Episode 26: a troubled outlook for Q4 September 5, 2011 EMMA and Maria are interviewing nannies. On the principle that three’s a crowd, I’ve taken Noel shopping. Dates and numbers swirl in my head as we walk down the street. The twins are due on 14 October but will probably arrive before then. The weight of the smaller twin has increased but a birth close [...]
Motor chic: look the part on an autumn drive in the Alps September 5, 2011 AUTUMN breaks don’t come much more spectacular than driving holidays in the Alps, where the summer season still has a month and a half to go. Hiring a classic set of wheels for a buzz along the snaking Stelvio Pass or the Grossglockner High Alpine road still has the glamour of the great age of [...]
HOW TO GET DRESSED: EUROPE CITY BREAK September 5, 2011 FOUNDERS OF ROUS ILAND MEMBERS’ BOUTIQUE, WWW.ROUSILAND.COM Q. I’m grabbing an early-autumn break in Rome, rather than heading to the beach. It’s still hot there: what do I need to look cool in the city? A.Rome in September can be pretty sweltering but you need to dress city (and sometimes Vatican) appropriate. Set yourself apart from [...]
FASHION NEWS September 5, 2011 WINDOWS ON THE FASHION WORLD The self-proclaimed hub of London Fashion Week, the May Fair Hotel, is going all out for fashion week (16-21 Sep). For one thing, its windows will be transformed into works of fashion art, a la Champs Elysee. Elsewhere there you’ll find fashion week cocktails and even a themed spa treatment. Stratton [...]
Peathead’s paradise on the Hebrides September 5, 2011 FOR the malt whisky enthusiast, the Scottish island of Islay is undoubtedly the place to visit when it comes to exploring some of the finest and most flavoursome whiskies in the world. Once the staple preserve for a generation of rosy-cheeked grandfathers, malt whisky is currently enjoying something of a renaissance with a new group [...]
Chilled red wine? You must be…deadly serious September 5, 2011 HEAD SOMMELIER AND MANAGER OF LUTYENS RESTAURANT IMAGINE for a moment that the English weather hasn’t let you down, that you’re basking in the sunshine of a glorious late summer (or early autumn) day. You want the refreshment of a white wine but you’re more of a red drinker. You could reach for the rosé [...]
BID BATTLE FOR CHARTER AS US RIVAL CHARGES IN September 4, 2011 US MANUFACTURING group Colfax last night emerged as a rival bidder to Melrose for Charter International, a UK engineering group, in an increasingly fierce £1.5bn plus takeover battle. Charter, which has been courted by Melrose for over eight weeks, appeared to be close to agreeing a deal last week after the turnaround specialist raised its [...]
Vickers’ bank ringfence to reduce GDP growth September 4, 2011 FORCING structural reform on banks could slash the UK’s GDP growth by 0.3 per cent, according to an independent forecaster. The warning will add to worries in Downing Street that, alongside the Eurozone crisis, Vickers could contribute to a perfect storm threatening to tip the UK back into recession. The Item Club, a body run [...]
Darling: King lacked the trust of City bankers during crisis September 4, 2011 FORMER chancellor Alistair Darling was so anxious about Mervyn King’s inaction during the financial crisis that he sought advice on overruling the Bank of England on use of its lending facility, he has revealed. In an extract of his memoirs, which will be published on Wednesday, Darling writes: “The Bank was slow to recognise the [...]
How Washington created sub-prime September 4, 2011 AMERICANS love lawsuits. It’s the way they do business. But the news that the authorities supervising the US housing agencies are suing 17 banks over the sub-prime crisis was unintentionally hilarious. To see why, recall that the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp (Freddie Mac) – government sponsored [...]
