Greater standardisation is needed to make EVs more consumer acceptable
IAIN ROBERTSON Increasingly, as we approach ‘E-Day’ in 2030, a number of pertinent management factors will find themselves under the microscope and Iain Robertson is intent on finding and...
Jeni on Drawing 24. Drawing and Talking
I rather admire artists who can paint and talk at the same time; “I’m just going to put a spot of red here….” “a highlight there….” I...
Jeni on Drawing 23; Trapani – La Grotta Mangiapani 20.6.17
A few years ago I organised two painting trips to Trapani in Sicily for my students. I live in Malta, so it was just a very short – and...
Latest VW Golf R plays ‘Whack-A-Mole’ with potential owners
IAIN ROBERTSON Possessing something of a fascination for prior iterations of VW’s hottest hatchback, Iain Robertson admits to concerns related to carmakers engaging with motorsport competitors and, when it...
Fiat has every right to be Cross but tantrum, or not, it might not save Tipo
IAIN ROBERTSON Four years ago, recalls Iain Robertson, sometime Italian car giant, Fiat, relaunched its Tipo model, with a comprehensively well-considered ‘offer’ to both private buyers and business users...
If you like your hot hatch cocktail shaken and stirred, invest in a Renault Megane RS
IAIN ROBERTSON Both RS 300 and RS Trophy versions of the Megane have been under the surgeon’s knife, highlights Iain Robertson, in the process underscoring a pair of the...
Jeni on Drawing 20; How to Draw Figures from Life
When you are learning to draw figures it’s common to be given measurements such as ‘the average human body is head-lengths tall’. It’s funny that even that measurement...
MC20, Maserati’s non-‘lecky’, old-skool supercar
IAIN ROBERTSON If you were a small volume specialist carmaker, suggests Iain Robertson, would you really want to tumble headlong into an uncertain electrified territory, when creating a sportscar...
Malta Diary How we the Maltese and Gozitans fill our empty stomachs when we are hungry
ALBERT FENECH e/mail – Facebook: What satisfies the Maltese and Gozitan palates and fills their stomachs? Forget the nouveau French Cuisine, a few coloured...
Focus-size C4 has a volume model viability for Citroen to prove…or fail
IAIN ROBERTSON Ever since the GS model of the 1970s, Iain Robertson has believed that the French carmaker has been battling so much with its inner demons that he...
Sometimes Citroen tries too hard to be earnest but C3 Aircross works
IAIN ROBERTSON Leafing through the PR blurb for the latest Citroen crossover led Iain Robertson into experiencing a mild bilious attack, so wordy and over-embellished was almost every other...
Vauxhall pacified by PSA-fied platform that dumbs down Corsa e
IAIN ROBERTSON Despite the carefully managed PR emerging from PSA Group, writes Iain Robertson, the latest electrified Corsa model is a pale shadow of the Corsa that preceded it,...
Jeni on Drawing 13 Drawing After
Creativity is best learned by inspiration. By copying drawings we admire, working in the style of someone else, we learn how it feels to move our hands and make...
All-electric BMW i4 gives great dynamic account on German test track
IAIN ROBERTSON Fans of the Bavarian motorcars that all but dominate in the British company car sector are in for a future surprise, explains a satisfied Iain Robertson, who...
MALTA DIARY: In the darkness of night, the mists of time – mysterious old wives’ tales that people swallowed
ALBERT FENECH e/mail – Facebook: Some well-known fairy tales dated pre-history and were subsequently and diligently handed down from one generation to another...
Trondelag, Mid-Norway
The Norwegians have a saying, There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing! Trondelag is in Central Norway, stretching up to the Swedish border. It’s known as...
Centro De Portugal
It’s amazing in this day and age that there are still virtually undiscovered areas in Europe. I visited Centro de Portugal a few years ago, but it will still...
Malta Diary The island of Comino – small but with a history during various eras Last week it had a population of three but sadly now down to two
ALBERT FENECH e/mail – Facebook: The Maltese Archipelago, probably one of the smallest in the world, consists of five islands, Malta, Gozo, Comino, Filfla and St Paul’s...
Ferrari takes another step into the stratosphere with ‘Modificata’
IAIN ROBERTSON It may not possess the ‘winningest’ team in Formula One (at present), highlights Iain Robertson, but its record in sportscar racing, in many ways more relevant...
Britain’s Horrific Treatment of Chinese Labourers During World War 1.
How the Chinese helped the British and French to win the War, but were treated like Slaves. A hundred years ago the Great War ended and Memorial ceremonies have...
