Damian Hurley was born famous. Even though his mother, Elizabeth Hurley, put her career on hold to look after him, paparazzi would harass them on a daily basis. His teenage years were tainted with the death of important people in his life, the mark of which is palpable in his short film The Boy on the Beach and his debut feature-length film as a director, Strictly Confidential. Our Editor-in-Chief, Julia Pasarón, had the chance to catch up with him recently and learn who Damian Hurley really is.
Blessed with ridiculously good looks and having had his every need always catered for, Damian could easily have become an insufferable brat. Instead, this young man is devastatingly charming and easy-going. He has been obsessed with the world of celluloid since an early age, which is no surprise given that his mother is an actress and his godparents include industry giants Hugh Grant and Sir Elton John. Growing up, Damian used to hijack every holiday, torturing his long-suffering family and friends to act in his mini-movies, shot on a Flip Video camera given to him…
Located on the hills of Sotogrande, one of the most sought-after destinations in southern Europe among lovers of golf, polo and luxury life in general, Villa Noon is billed as the world’s first zero-emissions villa. Not only that, Villa Noon also generates its own water… from the sun. Viewed as a ground-breaking achievement in sustainable […]
The signature elegant luxury of Rocco Forte Hotels has been transposed to a beautiful new setting with the unveiling of Rocco Forte House Milan. After the plaudits received by Rocco Forte House Rome, the group is now opening eleven graceful new apartments on the highly desirable Via Manzoni in the very centre of Milan. They […]
It’s been an unusual year for golf – no surprises there. For the first time ever in its eighty-four year history, the Masters were held in November, seeing the tournament’s famed magnolia flowers swapped for cool winds and autumn leaves.
Not only that, but the sport has emerged as one of the breakout stars of the pandemic, with golfing equipment enjoying a steady rise in sales throughout the year, beaten only by the likes of hand sanitizer and office furniture. Yes, restaurants and theatres were out of bounds, but we could, and did, play golf.
It is amid this golfing buzz that the golf’s senior tour in Europe (50-and-over) got rebranded as the Legends Tour, as part of a joint venture between the European Tour and renowned entrepreneur Ryan Howsam, whose travel insurance company Staysure has been sponsoring the tour since 2017. The Legends Tour offers amateur players the chance to tee up alongside golfing icons (think former Ryder Cup Captains Colin Montgomerie and James Mark, world champion Tom Lehman; and celebrity sports legends like Clare Balding and Stephen Hendry) at the world’s most famous clubs and sought-after courses. This announcement could not come at a better time: with news of a vaccine, travel is on the horizon, at last, the prospect of playing golf somewhere other than our local course is in touching distance.
Former world number one and 1996 Open Champion Tom Lehman will play at the Legends Tour.
In Howsam’s own words, “The Legends Tour is ground-breaking in the way that fans are quite literally introduced to their legends on the course with an opportunity to learn and play alongside them in some of the most exclusive resorts that the golfing community has ever known. It’s a network between the Pro-Ams, the sporting legends, and now these new club members, and it’s unrivalled.”
The season will travel across Europe and the U.S., beginning in Austria at Golf Club Murhof, before continuing to the likes of Sunningdale, UK, for the 2021 Senior Open and the stunning seafront Rosapenna Resort in Ireland, hosted by winning Ryder Cup Captain Paul McGinley.
The tour’s Alliance Pro-Am format allows amateur players with a handicap of up to 24 to play side by side with World Number Ones, using its own Order of Merit. As such, players are treated to the full professional experience, with granted access to the locker rooms, gala dinners, cocktail evenings, and prize-giving ceremonies, as well as luxury accommodation, private transfers, and a bespoke concierge service. To round things off, all members are invited to the Legends Tour Championship Final in Seychelles, at what is widely hailed as the most beautiful golf course in the world.
Constance Belle Mare Plage Golf Course in Mauritius, one of The Legends Tour’s locations.
The tour is open to golf lovers of any demographic, but spaces are limited to just 20, with prices ranging from £15,000 per tournament place to £100,000 for full membership.
Globally recognised as one of the best boarding schools in the world, the team at Institut auf dem Rosenberg have always prided themselves on being “artisans of education” rather than just teachers and coaches.
Set on exquisite grounds in St. Gallen, Switzerland, Rosenberg offers a holistic approach to learning, which closes the gap between education and the real, professional world of the 21st century.
The school’s state-of-the-art facilities provide an environment that promotes learning and enables outstanding academic performance, thanks to Rosenberg’s individual approach to education which has been designed to broaden students’ minds and nurture their creativity, intuition, and social skills. With an average of eight students per class and a teacher to student ratio of 1:2, the Swiss private school is in a unique position to deliver on its mission.
Students at Rosenberg are encouraged to explore their own interests.
