IT’S ALL IN THE TOES May 26, 2009 SHOES haven’t been this exciting since the glitter platforms of the Seventies. Ranging from gladiators to skyscrapers to espadrilles, there’s just about every fabulous colour, heel and fabric imaginable to indulge even the wildest Imelda-esque shoe tastes. Women have always loved buying footwear, probably because your shoe size tends to stay the same whatever your [...]
Preaching to the converted May 26, 2009 INVERNESS. Picture-postcard scenes. Cloudless blue skies and 26 degrees. It’s May. Added to that, there are miles upon miles of clear winding roads, the occasional switchback series of bends and rarely a building in sight. All in all, it’s not a bad draw for a weekday. BMW has also given me the key to a [...]
Boosting your immune system will help you make the most of summer May 25, 2009 TO the great vindication of blokes the world over, it seems that man flu may not be a myth after all. Research recently published found that oestrogen boosts the immune system, meaning that women are better able to fight off infection than men. Chaps, it seems, really do get iller and take longer to recover [...]
A futuristic “art” hotel in Poznan replaces room keys with iPhones May 25, 2009 I AM standing in the middle of a dark hallway, pressing an application on an iPhone that is not mine. While I wait it’s saying something in Polish, which I hope is “opening door.” Cha-ching: a bleeping noise and the sound of a lock decoupling. I push into my room. This is not your average [...]
Opera-themed restaurant in the City hits the wrong notes May 25, 2009 YOU can hire out Bel Canto’s opera-singing waiters and waitresses – who are liable to break into arias while you tuck into your foie gras – for private events. It may be a better way to enjoy their prodigious talents than visiting this ropey restaurant. If warbling waiting staff isn’t the campest dining idea ever, Bel [...]
OTHER PLACES IN LONDON TO ENJOY MUSIC WHILE YOU EAT May 25, 2009 VIVA VERDISitting just behind Tate Modern in Bankside, Viva Verdi specialises in wine, prosciutto, and other Italian delicacies. Regular musical events include jazz evenings and opera, including a live performance of the latter tomorrow night. 6 Canvey Street, SE1 9AN; 020 7928 6867, www.vivaverdiwinebar.com RONNIE SCOTT’SThe capital’s most famous jazz club and Soho institution continues [...]
The untarnished beauty of the Suffolk coastline May 21, 2009 THE recent episode of The Apprentice in which the contestants struggled to devise an attractive marketing campaign for the Kent seaside town of Margate, was a good demonstration of the jaded reputation many of Britain’s coastal resorts have earned. But had they been applying their efforts to the towns lining the Suffolk coast, chief among [...]
Q&A: SALES May 21, 2009 Q. Dear Russell, I’ve put an offer in on a property that I really like but so has another party. The vendor has said that he wants to do a contract race in order to decide. What does that mean?A. A contract race is very much first-past-the-post – basically the first party to have read [...]
FOCUS ON: IPSWICH, SUFFOLK May 21, 2009 GREEN FARM, NEAR STOWMARKET, IP14 3REPrice: Offers in excess of £975,000If you’re looking for the property that has everything then this is it. Believed to date from the 16th century, this listed barn conversion comes complete with swimming pool, tennis courts, and even a carp lake/boating pond. Inside, the house has recently been modernised but [...]
Cyprus is a place in the sun and a lot more besides May 21, 2009 FOR Britons, Cyprus has turned into something of an upmarket Marbella, without the crowds. With unrealised investment potential and a load more untarnished space in which to enjoy golf, watersports, beautiful landscape and good weather for most of the year, it’s no wonder savvy investors are looking to the island to buy property. What with [...]