Read November`s The Edge as a PDF
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Read November`s The Edge as a PDF
The Edge 193:The Edge 172.qxd 23/10/2012 08:47 Page 1 EDGE the ISSUE NO: 193 www.theedgemag.co.uk CHELMSFORD’S EXCLUSIVE SALON 01245 251111 3 Can Bridge Way, Chelmsford www.westwoodhair.co.uk ‘THE CHELMSFORD FANZINE’ The Edge Chelmsford CM2 6XD Telephone 01245 348256 NOVEMBER 2012 Mobile: 077 646 797 44 The Edge 193:The Edge 172.qxd 20/10/2012 09:38 Page 2 Precious P recious g gifts if ts for for your your loved loved ones ones this this Christmas Christmas Diamonds Michael K Ko o r s ‘ L a rrg ge Run nway way’ R o s e G o l d Watc Watc h G i f t S ets ets Ebel Classic W Wave ave Ladies Tisso ott L a d i e s O r i s B C 3 A d vva anced Opposite pp the back of WH Smiths 8 -10 N 8-10 NE E W LLONDON ONDON R ROAD OA D - C CHELMSFORD HELMSFORD - E ESSE SSE X - C CM2 M2 0 0SW SW T:: 0 01245 267089 w.asjewellers.co.uk E:: [email protected] T 124 5 2 670 8 9 - w w w . a s j e w e l l e r s .c o.u k - E n f o @ a s j e w e l l e r s .c o.u k The Edge 193:The Edge 172.qxd 23/10/2012 10:36 Page 3 !"# #$%&''$()*& '*+,-&*.$'.*++$%-*&/0$%&'$ 1,&2%-*$3"42,54* !"#$%&&'(#)'%&*#+,-##.$/ 01234#4'#$562#7%(18 6*$+*77$3*%42,847$&*%.709&*#$'*+,-&*.:$ ),-)9*&'$),-)$+2.**2$%&'$1,&2%-*$/7"2),&(((91'(%1&4:21;'552;4<'19;'96= your Book R OR INDOO OR O OUTD TION FUNC ! NOW ‘DRIN AS MU K CH YOU L AS BARS IKE’ FOR A SET PRICE CATERING EQUIPMENT HIRE www.olivercatering.com Email: [email protected] TEL: 01245 451651 Is this a grizzly bear? AirShow Disaster Look at this amazing photograph, readers. The pilot has clearly lost control of his craft and whilst it narrowly missed the gathered crowd, he couldn’t stop it from slamming into four buildings. One can only imagine the abject horror of the surprised occupants. BOOK NOW FOR CHRISTMAS 1 ST ! LARGE PARTIES CATERED FOR ! STYLISH ENVIRONMENT ! GREAT FOOD, EXCELLENT SERVICE CHELMSFORD’S 0 1 24 5 3 5 3 89 9 W W W. Z E N C H E L M S F O R D. C O. U K The Edge 077 646 797 44 NOODLE BAR 86-87 DUKE STREET Page 3 The Edge 193:The Edge 172.qxd 22/10/2012 12:40 Page 4 nearest branch to Chelmsford is Basildon. They do everything from laminates to solid wood floors, only ‘Edge Towers’ has now been well and truly covered throughout, so I’ve genuinely no need for it any more. Trouble is, they wouldn’t refund me my £1,300, so I’ve had to take it in the form of said credit note. So, can any of you readers help me out? If any of you are looking to refloor your houses/pads, then I will gladly sell this credit note on to you for £999, which means I’ll be chucking away £301 of my hard-earned, but hey, I’ve got to offer an incentive, haven’t I? Give me a call if you’re interested. please. TAKE-AWAY MENUS Does ever a day go by without some f *** er shoving a take-away menu through your letterbox? The Edge Editor’s Column JUST DO IT! Spotted some fat, gormless looking bloke, waiting to cross Parkway, wearing one of those Nike t-shirts that says ‘Just do it!’ on the front. I couldn’t see the back, but doubtless it said, ‘Just eat another pie.’ 6:15am SHADES There was a lad sat outside Costa Coffee at the train station at 6:15am the other morning wearing a pair of sunglasses. Have you seen how dark it is at 6:15am these days? Twat. WOODEN FLOORING I shouldn’t really be using The Edge for stuff like this, but f *** it, it’s my mag, so what the hell. I have got stuck with a £1,300 credit note from a flooring company called Floors-2-Go (yeah, I hate the number in their name as well) whose INSOMNIACS R US Quite recently, I had a bout of insomnia and did I not like that, as former England football manager Graham ‘Turnip Head’ (how cruel) Taylor might have said. I think most people, myself included (up until the other week), just naturally assume that you go to bed and you go to sleep, because that’s the deal. But my God, it certainly opened my eyes to the problem (bum-bum). It’s like you can’t go to sleep, but you don’t want to get up....and then all you want to do when it’s time to get up is go to sleep. Is that a fair enough analogy, all you folk out there who suffer from insomnia? So what do you do? I honestly wouldn’t want to take any drugs for the problem, and nor would I want to drink excessively (during the working week) so that I knocked myself out, only to wake up with the ugly mother of all hangovers. Someone’s suggested eating a couple of kiwi fruit immediately before you go to bed, whilst someone else has suggested celery. But what The Edge wants to know is whether these are simply old wives tales? CONVERSATION Had a bit of a one-way conversation with a squirrel walking into town from Tesco Parkway’s car-park. Basically, it was on the wall to my right with the river beyond and I told it to ‘f *** off’. HOPE SPRINGS Not sure how many of The Edge’s middle-aged readers have been to the cinema recently to see Hope Springs? Basically though, the therapy sessions could have been cut a lot shorter if Tommy Lee Jones had simply had the balls to say, “Look, I wanted to jump your bones every goddamn night when you looked like you did in The Deer Hunter....but not these days, Meryl.” I AM DEAD...GET ME OUT OF HERE A bloke in Florida died recently after competing in a cockroach-eating contest, not to mention consuming other live bugs and worms. DRINK & BE HAPPY A recent survey suggests that couples who share a bottle of wine at least once a week enjoy marital life far more than those that don’t. Over 1,500 couples were quizzed and they found that concordance - where partners have roughly the same amount of alcohol at the same time - breeds happiness. Hmmmmm. I always tend to drink three-quarters of the bottle tho’.... THE EDGE Chelmsford CM2 6XD 077 646 797 44 [email protected] * Christmas Menu Now Available The Wine Cellar B A R & B I S T R O 01245 349646 “A place to start your night, enjoy your night and finish your night.” No 4. Dukes Street Chelmsford. CM11HL F 1st - 24th Dec (Booking Essential) *Beaujolais Day 15th November breakfast and set menu available. (booking essential) * New winter menu now available vegi night first wednesday of every month Steak night thursday (2 steaks and a bottle of wine £26.) www.thewinecellarchelmsford.co.uk Page 4 [email protected] The Edge 01245 348256 The Edge 193:The Edge 172.qxd 20/10/2012 09:50 Page 5 Beer Pump Clip sports injury massage & rehabilitation clinic Jackie O’Neill NO PLACE IN A LOCAL MONTHLY FANZINE FOR STUFF LIKE THIS... ....although every now and then you’ve just got to make an exception. Basically though, what you see here is indefensible. Your editor saw it and that was pretty much it....he just turned into a jibbering wreck. But that’s the power of photography...funny what sort of effect it can have on you, isn’t it? I guess to most women looking at this shot, it’s simply 10 scantily clad babes wearing bearskins. But to your average bloke, oh, just look at their delicious shape/form. Just look at the way some of them arch. And if all that wasn’t enough, The Edge reckons their bras have been painted on. I never saw these ladies at the recent ESSEXstreetdiversions though and I blame CCC’s Anna Yates for that (come on Anna, get your finger out, love). In my dreams, I would be sat outside Pret a Manger, having a right refreshing brew and a duck & hoi sin sauce wrap in the winter sunshine, and these ladies would start walking suggestively down the High Street towards me, before whisking me off to a back room in Shire Hall. OMG, that would be so divine. Shit...you live your life, you pay your taxes, you’re a decent, upstanding’ish’ kind of a citizen, yet stuff like this never, ever happens to you. Why not? I bloody well want it, I do. www.theedgemag.co.uk D&A main road great waltham CM3 1DE T. 0758 362 9493 Ali’s Taxis 46-46-46 inc. 8 seater mini-buses Airport Trips Corporate Accounts Welcome Page 5 The Edge 193:The Edge 172.qxd 20/10/2012 09:55 Page 6 WHAT THIS PICTURE SAYS TO THE EDGE... “THE SYDNEY MARDI GRAS IS THE WAY FORWARD!” Freshly made sandwiches, jacket potatoes, salad boxes, homemade soups, cakes & much much more! Duke Street. Tel: 01245 499114 It’s an annual lesbian and gay pride parade only somehow you just can’t see it happening in Chelmsford, can you? It doesn’t half pack the crowds in though seemingly hundreds of thousands of folk from all over the world. Boasting that it is one of the biggest parties of its kind, it offers Bondi Beach Drag Races, a Harbour Party & Fair Day and even an academic discussion panel called, of all things, Queer Thinking. This event has grown since 1978 when numerous participants were initially arrested by the fuzz for ‘revealing themselves’. Naturally The Edge thinks it’s great, but not everyone is happy. The Mardi Gras has consistently attracted opposition from a variety of religious and political groups and every single year without fail, a fella by the name of Fred Nile leads a prayer for rain on the day it is held (usually in early March if any of you are thinking of popping over to catch it). It is certainly colourful though, The Edge will give it that, as well as being a really good excuse (if ever one were needed) to flash your knob in public*. *That is not to say that this publication condones flashers, because it doesn’t. It thinks they’re sad/funny, but no....best don’t do it! DOORS - DOORS - DOORS ‘Cheerful Bob’ & Bros. inc. ‘Serious Chris’ & ‘Forgetful Dave’ - ‘all Alive & Fitting!” Family Business Est. 1979 Internal/External, Hardwood/Softwood, Stairs & Spindles a speciality. Visit our door stall on Saturday’s at Chelmsford Market 01245 361201 0777 893 8920 Page 6 Look what this ickle girl has just clocked? [email protected] The Edge 193:The Edge 172.qxd 20/10/2012 09:56 Page 7 RESULT! The Edge wouldn’t usually comment about a celebrity ‘D’ list wedding as it is far too high brow and all of that malarkey, and certainly not into any form of sensationalistic journalism, bollocks and claptrap etc. However, on this particular occasion it will make an exception because your editor has actually met Nick Knowles in the Polzeath Spar, of all places (least I think it’s a Spar in Polzeath), back in late July of 2011. Now when I say ‘met’.....Knowlesy was buying a carton of milk at the time as I accidently put my camera in his face and gave it plenty of flash! Thing is, he was with this little girl who The Edge Crew all assumed had to be his daughter....only now we realise that it must have been his then fiance - and now wife - Jessica Rose Moor (25), whilst our Nick is literally twice that age, the dirty old bugger. What a result, eh? The couple got married in Rome as you may well have seen in one of those celebrity gossip mags (such as KO or ’Ey Up) that they tend to have loads of last years copies of in hair salons and dentist’s waiting-rooms. Knowlesy says that Jessica “makes everything sweeter”. Aaaaaah. Isn’t that lovely, readers? Wonder if he’ll still be saying that in 10 years time? The Edge only mentions this because Mrs Edge used to, you know, simply get on with ‘cooking the tea’ - like women should do. Only these days she’s forever making barbed comments the likes of, “When are you going to learn how to cook?” and “You make me sick, you do.” “I came to the conclusion that you can’t spend the rest of your life worrying about what other people think,” says NK. Meanwhile, the all new Mrs Knowles says, “I find it extremely bizarre that some people think I must have had another reason for marrying Nick, other than