Forget about the big things. You can keep the necessities. Don't tell us about the must-haves. Alexandra Fraser takes a look at a few little luxuries which, in a world too full of strife and woe, will help ease your way through life with a smile on your face.
A . . . classic?
Two men walk into a Vauxhall dealership and see an old Cavalier Mk2 in the corner, on its last wheels. One is the mythical king Midas. The rest is history.
Although this gold Ferrari has a different back-story, I’d wager that if the mythical Phrygian king decided to increase the value of an old classic by around 1000% (and I’m being a Stewards’ Enclosure at Henley dress-code level of conservative with that estimate) it would look something like this.
The 1977 Ferrari 512 BB will go on sale as part of Sotherby’s ‘The Midas Touch’ sale and all jokes aside, there’s no denying that this car is special. Rediscovered in red in 2015, the car was restored to its original colour scheme in Modena and is one of only four of its kind. Hopefully.
Disclaimer: it’s not actually gold. I checked. If you’re looking for a golden keepsake, look no further than a solid gold sculpture of Kate Moss’s head. This actually exists. Thank you Sotheby’s.
1977 Ferrari 512 BB, up for auction through Sotherby’s, estimated value between £350,000 and £450,000. www.sothebys.com
Decanter eat your heart out
Wine, grouse and beautifully shaped glass – what could be more Country Life? To begin ‘The Moorland Collection’, Tessa Packard celebrates her Scottish childhood with two pieces: a grouse cube and this stunning decanter. Please check your wine is decantable before you try it out (if I knew more about this I probably wouldn’t be using the word ‘decantable’) and maybe don’t fill it with your new Berry Bros Grüner Veltliner. Perhaps a nice hearty red or a single malt?
The grouse decanter is on sale from Tessa Packard for £580, find it at www.tessapackard.com http://www.tessapackard.com/shop/the-grouse-decanter/
I’m just going to leave this here
File this under ‘love it or hate it’.
Nouveau’ model starting from £24,794 www.longthorneguns.com
Watch this space
It’s rather quaint that one of the selling points of Tudor’s new Black Bay GMT is multiple time-zone function – we’ll go out on a limb and say that anyone buying a £2,700 watch will also have a phone that automatically updates its time zone when crossing borders. But if you fear that you’ll lose touch when driving your new Ferrari from Marylebone to Modena, look no further than the Black Bay. The watch is Swiss-made and comes with a riveted steel bracelet strap but I’m actually more partial to the Terra di Sienna leather strap option. Not only because I prefer the look, but also because the office air conditioning has gone haywire today even the thought of having something cold and metal around my wrist right now makes me sneeze.
Black Bay GMT, £2,790 from www.tudorwatch.com
Symposium, anyone?
A quick preface: I studied Classics, I love wine and around 65% of my body is probably gin, so this is very exciting for me. Chapel Down vineyard has launched a limited-edition Bacchus Gin, produced from last year’s distilled grape skins. Your classic juniper is still here, along with hints of elderflower, orange peel and lavender. If like my elder brother and many other fine people you strongly feel that coriander tastes like soap, maybe stick to champagne.
£35 for 70cl from www.chapeldown.com
Your own island
Because, why not?
Eilean Nan Gabhar, the ‘Island of Goats’ has no electricity, no phone signal and no house but it does have 13 acres completely free from all the trappings of the modern world. Including plumbing. The decision is yours.
Eilean Nan Gabhar is on sale through Galbraith for offers over £120,000.
If you purchased our entire shopping list today (excluding the island, let’s not be silly, now), you would have spent £478,199 and potentially made some questionable life decisions. I’m going to go seek out that Chapel Down gin.
The absolutely inessential, utterly indulgent and entirely marvellous weekend shopping list
Check in weekly to see the latest additions to our list – to look at, laugh at and to (occasionally) treat
Things to do: Music in the gardens, the buildings of the Weald & Downland and a circus at the cathedral
Keep your diary up-to-date with our selection of unmissable events and things to do in the next few weeks.
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Rich with areas of ancient woodland and extensive wildlife, this stunning island off Argyll’s secret coast provides the opportunity to
