Thank goodness that’s over! So long, wettest-February-on-record; good riddance, miserable winter. For the first time in ages, the forecast in some parts of Britain is predicting sun for several days. The bright months are back again, and how welcome they are. As David Hockney recently put it, in a caption of a painting of butter-golden … Read more
B&Bs are perfect for the millions of us who enjoy this singularly British way of staying a night or two away from home. It all comes down to being treated as guests, not clients. True, B&Bs all over Britain have had a fight on their hands in recent times, with budget hotel chains making inroads … Read more
NATURE TURNING THE BOAT FOR HOME By Richard Mabey (Chatto £18.99, 262pp) As a young man working in publishing, Richard Mabey would use his lunch hour to go for a walk, observing kestrels wheeling overhead, sand martins burrowing in a sandbank and the profusion of plants such as Canadian fleabane and Indian balsam. Far from … Read more