OCT 2012

Your VIEW INTo NorTh hampshIrE LIfEsTYLE FREE

“Comedy

Snobbery”

“Forget stress and have a

good laugh at quality comedy.

Appreciate being part of a

friendly comedy experience“

Loci Pannum

Designed, produced and

published by

mike peates

Chris Wright

3 holman Close

Bramley

hampshire

rG26 5XD

01256 881452/881233

www.locipannum.co.uk

editor@locipannum.co.uk

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printed by:

Greenhouse Graphics

Bramley

01256 880770www.greenhousegraphics.co.uk

Contact us for all your

advertising or editorial news:

editor@locipannum.co.uk

Contents Page 3

“In The Garden - Tree Time”

Jane Jordan

Page 5

TREATZ BoutiquePage 6

“Fixin’ to Get Y’all Pumpkin’

Chris Wright

Page 9

Basingstoke and Deane - Neighbourhood Watch

Page 9

“Chocolat Chez Moi”

Competition

Page 11

“GEMS Sherfield - Meet The Headmaster”

Page 12

“Suduko Answers”

Page 13

“The Laughter House”

October 2012 - Issue 06Well I guess that was it, the beginning of winter bypassing autumn, with no hope of an Indian summer in sight this year. Water

shortages? are you serious? Can we really have areas that are short of water still? surely not after all of this rain. I still can’t believe

that it didn’t rain for what seemed like all of the olympics, yet the minute it was over, I’m sure it started raining and hasn’t stopped

for more than week since.  my central heating isn’t turned off each year, but set to a really low setting and I was amazed a few weeks

back to awake to find the radiators red hot. september? Less than 10 degrees?  apparently, the cause for all these and I’m sure

future wet summers is the increase in temperature over the atlantic.  This has caused an increase in the amount of moisture being

deposited over the uK. our poor local farmers have probably experienced the worst harvest for many years due to the bad weather

and yields of most crops are well down due to the rain/cold spring that we experienced earlier in the year.  out blackberry picking, it

was obvious the effect of the earlier season’s bad weather had taken its toll on even the hardiest of plants. and as if we didn’t have

enough water, last week my dog woke me up at 4am in the morning barking like crazy for me to go downstairs with her and let her

out.  Eventually after a few minutes I gave in and in true zombie fashion made my way downstairs.  as I entered the kitchen she sat at

the door as if not wanting to go out only for me to hear the tell-tale signs of water escaping from somewhere under the sink.  on

opening the cupboard doors, I was greeted by a jet of cold water that soon rid me of any leftover sleep.  It transpires that in repairing

a major water leak at the reservoir the day before, led to a (temporary) increase in our local water supply. This in turn coincided with

the new and recently changed connectors and washers on our old water softener deciding they were not quite tight enough. Luckily,

my good old dog must have woken me pretty soon after it started as there wasn’t more than 1/2” of water inside the cupboard.

Guess who got a nice big “postmans leg”. until the next issue...

Chris & Mike

In the garden....

Tree Time

By Jane Jordan

“Plant here, for other eyes that kingly

tree, Whose reign we shall not see. Choose

well that spot, that other eyes may bless, its

natural loveliness”.

alfred Noyes, poet (1880-1958)

In 2010 the Woodland Trust launched its

‘more Trees, more Good’ campaign,

which called for a massive increase in

tree planting across the uK. Not just large-

scale woodland planting but planting trees

in urban and suburban settings too. If you

take a typical neighbourhood and add up all

the trees in all the streets and gardens, you

will find an equivalent number of trees to

those in a traditional forest. These ‘urban

forests’ contribute hugely to the quality of

life aesthetically, socially and

environmentally so anyone with a bit of

green space should consider planting a

tree.

In a garden setting trees provide

valuable vertical interest and a third

dimension to even the smallest of

spaces. The right tree in the right place

contributes to the atmosphere of the

whole garden and adds weight and a

sense of connection with past and

future. a well-placed tree provides all

sorts of practical benefits too; screening

for privacy, shade, shelter, a habitat for

wildlife as well as beauty through

shape, flowers, berries and decorative

bark or leaf colour at different times of

the year.

