Jo Ward - page 10

Jo Ward has 150 articles published.

Green Clean your home

in Features

Do you remember the days when armed with your marigolds and a host of cleaning products full of nasty chemicals and toxic ingredients you would set about spring cleaning your house? 

Thankfully, times have changed for the better and since then there is a better understanding of the risks of toxic chemicals that has resulted in a move towards natural cleaning.  There is also evidence to suggest that the use of household cleaning products containing synthetic chemicals can contribute to the development of or can aggravate asthma and allergies. 

So it’s time to ditch the highly corrosive bleach, something that our own house-proud mothers would routinely use to clean baths, sinks and toilets, and look at eco-friendly ways to spring clean that don’t have a negative impact on the environment. 

Although there are many excellent cleaning products that contain non-toxic ingredients that are easy on the environment and leave your home smelling beautifully perfumed, they can come at a cost, but if you do choose to buy them, beware – check the labels first and steer clear of products with VOCs (volatile organic compounds), fragrance, irritants and flammable ingredients.  

It doesn’t take too much effort to make your own healthy household cleaners that are great alternatives to those you will find in the supermarket. You probably already have the basic constituents lying around the house, many of them use the same ingredients regardless of what you are cleaning, and don’t forget about good old soap and water which are sometimes all that is needed to make things sparkly clean!

The top natural ingredients for greener cleaning to include in your homemade toolkit include white vinegar, baking soda, borax (a powdery white mineral that has been used as a cleaning product for several decades), lemon and essential oils. Use spray bottles to make and store your homemade cleaners and if you don’t want to buy ready-to-go bottles you can repurpose old ones, just make sure you wash them out thoroughly first. Always store the bottles out of direct sunlight or heat, which can change the chemical constituents in the essential oils.

Distilled white vinegar is one of the most versatile, affordable, and accessible cleaning products that you can find. Its cleaning capabilities include glass, floors (not marble or granite), bathrooms, dishes, fabrics, stains, and more. You can use white vinegar in its pure form or diluted with water or baking soda for more natural cleaning. 

Baking soda is another one of those kitchen cupboard staples that is fast and easy to use, and it’s also extremely inexpensive. Many recipes for green cleaning combine white vinegar and baking soda for dual power eco-friendly cleaning. 

Borax is probably one of the most unique ingredients for green cleaning, and although natural, it is recommended that you avoid eye contact and undiluted skin contact with it, as well as ingestion of it. Most of the recipes that use borax use it in a diluted form which makes it a very usable natural cleaning ingredient.

Lemon juice is an amazing addition to add to your natural cleaners. Lemons contain antibacterial properties which aid in fighting unwanted germs and bacteria in the home and the citrus fragrance will help to make rooms smell fresh and clean. 

Essential oils can be mixed with water and vinegar for an easy household cleaner. You can also use an essential oil diffuser to help purify the air and fill it with a clean scent. 

To make an all-purpose cleaner: Place a small funnel into the opening of an empty spray bottle, and pour in 1/2 cup of white vinegar. Add 2 tablespoons of baking soda and wait for the foaming to subside then add in 10 drops each of tea tree and lavender, or eucalyptus, essential oil. Fill the rest of the bottle with water.

Soap scum remover: Combine equal parts water and distilled white vinegar in a reusable spray bottle, then add a few tablespoons of organic, non-toxic soap and shake to mix. It can be a good idea to keep a spray bottle of vinegar and water in your bathroom and spray everything down after your bath or shower.

Wood polish and cleaner: For wood cleaner, mix 1 cup filtered water with 3 tablespoons of distilled white vinegar. For polish, mix 1 cup of extra virgin olive oil with ½ cup fresh lemon juice.

Oven cleaner: Mix baking soda with water to make a paste and spread it all over your oven, then leave it on for 12 hours. Wipe the paste off with a damp cloth, then spritz the inside of the oven with distilled white vinegar before wiping it down again. 

Glass and window cleaner: This is where we should take heed of what our grandmothers used. Nothing beats a 50/50 mixture of white vinegar and water mixed together in a reusable spray bottle and wiped with a soft rag or microfiber cloth.  

Ensuring our spring cleaning process is eco-friendly should be a priority for us all. Go green, stay clean and look after not only your health but the health of the planet. 

A word of warning, don’t ever mix vinegar with bleach as it will create toxic chlorine gas. Vinegar can irritate your eyes if contact occurs. Flush liberally with water for 5 to 10 minutes if the product gets in your eyes. It is also important that you use essential oils safely and always read the instructions on the bottles.

We forget that the water cycle and the life cycle are one.

in Features

Paul Singleton, Managing Director of AquaGib since 2013, leads a team of just over one hundred employees who are dedicated to their core service which is the supply and distribution of Gibraltar’s water. “Because the main sewer is at Line Wall Road level and most of the residential property is below the main sewer level, we also run the operation and maintenance of the twenty plus sewage pumping stations which pump the sewage into the main sewer before it travels down to Europa Point,” he explains. 

Historically, ground water was collected in wells and rainwater was collected on the catchments on the east side of the Rock, but they have been out of commission for a long time now and all the water for Gibraltar is now produced by desalination, also known as Reverse Osmosis (RO).

“We have two pumping sites, one in the North Mole area and the other down at Governor’s Cottage, and we take the sea water, pass it through membranes which produces fresh water and then we pump it to the reservoirs up in the Rock from where it is distributed by gravity down to the public,” Paul states. Reverse Osmosis, although it sounds complicated is in reality an easily explained process. “Basically it is just the passing of sea water through a very fine filter that removes everything in the water, down to beyond Nano level.” 

Regarding quantities, Paul says that AquaGib produces somewhere between 5,000 and 6,000 metres cubed per day. “Our theoretical maximum is about 2 million metres cubed a year and we currently supply about 1.7 million metres cubed per year of fresh water and 1.5 million metres cubed per year of saltwater.”

Customer service is paramount in AquaGib and Paul confirms that they are customer focused. “We like to have relationships with our customers and to look after them,” he says. “Our senior manager in charge of customer services is always trying to find innovative way of saving his team time by generating new ways of paying, but also by trying to be a bit more personal about how we have that interaction with our customers.”

One of these innovations is that now when you call AquaGib you will be placed on hold and treated to local music by local artists. “We had previously had some negative interaction about our on-hold music and this has proved to be a great idea and one that has been really positively received.”

Something else that will make life easier for customers is the installation of a self-service payment kiosk at the Cashiers Office on the ground floor at Leanse Place. “We pride ourselves on trying to provide as many different ways for people to pay as possible and now they can do so by simply scanning the QR code that is printed on their bills.” Currently only cash is being accepted at the kiosk, although a card payment option is coming soon. “From a coronavirus perspective it was essential that our staff did not handle cash due to the possibility of transmitting the virus so we had to close our Cashiers Office under Public Health advice,” explains Paul. “With the self-service payment kiosk, we are now able to efficiently tackle these unforeseen new challenges and reduce the need for slower face-to-face interaction.”

