Beach Retreat

“Let the seaside inspire you to give your home a relaxed coastal, carefree vibe”

Add an elegant coastal vibe to your bathroom with these elongated brick shaped ceramic wall tiles (£20.95 per Sqm, www.wallsandfloors.co.uk) that have a rustic bumpy surface and a gloss finish. Mix and match the colours for best results!

Jute Placemats, £25, National Trust

Bud Vase, £6.50, The National Trust

Featuring imagery from around the Isle of Wight, lobster pots, buoys, helms, anchors and rope floats around a central nautical compass this Oxford Cushion (£99, www.xvstripes.com) is a unique design that will create the perfect coastal style for any interior.

Coastal Seascape Art Print, £5.00, Abstract House

Let the seaside in with Dunelm and create your own cosy corner with this large sideboard (£449) and other coastal accessories.

Mix and match the cushions on your sofa (Next) add a coastal picture and a few accessories and your beach retreat is complete.

Seashells Throw, £104, J.J.Textile

Hyacinth Side Table, £169, Beaumonde

BRING THE SEASIDE HOME

“Deckchairs are nostalgic of days spent at the seaside or in the park having a picnic. And now you can bring that feeling straight to your garden this summer with our pick of the best”

Flower & Hearts Deckchair, £155, Storigraphic Perkins & Morley

Fringed Deck Chair, £250, Cox & Cox .jpeg Floral Deckchair - Perkins & Morley

Wave Deckchair, £175, Oliver Bonas

Parsley & Butterfly Deckchair, £149.99, Perkins & Morley Lemon Deckchair, £58, Habitat

Fry’sFootieCorner

If I am being completely honest, I thought the transfer window would be quiet this time around as clubs battle to come to terms with the income loss during Covid, but it appears, certainly at the top level, that the spending sprees are very much continuing.

Manchester City didn’t really need to strengthen but have done so with the arrival of Erling Haaland and while the fee involved to bring him to the Premier League wasn’t huge given his goal record, his wages that have been reported are incredible.

Arsenal have splashed the cash too with the arrival of Jesus from City and he could well be a shrewd acquisition, while Tottenham Hotspur have also not been short of opening the chequebook with Richarlison among their big-money signings.

Even the clubs who you wouldn’t expect to threaten the top six have spent money. New boys Nottingham Forest seem to have arranged a spend of £15m on every player they have signed during the close-season and Southampton have also been busy too.

I guess what it indicates is that clubs are not afraid to speculate to accumulate and with even more money from TV revenue, you can understand to an extent why there hasn’t been a downturn in fees, but certainly within the EFL and in particular League’s One and Two, there has been a knock-on effect. However, despite those restrictions, my co-owners at Peterborough United have continued to back their manager with five new signings supplementing what we already have. At the time of writing, I am sure that there will be one high profile departure, there has to be, but we feel we have a really good squad to attack League One and try and get back to the Championship at the first time of asking.

I have been in football a very long time. As a player, as a manger, as a chairman, as an owner and now as a Director of Football and the passion I have for the game hasn’t wavered during the years. I am just as excited ahead of a new season now as I was when I first started. Football is in my blood. I can’t wait for the real stuff to get underway.

Pre-season is always a strange time. I have been in charge of sides that have won every game in pre-season and then got relegated and I have been in teams that have lost every warm-up game and got promoted. As long as you get the fitness into the players, results don’t really matter. It is how you start the league season that matters, although in truth, it is often how you end the season that really matters.

Enjoy the football, wherever you watch it!