THE OFFICE RIVALS July 18, 2012 Google Docs Google is doing its best to convince businesses that Microsoft Office is an unnecessary expense in a cloud-based world. Its Google Docs service is free and integrates seamlessly with its email and calendar products. While it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of Office, it is a decent service that is constantly [...]
London market drags up overall UK house prices July 17, 2012 THE UK’S house price recovery continued in May, led by a buoyant London property market, according to data released yesterday by the Office for National Statistics. In the year to May UK house prices climbed 2.3 per cent, driven by a 7.2 per cent jump in London – the largest since November 2010 – and [...]
Forget the dancing and eat July 16, 2012 RESTAURANT DSTRKT 9 Rupert Street, W1D 6DG www.dstrkt-london.com FOOD **** SERVICE **** atmosphere *** Cost per person without wine: £50 DSTRKT didn’t sound like my kind of place at all. It’s part nightclub and I hate those – I particularly don’t feel like clubbing after dinner. What with its club, its fancy cocktails, its caviar [...]
The best ways to stay fit despite the summer downpour July 16, 2012 Torrential rain is hardly the best motivation to take that run you’d been planning. But sometimes the wet makes little difference – it might even help. INDOOR CLIMBING Londoners are spoilt for choice when it comes to climbing. The Arch at London Bridge (archclimbingwall.com, 020 7407 0999) offers some great bouldering routes, while The Castle [...]
Something different for the summer… July 16, 2012 FITNESS & DIET EXPERT I don’t know about you but every so often I need some life breathed into my fitness routine. Not in the form of a wacky new class; more like something that I’d usually do but with a twist. These are the two things currently making me smile on my fitness radar: [...]
London leads July drop-off in house prices July 15, 2012 House prices dived in July, after a double hit from bad weather and sporting distractions, according to Rightmove’s July House Price Index released today. The average property asking price was £242,097 in July, 1.7 per cent lower than the £246,235 recorded in June. However this average was still 2.3 per cent up on the year, [...]
Roughing it in style in Peru July 15, 2012 OF ALL the things one might expect to find at the bottom of a steep dell in the Peruvian rainforest, the rusted iron hulk of an ancient steamboat would not be high on the list. And yet I’m looking at just that scene: decades after the boat somehow came to rest here, its old funnel [...]
House prices stall in June but annual picture remains solid July 12, 2012 AFTER six months of growth, house prices inched down in June, according to a report released today by LSL Property Services. The average UK house price crept down to £224,102, a 0.1 per cent fall on the month, said LSL. On an annualised basis, however house prices were up three per cent. “Despite the recession [...]
Hip, hip, odrome! July 12, 2012 LEICESTER Square, 1900. Inside the newly opened Hippodrome, polar bears and elephants parade about and a troop of acrobatic dwarves dive from the Gods into a tank – across the room, Harry Houdini is performing some of his most spectacular acts. At its peak, the Hippodrome, built by Victorian theatre architect extraordinaire Frank Matcham, was [...]
Proms to kick off with an all-English menu July 12, 2012 The Proms start today, and so begins London’s most impressive yearly cultural festival. Naturally, rather than be eclipsed by that other London event this year, something to do with sport, the Proms has joined forces with it, forming a key part of the the London 2012 Festival. Opening night of the Olympics, then, will be [...]