Choosing the right tree should be a

big decision, and can involve a large

financial investment. That said, it is

one of the most unselfish gifts you can

give to future generations and nothing

beats the satisfaction of knowing you

are leaving a living legacy.

so here are the essentials to

consider in choosing the right tree for

your garden:

Ultimate size: Trees are

described as ‘small’ (5-10m high),

‘medium’ (10-20m high) and ‘Large’

(20m+ high). Different trees grow at

different rates so some trees can take

50 years to reach maturity, whereas

others get there a lot quicker. how big

a tree can your garden cope with?

Spread: how wide will the tree

become? upright (‘fastigate’) trees

take up less room and can be useful for

small spaces but others need room to

expand.

Soil, Moisture and Aspect: next

you must match the tree with the

growing conditions of your site. for

example, a beech tree likes a garden

with chalky soil and will struggle in one

with light sandy soil. Very wet, dry or

exposed sites also require careful

selection, as do acid soils. fortunately

there is a tree for almost every

situation.

Evergreen or deciduous:

evergreen trees have a more definite

outline shape, don’t change that much

from season to season, and provide a solid

block of greenery, while deciduous trees

tend to have a looser shape, especially in

summer and let more light through in

winter once they have lost their leaves.

Interest varies from season to season

through the production of flowers, berries,

seed pods, fruits, nuts or cones.

Shape and Leaf Colour: trees come in

all shapes – columnar, upright, conical,

domed, rounded and weeping. Leaf shape

and colour also have to be considered – for

example, golden foliage warms up a garden

even on dull days, silver and grey leaves

reflect the light and give a mediterranean

feel, while purple foliage absorbs light and

can feel dull unless positioned carefully as a

foil for lighter plants.

for more information about creating

views or vistas or for any other advice on

getting the best from your garden contact

Jane Jordan on 07879 606714 or go to

www.janejordangarden-design.com

Liriodendron tulipifer (Tulip Tree). although this looks the

perfect size, it is a large and fast-growing tree. however, the

magnificent tulip-shaped flowers can take 25 years to appear

Acer griseum (paperbark maple), a small tree grown for its

stunning cinnamon-coloured peeling bark and suitable for

smaller gardens

Fixing to Get Y’all Pumpkin

I’m afraid it’s a left over legacy from my three years of living in fort

Worth Texas back in 2001 that I’m now addicted to my yearly fix of

pumpkin. Living north of fort Worth, we were ‘almost’ in the country

and you only had to travel 5-10 minutes up the interstate before you

would reach a plot of land the size of Bramley, filled to the brim with

the biggest pumpkins you had every laid your eyes on. It was just as well

“I had myself a truck” as you didn’t buy these things in ones or twos. oh

no, everything is big in Texas, including the pumpkins! originally the

plan was to have all of the local kids around for a halloween party and

they would all get to carve their own ghastly creations.  I was however

lucky enough to live next door to the ex-head Chef of the Texas motor

speedway.  “surely you can’t be thinking of getting rid of all that

pumpkin ‘meat’”, queries my neighbour (It was so hard not to say

neighbor just then).

“Erm, what else would I do with it ?” I ask. Not actually realising

that you could actually eat “that stuff” that in the uK we threw onto the

compost heap.  so here I am, having been given a lesson in how to

prepare, cook and devour pumpkin many thanks to my 100% pure all

american Texan.  Well actually, he was from mexico.  There weren’t

actually any Texans in my street (or should I say neighbourhood). four

British families, two Californians, some okies (from oklahoma), and a

mix from North Carolina, Illinois, Kansas, maryland (merry..land),

minnesota, Louisiana and a Brazilian.  

I wouldn’t be surprised if each family had a minimum of ten

pumpkins each.  Traditionally eaten for Thanksgiving in the us, trust

me, it felt like it carried on throughout the whole year.

With the increase in the “americanisation” of our holiday periods

in the uK and halloween fast approaching, our good old British pumpkin

now rivals our “mutual” us friends in the good old us of a and can be

found in plentiful supply at your local market/superstore.

