Good Nooz April 2010

APRIL 2010

Win a Hot AirBalloon trip FromShugborough Hall

£2.00WHERE SOLD

publishing

web design

embroidery

ABBOTS BROMLEY, ARMITAGE,BRERETON, COLTON,

COLWICH, GREAT HAYWOOD,HANDSACRE, HILL RIDWARE,

KINGS BROMLEY, LITTLE HAYWOOD,LONGDON, RUGELEY,

SLITTING MILL, UPPER LONGDON

Copy Deadline: 10th of the monthPublisher: Good NoozEditor: Dave Pemberton-SmithSales & Marketing: Andy HerbertArtwork: In HousePhotography: Nancy Howmans

EMAIL: [email protected]: www.goodnooz.com

EDITORIAL: 01889 586263ADVERTISING: 01889 586263

Whilst every care has been taken to ensure that the data inthis publication is accurate, neither the publisher nor itseditorialcontributorscanaccept liability to anyparty to lossor damage caused by errors or omissions resulting fromnegligence, accident or any other cause. Good Noozdoes not officially endorse any advertising materialincluded within this publication. All rights reserved, No partof this publication may be reproduced, stored in anyretrieval system, or transmitted in any form electronically,mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwisewithoutpriorwrittenpermissionof thepublisher.

Editors LetterWelcome to your new community magazine. Ouraim is to provide a positive, fun, informative andhelpfulmonthlymagazine.Giving local businessesaprestigious advertising tool whilst keeping theircosts down and giving the community a voice thatwill cross fromvillage to village.Our current circulation is 15,000 and stretches fromGreat Haywood to Kings Bromley and AbbotsBromleytoSlittingMill.Are you a budding reporter? If you have anything tosay and would like us to consider it for print why notput it in an e-mail with your contact details and wemay publish it for you. Clubs, groups, societies areall welcome to write about what they offer and wemay publish your article with your contact detailsFREEOFCHARGE.To find out more about this and anything else we do,takea lookat ourwebsite.Theaddress is:

WWW.GOODNOOZ.COMCompetitions, jokes, prizes, independent articlesfrom local people and businesses, but best of all agreat magazine reflecting the best that ourcommunityhas tooffer.ManyThanksDavePemberton-SmithEditorGoodNooz

2

Good NoozUnit 3a, Waterside Business ParkRugeley, Staffordshire, WS15 1LJ

4

Health & Beauty

here was a time when sweaty trainers werekept safely zipped away in your gym bag andsportswear was limited to either the playing field

or the dodgy end of the estate! That has allchanged. Sportswear has graced the catwalk acouple of times before, but never like this. SportsLux, as it is called, is going to be everywhere forthe spring and summer.

Far be it from me to be a fashion dictator, but Idon't want readers of this article to contributeto a '90s tracksuit revival. Think of bus stopsfilled with various shell-suits and dazzling whitetrainers, think of hoodies and velour bottoms;now, for the love of Adidas, block them all out ofyour mind.

This look is about luxury. We're talking haremstyle shorts worn with sky scraper heels and avisor. Seek out your nearest American Apparelstore for bright vest tops and wrist bands. Cavallinidoes some charming, off the wall hosiery thatworks well with this look. The only suitable jacket is

Sports Lux; Just do it!

the sporty parka. Avoid the fur-hooded, khakivariety and choose something bright with a belt ordrawstring to accentuate your shape.

The catwalks have been teeming with SportsLux. Chanel has brought out some acid yellow

soled trainers and Pam Hogg's Lycracreations have come into their own. Don'tforget your sporty accessories, I don'tmean a lacrosse stick balanced on your

shoulder; what about a fabulous sportywatch from Toywatch or Baby-G? Make sureyou nail the walk too. You have to stride out topull it off; try a few lunges before you leave the

house to warm up.

The neon colours will make a statement on theirown so keep make-up natural and your hair alittle messy. The look is sexy but competitive. Thekey thing to remember is to look like there is

absolutely no conceivable way you could possiblyplay sport in these clothes!

Walk Yourself Fit

t's time to break the silence! For too long walking has been overlooked as an activity to help you loseweight and keep fit. Walking is cardiovascular and cheap, well….free, practically; unless you count thecost of a decent pair of shoes. In fact it will save you money on petrol or bus fares. It is a form of exercise

that you can fit into your daily routine, you won't be berated for polluting the atmosphere and it can be donepretty much anywhere. It will improve the condition of your heart and lungs and increase bone density and,if done regularly, can increase your overall fitness levels.

