More than 60 artists and makers based at Yorkshire Artspace in Sheffield will open their studios to the public, next Friday and Saturday, November 20 and 21

Sculpture, painting, photography and print, furniture, jewelry, silverware, metalwork, ceramics, textiles, stained glass and mosaic will all be on show and much will be available to buy

The is a chance to explore the award winning Persistence Works, the UK's largest purpose built studio complex for artists and makers. The occasion will also be the first time visitors can look around Porter Brook Studios, a new creative complex for 18 artists, next door.

A full programme of activities is scheduled for the Open Studios event, including:

• live music with acapella harmony from The Purple Cats
• Saturday Cafe selling homemade cakes and refreshments
• original art and craft on The Marketstall
• Kid Acne talks about his new mural at Yorkshire Artspace
• a sweet making performance by Sweet Theatre, with a limited edition candy created for the event.

During the free Open Studio days, visitors can win an original painting by Paul Evans and work with artists to: Read more...

The humble fish and chip shop, affectionately known hereabouts as "the chippy", is more than just another cheap, fast food option. In Britain, it is a national institution.

Seafish, a public body sponsored by four government fisheries departments, is looking for the National Fish and Chip Shop of the Year 2009. They've named the 10 finalists. The winner, chosen on the basis of quality, value and choice, will be announced in January.

Check out the list of finalists and, if one of them is your local or if you've tried it during your travels, do please add your comments to let us know:

• Atlantic Fish Bar, Coatbridge, Lanarkshire, Scotland
• Broughton Fish & Chips, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire
• Daniel's Fish & Chips, Weymouth, Dorset
• Finnegan's, Porthcawl in Mid Glamorgan, Wales
• Fish & Chicken, Ballymena, Northern Ireland
• Great British Eatery, Birmingham, West Midlands
• Linford's Traditional Fish & Chips, Peterborough, Lincolnshire
• Metro Fish Bar, Bury, Lancashire
• Royal Fisheries, Whitby, North Yorkshire
• Scooby Snax, Colchester, Essex

National institution or not, the local chippy is still one of the most economical choices for a healthy meal in Britain. Here are some more options for inexpensive dining in the UK:

• Cheap Eats in the UK
• How to Order a Balti Meal
• Cheap Eats in London
• Brown's Café - Cheap Eats in Oxford

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London Mayor and recent have-a-go hero Boris Johnson took a few jovial swipes at Britain's traditional rival, France, yesterday, before going on to describe developments that are making his city a better place for both visitors and Londoners.

Citing an Outer London commercial bakery that annually exports £5million worth of chocolate cake to France as an example of "the intellect, resilience and genius of Londoners", he challenged French President Nicolas Sarkozy to stop pushing Paris as a financial capital of Europe to rival London and instead, "Look to your cake."

Opening the 30th World Travel Market at London's ExCel exhibition centre, the Mayor joked, "I say, let them eat cake...made in Walthamstowe."

Before that, he had used the occasion, that attracts 5,000 exhibitors and 50,000 senior travel professionals, government ministers and international press, to make several significant Read more...

Have you got an act the public Must see? A dance company, stand-up routine, musical ensemble, play or performance art event that's time has come?

The Brighton Festival Fringe, England's biggest fringe festival, may be just the place for your debut. Registration for 2010, for performers and companies opened this week. You can register between now and February 8, 2010 to participate in the festival, scheduled for May 1 to 23, 2010.

There's an online registration form for participants who have it all sussed. But if you're not sure what's involved in putting on an event at the Brighton Festival Fringe, check out the Participants page and the very helpful Get Involved section.

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Just because you're away from home, that's no reason not to carb load at a traditional Thanksgiving Dinner - and eat some turkey too, of course. Americans abroad, for vacation, school or work, can tuck into turkey with all the trimmings at a remarkable number of restaurants and informal gatherings around Britain. Dinners range from haughty gourmet feasts in expensive hotels to friendly homestyle feasts. Several even throw in live broadcasts of the Macy's Parade and Thanksgiving football games. In Plymouth, they make a whole weekend out of the holiday.

Find out more about Thanksgiving in Plymouth, England, and about other places to enjoy this most American festival in the UK in our round up of Thanksgiving Celebrations in the UK.

And while you're at it, drop in to my forum to share your Thanksgiving thoughts, traditions and plans with the rest of us.

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Day trips from London and around the south of England just got much cheaper. Southern Railways has launched half price day return tickets (that's round trip, same day) for customers who book online between now and December 15.

The fares are for off-peak, weekday journeys and some are pretty remarkable. London Victoria to Brighton, round trip, is just £10.40. Travel to Arundel with its wonderful castle and access to the South Downs Way for just £11 round trip.

