Five Turner works to be auctioned on 250th anniversary of painter's birth
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Spectator
an hour ago
- Spectator
How to spot a troublesome Airbnb review
The guest who thought our farm was in the town centre was very cross indeed. She got out of her car by the old fountain and stood hands on hips surveying the meadows sloping from the big old house towards the rugged mountains beyond. She was wearing knee-length khaki safari shorts, so you'd have thought she'd be pleased to pitch up in the middle of nowhere. But she looked askance at the rolling hills and affected to be shocked by the reality of what was clearly pictured and described on the booking site. She asked how she and her husband were supposed to walk to their drinks party in town that evening. Could they walk there? Not really, I said. Not unless the party was tomorrow evening and they had good hiking boots. 'Taxi?' she asked. So we had to explain. The only taxi here is the funeral director. Whether he can take your booking to go anywhere other than the grave very much depends on how many burials he is doing. When I explain this to most guests, they love it. They think I'm joking for a while and then they realise I'm not. As the builder boyfriend always says, Father Ted is not a comedy, it's a fly-on-the-wall documentary. The wonder of West Cork is that there really is a place called Whiddy Island, and one of the biggest towns really does boast a Blackpudding Visitor Centre, which advises you to book in advance. People say 'No bother!' to everything, because it is no bother to them. Because they are not going to do it. Can I have a taxi? No bother! This translates as no. When you call the funeral taxi, he answers the phone after 25 rings and doesn't say a word while you try to explain why you are being so bold as to want to go somewhere. Finally he says: 'No bother!' He can do something next Thursday if you like. Be assured that while you cannot have a taxi until next Thursday, if you happen to die before next Thursday, he will fit you in. If you cannot appreciate this sort of thing, then you should not be travelling around rural Ireland on the cheap, staying in Airbnbs. Instead, book into a luxury golfing resort with spa – Trump International Doonbeg looks very nice. The lady, who said she was from America despite having an English accent, did not get it. She kept telling her husband, who was Irish, to phone cabs. From his face, you knew he knew this was pointless. Almost immediately, the builder boyfriend felt so bad he offered to drive them into town. He even offered to pick them up again when their party was over. But they said they couldn't possibly accept. They got in their car, she still wearing safari shorts, and said they would drive to their party and not drink. They left early the next day, looking peevish. The BB offered them coffee. The man said yes please, but unbeknown to me she then told him they didn't have time. I was making the coffee when I heard them drive away and I ripped a strip off the BB for making me waste a coffee machine full of Lavazza, which screwed our margins, given the price of Lavazza here – only slightly less expensive than a block of gold because the government taxes everything to high heaven so being in the EU does not help one bit when it comes to buying French cheese or Italian coffee. It's almost cheaper to fly to London and buy it. I always know when a troublesome review is coming because it takes a long time. This one delayed for two weeks, submitting on the last day possible – same as the man who downgraded us because we didn't have a doormat. I don't know why people do this. In the online democracy of endless ratings, if you are going to say you don't like something, why not get on with it? I think people feel guilty, knowing full well that harshly judging a small private enterprise as though it were a major hotel chain is wrong. It came in four stars, which put our overall rating down again, and in the comments she typed a warning to potential guests, along the lines that suggested I was deceiving people. I had a poor Indian chap work on our listing all night, or all day his time, to indicate our exact location in the headline, as well as in the body of the text. He had to override the software to force the system not to link us to the nearest town in any way, just in case someone else in safari shorts wanted to walk to a party. I appealed the review but after a process that took ten minutes, Airbnb judged it fair. 'Sorry to put you on the spot,' said the next one, a week before arrival for a one-night stay. 'It's my wife's birthday…' He wanted my ideas for something nearby to do to make their stay 'romantic'. I was desperate to avoid another four stars so I racked my brains. A moonlit stroll along the roadside where Michael Collins was shot? A picnic at Three Castle Head under the stars, and hope you don't see the white lady, because that means you're going to die within 24 hours? Whale-watching? Bioluminescence night kayaking, with the Northern Lights if they can be arranged? I suggested some restaurants then fretted over whether to upgrade him to a better room, or put champagne on the tea tray. The BB, who had the lawnmower upside down to fix it, said absolutely not. 'Then what should we tell him? He wants to know something romantic to do for his wife's birthday.' 'Ask him if he's thought about taking her to Venice.'
