Lifestyle

SWMRdylan – by Dean Murray Bob Dylan’s earliest demo recording is set to go under the hammer. The singer – whose biopic is contender for Oscar glory on Sunday – is said to have recorded the tape live at New York’s Gaslight Café in 1961. The original reel-to-reel tape features recordings of six early tracks, including “Song to Woody” and “He Was a Friend of Mine”. It is estimated to fetch over $20,000. Boston (USA)-based RR Auction say Terri Thal, Dylan’s first manager and author of “My Greenwich Village: Dave, Bob and Me”, originally produced the tape to demonstrate Dylan’s…

SWLShit – by Tom Cann and Faye Mayern A cat has undergone emergency surgery costing almost £16k after being involved in a hit and run which has left him with brain damage. Steve the three-year-old cat was hit in London Road in Ipswich, Suffolk, on February 6 and suffered multiple skull fractures, a broken jaw and lost his right eye. His owners, Edward Groomsbirdge, 38, and Corrina, 35, were alerted when a couple, who had witnessed the collision, rushed Steve to the emergency vets. Steve, who was nicknamed by the vets as ‘The Tank’ due to his resilience, has been…

SWLSclean – by Harry Jackaman-Pegg and Faye Mayern An army veteran is waging war against dirty road signs by scrubbing them clean in his own time. Jake Tredgett, 26, can often be spotted on the side of the road with a scrubbing brush ensuring Norfolk’s signposts are filth-free. Although Jake, from Mile Cross, Norfolk, owns his own cleaning company he has taken up sign washing as a personal quest. Jake, a former trooper in the British Army, said: “I spend a lot of time driving from house to house in my job. “Some signs are so dirty you can barely…

SWLNmask – by Filipa Gaspar A 20th-century African mask was sold for more than 300 times its guide price – fetching over 100K. The Kwele mask from Gabon was given a estimate of between £300 to £500 – but there was a “competitive” bidding with participants from all over the world. The bidding which went on for some time was eventually won out by a French buyer – who purchased it for £107,100. The 29.5cm high mask with almond shaped slit eyes and punched circle decoration, with white pigment and burnished highlights, was from the private collection of the late…

Mars may have once been home to sun-soaked, sandy beaches, suggests a new study. The findings “strengthen” the case that the red planet was once home to alien lifeforms, say scientists. An international research team used data from a Chinese rover that landed on Mars in 2021 to identify hidden layers of rock under the surface that strongly indicate the presence of an ancient northern ocean. The now-inactive rover, called Zhurong, operated between May 2021 and May 2022. It traveled 1.2 miles (1.9 kms) near escarpments thought to be an ancient shoreline four billion years ago when Mars had a…

SWTPbumble – By Kate Pounds ONLINE EMBARGO 14:00HRS 24/2/2025 A woman was blocked from Bumble for “catfishing” after she lost 10st – making her unrecognisable from her previous profile pic. Claire Sullivan, 41, decided to get back in the dating game and posted a new profile picture on Bumble. She hadn’t been on the app for a number of years – and last used it when she was around 19st. But the mum-of-one says she noticed all her new photos had been rejected by the platform. A message from Bumble said her account had been “blocked” for “having an inauthentic…

SWTPhouse – by Michael Lee Simpson ONLINE EMBARGO 12:15PM ET 24/2/2025 A couple are in a $2.4million legal row after they installed a sign outside their new $685,000 home telling buyers not to purchase the house next door. Wonda and Claude LeBrun bought a newly-built home in Richmond, Virginia, but claim they discovered it was structurally unsound – rendering it unlivable – just days after moving in. They report the floors are sinking, countertops are pulling away from the walls, and cracks have formed in the showers. So they put a sign in front of their four-bedroom home telling potential…

SWLNwallaby – by Jack Fifield A farmer rearing a newborn wallaby after his mum passed away keeps him in a pouch on her body and takes him everywhere she goes – including a baby shower. Lauren Owen, 36, says she is now a ‘proud mum’-of-two – to five-month-old wallaby, Roo, alongside her 11-year-old human daughter, Phoebe. Roo joined Lauren, her partner, Mark Navin, 44, and their little girl in the family home in Thirsk, North Yorkshire, at Monk Park Farm, on February 5 after his mum, Juliet, had to be put down after becoming infected with toxoplasmosis. The couple manage…

SWSYchaos – by Jack Fifield Two teenage boys have been arrested after a ‘pop-up’ clothing event led to chaos in middle of London’s bustling fashion district. Youth brands ‘Up in Flames’ and ‘Poser’ had announced a ‘free pop up’ event in the city centre to take place on Saturday, February 22. Hundreds of young teenagers turned up to the event – which had to be shut down by police after youths began to jump on and spray paint police cars while crowds chanted chant “f*** the feds”. Police – including a helicopter unit – stormed to the clothing pop-up, which…

SWFSlululemon – by Filipa Gaspar Police officers recovered more than $38k worth of stolen Lululemon clothing after a duo allegedly shoplifted 440 items. A 35-year-old woman and a 34-year-old man were arrested on charges of theft by taking and conspiracy to commit a crime on February 8. The Atlanta Police Department was alerted to alleged shoplifters shortly after 4pm at the Lululemon store on Howell Mill Road. Staff told police they had seen a woman in grey allegedly stealing several items from the store. When officers arrived, the woman slipped out the front door without anyone noticing. Police caught up…