the fact that I have fallen completely in love with him.” So anyway, enough of that and what about the time Knowlesy revealed on Twatter that he’d burnt his knob on the oven door? What a ‘boy’ he is. Apparently, he did it whilst indulging in a spot of naked baking (baking = kitchens, kitchens = Spazio...plug, plug, readers, see advertisement right) an apple crumble to be precise - when the unfortunate scorching occurred. “I singed the end of my Hampton whilst putting the crumble in the oven,” admitted the DIY SOS front man. In order to ease the pain, he says he, “rubbed some butter on it before plunging it into a pint of iced Pimms.” Why couldn’t he have just said ‘glass’, eh? As in: “A glass of iced Pimms.” But no. Old Knowlesy just has to infer that his ‘Hampton’ wouldn’t fit into a common-or-garden glass and only a pint glass would admit his unfeasibly large girthed one-eyed trouser snake. Christ, this is turning into ‘50 Shades of Crap Revisited’. Good job I’ve run out of room..... The Edge 01245 348256 continuing As wellll as con A ntinuing i i to b bring i fantastic you a fanta astic range of design solutions We now a also offer a personalised complete, pers sonalised interior consultation design g co onsultation Contact Contac ct us for information more inf formation 01245 2 299 331 [email protected] info@spazio design.co.uk www.spaziodesign.co.uk www.spazio odesign.co.uk Page 7 The Edge 193:The Edge 172.qxd 23/10/2012 08:51 Page 8 CITIZEN Page 8 This month Citizen looks at everyday things that it simply doesn’t understand? Forgive me for having a rant this month, but are there everyday occurrences that affect your life, albeit in somewhat trivial ways, that you simply do not understand? Maybe there are things that aren’t how they used to be, but it isn’t clear when or why they changed, or if things have improved because of them? They may be assumptions that seem to have been made by individuals, or organisations, that appear to make no sense to you whatsoever? So let me explain what I mean and touch upon three or four specific issues.... Is it only Citizen among the millions of road users in this country who doesn’t possess an encyclopaedic knowledge of exactly where every junction number on every motorway and every ‘A’ road goes to? Yet listen to any radio motorway report and you’ll hear things such as: “Severe delays after junction 13 on the M6” or “There’s a wide load taking up two lanes on the M4 between junctions 16 and 17 so expect delays”. Where the hell are these junctions? Does anyone - other than mandarins at the Department of Transport, long-distance lorry drivers, the Motorway Police and Bart Simpson’s Dad in your SatNav - actually know, or give a damn? Isn’t it safe to assume that the drivers most interested in, and affected by, such reports are probably strangers to the areas in question and therefore in need of such basic information as place names, likely destinations and alternative routes via named towns and villages, as opposed to junction numbers? But everyday drivers using the motorway network, for example on the M6, would be far better served knowing that the delay at junction 13 was at the Stafford exit and that the delays on the M4 between 16 and 17 were at the turnoffs serving Swindon and Chippenham, so why the hell don’t they just tell us that? Then there are the puzzling policies based on either politically correct or environmental issues that some companies adopt without further explanation, safe in the knowledge - perhaps - that no one dare challenge them. For example, there is a well known high street newsagent, stationer and bookseller found in most towns and cities that Citizen loves, but is nonetheless puzzled by. In no less than three branches of this worthy and valuable retailer (as far apart as Chelmsford, Hertford and York) Citizen has been challenged, and once shamed, by simply asking for a bag in which to carry the goods he had just bought on the grounds of saving on packaging and therefore saving the environment. But as the store in question specialises - in a very comprehensive and valuable way - predominantly in paper and card products, why not offer some cheap paper bags made from recycled materials that themselves can be recycled? In York, Citizen was actually charged for a bag - that, naturally, carried the company’s logo to be carried thereafter for all to see - in which to carry a book that it had just purchased, when the main reason for asking for it in the first place was to avoid the embarrassment of potentially being challenged were it then to enter another establishment selling the same item, while having about ones person the product unwrapped and, to all intents, looking like a shoplifter when it came to leaving the shop! It’s all very well saying that you have a receipt, but who actually wants to be apprehended by a store detective in the first place, despite being innocent? Citizen also wonders why it is that it is easier to buy a packet of Corn Flakes at 3.00am in the morning 6 days a week (excluding Sundays) than it is to see a GP from the practice where Citizen is registered in an emergency or at weekends? Citizen, as previous discursions in this very column have no doubt already revealed, grew up in the fifties and sixties, at a time when the larger grocer’s shops closed at either 5.30pm or, at the very latest, 6.00pm. They were not open on Sundays at all. When the new supermarkets arrived - with Tesco in the forefront alongside an astonishing and welcome realignment of Sainsbury’s (a former traditional grocer) - they kept similar hours, only gradually increasing to an 8.00pm closing time. At the same time, if you ‘took sick’ overnight, or at the weekend, you could get an emergency call out from a familiar doctor from the practice you were with who actually had access to your ‘notes’. Indeed, there might even be Saturday surgeries other than for ‘emergencies’ - perhaps for commuters and the like. But nowadays, if you run out of Corn Flakes, Brillo Pads or Batteries at any time of the day and night, Monday to Saturday - or for at least 6 hours on a Sunday - all you have to do is go to the nearest 24/7 superstore, which can be found in most small towns, and your needs are generally met in full. But try to see you own doctor, or one of their partners, after 6.30pm, or at weekends, when a real need arises and you are far more likely to find yourself served by an ‘out of hours’ agency medic who, no doubt, is just as well qualified, but it’s not quite the same as seeing someone you know and have developed a trust in, is it? In all fairness, Citizen believes that this so called initiative was brought about under the auspices of the local PCTs (Primary Care Trusts) and not by GPs themselves. However, one would hazard a guess that if you’d stopped a grocer and a general practitioner in the street in, say, 1962 and asked them which of their chosen professions would be the most likely to be still at work on a shift at 11.00pm at night, or during the day on a Sunday, 50 years on in 2012, the grocer would probably have laughed in your face as he or she made their way home to watch ‘Wagon Train’, ‘Take Your Pick’ or ‘Emergency Ward 10’ on their two-channel black and white telly! The doctor, on the other hand, would have wearily consulted the surgery rota and, stethoscope around neck, gone and made that house call. Only don’t run away with the idea that Citizen is a social, environmental or retail Luddite. Far from it. Citizen is an enthusiastic and committed ‘recycler’, taking bottles to the bottle bank and newspapers to the specific newsprint recycling bins, usually found in car parks - the ones that make sure the paper goes back to the excellent recycling plant in Kent where they really do know how to turn it back into paper fit to print on. Citizen also faithfully sorts the household food waste into the council supplied slop bucket (sorry, I mean ‘caddy’); the cardboard, plastic and tins into the right places and makes sure they are all out in the right place, at the right time, and in the right bin or bag for the council environmental team to collect. Nevertheless, if you will permit one final rant, the only thing that does puzzle Citizen, having talked to friends or relatives from different Boroughs or Council areas, is why the rules seem to differ from Council to Council as to what goes where and in which receptacle? Surely there is only one way to get it right and save the planet? The Edge 01245 348256 The Edge 193:The Edge 172.qxd 20/10/2012 10:03 Page 9 Major Charity Fireworks Event Saturday 3rd November Chelmsford's major charity fireworks event is set to be even bigger and better this year, in turn raising money for various local good causes. It is organised by Chelmsford Round Table with the venue being in Admirals Park, Rainsford Road, Chelmsford on Saturday 3rd November. Gates open for the children's funfair at 6.00pm. Then at 6.30pm it’s the Heart FM Roadshow ‘live’ on stage with the Firework Display starting at 7.30pm prompt. Get your tickets beforehand (to avoid queuing) from: Fastsigns, Victoria Road (New Street traffic lights), Chelmsford. Chelmsford Travel & Visitor Information Centre, 8 Dukes Walk, Duke Street, Chelmsford. Tickets are available for collection during the day on Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th October and also on Saturday 3rd November in the High Chelmer Shopping Centre. Prices: Adults: £6.00; Children: £4.00 (5-16 years) Families: £15.00 (2 Adults/2 Children or 1 Adult/3 Children) The good causes include: Js Hospice - http://www.thejshospice.org.uk/ Kids Inspire - http://www.kidsinspire.org.uk/ Chelmsford Round Table 132 Charitable Trust Number 1079149 http://www.chelmsford.roundtable.co.uk/events/3670/chelmsford-fireworks-2012/ http://www.facebook.com/RTBIFireworksChelmsford www.theedgemag.co.uk Page 9 The Edge 193:The Edge 172.qxd 20/10/2012 10:19 Page 10 Swimming Lessons DW« For more details contact Zoe on : 07935 319462, e-mail us at: [email protected] or visit us at: www.TheAquaAcademy.org.uk David Sherman’s BEVERAGE REPORT Where Effort is rewarded Pupils of all abilities welcome If you’re a pub-goer and a follower of current affairs, you’ll no doubt be aware that various groups are advocating the introduction of minimum pricing for alcohol - in fact, it already exists in Scotland, albeit in a different form from that being advocated for the rest of mainland UK. The theory is that, by forbidding retailers to sell alcoholic drinks for less than a certain (still comparatively low) price, ‘problem drinking’ will be all but eradicated. Two reasons are given as to why this effect is likely: firstly, that it will be too expensive for those with a lot of time on their hands and only a little money to buy an excess of (for example) cheap beer, sherry or vodka at the supermarket; and secondly, that the price differential between ontrade and off-trade will be reduced, making pubs and other supervised environments a far more attractive option for drinkers. Whoever advocates these proposals either does not have a great deal of understanding of British drinking culture, or they simply have not thought too much about what they are saying. The fact is, selling alcohol for fifty pence a unit, which appears to be the most widely-proposed figure, will still mean that a large can of weak lager will cost less than a pound, as distinct from around three pounds in most pubs. This is hardly a convincing economic argument for those