Daily Post

Birkenhead Revisited

Birkenhead led the way in public parks and now it is pioneering their revival. Peter Elson reports THE doubters could not believe it. Even those who wanted to believe it, but did not dare, admitted it was a wondrous sight.

Food & Drink: Strawberry Special ; No Skill Needed for Fruity Dessert

THIS is a great British dessert that I did recently on television' it is wonderful with some fresh strawberries which are now coming into season. Even if you can't cook don't worry - you only need to boil a pan of cream and that is all the skill you really need to make the base.

Food & Drink: Summer Recipe Is Easy Peasy to Make

EATING peas popped fresh from the pod is a sure sign that summer is here and, with a short season from early June through to July, indulge yourself while you can! There's nothing wrong with peas blast-frozen immediately after harvesting.

The Essentials

DID you know? The parent of a new baby loses between 450 and 700 hours of sleep in the first year of the child's life.

The Essentials: Hot

DAVID WALLIAMS, below. For being crazy enough to swim the English Channel in aid of Sport Relief. Beats playing football for charity. BIG Brother contestants leaving of their own accord. It keeps the producers on their toes.

The Essentials: Not

PETER CROUCH'S robotic dance moves. The lanky LFC striker should stick to goal-scoring. RINGXIETY. Caused by someone's phone having the same ringtone as yours. Apparently this new phobia affects thousands of people who want to feel they are being contacted.

The Essentials: Don't Miss a Kick

10 Questions

Paul Hyland, 51, is a widower. He lives in south Liverpool with his two children Roisin and Francis Philosophy of Life: give it your best shot and hope that there is a chapter two!

Pubs: Mike Chapple at the Bar ...

AS SOMEONE who would rather hack his head off with a teaspoon than stick a St George's flag on the car, I can still, nevertheless, hardly wait to get my first World Cup fix. However, with still a week to go before the big kick-off, I've already had enough of those who normally wouldn't care about the World Cup in Germany using it as a gimp boy to sell us their products.

Travel: Late Breaks

UK/IRELAND NORTH DEVON: Woolacombe Bay Hotel (01271 870 388) offers five night half-board stays from June 4 & 11 for pounds 360 per adult, while under-14 year olds pay pounds 60 each. Free unlim use of sporting and leisure facilities, and creche for under-fives.

Travel: Visit the Muse of Composers ; Mark Brittain Looks at the Sights of Lucerne in Switzerland

'I LOOK at the mountain some morning," said my guide, "and know that this is what Wagner must have been looking at when he imagined Valhalla " Following the direction of his pointed finger to where the slopes of Pilates gleamed gold in the bright morning spring sunshine - while leaving the summit ominously cloaked in cloud - it would have been hard to disagree. You could almost hear Donner's hammer striking anvil and, had it been raining, a rainbow bridge was a given.

Travel: Deals of the Week

AS WORLD Cup fever takes hold in Britain, the next six weeks of summer until mid-July look set to deliver the cheapest holidays of the year as short-haul operators slash prices of villa and hotel packages by up to 50%. It isn't only the imminent soccerfest which has triggered the price cuts. Travel is hit by the general slump in High Street spending, while some travel bosses think consumers are spending on flat screen TVs rather than holidays.

Travel/Country: John Dempsey ; On Country Matters ...

BUFFETED in the stiff breeze, the hairy light green leaves of houndstongue held firm, while the deep vinous flower buds above them began to open. An attractive flower of sandy ground, it is true that alkalids in their leaves can prove harmful to livestock and humans, not unlike many of our wild flowers, but they bloom in peace in sheltered dune hollows on the site of Formby's old Tobacco Dump.

First for Dubai

I REPORTED here last week how Christie's had blazed a trail to become the first international auctioneers to hold a sale in Dubai, and I promised to let you know how they got on. Naturally, Christie's had done their homework and the sale was a resounding success setting 53 new auction records for artists' works and an above expectation sale total of pounds 4.57m. The sale of modern and contemporary art, predominantly from the Arab world, Iran, India and Pakistan, was held at the glitzy Jumeir...

What's It Worth?

I WOULD appreciate if you could give me any information about this small jug. It was given to me by my husband's grandfather in the 1970s. He told me at the time that it was very old.

Tips From the Show ; Gardening

IT'S flower show season -a time when many gardeners will be taking away inspiring ideas from major events to try to recreate a similar look in their own back garden. But it's not always as easy as it looks to create beautiful beds and borders as depicted at major shows such as Chelsea, Tatton Park and Hampton Court, says Andrew Duff, director of part-time garden design courses at the Inchbald School of Design in London.

Plant of the Week: Allium ; Gardening

ALLIUMS, which are ornamental onions, are among my favourite early summer bulbs, with wonderful globes of mauve star-like flowers standing straight and tall like lollipops in the sun. Many were featured at the Chelsea Flower Show this year, including A. christophii, which grows to around 2ft tall, producing huge heads of star-like lilac flowers, each with a metallic sheen and looks fantastic at the front of a sunny border.

Penthouse with a View ; Sue Kelbrick Takes a Look at Luxury Living

THE penthouse is a truly stunning property forming part of a state of the art development with exceptional views towards Liverpool, Wirral and the Welsh mountains. It boasts original design and top-class specifications including commissioned art work.

Six of the Best

Southport, pounds 415,000 SITUATED in a highly sought after cul-de-sac location, this well- presented detached property has landscaped gardens and a double garage to the front and lawns and a patio area to the rear.

Water Way to Live ; Jane Gallagher Sees a Home That Can Come with You Real Rooms

TONY and Jean Lewis never take the picturesque view from their bedroom window for granted. And for one very good reason, it is constantly changing. Today their window on the world is a calm and pleasant towpath near Lydiate where the dappled early summer sunshine peeps through the over-hanging trees.