MARCH PREDICTIONS
I predicted … Manchester City 4-1 Chelsea
Real life predicted … Manchester City 2-1 Chelsea
Points … +15 for correct outcome

APRIL PREDICTIONS
I predicted … Arsenal 3-0 Manchester City
Real life predicted … Arsenal 1-0 Manchester City
Points … +15 for correct outcome

So, after 5 games, I am surprisingly on 45 points, and with a few more games to predict, expect to see my points tally rising!

With May consisting of two league games for most teams (three for teams in the FA Cup and their opponents for the previously postponed matches), the intensity and pressure of the game will certainly build up. Although at this stage of the season every fixture is important, there are one or two that you will have to circle on your calendar. Firstly, Newcastle take on Manchester City at the Sports Direct Arena in Newcastle (Sunday 6th, 1:30, I imagine Sky Sports 1 or 2, Match of the Day on the BBC for highlights). Hopefully, Manchester United will have already sealed the title with a thumping victory over their local rivals the week before, but if they somehow haven’t, Newcastle are there to end their pursuit. City have never been this close to a Premier League title before, so Man U certainly have more experience. Also, United have a better run in than City, and that’s where this game comes in. Newcastle are the form side of the Prem and are pushing for not only the Europa League spot, but a Champions League place. Papiss Cisse is firing in the goals every game, Hatem Ben Arfa is playing like Lionel Messi and goalkeeper Tim Krul has transformed into ‘Reflex Man’. What do City have to say to that? Um, a load of expensive players with no discipline or actual footballing talent now they play for the blue half of Manchester. Oh, a manager who’d better start running soon and an Italian striker who wastes his £180,000-a-week pay packet on red cards.
The Verdict: Newcastle 2-0 Manchester City. No question about it.

Although I normally predict only games that will affect the Champions League challenging teams, this one is different. It may be the last day of the season, and unless Premier League miracles really do happen, one of these teams will have settled to the idea of playing Championship football the next season. But, nonetheless, Wigan vs Wolves is bound to be the biggest relegation six-pointer this season. Both sides are likely to have lost their previous five games, but if Wigan are playing with the quality that they have been recently, this should be a walk in the park. You ALMOST feel sorry for Wolves, who under an assistant manager have picked up one point out of a possible eighteen, because they keep losing games by a small margin. Do remember, a small margin for Wolves is a two or three goal deficit.
The Verdict: Although Wolves will have the fighting spirit in them for this one, they will have been sure of their future (Championship football) a long time ago and Wigan sure won’t help their cause. Wigan 3-1 Wolves.

So, one (maybe two) more installments will be written, mainly consisting of previous predictions and my Premier League review.

Remember, you don’t need to visit www.thediary.uk.com anymore, unless you lose your copy of the Diary and are desperate to read ‘The Voice of the Fans’!

If there is a joint mortgage the property would have to be held by A and B as legal owners.

If a mortgage was taken out in only one name, then only that person could be a legal owner. The situations outlined above where there is one legal owner would be relevant for instance where the mortgage was only going to be in one particular person’s name for any reason. The split of legal and beneficial ownership by the law in this way means that the legal owner and the beneficial owner do not have to be the same person. The property could be occupied for instance by some people who are legal and beneficial owners and others who are just beneficial owners.

Trusts of land have particular relevance to unmarried co-owners.

Unmarried co-owners may either be 2 people who have bought a property as a couple or two or more people who have bought a property as a joint venture for a particular purpose or purposes. Trusts of land can also be relevant to the ownership of property for the benefit of people under a certain age or who have a disability.

