Unmissable events
Christmas shopping November 23–25 Bowood House Christmas Extravaganza, Calne, Wiltshire. Where better to shop for gifts than at the home of the Marchioness of Lansdowne? As well as a variety of stalls, enjoy festive decorations and The John Bentley School Choir. Standard daily entry from £6, preview tickets for Wednesday £15 (01249 812102; www.bowood.org)
November 25–27 Presents Galore, Rowley Mile Racecourse, Newmarket, Suffolk. Thirtieth-anniversary gift fair in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support. Everything from art and books to jewellery and pet accessories. Admission £5, free parking (http:// presentsgalore.org) Exhibition Until November 29 ‘Still Life: Four Decades’ (above), Bohun Gallery, Henley-on-thames, Oxfordshire. The works of Eric Rimmington, the painter said to have ‘redefined the art of stilllife’, from 1977 onwards (01491 576228; www.bohungallery.co.uk)
November 29–December 3 ‘Mostly Horses’, Gallery 8, Duke Street, London SW1. About 50 works by Susie Whitcombe including paintings, watercolours and bronzes of equines, dogs, chickens, pigs and even aircraft (www.susiewhitcombe.com)
Art fair November 25–27 The Pavilions of Harrogate Antiques & Fine Art Fair, Great Yorkshire Showground, North Yorkshire. Specialist dealers offering a vast range of period pieces to suit every pocket. Admission £5 or free online (www.cooperevents.com; 01278 784912)
Nature December 3 Pull a Pine for Christmas, RSPB Arne, Wareham, Dorset. Help to preserve the heathlands by pulling up small pines and take home your own sustainable Christmas tree. From £5 per car (01929 553360; www.rspb.org.uk)
Racing November 26 Hennessy Gold Cup Day (above), Newbury Racecourse, Berkshire. Top-class jump racing, including the 60th running of one of the biggest tests of both
Book now December 5 Dress your home for Christmas, Long Barn, Alresford, Hampshire. Make your own wreath, enjoy a two-course lunch, then learn to dress your table and fireplace to best effect with an interior stylist. Tickets £95 (01962 738684; www.longbarn.co.uk) For tortoiseshell and silver hairbrushes From ‘500 Household Hints by 500 Housewives’, published by in 1926. We cannot vouch for the accuracy of any advice given