Chris Wright

Pumpkin PieIngrEdIEntS

1 large pie pumpkin (not all pumpkins are equal). The smaller

varieties are often called “cheese” or “sugar” pumpkins in the us and

are much smaller than the ones supplied for ‘lanterns’. our uK

varieties should be fine for cooking with and are much sweeter and

less grainy that their us cousins.

3 cups of cooked pumpkin (from the large pumpkin above)

1 cup (200g) caster sugar

1.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 large eggs

1.5 cans of evaporated milk (You need 550g so you can use one

400/397g and a 170g tin).

PrEPArIng thE PUMPkIn

You could of course cheat and use tinned pre-cooked pumpkin

but using fresh pumpkin is so much better. The downside is that you

first have to prepare the pumpkin which isn’t as bad as you first may

think.

Cut the pumpkin in half using a large serrated knife (I had a brand

new wood saw they were that big in the us!).

scoop out the insides removing as much of the stringy material as

you can. a sturdy ice cream scoop is a useful tool.

CookIng thE PUMPkIn

place the pumpkin cut side down in a (deep) open proof dish and

cover with foil.

place in a pre-heated oven at 170C.

Depending on the size and water content of the pumpkin,

cooking times can vary from between 40-90minutes.  after the first

40mins, test by sticking a fork into the pumpkin and removing when

the flesh is soft. (No need to turn it over, the flesh should ‘give’ and

collapse when cooked.

PrEPArE thE CookEd PUMPkIn

once cooled, using a large tablespoon, gently scoop out the

pumpkin flesh from the skin. It should come away quite easily if the

pumpkin is cooked sufficiently.

puree the pumpkin with a blender or food processor until

smooth.

PrEPArE thE PIE CASE

These days, pre-made dessert pastry is almost as good as the

homemade variety and much quicker.

roll the pasty to the thickness of a pound coin.

Line a 8”/22cm tart tin with the pastry and bake blind for 20

minutes at 200 C, allowing to cool completely once cooked.

MAkIng thE PIE FILLIng

hopefully you will have at least 3 cups of cooked and pureed

pumpkin and you can safely freeze any leftovers.

Take your 3 cups of pumpkin mix and place into a large mixing

bowl.

simply add all the remaining ingredients and mix well (with a

hand mixer or blender).

CookIng thE PIE

pour the mixture into the pie case. 

Transfer to a pre-heated oven at 180 C and bake for 45-55

minutes.

after 45 minutes, test the pie by using a clean knife which when

inserted into the centre, should come out clean.

Enjoy whilst warm, chilled, with whipped cream, double cream or

even ice cream.

Pumpkin SoupIngrEdIEntS

1 large pumpkin

125g unsalted butter

1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped.

1 cinnamon stick or 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

freshly grated nutmeg (or ground nutmeg if desperate)

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1.7 litres of chick stock (or use vegetable stock if vegetarian).

3 tablespoons sherry

PrEPArAtIon

Cut the pumpkin into manageable chunks and peel, de-seed and

remove any fibres (usually quartering the pumpkin works well).

roughly chop the pumpkin chunks into smaller 1-2” chunks.

melt the butter in a large heavy pan with a lid over a low heat, not

allowing the butter to brown.

Cook the onions on a gentle heat for 10-15mins until softened and

beginning to colour.

add the pumpkin chunks, cinnamon, nutmeg and season to taste

with salt and pepper.

Increase the heat to a gentle simmer, cover with the lid.

Cook for 40-45mins stirring occasionally to prevent burning until

the pumpkin is cooked through.

add the stock and bring to the boil.

remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

once cooled, use a hand blender or transfer in batches to a food

processor. Blend until smooth.

return the soup to the pan and bring to a low simmer for a

further 30minutes.

The soup is now ready to eat! You can allow to cool and reheat

just before serving.

SErvIng

Just prior to serving, bring back to temperature if allowed to cool,

remove from heat and add the sherry stirring well. Test for seasoning

and adjust if required.

serve with fresh warm bread and add a swirl of double cream for

an extra luxury.

suduko

Puzzle 1 (Medium, difficulty) Puzzle 2 (Medium, difficulty)

as part of a desire to ensure more inclusivity of the wider

community, the BDNW Committee is seeking comments and

suggestions on the following initiatives.

annual General meeting – april 2013

We would like to improve the attendance at, and the relevance of,

the BDNW annual General meeting. To that end we are inviting

suggestions for topics and speakers for the 2013 aGm. With such a

diverse community across rural and urban areas we believe that there

is a risk of overlooking some genuine concerns.

anti social behaviour and domestic violence are two of the

Borough’s major problems but we would also like to cover topics that

are particularly relevant to the rural communities, for example, fuel

theft and excessive speeding.

