Gloucestershire Echo, The

WINE buffs are pretty sniffy about it - it's not nearly grown-up enough for them, of course - but I do like Prosecco. A glass of it, with all its bright and breezy floral loveliness, reminds me of summer weddings, picnics by the river, lounging about in the park in the afternoons. And surely now, in the midst of autumn, when the leaves are turning, the morning mists linger and the winds blow, it's not a bad thing.

A Red for Those Deep Blue Days ; This Week's Wine with Mel Jones Valpolicella

VALPOLICELLA is inexpensive and yet, somehow, quite lovely. Maybe we were just in the mood for something lightweight and easy.

Man-Eating Leopards: Austin Stevens' Adventures [...]

Books

The Lost Symbol Dan Brown The dark mysteries of the Masonic brotherhood are about to surface and catapult Harvard symbology expert Robert Langdon into a world of chaos. After arriving in Washington to give a speech and finding an empty room, confusion turns to terror when the severed hand of prominent Mason and Langdon's mentor, Peter Solomon, is found covered in Masonic symbols. Robert realises he must help Peter's kidnapper track down one of the oldest religious secrets on earth or watch hi...

Book Some Time Off ; Books Have Long Been the Last Bastion of Techno-Phobes. But Now the World of Gadgets Is Invading the Land of Literature. Daniel Pountney Looks at How Words Can Now Be Read in Pixels Instead of Ink

ClassMate Reader www.humanware.com Read and listen at the same time with this device which highlights text as you listen. The Pounds 295 gadget is a great study aid and invaluable if you're dyslexic. Sony eReader Touch www.waterstones.com Sony's latest eReader is particularly clever because it has a sophisticated touch screen.

I've Grown Up at Last Says Tony ; Mirror Columnist and Author Tony Parsons Jokes He's Been Going Through a Mid-Life Crisis Since He Was About 17. Once Something of a Hell-Raiser, He's Now Happily Married and Comes to the Festival to Discuss the Dilemmas Men Face - Women, Marriage, Families and Divorce

IT'S hard to imagine author Tony Parsons in his wild-child days, hanging out with The Sex Pistols, clubbing, taking drugs and sleeping with lots of women. Now 55, the Essex boy and former NME punk chronicler is a multi- millionaire living in Hampstead and about to send his seven-year- old daughter to private school. "I've definitely grown up and calmed down a bit and I'm settled," says the happily married father-of- two.

Lunch with a Showbiz Legend

AFTER an incredible seven decades in show business, Andy Williams is still holding audiences around the world in the palm of his hand. The legendary singer of Moon River and Music to Watch Girls By is talking about his path to becoming one of greatest stars of his era at the Garden Theatre from 6pm on Saturday.

Great Scott! It's the Big Read ...

IT'S 1920s America in all its glory - and its coming to Cheltenham for this year's Literature Festival. F Scott Fitzgerald's masterpiece The Great Gatsby is this year's Big Read.

Make Your Home a Haven ; a New Book by Interior Designers Mark and Sally Bailey Is All About Bringing Calm to Your Home. Here's Weekend's Guide to Achieving the Look in Your House

IF there was an easy-to-make recipe for calm, there'd surely be no shortage of takers in our stressed times. But that's exactly what interiors experts Mark and Sally Bailey have devised for our homes. They believe that, if followed, the result will be as satisfying as any wholesome dish or soothing massage, but with a far more enduring effect. You'll have a peaceful sanctuary that relaxes and comforts you. Sally advises a generous dollop of natural materials, such as wood and stone, recycled ...

Simple Tips for the Calming Effect

Kitchens should be versatile, casual spaces for eating, so have the largest table possible. Experiment with seating - for instance, garden benches or wrought iron chairs.

Hooray for Harvest ; Stroud Farmers' Market Founder Clare Gerbrands Says It's Time to Celebrate Harvest in Her New Weekend Column

THE nights are drawing in, mists are rolling over the hills, and it's time to celebrate the harvest. Here in Gloucestershire we have a fine tradition of orchards bearing wonderfully named apples and pears, and October 21 marks Apple Day. First introduced into the UK in 1990 by Common Ground, and championed in Gloucestershire by local poet and letter press printer Dennis Gould since the 1990s, Apple Day is now celebrated all around the county in community orchards, schools, farmers markets and...

An Underrated Veg?

EVEN as you read this, Rob Keene, who with his family runs Over Farm on the outskirts of Gloucester, is trundling busily about on his tractor bringing in this season's crop of squashes. The good news from Rob is that it's been a splendid year for these vegetables, which are much prized by aficionados and come in a variety of often amusing (in an Esther Rantzan type way) shapes and have a host of culinary purposes. "We've got five acres of assorted squashes to get in and about the same again o...

Private Palace for Sale ; Blaisdon Hall Is so Spectacular That It Is More Like a European Palace Than an English Country Home. The Stunning Property has an Interesting History and Weekend Reckons It's Perfect for Parties Too

YOU don't find many properties on the market that list a ballroom, music room, orangery and leisure wing on the sale details. But then there aren't many private mansions with 85 acres of land that come up for sale. Blaisdon Hall is a country pile in Longhope and it's for sale for Pounds 4.75 million. The grade-II listed property includes 33,000sq ft of living accommodation over 68 rooms.

Cheltenham Literature Festival

Richard's Events

RICHARD has programmed two events at the festival. On Saturday he'll be at The Centaur with one of Britain's greatest actresses, Dame Judi Dench.

Things ; My Favourite

Richard Eyre is one of 10 guest directors at this year's Cheltenham Literature Festival. WEEKEND found out about his love of his home in Stroud as well as his affection for a particular type of cigar What''s your favourite book? The plays of Shakespeare.