appears a full page reproduction of Capiello's poster for rubber E35 192 shoes. It shows a frog sitting by a pond pulling on the shoes - no E35 193 caption, just the name of the shoemaker. It is a brilliant but odd E35 194 example of the posters of Paris at the turn of the century. E35 195 Although this example is witty, graphic and classic, it is all too E35 196 rare within the 200 or so posters in this book.

E35 197 This is because most of the posters simply use the female form E35 198 to sell anything from cigarette papers to coastal resorts. There is E35 199 an extraordinary example of a naked lady promoting a kerosene E35 200 lamp.

E35 201 But sexist or otherwise, this collection of posters is E35 202 stunning. We have to imagine a society without television and how E35 203 this must have put an extraordinary focus on these images. They E35 204 were created by individual artists such as Cheret, Lautrec, E35 205 Bonnard, Mucha and Capiello. Their images were transferred to E35 206 massive lithographic stones and printed without the benefit of the E35 207 four colour process. Such was the quality of the posters that print E35 208 runs were extended to meet the demand of collectors. There became a E35 209 poster cult which was fed with magazines, exhibitions and books E35 210 published on the subject. And it is not difficult to see why, when E35 211 we realise that these were the first real pictorial images in E35 212 outdoor advertising. The value of the posters must have been E35 213 enhanced by the fact that they were created not by an industry but E35 214 by an individual artist, often signed and with drawn lettering from E35 215 the same hand. E35 216 E36 1 <#FLOB:E36\>Banks, hedges and trees

E36 2 Alan Beat

E36 3 The making and hanging of gates as described last issue was E36 4 only half the story on our smallholding. Some of the gateways E36 5 themselves had lacked gates or even posts for so long that the E36 6 passage of animals had worn away the traditional Devon earth banks E36 7 on either side to leave a gap of up to twenty feet wide. With a ten E36 8 foot gate now freshly hung between its posts, the task remained to E36 9 make good the banks in stockproof fashion.

E36 10 A few small gaps were blocked with wire or rail fencing between E36 11 the new post and eroded nose of the bank, but this looks the E36 12 temporary measure that it is. For a 'main E36 13 <}_><-|>throroughfare<+|>thoroughfare<}/>' gateway seen and used E36 14 daily, I decided to tackle the job of restoring the earth banks and E36 15 facing with dry stone walling - or stone hedging as it is known in E36 16 these parts. I had a quantity of stone salvaged from a collapsed E36 17 wall, so the raw materials were free, and so was the advice from a E36 18 local man with knowledge of stonework. It was commonsense really - E36 19 dig out a footing trench down to firm subsoil and set out a E36 20 foundation course of the largest stones within it, building up from E36 21 this with staggered joints between courses (as in brickwork).

E36 22 I set to work in this fashion, using dry earth in place of E36 23 mortar to bed down each stone and filling in the bank behind as the E36 24 wall rose. It was a long job, made longer by two factors. One was E36 25 the irregular shaped stone, which gave rise to much offering up and E36 26 trial and error before each would fit snugly on top of the previous E36 27 course. What little square-faced stone I had available was E36 28 much easier and quicker to place. The other factor was having to E36 29 dig and wheel-barrow the earth infill from some distance away, E36 30 whereas a handy pile tipped on site would have saved hours. It E36 31 turned out that after rebuilding the semicircular end 'nose' of the E36 32 bank to the gatepost each side in stonework, there was no stone E36 33 left to face the remaining repair work, but this coincided with a E36 34 request from Rosie to strip some turf from an area of rough lawn in E36 35 the garden to create a new bed for her plants. Cutting the turves E36 36 carefully in neat rectangles with plenty of soil attached gave me E36 37 the ideal material for turf facing my repaired bank. The same E36 38 procedure was used as for stone-work, setting a foundation E36 39 course below existing ground level courses with staggered joints, E36 40 ramming earth infill behind as work progressed.

E36 41 There are two schools of opinion locally on the orientation of E36 42 these turves; some say lay them grass upwards, as dug, thus E36 43 presenting an earth face to the bank which will quickly sprout E36 44 grass cover from all the roots it contains, others say lay them E36 45 grass looking outwards so that the face is instantly green. I tried E36 46 both, and time has shown the grass-outward method to be better, not E36 47 only in appearance but in withstanding wear and tear from the E36 48 sheep. Either way, turves are easier and much quicker to build with E36 49 than stone, although I have no doubt which will stand the E36 50 longest.

E36 51 When at last the work was finished, I removed the temporary E36 52 fence wire that kept the sheep away from the site area. The flock E36 53 came over to investigate and one of the Shetland ewes jumped E36 54 effortlessly to the top of the new 4ft 6in high bank to admire the E36 55 view! And so I have to suffer the indignity of barbed wire along E36 56 the top until a sufficient hedge has grown to render the bank E36 57 finally stockproof.