As part of its commitment to innovate, Rosenberg inaugurated a state-of-the-art Future Park in September, featuring a Climate Garden, a Farm Bot and Wind Trees, with the aim of encouraging planet-centred thinking among students. They have partnered with some of the world’s leading organisations in the field of science and technology, including ETH Zurich (www.ethz.ch/en.html) and Boston Dynamics (www.bostondynamics.com). This futuristic facility takes inspiration from leading figures such as Elon Musk and Sir Anthony Seldon.
Boston Dynamics’ Spot in action at the Rosenberg Future Park.
Speaking to I-M Intelligent Magazine, Mr Bernhard Gademann, Director and Headmaster at Rosenberg, said: “The Rosenberg Future Park is an example of how education must adapt to support the ever-evolving working world. It is a space dedicated to research and experimental learning to foster innovation and creativity on an entirely new level.”
The facilities at Rosenberg’s Future Park include:
Outdoor Lab: The Outdoor Lab is conceptually similar to theRosenberg Creative lab where art, technology and design are used together as experimental extensions of human imagination and creativity. It hosts Boston Dynamics’ Spot – a robot that helps students unlock creative engineering ambitions. Spot can be programmed to report back on the Rosenberg Future Park systems, allowing the school to be notified if there are any issues and new findings. This real-time learning is crucial for Rosenberg’s students and the core reason of why the school is investing in robots and projects such as Future Park.
Climate Garden: The Climate Garden hosts a hybrid climate zone made of two different domes with a variety of plants that will enable students to see how climate change has an impact on vegetation. In this collaborative project with the Zurich-Basel Plant Science Centre of the ETH Zurich, the predicted weather conditions of 2085* are simulated to create a comparison to the average temperature in Switzerland now, differing between +2ºC and +4ºC. Multiple sensors throughout the two domes continually collect and communicate data for analysis used in student projects. The aim is to effectively demonstrate the result of global warming and promote planet-centred thinking among the students.
*The Climate Garden 2085 is an art-science experiment which was initiated by the Zurich-Basel Plant Science Centre in collaboration with the Botanical Garden of the University of Zurich. This interactive experiment invites the public to personally experience climate scenarios and their predicted effects on agricultural plants, landscape and forests in Switzerland.
The climate garden hosts a carefully regulated hybrid climate zone.
Vertical Farm: Vertical farming is a means of tackling one of humanity’s most pressing challenges: to provide sustainable food for our daily needs. New vertical farming technologies have brought forward a system of circular irrigation and a farming method that reduces production costs while protecting natural resources. With the help of ETH spin-off Yasai, Rosenberg pupils have designed their own version, an example of how student work is guided by industry specialists. Rosenberg’s cuisine team makes use of the healthy produce grown in the Vertical Farm to supply crops for students all year round to eat in their school meals.
Farm Bot: Working inside The Climate Garden is a Farm Bot which prepares, plants, grows and nurtures crops through atomisation. Rosenberg students learn to programme the robot and use it for research purposes, teaching them not to fear technology, but to embrace the new opportunities it offers.
Bot prepares, plants, grows and nurtures crops through atomisation.
Wind Trees: All projects within the Future Park are connected to a self-sustaining energy network, which is partly driven by Wind Trees, which provide sufficient wind power to power most of the electronic devices within the Climate Garden.
The ambitions for the Rosenberg Future Park stretch well into the future. The current facilities will be soon joined by the Rosenberg Drone Port and Future Living Pods among, other exciting projects. The Future Living Pods will enable students to work with ground-breaking space architects at SAGA to experiment with design and technology that will shape future living, combining traditional artisanship with contemporary inventions.
So much of Christmas inspires the senses, so I thought I would have the joy of putting together for you a wonderful selection of the must-have fragrances this Christmas for those you love or maybe just to spoil yourself.
Bentley
Bentley Fragrances have brought out three new scents for women as part of their exclusive Bentley Beyond Collection. Inspired by scents matching peerless ingredients from far-flung destinations: Radiant Osmanthus from Kyoto, Japan; Mellow Heliotrope from Lima, Peru; and Vibrant Hibiscus from Seoul, South Korea; the floral world opens a new, more feminine realm of colours and emotions to explore. My favourite is Radiant Osmanthus, joyful, lively and floral with notes of peach, neroli, wild jasmine, white amber and sandalwood. It feels like the caress of a silk kimono on your skin.
All of them come in a majestic, faceted flacon inspired by the signature cut-crystal glass headlights of the Continental GT. The stability of the heavy 400-gramme bottle is ensured by a thick glass base. The legendary emblem is engraved on the silver metal shoulders of the flacon.
I wouldn’t leave the boys out of my recommendations, especially after discovering that Lalique has brought out three divine fragrances for the man in your life. Not only do they smell heavenly, but as you would expect, the bottles are beautiful. Art Deco in design, they are inspired by the iconic “Duncan” collection from 1931. Dressed in the rich green, gold and indigo palette of the three new scents, the streamlined form of Les Compositions Parfumées’s iconic bottle expresses a vibrantly modern masculine style.
