Category Archives: Life & Style

Michael Rowan welcomes the return of an Icon

Posted on by

 

In 1840 James Pimm, a successful entrepreneur, established himself as ‘the Oyster Man’ within the Square Mile, where he served oysters together with his famous Pimm’s No 6.

Pimm’s No 6 disappeared in the early 1900s but has been brought back in 2018 thanks to an imaginative partnership between Seafood Merchants, the Wright Brothers and Pimms, to once again offer the classic pairing of Oysters and Pimm’s No 6.

Intrigued, a friend and I headed for Kingsley Road, a busy thoroughfare in the heart of London’s Soho to see for ourselves if history was worth repeating.

The Wright Brother’s Seafood Restaurant, one of three restaurants (the other two are at Spitalfields and Battersea) are serving their Oysters together with Pimm’s No 6 for the summer.

The white tiled restaurant with its antiqued mirrors has a suitably relaxed and friendly vibe where the friendly staff are so passionate about the food it would be impossible not be swept up in their enthusiasm.

The Pimm’s No 6 is delicious and refreshing, Pimm’s Vodka Cup with Botanical Tonic water poured over ice and completed with a twist of orange peel to release its citrus oil and a sprig of lavender to add a welcome dash of colour.

To be honest I could drink Pimm’s No 6 on its own but with the most delicious oysters our taste buds were transported to another level and the face of my companion said it all. If Pimms No 6 tastes of summer then the Oysters most definitely taste of the sea.

Oysters from Morecombe, Lindisfarne and Waterford Bay, Ireland, nestled on a bed of crushed ice and tasted as fresh as the sea where the only accompaniment required was a wedge of lemon, and a salad onion Vinaigrette and of course a glass of Pimm’s No 6

Pimm’s No 6 is exclusive to Wright Brothers Restaurant’s and will be served at various iconic events in London including the Wimbledon Championship.

At school I was taught that history repeats itself and in the case of Oysters and Pimm’s No 6, I for one am very glad that it does.

To purchase Pimm’s No 6: www.harveynichols.com/brand/pimm-s/328701-number-6-vodka-cup/p2596460/

 

http://thewrightbrothers.co.uk/

 

 

 

 

A Day In The Life of Shelagh Mazey

Posted on by

For years I’ve been a frustrated story-teller, never having the time or peace to be able to concentrate and hurtling through life from one crisis to another, but now every day is like a blank page, here in my thatched cottage in Somerset.

shelelaghatherworkspace
I met Margaret Graham years ago, at a writing circle in Yeovil. We have been friends ever since and good grief, the adventures we’ve had, as awe snatched moments from the home-front. I remember with fondness a trip across Ireland on a coach, enlivened by two America Baptist Ministers. We’ve seldom laughed so much, alongside absorbing the history of the place for a book Margaret was writing. It was here I kissed the Blarney stone. Perhaps that’s where the story telling began.

shelaghkissinghebarneystone

As time went on the sleepless nights with newborns; the back-breaking, lifting and chasing of toddlers; the homework of school years; the endless chauffeuring of teenagers, and the frantic the frantic worry of them prematurely experiencing the joys and heartache of the opposite sex, drunkenness, drugs and all-night raves became a memory.

No more renovating the derelict cottage sold long ago. No more rising at 6:30am to rush off to work as a practice secretary. At last my ship, with its rather bedraggled rigging, has sailed into a harbour of refuge. I am retired. Whoopee!

Now I listen as my husband leaves for work and lie in bed for a few more minutes, where in a state of alpha I’m able to dream. Then I soak in the bath, empty my mind and plan the trials and tribulations, love stories, intrigues, and let’s not forget the murders and rapes of my 19th century stories.

After breakfast I type out my bath-time plots. I usually write or research on-line, with a short lunch-break, until about 3.30pm and then I need to take a breather. I might do some gardening; mow the lawn, weeding or dead-heading just to breathe some fresh air.