With beautiful Staffordshire countryside all around us, taking a walk is the perfect antidote to a stressfulday at school, work or at home with the children. If you're one of the many Brits with at least one pet dog,even better. Possibly if your dog is like mine it will be more a case of him taking you for a walk than youtaking him but you'll still be getting out there breathing in fresh air, experiencing the wonderful changingseasons and burning away those calories, getting that body into perfect shape for the coming holidayseason (You can burn up to 130 calories - one small glass of wine - from 30 minutes of brisk walking).

Staying active through walking can help prevent high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, type 2diabetes and osteoporosis and is one of the best forms of exercise if you have back or joint problems.As alow impact activity it is great for muscles without putting any unnecessary stress on your joints. It can helpreduce depression and anxiety, make you feel more energetic and improve your quality of sleep.

Talk to your GP first if you haven't exercised for a while and have concerns about getting active. Then grabyou jacket/raincoat, wellies/trainers, dog/children and walk yourself fitter, slimmer and happier

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8

Competition

What style of Karate didHoward Brown practice?

Fill in the form online or below andsend it to our office. The 5 winners willbe announced in theMay Issue

Where in our magazine Are These pictures....These 4 pictures arewithin thismagazine. Tell uswhich page they are on and you will be enteredinto the draw towin £50 cash.1

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10

Wickers

World

Colin�sSpot Treat Someone Special

01889

882222

We�veall seen them floating above us. Especiallyliving so close to Shugborough Hall. Such anelegantway to travel.I flew with Wickers World back in September withmy daughter. After 17 years apart we found eachother last year. She was 21 in September herpresent was a balloon flight, but my wife had asurprise for me. She treated me to a flight as well.So we could fly together and start creatingmemories that we can look back on, and what amemory it is.The groundslippedawayat quite a rate andwe justskipped over the trees, Shugborough Hall wasgetting smaller. Occasionally the pilot radios hisdirection of flight to the ground crew so they canfollow for the rendezvouswhenyou land.Houses, farms, cows, sheep, reindeer! All passbelow you, only realising where you are when theburner gives another blast of heating for theballoon, and the passengers. The air feelsabsolutely still as you are moving at the samespeedas it.It is amazing how differenteverything looks from above.We were trying to spotlandmarksor villages thatweknew.The landing was verysmooth and then weretransported back toShugborough. A greatmemory to have butmore importantly tosharewithmydaughter.

Now it is your turn

Do you know anyone

who deserves a

memorable flight

from Shugborough?

We have a flight kindlydonated by the lovely folkat Wickers World, and wewant to pass it on tosomeone who deserves alovelymemory.Someone who has helped you, oryour family. Or someonewho has had a bit ofa challenge and would appreciate the fact that youhave thought enough of them to nominate them toreceive this.

Write to us at Good Nooz and ourpanel will select a deserving

person to enjoy their flight.Makesure youput yourcontact details on theletter. Our addresscan be found at thef r o n t o f t h emagazine.

11 To Advertise call: 01889 586263

The Froggatt family havebeen farming on the landaround Rugeley for manyyears. The Royal Oak hasbeen a traditional village pubas long as David & Sian canremember, so when it cameup for sale they decided to buyit to ensure Hill Ridware didnot lose their traditionalvillage landmark.Sian said they are aware ofthe environmental impactthat they have, so whereverpossible they source theiringredients as close to the pubas they can. All of their meatsare from their own stock,which are reared locally. Thepoultry they use islocally sourceda l o n gwith thevegetables& IceCream.TheRoyal Oak�sC h e f h a s ap r e s t i g i o u sbackground, andhas designed a menuto reflect thet rad i t i ona lvalues of thepub.Ewe will love it here...

We’re not piggin joking

Royal Oak -ReviewHome reared food and locally sourced

Will we go again? Absolutely. Shouldyougo?Definitely, tell themGoodNoozsentyou.

.Can it be that different from any other food?As wesat down to dinner it became apparent that the Royal Oakhas somethingspecial goingon.Weall haddifferent dishes rightacross the menu, and the tasting panel consisted of 6 of themost critical people I know,my family. Theyoungest twobeing 7

& 9. One thing to mention is the Royal Oakwelcomes children. Everything on the menucan be reduced to cater for the young ones.My boys had a great night and felt totally athome here. All the food is tasty and we allleft feeling full and satisfied. Especiallynice is the Arbroath Smokie, it�s a starterbut could well have been a main course.

