Flush Magazine Issue #7

7 CULTURE

MUSIC

FASHION

FOOD

Brendon Burton Paolo Prisco’s little red book

Ones to Watch Wolf People

Bioshock Infinite Space Travel on a budget

The Guyrope Gourmet Raymond Blanc

FLUSH ESCAPE

Travel special

COMPETITIONS

WIN One of two Unit Portable overnight bags WIN One of 3 Seven Psychopaths Goodie Bags

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06 The Hotlist

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08 Brendon Burton Oregon-ic

FLUSH ESCAPE Travel special

18 Mao’s little red book Paolo Prisco 26 FLUSH Escape Travel special

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28 Viva Florida 500 30 Paradise Now Blancaneaux Lodge, Belize

Everybody loves Raymond: Raymond Blanc

34 The Cottage in the Wood Malvern Hills

Oregonic: Brendon Burton

Welcome to Shropshire 38 Blists Hill Victorian Town 40 Severn Valley Railway 42 Enginuity 43 Ironbridge

Toro del Marvelous Lamborghini 102 Veneno

47 Guyrope Gourmet Josh Sutton

126

52 The Spirit of outdoor living

54 The Secret Campsite / Treetents

COMPETITION WIN One of 3 Seven Psychopaths Goodie Bags

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Cover Chiu Chan photographed by Paolo Prisco

Music: Wolf People

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COMPETITION WIN One of two Unit Portable overnight bags

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Your audience awaits...

Advertise in FLUSH Magazine Request a mediapack email: ads@flushmagazine.co.uk

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issue

WELCOME I’m not sure about you, but it feels like a million years ago since I felt a warm breeze on my face here in the UK. I know it’s on the way, I can sort of sense it. While we are waiting, this edition of Flush Magazine includes a special extended travel section, entitled Flush Escape, designed to entice, delight, inform and give you some ideas of things to do and where to go this year on your holidays or travels.

We’ve also got an interview with one of my fav chefs, Raymond Blanc, one of my fav bands Wolf People, and one of my favourite cars, the amazing Lamborghini Veneno. In fact, weather permitting, this could be my favourite edition yet.

57 The weekend Board Meeting Electric Skateboarding in Cornwall 58 Eat, Spray, Love Alternative festivals 60 Costa Rican Eco paradise 64 Jane Gorman Blogging all over the world 66 Zen in Kyoto 70 The Grand Old Dame Fairmont Copley Plaza, Boston 74 Ye Olde School The Crown Inn, Amersham 76 Competition Unit Portables overnight bags 80 Raymond Blanc

Thanks for stopping by‚

86 Chez Gerard 88 In Music: Ones to Watch 90 Wolf People Peter Graham, EDITOR

92 Space Tourism 98 Cars 115 Gaming

CONTRIBUTORS Amanda Penlington Amelia Harvey Casey Bowers Frank Turner Hana Karlasen Hannah Duncan Henry McMunn Ian Hughes Jason Noonan Kara Mclean

Luke Lavelle Matthew Cooper Paul Martin Phil Blaney Priyam Chovhan Rob McSorley James Martin Samuel Law Steve Clarke

119 Book review: How to be Interesting 120 Tech review: RAZRi 124 My favourite movie: Blade Runner 126 Competition Seven Psycopaths Goodie Bag

THE HOTLIST The stuff of life Metal Mickey

Beside the Seaside

This kids travel bag from the science museum has cool light up wheels. It doesn’t play chess or do the hoovering, but no batteries are required. £40 Luggo Robot Bag www.sciencemuseumshop.co.uk

‘The English Seaside’

by Peter Williams features images from 170 beaches and contains a lovely mixture of nostalgia and modernisation through architecture, people and landscape. Published

by English Heritage priced £14.99 on 27th May

of two Unit Portable WIN! One overnight bags page 72

Mod-el Behaviour

Fuji X20

I’ve just spent two weeks with the camera and really love it. Some of the photos in this Issue have been taken with the X20 (Ironbridge and The Crown features), and it’s a perfect blend of retro styling and modern technology.

From around £480

Swim Fan

Bradley Wiggins has been the inspiration for these Team Sky, Mod-father type cycle tops by Rapha. Made from jersey cotton, they are cut longer in the back for a better fit when riding. One question... how does he win with all those mirrors on his bike? £30 from www.evanscycles.com

Foldology

It’s never too early to get a new pair of swimming trunks for the hols and these Steve Swimmers are the perfect choice. I have a pair on right now (and I’m at the office). £80 by Hentsch Man

Sometimes you just have to hold your hands up to the boffins and say “Good job”. Now the DNA code has been cracked they’ve come up with folding wellies. The Redfoot Folding Wellies are perfect for UK festivals and are £49 from www.glamorous.com

of 3 Seven Psychopaths WIN! One DVD Goodie Bags page 126

Oregon-ic

Brendon Burton had an idea. Take one self portrait every day for a year. Things haven’t quite gone to plan for the Oregon based photographer, but such is the quality of his work we couldn’t wait any longer to show you them. Oh, and he is only eighteen years old...

You’re still very young, what gave you the inspiration to take on such a challenging project?

I saw the work of other photographers on Flickr doing similar projects, a 365 made up of conceptual photography, mostly self portraiture. I was bored with my current situation living in a small town, so I took the project on in the fall of 2011 when I was 17 and a senior in high school. I wanted to be able to document a very important year in my life.

Have you taken all 365 photos now?

Not quite, College has proven much more difficult to keep up with. Living in a big city has caused a few problems with my creative process as I’m a very nature oriented photographer. I am only 14 days away from finishing and plan to be done by the end of this month!

How challenging was it to keep coming up with new ideas?

Extremely. In the beginning I was so excited to be running through the woods taking basic portraits of myself. As time went on, I started attempting much more challenging shoots, some were actually life threatening. I strive to push myself as far as I can with each new photo, so it has been tough trying to keep up with my own standards every day.

Were there any days when you wished you had never started the project?

I wish I could say no, but everyone has their moments of artistic block. You really just have to look past them and push forward to your final goal.

Do you have a particular favourite photo?

It’s tough for me to choose, because I am my own worst critic. If I had to tell you my favourite right now, I would say a photo titled “Saltwater Memories” I took some point last summer near the ocean. It’s rather simple but the result was exactly what I wanted, a vintage advertisement from the 1950’s.

Do you have any fav photographers?

Nicholas Scarpinato, Kyle Thompson, and Alex Stoddard.

What camera do you use?

I used a Canon T1i, then a 60D, and now I use a 5D Mark II.

Where do you want to be in 5 years time?

Graduated from University of Oregon with a degree in journalism and photography and hopefully move to Portland and become a freelance photographer working for art and fashion magazines.

Where is the best place to eat in Oregon?

I really enjoy CafĂŠ Yumm and The Pizza Research Institute, both located in Eugene. Hot Lips Pizza in Portland is delicious as well.

You can see all of Brendons brilliant photos on Flickr www.flickr.com/photos/burtoo

MAO’S RED

LITTLE BOOK

Photo, styling, make-up, hair: Paolo Prisco Photographer Model: Chiu Chan Clothes: Carrefour de l’Odeon, H&M, Intimissimi, Sonia Rykiel for H&M, Janine Delbono Vintage and customised clothes belong to the Photographer’s Private Collection www.paoloprisco.fr

MAO’S RED

LITTLE BOOK

MAO’S RED

LITTLE BOOK

MAO’S RED

LITTLE BOOK

escape Can’t decide where to go on holiday?

From UK secret retreats to exotic luxury villas, Flush Escape is here to inspire you.

>

500 years of Summer Florida

It’s been exactly 500 years since Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon first set foot on Florida soil way back in 1513. To help celebrate the anniversary there are a huge number of parties, exhibitions and festivals happening all over the Sunshine State in 2013. And, while Disneyland is still a big draw for UK visitors, growing numbers are seeking out the rich cultural heritage of the USA’s oldest date.

Take a look at just a few of the many events happening this year as part of Florida500:

ART Native Floridians: Seminole & Miccosukee Art and Culture in 2013 The Boca Raton Historical Society & Museum present an exhibition of over 11,000 images and artefacts relating to the history of South Florida’s Native American people. It’s a fascinating insight into the early history of Florida, its people and places, and a million miles away from Mickey Mouse.

Boca Raton Historical Society & Museum 71 N Federal Hwy Boca Raton until Dec30th 2013 See more at: http://bit.ly/flohist

Picasso A special exhibition of works by Pablo Picasso will be on display until May 11th at St. Augustine Visitor Information Center. The show includes ceramics and graphic works by the Spanish artist never before seen in the US. St. Augustine Visitor Information Center, 10 West Castillo Drive http://bit.ly/artflorida

Main pic courtesy of FloridasHistoricCoast.com

MUSIC Viva Florida 500 The Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra will salute Viva Florida500 with Spanish-style symphonic treasures including Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol, Gershwin’s Cuban Overture music from Carmen, West Side Story and more. The performance takes place on Sat 20th April, in the Flagler College Auditorium, 14 Granada Street, St. Augustine.

Tickets are priced $30.

For more info visit http://bit.ly/classflo Florida Folk Festival Along the banks of the historic Suwannee River in White Springs, the Florida Folk Festival has grown from humble beginnings to a ‘Top 20 Event’ in the southeastern United States. Now in its 61st year, the 3 day camping event includes large traditional craft and children’s areas, workshops, Banjo and Fiddle contents and lots more besides.

Weekend tickets are $50.

For more info visit http://bit.ly/folkfest13

Food Taste History Culinary Tours A great way to find discover the history of a place is to eat it.

Aside from the Spanish and Native American Tribes, people have settled in Florida from Germany and many other European countries (not forgetting neighbouring Bahamian’s and African Americans). All of these influences have combined to give Florida a unique gastronomic diversity. Taste History Culinary tours consist of a four-hour food-centric narrated bus and walking excursion through historic districts, visiting markets, cultural buildings, galleries and of course the best local eateries. The tours run through 2013 in the following locations, Palm Beach County, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Lake Worth and the town of Lantana and are only $40. Just don’t have a big breakfast.

For more info visit http://tastehistoryculinarytours.blogspot.com

If you are heading over to Florida this year, visit www.visitflorida.com/viva to see what is happening when you are there.

Paradise (Now)

Blancaneaux lodge, Belize When he’s not directing, Francis Ford Coppola likes to keep himself busy. He has many interests; wine-making (Francis Coppola Reserve, with over 40 varieties of wine), a publishing house (the world renowned All-Story magazine) and even a company that sells traditional Italian pasta sauce (Mammarella) to name just a few of his activities. You could say he has more pies than fingers...

Francis Ford Coppola also owns a number of luxury holiday resorts situated in wonderful locations around the world. Blancaneaux Lodge is, along with its sister resort Turtle Island in a particularly special part of Belize, South America.

Bought by Coppola himself in the 80’s, the lush jungle habitat of the Maya Mountains reminded him of the time he spent filming ‘Apocalypse Now’ in the Philippines. He fell in love with the location and it was used as a private family retreat for over 10 years. Then in 1993 it was transformed under his strict supervision into a luxury 20 room resort.

These days, every part of Blancaneaux Lodge is focused towards the happiness and well-being of it’s guests. Families are welcome and sustainability is a number one priority.

Food-wise, everything (where possible) is either locally produced, grown organically in their own gardens, or picked from the orchards.

Fresh seafood and shellfish is sourced from local offshore reefs.

The resulting dishes (ranging from authentic Guatemalan dish such as shredded beef salad flavored with sour orange and coriander, to Rellenitos, a traditional plantain dessert with sweetened black beans) are of the highest order. For those with less adventurous palettes, traditional Italian pasta and wood burning stove cooked pizzas are also available.

There are several different types of accommodation available, including a Family Cabana suitable for four, two Honeymoon Villa’s adjacent to the idyllic Privassion Creek waterfall, and even Francis’s personal villa with plunge pool and elevated open-plan living area.

Exploring

Why not wake at Sunrise and experience the colours and sounds of nature on horseback through the Maya Mountains? See Whitetail Deer and Grey Foxes, along with huge numbers of exotic birds and butterflies along the way. Guided tours can be tailored to suit your experience and requirements – from a few hours – to a full day in the saddle. In addition, Hiking and Mountain Bike guided treks are also available.

For those with a real taste for adventure, sign up for a ‘midnight Jaguar quest’. Look out for Armadillos, Peccaries and Gibnuts as you travel along the edge of the Pine Forest, into the darkest jungle in search of Belize’s largest mammal.

A range of packages are available.

Three nights in the Two-Bedroom Villa at Blancaneaux Lodge and four nights in the Seafront Villa at Turtle Inn includes: l Blancaneaux Lodge - all breakfasts, lunches and dinners l At Turtle Inn, all breakfasts and lunches; two dinners at the Mare Restaurant and one dinner at the beachfront Gauguin Grill l Transfers from Belize International Airport to Blancaneaux Lodge, from Blancaneaux Lodge to Turtle Inn

and from Turtle Inn to Placencia Airport. l One-way domestic air from Placencia to Belize International Airport on departure date.

Summer Rates: June 1 - November 26 December 2 - December 19 $6,805 per family of four plus $1237 taxes and service charges (approx £5250 in total) For more information visit www.coppolaresorts.com/ blancaneaux

SECRET RETREATS

The Cottage in the Wood The Malvern Hills will always have a really special place in my heart. I lived just down the road in Worcester for a few years as a kid and even then their beauty left a real impression on me... The cottage in the wood was the perfect place to return to....