The three fragrances are all quite different. Imperial Green carries warm notes of orange blossom and patchouli; Woody Gold focuses on warm notes of amber and wood, and Glorious Indigo is rich in fresh spice and bold precious woods. My favourite is Woody Gold, with its sensuous base of tonka bean and vanilla that recalls the warm glow of the precious metal that gives name to the fragrance.
No Christmas stocking is complete without a bit of Guerlain. Since 1828, the French perfumers have been leaving their mark on the history of modern fragrances with a series of unforgettable creations that tell tales both real and imagined, inspired by romantic encounters, literary classics and journeys to distant lands. Examples include Shalimar, Habit Rouge and more recently, La Petite Robe Noire. My pick for this Christmas is Spiritueuse Double Vanille, part of the L’Art & la Matière range, which pays homage to star ingredients in the history of perfume. This fragrance is sophisticated and sexy, with tones of pink peppercorn, Bulgarian Rose, bergamot and cedar.
The stylish bottle recalls the historical link between Guerlain and vanilla.
The label sparks off nostalgia for distant treasures and tells the full story of the spice. As a finishing touch, the bee – Guerlain’s symbol since 1853 with Eau de Cologne Impériale- embodies the transformation from the flower of the orchid into its fruit: the vanilla pod.
This HIS & HER set of stunning fragrances is most definitely for lovers. I adore the idea of these two stylish bottles together on the dressing table; a magnificent pairing adorned with green iridescent shells as a tribute to the stones that inspired them: Green Agate and Snake Jasper, two gems that are traditionally known for their powers of regenerative energy. The collector’s duo is the result of a spectacular and exceptional collaboration between two renowned Master Perfumers: Jacques Cavallier and Alberto Morillas.
Le Gemme Erea (signed by Alberto Morillas) is an oriental woody fragrance with top notes of lemony green cardamom and heart of vanilla. Le Gemme Kobraa (signed by Jacques Cavallier) stands out for its sensual masculinity brought out by smoky oriental resins such as black incense and heart essence, blended with the gentle freshness of geranium leaf.
With most of us binging on The Crown, Crab Apple Blossom is a darling little fragrance, a total pleasure to wear and brilliantly timely. The first of the British perfume house’s new Crown Collection is inspirited by the archives of The Crown Perfumery Company. This delicate perfume was first created in 1886, inspired by the crab apple tree that grew outside the Crown Perfumery’s founder’s house in Kensington. Its scent reminds me of a beautiful young queen to be who lived in Kensington and a princess who sadly never became queen.
Crab Apple Blossom was first created in 1886.
Crab Apple Blossom contains this signature spring flower as a top note combined with exotic marine bergamot, a heart of green rhubarb and fresh mojito fusion enhanced by creamy sandalwood and aromatic driftwood in the base for a fresh, energising citrusy yet soft scent that trails on the skin like blossoming branches in the sunshine.
This delicate perfume is housed in a striking ruby red bottle with signature crown stopper nestled within a presentation case showcasing its history and archive images.
This is the strapline for which Nathalie McGloin, the first ever disabled female racing driver is best known for; and it is hard to think of one that would suit her better. After breaking her neck at the age of 16, Nathalie was left paralysed from the chest down, but this didn’t deter her from following her ambitions, far from it, if anything, it made her more determined to succeed. She completed her A-Levels after leaving hospital and then went on to study at Nottingham University where she discovered wheelchair rugby, which she played to quite a high level, even moving to London to advance her career in that sport.
It was there that a fellow player introduced her to track days. At Salon Privé back in September, hosted by Lamborghini, our Editor Julia Pasarón had the chance to interview this incredibly inspirational woman and self-described Porsche nut. Talking about her first track day on a Porsche 911 all those years ago, Nathalie recalls with a big smile, “It was incredible. I just fell in love with it instantly. It was a revelation that this kind of driving was legal!
That was my first stepping-stone on to motorsports. I loved that on the track everybody was there at the same time, there wasn’t a subclass for disabled people. We were all just going and driving as fast as we could. And that was the start of quite an expensive hobby.” Six years on she became the first woman in the UK with a spinal cord injury to pass her ARDS exam and attain the licence required to compete in British club motorsport.
It takes a lot of guts to race at the best of times, so after the terrible accident Nathalie suffered, it is even more impressive that she found the bravery to give it all on the track. “I am not fearless,” she claims, “but I believe life is too short. I am passionate about motorsport and I believe that if you can make a living doing what you love the most, then you are very lucky but I haven’t lost my self-preservation instinct.”
It was incredible. I just I fell in love with it instantly. It was a revelation that this kind of driving was legal!
– Nathalie McGloin
Nathalie with her Walter Hayes trophy.
