The Salt Marsh by Clare Marsh

Posted on July 4, 2016 by Margaret Graham

As a bestselling author I am increasingly impressed by the standard of novels being published by Head of Zeus. I have not read one I have disliked or thought lacking in expertise or originality.

The Salt Marsh is another of this ilk . It is a ‘haunting thriller’, so says the blurb, set in the windswept marshes of Kent and Norfolk.

I can assure you that it is indeed haunting, it is also well written and evocative with a great sense tension and of place. Clare Carson has bags of empathy, and the characters live. There is pace and rhythm. So what more can I say?

The Salt Marsh tells of Sam, who can’t lay her father’s ghost to rest. Jim was an undercover agent living a double life, and Sam has left university to find out the truth about his work.

The story moves from the nightclubs of 80s Soho to the salt marshes and shingle spits of Norfolk and Kent. I remember both – the cigarette heavy gloom of the nightclubs, and the salt laden winds of the east coast. I can also remember the smugglers’ huts but never found any buried bones. It is here, in these two arenas that Jim’s secret past beckons her. So, will Sam walk away and pick up her own life? Or become an undercover operative herself and continue her father’s work in the shadows?

Read it and find out. Let me know your thoughts. frost@margaret-graham.com

The Salt Marsh, Head of Zeus, HB £18.99

Interesting, And Not Just For Children

Posted on June 28, 2016 by Margaret Graham

Should I re-think my snacks perhaps?

New research by Fruit Bowl, the brains and creators behind the leading brand in dried fruit snacks for kids, found that more than half (52%) of Britain’s four to 12-year-olds are often tired after school, with a quarter of parents reporting their child had difficulty concentrating when they got home from school but at the opposite end of the energy spectrum almost one in ten (9%) is “almost hyper” towards the end of the day, a survey of 1,000 parents has revealed.

The Fruit Bowl research suggests that fluctuating blood sugar levels are an important factor in these mood and motivation issues. Just over a third (34%) of parents reported their children “always” complained of being hungry when they got home and almost half (44%) said hunger was a problem.

There is good evidence to show that growing children are more reliant on snacks than adults to ensure steady energy levels.

Fruit and vegetables are the favourite snacks for restoring children’s energy levels, with almost a third (29%) of parents putting this healthy option at the top of their list, followed by biscuits or cake (12%) and a sandwich or toast (10%).

More than a quarter of parents report that their children can be fussy about fruit with one in five (22%) saying their offspring stick to one or two favourites and 5% saying it’s a struggle to get them to eat any fruit at all.

Dr Carrie Ruxton says: “Every parent knows how fussy children can be, and how difficult it can be to encourage them to try new flavours. Fruit-based snacks are a great way to encourage picky-eaters to try new flavours

“Fruit-based snacks, such as Fruit Bowl® School Bars, Fruit Flakes and Fruit Peelers for example are made from the juice and/or pulp of fruits and typically count as one portion of 5-A-DAY depending upon the product.”

Fruit Bowl® Fruit Peelers (RRP £1.50 for a pack of 4 individually wrapped 16g Peelers

New Research Shows The Benefits of Vitamin D Supplementation And Heart Health

Posted on June 27, 2016 by Margaret Graham

As our summer lurches from cloud to cloud, this latest information from HSIs (The Health Supplements Information Service, an independent body) is interesting:

Taking a vitamin D supplement may improve heart function in people with chronic heart failure according to a paper published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and presented at the American College of Cardiology in Chicago on April 4.

Commenting on the trial, Dr Emma Derbyshire a public health nutritionist for the Health Supplements Information Service (HSIS) noted: “This was a randomised double blind controlled trial in 223 people with chronic heart failure due to secondary left ventricular systolic dysfunction of the heart and also vitamin D deficiency.

“Trial participants were either allocated to one year of high dose vitamin D3 supplementation 4000 IU (100 micrograms daily) or a placebo. Measures made included the change in left ventricular function and the ability to do a test walk.