It’s difficult to mention this part of the world without also thinking about one of Britain’s greatest composers, Edward Elgar. He lived in the area and played the organ in Worcester Cathedral. Many of his pieces were composed in and around Malvern and the ‘Elgar Route’ is a popular circular route around the two counties Hereford and Worcestershire taking in many of the Elgar landmarks.

The Cottage in the Wood sits high in the Malvern hills and is the perfect place to escape from the real world for a few days.

Access to the hotel is via a steep narrow drive but once at the top the views across the countryside are breathtaking and it’s easy to see how the landscape may have inspired such wonderful music.

Owners for the last 26 years, John

and Sue Pattin take great pride in their business. It’s divided into several areas – the main building, separate cottages with four rooms and a further building ‘The Pinnacles’ where we stayed.

Because of the elevated position, and distance to other properties, it really does feel like you are away from the rest of the world.

Our room had a huge bed, big enough for at least 3 people. Reading through the literature, it was interesting to see an ‘Anything Goes’ policy at the Hotel, however I wasn’t sure if the two things were connected.

Should you tire of the wonderful views

SECRET RETREATS

and endless walking opportunities, there is a DVD library where guests can borrow movies to play in their room. Kids aren’t forgotten and there are a good choice of titles. There are quirky things too, like a fridge in the cupboard under the stairs for fresh milk if, like the owners (and me) you can’t drink the alternative.

If you need it there is free Wi-Fi. Be warned though, you are encouraged to switch your mobile phone off in public areas, and the atmosphere in the main building is one of relaxation. This is somewhere to come to get away from it all, not to bring it with you.

Food

We dined in the Hotels ‘Outlook’ restaurant and Head Chef (and owners son) Dominic has established a really good reputation with the locals and many visit the hotel to eat and enjoy the stunning vistas.

For starters I went for ‘Filo Baked Goats Cheese and Fig Crottin, Walnut Salad, roasted Figs and a Sherry Vinaigrette (£9.95)’. The figs working wonderfully with the Goats Cheese and Filo Pastry. My partners ‘Taste of Salmon with Pickled Carrots, Sultanas, Capers and a Carrot and Orange Purée (£8.75)’ was equally mouth-watering.

Main courses didn’t disappoint either.

I sneaked a taste of my partners ‘Braised Pork Belly (well, anything goes here) delicious with Saga Anna Potatoes, Black Pudding Beignet, Wilted Greens and Grain Mustard Sauce (£17.95)’.

The Pork Belly melted in the mouth, and is definitely the one for me next time. My ‘Pan Roasted Guinea Fowl with Caramalised Fennel, Shallot Purée, Butternut Squash, Gnocchi and Lemon Tyme Sauce (£18.65)’ came a very close second though. Don’t get me started on the Dark Chocolte Gananche, Salted Caramel and Praline Ice-Cream desserts

The hotel currently have an Edward Elgar Breaks package costing £138 per room per night, including dinner, bed and breakfast, (there is a supplement of £7.50 per person per night at weekends).

The package also includes entrance to the Elgar Birthplace Museum in Lower Broadheath.

(£5.95), I’m writing this at 11am and lunch seems a very long way away.

If you’re a fan of wine and malt whiskeys too, the hotel bar has a huge choice of rare blends and good vintages to interest even the most knowledgable of drinkers. The Hotel is a nice step away from the norm and somewhere I hope to re-visit again soon. I’m sure Elgar would have approved.

The Cottage in the Woods Holywell Rd, Great Malvern, Malvern Wells, Worcestershire WR14 4LG For more info call 01684 575859, or visit www.cottageinthewood.co.uk

Welcome to Shropshire

Past-times Blists Hill Victorian Town The Victorian Town museum in Blists Hill is a brilliant place to take kids normally intravenously connected to games consoles.

There is a common misconception that youngsters aren’t interested in history. They are, it’s just how you tell them that makes the difference. Celebrating its 40th year, the living, breathing museum allows

you to experience the sights, sounds and smells of Victorian England live in the flesh. Many of the buildings are either exact replicas of existing buildings or they’ve been rebuilt here brick by brick.

Everywhere in the 52-acre Victorian Town there are people in costume, in character. From the guys in the Printers, to the Candlemaker, all have stories to tell and the learning is done

naturally by relating the differences to everyday life. My family was enthralled by the stories, and for some of the older folk with memories of these things from their childhood there is a wonderful nostalgia for them to recollect. Among the many different places to see is a Victorian school where children can try out using old fashioned slate boards and fountain pens, a Victorian fun fair, traditional cafe and a Victorian boozer too with regular sing-songs around the piano. My personal favourite was the chip shop, serving THE best fish and chips ever, (cooked in beef dripping of course). You can even go to the bank and get some pounds, shillings and pence changed to buy your souvenirs with.

For more info visit www.ironbridge.org.uk/our-attractions/ blists-hill-victorian-town/

History Lesson

It might not sound too important, but in 1709 Abraham Darby perfected a way of smelting Iron using Coke. This development was huge as it allowed a much cheaper way to produce iron. This in turn lead to advancements in everything from the widespread use of affordable cooking pots to a tremendous growth in railway production. Basically it changed the world. Ironbridge and it’s surrounding areas were one of the main areas where it all began and it’s now a UNESO World Heritage site.

It’s like the Hollywood of the Industrial Revolution, or Silicone Valley with flat caps. There are lots of museums in the area and it would be easy to spend a week here soaking in the history and exploring the stunning countryside.

Welcome to Shropshire

The Severn Valley Railway Stretching from Bridgnorth to Kidderminster the Severn Valley Railway is a steam enthusiasts paradise. The 16-mile (26km) line navigates through beautiful Shropshire countryside before heading just over the border into Worcestershire...

S

itting in the original vintage carriages while the steam trailed past our window on a lovely sunny April afternoon felt like a real step back in time. There are lots of things to see on the way, not to mention several rhino’s and giraffe’s from the West Midland Safari Park. It’s very nostalgic, but there is something magical about steam engines that can only be appreciated by travelling on one.

For the return journey we stopped off at the Engine House, the Southern Valley Railway Museum in Highley for lunch and to browse the exhibits. Among the many lovingly restored steam engines on display is WD 2-10-0 Austerity - No 600 Gordon, an engine that bears a striking resemblance to a certain Gordon, from the Thomas the Tank Engine series. The carriages belonging to King George Vl’s

luxury royal train are fascinating too.

My daughter had great fun sorting the post in the mail van, and there are interesting exhibits about the glory days of the railways, including the history of the great train robbery and information on how the Severn Valley Railway went from an idea in the back room of a pub (faithfully recreated with half empty pints stuck to the tables) to it’s current day status. There are all kinds of events happening too over the summer, including Murder & Mystery style ‘whodunits’ on the trains, Agatha Christie style and special Indian Spice Trains (with dinner on-board).

You don’t have to be a huge steam fan to get something from visiting the SVR, and the best thing was taking a train ride where the journey was the event, not reaching the destination.

For timetables, news and prices visit www.svr.co.uk/

Enginuity

After stepping back in time in Blists Hill, if you’ve a couple of hours to spare a good place to get back to modern life is Enginuity...

Just down the road in Coalbrookdale, it has lots of brill Science Museum type equipment, puzzles, games to play and buttons to press. Test your agility against a robotic arm, see real time X-rays, climb hydraulic legs, and lots more stuff too. Kids love interacting with all the exhibits and everything is hands-on learning, and fun!

Also currently on display are sculptures by blacksmith artist Jon Mills from the series of illustrated books about Mr Watt, Grumpy Man of Metal. The sculptures include the runaway train from ‘On the Wrong Track’, the witch from ‘A Brush with Evil’ and the astro-barrow from ‘Space… the Final Front Door’.

The exhibition will be open daily until 31 August 2013 and is included in the admission price for Enginuity.

For more info visit http://www.ironbridge.org.uk/our-attractions/enginuity/

Welcome to Shropshire

Ironbridge Built by Abraham Darby III in 1779 the Ironbridge itself is an iconic symbol to the Industrial Revolution and it was the world’s first cast-iron bridge. Over 600,000 people a year come here to walk across it and experience the wonderful views of the Gorge and River Severn below. There are plenty of cafés and pubs nearby and despite it’s popularity as a tourist destination Ironbridge remains fairly unspoilt from the attention. Should you wish to find out more about the construction of the bridge there is an exhibition within the Tollhouse (open every weekend over the summer).

Ironbridge

Ironbridge Museums Blists Hill Victorian Town Coalport China Museum Tar Tunnel Museum of Iron Darby Houses Enginuity Iron Bridge & Tollhouse Museum of The Gorge Jackfield Tile Museum Broseley Pipeworks

MUSEUM INFO A really cool thing about all the Iron Bridge Museums is you can buy an annual passport ticket and go to all 10 of the museums as often as you like over the course of 12 months. If after 12 months you still haven’t visited them all you can still make one free visit to the sites you have missed at a later date. With a family ticket costing only £65 (for two adults and as many children as you can grow) that is really good value for money.

Adult £24.00 60 Plus £19.00 Child £15.25 Family £65.00 (2 Adults + all your children) Family £48.00 (1 Adult + all your children) For more info visit www.ironbridge.org.uk

Where to stay.

The Great Western, Valley Hotel in Ironbridge is perfectly situated for visitors to all the Ironbridge museums and the bridge itself, being only 10 mins walk down the road. We got the opportunity to dine in the award winning Chez Maw Restaurant in the Hotel and the food was fantastic. One thing, if you take lots of luggage on holiday with you ask for one of the ground floor rooms as there is no lift and it’s quite a way to the top.

There is fast free Wi-Fi, beds are comfy and the bar serves a really good pint of Darwin’s Original.

Rooms are bright and fresh, and currently on Sundays they have a special dinner, bed and breakfast offer for only £99.00 for two people.

For more info call 01952 432247 or visit www.thevalleyhotel.co.uk

In-tents flavours!

According to Josh Sutton all you need to eat well on a camping holiday is a few basic essentials, and a keen sense of adventure. I caught up with him to find out more about his philosophies and his brilliant new book ‘GuyRope Gourmet’

What gave you the idea to do a book on cooking for camping?

It was one of those off-the-cuff suggestions that came from a friend really. Camping and cooking have long been two of my favourite activities. I was camping in Wales with a group of old pals and it was my turn to cook. I whipped up a simple version of a Moroccan lamb stew with a bit of ground cumin and coriander, locally bought lamb, a tin of tomatoes and some chickpeas and serving it with plain cous cous worked out really well. At the time there were hardly any camping cookbooks out there so it seemed there was a gap in the market. The name Guyrope Gourmet came to me in a flash of inspiration while sitting on a train in Birmingham New Street station a year or so later.

How long did it take you to put together?

It’s taken me about five years to pull together a book deal, it’s been an interesting ride to say the least. I was working full time (I had a suit and a commute and everything!), so I’d sit and write Guyrope Gourmet in the evenings. A pal helped me out with my first website and Guyrope Gourmet appeared online initially. I also started to pitch to magazine editors and scored a few commissions. That whetted my appetite for the writing side of things.

I bought a copy of the Writer’s Yearbook and wrote to practically every literary agent in town; to no avail, so I took to approaching publishers directly. That too failed to come to fruition (though I did receive some very kind advice and words from a couple of publishers along the way).

The process was made more frustrating as a plethora of camping cookbooks all seemed to hit the shelves at the same time, it felt like I was

going to miss the boat. I carried on doing my thing, updating my website and getting out into the fields, country shows and food festivals doing cookery demonstrations. Before I knew it I had begun to develop a reasonable following on Twitter. I also scored a regular slot as the cookery correspondent for Camping Magazine.

Then almost out of the blue two things happened at once; I managed to get a foot in the door at Punk Publishing, and I was asked if I would be interested in writing a Family Cookbook for an outdoor equipment manufacturer. I figured that the success of the Cool Camping series of books, together with the experience, expertise and distribution network of Punk Publishing, would appeal to Oase Outdoors, makers of the ‘Outwell’ range of camping equipment. Before I knew it all three of us were sitting around a table in London discussing a Punk Published, Outwell sponsored Guyrope Gourmet camping cookery book.

Did you have any formal chef training?

I gained a Grade Three CSE in Home Economics. It appears that Mrs Walker was less than impressed with my offering of deep fried egg and chips for my final exam piece. It’s a qualification, rather like Paul Merton’s ‘O’ Level Woodwork, which is better suited for gaining laughs at my demos rather than providing grounding in the culinary art.

You could say I learned on the job, but I have always had a love of exploring new foods and ways to cook things. To me cooking is a story, about the ingredients, where they are from, and how you learned to cook the dish, sometimes the story is better than the food itself, but that’s ok.

Are there any basic essentials (ingredients) you would recommend taking camping?

One of the great things about camping is that you are never far from a farm shop or great local butcher, so what I cook when camping is largely informed by where I am at the time.

I do however always bring along a few essentials for the camping larder. Good quality salt and black pepper are a must, as are a range of dried herbs and spices, I just grab them from the kitchen cupboard as I leave; Oregano, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, fennel seed and basil make up the herbs, while paprika, chilli

powder, cumin, coriander, tumeric and garam masala make up the spice contingent. I’ll also bring along olive oil and Marigold vegetable bouillon.

Much to my embarrassment, I found myself camping in Norfolk with two different types of sea salt and no penknife – you might say I had my priorities muddled on that trip!

What is your fav recipe in the book?

