Tuesday 6th January  11:06 am Good Morning

on today on tomorrow other dates...

Nelson's Column April I Want to Break Free 13th April 2006 Her Majesty's Had Enough of the Rat Race It’s a fairly standard process for Londoners – you grow up at the edge of town, move to a central London residence to enjoy the thrills of the big city, and then drift back out to the calm of a leafy suburb as you get older. Most of us start with a split-level flat, or a terraced house in Zone 2, rather than a 400-room palace with the postcode SW1 1AA, but all the same, I think Her Majesty’s decision to move her official residence to Windsor on her 80th birthday speaks volumes for her credentials as a true Londoner. It’s certainly a mirror for what my parents and most of my friends' parents did. The kids have grown up, she can’t get about quite as well as she used to, and it’s time to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life. The question remains, however, of what to do with Buckingham Palace now that Liz has gone. The usual option of renting out a couple of rooms at exorbitant rates to Australian barmen or Japanese language students wouldn’t go down too well with Phillip – and they probably don’t really need the money. Most underpopulated areas of London are now scheduled to be demolished to build velodromes or clay pigeon ranges in advance of the 2012 extravaganza, but I have a feeling gutting Buck House to turn it into beach volleyball courts might not appeal to English Heritage. I’m sure that the government will be itching to turn it into a Royalty-themed super-casino, but this may create the same kind of issue. So perhaps the best choice is to let Liz keep it going as a place to stop off when she has to pop down to London for a bit of shopping, or the opening of parliament. It’s the ideal solution, and it means she won’t have to impose on the kids just when they all seem to have grown up and settled down. Finally. So, Many Happy Returns, Your Majesty, and it’s good to know that you’re really just one of us, even if you do things on a rather grander scale. A Right Royal Rave Prince Charles and sons, princes William and Harry, are to make a rare appearance at a free pop concert held at the Tower of London. The royal crew will host the open-air event marking the 30th anniversary of the Prince's Trust. Greasy Spoons All Washed Up According to a survey released this month, London’s traditional cafes are on the decrease. Since 2000 the number of greasy spoons in the capital has dropped by over 40% per cent in favour of modern, eating emporiums such as Starbucks. London’s Millionaire Mansion Boom London boasts over 30,000 homes worth £1 million or more. Figures released this month show a huge increase in the value of homes in just 10 years. In 1995 there were only 3589 such properties in the capital. Today the figure stands at 30,104 – the majority of which are located in the borough of Kensington and Chelsea. December 2008 23rd December January is on the Horizon 20th December Merry Christmas November 2008 26th November All The World's A Stage 20th November Surviving the Crunch October 2008 24th October Boris v Jingjing 17th October Soaps in Pole Position September 2008 23rd September Chips too Chavvy for Chelsea 16th September The London Restaurant Awards August 2008 26th August No Smoking, No Ducks, No Barbecues 20th August The Olympics July 2008 24th July Sandwiched Out 17th July The Show Ain't Over 'Til the Fat Lady's on Page 3 June 2008 26th June Love All at Wimbledon 16th June Miller Puts the Heat on Tennant May 2008 27th May Booze Banned on Buses 20th May Same Again? April 2008 23rd April By George 11th April Back to the 80s March 2008 28th March How do You Solve A Problem Like Medea? 20th March Flight Fantastic February 2008 20th February Dark, Satanic Turnmills 6th February A Diamond in the Drink January 2008 21st January People Wanted for Plinth 14th January Boo! Hiss! December 2007 28th December Tate That - A Hirst for Art 20th December Christmas Shopping November 2007 27th November Mind the Gap 26th November London On A Tray October 2007 26th October Leaving the Station 14th October The Sky's the Limit September 2007 26th September The Play Within A Play 19th September Fashion, Frocks and Celeb Shocks 12th September Saying Tanks for the Mammaries August 2007 24th August Heathrow under Siege 17th August Gormless 10th August Losing Face July 2007 24th July Are We Reaching Boiling Point Yet This Summer? 13th July Red Ken versus Blonde Boris June 2007 22nd June Last Orders at the Fag Machine 11th June London the Musical May 2007 21st May What Lurks Beneath 10th May The Stuff Dreams Are Made Of April 2007 27th April London’s Walk on the Wild Side 20th April Stand Behind the Yellow Line 13th April Like Water for Chocolate March 2007 23rd March So, Another Magazine 16th March Avoiding iContact February 2007 23rd February Sex and Art... 16th February C-Charge Protest Fails to Bring Down Government 9th February Live Earth London January 2007 26th January A Vote for Shilpa is a Vote for Britain 18th January Carriage on up the West End December 2006 29th December Food for Thought 22nd December A Poisonous Marketing Campaign 15th December In for a Penny, In for Five Pounds November 2006 17th November Big Department Stores Leave Santa Out in the Cold 10th November Failing to Save the World October 2006 27th October Frozen Prawns and Melting Icecaps 20th October Predatory Pelicans and Happy Woodland Folk 13th October Hope at last for east end of Oxford Street September 2006 16th September Lite the Blue Paper and Stand Well Back 9th September Of Poles and Twiglets August 2006 25th August Free Fares For the Fat and the Fashionable 11th August London Friendly 4th August Archway To Organic Heaven July 2006 21st July London - Celebrity Frat House 7th July Out of the Galleries into the Streets June 2006 23rd June Mayors, Nightmares and Marias 16th June Downright Rude in Paris and London 9th June Enter the Inferno May 2006 26th May Curvaceous Border 12th May Vegging Out April 2006 21st April The Camden Crawl 17th April Down the Pan 13th April I Want to Break Free 9th April Big Brother seems to have been left in a bar somewhere 7th April Don't Box Me In March 2006 24th March Political Correctness Reaches New Heights February 2006 24th February A Stadium's Tale: Cup Final Goes West 17th February Modern Musicals are Rubbish 10th February The City-Side Alliance January 2006 20th January February Sales 20th January Moby Sick 13th January Glass Half Full 3rd January Three Cheers for the Tube Station Workers December 2005 22nd December January Bites 16th December A Remarkable Year November 2005 25th November And a Partridge in a JCB 11th November Driving Miss Sadie 4th November Spam, Spam, Spammity-Spam, Shakespeare, Zorro, Chico and Rasputin October 2005 28th October Trick or Treat? 21st October We Don't Mind a Little Delay... 14th October Final Resting Place for Young British Artists September 2005 16th September Just a small urn for me, please barman 9th September DRINK! DRINK! DRINK!