Grenfell, the heritage luxury brand, was founded in 1923 by the Haythornthwaite family in Lancashire and began as a ?wonder-fabric?, a cotton gaberdine cloth, developed specifically to meet the outerwear needs of explorer and missionary doctor, Sir Wilfred Grenfell who?s pioneering pushed for a fabric to suit extreme form and function, he agreed to lend the fine cloth his name. Over the following decades Grenfell was worn by British Royalty, racing car drivers, adventurers and aviatrixes, outdoorsmen, sportsmen and style icons such as Cary Grant.

This season, we saw the launch of the inaugural Grenfell Bluebird collection, inspirated by the pioneer of both land and sea speed Records, Sir Malcolm Campbell. It comprises of 12 pieces inspired by original items created using Grenfell cloth worn by the ?King of Speed?, as Campbell was known; a gentleman and racer who was not only celebrated for his records on land and water but also admired for his sartorial style and natural ease in front of the camera.

This collection takes its cue from the ?20s and ?30s and will unfold over future seasons to recognise the contribution made by Malcolm and Donald Campbell to both speed and style across their careers.

The collection comprises; the Bluebird record suit, a car coat, long bomber, Field jacket, double breasted blazer, the Farringdon ? a lean contemporary mac, Harrington and gilet. All pieces are available in three colours; Pendine Sand, Bluebird Blue and Navy.

Additional to this, the leading and innovative re and e-tailer Oi-Polloi, have been such fans of the heraldic work of Grenfell, and in particular their ?Golfer? jacket they have just started to stock this lil beauty. In their inimitable way, the lads from Oi-Polloi put it, ?We?ve been big fans of their classic Golfer Jacket for years, and it?s safe to say we?re pretty pleased to have finally nabbed them.?

Twelve months ago we asked which up-and-coming drivers outside F1 were the talents of the future.

Your choices included three drivers who went on to make their F1 debuts ? Stoffel Vandoorne, Jolyon Palmer and Alexander Rossi.

Can you identify more talents of the future? F1 Fanatic has drawn up a list of 135 of the world?s top international racing drivers who are or could soon be eligible to race in F1 under the FIA?s new superlicence rules.

The list contains all drivers who participated in an F1 practice session in the two years prior to 2016, all drivers with at least ten FIA superlicence points at the beginning of 2016 and the Formula E champion. Drivers who are already part of an F1 team?s full-time line-up are omitted, along with any that are unavailable due to injury.

Over to you

Which of these drivers most deserve an F1 race seat? Select up to 22.

An F1 Fanatic account is required in order to vote. If you do not have one, register an account here or read more about registering here. When this poll is closed the result will be displayed instead of the voting form.

Your alternative F1 grid for 2015

Here are the drivers you chose to fill an alternative F1 grid 12 months ago:

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This press articles

Boohoo.com is a retail phenomenon, if you are part of the current MTV generation, as a brand you can?t help to know who they are. However, if you are not of this certain clique and you think Zoella is a cartoon Dinosaur and Alfie Deyes is a character in Eastenders, this brand may mean little or nothing to you, just yet !

Since its humble start in 2007 it has catered for the needs of girls up and down the country wanting something to wear out on a weekend night out. But this wasn?t enough and the brains behind this simple e-commerce concept had much bigger and brighter plans. Mahmud Kamani and Carol Kane, Joint Chief Exceutives of the brand, saw a gap in the market for highly affordable, trend driven pieces and boy did they go for it.

Now shipping to over 100 countries, in 2013 they launched BoohooMAN to sit along its sister range to cater for a male demographic. However,  last week saw boohooMAN introduce a dedicated standalone site, catering exclusively to a menswear customer. Focusing on clothing, footwear and accessories, like its sister site there will be an emphasis on newness, with new styles dropping every week. The website offers a new shopping experience, featuring dedicated content for the male consumer and targeting that trend led; price conscious consumer or as Richard Clark ? Marketing Director at the brand put it, 

?We had observed a shift in menswear buying habits, as men begin to embrace fashion trends, but as the market continues to evolve it felt like a natural progression to introduce a dedicated site for boohooman.com. The core of our business has always been to provide the seasons latest looks, whilst still delivering incredible value, but now we have the opportunity to tailor the offer and the content we serve up to the menswear customer, making their shopping experience more personalised and engaging.?