In fact all the portions were really generous insize. My eldest boy particularly loved these and gave

them 9.5 out of 10. I must admit I absolutely agree with him.Our order consisted of a mixed grill, huge platefull with every bitof meat cooked perfectly, Fish & Chips whichwas amazing, a delicious Goulash and I had a10oz Steak... no complaints from anyone. Allthe desserts were to die for especially thelocally produced ice cream, give theHazelnuta go. Apple crumble, oatcakes, there was adessert for every taste.

Food Served Tue evening to Sunday Lunch

Log FireTraditional RoastsReal & Guest AlesHome Cooked Food

TAKEAWAYS - Tue to Sat 6pm until 9pm2 course lunch £5.50 Tues-Sat

Communication by satellite is now a part of everyday life but 60years ago it was in its infancy and often experimental. Thesedays few people know that Rugeley played an epoch-makingrole of national importance on 26 July 1962 by being the firsttown in Britain to engage in a telephone link-up via satellitebetween 23 American towns and cities and their twincommunities in other countries.The 'people to people' movement had been started after the1939-45 war to foster better understanding between people, bythe twinning of towns in America with towns in mainly WesternEuropean countries. As many people know, Rugeley has beentwinned with the town of Western Springs near Chicago sincethe 1950s. The link-up was via the pioneering 'Telstar' satellite,which had been launched only three weeks earlier, beamingsignals via the BTsatellite earth station atGoonhilly in Cornwall.Local newspapers of the time reported that a white telephonewas installed in the council chamber of the then Rugeley UrbanDistrict Council and the historic conversation was opened withCouncil Chairman Cllr Les Madden speaking with formerWestern Springs president H. G. Knowlton, who had alreadyvisited Rugeley to open the Western Springs road in 1957. Thecall was amplified so the councillors, council staff and others inthe chamber could hear what was said.After the non-geostationary 'Telstar' came over the horizon atabout 9.45pm, Cllr Madden sent greetings from Rugeley �inthe

The

Landor

Society

Landor is the local history society for Rugeley and the neighbouring parishes. We care for the heritage of the town of Rugeley andits surrounding area.Wemeet on the thirdWednesday of themonth at the Landor Lounge, Sneydlands, Bryans Lane, at 7:30pm.

For further details regarding the society contact Glenys Richards 01889 586040 or Marion Kettle 01889 576674

12

Past, People, Places

Book ReviewColin�sSpot

A Momentus Telephone Call

very heart of England�,adding that he was �honouredandalmost overwhelmed to be chosen to share this historicoccasion with our friends in Western Springs�.Mr. Knowltonresponded by sending greeting to �thosewarm-heartedRugeley people�.Conversations by other representatives of thetwinned towns followed until after about 5 minutes the call wasinterrupted by the operator tomake way for the next call.The reaction from the national press to Rugeley being chosenfor the transatlantic 'first' was one of general hostility and othertowns and cities thought they should have been given a chance;however the choice was made by the American Embassy. Aroadside boulder at Western Springs is inscribed Rugeley3,851miles. (Harry Thornton)

14

It�sa Dog thing

he Recall

TheRecall

is the most important exercise thatyou will teach your dog. If you are unable to let

your dog off the lead for fear of him/her notreturning to you your dog is destined to live life on alead. This could have an impact on your dogdeveloping good social skills and could lead tofrustration due to him/her not being able to explorethe environment which is essential for the dog'smental andphysicalenrichment.Sowhat does actuallymean?As a dog handler/owner you should be able to callyour dog and the dog should then respond byreturning to you in situationor environment.Here are the training stages that I haveimplementedfor you to beable to achieve this:1.Know what motivates your dog to want to comeback. If using food, it should be of high value,something which isn't always available unlesstraining. If you are using a toy it should besomethingwhich is used for trainingpurposesonly,not just somethingwhich is lyingaround thehouse.2.Introduce a whistle. At mealtimes the dog isasked to sit and the whistle is blown twice. This willteach good associations. The whistle will makeyour recall more reliable as when your dog'sattention is on something else, the sound of thewhistle will interrupt his/her concentration andbringhim/herback to you.3.Dog must be on a long line; this will preventdisobedience if he/shechoosesnot to comeback.4.Work in familiar surroundings with little or no

d i s t r a c t i o n s , I t i simportant to rewardyour dog as soona s h e / s h ereturns, do notask your dog tosit as it is therecall that youw a n t t oreward notthe sit, thisw i l l c o m ela te r whenyou are able to