E36 58 Hedges E36 59 This brings us on to hedges and hedgelaying, another new skill E36 60 with which I quickly had to grapple on account of the neglected and E36 61 gappy hedgerows which both surrounded and criss-crossed our E36 62 holding. My initial efforts were directed at blocking the gaps E36 63 through which the sheep had forced, and consisted of laying a E36 64 nearby thorn across the hole before tying firmly in position with E36 65 baler twine. Of course, there wasn't always a convenient nearby E36 66 thorn, and I soon learned that if the gap was not blocked E36 67 thoroughly the sheep would test the repair until it gave way. If it E36 68 held, the animal would then find the next weak point alongside E36 69 before making a new gap! Patching a strong hedge was worthwhile - E36 70 patching a weak one definitely wasn't, it was back to fencing to E36 71 contain the stock until the hedge could grow up sufficiently to be E36 72 relaid effectively.

E36 73 The Devon method of hedgelaying is straightforward enough. E36 74 Unwanted growth is removed from both faces of the earth bank, E36 75 surplus growth not required for laying is cut out from the growth E36 76 along the top, then the remainder is laid by cutting the stems E36 77 almost through before lowering almost horizontally to the bank top. E36 78 Tying with baler twine at intervals gives a firmer job. The result E36 79 is not the artistic woven pattern of some other counties, but it is E36 80 stockproof and forms a thick hedge of natural appearance again E36 81 within a few seasons if not trimmed too hard.

E36 82 Trees E36 83 One thing our smallholding lacked, to our eyes anyway, was E36 84 woodland. There were some lovely individual trees, mainly oak and E36 85 ash with a few beech, in hedge-rows or along the river's E36 86 edge, but no copses. So we decided to plant a few field corners and E36 87 grow our own, motivated by a whole host of reasons - landscape E36 88 value, woodland plants and wildlife, coppice for firewood, timber E36 89 for posts and gates. Yes, it's a long term view, but we aim to be E36 90 here for a long time! And if we don't enjoy all the benefits, our E36 91 children will. I fenced off the chosen areas against stock and E36 92 bought our first trees, 50 ash and 50 southern beech E36 93 (Nothofagus procera, a South American relative of our own E36 94 beech but much faster growing). These were bare-root whips two to E36 95 three feet in height, small enough to be cheap, require no staking E36 96 and, so the theory goes, establish and grow quickly to outpace E36 97 larger, more expensive trees which are set back by the shock of E36 98 moving. I followed the advice of books by stripping an area of turf E36 99 (around one square yard), digging a pit about fifteen inches square E36 100 to accept the roots, breaking up the subsoil with a fork before E36 101 setting the tree vertically in position and filling around the E36 102 roots with soil, heeling in firmly. After watering, a sheet of E36 103 black plastic was set in place over the grass-free square yard E36 104 around the tree to supress weeds.

E36 105 Some new friends owned a former quarry, now invaded by silver E36 106 birch and hazel scrub, and at their invitation I also dug up a E36 107 number of small young trees of these two species from the woodland E36 108 edge. I was immediately struck by the contrast between the E36 109 vigorous, spreading root systems of these trees and the spindly, E36 110 almost rootless things I had just spent good money on. I was E36 111 assured the restricted roots on these were deliberate policy, for E36 112 better transplanting - but one year later, most of the beech had E36 113 died while the ash remained exactly the same size, surviving E36 114 without growth. The birch and hazel dug up with complete root E36 115 systems had flourished and made good growth. I made sure that trees E36 116 purchased from then on had a conventional healthy root system to E36 117 see them off to a good start.

E36 118 E36 119 Crossbred lambs

E36 120 Anne Crossman

E36 121 We weaned our Shetland ram lambs earlier than last year, this E36 122 was the disadvantage of having pure and cross bred lambs.

E36 123 The pure Shetland ram lambs had horns and the ryeland cross E36 124 shetland ram lambs had small scurs only, all the females were E36 125 polled, consequently the Shetland ram lambs bullied the ryeland E36 126 cross shetland ram lambs. Head on encounters resulted in the E36 127 crosses giving way and being harrassed. Shetland ram lambs can be a E36 128 punchy lot. They also worried the ewe lambs. So we took all the E36 129 Shetland ram lambs off the ewes. This left some of the ewes to be E36 130 weaned as they either had single or twin ram lambs. The ewes were E36 131 left on short pasture to dry them off and the ram lambs put on E36 132 better grazing and were fed a few oats to make up for some of the E36 133 ewes' milk and to keep them tame. A week later we weaned off the E36 134 remainder of the lambs, pure females and cross males and put these E36 135 all on one paddock again feeding them oats. It took two days for E36 136 them all to feed at the trough.