trying to get people into pubs to be using. Further to that, the issue is not simply that supermarket beer is very cheap compared to pub beer. The issue is that, whilst supermarkets sell much of their food VATfree, pubs have to pay 20% VAT on all food sales. Supermarkets can therefore subsidise beer by raising the price of their food. They can also, therefore, lower the price of their food to subsidise an increase in the price of their beer. A supermarket bases its pricing on a basket cost, so which item attracts which profit is less important than the average price of the total package of goods with which we leave the store. Should the current proposals become law, supermarkets will get a higher profit margin per unit on alcoholic Page 10 drinks (for this is merely a government-mandated price increase, not a tax increase), but they will maintain their competitiveness by offsetting the increase elsewhere. A further non-sequitur in the argument is the idea that people will drink less if they are in pubs. Have the minimum-price brigade never been out on a Friday night? Our town centres are overflowing with drunks who get served in bars (having already had plenty of cheap supermarket booze at home) that don’t dare to turn them away precisely because they’ve lost too much trade to the supermarkets already. And, as I discussed earlier, the bars and pubs are subsidising the very trade that’s putting them out of business! Worse, of course, is yet to come. There is now a proposal afoot to impose a late night tax levy on late-night premises. Not seeming to have noticed that pubs pay a huge amount of tax already to cover the costs of late-night policing, drink-related injuries and so on, the Government now wants them to pay even more. Supermarkets, once again, will not be paying that on any beer they sell during daylight hours, so the same people who are trying to price people back into pubs will in fact be persuading them to buy from supermarkets and drink in the park or street after midnight. Far from reducing unsupervised drinking, which they claim leads all too easily to drunkenness, the Government plans to increase it. The pub industry does not need the introduction of minimum pricing with a minimum of thought. It needs a wholesale reduction in alcohol tax, a reduction in VAT in pubs (as is already happening in other EU countries) and recognition that it already pays its way and can’t be expected to contribute any more. But, as David Cameron has trouble distinguishing between a pub and a crèche, that might require a little too much understanding. The Edge 01245 348256 The Edge 193:The Edge 172.qxd 20/10/2012 10:36 Page 11 Surf DOG Contest Cowabunga! Did you see this in the ’papers last month, readers? The Surf City Surf Dog contest on, er, the River Chelmer? The doggie-woggie above is called Deagan and is described as ‘a rose-eared French Bulldog with orange balls.....’ Hang on a minute, that can’t be right, surely? Anyway, your editor still hasn’t taken that damn rent-a-pug out for walkies yet, but a pug is hardly a bloke’s kind of dog, is it? And neither are those bloody Staffs (far too many of their owners are completely the wrong sort in The Edge’s humble opinion). I suppose you’d call a German Shepherd a ‘man’s dog’, wouldn’t you? Especially after it stretches out on it’s back in front of the fire, showing off it’s impressively sized testicles and letting out a silent room-clearer. But imagine picking up one of its ‘dog egg’ deposits in a plastic bag? Christ, you’d need a supermarket carrier bag where a German Shepherd’s concerned. Another reason why dogs are so shite is the fact that I’ve never met one you can hold a decent conversation with. Nor have I ever seen one driving its owner home from the pub late at night. www.theedgemag.co.uk Page 11 The Edge 193:The Edge 172.qxd 22/10/2012 09:50 Page 12 RESTAURANT ON THE GREEN Finest Chinese & Indian Cuisine Lounge Bar CORPORATE • BUSINESS • ROMANTIC Business ! Meetings ! Casual ! Anytime ! Anyone After work or at the end of the day, why not meet your friends, colleagues or partner in our exclusive lounge e! ! m i T y t r a P as! or Christm Book now fo Freshly prepared and personally served to your table SET PRICE – ALL YOU CAN EAT Combination of 2 Cuisine – 1 price More than 200 dishes With a choice of authentic chinese and indian starter including soup, crispy duck, spare ribs and king prawns and sizzler grill plus a selection of main dishes including king prawn, beef, lamb, chicken, duck and much, much more.... We strongly recommend the set price menu which we believe is the best value available for our customers. Sunday to Thursday £14.95 Friday & Saturday £16.95 Children £6.90 (under 10yrs old) Choice of à la Carte Menu or Set Price Menu 30 The Green, Writtle, Chelmsford CM1 3DU 01245 422 228 Page 12 russells restaurant opens its doors to ‘us’ proles! NEW 2-course & 3-course Table D’hote Menu £13.50 - £21.95 allows man-in-the-street to taste finer things in life Barry Warren-Watson inviting The Edge to critique his restaurant is somewhat akin to giving Jimmy Saville the scissors to cut the purple silk ribbon that announces the opening of a primary school sports day. In a word, it’s totally inappropriate. But hey, times change and these days the hoypoloi are not to be scoffed at and if ever a publication has been taken to the bosom of the man-in-thestreet, it has got to be this one. So I asked myself a question; Would I, the proprietor of my very own organ, have liked to be served Seared Scallops with Local Black Pudding & Sweet Corn Puree as my starter? Aye, you’re damn right I would. Ah, but would I be willing to fork out the £11.50 a la carte asking price? “What, for a starter? Leave it out!” Horses for courses, dear readers, horses for courses. Which is why Barry knows exactly what he’s doing by introducing fayre for the common man - least this is The Edge’s ‘take’ on the matter - he is simply giving us the opportunity to both sample and appreciate how things ought to be done. Let The Edge put its cards on the table; it was not particular looking forward to spending an evening at Russells Restaurant. “You what, Edge bloke? You’re having a laugh, aren’t you? You’re offered a freebie, yet you’re saying the deal was a poisoned chalice?” Correct. I had heard that Russells was a fine dining establishment, yet in 16 years of compiling the mag., I had never once put my foot across the threshold. But I’d checked out their photographs on their website and honestly, it just didn’t look like the sort of place for me. Only that kind of changed with my very first bite of one of their a ginger and coriander bread rolls before dinner. “Where do you buy these?” said I, the great ignoramus. “We bake them ourselves,” offered Barry. Now are you ‘getting’ it, readers? Quite simply, there then followed both an education and a total treat for the tastebuds. My wife chose the Griddled Chicken Caesar Salad with Poached Egg (vegetarian option available) for her starter. I tasted some and since when has lettuce ever made you smile? Ever. Meanwhile, my Wild Mushroom Risotto, Parmesan Crisp, Endive Garnish was, without a shadow of a doubt, the nicest tasting risotto I have ever had in my life. Seriously, it was that good. (You know how it sometimes resembles a splodge of overcooked porridge? Believe me, this wasn’t it!) Barry treated us to a bottle of Australian Reginald 2009 Barossa Valley (where?) Shiraz and OMG, it was exquisite (30 quid a pop though!). Moving on, I wanted to order the 10oz Prime 28 day aged Aberdeen Angus Rib Eye Steak for my mains, didn’t I? Yes, of course I did. But in the interests of this article, I ordered something I have never eaten in my entire life before; 7hr Slow Braised Belly of Pork, Mustard Mash, Chantenay Carrots, Cider Jus and honestly, readers, it just melted in your mouth. Meanwhile, Mrs Edge opted for the Pan Seared Haddock Fillet, Buttered New Potatoes, Lemon Caper Butter and it was as though the chef had created the ocean; it ‘tasted’ every bit like what fish is supposed to taste like (inc. texture) and just the opposite to what we’ve become atuned to it tasting like in many an establishment (i.e. watery, bland). By now, it was clear that our shared Roasted Apple & Cinnamon Oat Crumble with English Custard dessert would simply follow suit; delicious. In short, Russells Restaurant is all about the ‘taste’ and I am genuinely not accustomed to food being prepared and cooked this damn well. OK, so the decor’s not quite to The Edge’s taste, but it’s the only thing that isn’t. Foodwise: absolutely faultless. bell street, great baddow, CM2 7JR. Tel: 01245 478484 www.russellsrest.co.uk The Edge 077 646 797 44 The Edge 193:The Edge 172.qxd 20/10/2012 10:31 Page 13 Present this voucher to receive a WASH, CUT & BLOWDRY all for WHOA...HANG ON A MINUTE! “Didn’t he just jump?” “Naa, don’t be daft.” “No, he did. He just jumped.” These days, The Edge imagines, we can all be forgiven for thinking that we’ve ‘seen it all before’ already (and usually David Blaine has gotten there first). But not this time. Oh no sirree. Felix Baumgartner, eh? What a bloke. The first chap to break wind completely unaided (and into a spacesuit at that) from a right extensive height. Can you imagine what it’s like to ‘fall’ a distance of 24 miles at 833mph? Is he bloody Superman, or what? The Edge just doesn’t ‘get’ how he’s still alive, let alone capable of carrying out the cheekiest of ‘oh, I do this every day’ parachute landings. And how about this for a quote; just before he jumped into space, he said to himself: ‘I wish the world could see what I can see now. Sometimes you have to get really high to see how small you really are.’ Only how did Baumgartner simply not explode when he went supersonic? How many Shredded Wheat does he have for breakfast? And how he got out of that ‘spin’ Christ only knows. Quite simply, one of the most incredible things The Edge has ever seen. £23.00* CALL (01245) 346348 Walk in appointments also available. * Offer available Monday - Friday 10am - 4pm * Offer valid until 30th November 2012 * One voucher per customer only * This voucher not to be used in conjunction with any other promotional offer * Subject to availability / selected stylists 6 Rainsford Road, Chelmsford, CM1 2QD. Tel: 01245 346348 We are just 50 metres from the County Hotel. LATE NIGHTS: Wednesdays & Fridays www.auberginethesalon.co.uk We’re Open: 6.00 Til Late Monday-Friday 5JM-BUF4BUVSEBZt"MM%BZ4VOEBZ Victoria Road, Chelmsford, Essex CM1 1NY Tel: (01245) 269983 ALL AMERICAN RESTAURANT 50% OFF This voucher entitles you to 50% off your total food bill Valid Sundays to Thursdays during November 2012. Enter your details, bring along this voucher and present when you ask for the bill. Name ..................................................................................................................................................... Address .................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................ Postcode ........................................ Email ..................................................................................................................................................... www.backinntime.co.uk www.theedgemag.co.uk Page 13 The Edge 193:The Edge 172.qxd 23/10/2012 10:32 Page 14 Gangland Criminality on the Streets of CM1 At the behest of The Edge, one was asked to infiltrate Chelmsford’s dark gangland underworld around this seemingly quiet city in waiting. The neanderthal editor chose myself over ‘Totally Tracie’ or the socialist ‘Citizen’ as he required a journalist of superior education, nous and, most of all, an unfeasibly large pair of balls. Shocked and saddened by what I found, one felt the need to raise the alarm and warn you good people. In the vocabulary of the youth - ‘There’s a whole lot goin’ down’. Yes, this gentle-but-well-educated-man went undercover to spend two whole weeks amongst the intoxicated hoodlums, revealing a criminal underbelly the likes of which has not yet been seen in Chelmsford since, oh, 1999. I began my venture with the Riverside Vipers; two wheelered moped maniacs who ‘hang’ at the frankly criminally overpriced Riverside Leisure Centre car-park. “What crew you from, man?” I was befuddled, quickly tracking my memory of the Urban Dictionary for parallel discourse. “The Boys Brigade,” I cantered. They laughed. We moved on. On to find trouble on to skate the ice. One gained trust and bought kudos by exchanging Merlin stickers and bubbled gum, the black currency of the underworld, and doing ‘dares’ such as punching one’s self in one’s face as hard as one possibly could. The Gentleman continues to regret handing over one’s Phil Jagielka shiny in exchange for a plain Park Ji-Sun, but one accepts it was necessary to get ‘amongst it’. Both I and they sat around in our Native Indian hoodies, occasionally shouting ‘bogies’ at harmless old folk, a can of shandy bass in our (but obviously not my) dirty impoverished fingers. The fortnight is now a hazy blur, my memory warped by sniffing a Prit-Stick opposite Matalan and taking some ethanol shots that Mungo took for a game of tag-rugger or shin-kicking. One’s mind is hazy, but I recall a two litre bottle of White Lightening being handed around, liberally supped, and Mungo being proudly flatulent as ever. Gobbler claimed to have thieved some Revels from Tesco, but we all saw the receipt. After all, if you were going to thieve, you’d surely opt for a selection pack, but this, evidently, was a portion for one, depressingly over-laden with orange and coffee nuggets. But what was clear and shocking was that the young chap wanted to be a crook the intent percolating from his morally baron pores. The Gentleman from his state school chemistry class. “Mungo is a nut-case“ they would chant, as if summoning the devil. He was in my view, although it has yet to be medically proven. High on fumes and frivolity we spray-canned what can only be described as a chaps shaft and testes on the railway underpass, just down the way from the New Garden Asian take- away. Educational note: One found New Garden does an exquisite pancake role - even if they also sell a lot of foreign muck. My fortnight was going to go further into the mire from this point. It was a buzz, particularly for their mundane existences, but clearly very wrong - and a donation has been sent to my pals at National Rail to compensate. One of these poisonous ‘Vipers’, who the Gentleman can’t name for legal reasons, mentioned that their second cousin was involved in the Tottenham riots. One felt like Ross Kemp - I was in, perhaps too deep. Remember, fellow Chelmsfordians, we are living but a spiked security fence away from these people The Gentleman and his band of gutter-folk scooted down toward Central Park one eve, doubtless On arrival at the tin, park-ruining, ‘half-pipe’, we were approached by the Viper’s deadly rivals - the BSCs (Bus Shelter Crew). “This is our park,” the tattooed BSC leader said, pushing Gobbler. “I think you’ll find this is her Majesty the Queen’s Park,” I retorted. “Mark this shit-head!” Five, maybe eight, of the BSCs began to attack us, throwing eggs and flour at us all, jamming our scooter engines with soon to be lightly aired batter. My face was a powdery mess - I was a Geisha emasculated by idiots of the park. My pal’s batallion tearful and weepy, tarred with eggs and flour, like lepers. My garments ruined. Food albeit wholemeal flour - wasted. Mobile phoned vermin catching every humiliating moment. We were downbeat. Gobbler had his Sovereign brutally ripped from his finger, which he lost it in the melee. The Vipers retreated just beyond the Pitch’n’Putt, stopping in Texaco for a banana frij to settle our nerves. My nostrils flared - I couldn’t help but feel humiliated and ashamed - my crew had been ‘dissed’; my honour in tatters. We had to fight back - but was I still a Gentleman, or was I now corrupted - just another brokenhomed Viper? To be continued... 30% Faster Than The National Average Historically, summer was always a time of slower sales, according to the media. But here at The Home Partnership, we must have been a serious exception to the rule after recording our second best sales month of 2012 whilst the sun was shining brightly over Chelmsford. Scott Mason MNAEA Director The ‘excuse’, of course, would have been that the Olympic Games were a distraction for prospective buyers and sellers alike, compounded by the traditionally quiet summer holiday period. However, we are acutely aware that even such glorious events pale into insignificance for anyone who has a real need to move. Indeed, Rightmove reported a marginal increase in new properties entering the market in August, whilst dips in buyer activity on their site were only at key moments during The Games, when activity, at times, dropped by as much as 50%. Your INFORMATIVE Estate Agent However, we feel that motivated buyers and sellers still have sufficient time to get moving in 2012 and we have already seen, during October, that sellers in particular have a brand new focus to get in ahead of the expected autumn rush and sell their homes before the New Year arrives. This, of course, should alert existing vendors to the fact that we are now in a new cycle on the property calendar. If your home has been on the market since the spring, perhaps it’s time to consider repositioning your property? The average time before a house sells on the open market is 92 days (nationally), although here at The Home Partnership, our average is 30% faster than that. So our message to you is that although volumes nationally remain half of what they were at the peak of the property boom, activity is hotting up nicely. That said, if you are serious about selling, then a combination of the right agent, the right marketing, the right negotiation skills and the right price advice - combined, of course, with an Olympian attitude - really ought to have you moved in by the New Year. Call us now to book a serious market appraisal of your home, or take advantage of booking online and receive £250 OFF our standard selling fees. www.thehomepartnership.co.uk 11 Duke Street, Chelmsford CM1 1HL Telephone: 01245 250222 Page 14 The Edge 077 646 797 44 The Edge 193:The Edge 172.qxd 22/10/2012 10:01 Page 15 Dunmow Waste Management ‘LARGE ENOUGH TO SERVE YOUR NEEDS - SMALL ENOUGH TO CARE’ Established in 1987, Dunmow Waste Management is a family owned business that has made substantial growth in the past couple of years. The company has recently relocated from Great Dunmow - as its name suggests - to Regiment Way in Chelmsford and in so doing has created many local jobs ranging from transport to office staff. The company operates a recycling and recovery centre and works hard to ensure it hits, and more often than not exceeds, its own waste management targets of 90 per cent plus. Sam Malins, MD, says, “Waste management has now become more complex than ever, but by leaving it all to us, you can be 100% assured that your waste is being correctly and carefully disposed of.” The team has built up an unrivaled level of knowledge and expertise in its field, fast becoming leaders in service and reliability, whilst helping its customers to always make the right decisions. What’s more, the firm’s commitment to serving its customers both ethically and responsibly, coupled with its belief and expectation in high standards, puts it head and shoulders above all other providers in the area. Dunmow Waste Management operates a recycling and recovery centre from where the recyclables and waste collected is sorted and bulked for transportation to a network of pre-processors, recovery and disposal facilities. www.theedgemag.co.uk Page 15 The Edge 193:The Edge 172.qxd 22/10/2012 10:03 Page 16 When you wear a ring every day Don’t settle for an everyday ring Your wedding ring is the most emotionally significant piece of jewellery that you wear, so make it even more personal by engraving a special message or design in your own handwriting*. * Specialised engraving available on Furrer Jacot designs only. 3 Barrack Square, CHELMSFORD, CM2 0UU 01245 500 499 [email protected] Stores also at Brentwood & Hertford Page 16 www.lancejames.co.uk The Edge 077 646 797 44 The Edge 193:The Edge 172.qxd 22/10/2012 10:03 Page 17 The Edge 193:The Edge 172.qxd YOUR letters & emails to theedge! CHELMSFORD, CM2 6XD. [email protected] 22/10/2012 10:20 Page 18 TROUBLED TOM Dear Edge, I have never written to you before, but I really need your advice. I have suspected for some time that my wife has been cheating on me. There’s all the usual signs: ’phone rings, but if I answer, the caller hangs up. My wife has been going out with 'the girls' a lot recently, although when I ask her their names, she always says, "Just some girls from work, you don't know them." I try to stay awake and look out for her when she comes home, but I usually fall asleep. Anyway, I have never broached the subject with my wife. I think deep down I just don’t want to know the truth. But last night she went out again, so I decided to finally check up on her. Around midnight, I hid in the garage behind my golf clubs so that I could get a good view of the street when she arrived home from her night out with ‘the girls’. When she got out of the car she started buttoning up her blouse before retrieving her panties from her purse and slipping them on. It was at that moment, crouching behind my clubs, that I noticed a hairline crack where the grip meets the graphite shaft on my 3-wood. Tell me, is this something you think I could fix myself, or should I take it back to the pro-shop where I bought it? Troubled Tom. You actually ‘had me going’ for a bit there, Tom, but I think you should only trust your club in the hands of a professional. E.E. WESTSIDE! Striker! Could you please put a picture of my wonderful daughter Maisy in your splendid organ, wishing her a belated happy birthday from her Dad. I totally missed it due to the fact I was laid up in hospital after breaking my leg playing football. Westside! Jan Attrell their onrushing number 1 to then flatten you with his momentum and totally bugger up your Christmas. Yep, life sure can be a total bitch at times. E.E. JUST LIKE ENGLAND Hi Shaun, Still loving the mag, so took one to Barbados with me in October. Oh poor, poor you, Jan lad. What makes it worse is that I understand you were in a one-on-one situation with the opposing ’keeper before you lost your cool completely and blazed hideously over the bar from inside the 18 yard box, only for It’s just like England....apart from the 30 degree heat, warm azure waters and seafood galore! Craig Fletcher You are making me green with envy, Craig lad, as I’d really like to visit Barbados. E.E. Laser Lase er Tattoo Tat ttoo Removal Clinic from £30.00 HooDoo o Tattoo Removal Specialist Specialist 0800 612 783 7830 0 [email protected] State of the art machine. Fantastic results for