Sat, 04 Sep 2010 23:00:01 GMT
This is a very enjoyable meal, except for one thing: there's a curled green caterpillar in the middle of the plate. He's not even a small caterpillar. He's a long, fairly fat boy with a healthy yet unappetising wiggle to him, despite his stay in the salad. The waitress is surprisingly unsurprised: "The leaves are organic," she tells me, as if that explains why they didn't get a proper wash.

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 23:00:01 GMT
The small ribbon of ground immediately behind the retaining wall in the yard has become the most over-gardened bit of earth in Christendom. It's all I can reach from the wheelchair to which I'm presently confined. The old opium poppies have been pulled up, alchemilla cut back, weeds hooked out.

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 23:00:01 GMT
Walking through the homeware area of some of our smarter department stores, you might sometimes think you've taken a wrong turning, judging by all the fashion names you see. Missoni, Ralph Lauren, even Jigsaw, have been crossing over into furniture and homewares for a decade or two and, even in these downturned times, there's no sign that they're going to stop. In the 1990s, Versace's plates, towels and throne-like chairs seemed to be everywhere; the label's signature Greek-key pattern, which decorated everything from sunglasses to bags to the bottom of Gianni's Miami pool, being seen as quite a status symbol in some quarters (and the height of vulgarity in others). Then Mr Armani decided it was time to play house, too. Armani/Casa entered the market in 2000 with the sort of square-edged but luxurious sofas which mirrored the smart and not so casual feel of Armani's perfect greige suits.

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 23:00:01 GMT
It was once a cliché but now it is a truism ? it has never been more difficult for first-time buyers to get on to the housing ladder. There were 94,600 first-time buyers (FTBs) in the first six months of 2010, half the level for the same period for 2007, just before the credit crunch. This is despite record low interest rates and, in recent months, a growth in the number of mortgage products available for first-timers.

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 23:00:01 GMT
Question: With the Bank of England base rate at 0.5 per cent for a year and a half, should we pick a tracker loan for our remortgage? I know rates could rise, but it doesn't look like they will for a while, and we've seen some deals as cheap as 3.75 per cent. Are we "too late to the party" or could the base rate stay low for another year? We're aiming to borrow £144,000 with enough equity (about £36,000) for an 80 per cent loan-to-value mortgage.

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 10:59:21 GMT
Driven, ambitious, with an endlessly enquiring mind and a desire to constantly test boundaries, John Makepeace is no ordinary furniture designer/craftsman, so, when he opens the door to his beautiful, Grade II listed home in Beaminster, Dorset to welcome me in, I am surprised at his unassuming demeanor. I forget that Makepeace, who was originally destined for Oxford and a career in the Church, has made a career of surprising people.

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 10:53:59 GMT
Economists were today divided over the future direction of the housing market as Nationwide said prices fell for the second consecutive month during August.

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 06:11:09 GMT
Property prices fell by 0.9 per cent during August as the housing market continued to show signs of weakening, figures revealed today.

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 23:00:00 GMT
Is your house looking a little tired? Give it the makeover you have always dreamed of using these helpful videos as inspiration.

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:00:00 GMT
From September 20 to 26 a series of events will be taking place across the globe as part of World Green Building Week.

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 13:29:46 GMT
Economists warned today that the housing market was facing a fresh round of price falls as mortgage lending remained subdued.

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 09:21:25 GMT
Mortgage lending dived sharply in July as activity in the housing market remained subdued, figures showed today.

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 23:00:01 GMT
The number of new homes being built nust be increased by government reform of planning law and social housing arrangements, it is claimed today.

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 23:00:01 GMT
Housing developers should be allowed to offer "very substantial" cash incentives to win the support of residents for new construction projects in their neighbourhoods, a Conservative-leaning think-tank report suggests today.

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 23:00:01 GMT
Homeowners who bought at the height of the housing market face another four years of negative equity, according to a forecast published today.

Sat, 28 Aug 2010 23:00:01 GMT
The Bishop of Llandaff has got himself something of a reputation lately. Frankly, he puts it about a bit. And everybody loves the Bishop. In the late summer afternoon during the last week of August and first of September, flame colours dominate the garden, and the Bishop's episcopal red flower booms out.

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 23:00:01 GMT
For once, I was glad of the traffic jam that stretched all the way along Piccadilly. Sitting at the top of a No 9 bus, it gave me plenty of time to admire the living wall that Patrick Blanc, the French architectural botanist, installed last year on one side of London's Athenaeum hotel. I went to the grand opening, but was so mesmerised by Blanc's vivid emerald hair, I took too little notice of the wall itself. With any type of garden though, you need to judge it when it has settled (or not), rather than at its primped and preened christening.