We would appreciate if you

could advise us of any topics or issues

of concern for discussion that you feel

are particularly relevant to your

community. The committee is there

for the benefit of the whole of the

Borough and we can only do this with

your support. To enable us to respond

and seek the best speakers we would

need to hear from you by the end of

November 2012.

BDNW Web site:

www.bdnw.org.uk

We are particularly fortunate in

having IT experts sitting on the

committee and they have spent a

huge amount of effort to generate a

completely new and updated website.

The committee invites you to visit our

new website and make use of the

great resource that has been created.

There is a great deal of news, views,

pictures and topics with twitter feeds

from the local police. forthcoming events and local safety initiatives are

regularly updated and there are a number of useful links to the county

force and especially the new crime mapping website. on a postcode

basis you can not only see where and what types of crime are being

committed but what the response, action and outcome has been.

please send your comments or suggestions by e-mail to:

Brian adams - police Volunteerbrian.adams@hampshire.pnn.police.uk

cc Tony Tuck – Chair cpttuck@btinternet.com

or by letter to:

Brian adams, Basingstoke police station, London road,

Basingstoke rG21 4aD

Basingstoke & Deane Neighbourhood Watch

Committeeseptember 2012 prEss rELEasE

Chocolate Quizover at Chocolat Chez moi,they know a thing or two about Chocolate, but do you? 

at Chocolate Chez moi, they make bespoke hand made chocolates

to order.  all of the chocolate they use are sourced through Barry

Callebaut, the worlds leading manufacturer of high quality cocoa

and chocolate products.

Whether it be something unique for that family member you can

never find just the right present for, or you simply want to say “I love

you” to that special person close to you, Chocolate Chez moi can create

a personal gift tailored for any individual. If you are organising a special

event such as a wedding, christening or birthday party then look no

further for customised chocolate flavours which can even be colour-

matched and personalised for your event.

another great idea is to have fun creating your own pops! (as

shown below - which are a couple of their fun creations for halloween).

If you want something different for your childrens party or you want to

bring some fun to your own grown-up chocolate party of your own, pop

parties will come to you.

providing an assortment of goodies we will demonstrate how to

make your own Cookie and mallow pops before letting you loose to

create your own themes and flavour combinations. Best of all – you get

to keep (and eat) everything you make!

for more information visit their site at http://chocolatchezmoi.com

for your chance to win a special

selection of hand made chocolates

from Chocolat Chez moi, answer the

following question.

how many golden tickets were there

in the Willy Wonka & Chocolate

f a c t o r y movie?.

send your answer along with your name

and email address to:

quizzes@locipannum.co.uk

Competition closes midnight 26th

october 2012

Q. Where did you go

school?

a. my father was in the

army so my early

schooling was in the

military schools of Ger-

many and hong Kong.

Then to the Blue Coat

school in Liverpool, an-

other army posting.

Q. What is my earliest school memory?

a. Travelling to school in hong Kong in an army

truck and being taught unarmed combat, not

bad for a primary school!

Q. What subject did you enjoy most at

school?

a. Geography has always fascinated me. It has

always struck me that just about everything

seems to come under the subject heading. Ge-

ology and meteorology have remained lifelong

interests. history also caught my imagination

and still does. I have a great interest in the

World Wars, perhaps the result of those early

days growing up in a military family.

Q. What did your school report say?

a. They mainly urged greater attention in the

subjects I didn't enjoy. I can see now that was

good advice; it doesn't feel like work when you

are absorbed by things you love doing.

Q. Did any individuals make a lasting im-

pact on you?

a. I was fortunate that a new head master, mr

arnold-Craft, arrived at the Blue Coat just after

I started; he introduced fencing. I enjoyed sport

and played all the usual things one plays at

school. I joined the first fencing class and loved

it, lots of competitions and great coaching

ended up with me representing Great Britain. I

travelled the world with the team for a number

of years. To have experienced Eastern Europe

firsthand when it was part of the ussr is, with

hindsight, something very special.

