Advantages: Great artists, Fantastic recordings
Disadvantages: A few good tracks missed this set

...that teenagers of my age were listening to during the 80s. But no matter what i listened to i always prefered my Everlys Brothers tape. As time went on and i began to buy my own records i tended to by singles for chart music but the Albums tended to be Rock 'n' roll and quite a collection of the Everlys. Other artists began to take my interest that were not modern and not Rock 'n' Roll. These were artists like Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers, John Denver or Johnny Cash. So my biggest interest in Rock 'n' Roll was my early experience with the Everlys but my taste in music appeared to being pulled more and more towards Country. It took me a few years to realise that the biggest part of the Everlys music was in fact country based, this became clear as my Everlys collection grew. It is plain to see that the Everlys were my favorite all time artist... Read review

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Advantages: eclectic mix of articles and features
Disadvantages: you need to agree with the politics

...Coffee tables throughout the British countryside are littered with a magazine that has been a bastion reporting on countryside matters for years - Country Life. It’s thick and glossy with pages and pages at the front of property for sale, from whole sporting estates to chocolate-box cottages. Once past the property advertising and into the meat of the magazine, superb wildlife and nature pictures will catch your eye, as well as text from some of the columns and features: …. wildflower meadows under threat… …. government windfarm strategy is off course – sign the Country Life petition… …. organic farmers unconfident for the future… …. today, there are less than 40,000 craftsmen with the necessary specialist skills to maintain our historic environment… What you quickly realise is that Country Life is not simply some rural... Read review

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Advantages: Sadly none
Disadvantages: Make your own mind up

...As I think about the different decades of my life it makes me think about my elders who I once knew and have now died. As each year would bring something new, maybe shocking or just different they would say 'What is this country coming to?' So here I am this time not just wondering what they are talking about but actually writing about it from my experience. We know that this country has changed immensely in the last fifty years. In the 1950's many homes were without televisions, water, bathrooms, and inside toilets. Children were reading books, playing games and making up jigsaw puzzles to fill their time and provide entertainment whereas today we hear of children murdering children and mugging old people and happy slapping. (A terrible term!) When I was young the family was the hub, families lived near one another... Read review

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Advantages: Covers the history of the Black Country
Disadvantages: None

...As a Brummie living in Shropshire, some people may wonder why it is that I enjoy reading the Black Country Bugle so much? Well, I went to college on the very edge of the Black Country at Wolverhampton Polytechnic, which is now Wolverhampton University. Also, I have relatives who live in Dudley which is very much in the heart of the Blakc Country. Why was it called the Black Country? Simply because of all the smoke and grime form the thousands of small manufactories throughout the area. It is probably not far from the truth that in every back yard throughout the Black Country there was a workshop where skilled craftsmen and women made chains, pins, needles, nails, screws, nuts and bolts, made castings using cupola furnaces, made guns, polished metal goods, etc., etc. Now, back to the black Country Bugle. It is printed every... Read review

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Advantages: Great photos, a must for travel or photography fans
Disadvantages: Some poor maps

...I first saw this book in a book shop where I had flicked through it, but first got a proper look at it when a friend bought it as a gift for a mutual friend. Then I knew I had to have it. I described it to another friend as featuring “Every country in the world, and some others”. She was, understandably, rather confused by my statement about what these other countries actually were! Whilst the book is a travel book (rather than a reference book or atlas) and does indeed feature every (known) country in the world it has added soem other s under the guise of artistic license. For example, various Caribbean islands and groups which are actually dependencies of other countries are featured. Hong Kong and Macau have both been returned to China, but get their own entries, as does Taiwan. Neither the UK (nor Great Britain) gets... Read review

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Advantages: Huge variety of properties, hospitality, relaxing
Disadvantages: Can work out expensive for smaller groups

