The Week UK - 28.03.2020

LEISURE 41

Where to find... resources for children

ook out, too, for freemusic

ssesonline, and also

galongs for pre-schoolers.

ddies Music Club, for

ample, has responded to

ecrisis by offering free

wo-month subscriptions to

scollection of children’s

es to sing and dance along

to (teddies usicclub.co.uk).

tness and food guru

eWicks says he will

ppily act as “the

tion’s P.E teacher”. He

giving 30-minute live

E. classesevery

orning, Monday to

day, at 9am on his

ouTube channel, The

ody Coach TV.

With sketchpads and

drawing tools at the ready,

you candraw alongwith

illustrators such as Sarah

McIntyre and Rob Biddulp

on YouTube, or Fred Blunt

and Disney animator

Michael Woodside (daily

at 7pm) on Instagram.

Consumer

Honda’s hybrid supercar: “a feat of technological virtuosity”

Tips oftheweek... howto

work from home

And for those who

have everything...

The 2016HondaNSX –ahybrid

sports car–was in many ways an

“astonishing”piece of engineering,

said What Car?.Butitwas held back

by heavy batteriesanda“safe”set-up,

which meant itcoul dn’t quite reach

the potential of itspowerful engine.

It’sstill notthe “most thrilling,

efficient or exquisitely made supercar

youcan buy”.But with this update,

Hondahas managedtofix alot of

theold problems.

WhiletheNSX has always beenan“admirable feat of

technologicalvirtuosity”,ish as been hamperedby“artificial-

feelingsteering”and “sticky”hybrid integration, said The

DailyTelegraph.Now, though, itdrives “likean entirely

different car”. The engine,a3.5-litreV6with two turbos

strapped to it,produces 500bhp by itself. With three electric

motors alongside,the system’stotal

output is 573bhp.Thehybrid set-up

feels “muchmore comfortable in its

skin”,with asmoothswit ch from

petrol to electric power, anda“better-

calibrated” throttle. Theresultist hat

it is far morerelaxingtodrive–and

more fun, too, thanks to its incredible

speed and the reworkedsteering.

Buil tinAmerica,the NSXhas

an interior “comfier andmoreaccommodating than most

rivals”, said Top Gear.Itfeels “flippingspecial”to si tinside,

givi ng you“the full 360º supercar experience”, with sculpted

arches curvingout as you look through thewind screen.

Frustratingly, the fiddly infotainmentsystem is the same one

as you’dfind in acar like th eCivic. A nd theboot, though big

enough foracoupleof sq uishybags, won’tfit ahard case.Even

so, theNSX isareally interesting,“different kind of supercar”.

●Keep your schedule as similar to how it
is in the office as possible. Take the same
amount of time to get ready, keep your start
time, and check in with your colleagues.
●Get dressed–don’t stay in your pyjamas,
as appealing as it might seem.
●Start your day by going forawalk –or
evenarun –tor eplicate the experience of
acommute.
●If you can, identifyaregular spot in your
home in which you can work.
●Put meals, breaks and exercise breaks
into your schedule as you wouldameeting.
●Do asmuch as you can to make contact
with people both from work and elsewhere,
so you feel less isolated. Don’t just rely on
mail: use chat tools and make phone and
video calls. There’sarange of software out
there to make communication easier.
●Try to havea“transition”tomark the end
of the working day. Clock out with your
colleagues, and findaplace you can put
your work materials and laptop away.

SOURCE: THE NEW YORK TIMES SOURCE: STUFF SOURCE: DAILY MAIL

MasterLock’s newbiometricpadlock

could meanyou neverhavetohunt

around forthe keytoyour gardenshed

again.Itcan remember the fingerprints

of up to tenpeople,andhas abattery

life of aboutayear.

£100;screwfix.com

●Peoplewhoaren’tusedtoonline

shopping, or Skype, may need help getting

set up. Perhaps you haveaspare laptop or

phone that someone might find useful.

●Schedule regular phone calls with people

you know are at risk of being lonely. You

could also set up group chats, or play

games with them online.

●Local volunteer groups are listed on

covidmutualaid.org; the Nextdoor app

is another way to connect; or just post

anote throughaneighbour’s door.

●Offer to buy others food when you go

shopping, to minimise everyone’s trips.

●Ask if you can collect prescriptions, or tell

people about echo.co.uk, which delivers

them for free.

●People who have to go out to work (e.g.

nurses) might be glad of help with children,

now that schools are closed.

●The community organising group Acorn

also hasaweb page connecting volunteers

with people in need (acorntheunion.org.uk).

Tips of the week... how to

be agoodneighbour

HondaNSX

From£149,950

28 March 2020 THE WEEK

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Epic!, an e-book library with

40,000 children’s books, is

offering free access with an

invitation fromateacher for the

rest of the school year. Look out

also for freereadings;Frank

Cottrell-Boyce has been reading

his bookThe Astounding

Broccoli Boyon Instagram

(@frank_cottrell_boyce).

Foronline learning,try

the Twinkl website, which is

now free with the code

CVDTWINKLHELPS and

has resources for the full

curriculum organised by

Key Stage. ABCMouse.com

also delivers early learning

through games, songs and puzzles. For

numeracy, try the Quick Math Jr app and The

Maths Factor, created by Carol Vorderman.

f

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