One of my favourite things to make while camping is a paella. It’s a real ‘tuck-in and enjoy’ meal that’s perfect for hungry families and friends. Paellas seem to come out different every time I make them. If I’m camping near the coast, then fresh seafood always finds its way in there. The inland version will always have chicken (or perhaps rabbit - or both!) and chorizo, mushrooms and if it’s in season, asparagus on top! Here’s a recipe to get you started - go ahead and muck about with it, that’s what being a guyrope gourmet is all about!

How easy is it to come up with delicious meals on a small stove?

Cooking on a camping stove is not all that different from cooking at home; the main missing ingredient is the oven. I cook on a tworing burner with a grill, so I have most bases covered. The grill is essential as far as I’m concerned as it opens-up the recipe repertoire no end. The other key thing to remember is to bring along some decent pots and pans, I always bring a large stock pot, a couple of good quality non-stick frying pans and my paella pan.

There’s a little bit more planning and prep to be done when you’re cooking in camp, but as I’ve said, with a shopping bag full of delicious local ingredients to hand, you can’t go far wrong.

Do you have a fav place to go camping?

I like to camp by the sea, it usually means a little campfire on the beach, a few grilled sardines and the sound of waves crashing on a beach as you fall asleep in the tent – the Lleyn Peninsular in North Wales has it all as far as I can see (but please don’t tell anyone else!)

Guyrope Gourmet by Josh Sutton is published in May by Punk Publishing.

For more info visit www.punkpublishing.co.uk, www.coolcamping.co.uk or Josh’s website www.guyropegourmet.co.uk

Paella of sorts

By Josh Sutton

Paella is often about the pan you cook it in! A proper paella pan is great, but a big frying pan will suffice. This is one of my favourite things to cook when camping. I love the fact that you ‘build’ a paella, it becomes more and more substantial as you add the ingredients, and it always seems to come out a little different each time. In my opinion, it really is worth spending the extra cash (about a quid) on Bomba paella rice. If you can’t find it then you can get away with Arborio risotto rice.

Serves 4

Equipment: A large frying pan or a paella dish l

Ingredients

1 large onion Olive oil l 1 red pepper (or green, or yellow!), sliced l 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped l 1/4 dried chilli, de-seeded, finely chopped l 100g chorizo l 2 chicken breasts l 1 large knob of butter l 3 or 4 large flat mushrooms l 1 tsp paprika l ½ tsp smoked paprika l A sprig of fresh thyme l Fresh milled pepper & salt l 225g Bomba or Calasparra paella rice l 500ml vegetable stock l A glass of Manzanilla sherry or very dry white wine l 6 or 8 cooked whole shell-on prawns l Flat leaf parsley l A few tomatoes, quartered l 1 lemon cut into wedges l l

Method

Boil a kettle for the vegetable stock. Finely chop the onion and simmer gently for 4 or 5 minutes in a glug of olive oil. Halve, de-seed and slice the pepper. When the onion begins to soften, throw in the chopped garlic, the chopped chilli and sliced pepper. Simmer for a further 3 or 4 minutes, taking care not to burn the garlic.

While that is simmering, slice the mushrooms and chop the chorizo and chicken into 1cm chunks. Add the knob of butter to the pan and throw in the mushrooms and thyme. Then add the chicken and chorizo, turning to make sure the chicken seals on all sides. Add the paprika and a good grind of black pepper, together with a pinch of salt.

Add the rice to the pan and stir well, ensuring the rice is well coated.

Add the wine/Manzanilla and stir. Pour in the vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Turn to a gentle simmer for 20 minutes or so, or until the rice has absorbed all of the stock and is soft to the bite. You may need to add a little more water from time to time if the rice is too aldente. Place the cooked prawns on top to warm through for 3 or 4 minutes before the rice is fully cooked. Finally, drizzle with a glug of olive oil and garnish with the chopped parsley, tomatoes and lemon wedges.

ENJOY!!

The spirit of outdoor living

About five years ago someone came up with the term ‘Glamping’ and for a short period of time, you couldn’t leave the house without bumping into a 1960’s VW Campervan or a pair of green wellies.

Polmanter Touring Park

Forget ‘Glamping’, REAL camping is all about spending the night under the stars with family or friends and leaving the trappings of modern life behind.

It’s not supposed to be like staying in a Hotel, despite this a really good campsite (and toilets) can make a big difference to the whole camping experience.

When you want advice about the best campsites to visit, who do you ask? Someone who LOVES camping of course. Kathryn Whelan and family have been to campsites all over the UK and they share a real passion for outdoor living. Kathryn also regularly reviews camping equipment and tents, so she’s knows her tent pegs, so to speak.

We asked Kathryn to come up with her current three favourite campsites.

Polmanter is a 5 star family touring park located on the edge of St Ives, Cornwall.

On arrival you are immediately struck by the stunning sea views that can be seen from most locations on the park. St Ives is a relatively easy 20 minute walk away, although the site does have its own bus service if you prefer.

Facilities include a lovely heated outdoor pool, two children’s play areas, a well stocked and reasonably priced shop, a bar which serves food, a takeaway, games room and a pitch and put 9 hole golf course. There is also a huge sports field and a dog exercising area.

The three toilet blocks are all maintained to the same high standard and, as well as the usual male and female facilities, there are also private shower rooms, ideal for a family or someone wanting a little more privacy.

Polmanter really is a wonderful site and somewhere you will definitely want to return to.

Address: St.Ives, Cornwall, TR26 3LX www.polmanter. co.uk Tel: 01736 795640

Apple Tree Park

Wolverley Camping and Caravanning Club Site

You know that you can always expect a certain standard of cleanliness and peacefulness when you stay on a Camping and Caravanning Club site, and Wolverley is definitely no exception.

Facilities are good and there are a number of private washbasin cubicles as well as showers.

There is a good sized children’s playground but the site also has an indoor games room. Here you can find a table tennis table, books, games and colouring equipment – perfect for those British ‘summer’ days.

Perfectly situated next to the Staffordshire and Worcestershire canal, you can enjoy a walk to Kidderminster along the towpath. There is also an excellent pub adjacent to the site and a 10 minute stroll will take you to Wolverley village where you can find another good pub.

Address: Brown Westhead Park, Wolverley, Nr Kidderminster, Worcestershire, DY10 3PX http://bit.ly/wolverlysite Tel: 01562 850909

A small,friendly, family run campsite set in beautiful rolling countryside. The site is fairly new and the owners are investing money to provide their guests with a truly wonderful experience. The toilet block is outstanding and benefits from underfloor heating. There is a large family shower room in the building.

Apart from the array of leaflets giving information on everything from places to go to bus timetables and local takeaways, there is also an honesty library. Donations which are given to charity are encouraged.

There is no playground for children, but there is a large area where children can run around and play with footballs.

What really makes this site so special, apart from the toilet block, are the lovely owners and the stunning views.

Address: A38 Claypits, Stonehouse, Gloucestershire, GL10 3AL www.appletreepark.co.uk Tel: 01452 742362

Up! In August 2012, Tim and Lisa Bullen opened The Secret Campsite, a peaceful car and dog free site for nature lovers and their families just outside Lewes in East Sussex.

The idea was to create a friendly environment kids could explore freely and safely, and with a grant from the Woodlands Trust they were able to plant over 1000 trees in the area. In the near future the couple plan to cultivate an eclectic range of edible plant species – both natives and non natives (look out for more on this soon in Flush) and the site is visited by many wildlife species including Barn owls, stoats, deer, glow worms, grass snakes, kestrels and woodpeckers.

In addition to the regular camping plots, they have just taken delivery of Britain’s very first Tree Tent.

Created by Jason Thawley of Luminair, the Tree Tent is suspended mid-air between several trees with which it

moves in unison, the experience is likened to sleeping in a harvest mouse’s nest.

Constructed of hybrid aluminium with a 100% cotton canvas skin and UK hardwoods, the structure is entered via a raised wooden walkway that leads up from the edge of the camping meadow to a secure platform.

Once inside, there is a sea grass covered wooden floor, two adult– sized, suspended, single beds, a micro wood fired heater and stove with oversize cooking plate, computer desk, gas burner unit, underfloor storage, proper lighting and many more features too. From the raised elevation there are also views across to The South Downs National Park and the species-rich camping meadow below.

The idea sounds brilliant to me and the Tree Tent will be available to stay in from the beginning of May priced from £95 per night.

For full info visit www.thesecrtetcampsite. co.uk www.treetents.co.uk

The Weekend

Board Meeting

You’re never too old to skateboard. Just look at Tony Hawk, he’s ancient but can still do a ‘900’ (if you don’t know, Google it). However, for those of us starting to feel the strain, there may be some help at hand.

Electric Skateboards are the latest thing for gadget lovers and old skool skaters alike and they’ve just arrived in the UK. Travel firm, AdventureTemples have come up with a luxury self-catering weekend package in Cornwall that incorporates two guided half-day rides on an electric skateboard along beautiful riverside and woodland cycle paths. You also have the option to access to an innovative Adventure Butler Service to create a bespoke activity programme, from a menu of 90 inspirational activities.

Priced from £350pp, including accommodation and 2 guided half-day rides. Supplemental activities are available to suit any desires, ages and budget from £20pp.

Call 0843 508 5005 to book or visit www.adventuretemples.com

Bored of Glastonbury?

There are hundreds of other festivals going on all over the world. These three are my current favourites.

Streets of Mozzarella

The ‘Streets of Mozzarella’ festival started in May 2005 in Paestum, a small town on the South-East coast of Italy just south of Naples.

This year there will mozzarella demonstrations and presentations from some of Italy’s most popular chefs, including Michelin starred Francesco Sposito and Raffaele Vitale of the renowned restaurant, Casa del Nonno 13.

No doubt a bottle of wine will be opened at some point too.

If you can’t make it to Italy, Mayfair restaurant Sartoria is paying homage to the festival by devoting the entire month of May to the cheese. An £80, two gram plaited mozzarella will be available (whole) for a party of eight served alongside grilled Mediterranean vegetables.

Alternatively diners can choose 125g of sliced treccia for £11 per person.

Wonderful, but slightly weird too. www.sartoria-restaurant.co.uk

Songkran – Happy New Year Thailand

The festival of Songkran is happens on (April 13-16th), and it’s a time of great celebration across the whole of Thailand.

April is the hottest month of the year with temperatures often reaching 100°F or 40°C, and Thai New Year (Songkran) has significant connections with water, traditionally seen as a time for cleaning, renewal and new life.

What originally began as a way to pass good fortune to elders and family by gently pouring water over their shoulders has escalated in recent times into full scale water battles with good natured revellers roaming the streets with containers of water attempting to soak as many people as possible.

How to get there Thai Airlines have launched a new B747 London-Bangkok service from March 31st and the luxury retro-fitted aircraft represents a new level of comfort across

Brighton Sand Sculpture Festival April 8th - Sept 30 This festival is open all across the summer and is always very popular with the kids. I have trouble getting a successful moat around my sand castle without it crumbling, so the works of art on display never cease to amaze me.

Prices: Adults: £ 6.00 (O.A.P’s & Students): £ 5.00 Children under 13: £ 4.00 (under 3’s free) Family (2 adults, 2 children): £ 15.00 Open every day from 10:30am to 5:30om www.brightonsandsculpture.co.uk Where to Stay Snooze Funky Brighton B&B without being too pretentious. Rooms from £55. www.snoozebrighton.com +44 (0) 1273 605 797

all classes. The food is amazing too. www.thaiairways.com Where to Stay Thailand’s multi-award winning boutique resort, The Sarojin has a package, honouring Songkran, with guests able to immerse themselves in the ancient religious rituals and traditions in Takuapa Old Town. www.sarojin.com

Costa Rican Kurà Design Villas is a gorgeous luxury eco boutique Hotel situated in the heart of Costa Rica, South America. The brainchild of local architect Martin Wells and biologist Alejandra Umana, their goal was to build a hotel in complete harmony with it’s surroundings, incorporating native Costa Rican materials and the latest in energy saving technology...

Eco Paradise

The finished properties fulfil both requirements and it’s as green as it’s gorgeous, with 180degree breathtaking views over the South Pacific Ocean each villa benefits from solar panels, solar water heaters, rainwater collection systems, not to mention energyefficient fans and LED lighting.

Transparent floor-to-ceiling walls separating inside from out slide open, leading out to a black stone terrace with a hammock and views over a dense rainforest canopy.

At night the suites are romantically lit by soft purple, blue and red LED lights. Couples will love the his n’ her rain showers and a kingsized bed elevated on a pewter platform in the centre of the room.

Facilities lS pa

with massages, facials and private yoga lessons upon request. lO utdoor pool lounge with 19-metre saltwater infinity pool with underwater speakers lR estaurant – Costa Rican fusion cuisine, organic and locally sourced produce and tropical ingredients.

Things to see and do nearby allena National Park (with four B amazing beaches) l Corcovado National Park (a place with 4% of the world’s biodiversity living there) l One of Costa Rica´s top diving spots, Caño Island Biological Reserve, l Jungle Hiking, white-water rafting, ziplining, kayaking, waterfall rappelling and surfing are all within close range. l Between December and April, humpback whales can be seen off the coast and the whole area is perfect for those with a sense of adventure to match their sense of style. One thing, there is no TV on site (although there is an iPad and free Wi-Fi), so you’ll have to go out and do something less boring instead. l

For more info visit www.kuracostarica.com

Blogging all over Close your eyes and think of the job you would most like to do, what would it be?

Movie Star? Queen? Beer Taster?

What about Travel Blogger?

Award winning writer, Jayne Gorman spends her time travelling from one exotic location to the next and writing about the experiences on her website 40before30.com.

We caught up with her to find out if it really is too good to be true.

Are you always travelling?

Where are you at the moment?

How many countries have you visited so far?