Shelaghgarden

Yes, my life has indeed reached peaceful harbour; my daughter-in-law takes the ironing each week and I take the grandchildren. I’m lucky, they’re lovely.

Shelaghwithgrands

Of course, aside from the writing, I do have to participate in marketing the books and I’ve made many friends, particularly on Portland, through this. Every now and then I take a friend with me and drive down to the coast to deliver to my outlets there. We usually enjoy lunch at the Lobster Pot on Portland Bill.

Shelaghportland

The tales my father told, as a born and bred Portlander have inspired my writing, and my first two books are based around that area. Somehow it makes me feel closer to my parents.

Shelaghdadandbridgetonportland

I’ve now published two books with Matador. The first is Brandy Row (A love triangle and family saga set on Portland, involving smuggling and the preventive service).

10Shelagh

The sequel is Dawn to Deadly Nightshade (continuing with the family, but adding witchcraft in Somerset to the mix).

Shelaghmazey
My third novel is located partly in Dorset, Somerset, Tasmania and Australia. It tells the tale of the ex convicts who were transported to the antipodes and involves the excitement of the Victorian goldfields. I’ve finished the first draft and I’m busy doing the revisions. I hope to bring out Legacy of Van Diemen’s Land next spring.

I totally love my life now. I am a writer. It is my dream come true.

THE BUSINESS OF BOOKS: THE KITCHEN CLASS OF 2017

Posted on by

Jane Cable catches up with RNA friends

There is a tradition at Romantic Novelists’ Association conferences that the really important stuff happens in the kitchens of the shared accommodation. And for me (and I’m sure I’m not alone) the really important stuff was making friends with other writers. Almost a year later most of us have kept in touch and there have been many successes to celebrate. To be honest, I haven’t had the best year of my writing career but being able to cheer on my new friends had been a pleasure which has kept me going.

Jan Baynham, another writer from my home city of Cardiff feels the same: “No exciting publisher or agent news from me, I’m afraid, but I’ve been delighted to read about others’ successes this year. There’s been so much to celebrate! I’ve spent the time since the Conference submitting my first novel to publishers. Two recent rejections have given me very encouraging feedback and spurred me on. One editor said my novel fell into ‘the nearly-but-not-quite’ category, telling me why, but said she would be happy to consider further submissions from me. A second was even more complimentary about the quality of the writing and has asked to see my second mother-daughter saga that’s partly set in Greece. I’m working hard to get Whispering Olive Trees ready to submit to her.”

Jan’s travelling companion last year was Sue McDonagh whose debut novel has just been published by Choc Lit, but it hasn’t always been an easy road. “I wrote, learned and submitted until that magical ‘Yes’. There was joy – until the edits came in. Christmas to February, Writing Boot Camp, I rewrote almost every word, hacked back rookie errors of over-blown baddies and plot lines that went nowhere. My timeline was a joke.  I despaired that the ending would ever work. I couldn’t do it. I could, and it did, miraculously. I painted the front cover, another highlight. Published five days ago, Summer at the Art Café is already earning a slew of 5* reviews. I’m still learning – it’s a steep curve!”

Another kitchen compatriot discovering the joy of a publishing deal was Cornwall based Kitty Wilson. “My writing life has been a whirlwind since we all sat around the kitchen table at the RNA conference last year. I have gone from wannabe novelist used to micro-expressions that flashed sympathy and suggested delusion to fully fledged author. By January I had landed myself my dream agent, had to choose which publisher to go with and spent a lot of time pinching myself – it was all so dreamlike. With my first book coming out next month, the second nearly completed and a whole series to write, 2018 is going to be a very busy, but very happy, year.” The cover of the first of her Cornish Village School books has just been revealed, ready for publication next month.

When we met last year Susanna Bavin already had her deal with Allison & Busby, and her writing career is going from strength to strength: “It’s been a year of dreams coming true for me. My debut saga, The Deserter’s Daughter, has been published in hardback, e-book, audiobook, large print and paperback. My second, A Respectable Woman, will appear in the same formats; and I have a contract for another two. The best moment? Out of a year of ‘best moments,’ the very best was listening to The Deserter’s Daughter as an audiobook read by Julia Franklin. I’ve listened to audiobooks for years and Julia is one of my two favourite readers, so having her as ‘my’ reader is wonderful.”

