We are delighted to tell you that La Grande Mare Charity Golf Day 2013 will benefit YPG and Les Bourgs Hospice. The event takes place on Friday 26 April 2013, and includes dinner, with a UK entertainer and auction in the evening. The cost is £300 for a team of 4 players.

Please find a flyer attached below with more information on this event as well as an application form should you or someone you know wish to take part in this great event.

La Grande Mare Charity Golf Event 2013 – Information & Application Form

]]> http://www.gbgmagazine.co.uk/la-grande-mare-charity-golf-event-2013-11128/feed/ 0 http://www.gbgmagazine.co.uk/welcome-to-march-issue-2-11041/ http://www.gbgmagazine.co.uk/welcome-to-march-issue-2-11041/#comments Thu, 28 Feb 2013 12:38:57 +0000 Alex http://www.gbgmagazine.co.uk/?p=11041

Hello people

Spring is well on its way, and I know you must be as happy as I am to see daffodils in bloom and the sun finally making an appearance.

I always find that I end up deep cleaning the house and redecorating in the spring, but it’s also the perfect time to think about even more improvements to your home. It’s the season of renewal, so why not read our feature on extending your home to get some brand new ideas for your house.

We’re delighted to see that both The Peninsula and La Barbarie have been doing a little redecorating of their own, so go and check out their new look venues.

Maybe it’s time to think about what art you have on your walls too – local artist Peter Le Vasseur has a fabulous exhibition coming up which is all about wild nature. Turn the page to read his fascinating story.

This month plays host to National Science Week, which is a great time to teach the kids a bit extra about the subject. We’ve got some surprisingly easy experiments on page 90 that you can do with your little ones at home, which are both fun and informative.

It’s never smooth running a business, but here at GBG our team always end each month proud of our production. ‘Let’s put this baby to bed!’ we finally shout as the mag is sent to the printers. We slope off home, exhausted – but within days we’re back, fresh with ideas for the next edition. There is no ‘I’ in team and the support and hard work that the GBG crew gives me has definitely gone beyond the call of duty.

But our team isn’t the only one that deserves recognition. GBG always celebrates achievements on the island, and we’re proud to announce the start of a brand new competition in the magazine. It’s all about recognising talented local people, and we want to hear from you about those people who truly go above and beyond.

We’re kicking off the competition by talking to social worker Annie Pover, and you can read our interview with her on page 58.

After the success of last month’s article on single dads, we’re delving deep into society’s newest phenomenon – the rise of the househusband. Read about one man’s experience as a stay at home dad on page 40. It’s a real eye-opener.

Our papp’d pages are full of even more exciting local events this month, including an amazing kids street dancing show that we had to pleasure to attend. It was incredible to see what our island’s youngsters could achieve after just one week of classes.

Well that’s all from me for now – enjoy our March issue. And, as always, thank you for your continued support and lovely articles you provide us with!

Photographer John de Garis gets his hands dirty with our biker shoot – featuring wheels from Duques and clothes from Holeshot.

Thanks to ASG Flight Support for the location.

Thank you to our fab models – Chantal Ryan and Ross Gellor – for surviving the cold

Ingredients

2 pounds medium courgettes
salt
1 stick unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Freshly ground black pepper
6 cups whole milk
4 sprigs fresh thyme
3 bay leaves
Grated zest of 1/2 lemon
1 pound medium pasta shells
4 shallots, minced
2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
4 ounces parmesan cheese, grated (about 1 cup)
4 ounces gruyere cheese, grated (about 1 1/4 cups)
4 ounces baby spinach

Directions

Grate the courgette into a colander using the large holes of a box grater. Toss with 1 tablespoon of salt, then place in the sink to drain, about 15 minutes. Squeeze out the excess liquid.