any

chainbehaviours together.5.Having taught a good response under nodistractions this is now the time to add distractions.You will know your dog and what your dog findsdistracting, again make sure the dog is undercontrol and on a lead. Watch for any signs ofresponse from the dog, call again if necessary, andwait. It is important to allow your dog time torespond, as soon as your dog turns to look back atyou move away from the distraction in order thatthe dog has to follow you, this is now the time toreward the dog highly with whatever motivator youhave been using. Now your dog gets a secondaryreward, he gets to go back to the distraction shouldhe/shewish to.Repeat the processa few timesandthen take the distraction you have been usingaway. Your dog has now learned that coming awayfromdistractions is rewarding.6.At this stage the distractions need to becomemore difficult, such as children playing, peoplecycling past you while you train etc. The line is stillon and continues as stage 5 until you consistentlyget thedesired response.7.Once you are 99% confident that your dog willreturn to you under the distractions that you haveused. You can now take the lead off and continueas per stages 5 and 6, It is imperative that whenyour dog returns to you reward highly in order forthebehaviour to continue.8.Always reward your dog when he comes back toyou even if it has taken several attempts to get himback, never scold the dog when he returns as hewill associate coming back to you as a negativeexperience. Just as important don't just call yourdog back to you when it's time for him/her to goback on lead as again the dogwill associate this ashis/her fun time is over.9.Always make yourself as exiting and interestingas possible, the aim is for your dog to see you asthemost important thingon theuniverse.10.Once you are happy that your dog is returningunder all the distractions that you have placedhim/her under gradually take away the rewardsand just reward intermittently so he/she neverknowswhat to expectoncebackat your side.


OLD BARNBOARDING KENNELSFIVE STAR LUXURY BOARDING KENNELS

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16

What is it, how to measure yours and how toreduce it.

Howcan Imeasuremycarbonfootprint?

The term �carbonfootprint�refers to the amount ofcarbon dioxide, emitted by someone as a result oftheir lifestyle and activities. Your carbonfootprint is based on the energy youuse in your home, householdappliances, your travel, what youbuy, where you go on holiday andleisure activities. Once you knowwhat your current carbonfootprint is you can take action toreduce it. Reducing your carbonfootprint is the best contributionyou can make to tackling climatechange.

There are lots of tools on the internet that can helpyou.TheAct onCo2 calculator is one of the easiesttools to use. You can find the Act on Co2 footprintcalculatorat:www.actonco2.co.ukYou canmake an estimate of your footprint without

EnvironmentNow Breathe

going online. Walk around your home and look atall of your appliances, your heating, lighting andhow well your house is insulated. For each devicethink about how to improve its efficiency and thinkabout how to keep heat in your home rather thanletting it escape through windows, walls or the

roof. Then look at how you travel and takeyour holidays or leisure activities. Everychange youmakewill reduce your carbonfootprint.

The Oc3 website: www.staffsoc3.org.ukHas a wealth of advice on how to reduce

your footprint. There are things that youcanstart to thinkabout right now.

Reduce flying, Purchase locally grown organicproducts, Car share - www.share-a-lift.com, Useenergy saving lightbulbs, Don�tleave applianceson stand-by, Reduce revs, use your gears wisely,Turn your thermostat down one degree. Start tochange what you do and together we will make adifference.

How can I reduce my carbonfootprint?

The average car emits a kilogram of carbondioxide for every five kilometres travelled.A typicalcar in a typical year might emit three tones in ayear.The average passenger on a bus journey isresponsible for a half that amount, for everykilometre travelled.And the average train travelleronly a third. So public transport is better, especiallyif youare travellingalone.If you must drive, hybrid cars are the latest mass-market attempt to reduce fuel consumption and soreduce pollution. They still run on petrol, but thepetrol powers up a battery that in turn drives thecar. Thisway the fuel is burnt at optimumefficiency.Other low-carbon alternatives include dieselengines, running your car on LPG, which requiresretro-fitting, or on biofuels, which does not. In fact,thanks to anEUdirective,most forecourtswill soonbe selling petrol with 5 per cent biofuel additives,so we will all be part of that revolution withoutknowing it.

Environment

On The RoadBut the real trick is to run your car less or, if you can,abandon it altogether. In many urban areas withgood public transport systems, cars are more ahindrance than a help in most day-to-day journeys.Keep your kids (and you) fit by walking them toschool. Ride your bike to the shops or the gym. Ifyou have to drive, whether to work or school or forshopping, go with a friend. Driving in a car alonewhen you could share is an environmental crime. Ifit's a gas-guzzlingSUV, somuch theworse.Think local. We all travel around far more than weneed. It's time-consuming and often highlypolluting. Use the neighbourhood store, school,park and cinema. If you are buying a new home,think about living in the city rather than in a suburbwhere the car may be an essential. Live near yourwork. Not everyone can arrange their lives this wayall the time, but it will save time as well as reducingyour climate footprint.


