Birmingham Post

Nappy Ever After ; Ros Dodd Marks Real Nappy Week by Singing the Praises of Cloth Over Disposable

The word 'disposable' suggests ease and convenience, but when applied to nappies it is at best a misconception and at worst an exhortation to pollute the environment with mountains of nonbiodegradable material that will lie festering in the ground for at least 100 years. The word also implies 'economy', but the cost-effectiveness of throwaway nappies simply doesn't add up when compared to the cloth variety.

Beach Babes ; the Holden Family (Mum Nicola, Dad Paul and Two Children Aged Eight and Ten) Boarded a Plane for a Worldwide Adventure in November 2003. Nicola Holden Reports On Their Progress...

As our horses pick their way along the soft, sandy trail we can hear the surf pounding the beach. We crest the sand dunes and look down at the wild silver sea, the wide sands dotted with black craggy boulders and strewn with bleached, twisted tree branches left behind by the winter storms. Our guide, the tanned, lean and lovely Vera tips her battered straw cowboy hat back on her head and turns back to grin at us, 'Pretty, huh?', she yells above the roar of the water, 'Now, we'll just take it ...

Girl Power Tools ; Women Are Now Just As Likely to As Men to Tackle Diy Jobs Around the Home. And, As Lifestyle Editor Lisa Piddington Discovers, They Are Not As Difficult As Men Make Out

'What every woman needs to be creative,' wrote Virginia Woolf, 'is money and a room of her own'. Throw in a hammer, screwdriver and a bag of nails, and it seems for many, this is the path to true happiness.

Which Diy Type Are You?

Territorial: She's determined to make her mark on her home -even if it doesn't need it! She's so handy she loves replacing everything from kitchen units, to tiles and shelves just to show she can. Symptoms: Impressive toolbox with all the latest tools or gadgets. Rather like a fanatical dieter who enjoys watching other people eat and get fat, she gets a real kick out of hearing how much friends are forced to spend on repairs when she Did It Herself for nothing.

Alison Jenkins's Diy Tips

Remember the two Ps -Preparation Pays. Get all the right tools ready. Allow yourself enough time to do the task from start to finish -if you break off in the middle you're more likely to get muddled or lose something. Always make sure you tie your hair back and are wearing the right clothes -practical, and if necessary protective, such as a mask, goggles or gloves. Regularly inspect your home's exterior -roofs, gutters, drains, fences -and you'll avoid small problems becoming major.

Fashion: Gatsby Girls ; the Flapper Really Is Dapper This Season As the Charlston Meets Cha Cha Slide. Lifestyle Editor Lisa Piddington Goes Back to the 1920s

Fashion seems to be forever looking over its shoulder. Whether it's the New Romantics of the 1980s or 70s disco fever, there is so much retro around at the moment, you could be forgiven for thinking you were trapped in a time warp. But then as the adage goes, 'If it ain't broke, why fix it?'. Take all the best that history has to offer, add a modern twist and hey presto!, you've got a style that echoes the past while being bang up to date.

Wine Style: On the Grapevine ; Maturing with Age with Clive Platman

Most of the wine we buy off the supermarket shelf is ready to be drunk immediately. Perhaps it's just as well, as one recent study found that the average time between purchase and consumption is a mere 14 hours. As long as that, you may ask? The vast majority of wine today is made to satisfy this demand. It's ready to drink within a year or two of bottling, and the pleasure these wines offer is in their freshness and fruitiness. They are designed to be easy and forward, but once past the flus...

A Ladies' Man ; Women's Editor Alison Jones, Meets Paul Costelloe, a Fashion Designer with an Eye for the Ladies, Professionally Speaking of Course

There is something refreshingly honest about Paul Costelloe. It's the little things he says, like 'I'm not really a designer. I don't live and die for fashion'.

Offers: Bring Cafe Culture to Your Home ; Win Free Bewley's Coffee and a Magimix Le Cafetiere

Fresh coffee remains one of life's little luxuries, either as a morning pick-me up, or as an indulgent end to any meal. We are offering Birmingham Post readers the chance to win fresh Bewley's coffee and a superb Magimix filter coffee maker. So, you too can enjoy the aroma and taste of fresh coffee every day. The unbeatable flavour of Bewley's coffee has been enjoyed in Ireland since 1840, when Bewley's first began importing and roasting the finest Arabica beans from plantations across the gl...