Meanwhile, melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour, nutmeg, cayenne, 2 teaspoons salt, and black pepper to taste and mix with a wooden spoon to make a paste. Cook, stirring, until the paste puffs slightly, about 3 minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk, then add the thyme, bay leaves and lemon zest and bring to a boil, stirring. Reduce the heat and simmer until thickened slightly, about 25 minutes. Strain into a bowl and discard the herbs.

Meanwhile, position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 180C.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; add the pasta and cook until al dente – about 8 minutes.

Drain and add to the sauce.

Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a skillet over a medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until translucent – about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the zucchini and cook, stirring, until almost tender – about 4 minutes. Add the courgette mixture to the pasta along with the egg yolks and all but 3 tablespoons of both cheeses. Stir to combine, then add the spinach.

Transfer the mixture to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and sprinkle with the reserved cheeses. Bake until browned on top and heated through, 25 to 30 minutes.

Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 6-8 People…plenty of leftovers!

This month I invite you to look towards your foundation. As we concentrate on using the weight evenly through both feet we find lightness and strength as we grow into the pose.

Our foundation through different times in our life can seem very wobbly at times. Yet we always have our best friend the breath to help us through this.

So when we find times of trouble, stress or worry, the breath can guide us through.

By just taking five minutes to sit and observe the breath we can notice if its short or shallow, meaning we are stressed, or long and deep when we are relaxed.

As our standing poses take shape we encourage a long breath to be the foundation of the pose.

Starting from Downward facing dog, step the right foot forward between the feet and place the left heel down with the toes turned in 45 degrees. The right knee stays directly over the ankle.

Inhale and bring your right forearm to your right thigh. Your left hand comes to your left hip to allow the left shoulder to draw back as you open through your chest.

Then as we grow into the pose using a long breath, lift the left arm up towards the ceiling and then up and over to create a long straight line from your left foot. If you can, your left tricep will be in contact with your ear.

Look up towards the ceiling or, if this troubles your neck, gaze down to your foot. Increase the awareness of your foundation by closing your eyes. Remain here for 10 breaths then repeat on the other side.

Happy practising.

The World Health Organisation has recommended that we should all be doing at least half an hour of exercise five times per week and doctors should be recommending this to all their patients. There is a very good basis for this advice.

The health benefits of exercise

Whatever your age or size or ability, there is strong scientific evidence to show that physical exercise can help you lead a healthier, happier and longer life.

Regular exercise improves self-esteem, mood, sleep quality and energy and reduces anxiety, depression, dementia, obesity, risk of developing ischaemic heart disease, type 2 diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and certain cancers.

Physiology: Exercise is the natural response to ‘stress’

During stress, be it caused by financial worries, family difficulties or even before an exam or race, a hormone is produced by the adrenal glands that sit above the kidneys, called adrenaline. Adrenaline has many important functions, but in this context it is termed the ‘fight or flight’ hormone. It equips us to do physical exercise in response to stress; to either fight or to run away from our stress.

Adrenaline causes some important cardiovascular changes; these include an increase in heart rate, cardiac output (the volume of blood pumped through one side of the heart per minute), respiratory rate and blood pressure. As a result, more blood and therefore more oxygen are directed to the muscles.

‘Cortisol’ is a hormone produced from another area of the adrenals. It promotes the release of energy during stress.

The changes induced by these hormones in times of stress, equip the muscle cells for action. So stress itself prepares our bodies to make a physical response.

Some unwanted effects of adrenaline that may occur if stress is not accompanied by a physical response (in other words, if there’s a lack of regular exercise) include palpitations, anxiety and tremor.

Following exercise, further hormones called endorphins, are released by the brain, which give a sense of well-being.

What exercise should we do?

Patients sometimes tell me that they exercise with household cleaning, hoovering and shopping. Although these household chores are physical work, they do not qualify as moderate-intensity aerobic exercise.

Depending on your level of fitness, fast walking or running at a pace that you can talk comfortably but can’t sing, means your heart rate has increased to the right amount. Running or walking is a quick and cheap way to exercise. A half hour route can be planned and walked initially, then gradually intervals of running can be added in.

