The World Health Organization told its member nations it was declaring a swine flu pandemic today - the first global flu epidemic in 41 years - as infections in the United States, Europe, Australia, South America and elsewhere climbed to nearly 30,000 cases.
A fortnight ago, I looked at the Quercy side of south-west France. This week it's the turn of Gascony, stretching west from Toulouse to the Atlantic and the Pyrenees. Gascony is home to the dark, tannat-based reds of Madiran, Saint Mont and, nestling in the Pyrenean foothills, the independent-minded Basque sub-region of Irouléguy. So goodbye for now to the malbec of Cahors and hello fer servadou – known as pinenc in Saint Mont – and the dark reds made from tannat grape, the variety found by Dr Roger Corder to be the richest in the anti-oxidant chemical procyanadin.
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Football and malaria. On the surface, there are no obvious commonalities, yet both affect millions of lives worldwide. Football captivates and connects mass audiences across the globe while malaria is one of the world's most deadly diseases, threatening half the world's population and claiming almost a million lives every year.
Sanctum has been billed as London's first rock'n'roll hotel – a Soho pleasure-den where touring bands can kick back and enjoy some discreet fun, and even us civilians can feel like rock stars for the night. So what's this – a morning phone call asking me to call back and confirm my dinner reservation? Not very rock'n'roll, is it? Don't try and pin me down, man; who knows what wild antics might have derailed me by 8.30pm tonight?
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Training has been going well. I've been swimming, biking, and running in preparation for the April 12, Irongirl Las Vegas race. I'm especially excited that I still appear to be healthy. No broken bones. At least not yet. (Click here to read about how I wound up with a stress fracture during my attempt to train for triathlon last year.)
The World Health Organization told its member nations it was declaring a swine flu pandemic today - the first global flu epidemic in 41 years - as infections in the United States, Europe, Australia, South America and elsewhere climbed to nearly 30,000 cases.
All the squash and pumpkin family produce great flowers that can be harvested continually for a couple of months and then cooked. The flowers are best harvested when the sun is out and when they have fully opened – so you will have to send your kids out into the garden to pick them at just the right time.
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Oh boy. Here we go again.
Saturday will either kick-off my first ever season as a mountain bike racer, or confirm that the competitive bones in my body are made of brittle stuff indeed.
This year was supposed to be different for me. I got myself a plan, got my head straight about being regimented, followed through for a solid six weeks then slammed into a wall. Since then, for roughly about the last six weeks, I've been following my heart's desire. I pedal hard when I can, cruise when I want to, sprint when there's an opening.
By calendar years, Easter came early this year. And by familial terms, a married holiday arrived shockingly soon. Let me explain.
