Sunday saw the death of one of the last great style icons from the era of Truman Capote’s ‘Swans’ the Wasps who made up New York High Society from the 1940s. Lee Radziwill was probably better known as the sister of Jackie Kennedy. She was beautiful and stylish, but spent much of her life living in the shadow of her enigmatic older sister, who was first a national sweetheart, then the national widow and then the shameless woman who married Onassis. Lee was a Princess, and was born Caroline Lee Bouvier. She attempted a career in acting, playing Tracy Lord in a version of ‘The Philadelphia Story’ that was a…

What’s your favourite outfit, the one you could wear every day if it was allowed? Is it a little black dress that always makes you feel classy and elegant? Maybe it is a trusty pair of jeans that you literally live in, dressed up or dressed down? Or it could be something else entirely. I’m pretty sure though, if you asked my sister, she would say she’d love to live her life in pyjamas. The good news is, for those of the same disposition as Jodie (my little sis), pyjamas have now moved up a notch, and are totally acceptable as lounge wear as well as night wear, for those…

As you can probably guess, a restaurant that is dedicated to desserts is the ideal place to enjoy an afternoon tea. And when you then tie in cool surroundings and a chilled relaxed atmosphere, then the recommendation is complete. Pirlo’s in Birmingham is the place in question, and I enjoyed an afternoon tea there with my mom and sister just a few weeks ago and was seriously impressed. Pirlo’s is one of Birmingham’s best kept secrets. Situated just behind Selfridges, you can reach it easily by walking through the Moor Street car park. On the edge of the city’s Digbeth area, Pirlo’s has a cool industrial feel, with roomy booths…

Fuel costs. They seem to go up every single day. Just this morning NPower have announced another 10% increase on fuel tariffs, adding extra pressure to already stretched household budgets. We are not necessarily using more fuel, but we are certainly paying more for it. But the reality is that, in general, we do not help ourselves when it comes to keeping our bills as low as possible. Research has shown that for the last 2 years 57% of people have been found to be on standard variable tariffs – these are the most expensive tariffs. In addition, it is estimated that only 18% of people switch their energy supplier…

The puppets rolled into town this week, as Avenue Q opened at The Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham last night. The outrageous adult puppet show is irreverent and hilarious, at times laugh out loud funny, but it also has moments of real sweetness with a tender love story between a ‘monster’ and a puppet human at it’s heart. It also makes fun of everyone, and I mean everyone., no one is safe from the humour of Avenue Q. The story is set on Avenue Q, a down at heel area of New York. The tenement blocks of the street are housed by a motley assortment of characters, from warring couple Brian and…