Category: Columns

Step aside, socks and scented candles! This year’s gadgets bring together style and substance — from smartwatches and studio-quality earbuds to home tech and design-led essentials that make everyday life a little smarter. Edifier ES20 Portable Bluetooth Speaker, £49.99 from amazon.co.uk. Bring the sound wherever you go with this stylish, compact Bluetooth speaker from Edifier. […]

Traditionally, autumn has been a time for gardeners to cut back, tidy, clear, and prepare their green spaces for the upcoming winter chill, however, with a little care and consideration, our gardens can become a veritable haven for wildlife at this time of year.  One of the easiest ways to help wildlife thrive over autumn […]

Aries  (March 21 – April 19) After a fast-paced start to the year, November could be a good time to step back, take a well-deserved rest, and put any pressing matters on pause – if 2025 has been a sprint so far, now’s the time to reduce your speed! To help you get used to […]

There are all sorts of clubs on the lookout for new members in and around York. From groups designed to support children with additional needs and neurodiversity to clubs catering specifically to those who are unemployed, in need of a social boost, or who identify as part of the local LGBT community, we’ve rounded up […]

Walking York City Walls I look across rooftops. How odd I’ve never noticed the cupola before, a grey lead dome topping white fretwork housing a bell for the Bar Convent. A flat roof, green with sedum mosaics moss and self-seeded willow herb has a sun-warmed patch of red, a fox curled up, not quite asleep. […]

This weekend, my partner and I were kindly invited to take part in a terrarium-making workshop at The Outside In, a beautiful plant shop tucked away on Holgate Road, just off Blossom Street in York.  Our session at The Outside In was led by Alice Maynard, who was really welcoming and made us feel right at home. […]

By Tony Chalcraft By any measure, 2025 has been an exceptional year meteorologically. We’ve had the warmest summer on record, with four ‘heatwaves’. The mercury may not have hit the highs of 2022, when it nudged 40 degrees Celsius, but there have been plenty of days with highs at or over 30 degrees. Then, there […]

Robin Lewis-Light “So, this is our final night together,” Jennifer said, and we looked up at the moon shining down and the stars peeking from around it. Night-time had seemed to come early. “It’s a nice night,” I said. She nodded. “It’s never going to be the same now, is it?” she said. I shrugged. […]

From impeccable service in the showroom and store, to lightning-fast delivery and efficient, expert installation, Herbert Todd & Son ticks all the boxes when it comes to keeping their customers happy. Don’t believe us? Take a look at these glowing customer testimonials to get a better picture of the quality provided by this popular York-based, […]

While there’s little more comforting than a roaring fire, demand has decreased significantly in recent years, mainly due to the implementation of smoke control areas, fuel bans, and the shift towards cleaner technology. However, if you’re one of the lucky ones who still enjoys an open fireplace or wood-burning stove in your home, you may […]

Golden Guernsey Goats were saved from extinction by a brave woman in WWII. A small number were saved from German slaughter by Miss Miriam Milbourne, who hid them in caves. We learn this fascinating fact during our visit to The Lost Gardens of Heligan near Mevagissey, Cornwall, where we see some of these wonderful creatures! Sir Tim Smit […]

When driving to Newquay in the Nissan Qashqai N Design e-POWER, I am fully expecting to have to refuel for the return journey, but it doesn’t happen… I really am quite surprised at the efficiency of this 1.5-litre SUV. The outbound journey is over 200 miles, taking in mainly motorways like the M27 and M5, […]

The vanilla plant only flowers for one day, which makes harvesting it challenging. The average human being consumes 45kg of sugar a year compared to 1.5kg fifty years ago, and the World Health Organisation is urging us to cut back… These are just some of the facts we learn at the Eden Project during our […]

Night driving is an excellent way of putting a car through its paces because the roads are clearer – it also tests a driver’s abilities. I get to do this with the third-generation Kia Sportage as I return from GuilFest’25 late at night. The roads are clear, and it’s so much more fun than the […]

Time: 2½ hours 5 miles Nunburnholme and Kilnwick Percy After a walk along a quiet country lane at the bottom of the Wolds, this route follows a little-used right of way into the parkland of Kilnwick Percy Hall to reach its oddly truncated house, now home to a Buddhist community. Ascending onto the Wolds, the […]