There are excellent gyms and health clubs on the island that can help individuals get started and keep going! Also, swimming provides a good all round exercise as does cycling.

There is a huge diversity of sport available in Guernsey; choose a sport that you enjoy doing regularly.

Exercise is for everyone.

For those of us in whom exercise is restricted due to disability, age or illness, daily stretches and gentle exercise are very beneficial (if not mandatory!). Humans are complex animals that over the years have become more sedentary. Among other factors, with the advancement of computer technology, we keep mentally active and stimulated. However, to maintain a healthy balance, we must remember to use, not only our brains, but our physical ‘muscly’ limbs that we have.

Remember, half an hour, 5 times per week!

Fuel prices in Guernsey have caused controversy on the island in recent months and years, culminating in a strong public backlash against the increasing and steep price rises.

Local garages maintain that there is little profit margin for them on fuel sales. But there are ways to save on your fuel costs – by changing the way you drive…

Avoid Aggressive Driving

Jack-rabbit style starts and hard breaking can increase fuel consumption by as much as 40%. Tests show that jack-rabbit starts and hard braking reduces travel time by only four percent. The proper way is to accelerate slowly and smoothly, then get into a high gear as quickly as possible. Nearly 50% of the energy needed to power your goes into accelerating.

Avoid Idling

Idling waste fuel, gets you nowhere and produces unnecessary greenhouse gases. If you’re going to be stopped for more than 30 seconds, except in traffic, turn off the engine.

Inflate your Tyres

Under-inflated tyres can cause fuel consumption in to crease by as much as 6%. Check your tyre pressure at least month a month, when the tyres are cold. On average tyres lose about 1psi per month and 1psi for every 10 degree drop in temperature.

Select the Right Gear

Change up through the gears and into the top gear as soon as possible, without accelerating harder than necessary. Driving in a lower gear than you need wastes fuel, and so does letting the engine labour in top gear on hills and corners. Automatic transmissions will shift up more quickly and smoothly if you ease back slightly on the accelerator once the car gathers momentum.

Service your Vehicle Regularly

We may not have a compulsory MOT on the island, but its best to have your car serviced regularly as it can save your fuel. A poorly tuned engine can use up to 50% more fuel and produce up to 50% more emissions than one that is running properly. Dirty air filters can also cause your engine to run at less than peak efficiency – and cause up to a 10% increase in fuel consumption. Engine oil should also be changed every 3-5 thousand miles. Clean oil contributes to better gas mileage.

Tighten your Fuel Cap

It sounds silly, but if you don’t tighten your gas cap to the second click, gas can evaporate. Loose, missing or damaged gas caps cause 147 million gallons of gas to evaporate every year.

So there you go – try it for a month and let GBG know if we’ve saved you cash!

World-renowned painter Peter Le Vasseur was born in Guernsey before being evacuated off the island before the occupation. But though the ensuing years were spent going on far-flung jungle adventures and mingling with the rich and famous, the artist always hankered after his childhood island home.

Next month he is celebrating his love for nature with a special exhibition of ‘Wild’ paintings at the Sula Gallery.

in April Peter Le Vasseur will celebrate 50 years of painting. It’s a milestone anniversary of an extraordinary life in art – a life that began in 1938 in Guernsey.

Peter was a just toddler when he and his parents were evacuated to Mill Hill, London during the Second World War, where they became refugees.

His memories of that time are vivid. “I remember going into the shelters and chanting my times tables during the air raids,” he says. “I watched dog fights in the sky above London and drew pictures of spitfires.”

His father was an air raid patrol warden and when incendiary bombs rained down on the city, they put them out together, as a father-son team.

On VE day he recalls the excitement of the all-day street parties. “Everyone was celebrating in Mill Hill and a double decker bus came down the road and couldn’t pass because they’d lit a huge bonfire to celebrate in the road.”