fading or complete removal. Quick, and with no scarring. Hygienic and clinical. After Three Treatments For a free consultation call 0800 612 7830 324 Broomfield rd, , Chelmsford, , CM1 4DZ Page 18 After Five Treatments HooDoo www.hoo-doo.co.uk The Edge 077 646 797 44 The Edge 193:The Edge 172.qxd 22/10/2012 Set in the trendy west end railway arches in Chelmsford, Suite.429 Men’s Grooming Lounge is making a big impact in the city and surrounding areas. Offering everything under one roof for the modern man in a variety of lifestyles, Suite.429 is the place to go. Daniel, the owner, has done a fantastic job in taking the stigma out of men wanting to look good. The relaxed, friendly and lively atmosphere makes you feel immediately at ease, whilst the stone walls, motorbike (yes, motorbike) and record sleeves on the walls all help to reinforce the ambiance. He’s also quite quirkily and cleverly given the waxing treatments available train station names to take the embarrassment out of booking them. Says Daniel: “You’d be amazed how many people ’phone up to book a Crystal Palace or a Hampstead Heath. I mean honestly, who wants to ask to have their butt crack waxed over the ’phone? It’s just a far nicer way of discussing bookings with our ever increasing client base.” Daniel continues, “We also get a lot of wives ’phoning up on their husband’s behalves, saying that they haven’t got any excuse for not having their backs waxed any more, now that there’s a dedicated men’s grooming salon in Chelmsford. That’s probably why our location works so very well for us. We’re not in the High Street, so no-one has to worry about being seen coming or going.” So what’s available? Suite.429’s barbering experience is a cut above the rest. Meanwhile massage, whether it be sports, relaxing, deep tisThe Edge 01245 348256 10:46 Page 19 sue or, as found in top London salons, lymphatic, is second-tonone. There’s also facials, manicures and pedicures, tanning, waxing and even a sauna that seats 15 and a steam room that accommodates 8. “Our lymphatic massage is very popular,” says Daniel. “It’s a very gentle massage that stimulates the lymphatic nodes in your body; lymph nodes act as a barrier to infection by scavenging bacteria and foreign materials. With the nasty weather approaching, more and more people are using it as a natural way to protect themselves from catching colds and flu. It also has a great side-effect in helping weight loss and who doesn’t want that?” With winter just around the corner, what better way to chase away those grey day blues then a soul warming sauna and/or steam. Suite.429 even supply you with towels, a locker and shower gel. Not only that, they also run a loyalty scheme so that you can eventually earn a free entry. In the words of one of Daniel’s clients: “I popped in to enquire about prices and ended up having a sauna, steam, hair cut, massage and a right laugh with the friendly staff. I’ve never felt so relaxed. I even booked a New Cross!” (’Phone for further details!) And with Christmas coming up, what better way to treat your family and friends than with a Gift Voucher for Suite.429. Or simply ‘cut out (or photocopy) the money’ in the advert on this page and use it to treat *Terms & Conditions yourself*! Page 19 The Edge 193:The Edge 172.qxd 22/10/2012 ONLY JOKING! SISTER’S NEW BOYFRIEND The teacher says, "OK class, I'd like you all to tell me what you need at home?" Susan says: "We need a computer, Miss." Tanya says, "We need a car, Miss." Johnny says, "We don't need anything, Miss." The teacher says, "Come, come, Johnny, everybody needs something?" "No Miss,” says Johnny. “My sister came home with her new boyfriend last night and he’s nearly as old as my Dad. So my Dad definitely said, “That's all we f ing well need." *** GREAT ARTISTS OF OUR TIME My missus asked me to help her stop sucking her thumb, so I drew a cock on it for her. BARE-FACED CHEEK He had the cheek to say to me: “What have you been doing with all the grocery money I give you?” So I said to him: “Turn sideways and take a good look in the mirror, Fatty.” NOT WHAT YOU THINK Hiya. I'm at A & E. Just a quick word of warning....The Dyson Ball Cleaner isn’t necessarily as its name suggests. ROYAL DOULTON To commemorate the releasing of the topless photographs of Kate Middleton in France recently, Royal Doulton will themselves be releasing a collector's edition of small jugs. CRABS The missus has just rang me screaming, "You've given me crabs, you bastard! How could 11:42 Page 20 you?" I said to her, "Whoooaaaa, little lady. Now just hold on there one minute. Before you start blaming me......have a word with your sister!" THE BEST AUSSIE PICK UP LINE EVER? An Aussie walks into a bar and takes a seat next to a very attractive lady. He gives her a quick glance then casually looks at his watch for a moment. The woman notices and asks, “Is your date running late?” “No,” he replies. “I just got this state-of the-art new watch and I was just testing it out.” The intrigued woman says, “State-of- the-art, eh? What's so special about it?” The Aussie says, “It uses alpha waves to talk to me telepathically.” The lady says, “Wow! What's it telling you now?'“ “It says you're not wearing any panties,” says the Aussie. The woman smiles and replies, “Well, it must be broken because I am most definitely wearing panties.” The Aussie taps his watch and says, “Damn! The bloody thing's an hour fast.” FOREPLAY He said to me: “I’ve notice you never blink during foreplay?” I said to him: “I honestly don't have time.” call me a slapper? Get out of my bed right now and take your mates with you.” DYSLEXIC YORKSHIREMAN Just seen a Dyslexic Yorkshireman wearing a cat flap. NEW PERFUME I bought a new perfume for my wife called Chloroforma, only she says it makes her sleepy and her bum sore. Q&A Q: You are driving in a car at a constant speed. On your left-hand side there is a drop of between 18” - 24” inches and on your right-hand side is a fire engine traveling at the same speed as you. In front of you is a galloping horse, which is roughly the same size as your car and you cannot overtake it. To the rear is a galloping zebra. (Both the horse and the zebra are also traveling at the same speed as you.) What must you do to safely get out of this highly dangerous situation? A: Get off the merry-go-round....you're pissed. PARKING THE BUS BREAKDANCING A husband took his wife to a disco at the weekend and there was a guy on the dance floor giving it large - breakdancing, moonwalking, back flips, the whole works. His wife turned to her husband and said, “See that guy there? Twenty five years ago he proposed to me and I turned him down. Her husband said, “Looks like he still can’t believe his luck.” MARRIED WOMEN HEAVIER He said to me: “Why are married women heavier than single women?” I said to him: “Single women come home, see what's in the fridge and go straight to bed. Married women come home, see what's in bed and go straight to the fridge.” NO EXAGGERATION My wife said she was leaving me because I always exaggerate. Well, I was so shocked, I almost tripped over my cock. MY BEST MATE I was pretty excited when my new girlfriend sent me a text message claiming that she loves anal. Dyslexic bitch! Turns out she loves my best mate, Alan. CREEPY A bloke is watching a movie on TV with creepy organ music and suddenly yells out, "Don't enter the church, you daft c ***!" His wife asks him, "What on earth are you watching? Is it a scary movie?" Her husband replies, "Sort of. It’s our bloody wedding video." LOVE IS LIKE A FART If you have to force it, it's probably shit. SLAPPER An Essex girl is in bed with her boyfriend when she suddenly screams at him, "How dare you OK, so the woman’s husband’s a coach driver and he had a day off work and wanted to use the car. So his wife said, “OK, honey. Take it.” Only she forgot that she needed to pop into town to do a bit of shopping, so she thought she’d take the bus. Literally. After all, how hard can it be? STEALING A BUS Paddy and Murphy have been out on the town and miss the last bus home. “What’ll we do now?” asks Paddy. “I know,” says Murphy, “we’ll steal one!” So off they trot to the local bus depot and Paddy says, “Alright, oil keep a look out while you go get us a bus.” So off Murphy wanders into the darkness of the depot and very soon Paddy hears an engine start, then stop. Then he hears another engine start, then stop. Then another. And another. So he wanders into the depot himself, catches up with Murphy and says, “What the hell d’you tink you’re playing at?” Murphy says, “Well y’see, Patrick, oi’ve had to move a few buses about a bit as the one that goes our way is roight at the back.” LILY PAD RAID Police raided Kermit’s lily pad last night and found hundreds of photo’s of Miss Piggy in the buff. They said it was the worst case of frog’s porn they had ever seen. SLAG I’m not saying my girlfriend’s a slag, but even the label in her knickers say ‘NEXT’. All jokes published are supplied by Edge readers. Please send your ‘egg yokes’ to [email protected] The Edge 193:The Edge 172.qxd 22/10/2012 11:33 Page 21 A Grand Day Out If you want The Edge’s opinion of how to spend a great pre-Christmas Saturday, then get your merry arses down to Borough Market in London. If you’ve never spent a Saturday there before drinking mulled cider whilst chomping on a ‘live’ ostrich burger, then you’ve proper been missing out. But hey, you can put that right immediately with a right refreshing day trip up there during the next couple of months. Yes, the trains are completely fooked at Chelmsford railway station right the way up until Christmas at the weekends, but if you travel as a foursome you get a nice little bit of ‘dissy’ and the views from upstairs on the bus ride to Billericay ain’t half bad, especially if you’re holding a nice hot Costa Coffee in your lap. (The Edge thinks the return bus service runs ’til about midnight, but never take this mag’s word for the finer details of anything always check). Then it’s but a brisk walk to Moorgate underground station and two stops south on the Northern Line to London Bridge. There’s no point in The Edge telling you where to go as it’s all right there in front of you just waiting to be discovered. But if we were to give you just one ickle tip, it’d be to start your day with a livening winter’s nip in The Rake, a speciality blue painted beer bar with a cosy gas heater to huddle around and sip your grog. At this time of year they usually stock an assortment of winter ales that you Mrs Edge & Mrs Yarnall at.... definitely won’t find down your ‘local’, and there’s also cherry flavoured Belgian Kriek for the ladies. Check out www.utobeer.co.uk Unfortunately, The Edge has yet to sample oysters at Wright Bros., washed down with a crisp white wine, but it’s definitely on the radar for its next visit. Meanwhile, it’s difficult to go wrong at either Brew Wharf and/or Vinopolis. So wrap up warm, wear some comfy shoes and go and explore Borough Market soon, folks. N.B. It’s a bit like Chelmsford Market, only 100% totally different! www.theedgemag.co.uk 4th November’12 2nd December’12 6th January’13 3rd February’13 3rd March’13 7th April’13 ZAK BARRETT - Sax ALEX HEARN - Guitar CLAIRE HARPER - Vocalist ALBERT GARZA - Sax PAUL HIGGS - Trumpet THE GREAME CULHAM JAZZ SEXTET FREE ADMISSION/RAFFLE 8.00pm - 10.30pm T H E W O O L PA C K Mildmay Road, Chelmsford. Tel: 01245 259295 Page 21 The Edge 193:The Edge 172.qxd 22/10/2012 11:33 Page 22 If