In a parallel universe, I have been reading about spaghetti maps, swimlane diagrams, rich pictures, mind mapping, and an astonishing number of acronyms. CATWOE, anyone? PESTLE analysis, MoSCoW, MOST? Welcome to the world of business analysis, where your Boston box contains both a Wild Cat and a Cash Cow, your fishbone diagram could be labelled …
Author: Hilaire
I am a writer of poetry and prose. I was born and brought up in Melbourne but have lived in London most of my adult life.
The True Deceiver
Recently finished reading Tove Jansson's The True Deceiver. A cool, mysterious, deceptive (appropriately) novel. The writing is beautiful in an unflashy way - an almost glacial surface (hard not to reach for those Nordic metaphors), troubling undercurrents, piquant details. I was captivated by the sense of place, the winter which never seems to end, the …
cardew upon avon
There are many reasons to visit Bath: for the Austen connection, for the Georgian architecture, for the Roman baths and the new swanky spa, or, regrettably, as a hen party destination. But yesterday, the best reason to be in Bath was the Cardew connection - a day devoted to the radical composer Cornelius Cardew, as …
avian des res
At the end of a long week, on a day of high wind and changeable skies, we refreshed our somewhat battered souls by wandering over the river to seek out the Chelsea half of Spontaneous City in the Tree of Heaven, a sculptural installation by London Fieldworks. The site: Cremorne Gardens, tucked away between the …
sparrow grass
This week's food highlight: English asparagus, from my local greengrocer's, lightly roasted in olive oil, accompanied by boiled baby Charlotte potatoes. I've decided this is about the best way to cook asparagus. Roasting those tantalising spears intensifies their flavour, while they retain a bit of bite. Then there's the auxiliary pleasures of drizzling some of …
sabbatical stats
So, my six month sabbatical comes to an end at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow. And what have I achieved in my time off? A fair amount, I reckon: One short novel, The Alloa Journal, completed Two short stories Five poems 24 blog posts And one - the only one - true love, my literary-and-more companion Nick, …
much better chop
To the Susan Hiller retrospective at Tate Britain on Good Friday afternoon. In contrast to the previous Friday's art fix, I was pretty impressed by this show, which presents a body of work produced over 40 years. Some of Hiller's recurrent themes include language, the subconscious, the hidden meanings and value of ephemera (the Rough …
not much chop
Late Friday afternoon we finally made it along to the Hayward Gallery on the Southbank to see British Art Show 7, subtitled rather meaninglessly, as far as I could make out anyway, 'In the Days of the Comet'. Billed as "the most ambitious and influential exhibition of contemporary British art", the experience, for me, was …
vernal pleasures
Blue skies over London. Trees coming into leaf, each day a brighter green. Blossom everywhere - a plethora of white and pink froth, shimmering yellow. Bare legs. Toenails painted deep red. Making salads - Greek salad, beetroot salad with garlic yoghurt. Fresh, sharp tastes. Eating Greek salad listening to Greek music with the windows open, …
journeys of a randonneur
This week's cultural highlight was the private view of Journeys of a Randonneur - cycling themed prints by the very talented Andrew Pavitt. Currently showing at London's pre-eminent cycling café Look Mum No Hands! until 3rd April, these linocut prints are both striking and stylish - a cool mix of nostalgia, dynamism and just a …
Hilaire 