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Whether it’s a Bank holiday or any other weekend, Layer Marney
is the perfect place to take the family for a fun-packed day out. Situated
down a quiet, single-track lane, well signposted from the historic town
of Colchester, it is hard to believe that anything so beautiful could
exist in the heart of the Essex countryside – that is until you
reach the gates leading to the estate.

Seeped in history, the tower is the tallest, most elaborate Tudor gatehouse
in England and an initial glimpse of the striking building will take your
breath away. Constructed in the Italian design, popular in the period
in which it was built and made from terracotta bricks, the gatehouse is
a vibrant red colour and very eye-catching.

The house spans either side of the tower itself and is currently occupied
and so not open for public viewing. Beautifully designed gardens surround
the building and a signpost to the left of the tower indicates the presence
of the church of St Mary The Virgin, where regular Sunday worship is still
practised.

Lying to the South of the main gatehouse is the very long and very narrow,
Long Hall. Features include a wrought iron fireplace on the right hand
wall and black iron chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. The room itself
is panelled with black wood and is the ideal venue to re-enact a Tudor
banquet, where the staff will dress for the period and provide appropriate
entertainment in the form of fire-eaters, jugglers or jesters.

On departing the hall you find yourself in a large courtyard, consisting
of the Corsellis room (currently split into two housing the gift shop
and the tearoom), and the barn that contains a collection of rare breed
animals, many of which can be fed. There are also two farm walks, starting
from the barn and varying in length, which include the chance to see the
red deer that roam the grounds.

Entrance to the tower itself is via wooden double doors, passing a marbled
jaguar cat on either side, into a small entrance room with archways to
the left and right. All windows are arched and those in the entrance hall
span the length of the wall. Dark curtains hang to the ground either side
of the window and deer heads hang over each arch.

Those interested in Layer Marney’s history are advised to visit
the History room - a large room thought to be the place where Queen Elizabeth
I stayed on a visit to the tower in 1579 – which houses a model
replica of the estate and also contains historical information. This room
is found between the stairwells on the right and left of the tower and
is reached via a well-maintained, spiral, wooden staircase. 95 steps lead
to the top, where breathtaking views of the estate and surrounding countryside
can be observed.

The estate is of interest to all ages and many events are held here,
including craft fairs where there are activities and goods on offer for
both young and old. It is also a popular venue for both civil ceremonies
and wedding receptions and corporate events are often held here, where
activities on offer include clay pigeon shooting, archery and jousting.

The tower has a colourful history and has seen many occupants over the
years. It was built by Henry, the first Lord Marney, who wanted a home
that would reflect his position as an important member of the royal court
and it was originally intended to be a rival to Hampton Court Palace.
By his death in 1515 only one side of the tower had been completed, however,
the work was continued by his son until his death in 1525.

Though many others have lived at Layer Marney, the major restoration
of the house was carried out by Sir Walter Zoete, who owned it from 1904.
Following his death, ownership of the house passed to the Carrington family,
descendants of whom currently occupy the property.

The history of Layer Marney Tower has led to it becoming a place of interest
to those interested in paranormal activity. The voice of the first Lord
Marney can often be heard echoing throughout the church that adjoins the
tower and he may also be seen sliding down the banisters of the tower
staircase as he attempts to scare those who interrupt his descent of the
stairs.

All in all, if you’re ever in Essex with nothing to do, do pay
Layer Marney Tower a visit. It’s a beautiful building set in beautiful
countryside and is a little piece of history that should not be missed.

Layer Marney is open to the public daily from 1^st
April till 5^th October 2003 and admission costs
are £3 per adult or £2.50 per child. Further information can be gained
from the website www.layermarneytower.co.uk

Clare is 27 years old and has a BSc in Anatomy and MSc in Forensic Science.
She used to work at New Scotland Yard until she fell ill in December 2000
with ME. Clare is a first time mum to 8 month old Lauren and wife to Andrew.
She writes freelance in any spare time and hope to begin writing a crime
novel later this year (Beetle: PD James, watch out!) She is currently
writing a children’s fairy story and various articles for mother
and baby magazines.

Edinburgh is making big efforts to entertain shoppers in the weeks before
Christmas. It also plans to lay on what it claims to be the world's
biggest Hogmanay party to welcome in the New Year. The Christmas illuminations
will be switched on from Nov. 28, and there will be a German Christmas
Market with more than 20 traders from Frankfurt, in Princes Street Gardens,
which will also be the site of the Edinburgh Wheel (until Jan. 5) - the
UK's tallest ferris wheel.

For the 10th successive year, Edinburgh's Hogmanay is a four-day
programme to say farewell to the old year and welcome in the new (Dec.29
-Jan.1). Among the free highlights are the Torchlight Procession and Fire
Festival, the Night Afore Fiesta (Dec.30, with massed pipes and drums
and the world's largest ceilidh, a Celtic-style party), the Hogmanay
Triathlon, and Huskies at Holyrood.

The vast Royal Bank Street Party (Dec.31) is free, but entry is by pass
only: get one by joining the First Foot Club (£15). As well as entry to
the party, this offers the holder discounts in shops and attractions,
privileged booking for ticket events and a chance to enter members-only
competitions. To join, call the First Foot Club membership hotline (0131
473 2056) or register and buy tickets on
the website.