E36 137 At weaning I gave all the ewes homoeopathic tablets, E36 138 Lac-Can 6, to help dry them off. I had only four who I E36 139 had to milk off once or twice. They are usually very milky ewes and E36 140 this probably helped, along with the bare pasture due to the E36 141 drought. Last year a couple of ewes took a long time to dry off.

E36 142 After three weeks we put the ewe lambs back with the ewes, who E36 143 recognised their lambs but would not let them suckle. The Ryeland E36 144 cross male lambs went in a separate paddock along with their sire. E36 145 This meant we had three out of ten paddocks with sheep on them and E36 146 the two heifers were on another. Another disadvantage of having E36 147 purebreds and uncastrated pure and crossbred lambs. The Shetland E36 148 ram lambs (all but two tiny ones) went off for slaughter the second E36 149 week in September, earlier than last year (November) but they were E36 150 becoming rammy and aggressive.

E36 151 The weights were very small and mostly 13lb deadweight and the E36 152 biggest only 14lb deadweight against last year's heaviest weight of E36 153 32lb. This was because they were born later and slaughtered two E36 154 months earlier. Perhaps too, the grass being shorter accounted for E36 155 the small weights. We did not creep feed any of the lambs so E36 156 perhaps it would in future be better to do so, as they would then E36 157 grow quicker earlier.

E36 158 In Autumn 1990 we have put the rams in earlier as earlier lambs E36 159 grow better and we are just as likely to get bad weather in April E36 160 as in March. Last year we had snow in April and a warm March. We E36 161 have noticed during the last four years the seasons seem to have E36 162 advanced by about three weeks, so perhaps the climate is already E36 163 changing.

E36 164 If we can get the ewes to lamb in March we should end up E36 165 getting a decent size (crossbred) gradeable lamb. This could prove E36 166 difficult as the Shetland does not come into season until mid E36 167 October at the earliest. The rams went in at the beginning of E36 168 September and only one ewe was seen in season by the end of E36 169 October! We shall know in the Spring if they came into season early E36 170 or not. We do not raddle our rams because of discolouring the wool, E36 171 which is sold to handspinners.

E36 172 All our purebred lamb was sold privately as it was very small. E36 173 Our four extra lambs were kept on as stores as they were tiny. This E36 174 year the rams will be taken out straightaway after the tupping E36 175 period and not left with the ewes.

E36 176 The shetland cross ryeland rams went for slaughter in October. E36 177 None had been castrated. The results were very encouraging. We did E36 178 not have them graded. Our butcher friend said if we can get them E36 179 slightly bigger (15-16 kilos) then we would have an excellent E36 180 commercial lamb. The biggest weighed 14.5 kilos (32 lb) and the E36 181 smallest of the batch 16lb. They would at these weights be suitable E36 182 for the continental small lamb market. The conformation was very E36 183 good and the chops on the largest one excellent, so the Ryeland E36 184 cross shetland does look llike a good cross.

E36 185 To transport our animals we use the back of our pick up. A good E36 186 tip to stop them slipping is to put an old piece of short pile E36 187 carpet on the floor rather than straw. E36 188 E37 1 <#FLOB:E37\>WHOLE-CROP HARVESTING

E37 2 Forage harvesters need modifying to handle large quantities of E37 3 whole-crop cereal forage. John Burns checks out some of E37 4 the latest practical developments.

E37 5 INCREASED interest in whole-crop cereals as a cattle and sheep E37 6 feed has brought new challenges for machinery makers and users.

E37 7 The droughts of 1989 and 1990, together with active promotion E37 8 of the Ag-Bag system brought a bigger area of cereals than usual E37 9 being made into conventional fermented silage, cut at 30% dry E37 10 matter or less.

E37 11 At the same time there was a sudden upsurge in interest in E37 12 whole-crop cereals cut at 50% to 60% dry matter and preserved by E37 13 adding alkali rather than by letting it ferment to produce its own E37 14 preservative acids.

E37 15 This method in particular has interested dairy farmers because, E37 16 being alkaline, it helps the animal's rumen to function E37 17 efficiently. It also provides more starch energy because it is made E37 18 from more mature crops, almost fit to combine.

E37 19 Each method has raised its own set of problems, particularly E37 20 where contractors with big self-propelled foragers need to achieve E37 21 high work rates. For example, Chris Bishop, a contractor from E37 22 Steeple Claydon, Bucks, has found a standard 4.5m (15ft) wide E37 23 combine header was not strong enough when making fermented E37 24 whole-crop silage.