Last but not least, Kirsten Hesketh feels she’s on the verge of something big too: “What a year! The main thing I have learned over the past year is not to submit your work too early to agents! After a round of ‘good’ rejections last September, I spent the next few months editing, restructuring, polishing and then getting a critique from the marvellous Alison May whose advice made all the difference. Then I did it all again!  The result is …. I now have an agent! I am thrilled to be represented by the wonderful Felicity Trew and have just had the excitement of having my book taken to the London Book Fair. Fingers crossed!”

 

 

 

The Grid: An Immersive Black Mirror/Dystopia Inspired Escape Experience

Posted on by

Image:  Courtesy of brand

The Grid is an immersive, multi-room alcoholic escape experience where patrons get to go undercover an Artificial Intelligence firm in an attempt to learn and defeat the “system”

The tech-driven escape experience challenges guests to puzzles across a series of rooms, with the bar as a backdrop.

Participants are invited to join The Grid, a secret society of individuals working to safeguard humanity’s future against machines.

On the day of the experience, they arrive undercover at the AI corp’s (neosight.org) HQ, where they must move between different rooms, interacting with the Artificial Intelligence and Neosight specialist technology as they try to stop the corp from crunching human data for the “greater good”. The 1.5 hour experience is full of surprises, bespoke tech and futurists tonics (sci-fi cocktails).

“I believe the future of hospitality is all about having fun. Fun now lies in experiences and not only food and drink. This is our first multi-room experience and I am very excited for it,” said Sebastian Lyall, Founder of Lollipop, the immersive experience group behind The Grid.

Lollipop is an immersive lifestyle group known for its experiential creations both here and abroad, including ABQ (abqlondon.com), The Bletchley (thebletchley.co.uk) and The Bunyadi (thebunyadi.com). The mission of the group is to design experiences that cater to the more demanding consumer of today. The group has also recently launched a drink at home wine experience, Vinny (wearevinny.com)

The Grid is set to open its door to public in July/Aug. The waiting list is now open and reservations will be released on a first come first served basis.

Tickets will be priced between £30-£40 per head for a 1h 30m experience and 2 cocktails.

Website: thegrid.london (use code 456712)

NEW BLOOD BOOSTS BRITAIN’S GOTHIC FANG CLUB

Posted on by

From Bram Stoker’s Dracula to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Britons have been devouring gothic literature for over 200 years. But after more than two centuries is our appetite for the gothic finally starting to wane? To hell it is, writes novelist Katja Brown – it’s more alive than ever.

I’m often asked why the gothic still appeals. The genre is a creation that compels everyone from a lover of romantic fiction to a lover of blood and guts. Whilst it doesn’t hinge on these elements they add to it and create something that is constantly reinventing itself. The gothic is essentially the presentation of a ‘terrible beauty’, a collection of literary conventions that come together beautifully to scare, entrance and hook the reader. In what other genre could a character such as Dracula exist? He is a character you love to hate, the greatest anti-hero that has been thought up and is so loved by readers and authors alike that he has been revived ever since in one incarnation or another.

The gothic appeals because inside every reader there is still a spark, a need, a deep desire to be scared by something beautiful, something obscure and otherworldly. I think this genre inhabits the part of your imagination that wants to see the world differently, that imagines alternate possibilities to the norm and much like a vampire it doesn’t stay down for long. Once you pick up a gothic book it’s like a budding romance: you feel as if you have to know how it ends and the truth is… no one really knows why. It happens with other genres, sure, but the gothic has something special about it. You’ve heard that girls are attracted to the bad boys? Well it’s the same idea.

