UNATTENDED BAG

I joined a health club last year and have managed very well with my expensive but necessary Brooks Ghost trainers (wide fit), two pairs of leggings and two sports tops. They served me well until mid-summer when I bought and enjoyed the benefit of a pink/black two-vest combo (in a sale) throughout the heatwaves. I felt very up-to-the minute and although I’ve seen only one other person regularly in the same combo (is that good, or bad?) I have observed throughout…

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A heavenly combination. It was a hot Fathers’ Day Sunday, and the restaurants, cafes and bars were filling up, feeding tourists and locals alike. I liked the look of Fuckoffee, but I wanted more than caffeine. I loved the intimate Casse-Croute but I wasn’t in the mood for French. I wanted down-to-earth Cockney fare and Manze’s was just a little further on Tower Bridge Road. Picture the scene…tiled walls, marble tabletops, wooden benches like church pews, a cluster of vinegars…

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What looked like a bruise on the landscape, vivid and dazzling against the hedges and traffic of Croydon Lane, proved to be one of Surrey’s best-kept secrets.  At £1 entry per person (under 16s go free) and plenty of free parking, that was a small price to pay for the opportunity to enjoy the warmth and aroma of Provence…in Banstead. Mayfield Lavender Farm, Shop and Café is a place for all ages – the children I saw were very happily…

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If anything is going to put the drudgery of spring cleaning into perspective, it’s a behind-the-scenes look at Ham House’s conservation programme during the winter months.  Filthy filters from museum brush vacuums and bags of dust and dirt, meticulously recorded for study and scrutiny, shared table room with badger and hog hair brushes and pots of furniture beetles.  Two experts in stockinged feet padded around on a 400+ year old carpet, methodically and silently replacing furniture for the imminent re-opening…

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Guilty of eating too many calories and given up on your New Year get-fit-quick regime?  Glad to have seen the back of ‘dry January’.  Whether you’ve over-indulged over Easter or are longing for longer days and shorter hours of darkness, don’t beat yourself up.  De-stress with a shot of peace and well-being at The Medicine Garden, just a stone’s throw from Cobham High Street. Whether a cold, crisp morning or a dry, rain-drenched afternoon, your visit can still deliver the…

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The night had been humid. Storms were expected. The windows were wide, devouring what cool air there was like a frog catching flies. Awoken by the rhythmic notes of bird song, I began to tune in to the regular tap-tapping I’d heard in the dawn hours over the past weeks. In that early morning dozing state, I dreamed that my neighbour was knocking at my door while his wife operated a pneumatic drill in the street. I turned my back…

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