So to kick off this all new offering, a collection compromising of four key trends is up for your delectation. Updating a classic spring trend, NAUTICAL incorporates darker maritime influences, with indigo denim echoing ocean depths, and graphics focusing around sea life creatures. Denim also takes the lead in UTILITY referencing a relaxed Mediterranean approach to menswear. Linen is paired with varying jean washes, with a nod to the Rivera in the form of double breasted jackets lay-ered over denim shirts with open toe sandals. MOD is a trend of two sides, focusing on the sharp styling of the late 1970?s whilst also touching on retro sportswear. Bold colours and structured shapes are reworked to give classic shapes an updated look for 2016. URBAN SPORTS uses sport shapes with a motocross theme throughout.

I?ve been a bit distracted for the last month as I started a new job, which is also full time for the first time since my eldest was born seven years ago. So I?m afraid I haven?t spent as much time looking for posts as I usually do, meaning it is a little shorter than normal.

For the first time since leaving university, I am no longer working in the environment field. This change is taking a bit of getting used to so I was thrilled to be asked to talk to some undergraduate students about what it is like being an environmental consultant. I think it is important to encourage and educate future generations about the environment, and many of you agree. Larabee explains how she used a storybook about polar bears to introduce discussions about the North Pole and global warming in |FAMILY FUN|polar bear and global warming study, and Luschka makes suggestions for activities to tie in with Earth Day in April in Earth Day Books, Movies, Activities And Games For Children.

The post Pineapple as a leather alternative? introduces shoes produced from Pinatex made from pineapple leaves normally considered a waste product. In addition, as the shoes are stitched instead of glued they can be disassembled meaning they are easier to repair than most shoes, potentially reducing waste further.

To help improve the air quality in our homes polluted by items such as paint, carpets and cleaning products Liz Burton has written a list of the Top 10 Houseplants to clean the air in your home.

Thank you to everyone who sent me posts, it really helped me out this month. If you?d like to be included in a future round-up please send me links via my blog or tweet me @katedavis. Alternatively, let me know if you have any questions about the environment and I?ll try and answer them in future posts.

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I really wanted to like this book. The whole idea of the act of chasing happiness having the adverse affect intrigues me. After all, who doesn?t want to be happy? Aren?t we all on that journey?

But I found the author got in my way. Having spent half my life in the US, her sweeping generalisations about ?American? parenting immediately put me on the defensive. The ease with which she labels an American way of doing things as a ?problem? is overly simplistic. Additionally, describing it as a uniquely American problem ignores examples of this type of behaviour in the UK and beyond.

Parts of the book drew me in. I was interested in the Mormon view of happiness, and agreed with the idea that we are raising children in an age of indulgence and that protecting them from experiencing negative feeling is just putting off problems that will plague them later on in life.

But each time I found something that I liked about the book and could connect with, I?d run smack into sentences that seemed crafted for Daily Mail headlines rather than serious thought, lines like ?Is this Great Search for Happiness creating a nation of nervous wrecks?? and ?What is driving this frenetic edge to American parenting?? Could we just take out the word American?

I know plenty of parents in Henley-on-Thames, where I live, and leafy south London that circle over their children like overzealous Secret Service agents, who post ?happy? pics of their kids on Facebook. In the UK, people couch these observations in self-deprecating terms but aren?t they simply replicating this ?American? phenomenon with a British flair?

I found the chapter about having to pay dearly for any meaningful early childhood education/experiences just not true. Yes, the British government pays for preschool from age 2 (though going as young as 2 is a relatively new thing). But there are plenty of ?free? options in the US. There?s a whole network of playgroups (Las Madres, for example) I don?t think the author tapped in to.

Did I like the book? I found parts interesting. Would I recommend it to friends? Yes, for those interested in a different perspective on modern life and who are skeptical about the breathless pursuit of ?happiness? as a panacea for the stresses of life. Like me, they may find sections that resonate as well as other other parts they take exception too.

