Category: Columns

Heated Throw Blanket£59.99 | www.vonhaus.com Be snug as a bug with this cosy heated throw from Vonhaus. Made of soft fleece and double flannel, this luxury throw is super comfortable and perfect for these colder days and chillier January nights. Featuring nine heat settings, you can comfortably find the right temperature for you depending on […]

We hear from our local expert, Matt Todd I hope you have all had a cracking Christmas, enjoying quality time with your families and friends (or quietly gnashing your teeth as the in-laws eat the last of the mince pies and help themselves to another round of festive cheer!) Whatever the holidays have brought you […]

In place of a Christmas party this year, we have just taken a team trip to the Christmas markets of the Latvian capital, Riga. Just under a three-hour direct flight from the UK, we reached Riga. Despite snow on the ground, our arrival was smooth, and just over 30 minutes from leaving the airport we […]

Time: 3 hours   Distance: 6 1/2 miles Heslington and the TillmireMost Heslington walks focus on the various university campuses and lakes. This stroll, very suitable for a short winter’s day, explores a very different side of the area, the quiet farming countryside south of the village and the large unimproved grazing area known as […]

Star sign of the month – CAPRICORNA very bright and busy (and rather expensive) start to the New Year, but it is at this time that some important lifelong memories will be made. Furthermore, while you might not be looking for the limelight, there are times when you will very much be the centre of […]

First of all happy new year to all of you who are reading this. Until recently, it felt like this would have been a good season to feel excited about the direction that the club was headed in. Having a stable manager, who, we thought would have kept us safe in the National League, continuing […]

As we approach the end of the calendar year the dark days of December are a good time to look back at the year’s successes and failures. Every growing season is different, it’s what makes gardening interesting after all, but 2022 was more than ‘different’: difficult would be a more apt word. And it was, […]

In this month’s property news, Herbert Todd has something a little different to announce. Perhaps you’re on the lookout for a new job or looking for a new opportunity ready for the New Year. If this sounds like you, Matt Todd might just have the thing… What would you like for Christmas this year? The […]

Rocketbook Mini  £15.99 | getrocketbook.co.uk Don’t let the size of this handy little gadget deceive you. It may look like a regular notebook, but the Mini can be used time and time again, so you needn’t be buying a pad every other month. Simply download the Pocketbook app to your smartphone, scan the page you’ve written […]

By James Christie SAGITTARIUS *Starsign of the month*A cheerful and positive month with most energies directed towards family and family relationships. Although there may be some last-minute changes to Christmas plans and timetables, the festive season should bring you most of what you’re looking for, with a bonus of a bit more besides. There will […]

We hear from our resident sports writer and York City F. C. fan, Simon Pattinson. Well, it is already nearly Christmas and I’d firstly like to wish you all well for the Christmas period and hopefully, it’ll all go very well results-wise for our respective sides during this time. I don’t know about you but […]

Time: 2 3/4 hours    Distance: 5 1/2 miles Harrogate, Harlow Carr, and Birk CragStarting in the town centre, this walk from Harrogate has three distinct sections. The first is an easy stroll, much of it through parkland towards the Royal Horticultural Society’s Harlow Carr gardens. The next section traverses woodlands and crags while the […]

This time of year is so popular for short breaks, be it a couple of days in the Mediterranean winter sunshine or an ice-cool break like somewhere straight from a Christmas card. Here’s a look at five firm favourites for your inspiration this winter: 1. Marrakech, MoroccoLess than four hours flying time direct from Manchester […]

With food price inflation spiralling upwards, growing your own produce may seem a good way to save some money. However, should you be looking to economise by cultivating some fruit and veg it’s easy to overlook that lots of what you’ll need, compost, seeds, plants and so on, come at a price. If a quick […]

Since mid-September and the rollercoaster of information on increasing energy costs and how to save money started it seems like every other website enquiry and phone call we get is about Air Fryers. Martin Lewis, amongst others, gave out some great advice on these super-efficient cooking gadgets and we saw some panic buying over a […]