...These days, it is so simple and inexpensive to travel abroad that it is all too easy to overlook the wonderful opportunities that the English countryside has to offer. I am a big fan of weekends away within the UK, and I enjoy staying at B&Bs, which offer a reasonably priced, more personal, value for money option than hotels. However, the problem with B&Bs is that they only really serve as a base, with the many owners not being willing to have guests in the rooms during the day, or the rooms being too small to comfortably accommodate this. As such, a great alternative is the cottage holiday. I’ve been on two such breaks in the past couple of years, both quite different, and both booked through English Country Cottages. WHAT IS ENGLISH COUNTRY COTTAGES? English Country Cottages is a holiday booking company that showcases a huge... Read review

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Advantages: Tranquil, free, easily accessible
Disadvantages: Can get crowded at popular times

...Ulley reservoir lies approximately 10 miles (16 Km) to the east of Sheffield in South Yorkshire. This reservoir and its surrounding area of woodland opened as a country park in 1986 although the reservoir itself was created during the 1870's to provide a fresh supply of drinking water to Rotherham. By the early 1980's Ulley Reservoir was no longer providing water for Rotherham and so it was sold by Yorkshire Water to Rotherham Borough Council for the token sum of £1, with the purpose of creating the Country Park that we see today. Ulley Country Park now covers an area of around 33 acres. This is an area that I know very well. As a child I used to play around here and in those days it was the only local reservoir where sailing took place. It is still the home of the Ulley Sailing Club but nowadays the newer Rother Valley Country Park... Read review

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Advantages: Lots of Recreational Space
Disadvantages: Close to an Industrial Estate

...Shipley Country Park is located between Ilkeston and Heanor in Derbyshire, 10 miles to the North East of Derby and 11 miles to the West of Nottinghamshire. The Park covers an area of over 600 acres of open Grassland, landscaped Gardens, Lakes and Reservoirs and other recreational areas. This is an area of Derbyshire that I seldom visit, as I tend to prefer the more hilly areas of the Peak District National Park further to the North. However I did recently find myself “down south” so to speak and the Shipley Country Park was one of the places that I visited. The Park opened to the Public in 1976 and is managed by Derbyshire County Council. The former Estate was a vast Country Estate, which during the 18th and 19th centuries and was the residence of a very prominent local family called the Miller-Mundy’s. The Estate was rich in Coal... Read review

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Advantages: Reasonable prices, tranquil setting, great for picnics, lots to do for children.
Disadvantages: Lack of toilets further down the park, too much bird pooh.

...Last week I was privileged to be a parent helper on my daughter’s pre-school trip. The destination was not far from our home address yet I had never heard of this place before. Not only was I able to spend the day with a lovely group of pre-schoolers but I was able to take in some breathtaking scenery and fresh air. What a thoroughly enjoyable day lay ahead for us all and this park deserves a review to encourage (hopefully) more visitors. Situated within easy reach of both the M4 and M3, the park is open daily and is well signposted from the A33. *** PARK DETAILS*** Wellington Country Park Odiham Road Riseley READING Berkshire RG7 1SP Tel: 0118 932 6444 info@wellington-country-park.co.uk http://www.wellington-country-park.co.uk **Opening times as of 2007: ** The Park is open daily from February half term... Read review

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Advantages: Good for you and tasty, too!
Disadvantages: None

...Jordan's Country Crisp is an excellent breakfast cereal and a great way to start your day for a variety of reasons. First of all, although it is a "healthy breakfast cereal" this does not mean that it does not taste like cardboard, as all too many "healthy breakfast cereals" do. In fact, Jordan's Country Crisp breakfast cereal tastes pretty darn good, it has to be said. And secondly, Jordan's Country Crisp breakfast cereal is good for another reason, as it is produced to Conservation Grade, which means it is "Farming for Wildlife®" which is something good to aim for in this day and age. There is a delicious combination of flavours. Jordan's Country Crisp breakfast cereal contains oats (wholegrain, and conservation grade, of course) raw cane sugar conservation grade wholegrain barley flakes, rape oil and palm oil, rice flour... Read review

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