We could talk about it over coffee or cocktails. Come to think of it, that would make me happy.  

Did you like the book or do you have views about the pursuit of happiness? Leave your link or comments below.

Please link up your review below.

From Bulgaria

Romain Grosjean has become the first back-to-back Driver of the Weekend winner since 2014.

The Haas driver?s combative run to fifth place in the Bahrain Grand Prix was widely admired, though he won a much smaller share of the vote than after taking the team?s breakthrough points finish in Australia.

With 39.4% of the vote, Grosjean became the first winner of consecutive Driver of the Weekend polls since 2014. But the performances of other drivers including rookie Stoffel Vandoorne also caught your eye during the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend.

Romain Grosjean?s Bahrain Grand Prix weekend

Haas took on the top teamsUnlike Australia two weeks ago, Haas and Grosjean showed strong pace in practice and from the off it looked as the new outfit could potentially challenge for a spot in Q3. But as it happened he was pleased to lose his spot in the final shoot out to Nico Hulkenberg meaning he could start ninth on a fresh set of tyres.

A clean start saw Grosjean jump from ninth on the grid to sixth at the end of lap one at the expense of Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas. From there Haas ran an aggressive strategy to keep Grosjean in touch with the faster cars.

Three stints on super-softs followed by a soft stint to end the race meant Grosjean was almost always appearing in someone?s mirrors. He managed his tyres well and managed to run as high as fourth at one stage in the race. Well-executed passes on the likes of Felipe Massa and Daniel Ricciardo put smiles on the faces of the Haas team who surely never expected to be racing the likes of Williams and Red Bull so soon.

Three stops was a brave strategy for a team who?d never done a racing pit stop before and the inexperience showed. But with Grosjean finishing 16 seconds behind fourth-placed Daniel Ricciardo, it?s doubtful it cost him a better finish. Fifth place without the aid of the mid-race interruption seen in Australia was an impressive achievement.

Have to go with Grosjean because of the super aggressive super-soft tyre strategy that propelled him to fifth place. He was able to take great advantage of overtaking in order to keep the strategy alive.
DanimalHouse (@thrillerwa09)

I am going with Grosjean again. Sure, the car may be a bit better than we thought it was in Australia, but he still had to make the strategy work and that meant being super agressive and not killing the Pirellis. He made all the important passes and managed to stear clear of any mistake.
Tango (@tango)

However, @vvans was quick to point out that maybe we shouldn?t be surprised to see Grosjean and Haas so high:

I love the fact Grosjean is living the dream there at Haas. If anyone deserves it is him. However, without taking any credit away from him or his team, I get the feeling he winning this poll again due to the fact everybody expected to have a new Manor, HRT or Catherham.

The truth is though, that Haas is simply unbelievably quick. Probably the fourth or fifth quickest car behind Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull this weekend and I would say on par with Toro Rosso (see also how quick Gutierrez was before he had to retire).
HRT (@vvans)

Bahrain Grand Prix winners and losers

Vandoorne impressed in Alonso?s carSecond in the standings this week with just over 25% of the vote was Stoffel Vandoorne, who picked up one point in his maiden race. Pascal Wehrlein also showed well in the poll with just over 10%.

It has to be Vandoorne. No testing, flew in overnight to shock the establishment. Beat Button on qualifying, which is not that special anyway. First weekend, clean start, clean race, and a point which is more than McLaren could deliver.
Pennyroyal tea (@peartree)

Wehrlein anyone? That?s where my vote went, lightning in qualifying and took it to both Sauber and Renault in the race in his little Manor, he was excellent.
Ben (@scuderia29)

Ricciardo picked up surprisingly few votes after a strong qualifying lap and another emphatic victory over his team mate.

And the Force India pair of Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez received not a single vote between them after early incidents ruined both of their races. It was a disappointing race for the team at a track where the car should have been strong.