E37 25 "We were trying to feed 15ft of green cereal crop into E37 26 an 18in wide gap on the forager instead of the 3ft 6in gap you have E37 27 on a combine. It would build up in the middle of the auger and then E37 28 get jammed. The clutch wasn't heavy enough and when we put the E37 29 stronger version on we had to modify it to take account of the E37 30 difference in reversing action between a combine and a forager. The E37 31 reverse action on a combine is gentler than a forager's reverser E37 32 and unless the stronger clutch is modified you will twist the E37 33 shaft," says Mr Bishop.

E37 34 He also found it was essential to be able to adjust the height E37 35 and tilt of the header, particularly for laid crops. Claas UK E37 36 helped Mr Bishop solve his problems by strengthening the flights E37 37 and tube on the header auger and using the stronger clutch. Since E37 38 then he has had no problems whatsoever he says.

E37 39 This summer Claas UK published a leaflet pointing out that E37 40 fitting non-standard equipment to their models might invalidate the E37 41 warranty and might contravene Health and Safety Executive E37 42 regulations. The leaflet suggests the best way to adapt the Claas E37 43 Jaguar self-propelled forager for whole-crop cereal silage E37 44 work is to fit a 4.5m (15ft) wide header from a Claas Dominator E37 45 109/98/88 combine. (Earlier models might not prove strong enough.) E37 46 It also advises strengthening the auger and flights and clutch and E37 47 gives details of how to do it, along with instructions for fitting E37 48 the hydraulic controls.

E37 49 Claas says that by using the correct adaptor plate a header can E37 50 be fitted to a forager, or removed, in less than 10 minutes, and E37 51 there is no risk of either invalidating the warranty or infringing E37 52 safety regulations.

E37 53 Claas can also supply a specially strengthened whole-crop E37 54 header and will even supply a special rice knife which has no E37 55 fingers, only two sets of blades. But the knife has not been shown E37 56 to be necessary here so far.

E37 57 The first farmer ever to make urea-treated whole-crop wheat was E37 58 Francis Rea. He tried mowing it with a disc mower and then picking E37 59 it up with his trailed John Deere forager fitted with a standard E37 60 pick-up reel.

E37 61 But the mower knocked out too much grain and the forager reel E37 62 only picked up cleanly in one direction.

E37 63 John Deere helped him by importing a special adaptor plate to E37 64 allow a combine header to be fitted to the forager and it has E37 65 worked very well ever since.

E37 66 Other farmers have successfully adapted old combine headers for E37 67 their own foragers, but contractor Chris Bishop says they would not E37 68 be strong enough.

E37 69 Experience in the two hot, dry summers of 1989 and 1990 showed E37 70 that crops left to be cut for urea treatment soon dried out and the E37 71 grains too became hard for complete digestion of the crop unless a E37 72 later caustic soda treatment was given before feeding. Farmers E37 73 responded by starting sooner and contractors looked to increase E37 74 output so they could get round the work faster.

E37 75 Claas UK's service manager Alastair Tullock says there is some E37 76 evidence that using a corn cracker will help to break some of the E37 77 grains which get too hard.

E37 78 Contractor Chris Bishop has a corn cracker for maize harvesting E37 79 but has not tried it with whole-crop cereal. However, he says it E37 80 can be shut down to a 1mm gap, which he thinks would catch and E37 81 crack much of the grain. From his experience with maize he doubts E37 82 whether using the corn cracker for whole-crop cereal would make any E37 83 difference to work rate. Claas also reports that there is some E37 84 evidence from the Continent that corn crackers will also bruise the E37 85 nodes on the straw - making it marginally more digestible.

E37 86 With corn crackers now more widely used for maize, those claims E37 87 for whole-crop cereals could usefully be tested under UK E37 88 conditions.

E37 89 Another company showing interest in the harvesting machinery E37 90 requirements of whole-crop is Biocomb, in conjunction with the E37 91 Rotterdam-based company RDM.

E37 92 E37 93 Government 'jumps gun' over animal welfare agreement

E37 94 Marketing, animal welfare and protecting the hills were key E37 95 issues in the government document called Our Farming E37 96 Future, launched by agriculture minister John Gummer.

E37 97 Liz Mason reports

E37 98 A GOVERNMENT announcement that the EC has agreed key Community E37 99 rules on animal welfare has caused surprise and disbelief.

E37 100 The EC has agreed general rules for the transport of live E37 101 animals, but no agreement has been reached on journey times for E37 102 individual species of farm animals.

E37 103 The government's policy document Our Farming Future E37 104 is behind the confusion. It says Community rules on the length of E37 105 journeys, the conditions of transport and the provision of resting, E37 106 feeding and watering points have now been agreed.

E37 107 "These meet our key welfare concerns," says the E37 108 document. But a spokesman for the RSPCA suggested that the E37 109 statement in Our Farming Future was a misprint.

