As Daphne Guinness adds a new album to her portfolio of achievements, I was reminded of some enjoyable weekends away with her when we were 11 years old. She had a pretty face, sparky eyes and good nature, which you can see in her wedding photos. We were in the same class from 8-12 years old, then she went to boarding school and we have not been in touch since. Her nickname was Digit –…
The joy and surprise of the Style & Society, Dressing the Georgians exhibition is the inclusion of the intimate along side the grandiose. I was expecting ranks of Coronation and ceremonial robes. This is an exhibition curated by the Royal Collection Trust, in collaboration with Historic Royal Palaces, at Buckingham Palace no less. And it does not disappoint, with Princess…
The opening song, with all the choirs assembled.
A tsunami of young people, banked up higher than the organist, produced the most enjoyable, eclectic, powerful choral concert I have seen, as the National Youth Choirs NYCGB celebrated its 40th year. One of them was our friend E who had been practising for months, and we were there to support them. If your child has a great voice, this is where to…
The 1948 Prokoviev-Ashton Ballet Cinderella is back with a revamp.
The costumes
The new costumes of the ROH Ballet Cinderella are splendidly elegant, glittery and magical. More men in trousers instead of tights is refreshing. When did full-length budgie-smuggling become acceptable in ballet? Who is still okaying this convention? And why isn’t the Prince objecting to poncing around in a…
Hilma af Klint (b. Sweden, 1862-1944) and Piet Mondrian (b. Netherlands, 1872-1944) were two of the most imaginative artists of the twentieth century. THE first question you have is why put these two artists together: they never shagged, met, or even knew about each other. They were of the same generation, both started in landscapes and both used oils, end of. Where Tate Modern is brilliant is how…
Have you ever thought of learning to knit? In my blue January piece, I mentioned starting a new craft with a family member, as my daughter had been prompting me to take her to our local craft shop.
Part 1 – Choosing the wool was a whole creative adventure.
What wool can a beginner handle? The structure, feel, fatness, color, fluffiness, ingredients all had to be discussed. And then…
This is my 4th street party, that I’ve helped organise. Two were when we lived in Acton, and theirs has now become a yearly occurrence, with a slush fund, DJ and kids activities, plus bake-off, hands-free donut-eating races and karaoke. One American family was gung-ho for a dunk-tank, something they do on such occasions, but we made unenthusiastic noises about drownings and cold weather.
If…
Immersive experiences have hit London by storm. The new kid on the block is BBC Earth Experience. The London Mums’ team went to the premiere to check it out first hand.
The Tech
The tech must have been an enormous challenge, and thus a triumph. Mimicking the immersive experiences of Van Gogh and Hockney, this is surround-sound-surround-vision. The 4 HUGE screens and other…
In this blog, I’ll review In the Middle and report about a chat with film director Greg Cruttwell.
A ‘footie film’ may not fill you with enthusiasm, you’re thinking ‘under-dogs pull their fingers out and bag the cup’ type scenario. But this is different, it’s … charming? It’s a documentary, clearly made with love; love for the people interviewed and for the game.
A love…
Baking your own bread is a wonderful thing to do with and without kids.
You remember in lockdown, the first things to disappear from shelves were bog roll and flour, followed by yeast. Flour. Bizarre in our heavily industrialised baking culture. But providing bread for the family is a deeply engrained Right of Man. No catastrophe, however global, is gonna get in the way. I wonder how many learnt…