The rest, as they say, is history. With a list of podium finishes under her belt and her first outright win at Silverstone in 2018 (less than four years after starting in this sport), Nathalie’s victory is absolute testimony to the fact that in motorsport, gender and disability are completely irrelevant. The same year she was also awarded the BWRDC Lord Wakefield Trophy, presented annually in recognition of outstanding achievement by women in motorsport. The award couldn’t have come at a better time because in 2017 Nathalie almost gave up racing for good. “I had the worst season ever, “she explains, “I crashed my car at Brands Hatch on the test day before the first race of the season. The ABS failed and I hit the wall quite hard. I was only slightly injured and the car, although quite damaged, could be repaired. However, my confidence got completely knocked out.
I spent that season trying to rebuild it but every time I went out in the car I would behave in a way that wasn’t right and I started to question whether the problem was me. At the end of the last race of the season, I remember sitting in my car with my instructor and he asked me, “Natalie, what’s wrong?” and my answer was “I would rather be anywhere else in the world right now than in this car on this racetrack.” So I promised myself that if I still felt that way like this by the end of the following season I’d hang up my racing gloves for good because racing is far too dangerous and too expensive to do unless you absolutely love it.”
Nathalie with her partner, Andrew, before her first rally at Donington Park.
Fortunately for motorsport, something happened at the eleventh hour. Nathalie went into a race at the end of the year in Silverstone and finished third. “That day I fell back in love with racing again and then, in the 2018 season is when I got all of my podiums and on top of it, I was presented the Lord Wakefield Trophy, which was completely unexpected given the calibre of previous winners, women like Katherine Legge, Claire Williams and Susie Wolff. The cherry on the cake was to present Kimi Räikkönen his trophy at Silverstone.”
In motorsport, there are no separate classes for female or for disabled drivers. This means Nathalie’s main competitors are able-bodied men. She trains and competes at the highest level, and thrives on the adrenaline. Her car is an adapted Porsche 987 Cayman S, fitted with radial hand controls mounted to the right of the steering column that leaves her left hand free to steer. She actually considers herself a disabled driver before a female driver because as she explains, “my disabilities are much more tangible and people are actually more interested in me as a disabled driver than as a female driver.” Fortunately, discrimination hasn’t been an issue on the track for Nathalie, “I was very relieved that nobody treated me as extra fragile or anything like that. I love the fact that all other drivers would happily take the nose off the end of my car to get past me.”
You are only as strong as your weakest member; everybody from mechanics to drivers has to pull together if you are to succeed…
– Nathalie McGloin
Outside the track though, it is a different story. Nathalie has been the recipient of bullying comments on some social media platforms that she doesn’t really engage with, like Reddit, where she got people saying that she shouldn’t be racing at all or that she was privileged and therefore her stories and aspirations were meaningless. However, most of the time she receives a lot of support from her ever-growing number of followers. Her view on the dangers of social media is clear, “We need to start a conversation about what can be done to make it safer and more responsible, so people are aware of the far-reaching consequences of their posts and comments. Maybe we should start social media education in schools.”
Besides the Porsche Club Championship, Nathalie competes in the New Millennium series run by the Classic Sports Car Club. These races take place at all the major national circuits, including the revered GP circuits of Silverstone, Brands Hatch and Donington. There are still some places in her bucket list, with Dubai and Abu Dhabi at the very top. “I love the UAE,” she explains, “the weather, the lifestyle… and they have fantastic cars there. Basically, somewhere warm for a 24 hours endurance race would be my ultimate goal so Dubai or Abu Dhabi would be a great place to start.”
Nathalie loves the team aspect of motorsport, where “you are only as strong as your weakest member; everybody from mechanics to drivers has to pull together if you are to succeed. My victories are not mine, they are my team’s.” She has special words of praise for James Webley, her mechanic, of whom she says, “I don’t know how he does it but he seems to know what I need even if I can’t explain it to him properly.”
Nathalie presenting Raikonnen with his trophy in 2018
Her passion for giving back to others is just as strong as her drive for the sport. The generosity of her spirit has taken her to become an ambassador for a number of charities and non-profit organisations aimed at giving opportunities and support to minority groups who are widely under-represented in motorsport: Wings for Life, a charity committed to finding a cure for spinal cord injuries, where she works alongside other racing driver ambassadors Mark Webber and David Coulthard; Girls on Track (previously known as Dare to be Different), devoted to inspiring, connecting and showcasing female talent in motorsport; and with her partner she co-founded Spinal Track, a charity that enables disabled drivers to enjoy track days and rally experiences with the support of Stanley Black & Decker, who also sponsor Nathalie as a driver.
Nathalie is President of the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) Disability and Accessibility Commission, formed two years ago with the goal to make motorsport more accessible to disabled people. The Commission’s responsible for all of the global licensing regulations for disabled motorsports, “but we’re not just there for the drivers,” Nathalie points out, “we’re also there for volunteers, officials and marshals, making sure that stadiums and other venues are accessible for disabled spectators. We’re trying to promote disabled people working within motorsport teams at all levels.”
