Lifestyle
Since The Store opened on the former site of Boswells it has become my go-to place to meet friends. Squishy velvet sofas, friendly staff, delicious coffee and a relaxed yet luxurious vibe (reluxed?). There’s also the possibility of spotting an A-lister amongst the mix of glamorous guests and locals hanging out in the lounge or slipping through to retreat down to the spa. I’ve also cocktailed on the roof (those views!) and dined at Treadwell, the hotel’s modern British restaurant, so I didn’t need asking twice if I would like to go along to review the new Spring menu.
BBOWT
Festive Challenge
12 Days Wild is the festive challenge by the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT), which takes place from 25 December to 5 January. The idea is to do one wild thing
Indoor Gardeners
How to Banish Houseplant Pests
Houseplants can add life, greenery, and health benefits to our homes but they also sometimes attract unwanted guests – tiny pests that can wreak havoc on your beloved flora. We were lucky enough to get advice from Tom Cook who is the Houseplant Buyer for British Garden Centres.
If you live in Oxfordshire and are interested in wine, I’ll bet you can name one or two of the local vineyards; or possibly even three or four. But did you know there are now 15 commercial vineyards/wineries in Oxfordshire producing wine?
Yotam Ottolenghi’s branch in Bicester Village opened earlier this summer, bringing the famous chef’s delectable Mediterranean-slash-Middle Eastern dishes to the hordes of shoppers thronging the main drag at the famous shopping destination.
Explore a captivating collection of artworks and creations inspired by literature, music, and words. This collection, which includes a variety of one-of-a-kind, limited-edition prints, handcrafted journals, and book-inspired sculptures, celebrates the power of narrative to inspire artistic creativity.
The sixty-acre Batsford Arboretum is home to a unique and varied collection of some of the world’s most beautiful and rare trees, shrubs and bamboo with over 2,850 labelled specimens including about 1,300 different trees, shrubs and bamboo.
Artist and computer programmer David Woollard uses computer technology to create detailed and imaginative drawings ranging from detailed geometric mandalas and pictures of chaos theory to typographical slogans and golden will-o-the-wisp fractals that seem to hang three-dimensional in space.
This month we’ve chosen art inspired by the elements: the earth, soil and stone; the air, wind and weather, water and fire.