A cold Valentine's Night in Sheffield. With no flowers of my own to deliver, I went to Sheffield Station to see who was giving who some floral arrangements.

The Ontheroad Podcast returns for 2008 with episode six, the 'lost episode', thought to have been wiped by a grumpy iPod after being recorded last November in Edmonton, Alberta. James tries his best not to sound like Louis Theroux, and explores North America's largest shopping mall...

As part of an on-going project leading to my Masters in Architecture dissertation this October, I was in Haarlem in Holland a few weeks ago to interview the Dutch cartoonist-turned-architect Joost Swarte. After being interviewed for my project, Joost kindly accompanied me on a walk through town from his studio to the Toneelschuur Theatre Complex and Johannes Enchede Hof housing courtyard that he helped to design.

The temptation was too much... hundreds of fine ales, one exhibition centre and one pint glass. Your loyal host tried his best at the 30th Great British Beer Festival at London's Earl's Court Exhibition Centre.

The week of 13 to 19 August 2007 is National Allotments Week in the UK. So to find out more about urban gardening, James heads to Hackney and to an allotment garden in Spring Hill to find out more about the people who make one corner of a north London sports field their own.

James heads to Bloomsbury in Central London to visit the shop of Persephone Books, a small independent publisher that has carved a niche for itself specialising in beautifully designed and and printed editions of previously neglected novels, diaries, poetry and cookery books. Special thanks to Emily Hill for showing me around and introducing me to Persephone Books.

James heads to Hyde Park in London to meet some of the participants in this year's Mongol Rally. Two hundred teams started out from London with the simple goal of driving the six thousand miles to Ulaabaator in Outer Mongolia. The only minor rule of any importance is that they have to get there in car with an engine smaller than 1000cc...