Tickets must be purchased online before the closing date but you can use them after December 15. Sounds like some school vacation outings might be in the cards.

To book, visit The Southern Railways website.

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Metal detectorists seem to be having a field day in the UK at the moment. As a small selection from the Anglo Saxon gold hoard, unearthed in September, went on show at the British Museum in London today, a new find, in Stirling, Scotland was announced.

The Stirling find, a 2,000-year-old hoard consisting of four twisted gold neckbands, or torques, is estimated to be worth £1 million. The pieces are believed to date from the 1st and 3rd centuries B.C.

The find has been declared treasure trove and is now being valued by the The Scottish Archaeological Finds Allocation Panel. The finder has no right to the find, which becomes the property of the Crown, but is customarily offered a reward equal to the appraised value.

Meanwhile, a small group of items from the West Midlands Anglo Saxon hoard went on display at the British Museum while the entire find - approximately 1,600 items - is being valued.

At the same time, a group of West Midlands institutions, including the Birmingham Museums and Art Galleries and Staffordshire County Council, announced that the gold will, ultimately, be returned to Staffordshire, in the West Midlands, where it was found.

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If you've ever fancied getting closer to some of the treasures of Windsor Castle, or having a virtually private view of them, after hours - you may just be in luck.

Four exclusive evening tours of the Castle are planned for December 16-19. A maximum of 30 people on each night will have a chance of spending two and a half hours in the company of an expert guide from 5p.m. onward.

The tour costs £50 per person and includes an official guidebook, a 20% discount in the Royal Collection shop, a glass of champagne and a traditional mince pie. The tour can be booked online, or by telephoning 44 (0)207 766 7333.

More Holiday Merriment at Windsor Castle

Family visitors are invited to "A Christmas Ball at Windsor Castle" on the 19 and 20th of December between 11a.m. and 3p.m. But don't hurry to get the designer gown out of storage. This is a kind of virtual ball.

Children are invited to imagine what it would be like to host a ball and to follow a special trail through the State Apartments. They'll learn about costumes, decorations and feasts of the past before heading for the Moat Education Room to design a royal outfit or make a Christmas decoration.

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All over Europe, traditional Christmas markets brighten the early winter dusks this month. Shoppers enjoy the twinkling lights, steaming crocks of spicy mulled wine, sizzling sausages and chestnuts. There's usually music, crafts, baked goods and sweets. The Best Christmas Markets in UK go on for most of November and December, in the shadow of Medieval cathedrals.

The tradition may have begun in Germany and Austria, but today Christmas markets (or Christkindle Markets as they are sometimes called), have spread to Northern and Eastern Europe, France, Italy and Spain. We've even found some around the USA.

And this year, with everyone pinching pennies, the traditional Christmas market is a good choice for unique gifts at reasonable prices. About.com's Travel Guides have joined together for this week's blog carnival to recommend their favorite Christmas markets:

• Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Iceland all feature in The Best Christmas Markets in Scandinavia from Scandinavia guide Terri Mapes.
• Birge Amondson, About.com's guide to Germany, highlights a handful of The Best Christmas Markets in Germany including the oldest, in Dresden, dating from 1454. Check out her Christmas Market photo gallery too.
• Paris always sparkles so it's no surpise that Paris guide Courtney Traub has found a nice bunch of Paris Christmas Markets. And check out other Christmas Markets in France
• Eastern Europe is positively effervescent with holiday markets. Guide Kerry Kubilius highlights these Christmas Markets in Eastern Europe.
• And, heading south, Italy guide Martha Bakerjian says Italian Christmas Markets, called Mercatini di Natale, are good places to shop for Italian Christmas gifts and, perhaps, catch a glimpse of Babbo Natale, Father Christmas.
• Stateside, New York City guide Heather Cross spotlights Holiday Markets in New York City.
• And frosty Chicago is the setting for Christkindlemarkt in Daley Plaza.

And, if you are heading for Spain and can handle a bit of Spanish, do check out Madrid's Ciudad Navidad website. They've been selling traditional nativity figures in the Plaza Mayor since 1860 and the Plaza España is the place to find traditional and contemporaray Spanish crafts.

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I love Halloween, chills and thrills and ghostly manifestations as much as anyone. But here's the thing. I hate the dark and being cold, and all that manky mildew in haunted cellars makes me sneeze.

So how am I supposed to go ghost hunting?

Lucky for me the web can solve anything. Some of the most haunted places in the UK now have web cams - ghost cams actually - trained on them during the spookiest times of day...and night. If, like me, you prefer armchair ghost hunting, check out Haunted Places with Ghost Cams around the UK.

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