A tealight flickersin a frosted glassemblazoned with the wordENERGY.Outside it is 4 a.m.,deep night –even the trainsare asleep.From the other side of the worldmy sister textshappy birthday jane austen.On the bookcase behind meher novels wait to be read,re-read.
one of those ‘exciting news’ posts
I'm thrilled to have been awarded a micro-commission as part of Wandsworth Council's year as London Borough of Culture. Alongside a programme of large scale events and festivals, the Council has put in place a light-touch application process for Wandsworth artists to apply for a small grant to create new work on the theme of …
a toot or two on my trumpet
A fortnight ago, I reprised the walk I'd devised for this year's London Festival of Architecture in June: Beyond the New Builds: Voices from Nine Elms' Past. I'd made a few tweaks to the route, and was pleased with the turnout - a baker's dozen of attendees. The weather also played ball, holding off the …
how is it almost September?
All afternoon I've had Kurt Weill's September Song swimming around my brain. Weill composed the beautiful, liltingly melancholy tune; the lyrics, which I erroneously thought were by Bertolt Brecht (well, he and Weill did work together a lot), turn out to be by the American playwright Maxwell Anderson. I've just listened to a recording of …
jam-packed June
Wandsworth's London Borough of Culture year is well and truly in swing and June promises rich pickings for culture vultures. For the first time, the Wandsworth Arts Fringe and Wandsworth Heritage Festival are overlapping for one week, from 13th to 22nd June. During that period, on Saturday 14th June, History Speak and I will be …
Of Islands and Strangers
I come from a sunburnt country.I come from Scottish and Welsh,and Protestant guilt.I come from stolen land.I come from privilegefrom classical musicand cryptic crosswordsand private education.I come from discontentfrom chucking in schoolfrom teenage rebellion. I came in desperation,I came a strangerin a strange state of mind.I came to Thatcher’s disunited kingdomto Red Ken’s London. I found …
Magnolia Appreciation Society (Battersea Branch)
Spring seems to have been a long time coming this year, but it's definitely arrived, and one of the early spring sights that always lifts my spirits is the flowering of magnolia trees on the side streets and in Battersea Park. There are dozens of varieties, some frilly, others star-shaped, many slowly open into a …
Continue reading Magnolia Appreciation Society (Battersea Branch)
Bon anniversaire Maurice Ravel
The French composer Maurice Ravel was born 150 years ago today. He's one of mine and Nick's favourite composers. Back in March 2014, BBC Radio 3 dedicated a whole day to Ravel's music, which really opened our ears to the wonder and variety of his music - there's so much more than his most famous …
What’s for pudding?
A familiar refrain from my childhood, and one I often ask Nick as we finish our dinner - something sweet to round off the evening meal. I was lucky to grow up in a family where putting food on the table - in terms of affording it - was never an issue. With hindsight, I …
Twixtmas comes but once a year
Twixtmas. That quiet period betwixt Christmas and New Year. It's one of my favourite times of year, when London slows down a bit. The streets are quieter. People seem less harried, more relaxed. It's a good time to explore and maybe walk off a bit of the festive excess. In this spirit, I'm reprising my …
Hilaire 