Scottish Sun
8 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Meet the ‘SAS' parents saving thousands on summer holidays by taking kids out of school early… and even risking JAIL
Bagging a holiday deal by taking your kids out of school seems tempting... but unauthorised term-time absences can lead to penalties from fines to a jail sentence Bagging a holiday deal by taking your kids out of school seems tempting... but unauthorised term-time absences can lead to penalties from fines to a jail sentence NO KIDDING Meet the 'SAS' parents saving thousands on summer holidays by taking kids out of school early… and even risking JAIL DROPPING her two daughters off at school, Wendy Nicholls* sensed an eerie quiet at the gates. Gone is the usual rabble of stressed parents dispatching their children, while the class WhatsApp group is conspicuously quiet. Advertisement 5 Carrie Ann Booth, 43, reveals she's saved £1,500 by going on holiday during the last week of term Credit: Dan Prince 5 Paulomi Debnath, 45, received a £120 fine after taking her son out of school to save £1,200 on a family trip to Kos, Greece 5 Kids who stay in class are said to have better grades and confidence Credit: Getty At pick-up time, the youngest of her two daughters, aged five and eight, tells her that lessons have hardly any kids in them. No, this isn't a flashback to the dark days of Covid. Advertisement This is what the final week of school looks like in 2025, when the term-time getaway trend sees a wave of parents pulling their children out of class for a cheaper holiday – costing a fraction of the price compared to during the six-week summer break. We have entered the era of SAS – Skiving And Saving – parenting, says mum Wendy, and office worker from Derby, as she tells The Sun why families are totally unfazed by term-time fines... AS someone who sticks to the rules, I've booked a week-long holiday in a five-bed ramshackle cottage with my husband Bobby, a truck driver, in Cornwall. Costing an eye-watering £2,000, I can't help feeling like a mug. My little ones' pals, meanwhile, are enjoying a week in Turkey – while school is on – for a fraction of the cost. A quick web search on popular holiday website First Choice reveals prices start at around £1568 per person for a seven night all inclusive holiday for a family of four in Turkey in the week before schools break up - and the lowest price you can get two weeks later for the same break is £2072. Advertisement And while I'm looking forward to my English seaside trip, it rankles that my potentially soggy beach days will cost more than their sun-soaked, free bar-fuelled ones. A recent study found that parents have saved an average £567 by taking their kids out of school during term time. The same report by states that 16 per cent of families scored a term-time offer that was over £1,000 cheaper than travelling in peak summer. My daughter is never going to school because our eight family holidays per year are more important - parents who only take trips during the official breaks are 'utter muppets' But while bagging a hot holiday deal seems tempting, fines for unauthorised term-time absences in England and Scotland are now £80 per child – and per parent – if paid within 21 days, rising to £160 if paid within 28 days. Repeated fines can lead to a potential fine of up to £2,500, or even a jail sentence. Advertisement But parents are clearly not put off by the fines, as in the 2023/24 academic year, 487,344 penalty notices were issued for unauthorised absences – a 22 per cent increase from 2022/23. I'm so angry about this whole system. It feels like a tax on people with constrained budgets. Carrie Ann Booth One parent who is unfazed by the fines is Carrie Ann Booth, 43. The mum-of-one from Carlisle, Cumbria, who is married, says: 'We saved £1,500 by taking my daughter out of school and going on holiday during the last week of term. 'We're going on a two-week cruise around Europe, visiting Rome, Florence and Barcelona after saving up for two years. 'For us, it's about the history, the art, the culture and languages my daughter will soak up. Advertisement 'She would certainly not get that in school during the last week of term, when it is lots of drawing and reflecting on the year.' Despite saving big, Carrie Ann, a former teacher and now the owner of an educational business, The Science Booth, says the fines are unfair. 'I've been fined £160 – £80 per parent – for taking my nine-year-old daughter on our holiday of a lifetime,' she says. 'I'm so angry about this whole system. It feels like a tax on people with constrained budgets. 'I tried to find a way to skip the fine, but the only exemptions included home educating my daughter. I seriously considered de-registering my daughter from school – just for a week – saying she'd be officially home-educated. But I worried she'd lose her place for the September term.' Advertisement But Rachel Vecht, 51 , a former teacher from central London, who founded the parent support group Educating Matters, warns that prolonged gaps in school attendance have a major impact on learning. 