Wednesday, April 2, 2025
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In or out? I know what I like best

in my lady garden

What a tumultuous week we have ahead of us! So many things to decide upon.

Do I go OUT and pull some nettles up, or stay IN with a few large gins and watch England lose the football?

Do I go OUT for a nice big Chinese or have one to eat IN?

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If it all goes pear-shaped in the EU Referendum and we are looking at years of economic gloom, you may need my tips for skinflint gardeners.

I grow lots of plants from seeds from the Asian cookery shops. Instead of paying £2.99 for a quarter of a teaspoon of seeds in a fancy packet from the garden centre, get bloody great bags for between a fiver and a tenner and use them for cooking and growing.

Simply buy wholeseeds of the following: coriander, fennel, fenugreek, linseed, dill, mustard, white and blue poppy, sunflower, pumpkin, cumin. You will probably have some of these in the cupboard for knocking up Britain’s most traditional meal, Chicken Tikka Masala.

Ok, the pumpkin may not end up to be of carriageable quality but you’re not dating Cinderella and her ugly sisters.

I like big bags of those little black bits you get in naan bread. No not the mouse droppings, the other crunchy aromatic bits. They are called Kalonji or black onion seeds, also known when they flower as love-in-a-mist or Nigella.

nigella seedsNigella: uncultivated variety

They grow into lovely little flowers, not as big as the cultivated garden seeds but a nice tangly little thing.

And who, among my male readers, wouldn’t like to find Nigella swaying in their long grass?

nigella lawsonNigella: cultivated variety

If you buy some tomatoes you particularly like, cut one in half and shove it in some compost. Do the same with a single clove of garlic and you’ll always have a supply to keep Dracula from giving you a love bite.

Of course, not everything in the kitchen cupboard will grow into what it says. I never did manage to grow a Carnation from a tin of milk.

To plant your seeds, just sprinkle a selection into a food bag, then why not get stuck into a bottle of Prosecco? Take a haphazard wobbly walk around the garden or allotment, singing “Agadoo-doo-doo shake pineapple from the tree,” just chuck them around, or in between the “proper plants” and hope they take. If you’re really pissed, do it in the rain so they get washed in a bit and make a good start.

I don’t want to put Suffolk’s famous potato farmer Maurice Piper out of a job but you can even grow spuds from the peelings if they have “eyes” beginning to sprout from them.

If you “grow on” herbs from the supermarket, as I told you last week, do remember that mint is extremely invasive so you should trap the roots in a container. The one in my photo is ideal.

mint in suffolk gazette mugMint can be kept in a precious family heirloom cup

This week my husband bought me a new deluxe Garden kneeler. It’s the perfect gift for anyone who likes to get down and dirty in the garden without hurting themselves with pebbles or getting aching limbs. He bought it from Wyevale’s, from the Monica Lewinksy range. It’s also handy when pulling out weeds, and can be turned the other way if you want a stool for a sit down and quick swig of Adnams.

With all this rain there is little you can do in the garden, but the damp soil will make it easy to pull out those nettle and thistles.

Jobs to do this wet week

* Get the Tesco man to delivery a fridgeful of wine and beer and plenty of ice cream and lollies for that glorious moment when the weather changes and you are sunbathing, praying for a shower.

* Find your mac so you can be ready to vote on Thursday.

* Have a bet on Brexit or Remain online without even braving the shower.

* Nip to the greenhouse or shed and plant some wallflower seeds to go outside in the autumn.

Answers to your problems

* Mr S Y: Stick to the lupins. You can’t GROW a Schengen border in the garden. It is something to do with EU borders, not bedding plants.

* Mr R S from Halesworth: Your wife is right. You should always wipe your tool before putting it away.

* Mrs J T from Finborough: Now is the time to harvest your rhubarb. Otherwise all you have to look forward to is an old woody stalk. Most people have a big run on rhubarb at the moment.

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Motorist furious as cyclists take over road

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By Bernie Legg, Cycling Correspondent

An angry motorist complained today that a group of cyclists were hogging the roads in north Suffolk with no thought for the safety of other road users.

The car driver told how the “bloody idiots” were riding two or even three abreast, and did not even bother using a cycle path built especially for them at great expense.

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He watched in a rage as they completely ignored the Highway Code and roared through red lights and pedestrian crossings at great speed.

And he said none of them paid insurance – yet were “racing around in their stupid lycra outfits trying to look like the professionals they see on TV”.

womens cycling tourCyclists were out in force in north Suffolk today

The driver, who asked not to be named for fear of looking completely stupid, said: “I pay road tax to use my car on the roads, and these people don’t pay a penny yet think they can ride around for free at my expense.

“They are a menace and a danger to themselves and others. The roads were originally built for cars, not bicycles.