Throughout history the gothic has been the mother of great tomes and literary works of genius, manipulated and reshaped to fit the changing times. From Bram Stoker’s famous fanged fiend Dracula, to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, we’ve watched as this genre has survived the stress of time and made it here to 2018. Thanks to a wealth of fabulous new gothic books, and also to the Twilight series, I’ve no doubt that it will keep kicking long after. 

It has endured because we as humans want a thrill, we actively seek out the new and terrifying because we want to feel our hearts quicken, our palms get sweaty and the hairs on the back of our neck stand on end. It is the gothic that provides those sensations, every page walking the razors edge between dream and reality.

What’s so loveable is that behind the things that go bump in the night, behind the sublime descriptions, the complicated characters and the narrations I guarantee there will always be something to learn – from a moral lesson to something more practical (‘don’t go down the scary-looking corridor by yourself late at night). The gothic has and will probably always be used to impart some sort of wisdom from one person to the next and it doesn’t matter what piece of gothic literature you pick up, it’ll be there between the lines. All you have to do is look.

The gothic helps define us as people, understand our own identity by understanding what we are not. We are not immortal, so, unlike Dracula, we learn to live like there’s no tomorrow. We shape ourselves based on what knowledge we assimilate, but the gothic gives us imagination and way to step out of our lives for a few hundred pages, a chapter each night, a page between coffee and cake. That is why it appeals, why it still appeals, why it always will.   

Katja Brown is an acclaimed gothic novelist. Her seat-of-the-pants debut novel, The First Bride (Austin Macauley) is out now in paperback and eBook from Amazon UK.

   

5 Simple Tips for Saving Money on Over-50’s Car Insurance

Posted on by

Credit: https://unsplash.com/photos/nw6xREmkXkg

Over 50’s are the second safest group of drivers on the road but their insurance policies often don’t reflect their years of experience and good safety record.  Consider these suggestions for saving money on your car insurance.

 

  1. Increase your car’s security

One of the factors which will increase the cost of your car insurance is the probability of theft or damage to your car.  If you live in a high-risk area it makes sense to try and minimise the risk.  The cost of renting a garage might be more than offset by a reduction in the cost of your car insurance and you’ll have the additional benefit of not having to worry about finding a parking space.  You can talk to your insurer about the benefits of car insurance and ask your questions to understand How much is a windshield deductible? and how an insurance can be helpful in such scenarios. You should also consider fitting an alarm system or using a steering lock, both of which could reduce the cost of your premiums.

  1. Avoid auto renewal

A comparethemarket report revealed that drivers over the age of fifty can save an average of around £45 by shopping around, so make sure that you compare the quotes online.  You don’t have to wait for your renewal date before you can change your policy, you can switch at any time.  Check the cost of the admin fee but it may still be worth your while to switch, if you’ve found a good deal.  Always pay upfront, paying by instalments will add a considerable cost to the price of your insurance.  Look at your voluntary excess, if you increase this amount, it could lower your premiums, but be sure that you compare the saving you could make with the cost of what you’d have to pay in the event of an accident.  Look at the detail of your policy, do you really need extras such as a courtesy car?  Comprehensive cover may actually be cheaper than third party.  By selecting comprehensive cover, you appear to be low risk and consequently your premium is lower.

  1. How you drive and how far you drive affect the cost of your insurance

Most people over estimate their annual mileage and as a result they pay more for their insurance than they need to.  Look for ways to reduce your mileage: don’t use your car for short trips, try walking or using public transport.  Remember that many companies offer discounts for over-50’s, such as National Rail.  Consider installing telematics, a device insurers put inside your car to monitor how you drive: if you’re a safe, sensible driver, this could save you money.

  1. Switch to a car which is cheaper to insure

Insurers place all cars in an insurance group, if your car is a top range model it is likely to be in an expensive group because the repair costs are high.  Cars with smaller engines are statistically less likely to be involved in an accident and are therefore cheaper to insure.

5. Make sure you are on the electoral roll

Some insurance companies check whether you are on the electoral roll to confirm your identity in order to avoid fraud. Make sure you’re on the electoral roll and all your details are up to date just in case. You can check whether you’re registered by phoning up your local electoral registration office. Find their details on the your vote matters website by entering your postcode.