I just got back from Vietnam yesterday and am flying to Barbados on Friday. It’s been good to escape the UK weather at the moment. Lately I’ve been doing a mixture of ‘working’ and holidaying across Australia, Malaysia and Vietnam.

How did you first get into travel writing?

It was just something I always wanted to do, even if to begin with no one else wanting to read my stuff. I was working in events and travelling a lot and after pressure from friends decided to start a blog to keep track of the different stories I was always regaling them with. I had no idea what I was doing technically but somehow other people found my blog and started reading it.

No, I do have some time off. I get more done when I am secluded in my home office and am connected to a fast Internet connection. I schedule a few days between each stint overseas, even though it bugs me that the train fare from the airport to my home is often more expensive than the flight I just disembarked from.

I’ve been to 35 in the last 3 years. This year will be about revisiting the places I want to see more of, and choosing wisely the last 5 countries to feature in the 40 countries before I am 30 challenge!

Where has been your favourite place?

India. It’s intense, often overwhelming but a sensational experience I will never forget. I am also a huge fan of Buenos Aires (tango, steak, shopping) and the beaches of Thailand.

What qualities do you think you need to be a travel writer?

Passion, personality, perseverance, unashamed use of alliteration! I think of myself as a storyteller with an addiction

the world to travel. Whether you call me a writer or blogger doesn’t bother me, I am just doing what I love. I try to have at least 2 days per week when my online activity is limited. It’s hard though, when I am having a great time in a new destination it’s in my nature to share it.

Are there any downsides to being away so much?

Not having enough face-to-face time with family and friends is one. The Internet is great for staying in contact but it can never be the same as giving them a hug in person.

Do you think it has changed you, seeing different cultures and experiences?

Certainly. Travelling is an education.

Everyday I learn a little more about the world and my place in it.

Where are you most looking forward to visiting and why?

The Philippines. I’m a tropical island kind of girl and the Philippines have over 7000 of them.

If you could be anywhere in the world, where would it be?

In the sunshine. I wasn’t made for cold weather!

Read about Jayne’s adventures on www.40before30.com And follow her on Twitter@jayneytravels

The pressures of life can take their toll on anyone. Sometimes you’ve just got to say “Stop, chill it out”*. A massage can help you to relax, but for the ultimate in meditative re-couperation we recommend a trip to Kyoto, Japan. Thousands of Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines are within the city and there are more World Heritage Sites per square mile than anywhere else in the world. * Quote copyright Tony Ferrino

In many of the temples visitors can try Zazen, a unique form of meditation that functions centrally in Zen Buddhism. The ancient practice is designed to calm the body and mind, in order to gain enlightenment, known as ‘Satori’.

Combine this with Onsen hot springs, (soaking in hot water, while enjoying the natural scenery surrounding the onsen resort) and catching the 07:48 train to Paddington will suddenly seem very unimportant. Kyoto is also the home of traditional Japanese cuisine and for 1000 years was the capital of Japan and kitchen of the Imperial Court, and there are many specialty sushi, tempura, soba, and ramen restaurants.

Audley Travel is offering a tailored 11-night Kyoto, Tokyo and Hakone trip from £3,200 per person. Including return international flights from London Heathrow with BA, 11 nights’ 3* accommodation with breakfast, return airport limo bus transfers, meet and greet guide on arrival, dinner in Koya and Hakone, a seven day Japan rail pass, a Hakone Free Pass for the Hakone section, a Kansai Pass for the Koya section, a private tea ceremony in Kyoto and an Ajikan evening meditation.

For more info visit www.audleytravel.com

The Grand Old Dame Fairmont Copley Plaza

In 1773, one of Britain’s most precious trading commodities was thrown into Boston’s harbour, igniting the flame on what eventually became the American Revolutionary War. Fast forward 240 years and ironically I’m sat drinking tea in the wood panelled Oak Room at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel, one of Boston’s finest Hotels.

Thankfully we’ve all moved on since then.

Built on the original site of the Museum of Fine Arts in 1912, the hotel recently underwent a $38 million refurbishment including major work on the grand lobby

with its 21ft high Italian marble columns, gilded ceilings and Waterford crystal chandeliers.

Every room has been nicely restored too, with a soft coloured palette, opulent bathrooms and luxury bedding. I stayed on the ‘Gold Floor’ with it’s own checkin, lounge and concierge service and there is a lovely old world charm to the hotel. Modern day requirements haven’t been forgotten either and a 46” TV in my room together with high speed Wi-Fi are reminders we are in now in the 21st century. So too is the 24hr 3,000 square ft top floor fitness centre with state-of-theart gym equipment, although I have to

admit I didn’t make it up that far.

The new Oak Long bar and kitchen located on the ground floor has a good choice of local beers such as Backlash, Fisherman’s Brew and Sam Adam’s Whitewater I.P.A. all of which are brewed in Massachusetts. The steaks are excellent and thoroughly recommended. For those on a tighter budget the burgers are also definitely worth a mention.

It’s ideally located for out-of-towner’s like myself, being just 100 yards from the green line Copley T stop, and a short walk to the Boston Common and of course, Newbury St with its fantastic boutiques and shopping opportunities.

Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel Facts

There are 383 Rooms and Suites in total, according to some, the 6th floor is rumoured to be haunted.

The hotel has a mascot, a black labrador named ‘Catie’. It’s so popular that it has an email address and business cards. Some guests book up 3 months in advance to walk the ‘canine ambassador’.

Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton stayed here for their second honeymoon, however things didn’t last and they separated less than a year later (apparently it was nothing to do with the hotel).

Address

138 St James Ave Boston, MA 02116 +1 617-267-5300 www.fairmont.com/copley-plaza-boston

While you are in Boston, here are a couple of other places worth checking out if you get the chance...

Listen Wallys Cafe

427 Massachusetts Ave Phone: 617-424-1408 Founded in 1947, Charlie Parker, Billie Holiday and Art Blakey have all performed at Wally’s and it’s proximity to the Berklee college of music ensures there is always a fresh supply of talent to be heard every night of the week. The small stage plays home to mainly Jazz and Blues acts, but local indie bands appear too.

Open 365 days of the year, the decor is strictly functional, and it might be an idea to eat before you arrive, but then Wally’s is all about the music.

Eat

ULA Cafe

284 Amory St, Jamaica Plain Phone: 617-524-7890 Boston is home to dozens of great independent coffee houses and cafe’s.

One of the best is Ula Café, home to all sorts of hipsters and an excellent range in coffees, pastries and food. Try the Café Cubano with cinnamon and brown sugar or the Roast Beef sandwich with Dijon mustard, maple, horseradish mayo, sharp white cheddar, caramelised onions and romaine on peasant white.

A friendly atmosphere with great Veggie food and cookies, cakes and muffins baked daily. You have been warned.

SECRET RETREATS

Ye Olde School The Crown Inn, Amersham

I

t’s my first time in the village of ‘Old’ Amersham and despite being less than an hour from Central London it feels like a whole world away. There are lots of cute (and expensive) clothes boutiques along the high st and many of the houses have pictures in the windows of how they looked years ago, most look exactly the same.

Built in the 14th century as a coaching

inn, The Crown Inn fits perfectly in Amersham. The Hotel is perhaps best known as the place where Hugh Grant and Andie McDowell filmed their famous love scene for ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’. The room has been renovated since filming, but many still ask to stay in room ‘101’ when they book.

The recent renovation by designer Ilse Crawford (who also worked wonders at the hotels sister property, the Olde Bell in Hurley) has kept the original timbers and character features but updated the accommodation to give it a clean Scandanavian feel. The bathroom in our courtyard room is stylishly modern, with a large drench showerhead and long sink, plus we also have a lovely claw foot bath in the high ceilinged main room to enhance the romance and sense of theatre. It’s nicely clutter free, the HDTV is cut into the wall and the bed is big, firm and pillow-tastic. There are 37 rooms in total, each unique and split between the main Inn, converted outbuildings and the courtyard.

Before dinner, we stroll down the road to work up an appetite, there is a quaint local market opposite where special

French and Portugese Markets are also held. The village has that real English character which Americans still believe all places are like in the UK. It’s very quaint and the The Elephant and Castle does a good pint of beer too, I’m half expecting Terry Thomas to pull up outside in an E-Type Jag, or for it to suddenly go Black & White.

We head back to The Crown, to their Chop House for dinner. Recently awarded a first rosette by the AA Guide, the balance between comfort, sophistication and cosiness is perfectly measured. We are welcomed with delicious warm home-made bread with rosemary and it’s hard not to just fill up on that. My self-control is rewarded with lovingly cooked, simple fare. My starter of Artichoke and Truffle soup is perfect, while my partner delights in Salmon, with Cauliflower and miniature Soda Bread Loaf. Priced at £25 for three courses, the Chop House dinner menu changes often and is always locally sourced where

The Hotel is perhaps best known as the place where Hugh Grant and Andie McDowell filmed their famous love scene for ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’.

possible. New chef Will Hughes is passionate about good hearty British food and my roasted rump of English Lamb with celeriac gratin and wild garlic is mouth-wateringly tender. My partner orders Cornish Cod with artichoke, savoy cabbage and winter truffle butter.

The relaxed atmosphere only serves to enhance the flavours and by the time the Spiced Apple Eton Mess and Lemon Posset arrive, the world and it’s problems seem a very long way away indeed.

A perfect secret retreat.

Rooms at The Crown Inn with Continental breakfast, complimentary WiFi and parking are from £89 (booked in advance).

The Crown Inn 16 High Street, Amersham, Buckinghamshire HP7 0DH Tel: 01494 721 541 For more information visit www.thecrownamersham.com

Win

One of two Unit Portable overnight bags worth ÂŁ80 Unit Portables originated from a collaboration between creative individuals interested in fashion, design and technology. Based in Stockholm Sweden, their mission was to fill the gap between boring computer bags and snobbish fashion notebook bags in a perfect balance between style and functionality. By designing a clever modular system, mixing and matching the existing products in their range issimple, allowing you to create the ultimate bespoke bag for every occasion.

We have two Unit Portable Overnight Bags (in gorgeous Russet) to give away worth ÂŁ80 each.

To enter our competition visit www.flushthefashion.com/win/up or email your name and address to UP@flushthefashion.com Editors decision is final closing date is 20th May 2013 Good Luck!

Unit Portables are available in Selfridges and other stockists.

For more information visit http://en.unitportables.com/

STOP PRESS!!

Unit Portables Launch Backpack and Tote Bag for Spring / Summer ‘13 In addition to the classic Unit Portable overnight bag, two new products, the Backpack (£70) and Tote Bag (£40) are now available in three new, seasonal shades. Lush Amazon Green, neon-bright Rose Pink, and a cool Cloud Grey, (as well the ever popular Black).

The new styles incorporate the modular, customisable concept for which Unit Portables has become so well known, offering a stylish, design-led mix of fashion and function, and, when on the move, even more protection and organisation for those precious gadgets.

Florida Taste History Culinary Tours http://tastehistoryculinarytours.blogspot.com Picasso Exhibition http://bit.ly/artflorida The Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra http://bit.ly/classflo Florida Folk Festival http://bit.ly/folkfest13 Festivals Streets of Mozzarella www.sartoria-restaurant.co.uk Songkran www.thaiairways.com www.sarojin.com Brighton Sand Sculpture Festival www.brightonsandsculpture.co.uk Cottage in the Wood www.cottageinthewood.co.uk Travel Blogger Jayne Gorman www.40before30.com Guyrope Gourmet www.guyropegourmet.co.uk www.coolcamping.co.uk www.punkpublishing.co.uk The Spirit of Outdoor Living Polmanter Touring Park www.polmanter.co.uk Wolverley Camping and Caravaning site http://bit.ly/wolverlysite Apple Tree park www.appletreepark.co.uk The Secret Campsite www.thesecretcampsite.co.uk www.treetents.co.uk Zen in Kyoto www.audleytravel.com KurĂ Design Villas, Costa Rica www.kuracostarica.com Blancaneaux Lodge, Belize www.coppolaresorts.com/blancaneaux Electric Skateboarding www.adventuretemples.com Ironbridge www.shropshiretourism.co.uk The Crown Inn, Amersham www.thecrownamersham.com

Coming next time in Flush Magazine

EAT

Everybody loves Raymond The more keener eyed of London residents may have noticed a flurry of Blanc Brasseries popping up across London in recent times. Informal but stylish, the restaurants serve uncomplicated French cuisine at affordable prices.

Interview by Hannah Duncan.

Hannah Duncan: You recently travelled to Vietnam with your son over New Year.

Do you argue much when travelling with your family?

Raymond Blanc: “Oh no, not at all.

He is my son and my best friend. I am lucky enough that both of my sons are my best friends. It was really a chance to have a relaxing holiday, I didn’t really take a break last year and I felt like a long break. Over Christmas I was with Maman Blanc who fattened me for a whole week including the British Christmas pudding being flambéed at seven o’clock at night, just before the aperitif. It was really fantastic. Then with my son, Olivier, I went to Vietnam just to completely relax.

You can eat extremely well in Vietnam for very little money; they have a brilliant diet and are very creative with food. Yet this is a national food, it’s across the nation. The same way we Frenchmen have our bourguignon they have their own dishes.

I had the pleasure of Raymond Blanc’s company at his flag ship brasserie in Covent Garden overlooking the Royal Opera House, a location he fell for immediately.

It’s hard not to get swept away when he talks, he’s engaging, charming and after decades as a chef, still passionate about food after. We talked about his love of Asian cuisine, modern families in the kitchen, and his strong support for sustainable fishing.