you feel the need to justify a visit to Pontlands Park, then by all means do a lap around the M25 before arriving... Inside the new £1m lounge extension Lounge skylight From a macchiato to ladies doing lunch ...and why not indeed! One of the beautiful feature bedrooms Page 22 People will seemingly drive for miles in order to spend a luxurious weekend away, so perhaps there needs to be a bit of a rethink. If its sumptuous opulence you’re after at a price that probably won’t scare the pants off you, then look no further than Chelmsford’s very own Great Baddow. In particular, Pontlands Park. Perhaps you haven’t been there for a while? Perhaps you’ve never been there at all? What, not even for a coffee? Or an afternoon tea (which sounds posh, but will only set you back £10.95)? Or perhaps Sunday lunch (where kids eat free T&C apply)? Perhaps because it’s a hotel you imagine the facilities are just for their residents? When in actual fact, nothing could be further from the truth. The all new Pontlands Park is simply waiting to be discovered by you. The Edge dined there the other Saturday evening, after a couple of glasses of champers in the beautiful new lounge beforehand (as one does) and it was a true eye-opener. “It’s like a little bit of London, isn’t it?” said owner Jason Bartella, as enthusiastic as he has every right to be about the huge strides and improvements Pontlands Park has recently undertaken. Manager Jonathan Beck is equally upbeat when he matter-of-factly states, “What’s not to like?” And they’re both right, for the new look restaurant and totally new lounge area are absolute triumphs of good taste and elegance. Speaking of which, why not simply risk dinner there (ooooh, how very daring) and see for yourselves? The Edge would heartily recommend: Crispy Pork Belly (with baked beetroot, cider reduction) for starters (£7.25). 8oz Fillet Steak with fat chips, bistro salad and peppercorn sauce for mains (£21.95) and, oooooh, it’s got to be Sticky Toffee Pudding with clotted cream and butterscotch sauce for dessert (£6.00) all washed down with a delicious bottle of Malbec (£25). And for special occasions (the ladies in the photograph were celebrating a 40th birthday....for almost nine hours!) why not really treat yourselves and stay over - yes, even though you live locally - because it’s honestly not a crime, you know? Check out the newly revamped and beautifully improved Pontlands Park soon, readers. After all, it’s somewhere you’d probably be happy enough to drive a hundred miles to. West Hanningfield Road Great Baddow Chelmsford CM2 8HR Tel: 01245 476 444 The restaurant oozes class and sophistication www.theedgemag.co.uk The Edge 193:The Edge 172.qxd 22/10/2012 11:34 Page 23 Writtle Road Nursery & The Secret Garden Tearooms WELCOMES YOU THIS CHRISTMAS! LO CO GS +s o mAL MO uch RE ! B FA S A XM ES E TR ifts +g AMAZING DISCOVERY As regular readers will know, the vast majority of The Edge’s time is spent in and around Chelmsford..... but every now and again I put my explorative cap on and oh what an eye-opener it was to discover the amazing, the sensational H@ME interiors (& exteriors) warehouse in Bishops Stortford. This is what it looks like (above) and there’s always a huge turnover of stock. On my last visit they had some wickedly BIG (you’d require a lifting device in order to take delivery) outdoor ‘heads’ (inc. Buddha, Easter Island etc.) for any of you with gardens large enough to truly make a statement and do them justice (circa £650). They even sourced a Buddha canvas for us for £40 cheaper than we’d seen on display in a store in Colchester. What’s more, they’ve got a really cool open-plan cafe right at the back where it looks as though they do a mean ham, egg and chips! I fell head over heels in love with a genuine teak hippopotamus, but at 4m long and £1,500 Mrs Edge wasn’t having any of that! So do yourselves a favour and go there soon. It’s just a few minutes away from the Stansted Airport/M11 junction, on your right as you head towards Bishops Stortford (look out for the plastic cows outside)! TEL: 01279 814 644 S N V CHINESE CUISINE Our ‘perenially popular’ SHERRY & MINCE PIE BASH takes place 30th Nov. - 2nd Dec. We look forward to helping you choose your Christmas Trees throughout the festive period. Why not pop in for a coffee & a snack and a warm in front of our open fire? Writtle Road Nursery 7 Writtle Road, Chelmsford, CM1 3BL. TEL: 01245 265655 www.writtleroadnursery.com All You Can Eat! NOVEMBER ONLY served personally to your table! SPECIAL PRICE Sunday - Thursday: Adult £13.90 Child £6.90* Friday - Saturday: Adult £15.90 Child £6.90* * Children must be 10 years of age or under. 10% service charge is applicable with this offer. With a choice of 25 starters including soup, crispy duck and spare ribs, plus a selection of 75 main dishes including prawn, beef, chicken and much, much more! 136 MOULSHAM STREET, CHELMSFORD. TEL: 01245 290099 [email protected] Page 23 The Edge 193:The Edge 172.qxd 22/10/2012 11:36 Page 24 BRILLIANT HEAD WELL DODGY POSE PAG ISLAND I AM GUARANTEED TO GET A GOOD BOLLOCKING FOR PUTTING THIS PHOTO IN AS THE WIFE’S NOT DRESSED UP! It’s funny who you bump into... So your editor and his missus are minding their own business, walking the coastal path in Dorset the other weekend. We’d just climbed 302 steps and come past the remote 13th century St. Aldhelm’s Chapel (you can actually get married right on the cliff edge, readers, and then chuck the missus off immediately afterwards) when we happened upon a band of reprobates lying about eating bananas. I was just about to tell them to f *** off out of our way, when waddayaknow, one of them turns out to be one of Chelmsford’s finest, in the shape of the bullet-headed former Marine commando, Stuart Imhof (he’s Austrian, just like Arnie). How about that then, eh? You’re 150 miles from home, yet a bloke walking in the opposite direction is someone you last saw in The Orange Tree in Lower Anchor Street about this time last year. So anyway, me & Stu arranged to meet up in The Ale House a couple of Fridays down the line where we both got right royally plastered. Stuart even had some sort of a shooting contest to attend in Berkshire (or somewhere) the following day and text me afterwards saying: I’ll have to go out drinking with you more often - I was proper lethal today! Ooooh, these ex-SAS type geezers are proper HARDCORE, readers. WHERE??? That is the question I asked myself when a mate of mine suggested we go there on holiday, writes Joe Bhangal...the man behind all of those ‘50% OFF’ vouchers at Back Inn Time, readers! “Never heard of it,” I replied, although I soon found out it was an island off the coast of Croatia. With a population of around 8,000 Pag literally soars to 60,000 souls come the summer as revelers flock to party and see some top class DJs. Hailed as the NEW IBIZA, Zrce Beach, Novalja, is also a lot cheaper to reach than flying to Spain. We managed to get flights for £80 return in August. Bargain! As the area is relatively new to Telesales £26,000 OTE Information Solutions - £14,000 basic + commission A great opportunity to join a young dynamic team You will need to be energetic, very hard working and ambitious. You must have a fun, outgoing personality and be comfortable making a high volume of outbound calls, handling rejections and forging new relationships. Ideally you will have previous telesales experience and great communication skills. If you really are ambitious call us NOW or submit your CV at www.dbsdata.co.uk/work-with-us Call: 01245 397 570 www.dbsdata.co.uk Page 24 tourism there aren’t too many hotels there yet, but there are plenty of apartments. However, being the snob that I am, I insisted we stay at Hotel Luna, which was but a 15-minute drive from all the action. Be careful where the taxis are concerned though as they can be expensive - you definitely need to haggle them down. Staying at the Luna we got to know some of the locals who worked there (well, some of the girls who worked there) and taking them out with us definitely had its advantages as we couldn’t speak a word of the local lingo! On the subject of girls, one thing I have to say is that the ladies on Pag are all absolutely stunning. The place is literally teeming with beautiful women; Italian ladies, flirtatious French ladies, yet if anything, the local girls are even more stunning, if that’s at all possible. Being a bit of a Romeo at heart, I was in seventh heaven. There are two main clubs; Aquarius and Papaya - plus a beach bar named Kalypso. Recent legislation changes mean that all three are eligible to offer a party atmosphere 24/7. So if you’re thinking of going to Ibiza next summer, or on one of those wretched 18-30s holidays, think again. Think Pag Island. And if you don’t believe me, check out Pag on You Tube. P.S. Up until now, Pag has been more famous for its production of Paski sir, a distinctive cheese made from the milk of the island’s autochthonous (try saying that after a night at the Papaya Club) breed of sheep, but somehow I think that’s all about to change... Editor’s Note: I feel really, really OLD these days, readers! E.E. Pag Island 24/7 Party People The Edge 01245 348256 22/10/2012 11:38 Page 25 EROTIC The Edge 193:The Edge 172.qxd Just outside Monte Carlo... So what do we think of this then, folks? Not exactly subtle, is it? However, The Edge does think that Chelmsford needs brightening/livening up a bit and it’s amazing what impact ‘big stuff’ like this can have. This mags favourite are images projected onto buildings at night. Classy. Really happy to see that CCC (Chelmsford City Council) have plans afoot to improve the layout and alter the totally naff paving down our High Street (you’ve seen the leaflets knocking about containing their vision, yes?). However, they’re asking for our views too, readers, so let’s give ’em some! Send your ideas to: [email protected] And do try to be imaginative because we’re the ones who’ll have to poke up with whatever changes are made for the next 20 years or so, so don’t just sit on the fence. Take an interest in the city in which you live. 10% DISCO UNT upon p roduct ion of this EDGE advert isemen t ’til 30/1 1/12 Licensed Sex Shop 1000’s of DVD’s from under £10 Largest range of Herbal Viagra in the area All the latest Adult Toys in stock Lingerie PVC Rubber Everything (and MORE) for fun loving singles/couples Open ’til 7:00pm Just 1 minutes walk from both Chelmsford Bus & Rail stations Established in Chelmsford for the past 20 years Knowledgeable, discreet, friendly staff. Fantasy 14 Broomfield Road, Chelmsford. TEL. 01245 28 33 00 A9 Jaw-dropping beautiful sound Bang & Olufsen of Chelmsford 16-18 New London Road, Chelmsford, Essex, CM2 0SP Tel: 01245 266117 [email protected] www.bang-olufsen.com/chelmsford £1,699 Experience this premium wireless music system in our showroom. B&O PLAY by BANG & OLUFSEN [email protected] Page 25 The Edge 193:The Edge 172.qxd 22/10/2012 BAD HABITS It’s that time of year when nearly everyone is saying: “Before you know it, it’ll be Christmas!” and being ultra annoying by telling you that they’ve already done all of their Christmas shopping, whilst the rest of us are still getting over the fact that another one of England’s patented five minute summers has just ended. 