During the initial lockdown period last year, AquaGib had to clarify a controversy over high water bills, explaining in a detailed statement at the time that June bills were based on accurate meter readings that reflected usage over the whole lockdown period and not just that month alone. “I don’t think people realise that we read most of the meters every month and that they are charged on their actual usage,” Paul states. “During lockdown we took meter readers off the streets as a way of reducing potential transmission of coronavirus, so we stopped reading meters and we started estimating, and obviously people here are not used to having meters estimated.” Confusion arose because due to factors such as washing of hands etc., water consumption was higher than usual for some consumers. “That is the downside of estimating not being an exact science – but it was all resolved and nobody paid for anything that they didn’t use.”

Plans for the future include introducing smart meters in the next three to five years and Paul confirms that they already have some trial smart meter environments in Gibraltar in places such as Rock Gardens and in certain areas in Marina Bay.  “At the moment we are testing the capability of how they read – they mainly communicate with the cloud via mobile phone signals so they tend to be 3G and 4G – but that’s not conducive to working in some of our meter rooms, many of which tend to be at the bottom of buildings or in concrete boxes where the mobile signal is not perfect, so we need to make sure that works throughout Gibraltar.” There are 20,000 water meters in Gibraltar at the moment, so changing all those to smart metering is not going to be an overnight process. In keeping with AquaGib’s commitment to the environment, smart metering will go some way towards educating consumers to use water more efficiently because they will be able to see how they use their water on a daily basis.

With new developments constantly being built around Gibraltar, how does AquaGib cope with the increase in water usage? Paul clarifies that there are two aspects to this. “Firstly, we have to make sure that we have enough water for everybody which means investing in new Reverse Osmosis plants, and we are looking at doing this in the next year to eighteen months which will increase our capacity by 25%.” There are also operational issues in making sure that the water that is needed can get to the sites so that they can produce and pour the concrete, and that involves careful liaison from the Water Networks Team. “Sometimes it means replacing small pipes with bigger diameter pipes or installing new pipes so that they can carry more water, ensuring that there is no impact on supplying a site.”

“We try to stay ahead of the curve and in that respect being part of the building application process helps because it means that we get advance warning of all these developments, but there is always stuff that catches us by surprise and suddenly we have to think how we best supply them with the water they need.”

Paul says that the Government is committed to making sure that the water supply from AquaGib is throughout the whole of Gibraltar. “In certain parts of Gibraltar water was once supplied by the MOD, so until that land is handed back there are certain areas where essentially Government doesn’t have a network, so consequently AquaGib doesn’t have a network.” There are still some places where it is just supplied by the MOD and where sometimes AquaGib customers are on MOD water mains. “In that situation we have a water transfer agreement with the MOD whereby an AquaGib customer uses MOD water and we then transfer the water back,” he states. 

Looking forward, Paul says that from his perspective the company will be building for the future to ensure that AquaGib is a great business that has longevity. “It is about making sure that our supply is sustainable and Reverse Osmosis, whilst it is a very efficient way of producing water, is power hungry so electrical efficiency is key.” He goes on to explain that AquaGib has reduced the amount of electricity per metre cubed over the last five years by about 25 – 30% by investing in new power efficient pumps. “That’s vital because electricity is a resource that is expensive and we want to be as efficient when we use our electricity as everybody else wants to be, and that means updating infrastructure and making sure the most efficient pumps are in place, making sure that we have got general water supply and investing in a new RO plant – that is a significant investment.” The last RO plant was bought in 2011, bringing the number up to five. “We are looking to invest in a sixth – which will mean another 20/30% of water being able to be produced which will see us through for another ten or fifteen years – and that is taking up a lot of our time right now.”

Having Northumbrian Water as a shareholder in AquaGib allows the company to use their knowledge and expertise, which would otherwise cost a fortune in consultancy services. “Having them as a parent company is really important to us,” Paul comments. “As an example, if we suddenly want to do something such as implementing a sustainability report we are able to go to Northumbrian Water and ask them how they do theirs.” 

Paul explains that the Government of Gibraltar is both their primary customer and shareholder and as such they have a very good relationship and are involved on a day-to-day-basis with them. “We work hand-in-hand to supply water to Gibraltar and from their perspective the water supply is hardy and sustainable and is doing what it is supposed to do.”

Public awareness and education is a huge part of the water company’s ethos and in this respect Water Production Director Chris Gomez goes into schools and organises visits to Reverse Osmosis plants and to the reservoirs. 

Water is one of the most important substances on earth, and as demonstrated by their motto, AquaGib is ‘committed to your life source’. “Unfortunately interruptions are a necessary evil,” Paul says. “Pipes do sometimes burst and need to be replaced on occasion, but we try desperately to make sure any interruptions are minimised and affect as few people as possible and we always try to provide the best possible service to our customers.”

The OFT Gribraltar

in Features

Francis Muscat, CEO of the Gibraltar Office of Fair Trading since its inception in 2015, explains the role of The Office of Fair Trading (OFT). “It is a statutory regulator established by Her Majesty’s Government of Gibraltar and its main purpose is to regulate businesses, but only businesses which are otherwise not regulated by another enactment.”

“By regulation what we mean is that we licence businesses, so in order to do business in Gibraltar you need to have a business licence and we are the authority that issues those licences,” Francis says. “We also carry out a consumer protection function to ensure that our consumers are well treated, that the legislation is adhered to and that consumers are protected and their rights are upheld by businesses, but as well as these we have other responsibilities relating to money laundering and anti-terrorism financing.”

As part of its on-going Consumer Awareness program, the OFT were recently at the Piazza to raise awareness of ‘Travelling in the New Normal’. “We raise awareness of key consumer issues throughout the year, and in April we focused on travel as a result of the many enquiries and complaints at the office regarding issues with travel post-Covid and post-Brexit,” Francis states.

During the course of the year, the OFT Consumer Awareness team hold other outreach events, including one focusing on second-hand car sales coming up in May and another during Halloween about toy and costume safety. The busiest period for the OFT starts with ‘Black Friday’ which is the commencement of the most intense annual period of consumer spending, then comes Christmas and of course the January sales. Francis comments that this year the OFT is using more social media and outreach and really trying to make those very bespoke to Gibraltar based on the complaints and queries that they receive. 

There is no doubt that coronavirus has changed the way we travel and during the height of the lockdown the OFT received a large number of complaints with regard to travel cancellations. Francis says that in June last year they issued consumer guidance, updated in November, on what to do whether it was a local travel agent or a third party provider, what the rights are in law and how people can go about claiming back money or get redress for those travel arrangements. “If the third party provider is EU based we will probably know enough about it that we can give a bit of guidance, but even if it is not or if you want a bit more specific help, we can probably direct you to the right authority in that country,” he says.