Slowly, car companies are realising the importance of being more inclusive of women, one of them being Lamborghini, whose Female Advisory Board brings together a network of over 120 influential women in business, culture, creativity and technology around the world) rewards female talent every year with prizes in three categories: Technology, Sustainability and Art. As part of the FAB initiatives, Lamborghini has produced a series of podcasts with influential women from all over the world. The UK subject was Nathalie, who was selected for her ability to inspire and open doors to women and indeed, disabled people who are enthusiastic about motorsports.
“I am passionate about the ethos behind Lamborghini’s Female Advisory Board,” shares Nathalie, “so I jumped at the opportunity to be part of it, to help instigate change for females in the automotive sector.” Lamborghini wanted to give these “fab” women an opportunity to talk about how they set out to change their lives and to change the people around them and Nathalie is a prime example of that kind of far-reaching journey of transformation.
I am passionate about the ethos behind Lamborghini’s Female Advisory Board…
– Nathalie McGloin
Although motorsport is starting to actively seek people of all kinds and backgrounds to join in, the truth is that from the outside, this is a sector that seems unapproachable and hostile, limited to privileged individuals. In order to make it more accessible, Nathalie thinks that one of the first steps to take is to increase visibility. In the case of women, for example, she says, “Young girls watching Formula 1 on TV at home, will hardly ever see a woman so it is hard to inspire the younger generations if they can’t see someone like them doing it. I think more visibility for things like the W series would be good for showing girls that the dream is possible, that women can race.
Le Mans just had two all-female teams competing this year so it seems that slowly we are moving in the right direction.” When it comes to the disabled, Nathalie thinks the strategy is pretty much the same although slightly more challenging because “regulations have to be in place for adaptations in homologated racing, what we have done with the FIA, so homologated cars and can be adapted to compete with non-adapted cars.” Visibility though seems to be the key factor to bring for motorsport to be more inclusive so Nathalie has started a new Instagram channel @fia_disability_accesibility
There are other initiatives out there like the Electroheads e-kart race series, launched earlier this year by Rob Smedley (a former engineer at Ferrari and Williams and now Formula 1’s director of data systems) to help make the entry points to racing more diverse and affordable and encourage the growth at the grassroots level of the number of people that can get involved in the sport. Nathalie believes that this kind of initiative is vital “to discover many hidden talents that otherwise will never be found.”
Nathalie at the Mac Tools fair Orlando, speaking to an audience of 2000 people on behalf of her sponsor Stanley Black & Decker.
For those who maybe can’t afford even karting, Nathalie’s advice is that “there is always a way in. Start volunteering, get work experience, become a marshal… even cleaning the circuit; anything that would help you set foot onto the tarmac.”
I always like asking my interviewees about their dreams and Nathalie’s is quite inspirational. “I dream of being so successful with my commission that disabled kids watching Formula 1 will genuinely believe that they can do it too.” From all of us at I-M Intelligent Magazine, we truly hope your dreams come true Nathalie McGloin.
How have your relationships fared this year? As we well know, 2020 has been excellent at turning everything on its head. What better than the total crisis of a global pandemic to give you a newfound sense of perspective on your relationship? Only 63% of people reported that their relationship had stayed much the same during lockdown – 26% of relationships improved, whilst 11% worsened. I have a feeling that this will only be the tip of the iceberg. As we emerge shell-shocked from the past few months, divorce lawyers are expecting a “post-lockdown relationship reckoning”, meaning honeymoon periods abruptly ending and already-struggling relationships reaching their moment of judgement.
I hope though that another, happier perspective may have been gained too. That 26% of relationships that have improved during lockdown feels quietly significant. Uncertainty brings into focus how important our loved ones are to us; now more than ever, it is time to invest in our relationships, to cherish what we have.
As it stands, one in four relationships report being “distressed” at any given time, 40-50% of marriages end in divorce and a quarter of a million couples separate every year in the UK alone. In plain terms, that is a lot of heartbreak; But it is also a lot of social and economic upheaval. The annual cost of separation and family breakdown is estimated at £44 billion, not to mention the myriad ways that our relationships, and therefore any breakdown of them, impact our mental health and physical wellbeing and that of our families. The state of our romantic relationships is one of significant socio-economic concern and a public health issue.
This impact that our relationships have on us is not surprising: they are often the single most important part of our lives. Yet, as a nation, we are extremely reluctant to talk about them, much to our detriment.
Paired is a new app that encourages us to talk about our love lives…
This summer, research I conducted with The Open University and the new app Paired found that over six in ten (62%) of UK adults do not speak to anyone for relationship advice – not friends, family or even the Internet. The figure jumps to 70% among men – a worrying, but sadly unsurprising, nod to the stereotype that men often choose to suffer in silence, rather than speaking out about their feelings. The study showed a clear generational divide – 8 in 10 of those over 55 wouldn’t go to anyone for relationship advice, compared with two-thirds of those between 45-54 and only 3 in 10 of 18-24 year-olds – but it found no variation between levels of earning or social class. If this doesn’t apply to you, then likelihood is that it will to your parents, children, siblings or friends. This is a problem for all of us.
