TAKE EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO DRESS UP March 11, 2010 THOSE gorgeous gowns in the Oscars earlier this week got me thinking. If I had a lovely dress (obviously nowhere near Oscar standard) where would I wear it? Maybe the odd charity ball that comes up once in a blue moon or perhaps a wedding or the races. Isn’t that a shame? Why don’t we [...]
A haunting tale of cat and mouse as a child takes on a serial killer March 10, 2010 BLACKLANDS BY BELINDA BAUER Corgi, £7.99 by Zoe Strimpel EXMOOR dripped with dirty bracken, rough, colourless grass, prickly gorse, and last year’s heather, so black it looked as if wet fire had swept across the landscape, taking the trees with it and leaving the moor cold and exposed to face the winter unprotected. Drizzle dissolved [...]
OUT OF OFFICE March 10, 2010 LONDON ASSURANCE AT THE NATIONAL Dion Boucicault, the Irish genius of London theatre in the mid-19th century, wrote the hilarious London Assurance in 1841, creating in Sir Harcourt and Lady Spanker two of the great comic roles of the English stage. Starring Simon Russell Beale and Fiona Shaw at the?NT, the action concerns love and [...]
Cracking eggs for Easter March 10, 2010 FLORAL EGG, COCOMAYA The chic Mayfair chocolate shop has come up with a rather eccentric egg, with a glittery surface decorated with a chocolate medallion embossed with the face of a Roman emperor and three little white marzipan rosettes, all nestled in a straw nest. The milk chocolate is rich and silky with a bit [...]
Put your foot down this summer March 9, 2010 WHAT’S the best way to experience the great British countryside? Some might say it’s in a country pub, with a flagon of frothing ale and a ploughman’s lunch before you. Others might say that it’s in a national park, enjoying a sandwich while perched on top of a mountain and surveying the spectacular scenery spread [...]
Embrace a world of adventure March 9, 2010 JAPAN SKI EXPERIENCE If you love skiing but are bored of France and fondue, then Japan can be a great alternative. There are now over 600 ski resorts in the country, and with annual snowfalls of up to 16m, the skiing is second to none. One of the most popular destinations, says specialist tour operator [...]
Staying afloat in zero gravity is the way to beat City stress March 9, 2010 MY abiding image of floatation therapy has always been Absolutely Fabulous’s Edina Monsoon thrashing about ridiculously in a tank in her bedroom. I think she ended up keeping a dolphin in it. Back then, the idea of relaxing by lying in a puddle of water inside what looked like a giant plastic egg seemed just [...]
OUT OF OFFICE March 9, 2010 BUTTERWORTH AT THE BRIDEWELL Find out how Jerusalem playwright Jez Butterworth made his name with the Tower Theatre Company’s staging of his acclaimed earlier show, Mojo, a scintillating tale of Soho gangsters. Until 13 March, Bridewell Theatre, Bride Lane, Fleet Street, EC4Y 8EQ. Tickets £11 from www.towertheatre.org.uk. MOTHER’S DAY AT THE MAY FAIR HOTEL Daughters [...]
Supercars go green March 9, 2010 FOR the last few years, the supercar brands largely ignored the move towards greener motoring. Instead they have continued to produce products and concepts that followed the traditional performance car development trajectory – they got faster, more powerful and generally more obnoxious. Only smaller carmakers including Koeniggsegg and Fisker Cars felt the need to experiment, [...]
Be inspired by these luscious Oscar dresses March 8, 2010 THE problem with the Oscars is that the razzle dazzle of the red carpet fizzles all too quickly once everyone is indoors and the awards actually start up. The speeches often go on too long and say too little, there are all those unglamorous, more minor awards (I don’t know about you, but I struggle [...]