11:41 Page 26 ME & MY adamantium skeleton It literally took them all summer to get those bikinis on. The rapid approach of the silly season also means that the interminable round of office parties and get-togethers with people who you can’t be arsed to see the rest of the year will soon begin and with it a few weeks of eating and drinking far too much than is good for us. Which brings us nicely to that other yuletide staple: the post-Christmas diet. I’ll hazard a guess that most of us will at least make a cursory effort to shift a few pounds worth of turkey and Ferrero Rocher when January rolls round and I’ll also go out on a limb and say that most of us will last about 2 weeks before collapsing in a blubbery mess and giving up. We all know how hard it is to change our habits and our routine, particularly changing from something pleasurable like getting drunk a lot and eating delicious fat laden foods, to attending one of those ‘gym’ things on a regular basis, but why is it so bloody difficult? The Kingmeister reports it doesn’t care if they’re good or bad, it just cares that you have them. OK, ‘lazy’ might be a trifle harsh and it may be fairer to say that your brain loves efficiency, and habits are very efficient things. A habit allows the brain to create what are essentially shortcuts within it called ‘Hueristics’. These are those automatic and unthinking habits and responses we’ve all built up over the course of our lives and it allows the brain to stop wasting energy on sending information down those synaptic pathways as the hueristics just bypass them, going from A - Z with zero effort and allowing your brain to get back to important matters, such as deciding whether you want a Chinese or Indian. around 10 weeks. That’s 2 whole months of you having to force your brain to go the long way round and 2 whole months of the slightest thing going wrong to put you right back to square-one again. The key to a habit is repetition and if you get sick or injured 3 weeks into your new regime and have to have a week off, then that’s you shit out of luck and starting all over again from scratch. Starting and maintaining a new set of habits is truly an Herculean task which involves an enormous effort and act of will on your part and, unfortunately, there’s not a lot of willpower to go around. Scientists have found that willpower is a finite resource. While it varies from person to person, we basically all have ‘X’ amount of willpower and once it’s gone, then it’s gone until it can recharge. What’s even worse is that expending willpower to not do naughty activity ‘A’ means that your likelihood of then immediately indulging in naughty activity ‘B’ goes through the roof. “Why, Ambassador, you’re really spoiling me tonight!” The answer lies with that treacherous fleshy walnut that nestles inside your skull; the good old human brain. I’ve mentioned before about what devious little shits our brains are and, even when trying to do something to improve your health so you might actually live a bit longer and look good in a pair of Speedos, your brain is going to gleefully trip you up every step of the way. Essentially, your brain is as lazy as you are. All it has to do is chuck a few electrical impulses down the synaptic pathways, yet the little bastard can’t even be bothered to do that. Your brain loves habits and Page 26 Your brain is essentially Rab C. Nesbitt Now, if you want to change your habits, then you’re forcing your brain to not only ignore these handy, labour saving shortcuts, but to build completely new ones, and it will fight you every step of the way. This doesn’t just mean that getting on that treadmill for a few hours a week will be exhausting, it means that even thinking about it and making the decision will tire you out as well. Yes, seriously. The time it takes to build a new habit varies from person to person but, on average, they clock it in at “After a whole 10 minutes on the treadmill, bugger, I think I deserve this.” Put simply, your brain tells you that if you’ve been ‘good’, then you deserve a reward and these rewards are usually the complete antithesis of the ‘good’ behaviour you’ve just displayed. I see myself doing this pretty much all of the time. On a good day, I’ll have a quick workout before I go into the office. I’ll eat well and then have another workout when I get home again. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not doing anything major, just 20 to 30 minutes each time (when I can be arsed), but even this is enough to start me thinking: “You’ve been good today, Kingpin, so get yourself down to the pub and have a couple of pints. After all, you deserve it!” I know that having that couple of (OK, let’s make it 3 or 4) pints will not only negate what exercise I’ve already done, but also put me into negative equity in the lard stakes, but more often than not, I’ll go ahead and do it anyway. Some people advocate the positive visualisation of your goals, meaning that today your see yourself as Danny DeVito and visualise yourself 12 months down the line as Brad Pitt. While the jury is out on whether this actually works or not, unfortunately, the science is against it. CHILLI BALL-BAG BONANZA I thought I’d share with you all an unfortunate incident that occurred at the weekend. Not so much because it was funny, but at the reaction I received from some people regarding the cure I used for my self-inflicted injury. The weekend was a quiet one and seeing as I was staying in and had plenty of free time, I decided to cook myself a curry and none of that pre-made sauce tomfoolery either. It was all hand-made from start to finish and it was, to quote the great philosopher Jeanette Krankie, Fan-Dabby-Dozy. Just as well, as it turns out, as an unfortunate incident occurred involving freshly chopped chillies, unwashed hands and the pressing need for a slash. It was, to put it mildly, agonising. My plums became two flaming spheres of agony and I’ll admit to spending a panicked minute or two with my trolleys off in the lounge doing what looked like some sort of tribal dance. Luckily, I’m an educated man, so I knew just what to do. I promptly filled a bowl with milk and immediately dunked my glowing clackers into the soothing, ice cold moo-juice. I’ll grant you it’s not the most dignified position I’ve ever been in, but I was past caring at that point and, more importantly, it worked. What surprised me was the amount of people who reacted with astonishment when I informed them how the case of my burning ball-bag was solved. “Why didn’t you just wash them?” they asked. My reply was that Capsaicin (which makes chillies hot) doesn’t dissolve in water, but does in milk. Yet this was met with further incredulity. I was surprised to find that most people seemed to be happier trying something that would never work to the actual remedy for the affliction. To be sure, a shower is a lot more dignified than squatting on your living-room floor teabagging a bowl of milk, but if it doesn’t work, then what’s the point? By all means call me an idiot for forgetting I’d just been chopping chillies before manhandling myself, but not because I know how to sort the problem out and you don’t. I accidentally did this to an ex-girlfriend once, after cooking her a nice meal and then going for some sexy-funtimes. Suffice to say there were no more sexyfuntimes after that, or any more relationship for that matter. The karmic wheel may turn slowly, but it looks like it does turn. The Edge 01245 348256 The Edge 193:The Edge 172.qxd 22/10/2012 11:47 Page 27 SPORTING CHANCE kind of spare real estate back home. So as told in the first two missives from 42nd and 10th, I’ve got an apartment and furnished it. Time to enjoy New York for all it has to offer. And, let me tell you, it has a heck of a lot to proffer - at a price of course. If you are a culture junkie and can’t get enough museums and galleries, they’re all here. Like a spit and sawdust ale house? Got a few of them. Fancy a bit of jazz in basement clubs the like of which don’t exist in London anymore? Yup, got some of those too. All of the above might find their way into future columns - except for the museums, that is. Oh, and the ale houses. But this month we’ll take a look at sport in America. Now, don’t panic, there will be no play-by-play dissection of the Jets win over the Bills that made them one and oh for the season, as they say in these parts. Nor will the Yankees pinch-hitter even get a mention. No, it’s the very interesting differences between the attitude to watching sport over here as opposed to over there, where you are, that we’ll focus the attention on. Let’s start with the pre-game. An English football or rugby match is very often started, as far as the spectators are concerned, in the pub. It’s part of the ritual that you meet your mates in a local hostelry and discuss all you’re hoping to see. In the US, this does not happen, at least not on the scale it does in the UK. The reason is that very often spectating at a sports event over here is a family affair, especially the baseball. Mom and Pop and the kids go to the ball game as a nice day out, and with the hope that the hometeam wins - although the overriding impression is that the result doesn’t much matter. As I hinted back there a bit, by far the biggest difference between the two country’s attitude to sport watching is the level of intensity that spectators take to the game. Over here, watching sport is very much part of the entertainment industry. People will leave the game and go out the back to buy more food or drink oblivious to what’s happening on the field. That’s just unthinkable in the UK, even at a cricket match, where the action goes on all day. By and large, visits to the gents, or to buy another beer, are timed to fit between the overs. This attitude is backed up by the facilities on offer. Yes, you can buy beer in the stadiums and Premier League fans take note, you can even, shock horror, take it to your seat. Apart from the beer bars, there are just so many candy (sweets) stalls and food booths. What there isn’t, however, is the bone crushing scramble to get served that is the norm at, for example, White Hart Lane, where the staff always seem a bit surprised there’s a rush at half-time. There are enough places to buy refreshments and merchandise, properly spaced out and with well trained staff, that parents can happily let little Peggy-Su and Randy Jr go off to buy stuff on their own. Clearly physical space is a factor here. In the UK, stadiums are often crammed into cities with all the restrictions that entails. The New York Jets and the Giants share a stadium in Noo Joysey. It’s only about five miles from Manhattan as the crow flies, but as it sits in wasteland, the car parks alone are the size of Essex. You just don’t have the luxury of that Another big thing here is the giveaways. Many a time you’ll turn up at a game and be given a team shirt (horrible polyester, but hey) or a home team bar towel, cap, whatever. It’s all part of the general sell to get bums on seats and give everyone a positive experience that, as I said earlier, doesn’t have to rely entirely on the result for your team. Having said all those positive things about watching sport over here, I do miss the passion that’s involved in a Premier League game. You get some fanatics at the American Football who will paint their faces and the like, but by and large that emotional power is missing in the stands. Such is the general lack of intensity here, I even yearn for the moronic thug with the veins bulging out of his hate filled face, shouting his obscenities at the ref, his own team..... Er, actually, no, on second