 

Pleasance’s festival programme at Edinburgh Fringe 2018 is now complete

Posted on by

 

So let’s see what’s on offer as a great selection of shows go on sale to complete the Pleasance’s fantastic festival programme

The Pleasance is a place for experiences and, this year marks Pleasance’s boldest programme yet. From the funny to the sorrowful, the political to the magical, the Pleasance has always been a place for incredible stories and 2018 takes this tradition to a new level.

 

The phenomenal theatre programme includes: Revenants by the amazing Nichola McAuliffe which looks at oppression, prejudice and revolution; Terry Johnson’s Ken which comes to its spiritual home in Edinburgh celebrating the life of the maverick writer and theatre director, Ken Campbell; one of the greatest ever interpreters of Brel’s music in Peter Straker Sings Brel; comedian Frank Skinner turning his hand to theatre with his debut play Nina’s Got News; and Brexit, a new political satire by Robert Khan and Tom Salinsky (writers of previous Edinburgh sell-out hits Coalition and Making News), looking at what may be happening in the final stages of the Brexit negotiations in 2020!

Pleasance Courtyard

Pleasance is also renowned for its extraordinarily entertaining comedy programme. 2018 sees some big names returning to the Fringe including John Kearns, Matt Forde, Seann Walsh, Ciarán Dowd, Adam Kay, Jayde Adams, Robert White, Flanders and Swann, Iain Stirling and Rachel Parris. 

 

Tickets for the whole of  Pleasance programme is now on sale and it’s going to keep you busy and entertained.

Twitter @ThePleasance, #ThePleasance Facebook   Facebook.com/ThePleasance

Box Office Tickets for all shows are available at and 0131 556 6550.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Circa – Peepshow: Might be one to clear the diary for. Certainly it’ll make you feel  very unfit.

Posted on by

 

Underbelly Festival, Jubilee Gardens, London SE1 8XX Wednesday 27th June – Sunday 18th August 2018

 

photo by Kurt Petersen

Circa comes to London with Peepshow, an exciting European premiere that turns cabaret on its head, literally.  Join ‘the rockstars of the circus world’ as they embark on a seductive dance through the hall of mirrors that is your imagination.

By makers of the smash-hit shows Humans, Beyond, Wunderkammer and Closer, Peepshow combines some of the finest acrobatic talent on the planet under the direction of circus visionary Yaron Lifschitz to create an exhilarating ride into the beautifully bizarre recesses of your mind.

Playing with the extreme physicality of this troupe of phenomenal acrobats, Circa blur the lines between movement, dance, theatre and circus.  Exploring the concept of looking and being looked at, Peepshow uses circus to explore themes of gender and sexuality on the stage.

Yaron Lifschitz comments, I hope that Peepshow is one of those shows which is able to transform people’s expectations, bringing us new sensibilities with unexpected pleasures, and bridges the world between art and entertainment.  Peepshow is the latest in Circa’s latest postcabaret adventure. These take the form of cabaret and Circa’s medium of circus, add some extra ingredients (in Peepshow’s case a nightclub, a dream and ideas of looking) and shake. They shake so hard things break, stick together and turn wonderfully weird.  The resulting cocktail is a fantasia designed to thrill and delight. 

Peepshow’s music is an original track written by Ori Lichtik (Batsheeva Dance Company) with an interlude of Sweet Dreams (originally by Eurythmics).  Peepshow lets audiences see the world from the other side of the mirror.

Circa Contemporary Circus is one of the world’s leading performance companies.  To date, Circa has toured to 39 countries across six continents and in 2016 alone performed over 450 performances to over 180,000 audience members locally, nationally and internationally.  As a champion of live performance, Circa manages arTour and was the Creative Lead for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games arts and cultural programme.

 

Circa acknowledges the assistance of the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body and the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland.

Wednesday 27th June – Sunday 18th August 2018