Put simply, we need to start getting comfortable speaking about our love lives. Let’s face it, it’s not like we don’t need the help. Even more so now, our stress levels and bank balances are fraught as it is without adding heartbreak. Yet the pandemic, whilst accentuating this need to hold on to what is good, to cherish our loved ones, has also drastically reduced face-to-face contact; those vital nuggets of time with friends, family or co-workers, in which we can confide.
So, how to get talking when we are covered in facemasks, chatting through screens or sick of the sight of our partner after months locked in the house together? In my 20 years of research, I’ve found that the secret to good quality relationships is often in the detail. A cup of tea, in all its mundane comfort, can mean the world. A TV series, binged together night after night, laughed or cried at together, can act as valuable shared experience. These small moments might be often the first to be sacrificed in the whirlwind of a day, but can make the hugest difference in making one another feel valued and they open up opportunities for good communication. It’s the philosophy that Paired was founded on: 5 minutes a day dedicated to our relationships (in Paired’s case, by answering an often-fun, sometimes more searching, question about your love life) is a sure-fire way to make them happier and healthier over time.
These routine relationship maintenance behaviours – little acts of kindness, shows of affection and crucially, good communication – are the key to the success of long-term relationships. Plus, one other thing, which is a piece of my research that feels the most pertinent to now, overcoming challenges and pulling together during adversity has been proven, time and again, to make a relationship stronger than it was before. Now is the time to put the work in. We need love more than ever, and the rewards are sure to be plenty.
About the author: Jacqui Gabb is Professor of Sociology and Intimacy at The Open University, where she has been studying couple and family relationships for more than 20 years, seeking to uncover the secrets to long-term relationships. She is also Chief Relationship Officer at Paired, an app aimed at encouraging all of us to get talking about our love lives.
There is no better time to plan a trip to the heart of historic and cultural London than now, with international travel restricted and a minimal amount of tourists in town. Dukes Hotel is perfectly situated in Mayfair surrounded by some of London’s most historic landmarks, restaurants and shops, among them Fortnum & Mason, The Royal Academy and St James’s park.
Tucked away in a beautiful little courtyard just off St James’s place, finding Dukes is not that easy. As you turn into St James’s place, you must look for the Narnia style lamppost and make a left. Dukes’s entrance is guarded by a very regal stone Dachshund, a signature motive present throughout the hotel. Dukes also have a special partnership with many of Mayfair and St James’s most prestigious retailers, from bespoke tailors Benson & Clegg, to wine merchant Berry Bros. & Rudd (both Royal Warrant holders). These unique relationships make possible unforgettable private shopping experiences.
Dukes Hotel is steeped in history. Very famous personalities have grace its facilities, including Diana, the Late Princess of Wales, who had a small table in the drawing room permanently reserved for her as it was one of her favourite places in London for afternoon tea. Royalty has long been associated with Dukes. The Mansion was originally built around 1530 as part of St James palace, where Henry VIII would come from Whitehall to escape the public eye and, it is said that it was at St James palace that he’d woo and conduct his affairs. We stayed in the Portland suite, airy, full of light and with a beautiful marble bathroom. Perfectly pressed sheets and thick warm snuggly robes with the Dukes Dachshund embroidered on the left completed the luxurious linen set.
we found the perfect spot under a chestnut tree…
A proper picnic always requires some bubbles.
Looking forward to being back in our suite early, we opted for having dinner on site. GBR, their all-day dining restaurant is still unfortunately closed but Chef Nigel Mendham’s inspired dishes are served in the drawing room. Chef Mendham likes taking food back to its roots, working with core ingredients meticulously prepared and bringing out the flavours of each dish, finding the perfect balance between seasonally inspired dishes and some Great British favourites such as Cumbrian lamb cutlets, slow cooked shoulder shepherd’s pie and of course, fish & chips.
Dukes Bar is legendary, with a definite Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy meets 007 feeling about it. Just read the names of the cocktails, it says it all. I don’t think I have ever had a martini experience like it. Each martini is exquisitely mixed in front of you: a little wooden trolley with all the components for the perfect martini is swept to your table and then the mixologist talks you through the process until the magic that a perfect martini is appears in front of your eyes. These are the martinis dreams are made of; I am sure even James Bond would have agreed for once to have his “shaken, not stirred.”
View of the Portland Suite.
Dukes also has a Cognac & Cigar garden, unsurprisingly, very masculine but also romantic, with a Moroccan air to it, lots of wood and iron, antique mirrors and lit by fairy lights. In the corner, there is a curved wooden cabinet filled with an array of Remi Martin Cognac. The cigar selection is perfect and of course has the Winnie (RJ Wide Churchill) as it is affectionately known as Winston’s favourite cigar.