E37 110 He said the EC had not agreed rules on important animal E37 111 welfare issues and the EC Council of Ministers had deferred making E37 112 a decision on transport times for different species until July E37 113 1992, when the UK takes over the EC presidency.

E37 114 A Ministry of Agriculture spokesman said the Council of E37 115 Ministers reached an agreement in principle on the EC transport E37 116 directive at its October meeting. But additional rules would be E37 117 added to the framework.

E37 118 The directive is due to come into force on Jan 1, 1993, and E37 119 sets out conditions for animal transport throughout the EC.

E37 120 Animals travelling less than 50km from farm to market will be E37 121 exempt from the EC rules. Member states will be allowed to set E37 122 their own conditions and the UK is not expected to amend present E37 123 legislation.

E37 124 Under current UK legislation animals can be transported for up E37 125 to 12 hours before being rested, fed or watered, unless the journey E37 126 can be completed within 15 hours. The EC directive sets a basic E37 127 maximum journey time of 24 hours and the UK will be asking for this E37 128 to be brought into line with its own legislation.

E37 129 The EC Commission's veterinary committee will put forward its E37 130 proposals for maximum journey lengths, feeding and resting E37 131 intervals and transport conditions for individual species by July E37 132 1992. General rules for transport conditions have been agreed, but E37 133 again the details have yet to be decided. The directive says that E37 134 animals must have enough room to stand in a natural position, but E37 135 stocking densities have yet to be set.

E37 136 Other general rules include:

E37 137 <*_>bullet<*/>Journey plans must be drawn up by transport E37 138 companies.

E37 139 <*_>bullet<*/>Vehicle design must not cause unnecessary E37 140 suffering.

E37 141 <*_>bullet<*/>All animals must be fit enough to travel.

E37 142 <*_>bullet<*/>All animals must be identified throughout the E37 143 journey.

E37 144 <*_>bullet<*/> Transport companies must ensure staff have E37 145 adequate knowledge to care for animals.

E37 146 E37 147 NFU condemns HLCA scale

E37 148 GOVERNMENT plans to scale hill livestock compensatory payments E37 149 as part of its proposals to green hill farming support have been E37 150 condemned by the NFU.

E37 151 The Ministry of Agriculture's consultation paper plans to E37 152 introduce a differential between the HLCA rate paid on the first E37 153 1.5 ewes a hectare and that for subsequent ewes.

E37 154 "Such changes are unnecessary and will be seen by many E37 155 hard-pressed less favoured area farmers as a direct threat E37 156 to their livelihood," says the NFU.

E37 157 The NFU is strongly opposed to varying rates of HLCAs according E37 158 to stocking rates. Lower stocking rates could be encouraged where E37 159 necessary by an incentive payment a hectare without modifying the E37 160 present system of HLCAs.

E37 161 The government's proposals will deliver a blow to farming E37 162 confidence, but a viable farming population in the LFAs is E37 163 essential to maintain the environment, says the NFU.

E37 164 Plans to introduce a code of good upland management to conserve E37 165 environmental features are also causing concern. The code sets out E37 166 guidelines for upland farmers on how to maintain the character of E37 167 the countryside.

E37 168 The consulation paper, says the government, will reserve the E37 169 right to make compliance with some or all elements of the code a E37 170 condition of payment of HLCAs "should this prove necessary E37 171 to safeguard the environment."

E37 172 The code says stockproof walls and farmbuildings should be E37 173 maintained using traditional materials. Hedges and water features E37 174 must also be maintained. The NFU is concerned that farmers will be E37 175 compelled to carry out these measures, at obvious cost.

E37 176 In Moorland areas farmers are advised not to cultivate, or E37 177 apply pesticides. Herbicide application is restricted and new E37 178 drainage or fencing schemes are not allowed.

E37 179 E37 180 A battery of complaints

E37 181 HENS suffer more in battery cages than in well-run alternative E37 182 systems, says a report commissioned by the Athene Trust, the E37 183 educational wing of Compassion in World Farming.

E37 184 The report by Dr Mike Appleby, of Edinburgh University, reviews E37 185 recent research and concludes that hens suffer in battery cages.

E37 186 The current EC directive will be reviewed next year and Joyce E37 187 D'Silva, CIWF's director, said the report gives scientific E37 188 credibility to their campaign to ban battery cages.

E37 189 "This report is our first step in a major campaign to E37 190 overturn the directive completely and win a phase-out of the E37 191 battery cage."

E37 192 The report says there are consistently more problems in cages E37 193 than in many other systems. Bone weakness, fearfulness and E37 194 behavioural restriction affect most or all caged birds. Problems E37 195 more common in other systems, including cannibalism, affect fewer E37 196 birds and can be avoided by good management.

E37 197 Suffering is caused by particular features of battery cages. E37 198 Sloping wire floors cause foot and claw damage. Restricted movement E37 199 results in bone weakness and hens cannot behave normally.