'Missing school even sporadically can impact long-term learning, resulting in poor grades,' she explains. 'It can also impact children's self-esteem and mental wellbeing if they return to school and feel like they are far behind their peers academically.' 5 Families face hefty fines for taking holidays during term Credit: Getty 5 Rachel Vecht warns that prolonged gaps in school attendance have a major impact on learning Credit: Supplied Advertisement School attendance: the law In the UK, children are legally required to be in some form of education from the school term after their 5th birthday until the last Friday in June of the school year in which they turn 16. They must attend school or be otherwise educated – such as through home education – during that period. You can be prosecuted if you do not give your child an education. You will normally receive warnings – including fines – and offers of help from the local council first. Children can be absent from school if they are either too ill to attend, or have advance permission. Quality time Mum-of-one Paulomi Debnath, 45, from Romford, east London, downplays the negative impact taking kids out of school might have. 'I want to set a good example to my son, 14, about not breaking rules, but I also want him to experience different countries,' says Paulomi, an artist who owns the jewellery company Handmade By Tinni. 'I saved £1,200 on a family holiday to Kos, Greece two years ago, just by taking my son, then 12, out of school one week early. 'But I have not done this since, as I was threatened with legal action in the school's 'telling off' letter that accompanied our £120 fine. The note said I could be prosecuted if I took my son out of school again in the next three years.' Teachers are also stuck with expensive, out-of-term-time holidays Alice Abraham As I drag my two little girls to school, the sense that I'm one of the few mugs taking their kids on holiday at the official time is confirmed by primary teacher Alice Abraham, 41. Advertisement 'Classrooms are empty,' she tells me. 'There is hardly any point being there as the kids have clocked off mentally, ready for their summer holidays. 'Teachers are also stuck with expensive, out-of-term-time holidays.' Switched-on parents are embracing the challenge of getting cheap holidays. They are also wising up to the fact that councils across England have differing rules. Retail worker Louise Brown, 35, who has two sons aged 18 and 15, says: 'My 15-year-old's attendance throughout the year is over 95 per cent, so I never feel guilty about taking him out at the end of a school term for family holidays. 'Every year, I flout a school rule loophole that states we can never take our child out of school for longer than five days – after five days, the school would issue a fine. Advertisement Four days away from school isn't the end of the world Louise Brown 'So I book a holiday right at the end of the school year, or close to half term, saving around £1000 on the cost of a two-week holiday – even though a week of our break overlaps with the school holidays when prices shoot up.' Louise, who is married to Brian, 48, who works in retail and lives in Leeds, West Yorkshire, also doesn't believe short absences have an impact on education. 'Families need quality time together,' she says. 'Four days away from school isn't the end of the world.' While I might feel like the only parent NOT taking my children on holiday during the last week of school, it looks like more parents may be forced to follow my lead in coming years. Family law solicitor Kaleel Anwar, of Slater Heelis, warns that missing the last week of the term doesn't make a large fine less likely. Advertisement 'Families are going to have to accept that in the near future, they are not going to be able to get a cheap holiday during term time,' he says. He adds: "We've already seen a big clamp down form the government in terms of fines recently. "At the moment, families are still saving quite a considerable amount of money by paying the fines in comparison to the thousands they save on holidays. "I think we will see them clamp down even further with higher fines if the rate of school absences continues to stay high. 'And it is worth remembering you cannot generally 'fight' a fine for taking a holiday during term time in the same way you might challenge a parking ticket. Advertisement 'You can attempt to have the notice withdrawn by contacting the school and providing evidence that supports your case, but if the fine is upheld and not paid, you could face prosecution.' With the threat of prosecution, plus the dirty look I'd get from the headteacher, I think I'll take an outrageously expensive staycation over a humiliating court appearance.
