Western Morning News, The

Your Daily Stars

The stars are making many of the other signs a little selfish today and you need to be careful of risking all you have only recently acquired. Foreign countries are calling you. Call me now so you can better understand your options in love. Certain friends have been taking advantage of you recently. That's bad enough, but you are the one who has been allowing them to do so. Look at the bigger picture and get your priorities in order. Phone me now so I can help you obtain your dreams.

Never Have Biscuits Around If You Want to Meet a Deadline

Sometimes I play a game with this column. I go right to the very wire, to within an inch of the deadline just to see if I will find myself one week with nothing to say. The husband, who in fairness probably knows me better than most, reckons this is not a very daring game at all, on the grounds that I always have something to say... But I still enjoy frightening myself and so this week I am on the deadline, page blank... only to realise suddenly that what I want very much to talk about are de...

American Gi's Wartime Love Letters Inspire Artist's Exhibition ; As St Valentine's Day Approaches, Janet King Talks to Devon Artist Gillian Taylor About Her Exhibition, Which Is Appropriately Entitled Love

Love letters written during the Second World War have inspired an exhibition for the romantic month of February by Devon-based paper artist Gillian Taylor. Gillian, who lives near Dawlish, has used two sets of original wartime love letters to create framed collections of tiny gold- lined envelopes which hint at the letters' contents.

Why Sometimes the Only Way to Cross That Bridge Is Walk

I love rural bridges. I love their stone solidity, the styled outcrops where pedestrians can take refuge from traffic. To really appreciate a bridge, you have to walk over it. Then you can hear the trickle and chuckle of the water underneath and peer down into the gully below, and marvel about how much easier it is to get across it with a bridge. Thanks, ancestors! Some bridges have that olde worlde feel that take you back to medieval times. I love the clapper bridges on the moors, which you ...

Designer Who Dreams Up 'Classic with a Twist' Knits

These days, Martin Storey doesn't have time to knit. "I don't think I'll be picking up my needles again until I retire," he says. "I'm just too busy!" But back when he was just a lad, he was always click-clacking with his needles. Martin, now one of the best-known knitwear designers in the country, was taught to knit at his tiny village primary school, growing up near Bridlington on the Yorkshire coast.

These Pigs Need Blankets...

After a chilly start to life, these wild boar babies have brought a sense of spring to a country estate. Born just over a week ago at Escot, near Honiton, the piglets have had to struggle through their first days in temperatures that dipped well below freezing.

'Economic Blueprint' Drawn Up for Two Counties

A coalition of business and council leaders in Devon and Somerset is preparing to submit an economic blueprint to ministers. Devon, Somerset, Plymouth and Torbay are proposing a tie-up to fill the void left by the South West Regional Development Agency, which is to be abolished in two years' time.

'Hunks' Show Prompts Fears As Resort Tries to Shake-Off Image

A partnership working to improve a Cornish seaside town fear a new reality TV show is "the last thing" the previously troubled resort needs. The Hunks will chronicle the dramas and rivalries of ten single men on the hunt for sun, sea and sex in Newquay.

Competition for Schools to Help Wildlife

Schools in Exeter are being encouraged to take part in a new competition designed to see wildlife return to the city. The Exeter Wild City project, a five-year initiative, is organising a competition this year with the aim to challenge local schools to turn unwanted waste items into wildlife-friendly garden habitats. The Salvage Garden competition is sponsored by St Bridget Nurseries and Sutton Seeds and runs until June 2011 when the winning school will be announced.

Old Iron Nails Taken From [...]

Library Breathes New Life Into City Church

A landmark building has been given a new lease of life. St Aubyn's Church in Chapel Street, Devonport, which was falling into disrepair, has undergone a Pounds 2.2 million refurbishment.

House Prices Nearly Double in a Decade

Hard-up home buyers are having to fork out almost double compared with a decade ago, figures reveal today. The latest Halifax House Price Index report shows property prices in the South West have increased by 89 per cent in the last ten years.

Last Flights From Plymouth to Gatwick As Air Serviced Is Axed

Plymouth's last flights to and from Gatwick take off today. Eastern Airways, the new owner of operator Air Southwest, has scrapped flights from Plymouth and Newquay to London Gatwick, saying they are not financially viable. It comes after Plymouth City Council said it could not justify subsidising a loss-making route.

Firefighters Kept Busy by a Spate of Fires Across Region

Westcountry firefighters have tackled a spate of serious fires which left one man in hospital, damaged a tourist attraction and ravaged a derelict hotel. In the most serious incident, a man was rescued from a burning house in the Prince Rock area of Plymouth yesterday morning.

Three Share Lotto's Pounds 4.7 Million Jackpot

Three winners shared Saturday's Lotto jackpot of Pounds 4.7 million. The winning numbers were 47, 05, 30, 36, 25 and 20. The bonus number was 15.

Where We Stand

Fire Crew and Medics Rescue Man From Pit

Firefighters and paramedics worked together to rescue a man who had fallen into a deep pit. Crews were sent to the rescue operation at Siblyback near Liskeard just before 6pm on Saturday.

Woman Tells of Her Hammer Attack Terror

A woman has described how she was attacked in broad daylight by a man wielding a hammer. Michelle Jenkins said she was shopping in Cornwall Street, near Plymouth City Market, on Saturday when the man ran up to her and brandished a hammer in her face. Mrs Jenkins, 40, instinctively pushed him away and was not hit.

Cornish Identity Key to Strong Economy, Businesses Are Told

Business people will be told at a major conference how promoting a strong Cornish identity can reap economic benefits. The message about marketing Cornwall's virtues will come from tourism and business leaders at the "Cornish identity - good for business" event at County Hall next month.

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