Lifestyle

A quick and cheap way of getting around, if you don't mind death-defying driving, sardine-like people-packing or being handed a child/chicken to hold on your lap for the entire journey. A ‘Dale Dale' ( dar-lay dar-lay) is a minibus taken to various stops in and out of town. A 20 minute ride costs about 30p. Your best chances of catching a ride is to find the nearest ‘station', as it were – a sort of large gathering zone where many start their routes. It basically looks like a large herd of white minivans surrounded by drivers shouting and packing as many people into their vans as they can possibly hold. The first thing to note is that the locals take their people-cramming skills to a serious level. The other issue is the stops: seeing where you are, or where to get off, can be difficult t...

The 1920's Flapper-Girl image is recognisable to all. Low waistlines, bob cuts, strings of beads long enough to play a somewhat overly-elegant game of ‘Cat's Cradle' and bright red pouting lips. With Baz Luhrmann's visually exhilarating adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's ‘The Great Gatsby' sparkling away on Britain's silver screens, it's no wonder high street shoppers are being inundated with all things dapper and flapper. For those who could afford it, the Roaring Twenties was an era of extravagance, late nights and the disregard of previous stuffy social standards. Women tore off their corsets and showed a bit of leg, men put on their dancing shoes and the party never ended. Now, it's here that I spot some correlation between the guys and dolls of the Twenties and us, in the here and n...

Exams are finally over and the sun is shining, so what better way to spend a lazy afternoon than dressing up and showing off your mixology skills with our top summer cocktails! Long Island Iced Tea, serves 2: My personal favourite, this is light and refreshing and can be lethal after a couple. How about adding an English flavour by using a teapot and teacups instead of glasses. 1 measure (24ml) vodka // 1 measure gin // 1 measure white rum // 1 measure tequila // 1 measure triple sec or Cointreau // 1 measure lime or lemon juice // 2 teaspoons sugar syrup or caster sugar // Coke Put all the ingredients into the cocktail shaker, with ice in both the shaker and glasses. Shake, strain into the glasses, top up with coke and enjoy! Lynchburg Lemonade, serves 1: Straight from Tennessee itself,...

This chilli is so easy to make that it's really impossible to get it wrong – it just takes a bit of time to make. It feeds a whole bunch of people so it's great if you're having friends round, plus it freezes brilliantly. It's also packed with the things your parents always ask if you're eating enough of, and what's more, you can adapt it to whatever you fancy or just happen to have in the fridge – use different kinds of beans or vegetables, or play around with the spices to vary it. Ingredients - 1 onion - 2 peppers (yellow and red) - 2 sticks celery - 1 large carrot - 2 cloves garlic - 2 chillies (red and green) - 300g Quorn mince - 1tsp chilli powder - 1½tsp ground cumin - 1tsp ground coriander - 2tsp cinnamon - 1tsp paprika - 1 glass red wine - 2x 400g tin chopped tomatoes - 2x 400g t...

Renowned for its history of art, architecture and music, it is hard to find someone who hasn't fallen in love with Venice. It was the masks that first drew me in: the colours, the intricate, beautiful designs, the feathers and the doll-like delicacy in their features. Carnival masks are a part of the city as much as the canals, gondolas and St Marks Basilica. The actual wearing of masks in Venice has a chequered history. In the beginning they were allowed to be worn at all major events, bar religious festivals. But in 1339 the wearing of masks was limited to daytime and in 1608 the anonymity and immoral behaviour associated with wearing a mask led to them being banned apart for carnival and banquets. If you were going to Venice specifically to revel in the wonders of these beautiful works...