To end our stay on a high note we had planned ahead and booked in advance one of Dukes’s divine picnics. Followed by two hotel butlers, we walked hand in hand through St James’s park with our dog until we found the perfect spot under a chestnut tree, where they spread a soft picnic rug, opened the basket and displayed the goods. Nothing had been forgotten, there was a delightful array of dishes, including smokey BBQ chicken brochettes with lemon & thyme yoghurt, pulled pork & cheddar scotch eggs with piccalilli, pesto potatoes with marinated artichokes, different salads and dips, a selection of cheeses and artisan breads and house made crackers. To finish off, there was Eton mess and chocolate chip flapjacks. Needless to say, we both felt the proverbial postprandial stupor after such a feast so leaving my darling husband to take a nap under the chestnut tree, I took our baby wolf for three much needed laps around St James’s park.
The Dukes Hotel Bar, a classic among classics.
Nightly rates at DUKES LONDON start from £183 inclusive of VAT and breakfast. For more information and reservations email: bookings@dukesthotel.com or phone +44 (0)207 491 4840
Despite its vintage, the Jaeger LeCoultre 101 watch that is produced today is much the same as it was when first made but for a few adjustments along the way. The 101 harks back to a bygone age where etiquette decreed that a lady was only to wear a watch during the daytime, not for formal or evening events. The diminutive 101 put an end to this problem. Set in gold or in a diamond bracelet, the watch was all but hidden (apart from the small dial) and hence a lady could tell the time at an event without infringing on the etiquette rules of the time.
It was for this reason that Queen Elizabeth II, for her Coronation, chose to wear a diamond 101 for the occasion. Her Majesty could mark the passage of time during the day without anyone (except those standing very close by) being aware that a watch was being worn on the regal wrist. There was nothing else like it then; or now for that matter.The modern day 101 continues as recognition of Jaeger’s ability to push the miniaturization of a mechanical movement to the smallest possible dimensions and set it in the most dazzling and imaginative jewellery forms. Back in the 1920s, to achieve the miniaturised form, Jaeger literally folded the movement in on itself! The watchmakers made the mechanism smaller by basically dividing it in half: placing one part of the movement (the winding barrel and part of the gear train) on top of the other half (containing the other part of the gear train and the escapement).
The new architecture aided the ability to repair the movement, being able to work on one half of the movement while the other half remained complete.At its debut, the Calibre 101 set the record for the world’s smallest movement and 91 years later it still holds that honour. When you think about all the patents and record-breaking feats announced every year in the world of horology, holding this distinction for such a long time is even more remarkable. The current construction and development of the 101 mechanism since its inception in 1929 is arguably artisanal watchmaking in its purest form. The watch parts are crafted in order that they fit the movement. The movement parts have to be individually examined and placed to make sure that they will work together. Because of that, the watch requires such skill that only the most talented of the watchmakers at Jaeger LeCoultre can work on them. Though the movement is not a limited edition in the strictest sense, the production is certainly restricted, with only about 50 made each year.
The original 101, as stunning now as it was then…
In terms of production over time, the quantities are small. The official numbers from the Jaeger LeCoultre archives show that between 1929 and 1994 the total production was 1646 movements; or approximately 22 watches a year. For such a basic movement, innovations and progress have been made occasionally and every so often. Although it is hard to comprehend, the whole movement only weighs one gram. The parts for the gear train are so small that highly specialised manufacturing techniques are required. The work is painstakingly slow. In an instance where the past truly does inform the present, the watchmakers working on the vintage pieces use the knowledge they gain from repairing them to inform the current production of where improvements can be made.
Introductions to the Jaeger 101 line are rare and occur infrequently. This year, the manufacture have introduced two new models of the famed jewellery watch: the 101 Snowdrop and the 101 Bangle, both of which are testament to the long standing excellence in design and execution of haute joaillerie watches.The Snowdrop is inspired, as the name suggests, by the white bell-shaped flowers that are able to grow through a thin layer of snow in the Vallée de Joux. The manchette-style Snowdrop exudes delicate femininity, with a circle of pear-shaped diamonds surrounding the dial to form a flower and waves of diamonds repeating the petal pattern in perfect symmetry all the way around the bracelet. Jaeger-LeCoultre’s designers chose a “griffe” (or claw) setting for the diamonds to minimise the presence of any metal and to allow light to pass through the gemstones from all angles, creating the radiance and beauty of that first flower to emerge through the brilliant whitened landscape.
The 101 Snowdrop is inspired by the white bell-shaped flowers that grow through the snow in the Vallée de Joux.
The inspiration for the Bangle watch is found in the graceful geometry of Art Deco and the strong forms of 20th century Modernism. The bracelet is set with 996 brilliant-cut diamonds (total 19.7 carats) graduated in size to emphasise the sweeping curves of the design and create a dynamic interplay of symmetry and asymmetry. The manufacture’s artisans have combined two different settings for the gemstones: the griffe (144 diamonds) and the grain setting – inlaid into the precious metal – (852 diamonds), techniques which heighten the diamond’s three-dimensional effect and maximise the play of light. Even after 91 years, the Calibre 101 continues to be a dazzling micromechanical wonder, displaying contemporary freshness and beauty while hearkening back to an earlier era. With the passing of time, nothing has diminished the lustre of the workmanship or the astonishment that the watch movement is actually mechanical. There is a lost age of excellence in watchmaking and haute joaillerie that still continues with the Jaeger LeCoultre 101.