“More recently we have been receiving queries regarding whether consumers can or cannot travel, and we have been approached to see whether there are any issues that need to be borne in mind before booking,” Francis confirms.  On the back of those queries, the OFT has created a checklist of things that people may want to take into consideration. “Brexit is not the easiest thing to have navigated through and it is particularly difficult after you add Covid and the lockdowns into the mix,” he says. People are anxious to start travelling again and it is worth remembering that it is not the same as previously, so the advice from the OFT is something that consumers should think about beforehand to avoid being disappointed. 

Restrictions regarding travel are changing daily and because it is such a fluid scenario the OFT has compiled guidance on everything that should be borne in mind before going away, whether that is to Spain or further afield, including driving licences, changes to pet passports, changes to E111 and healthcare.

Francis confirms that the main thrust of the majority of complaints to the OFT concern goods or a service bought from shops or businesses in Gibraltar. “This usually surrounds goods not being as described or not fit for purpose,” he says. “Maybe the consumer is having issues with the trader and they want us to try to assist them, but it is very important you should know that by assist we mean that we will engage with the consumer to find out what the information is and then engage with the trader, but at the moment we can’t play a mediatory role.” The OFT is only there to try to prevent practices which may cause consumers harm, and this often results in the consumer getting redress. 

The OFT also has a good relationship with traders. “We conduct inspections quite regularly and check things at the premises from which they are operating, and whenever we go we always offer the opportunity for them to ask any questions.” Francis says that sometimes before a consumer even comes to the OFT, they will get a call from a trader in advance stating that they have an issue and asking for guidance on their rights. “There are obviously some more contentious matters when we have had to take enforcement action, but those seem to be very few and far between and we can normally avoid them by engaging and just making sure that the traders understand what their legal obligations are,” he states. “At present we have four or five ongoing investigations and these are things that could end up going to court, but we have a system of approaching it incrementally where the enforcement gets more significant the less unsatisfactory the response.”

The OFT is not just there for consumer protection issues but also for businesses. “Remember that if you are doing business in Gibraltar you will need a licence of some sort, probably one of ours, but if you approach us we are more than happy to let you know the right authority to handle that for you.”

In the near future a new Fair Trading Act 2020 will come into place. “It has to be debated in Parliament, but we expect that it will go through and it is a significant improvement for the service users, from the public perspective, for the consumers and businesses perspective,” Francis explains. “It will make our role easier to perform for the benefit of the people we protect by way of example and we should have a more mediatory role once it goes ahead.”

Francis says that this will enable the OFT to provide more holistic protection for consumers. “The Act also deals with cottage industries and artisans, so that if you have a turnover of less than a certain amount (which is yet to be subscribed in regulation), you don’t require a licence and you just need to register with us, so that will substantially facilitate matters.”

“As well as a News section on our website, which we keep up-to-date, we have a general Consumer Protection page and we also have an Awareness page containing guidance documents for businesses and for consumers.” It’s also worth checking out the OFT social media platforms. “Every month we pick a topic that we are focusing on and put little snippets of what the guidance is, with links to the full guidance on our website, so if you want to stay abreast with consumer topics in Gibraltar, that’s the place to go.”

The ‘Travelling in the New Normal’ leaflet handed out at the Piazza is a condensed version of the full guidance that can be found on the OFT website, and if you already have the leaflet just click on the QR code to take you straight there.

“We generally are a Regulator that really tries to get our businesses to comply and we are trying to assist them into compliance rather than coming after them with a stick – that is not our approach – we really want to encourage them to comply,” Francis states. “For consumers, we literally will assist with anything that they come up with – even if it is not ours and we can’t assist we will go beyond what are our limits to try to ensure that they get some sort of redress.”

Francis and his team of twelve are always on hand to answer questions, whether that is when they are out and about holding awareness events at the Piazza, via the phone lines, email, in person at the office, or even by Zoom.  “We are very flexible,” he states. “Just know that we are always here, you can always approach us and we are more than happy to assist,” he states. The OFT office is based at Suite 975, Europort, or go to the Contact Us section on the website.

More information can be found here: www.oft.gov.gi 

Interview with the Chief Minister

in Features

”We have done so much since then, we have so much still to do.”

The Hon. Fabian Picardo QC, Chief Minister of Gibraltar, talks exclusively to Jo Ward on his 10th anniversary as leader of the GSLP, looking back on the past as well as forward to his future as head of the Government of Gibraltar. 

“I can tell you that I have a barometer of my time in Government, my son is nine years old, my wife got pregnant just after I had become leader of the party and just after we were married, and so I have a living barometer that reminds me of how long I have been in Government – and from a clump of cells to a champion nine year old footballer – my goodness we have come a long way,” the Chief Minister proudly states.

“One of the reasons that I think people fall out of love with politicians is if politicians pretend that they can resolve every problem and that is when you fall short,” the Chief Minister comments. “I think that we have ensured that we haven’t done that – we have been realistic in what we have said but sometimes people don’t hear what we say, they hear what they would like us to have said – but we have been very careful and diligent in ensuring that we have dealt with problems in the order of priority in which they manifest themselves.”

“Lawyer. Husband. Proud father of TWO beautiful boys & a gorgeous little girl” proclaims Fabian Picardo’s Twitter profile, highlighting his personal achievements. However, it is the unexpected events of the past year and a half that have had a huge impact on both his personal and political life. 

“The past year has been a life sucking, mind numbing, horrible experience, for everyone I think,” he says.  

“Remember that it is true that whilst others were locked down in effect by the Government, some people were spending more time at home than ever, but I was probably spending less time at home than usual. For me it was a little surreal and I have lived it in a different way to the way most people have lived these successive lockdowns and the difficulties that we have had.”

Images come to mind of the Chief Minister holding video conferences with other world leaders whilst smartly attired on the top half of his body but wearing pyjama bottoms are quickly dispelled. “I confess to having done something for my old college Gaudy where I appeared to be wearing the decent part of black tie – but it was early September and it is too hot here to wear trousers then,” he laughs. With a busy household and three children, how did he cope with home schooling? “My wife Justine and I employ a fantastic, lifesaving nanny for our children who is like the third parent in the home and without Sarah we would have found it almost impossible to continue with our obligations and our duties in this period.”

Back to a time when nobody knew there would be a coronavirus pandemic, the Government of Gibraltar were focused on other things. “We had just come out of a general election and we were looking at the possibility of Brexit towards the end of 2019 – that was put off for a shorter period and we were really working towards ensuring that we had our post Brexit arrangements finalised in time for the United Kingdom’s de jure departure from the European Union, but pandemic history got in the way,” the Chief Minister explains. 

On 31st December 2020, the UK and Spain announced an agreement in principle under which Gibraltar would join the EU’s Schengen Area, but the Chief Minister states that he had already been looking at the possibility of Gibraltar forming part of or entering into an arrangement with Schengen as far back as 2014 when Danny Alexander, then the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, came to Gibraltar. “I had also met with Cecilia Malmström who was then the Commissioner with responsibility for Immigration in the European Union and she had said that she saw the possibilities for Gibraltar to have a different sort of relationship to Schengen than the one that we have had until now.”