A real feast for all Lynott and Lizzy fans the exhibition includes everything from bass guitars, lead guitars and various gear and equipment used by Lynott. It’s truly amazing to see so much Lynott memorabilia under one roof. Other goodies include tour jackets worn by him, flight cases, his personal diary, lyric books, school reports and his shares in Manchester United (yeh I didn’t know that either!). Also on display are materials from Irish music magazine Hot Press’s archives plus other photos, original paintings and artwork. Videos of Lizzy and Lynott will be on display as well as filmed tributes from the likes of Bono, Imelda May and Brian Downey of Thin Lizzy.
Niall Stokes Hot Press editor said: “The exhibition garnered rave reviews in Dublin and we’re hoping that the reaction in London will be the same. We set out to create something beautiful and brilliant that would reflect the unique contribution of Philip Lynott to the world of rock ‘n’ roll. Phil’s mother, Philomena has said ,“There is a huge feeling of goodwill out there towards Philip and so this is going to be an inspiring event — not just for all of the people who loved my son and his music but for every fan and student of great music.”
The current incarnation of Thin Lizzy have confirmed that they will be playing as special guests at the Guns N’ Roses concert in Dublin’s O2 on May 17. Band member Scott Gorham said: “We just love getting on this tour , and we are already cooking up some plans with Richie and Axl for the encores. Brian Downey added: “It is an honour to be asked to join this tour.” So something to look forward to and I for one will definitely hot foot down to the O2. I hope if you get the opportunity you do as well.
For more information: Ph: 020 8463 2000;
Email: help@britishmusicexperience.com.
Check out the website: http://www.britishmusicexperience.com/philip-lynott/

WE ALL LIVE IN A YELLOW SUBMARINE
The Beatles’ animated movie Yellow Submarine is to be re-issued on May 28th on DVD and Blu-Ray as well as a separate “Songtrack” on CD. There will be full studio versions of every Beatles cut that featured in the film plus extras. The movie has been restored in 4K digital resolution for the first time by a team headed by Paul Rutan Jr at Triage Motion Picture Services and Eque Inc, in a process which was done entirely by hand because of the delicate nature of the hand-drawn original artwork. Included on the DVD and Blu-Ray versions will be a series of extras including a short making-of documentary called “Mod Odyssey”, the film’s original theatrical trailer, audio commentary by producer John Coates and art director Heinz Edelmann, interviews with others involved in the film, storyboard sequences, 29 original pencil drawings and 30 behind-the-scenes photos. The “Songtrack” includes Fab Four songs that appeared for the first time on the movie’s soundtrack, such as “Hey Bulldog” and “ It’s Only A Northern Song” as well as songs from elsewhere in The Beatles’ catalogue that were included in the film, such as Eleanor Rigby, Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds and Yellow Submarine itself. All Together Now………………..”

BJ’s Essential Trivia
Most of us think Phil Lynott was born in Ireland. His accent and heritage say Ireland. He was in fact born Philip Parris Lynott in West Bromwich, Birmingham on August 20th 1949. His mother Philomena(Phyllis) is Irish and his father Cecil was born in Georgetown, British
Guyana.