“Vitamin D supplementation restored normal levels of vitamin D in these people and left ventricular heart function was also better in the vitamin D supplemented group than placebo. There were no changes on the walking test with vitamin D.

“These findings are very encouraging as chronic heart failure is increasing and treatments can be expensive. Many people in the UK have very low levels of vitamin D. In fact average vitamin D intakes in the UK are between 2.3 and 5.1 micrograms daily which is not enough to protect against deficiency.
“A previous modelling exercise found that more than 8 micrograms would be needed daily to ensure a normal vitamin D status in most people^.In addition, while the best source of vitamin D is sunlight, the Northerly latitude of the UK means that we lack the right form of sunlight for more than half of the year”.
The Health Supplements Information Service (HSIS) (www.hsis.org.uk; Tel: 020 7052 8955) is an independent information body, set up to provide balanced information on vitamins and minerals. It is supported by a restricted educational grant from the Proprietary Association of Great Britain (PAGB).

Barracuda Cafe in Amersham Review

Posted on June 23, 2016 by Margaret Graham

Barracuda Cafe in Amersham – just the place for a wet Monday, or any day or evening, quite frankly. By Margaret Graham

It seemed like a good idea to celebrate midway between my birthday and my friend Pat’s. Amersham is pretty close to both of us, but why the Barracuda Cafe?

I hadd just returned from a train journey from St. Pancras to Rome, Florence, Lucca and Venice. I have been to all the cities before and love them, but particularly love the atmosphere and food in the restaurants. Pat also loves Italy, and has relations there. So we wanted to enjoy it all again, if we could only find the right place.

Did we?

Absolutely – in the Barracuda Cafe, Amersham. We chose a special of the day Vitello milanese con spaghetti e insalata verde (veal in breadcrumbs etc.) which was lovely. But more than that, the patron, Gianncarllo, was warm and welcoming, and fun. We arrived at midday in the pouring rain, and within moments the cafe was full of people relaxing, chatting, laughing and eating.

Be aware – in the evening you can bring your own wine, and only in the evening, not at lunch time. Did it spoil it? Not a bit. It was the atmosphere and the food we loved. For those two hours, and we weren’t hurried, we were back in the warmth of Italy. Not bad for a wet Monday.

Would we recommend it? Indeed. Why not give it a go, you won’t be disappointed. Or just nip in for a coffee. You’ll return for lunch, bet ya!

Barracuda Cafe 96 Sycamore Rd, Amersham HP6 5EN
Phone:01494 434875

The Lazy Guru’s Guide To Life by Laurence Shorter Reviewed by Frances Colville

Posted on June 22, 2016 by Margaret Graham

An amusing and at first glance lighthearted book, but one with serious undertones, The Lazy Guru’s Guide to Life by Laurence Shorter takes a fresh look at the very current subject of mindfulness and offers suggestions for de-stressing, and making life flow as it should. By using the simple techniques described in the book and learning how to embrace your inner Lazy Guru, you can improve your quality of life and understand how to achieve more by doing less.

You can read this book (and appreciate the beautifully simple and very effective line drawings) at one sitting in less than an hour, or you can take it one page, one thought, one session at a time. It’s the sort of book you can return to again and again. The way of the Lazy Guru is to make space in your life by stopping, tuning in and letting go. Learn how to beditate, or to clear out the crud or to dump your shoulds (I should be doing this or I should be liking that). I particularly enjoyed the illustrations of a thunderous herd of shoulds (aka wildebeests) first shown charging through our hectic lives and then slinking away quietly once they have been tamed.

Laurence Shorter is an author, leadership coach and stand-up comedian and this book successfully combines those diverse elements. Recommended for anyone in your life suffering from depression, or those energy-sapping, life-affecting illnesses like fibromyalgia or ME, but also one to buy for yourself if you want to improve the quality of your own life.

The Lazy Guru’s Guide to Life is published in hardback by Orion Books, priced £14.99 and available now.