The Chief Minister explains that he had said at the time that if they are looking at Schengen they needed to consider what sort of relationship they would have with the Customs Union going forward. “It wasn’t however until last year – just before the pandemic hit – and I had said in the context of the negotiation on the future relationship with the European Union that we needed to consider the possibility of making a final decision which would be a decision for Gibraltar, for the United Kingdom, for Spain and for the European Union about changing Gibraltar’s relationship with the EU on immigration matters.”

After days of intense discussions and with just hours to go, the Chief Minister was able to announce in his New Year’s Eve Statement to Parliament that an Agreement had been reached regarding Gibraltar’s future relationship with the EU. The framework agreement opens the door to a treaty that could see Gibraltar become part of the Schengen area, effectively suppressing immigration controls at the border.

“Since then the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary Dominic Raab has been to Gibraltar and Gibraltar and the UK have agreed our mandate in a joint ministerial conference on how it is that we will negotiate this Treaty with the European Union, and the European Union and Spain in particular are considering how they will set out their mandate for the negotiation,” the Chief Minister says. “Once those two mandates have been published – until now only ours has been – we will see the start of the negotiations which I think can actually move with quite a bit of alacrity because a lot of the difficult balancing work has been done in the negotiation between Gibraltar, Spain and the United Kingdom.”

Moving on to talk about COVID-19 and the fact that Gibraltar has been held up as a beacon of hope on the world stage, the Chief Minister says that the reality is that it is only as a result of the United Kingdom having done such an excellent job in backing different vaccination projects and therefore being at the front of the queue to receive the product, that Gibraltar has been able to access the doses that have been needed to inoculate all the residents of Gibraltar and cross frontier workers.

“We would not have been able to access the vaccines otherwise so we have to thank the United Kingdom for providing the vaccines and we have to recognise the magnificent work that has been done by the Gibraltar Health Authority led by Minister Samantha Sacramento, but also in particular by those who were involved in the vaccination programme itself which enabled us to ensure that the vaccines we were provided were not sitting in a fridge at minus 70 degrees, but that they were getting jabbed into the arms of those who were – in keeping with the priorities set out by the UK JCVI (The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation) – the ones who should have been receiving the vaccine as soon as possible, and that work has really been remarkable.”

The Chief Minister went on to praise the work done by so many people, from the highest echelons of the British Government from the level of the Prime Minister, to the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary and the Minister for Health Matt Hancock, through to the Minister for Defence and the Armed Forces who ensured that the RAF would fly the vaccines in which couldn’t be flown in by commercial aircraft because of the dry ice required to pack them in. 

“We must also thank the Royal Gibraltar Police and the Gibraltar Regiment who escorted our precious cargo of vaccines and the GHA staff that jabbed it into the arms of our citizens, this is their success and I will be very keen at every stage not to attribute to myself any credit for it because it is the success of all those who were involved in the supply chain and then in the inoculation process that we today can enjoy what post-pandemic life may feel like in the rest of the world in the future, subject of course to the fact that we may have to go through all this again in the Autumn with booster shots and depending on variants of concern, but at least this is precious breathing space that we can thank all of them for.”

On the afternoon of the day we spoke, Prime Minister Boris Johnson addressed Parliament about the new Indian variant and said that “it is still just a variant under investigation, not a variant of concern.” There are of course a lot of people in Gibraltar who have family relationships in the sub-continent and in this respect the Chief Minister went on to state that Gibraltar was adding India to the list of red countries where individuals will need to report, quarantine and test if they arrive in Gibraltar having been there in the last fourteen or twenty-one days. “I hope that we will soon be able to have a better understanding of what that variant means and whether we will be able to inoculate against it or whether our existing inoculation will protect us against it.” He added that he wants to ensure that India is maintained on a red list for as short a period as is absolutely necessary so that people can travel to and from their families in India as soon as possible.”

Part of the Government’s mandate was to deliver a greener Gibraltar and a child friendly city, but this hasn’t been without hiccups and public opinion has in certain cases made them change some of the planned projects. In July last year the Government released its plans for the beautification of Line Wall Road, to include a one-way traffic system, cycle lanes, green areas and promenades. “I said during the course of my New Year’s Eve address that I think we got that wrong, I don’t think there was a public appetite for the pedestrianisation of Line Wall Road,” the Chief Minister comments. 

“I have also made clear that our manifesto was designed to be delivered post-Brexit but that it was not designed to be delivered post a pandemic like the one that we have seen, and it is very likely that we unfortunately will not be able to deliver the most ambitious projects that are set out in our manifesto.”

Stating that the public finances of Gibraltar have been gutted by the pandemic in the same way that the public finances of most nations in the world have, the Chief Minister says that a lot of what the Government had wanted to do will not go ahead yet. “I hope that people will understand that because we have wanted to prioritise what we need to do over what we would like to do – it doesn’t mean that we are abandoning what we would like to do, but we do recognise that we have an obligation to do what we must in the context of the provision of health care, education and all of the basics, and when we have less money available we have got to ensure that we cover those before we move on to our other priorities.”

As part of the Government’s continuing policy to provide affordable housing for the people of Gibraltar, the Chief Minister said in July 2019: “When we build affordable homes, we are laying the foundations for building more Gibraltarian families. These are the building blocks of the longevity and strength of our nation’s future.”

“The number of homes that we are building both for sale as well as rental in our new developments is unprecedented and these are a set of projects that we consider to be essential,” he comments. “Hassan Centenary Terraces is already underway and a second phase will commence as soon as we have been able to clear the rubble from that area, and Chatham Views will start as soon as we have fully demolished West Side School.” Now that the new LNG power station has been commissioned the Chief Minister confirms that: “as soon as the old power station which used to run on grimy, smelly diesel has been decommissioned and is gone we will be able to see the building of Bob Peliza Terraces.” The Chief Minister confirmed that contracts are already being signed for the proposed developments at Hassan Centenary Terraces, Bob Peliza Mews and Chatham Views.

“We will be able to deliver those additional 2,400 units of affordable housing in the time that we expected that we would.”

COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on the tourism industry worldwide, but Gibraltar has been particularly hard hit as the Rock relies on the tourists that come through by car, air and by cruise ships with many companies that depend on the revenue from tourism, such as the hospitality and catering industry, suffering the most. Asked how Gibraltar will bounce back, the Chief Minister says that one of the things that he is very hopeful about is that Gibraltar will be on the green corridor with the United Kingdom. “Gibraltar is likely to be one of the very few European Jurisdictions to which British travellers will be able to come to without having to quarantine when they return to the United Kingdom,” he says. “If that is the case, and that of course is not a decision for us, it is a decision for the UK Government and we have to respect their autonomy to make the decisions that they consider to be safe for the people of the UK, then I think Gibraltar is very well placed to receive an influx of tourism this summer from the UK and I think they will like what they find in the refreshed Gibraltar that we have to present to them, and will therefore potentially be a source of returning visitors for many years to come.”

“Gibraltar is constantly being referred to in the media as the safest jurisdiction for Britons in Europe and I look forward to welcoming many of my British kith and kin to Gibraltar.”

