A study of 2,000 workers found the average person ends up spending over half of their average 26 days annual leave on personal chores which we just cannot get done while working - and only 11 days are spent relaxing. Reasons to use up our holiday include taking time off to look after sickly relatives, looking after the kids during school holidays and waiting at home for a delivery. And when factoring in travel to and from holiday destinations and...

By Alex Jones (Alex_Jonze) It’s almost 40 years since the Sex Pistols played their legendary first show at Manchester’s Lesser Free Trade Hall back in 1976. As the old saying goes, life begins at 40, but I’m not entirely sure that phrase was coined with music genres in mind. In any case, punk has undergone a transformation in that time, with sub genres taking the foundations of its sound and spawning a cavalcade of bands far removed from the likes...

Next month, swathes of London’s comedians will be making their annual pilgrimage across the border to Scotland, for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. We spoke to some of our capital's comedians about how they survive the yearly onslaught of hecklers, expensive accommodation and endless hangovers.   Nish Kumar (Croydon) Best place to catch comedy: Everywhere. Absolutely everywhere. In the past even phone boxes were turned into ersatz comedy venues by enterprising promoters. Best place to eat: David Bann is an incredible...

 by Beth Roberts They say if love is the treasure, then laughter is the key - which might well be the reason so many couples will head to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this August. Starting on the 7th and lasting till the 31st, it’s the largest arts festival in the world, with over 2000 quirky shows and a host of stunning venues to choose from. But there’s plenty on offer in this seductive Scottish city to keep the spark alive...

The summer holidays are here, and that can mean weeks of trying to meet cries of “I’m bored!” with inspired suggestions. But the best ideas don't have to be expensive, and don't take hours of preparation - all you really need is some felt, fabric, card and their imagination. We asked two designers on Folksy.com who specialise in crafts for kids to share their super simple tips for unplugging children from screens and getting them crafting. Ruth Bagnall, A is...

By Stephen Mayne @finalreel Amy Poehler is on the up. She’s already emerged as a comedy superstar in America off the back of a number of high profile gigs including Saturday Night Live, the lead role in hit sitcom Parks and Recreation, and as a highly lauded host, along with friend and fellow comedy superstar Tina Fey, of the Golden Globes. In the UK, her profile is lower, though this is not likely to remain the case for long. At...

By Stephen Mayne @finalreel At least Ruth & Alex knows its strengths, opening with a patented Morgan Freeman voiceover, before offering the gentle pleasures of Freeman and Diane Keaton hanging out together in New York. It hardly makes up for the mess on display elsewhere as a tangle of sub-plots generate an awful lot of noise without saying very much at all. Keaton and Freeman are the title’s Ruth and Alex, a happily married couple living in a beautiful New...

By Bea Patel, TLE Property Editor and Director of Shop for an Agent, the estate agent comparison site It’s no secret that monthly rent costs in the capital are spiralling out of control. Tenants’ face the highest increase, as demand from them drives up the amount landlords are charging. With the average London monthly rent priced at a staggering £1,515 (USD 2,363), one would wonder what this price could get you around the world. How does a chic rooftop apartment...

By Stephen Mayne @finalreel With Pixar’s quite brilliant back catalogue comes great expectation. When they’ve raised the bar and leapt over it so many times before, each new release has to approach masterpiece status just to avoid disappointment. After a fallow half decade since Toy Story 3 (2010), a period that saw two entertaining, yet bland sequels (Cars 2 & Monsters University), and a pretty good original piece (Brave), the studio has come roaring back with Inside Out, once again reaching...