There are many suggestions offered by the family when conversations around the dinner table turn to holiday destinations. The kids will probably have some sort of entertainment-based suggestions, and the older set will probably want to go somewhere and sit around a lot! All these are fine ideas, and each has its merits. However, you may have something else in mind. The next time it becomes the topic of conversation, throw the idea of eco-tourism into the ring. The kids are likely to groan and the older family members will take on a tired look! However, armed with the following ... read more

WARNING: Before reading any further, please be aware that the links included in the remainder of this article lead to graphic images of extreme sunburn. Most countries are not known for their weather. As countries, they are mild. There are few extremes of heat or cold, consistent precipitation and, in the case of the British, there is a propensity for discussing minute fluctuations in wind chill as if they are indicative of a forthcoming apocalypse. Yet we yearn for the Californian effect, the effervescent sunshine that makes them so damn rich. Somewhere along the way, having a suntan has become confused ... read more

Look out of the window, go on, do it now. Is it raining? Is it sunny? Is it snowing?? It doesn't matter. It's July and you know what the means - it's BBQ time!!! Time to cook that meat...outside! The word barbecue usually conjures up thoughts of spareribs or baby back ribs coated with sweet, finger licking good barbecue sauce. Pork ribs or baby back, beef ribs but other meats we barbecue are sausages, chicken, turkey, veal and suckling pigs.  Among the foods some people barbecue are fish, deer chops, ... read more

Before you go any further, watch this advert. To quote Homer Simpson one further time, ‘It’s funny ‘cause it’s true.’ The summer holidays are, for kids, an extraordinary quest to knock down the doors of fundom. The six week hiatus from the routine of school life is incomparably magnified in their developing minds. For adults, who, let’s not forget, have been children, this perception of time has been lost in the mire of self-doubt, social whims and whiles and sexual hormones that dominate ... read more

A little tip: don’t be playing golf in the middle of July, on a weekend, between midday and 6pm, if there are dark clouds overhead. If you find yourself in that situation, don’t hide under the nearest tree. If it starts raining, throw your golf club as far away as possible and, while still standing, bend over and grab your ankles. Then wait until you can’t hear thunder anymore. Now that is something pretty cool coming from the sky... If, while ... read more