Jeni on Drawing 3 Drawing on Past Experience
More years ago than I care to count, when I was doing an art foundation course at Hull Art College, I fell in love with life drawing....
“Tuska Utopia”, mixing online travel and metal music in Finland – World Meanderings (n°102)
By Annick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny At a time when travel and music industries strive to survive “Tuska Utopia” proposes a new way to see metal music concerts...
Malta Diary Touches of sanity in today’s eyesore concrete jungle -archaeological sites and buildings now Scheduled and cannot be destroyed or altered in any way
ALBERT FENECH e/mail – Facebook: I have written it before and repeat, if my great grandparents and grandparents were to be resurrected today and placed anywhere in...
The Mini that should be renamed MAXI is revised again as Countryman
IAIN ROBERTSON Any vestiges of original Mini-ness are now totally removed with the largest version of BMW’s comic-book replica of the once-British stalwart, reports Iain Robertson, as a comprehensively...
“Le Blue Denim Gin”, the new gin born in Camargue – Meanderings through France n° 222
By Annick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny After years of testing imagining new recipes and different processes a French couple from Nimes have created a unique Mediterranean gin....
Dipping into VW Group’s enormous spare parts bins enables new Audi A3 hybrid development
IAIN ROBERTSON At a moment in time, when the automotive business is looking all shaky and EV charged, highlights Iain Robertson, it is heart-warming for fans of quality cars...
As readily defensible as oak and Coke, an all-new Moke might be 3rd-time-lucky!
IAIN ROBERTSON At around the same time as he developed the ubiquitous classic Mini, states Iain Robertson, the inventor of the Car of the Century also designed a rudimentary...
Malta Diary 22 THE LAMPUKI SEASON LOOMS – not a quality fish but ever popular and easy to cook
ALBERT FENECH e/mail – Facebook: When the month of August looms, this is a signal for Malta and Gozo’s fishing community to gear up for...
Back to Greece: Spetses, a one of a kind gem-island – World Meanderings (n°92)
By Annick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny Since the early years of the twentieth century the tiny and secret island of Spetses has been a trendy destination...
The Canary Islands Re-opens for Tourism. Our visit to La Palma
Several years ago we spent an interesting week on La Palma, which is re-opening in a week’s time for Tourism. After booking in to our hotel on La Palma,...
In these tough times, let me put a VW eBulli smile on your face!
IAIN ROBERTSON While hardly a money-no-object exercise, writes Iain Robertson, sourcing a clean, original VW campervan, notably of the rare 20-window type, and then converting it from flat-four to...
Glenfiddich comes to the aid of the Speyside community – World Meanderings (n°88)
By Annick Dournes Frédéric de Poligny Due to the Covid-19 epidemic the 2020 edition of the Spirit of Speyside Festival had to be cancelled. To support the local...
Politics, funnelling, ‘1984’ and Volvo’s electric XC40
IAIN ROBERTSON Volvo, a Swedish accented Chinese carmaker, is set to introduce the Recharge P8 version of its compact-ish and very stylish XC40 in early-2021, highlights Iain Robertson, as...
Welsh Witterings: Simply Good Food
In these strange times I must confess I have lamented the inability to get out for a coffee or a spot of lunch. I love cooking for my family,...
5 star glamping on the French Riviera – Meanderings through France n° 217
By Annick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny “Esterel Caravaning” one of the most classy camping site of the French Riviera was finally able to reopen on June...
PDSA Pay Tribute to our Animal Heroes
Photos courtesy of the PDSA As we celebrated the 75th anniversary of VE Day last Thursday, it’s good to remember the many animal heroes also on the front line....
Dream trip with Robert Louis Stevenson in the French Cevennes
By Annick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny It all began with a broken heart in 1878. That autumn 28 years old Scottish author R. L. Stevenson decided to go...
MALTA DIARY: Were the stones magically or divinely transported – or is it just Old Wives’ Tales?
ALBERT FENECH e/mail – Facebook: My Blog: With time hanging heavy on my hands, I browsed through some well-known fairy and folklore tales...
Malta Diary Entering the Lenten period – a time for sackcloth and ashes? It used to be – but no longer … memories of the past
ALBERT FENECH e/mail – Facebook: My Blog: Today is Ash Wednesday. Carnival activities of boisterous merriment came to an abrupt end at midnight...
New Audi RS4 could be an admirable ‘dinosaur’ from the Bronze Age
IAIN ROBERTSON It is a strictly limited-edition model, of just 25 examples, priced from a whopping £82,395, but Iain Robertson is tickled pink that Audi is adopting a defiant...