Torbay Poetry Festival 2016 Competition. £700 1st Prize

Posted on June 21, 2016 by Margaret Graham

As Frost Magazine readers know, we are always supportive of writing events, and here’s one for all the poets out there.

Torbay Poetry Festival 2016 Poetry Competition is open for entries now. Poems submitted must be original, unpublished and not accepted for publication. They should be written in English and not exceed 50 lines. To give you an idea of the standard, please take a look at John Greening’s report on the Torbay Poetry Festival Competition Winners 2015 on the Torbay Poets Website website. All entries must be received by 6.00pm on 28th August 2016. Very best of luck!

Judging

Sue Boyle won The Poetry Business pamphlet competition in 2010 with Too Late for the Love Hotel and has a poem in The Forward Poems of the Decade, 2011. Her book Report from the Judenplatz was performed in full at the Torbay Festival of Poetry in 2014. Her first full collection, Safe Passage from Oversteps, came out last year.

Sue runs regular Writing Days for the Bath Poetry Cafe and organised the Cafe’s Short Poem Competition in 2015. Her wordpress site Sue Boyle features the ongoing story of last year’s Cafe Competition, with reviews of many of the successful poems and helpful insights from the twelve experienced Cafe judges for competition poets who aspire to win.

Prizes

£700 FIRST PRIZE, plus free weekend at the poetry festival, (27th – 31st Oct 2016), including accommodation and Festival Pass.

£400 second prize plus a free Festival Pass.

£200 third prize plus ticket for the Festival supper for two.

ENTRANCE FEE: £5 per poem or 5 poems for £20 for entries received by post. Online entries are £5 each because of additional admin costs in time and printing.

Closing date: August 28th 2016

Winners to be announced at the PRIZE-WINNERS’ PARTY on Saturday 29th October, at the Torbay Poetry Festival, Livermead Cliﬀ Hotel,Torquay, Devon where short-listed poets will be invited to read their poems.

For further information: http://www.torbaypoetryfestival.co.uk/competition/

From West Coast to West Country by Maya Pieris

Posted on June 21, 2016 by Margaret Graham

Antonia Squire is building up a loyal clientele for the Bridport Bookshop including dogs- they love the classy doggy biltong available and not just with a book buy. Brought up in Surrey and educated in Harrogate, Antonia upped sticks aged 20 for California, married an American and was happily living in the world of independent bookshops in San Francisco- first Kepler’s and then The Reading Bug- where she was the children’s book buyer amongst other roles.

Until a holiday in the UK in 2014 when they did a progress from Yorkshire to Cornwall and became one of many smitten with the idea of the south-west and Cornwall. She came across the sale details for the Bridport Bookshop, voted one of the Guardian’s top 50 indie bookshops, took a detour on the way back to Heathrow and discovered the delights of the town and the potential of the shop, one of several book emporiums including two excellent second hand/antiquarian shops, a Waterstones and a wonderful Oxfam which has a brilliant range of “loved” Penguins.

The result was changing coast and country but still keeping the west bit and, with husband and dogs in tow, becoming a bookshop owner. And discovering the challenges involved in running a business in a new country! Small but vital changes were made to the shop’s geography, not quite Hogwarts, but involving moving the counter to the back of the shop so the customer can see in and the staff can see out and increasing the size and range of the stock. “I’m a bookseller. The stock is the most important element of the shop and knowing what people are going to want to read and not just what a publisher wants to see displayed is more art than science”.

She sees no problems with co-existing with the variety of other booksellers, her goal is to be the place people come to find the things they don’t know they want. Almost a year on, she is well on the way to establishing that indie bookshops are an invaluable resource to a town. So many people want the individual experience that can only be achieved by a true “shopkeeper” and, she has observed, people are very loyal, although she has had to tone down the “hi my name is kelly how are you today?” customer service style – less touch feely than she’s been used to but she still says hello!