The life of the Chief Minister is a constantly busy one but there has to be some kind of work/life balance and his ongoing fitness regime, including his daily cycle rides up the Rock, is well documented in the social media posts of Fabian Picardo often accompanied by some truly stunning early morning images. “I recognise I fell off the saddle over the second lockdown a little, the weather was awful and I couldn’t get up the Rock and that was as bad for my head as it was for my heart,” he comments. “Cycling up the Rock of Gibraltar has helped me in my mental health as much as it has helped me in my COVID and physical health – so I recommend to everyone that they should consider the possibility.”

Justly proud of Gibraltar, the Chief Minister’s message to inspire future generations of Gibraltar is that it is probably the most manageable quantity on the planet. “If Barrack Obama at the height of his powers had announced that he was injecting 100 million dollars into the economy of the United States that would represent barely 50 cents for every American, and if the Chief Minister of Gibraltar is enable to announce an investment of 100 million pounds on projects in the lifetime of one Parliament, then the effect on the daily lives of Gibraltarians is huge.”

The Chief Minister’s view is that Gibraltar is an oasis in what is otherwise a very cruel and difficult world. “I would simply ask my fellow citizens to spend some time reflecting on what life is like for citizens of other nations, particularly those nations around us – we live on the shores of the Mediterranean, we live on the southernmost flank of Europe and if anybody were to reflect for a moment how difficult life is everywhere else on the shores of the Mediterranean and in particular the southernmost flank of Europe and the northernmost flank of Africa, I think an appreciation of how well we have it in Gibraltar is long overdue and long merited and would inspire people of all political complexions in Gibraltar to appreciate a little more what we have and to protect it.”

When I interviewed the Chief Minister back in 2014, in response to a quote from the opposition at the time which said that: “Mr Picardo must get his priorities right and spend less time and money on parks and vanity projects and address Gibraltar’s energy needs” he said “I think it is a bit rich for those who have caused the problem to ask me to resolve it with a magic wand – I am no Harry Potter – I have never pretended to be.” Asked if he had managed to wave his magic wand in the interim years since those quotes, he replies: “Well there is no magic wand to wave but there is now a new power station which runs exclusively on LNG, a non-polluting fossil fuel, and we are ensuring that we can add renewable sources of energy to our grid and we have also added a lot of solar since then, so I think we have demonstrated that although we might not have been able to deliver things in the time that we might have expected because there might have been necessary delays along the way – you need to make sure that you get it just right.” 

“But I would say to the many, many ‘Draco Malfoys’ and to ‘He Who Must Not be Named” who oppose us politically that we will keep going and that we will show everyone in Gibraltar all the little things that they tried to hide in their Chamber of Secrets!”

Still relatively young for a politician, he turns 50 next year, how does the Chief Minister see his future panning out? “One of the key issues to understand is that the pandemic has deprived us of the first half of the lifetime of this Parliament and to understand therefore that the mandate that we took from the public in 2019 is not a mandate that we can fulfil, but that because of the pandemic and because of the Brexit negotiations we have an obligation to see this Parliament through.”

 “I said I would stand for election on three occasions, and I think I need to review that and in conversations with my family consider whether I should go forward to a potential fourth term – and if my party wishes me to lead it into its fourth potential election victory, if the public were to give us their support then and subject to all those caveats I am very clear that circumstances have conspired against me to require me to take very seriously the possibility of asking the public once again for their support.”

Put a spring in your step

in Health & Beauty

Spring – what’s not to love? Longer days, the flowers are starting to bloom and there is the hope for rebirth and renewal.

It’s time to transform our lives and our mindset, especially after the past year which for many of us was filled with anxiety and uncertainty. We all need a little bit more happiness and one way that we can achieve this is by adopting some of the many free mood boosting habits, one of which is positive thinking. 

Start the day by smiling at yourself in the mirror. Yoko Ono was a huge proponent of smiling. “It is the simplest thing to make yourself healthy and make others feel good,” she said. Even though you may not feel like smiling, just forcing yourself to smile can actually make you happy and improve your mood. The more you do it, the more it will develop into a habit that links smiling and happiness together and when our brain thinks we are happy, it releases the happy hormone dopamine.

Nature is an amazing tool that can help us to become more mindful. Going outside for just half an hour daily can help us to feel happier. During the winter months, even in sunny Mediterranean regions, our reserves of vitamin D can become severely depleted. Vitamin D, also called the sunshine vitamin, is essential for brain health and mood as it boosts serotonin levels. So soak up those rays, but always remember to stay safe and use sunscreen to protect your skin.

Whilst you are out and about, try to use all your senses to experience the world around you. Take deep breaths and think about the smell (hopefully not unpleasant), listen and identify the sounds that you can hear, investigate your surroundings, what new things can you touch and what changes can you see? Focus your mind on the things you are most grateful for and make a mental note of how you feel. 

Walking doesn’t require an expensive gym membership and is an enjoyable way to get fit. Start with a casual stroll and gently ramp up the pace until you are walking faster, extending the duration of your walk by five minutes every week or so. The positive effects of exercise will flood your brain with happy neurotransmitters and endorphins. 

Look after your body, outside and in, and you will reap the benefits not only physically but mentally as well. Spring is the perfect season to implement a cleansing routine that will help restore your body to its full capacity. Maybe you can commit to drinking more water and trying to start to eat more healthily. There has been a lot of coverage of intermittent fasting recently and although this detox technique may not be for everyone, especially people who have a history of disordered eating, diabetics or pregnant women, done correctly it can help you to lose weight and feel good about your appearance. The diet means adhering to a 12-hour fasting window every day, and the easiest way to do this is to include the period whilst you sleep into the fasting time. For example, you could have your last meal of the day before 7 p.m. and then wait until 7 a.m. to eat breakfast. However, you should eat wholesome, well-balanced meals during the day to avoid nutrient deprivation.

Setting a positive intention for the day, whether that is first thing in the morning before you get out of bed, or whether it is during your daily walk, can help you achieve your happiness goals, however big or small they may be. Start by making a list of what you really want as opposed to what you think you want and focus on that.  Keep your intentions brief and repeat them throughout your day but concentrate on motivational based intentions. For instance: “I intend to write 10,000 words of my book today” rather than “I want to become an author”.

Remind yourself that you are fabulous. It doesn’t matter what others think of you, because what you think about yourself is all that is important. Believe that happiness is a choice and look for the positivity in everything. There is always something good that can be found. Are you a glass half full or glass half empty person? In other words, are you an optimist who focuses on the good (glass half full) or are you a pessimist who only ever sees the negative side of things (glass half empty)? Those people who maintain a positive attitude are happier, healthier, and even wealthier and this is because the positive thinking that usually comes with optimism is a key part of effective stress management, often associated with health benefits. 

Another tool to manage stress is laughing and as the old adage goes “laughter is the best medicine”. In a similar way to smiling at yourself in the mirror, when you can laugh at life you feel less stressed, so make giggling and laughing a priority and, like all medicine, try to take it on a daily basis. 

