With a Halifax mortgage you could have more money to spend on furnishing your new home, as Halifax may pay half the stamp duty

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A home to be proud of

With a Halifax mortgage you could have more money to spend on furnishing your new home, as Halifax may pay half the stamp duty

The White Swan Inn's dining room is an object lesson in refurb, with maroon walls, stone-flagged floor and room dividers in the form of folding screens

The White Swan Inn, Market Place, Pickering, North Yorkshire

Pickering in North Yorkshire is a country town with exactly the right sort of attractions: 12th-century castle; bustling steam railway; church with medieval wall paintings admired by Pevsner and, not least, a quietly handsome inn on the high street.

On the road in Ibiza: Drawn to the good life as inspiration kicks in

Today a few fellow travellers and I are taking part in an art class in the cute garden studio of Can Amonita, a quiet Ibicencan villa in the north of the island overlooking the San Juan valley. It is stunningly hot and I am glad to be inside, standing at a giant easel with a smooth piece of charcoal in hand, pretending I'll be able to draw the heavily pregnant naked woman in front of me.

The Olympic Park in Stratford, east London

Prepare yourself for the invasion of the fattest cats on the planet

London's Olympics are going to pamper visiting VIPs like few have been pampered before, as Tom Peck found out.

History meets cutting-edge design at Clerkenwell Design Week

Darren Newton, co-founder of Clerkenwell Design Week, talks to Emily Jenkinson about the unique atmosphere at this impressive design festival

<p>1. GLTC Fire Engine Toddler Bed</p>
<p>£124, gltc.co.uk</p>
<p>Few toddlers can resist a fire engine, so what better way to persuade them that bedtime is fun?</p>

The 10 Best children's beds

Sweet dreams, whether they're in a bunk cot or with an MP3 docking system

Album: Santana, Shape Shifter (Starfaith/Sony)

Caramba! Certainly not Caravanserai.

The sumptuous Prince's Suite

B&B and beyond: Oak House No 1, Tetbury

The Kennedys travelled the world collecting art and anecdotes, now Laura Holt enjoys both – and in a stylish Georgian setting

Steve Bould wins promotion from Arsenal’s successful youth set-up

Steve Bould: Stalwart steps up at Arsenal to fix leaky defence

New No 2 has the pedigree to restore Arsenal's fabled well-drilled rearguard

<p>1. Ecover toilet cleaner</p>
<p>£2.05, ethicalsuperstore.com</p>
<p>May tear through limescale and attack bacteria, but it goes quite easy on the environment, using things like citric acid and xanthan gum, not the heavy-duty stuff you usually find in cleaners.</p>

The 10 Best eco cleaners

Keep your house clean and protect the environment at the same time with this range of chemical-free products

The Weekend's Viewing: A Civil Arrangement, Sunday, BBC4; Nuts in May, Sunday BBC4

It was from the school of Alan Bennett, a chatty monologue embedded with a twist
Career Services

Day In a Page

Next in line – but public just can't warm to idea of Charles in charge

Next in line – but public just can't warm to idea of Charles in charge

'Independent' poll finds less that half want him to take throne as ministers moan of interference
Nothing's sacred: the illegal trade in India's holy cows

Nothing's sacred: the illegal trade in India's holy cows

Andrew Buncombe reports from Kaharpara on a bloody war between rustlers and border guards
Mogul grounded: Desmond gives up his jet deal

Mogul grounded: Desmond gives up his jet deal

Media tycoon's company pays £1m to cancel his order for a £36m private jet after drop in profits
How Ai Weiwei built a pavilion in London – by remote control

How Ai Weiwei built a pavilion in London – by remote control

The artist tells Clifford Coonan how he used Skype to escape confinement in Beijing
Nature, nurture... or neither? The new twist in an age-old argument

Nature, nurture... or neither?

The new twist in an age-old argument
Radio 4 to shed its cosy image with a 'sexy' Ulysses drama

Radio 4 to shed its cosy image with a 'sexy' Ulysses drama

New station controller wants to reflect the current period of 'turmoil and uncertainity'
Alcohol: I drink therefore I am

Alcohol: I drink therefore I am

New guidelines warn Britons to drastically reduce their boozing. But is a life without liquor worth living? Hell no, says John Walsh
The Cable News Nightmare: CNN (and Piers Morgan) in audience crisis

The Cable News Nightmare

CNN (and Piers Morgan) in audience crisis
Like a barbie, but better: The Big Green Egg can griddle, roast, and smoke food - and even make pizza

The Big Green Egg: Like a barbie, but better

It can griddle, roast, and smoke food - and even make pizza...
The 10 Best chopping boards

The 10 Best chopping boards

Whether you want to dice veg, chop meat, or just slice up a salad, there’s a surface here to suit every culinary need.
Flat and fabulous: From wraps to foccacias, our appetite for new and exotic breads knows no limits

Flat and fabulous: Exotic breads

Lucy McDonald visits the bakeries of Tel Aviv to to find out what we'll be eating next.
Brendan Rodgers: Just like Mourinho... only different

Brendan Rodgers: Just like Mourinho... only different

Obsessive, ambitious, eager to learn and with no playing career; can the Northern Irishman be Liverpool's Special One?
Gary Lewin: Players need winter break

Gary Lewin: Players need winter break

The England physio tells Patrick Barclay that this spate of injuries is due to the non-stop demands of the Premier League

Countdown's rudest ever moments

Yesterday a contestant spelt the word 'minge'.
Special report: Tamil asylum-seekers to be forcibly deported

Special report

Tamil asylum-seekers to be forcibly deported