HD: Is there anything in particular about the cuisine in Vietnam that you enjoy the most?

RB: Well I love East Asian cuisine. I know these regions extremely well, down from Vietnam to the northern part of Thailand. And I love to travel to Malaysia, Indonesia. I love these foods.

They’re fresh and clean, wonderfully full of delicious spices. Full of warm ginger, the chilis and Vietnamese Mint. Nothing is deep fried; it’s quickly stir fried and crunchy. It’s colourful and very herby.

You can eat extremely well in Vietnam for very little money; they have a brilliant diet and are very creative with food. Yet this is a national food, it’s across the nation.

The same way we Frenchmen have our bourguignon they have their own dishes.

I went to two very secluded places because I wanted peace and quiet.

On New Year we were at wonderful little town called Ho Yen with at least thirty well- behaved British people.

Wonderfully drunken, happily drunken and we had a great time. Celebrating our New Year in Ho Yen was lovely; it’s a historic town with a great market. It was a fishing port and different nations would be there, Portugal, the Philippines and China. They left behind a heritage of different cultures and religions.

There are Buddha temples and Indian temples where you see the goddess Vishnu with her eight arms. Within that fantastic architecture there is a lot of French heritage, there is also a beautiful Japanese bridge right in the middle which is about forty meters.

I was staying in a very boring and big resort where you pay crazy money and I hated it. It had nothing. So we spent most of our time away from the hotel. We spent some time in Saigon but not too much time as we wanted peace. It was about learning how to breathe again. You see how I breathe now?

Then we went to Annam and rented a beautiful villa. It was wonderful because it was just by the river, we had our own pool and it was secluded. If we wanted the high life we could take a motor boat and we were in the heart of Saigon. I never stayed in Saigon, always just passed by. Mostly it was all about calming down, reading a good book. It was just perfect. The little hotel had a fantastic Vietnamese chef called Vim and he cooked us some wonderful meals.

I saw less and less French influence in Vietnam, I can understand why. When you colonise a country and it’s not a

peaceful parting, there is a lot of anger.

So they wanted to remove French things, but now you see these things coming back. It’s trendy again.

a family. Have a glass of beer together, get to know each other. It has so much value and we are losing that. I won’t say it’s irreversible but it’s difficult, it’s a complicated work we live in. It’s demanding. Most of all I think Women are the most affected by the terrible dilemma of being achievers and to have family duty, and duty to yourself.

HD: Your mentioned Maman Blanc.

Obviously she played a huge part in how you got into cooking. Do you think that’s something that’s disappearing now, knowledge passed down through families and time spent in the kitchen together?

HD: You also champion sustainable RB: There is no doubt about it. The fishing. Do you think attitudes have world is different from what it used to be. changed over the years, that Fishermen Women are now working because they are now more understanding? have to, the cost of life is more expensive RB: Yes. Now sustainability is at the and one salary is not enough. The forefront of British consciousness. You women used to be the nurturer, the carer, can harvest so much fish from the sea the homemaker, the cook, the lover… but at one stage there will be none but of course but we will not talk about left. So we’d be looking at a nightmare that. That’s a big loss, scenario where that’s a huge loss. But fishermen no longer on the other hand do There can’t be anything have a job. Millions women have more of people who are more difficult than freedom? I don’t know, to be a woman in processing the fish are it’s not for me to say. out of a job as well. So I these times. We still There is some net loss expect you to be the think this is the key to a in the family though. more responsible luxury, carer, the homemaker.

The values, how where all of us are more Men don’t have that much time is spent knowledgeable. maternal instinct.

So with your kids. But it’s Knowledge is difficult. There can’t be yes, something is lost fascinating, nobody anything more difficult in the family, the ability wants to be educated to speak to each other, than to be a woman but everyone wants conviviality, sitting in these times. We still knowledge. So I think expect you to be the around the dinner table. more and more people carer, the homemaker. will learn. Even in Men don’t have that recent TV programmes maternal instinct. So yes, something is I’m seeing less entertainment and lost in the family, the ability to speak to sensationalism and more programmes each other, conviviality, sitting around delivering knowledge. The short answer the dinner table. Now we all go to our is yes. It’s exciting to see the British rooms and take out our gadgets out. people connecting with their ethics, That simple interacting is gone. There wanting to know where our food is is still a big problem in England, on one coming from and what’s in it. It affects hand we are connecting with food and our health, our environment, our its part of our consciousness as we’ve wellbeing and the whole of our society. never been more aware and had so much We are starting to understand that. Food knowledge. Yet on the other hand its very education needs to be at the heart of the class led in a way. I have to say it, I come curriculum vitae, so we can challenge the from a working class background. And as anti-social behaviour of people. a working class family food was on top of Kids need to reconnect with food, the agenda in a simple way. and retrain their parents as well. To be Maybe not every day, but as often as we responsible in what they chose to eat. could, we’d sit at the table together as It’s exciting.

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The Food…

On our visit I was served Mussels as a starter, the portion large enough for a main meal and my dining partner Burgandian snails served in herb butter, conveniently out of their tricky shells and served with fresh bread straight from the oven. For our mains I dined on a slow cooked beef in a rich red wine sauce with lardons, baby onions and smooth mash.

My friend opted for the pan-fried Atlantic cod fillet (sustainably sourced naturally) with grenobloise sauce and prawn potatoes. By some kind of miracle we managed to cram in a Pistachio soufflé that felt like the size of a top hat and a cherry and apple crumble served with vanilla crème anglaise. The food is rich and the portions generous. Thankfully the staffs possess patience and allow breathing space between courses. No rush to cram in three servings in an hour, we were allowed to take our time and relax over our food and wine. A luxury so often denied by London restaurants.

As we skipped out into a typical rainy London evening across the glistening ancient cobblestones of Covent Garden, wrapped up warm against minus temperatures, my friend turned to me and said “I feel like I’m on holiday”. Perhaps this is the greatest compliment I can pay Raymond Blanc and his staff. That on a dreary winters evening he made us feel like we had somehow escaped.

Meat me Chez Gerard had been an ever constant in London since they opened their first restaurant way back in 1975. Then in Nov 2011 it was bought by Brasserie Blanc and eight of their restaurants disappeared from the map.

They always had a fantastic reputation steaks, and since Bishopsgate Chez Gerard re-opened in Dec 12 they’ve been determined to keep this ideology alive, albeit on a much smaller stage.

The Bishopsgate location is like many old buildings in the area, a converted bank with gloriously high ceilings.

It may be under new Split into two distinct areas, upstairs ownership, but they you’ll find the same high quality à la haven’t changed carte restaurant as ever, downstairs in the newly renovate bar area the what originally made decor has been updated and it’s Chez Gerard one of a fresh, comfortable and unfussy the places to go for a place to eat.

Their current Steak Express offer good steak in London. is available in the bar at lunch and Long may they upstairs in the evening, comprising continue to do so! melt-in-the-mouth sirloin, bottomless chips, salad and house dressing, for £19.95 per person.

I popped in on a quiet afternoon to see for myself and its simple and delicious.

I also sampled the excellent lobster alternative, available for the same price.

Their 28 day aged meat is supplied by award-winning butchers Fairfax Meadow and comes from grain-fed Casterbridge beef, sired from traditional breeds and sourced from selected farms in the six counties of south-west England.

They do sell other kinds of food too, upstairs classics like Boston rib, authentic French Onion Soup and zingy Lemon Tart. They’re also open from 7:30am for doorstep Cumberland sausage sandwiches and melted Gruyère croissants (much classier than an a Sausage & Egg McMuffin).

There are good beers on draught, including London Pride, and the ‘cellar prices’ philosophy means no more than £22 is added to any bottle of wine they sell.

So you can have a great bottle of Bollinger for only £47, Louis Jadot PulignyMontrachet at just £43 or Nuits-SaintGeorges 1er Cru Clos de Thorey, Domaine Rodet, 2006/7 at only £46. Prices pretty

much lower than anywhere in the city.

I’m told it can get busy after work and when the Pinnacle Skyscraper is finally completed (just across the road) there will be even more hungry mouths to feed, hopefully this will secure Chez Gerard’s future for years to come.

It may be under new ownership, but they haven’t changed what originally made Chez Gerard one of the places to go for a good steak in London. Long may they continue to do so!

For more info visit www.chezgerard.co.uk

Icky Blossoms

Combining bass-heavy electronic grooves, pop structure, and a rock & roll swagger Icky Blossoms are simultaneously avant garde, catchy and danceable. Hailing from mid America, Omaha the band release their debut selftitled album through Saddle Creek records on June 3rd 2013. Until them you can hear their single ‘Heat Lightening’ here youtube.com/watch?v=Us_ vdDuDB58

Lewis Watson

Some of you reading this could already be aware of Oxford sensation, Lewis Watson. His 3rd EP ‘The Wild’ has just been released and single ‘It Could Be Better’ comes with a beautifully animated video http://youtu.be/ Bm22-zQ7VIM. Twenty year old Lewis will be supporting Benjamin Francis Leftwich on his upcoming UK tour in May before heading out into the big wide world on tour his own in June. He has the potential to follow Ed Sheeran’s success and we’re hoping to catch up with him soon for a full interview in Flush Magazine [watch this space].

Cali

From Seattle, but now based in London, 22 year old singer songwriter Cali’s s debut single ‘Fatally Yours’ out on April 14th, could be the theme tune to a James Bond movie directed

by Quentin Tarantino. Like the orphan love child of Lana Del Rey and Adele, her debut record (out later in the year) is full of big orchestral numbers with strings and brass. Co-written and produced in Dublin by NYC based producer MisRead. Definitely one to watch. http://youtu.be/05CdYwhv7j8

One’s to watch

Vuvuvultures

Formed in London in 2011, Vuvuvultures have already toured Europe and supported Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster. A slightly strange lot, Harmony Boucher’s distinctive vocals sit alongside killer melodies and guitar riffs that will live in your head for months. Currently hold up in a secret underground bunker putting the finishing touches to an as yet untitled debut album.

Current track ‘Stay Still’ comes with a rather bizarre music video from horror-vixen Joni Andreou. www.youtube.com/ watch?v=CASe9l48T3A.Weird.

You can follow their fun on Twitter @vuvuvultures

LaFontaines Josh Savage

Despite being relatively unknown the talented singer/ songwriter from Winchester has still managed to appear on BBC introducing and tour Europe sharing stages with the likes of Razorlight. The video to his track ‘Mountains In Hurricanes’ was filmed in his socks on his rooftop at home.

Wait til his Mum and Dad come back and find out. EP Mountains In Hurricanes can be found in iTunes, Amazon and Spotify now.

Motherwell five-piece LaFontaines are an interesting mix of hip hop, indie and rock.

Extensive touring has honed their live skills and inventive revamping of pop hits like VV Brown’s Shark In The Water should see them climbing the ladder to global super-stardom, untold riches and eventually leading to bankruptcy. Let’s all enjoy the ride. http://thelafontaines.co.uk

Wolf People Wolf People are a great band. Their postretro pr*g rock doesn’t so much fly in the face of musical fashion, it locks it up in the shed at the bottom of the garden. If the professors from Open University jammed around a campfire with Pentangle on mid-summers solstice, they would sound like Wolf People. Yes, they are that good.

New record ‘Fain’ is out on April 29th. we caught up vocalist / guitarist Jack Sharp to find out more.

Wolf People: L-R: Tom Watt (drums), Jack Sharp (vocals/guitar), Joe Hollick (guitar), Dan Davies (bass, vocals)

What have you been up to since the release of Steeple?

Normal in between album stuff I suppose, we toured a lot in 2011 then spent 2012 writing and recording the new album. It takes us a long time to do stuff because we all have to work, plus we’re probably the four most indecisive people on the planet. We also got our own space and spent a weekend jamming with Martin Stone.

Where was the new record recorded?

How long did it take? Was it an enjoyable process?

We recorded it at Joe’s house in Yorkshire, which was a lot of fun. We spent just over a week there, then took months fixing things because of the nature of recording in a house rather than a studio.

The house is beautiful and cosy but really small, so we took the whole place over with equipment and instruments. Most of

us had to sleep outside, we borrowed a caravan, and Dan and I stayed in tents.

There’s nothing round there but dales and pubs, which suited the process perfectly.

How do you work in the studio, how much do you have worked out before you go in to record? How much do you record live as a band?

With this record we started by recording all the rehearsals and jams and everything and constantly listening back and altering things, we all live quite far apart so we tend to end up intensely playing for 48 hours, then talking about it on endless email threads for two weeks before we do it again, so we work out a lot of the arrangements that way, and maybe you’ll pick up on something that was an accident or a one off in one of the rehearsals that sounds good, that didn’t happen with the last record.

We had the songs pretty much drilled in by the time we went to record them, except maybe some of the lyrics weren’t finished. Then we did spend a long time messing about with the recordings and processing stuff and adding bits.

With Fain we were trying as much as possible to limit it to the four instruments, so that it would be about interplay rather than building up loads of parts on top of each other. We pretty much always record live altogether, then mess about with the parts afterwards, though we’ve been experimenting with different ways of doing things now we’ve got our own little studio.

How do you think your sound has developed on Fain? Did you feel constraineD to produce something that sounded like ‘Wolf People?

It’s not a radical change but I think the sound has progressed since Steeple. It sounds more mature to me, whether that’s good or bad I don’t know, and it’s not something that we planned. We tend to switch off and just get on with it when we’re playing together because time is so tight, so it will only ever sound like us four playing music together. We played so many gigs since Steeple though that we’re a bit more intuitive now, we found

ourselves writing songs quicker and developing ideas more fluently.