thoughts, I don’t. He can stay at West Ham. Have a great day. 50%@OFF 324 Broomfield Road, Chelmsford, CM1 4DZ. TEL: 01245 440582 [email protected] Waxing, Manicures, Pedicures, Facials, Massage, Minx, Bio Sculpture Gel, False Eyelashes, Indian Head Massage, Reflexology, Spray Tanning... Quote ‘THE EDGE’ when making your appointment & please bring this voucher with you to your appointment. www.thebeautyyard.co.uk Terms & conditions apply. This voucher expires 28/02/13 Voucher not valid on a Saturday between 15th - 29th Dec. 2012 inc. The Edge 077 646 797 44 Page 27 The Edge 193:The Edge 172.qxd 22/10/2012 12:06 Page 28 theEDGE review WWW.HIDEWORKS.CO.UK Car Interior Specialists WE CAN REPAIR THE FOLLOWING: ! Cigarette Burns ! Cracking ! Stretching ! Scratches ! Faded Colour Over 10 years experience in all aspects of leatherwork, inc. bespoke (build) and repairs. Our expertise covers both public, private and commercial areas. All leatherwork undertaken comes with a 5 year warranty. Automotive interiors a speciality. “It’s never damaged beyond repair unless Hide Words says it is!” HideWORKS “Don’t get it close...GET IT PERFECT” 07863 716 244 / 01277 841 587 Page 28 One thing’s for sure, Denzel (what a great name) ought to play a baddie far more often as he is simply one baaaad assed mother **** er in Safe House. Junior CIA agent Bobby Davro (Ryan Reynolds) is bored shitless with his safe house station in Cape Town, where seemingly nothing ever happens. Cue Tobin Frost (which is almost as good a name as Denzel Washington, only he gets even cooler when you realise his middle name is Hayes), a renegade CIA operative who’s spent the past decade doing really naughty, treasonous things. Thing is, this movie is totally watchable (it is) as opposed to being totally memorable (it isn’t). It’s simply a ‘safe bet’ for a mid-week evening when you simply feel like switching off, sprawling out on the couch and letting it all wash over you, which is sometimes no bad thing. “There are far too many muscly, gun-toting bad guys having bloody brawls,” is Ryan Reynolds ought to consider one criticism The Edge read on Rotten the advertising opportiunities his Tomatoes. Meanwhile, this is another: forehead could offer him... “A frenetic action thriller whose chases, gunplay and hand-to-hand combat scenes flash by in such a blur that the viewer barely has time to register the plot’s shortcomings.” So basically, readers, the overall verdict is that Safe House is somewhat thin on plot, but high on action. Thing is, I so very often hire out movies that never even see The Edge’s Review section, simply because I think it’s a travesty they were ever made in the first place, whereas the likes of Safe House quite simply ‘do the job’. It’s like what Russell Crowe said in Gladiator: “Are you not entertained?” All DVD’s hired from Blockbuster on Springfield Road. Tel. Chelmsford 269767 The Edge 01245 348256 The Edge 193:The Edge 172.qxd 22/10/2012 12:15 Page 29 DITCHBURN There’s a bloke who The Edge sometimes attends DNA Boot Camp sessions with called Steve Ditchburn and when he told me he was a copper, well, my mind went into overdrive. DITCHBURN: it’s a bloody TV series in the making, surely? The lead character is either a maverick detective (DCI Ditchburn has a certain ring to it) or a Private Eye who’s clearly brilliant, but flawed (drink problem, late night Chinese take-aways, stomach ulcer, untidy flat, failed marriage (twice), favours prostitutes and whisky, smokes 40 B&H a day etc. etc. etc.). Sorry, Steve lad, but your involvement stops with your surname as there’s no way you can play the lead role - not driving an Audi A3 at any rate. No, The Edge envisages Ditchburn driving a car more like The Green Hornet’s. Has he got a glass eye? Does he look scary, like Ed Harris did in A History of Violence? Hmmmm, maybe not as The Edge sees DITCHBURN going out on prime-time TV at 9:00pm. Love the trilby and the overcoat though, and maybe a bit of an egg stain down one of his lapels. Wears his clobber 24/7 and never takes a day off, not even on Christmas Day. Definitely licensed to carry a firearm and his only hobby is guns. Hangs out in the seamier side of Manchester, or possibly Wolverhampton - yeah, we haven’t had a copper or a Private Dick with a Midlands accent for a while. Lights. Camera. Action... A better way to divorce? If you are facing a breakdown of your relationship, the things that you may dread the most are how you can sort out the finances; the house; the children. The thought of arguing and going to court is both frightening and expensive. There is, however, another way. Collaborative Family Law is a process where you and your spouse have your own solicitor, but instead of being adversarial, you work together to find the right solutions to your problems. You agree that you will not resort to court proceedings and by having a series of meetings you can reach agreement on all of the things that matter to you. These can be things that the court can not help you with because of the way the traditional court system operates. You set the pace of the process, you set the agenda, and you make the decisions. Your lives are not left in the hands of the courts or the judges. At a time when the court system is becoming even more pressured due to cut backs, the collaborative process can offer a far quicker resolution. Many people are finding the collaborative process a better way to divorce and come away feeling satisfied that they have aired their views and reached an agreement that will work. Children have especially benefited from their parents dealing with their divorce in a collaborative way as they see their parents working together rather than arguing about them. Collaborative Family lawyers are trained to deal with separation in the collaborative way and are experienced family lawyers committed to providing a professional service to their clients. Most collaborative lawyers will offer a free chat about collaborative law to see if it would suit you. For more information, contact Teresa Foss on 01245 349696, email: [email protected] or visit www.thblegal.com. [email protected] Page 29 The Edge 193:The Edge 172.qxd 22/10/2012 12:12 Page 30 TOTALLY TRACIE JUMPING JACKS I am pleased to say I am writing my column 7lb lighter and a whole 7.5 inches less than I was last month, which is truly a miracle! In just 3 weeks I have managed to lose more weight than I have done in the past 20 years. I’ve never been one for exercise. I have always followed the dieting mantra of Zsa Zsa Gabor: ”If we women were meant to exercise, God would have put diamonds on the floor.” However, I had noticed my tummy was starting to get a bit too bloated for comfort and my thighs a bit on the wobbly side, not to mention a ‘muffin top’ that was threatening to become a cream sponge. I’ve pretty much dieted all of my life, following one fad diet after another, without ever achieving very much. So in one of my rasher moments, when I saw an advert for ‘Fat Loss Boot Camp Essex’ - which guaranteed real results within 28 days (i.e. dropping a dress size) - I decided I’d go along and give it a go. It was there that I met Vicky Hitchens who has devised the Camps based on her very own experience. I have to admit that I was not really sure I would take the plunge. I really didn’t think I liked exercising at all, so I made sure I took my ’phone with me to the first session, just in case it got a bit too much for me and I could pretend I’d had an urgent call and had to sneak away sharpish! But how surprised was I? From the very first lesson it was totally great and I made lots of new friends who were also starting out, so we all just pitched in together. Make no mistake, the first session was tough, but after managing to get through it, I began to love it and now I go 3 times a week for 45 minutes per session, and after each one I really do feel on top of the world. Waiting for me every morning is also a motivational email that helps spur me on for the remainder of the day and if I ever have any questions, I can always rely on Vicky (or one of her team) to get back to me - usually within the hour. After 3 weeks I even felt confident enough to get on the scales and take a sneaky peek and was overjoyed to discover that I had lost 7lb. My stomach is now as flat as a pancake and I can crack walnuts with my thighs! I honestly can’t believe it myself, truth be told. What’s more, I am now eating more healthily than ever before Page 30 and I have stacks and stacks of energy. These days I just wake up raring to go! What’s more, most surprisingly, I am not craving processed or sugary foods, which has always been my downfall in the past. What’s impressed me the most is the level of support I’ve been given to achieve my goals. Vicky has spent years perfecting her Boot Camp diet and exercise programme, which raises the metabolism to burn fat even when you’re not exercising. She told me that even she had struggled to get the body she wanted, yet looking at her today, believe me, her methods really do work. So if you are currently struggling like I was, yet want to look amazing in a little black dress this Christmas, then why not give Vicky’s Boot Camp a go? Everyone starts at the bottom, but you will be made to feel really, really welcome. What’s more, it’s a truly great place to meet new people and have some fun. So don’t sit there a moment longer moaning about the body you’ve always wanted - get out there and make it happen! Give Vicky Hitchens a call on 07779 646 945 or check out her website: fatlossbootcampessex.co.uk which shows before and after pictures of people, including Vicky, who have changed their bodies in just 28 days! What’s more, mention The Edge and she’ll give you a 10% discount to boot. How good is that? Believe me, if I can do it, so can you! DRESS ME UP An astounding little survey came to my attention recently. Apparently, two thirds of men ‘rely on their wife/partner to ‘choose their clothes for them’. Half of the men surveyed admitted to also being helped physically to get dressed by their partners. When I first read this, my reaction was: “Get out of here. Shuuuut up!” Can this really be true? If so, I am thoroughly disappointed in us women. Well, in half of us women, whilst the other half can have a stick of Twix and a merit badge. So I decided to ring my very feminist and feisty friend Laura, who unbelievably confessed that even she lays out her husband’s clothes for work every morning. She said she doesn’t do it to make his life easier, or to be dominant in the relationship, but simply because, left to his own devices, he would end up looking like something thrown together from the last decade and she would far rather step out of the house with a man who at least looks like he possesses a modicum of style. Mind you, my friend also confessed that she has had one or two mishaps. Having seen a lovely cream chunky cardigan on David Beckham, she decided to style her husband in exactly the same way. But whereas Becks looked a complete dreamboat in his, she says her hubby looked like a cross between Val Doonican and a librarian who’d just been made redundant. I had to laugh, but I also have to confess to having enough trouble getting myself dressed in the morning - so I’d like to think I’ve got a man with enough style to dress himself every day. Therefore, I am siding firmly with the half side of women who don’t have to dress their men. 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