Ah, August. A month for BBQs, beaches and suntans. Or not. In England you never know what you'll get. But if the sun does come out, watch out world! We're going outside.

Thursday, 31st August

Thank goodness for crazy Honey, who has an image gallery of bad book covers on her site. Equally amusing is the commentary. (Return of the Werewolf, ‘Holy S—t! Look at my nails!’) My descriptions won’t do them justice, so check them out when you have five minutes to spare.

Thursday, 30th August

Forget you say tomato I say tomato. And even orientated (UK) vs. oriented (US). What about monetize, monetarize and monetarise? Turns out they’re all correct, and we can’t believe it took us almost five years to even hear the alternative to monetize (and as it was spoken we don’t know how it was spelled).

Wednesday, 29th August

It’s about time summer arrived. And what better place to spend it than on a true lido? (Lido is defined as a ‘fashionable beach resort’ or ‘outdoor swimming pool’, but we think of it as a beach in Italy.) But London has its own lido in Wandsworth, which is the largest fresh-water pool in England. Admittedly we haven’t been there, but to us that means no chlorine. And if that’s true, it’s well worth writing about!

Tuesday, 28th August

This site is ridiculous. How many Weinermobiles in the Great Wall of China? How many newborn babies in a keg of beer? And most importantly, how tall am I in human tongues? These answers and more are on Weird Converter, but for those who are curious, the answers are: 777,680 Weinermobiles in the Great Wall of China, 26 newborn babies in a keg of beer, and I am 16.25 tongues tall.

Friday, 24th August

If you’re into whisky and not whiskey, you’ll want to check out a new website, dedicated to exploring Scotland’s Whisky Coast (the west coast). They can help you figure out where to stay, what distilleries to visit, and other things to see. And if you need a reminder, whisky comes from Scotland and Canada, and whiskey comes from Ireland or America.

Thursday, 23rd August

Popbitch is full of interesting things. For example, Ernest Hemingway reportedly bought the gun he used to commit suicide at Abercrombie & Fitch. Surprised? So were we. The business was founded in 1892 and sold gear for the professional outdoorsman. It wasn’t until 1988 that it became what it’s today (whatever that is – we’re too old to understand).

Wednesday, 22nd August

One month from today Can Can Boheme will hold their second workshop on doing the can-can, which involves knicker-flashing, petticoat ruffling and yells in French. The workshop is five hours long and costs £20 (£25 day of), and includes French pastries and a group photo. Sound like the perfect hen event? We thought so too.

Tuesday, 21st August

Are you an ex-pat from New York? Turns out living there – not here – might be better for your life expectancy. Or so reported New York Magazine, based on a report from the New York Department of Health. The city cleaned up (drug and murder) which brought life expectancy up to the national average. But now New Yorkers are surpassing it, because, in a nutshell, they walk. Fast. Up the stairs, up the escalators. So let’s take a lesson from our neighbours and move it.

Monday, 20th August

Perhaps it’s time for a refresher on recent British historical eras. Georgian (1714-1830, with the sub-period Regency between 1811-1820), Victorian (1837-1901), Edwardian (1901-1910). Wikipedia assists by telling us they were known for (in chronological order): architecture and social history (Georgian); architecture, literature, fashions, politics and snuffboxes (Regency); the height of the British Empire (Victorian); and enthusiasm for the art and fashions of Europe (Edwardian). Now you're fit for the antique market.

Friday, 17th August

Can’t sleep this morning? Then get up – the Bermondsey Antiques Market is already open. Traders start arriving at 4 a.m., by 6 a.m. its in full swing, and by noon it’s all over till the next week. It’s a serious market, with mostly English antiques from the Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian times, although it used to be a place to unload stolen goods. But that doesn't mean you can't find a deal: Time Out says that dining room chairs start at £30.

Thursday, 16th August

Virgin America is alive. The airline started flying last week, and is now going between of all the places you’d expect, LA, San Francisco, NYC. And in good style. Apparently you can order food from your screen, relax in a leather seat and be bathed in mood lighting that changes from day to night. But we love most of all, power! There are outlets for standard plugs and USB-powered devices at every seat, and broadband is coming soon. OK, when does Virgin Europe launch?