What is your fav piece of retro equipment you own?

With Fain we were trying as much as possible to limit it to the four instruments, so that it would be about interplay rather than building up loads of parts on top of each other.

We’re not retro gear purists in any way, we’ll use whatever sounds good, usually a mix of modern and reliable with old and knackered. Having said that, we’ve now got two Klemt Echolette e51’s in the band. It’s a little German echo unit that you can use as a preamp or a fuzz if you turn it up.

We had loads of problems with it while recording, but next time I think a lot of stuff is going to go through it.

Is touring something you enjoy?

Are YOU playing at many festivals this year?

Very much so. We just like playing lots.

And eating cheese and drinking beers.

And meeting people. Not too many Festivals confirmed yet this year but there may be some more. Detestival should be good, and Hop Farm.

Who has the coolest Jumper collection in the band?

I’m probably the only one that wears jumpers with patterns on, but none of mine are cool. Pass.

Do you get Wolf People groupies?

If so what are they like?

HAHA! No. The women (and men) that come to our shows have more self respect (and taste) than that.

New album ‘Fain’ is out on Jagjaguwar on April 29th. They play at the Seabright Arms in London on 20th April and are on tour in UK/Europe in May. For more info visit www.wolfpeople.co.uk

Ground Control to Major < your name here >

Space Tourism

By Ian Hughes/epredator Feeding Edge Ltd

Visiting new places can be fun, but sometimes the journey can spoil the adventure.

Long days with no mobile or internet signal on a crowded train, or gridlocked on the motorway can take the gloss off even the most glamorous locations.

What we need is something even more exciting. Something where the journey itself is the holiday experience. Something like a modern version of the Orient Express, but with more science and technology thrown in. Enter - Space tourism Whilst leaving the atmosphere of the planet may not be to everybody’s taste, it’s hard to deny the influence Space has had on us techies.

Star Trek, Star Wars, Red

Dwarf, Dr Who, Blake’s 7 etc. all feature prominent space based story lines. Whilst manned missions to the moon have not happened for a while, some of my earliest memories are astronauts bouncing around the surface of the Moon. Giant Apollo rocket systems with computers no more powerful than a digital watch getting people 384,400km there and back again. When I grew up I wanted to be an Astronaut/ Starship Captain/Jedi!

Today if you grab something like the Arduino Starter Kit, the very first project for people to build is called Spaceship Interface. It’s basically a couple of flashing LED’s, and that there is a bit more of the spaceship that needs to be built to make it workable. However it shows that space travel, or wanting to be in space is still part of our culture and hopefully our future.

So what are the options to be a Space Tourist?

Vomit Comet

The delightfully named Vomit Comet is the simplest way to feel something of Space. Using a large commercial jet plane you are flown to 30,000+ft at 45 degrees and then levelled out at the top of a parabolic trajectory.

For about 25 seconds you achieve weightlessness. This technique has been used to train astronauts since 1959, but is now more commonly seen on TV science shows as presenters try and deliver a piece to camera whilst weightless.

NASA has a company called GoZeroG that you can just click and make a reservation like

any airline. The “seat” does cost $5,197.50 though. You get about 15 repeats of the climb and float, that’s 375 seconds of freedom Earth’s gravity. **** zero G pics *** check style sheet for their pic use guidelines *** For the next option though $5000 is a rounding error.

In June 2000 Dennis Tito became the first proper space tourist. i.e. he paid for his ticket rather than joining an organisation and going into space as his workplace.

Through a company called MirCorp he visited the then ageing Russian space station Mir. It is said to have been a $20 million ticket to ride.

However shortly after the whole operation fell foul of international politics, and the Mir space station was ‘de-orbited’ a year later.

The Space Race

Private firms were encouraged to look into space travel through the efforts of the Ansari X PRIZE. The X PRIZE model started with offering a $10 million payout to the first people to build a private space vehicle that could take three people twice in two weeks into Space.

Ten times the prize money was invested by various companies in new technology in the race to the goal, creating a massive leap in human understanding of Space travel. It was achieved by a design called SpaceShipOne on October 4th 2004. This could be regarded as the date space tourism got the green light. The X PRIZE competition has spawned many other competitions. Including a Google prize to get a privately funded robot on the moon worth $30 million and Qualcomm’s $10 million to create a Star Trek style handheld medical scanner (like a tricorder) http://www.xprize.org

Tubular Balls

New startups vying for your attention and to get you traveling into space are popping up all the time.

Arguably, the most well known is Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic. The main space ship component is called SpaceShipTwo which you may spot is the next iteration of the original X PRIZE winner.

Carried up close to Space by

another plane WhiteKnightTwo, the Mothership carries the six passenger craft up to 50,000ft where SpaceShipTwo then kicks in a hybrid rocket motor and sends you at Mach 4 (4 times the speed of sound)up through the imaginary Karman line 100km(62 miles) up where Space starts.

Once there they cut the engines and you are weightless and an official space tourist.

All that is just $200,000 or $1million to book the whole flight out for you and five friends. I don’t know about you, but if I had that sort of cash I would most certainly pay for this experience!

Virgin Galactic has not announced an official date to fly yet, but it is highly likely it will be towards the end on 2013. XCOR and their Sub orbital Lynx ship trip is also coming soon at a mere $95,000.

Space Adventures, on the other hand is already flying sub orbital flights for $110,000 and has plans for orbital flights and even a lunar mission in the future. That is where it gets even more interesting. All these suborbital flights are about going just about into space before dropping back down. It’s good, but it doesn’t get me sitting on the Captain’s chair of the USS Enterprise or opening up the X-Wing on a fighter.

Man on the Mooon

It is over 40 years since Gene Cernan became the last man to step on the moon. Governments raced to get there, then once they got there it stopped.

The vacuum of Space is a dangerous place to be. It costs LOTS of money to get things (and people) out there and more importantly get them back again.

Sending the Curiosity Rover to Mars has been a fantastic achievement. The science and technology involved is still awe-inspiring. Curiosity is driving around Mars performing all sorts of experiments, communicating back to Earth and using just 140 Watts of power. It has a two year mission. There are more Mars missions planned too.

Dennis Tito, yes him again, the worlds first official space tourist is part of a project that aims to send a man and a woman on a mission to orbit Mars.

The aim is January 2018. It will be a 501 day round trip.

The not-for-profit company, Inspiration Mars is the vehicle for this endeavour.

2018 is important as this makes the return journey a quick â&#x20AC;&#x153;free-returnâ&#x20AC;? orbit (a slingshot effect that needs no engine power to make the return) due to the relative position of Earth and Mars.

The next window of opportunity would be 2031. So the race is on to meet the deadline.

Next stop Mars

If orbiting Mars is not your thing, but you do want to get down on the surface, then Mars One is the company for you.

The mission objective for Mars One is to have a human settlement on the surface of Mars by 2023. Another notfor-profit organisation with a global view of traveling out into space. On the timeline the habitat and equipment heads to Mars before 2020 where it is assembled by rovers and automated units, then the crew heads there in 2022, with more following later.

The astronaut selection process is already underway and anyone can apply. It’s a lot cheaper than any other of the options, but is more of a vocation than vacation. For all you bloggers and tweeters, Mars One will also be a project with extensive social media opportunities.

Live streams from the surface, and lots of communication about what is being done out there, and what is being built will be freely available.

For all those would-be space tourists interested in applying, there is one

important piece of information to consider. This is a one way mission.

Once relocated to Mars, you would be there for good, and you would become a Martian.

A true colonist of another planet.

There might not be any atmosphere, but wouldn’t that make a great check-in location?

Ian is part of the ‘Cool Stuff Collective’ on ITV and on Twitter @epredator .The future can be found on his website www.feedingedge.co.uk Links http://www.gozerog.com http://www.virgingalactic.com http://www.xcor.com http://www.spaceadventures.com http://www.genecernan.com http://www.inspirationmars.com http://mars-one.com/

Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce Review by Rob McSorley

Historically Alfa Romeos have been cars built with genuine love and passion but flawed in one way or another. Reliability has never been a strong point but these Italian beauties have always been styled from the heart. Alfaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recent offering the Giulietta has been tasked with taking on the mighty Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf. Read on to find out how good it really is.

The Fiat group have made massive strides in the engine department over the past few years with their fruity TwinAir units and recently with their MultiAir technology.

Fitted to our test car is a clever 1.4 litre, 4 cylinder engine that pushes out a healthy 170 bhp. What makes this award winning engine so unique is its variable valve actuation technology that electronically alters the amount of air making its way into the engine resulting in increased power and torque and reduced fuel consumption and emissions.

When fitted to the Giulietta with its healthy 184 lb ft of torque from just 2,500 rpm it manages to hurl the Alfa along with

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real gusto. It is also wonderfully flexible, easily cruising in sixth gear from 40 mph. The power on offer results in the 0-60mph sprint taking a shade under eight seconds which although not super fast, in reality feels much quicker.

Its power delivery is smooth and lagfree and emits a satisfying roar under acceleration.

On the road

The driving experience is incredibly satisfying. Alfa has tuned the suspension to serve up plenty of thrills. It’s quite firmly sprung but still manages to soak up the lumps and bumps very well, only larger crests upset composure a little.

The six speed gearbox has a snappy nature making it a joy to use and the steering is direct, pointy and nicely weighted although at times it can be a little vague.

It also writhes around a touch under hard acceleration. Throw it into a corner and the front end hunkers down with tenacious grip and superb balance.

It feels very agile and neutral through bends making it great fun on twisty country roads.

Standard on all Giulietta’s is Alfa’s DNA system which has three different modes named Dynamic, Normal and All Weather. Essentially it alters the engines throttle responses and steering resistance, and is most effective in Dynamic Mode where the steering is

a lot weightier and the throttle ultrasensitive feeling much perkier thanks to the removal of the limiter on the torque curve that governs Normal Mode. That said the steering tends to still feel very artificial and around town the throttle can be a little too sensitive making pulling away smoothly difficult, economy also suffers a little as a result.

Despite the tantalising performance on offer I found the Giulietta’s economy to be outstanding returning nearly 50 miles per gallon on longer journeys and a still very respectable 40 miles per gallon around town. Road tax is also reasonable, falling into VED Band E resulting in an annual cost of just £120. At just under £22,000 the Veloce model you see here represents good value for money as it comes loaded with kit including leather seats, cruise and climate control, iPod and Bluetooth connectivity, electric front and rear windows, alloy wheels and parking sensors.

Looks

Every curve and swoosh of the Giulietta has been crafted with love making the Alfa a beauty to look at. The company’s shield grill takes centre stage between the teardrop headlights and clamshell

bonnet. In profile the cars generous 18 inch wheels fill the arches and contrast well against the uncluttered flanks and sneakily hidden rear door handles. The pronounced hip crease leads straight into the trademark elongated led taillights. It gels together to create an eye catching hatch that few can match visually.

The cabin is equally delightful with plenty of Italian flair. Although the design is a tad busy its pleasingly racy with nostalgic toggle switches, brushed aluminium finishes and gorgeous ribbed leather sports seats. I also love the black roof lining which makes the cabin feel very intimate. Build quality is generally very good with well chosen materials including a rather odd mottled finish on the doors and plenty of metal effect highlights. Everything is logically laid out although it’s not without its foibles.

Although the individually hooded dials look suitably sporty the lettering on the speedo is very small and hard to read missing the vital 30 and 70 mph markers. Adjusting the drivers seat is also a chore as the knob is wedged between the door pillar with little room for most peoples hands.

Those expecting the Alfa to rival its competitors in terms of room are

likely to be a tad disappointed.

Space upfront is perfectly decent, but the rear is limited with restricted headroom and headroom isn’t much better, the cabin is also not really wide enough to seat three abreast. The Giulietta’s boot is a good 340 litres, ahead of rivals such as the Ford Focus, but is hindered slightly by a sizeable load lip.

Visibility is also quite limited due to the Alfa’s thick pillars and small rear window.

The small window area also makes it difficult to judge the corners of the car especially when parking.

The Verdict

Although unlikely to topple the class leaders, the Giulietta still has plenty to offer family hatch buyers. The small Alfa is easily the best looking model in its class and serves up an engaging driving experience with an agile chassis.

It’s cabin is well designed and although lacking in space is still a great place to spend time and comes with plenty of standard equipment in Veloce trim. The star of the show has to be the absolutely stonking MultiAir engine that is smooth, punchy and brilliantly economical. It also offers plenty of performance in both Normal and Dynamic Modes.

Overall there is a lot to like and those who can see past the Giulietta’s weaknesses will be getting a seriously talented car.

Tech Data

Price as tested: £21,810 Engine: 1.4 litre 16v 170bhp 0-62 mph: 7.8 secs Maximum Speed: 135 mph Economy: 36.2 mpg (urban) 61.4 mpg (extra-urban), 48.7 mpg (combined) Emissions: 134 g/km (Band E) VED (12 months): £120 Dimensions: Length: 4350 mm Width: 1798 mm Height: 1465 mm Wheelbase: 2634 mm *data from Alfa Romeo UK

The amazing Lamborghini Veneno has been produced to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Automobili Lamborghini and is named after one of the strongest and most aggressive fighting bulls ever seem.

In 1914 it wounded famous torero José Sánchez Rodríguez during a bullfight in the arena Sanlúcar de Barrameda’s, in Andalusia, earning itself legendary status in the process.

Veneno, the car looks set for an equally iconic existence as only three production vehicles will be made (coloured green, white and red after the Italian flag) and unfortunately they’ve all been sold.