Scottish Sun
9 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
World's 50 best beaches named – here's how to find the two in the England that made the cut
Read on for the full list of the top 50 beaches from around the world BEACH IT World's 50 best beaches named – here's how to find the two in the England that made the cut Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE top 50 beaches around the world have been revealed and two in England made the list. Big 7 Travel has ranked the top beaches from around the world whether that be tropical paradise, chilly poles, or even the south of England. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 Porthcurno Beach has been named one of the best in the world Credit: Alamy 5 The popular Alum Chine Beach came in at number 39 Credit: VisitSouthEastEngland Porthcurno Beach in Cornwall came in 20th place when it comes to the most beautiful in the world. The beach earned its place for its "beautiful scenery" and "surfing prowess". It even has it's own microclimate - in fact, the beach is the second warmest in the UK outside the summer months. Earning it extra points is the stream that runs down to the beach which is "excellent for young children to paddle in". The beach is well-known in the UK with visitors often saying it looks like it belongs in the Caribbean or Australia. One beach-goer wrote on Tripadvisor: "When the sun comes out, you could be on any beach in the world. This beach is stunning. Pure white, soft sand." For anyone visiting, head to the car park at the bottom of Porthcurno Valley. If you're going by train, the closest station is in Penzance. From Penzance, you can take a bus or taxi to reach the beach. The bus journey takes around 30 minutes, while a taxi ride is around 20 minutes. UK beach named one of the top 100 in the world 5 This beach in Scotland was in the top 20 too Credit: Alamy 5 The most beautiful beach is in the Whitsundays in Australia Credit: Alamy The other beach in England that's been named one of the best in the world is Alum Chine which is on the south coast of England in Bournemouth. It's one of the most popular in the area and has a wide, shingle shoreline with shallow waters for splashing about. Big 7 Travel praised Alum Chine for its Blue Flag certification and that it's the perfect place to make the most of England's rare warm weather. It added that visitors can "partake in watersports, enjoy fish and chips and an ice cream on the sands, or walk along to Bournemouth Pier." One beachgoer went as far as to say it's the "best in Britain." The nearest train stations to Alum Chine are Branksome and Bournemouth. From Branksome station, it's about a mile walk to Alum Chine Beach. Bournemouth station is about 3.2 miles away, and you can take a bus from there. While these are the only two English beaches to have made the list, there were more around the UK that featured. 5 Anse Source D'Argent has white sands and and rocky shores Credit: Alamy Luskentyre Beach in Scotland came in at number twelve. The beach on the Outer Hebrides has stunning sands and turquoise waters. Whitesands Beach was called "arguably the best beach in Wales", a popular but quiet beach due to its size. At the very top of the list was, unsurprisingly, a beach in Australia with blue waters and the whitest of sand. The dreamy beach is Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island and is constantly ranked as one of the most beautiful in the world. The other top beaches include Anse Source d'Argent in the Seychelles and Ksamil Beach in Albania. Read more on Sun Travel's best dupes around the world that have with a city and beach. And these are three UK beaches named the best in Europe by Tripadvisor this year.