Q. how long have you been at your

school?

a. something of a trick question. I start at

sherfield in september and have been the sur-

master and latterly acting high master of st

paul's school in London. I am keen to develop

all the good things that sherfield already has to

offer, but also to add some special opportuni-

ties by forming partnerships with various out-

standing local organisations. We will be

launching a golf programme with sherfield

oaks Golf Club to start in 2013. our aim is to

provide a very high quality integrated pro-

gramme of study and golf for those pupils who

want to take their sport to the highest level.

We will run a similar programme for horse rid-

ing. our partner will be the very highly re-

garded Wellington riding school. With a

further performing arts partnership we hope to

attract boys and girls at 11yrs, 13yrs and at

16yrs who are eager to experience new oppor-

tunities within a strong academic framework.

Q. Did you always want to go into

teaching?

a. Early thoughts of being a fighter pilot with

raf soon gave way to realising that teaching

was something that I enjoyed. I'm delighted to

say that I have never regretted the decision and

still love what I do.

Q. What do you enjoy most about your

job?

a. Working with good staff, coming up with

new ideas and seeing the pupils thrive when we

get things right.

Q. Least?

a. The inevitable bureaucracy that goes with

working with young people; it nearly takes the

fun out of it!

Q. You are Education secretary for the

day. What changes would you make?

a. streamline the paperwork and place a

greater emphasis on schools to develop new

ideas and opportunities.

Q. Who was your childhood hero?

a. Close call between D'artagnan and Zorro!

Q. Tell us about the interesting people

who have attended your school?

a. I prefer to think about the interesting peo-

ple we are nurturing at the moment. perhaps I

can have another go at this in five or so years?

Meet The Headmaster

Dick JaineDick Jaine joined GEms sherfield in september and we took the opportunity to talk with him.

Below are the answers to the suduko quiz from Issue 5.

If you would like to see a number of different types of quizzes within the magazine, please email me your

suggestions to quizzes@locipannum.co.uk. how many of you prefer a crossword over a word search or would you

prefer something a bit more challenging? please do send your feedback to us at the above email address, or

editor@locipannum.co.uk.

suduko - answers

It may surprise some people to know there’s a

comedy club nestling in the heart of Basingstoke

– and in october 2012 it celebrated its fifth

birthday.

Jan Jack’s Laughter-house is based at the red

Lion hotel and usually runs on the first Thursday of

the month.

We caught up with founder and promoter Jan

Jack, to ask her some questions about the little

club with the big atmosphere and how it all

started.

“I started stand-up comedy in 2006” Jan

explains. “I performed in some really dire places

in London, and got fed up with travelling up there

to perform to three people and a dog. Then I

realised that we were starved of comedy in

Basingstoke, and considered running my own

event. so I went into the red Lion hotel to discuss

it, and it all kicked off from there.”

That sounds like quite a challenge.

“The opening night was extremely stressful”

says Jan. “my headline act pulled out a few hours before. I spent

hours on the phone, desperately trying to find a replacement. I was

lucky; eventually andi osho headlined for us, as I’d gigged with her

a few weeks before.”

five years later on the little club is thriving. What makes it

successful?

“We’ve a passion for good comedy” says Jan. “I’m not

interested in stag or hen groups coming in to get trolleyed; I

encourage customers who want to forget their stress and have a

good laugh at quality comedy. our customers appreciate being part

of a friendly comedy experience and the atmosphere is wonderful.”

“have there been any disasters?” we ask her.

“of course” Jan laughs “But thankfully very few. We had to

throw someone out in our first year. he was completely blotto and

was shouting anglo saxon words at the stage. he was evicted to

the sound of cheers from the rest of the audience. We do try to

clamp down hard on bad behaviour”.

What other problems does Jan face as a promoter?

“Well, we’re still in a recession” she says “so sometimes it’s

hard to encourage people to have a night out. and of course,

there’s the comedy snobbery.”

“Comedy snobbery?”