And she is aware of the potential of the indie bookshop as a grassroots support for the community, working more closely with schools in supporting their curriculum needs as well as providing a venue for local authors to promote their works and judging local poetry and fiction slams. In particular she has developed links with the Open Book festival, a festival for and by the local community about literacy rather than literature which is more the remit of the more formal Bridport Literary Festival (which she is also working with to help develop the Children’s Programming). The shop will be supporting the Bridport Big Read as well as a pop up drama production. So over halfway through her first year she is restoring an independent bookshop into the literary and literate heart of the town. And she giftwraps the books too!
* Frost would love to hear about other Independent Bookshops – contact: frost@margaret-graham.com

Glamping near Hellfire Pass by Alex Bannard: our Thailand Correspondent

Posted on June 14, 2016 by Margaret Graham

One of the hottest summers in Thailand has just drawn to a close and as the rainy season dawned, Alex Bannard and her family joined friends glamping near Hellfire Pass.

It was to be a compensation prize after Alex’s husband’s ‘blokes’ fishing weekend seemed to hook only appalling seasickness, and no fish. As Alex says: thinking we were going to Khao Yai I was vaguely surprised to learn we were actually going to be based in a campsite north of Kanchanburi near Hellfire Pass. The kids were excited at the prospect of going glamping, if not at little confused by the prospect of glamourous camping.

We left early and made the journey across Bangkok in around 20 mins. Amazing how easy it is to navigate the city when there is no traffic. And it afforded us an unplanned stop off at Kanchanburi to see a train cross the bridge over the River Kwae and pop into a friend’s newly opened waterpark. The park was fun. My 8 year old was so brave tackling the steepest slide and as we embarked on the last leg of the journey to Hintock Camp site we were refreshed.

As we approached the campsite we drove through the nearby village where villagers were dancing along the road celebrating the nuns who were leaving for their spiritual journey at a nearby temple. The celebrations lasted until late into the evening and kicked off again at 4am as they finally left for their new life.

The campsite did not disappoint: the tent’s were raised off the ground on stilts, had their own outdoor bathrooms, proper beds, even A/C. This is how camping should be – glamping. The kids ran around the campsite whilst the grown ups enjoyed a celebratory G&T or several. Then the heavens opened and the evening BBQ buffet around the campfire was relocated to the restaurant over looking the river. Although there was not much sleep to be had thanks to the nuns’ farewell in the village next door.

The next day we had a blissfully relaxing day at the campsite, whose tropical gardens were the perfect back drop to games of cricket and lazy coffees. Just before lunch attempts at fishing commenced. Mr P aced it catching 2 fish almost immediately. The mums took the children to the fresh spring pool, with stunning views over the river. That afternoon after a heavenly head and shoulder massage we took the kids on a long tail boat ride down the river. And we celebrated the end of a fabulous day rain-free by the campfire.

All too soon it was time to leave but not before we wandered over a nearby suspension bridge to investigate a small temple and it’s 5 huge Buddhas which reside next to it before heading to Hellfire Pass. Walking along the path which had been carved out of the rocks by hand by British, Australian & Dutch POW’s and local’s it is not hard to imagine the ghastly inhumane conditions those men had to endure.

12,000 POW’s died subjected to brutal working and living conditions, with little food, very limited medicine and absolutely no comfort. Hellfire’s Pass is so called because the men often worked their 15-18 hour shifts in firelight, emaciated and exhausted. It certainly gave me something to reflect upon on the journey home especially one of the quotes on the memorial plaques: ‘Go home and tell them, they gave up their tomorrow’s for your today.’ And we should never forget the bravery of previous generations who fought for the democracy, safety and peace we enjoy.

Of course with children in tow we could not explore the full path and one day I will walk the full 7km pass. But for now it was enough. Besides the heavens opened, well it is rainy season after all, lightening the mood, drenching but refreshing us and hastening us towards the car and the journey back to Bangkok. But of course, we will not forget, and we will return.

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