I just received a 6498 word e-mail from Volvo on their new five-door, five-seat hatchback, the V40, which was launched at the Geneva Motorshow on 6th March. That’s the size of quite a long magazine article. The company has an awful lot to say about this new model. At first I thought this was going to be… Continue reading
Cars you don’t see so often at the petrol pump
Petrol prices have risen again in the UK. Campaigners call on the government not to raise duty, but surprisingly little is said about switching to higher mileage models. I’ve been looking at Volvo, who have a good reputation in this regard. The new Volvo V40 gives fuel consumption of 78.5 mpg. —— In the 1980s we… Continue reading →
A modern master returns to his roots – Hockney’s Yorkshire Wolds
Before our very eyes an exhibition of hundreds of paintings of trees and lanes and hills and grassy banks, set in a serene, wide-open, empty corner of England not many of us know well, is becoming one of the cultural triumphs of our times. The organisers of the Royal Academy’s David Hockney exhibition, A Bigger… Continue reading →
Afternoon tea, the great British success
This is a story of three variations on that great British success, afternoon tea. All quite different, but each, in its way meeting the same need, to halt and relax in the mid-afternoon, before a pot of tea, a plate of sandwiches, and a pyramid of cakes. We’ve been putting the afternoon on pause… Continue reading →
Pollock: from humble discard to top spot on the menu
In an average day out and about, how often do you make ethical decisions? You care for the homeless, so shouldn’t you buy that Big Issue? And why not stop for that chugger (street fundraiser), who only wants to persuade you to make a direct debit to some extremely good cause? It’s time for a… Continue reading →
Can’t commit to an electric car just yet. Why not hire one?
In the big electric car debate, two inconvenient truths confront each other. As far as the naysayers are concerned, range matters. Nissan claim 110 miles for the Nissan LEAF. (People who have driven it say it’s a less, sometimes a lot less, particularly if you drive on motorways, use the air conditioning and blast… Continue reading →