Offers: Harrogate Flower Show Tickets to Be Won ; Your Chance to See Delightful Yorkshire Spa Town at Its Very Best

We've teamed up with the North of England Horticultural Society to offer Birmingham Post readers the chance to win a pair of tickets to the 2004 Harrogate Spring Flower Show (April 22-25 at the Great Yorkshire Showground). A trip to Harrogate is always a delight, but this year will see the North Yorkshire spa town looking its very best. Harrogate and its close neighbour, the Dales village of Darley, were winners of the 2003 Britain in Bloom competition in the large town and large village cate...

Post People: Development Cheer

Revurban Developments' first deal was toasted in style by property specialists from across the Midlands. They gathered at All Bar One, Brindleyplace with Revurban directors Jon Andrews, David Brown, Chris Lea and Dominic Stokes to celebrate the announcement of a pounds 30 million mixed-use scheme in Bromsgrove Street. It will comprise 182 one and two bedroom apartments and studios and 11,000 sq ft of ground floor commercial space.

Post People: Post Weddings

Rachel Jane Haggett, youngest daughter of Janet and the late David Haggett, married Craig Russell, son of Eric Russell and Mary Storey. The ceremony took place at St. Andrew's Church, Ombersley. Picture/Adrian Charles PhotographyRuth Alison Edgcumbe, youngest daughter of Thomas Edgcume and Patricia Braxton-Smith married Andrew Spedding, eldest child of Frazer and Anita Spedding.

Post People: Questions for Charity

Hundreds of pounds were raised for the charity Hope and Homes For Children in the annual R3 Midlands Quiz, held at the NEC's Hilton Metropole Hotel. More than one hundred of the region's business recovery professionals had their brains tested on a whole host of topics.

Post People: Carnival Capers

More than 150 guests attended the Winter Carnival Charity Ball which was held at the Ardencote Manor Hotel Country Club in Claverdon. Sponsors generously donated raffle prizes which included two return flights from Birmingham to New York (Continental Airlines). First class tickets to London (Virgin Rail) and a his and her makeover (Bliss Hair Salon).

Post People: Taking Liberties

Architects Practice Mason Richards Partnership, played host to chart toppers Liberty X for an intimate lunchtime concert at its Birmingham office, courtesy of Heart FM. Paul Salter, an associate at the practice and fan of the group, as the posters that adorn his work station will testify, heard on his favourite local radio station, Heart FM, that they were launching a competition to win a performance by Liberty X in the workplace.

Post People: The Running Man

Post People: Future Proof

Post People: Evonomie's New Look

Carole Manship, Annmarie Hanlon and Sue WatkinsJanet Smith, Alison John, Fay Goodman and Ellie DarvillMary Corridan, Annmarie Hanlon and Joanne O'DonnellLiz Light, Anne Taylor and Carole ManshipJill Priest, Sue Watkins, Alison Brentnall and Minga De La CruzEvonomie, Midlands-based marketing and HR consultancy, hosted a lunch at The Bank to celebrate its new identity. More than 40 female business directors, owners, managers and advisers were welcomed by Annmarie Hanlon, the consultancy director.

Post People: Oh, What a Knight! Post People

More than 700 guests, including celebrities from the world of sport and entertainment, supported Nick Knight's gala dinner in his benefit year. Nick, who has played for Warwickshire for ten years and represented England at international level, enjoyed the entertainment which included a night of 1960s music, disco and an auction of celebrity memorabilia.

Culture: A Giant of Broadcasting ; the Birmingham Post Looks Back On the Long and Illustrious Career of Alistair Cooke Who Died Yesterday

It was the letter radio listeners looked forward to once a week. Generations have grown up, married and raised their own families to the sound of Alistair Cooke's genteel account of life in the United States on BBC Radio 4. What he said was never as important as the way he said it in his long-running Letter From America, which started in 1946 and finally came to an end earlier this month.