Pictured here is car ‘Zero’, destined for a life behind red cord at the Lamborghini museum in Sant’Agata Bolognese. So even if you did have the £2.69 million asking price you’d still be out of luck.

Never-mind, the boot is tiny anyway.

0 to 62mph (100kmh): 2.8 seconds Top speed: 355 km/h (221 mph) Engine: 6.5-litre, V-12 engine, 750 Horsepower Price: £2.69 million

THE NEW ŠKODA OCTAVIA 2013 The petrol-cap fitted ice scraper on the new Octavia would have been just the job on freezing windscreens back home in the UK. Under the blue skies of Portugal, (the location for Skoda’s launch) however, it seemed a clever but somewhat redundant innovation under the circumstances. This new version of Skoda’s biggest seller is key to their continued accession worldwide and after a days testing in and around the hills of Faro it seems their future looks brighter than ever.

They’ve been shuffling the deck of late, unwrapping a new entry level family car, the Rapid, as a result the Octavia has all gone up-market on us. Targeted to be in direct competition with the VW Golf or Ford Focus price-wise, the great thing about the Octavia is its specifications and size are comparable with the more expensive Passat or Mondeo models. That is good for us Joe Public, and a big advantage over their competitors too.

Looks

It still remains unmistakably an Octavia, but in 2013 it carries a more confident pose.

The new badge sits prominently on top of the bonnet, while minimal lines keep the design clean and unfussy. It doesn’t set the heart racing, but personally I like the almost non design of the design. The triangles either side of the rear plate (also seen on the Rapid) and ‘C’ shape wine glass rear lights are only small details, but they give the Octavia an external identity without it having to shout too loudly.

Inside the cars trim is of a quality comparable with the VW’s in this price

range. If you’ve ever got into a cab in the Czech Republic you will know why 99% of them are Octavia’s.

They’ve gone for durability over opulence, a factor that could prove wise when the car hits the resale market.

The reversible carpet and the storage place for back shelf are both clever ideas and the boot is HUGE - 590 litres or 1,580 litres with the seats down. It’s the biggest in its class by some way. Rear seat passenger space is also excellent for adults and 5 can go travel in comfort.

The dials are clearly laid out and if you’re a taller driver you’ll be able to see the speedo and have a comfortable steering wheel position. Something you might think is basic requirement, but you would be amazed how many overlook it. The new media centre is intuitive and just well, works. I didn’t need the instructions once and syncing your phone via bluetooth, for music or calls is as easy as dropping a liquorice all-sort down the side of your chair.

Specs

Models range from the entry level 1.2 tsi 105ps (from £15,990), up to a 2 litre diesel TDI 150 dsg elegance priced £23,240.

That is low enough to attract families looking for a bigger, higher spec car at a decent price, and it’s also classy enough

for the tight belted fleet managers looking for something their staff will be happy driving. All benefit from high mpg and low emissions. The 1.6 TDI CR has a sub 100 99g/km and delivers 74.3mpg. An even greener, greenline version is on the way layer this year with 89g/km and 83mpg. vRS and Estate models are on the way too, giving you even more options either end of the scale.

Skoda are keen to tell you the new Octavia is about adding extra value and they have a strong case. Equipment levels go way beyond the usual ‘standard’ and the lowest spec ‘S’ has Digital DAB radio, bluetooth, auto post-collision braking system, driver knee airbag, and tinted glass as standard. According to Skoda that is £3,500 of extra kit over the old Octavia S. For those with a bigger budget ‘Elegance’ trim includes, colour maxi dot display, sat nav, 17 inch Teton alloys, and a fatigue detection driver alert system (the full list is too long to show in full).

A large amount of time has been also put into safety and the Octavia has just obtained the maximum 5 star NCAP ratings.

So what is it like to drive?

Pretty nice actually, based on the MQB framework (the same as the Golf & Leon), the Octavia is bigger and up to 102kg

lighter than before. It can be a tad fidgety and because of its size, slightly less manoeuvrable - you can’t help thinking if they had used the same, but more expensive rear suspension as some it’s its VW group family members, it might have something truly special. In its favour the extra width gives it a stability and balance in corners and over long distances the drive is quiet and effortless.

I tested 3 variants, the top of the range ‘Elegance’ automatic diesel (2.0 TDI CR DPF 150 PS DSG), the mid range 1.6 manual (1.6 TDI 105 PS 5G Man) and entry level ‘S’ 1.2 TSI 105 PS 6G Manual and while the smaller engine lacked a bit of power on occasion, none disappointed and was I impressed enough to start thinking about what car I would be buying next.

The Octavia encapsulates perfectly the direction Skoda are heading in for the future and they have high expectations of its success. It might not have that ‘wow’ factor, but it’s comfortable, practical, efficient, and elegant. With comparable price/spec levels much higher than anyone else, the Octavia is also a lot of car for the money. Which in todays climate (hot or cold) is certainly not to be sniffed at.

From more info visit www.skoda.co.uk

(Sport)Back for Good

by Frank Turner

WHERE best to film a cool car? The twin capitals of cool, of course...

Manchester and Salford (take it from a northerner).

The car as movie star is the all-new Audi A3 Sportback, and the svelte five-door hatchback took a bow at an international launch in the south of France.

The film role was part of a presentation to the assembled journalists, and backdrops included MediaCityUK and the Imperial War Museum North, both venues looking cutting-edge and ultra-modern, well suited to a car that has both of those qualities.

The A3 Sportback is the German manufacturer’s biggest-selling model, testament to an appeal grounded in highquality, technical excellence and real style.

Cool? Certainly so.

At the launch, I got to run the rule over the motor in two specifications, SE and

Sport, three engine sizes, one diesel and two petrol with both manual and automatic transmissions.

The car has had a complete body redesign, but retains the recognisable A3 profile. The lines are crisper than the previous model, with features including a lower dynamic line that gives the impression of movement when the car is standing, a rear spoiler as standard and a new headlight design with unique LED running lights.

It is longer than the three-door model, with wheelbase increased by 58mm, giving more space inside. The interior is characterised by an elegant, uncluttered and light design. There’s an air of quality that would commonly be associated with cars from one or two classes above.

And there’s an abundance of tasty technology, including the multi-media

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(Sport)Back for Good

interface (MMI) operating system, with a screen that rises from the dashboard at start-up – and delivers all manner of features including posh satnav, telephone, radio and media. Sport models have an adaptive dynamics system, allowing the driver to choose from five modes of driving set-up: comfort, auto, dynamic, efficiency and individual, which influence such things as the weighting of the steering and throttle response.

The technology doesn’t stop there, and among many features there are driver assistance systems that include a sophisticated adaptive cruise control, and side assist which monitors lane changes with rear-facing radar.

The three engines are 1.4- and 1.8litre petrol units and a 2-litre diesel, with more power plants and the four-wheel drive quattro system to come. The 1.4TFSI delivers far more power than the engine size suggests, while the 1.8TFSI packs extra punch and the 2.0TDI’s gutsy diesel provides smooth torque aplenty.

The 1.8-litre petrol unit in the Sport model I drove was mated to a seven-speed S tronic gearbox, which allows for silkysmooth and seamless fully-automatic or selectable changes.

The six speed manual gearbox is slickshifting too.The driving experience is truly rewarding. Routes from the launch venue in the hills above Toulon offered a splendid

mix of roads, from twisty climbs to motorway stretches, and the Sportback was a treat on all of them, with ride and handling out of the top drawer. Fit and finish are exemplary throughout, and, on the practicality front, luggage capacity is 380litres increasing to 1,220 litres with the 60/40 split rear seat folded down to a flat floor.

The Sportback excels on so many levels... how many film stars can you say that about?

Audi A3 Sportback SE and Sport Power: 1.4 TFSI (122bhp); 1.8 TFSI (180bhp); 2.0 TDI (150bhp).

This range of advanced, efficiencyfocused engines offer the potential for up to 74.3mpg with CO2 output of as little as 99g/km.

PRICES: Sportback SE: From £19,825 OTR (1.4TFSI) Sportback Sport: From £21,050 OTR (1.4TFSI)

gaming

SimCity

review by Jason Noonan

After a nine year gap, SimCity is back. Developers Maxis have brought the game bang up to date and I’m pleased to report that everything that made the original titles so fun and addictive has returned.

The key difference this time. It’s not just about number one.

Initially when playing the game I thought only of the small picture - making money and building more property to improve the city.

Soon, I realised in this new version neighbouring cities around me also had an impact on my little world. For example, I could choose to harvest all the oil in my land, and sell it to neighbouring cities to earn money.

I built trade connections and soon forgot about playing the game as a solo experience. Playing SimCity this way didn’t restrict anything, and only widens your options.

As my city developed I began to think about what it would be famous for. EG, This could be a centre for learning and education, or the next Las Vegas with incredible casinos.

Each of these ‘specialties’ drive more

jobs into the city, and in turn attracts more people to come as tourists.

Overall it won’t feel like anything, but it adds to working towards creating a ‘Great Work’. This is seen as the end game for a city, indicating you have pretty much done everything for this city and its time to move on.

The gameplay is so addictive that once this happened I just picked up another city and joined in with another bunch of random folk to start it all over again.

The game is beautifully designed and just like most Sims has a clear cartoon aspect in mind. You may not notice it from the beginning, but as you progress and the cities come to life it really shines. From broken trailer parks to high-rise apartments, you can see the difference from dirty to pristine. All this gives a better indication of how much money one place is making, saving the time to hover over everything.

Maxis have taken away some features though, such as the sewer systems and electricity grids. These were aspects of the old games that could feel like a chore when

beginning any city. With these now gone and all utilities running underneath the roads it makes the game feel easier, and as a result the experience is more fun, less grind.

It means you can create a city in little under five minutes.

The only issue I had was the need to be online to play it, which may be a problem for some gamers with internet access problems or strict bandwidth restrictions. Overall, the new SimCity game can be slaved over for hours or casually played for short periods, and as such feels like an incredible improvement over what was already a landmark game.

Available for PC, Mac For more info visit www.simcity.com published by EA Games

Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams review by Jamie Rodgers

Have you ever dreamt of your sibling (or someone you hold dear) being kidnapped, and you venture to a twisted world to rescue them, all the while, the background warps and changes shape, while you change to two different personalities? No? Well, now you don’t have to. Black Forest Games bring you Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams for Steam and XBLA. You play as Giana, who begins her adventure happily playing with her sister. Of course, such peace never lasts long, and soon enough, your sister is dragged through a vortex by some mysterious force, and it’s up to Giana to dive in head first to rescue her. Think of it as Mario after eating too many 1UP mushrooms.

The core mechanic in GS is your uncanny ability to seamlessly switch between two different personas; Cute, girly girl Giana, and the fiery headed Punk Giana. Cute Giana can utilise a twirl manoeuvre, which can help you glide over wide chasms, which Punk Giana has a flaming dash, which she can use to ricochet around walls and tunnels. One little touch I like is the fact the level changes its aesthetics whenever you transform, from a demonic hell on earth, to a whimsical wonderland, and vice versa. Now, you would expect Punk Giana to traverse the level in its hellish form, and Cute

Giana to skip through the wonderland.

Wrong! That would be too easy.

The fact they would easily fit into those types of decors actually works against them in a visual/art directional sense. I like how Punk and Cute wander a level that is clearly their polar opposite. That little detail, in my opinion, can symbolise how the world is against them, and that they don’t belong in their respective dimensions. Even the music is unfitting, since Cute has an operatic tone, and Punk has a... well, punk theme. That mismatch works in the game’s favour, and I give kudos for that decision.

Controls are simple and intuitive, and the overall gameplay is tight as a drum. Controls never feel too stiff, and its “pick up and play ” approach means even your most ham fisted gamer can play this game without any issues, even against the demowls (yes, that is what the enemy is called, really). This is one of those games that wants to focus more on the adventure and visual experience side of platforming, so never tries to overcomplicate the gameplay, taking away your sense of immersion, and I am rather glad for it.

Don’t let the cutesy graphics discourage you; underneath is a solid platformer, and an all around joy to play. This is very much a “broad spectrum” game, suited for pretty much anyone.

Developed by Black Forest Games Available on Xbox Live and Steam

Bioshock Inifinite review by Dave Whitehead

Bioshock Infinite has had something from me which very few sequels get... a fresh start. As unpopular as this may make me, I really didn’t get on with the previous games. I really wanted to, I loved the concept and the style, but I found the gameplay really frustrating, and that ruined the whole experience for me. So it is with great caution, and hopefully, fresh eyes, that I am approaching Infinite...

Within the first few moments of gameplay I am struck by the absolute and astounding beauty of the visuals.

The guys who worked on this really should be very proud. The other thought rushing through my head was how much I’d love to tear this place apart. The area you arrive in is a HUGE church, which I find creepy anyway, but even after you get through and into the city, there’s still a vibe of creepy, religious conformity that makes me want to throw stuff around and make a mess. This game, intentionally or not, was playing at my inner hatred of religion and conformity. I pressed on, longing for a chance to cause some havoc.

Booker (the main character) seemed to agree with me, as we leave the idyllic church garden and enter the city proper, he says “Just because a city flies, doesn’t mean it doesn’t have it’s share of fools”. This made me chuckle, and I instantly

felt a bond with the guy.

Oh, wait. I didn’t mention yet... Bioshock Infinite takes place in 1912... in a FLYING CITY! Oh yes, no more underwater grit and grime, Bioshock is now taking place above the clouds in beautiful sunshine!

