Being invited into a stranger’s home may seem odd, particularly when the invitation is to admire someone’s handiwork, but it’s been a common phenomena among artists to open their doors to prospective buyers and enthusiasts for centuries. After all, short of hosting an exhibition, how else might one showcase one’s [...]

On Sunday 10th February 2013, Ben Affleck made me do something I’ve never done before. I cheered at the TV. Twice. Not only did he win the BAFTA for Best Director but, against the odds, for Best Film. Even Samuel L Jackson, who read out the winner of the latter, [...]

We all know that when you book a skiing holiday the last thing you think about is, well, skiing. And even if you’re one of the few that does tick off pistes like an American ‘doing’ Europe ticks off countries you know that you’d rather do it somewhere you can [...]

The second part of Larry’s Norwegian adventure sees him head still further north, to Tromso, at the very top of the country, and the staging post for every Arctic expedition…

“I have, for years, suffered from a terrible affliction. None that might affect my health – at least it hasn’t yet – more my sanity; I have an uncontrollable tendency to double book myself.” Larry learns a lesson in diary mismanagement…

“I have long held a desire to see the Northern Lights. Long before, in fact, Joanna Lumley ventured to Norway and set a million people on a similar course…” Larry packs his thermals and heads north; but this is Larry we’re talking about, so not everything can go to plan…

As winter’s gnarled fingers claw at our cores and we battle the last-minute shopping to a soundtrack of bloody irritating chart songs, let us not forget that behind the festive frustrations it is, of course, also a time of jollity and goodwill as Christmas peers round the corner with its great [...]