Living the charmed life July 25, 2012 Pandora Union Jack London Bus charm ‰ £40 ‰ pandora.net Pandora British Rose charm ‰ £40 ‰ pandora.net (£6 goes to ABF The Soldiers’ Charity) Pandora Murano glass charm ‰ £40 ‰ pandora.net Links 18ct Rose Gold Thumbprint Star Charm ‰ £310 ‰ linksoflondon.com Old Bond Street W1 charm ‰ £120 ‰ tiffany.co.uk Wimbledon Hat [...]
Safety still rules at unflashy Volvo July 24, 2012 The law of Jante is a Swedish idea that discourages individuality and showing off. Literally it means: “Don’t think you’re anyone special or that you’re better than us”. It’s a fascinating idea because it’s contrary to the concept of a premium car, which by its very nature means “I deserve the best”. This puts Volvo [...]
CAR TALK July 24, 2012 Vauxhall’s new urban-chic small car Vauxhall has released images of its new urban-chic small car which will be launched at this year’s Paris motor show in September. Called Adam, the three-door, four-seater has a distinctive two-tone “floating” roof and will be offered with a choice of three petrol engines with optional start/stop technology and a [...]
Alpine school holiday heaven July 22, 2012 JAKE’S huge grin said it all. But in case I’d missed his wild enthusiasm as our raft careered down the white waters of the River Arve, he spelled it out with a series of whoops: “Best. Fun. Ever.” Chamonix, which bills itself as the ultimate summer playground for children, had really delivered on its promise. [...]
Holy smoke! The Dark Knight Rises rocks July 19, 2012 FILM THE DARK KNIGHT RISES Cert 12A | By Steve Dinneen ***** UNLESS you’ve lived in a cupboard for the last six months, it won’t have escaped you that there is a new Batman movie. Even if you have, you’ll probably have heard about it anyway. You’ll have seen a trailer through the little crack [...]
Microsoft launches new Office July 18, 2012 Microsoft boasts that its Office software – which includes Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint – is used by more than 1bn people. It is the company’s biggest revenue driver, bringing in an astonishing $15bn a year. Around 90 per cent of business PCs use it. And yet many people see the new version of Office, [...]
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 [...]