“But I could not get anywhere in north Suffolk today because there were cyclists riding around in a large group getting in my way.”

Meanwhile, the first stage of the prestigious annual Aviva Women’s Tour cycling race kicked off in Southwold today, taking in parts of north Suffolk before finishing in Norwich. Tens of thousands lined route to cheer on the riders in an exciting event which brings huge amounts of cash to the region.

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Six gins a day is secret to long life says Mabel, 100

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Sprightly centenarian Mabel Jackson says the secret to a long life is drinking six gin and tonics a day.

As she celebrated her 100th birthday with family and friends, Mabel raised her glass and predicted her favourite tipple would see her through years to come.

Fit as a fiddle, Mabel only gave up smoking three years ago on doctors’ advice and took up vaping which is safer, but there was no way she was going to stop downing her favourite drink.

She said: “I have two at lunchtime, one at tea time with a biscuit and then three more during the evening while I do my knitting. I swear the gin keeps me young!”

centenarian gin and tonicCheers: Mabel still enjoys six gins a day as she turns 100
Mabel, who lives in a residential home in Stowmarket in Suffolk, has been drinking gin for 82 years and even knows how many bottles she had got through in that time.

“I worked it out one night when I couldn’t get to sleep. Instead of counting sheep, I counted gins. You get around 35 measures in a bottle, so as I always have six a day it takes me around a week to get through a bottle. I know this because I buy one every Wednesday from the Co-Op. On that basis I buy 52 bottles a year, making 4,264 bottles since I started. That’s quite an achievement!”

Mabel was married for 55 years to her childhood sweetheart Eric, a farm labourer from Wetherden, but he sadly died from liver disease in 1989. The couple had three children, and Mabel now enjoys visits from nine grandchildren and even three great-grandchildren.

“It’s lovely to see the young ones, but they are quite boisterous and once they’ve gone I definitely need a G & T,” she said.

Daughter Mary Whiteside, 74, of Ipswich said: “Mum has always been a bit of a character. She loves a tipple, and to be honest it seems to have preserved her, like a good pickle.”

Bury St Edmunds hit by flying squirrel row

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Just weeks after the outcry over a gorilla being shot when a toddler wandered into his enclosure, a similar debate has erupted right here in Suffolk.

The Abbey Gardens in Bury St Edmunds has become the latest focus of attention for animal rights activists worldwide after the rough treatment of one of the town’s star attractions.

It has emerged that Tarquin the grey squirrel, who resides near the park gates, was drop-kicked by a mother because he and his mates had cornered her terrified son.

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Witnesses told how the toddler was waiting by the toilets for his mother when he was surrounded by the squirrels. She returned and promptly drop-kicked the nearest bushy–tailed assailant in the air.

Angela Wortham was eating lunch with her family on the grass nearby when a dazed Tarquin landed in their picnic hamper. She said: “Tarquin is a gentle creature who was subjected to violence that was easily preventable. He limped away but thankfully he’ll be okay.”

She said if the toddler had given up his pink iced-finger to the hungry squirrels, the incident would never have happened.

grey-squirrelFlying squirrel: Tarquin seemed to have recovered yesterday

Arthur McMillian, one of Bury’s leading animal rights activists, said that this was just another act of animal cruelty in Suffolk, coming weeks after the unfortunate seagull laxative incident in Lowestoft.

St Edmundsbury council said if visitors stopped feeding the squirrels then incidents like this would not happen again.

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‘Go Suffolk Yourself’ rejected as new county slogan

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By Suffolk Gazette Staff

The team behind a multi-million pound rebranding exercise for Suffolk tourism were astonished when the county council rejected their Go Suffolk Yourself theme.

Officials deemed the phrase inappropriate and not in keeping with the county’s rich history, and instead selected the more austere Visit Suffolk phrasing.

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FancyDan PR spokesman Greg Phillips said: “I don’t know what’s Suffolking problem with it, to be quite honest.

“It’s Suffolking great place to grow up and raise a family. It’s got the seaside, the countryside, markets to get your trinkets and doo dahs. I thought our logo summed that up perfectly.”

Project director Sally Hughes added: “I’ve lived here my whole life and wouldn’t change it for the world. There’s Norfolking way I’d want to leave.”

Hadleigh-based FancyDan PR was chosen to work on the £2,000,000 rebrand after success on a similar project in Yorkshire and the Humber, where their We Put The C*nt in Scunthorpe tourism campaign won several national awards.

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Royal Ascot moving to Great Yarmouth

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EXCLUSIVE
By Jane Seymour, Royal Correspondent

Royal Ascot is moving to Great Yarmouth racecourse to celebrate Norfolk’s growing association with the Royal Family, the Suffolk Gazette can reveal today.

Next week’s posh Ascot meeting will be the last to boast the ‘Royal’ tag, as Royal Great Yarmouth takes over the reins from 2017.