Remember that no-one is perfect, we all have flaws, and that loving and accepting yourself is so important to your mental wellbeing. There will always be challenges and lessons to learn along the way, but eventually things will become easier. Strive to accept your limitations, give yourself some TLC and put that spring into your step.

Chocolates what’s not to love

in Features

Giving chocolates to your loved one on St. Valentine’s Day has been a tradition that goes back to the 1800s, but how exactly did the two become inseparable? Strangely, St. Valentine has little to do with it. The origin of Valentine’s Day is linked back to two early Roman saints, both named Valentine, who were lauded for their sympathetic, heroic, and romantic endeavours. One legend is based on an imprisoned priest named Valentine who sent the first “valentine” message, a letter, to his jailor’s daughter signing it “From your Valentine”.

Chocolate has been revered for centuries, but not always as the delicious, sweet confectionary that we know of today. Cocoa and cacao both come from the Theobroma cacao tree of South America, with the name Theobroma taken from Greek and literally meaning “food of the Gods”.

It was thought to have all begun in ancient Mesoamerica, present day Mexico, where the first cacao plants were found and the Mayan and Aztec indigenous cultures would grind the cacao beans, mix them with water, chilies and cornmeal to form a bitter drink. When the Spanish invaded Mesoamerica in 1519 they witnessed Montezuma, the Aztec King, drinking up to 50 cups of the dark liquid before his visits to his large harem of women, which gave some credence to the myth that chocolate is an aphrodisiac. Whilst chocolate does contain tryptophan and phenylethylamine, two chemicals that affect the brain’s pleasure and reward centres, most scientists agree that the amount of these chemicals present in chocolate is too little to have any marked effect on desire.

The Spanish took the cacao bean back to Europe and by the early 1600s “chocolate houses” had become popular spots for social gatherings. The world’s most famous lover, Giacomo Casanova dubbed chocolate the ‘elixir of love’, and reputedly drank large quantities for its stimulating qualities. 

It was during the 1980s that some well-known chocolatiers came up with a process of extracting pure cacao butter from whole cacao beans to create a more desirable form of “drinking chocolate.” This process resulted in an excess of cacao butter, which was used to produce more varieties of what was then called “eating chocolate”.

Are you aware that there is a difference between cacao and what we describe as cocoa? Although both start out as beans from the cacao plant, it is common for chocolatiers to refer to cacao to describe the plant, the pod, the beans and the paste of the beans, whilst cocoa is applied to anything that has been processed, such as chocolate bars, drinks and cocoa powder. Nowadays, cacao powder is often packaged as vegan as it has been minimally processed with no additives.

It was Swiss confectioner Daniel Peter who developed the first solid milk chocolate in 1875, establishing Switzerland as a chocolate-making centre. In an effort to increase sales of chocolate produced by his own chocolate factory and driven by a need to increase his sales, Daniel Peter decided to experiment by adding milk powder, made by his friend Henri Nestlé. Switzerland is still renowned for producing delicious, smooth milk chocolate and some of the most famous chocolate brands in the world today are Swiss. 

Clever marketers started to package chocolates in heart-shaped boxes decorated with Cupids and rosebuds. It was Richard Cadbury, son of John Cadbury one of the leading cocoa and drinking chocolate traders in England, who in 1868 came up with the idea to sell an assortment of their ‘fancy chocolates’ in these decorative boxes. Cadbury’s boxes went on to become a popular gift of love on Valentine’s Day and the boxes were then often used to keep love letters in.  

In Japan, it is women who give chocolates to not only their male partner or to someone they have romantic feelings for, but also to their male colleagues. Men reciprocate a month later in March on White Day, an event dreamed up by chocolate makers in the early 80s to boost sales.

Germany is where you will find little chocolate or marzipan pigs, (the pig represents lust and luck) holding flowers or four-leaf clovers reclining provocatively on chocolate hearts, being exchanged between courting couples.  

Italy is known for romance and Italian lovers traditionally exchange a box of small hazelnut-filled chocolate ‘kisses’ wrapped in silver paper called Baci Perugina (baci means “kiss” in Italian). Each praline holds a little love note, with romantic quotes from philosophers, artists, authors, and proverbs, to help express feelings of love.

Chocolatiers are constantly coming up with unusual, exciting and exotic combinations that enhance the experience of eating chocolates taking it from the ordinary to the sublime. Whether you want to purchase fresh, handcrafted gourmet chocolates or whether you opt for the everyday brands, you can be sure that giving a beautifully decorated box on St. Valentine’s Day will be a sign of love.  

Dark, milk, white or even vegan, some filled with exotic flavours or ingredients such as fruit and nuts – let’s face it, most of us enjoy eating chocolate. Chocolate is synonymous with Valentine’s Day all over the world, especially in the US when the 14th February represents the most lucrative day for chocolate manufacturers. 

2021 Goals

in Features

How to make those new year resolutions stick

As the clock struck 12:01 am on New Year’s Day, were you one of the many people who resolved to make changes to their life?

It’s always a good idea to start the New Year on the right foot and no doubt many of us will have made New Year resolutions, but although we are still only in January, how many of us have managed to keep to those resolutions? Did you toss your resolutions away with the Christmas tree, or are you one of those people who think that New Year resolutions are made to be broken?

Regardless that our plans for New Year 2021 may well be different to previous years, and that instead of seeing the New Year in with family and friends at a party it may be more like sitting on the sofa watching a feel-good film, we can still make resolutions – albeit different ones – focusing more on health than wealth. 

January is probably the worst time to make resolutions after the stress of the holiday season, when bills are piling up from the excess of spending on presents and food, and the pounds are still piling on after too much Christmas fare. Life is exhausting enough without trying to stick to those rash resolutions you made – right?

Maybe you vowed to lose weight or to quit smoking. Maybe you promised to cut down on your alcohol consumption. These are just some of the most common resolutions that we make, the others being: to exercise more, get organised, learn a new skill or hobby, live life to the fullest, save money and spend less, spend more time with family and friends, or to travel and read more.

Quitter’s day

Did you know that there is actually an annual Quitter’s Day? The third Sunday in January is the day that you are most likely to quit New Year’s resolutions and in 2021 this falls on the 17th. Research has found that over 5.5 million Brits abandoned their 2020 New Year’s Resolutions by the end of Quitter’s Day, despite their best intentions. 

How can we salvage those resolutions and make them work in the long-term? Think of them as short-term goals to help you to grow day by day. You’d be badly mistaken to think you can achieve great things in just one month of the year, regardless of your resolve to learn another language or to lose 2 stone in weight! 

Make those resolutions as realistic as possible and set yourself challenges that you feel confident you will be able to meet. Take diets for instance. If you’ve put on a lot of weight over the past five years, you’re not going to be able to lose it in five weeks. What you need is to make sensible, behavioural changes to your diet.