The residents of this flying “paradise” slowly grated upon me, their racist, zealous behaviour becoming more and more sinister, right up until the moment when I was about ready to snap, and that was too the moment when Booker also lost it. From the moment the unfortunate guards tried to arrest me (Booker), Infinite let me do all the things I’d been longing to do. After turning a guard’s weapon (a nasty looking rotating blade) on his colleague and himself, I swiftly took to work tearing apart everyone in sight. I felt justified.

I felt alive. I felt like every moment spent being disgusted by all that had surrounded me was all to make me feel connected with this moment.

As gameplay continues the weaponry and abilities (called vigors, if you’re unfamiliar with the game, it’s like a special potion which gives you powers, it’s hard to explain but it’s pretty sweet) get more and more intense. Nothing comes close to the thrill of summoning a “murder of

crows” to tear at your enemies, and taking the time to execute them while they scream for mercy.

I’ve just realised how sadistic this is making me sound...

It’s probably a good time to mention that the game has fully earned its 18+ rating, it’s violent, blasphemous, foul-mouthed and a right good laugh! So, yeah, not one for the kids.

Overall, I can’t find fault here.

Combat is fluid, fun and unlike my experience of the earlier titles, no longer frustrating! The visuals are just plain stunning, and the characters are really likeable, or hateable, depending on who we’re talking about. There’s something in the way this game plays that makes me really FEEL the story.

Well Done 2K, Well Done.

Release: 26th March 2013 Platform: PS3 (tested), Xbox360, PC and soon to be MAC Publisher: 2K Rated: PEGI 18+

Book Review

by Jessica Hagy

Time is an evil, soul-sucking bitch of an earthly construct.

We have to follow it to our deaths and there’s no escaping that fact.

We can, however piss it off, piss on its face - defy it and defile it by working, playing, loving, laughing, creating and destroying more intensely and immensely, passionately with no pretense. Truly, madly, deeply.

Jessica Hagy, author of Indexed and the brilliant new book, How To Be Interesting (in 10 Simple Steps) blends good advice, common sense and

unique insights for a sound argument on just that.

How To Be Interesting could be mistaken for a self-help book as a result but it bears zero resemblance to the shallow, formulaic cash grabs from the conference jockeys and workshop whores that populate the shelves of that section in the bookstore. Mainly, because it offers actual help.

It’s intriguing, entertaining, insightful and inspiring thanks to Hagy’s trademark wit and wisdom wrapped in internet ADHD-friendly drawings and diagrams with easily digestible chunklets of ideas and information. If you find more truth and wisdom in humour and you like your answers as open-ended as the questions that create them, How To Be Interesting delivers in spades.

It is a very enjoyable, hard to beat, easy read that will hopefully start a better conversation about happiness and success and end time’s relentless reign of terror on your life and provoke you to work, play, love, laugh, create and destroy more intensely and immensely.

You know, be more...what’s the word?

How To Be Interesting is available anywhere books are sold, published

by Workman Publishing For more, check out the tumblr for the book www.how2beinteresting.tumblr. com, and thisisindexed.com.

Review by Casey Bowers

TECH REVIEW:

RAZRi

by Motorola

A phone can have all the features in the world, but if it isn’t completely idiot-proof sooner or later someone will come along and try and break it.

Despite the screen on the RAZRi having a plastic film on the front when it arrived with clear instructions on where to put the simcard, I decided it had to be inserted into the back and proceeded to crack the rear glass panel into a million pieces!!

Ooops! Ok, I admit I was having a temporary brain freeze, but in my defence the glass has a little indent on it that looks like it is made to be removed. It isn’t. I’m sure I’m not the first or last person to do it. Quick note to Motorola, if you’re going to have a lovely clear glass panel on the back of your phone, please write on it ‘Do not remove this glass’.

Only because there are some idiots out there, I know that for sure.

The RAZRi is fairly similar looks and size wise to the iPhone5, although slightly chunkier it feels really nice in your hand.

The previously mentioned glass is part of a really high-end finish, however investing in a decent case could be a sensible option to keep it truly safe from harm.

These days Motorola is under the wing of the mighty Google Inc, so new versions of Android OS should appear on Motorola devices before anyone else gets a sniff of them. In the case of the RAZRi which was originally shipped with Ice Cream Sandwich, but is now Jellybean-ed to the max (with new features including Google Now and Voice Search) you also get the first proper foray by Intel into smart phone processors.

Intel’s processor is fast, the RAZRi is blisteringly quick. Ok, so the difference is less than tenths of seconds, but if your phone is a big a part of your life, those

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tenths of seconds soon add up. By the end of the week your new phone could have saved you nearly a minute. No, seriously though, they do make a difference. Each time you have to wait for your phone to catch up with you, it slows you down, and whether that is from a workflow perspective or simply just sending a text, faster IS better, no argument.

The intel chip inside the RAZRi means you are never waiting and it can cope with multiple apps without any noticeable slowdown.

If you have a Gmail account, everything from your email, documents, contacts, google+ account is synced in moments and you can hit the ground running very quickly.

For me the native Gmail App has the edge over the iOS mail, and generally despite Apple’s original innovation, I have to say at the moment I do prefer Android’s OS. The RAZRi’s skin is a big improvement from previous RAZR interfaces and a nifty widget system allows you to customise your phone to a much greater level than iOS’s rigid structure.

In addition to the huge range of Apps, the Google Play store also has a good selection of movies, most around ¬£3.00-¬£4.00 and some as cheap as 99p, books are well covered too. The only area where it is really lacking is digital Magazines, they’re working on it‚Ķ (look out for Flush Magazine on the Play Store soon), but at the moment choice is strictly limited compared to Apple’s Newsstand.

Of the new Jellybean features ‘Google Now’ is probably the most notable, touted as Google’s answer to Apple’s Siri, delivering all kinds of reports and info such as translations, local traffic alerts, sports results, stocks and shares and can pull from your Gmail account information such as flights, hotel and restaurant booking

information and packaging tracking. It’s all very clever in theory and much of it useful, but unless you have a diary as exciting as David Beckham it can make you feel your life is just a bit, well‚Ķ boring.

Like Siri it is an interesting foray into socalled ‘artificial intelligence’, and if nothing makes you wonder what it will be like in 20 years time. For now its work in progress and while fun, to be honest a bit if a gimmick. If i need some milk, I don’t want my phone to tell me I need some milk at the shop, I want milk to magically squirt out of my phone.

Now that would be impressive.

The phone contains 2 cameras, a 0.3mp

VGA front facing, suitable for Skype calls and a rear facing camera 8mp with LED flash, digital zoom, auto focus and Geo-tagging functions, to name a few. The quality of pics is good, but not spectacular and you won’t be throwing your digital camera away just yet.

It’s easy to switch between hi-res images you want to keep and smaller snaps for instant posting to Facebook and Twitter.

As you would expect syncing the phone to social media accounts is also painless.

HD video capture is decent enough too (1920x1080) and comparable if not ahead of it’s rivals.

If you are one of those people who is constantly checking their email, tweeting etc, there is a small green light on the phone that will let you know when you have a new message or notification. So you don’t have to keep switching it on every two mins to check to see if Justin Bieber has finally RT’d the pic of the cake you made him for his birthday. It’s a nice feature that shows they are thinking about how people use phones in real life, not just in a laboratory.

Something that puts the RAZRi above many of the it’s rivals is its excellent battery life.

Despite the potentially power-sapping Intel chip inside it still had quarter of a battery after a days emailing, tweeting, pic taking and half a dozen or so five minute calls.

Along with the iPhone5 and Nokia Lumia 920, the RAZRi is quite possibly among the best phones around at the moment and if you shop around from £250, it also the cheapest of the three.

So there you have it, RAZRi, a smartphone for the smart (and not-so smart).

imensions: 4.82 x 2.40 x 0.33 inches D (122.5 x 60.9 x 8.3 mm) n Weight: 4.44 oz (126 g) n Super AMOLED Advanced 4.3 inch Screen / Resolution: 540 x 960 pixels / 256 ppi n Light sensor, Proximity sensor, Scratch-resistant glass n

Hardware n System chip: Intel Atom Z2460 n System memory: 1024 MB RAM / 8192 MB ROM n Maximum User Storage: 5 GB n Storage expansion: microSD, microSDHC up to 32 GB Camera n Camera:8 megapixels n Flash: LED, Back-illuminated sensor (BSI), Auto focus, Burst mode, Digital zoom, Geo tagging, High Dynamic Range mode (HDR) n Camcorder: 1920x1080 (1080p HD) (30 fps) n Features: Video calling n Front-facing camera: 0.3 megapixels VGA Other n Sensors: Accelerometer, Compass, Voice dialing, Voice commands, Voice recording n Positioning: GPS, A-GPS / Bluetooth / Wi-Fi

my favourite movie

by Steve Clarke

Do Humans Dream Of Eclectic Lives?

Blade Runner

F

rom the opening forboding notes of ‘Blade Runner’ (1982), hooded in complete darkness, you know immediately that you are not watching a Disney rom-com. This is dystopia in cold digital clarity. But that immediately changes in the following heavenly, angelical soaring bars. Within a few notes of one of the finest soundtracks of all time, Vangelis expresses the concept of enlightenment and ultimate salvation.

Despite it’s bleak, apparently infinite rain soaked future noir setting, this journey to enlightenment was what I saw (though hadn’t understood it yet) piercing through from the very first time seeing the movie on a poor VHS version. If anything the quality of said VHS made everything even darker, murkier, grubbier. But I only saw beauty, in sound, design and in Rachael (Sean Young).

Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) is a Blade Runner, a replicant (artificial humanoid slave with a defined 4 year life-span) hunter, and retires (murders) them for money if the stray

from their defined use. But as any personal journey to enlightenment entails, your perceptions of yourself and everything around you will be questioned and re-evaluated, just like the emotional response evaluator VoightKampff test Blade Runners use to expose replicants.

It is often the belief in the western world that science/technology will bring all the answers/ solutions to problems. But can it really bring the answer when the real problem is us, the humans? This future world seamlessly morphs/ splices technology and life, even to the extent that the buildings seem to have exposed diseased veins wrapped around their exteriors.

All natural life seems to be extinct because of our actions, our inherent need to destroy, and commerce is the only goal. We have learned nothing from our technological advances.

The perpetually roaming advertising blimps meander the drenched cloud pronouncing god like words of nirvanas on other heavenly worlds that haven’t been corrupted, yet.

Rachael is also a replicant with implanted fake memories, who despite all the odds awakens a humanity in Deckard as he falls in love with her. Despite all the odds, as Deckard is a replicant too, though doesn’t immediately know it. As he tracks down each of the current batch of bounties, he starts to reconstruct the mask puzzle pieces to show what his true face is, not the facade that most people wear on a daily basis. In Eastern philosophies enlightenment is generally exists at the end of the most treacherous road, which is why most folk don’t walk down it, and as such never discover their truth.

When Philip K. Dick wrote the book ‘Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep’ it was a hybrid of themes of what it is to be human, to be alive, our apparent innate contempt for life, including our own, and being complacent with our mortality. Ridley Scott who directed the movie recognised these almost spiritual qualities and transported them to near future times.

Despite the dystopia, it was written/directed as a

warning, against our destruction of life, our world and our individuality. To search and fight for what we believe in, as a true dystopia is being part of the homogeneity of existence.

In the awe inspiring final moments of the movie, we learn more about forgiveness, love, compassion, life and what it is to feel, be sentient and be alive from a dying replicant Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer). We learn from what we created, our creations teach us.

In 2007 I was fortunate enough to see a cleaned up digital version of Blade Runner - The Final Cut (my favourite version of the many that exist) in a cinema, having never seeing it on the big screen. It was like embracing it for the first time, with even more levels of depth than I’d ever seen/felt before. Hopefully I was one step closer to my own enlightenment, and not living the life of a replicant.

As the incredible actor Edward James Olmas’ character Gaff (a fellow police officer) says in his parting words to Deckard, ‘It’s too bad she won’t live. But then again, who does’. Do you?

Win

One of 3 Seven Psychopaths Goodie Bags

From Oscar® winning Writer and Director Martin McDonagh (In Bruges) comes an all star cast featuring Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson, Christopher Walken, Tom Waits and Abbie Cornish.

Marty (Farrell) is a struggling writer dreaming of finishing his screenplay, “Seven Psychopaths”. All he needs is a little focus and inspiration. Billy (Rockwell) is Marty’s best friend, an unemployed actor and part time dog thief, who wants to help Marty by any means

necessary. Hans (Walken) is Billy’s partner in crime - a religious man with a violent past.

Charlie (Harrelson) is the psychopathic gangster whose beloved dog, Billy and Hans have just stolen. Charlie’s unpredictable, extremely violent and wouldn’t think twice about killing anyone and anything associated with the theft.

Marty is going to get all the focus and inspiration he needs, just as long as he lives to tell the tale.

Seven Psychopaths is out on Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital Download from April 15th We have three AWESOME Seven Psychopaths goodie bags to give away containing the movie on DVD, a T-shirt, cool badges, and a limited edition pack of Seven Psychopaths playing cards.

To enter our exclusive competition just visit www.flushthefashion.com/win/seven Alternatively email your name and address to seven@flushthefashion.com Usual Terms and Conditions Apply. Editors decision is final.

Manny Castro - Think Young 2012 60 x 72 inches For more info on Manny, visit www.mannycastro.com

Closing date is 15th May 2013 Good luck! www.sevenpsychopaths.com

CONTACT Editor: Pete Graham pete@flushmagazine.co.uk Art Director: Dawn Li dawn@flushmagazine.co.uk For advertising enquiries, call 07958 006119 or email: ads@flushmagazine.co.uk www.flushmagazine.co.uk

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