April 2020

The famous Austrian ski region of the Arlberg includes the resort of Lech which has a charm and tranquillity that attracts rather discerning guests.  It could be described as serving ‘old money’ compared to the more brand aware high profile resorts of Gstaad and Courchevel 1850 where guests like to show their newfound wealth.  Lech was the first resort to limit the number of ski passes on the basis of ‘when is a beautiful mountain not beautiful - when there are too many skiers’.  The skiing is as extensive as you wish to make it as the ski pass can include the nearby world class resort of S

Last month International Excellence had the pleasure of relocating to Leeds, Yorkshire's (ahem...) shining beacon of urban light, to indulge in a host of exclusive film screenings, premieres and dips into the archives of cinema. Needless to say, as people who eat, sleep and breathe film- in addition to the obligatory combination of food, dreams and fresh air- a good time was had, and had by all at that. 

 Last night, Bob Stuart, founder of Meridian Audio, launched MQA (Master Quality Authenticated), a revolutionary British technology, which is poised to change the way people enjoy music all over the world. The launch, hosted in The Shard, was attended by key music industry executives, artists and commentators.

Many feel that wearing jewellery should be confined to special occasions and belongs to the glamour of a bygone age.  Happily many people now appreciate that a stylish and modern piece of jewellery be it a necklace, brooch, earrings, cufflinks or watch can lift the spirits to carry one through a working day.  Widening the scope of craftsmanship in precious metals, a beautiful piece of silver, perhaps to display just a single flower on your dressing table or pour the forbidden cream onto your breakfast porridge, bring immense enjoyment.  When better than Christmas to indulge your loved ones

Our choice of the top ten sailing charter superyachts out there.
The yachts have chosen to show the widest variety in all aspects, and are listed in size order. Do send in your ideas if we have missed any yachts that you feel should be added to the list!
 
 
Athena, 90.0m.  (Cruising: Caribbean; winter and Mediterranean; summer) 20 crew   

It's all about wearable tech, the latest buzz is not robots ruling the world, but wearing the tech and interfacing more closely with the digital environment around us. We will slowly merge with the technological revolution and it will be all about simplicity.
You will not need a degree in computer engineering to use the latest innovations, but will employ the greatest and latest software and hardware with the flip of a wrist, the swipe of a hand or a casually voiced command.

Meldrum House Hotel and Golf is truly an idyllic spot about 20 minutes from Aberdeen and without doubt my favourite place to stay in the area for its stunningly beautiful golf course and its warm hospitality.

Makes 24
275g self raising flour
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp mixed spice
½ tsp cinnamon
75g caster sugar
1 egg
250ml milk
75g butter, melted
1 x 411g jar mincemeat
75g raisins
1 Preheat the oven to gas mark 6/200C/180fan. Grease a muffin tin.
2 Sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and mixed spice in a large bowl. Stir in the caster sugar.
3 In a separate bowl mix together the egg, milk, melted butter and mincemeat.

This glorious stately home has hosted parties on a lavish scale with high society guests such as Churchill and Chaplin, while also being involved in that most scandalous affair of the time, the Profumo Affair, and so the thought of a stay here conjures up wonderful feelings of being a part of the glamour, intrigue and history.
The full background, though too long to go over in full detail here, is really something we would advise you to look into before, or indeed during, your stay as it is quite magnificent and adds to the whole experience.

Wearable technology is all the new design and concept rage. That and the connection of products and things to the the net and us. We may not become cyborgs over the next decade but we will certainly be dressing like one.
The Nixie is a wrist band you wear like a watch which unstraps and turns into a quad copter that can film or photograph you then fly back onto your wrist.
This is about as Sci FI as it gets. Think of all the other applications for this wearable technology.