How to get those resolutions back on track

Understanding where you failed to keep to your resolutions is the first step to getting back on track. What were the stumbling blocks that you failed to account for when you made them? Maybe you underestimated your work schedule or those family commitments that you knew you had to keep to but which would sabotage your plans. Above all, don’t beat yourself up if you eat one more mince pie. Life’s too short. 

Set yourself up for success

Strange to say it but we shouldn’t make resolutions on New Year’s Eve. They should be planned well before 31st December for the biggest chance of success. 

Make a list of the pros and cons of keeping to your resolutions and refer to it when you need motivation, or buy a new daily planner and fill it in to help you stay on track. Choose specific resolutions that are achievable and that you can realistically turn into a habit without turning your life upside down

Reboot yourself in 2021

Don’t you just hate those articles that tell you how to transform your life? Well, here are some suggestions that aren’t resolutions but instead are long-term life changing ideas:

Take risks: Open yourself up to change and embrace it rather than running away. Say ‘YES’ to something that you may have previously said ‘NO’ to!

Live in the moment: Stop worrying and try not to live in the past. Practice mindfulness and concentrate on the present. Engage in active listening and use all your senses when talking with someone instead of tuning out and thinking about other things. 

Stay in touch with family and friends: Pick up the phone or send an email. Make the first move in a relationship that has foundered. 

Take time out for yourself: Banish that guilt and just relax. Go for long walks, indulge yourself with a good book, get those watercolours out and paint a landscape or unwind in a hot bath. Don’t feel guilty about taking care of yourself because in the long run it will benefit your mood and your relationships. 

Share your talents and skills with others: Maybe you are artistic or creative, or maybe you are adept at fixing technology. Have you noticed how good it feels when you share your passion or a skill that you perform well? Not only do you feel good, but those on the receiving end will really appreciate you. 

Stand up for yourself – whether that is at work or at home: Communicate clearly and let people know what you’re willing to tolerate and not tolerate. Being assertive doesn’t mean that you ignore other people’s feelings, but it does mean that you are not spending your life doing what other people want. 

Laugh more: A good dose of hearty laughing relieves stress and anxiety and stimulates endorphins. Sharing a laugh with others is a great way to connect and bond. 

Be persistent

Can we really create the person we want to be by repetitive actions and thoughts? It will definitely take willpower, but how long does it take to form a habit? Have you heard of the 21/90 rule? Some experts say it takes 21 days to build or break a habit and 90 days to make it a lifestyle. It won’t happen overnight, so be patient!

Start small, build on that resolution daily and then keep going. Make microscopic goals that you’re almost guaranteed to hit. Very few people have achieved great things through luck. Most resolutions fail because they’re just too broad a goal. If you do lapse, don’t let it become an excuse to give up on your goal. Forgive yourself and start again. 

Change just one of your habits that creates the most difference to your life. Write it down on paper, along with your motivations, obstacles, and your strategies for overcoming them. Log your progress. Commit fully in a public way and report your progress to someone else each day.  Look for support when you falter. If you fail, figure out what went wrong, plan for it, and try again.

Take responsibility and take charge of your future. Don’t blame everyone and everything around you and always bear in mind what the Greek philosopher Aristotle said:

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.”

Do Not Wait It May Be Too Late

in Features

There used to be a time when we would ‘save it for best’, meaning that the set of bone china you were gifted or the bottle of vintage port that you bought for an anniversary would be put away until it was deemed to be an appropriate occasion to bring it out to use or drink. 

What happened, of course, was that the dinner service was never used and the bottle was never drunk because it was never the right time and before long it was too late to enjoy. We wait and wait until we assume the opportunity to do something has arrived, but as we all know, the longer you wait the less likely it is that the time will be right and then we have regrets.

Do we ever learn our lesson? The same principle can apply to anything in our lives… our careers, our hobbies, our passions. Why wait? 

You may be in a job that you are good at, but do you love it? As the saying goes: “choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.” Think about what you really enjoyed doing long before you had to worry about exams or getting onto the career ladder. Get back in touch with those instincts and consider pursuing a new vocation. Take a course at night school, look at an online learning prospectus, or go to pottery classes. It’s never too late. 

The same adage can be prescribed to your relationships. Don’t wait to tell someone that you care or love them before it is too late. Tomorrow is never guaranteed and isn’t it nicer to tell someone in person what your feelings are rather than when they are gone. Celebrate life and those who matter to you every day. 

We don’t know what’s around the corner and there are many unexpected things that can unfortunately get thrown our way during our lives. Wouldn’t you rather use a special item now than find it past its best at the back of a cupboard, or lost or damaged, before you were able to get some joy from it?  

How many of us don’t invite friends over because we haven’t had time to clean the house or are ashamed of the old faded sofas? The truth is that they will just be happy to spend time with you and aren’t worried about the state of your home. Something as simple as sharing a good cup of tea or a glass of wine with friends can be extra special.

Travel is another area which many of us put off from doing, thinking that there will come a better time to follow our wanderlust. Another inspirational quote sums this up completely:  “The only trip you will regret is the one you don’t take.” Make plans to go to those special places now because life can go by in the blink of an eye, leaving many dreams and plans unfulfilled. Also realise that if there is a particular place that you have always dreamed of visiting, it may no longer be as easy to do so when you are older, because in a world of political unrest it may not be a place that is open to travellers in the future. 

Are you worried about wearing that silk shirt in case you get it dirty? Little girls don’t need an excuse to dress up in their tiaras and sparkly dresses, and neither should we. If you wait too long for the right occasion to come along, you could be waiting a long time. Why not bring out that sequined dress, put on those long dangly earrings and strut your stuff, even if it is just for a night out with the girls. 

So get out those good plates, drink the Champagne you were given on your birthday, use the crystal wine glasses and even when you don’t have guests, put out the guest towels and use that expensive perfume. Embrace the good things in life, break out of the ordinary and make everyday a special day. 

“Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.” – Omar Khayyam 

Where in the World

in Features

Although we don’t know what to expect from 2021 and many of us have put our travel plans on hold, it’s important to be optimistic and look forward to a time when we can travel once again. 

Of course, the way we travel may also be very different. Socially distant travel will definitely be something that we have to take into consideration, as will travelling responsibly and sustainably. We will be embracing more eco-friendly, carbon-neutral methods of travel and will be sourcing destinations that take responsibility for their impact on the environment.

Travelling by road will be a top trend with ‘super-charged’ road trips becoming popular, and there has already been a rise in sales or rentals of Glampervans, luxury motorhomes, with bookings at camp sites sky high as people look for ways to continue to enjoy holidays without flying abroad. 

For those of us who can’t wait until we can get out and explore the world, here are some top suggestions that you can add to your wish list that we hope will whet your appetite and inspire you to travel in the future.  

UK

Only a flight away, the UK offers some stunning cities and beautifully scenic rural areas to explore. Social distancing is possible if you book a country cottage rather than a hotel, or even consider ‘glamping’. Explore the picture postcard towns full of history and charm in areas such as the Cotswolds or Sussex. 