Peter can’t remember a time when he didn’t draw. But he had to find his subject matter close to home, because his loving parents couldn’t afford to take him out into the countryside for inspiration, or even buy him books.

Instead he copied pictures from his treasured comics, where he gained a love of vibrant colour and animated movement that is very much evident in his work today.

After the war ended, his family remained in London, where Peter failed his 11 plus as a result of dyslexia. He found himself in a very rough city school and continued to draw and paint prolifically.

One day his parents were called in for a meeting with the headmaster. “I thought I’d done something awful,” says Peter. But a teacher had been struck by his artistic ability during a project the class was doing on the Egyptians and wanted to help him. “I was relieved to hear that the school wanted to give me free private coaching so I could take the 13 plus and maybe go to an art school,” he explains.

It was an amazing opportunity, and Peter worked hard to pass the exam. He then undertook a nerve-wracking drawing exam with 300 other hopeful young artists, before being awarded a place at the Harrow Art College.

A haven for young Peter, he spent a lot of his time there life-drawing, something that he thinks is sadly lacking in modern schools. “Life classes really teach you to observe and then to get what you observe down on paper. It gave me a very equal view of men and women – gender didn’t matter. Everything you achieved was on how good you were.”

Years passed and his talent grew and evolved. He worked on his pieces from home and soon friends began to ask him to do commissions. “I was producing work but I didn’t know what to do with it, so I took the work to the Portal Gallery in Mayfair. They offered me a trial exhibition for the following year.”

But the first piece he had intended for the show was snapped up by the Duke of Bedford before it could begin. The second was of the Beatles and caught Ringo Star’s eye. “Ringo bought it and the story appeared in the Daily Mirror,” says Peter. It was the beginning of a rapid rise to fame…

His first exhibition was a huge success. The vibrant colours in his imaginative fantasy work intrigued the London art scene, and led The Guardian to describe him as ‘highly talented, intriguing and witty’.

Another critic observed that painting fantasy was very tricky, but Peter had pulled it off.

It was the beginning of the public’s 50-year love affair with Peter’s work, which is beautifully intricate in its detail and always has a story to tell.

Through the Portal Gallery Peter sold his work to a wide swathe of the celebrity elite, including Rod Steiger, Jerry Lewis and Lord Porchester – whose home was the real-life Downton Abbey, Highclere Castle.

He struck up friendships with a lot of them, particularly Vincent Price and Ollie Reed. Does he have any stories to tell about the boozy star? “There are loads,” he explains. “But most of them you couldn’t print. Once he phoned after visiting several local watering holes and commissioned a picture of a light aircraft that he needed that day. He kept on phoning throughout the day as the very small picture progressed. At eight o’clock at night he arrived, rather worse for wear, armed with a very good bottle of brandy, which he hoped would earn brownie points with Linda. It didn’t. Just before midnight I told him that I had finished and was going to bed. I don’t know where things went wrong but the next day he phoned from London to say he’d got my chequebook and I’d got his.”

The Linda Peter mentions is his wife of forty years, the well-known Guernsey Reverend Linda le Vasseur. “We met through a dating agency,” says Peter. “For different reasons we were both lonely and living near London. I found Dateline’s address in a magazine. Linda’s father made her do it as 25 was looming and there wasn’t a man in sight. We got engaged after a week.”

As a child, Peter had told a friend that he would one day return to Guernsey, and with his new wife by his side, that’s exactly what he did. “I think the way of life here is so much better than living in the British suburbs,” he says. “It’s still got community spirit, which is missing in the UK. I love the peace and the beautiful scenery. I enjoy waking up to the sound of the pheasant in my garden. It’s a quieter, more tranquil way of life, which is why so many islanders live to a ripe old age – I’m hoping!”