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With Prince William and Kate now living in Amner Hall in Norfolk, as well as The Queen having a country residence nearby at Sandringham, royal courtiers felt the Royal Ascot meeting made little sense anymore.

They plucked up the courage to tell Her Majesty – and to their amazement she was extremely taken with the idea of a more “down to earth” town like Yarmouth getting the high-profile sporting and society event.

royal ascot queenThe Queen enjoys the Royal Procession at Ascot every year

The news was to have been officially announced after next week’s Royal Ascot so it would not take away from the excitement of the meeting, or from the Queen’s 90th birthday events this weekend.

But a disappointed Ascot insider has leaked the plans to the Suffolk Gazette.

“This is dreadful. The meeting will go from posh to dross in no time at all,” he told us.

Locals we spoke to in Norfolk were, however, very excited and looking forward to asking Google what top hats and tails were. One man, Bubba Spuckler, 25, said: “I go racing with my sister and our five children, so this is good news. I don’t have a top hat thing, but I have a top smock that I shall wear with pride.”

The move to Great Yarmouth, which is more famous for its candyfloss and seaside attractions like Britannia Pier than it is for high society, will bring a tremendous financial boost to the poor town. Royal Great Yarmouth is expected to attract tens of thousands of well-heeled visitors to the resort as well as being broadcast to millions all over the world.

britannia pier yarmouthRoyal Great Yarmouth racegoers will enjoy the delights of Britannia Pier

The last Royal Ascot begins on Tuesday with five races on the first day’s card, starting with the Queen Anne Stakes over one mile. The meet goes all the way through to next Saturday when the Diamond Jubilee Stakes will top the bill. The Gold Cup – Britain’s most prestigious event for stayers – is run on Thursday.

Bookies will be doing a brisk trade, with punters nationwide already studying horse racing betting odds at William Hill to try to pick a winner.

Royal Ascot is Britain’s richest race meeting, attracting the world’s best racehorses to compete for over £6.5 million in prize money. Many of the Ascot winners, such as Frankel, become household names.

The Queen loves the meeting, and enjoys the Royal Procession, when she rides down the track in her carriage to greet the crowds at the start of race day. A passionate horseracing enthusiast, she was delighted in 2013 when her own horse, Estimate, won the Gold Cup.

News of the race switch to Great Yarmouth is the second big Royal exclusive for the Suffolk Gazette, which recently revealed The Queen was getting Framlingham Castle as a 90th birthday present from the nation.

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The men who made a packet from seeds

in my lady garden

You know, it’s not too late to pop a marrow in. Most garden centres have ready-grown vegetable plants at the moment so you can catch up with those know-all seed experts who bang on about their pricking out and the skilful use of their widgers.

Hurry up, though, to get those tomato plants, asparagus, sweetcorn, leeks and salad stuff. You can pretend you did it all yourself, especially if you stick them in a neat row like the England squad at the Euros pretending they know the words to the National Anthem.

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Simply pay at the checkout, ease them from their pots (easier done after a drink, and you can also give the pots one) and stick them in a hole in the ground.

Many readers of the Suffolk Gazette buy their seeds and plug plants from local firm Thompson and Morgan, who have been pleasuring gardeners since 1855 and are now a global supplier.

William Thompson was the son of a baker who had a shop in Tavern Street, Ipswich. Young Billy would have followed in his father’s footsteps, making the locals obese with crumpets and spotted dick years before they got their hands on Big Macs and KFC. But he was stricken with illness and started growing plants at the rear. His botanical skills even brought him friends like Charles Darwin, the man who invented sex.

Then William met John Morgan, a financial whizkid with whom he joined forces to sell his seeds.

In My Lady Garden, I use another local firm, Johnson and Organ, two men who were bullied at school because their surnames were slang for the penis.

They got together with some sailors from Ipswich docks who offered to ship their seeds to foreign parts. And the rest is history.

johnson-and-organThe men who get me growing

Actually The Shakers, who many of you, including B&Q, have copied kitchens from, were the first to produce packet seeds. I visited their communities in the USA and discovered why the religion died out. They believed in celibacy! So much for their seeds!

How lovely it is to feel the sun on your back again as you get down on the grass (pulling out moss, I mean).

Ordinary gardening columns will tell you (Yawn! They all say the same thing) to only water your gardens early in the morning (zzzzz) or in the evening (zzzzz) or, yawn, yawn, they all copy the same thing, the plants will get SCORCHED, yawn yawn, same thing… writing a gardening book must say the same thing zzzzz.

What utter bollocks! If you can’t get a suntan while stripped off to a barely legal vest and shorts with a hose in your hand, what is the point of living? You can always point the water spray at the soil, not the leaves. And who gives a feck if you scorch the plants if you can get a tan without buying a bottle from QVC. They’re plants. Get over it.