“some people’s perception is that because we’re not part of a

huge chain we can’t be any good. It’s ironic, as many of our acts

have appeared on TV. some of our comedians have appeared on

Live at the apollo and michael mcIntyre’s roadshow.

a review of some of Jan’s acts certainly confirms this.

Laughter-house line ups have included, among others, milton

Jones, simon Evans, adam Boom, andi osho, Bob mills, mike Gunn

and ava Vidal. how does Jan coax such comedy giants into her

small club?

“I’m proud to say we have a cracking reputation with them”

she says. “adam Bloom describes us as ‘the perfect size room,

stuffed with people who love comedy. and that’s absolutely true.

Comedians don’t like performing to a big room that’s full of people

who want to get drunk and chat. They need to engage with the

audience so they tend to love an appreciative comedy audience in a

friendly intimate venue. To see a good comedian engaging with an

appreciate audience is so enjoyable.”

What does Jan love the most about running Laughter-house?

“Nothing beats the feeling of being at your own event, watching a

room full of people laughing their socks off” she says, “It sure beats

working in an office.”

The next Laughter-house show is at the red Lion hotel on

Thursday 1st November 2012

Tickets are available by calling into the red Lion hotel or online

via “We Got Tickets” through the Laughter-house website.www.laughter-house.co.uk

photos supplied by michael palmer www.michaelpalmer.com

Joint Ownership Of Propertyadvertisement

many people buy a house or flat jointly

with a spouse, partner or friend. But

too often with the excitement and

pressure of buying a property, not enough

attention is paid to the terms of this joint

ownership and what may happen in the

future. It is extremely important to record,

preferably at the time of purchase, what will

happen to the property, and the sale

proceeds, at a future date. There are many

cases that go to an expensive court hearing

because the matter of “who gets what” was

not recorded.

There are two main ways a property can

be owned jointly :-

JoInt tEnAntS

If you own the property as joint tenants

this will mean:-

(a) That you jointly own the property

and on the death of one of you the property

will automatically transfer to the surviving

owner(s). This will happen, regardless of

what you may have specified in your Will.

(b) If the property is sold, you will be

presumed to own the property equally

regardless of whether one of you paid more

towards the purchase price of the property or

running costs (e.g. mortgage) This can be

overridden by the Court only in a few cases,

e.g. divorce proceedings or where there are

dependent children.

married couples or those in a civil

partnership commonly buy as joint tenants

because on the death of the first person, the

property automatically transfers to the

survivor.

tEnAntS In CoMMon

If you own the property as tenants in

common this will mean :-

(a) You can own different “shares” in

the house. This may be appropriate if one of

you has contributed more to the purchase

price or running costs of the house, and

wishes that to be taken into account on a

future sale, or of course where you wish to

leave your share in the property to other

people or into a trust.

(b) Your share in the property does not

automatically pass to your surviving co-

owner(s) on your death. rather, your share

will pass according to the terms of your Will,

or if you do not have a Will, then under the

laws of intestacy (which specify what happens

to your property and assets if you die without

making a Will).

Disputes concerning sale proceeds are

not uncommon and you should give careful

consideration to buying as tenants in common

if one of you has contributed more to the

purchase price of the property and would

expect to get that extra contribution back on

a future sale of the property, or if you have

children from a previous relationship and wish

to protect their eventual inheritance (in

conjunction with a Will). We do not

recommend that you just rely on a verbal

agreement.

dECLArAtIon oF trUSt For

tEnAntS In CoMMon

Where you own the property as tenants

in common, not only should you make a Will,

but we would advise you to have a written

agreement (called a “Declaration of Trust”)

with your co-owner(s) setting out not only

what shares or percentages each owns in the

property, but other matters such as who can

live in the house, who pays outgoings, and in

what proportion, when the property must be

sold etc. We can deal with this for you, if

requested, and such an agreement can be

prepared at any time – it does not need to be

at the time of the purchase.

The matter of joint ownership, Wills and

related matters can be complicated and if

you are in any doubt, you should speak to us

about the matter.

This article is only an abbreviated

summary of a complicated area, and does

not amount to advice in respect of any

specific matter.

Considerations when buying property with a spouse, partner or friend