Western Mail

Estate of Grace

New-Build Sector Rallies As Demand Outstrips Supply ; the New Homes Market Is Starting to Claw Its Way Back From Its Recent Slump - but Don't Get Too Excited Just yet, Says David Bexon of Smartnewhomes.Com

MID-September marks a full year since the fall of Lehman Brothers bank. The failure of the bank has become symbolic of recent economic woes, ensuring that words like credit-crunch and recession have become deeply imbedded within the consumer psyche. However, much has changed over the past year, and the anniversary of Lehman Brothers' collapse has arrived at a time of increasing optimism and some small shoots of a recovery beginning to appear.

World House Prices Stabilising but Uk Numbers Plunge

PROPERTY price crashes in Britain have left us at the bottom of the European housing market, according to a new survey. The island of Jersey has largely resisted the problem while Britain continues to fare significantly worse than the rest of Western Europe, says the Knight Frank Global House price index.

Qi've Had My House Up [ ... ]

Q I've had my house up for sale with a local estate agent for six months and it still hasn't sold. I want to put it on the books of two more in a bid to make a sale. Am I allowed? A This will depend entirely on whatever contract you have entered into with the selling agent. A sole agency agreement will usually tie you to that agent for a period of up to six months after which you will then be free to either appoint an alternative agent or consider appointing another to act jointly with your e...

Become the Master of All You Survey with Wyelands Villa in Monmouthshire Estate ; with Swimming Pool, Stable Block, Coach House and 286 Acres of Land, This Property Really has It All

FACED with dressed stone and set in 286 acres of Monmouthshire countryside, Wyelands is a classical villa, designed by architect Robert Lugar, also responsible for Merthyr Tydfil's Cyfarthfa Castle. His client was George Buckle, High Sheriff of Monmouthshire in 1819, and in the mid 19th century his descendents added a stone conservatory to the south house, in Mathern, Chepstow, and formalised the garden with arcaded balustrades and a square summer house to the south east. Inside, the house ha...

Buy Now to Save Money On a Home Before Change in Stamp Duty

HOUSEBUILDER Llanmoor Homes is urging purchasers to take action before the temporary stamp duty threshold expires in December, claiming they could save themselves up to pounds 1,750 in the process. As a reaction to market conditions, in September last year, the 1% stamp duty charge on residential property was increased from a starting threshold of pounds 125,000 to pounds 175,000 but from January 1 2010, it will return to its original rate.

Get Homes Help From Tv Property Expert

TELEVISION presenter and property expert Phil Spencer will be speaking about the property market and sharing his knowledge and experiences at an event hosted by Barratt South Wales at its Copper Quarter development in Swansea today from 11am to 4pm. Financial advisers, estate agents, solicitors and sales negotiators will also be on hand to offer help and information on purchasing a new home at Copper Quarter, where there is a choice of one-bedroom apartments, two-bedroom apartments and three-...

Setting the Right Mood with Colours

WITH so much emphasis on the holistic side of interior design, the psychology of colour has been thrown into sharp focus and it is now well understood that different colours affect the mind and emotions in a variety of ways. Many ancient cultures believed in chromotherapy, or healing with colours.

Create a Visual Feast at the Dinner Table

Q Where can I buy some colourful table mats that are stylish as well as hard-wearing? A Online stores are actually quite good at selling more unique designs when it comes to these sorts of home accessories. I recently came across some quirky cork-backed melamine versions designed by Gillian Blease, available to buy from a gorgeous e-store called Catkin Collection which you can find at www.catkin-collection.co.uk. This is a contemporary design for prawn cocktail, but you can mix and match with...

Treasures From Travels Take Centre Stage

TREASURES from around the world adorn Renee Godfrey's living room. As a researcher for natural history television series Tribe and Human Planet, she's been to some of the remotest places on earth. Before that she travelled the world after studying anthropology and as Wales' champion female surfer.

Take 3 What Can You Get for Your Money Across Wales Right Now? We've Found Three Properties From Different Price Ranges Which May Suit Your Pocket

WHERE? Blethin Close, Danescourt, Cardiff WHAT? A semi-detached house, accommodation at this property includes a lounge/dining room, kitchen, three bedrooms, and a rear garden. WHY? With its enclosed rear garden, it's a decent-sized house with outdoor space. HOW MUCH? Allen and Harris' Pontcanna branch are marketing this home for pounds 179,950.

Get in the Race for a Home at Blenheim Chase

DEVELOPER Lovell opens its show home and marketing suite at its brand-new Blenheim Chase development in Cwmbran this weekend. Just six properties have been released for sale in the first phase of the development in St Dials.

Unique Opportunity to Buy 19th Century Art

A WEST Wales auction house is selling a large collection of 19th century paintings. The collection, to be auctioned by Carmarthen-based Peter Francis Auctioneers, is being sold by the estate of a Cardiff art collector. It includes several works by the acclaimed British artist, Alfred de Breanski Senior with three of his oils, Glen Nevis, Kirkstone Pass and Pangbourne Reach expected to fetch between pounds 15,000 and pounds 20,000.

Match-Worn Jerseys Can Be Big Players

FOOTBALL and rugby supporters throughout the country show their allegiance to their local clubs by wearing replica jerseys so readily available at retail outlets in the locality. As pieces of sporting memorabilia replica shirts are never likely to have any immediate value unless a collector had taken the trouble to obtain some autographs on the jersey.

Dishing Up Family's History

THIS is only half an object, yet of no mean interest nonetheless. It's actually the top half of a porcelain warming plate. Originally, there would have been a chamber underneath filled with hot water through a spout, which served to keep the food warm.

Contents

4 FEATURES How fat is Wales? Abbie Wightwick looks at the impact of obesity on the nation in a special investigation 10 Putting Mastermind Plant Cymru quizmaster Betsan Powys on the spot 10 Louise Redknapp plays matchmaker down on the farm in her new series 12 Actor Neil Morrissey on Laugharne, failed businesses and some new acting challenges ahead 10 COLUMNISTS Tryst Williams wants to tell the truth, but will it give his children nightmares? 11 It's not just any silence at Lynne Barrett-Lee'...

Thefirstword

F AT. Now there's a little word which strikes fear into anyone whose thighs wouldn't stop a rampaging pig in a passage. I am, you see, the living embodiment of the F word. And I'm not talking Fabulous there either.

The Fat of the Land

By the year 2019, 85% of adults and children in Wales will be obese - that's if we don't take more decisive action now. So what is being done to slim down the nation? Abbie Wightwick investigatesALES is getting fatter. Walk down any high street and you can't miss it.

Don't Mind Your Ps & Qs Take One ; Betsan Powys Puts Young Minds On the Spot As She Returns to Ask the Questions in Mastermind Plant Cymru On S4c

Q: So come on then, what would your Mastermind specialist subject be and why? A: Probably the novels of John Irving because I'd have the perfect excuse to sit down and reread them all! But in all honesty I'd have to admit to not having "that" subject to hand, the one that you've been fascinated by since childhood, the one that fires your imagination beyond anything else. I wish I did though. Q: What amazes you most about the children that sit in the iconic Mastermind chair? A: They're fearles...

Mindmatters

DADDY - where does ham come from?" It might not be up there with "where do babies come from?" or "what does **** (insert your expletive of choice picked up in the schoolyard) mean?" but it's still a tricky one. Go for the jugular - literally, with gory details of blood-soaked abattoirs, bolt-guns and bone-crunching saws - and you risk years of nightmares and cutting off one of the main sources of protein for growing bodies. Go too softly by fudging the link between meat and cuddly baby animal...