I read in the Suffolk Gazette this week that the skinny model Claudia Schiffer bathes once a week in Adnams beer to keep her skin and hair gorgeous. Silly cow!

I believe that beauty comes from within so I drank a skinful instead. And do you know what? When I looked in the mirror after nearly half a gallon, I was convinced that I was absolutely beautiful. I even had red eyes!

Did you know that if you have any leftover beer dregs (we always minesweep ours) you can tip them on your compost heap and watch the rats dad-dance.

Readers often ask me what they can and can’t rot down. So here is a list:

no shopping trolley signYES to veg peelings.
YES to shredded paper, including credit card bills, but not too much.
YES to leftover fruit.
YES to leftover pet straw.

NO to dairy food, unless you want to contaminate the neighbours.
NO to bread, cooked food or leftover onion bhajis.
NO to shopping trolleys.

I, like everyone else, hate to waste food but they never admit that you have to be super-organised and not chaotic like me (no eating some days, pigging out others but afraid of sell-by dates) to achieve this. In fact sometimes I think I should cut out the middle man/woman and get the Tesco delivery man to drive straight to the compost heap for me.

Don’t forget to do the essential tasks during this lovely weather, like finding the corkscrew and digging out the factor 2 sun oil. If you cannot find this in today’s health and safety world, do what my Dagenham aunties did. Use olive oil.

Other jobs to do this week

* Thin out lettuce plants so they have room to spread, Unless, like me, you want them to die.

* Buy some citronella outdoor-quality (ie no quality candles) to keep the gnats off you during late-night drinking.

* Net your soft fruits, such as blackcurrants, to stop the birds nicking them (especially that one from next door). Use an old net curtain from a charity shop or steal one from your gran’s window. She’ll probably never notice.

Your questions answered

Do keep your questions coming as I have a duty to save the world.

* Mrs P E from Stowmarket. I agree with you. The Growing Hope rose, which raises money for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, is an easy-to-look-after deep red floribunda rose. Mine is flourishing and I do sod-all. If other readers would like me to mention a charity, let me know. But you won’t get any more space than this or there won’t be room for my giant ego.

* Mrs Delia S from Norwich: No, I’m really sorry but I don’t know anyone at the moment who sells six-fingered gardening gloves.

* Mr Pattinson from Reading (my readership is growing to other counties): I am sorry you keep losing your tools. Why don’t you tie a pink ribbon on them (as drag artist Danny la Rue once told me on a Virgin flight) to do to my suitcase handle for greater visibility? It might stop you getting IBS: Irritable Trowel Syndrome.

anita-bush-signatureNEXT WEEK: MY TIPS FOR THE SKINFLINTS WHO READ THE SUFFOLK GAZETTE! DON’T MISS IT! THIS IS NO ORDINARY GARDENING COLUMN (Please read in a Marks an Spencer’s TV ad voice) THIS IS THE SUFFOLK GAZETTE GARDENING COLUMN.

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Claudia Schiffer bathes in Adnams beer to keep young

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EXCLUSIVE
By Iona Diamond, Fashion Editor

Supermodel Claudia Schiffer bathes in Adnams beer to keep her skin beautiful, the Suffolk Gazette can reveal.

The 45-year-old German star, who lives in a mansion near Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, fills her bathtub with Southwold Bitter at least once a week believing it keeps her skin young-looking, and also gives her famous blonde hair a brilliant shine.

And if she has endured a particularly stressful week she will use Adnams’ stronger Broadside beer for a stronger effect.

A pal said: “Everyone always asks Claudia how she manages to look so young. Well, this is her secret and she’s been doing it for years.

“She is very careful not to drink any of the beer while enjoying a soak because that could be dangerous.”

claudia schiffer beerBeer beauty: Claudia Schiffer (CC 2.0)

The friend said Claudia, 45, stumbled across the beer treatment accidentally – when someone spilled a pint over her at the local pub near their Stanningfield home.

“This bloke was very apologetic, and Claudia was good about it and did not make a fuss. However, later that day she noticed the skin on her arm was glowing and looking years younger.

“The next week she did some research and then tried a whole bath of Adnams, and to her amazement it worked. She is very careful to drain the bath before her kids get near it.”

adnams brewery suffolkLegendary home of the Adnams Brewery in Southwold, Suffolk (CC 2.0)
Adnams is famously brewed in the Suffolk seaside town of Southwold.

Men and women across Suffolk and beyond swear by its mystical powers when drinking it in pubs like the Greyhound in Ipswich. Landlord Dan Lightfoot admitted: “But this is the first time we have heard of anyone taking a bath in it.”

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Suffolk Gazette said: “Our Editor did try repeatedly asking Claudia if he could visit and take a photograph of her in the bath. The police have been in touch.”