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hotography, has taken off in a big way. Digital,compact or the more pro DSLR range, have

bought picture taking to themasses on anmassivescale. Meaning EVERYONE can now take goodquality pictures without a lot of fuss. But, to a fewthey are aminefield of techno jargon that's scary tosay the least. These snippets are designed to helpthosepeople,understand thebasics.My name is Nancy and I�m a semi prophotographer, who enjoys getting out and about,snapping away to my heart's content. I found thebest way to learn is practice. So with that in mind Iam going to pass on a little of the knowledge I havegleaned that has helped me in the hope that wemay yet have even more 'happy snappers'bumping into each other as we snap our waythrough this beautiful part of Staffordshire.1. , read the handbook,practice with it, take the same shot on everydifferent setting - you'll be surprised at thedifference the settingscanmake.2. , elbows tucked in atyour sides (this helps stop camera shake),centralize your photo, taking care you're notchoppingoff heads, feet etc before you shoot.Mostcameras these days require you to semi-depressthe shutter button to auto adjust the lens range. Ifyour camera has this option you will find yourpictureswill bemuchclearer if youuse thismethod.3. Try and fill the framewith your subjects face only. Take two or threesteps closer to the subject, or use the camera'szoom facility. Filling the frame will make a terrificdifference to your photos.4.

Just checking it is level on thescreenbeforeyoushootmakesall thedifference.

Get used to the camera

Stand feet slightly apart

Taking a portrait shot?

Landscapesare somuchbetter if youcorrectthe horizon view. So, what are you waiting for? Happy snapping!

Camera Creations

18

5., candid, honest pictures are always more

pleasing to the eye and much more natural.Specially with children - capture them playing or inthought, it's the expression thatmakes the shot.6. professionalphotographers use. Basically, a simple rule thatcan add dynamism to your photos. Simply, dividethe image into thirds both horizontally andvertically. When composing your shot, placeimportant elements along either of these lines, orwhere the lines intersect - NOT at the centre of theframe. For example, place a subject's eyes wherethe top line is, or place your subject on the place inthe image where two of these lines intersect. Asimple tip that allows a nicely balanced, easy onthe eye picture. It also helps get rid of the 'tinysubject and large amount of space' tendency,because you need to position items relative to theedgesof the frame.7. . Byexperimenting with different angles, you cancreateamuchmore interestingphoto.

When taking pictures of people, don't posethem

There is a rule of thirds

Stop shooting everything from eye-level

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In The Garden

Romancing The Stone!

ove 'em or hate 'em, your gardens have literallythousandsof them in all shapes and sizes, someofgrit-like proportions, others more akin to boulders.But, sod's law states that your rocks are never inthe right place. Just when you thought it would benice to have a new island bed in the middle of thelawn you uncover a few tonnes of random rubblerightwhereyour rosesshouldbe.Personally, I quite likea bit of the hardstuff. What aret h e b e s tmaterials forsitting areas,pathways andretainingwalls- this is theb r e a d a n dbutter of theadvice I give tohomeowners thesedays and, most importantly,where to position them. Oneoption is to use decking withwooden sleepers or log palisadefor retaining walls all of whichhas its place in the grandscheme of things but in myopinion you can't beat thereal thing. When I say'real' I use the word withcaution as the greatermajority of 'stone' usedin gardens these daystends to be of the concretevariety, cleverly simulatingthe real thing. Have a look inanyof theBuildersMerchantsnowand you will find a dazzling array of paving inrandom, octagonal, circular and even oval shapesin whatever shade of concrete that takes yourfancy. You will also find natural paving slabs insandstone, limestone, slate, granite and marbleagain in a variety of shapes and colourways butwith a ratherheftier price tag.Despite having laid acres of all typesof pavingoverthe years, I still find it hard to choose a favourite.There are some brilliant concrete slabs on themarket; you'd be hard pushed to tell the differencefrom the real stone they are imitating. Equally,

there are some shocking paving slabs deserving ofa placeproppingup a shedbase!What is importantwhen making a comparison is to judge the slabsafter they have been weathered by a couple ofseasonsof goodoldBlighty'smixedbag of rain andshine. Normally the imitation stone has faded backto a more 'concretey' colour whereas the realMcCoy has gained a lovely natural patina withmosses and lichens. Unless, that is, they've beenblasted off with the pressure washer or roastedbeneathoneof those loathsomepatioheaters!If you're looking for a cheap solution youmight also