If you love the music of the 1960’s check out Brian’s show, “Let’s Go………Back To The 60’s”, 6-8pm each Saturday on Fantasy Radio , 97FM. www.fantasyradio.co.uk ]]> http://www.thediary.uk.com/gv/2012/the-life-music-of-phil-lynott-we-all-live-in-a-yellow-submarine/feed/ 0 http://www.thediary.uk.com/travel/colin-sams/2012/searching-for-the-thermocline-by-colin-sams/ http://www.thediary.uk.com/travel/colin-sams/2012/searching-for-the-thermocline-by-colin-sams/#comments Tue, 01 May 2012 08:58:08 +0000 wp_td1 http://www.thediary.uk.com/?p=4695 Continue reading →]]> Obviously for this to make sense we firstly need to know what a thermocline is! It is the point underwater at which water at different temperatures meet, and an interface “film” is formed. In open water this is a difficult phenomenon to see, and experience. After thirty years of diving, I was about to be able to dive on a superb, stable example of this phenomenon in a place named Ragged Staff in Gibraltar. Ragged Staff is the name of an ancient entry point to the inside of The Rock of Gibraltar. However our interest this time was located deep within the man-made honeycomb of The Rock. Access was gained through the Ragged Staff Gate into the bowels of The Rock, and, with rare official permission, our four-tonner, plus military escort, was sent rumbling along one of the many roads inside The Rock of Gibraltar, to its fascinating destination. Many years ago a stores team was working at enlarging one of the gigantic ammunition stores cut from solid rock within this Rock. These were initially excavated to provide wartime protection from German attacks. The machine they were using penetrated an unknown thinned side section of cavern wall, and lo and behold one of the world’s most unusual dive experiences was uncovered. There was a large lake in a natural cavern. The water extended vertically downwards for some thirty five meters before curving slightly like a giant, tapering, outstretched sock with a pointed toe. Naked light bulbs provided inadequate lighting in this cavern, but we had come prepared with our own portable lighting, plus huge numbers of Cyalumes which give off an eerie green light when two chemicals are mixed by breaking a vial type container. A line was lowered gently into the water with a Cyalume secured every five meters, in order to light the way for the divers, and to provide some orientation. We dressed quickly and carried out our checks very carefully as this was to be a challenging, and potentially very dangerous dive. I was first in the water, my buddy and I understood the need to be very, very gentle in moving on the surface and once underwater. We slipped into the water with scarcely a ripple, confirming with the surface team when we were ready to leave the surface. We disappeared delicately below the surface, and adjusted our buoyancy by numerous minute corrections as we sank very slowly into the black depths. As the lead diver I had a wonderful view of the other diver in black silhouette above me, surrounded by a low green glow. It seemed he was hovering in the barrel of a huge gun. Deeper and deeper we slipped, as we searched for that elusive thermocline. At around thirty meters the unmistakable interface appeared shimmering glassily below us. After more very gentle deceleration of our descent, we achieved the slightly ridiculous aim of placing the ghostly line at the half way point across our masks, without disturbing it. This manoeuvre was accompanied by sharp temperature change as the lower water was much cooler. An amazing experience only possible due to the unique conditions within the protection of our underground, undersea, “sock”, and virtually unrepeatable anywhere else. We played and experimented, until the mixing of the waters caused by our movements caused our elusive quarry to disappear. It would take days to regenerate. We continued downwards and looked for the forty meter point at the end of the extended toe. We hoped to register it on our depth gauges and computers, which we could then transfer to our diving logs to claim this incredible dive to its maximum depth. It was just short of forty meters! Clouds of black silt were kicked up by our fins, the visibility dropped alarmingly, and it was time to leave for the surface. We carried out the various mandatory safety surfacing procedures and penetrated the surface to the welcome dull yellow tungsten glow of the towering cavern. Out of the water we chatted animatedly about this amazingly different dive, but when my buddy checked my gauges he found that I had achieved the magic forty meters. He was baffled! What he did not know is that in the murk of the silt on the bottom I had dug down into the soft sand with my depth gauge and computer to gain the extra depth which gave me the wonderfully rounded figure of forty meters!

Colin Sams © March 2012

In essence the spine is a framework for attaching a network of ligaments and muscles that give strength and flexibility; not just in the back but in the limbs too.
Together the muscles of the back and the abdomen are known as ‘the core’ and if any of these are out of condition additional stresses are placed on the framework (the spine) and onto the remaining muscles and ligaments. In most of us the front muscles are weaker than the back muscles so the back muscles have to work too hard and are prone to going into spasm. The imbalance between front and back puts additional stress on the spine, so consequently weak stomach muscles can lead to back pain. Core muscles are roughly divided into three groups:

Flexors – which support the spine from the front and bend the trunk forwards, control the curve in the low back and flex the hip towards the body. These comprise the abdominal muscles and the iliopsoas muscle.
Extensors – straighten the spine, bend backwards and move the hip back and out and are also very important when lifting, these are the spinal and gluteal (buttock) muscles.
Rotators – these rotate and flex the spine sideways and are also important in stabilising the spine when upright and during lifting, they are called the lateral and oblique muscles.

