CONTENTS COVER STORY
7
Having fun from home Entertain the kids in the UK this summer
PROPERTY
6 16 24
Upgrading your living room Innovative ideas on interior design Our latest instructions Take a look at a selection of our latest properties on the market Your home move Your guide to help you every step of the way on your home move
FOOD
13
LIFESTYLE
2
UK Reopening Get back to normality with the reopening of the UK
4
Best holiday destinations See the Green listed places you can travel to this summer
10 12
July gardening guide Get your garden summer-ready with our top jobs this July
The West End As the audience filter back to the West End we talk about what’s on stage
SPORTS
14
Golden summer of sports Get comfy to settle into a summer of sports
Picnic time We have a recipe to get you summer picnic ready
WELCOME TO THE JULY ISSUE! Summer is well and truly here. Sunshine, the smell of BBQs on the air, and even holidays abroad in line with Government advice. With this in mind, on pages 4&5 you will find our guide to the best ‘Green List’ destinations to take the family this Summer. However, if you are staying closer to home, we have this covered too on pages 8&9 with some great summer days out for the whole family. Moving inside, this could be the perfect time to do some interior design and on page 6 we have some fantastic ides to upgrade your living room just in time for the school holidays. Talking about the school holidays, we understand you can’t have a day out every day – as much as the kids want to – so we have put together some great ideas how to keep them entertained at home on page 7.
2
PROPERTY NEWS
It’s in July that your garden comes into its own. However, with all those BBQs you’re planning and the increased footfall on the lawn and down paths, we have you covered to keep it looking pristine with our monthly gardening guide full of the best gardening hints and tips with month. With the rescheduling of the Olympics and the European Football Championships, we are blessed with a plethora of summer sport, so whether you are interested in tennis, athletics, football, cricket or rugby, on pages 14&15, we have a guide to the Best of British this month and if sports aren’t your thing, check out our guide to the reopening of the theatre on page 12. Jonathan Wheatley Editor
BACK
TO THE
FUTURE It’s time to rethink, re-invent and rejoice as life starts to return to normal In 1970, the hugely-influential Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell wrote the part-political, part-personal Big Yellow Taxi, essentially a plea for action to prevent wholesale damage to the environment. Fast forward 51 years and the lyric “you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone” seemed rather prophetic as the global community was ravaged and psychologically bludgeoned by an unforgiving pandemic which laid waste to our way of life. Yet, barely 18 months later, here we are at the end of the beginning or the beginning of the end, depending on your level of optimism. A comprehensive vaccine programme has been rolled out, lockdowns have been gradually relaxed and the days of tiers and tears, rhyming safety mantras, deserted streets and scotch eggs as substantial meals are hopefully behind us. But what now? A regular haircut? Trips to the pub? Or a simple hug?