be tempted by some of the dirt cheapsandstone slabs offered by

unscrupulous traders fromt h e b a c k o f t h e i rwhite(ish) vans. Likemost of the sandstonewhich arrives on ourshores, this hasp r o bab l y b eenuprooted from theI n d i a n s u b -continent by a 10year old waif but atleast there are somecontrols in place with

some of the largerproducers that guarantee

that the waif and his familywill be looked after. Ultimately,

with this product the choice remainsbetween cost and conscience. Personally I'mnot a fan of this ecological and ethical pillagingbut then again the production of concrete slabs

is hardlyanenvironmentalist's dream.Naturally stony soils are not necessarilya bad thingas far as cultivationgoes and in a lot of casesmakefor awell-drainedsoil whichmakes it easier to growa wide variety of plants. I will never forgetmyDad'spersonal battle with the stones that littered hisborders. He spent days on his hands and kneeswith a riddle (remember those? probably the leastused garden tools these days) and a bucketremoving as many as he could find. Thankfully Ididn't inherit the 'riddling' gene!

Jonathan Wild - Garden Consultant

L

22

KIDSCompetition

Hi, my name is Colin and I�mlooking for my friends who have hiddenthemselves in my magazine.Look at their pictures below and tell me which pages they are onby writing the page number in the box next to them.

Can you help me find them?

You could win hoodies, rucksacks

and loads of other cool stuff.

We will contact the winners via e-mail or phone. The deadline for this competition is April 30th 2010.Winners will be notified during the 1st week of May 2010 and can be featured in the June edition of Good Nooz.

All entries will be split into 3 age ranges, these being: 6 & under, 10& under, 16& under. Any entries over 16 years old will not be entered. Eachage rangewill have 2winnersthis being 1st & 2ndplacewith prizes allocatedat thediscretion ofGoodNooz.GoodNooz reserve the right towithdraw thecompetition at any time.

NAME AGE

PARENT OR GUARDIANS DETAILS

NAMEADDRESSE-MAILPHONE NUMBER

Send your entry to:

23

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GETAGRIPPEOPLE..It is time toStepUp to the edgeor StepOff, just get out of theway and let someoneelsewho is prepared towork towards success have their turn. We all have times in our lives when things go wrong, and some ofyou are there right now. I empathisewith you but you can do somethingabout it. It does not have to be thisway.All it takes is onedecision that enough is enoughandyoucanstart themiracleof success that youarelooking for. Lets face it, no one is going to give it to you on a plate so if you don�tstart to sort it out you willhave to get used to the life you are living. So if you want more from life all you have to do is Step Up to theedgeand jump into your future.Takea lookat the followingandwhat do yousee:Most people will see�opportunityis no where�while others will see�opportunityis now here�.What aboutyou? A new job? A new partner? Move house? Start your business? Is it the right time to change a fewthings, to start carvingabetter life for youandyour family.

Think about it, if youwait for the perfect time somethingalways gets in theway. The only time we have is NOW, it is the only certainty, the past has gone, the future has not beenwritten. Now is the time for you to work towards your better future, in whateverway you need to. Just startNOW, one more thing everyday will result in a massive change in one month. Then one month becomestwoandsoonuntil a year later youwill lookbackonwhat youhaveachievedandhow far youhavecome.Then you will realise that all it took was a decision, which led to a small success, then a bigger success.One step at a time.You can do it, there are peopleall around that havemade a decision that enoughis enough, they stood up to the edge and jumpedout of the ordinarywith amassive leap of faith andhavenever lookedback.The bottom line is this, if you don�tchange thennothingwill change for you.Opportunity is everywhere, all you have to do isstart looking for it, open your eyes and beprepared to step off the edge. Find some peoplethat are working towards the things in life that youwant. Get around them and ask them what didthey do. Then do something that is really hard todo and that is LISTEN. Successful people willalways tell you the truth. That is something I havelearnt....Who am I? I�mjust an ordinary person who wasmoaning about life until I decided to step up to theedge. I took the leap, I�vehad to learn, I thought Icouldn't succeed, but I never gave up. So, now itis your turn.StepUp (to theedge)OrStepOff...

When is nowagood time?.....

DPS

24

Step Up Or Step OffRecession. Doom and gloom, woe is me, life is bad....