Yeah I think he?s (Ricciardo) gone under the radar a bit, but he?s definitely getting the maximum a driver could from that car.
Mike (@mike)

Finally, @Mashiat wanted to vote for the one driver who turned up in Bahrain prepared but never got to race:

In DOTW, is there a requirement to vote only for drivers who have participated in the race? I, for one, would like to vote for Alonso as the DOTW, for his sick burn into the face of Johnny Herbert.
Mashiat (@mashiat)

2016 Bahrain Grand Prix

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Welcome to April?s Poetry and Prose roundup. The weather?s getting warmer, the days are getting longer and spring is in the air! Admittedly, as I write this, the sun is hidden behind a bank of clouds and my view is largely obliterated by drizzle? but I?m optimistic that it won?t last! By the time I?ve finished typing this I?m certain the sun will be beaming down.

Many of you were filled with a similar optimism in your poetry and prose this month ? the promise of spring brings that out in us, I think. Leigh from Headspace Perspective wrote a wonderful poem about renewal which summed up my feelings for the season perfectly, as did Lisa?s Life with this lovely piece. My co-editor Victoria has had some bad news recently but I loved her determination and optimism in this poem, while Carol at Virtually All sorts made me feel like I was standing in the garden, basking in the sun?s rays.

Spring feels like the ideal time for aspirations too, and I felt full of those reading Teacup Toria?s wonderful piece about hopes and dreams! Similarly, Jo from Fifty-something Fruitcake?s beautiful poem ?For Aria? about stars and fireworks had me thinking about what we hope for our children?s futures, as did Mum Turned Moms?s lovely poem, ?Mighty?. Pempi?s Palace made me smile with a captivating little piece, and Nicole from The Brightness Of These Days expressed many similar feelings in a poem about what ?getting ahead? should really mean ? being yourself, trying hard and being happy.

Happiness was also the main theme of Emma from MS Calling?s poem about parents? evening ? Emma expressed that there are some things more important than targets and tests. Education is a subject close to many of our hearts at the moment ? I experienced a flood of support when I wrote about my feelings on it, and teacher and parent Luisa from Teaching Tiny Minds wrote a poem on the subject that blew me away!

From education in early life, to needs at the end of life, this month your creativity ran the full gamut. I was deeply affected by this poem from Louise at Touchline Dad & Mother in the Middle about an elderly person wanting to remain in their own home, and likewise, by Cara at Oh We Do?, who wrote a powerful poem about dementia. Becky at Diary of a Fat Bottomed Girl is going through a tough time herself and her reflective piece, ?My heart broke for a stranger?, about an elderly man alone in hospital was very moving too.

March was host this year to a very early Easter so there was no way I was going to get through this roundup without a mention of chocolate! I really enjoyed Right Royal Mother?s version of Easter egg hunt clues that the Duchess of Cambridge might use (with mention of moet and tennis courts!) and Life, Love and Dirty Dishes also made me giggle with her ode to chocolate. And talking of giggles ? this poem by Striking Mum is a great read (and it?s nicely honest too) and Kyles at Pickles and Pords had me in stitches with a piece entitled ?Cranky Pants? ? I definitely possess some!

As expected, with Mothers? Day last month, I also read plenty of fabulous pieces on motherhood. I loved Mumzilla?s touching poem for a friend?s child and Dawn at Rhyming With Wine brought tears to my eyes with a poem for a mum-to-be that was funny, accurate and moving. Beta Mummy wrote a hilarious illustrated piece comparing ?alpha? and ?beta? mums, and I loved this poem by Anna Ghislena celebrating all the things we mums can do!

I hope you enjoy reading these! If you write creative pieces of your own that you?d like to feature in next month?s roundup, feel free to contact my co-editor Victoria at Verily Victoria Vocalises. If you?re thinking of taking your writing to the next level, do read this post by Marija Smits. Marija runs her own press and talks candidly about how it feels to edit and publish an anthology which also includes a piece of her own writing ? it?s very insightful! Oh, and do remember Victoria?s linky ?Prose For Thought? and my linky ?What I?m Writing? for sharing creative work and thoughts on creative process ? we?d love to have you join in!

Well, you?ll never believe it, but the sun HAS come out as I?ve been writing this! So as I head outside to enjoy it, I?ll leave you with a little illustrated limerick of my own. Maybe you?ll be able to relate?