But although settled on his treasured island, his work began to take him all over the world, beginning when he won the prestigious Earthwatch Scientific Foundation Fellowship. “The head of Earthwatch came to Guernsey to meet me and gave me a magazine with all the up and coming expeditions worldwide. I chose South America, because I’d never been there. It hold the largest amount of rainforest in the world and some of my paintings are related to South America.”

It was an epic adventure, where he experienced the vastness and mystery of the jungle. Going off into the wilderness to draw in solitude, he often had the feeling that he was being watched. “I never saw anything, but I did learn later that where I used to go and draw was a regular stomping ground for a jaguar.”

It’s an eerily beautiful tale, one that you can almost imagine in one of Peter’s paintings – the lone figure in a magical jungle, watched over by one of nature’s most beautifully powerful animals.

He was inspired and humbled by the sadly disappearing rainforests. “It was challenging to think about how it could all be lost and that we still only know a little about what’s there. There may be cures for cancer and all sorts of diseases there and they may be lost forever before we even find them.”

Peter was inspired to paint ‘See it before it’s too late’, a poignant reflection on the beauty of the rainforests. “It shows a child looking up at a travel poster for a trip to the rainforest and the idea was that this child might grow up and find that the riches of the rainforest have all been lost. “

Peter uses his work to create awareness of these kind of important environmental issues. “It makes it possible for me to set my paintings in the desert, the Antarctic, the jungle – anywhere,” he says. “It stretches me intellectually and technically, which I feel is something that’s important for my work.

As well as the rainforests, he has been captivated by the silence, emptiness and vastness of the Sahara desert – “I always get the feeling I could walk out into the seeming infinity of it all” – and been in awe of the mighty lion’s roar at night: “The ground beneath your vehicle literally shakes.”

“There’s nothing like hearing baboons dance on your tent after dark or to be out in the bush at 5am and seeing herds of elephants and graceful giraffes making their way to the waterhole,” he adds.

It was this communing with nature that kept Peter grounded while his fame spread throughout the world. As a result, he never struggled with the trappings of a celebrity status, unlike his friend Ollie. “I spend a lot of time working in my studio, so it’s not a problem there at all,” he says. “But I do believe that if people find themselves known for a particular thing they have to be accepting of the fact that their lives become more public and their privacy may be invaded from time to time. The fact that my work is well-known now is about the work, not me, and that gives me a bit of a reality check.”

Peter is wise and thoughtful, something that comes through in his work. And although he says he admires some modern artists, he admits he feels a lot of contemporary and street art has gone somewhat astray. “I like Banksy’s work, he’s very witty and his sense of humour is similar to mine. He’s a bit anti-establishment and at times so am I. There are some very good young artists coming through but I do feel that art is a bit stuck at present in its desire to shock rather than say anything very valid. I don’t like the way that some modern artists don’t produce their own work but farm out bits to students and assistants. I like to be hands on.”

At the moment Peter is ‘hands on’, finishing off work for the exhibition in April, which will be held at the Sula gallery in the Vauxbelets. “It’s called Wild Britain,” he explains. “It celebrates the wide variety of flora and fauna and animal life in the British Islands. Included are pictures of the seasons, four of them set in the north of Guernsey and four in the west. There’s also a picture of Sark and of a channel island rock pool.”

It’s set to be a wonderful celebration of Peter’s work and his love for his island home. He’s also currently working on some large ecology and conservation works, where the work is literally bursting out of the frame.

It all sounds very exciting.

If he hadn’t been an artist, Peter says he would have been a film director in the USA. I like to think he would have been a Terence Malick, or a Martin Scorsese. But then we wouldn’t have his wonderful art, which would be a tragedy.

Peter would love to see more Guernsey youngsters being inspired by art, and has the following advice for our budding painters. “Be yourself,” he says. “Find what interests you and above all persevere. Listen to criticism but don’t let it deter you.” They are words that have obviously served him well.

Wild Britain opens on April 9th at the Sula Gallery, by the Little Chapel.