E37 200 Barren cages with no bedding also frustrate "foraging E37 201 and pre-laying behaviour" and cause claw damage and feather E37 202 pecking.

E37 203 Prof Donald Broom of Cambridge University said the report makes E37 204 it clear that legislation is needed to enforce the phasing out of E37 205 battery cages.

E37 206 E37 207 Prince Charles gives West Country lamb producers a boost

E37 208 By John Burns

E37 209 WEST Country farmers' efforts to improve their marketing were E37 210 given a big boost as Prince Charles launched Taste of the West and E37 211 West Country Lamb.

E37 212 Both new organisations are building on the pioneering work of E37 213 smaller more local groups, which on their own were not big enough E37 214 to survive independently in today's markets.

E37 215 Taste of the West is a speciality food and drink group E37 216 representing members from Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Avon, E37 217 and Wiltshire. It provides a range of promotional, marketing and E37 218 business development services to its producer members. Other E37 219 categories of membership include businesses selling speciality E37 220 foods and drink, and gourmets.

E37 221 It has the backing of the NFU and Food from Britain, which took E37 222 a party of potential buyers to the Taste of the West products E37 223 exhibition staged for the royal launch.

E37 224 Among the tasks which Taste of the West has set itself is E37 225 overcoming the distribution difficulties faced by scattered small E37 226 producers selling to scattered small retail and catering E37 227 outlets.

E37 228 West Country Lamb is a federal of four existing groups of lamb E37 229 producers: Cornwall Quality Lamb Producers, Lifton Lamb, Wessex E37 230 Quality Meat Producers, and the more recently formed West Country E37 231 Graziers.

E37 232 E38 1 <#FLOB:E38\>Out And About With Ernest Cozens

E38 2 Autumn is once again with us and the harvest safely gathered in E38 3 - with the exception of late drilled linseed, which I suspect was E38 4 grown for the acreage payment rather than the crop.

E38 5 With the weight tickets arriving noting the quantity of grain E38 6 traded and stored, most farmers are saying "overall a much E38 7 better harvest was had by most of us" in spite of the lack E38 8 of rain and drought conditions. The exception being the south of E38 9 England where I understand there are some rather poor crop yields E38 10 on the thin skinned land.

E38 11 With the need to achieve early crop establishment in the event E38 12 of there being another dry year ahead Autumn cultivations and E38 13 drilling are now in full swing. These have been somewhat delayed E38 14 through the dry, hard conditions, although some of the heavier land E38 15 has ploughed up reasonably well. Conditions have once again made E38 16 this a costly operation which has also meant a cut back in stubble E38 17 cleaning, with increased cost and demand for wearing parts. I E38 18 understand from several dealers that demand has been met with the E38 19 exception of a very few instances involving specialised items. Once E38 20 again this emphasised the importance of the local dealers.

E38 21 One interesting point made is the fall in demand for power E38 22 harrows despite the cloddy conditions. Is it cost or had the demand E38 23 been met in previous years?

E38 24 John Deere

E38 25 Following a 7 year period of intense development, John Deere E38 26 launch <}_><-|>there<+|>their<}/> new system built 6000 Series Self E38 27 Propelled Forage Harvesters which are being built in their European E38 28 factories. The three models with greatly increased power consist of E38 29 the 6710 with a 310 DIN HP engine, the 6810 with a 360 DIN HP E38 30 engine and the 6910 with a massive 410 DIN HP engine. Its<&|>sic! E38 31 interesting to note that the 2 largest models are fitted with E38 32 Cummins engines as used in the large John Deere 60 Series E38 33 Articulated Tractors.

E38 34 The new in line design follows a straight path for the crop E38 35 from the header through the feed rollers and cutter head to a E38 36 centrally mounted discharge spout.

E38 37 The cylinder knives can be sharpened automatically from the cab E38 38 while travelling between fields. Grinding and adjustment of the E38 39 stationary knife and adjustment of the kernol processors can also E38 40 be automatically controlled by switches within the cab. These E38 41 functions will most certainly appeal to users saving time E38 42 particularly for contractors.

E38 43 A newly designed cab is now fitted incorporating a master joy E38 44 stick which controls hydrostatic ground speed, 2 speed front end E38 45 equipment lift along with spout and cap control. The Multifunction E38 46 Info-Trak Monitor computer system displays a wide range of E38 47 functions and diagnostic information - similar to that used on the E38 48 55 series tractors.

E38 49 With farms becoming larger and the growth and demand for the E38 50 specialised agricultural contractor this range of Self Propelled E38 51 Forage Harvester will meet the needs of many.