Some simple exercises which will help to strengthen the important abdominal muscles include:
Pelvic Tilts. – Lie on the floor with your knees bent and try to pull your belly button towards your spine and your low back towards the floor, without using your leg or buttock muscles, hold for a count of 5, repeat up to 10 times.
Curl ups – still lying on the floor with your knees bent, cross your arm across your chest and raise your shoulders and chest off the floor, hold for 5 seconds then slowly lower again. This should only be a slight lift, not just your head and neck, but definitely not a full sit-up.

It is important to remember not to start these exercises during an acute episode of back pain without talking to a spine specialist first.
You will need to perform a combination of exercises to strengthen all three groups of core muscles in order to have a balance in the muscles that support the spine, but of the three it is usually (but not always) the abdominals that are the weakest.
Exercise classes such as Pilates, Yoga and TaiChi are all good to balance and strengthen core muscles and all are relatively gentle to start if you are a little nervous about exercising.
If you have any questions about this, or any other related subject I am always happy to talk to you.

Basic Personal allowance £8,105
Age related allowance 65 to 74 £10,500
Age related allowance 75 onwards £10,660
Income level when ARA’s are restricted £25,400
Income level when Basic personal allowance is restricted £100,000
10% savings rate, limit above personal allowance £2,710
Basic rate of tax 20% £0 to £34,370
Higher rate tax 40% £34,371 to £150,000
Additional rate tax 50% £150,001 and over
Married couples allowance (given at 10%, 3583 in tax code) £7,705

Now you have the figures it is a good idea to check your coding notices for 2012/13, check that you have one for each source of income and make sure you can account for all of the figures. If you agree, check that your employers/pension providers are using the code/s on your April payslip/s. If you disagree or things do not match, contact HMRC straight away on 0845 300 0627.

This article is by Tax Help for Older People registered charity no 1102276, offering free tax advice to older people on incomes below £17,000 a year. The Helpline number is 0845 601 3321 or geographical 01308 488066.

As with the majority of back problems there can be an underlying weakness that most of the time lies dormant. An unusual activity usually involving over-reaching or a twisting action triggers a reaction. When muscles spasm they shorten, pulling against other muscles, misleading and complicating the search for the underlying cause as pain is often referred. In other words where you feel the pain may not be the source of the problem.

I discussed with Mr C possible treatment options and because of the tenderness and general soreness of his back concluded that Clinical Reflexology delivered via the feet would offer the best solution as his back would not then be physically touched.

Reflexology is the application of pressure via the finger and thumb to specific areas and points mapped on the hands, feet and ears that correspond to organs and systems of the body. The practice of Reflexology is not new and the continuing development of many specialist techniques only serves to extol the amazing scope of it’s use. Clinical Reflexology is defined by level of qualification, and as having the aim of providing effective treatment of diagnosed conditions in a clinical setting.

Mr C could not lean forward to remove his shoes and was unable to get onto the couch. I suggested and explained the use of some advanced specialist techniques linked to acupuncture/ acupressure. Mr C agreed and upon completion of several minutes of specific point pressure applied whilst he was sitting Mr C was then able to bend slightly forward, remove his shoes and get onto the couch. I then carried out a full reflexology treatment, making mental note of areas and points on his feet that were sensitive to pressure. Having many years of practical experience has led to the development of my own particular skills in identifying the original source of and helping with pain. I completed the hour long treatment continually gauging Mr C responses.

Mr C feeling more relaxed and with pain levels greatly reduced was able to get off the couch unaided. His back felt easier, less stiff and was therefore more mobile. He was then able to stand upright and to bend forward to put on his shoes. After care advice included drinking plenty of water. To keep mobile with a gentle walk and in the evening take a relaxing warm bath containing Epsom Salts (a natural anti-inflammatory) I also suggested some specific stretching exercises to perform first thing each morning, this warming – up the body is invaluable in prevention of muscle strain.