Yoga is not limited to the performance of a few asana on a yoga mat. Yoga is a self-development practice that progressively pervades day-to-day life. Here is a small “first thing in the morning” practice that you might want to try even if you do not practice yoga and do not intend to. You wake up and open an eye. Maybe you extend your arm to grab your mobile phone to check the clock and perhaps some mails, posts or news pushed-in during the night. You start your normal routine, moving to your bathroom to take a shower or your kitchen to sip your first coffee or tea of the day. Your mind already started listing some of the Do’s of the day. You are focused on this buzz, while performing usual morning gestures and actions in automatic pilot.
Stop and rewind. Unlike in real life, you have the chance to experience the play for a second time: You wake up and open an eye. You avoid letting your mind begin to chatter and auto-run like a computer programme to plan and comment on the tasks of the day. Instead, you stay alert and keep your mind quiet, just observing your natural breath and feeling the simple pleasure of being alive. Gently stretch, enjoying feeling each part of your body progressively wake up. Finally, get out of bed and, walking to your bathroom or your kitchen, feel the contact of the sole of your feet with the carpet. Then, continue your morning routine observing with a silent mind all the messages conveyed by your five senses: the cascading of the water on your skin when you are in the shower, the smell of the body wash, the colour of the morning sky though the window, the noise of the bread jumping off the toaster, the taste of your coffee or tea…
Just acknowledge the thought and let it go…
– Lydie Gala
Try living every single moment and action as a brand new experience that you have never lived before, dedicating all the attention and intensity you only devote to critical things you experience for the first time; and when your mind starts telling you “What are you doing? Stop this useless practice, hurry up”, just acknowledge the thought and let it go, gently coming back in full and silent attention to your routine. What is the difference between the two scenarios described above? The difference is that, in the second one, for a few minutes, you stopped acting mechanically.
You managed to keep your mind silent, focus on the present moment and on the perceptions of the now. The difference is attention. If you manage to do this little morning practice for one month, you will start experiencing interesting and perhaps even amazing things. I will not explain to you what will happen, because everybody’s experiences and feelings are unique. It is your practice. What I can certainly tell you, however, is that you will have initiated a path to bring more awareness and more buoyancy into your life, to become more alive.
About the author: Lydie is a Yoga Alliance and Yoga Academy certified yoga teacher RYT 200. She left the busy corporate world a few years ago to move to a slower life in Morocco. For more information on Lydie’s yoga teaching you can reach her via Instagram:
Good news at last! One of our favourite riverside restaurateurs has come up with an ingenious plan to keep us sane and entertained. While we wait with anticipation for Sam and his incredible team to reopen their doors, we have Quiz night. Personally I can’t wait.
Drawing on his impressive address book and a few favours, restaurateur Sam Harrison, of Sam’s Riverside in Hammersmith, west London, has devised plans to launch two online Celebrity Quiz Nights, on 16 and 29 June. The initiative will be fun with a focus on supporting the restaurant’s own lifeline to reopen in July, and also raising money for the Charlie Waller Memorial HostTrust (www.cwmt.org).
Live on Zoom webinar, and kicking off both nights at 7pm, participants will pay £25 per household, with bookings made via the Sam’s Riverside website (www.samsriverside.co.uk) and EventBrite from Monday, 8 June. Sam has also assembled an impressive list of prizes for several lucky participants, including a Summer Wine Selection from Ellis Wines, a Mega Food Hamper from HG Walter Butchers and Oui Chef Fruit & Vegetables, Riverside Studios Cinema Vouchers, and also a meal for four people at Sam’s Riverside.
The quiz players will see all the celebrity hosts as they pose their round of questions, and will be able to immediately post their answers to each question on a special interactive scoring system.
The line-ups for the two quiz nights are below:
Tuesday, 16 June Iain Morris (Co-Creator of The Inbetweeners) is hosting Anthony McPartlin & Declan Donnelly (TV Hosts) – TV Round Joe Thomas (Actor) – General Knowledge Round Andy Nyman (Actor) – Theatre Round William Sitwell (Saturday Telegraph Magazine Restaurant Critic) – Food & Drink Round Iain Morris & Sam Harrison – West London Facts Round
Monday, 29 June David Tennant (Actor) is hosting Connor Swindells (Actor) – TV Round Suranne Jones (Actor) – General Knowledge Round Alistair Petrie (Actor) – Theatre Round Tom Parker Bowles (Mail on Sunday Restaurant Critic) – Food & Drink Round Adam James (Actor) – West London Facts Round
For further information, check the website – www.samsriverside.co.uk Sam’s Riverside – Crisp Walk, Hammersmith, London W6 9DN Instagram/Twitter – @samsriversidew6