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Today a true hair Aficionado gives us his take on the forthcoming season?s hair styles to be sporting, so if your thinking of a change or just updating your current follicle do, please pay attention. Luke Dolan,  Ambassador for premium grooming range, Uppercut Deluxe, is a master of traditional barbering and lives the BarberLife scene. Luke started a hairdressing apprenticeship aged 17, preferring the more subtle environment of a barber shop he moved over to barbering shortly after and hasn?t looked back. He now has over 19 years experience. Luke loves more traditional cuts and his favourite would be a ?crisp, clean pomp?.

Dolan works in collaboration with Uppercut Deluxe from his North London salon. Inspired by the timeless style of the 1950s barbershop and its spiritual founder, Willy Uppercut OShea, Uppercut Deluxe is a modern, yet traditional approach to mens grooming. An Australian born brand proudly made with only the finest ingredients, Uppercut Deluxe delivers a core straight talking range of quality grooming products for men.

For this post Luke gives us his top 4 looks for theSummer. Starting with;

Style 1
The Disconnected Pomp
This has been around for a couple of years and has now evolved into a fade on the sides but the top left more textured. Square layers through the top that are heavily texturised when dry. I would use the Uppercut Matt clay for this one.

Style 2
The Taper
The taper has been around since the world was formed but has made a resurgence this year because a good taper down to skin can make a good haircut look out of this world. Considering you are only working with a small section of the hair on the sides and back it can take just as long as a fade or anything else to acheive. If a jobs worth doing then its worth doing well! With this style I recommend using some of the awesome Uppercut Deluxe Monster Hold. Does what it says on the tin.

Style 3
The Reimagined Crop
Technically this is just a French crop with a slightly longer top. However, getting the right look for your hair can be problematic. There needs to be a slight disconnect as the fade needs to go quite high to give that nice square and masculine look, but you need the top to be long enough to show off the texture but have a blunt fringe. For my version I styled it with the Uppercut Deluxe featherweight.

Style 4
Drop Fade
Drop Fade with heavy texture and a crisp line. This cut has really caught fire this year when Ryan Cullen from Northern Ireland put this cut on his Instagram and the masses have been asking for it since. I style mine up with the Uppercut Deluxe Matt Clay. Working it in to dry hair and tease out the texture with a comb.

Last week the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh officially opened the new Asiatic lion exhibit, Land of the Lions, at London Zoo and this week we were lucky enough to be one of the first to visit.

We entered Land of the Lions through a grand stone archway and was immediately in awe of what was ahead of us which included colourful murals, authentic looking signage, rickshaws, bicycles, sacks of spices, rangers? huts, and even a life-size truck which left us feeling as if we had left the bright lights of London and transported to India?s vibrant Sasan Gir.

A great exhibit for me is one where it captures your imagination and the Land of the Lions did just that, with a ?WOW? moment around every corner. The children were each given a challenge sheet upon entering by a ranger, which challenged them to the find items on it and cross them off when they did, which included a Lioness, Lion, monkey etc. There was a chance to ride a static bike and see if you could out-run a Lion ? sadly not in my case and Isaac could only cycle as fast as an elephant.

Three walkways which cover the 2,500sqm exhibit include a train station, crumbling temple clearing, high street and guard hut whilst giving a great view over the huge enclosure. We were stood above the enclosure whilst a ranger was throwing lumps of meat over the fence for lionesses Indi, Rubi and Heidi to find, which gave us a great view of them.

There is also a spectacular 360° Temple Clearing where the big cats roam just metres away, separated only by fine wires.

London Zoo is a fantastic day out that is fun for all the family, young or old as there is so much to see and do. If big cats are your thing there is also Tiger Territory where you can see them lazing around, or you can whoop and cheer as you watch the penguins zoom through the water at Penguin Beach. I highly recommend you check out their twice daily feed to watch the birds diving for their food.

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In the round-up: Bernie Ecclestone defends F1?s huge bonus payments to Ferrari as progress continues on a complaint from two teams to the European Union over F1?s payment structure.

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