Mr C asked how many treatments he would need. I never book my patients in for a set number of sessions this is because Clinical Reflexology acts as a catalyst, starting the healing process by relaxing the nervous system and reducing inflammation by increasing circulation. As individual responses to treatment can vary I firmly believe that the patient is the best judge of a treatments effectiveness and that it should be their decision to continue with further treatment sessions.

This example of how easy it is to trigger back pain is not unique. Simple everyday tasks that require us to bend, stretch and twist we often complete without being aware of the stress or strain we place on our back. We are all guilty to a degree of taking our back for granted. Only made aware of it’s fragility when things go wrong. Perhaps a thought for all future seasonal activities might include us treating our back with a little more kindness and respect.

Abbigail is fully qualified with over 20yrs professional experience specializing in Allergies and Complementary Therapies.
Contact at Buena Vista. Gypsy Lane. Weymouth. DT4 OBZ. Tel:01305 784986.

Hello again.

March rolled out in blazing sun, and April arrived with frost and sleet. I do not understand this new climate. As I write this, I am worried that the water level has dropped so far that the brook will run dry, and my two 300 gal rainwater tanks are verging on empty. If we don’t get a good downpour soon there will be a shortage of hay this summer, and little water in my well. Having put my thoughts to paper I guess Nature will balance things out in the end, and by the time you read this we shall be longing for the return of the sunshine.

Life really is a “bummer”, one minute I’m glorying in a good win at Crufts with a home- bred dog and the next I am in deep mourning. I just feel that I am such a lucky person that sometimes I have to give a bit back. This time, a big bit.

My beloved Arab, Spirit was recovering well from his foot injury when he suddenly went downhill very fast, and last Sunday he collapsed. Luckily I was with him and all arrangements for his dispatch were immediately made. Within half an hour it was all over. The speed and kindness with which it was all accomplished was remarkable. My very good friend, who has performed this deed for me several times before, arrived, within minutes, to hold him, closely, followed by the knacker man and a local farmer with tractor. All were near by when I made the call.

From start to finish it took just over half an hour so Spirit didn’t suffer.
He had two days of warm sun on his back with his rug off, and grazing on some lovely fresh, young grass. I could not have asked more for him. He was only nineteen. I had his sire Oxo until he was thirty- four, and expected the same for Spirit, but it was not to be.

There is now a great big hole in my heart. He was such a beautiful horse and we talked.
He was almost human.

Rondo has paired up well with little Flo for the time being, but as she has to be on poor grazing for the summer, to save her from Laminitis, I now have to find a new companion for Rondo who will not be left on his own. Both come running at my whistle, Rondo floating over the ground at a trot, as only an Arab can, and little Flo, being half Shetland belting on behind to keep up.

I have had several calls regarding welfare concerns since I wrote last. Horses looking thin now rugs are off, untrimmed feet and split hooves, ponies without hay or water. The reasons for making a report are varied, but I am so grateful that the readers of this column care enough to contact me.
The new BHS welfare Officer for Devon lives not far away from me in Colyton, and I wish him well. Devon is a very large county to cover.

You can continue to contact me with any welfare concerns and I will forward details on to the local representative, who will investigate.

Now is the time to check your trailer for wear and tear. It would be awful if the floor gave way when travelling a horse. The consequences would be terrible. A full overhaul before the summer shows start and regular attention to tyres and brakes is essential.

Wishing you all a good start to summer, fun with your horse or pony and a good crop of hay.

Heather Lee
BHS Contact for Welfare
E.Devon & W. Dorset

However, I do not wish to brag when saying this was my second visit, I first visited for a birthday lunch back in October 2009, it was good but I really felt it had been ‘over hyped’, by reviews in the national press, afterall who would criticise a MasterChef winner. At the Diary we always tell the story as we find it on the occasion of our review.
On this second visit we arrived for diner having reserved a table just 24hrs earlier. Still the same restaurant relaxed light green walls, comfortable lighting solid farmhouse furniture.