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Chris Bangle has a lot to answer for. In my eyesat least, he took the BMW 5 series anddowngraded it from the best executive saloon inthe world to something that ranked below boththe Jaguar XF and the Audi A6. Don't get mewrong, dynamically the last 5 Series was the bestcar in its class; it was just ugly to behold and,when you sat in it, it didn't make you feel special.The thing is, BMWs never have been real headturners; they were handsome cars with anindefinable air of class and, I have to say, the latest5 Series is exactly that. So, now that the�controversialstyling�has been sortedout, has this latest version regained itscrownas thebest on themarket?First of all, a bit more about the exterior.The new car is a couple of inches longerthan the old one but, because there's anextra 4 inches on the wheelbase, itactually appears more compact. Theridges on the side panels do a good job ofdisguising the height of the car and I liket h e n e wheadlights. Thef l a t t e n e dbonnet looks ab i t odd bu toverall this is anice lookingcar. The insideof the previousmodel alwaysl o o k e d t o oclinical to meand, although itwas spacious andvery comfortable, there was no sense of luxury.Thenew interior is not vastly different to the old onebut somehow it does manage to convey that firstclass feel perhaps it's because the model I drovehadoptional leather seats.The 5 Series retains BMW's much derided iDrivesystem which allows you to control most of thecar's functions via a menu on the central displayusing a rotating knob. I found this one quite easy touse; maybe BMWhave made it that way or maybeI've finally got used to it. The display screen is wayout of your line of sight though,which is distracting.There is oodles of room in this car, particularly in

26

Road Test

the back, though the transmission tunnel makes itawkward for anyonesitting in the rear centreseat.Dynamically it is still as excellent as ever. The rideis subtle yet crisp and really sets the standard forthe class and the handling is beautifully controlled.However, it isn't quite as agile as the lastmodel andsomehow is not as involvinga drive. It is also a verywide car and feels it, particularly on a narrow roadwith a high nearside verge.Where BMWhas reallymade great strides is in producing cars that deliverstrong performance coupled with quite

extraordinaryeconomy. This2 litre diesele n g i n eillustrates thep o i n tadmirably. Itp r o d u c e s184bhp andwill propel thishefty car to62mph in 8.1seconds and on

to a 141mph maximum, yet it delivers56mpg in mixed driving. That beingsaid, I still think the power band is toonarrow and it is too harsh and noisy fora carwith luxurypretensions.So, is the 5 Series once again the kingof the executive saloons? Well, I mustadmit that, all things being equal, I stillprefer the Jaguar XF but there are ahost of other things to consider. Forstarters, there is no base model with

the XF so the entry level price is close on £30kwhereas the BMW starts at £28,165. Nor will therebe an estate version of the XF putting in anappearance and the XF is too far outside thecorporate mainstream for many tastes. The BMWis a better car than the current version of the AudiA6 and much more interesting than the decidedlyblandMercedesEClass.Congratulations then BMW, you have regainedyour crown�.and welcome back from the planetugly.Car tested BMW 520d SE £28,165 OTR

BMW 520d se


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28

Brereton Social Under 8�s Football TeamTake a handful of boys who have never played an officialfootball game together. Give them a coach and watch themdevelop into a team.These boys have trained every week and played games eachweekend. They have lost many, drawn a few and won acouple, but they are all champions.It takes a special effort to keep on going when youropponents keep on winning. It takes a special team to trainthrough one of the toughest winters we have had fordecades.These boys have shown what can be achieved by being partof a special team. They may not have won every match andmay not finish with the trophy, but they have all shown whatcan be achieved with a passion and determination thateveryone can have if they believe in themselves.Breton Social Under 8�s are a team that will be unstoppablevery soon.Everyone here at Good Nooz wants to recognise them aswinners on our Achievements page. Keep on training yourtime to shine is getting closer.

DOYOUWANT TO SHARE YOURGOODNOOZ?This page is to recognise anyone who has achieved anything, big or small.Let themknow youareproudof their achievements.E-mail us at: [email protected] and tell us what you want, attach aphotoand if we have roomwewill pop it in aswell.


