Daily Post

Elegant Homes: Life Down On the Farm ; Sue Kelbrick Discovers a Cheshire Estate

LOCATED in the idyllic setting of rural Cheshire, Towns Green Farm, priced at pounds 3. 75m, is a residential, equestrian and farming estate. The farmhouse, based in Wettenhall near Tarporley, has been sympathetically restored and has beautiful views over wooded farmland and a small lake to the Peckforton Hills.

But We Couldn't Figure Out How to Get Me Out of Jordan Alive ; Robin Walker Discusses Controversy with Film-Maker Michael Moore

CONTROVERSIAL American documentary-maker Michael Moore doesn't hide the fact that he has it in for President Bush. "I hope it has a huge impact, I hope it helps get Bush out the White House, " the 49 - year-old says about his incendiary critique of the Bush administration Fahrenheit 9/11. The hard-hittingdocumentary, which opens on Friday, July 9, walked off with the Palme d'Or at Cannes in May.

Enter the Dragon ; Aerial Gymnastics As Emperors Take On Chasers

WINGS rattling and buzzing in the warm summer air, the four spotted chaser zoomed low over the surface of the pond, searching for food and anxious to assert its small territory. It was king of the hill, or rather pond, until a larger emperor appeared, biggest of all our lowland dragonfiles, with a stunning electric blue body.

Mike Chapple

MENTION the Philharmonic pub and the word "toilets" springs to mind. As in "you must visit their Gents toilets -- they're simply divine. " This is a statement -- unlikely in any other environment outside of a home for chronic incontinents -- that is usually made by a non- Liverpudlian.

Putting Fashion On a Plate

DID you ever have a vegetable plot in your garden? And is it still flourishing? I ask because I'mconfused by conflicting reports about what British gardens are used for. A survey by the DIY superstore chain Focus Wickes claims that barely one gardener in 10 now grows vegetables, compared with four in 10, 20 years ago.

Gardening: This Week's Chores

n GIVE your lawn a boost -- and a better chance of retaining its green colour throughout summer -- by watering thoroughly then feeding with a proprietary lawn fertiliser high in nitrogen, choosing the kind that is watered on. Alternatively, you can mix a solution of sulphate of ammonia diluted at the rate of 40g to 4. 5 litres (1. 5oz per gallon) and water on at 4. 5litres to the square metre (gallonper square yard). Don't shave the grass too short while mowing -- instead set the mower at a m...

Gardening: Plant of the Week: Hydrangea Macrophylla

NO plant name could be more straightforward than that of the hydrangea, could it? It is derived from the Greek for water -- hydrangeas like moist soil -- and jar, denoting the shape of the fruits. But it has been successively known as viburnum in Sweden, hortensia in France and azisai in Japan as well as having nearly a dozen other epithets at different times. Thankfully, the botanical world eventually agreed that these names applied to a single species from Asia and called it Hydrangea macro...

Elegant Homes: The Seven Year Pitch ; Jennie Lewis Meets One Half of a Husband and Wife Team Who Embarked On Their Dream Home -- Seven Years Ago

WOULD you be willing to put your finances and marriage on the line in order to pursue the dream of designing your own house? When Russell and Janette Harris clapped eyes on a derelict 19thcentury water tower in the picturesque Cheshire village of Lymm, they had no idea their crusade to convert it would dominate their lives for more than seven years.

Travel: Late Breaks

SHORT BREAKS LILLE: Flight Centre (0870 499 0042)offers one night B&B from pounds 99 until end-August, incl Eurostar return and three- star hotel accom. DISNEYLAND PARIS: GreatEscapes (0870 160 5718)offers three nights B&B at themed hotel, entrance to theme parks each day and Hoverspeed return crossing from pounds 224(four sharing) on selected dates until Sept.

Travel: Deal of the Week

THIS winter mass market leader, Crystal Ski, is determined to increase the adventure aspect and adrenalinpumping holiday choice, so it includes Mont Blanc Off-Piste Ski Safari, including heliskiing in Italy; Arctic activity tour including snowmobiling and rally ice- driving in Finland; Ice Hotel adventure in Sweden (from pounds 1, 199 for three nights'at -5 C); and Canada Power Ski Safari in Banff, Lake Louise and elsewhere. In Europe look out for extended child care scheme -- including priva...

Travel: Take 10 Steps to Disney Heaven ; Disney Virgin? Tony Ellis Offers Advice for Getting the Most From the Magic Kingdom

OW do you keep a birthday treat to Disneyland Paris a surprise when you have to stay at the airport hotel overnight? Answer:Make staying at the hotel the treat. Okay, it wouldn't fool most people but when you're six, any night away from home is exciting, and for my little boy this was no exception. So it was my wife and I found ourselves checking in to our Manchester Airport hotel with Jake, six, and sister Gina, four, eyes like saucers as the jets took off overhead.

Travel: Getting There by Air

Travel: Win Flights to Paris

Travel: The Lowdown . . . On Lake Como, Italy

ITALY'SLake Como is thought to be one of the most romantic places on earth. It's beauty inspired the poets, Shelley, Keats and Byron many moons ago and continues to draw visitors to its shores year after year. If you want beauty, architecture, good food, sophistication and relaxation then Lake Como has it all. Take a steamer ride along its waters to see the ornate villas and sub- tropical gardens which line Lake Como's wishbone shaped shores. Get adventurous and go hiking over its rugged lime...

Elegant Homes: Liven Up the Laundry ; Gabrielle Fagan Looks at Ways to Liven Up Those Wash-Day Chores

IT HAS to be the most boring job in the world, but doing the laundry has had a radical make-over thanks to stylish new products and exciting gadgets. There are state-of-the-art washers and dryers, clothes pressers, funky-colouredirons, designer ironing board covers, and every kind of spray and potion to lavish on those fabrics.

Travel: To Be Beside the Quayside ; Jim Collins Enjoys Ships with Everything

THERE is something special about waking up and looking out at a quayside. And if it's near the centre of a major city all the better. Time was when the ships of the world brought their cargoes to Salford Docks -- that's history. Now the industrial landscape has been reborn as Salford Quays -- and it's worthdiscovering. Take a break in one of the many hotels in the Quays and you won't regret it.

Books: Reviews

My Life by Bill Clinton (Hutchinson, pounds 25, available now) HE lost his father before he was born and grew up in a little town called Hope to become the 42nd President of the United States -- Bill Clinton isn't joking when he writes that his life "is a good story". He is more modest about whether he has fulfilled his ambition to write a great book -- and, again, rightly so. It is tempting to cut to the chase and look up the index for the key names associated with his presidency. Expect dis...

Books: Reviews

Liars and Saints by Maile Meloy (John Murray, pounds 7. 99) THE family saga is an appealingly approachable way of tackling a large chunk of history. Its appeal is also its Achilles'Heel, of course: because so many writers are drawn to the genre it can feel rather formulaic. Luckily Maile Meloy is a gifted storyteller, and manages to make this well-worn genre feel fresh and convincing. For a first novelist, she is astonishingly poised, moving through a large cast and a long chronology with a l...

Books: Fame Nearly Killed Me ; Hannah Stephenson Talks to Footballer Paul Gascoigne

PAUL Gascoigne, or Gazza as he is better known, was one of the greatest football talents this country has produced, yet as much has been written about his behaviour off the football pitch as on it. Many have compared England hero Wayne Rooney to Gazza, even nicknaming him "Wazza", saying the young rising star has the same aura and ability as a young Gascoigne.

Books: Best Sellers