E38 52 Many improvements have been made on the existing range of John E38 53 Deere Tractors, the large 4755 and 4955 now have easier cabs E38 54 entrance, improved vision and the exhaust system has been moved to E38 55 the right of the cabs with the silencer beneath the bonnet. The air E38 56 intake is removed by a new screen in front of this bonnet.

E38 57 With the increasing use of larger trailers over longer E38 58 distances the 40 KPH transmission is being offered in the 144 HP E38 59 3650 Tractor 4 wheel model. This is welcomed by both dealers and E38 60 prospective customers, as is the availability of a compressor on E38 61 all seven models of the SG2 range. This will enable trailers with 3 E38 62 line air brakes to be fully and safely operated.

E38 63 Discs From New Zealand

E38 64 With a wealth of experience in agricultural machinery, Ron E38 65 Demby has returned to this country from New Zealand where he E38 66 emigrated some 30 years ago. He brings with him a new set of heavy E38 67 duty sophisticated discs, which he is planning to market in the E38 68 U.K., in many ways they are quite different to those we have in E38 69 use. Weighing 4 tonnes for the smaller set and 4.25 tonnes for the E38 70 larger ones, they are fitted with 26'' discs at 9 1/2 spacing and E38 71 are available in two sizes - 15'6'' and 18'6''.

E38 72 Incorporated in the design of the discs is the use of 9 double E38 73 acting rays operated by electronic valves on the discs and switches E38 74 in the cab. This enables the operator to control the front and rear E38 75 discs automatically. Weight can be transferred from the front E38 76 section to the rear and visa<&|>sic! versa to ensure penetration. E38 77 Other hydraulically electronically operated functions include the E38 78 slewing of the drawbars, depth control, operation of the transport E38 79 wheels and folding of the discs for transport purposes.

E38 80 Ron informs me that these special discs are to be manufactured E38 81 by an engineering company in Oakham Leics, and will be sold through E38 82 the normal dealers channels. Delivery is expected to begin fairly E38 83 soon when the price will be announced.

E38 84 Ford New Holland

E38 85 650 to lose their jobs at the tractor factory in Basildon. This E38 86 has come as a shock not only to the 650 employees but to the trade E38 87 in general - no doubt the downturn in tractor sales and the fierce E38 88 competition has done much to bring this about. Does this mean that E38 89 in view of the Fiat-New Holland merger there will be further E38 90 rationalisation and the possibility that production could E38 91 eventually be transferred to other factories elsewhere. A somber E38 92 thought, but on the other hand if a miracle does occur and tractor E38 93 sales improve substantially Basildon could become E38 94 <}_><-|>bouyant<+|>buoyant<}/> again.

E38 95 Gull Trailers

E38 96 Gull of Manea who are long established manufacturers of E38 97 trailers have been acquired by Wootton Trailers of Ancaster. This E38 98 does not mean the end of Gull Trailers, as Wootton Trailers are to E38 99 continue the manufacture and marketing of Gull Trailers as a E38 100 separate range explaining that this quality product fits in with E38 101 their existing trailer business. They are also to retrim the Gull E38 102 network of dealers.

E38 103 Trevor Gull has also joined the Wootton Trailer organisation E38 104 and will operate as the Southern Area Sales E38 105 <}_><-|>Managers<+|>Manager<}/>, handling the complete range E38 106 manufactured by Wootton.

E38 107 For those requiring Gull Trailer spares these are now E38 108 obtainable from Wootton Trailers at Ancaster.

E38 109 East Norfolk Machinery Ring

E38 110 Stephen Robertson a farmer in East Norfolk has been appointed E38 111 manager of the above machinery ring which has been set up by Lodden E38 112 Farmers Ltd. The ring is open to all and already has a membership E38 113 of 70, and is "expected to rise to 100 very soon" E38 114 says Stephen.

E38 115 Membership offers, in addition to the normal machinery and E38 116 labour demands, a wide variety of services including computer and E38 117 secretarial work and workshop service on the farm.

E38 118 The ring is fully operational and many requests have already E38 119 been completed with work beginning within 3 hours of being E38 120 requested. With farming still a little doubtful, machinery becoming E38 121 increasingly more expensive and with fewer people employed on Farms E38 122 Machinery Rings, particularly the efficient ones will become part E38 123 of our agricultural scheme and operation.

E38 124 New From Bauer

E38 125 For those anticipating updating irrigation equipment, Bauer E38 126 have brought out a new irrigation boom. It was seen working with E38 127 the Rainstar with hydraulic lifting support legs enabling the boom E38 128 to be lifted on the headland and moved to the next irrigation strip E38 129 without the need to fold the boom.

E38 130 The newly designed and constructed boom covered 45 metres and E38 131 fitted with sectoring sprinklers gave an overall coverage of 72 E38 132 metres. Water flow rates can be varied and as a lower connection E38 133 pressure is required, costs can be saved.

