Sore arms and seals in Canada’s beautiful waters February 14, 2010 IT is a bright, warm and dazzling spring day and we are paddling our solo sea kayaks straight into the wind and sun. White diamond rays of sunlight bounce off the ocean; it looks like a carpet of sequins. With the wind roaring in my ears, I set my core muscles to firm, get my [...]
RED DRESSES IN FOR SPRING February 14, 2010 LAST Friday was “wear red day” in the States, in support of the American Heart Association. Here in London, although red is a huge colour for spring, there appears to be some trepidation amongst City professionals about sporting it in the office. In the States, red has somewhat aggressive connotations if worn in interviews; here [...]
The return of the plain white shirt February 14, 2010 THE white shirt is to men what the little black dress is to women – it goes with anything, can be extremely formal or stylishly casual, and everyone has one. In fact, every chap should have several, since it’s back in fashion, particularly in the City. Eighteen months ago, when expressing brash confidence rather than [...]
Get into the foreign property game at a fraction of the cost February 11, 2010 FOR many people, owning a foreign property would be the ultimate luxury. However, dealing with local authorities, maintaining the place, or renting it out can turn a luxury into a time-consuming, costly hassle. And that assumes you can really afford the place of your dreams, rather than a flat in a high-rise overlooking a crowded [...]
FOCUS ON: DARTFORD, KENT February 11, 2010 EYNSFORD HOUSE, HIGH STREET, EYNSFORD, DA4 0AA Price: £850,000 This Grade II-listed cottage is in the heart of Eynsford, which is just outside Dartford and 40 minutes from Victoria by train. The house, dating from the 18th century, has plenty of period features such as beams, an exposed brick fireplace and arched door frames. There [...]
Q&A: SELLING February 11, 2010 Q.Dear Russell, I have been looking for a while and I have never come across a probate sale, despite hearing about them. How do you find out about these types of sales? A.Most probate sales – that is, when the home-owner has died – never make the open market, which is why you probably haven’t [...]
Indulge your inner vanity queen February 11, 2010 WHEN Claridges launched an ultraglamorous package last year that revolved around having a vintage Christian Dior dressing table in the room, alongside a “dressing table service” (a Frank Sinatra CD, a room service cocktail and more), it was official. Dressing tables are back. In our harried world, taking the time to sit before a mirror [...]
Firth shines in fashionable drama February 11, 2010 Film A SINGLE MAN Cert: 12A Fashion designer – and world’s most stylish dude – Tom Ford makes his directorial debut with A Single Man, and boy won’t he let you forget it. An adaptation of a Christopher Isherwood novel about a day in the life of a college professor named George who is grieving [...]
OUT THIS WEEKEND February 11, 2010 FILM The wolfman Ropey remake of the Sixties classic, with Benicio del Toro and Emily Blunt. Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief Adventure flick for teenagers. pretty woman 25th anniversary re-release for the rom com that made Julia Roberts’s name. DVD The time traveler’s wife Weak adaptation of Audrey Niffenegger’s romantic tearjerker. The [...]
When quiet love and death collide with the noisy banalities of money February 10, 2010 THE OTHER FAMILY by JOANNA TROLLOPE Doubleday, £18.99 by Zoe Strimpel Trollope’s fifteenth novel starts from a rock-solid premise – that is, one guaranteed to stir something in most people’s bosoms. Richie Rossiter, a musician just a bit past his prime, suddenly dies. In London, he’s got three daughters with Chrissie, a beautiful blonde and [...]