The Peak District, at the southern end of the Pennines, is always a popular destination full of wide open spaces that makes it popular with walkers and for hardy hikers the views are worth the climb up some of the highest mountain peaks that tower over the rugged landscape. The area also includes some of Britain’s most impressive stately homes including Chatsworth House.

Ireland is a must-visit destination for 2021. If you haven’t been before there’s a wealth of magical places to see. For a relatively small country, there is plenty do, from sightseeing in Dublin, to visiting the Voya Seaweed Baths in Sligo to the unmissable landmark and the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Giant’s Causeway in Antrim. 

The Burren EcoTourism Network in County Clare has been named one of the best places to travel to next year by Lonely Planet where it was described as the best in ‘regenerative travel’. One of six national parks in Ireland, The Burren is an area of glaciated limestone which looks like a moonscape and is completely dissimilar to the landscape in the rest of Ireland. The Cliffs of Moher situated along the Atlantic Way, are Ireland’s most visited tourist attraction, and alongside Burren are part of the UNESCO Global Geopark, a special region with outstanding geology 

 Africa

Separated from us by the Strait of Gibraltar, much of the African continent relies on tourism and the coronavirus pandemic saw this sector hit particularly hard.

Kenya is an incredible destination where you can enjoy spectacular wildlife amid breath-taking scenery and definitely one to consider if you have always wanted to tick a safari off your bucket list. Have you heard about Giraffe Manor in Nairobi, a unique boutique hotel famous for its resident herd of endangered Rothschild giraffes who often pop their heads in through the restaurant windows to join you for breakfast or afternoon tea?

Japan 

If you have a yearning to follow in Joanna Lumley’s footsteps after watching the television series that featured her travelling around Japan, 2021 may be the just the right time to do so. Japan is reportedly thinking about reopening to international tourists in the spring ahead of the Tokyo Olympic Games that were postponed from 2020. Whether you want to go to the Olympics or not, there are some good deals and great savings to be had as the country tries to revive the tourism industry. The best time to visit Japan is from March to May during the late spring and also in the autumn months from September to November.

South Africa

South Africa has been listed as one of the best places to go next year by Forbes and also came eighth in the Condé Nast Readers’ Choice Awards for the Top 20 countries in the world. Not only does it have some of the best wildlife reserves in Africa but it also has endless miles of coastline, perfect for joining in the whale watching season which runs from June until November. 

New Zealand

New Zealand, famously known as the setting for the Lord of the Rings fantasy trilogy, is one of the most sought-after destinations in the world and no wonder, with its majestic beauty and unspoiled natural wonders. The North Island is home to the country’s largest city, Auckland, surrounded by bays and islands, it’s known as the ‘City of Sails’. At its southern tips is the harbour side capital Wellington, home to government.  

If you want to experience the best of the South Island’s striking natural landscape, consider taking a ride on the TranzAlpine, a train with large reclining seats and huge panoramic windows that goes between Christchurch and Greymouth in just under 5 hours. 

2021

Most of us were unable to travel overseas last year due to travel restrictions constantly changing, meaning that we had to cancel or defer holidays Let’s hope that 2021 will be a brighter year for all of us and we will be able to get back to travelling again. Just a reminder that it is more than likely that some travel restrictions will remain, so keep an eye on what is going on and if in doubt get in touch with a reputable travel agent for assistance. 

Food From Christmas Past – WWII

in Features

Christmas is usually a time for indulgence, a time when ‘healthy eating’ takes a back seat and some of us enjoy tucking into a traditional Christmas feast; turkey, ham, mince pies, pudding and cake. 

So what was Christmas food like 1940s style?  It is hard to imagine in this day and age exactly how people managed to provide food for their Christmas lunch during World War II when luxuries were hard to come by and even basic foods were scarce.

In November 1939, the Minister of Food announced to the UK that butter and bacon would be rationed from January 1940 onwards. Rationing meant that inventive and resourceful ways had to be found to make sure that a festive meal was put on the table which included hoarding ingredients for months in advance. 

As the war progressed, the word ‘mock’ was often used to describe Christmas fare and a leaflet published in December 1945 by the Ministry of Food included recipes for ‘Mock Marzipan’ and ‘Mock Cream’. 

Turkey was not available and many families had to make do with “Mock Turkey” (also known as Murkey) which was really made from cheap mutton, or failing that they would make ‘Mock Goose’ which was actually a type of potato casserole, in some recipes it is also made with a combination of red lentils and breadcrumbs, with no meat at all in it. Apparently the dish originated from Yorkshire, and gained its name from the fact that “wasn’t it better to have goose in some form or other, than to not have goose at all?” Yorkshire humour at its best! 

Many families kept livestock such as rabbits and chickens in their gardens or on their smallholdings and these were popular alternatives to turkey, always accompanied by servings of home-grown vegetables. The ‘Dig for Victory’ propaganda campaign encouraged civilians to grow their own produce, reduce waste and help the war effort. Potato Pete and Doctor Carrot were characters created by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food to promote vegetable eating.   Both these ingredients featured in ‘Lord Woolton Pie’, a root vegetable pie blended with oats and topped with a potato crust.

 “This is a food war. Every extra row of vegetables in allotments saves shipping… the battle on the kitchen front cannot be won without help from the kitchen garden. Isn’t an hour in the garden better than an hour in the queue?” – Lord Woolton, Minister of Food, 1941.

Wartime rationing brought out the best in cooks and in Christmas 1941 rationing was at its peak. Weekly rations consisted of four ounces of bacon and/or ham, six ounces of butter and/or margarine, two ounces of tea, eight ounces of sugar, two ounces of cooking fats and meat to the value of 1/10d (9p). In the week before Christmas, tea and sugar rations were increased which helped families to create a festive meal. As dried fruit became more difficult to come by, the traditional Christmas pudding would consist of spice, prunes, apples, grated carrots, and potatoes bulked out with breadcrumbs. 

In fact, carrots were the heroes of many a wartime Christmas lunch, with a typical menu consisting of a starter of carrot soup followed by rabbit with parsley and celery stuffing served with boiled carrots, parsley and potato cakes, gravy and bread sauce, then carrot cake with cream for pudding and sweet treats that might have included “carrot fudge” or “candied carrots.” (Menu courtesy of BBC Two Wartime Farm)

Who remembers SPAM? “Supply Processed American Meat” – known as SPAM for short was a meaty luncheon meat containing a high percentage of pork that became a staple food for soldiers in the trenches. During the war, foods such as SPAM and powdered eggs were shipped from America to Britain, as well as the USSR, through the Lend-Lease Agreement. Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who called SPAM a ‘“war time delicacy”, recalled enjoying Spam on Boxing Day in 1943: “I can quite vividly remember we opened a tin of Spam luncheon meat. We had some lettuce and tomatoes and peaches, so it was Spam and salad.”  

Whatever you are eating this Christmas, while you enjoy sitting round the table with your family give a thought to those living with rations during World War II who found ingenious ways to create a marvellous feast, and don’t forget the humble carrot – it just might come in useful!

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