Sunday Mirror

THE GREAT BRITISH SEASIDE

PLUS Tricks of the Trade Best Spanish breaks Win home entertainment 7 June 2009 HOME or AWAY? BRITISH SEASIDE STYLE OR TROPICAL PARADISE HOMES& Free with your Sunday Mirror holidays

LOOKALIKES ; Outdoor lanterns

LIGHT up your home, garden or patio in style with these nautical hurricane lamps. Next (www.next.co.uk, 0844 844 8333) have selection of sizes and prices, ranging from pounds 30 for a 42cm-high lamp up to pounds 70 for 75cm one.

TOP10 ; Seaside

Homes

4& 5 Our seaside special brings you Richard Tuke's dream home by the coast 6& 7

WIN this home entertainment system with 32in TV & Blu-ray DVD

WE'VE got a brilliant home entertainment system up for grabs to celebrate the release of The Curious Case of Benjamin ButtonTM on Blu-Ray and DVD. One lucky winner will win a 32in Panasonic Viera HD ready TV, Sony Blu-ray player, Sony mini camcorder, Deluxe X-Rocker Recliner plus the movie on Blu-ray.

I DID UP MY HOME OUT OF.. BOATS & BOBS ; ..And I didn't pay more than pounds 30 for anything

BOATS have been part of Paul Barclay's life since he was a boy growing up in Devon. "My father had a yacht on the River Dart, so we used to come to Dartmouth most weekends," he recalls. "I just loved the scenery and anything to do with life on the water." But it didn't stop there. Paul went on to forge a successful career working on the river and began looking for a home of his own. A top-floor studio flat in an Edwardian house in the heart of Dartmouth fell within his budget.

Any top tips about a topper for my bed? ; TRICKS of the TRADE

I'm going to splash out on a pool.. any ideas? ; TRICKS of the TRADE

I need a tin cut out for sponge ; TRICKS of the TRADE

In the dark about my light shade ; TRICKS of the TRADE

Home & away ; Great British seaside style versus tropical paradise

Seaside special Pebble beach or palm trees? Brighton rock or Pia Colada? Whether you're sta y-ing home or goingawa y, there's a bit ofseaside style foreveryone...

do it! ; Jobs for the week: Gardening

Easy Dig up, divide and transplant congested clumps of violas, polyanthus and primula. Water after planting and shade them if hot weather follows. Plant Anemone De Caen corms under cloches for cut flowers in autumn and winter. Grow them in rows, setting the corms 1in to 2in deep and 4in to 6in apart.

MAKE A SLICE OF COAST

Save money this summer by holidaying at home. You can make your own seaside-inspired retreat in a hot, sunny area of the garden with some plants, a lick of paint and a few holiday souvenirs! GET INTO GEAR WITH GRAVEL YOU can cover up ugly paving and give your garden an instant seaside-style look by using gravel. Add slabs of worn timber for stepping stones or use some to make furniture. Decorate with stylish contemporary planters and maritime plants to complete the look.

EXPERT ADVICE

How you can worm your ?way to better compost I'D like to pay more attention to composting this summer. Any tips? - Derek Jones, Milton Keynes, Bucks. THE most active creatures involved in conditioning and revitalising soil are earthworms. So it makes sense to use them in a compost bin. Everything you need to make worm compost is available from www.wigglywigglers.co.uk

THE TOP 10 BEACHES ; Our pick of the best that Britain has to offer

Travel Editor Gill Williams picks 10 stretches of sand for their safety, cleanliness and jaw-dropping scenery... 1. WHITESANDS BEACH, PEMBROKESHIRE

INSIDE GUIDE

How can we carry on campervanning? MY boyfriend wants to spend a couple of weeks travelling around Suffolk in an old-fashioned campervan, just as he did when he was a kid. Are there any companies that rent them out? - Polly Baxter, Preston

Great UK days out

CORNISH TASTY ; St Ives has all the ingredients for a perfect family break

This picturesque town may be heaven for artists, tourists and surfers alike but its quaint streets are hell for my hubby and his Alfa Romeo HUBBY Mike winces and holds his breath as I cautiously steer his Alfa Romeo along the glorified footpaths that pass as roads in this quaint and chaotic Cornish seaside town. The granite walls of the old fishermen's cottages lean in to crush us at every corner. Then it happens! Bump! I inflict a minor wound on her bumper.

Cruise news

THE winner of BBC series The One and Only, Katy Setterfield as Dusty Springfield, will star on the Marco Polo leaving July 14 for the 12-night Baltic Cities and St Petersburg cruise and then continue on July 26 around Britain on the 11-night Celtic Explorer cruise. Prices from pounds 849pp. Details: 0845 833 9798; www.transoceancruises.co.uk SARAH WHITFIELD KING

your holiday pounds