Wednesday, 15th August

Shakespeare gave us the statement “cruel to be kind” (Hamlet said to Gertrude: “I must be cruel to be kind.”) But he no doubt knew it would be used to name a game of benevolent assassination. Why benevolent? The creators thought it might create a more interesting social effect on both players and bystanders. The last London game was in May, but anyone can host one. Just think, hosting one would make you doubly kind!

Tuesday, 14th August

The new O2 is cool. Who knew? Aside from the 500K people going to see Prince, and the local folks who go there for a good night out, my friends and I sure didn’t. But we went (for Prince), and were amazed! The building up close is something else (even if it is still weird), and it’s filled with great things – restaurants, bars, a little beach, a nightclub, a movie theatre and some other things. So check out the show listings and go – you’ll have a great night out. Just don’t miss the last tube home.

Monday, 13th August

For a positively alternative weekend getaway, why not rent a gypsy caravan (complete with horse) and travel the countryside? It’s painted, it sleeps two, and you can go with or without a guide. You join them on Friday or Tuesday, and you can cook yourself, or be brought food. From there, it’s up to you. I know, it is a bit wacky.

Friday, 10th August

If Alice in Wonderland became a country hotel proprietor (or perhaps a web designer), her output might look like this. Cotswolds 88 Hotel brings some seriously whimsical hipness to Gloustershire in the form of a boutique hotel with 20 rooms and a philosophy of sustainability and decadence. We like the idea of those two things meeting!

Thursday, 9th August

If you live near Hampstead (or anywhere in the UK) and need more Italian food products in your life, you need to know about Giacobazzi’s Delicatessen. The Fleet Road institution has a variety of amazing fresh pastas, sauces, cheeses, meats and desserts for purchase in store, and lots of wines, breads, and ‘cupboard essentials’ for delivery nation-wide. And who doesn’t need more Italian food in their life?

Wednesday, 8th August

Are you a lover and a fighter? A drinker and a runner? If so, you need to know about your nearest Hash House Harriers Club. The drinking club with the running problem, these crazy folks do a little cross-country runing just to work up a thirst. Which sounds like a pretty good reason to us!

Tuesday, 7th August

“Yuck,” the guy at the bar said. “It is so close today.” The bar was empty and I was confused. “What do you mean?” I asked. “Close, you know, humid and hot and stuffy.” “What an interesting word!” I replied, and turned to my friend to pass on my new adjective. “Oh yes, I’ve heard that, probably because I listen to Radio Four,” she replied haughtily. "The other word I like is fresh. Once it’s no longer close it’s fresh!” These funny Brits, but hey, close describes it pretty well.

Monday, 6th August

Is this love that I'm feeling, or is it a bear? Whitesnake singer David Coverdale was washing up when a bear came in his guest room and confronted him in the kitchen of his Lake Tahoe home. As he wrote on his website, "I don't mind telling you I almost succumbed to an involuntary bowel movement." And you thought rockers weren't eloquent.

Friday, 3rd August

With Molton Brown hand soap and lotion in every “cool” loo in town, it’s hard to believe they started as a hair salon – and one that was anti-hairdryers. But they did, in 1973. And now they’re going back to their roots (couldn’t help it!) with a new and very extensive hair care line. Sometimes we want to rebel against Molton Brown, but we can’t say we don’t love Heavenly Gingerlilly and Energising Seamoss.

Thursday, 2nd August

Where did they come from? Will they make it here? In some parts of the world, Crocs are on everyone’s feet. They’re light, inexpensive, reasonably cute and most of all, non-slip, which makes them perfect for our rainy days. But now people are wearing them for all kinds of events, which is a little too casual for our liking. But for a day at the beach? We hear there’s nothing better.

Wednesday, 1st August

So then, it’s official. All of you/us waiting for more “Sex and the City” will get it on the silver screen sometime next year or so. The four characters have signed on, and filming (reportedly) begins this autumn. But as E! News suggested, the story line won’t pick up where the series left off because of the “slight ageing of the actresses”. As we’ve all aged since then, we probably won’t even notice.

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