A gallop with Highclere Thoroughbred Racing

On the gallops at Newmarket’s Warren Hill, a group of four riders dressed in beige jackets and caps approach at a brisk canter, their horses’ hooves drumming and manes flying.

Trainer Luca Cumani – who has produced two Derby winners among a host of other champions – looks on with an expert eye.

He’s not entirely happy. ‘Come on girls,’ he says, ‘I’m trying to make athletes here, not sleeping policemen.’

How to chose your horseracing colours

Her Majesty the Queen favours a purple jacket with scarlet sleeves and gold braiding topped by a black velvet cap with a gold fringe. Sir Winston Churchill opted for pink with chocolate sleeves and cap, while Lord Astor’s choice was a pale blue jacket with a pink sash and cap.

We are, of course, talking about horseracing silks, the distinctive colours worn by jockeys when representing a particular owner.

Choosing a set of silks is a subject that has occupied most race horse owners’ minds at some point – certainly those who, unlike the Queen, have not been bequeathed particular colours by their ancestors.

Russian artworks hit new heights at Christie’s

The strength of Russian art as an investment has been underlined once again with Christie’s achieving a record price for The Coachman by Boris Kustodiev.

The work was painted in 1923 and was formerly in the collection of Noble Prize winner and friend of the artist Peter Kapitza (1894-1984). 

A short tour of Abbeville, Picardy

The northern French town of Abbeville was a favourite of the art critic and painter John Ruskin.

When he visited in 1868 he wrote with admiration about the view of the gothic church of St Vulfran towering above medieval houses and marketplace.

Watercolours and sketches that he made at the time can still be seen in the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, but while the 15th-century church that so impressed him is clearly recognisable today, the medieval centre that so captivated Ruskin has largely disappeared.

Run to Monaco 2013 date announced

Luxury motoring event Run To Monaco is scheduled for 22-26 May 2013.

The spectacle, which sees drivers taking luxury supercars from Brands Hatch to the Principality, begins with participants heading through southern England via Eurotunnel to the Champagne region of France. 

Viking swords top the list at Bonhams’ sale

A fearsome array of swords from the Medieval period and earlier, including Viking weapons, form the main thrust of Bonhams’ sale of antique arms and armour on 28 November in London’s Knightsbridge.

David Williams, director of arms and armour at Bonhams, said: ‘Many of these rare and remarkable weapons would have been used in battle. The scarring and damage goes some way to confirm this, though the years have also taken their toll.’

Ageing cars to be banned from Paris, says mayor

The writing may be on the wall for the iconic 2CV or Renault Five rattling through the streets of Paris.

Socialist mayor Bertrand Delanoë intends to outlaw (by September 2014) the use of cars and utility vehicles more than 17 years old and lorries or buses more than 18 years old.

Pompeii and Herculaneum exhibition at the British Museum

In Spring 2013 the British Museum will present a major exhibition on the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, sponsored by Goldman Sachs. 

This exhibition will be the first ever held on the cities at the British Museum and the first such major exhibition in London for almost 40 years. 

Health benefits of a hot sand bath in Kyushu, Japan

Boris Yeltsin lasted 30 minutes; he did well. Most people struggle to get past 20 – and the recommended dose is a trifling 15.

Frankly, I am nervous. The sauna at the Hakusuikan resort at Ibusuki on the tip of the southern Japanese island of Kyushu may be recommended as a cure for any number of ailments, but it also involves being buried up to your neck in geothermally heated sand.

Ash dieback taking hold in UK, warn experts

A summit on the tree disease Chalara fraxinea, also known as ash dieback, took place in 7 November.

The meeting, chaired by environment secretary Owen Paterson and attended by Government officials, tree experts and conservation NGOs, considered the findings of a nationwide survey carried out by Forestry Commission staff and agreed a course of action.