E38 134 This system <}_><-|>say's<+|>says<}/> Tony Lount makes more E38 135 economical use of water. A completely new computer system is also E38 136 now available which accurately controls the pull in rate of the E38 137 machine. Should the irrigator develop a fault and fail to pull in E38 138 for 20 minutes, the computer shuts off the water supply, preventing E38 139 flooding and waste of water. This computer system is also available E38 140 for other makes of irrigator.

E38 141 E38 142 New Equipment & Thinking From Richard Pearson

E38 143 Potato harvesting specialists Richard Pearson Ltd of Frieston E38 144 Nr Boston, market leaders in potato harvesters have no doubt done a E38 145 great deal over the last 30 yrs to expand and perfect the E38 146 mechanical harvesting of the potato crop. Today they enjoy 73% E38 147 market share which is quite outstanding.

E38 148 Richard Pearson, along with Grimme have worked extremely hard E38 149 to reach such a position and maintain it, but no doubt much of E38 150 their outstanding success is due to supplying the customer with E38 151 what he wants. Continued developments have improved the harvesting E38 152 of potatoes, reduced labour and cost requirements and more E38 153 importantly have significantly reduced damage and crop losses while E38 154 at the same time improving output and efficiency.

E38 155 A wide range of machines is available, many of which vary in E38 156 specification and include machines for both the 2 and 4 row 2 stage E38 157 system which is growing in popularity. The needs of E38 158 <}_><-|>todays<+|>today's<}/> potato grower be it for single or two E38 159 stage harvesters or other specialised ancillary equipment, have to E38 160 be catered for. The complete range is available from this E38 161 progressive company.

E38 162 Looking at the future 50 years, Managing Director Roger Pearson E38 163 and his team held a most informative press day at the time of the E38 164 National Potato Demonstration setting out quite clearly the future E38 165 aims of the Company and at the same time introducing some E38 166 interesting new potato harvesters from Grimme. It is clear to see E38 167 that there are some exciting developments on the way. One of these E38 168 is the new Pearson Megastar stone and clod separator.

E38 169 In the late 50's Pearson first pioneered the system of stone E38 170 and clod separation and it is now widely used. In those early days E38 171 webs were used which sifted the soil and conveyed the clod and E38 172 stone to a cross conveyor, this severely restricted output in wet E38 173 conditions and certain soil types. It was therefore realised that a E38 174 new approach was necessary.

E38 175 Following extensive testing a new stone and clod separator is E38 176 to be introduced at the forthcoming Royal Smithfield Show. The new E38 177 system involves 12 rows of plastic star shaped wheels which replace E38 178 the web, the shafts carrying the star wheels are chain driven in E38 179 pairs.

E38 180 This new approach to stone and clod separation offers a E38 181 dramatic increase in output, allows increased forward travelling E38 182 speed, a reduction in power requirement and leaves a neater and E38 183 more consolidated finished bed enabling more efficient planting and E38 184 improved productivity.

E38 185 Unique to the design of the Megastar is the automatic depth E38 186 control system which consists of a pneumatic rubber tyre wheel E38 187 running on top of the pre-formed bed. This follows the contours and E38 188 through a series of switches and a sensor a signal is relayed to an E38 189 actuator which operates a depth control ray. With its rear wheel E38 190 steering and quick return automatically on entering the next bed, E38 191 here is a machine that will capture a major share of the market.

E38 192 Also being introduced is a new single row harvester with E38 193 advanced design features. Special attention being given to damage E38 194 free separation and haulm removal. This is aimed at the early E38 195 potato growers.

E38 196 Another new machine seen was the new 'Q' Continental, a 2 row E38 197 unmanned harvester very popular with large growers which easily E38 198 handle large quantities of haulm.

E38 199 Two stage machines were of course to be seen with the 2 row E38 200 windrower working in conjunction with the new Grimme Digger Loader E38 201 - capable of harvesting large crop volumes with a minimum of E38 202 damage.

E38 203 With the investment taking place, both in personnel and E38 204 continued expansion, research and development, potato growers can E38 205 look to the future with confidence.

E38 206 How nice it was to have the founder Richard Pearson join the E38 207 meeting.

E38 208 Reconditioned machines are also available from one of Pearson's E38 209 subsidiary companies.

E38 210 E38 211 The Triennial Potato Marketing Board Harvesting and E38 212 Handling Demonstration

E38 213 The twentieth potato harvesting and handling demonstration was E38 214 staged this year by the Potato Marketing Board at East Kirkby in E38 215 Lincolnshire this years<&|>sic! theme being 'Growing For A E38 216 Market'.

E38 217 The crop of records grown was on contract with Dalgety Produce E38 218 for making into Golden Wonder Crisps. E38 219