In this issue

NATIONAL SERVICE
A fond look back at the years of National Service and your memories of what you had to do.

READER SURVEY
Your chance to tell us what you think about Let’s Talk.

GOOD HEALTH
It’s always a good time to choose a healthy lifestyle...

STOP ME AND BUY ONE: Nigel's on the way with his 1981 Bedford

It’s something we all recall with delight. “Mum, it’s the ice cream man!” Let’s Talk’s motoring man David Clayton meets someone happy to be the owner of a Bedford ice cream van. Bring on the Strawberry Mivvis, choc ices and 99s ...

5 mins

Beautiful Hill: Normandy Origin For A Name Meaning

Let’s Talk’s surnames expert Derek Palgrave, from Suffolk, researches three more of our readers’ names, the first of which probably stems from the geographical presence of a beautiful hill.

3 mins

Words of wisdom about a hobby so many of us love

Let’s Talk’s gardening expert Charlotte Philcox has been trawling through some books to find words of wisdom from so many people about gardening and farming. Here she shares just a few.

4 mins

Vicki remains so positive despite missing her panto

For actress Vicki Michelle, Christmas usually means performing in panto. But, due the coronavirus pandemic, this year will be different. Vicki speaks to Rachel Banham about her plans for the festive season, her outlook on life and her fond memories of filming in East Anglia.

6 mins

Two centuries on Thomas would be DELIGHTED WITH HIS SUCCESS

He was a man without sight but with such vision. Derek James remembers Thomas Tawell who died 200 years ago.

3 mins

TURNING 50

Here at Let’s Talk we recognise that our magazine is targeted at those aged 50 and older. So we hope we are always fair to our readers and to the older generation in general. But it seems many believe other media and businesses do not treat older people in the best way.

3 mins

THE CHASE COULD BE ON FOR a Norfolk home for Bradley Walsh

He is one of the most popular celebrities on television at the moment. He’s a comedian, singer, actor, personality and probably the best quiz show host doing the rounds. David Clayton looks back to when Bradley Walsh came to Cromer.

5 mins

The calendar is rolling around to the WINTER SOLSTICE

Claire Manion, of Norfolk-based Broadsky Astrology, looks at how we have always honoured the winter solstice, our shortest day.

2 mins

PEACE, GOODWILL AND PROSPERITY must surely follow

In view of such uncertainty hanging over the rest of this year – and possibly well beyond – it was hard to come up with a suitable offering for December in his usual style, says Keith Skipper. So, he has decided to settle for a festive story set in 1951, that he wrote some time ago.

3 mins

Friends

Readers of our short stories don’t have to have long memories to recall work by Anne Maxwell, who had a previous short story entry published in the summer.

7 mins

Maggie hits the bottle with some HOMEMADE SUCCESS

Maggie Gallop, a member of the Norfolk Federation of WIs, has been foraging away in the hedgerows and now has the perfect recipe for Christmas gifts for friends. Hic!

2 mins

How newly-wed stage roles led to a 40-YEAR MARRIAGE

It’s a real life love story that will leave you with a tear in your eye. This is Ashley and Aileen’s story, told here

3 mins

November, definitely a time for great TRANSFORMATION

Claire Manion, of Broadsky Astrology, Let’s Talk’s astrology columnist, loves the month of November.

2 mins

No matter what it was, that first car is never forgotten

By chance Let’s Talk’s motoring writer David Clayton stumbled across the MOT certificate for his very first car. And that led to some memories ... and this article!

6 mins

How LASTING POWERS OF ATTORNEY can be useful in a pandemic

Michelle Collins, principal at Cozens-Hardy LLP, looks at how the pandemic has made such a difference to so many aspects of what was ‘normal’ life, and here highlights LPA, a Lasting Power of Attorney.

3 mins

Lindley and Hooker, local heroes of the botanic world

Let’s Talk gardening expert Charlotte Philcox looks back at the lives of two famous botanists of the 19th Century who were both local to our region.

3 mins

Murphy's law says local radio makes a BIG DIFFERENCE

Let’s Talk David Clayton talks to Mark Murphy, a man with a passion for local radio, and a presenter with a host of fans on Radio Suffolk.

4 mins

It's a dog's life ... celebrated in A WONDERFUL EXHIBITION

It is an unusual exhibition which offers so much. While throwing the spotlight on famous people, it is their companions who take centre stage. Derek James reports.

3 mins

Garden guru Monty's celebration of the natural world

Gardening writer and broadcaster Monty Don shares his love of nature in his new book, My Garden World. Rachel Banham takes a look.

3 mins

Ant and Dec amazed at a 30-YEAR CAREER packed with success

They are the cheeky northern friends who have been familiar and award-winning faces on our TV screens for three decades. Rachel Banham reports.

2 mins

So Many Perfect Days For Our Friends, The Butterflies

Let’s Talk nature writer Barry Madden has been enjoying what has turned out to be a fantastic year for something we all have in our gardens ... butterflies.

3 mins

It's All Very Sad But There Is Plenty Of Help Available

It’s easy to say ‘It’s that time of the year again’ or to blame the weather for feeling depressed and miserable. But there is a recognised illness out there that may require treatment. Aptly, it is called SAD (seasonal affective disorder) as Terry Redhead explains.

4 mins

‘Pointless' friend Richard tries his hand at MURDER

Television producer and presenter Richard Osman has two books published this autumn. Rachel Banham takes an early look at his debut novel, The Thursday Murder Club.

3 mins

THE GIFT

SHORT STORY

8 mins

Scented plants GIVE MUCH JOY for those with a ‘nose'

It’s not all beauty and colour in your garden. You can also be led by your nose, as Let’s Talk’s gardening expert Charlotte Philcox reminds us.

4 mins

Our teachers were TOP of the class

They are people who tend to make a big impression on our lives and we never forget them. Derek James pays tribute to our teachers.

6 mins

Drummer Bobby's ‘Hollies' days stretch over six decades

As the influential drummer for The Hollies, Bobby Elliott has musical anecdotes spanning six decades. Now, he has brought those memories together in his autobiography, It Ain’t Heavy, It’s My Story. Bobby speaks to Rachel Banham.

5 mins

Always bright and early, it's Rachel with the headlines

David Clayton chats to former Radio Suffolk presenter Rachel Burden, now getting up extra early to bring us the national news and interviews on BBC TV and radio.

4 mins

Hitting the charts as one of THE UK'S MOST POPULAR DESTINATIONS

Locals and visitors know the village of Lavenham in Suffolk. Now it has grabbed a spot in the top 20 list of UK villages to which people would like to live.

1 min

A Blower Bentley that is so ENORMOUSLY DESIRABLE

In 1930 Captain Wyndham contacted Mr Bentley at his Cricklewood works in North London and ordered himself a car. Not just any car, a car that 90 years later would be one of the most coveted vehicles in the world. Let’s Talk’s motoring writer David Clayton tells the story.

6 mins

Read all stories from Let's Talk

Let's Talk Magazine Description:

Nostalgia, gardening, advice, travel, puzzles and celebrity interviews all make a monthly appearance in East Anglia's best-loved magazine.“Let's Talk is a lifestyle magazine covering East Anglia, from North Essex to the “bump” that ...