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O.A.P. - Old Aged putter

Sport Stuff

30

What's golf like for thosewho could be describedas 'extramature'?Do we sometimes wake up in the night (well mostSeniors do) and think�Whatwould St. Peter's coursebe like? Aswestart to dozeoff again, dowesmileandsay to ourselves, �WillGod's course be dry, with softwarm breezes that will ruffle your hair (that's for thosewho have any left), the bunkers will be full of soft drysand, where your sand iron effortlessly lifts your ballout of the bunker just short of the pin. Yes this is trueheaven but I'm sorry to say that the dream and realityaremilesapart.It's winter, the sadmature golfer opens his eyes. Thisis a goodomenhe thinks,�Imade it through thenight�.Looks to the right yes his wife or if he's lucky someother nice lady is by his side. Quick check to seesigns of life - yes still breathing. Thinks 'the love-making lasted a whole 3 minutes last night. Have towatch that kind of passion forgot to take the bloodpressure tablets!'. Sits ups and gingerly checks outbody before getting up completely! Yes everythingmoves, albeit a bit slowly. Aswe swing our legs out ofbed therearea fewcreaksandgroansbutweareup.It's Thursday and it's 'Old-CrocksDay'. Thememberswill be playing some form of game, be it Matchplay,Stableford, Greensomes, Pairs or Texas Scrambles.The Hon. Sec. has his work cut out keeping usinterested but hold on we race too far forward, wehave yet to check the weather, but do we need to, forlets face it gales, torrential rain, below zeroconditions, no problem for those who have fought forKingorQueenandCountry.Breakfast and we are off to the Club, just a dab of OldSpice to get rid of the smell of DeepHeatRub,makingsure we have put on our thermals, several jumpers,woolly hat, gloves and waterproofs! On arrival checkthe flag is not at half-mast - goodwe have all survivedanothernight!Inside the usual banter such as �Thiscold weatherplays havoc with my knee joints�.�You should havehad some new ones fitted�said George, �theydon'tfeel the cold half so bad�!�Isee it's frost holes again�saysBarry�it beat being indoors�.My mind takes in this last statement lets recap. It's 3degrees below, white frost covers the course, youknow that within minutes your nose will run, yourhands will become numb, your eyes will water and asyou putt, water drips onto your glasses. The chancesof hitting straight are nil, even though the frost hole is12 inchesdiameter.

If I had stayed at home it would have meant a warmhouse,a videoanda largeglassofwine.However,mywife would undoubtedly have found me lots of jobs todo. She reminded me recently, I always say I will dothem in the winter when the weather is bad!! Oh welltheweather reallynevergets that bad!Now our 4-ball are at the first tee, three are dressedfor the weather but as usual there is always one whostands there in a short sleeved shirt and slipover, noglovesandsaying 'What's thematterwith you lot�.Heneeds treating with deep distrust, he could be analien!The course looks absolutely beautiful all white andsparkling.As usual thePro hadno red balls, soweareusing white! You breathe out clouds of white vapour,only to be replaced by air at minus 3 degrees. I amsorry this can't begood for a 70yearolds' lungs.First player tees up with his white ball and makes afairly goodstrike.�How's that�,he says.�SorryI wasn'tlooking�says Tom. �Itseemed to be going right�saidDerek.Bill says,�I can't see that far anyway�.Off yougo to look for the balls. You follow a little groove andeventually find your ball has picked up ice andreached the size of a tennis ball. You finally reach thefirst hole, this is a piece of fairway with a large hole inthe centre, the ground is rock hard and bumpy. Asyou putt the ball it moves like the old game ofbagatelle, absolutely anywhere and so you carry on.Sometimes you notice that you have become taller,this is because of the ice build up on your shoes. Thelast time I knocked off the build-up of ice with mywedge, I hitmy ankle andhad to be helpedback to theClubhouse.You finally finish your game after 9 holes for thesensible and 18 holes for the brain-dead and makeyour way back to the Clubhouse, you're cold, aching,your nose and eyes are red and sore but it's a greatfeeling - you have survived. You sit in the Clubhouseand tell everybody what a wonderful time you havehad!!Life's goodwhenyou reach 'Maturity'!!From the pen of Cockney Rebel, aged 72 andcounting!

31

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TREE SURGEONS

TrekChina2010AboutHaveaHeartHave aHeart is Heart FM radio's new charity whichraisesmoney to support less advantagedpeople incommunities that Heart radio stationsbroadcast too. Currently Have a Heart isfocusing on building a better futurefor the children living in our locala r e a s : t h o s e who a r evulnerable, face adversity, livewith an illness or are deprived ofthe childhood that every young

persondeserves.

Henry Gould wasfundraising for Have aHeart West Midlands,which is local stationHeart FM's charity. Allthe funds he has raisedwill go to supportingchildren in the WestMidlands including

Birmingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton,Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire,Shropshire and The Black Country.

This is the first of five treksthat Have a Heartsupporters are undertakingthis year to the Great Wallof China. The terrain isvaried, the wall isextremely steep andHave a Heartestimates that our trekkers walked at least75,000 steps in 5 days.

Trekkers on the first trek have raised astaggering £90,572.61 so far and there shouldbe lots more to come in!Henry Gould on his own has raised a fantastic£2,885! Henry was also voted Trek Heroby his fellow trekkers, foralways leadingfrom the front,remainingpositivethroughout andsupportingeveryone.

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Good Nooz April 2010

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Transcript of Good Nooz April 2010