Once settled at our table menus, fresh water and pesto pop corn to share arrived very promptly. The popcorn was popular with the children and a rather small sharing dish disappeared in seconds – that small dish was a sign of things to come! To start we ordered Pork Terrine, a course terrine that was absolutely delicious @ £8.00. Vegetable basket soup, a beautiful full bodied soup that obviously contained sweet potato and plenty of pepper, what else we were not so sure, no bread was offered with the soup, we had to ask for some, £7.00, no extra charge for the bread.
Our third starter was Pigeon breast with a small salad garnish; the Pigeon must have been a small one also. What can you say it was a little bit of Pigeon breast meat flashed in a pan for a couple of seconds, £7.00. Our final starter was from the ‘specials blackboard’ – Salmon and Pickles, this was really nice, lovely salmon and herring with a real kick from the pickles, £9.00.

When ordering our main courses I noticed vegetables were not included but could be added at £4.00 per bowl. I asked our waitress how many bowls she would recommend for our table, she replied, “none”, adding, “if you want to have room for any desert”.
Main courses were ordered without vegetable – big mistake. We choose Fillet of Beef with smoked mash potato, excellent beef, just melted in your mouth, the accompanying small portion of smoked mash overpowered the flavour of the beef, shame really and £24.00.

I looked at all our plates as they were served and realised we could be going home hungry. We are not little piglets, in fact I would say we have very average appetites but these dishes were just small. What is all this small portion business about? No one wants to see food wasted but Beaminster is in the heart of Dorset and Dorset folk enjoy hearty meals – perhaps the Wild Garlic is not after the local Dorset trade! Next up was slow roasted Belly of Pork, with crackling, smoked mash and sweet potato. We had to ask if the sweet potato had been forgotten, the waitress studied the plate closely and then exclaimed “there it is, can’t you see it”. I couldn’t – a small sample eventually arrived from the kitchen. The belly pork was fantastic; another slice would have made it memorable, just shows how good cooking can make even the cheapest cuts delicious, £18.00. Final main course was Fillet of Veal with three hand dived scallops and nothing else. Where the fillet of beef was cooked perfectly the veal was just seared, the waitress had not asked my son how he wanted it cooked and in his youth he had not told her. I’m not a veal eater but I couldn’t have eaten even my wonderful fillet of beef that raw, cost £24.00. I’m sure there should have been some potato or something else on the plate but nothing and in the confusion over the missing sweet potato on the pork plate the veal and scallops had already been half devoured.

We moved on to the pudding menu and ordered Bitter Chocolate Fondant, Sea Salt Ice Cream and Nut Brittle. This was a dream for the dark chocolate lover, very bitter but distracted by the unusual taste of sea salt ice cream. Nice, but memorable only for the sea salt ice cream £8.00. A Tasting Platter was next, small portions of five different puddings, to share, or not – not in the case of my son. The platter looked delicious and apparently it was, none of us had a chance to taste anything and I can only report the five puddings were not a replication of the other puddings on the menu, at £12.00 a bit steep. I finished my meal with my favourite – the cheese board, boasting a selection of local cheeses served with a small raisin and walnut loaf and onion marmalade. Very good cheese, loaf and marmalade excellent, £10.00 not so good. We drank a very good Sauvignon Touraine with our meal but £23.00 a bottle seems a little extreme.

How did we rate this experience, on the whole the food was very good but there just needed to be a tad more of it. The vegetables were a big mistake and one that should have been avoided, the service was polite, a little slow and not very informative, and the cost, in my opinion, was just too much even for a special treat.

Contact: the Wild Garlic, Beaminster, tel. 01308 861446 or email mail@the wildgarlic.co.uk
This review represents the views and opinions of The Diary Dining Out Team only.