A space team in Canada is looking for three people to help pilot a rocket
into space. This is part of a competition modeled on the 1927 contest
to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, won by Charles Lindbergh. Canadian Arrow
is one of two Canadian teams participating in the contest. Another 20
international teams are also racing to send the first manned commercial
rocket into orbit. The first to get their three-person vessel 100 kilometres
into space and back wins the title. The winner will have to repeat the
flight again within two weeks to win a $10-million US prize. Geoffrey
Sheerin, the leader of the London, Ont.-based Canadian Arrow project,
said he is looking for smarts, a sense of adventure, and bravery.

“It's open to absolutely anyone. The possibility for anyone
to fly is there,” Sheerin said. “We would like you to have some
aeronautical experience, understand of aviation, and also hopefully to
have some knowledge of rocketry.”

source: Woody’s Travellers Watch

"mailto:WinXP@woodyswatch.com">Travel "mailto:Travel@woodyswatch.com">@woodyswatch.com

It's great to see more and more business travellers using 'Outlook
Web Access' (OWA) on the road. This is a webmail way to access corporate
mail systems using Microsoft Exchange Server.

When you open OWA in a browser it looks much like normal Outlook. You
can read, delete, reply and forward email plus manage your contacts, calendar,
notes, tasks and public folders. There are some limitations (you can't
move a message from one folder to another) but it works pretty well.

If your company uses Exchange Server but you don't have Outlook Web
Access, ask your network administrator. OWA is installed by default on
Exchange Server so it's probably ready for you even if the network
gods haven't told you. If you're sneaky you can try finding it
from a browser linked to your intranet by trying urls that have a company
server name plus '/exchange' (the default folder) such as http:// server name>/exchange (e.g. http://mailmachine/exchange).

Outlook Web Access can be used inside a company network too. If you're
away from your work desk or computer has broken you can access your mail
from any browser. But OWA is mostly used by staff accessing mail from
outside company premises. Provided your mail server is accessible from
the Internet you can use OWA from any net terminal anywhere in the world.

The link to access OWA will probably be different away from the intranet,
something like http://mail.dagg.com/exchange but your network gurus will
give you the exact link.

However you access OWA you'll be prompted for your login name, password
and possibly domain. This not only gives you access to the company mail
server but also tells Exchange Server which mail account to display.

Security Tip: when you're using OWA from any computer not yours make
sure you DON'T check the 'Remember this password' box. If
you do so anyone could access you email from that public terminal after
you walk away. When using someone else's computer on your intranet
the same thing applies, you don't want someone else looking at your
email.

With OWA available from anywhere, you might not have to lug your laptop!
If you don't have much email or it's just a short trip then many
business people have decided to leave their laptop computer at home and
just check their email at public Internet terminals (cafe's, hotel
business centres and some airline lounges).

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France: thieves may target cars with foreign number
plates. Conceal bags and purses when driving and never leave valuables
in a vehicle, even for a short time or when you are nearby. The last two
digits on a French car's number plate indicate the département
in which the car is registered. Many hire cars are registered in Marne
département (51) and cars with registration numbers ending in 51 attract
the attention of thieves.

Venice: The heightened tension in the Middle East
has led the Italian authorities to increase security around the Jewish
quarter in Venice. Extra police have been drafted in to guard the area.
Security in the Jewish quarter in Rome has also been increased.

Greek Islands: Personal attacks, including sexual
assaults and rape, are infrequent. However there have been incidents of
sexual assault and rape on some Greek Islands. Visitors are therefore
advised to maintain at least the same level of personal security awareness
as in the UK. We strongly advise lone visitors, especially, never to accept
lifts from strangers or passing acquaintances at any time.

Portugal: Crime remains comparatively low in Portugal
but pickpocketing, handbag snatching and theft from cars are increasingly
common in major tourist area. Passport, credit cards, travel tickets and
money should not be carried together in handbags or pockets. Leave spare
cash, passports and valuables in a safe place. Portuguese police recommend
that car windows and doors are closed and locked while driving at night
in urban centres. Pedestrians are advised not to wear valuable jewellery
or watches in public areas.

"http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029390590">
Source: the Foreign & Commonwealth office

Located, appropriately enough, in the heart of Theatreland,
the Theatre Museum is dedicated to promoting the performing arts. In addition
to housing the National Video Archive of Stage Performance, the museum
boasts a staggering collection of over one million programmes and playbills,
puppets, photographs and props relating to theatre, ballet, dance and
music. Visitors can participate in workshops, makeovers, tours and try
their hand at animation and puppetry. There is lots of memorabilia from
old theatres and stage sets, which creates a very special theatrical ambience.
The Theatre Museum opens 10:00-18:00 Tues-Sun. Closed 24-26 Dec. Tube:
Covent Garden Enquiries: 020 7943 4700 Entrance: FREE admission for individuals

More than 300 young girls and women have been killed
in Ciudad Juarez since 1993 on the other side of the US border, across
from El Paso, Texas. Late November, over 1,000 women dressed in black
and holding candles marched through Mexico City to demand that those responsible
for killing hundreds of women in the border town of Ciudad Juarez be brought
to justice. Despite several federal and state investigations, the authorities
have been unable to identify the killers or establish a motive behind
the murders. Several people have been arrested or detained, but still
the killings continue. Various motives have been offered: satanic black
magic rituals, drug related and sex slavery.